Sermon Tone Analysis
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Good morning!
Last week we looked at Hebrews 10:19-25 where the author speaks of the boldness with which we can approach God.
Not as a result of our works, but because of what Jesus has done.
We took a walk back through the book to see the path that the author took the church down to help them understand why and how we are able to have this boldness.
He reveals this path in increments through the book culminating with the passage we read last week.
Jesus went through the curtain, into the presence of God, and pulled the curtain down so that we could join him.
Through his life, death, and Resurrection, Jesus permanently changed the relationship between God and people.
He completed the work that God sent him to do.
This permanent change is the single best thing that has happened for mankind since our creation.
Because of Jesus, we can approach the throne with boldness and we can stay the course with the knowledge that God is unchanging.
In addition, God has given us a community of fellow believers to enjoy and encourage one another.
In today’s passage, we are going to see yet another warning and I would say the harshest warning of the book.
As a quick reminder before we dive in, remember that the purpose of this book was to encourage those that were being persecuted.
The goal for those that were pressuring these followers of Christ was for them to return to their former religion.
That is specifically what the author is addressing, turning away from their faith in Jesus as the Messiah.
In this passage, we see a teaching technique that we have seen before from the author to Hebrews.
He is comparing something lesser with something greater.
If it is true with the lesser thing, then it is also true and more impactful with the greater.
In this passage, he compares the consequences of disregarding the Law and the consequences of hearing the truth of the gospel and disregarding it.
So, let’s break this passage down and then make some applications.
We will start with the first two verses.
I want to point out right off the bat that the author isn’t talking about sin in general, but something very specific.
I alluded to this a few moments ago.
There is a temptation to walk away from the faith for the sake of an easier lifestyle and relational comfort.
If we forfeit the forgiveness offered through Jesus, there is nothing to replace it.
The very specific scenario that is being described is a person who hears the gospel (which is the truth about who Jesus is) and knowingly denies or rejects it, there is nothing left for God to do.
It does not say that they are unforgivable or that they cannot be reconciled.
If a person understands what Jesus has done and rejects it, there is no other way for them to receive forgiveness or to be reconciled to God.
This is why Jesus said this in John 14:6
If you recall, this conversation with the disciples happens after Jesus tells them that he is going away to be with the father.
Thomas asked Jesus where he was going and how they can know the way to the father.
Jesus tells them that He is the way.
Do you know what is significant about something being THE way?
That means that there is no other way.
Jesus is God’s plan, his only plan, to redeem people.
If Jesus is rejected, all that is left is judgment.
Look at verse 27 again.
All people will face judgment.
Those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died to redeem them will join Him with The Father.
Those who choose not to believe will face judgment alone.
The author then brings this back to something from their past that they can understand.
He reminds them of the results of disregarding the law.
This is that lesser and greater thing I was telling you about.
These people are well versed in the requirements of the law.
It is what they grew up in.
They were being encouraged by their families and former friends to reject Jesus and come back to their Jewish faith.
Now watch this because I want to show you something really cool.
The people that were encouraging them to leave their faith in Jesus, were those that claimed to be religious.
The religious were trying to convince these church members that their faith was wrong and the one they were teaching was correct.
Now, watch this.
If you have your bible with you or are looking at this on your phone, there should be a reference at the end of verse 31 that points you to Luke 12:5
When I read that cross-reference, I needed more context.
So let’s back up to verse one and read through five.
Jesus is warning the disciples about the religious leaders.
Who made it their goal to try and disrupt what Jesus was doing.
Here is what God was showing us through these two verses.
In both cases, there is a group of religious people who are dissuading others from following Jesus.
In both cases, the believers are told to ignore the religious and pursue God.
In both cases, the believers are warned about what they will face if they choose to reject God’s plan for their salvation.
They will experience the judgment and justice of God.
One of the authors I was reading this week made a comment about how uncomfortable it is to talk about God’s judgment on people.
His theory is that it is uncomfortable because we never take the time to consider our sins.
When we do think of our sin, we compare it to that of “other people” and figure we are doing pretty good compared to them.
But that isn’t how it works.
Outside of Jesus, there is no forgiveness for sin.
God doesn’t want us to see his fury, He wants us to know his love.
This week Wes Renard sent me a text that said if you want to see a great example of God being gentle and lowly go read Ezekiel 18.
I got so excited when I read this because it helps us get a better picture of this passage in Hebrews.
Look at these two exerts.
I thought they were extremely applicable to what we are talking about today.
They remind us of the character of God and that he doesn’t want us to experience judgment apart from Jesus.
God’s desire has never been for us to encounter his wrath.
His desire is to know him personally.
Because of sin, the world is broken.
That is the very reason why Jesus came was to fix what sin broke.
Look at what God said his plan is for his people.
This is God’s desire for his people!
Our redemption, bringing all people back to himself is what he desires.
This is who he is.
Listen to what Dane Ortlund says about God in chapter sixteen.
“This is why the Old Testament speaks of God being “provoked to anger” by his people dozens of times (especially in Deuteronomy; 1–2 Kings; and Jeremiah).
But not once are we told that God is “provoked to love” or “provoked to mercy.”
His anger requires provocation; his mercy is pent up, ready to gush forth.”
- Dane Ortlund, Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers
God’s natural state is love, not anger.
He goes on to say that the Bible is one long attempt to deconstruct our natural vision of Gowhat d actually is.
So many have lost hope because they don’t know who God actually is!
For those of us that have chosen to believe that Jesus is who he says he is and have come to know him by experience, we have faith.
That faith began as hope and was built by God as we grew in our relationship with him.
As we enter the Christmas season, we see all the things that people try to use to fill the hole they feel in their hearts.
They hope, but don’t yet have faith.
Hope is a feeling of expectation, but faith is complete trust.
Hope is the precursor of faith.
The Christmas season has become a symbol of hope for all the world.
It was hope for God’s people when they began to hear of his birth and it is still hope today for those that find themselves longing for something that is better than this world has to offer.
It is God’s goal for all people to be moved from a place of hope to a place of faith.
From wishing for joy to knowing fully the joy that is found in Jesus.
In the darkness we were waiting
Without hope without light
Till from heaven You came running
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