Sermon Tone Analysis

Hebrews 10:19-39

Keep on Keeping On

 

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.[1]

| I |

read one time about a man who couldn't swim, that went on a deep-sea fishing excursion.

He caught an enormous fish, and in his excitement to pull it into the boat, he fell overboard.

He cried out, “Save me, I cannot swim!”

Well, the captain of the boat very calmly reached out, grabbed him by the arm and gave a big pull.

However, he didn't know it was an artificial arm, and the arm came off!

The man continued to kick and splash around, all the time crying for help.

The captain reached out again; and this time he grabbed his leg and gave a tremendous pull.

But the leg came off because it was an artificial leg.

The hapless man went under the waves once again and he bobbed up yelling for help.

The captain—still calm despite the repeated failure to pull the man in—grabbed the man by the hair of his head and gave a gigantic pull, but the man was wearing a toupee and it came off.

At that point the captain looked at the man in the water and said, “Mister, if you won't stick together, I can't help you.”

Even God cannot help a church that is not going to stick together in heart and spirit.

If we are going to be victorious, doing all we are called to do as the body of Christ, we must come together, work together, love together and glorify God together.

We are honour-bound to know what Christ has accomplished for us—each of us and all of us.

We are honour-bound to accept one another as the divine gifts we actually are, treating one another with respect and treating one another with dignity and loving one another deeply from the heart.

Above all else, we must continue the good work which Christ initiated in each of our lives, and we must encourage each member of the Body to labour together to fulfil the purpose of God for His people.

In order to discover how this should work out, consider the passage before us this day—*Hebrews 10:19-25*.

What Has Jesus Accomplished in Our Behalf?

As I review this all-together too brief text, I note the references to how we have been enriched through the sacrifice of Jesus our Lord.

The author speaks of the confidence which is ours in Christ—confidence to enter the holy places.

This author also speaks of drawing near to Christ in worship with a true heart in full assurance of faith.

Flowing from this is the knowledge of hearts which are sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and bodies that are washed with pure water.

To outsiders, these provisions must appear rather strange.

However, to those of us who are children of the True and Living God, these are great provisions indeed.

There is an old saying which I have often quoted in my messages.

It is good to learn.

Whenever you see a “therefore,” ask what it is there for.

A somewhat literal translation of the opening phrase would lead us to state, “Having therefore brothers…”  The author is building on what has been previously written.

Though we haven’t time to fully review the previous several chapters, it is important to realise that the author has been writing of Jesus’ sacrifice and the redemption purchased through His shed blood.

The author is writing to Jews who have placed their faith in Jesus as the Redeemer promised since the fall of our first parents.

He is the Messiah who would bring the law to a conclusion through offering His own body as a divine sacrifice.

The Old Covenant which required multiple sacrifices has forever passed away, being superseded by the New Covenant which is established through the offering of the blood of God Himself.

Now, instead of looking for judgement, we who have accepted the sacrifice of Jesus in our place look for salvation.

The author of this letter wants all who read his words to understand that the death of Jesus was not merely unintentional or accidental, but that the sacrifice of His life in our place was planned from before the creation of the world.

More than that, the very One who presented His life as a sacrifice has now become our High Priest, forever living in order to make intercession for us.

In other words, the sacrifice is infinite so that no sin is left to contaminate those who are under this New Covenant, and the High Priest who offers the sacrifice is ever alive to intercede for those who have come under the covenant.

Therefore, we have confidence—confidence to enter the holy places!

We who are Christians are not only invited to come boldly into the presence of Holy God, but we are expected to do so boldly!

The concept of “No Fear” is broadcast widely today, especially among youth.

Let me state without any fear of contradiction that the only person who lives with “No Fear!” is the Christian.

The Christian no longer fears condemnation.

The Christian knows that God has already judged Him and declared Him free of guilt.

The Christian knows that he can come before Holy God at any time, calling Him “Father.”

The Christian alone is able to live with “No Fear!”

There is a similar passage earlier in this same letter which emphasises this truth.

Listen to *Hebrews 4:14-16*.

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

When I pray, I cry out to Jesus.

He is my Great High Priest.

He is seated in Heaven itself.

At the right hand of God the Father, He pleads on my behalf.

He is my Advocate with the Father [*1 John 2:1*].

I cannot lose any appeal I make to the Father since my Advocate is His beloved Son, pleading my case on the merits of His righteousness.

Were this somehow insufficient to embolden me in the presence of God, I know that my Great Advocate sympathises with me since He has experienced my condition.

He was tempted just as I am tempted, yet He did not sin through surrender to the temptation.

He hungered and thirsted, casting Himself on the mercies of the Father.

He knew sleepless nights, spending the wakeful hours pleading for grace.

He was brutalised by men without retaliating.

He was cursed and reviled, hated and treated with contempt, beaten and mocked, and at last hung on a tree.

He said nary a mumbling word, but instead, He shared my humble condition so that I might be free.

This is the meaning of those powerful words which Paul wrote to the Philippians.

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross [*Philippians 2:5-8*].

I can tolerate the slander of others, if I have the mind of Christ which is at work among us all.

I can tolerate the hurtful acts of others, if I have the mind of Christ which is at work among us all.

I can tolerate the meanness, the thoughtless acts, the oversights, the deliberate injuries which do come to all of us, if I have the mind of Christ which is at work among us all.

This is our heritage as a people.

The reason this is our heritage is that as a people we are even now walking in holy places by the blood of Jesus.

Having confidence, we openly enter into worship, before God in the holy places.

Likewise, having a Great Priest over the House of God, we draw near to God with assurance.

There is at any given time petty, trivial, small-minded acts which threaten our unity as a people.

I must be honest and confess to you that I can receive a hundred words of gratitude for a message delivered in the power of the Spirit.

However, I will remember all week long the voice of one lone curmudgeon who complains.

I must take note of this fact and caution you that brooding on the negative dishonours God.

We are a people redeemed by the blood of Christ.

Our hearts are sprinkled clean from an evil conscience.

Why would we dwell on the negative statements of one sour killjoy or one dour sourpuss?

We are a people saved by the blood of Christ.

Our lives have been washed by the water of the Word and we stand clean before the throne of God.

Why should we permit ourselves to be sullied by slime slung by little people?

I forgive you for the thoughtless words you spoke.

I forgive you for the careless acts which wounded me.

I forgive you for the words which sounded suspiciously like gossip.

We need to focus on who we are and on what our Saviour has done for us, and then accept the obligation of being a people saved by His grace.

What Obligations are Imposed Upon Us as Result of His Work?

I am convinced that the one great desire of God for His people and the one great demand which He makes of His people is also the one thing Satan fears and works day and night to undo.

This one great need is that great need for which Jesus Himself prayed just before he went to the cross.

It is the one thing that the Bible says will convince people that the church has something the world does not.

What is it I am talking about?

Unity.

In speaking about unity, let me make it plain that I am not talking about union.

Union is when we are bonded with someone with whom we may or may not have a common bond.