Hebrews 10:1-4, 10:34-38
Peril Patience and the Promise
Protocol first, Protocol first Protocol First
The authorship of the book of Hebrews is a point of debate among theologians. Some say that it was written by Apollos some say Silas others still say that it was written by clement of Rome. For the sake of argument I’m going to use Paul as the author. Its safe to say that the only one who really knows is God. But, I like Paul, and this is my sermon. So I’m going to use Paul. Is that all right? The author calls this letter a “word of exhortation”. It was necessary because the readers were being persecuted and some were in danger of abandoning their faith in Christ and reverting back to Judaism. And though they were not in danger of martyrdom they were in danger of becoming apostate. The letter is a stirring apologetics for the superiority of Christ, and Christianity, over Judaism in terms of priesthood and sacrifice.
1.In the time that Hebrews was written it was a very trying time to be a Jew and believe in Jesus as the messiah. For even right today if you are a Jew if you are of the Hebrew culture and ethnicity to convert to Christianity in Israel means to forsake everything. You cannot work in the government of Israel if you are a Christian. For some it means being disowned by family and friends and rejected by the community. So while we call for the freedom of Jews in eastern countries we must also call for the freedom of Christians.
2.The book of Hebrews is a book that is written to the newly converted Jews who were being pressured by their kinsmen to return to Judaism and forsake Christianity. The Jews were trying to maintain their political and social status and didn’t want the newfound faith of these messianic Jews to take hold and capture the hearts of the people in which they had subjugated for such a long time.
3.So they said to these new believers ``Come on back to the faith of your fathers, this Jesus that your serving isn’t coming back. He’s dead and someone has stolen his body. You can’t believe those apostle fellas they’re all crazy to think that this Jesus actually raised himself from the dead.”
4.“Forsake this Jesus and come on back to the synagogue and come on back to the faith of Abraham and Jacob. Come on back to the Law of Moses and the patriarchs and the prophets.”
5.Thus Paul had to send an urgent letter to these new believers and let them know that they had the right one. He had to tell them that God who at sundry times and in divers ways had spoken by the prophets has now in these last days spoken to us by Jesus. He tells them in the letter that he was the brightness of God’s glory and the express image of God. He tells them in the letter that by Him, by Jesus that the worlds were framed and the heavens created by Jesus.
6.So he says ``don’t leave Jesus and go back to Judaism. If you go back to Judaism you’ll go back to the worship of angels and the worship of the patriarchs and the prophets`` so don’t go back to Judaism. For, Jesus is better than worshipping angels. The angels worship Him. So don’t go back to worshipping angels. If you go back to Judaism you’ll go back to worshipping Abraham and the prophets but Jesus is better than Abraham and the prophets. For, Abraham is out looking for a city, but Jesus IS the city so don’t go back to worshipping Abraham.
7.I know folks who believe that Islam is better than Jesus. But Jesus is better than Islam. Folks think that Buddhism and Hinduism are better than Jesus but Jesus is better than Islam, Better than Buddhism or Hinduism.
8.I have a friend who is a lawyer. My son’s uncle and I made some money off of him a few years back. I happened to know some people who needed a lawyer and wanted to use an African American lawyer if possible. So I referred them to him and he represented them and gave me a finder’s fee. Twice I made a little change with him. He was a member at Mt. Zion at the time. I happened to see him a few months ago and he stopped me at the store. And I was happy to see him. I asked him `so How are things going at Mt. Zion´ Oh, he said I don’t attend Mt Zion anymore I’ve stepped up. I said `Oh yeah where did you step to he said I’m in the nation of Islam with the honorable minister Farrakhan I said oh ok Now you know that I can’t recommend you to my friends anymore hunh`he said oh are you prejudice or something you won’t recommend me because I’m not a Christian anymore. `I said `no but I don’t want to recommend any lawyer who doesn’t know the difference between stepping up and falling down.
9.Amen. when you leave Jesus for the nation of Islam you haven’t stepped up you’ve fallen down.
10.You take a forward step leaving Judaism for Jesus.
11.You take a forward step when you leave the Jehovah’s witnesses for Jesus.
12.It’s a forward step to leave Buddhism for Jesus.
13.But you take a backwards step whenever you leave Jesus for anything.
14.So stick with Jesus. He tells them in the letter that God has made him heir of all things, not just heir of Seattle as big and wealthy as that would be. Not just heir of Washington State as prestigious as that would be. Not heir of the United States as powerful as that would be. But he hath made him heir of all things. So why would you leave Jesus?
15.By the time he arrives at our text he has made his case for the spiritual state of Israel and revealed to them that all of the seed of Abraham is not just in the flesh but those that are of the faith of Abraham are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise. He let them know that it was not the circumcision of the flesh that mattered but the circumcision of the heart that determined our status with God.
16.He explains to them that the Law of Moses was not good enough to save them but that they needed to lamb of god that takes away the sin of the world.
17.He explains to them that not only is Jesus the lamb of god that he is the great High Priest who goes into the holy of holies and offers up the sacrifice of his own blood. He talks about the temple system and the new covenant.
18.Then in the tenth chapter where we find ourselves this morning he goes on to say `Cast not away therefore your confidence. And we live today in a world of Casting away and throwing aside. We are just casting things away. We are casting away our children. In the state of Washington we are casting away the education of our children. We have a sad record lately when it comes to the education of our kids. The WASL test that failed so miserably.
19.The racism and prejudice practices of security and discipline in our schools where even our babies are made subject to the ugliness and cowardice of racial preferences.
20.In Kent the NAACP has filed a suit claiming that school security is abusing the use of handcuffs on our children. We have been chained and shackled and drug through the streets for 4 hundred years and now their putting chains on our children. Casting away.
21.But before we can applaud in protest about that. WE have cast away Godly discipline when it comes to our children. I said WE have. We have disobeyed the scriptures and let other folks tell us that we must not discipline our children. Now I know that the reason for this is that some parents have no temperance and that there is a need to protect our children from abuse. I work with our young people everyday and I see cases of abuse far more than I would like to.
22.But there is a difference between abuse and godly discipline.
24.Our children are running wild in the streets and smoking and drinking at younger and younger ages. And we have bought in to this ridiculous theory of letting our children express themselves. Now our little girls are dressing and acting like 30 year old women. Some of the styles that I see on our children are downright shameful. I wonder sometimes what was that mama thinking when she let that baby come home with that outfit.
26.Were casting away our moral and social values. Just casting them away. We’re casting away the standards of holiness and righteousness. In this nation we’re casting it away. Casting away programs for the elderly and the poor.
27.And then in our own community were casting away the family structure. Seventy percent of all families in the black community are fostered by single mothers or unwed parents. Casting it away. Black on black crimes has not seen a decline in 20 years.
28.And it’s a sin and a shame that even the church is casting away its moral standing. I said the church is. Churches are now performing same sex unions that go against the very foundation of the scripture. Full-grown men, climbing in the bed with another full-grown man. And before you women go to shouting I’m coming down your row. Beautiful women 36 26 36 climbing in the bed with another full-grown women. There’s something wrong with that ya´ll. I’m not a psychologist I don’t know the technicalities of the human mind and how it works but I do know something’s wrong with that.
29.And so Paul from the halls of history tells us cast not away therefore your confidence in God. For he says you have need of Patience that after you have done the will of god. And I just want to stop there because the will of god comes first. So many of us want to stand on the promises of god but there is a prerequisite for the promises. You first have to line your will up with the will of God. No use in going to God and reminding him of his promises if you don’t first get your YES LORD right. Have I got a witness here?
30.You got to get excuses out of the way
31.You got to get flesh out of the way
32.You got to get self out of the way
33.You got to say yes to His will
34.Yes to his way
35.You got to make up in your mind whatever it is God I say yes Lord,
36.Then he says he who shall come will come and will not tarry. Our God is an on time god. Don’t always look for him right when YOU think that he should come. When I first read that I wondered what that meant it sounded like a contradiction to me. If he said it was going to be a while and then he says that he will NOT tarry then which one is it? Surely if yet it is a little while then that means he’s not coming right away. Until I heard in my spirit that it’s not about what time I think is appropriate it’s about God’s timing. And whenever he comes He’s always right on time.
37.It doesn’t take God all day to do anything. the problem is that our days and God’s days don’t match up. Yes, weeping may endure but a night but the night is not your night the night is God’s night. And you don’t know how long God’s night will last. But rest assured he’ll be right on time.
38.That’s why we are in need of patience. And then I read that Tribulation worketh patience and patience Hope. So if God came as soon as I got in trouble then how could I ever develope hope. So what the writer is really telling us is that we got to live by faith. Not just that we have to exercise faith to live. But that the very thing that gives us LIFE is faith.
39.And if I had to call a witness. I believe that I would call the patriarchs for the next chapter tells us that faith is the subject of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen.
40.By faith Noah
41.By faith Abraham
42.By faith Sarah
43.By faith Jacob
44.By faith Joshua
45.By faith Gideon
46.By faith David
47.By faith Shadrech Meshach and Obadnego
48.By Faith Daniel
49.By faith Jesus
