In our study of Hebrews we have come to the great faith chapter, chapter 11, and the author is giving a roll call of the heroes of faith.  He introduced this doctrine of faith in chapter 10 vs 38, saying that “my righteous one shall live by faith.”  And we have said that the emphasis given in that verse is on “shall live.”  So he says that righteousness is granted on the basis of faith.

Then, you will remember he described faith in chapter 11 vs 1, saying, “Now faith is the assurance of [things] hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval.”  And in our message last week we concluded that based on the context of that statement we might say faith is being sure of what we hoped for, and certain of what we do not see, as revealed by the word of God, so that we might live in accordance to that faith.

And that brought us to the hall of fame of faith, in which he gives illustrations of living faith in the men of old.  He started with Abel, who was an example of the worship of faith, then Enoch, who illustrates the walk of faith, then Noah illustrates the working of faith.  We looked at all three of those men last time.  

Now this week we begin to look at his account of the faith of Abraham.  Abraham is often called the father of faith, or the father of the faithful.  In Romans 4:16 Paul says that salvation is of faith “according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.”   And it’s interesting that all  three major world religions consider Abraham as their father, Christians, Jews and Muslims. 

Abraham’s faith illustrates all of the aspects we have seen so far in the previous men of old, and then some.  He is a great example of living faith.  He is the premier example of saving faith as well.  We are given Abraham as an example of saving faith in Romans 4:3,  Galatians 3:6, and James 2:23, all of which say essentially the same thing, which quote from Genesis 15:6, which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

In other words, Abraham is given as the premier illustration that men are saved by faith and not by works. He was justified by faith in the Lord. But as James says, faith without works is dead.  And to that end, James says that faith produces works.  James 2:21-23  “Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?  You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected;  and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS,” and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.”  In other words, Abraham was justified by acting on that faith, not just by passively believing, but actively trusting and then acting upon that belief in what God had promised. 

Now that sort of living faith is what I think the author of Hebrews wants to illustrate here.  That not just a profession of faith, but  a life of faith that is essential to the Christian life.  I have determined that there are 7 characteristics of living faith that are illustrated for us here in the life of Abraham.  There are many things that can be learned from the life of Abraham, but these 7 characteristics are given to us here in this passage, and I think that they are all examples that are for our benefit, if we are to truly live by faith and receive approval from God.

Number one, Abraham illustrates the obedience of faith.  Vs 8, “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.” 

Notice first that Abraham was called by God.  The scriptures clearly teach that God calls men and women to follow Him, to become His disciples. There is a sovereign call of God that is God’s prerogative, and I confess that I do not understand how it works.  But I am satisfied that He is just, and He is good, and that He has come to seek and to save those that are lost.  But though I do not understand His call, yet I believe it’s His divine right, and no man comes to Christ unless God draws him. 

But though that may be true, it is also true that it’s man’s responsibility to respond in obedience to that call.  And somehow God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility are both in play.  I am not responsible for God’s call, but I am responsible for my obedience to that call.  And Abraham was found faithful because he was obedient to the call of God.  He went out from the land of Ur of Chaldee, a pagan country, the land of his fathers, who were idolators, and he went out following the call of God.  He acted in obedience to the word of God.  It’s so important to recognize that if Abraham said he believed God but remained where he was, then it would be evident that he did not have faith.  But he was obedient to God’s call, which was the evidence of his faith.

And that an example of  faith according to vs 1, isn’t it? “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Abraham went out not knowing where he was going, as vs 1 indicates faith is the evidence of things not seen.  Faith steps obediently into the unknown being assured that what God has said promised was true.  Let’s not ever minimize the importance of obedience. Faith and obedience are inseparable.  As James said, your obedience by your works is evidence of your profession of faith.  Bottom line, if you say you love God, but don’t do the works of God, then either you are a liar or God is.  I would suggest that the evidence for your faith is your obedience. 

Obedience doesn’t mean perfection though.  Anyone who has studied Abraham knows he wasn’t perfect.  He fell short several times in his life.  But his faith justified him so that when God recounts the life of Abraham he says he was considered righteous in the sight of God because of his faith.

Secondly, Abraham lived by faith. This has already been said, but it’s illustrated in vs9 “By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign [land,] dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise;  for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”

I think a lot of us are happy to consider ourselves saved by faith, but then we live according to what we think is the reality of the world.  Abraham was in the world, but not of the world.  He didn’t live in a palace, which he probably could have afforded, simply because he was looking for the city of God.  His citizenship was in heaven, the heavenly Jerusalem.  Some of us are living like we are going to be here forever.  I remember many years ago when I was a successful antiques dealer, I built a big brick house in the Williamsburg style.  And I spared no expense in making sure all the details were correct for the period.  I had wide plank flooring throughout, 10 foot ceilings, four fireplaces, the works.  And I told myself that I would live there all my life, and then I would pass it on to my kids and they could live there, maybe their kids after them.  But God had other plans.  He took my house away from me that I might not be so attached to things of this world, and to have my hope fixed on the house which God is preparing for me.  Abraham didn’t put down roots  in this world.  He was looking forward to what God had prepared for him, and furthermore, he separated himself from the idolatry of the world, even to the extent of leaving his family.  Nothing was more important than being close to the Lord.

Thirdly, Abraham looked by faith. Vs10, “he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”  Another way of saying that might be that Abraham kept his eyes upwards.  He had a spiritual perspective.  He saw through the lens of hope in a future which God promised him.  He was not focused on the reality of his present circumstances, but he was focused on eternal things.  That eternal perspective is illustrated in vs 13, “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.” 

Listen, there is a real temptation in evangelical circles today to think of the Christian life in terms of the physical, and not the spiritual.  We want to ascribe faith to the idea that God wants us to be successful, God wants us to be healthy, wealthy and wise. God wants us to live our best life now, and that means that we get to have our cake and eat it too.  I used to think that way when I was an antiques dealer.  I thought that being a Christian meant that God would bless me financially and materially, and bless me in regards to my health.  I had to go through some really difficult times, financial ruin, physical illness, seeing my career go up in smoke, and the loss of those things that made me change my perspective, from me being the center of my world, to God being the center of my world.  Abraham kept looking up.  He had a spiritual perspective and looked for fulfillment of God’s promises in eternity.

The fourth aspect of faith we see in the life of Abraham is the power of faith. Now vs 11 illustrates this principle.  But there are some problems in the translation.  And the best translators think that this verse is speaking of Abraham’s faith in regards to Sarah’s ability to conceive.  Now I can’t explain that, since I’m not a Hebrew scholar.  But those that are think that is the proper meaning of this text.  Anyhow, it takes two to tango, as they say, so I think it’s fair to include both Abraham and Sarah as having the power of faith to conceive, though they were both physically well beyond their time in life when that would have been possible.  

So vs 11 should read, “By faith Abraham also together with Sarah received ability, or the power to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since he considered Him faithful who had promised.”  Paul said in Romans 4:19 concerning Abraham, “Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.  Therefore IT WAS ALSO CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

You will remember that God gave Abraham the promise 25 years before that he would have a son, and yet God waited until there was no human possibility any more in Abraham or Sarah’s bodies, until he was 100 years old before bringing about the conception of Isaac, that we might know that the power of God is not limited by what is humanly possible, but His power is made perfect in our weakness. God is the God of impossibles.  Jesus said in Mark 10:27 “With men [it is] impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”  But as a caveat, let me remind you that the impossible was according to the promise of God.  God promised it, with man it was impossible, but God’s power overcame man’s weakness.

The next characteristic of the faith of Abraham is he had faith even in death. Verse13 “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.  For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own.  And indeed if they had been thinking of that [country] from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.”

Abraham and his heirs were convinced that God would fulfill His promises to them, and even in death they continued to look forward o the fulfillment of those promises.  They believed in the promises so fully, that their faith was not diminished by death.  And that is because faith believes that eternal life is from God, and though this body may pass away, they will continue to live through Him.  

Christian faith confidently looks beyond death, because we believe in the promise of everlasting life.  Jesus said in Mark 12:26 concerning Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, “But regarding the fact that the dead rise again, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the [passage] about [the burning] bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB’?  “He is not the God of the dead, but of the living…”  In other words, Jesus was saying that the patriarchs were still living. 

And Jesus said in John 11:26 “everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”  Well, Abraham certainly believed in that, because Jesus said later, that Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and He saw it and was glad.” (John 8:56).  Hebrews 2:14 tells us that Satan keeps us in bondage through the fear of death, but Christ has died to take away death and render him powerless.  That’s the triumph of our faith; death has lost it’s power.

The 6th characteristic of the faith of Abraham is probably his most famous, and that the testing of his faith. In vs 17, “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son;  it was he to whom it was said, ‘IN ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS SHALL BE CALLED.’”

Abraham’s offering up of Isaac was the supreme demonstration of his faith.  All of the aspects of faith were tested in this great event.  The test of one’s faith reveals the character of one’s faith. And Abraham’s test of faith revealed the character of his worship.  In fact as I’ve often pointed out, worship is first mentioned specifically in the Bible in this context.  When Abraham is about to leave his servants and travel on to the mountain alone with Isaac, he says in Genesis 22:5, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.” What an amazing way to speak of sacrificing your child, as worship to God. I’m ashamed to consider how we have trivialized worship today, merely clapping hands and watching people sing.  The first point of worship is sacrifice, and that is, according to Romans 12:1 primarily laying down your bodies, your life, as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service of worship.  

So Abraham offered up his son, which he had waited faithfully for 25 years to receive from God, and he called it worship.  Next  revealed  in this test is Abraham’s obedience.  Abraham didn’t delay, he immediately got up early the next morning and set out on the three day journey to Mt. Moriah. He was obedient even though it must have broken his heart.  He was obedient even though it must have been unbearably hard.  He was obedient even though he could not see how it could possibly work out.  He was obedient because he valued friendship with God as more important than any human relationship.  Thus James said Abraham was called the friend of God.  Jesus said, “How can you say to Me Lord, Lord and do not the things that I say?”  If you love the Lord, then you will be obedient to the Lord and put Him first above all else.

The other primary aspect of Abraham’s test is that it revealed his faith in the face of death.  Abraham not only believed in life after death, but he believed that God was able to raise the dead.  Our author makes the point that Abraham had received a specific promise; that “IN ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS SHALL BE CALLED.”  So Abraham believed God’s promise so completely, that he knew that somehow God would have to raise Isaac from the dead in order to fulfill that promise. 

Notice also the text I read from Genesis 22 while ago, Abraham said “the boy and I will go over there, and WE will worship and return to you.”  So Abraham had supreme confidence in the promise of God, and in the power of God to raise even the dead.  What faith!  But again, I want to remind you that in every circumstance, in every testing, Abraham’s faith is founded not on his own preferences or wishes, but upon the promises of God.  Faith without an underlying promise of God is not faith at all, its’ just wishful thinking.

The last point is almost a restatement of the previous one, Abraham calculated his faith. The text says considered, or in other versions its accounting, or considered, or reasoned.  All of which are trying to express the idea in our modern lingo that Abraham did the math. Our faith is founded on the promises of God which cannot fail.  He considered all that God had said, all that God had brought about, all that God had promised concerning the future, and he calculated that God was able to raise the dead.  Now I’m sure that Abraham had never seen anyone ever raised from the dead before.  But when he considered all that God had promised and what God had done, he deduced that was God’s only option.  Because he knew that God kept His promises, His word will not fail.  

And though none of us have ever witnessed someone being raised from the dead, we believe in the promise of God that we who are dead in Christ will rise first, then we which are alive and remain will be caught up together with the Lord at the last trumpet, and we will live forever with the Lord.  I hope we believe it as fervently and calculatingly as Abraham did.  After all, we have the resurrected Jesus who has gone on before us, being witnessed by 500 people after his death.  Abraham had none of that.  

But what else Abraham saw and believed in this is something special as well.  And that is the author says “from which he also received him (that is Isaac) back as a type.”  What that is referring to I have already mentioned.  But in this illustration of the ram caught in the thicket to provide a substitute for Isaac, was a parable or a type of Jesus, who was the Lamb of God slain for the sins of the world.  And in light of that illustration, many believe is what is meant by Jesus saying, “Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it and was glad.”  

In other words, Abraham recognized what God was promising.  That through Isaac, His seed would be called, through whom all the nations of the world would be blessed, and He that was to come would be the one who would crush the serpent’s head, by offering Himself as our substitute, to take our place in death, and God would raise Him from the dead, and seat Him on the throne of majesty on high, as our Savior and Lord.  Abraham saw figuratively at that point Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God who would take away the punishment due to us.  No wonder Abraham rejoiced to see that day.  He received life for his son, and in the ram caught in the thicket he saw the antitype of Christ, the Savior of the world.  

Well, that’s the faith of Abraham.  It’s saving faith.  It’s faith to live by.  It’s faith to die by.  It’s a life of faith.  But that life of faith must have a beginning.  We are born again by faith in Jesus Christ.  To believe in Him is first and foremost believing in who He is and what He came to earth to do for me, and what He ever lives to do as my High Priest.  And my response to His call is to repent of my sins, and turn from the world and follow Him in obedience.  And God said my faith is credited as righteousness.  By grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, its a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. I pray that you respond to Him in faith today, and accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, that you may receive new life through Him and that you might continue to live by faith that we might have victory over sin and the world and even death. 

As we finished up the last chapter, you will remember that I said that the writer was making an introduction into the life of faith.  He has spent 10 chapters telling us who Jesus Christ is, and what He came to do, and what He is now doing, and what He will do in the future. And if we are going to be able to draw near to God, it must be through Jesus Christ, and by Jesus Christ. And that is our goal, to draw near to God, to be reconciled to God, to have life through God.

But if we are to draw near to God, then it must be by faith in what Jesus has done, by faith in what He is doing and what He will do, and faith in what He has told us to do. And so the writer concluded chapter 10 with one tremendously important principle in vs38, “My righteous one shall live by faith.”  And we said that the emphasis in that verse is on the words, “shall live.”  It is a living faith.  It is  trusting and acting in faith in what God has said.

So in chapter 10, faith was contrasted to knowledge.  Knowledge without living faith was shown to be what faith is not.  In this chapter then we are told what faith is.  And that is how the writer starts the chapter, by saying what faith is.   But rather than giving us just a definition of faith, the writer tells us what faith does.  This famous chapter known as the faith chapter, or the account of the heroes of faith, is full of the works of those heroes.  As James said, “faith without works is dead.”  And these are examples of living faith.

Here, the word faith indicates the belief or knowledge which leads to faithfulness, and the hope that without seeing, believes it true, and acts accordingly.  So this is not simply a doctrinal definition of faith, but statement of what faith does, and enumerated by many illustrations of men and women living in faith.

In vs 1, then, the author says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”  It’s a parallel statement, a two part description of what faith does.  Faith is the assurance or some versions translate “substance” of things hoped for.  Both are indicated here, meaning the basis, the confidence of things hoped for. .

Now lest we run away with that statement and conclude that everything we might wish for is therefore Biblical faith, on the contrary it means that which is true.  And the evidence of that being true is that our hope is founded upon the scriptures, upon the word of God. Faith is not wanting something to be true, and then wishing it to be true, and therefore it can become true. The “things hoped for” are not mere figments of the imagination; their basis is the word of God, and therefore they are true though not yet realized. Faith is believing God’s promises to be true, though there might not be any evidence that it is true.

The early church father Chrysostom said, “Faith gives reality or substance to things hoped for.”

Last week I said that faith looks back at what God has done, and what God has said.  And in vs 1 we see that hope is an essential element of faith, in that it looks forward to what God has promised to do.  That forward looking apect of faith is indicated in the phrase quoted in the previous chapter, the just shall live by faith.

And the second part of that description is that faith is the evidence or conviction of things not seen.   We see the ground wet in the morning, and though we did not see it rain, and there may be no clouds in the sky, yet we believe the evidence indicates that it did rain.  So we see the evidence of God and His promises fulfilled, though we were not there to see all of them.  We believe in the evidence of scripture, both in it’s prophecy and in it’s fulfillment.  We believe in it’s historicity and it’s authority to determine our life, and then act on that faith.

So then faith is being sure of what we hoped for, and certain of what we do not see, as revealed by the word of God, so that we might live in accordance to that faith.  

In vs 2, the writer adds, “For by it, [for by faith] the men of old gained approval.”  Literally: obtained a good testimony.  They obtained a good testimony from God.  They gained approval from God.  Romans 4:3 “For what does the Scripture say? ‘ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.’”  That is merely an embellishment on the statement in chapter 10 which we have been quoting, “My righteous one shall live by faith.” Our righteousness comes on the basis of our faith in God.  That is how we get approval from God. 

That principle is stated in Philippians 3:9 which says, “and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith.”  So we gain righteousness through faith, specifically faith in Christ’s atonement for our sin.  2 Corinthians 5:21 says, [God] made [Jesus] who knew no sin, to become sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.”  Through our faith in Christ and His work, God transfers our sin upon Jesus, and His righteousness upon us, that we might be approved by God, that we might draw near to God and receive life through Him.

Now notice that they obtained a testimony from God that they were righteous.  Vs.4, “through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying…”  So the testimony of God is the testimony of scripture, that these men of old were righteous before God because of their faith. And we will be looking specifically at this testimony in the weeks to come as we go through this chapter. 

So we that believe are also testified by God in His word that we are righteous, and we appropriate that testimony by faith in His word.  For instance, we believe Romans 3:21-22 which says, “But now apart from the Law [the] righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,  even [the] righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction.” That is the testimony or the witness of God that we are righteous, approved by God.

That approval that results in righteousness is restated negatively in vs 6.  “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”  Without saving faith, it is impossible to be found pleasing to God. Without faith, it is impossible to be approved by God, impossible to draw near to God.  

As Jesus said, “No man comes to the Father except by Me.”  So we come to the Father, through faith in Jesus Christ, by faith in His righteousness, by faith that His sacrifice was acceptable to God, and efficacious for me, and that He is our Mediator who even now ministers for us in the spiritual realm, ever living to make intercession for us. And that faith in Him, results in our righteousness before God, that we might draw near to Him through Christ’s blood.

Now we are going to look at four testimonies today of the kind of faith that the writer is talking about.  The first is found in creation itself.  In vs 3 it says, “By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.”  This verse is critical because it shows that faith is founded upon the word of God. The foundation of our hope is the word of God.

And at the very beginning of the word of God, in Genesis, is the account of creation, where God spoke and things were created out of nothing.  Evolution believes that things evolved into more complex things.  But there had to be something from which it evolved.  Water, for instance, is an essential compound to evolution.  But evolution cannot account for how water existed.  Evolution depends upon the existence of matter.  But creation depends upon God who created something out of nothing by His word.

Psalm 33 says in vs6 “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host.” And in vs 9 “For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.”

That which was not seen, became visible according to the word of God.  And in the same way, our faith looks forward in hope that what is not yet seen will one day become visible.  Paul says in Romans 8:24-25 “For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?  But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”

Perhaps that’s why Abel is the first man to be spoken of as a man of faith, and not Adam.  Because Adam had seen God, and Abel had not.  So the first example of faith is found in vs4, “By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.”

Everyone is familiar with the story of Cain and Abel.  Abel was a herdsman, and so he brought a lamb for his offering to God, whereas his brother Cain was a farmer, and he brought the first fruits of his crop.  The scripture says that God had regard for Abel’s sacrifice, but He did not regard Cain’s.  Now Abel’s sacrifice was offered in faith.  But that does not mean that if Abel had brought a fruit offering in faith God would have accepted that as well.  Faith, you remember is founded upon the truth of God’s word.  Jesus said, “God is Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”

So although it is not stated fully, it is believed that God gave an example of the kind of sacrifice that He would accept when He slew the animals in order to make clothing for Adam and Eve after their fall.  The picture of the blood being shed  and then being clothed in righteousness cannot fail to be seen in this example.  I believe that Cain deliberately disobeyed that illustration by God and decided that his offering to God would be according to what he thought was acceptable.  So he brought an offering based on his works, and Abel acted in faith according to what God had shown Adam and Eve. He may not have fully seen the significance of the blood being shed from a lamb for the forgiveness of sin, but nevertheless, he was obedient in faith to what God had declared.

What is apparent again and again in the testimonies recorded in this chapter, is that faith is tied to obedience to the word of God.  And also it should be noted in this example of Abel, that faith does not always result in a physical reward here on earth.  Abel died because Cain murdered him in jealousy.  But God Himself testifies to the righteousness of the faithful. Abel’s blood still speaks to us, reminding us of the value of the hope of eternity.  

And one more note, is that though Abel is dead in the flesh, yet he still speaks.  I think that speaks to the fact that the dead in Christ are alive and waiting the resurrection. Jesus speaking to the Jews said in Matt. 22:32  ‘I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”  That’s another illustration of the vs, “My righteous one shall live by faith.”  The life that God gives as a result of faith in Christ is eternal life, and they who believe in Him shall never die.

That principle is illustrated further by the second example of faith who is Enoch.  Not a lot is said about Enoch in the Bible other than he was the father of Methuselah, and that he lived 365 years.  Then the famous line in Genesis, “Enoch walked with God and he was not, for God took him.”  In the Greek translation of the Hebrew text, there is an even closer association with our text, in that it says, “And Enoch pleased God, and he was not, for God took him.”  The writer of Hebrews quotes directly from the Septuagint repeatedly, and so it’s evident that was what he had in mind here.

Look at our text in vs5, “By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; AND HE WAS NOT FOUND BECAUSE GOD TOOK HIM UP; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God.”

What is noteworthy about Enoch’s faith is that it pleased God, because he walked with God, therefore he walked according to God’s word. Psalm  119:9-11 says, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping [it] according to Your word.  With all my heart I have sought You; Do not let me wander from Your commandments.  Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.” 

Enoch walked with God. I don’t think that necessarily has to be taken literally, that he walked with God in person. I think he is presented here as a man of faith, therefore believing in things he could not see.  So to walk with God means he was in daily fellowship with God, he was in agreement with God.  Amos 3:3 says, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?”  So Enoch walked by faith according to God’s word, and God was pleased with him.

Again also we see this reference to those of faith not tasting death.  Enoch was taken up because his faith was pleasing to God.  We too who are of the faith will never die, but will be taken to Paradise, to await the resurrection at the last trumpet, and we will be with the Lord forever.  And we are reminded in vs 6 that if we would be pleasing to God, then we must have faith, for without faith we can never be found pleasing to God.  We must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.  

One more illustration here this morning, to finish up those who lived during the age of the antediluvians.  And that age appropriately ends with Noah.  Vs 7, “By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.”  

Noah had never seen rain, much less had ever seen a flood. And yet he believed God who said it was going to rain, and he built an ark in obedience to God’s word and it was credited to him as righteousness.  God’s word was the substance upon which he acted, and in obedience he built an ark according to God’s word.  What an amazing testimony he gave to the world, preaching as it were, of the judgment to come for 120 years.  He never saw a convert.  But our text does say that through his faith, he brought salvation to his household. 

Oh, that we might be men and women like Noah.  Firmly, resolutely being obedient to the Lord’s word, in spite of the fact that it is unpopular, in spite of the fact that the world thinks we are crazy.  And somehow our faithfulness in preaching the message of the truth, we might save our families from the coming judgment.  The Bible teaches us that it is appointed for a man once to die, and after that the judgment. The only hope for the world is that by faith our judgment  is transferred to Jesus Christ, and by His sacrifice we receive His righteousness. 

And we are told that Noah’s faith resulted in him becoming an heir of righteousness.  To be an heir is to receive something which you did not earn, but receive as a gift of Him who has died.  And we receive righteousness by faith in Christ. 

The key verse in all of Hebrews is “My righteous one shall live by faith.”   Saving faith, Biblical faith is first of all faith in God’s word.  It’s faith in Christ’s atonement as efficacious for my sin.  It’s walking in agreement with God’s word, acting in accordance to His will, trusting and abiding in Him.  Faith is believing in His promises, acting in obedience, standing firm in the midst of persecution or ridicule, and by that perseverance being a testimony to a watching world, and just as importantly a testimony of living faith to our families.  And such faith results in becoming an heir of salvation, even eternal life, that we will never die, but live forever with the Lord.  

Are you a man or woman of faith today?  Do you believe His word, and believe that Jesus died for your sins, that you might be approved by God?  I trust that you will have faith to follow Jesus, and walk with Him and trust in Him as your Savior and Lord.  The promise of righteousness is given to all who draw near to God by faith in Christ Jesus.  

Hebrews, as many of you have probably realized by this point, has some pretty difficult passages.  And we are looking today at what should be the last of such passages that present for many people theological difficulties, or perhaps what they even might consider theological inconsistencies.  And I say inconsistencies, because on the surface it would seem that certain verses in this book are at odds with the teaching of the New Testament as a whole.  

But I hope to dispel any such concerns here today by treating this passage in a way that is first of all consistent with the greater message of the gospel.  It is a dangerous thing to let a verse or two in one passage become a dogmatic doctrine, especially at the expense of other scriptures.  As I have often said, scripture is best used to interpret scripture, and scripture should be used to confirm scripture.  As we saw last Wednesday in our study of Gideon, he asked three times for confirmation of the Lord’s word.  And God did not rebuke him, but confirmed it to him.  Scripture will never contradict scripture.  

Many theologians, in attempting to address this passage, tend to enter the debate on the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, or on the opposing argument, that you can lose your salvation.  I would readily confess that I am not as smart or as educated as many of those theologians and so I am not going to debate them on those issues.  In fact, call it ignorance on my part, or hopefully divine illumination, or at the least common sense, I don’t really see those issues addressed here at all. But rather what I see presented here is a contrast between faith and knowledge.  

The author in the next chapter is going to address the type of faith that is required for salvation, and for living the Christian life.  In fact, both require the same thing.  One cannot have saving faith, and another type of faith that is for living the Christian life.  But what the author is doing here I believe is setting up the next chapter, called the faith chapter, by giving something of an introduction to faith, and doing that especially by showing what faith is and is not.  In chapter 11, he tells us what faith is, and gives us many examples of living faith.  At the end of this chapter, as I see it, he tells us what faith is not.  

Now let’s take a look at our text from that standpoint.  As we finished up the last section prior to this passage, the author spoke in vs23 of holding fast the confession of our hope.  Hope is another way of expressing Christian  faith.  He could just have easily have said, hold fast the confession of our faith.  Isn’t that what our creeds consist of?  Our salvation is based on our faith. But as I said last week, faith looks backwards at what Christ has done, and hope looks forward.  But hope is still an essential element of faith. In the very next chapter, vs 1, it says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” So faith and hope are essentially related.  In vs 38 of this chapter, we are told that the righteous one shall live by faith.  “Shall live” refers to forward looking faith, or another way to express it is hope. You shall live.  That’s hope.

In describing this hope, the author goes on to say don’t forsake the assembling of yourselves together, love one another, and encourage one another as you look forward to Christ’s appearing.  That is living faith, living in hope, confidently trusting in God’s word.  And we said last week that exhorting one another was primarily  the preaching of the word of God, among other things.  

Now as to the preaching of the word of God, we are told in Romans 10:17  “So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”  So we know that the preaching of the word of God is essential to the building up of faith. But the point that is made here, is that knowledge of the truth is not in and of itself saving faith.  In other words, it’s possible to know a lot of facts about God and our Savior Jesus Christ, to even believe in God, and yet not have saving faith.

That is what he is saying in vs 26. “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins.”  In other words, it’s possible to sit under the preaching of the word, to hear the word of God, to believe in it in an intellectual sort of way, and yet not be transformed by faith in Christ, not be reborn by faith, not be a new creature by faith, but yet still be enslaved to the same sinful passions, and still willingly engaged in them. 

Such persons have a knowledge of the truth, but still continue in sin.  Now this is not talking about sinning occasionally, or even becoming backslidden, but this is talking about someone who has heard the truth, but it never goes deeper than skin deep. They have never truly repented of their sins, but instead, they willfully, intentionally, continued in their sin.

Now how do I know that is what is being spoken of here? Because the author himself delineates this willful sinful lifestyle in vs29.  Notice the three aspects of this kind of willful behavior as outlined in  Vs29.  “How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?”

First of all, this is someone who has heard the truth, they have a knowledge of the truth, but in deliberately continuing in their life of sin they essentially  trample underfoot the Son of God.  That means they have a contempt for the work of Jesus Christ.  Secondly, such persons consider the holy blood of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as lesser value than the value of their own autonomy. In effect, Jesus giving up His life has not resulted in them giving up their life.  And third, such a person has insulted the Spirit of Grace.  He has blasphemed against the Holy Spirit.  He has rejected the conviction that comes from the Spirit of God, resulting in eternal damnation.  If you reject the conviction of the Holy Spirit, then you cannot be saved.  If you have contempt for Jesus Christ then you certainly cannot believe in Him and have faith in Him.  And if you consider HIs sacrifice as an unclean thing, then His sacrifice is of no benefit to you.  As it says in vs 26, for such people “there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins.” 

Now it is patently clear that such a person who meets all the characteristics outlined in vs 29 cannot be a Christian, they never were a Christian, and unless they have a dramatic change of heart before they die they will never become a Christian.  In fact, I think all of us would be in agreement that if they did in fact express the rebellion and disdain for Christ mentioned in vs 29, then they wholeheartedly deserve to be consumed by the fire as described in vs 27. They are actually enemies of Christ. They give homage to another sovereign, who is no less then themselves. And so they deserve the terrifying judgment which is to come upon the adversaries of Christ.

I think we all would agree with the author, that if the Israelites who rebelled against the law of Moses received the penalty of death in their human bodies for their rebellion, how much more should those who have rejected one greater than Moses, Jesus Christ our Great High Priest, who ministers in heaven for us, how much greater punishment should these persons receive,  even to their very souls?

The Bible makes it clear that judgment is certain, it is promised, and it is coming soon.  And lest you take it lightly, God Himself warns us in vs30, which is quoted from Deut. 32:35-36,  “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.” And again, “THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.” Now He is speaking in the sense that all the people on this earth are His people.  Both saved and unsaved.  2Cor. 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”  He is sovereign over all, and those that rebelled against Him as their Lord will suffer the judgment of that rebellion.

Now for the good news, the gospel is simply that for the Christian; good news, which is that for the man of faith, God has placed our judgment upon Jesus Christ.  His sacrifice took away our judgement. Isaiah 53:8 says “by oppression and judgment He was taken away.” In vs 6, “But the Lord has caused the inquiry of us all to fall upon Him.”  That’s the good news for those who have saving faith in Him.  But for the one who has rejected His sacrifice, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, and so that person must bear the judgement of God upon themselves.  And that is a terrifying thing to consider.  Vs.31, “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

So that’s a picture of the person who rejects Jesus’s sacrifice, scorns the blood of the covenant, and disregards the gospel; they are without hope, without faith, and destined for judgment and destruction.  I don’t find any indication that this could ever be referring to a person who has become a true believer by faith in Christ.  I don’t find any reference to someone that has been saved but then fell into sin.  I don’t find any reference to someone that has backslidden.  Such Christians will receive discipline, without which it would be evident that they are not the children of God, but illegitimate children.  God does discipline his children when they sin. 

In the next chapter he makes it clear the distinction between discipline and judgment. Hebrews 12:6-11 “FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.”  It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom [his] father does not discipline?  But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?  For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He [disciplines us] for [our] good, so that we may share His holiness.  All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”

So God does reserve discipline for His children so that they may share in HIs holiness.  But our passage today is not talking about discipline of His children, but of judgment towards those who are clearly not his children, nor were they ever.

Now my assertion that those were not ever truly saved is born out by the author of Hebrews as well in the next section, starting in vs 32, in which he states that he is convinced of better things concerning his readers.  We aren’t sure who his readers are particularly, but it’s believed to be a Christian church made up of primarily Jewish converts somewhere near Rome.  But irregardless of exactly who he is referring to, we can be confident it was to an early Christian church, probably prior to the fall of Jerusalem.

And so he says in vs32-35, “But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings,  partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated.  For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one.  Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.”

Now obviously, he is describing a congregation who has first of all been “enlightened.”  This same word was used back in chapter 6 vs4, and in that case, it is clear from vs 9 which follows, that it is a referral to salvation.  Hebrews 6:9 “But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way.”

So in this passage, he says that his audience after being enlightened, or born again, endured a great conflict of suffering. Now I don’t think it is important that we identify which particular persecution of the early church he was referring to.  I don’t believe there is any consensus among theologians anyway.  But the point is that suffering and tribulations are part of parcel of the Christian life.  Jesus Himself said in this world you will have tribulations.

1Peter 4:12-13 tells the early Christian church, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;  but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.”  

Their perseverance in the midst of persecution was an indication of their faithfulness. Their faithfulness in persecution, in suffering, was evidence of a life of faith.  He says because of their faith they were made a public spectacle.  That makes me think of the public spectacle that went on last week in the Senate confirmation hearing regarding Judge Kavanaugh.  I don’t know the extent of that man’s faith, or his innocence for that matter.  But I can easily see a template there that there are those in government who would make a public spectacle out of anyone who professes to be a Christian or to hold onto Christian values.  I’m sure the day is coming when a lot of us will have to pay the  price of being a public spectacle because of our faith.  

James called such trials, tests of our faith.  These Jewish Christians, the author is saying, are evidenced as Christians by the perseverance in their faith.  They were not sunny day Christians.  But when they had to suffer, even as Christ suffered, they bore that suffering well, without renouncing their faith.  Though their possessions were taken, they accepted it joyfully knowing that they had a better possession and a lasting one in heaven reserved for them.

I wonder if we would have the same attitude in the midst of persecution.  If our possessions were taken because of our faith, I wonder if we could manage to continue joyfully to worship the Lord, to assemble together, to risk our lives for the sake of others who were suffering?  I wonder.  Because I must confess I see most Christians today as unwilling to suffer the loss of anything for the cause of Christ.  They give lip service to God, but when church or service to God interferes with the kid’s soccer game, the soccer game wins and church loses.  When an important job or contract interferes with our worship of the Lord, then it seems that God’s priorities take a backseat to our needs.  I’m afraid that outside of some  imaginary dramatic time in the future which we might have to bear persecution, in reality in the here and now we dutifully avoid even the most innocuous affronts to our faith by caving in to demands of the world.

But nevertheless, the author commends the Christians here for standing firm in persecution, and looking for a lasting kingdom which will not fade away.  So their faith is commendable, and their faith is made up of three elements which he describes in the next couple of verses.  First he says, your faith needs confidence. The Greek word there is parrēsia, which means freedom, boldness, assurance, especially in speaking.  I think he’s indicating a boldness in proclaiming the gospel, which he says has great reward.  The rewards of proclaiming boldly the gospel has the reward of winning souls for the kingdom of heaven.  I think there will be no greater reward  given in heaven, than to those who lead others to the Lord.

Then he says, you need endurance, or perseverance, steadfastness.  But endurance for what?  To do the will of God.  That’s so important.  We are saved to do the will of God.  Paul reprimanded the Galatian church in Galatians 5:7 “You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth?”  You need endurance to finish the work which God has called you to do.  Do not be weary in well doing.  It’s more than possible for a Christian to get distracted from what is really important. It’s very easy to get discouraged in this life of faith.  It’s easy to become despondent when you see the world seemingly prospering in their rebellion, but we are suffering in our obedience. But there is a great reward for those who finish the race that is set before them.

This is another evidence of faith, that you do the will of God.  Peter had a lot to say about the will of God.  In 1Peter 4:1-2 he sys, “Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.”  That is really the essence of the life of faith, to live for the will of God, rather than according to our will.

So we live in faith, with endurance and boldness, doing the will of God, with an eye on the future hope of Christ’s return, that we might receive our reward.  Notice, the Christian looks forward not to judgment, but to a reward.  Christ has taken our judgment, and our reward is to be with Him forever.  

Verse 37 and 38 contain another quote from Habakkuk, in chapter 2 vs 3 he says,  “FOR YET IN A VERY LITTLE WHILE, HE WHO IS COMING WILL COME, AND WILL NOT DELAY. BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH; AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM.”

This is really the key verse of this whole chapter.  And it sets up the next chapter as well.  On the one hand it is an Old Testament prophecy  regarding the coming of the Messiah.  But on the other hand it is a prescription for the life of a Christian.  This quotation from the second part of the verse, the quote “my righteous one shall live by faith,” is used in the New Testament three times.  It’s used in Romans 1:17, Gal.3:11, and here in this verse in Hebrews.  And the emphasis that it is given here in this instance in Hebrews is on the word “live.”  That’s really the key to this passage, the idea that faith is not just a head knowledge, but it is a way of living, in trusting in Christ, in dependence upon the Holy Spirit, no longer living for the lusts of the flesh, but for the will of God.

This is the distinctive of a Christian.  It’s not knowledge of the gospel, it’s not knowing a lot of facts about God, it’s trusting and obeying the word of God.  It’s living in faith, living by faith, not only in the past work of Jesus Christ on the cross, but in the present work of Christ in me and through me.  Do you have faith enough to let Christ have control of your life?  Do you trust God enough to give Him everything to be used for His service?  That is how we really live, by the power of Christ in us.  No longer for ourselves or in our own wisdom or strength, but in faith we submit to the Lord all that we are, and in all that we do.

The author of Hebrews has confidence that the church he is addressing does in fact have that kind of faith.  And so he gives them an encouraging word in vs39, “But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.”  Now the first part of that verse obviously refers to the people in the first example, those who had a knowledge of the truth, but continued to willfully sin by rejecting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and spurning the offer of salvation He sacrificed Himself to procure.  Those people he says are those destined for destruction.   When they saw the cost of Christianity they drew back, or shrunk back, and they do so to their ultimate destiny which is destruction. 

But he is convinced this church he is writing to who have suffered for the cause of Christ, and persevered in faith, those folks he says have faith to the preserving of the soul.  There is your case for the perseverance of the saints.  A living faith, a faith that continues to the end, results in the preservation of the soul.  Our faith in the Son of God, who is eternally seated in the heavenlies, interceding on our behalf, having made a perfect, effective, once for all sacrifice, is able to keep that which I have committed to Him.  

The question today is do you have that living faith in Jesus Christ.  It’s possible to have gone to church your entire life, and have all knowledge, and yet not be saved.  I pray that if you’re here today and have never trusted Jesus Christ with your life, turned from your sin, and asked Him to change you and remake you into a child of God, then you would take advantage of this time to do so today.  Do not harden your heart.  Do not consider HIs sacrifice as a common thing that is of no interest to you.  In a very little while,  He is coming again, and He will not delay.  His righteous one shall live by faith.  Are you righteous in the sight of God?  You can be through faith in Jesus Christ.

In our study in the book of Hebrews, we have learned much doctrine regarding who Christ is, and what He has accomplished on our behalf.  Now there is a switch of emphasis in the book, and from this point on the emphasis is not primarily doctrine, but application.  And so in this passage we are considering certain duties and responsibilities we have as Christians.  It’s not enough to believe in facts about Christ, but we are exhorted to act in response to them.  Faith requires both the acceptance of facts, and the application of faith.  

In the next chapter, that two fold aspect of our faith is clearly stated.  Hebrews 11:6, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who [diligently] seek Him.”

So in this passage then is an invitation to enter the heavenly sanctuary, and by the means of that, we are exhorted to three specific solemn duties. You’ll notice the statements in verse 22, “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.” Verse 23, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope.” And then verse 24, “Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works.”

The life of a Christian is sometimes stirred up by exhilaration to run the race, to soar to new heights, but other times it is a disciplined, step by step march in what seems like an uphill battle.  The life of a Christian is not always going to be a celebration.  It’s not something that our feelings are always going to support or agree with.  But our faith is not founded upon our feelings, which may be up one day and down another, but our faith is founded on the promises of God, and to that we must maintain our duty to uphold.

So if we divided the book into two parts, then we could classify the first 10 1/2 chapters as phase one, as having to do with doctrine; and the remainder as phase two having to do with application. In vs 19, the author says, “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter.” In one sense, that’s the summary again of the first half of the book. Then, “let us draw near” is the summary of the second part of the book.

Usually when you see a passage beginning with the word “therefore” you need to go back and review the previous passage in order to determine what it’s there for.  However, in this case, the author provides a summary for us in vs 19-21 which is one great, contingent doctrinal statement of the ministry of Jesus Christ, which has been the subject of the first 10 chapters. Another summary can be found in the words of Jesus Himself, in John 14:6, as He said “I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father except by Me.”  

The point in this passage being therefore, knowing all the doctrinal aspects of Jesus’s work on our behalf, let us draw near to God. And as I said, in the first three verses are a summary of that work.  In vs 19, he says that we may enter into the Holy of Holies by the blood of Jesus Christ. Even as the old covenant priests could only enter into the Holy Place by the blood, so we can enter in by the blood of Jesus.

In vs20 he says we may enter by a new and living way which Jesus inaugurated by His death. The point in review here is that it is a new way to draw near to God, as opposed to the old way under the old covenant.  That way is dead, and done away with, and a new living way is opened up, because Christ ever lives to make intercession for us.

And the author adds a beautiful analogy there in vs 20, in which as the temple veil separating the Holy of Holies was rent in two from the top to the bottom at the crucifixion of Christ, so he says that this new way to God was opened up by the rending of Christ’s veil, ie, His flesh.  

The third point of his summary is in vs21, in which he says, we may enter because we have a great high priest over the house of God.  And of course all of that doctrine of the high priesthood of Christ according to the order of Melchizadek we have covered thoroughly in previous chapters.  The only point we might add is that when it says over the house of God he is not talking about the temple, or the sanctuary in the wilderness, nor of any cathedral or church building, but the house of God means the people of God.  We are the temple of God who dwells not in buildings made with hands, but in the hearts of His people.

Now having given us three points of doctrinal review in regards to our privileges in Christ, he now gives us three injunctions, or three exhortations, or three responsibilities of worship.  That is the point of our salvation, that we worship God in the way that is acceptable to Him.  As Jesus Himself said in John 4:24  “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

So the author of Hebrews begins with an invitation to worship.  He says in vs22, because of all that Jesus has done on our behalf,  “let us draw near.” The invitation to confidently enter the holy of holies, to draw near to God.  To draw near to the source of all life. Come to  the headwaters of the spring of living water, let us come and drink freely.  This is really the purpose of divine redemption; to enable us to draw near to our Lord Jesus Christ and to live in communion with him, He in us, and us in Him. 

This Hebrew audience might have heard this invitation to draw near to God and were reminded of Isaiah 29:13 where the Lord said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me.”  I suppose that same sentiment could be made in regards to the modern church today, “They draw near with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.”  The heart is the seat of our affections, and for many of us our affections are towards the world and not God.  Outwardly we may feign interest in God, but God sees our hearts.

But nevertheless, God calls us to draw near to Him in truth.  James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”  that connection between drawing near to God and purifying your heart is the concern of the author of Hebrews as well as evidenced by the next phrase in vs 22.  

Draw near to God, he says, with a sincere heart, or a true heart. Now a lot of people may be sincere, but sincerely wrong.  Sincerity does not guarantee acceptable doctrine or worship.  But sincere in this application is better rendered true, a true heart.  As opposed to a disloyal heart, or an adulterous heart.  A heart which is torn between two loves is not a true heart.  Jesus said, “You cannot serve God and mammon.”  1John 2:15 says, “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” So a true heart is a heart totally devoted to the Lord.

And then he says draw near with full assurance of faith. This speaks of the boldness, the confidence with which we may enter the Holy of Holies.  This confidence is in our High Priest which has already been established in Hebrews 4:16 which says, “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” 

But it’s not just confidence bordering on arrogance by which we enter, but in the assurance of our faith.  Now if you read what chapter 11 says faith is made up of, then that almost seems like a contradiction of terms; assurance and faith. Hebrews 11:1 says,  “Now faith is the assurance of [things] hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”  How can we be assured of things which we cannot see?  The fact is that all of us daily have faith in things we cannot see, or understand.  We have faith that our cellphones can send photographs through thin air, thousands of miles away, to just one person. We have faith in scientific works that depend upon sub atomic particles that cannot be seen.  Assurance of faith then is simply to trust that such promises of God are true, and then to act in accordance with them.

So our assurance of faith is not in ourselves, but it is in Christ.  Our assurance of faith is not in experiences that we might have had, it’s not in dreams that we have had, it’s not in some mystical thing by which we determined God spoke to us.  But our faith is in Christ and that His finished work has satisfied the Father’s requirements of righteousness.  Our faith is in Him, and He is our assurance.

Next, he says we draw near  “having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”   In referring to blood and water I think it refers to an inner and outer cleansing from sin. Our hearts are sprinkled clean by the blood, and our bodies are washed with the water. One cleansing is inside, and one is outside.  The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. The hymn Rock of Ages speaks to this double dose of cleansing.  It says, “Let the water and the blood, from thy riven side which flowed, Be of sin the double cure, save from wrath, and make me pure.”

Now some theologians want to correlate the water to baptism.  And though I don’t believe that is what is being indicated here, yet is is true  in that baptism symbolizes  dying to the flesh, and being raised to newness of life in the Spirit. However, perhaps a more appropriate reference to the washing of the body with pure water is found in Ephesians 5:25-27, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,  so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,  that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.” So the effect of the word of God upon the body, soul and spirit is that we might be washed, having no spot or wrinkle, but holy and blameless.  That certainly is in keeping with the intent of our text.  And as Psalm 119 says, “Your word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”

In the Old Testament as well, there was an emphasis on the new covenant’s ability to cleanse us from sin as evidenced by Ezekiel 36:25-27 “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.  Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.”

Those who have been cleansed inwardly by the blood of Jesus Christ will cleanse themselves outwardly from every defilement of flesh.  2Corinthians  7:1  “Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.”  So when we worship God, we can come into His presence in assurance of faith, because we have a clean heart and a body that is in submission to HIs word.

The second injunction is  “Let us hold fast  the confession of our hope without wavering for He who promised is faithful.”  Holding fast is our response to be steadfast, to hold on to what we have confessed, our faith in Christ.  Satan loves to try to shake our confidence in Christ.  He raises objections and questions as to why God allows this thing to happen, or why did God allow that to happen, to make us wonder if God really cares.  

But the injunction is to hold fast without wavering in our hope, because He who promised is faithful.  What is meant by hope?  What are we hoping for? Let’s look again at 11:1, which says, Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.  So hope is the invisible object of our faith, that which is not yet evident.

Someone has said that “Faith is the beginning of our spiritual life, and hope is the continuance of it.” Faith looks to the past. Hope looks to the future.  And our future is founded upon the promises of God. 

He says, “For He who promised is faithful.” That is, the promises are connected with the promisor, so  the promises of God are the words of God and, thus, their authority, their power, is the fact that they proceed out of the mouth of God. 

Our salvation is dependent upon whether or not we have faith, but our hope is dependent upon God’s faithfulness.  Our eternal life is dependent upon God’s faithfulness to complete that which He has begun, to fulfill that which He promised.  2Timothy 2:13 says,  “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.”  Our hope is not in our faithfulness, but in His faithfulness.

I’ve often told the story of my kids when they were little and we had to cross a busy road.  And I would always tell them, “Hold on to Daddy’s hand.”  I wanted them to hold on tightly.  To stay close to me.  To obey me. But their security was not in their ability to hold on tightly.  Their security was in my ability to hold them tightly.  Thus he says hold fast your confession, but God’s faithfulness is the reason for our confidence.

The third responsibility we are given is let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds.  Notice the three Christian virtues we have seen so far in this passage; faith, hope and now love. Faith looks backward, hope looks forward, and love looks outward. That’s so important to understand.  Love from the world’s standpoint is all about me.  How I feel.  But Christian love is sacrificial love for others.  It is outward, not inward.  True Christian love is outward.

Now the means by which we can love one another is found in the second part of this injunction; “not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together.”  We can’t stimulate each other to love one another unless we’re in the presence of one another.  You can’t stimulate a TV set to love someone. You can’t encourage anyone through your car radio.  Church is not just a Sunday service, it’s not just hearing and singing songs, it’s joining with the body of Christ, the communion of the saints, assembled together before the Lord. 

Let’s read vs 25 in it’s entirety again just for emphasis; “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some but exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the day approaching.”  If the characteristics of someone who is spiritual is having the virtues of faith, hope and love, then you can be sure that when a person forsakes the meeting of the saints, that’s a sign of declining faith, decaying hope, and dwindling love.

I want to emphasize the point he is making about stimulating one another to love and good deeds, or to encourage, or your version may even say provoke one another.  The Greek word there is parakaleo, which is usually translated as encourage, or exhort.  And it’s meaning according to the Greek lexicon is to call to one’s side, to address, to speak to, to exhort, entreaty, instruct, admonish, beseech, to encourage, to strengthen, to teach. In other words, its the teaching of the word of God, the preaching of the gospel. That’s how we stimulate one another in the assembly of the saints.

In fact, you remember the disciples, as they are walking down the road toward Emmaus, and talking with the Lord who they thought was a stranger, and he was drawing out from them what they felt about the things that had been happening. And then he expounded to them the Scriptures and, you remember, they said, “Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked with us along the way?” And so they walked with him as he spoke from the Old Testament about himself. They listened to his word. Their hearts were stirred and then the Scriptures said, they gathered together. So they gathered, met together, and then our Lord departed from them. It’s almost a parable of what it means to grow in the knowledge of the Lord, spend time with the Lord, listen to him as He, through the Spirit, expounds the word of God, enjoy the fellowship with him, eat with Him and grow in grace in the knowledge of the Lord.

So in closing, he says we should assemble together so much more as we see the day, the day of our Lord’s appearing, approaching.  We don’t know the day when the Lord will return, but each day brings us closer to His appearing. We are looking for that day, waiting for that day, working for that day, when we will receive our inheritance.  Let us be found faithful when He comes, and let us encourage one another to love and good deeds in keeping with His word.

I extend an invitation to all who are here today, that you draw near to God through the blood of Jesus Christ, through a new and living way.  Come in faith, with assurance that Christ has gone before us, providing the perfect sacrifice for our sins, that we might be reconciled to God and have full access to the Source of all life.  Draw near to Him today in faith, and be cleansed from all unrighteousness.  The price has been paid in full, the invitation has been given to all, it depends on you to accept this gift of God, even everlasting life.  

So far in Hebrews we have been learning the doctrines of our salvation through Jesus Christ. And to that end, we have seen that Jesus is superior to the prophets of old, He is superior to the old priesthood in that He is our great high priest of a different order, an eternal order since He forever lives to make intercession for us. And as our great high priest He ministers in a better sanctuary in heaven, a spiritual sanctuary of which the temple on earth was only a copy. And as our high priest He mediates a new covenant, having replaced the old covenant with something better.

Now today, we are going to examine the superior sacrifice that Jesus offered as our High Priest. And to do that, the author of Hebrews begins by making a familiar comparison, at least it’s familiar if you have been following us in this book. The comparison is to the old covenant, and all the attendant elements of that. And what he tells us in vs one is that it was an inferior covenant because it was only intended to be a shadow.

A shadow refers to what we might call a type, or a symbol, or a picture of something still in the future. If you could imagine a timeline starting with Moses and going to today, you would have approximately 4000 years represented on that timeline. And right in the middle, at ground zero, so to speak, is the cross. And the cross is casting it’s shadow back over the time period to Moses. Under the law, the Jews could not see the cross clearly, but it’s purpose was foreshadowed in the sacrificial system which was given to teach them of it’s future reality.

So when the author speaks in vs 1 of the law being only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very image, or form of things, then we can recognize that in the old covenant, in the sacrificial system under the law, the Jews saw an outline of atonement, an outline of redemption, a symbol of redemption, but not the actual image of atonement. Just as you might see your shadow on a sunny day, and you can see certain features that are true to life there, but for the most part you only see an outline, or a silhouette. The details are not filled in.

Even when the old covenant was well in effect, the Jews knew that there was a new covenant which was promised in the future. Jeremiah prophesied about this new covenant in Jeremiah 31:31-33 saying “Behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”

So the Jews knew that the covenant they were under was due to one day be changed. The old covenant was weak, not because of some fault in the law, but because of the weakness of man on whom it was dependent to observe. Yet they found comfort in the rituals and ceremonies, and they mistakenly put their trust in keeping them, rather than their faith in God for forgiveness and righteousness. And not only is that true of the Jews in that day, but it is true of professing Christians in our day as well. Many people go to church every week, or even several times a week, to reenact rituals and ceremonies which they believe will absolve them of their sin, and yet there can be no forgiveness through rituals, or even through sacrifices of bulls and goats. But as Paul said in Phil. 3:9 “[that we] may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of our own derived from [the] Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which [comes] from God on the basis of faith.”

The old covenant then, was a system of sacrificial shadows. And as a shadow, it lacked the substance in itself to take away sin. Notice what it says in vs1, “since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form or image of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near.”

Now please understand that this word perfect refers to completeness. It carries with it the sense of accomplishment or finishing. The fufillment of it’s intended purpose. So in that sense, in vs 2, he says that if it could accomplish completion of their atonement, then it would have ceased to be offered. If the blood of bulls and goats actually completed atonement, then it would not need to be done again and again.

What the sacrifices did in a technical sense was express confession and repentance of your sin, and offered a token sacrifice of an animal’s life as a covering for sin. You remember when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden, and they hid from God because they recognized their sin, then God killed an animal, or animals, and made coverings for them. So the sacrifice of animals indicated a covering for sin. But even more to the point, such sacrifices foreshadowed a future sacrifice which would cleanse completely from sin. 1John 1:7, 9 “but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. … 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

But complete atonement was not appropriated under the old system, for it says in vs3, that “in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year.” Every year they had to go through the Day of Atonement again, because once again their sinful nature had caused them to sin against God. So the old covenant actually served as a reminder of their fallen nature, of their hopeless situation to live as God required. As Paul said in Gal. 3:24 “Therefore the Law has become our tutor [to lead us] to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.” The daily offerings for sin and the yearly offerings on the Day of Atonement served to remind them of their hopelessness to be freed from sin.

So every year there was more animals killed, and more blood poured over the altar, and then the next year it had to happen again, year after year. And what became apparent was that according to vs4, “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” The sacrificial system was only a shadow of what was yet to come.

That’s why the author called it the good things to come in vs 1. Because it was a great day when that imperfect system would be superseded by a superior sacrifice. God never delighted in the death of bulls and goats. I was talking to someone the other day about how that in the book of Jonah, God speaks with compassion about the livestock of the Ninevites. And He spoke of wanting to spare them, because they too are His creation to which He gave life. That’s at least a part of what He is talking about in vs 6, when He says, while quoting from Psalm 40, “IN WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND [sacrifices] FOR SIN YOU HAVE TAKEN NO PLEASURE.” But in total, He says such sacrifices do not satisfy God.

So the old covenantal system was only a shadow of the sacrifice that God desired. And so God prepared a superior sacrifice. And we read of that in vs. 5 and 6, which is a quote from the Septuagint translation of the Psalms, chapter 40, which is the Greek translation of the Hebrew text. And what the author of Hebrews recognizes in that passage, is that it is referring to the Messiah, who is Jesus Christ.

And what he is saying is that the superior sacrifice, offered by the great High Priest of the new covenant, is the offering of Himself. Let’s look at the quote from Ps.40, Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, “SACRIFICE AND OFFERING YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED, BUT A BODY YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR ME; IN WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND [sacrifices] FOR SIN YOU HAVE TAKEN NO PLEASURE. “THEN I SAID, ‘BEHOLD, I HAVE COME (IN THE SCROLL OF THE BOOK IT IS WRITTEN OF ME) TO DO YOUR WILL, O GOD.'”

Notice first that it says when He comes into the world. This speaks of the incarnation of Jesus Christ, when according to John 1:14 “the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” What God desired was not the bodies of bulls and goats, but the body of a person. The bulls and goats were only intended to be a temporary picture of the person that was to come, and that person was Jesus Christ.

And let’s understand something; Jesus came to offer Himself as a guilt offering for us. Isaiah 53 makes that clear. Isaiah 53:10-12 But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting [Him] to grief; If He would render Himself [as] a guilt offering, He will see [His] offspring, He will prolong [His] days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see [it and] be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.”

What Jesus did was voluntary. He poured out Himself to death; He offered Himself as a sacrifice for our sins to satisfy the judgment of God upon sinners. Make sure you understand that. The blood of bulls and goats could never take away sin, because the penalty for sin was man’s death. That was promised at creation, that if they ate of the tree they would die. Romans tells us that the wages of sin is death. The death of a lamb or a goat never took away sin. It merely provided a temporary covering, pointing to the day of God’s full atonement when He would appoint His only begotten Son to come to earth, to take on flesh, to bear our sin, to die in our place, so that we might be spared eternal death. Christ came to do for sinners what sinners could never do for themselves. We could never offer a sacrifice that would take away the penalty for our sin. But Christ could and He gave up His life for our sakes. As John said when he saw Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

So not only does Psalm 40 say Jesus had come to do the Father’s will, but He conformed His will to the Father. He desired to do His will. And the will of God was that a person would die for his sin. That was God’s standard, God’s law. And God would not be so unjust as to deny His law. But in His grace to us, God designed a way to fulfill the requirement of the law, but do it through a substitute.

Notice especially the phrase; “Behold, I have come to do your will.” What the old covenant could not do, Christ has done in the new covenant. He kept the law to perfection. He kept the eternal council of God in redemption. He did what the Father told him to do and said what the Father told him to say. He kept the law because we could not keep the law. The grounds for the new covenant is based on what Jesus did, not on what we must do. What the priests did day after day and year after year was the basis for the old covenant. They themselves however were sinners, offering sacrifices first for themselves and then for the others. But Christ, as the superior sacrifice, had no need to offer a sacrifice for Himself, as He perfectly kept God’s will, and He completed what they could only point to. And as such, according to vs 9, “He takes away the first in order to establish the second.” When the fullness of the type was manifested, the first became obsolete and as such is done away with.

When I first was married, I worked as a manager in a hotel downtown. And I kept a picture of my wife on my desk. But after work, when I finally made it home, I did not need to look at a picture anymore. I enjoyed the reality of my wife. And in a similar way, when Jesus had come as the superior sacrifice, there was no more need of the picture presented in the old covenant.

So the will of God was that Christ would offer Himself as the complete offering for sin, once for all. We have looked at the sacrificial shadows, we’ve looked at the superior sacrifice, now last point, let’s consider the sanctifying sacrifice. The sacrifice of Christ as our High Priest is superior not only because it is sufficient to pay the penalty of sin, which is death, but it is sufficient to provide the reward of righteousness, which is life. In other words, Christ’s sacrifice not only justifies sinners, it sanctifies sinners.

Sanctified is one of those church words we throw around that perhaps a lot of people don’t know what it means. What sanctified means is to set apart, to consecrate for holiness. In the temple service when the tabernacle was being built, they made vessels for use in the temple. And they were different than ordinary cups and bowls you might use in your house. They were made of gold or silver or brass for use only in the tabernacle. And to show that they were set apart for holy use, they were sprinkled with the blood of a sacrifice that they might be useful in the temple. Now that was another picture, a picture of sanctification, that we might be set apart in our salvation for good works, and then useful to God in service to Him.

So Jesus’s sacrifice accomplished both of those things. Vs 14 says by one offering he has completed both of these things. He saved us from the penalty of death, and gave us a new life, made a new creation, and set us apart for holiness unto the Lord to be useful to Him. He uses us as we yield to the Holy Spirit. And that continual usage and obedience to His will is the process of sanctification.

Now notice two types of sanctification are mentioned here. In vs 10 he says, “By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” So Jesus’ obedience to the Father’s will by offering himself as a sacrifice for our sins, sanctified us. That means positionally, He transferred us from the dominion of darkness into the kingdom of light. We now belong to God, made holy by the righteousness of Jesus Christ, set apart from the world.

But then having been set apart for holiness, having been set apart for good works, now we ARE BEING sanctified, according to vs.14, “For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” The tense of that word means continual. We are sanctified past tense in vs10, and are being sanctified present tense in vs14 in one offering. In other words it’s a process. Whereby we are continually offering up to God the service of our lives.

Romans 12:1,2 says that this acceptable service is nothing less than the sacrifice of our body, even as Christ laid down His body. Romans 12:1-2 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, [which is] your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Listen, Romans just gave us the secret to being sanctified. It’s renewing your mind. That’s the other benefit of Christ’s sacrifice – beyond just forgiveness, its’ the ability to be free of sin, not only free of the penalty of sin, but free from the power of sin. Sin no longer has dominion over us.

Rom 6:5-9, 12 says, “For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be [in the likeness] of [His] resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with [Him], that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. … 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.

Now the secret, like I said, to this sanctifying process is found in renewing the mind. And just as our sacrifice was not something we could do, neither is our sanctification something we can do all by ourselves. But Christ does it for us through the sanctifying work of the Spirit. And He does that by renewing our mind. And our new mind, the mind of Christ comes through our willingness to crucify our will, to lay down our life, that we might do His will.

Notice in our text in vs16 is a quote from Jeremiah 31 which speaks of this new mind that we are given by Christ. ““THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THEM AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEART, AND ON THEIR MIND I WILL WRITE THEM,” He then says, “AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE.”

Another Old Testament passage in Ezekiel 36:26,27 says practically the same thing. “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.” He’s speaking of the new covenant.

The Spirit of Christ renovates our minds and our hearts, so that we might have new desires. And so the sanctifying work of the Spirit is to renew our minds, through the washing of the word of God, that we might desire to do things which are pleasing to Him, and then He gives us the strength of the Holy Spirit to fulfill that desire, so that we might do the things which God desires. That’s the purpose of the Holy Spirit; to equip you to do the will of God.

The gospel say that when Jesus came up out of the water of baptism He was filled with the Spirit and was being led by the Spirit, and in the power of the Spirit began to preach and do might works. That is the template for us as well. We must like Christ, submit to the Father’s will, laying down our lives for His sake, and being raised to new life, now to live for Him through the power of the Spirit in obedience to the word of God.

Let me just say one last thing in closing by way of practical application. This renewing our mind is not a once and done thing. Our justification was once and done. Jesus’s sacrifice was once for all as it says in our text. But our sanctification is a process. And when we slip up and fall back into sin, when we become mired once again in the world, we contaminate our minds, our consciences become corrupted. We begin to think like the world. We begin to listen to the world and believe the lies of the devil. And so when God as our Heavenly Father brings correction and discipline to our lives to bring us back, we can confess and repent and God will forgive us. But we need to ask Him to renew our mind. We need to get on our knees and implore God to do a supernatural restoration of our minds once again, that we might have the mind of Christ, that we might have the desires of God.

David was a man after God’s own heart. He wrote scripture which Christ and the apostles quoted from extensively. He was God’s anointed. And yet he sinned, not just once, but many times. And in Psalm 51 we find there a template of how we need to approach God after such corruption has entered into our hearts and implore Him to renew our minds and create a right spirit within us. Listen to David’s prayer and if necessary, make it your own.

I’ll just read a few excerpts from Psalm 51 in closing.
“Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom. Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. … Hide Your face from my sins And blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. … Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit. … For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

Hebrews, as I have said repeatedly, is actually one long sermon.  I’m not sure if it was originally delivered in one sitting or not. I have a feeling the early church had a bigger appetite for such things than we do today.  Today we are told a sermon should be only about 20-25 minutes long.  That people cannot pay attention longer than 25 minutes.  I’m not sure, from my experience at least, that some people can even manage to pay attention that long.  

But in any respects, it’s difficult, especially considering today’s culture, to divide up the book of Hebrews into segments that are capable of being preached as stand alone passages.  And one of the reasons it’s so difficult is that when you reach a new passage, the author always ties it back to the preceding passages with phrases like, “for this reason” as we encounter today in vs 15.  So we always have to go back and review somewhat in order to begin a new passage.

A simple review of what we have been talking about lately can be summarized in three points, that God has given us a new high priest, governed by a new covenant, conducted in a new sanctuary, and now a fourth point, which is it is based on a better sacrifice.  So as we begin in vs 15, we see all those things referred to in the phrase, “for this reason.”  And if you read from vs 11-15, you will find mention of the new high priest in vs11, the new sanctuary in vs 11, the better sacrifice in vs 12-14, and now in vs 15, the new covenant. But particularly in this passage from vs15-28, we are going to look at the aspects of His superior sacrifice.  And to do this I am going to forego trying to come up with a three point outline and for the most part just do a verse by verse exegesis.  That way I can follow the pattern of the sermon that is before us, rather than trying to make a sermon out of part of a sermon.  

I will say though, that in the last few verses of this chapter there is what may be a familiar outline to some of you.  Many preachers have preached a sermon on vs24-28 called the Three Appearances.  And I will point them out just so your recognize them.  In vs24 Christ has appeared in heaven for us. In vs 25 He has appeared, or as some translations give it, has been manifested, to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.  And then in vs28, He will appear a second time, which actually is the third appearance spoken of in this chapter.  So He appeared the first time to take away sin, the second appearance is in heaven to be our mediator, and the third appearance is the second coming of the Lord.

But as I said I am going to stick with a basic exegesis of the verses and trust that you are capable of following along.  Notice in vs15, he says “for this reason.”  The reason he speaks of is the sacrifice of Christ for the forgiveness of sins in vs14. So what he is saying is that the basis of Christ’s mediatorship of the new covenant was His sacrificial death.  His death was the redemption, the payment of the penalty for sin under the law.  His death, that payment, qualified  those who are called to salvation to receive the inheritance of the covenantal promises.  

The promises of the covenant are called here an eternal inheritance. So the new covenant was made with the believers on the basis of Christ’s death.  And the inheritance of the new covenant was eternal life.  A covenant, you will remember was a promise, in this case a unilateral promise made by God to us on the basis of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf.

Now the author goes on to explain further this covenant in vs16.  And he says that Christ’s death was necessary because a covenant cannot be ratified until someone dies.  A covenant can be correlated to a last will and testament, which is what this author is indicating in the use of this analogy.  

And in vs 17 he explains further that a testament doesn’t go into effect until a person dies. A covenant is related to a testament in that under ancient covenants, such were sworn to by a punishment of death, and often an animal was slain to ratify the agreement in blood as an example of what would happen to the one who should break the covenant.  So in time a covenant became synonymous with a testament, and the same Greek word was used for both.  Thus, he says a person who made the testament must die in order for the inheritance to go into effect. Just as in our day, a will is not in effect until the person dies who made the will.  And then after his death the estate  is divided among the inheritors.

Therefore, he says in vs18, that even the first covenant, which was the Mosaic covenant, was not inaugurated without the shedding of blood, or without death.  The blood was a sign, a ratification of the agreement.

Then in vs19, he gives the historical example; after Moses had received the law from God, he read to the people all the book of the covenant, and then he shed the blood of calves and goats and sprinkled all the people as well as the book of the law, signifying that both parties were obligated under the covenant. 20, saying, “THIS IS THE BLOOD OF THE COVENANT WHICH GOD COMMANDED YOU.”  You can read this in Exodus 24:3-8.  And all the people answered him saying, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” It was a binding covenant, ratified by the shed blood of oxen.

Now as a side note, the author of Hebrews mentions the ashes of a red heifer.  The account of the ashes of the red heifer is found in Numbers 19, which was a reference to the purification ritual of the temple.  Ironically many people are today looking for a red heifer to be born, which is considered a great  rarity, in order that the 3rd and final temple can be constructed, supposedly as a precursor to the coming of the Christ. Many people believe that when Christ comes back, the third temple will be standing on the temple mount in Jerusalem. 

In fact, just yesterday I saw an article that was originally from a news source in the UK called 

The Daily Star.  In the article it said that a Jewish organization called The Temple Institute had announced the birth of an entirely red female calf that “brings the promise of reinstating Biblical purity to the world”.  Rabbi Chain Richman, director of the Temple Institute, hailed the red heifer’s birth as suggestions the time could be right for the Third Temple. 

However, it is my belief that such a temple is not necessary for Christ’s return.  Hebrews makes it clear that the sacrificial ceremonies were abolished by the sacrifice of Christ for all time.  Those looking for a reinstatement of the temple and the sacrificial rites are seeking to make the cross of Christ to no effect.  The greater tabernacle which Hebrews speaks of has taken the place of an earthly temple.  We that believe are the temple of the Holy Spirit.  There is only one way to draw near to God, and that is through the blood of Jesus Christ.  The blood of bulls and goats was merely a picture of what was to come, but now that the perfect has come, the partial picture is done away with.  Jews are saved by faith just as Abraham was saved by faith.  Never could the earthly sacrifices provide eternal redemption.

Thus, in the new covenant, there is a perfect sacrifice, an eternal sacrifice, that has eliminated any need for any further sacrifices of animals.

The author of Hebrews goes on to say in Vs23, since the earthly tabernacle was a copy of the heavenly tabernacle, then it made sense for the earthly things to be consecrated with earthly sacrifices.  But the in the heavenly tabernacle things had to be sanctified with better, (spiritual, heavenly) sacrifices.

We emphasized earlier that the people of God are the temple of God, who dwells in their midst. So they need inward cleansing, not just external cleansing, so that they may draw near to God  without defilement, in order to be a fit habitation for God.  Even as the earthly tabernacle had to be cleansed and consecrated in order for God’s presence to dwell among them, so the new temple, the church, must be sanctified with Christ’s blood so that we might become a dwelling place of the Spirit of God. 1Peter 2:5, “we are being built up to become a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

Now in vs24 we are told of one of the appearances of Christ, the second appearance. “For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.”   Not into an earthly tabernacle which is only a copy, but into the presence of God in heaven, Christ has gone as our high priest.  Notice that it says he appears in the presence of God FOR US. At this very moment, Jesus Christ is in the presence of God for us! For you! For me! Our representative High Priest, who is interceding for us! What assurance that should give us. What confidence that that great High Priest, the Son of God, is my representative in the presence of God at this very moment.  On our behalf, as our representative.  We that were sinners have been brought near by Christ.

The author goes on to say in vs25 that Christ has also entered once for all time.  As contrasted by the old covenant priests who came in yearly by the blood of animals.  He has entered once, by his own blood,  and remains there continually as our intermediary.  Since his sacrifice is perfect, perfectly fulfilling all requirements for holiness, then it is is perpetually effective and need not be repeated.

26.  It would be absurd to imagine that his sacrifice would have to be repeated, since that would require him to suffer death again and again.  But as it is written, it is appointed unto man once to die and after that the judgment, then Christ only had to die once, and the resulting judgment was that He was righteous and spotless, and therefore sufficient for all time.  Thus He was manifested at the consummation of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

Christ has been manifested at the end of the ages, what Matthew calls the consummation of the age, and Paul calls the end of the ages, and Peter, the last days, all synonymous and referring to the last age in which Christ has appeared, the time of fulfillment of the first covenant, and the beginning of the new covenant.  He has come to remove sin, to set the captives free, to announce the favorable year of our Lord.

And He has accomplished that by putting away the stain of sin, having paid the penalty of sin, that we might be considered righteous in the presence of God. Thus his sacrifice is eternally effective for all who put their trust in Him.

Now, we see, we read here, “He has been manifested to put away sin.” Let’s think about that for a moment. “To put away sin.”  Let me try to explain that by saying what it is not.  He did not come to deny sin. He did not come to soften the penalty for sin. He did not come to redefine sin. He did not come to call it a mistake.

We have a tendency as human beings to try to redefine sin.  To soften the injury of our sin.  To call it something else, a disease, a mistake, an error, or whatever.  But Christ called sin sin. In fact, rather than winking at sin, He raised the standard of righteousness so that we might see sin as God sees it.  But thank God, Jesus came to put away sin. 

Now how did He do that?  It says He put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. He knew full well what the wages of sin was, and what we deserved for our sin.  And so He offered Himself as the payment for sin, that it might be removed from us.  There was no other way to take away our sins.  Religion can’t take away sin.  Rituals cannot take away sin.  Ceremonies cannot take away sin.  Only by death can sin be taken away.

In vs27 we read one of the great doctrinal texts of the Bible: “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment…”  There is a lot of theological truths that can be extracted from this statement, but there is one aspect of it that bears pointing out in particular at this point.  And that is, that though a man dies once, there is yet a judgment of that man to come.  So the question is then what is indicated by his death.  It must be that death is the death of the body, but in the spirit will still face the judgment of God.  Man’s spirit is going to live forever somewhere.  But where his spirit lives is determined by the judgment of God upon the death of the body.  The tragic truth is that  when I hear of someone who committed suicide, presumably because the burden or stress of life is too much for them, is that there is no escape in death, but there is only a transition to another plane of existence, which will determined as this verse indicates by God’s judgment which comes upon every man and woman.

For those of us that believe, our judgment has been exacted upon Jesus Christ.  And God being just, cannot punish twice for the same sins.  That would be what is called double jeopardy.  That’s not legal in our courts, and it certainly is not possible in God’s court.  Because God has afflicted Christ with our punishment.

Isaiah 53:4-6 “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.  But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being [fell] upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”

We often sing the song “Hallelujah What A Savior, and in that song is the verse speaking of Christ, “Bearing shame and scoffing rude,In my place condemned He stood; Sealed my pardon with His blood. Hallelujah! What a Savior! Guilty, vile, and helpless we; Spotless Lamb of God was He;“Full atonement!” can it be? Hallelujah! What a Savior!”

So even as man is appointed to die once, so also Christ as our representative died once, the just for the unjust, bearing our sins on the cross that we might be reconciled to God. Even as the ancient Israelites rejoiced to see the high priest emerge from the tabernacle on the day of atonement, knowing that they had received forgiveness from God, so we might rejoice even more knowing that God has counted our sins upon Christ, and credited His righteousness to us, and now Christ has sat down in the heavenly tabernacle, having finished his sacrificial work, and now is our eternal mediator on our behalf to God.

But that is not the end of the story, for Hebrews tells us in vs 28 that He is going to appear on earth a second time, this time not to atone for sin, because that has been taken care of, but the second time he comes to reclaim His people who await Him for the consummation of their salvation. Linguists tell us that the word used for to appear in this instance carries with it the meaning of to be seen.  The Bible tells us that at the second coming of Christ, every eye will see Him coming in the clouds.  And some will rejoice, and some will mourn, seeing Him whom they rejected.

Two appearings have taken place. Christ has been appeared at Calvary to take away our sin. And at the present moment, he appears at the right hand of God to intercede on our behalf as our great High Priest. One more manifestation remains – when He appears at His second coming for the saints. And the question, of course, is, are we really looking for him? Are we eagerly looking for him? 

 I trust that because of our confidence in Him and our confidence in His sacrifice on our behalf, we too are eagerly awaiting His return.  And not in dread of the coming judgment as others who have no hope.  We that have trusted in Him look forward to receiving our inheritance as sons and daughters of God. Therefore let’s not grow weary in well doing, but with patience and faith persevere until He comes again.

In the book of Romans, chapter 2, Paul says that Gentiles, who did not know the law, were none the less guided by their consciences, showing the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them.

God implanted in man a conscience to make him seek for forgiveness, to guide him into righteousness.  But man’s conscience, though a God given tool, is not perfect, because men are sinful and their sin acts to harden their hearts, and sear their conscience.  Many of the problems of people in our society today, often attempted to be corrected by psychiatrists and therapists, are due to a troubled conscience.  Unfortunately, they rarely are able to really deal with the root of the problem, because they deal with external circumstances, and they fail to understand the sin problem of the heart.  

Our consciences are implanted in us by God, but they are supposed to be instructed by the truth of God.  The Bible tells us in 1 Timothy 4:2 that the conscience can be seared by sin.  Titus 1:5 says that the conscience is defiled by sin.  And in Hebrews 10:22 it says that our consciences are evil.  So we know that our conscience, though designed to instruct us and guide us by God, is not perfect, because our sin corrupts it.  There is still a measure of guilt in the conscience though, which is the reason that many hate the Bible and Christianity and all that it stands for.  For their conscience condemns them, and they want to escape that condemnation.  So they hate the truth, and are haters of God.

Nevertheless, in His mercy God has designed a way for man to have a pure conscience. God has made a way for our conscience to be cleansed and useful to us again.  And in the text we are looking at today, we find that our conscience can be made clean through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, that we might be useful in service to the living God.

Now this service to God is important, because that is what we are saved for.  That is the desired result of salvation, according to God.  We are given a clean conscience not to live for ourselves, so that we might have no guilt while we live in the world and partake of worldly lusts.  But we are saved unto good works, by which we work for a kingdom which is eternal, whose ruler and Lord is Jesus Christ.  And we do that, as a new creation, in our new position, which is as priests to God. 

When Hebrews says here in vs 14, that we are to serve the living God, it uses a Greek word which is  latreuo, which speaks of religious or ceremonial, priestly service.  Peter describes this as a royal priesthood, in 1 Peter 2:9.  Charles Spurgeon said that in this priesthood we echo the things which the priests of old did in the tabernacle, offering “a worshipful service such as priests render unto God. We that have been purged by Christ are to render to God the worship of a royal priesthood. It is ours to present prayers, thanksgivings, and sacrifice; it is ours to offer the incense of intercession; it is ours to light the lamp of testimony and furnish the table of shewbread.”

Now for a lot of us, the ceremonies of the old covenant are something that we know very little about.  And perhaps you think such things are not relevant to evangelical Christianity today.  But I would suggest that as Hebrews points out, such things were given for our instruction, that we might better understand what Christ does on our behalf, and thus, our response of worship to Him.  Paul said in Rom. 15:4 “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

So it behooves us to know what the priests did in the old covenant, and what such things signify concerning our salvation.  And to that end the author of Hebrews in this passage is attempting to show us that the new covenant, it is founded on better promises, conducted in a better sanctuary, and providing a better sacrifice.

He starts by describing for us the old sanctuary or what was called the tabernacle, which was the sacred tent where the presence of God dwelled among the Israelites.  It’s important to remember as we said last week that God designed the earthly tabernacle corresponding to the tabernacle in heaven. Chapter 8 vs5, [the priests] “who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned [by God] when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, ‘SEE,’ He says, ‘THAT YOU MAKE all things ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN WHICH WAS SHOWN YOU ON THE MOUNTAIN.’  So the earthly tabernacle represented the corresponding heavenly tabernacle. Not in size or appearance, but in symbolism it reflected a heavenly reality.

I find it interesting that when you consider the dimensions of the first tabernacle, they are approximately the size of a small, two room house.  Those of you that have attended Bible study at my house can maybe imagine how big our living room and dining room is where we meet, and use that to sort of picture the tabernacle.  The tabernacle was a tent 45 feet long by 15 feet wide. And it was divided into 2 rooms, the first being 30 feet by 15, and the second being 15 feet by 15 feet.  The first room was called the Holy Place, and the second room which was separated by a veil, was called the Holy of Holies.  So all in all it is a rather small tent, and the Holy of Holies is really a small square room, much the size of a typical bedroom.

And the author says, when you went into the first room, called the Holy Place, there was a lamp stand which was the only source of light in there. It had seven lamps, produced by burning oil. And the priests job was to daily tend to the lamps, trimming their wicks, and filling the lamps with oil. They did this twice a day.

The other piece of furniture which he describes is the table which was 3 feet long, and which held the showbread.  12 loaves of bread which were laid out there represented the 12 tribes of Israel.  And every Sabbath day, the priests would remove the showbread and put out fresh bread.  

There was one other item there which he mentions, and it was the golden altar of incense.  It stood just before the veil which separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies and was used to offer up the smoke of incense before the Lord.  The veil, of course, was a thick curtain separating the two rooms.  And behind the veil, in the Holy of Holies, there was only once piece of furniture, and that was the Ark of the Covenant. It was a small chest made of acacia wood covered with gold, 3¾ feet  long, 2¼ feet wide, and 2¼ feet high, with rings for poles along its side to carry it without having to touch the ark itself.  And inside the ark were the golden pot that had the manna , Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant.

You know it’s interesting to think about the ark of the covenant.  It is not mentioned in the Bible any more after the Israelite temple was destroyed for the first time.  A lot of speculation has given rise to many theories of where it is or what happened to it.  Just think what it would mean if one day it was found in a cave somewhere in Israel.  Imagine seeing the actual tablets of stone that God wrote on with His finger. Or seeing actual manna from heaven.  But as helpful as we think that might be to the cause of the gospel, none of the Jews that lived during that time ever saw those items. It was in the Holy of Holies which only the High Priest could enter, and when the tent was taken down, the curtain and a special covering was placed over the ark so that the people could not look upon it.  Those items were placed in there to remind God of His covenant with Israel, and of His mercy towards them.  The Israelites believed in it by faith, not because they had it available to look at.  Only the high priest could enter into the Holy of Holies, and that only once a year.  And I can assure you, that they didn’t linger in their longer than they had too.  They were happy to finish their service and get out alive. In fact, the rabbinical literature indicates that the High Priest would hold a celebration afterwards for the fact that he had survived being in the presence of the Spirit of God.

But nevertheless, the manna was a reminder of God’s provision and Israel’s ungratefulness;

Aaron’s rod was a reminder of their rebellion against God’s authority; and the tablets of the covenant was a reminder of Israel’s failure to keep the Ten Commandments but at the same time a reminder of God’s promises to Israel.  But there was another feature of the ark, which was the mercy seat between the wings of the cherubim.  As God looked down into the ark, He saw the symbols of Israel’s sin, rebellion, and failure. But when the blood of sacrifice was applied to the mercy seat on the day of atonement, God saw that blood covering over the sin of Israel, and He considered the blood instead of the sin of Israel.

Hebrews 9 vs 6 then tells us, that when these symbolic things in the tabernacle were thus prepared the priests entered the Holy Place daily serving the temple.  But only once a year the high priest went into the Holy of Holies, and then he had to go in by the blood, not only for the people, but also first offering sacrifice for himself.  The main point being this, that access to God was severely restricted.  In spite of all the preparations, the sacrifices, and the rituals, only one man had direct access to God, and that was limited to once a year.  And even when he could enter, it wasn’t for real fellowship with God, but was limited to applying the blood and then leaving.  

So the author asks, what is the significance of all of this that the Holy Spirit is teaching us?  Vs8, “The Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience; concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation.”

What that verse indicates is that the old covenant had to pass away before the new covenant could be revealed.  And the reason was that the old covenant was symbolic.  The rituals, the ceremonies and even the furnishing were symbolic of what would be fulfilled in Christ.  In the Greek, the word is parabole, which is the word we get parable from.  So the old covenant symbols were intended to teach something about the nature of the covenant to come, which was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. 

For instance, I don’t have time to go into every facet of the priestly service or the tabernacle, but let me tell you briefly what these symbols described here represent of Christ.  The golden lamp stand represented Christ,  who is the light of the world, and the light of life. He is the only light there, as He is the only way to God.  Jesus said, “No man comes to the Father except through Me.”

Then in the table of the shewbread, Jesus is represented there as the bread of heaven.  Jesus said, “I am the bread of life.”  He is our sustenance. The priests ate of the shewbread.  It was their food.  So Christ is our sustenance for our spiritual life. He is the word of God, which is our daily bread, which gives us life.

And then we come to the altar of incense which pictures the sacrificial coals placed there and the incense smoke rising, and this is Jesus interceding for us. The perfect sacrifice became the intercessory. “He ever lives to make intercession for us.” And so all three picture Jesus’ work in heaven for us by which we have access to God. 

Then behind the veil, which was torn into at the cross from top to bottom, we see the ark of the covenant, which is a picture of Jesus Christ as the mercy seat, by which atonement is made on our behalf.  His sacrifice is once for all time, and He doesn’t need to first offer a sacrifice for Himself, because He is the spotless Lamb of God. As the Son of God, His sacrifice is sufficient for all, for all the ages, and for all nations.  And by His blood we are ushered into the very presence of God.  The veil separating us from God has been torn in two at the cross.  Jesus has gone in before us with a better, perfect sacrifice.  And by His blood we are given full access to God as the people of God, and even as the children of God.

So the author says that the symbolic services of the old covenant could not make the conscience clean because it was only dealing with external, fleshly, temporal things in the ceremonies and symbols.  But he speaks of a time when the partial will be done away with, at the time of what he calls the reformation.  And that simply means a time of correction, a time of restoration.  And I believe that refers to the time when Christ fulfills all those symbols and pictures through His death, resurrection and ascension to the Father’s right hand.  That is when the symbols were made clear and that which is perfect has come.

Now that earthly tabernacle was replaced by a superior tabernacle through Jesus Christ.  Vs.11 “But when Christ appeared [as] a high priest of the good things to come, [He entered] through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation;  and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.”

Jesus, as our High Priest, ministers in a superior sanctuary – in the very throne room of God. This is obviously a sanctuary greater than anything human hands could make.  It is the heavenly tabernacle where He ministers continuously in heaven in the presence of God.  And we know that is in heaven because Vs24 says, “For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.”

And not only does He serve in a superior sanctuary, He supplies a superior sacrifice.  The sacrifices of goats and calves was sufficient only for a temporary covering of sin, but the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ obtains eternal redemption.  And if under the first covenant the blood of goats and calves was considered sufficient, then how much more should the sacrifice of Christ, the very God in flesh, be considered as sufficient for our sins. The holy, spotless Son of God, the Lamb of God, has died in our place, and paid the penalty for our sin by His death on the cross.

Notice also that the superior sacrifice of Christ not only sanctifies the flesh, but it also purifies the conscience from dead works, so that we might offer service to God. Under the old covenant there was a continual need for atonement because the old nature wasn’t done away with, but just our continual disobedience was dealt with.  But in the new covenant, there is given a new nature, a new heart, and we serve the Lord now out of love and not out of obligation to the law.  In the new covenant, we are given a new heart, that is new desires.  And so our desire is to serve the Lord because we love the Lord.  So the sacrifice of Jesus is superior not only in substance, but in that it changes our nature, it changes our hearts, and not just provides for disobedience.  We have become by Christ’s atonement a royal priesthood, children of God, designed for doing good works.  No longer governed by a guilty conscience, but by the royal law of love.

So then, because our sins have been fully atoned for by faith in what Jesus Christ has accomplished for us, because we have been given a clean conscience, because we have been given a new nature, because we are the children of God, beloved by God, we can draw near to God in full assurance.  Permit me to skip ahead to chapter 10 and I will read a few verses there as our closing benediction. 

Heb. 10:19-25  “Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus,  by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh,  and since [we have] a great priest over the house of God,  let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having 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 stimulate one another to love and good deeds,  not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging [one another;] and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”  

I pray that you have drawn near to God by faith in what Jesus Christ has accomplished on your behalf.  I hope that you have appealed to God for a clean conscience, for the forgiveness of your sins, and for a new nature, and a new heart, that you might live in the light of His presence, and have life everlasting.  If you are here today and you do not have that assurance, then I invite you to come to Christ today and receive Him as your Savior and Lord.   

You have come here today, I presume, to worship the Lord God.  Our signs invite you to  worship with us on the beach.  And we want to encourage you to worship God today.  However, Jesus said that God is Spirit, and those that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.  And to that end, we must be sure that our worship is according to the way God has intended for us to come to Him.

Not long after  Creation, just after the fall of man from the Garden of Eden, two brothers came to worship the Lord. Their names were Cain and Abel.  And according to the account in Genesis, God accepted Abel’s worship but He did not accept Cain’s worship.  Now that account was given for our instruction, so that we might know that God has a way that He has ordained for man to approach Him, to draw near to Him, and we must fit our worship to accommodate Him.  

The Bible teaches us from the very beginning that God is holy, He just, He is righteous, He is the Creator of all things, He is the source of all life, and in Him all things live and have their being.  The Bible also teaches us about man, that man is a fallen creature.  That the original man sinned, and as a result we have inherited a sinful nature, and thus are by nature sinners.  Our sin has separated us from God.  In fact, our sin has caused our spiritual death, which will bring about physical death.  Just like a plant that is cut off from sunlight will eventually die, thus all men that are cut off from God will die, not only physically, but spiritually.  

Our hope then is that our sin that has estranged us from God may be forgiven that we may once again draw near to God.  That we might be reconciled to the source of life, the giver of life, the source of righteousness and holiness.  If we can enter into the light of God,  we can experience spiritual life, and even have eternal life.

The Bible reveals God’s plan to reconcile man to God, that we might have that life; that we might escape death.  And so from the first book of the Old Testament to the last book in the New Testament, God’s plan for mankind to be reunited with Him is laid out.  Someone has well said, that the Bible is like a two act play.  The Old Testament is Act One.  And the New Testament is Act Two.  You cannot fully understand the play without reading both acts. But the theme of both acts, is the theme of redemption; God bringing man back into fellowship wth Him.  And the theme of redemption is a person, who is Jesus Christ.  He is the thread throughout the whole of scripture.

In Act One, or the Old Testament, the plan of redemption was presented in types.  The temple, the law, the sacrifices, the rituals and ceremonies all were all intended as pictures, or types, or shadows, or copies given by God in order to teach about the fulfillment that was to come in Jesus Christ in the future.  Thus in the Old Testament we see Jesus Christ predicted not only in prophecy but in the law and ceremonies. In the gospels, we see Jesus Christ revealed.  In the Acts, we see Jesus preached. In the epistles, of which Hebrews is one, we see Jesus explained.  And in Revelation, we see Jesus expected.  But in all the scriptures, we see Jesus Christ as the way in which we draw near to God.

Today in this passage of Hebrews, we are at a midway point in the epistle in which the author is attempting to explain Jesus in light of the Old Testament pictures.  And to do that, he has been contrasting Jesus to various Old Testament figures, showing that in every respect Jesus is superior and He is the fulfillment of all the Old Testament shadows or types.

So in vs1, he says that here is the main point of what has been said so far. The main point that has been established in Hebrews so far is that Jesus Christ is our Great High Priest, far superior to that of the priesthood of the old covenant, which was the governing instrument of worship in the Old Testament.  Now a covenant simply means a promise, or contract, made between two parties.  Many of you, I’m sure own property that is governed by a covenant, entitling you to certain rights and privileges.  That is what is being talked about here, a covenant which was made by God to man.  God made such a covenant with Abraham, He made another through Moses, there was a covenant made to David, all of which in the Old Testament were conditioned upon the law and man’s obedience to the law;  and then in the New Testament we are told of a new covenant.

And so he says the chief point is that now God has opened up a new way to Him.  And in this new way to worship Him we have a new priesthood, with a  new High Priest, which involves a new covenant, and a new sacrifice.  In the preceding chapter, chapter 7, he has talked extensively about the new priesthood, which is different than the old priesthood of Aaron, and which is a better priesthood.  Now in chapter 8 he is going to talk about the new covenant, which is enacted on better promises.  And then next week, in chapter 9, we will look at the new and better sacrifice in great detail.

Now as I alluded to earlier, access to God, or drawing near to God, is the goal of our worship, that we might have spiritual life.  And the writer of Hebrews has made it clear that under the old covenant, such access to God was limited, and thus imperfect.  Look at 7:19 “For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did, by which we draw nigh to God.”   So our access to God is made possible now by a better priesthood or mediator, a better covenant, or promises, and a better sacrifice. 

All of those things find their ultimate consummation in vs 12 of this chapter, when God says, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousnesses and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.”  When our sins are dealt with completely in the new covenant, then we can be reconciled to God.

So since the new priesthood has been discussed in chapter 7, he now begins to expound on the new covenant in chapter 8.  This new covenant has already been alluded to in chapter 7:22, when he said, “By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament,” or a better covenant.

It’s interesting that in the original language, I’m told that the sense of the word for covenant as it’s used in the New Testament indicates more of what we would think of as a will, rather than an agreement between two parties.  In other words, this is God’s will towards us, independent of our will towards Him. It’s not predicated on our responsibility, but on His obligations towards us by His promises to us. And that should be of great encouragement; that His promises are not contingent upon us fulfilling some requirement.  But His promises are unilateral.

In expounding upon the superiority of the new priesthood, the author says first of all that Christ mediates in a superior sanctuary.  The temple of Solomon, and then the refurbished temple of Herod, was considered one of the great architectural marvels of the ancient world.  The Jewish temple was made of huge white marble stones and covered in gold panels and it sat high upon a hill, where the reflections of the sun made it shine like a jewel above Jerusalem. It was the place where the priests ministered, and the presence of God dwelled in the Holy of Holies behind the veil.  

But this new High Priest, Hebrews tells us in vs 1, “has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched  and not man.”  So this new covenant has a superior sanctuary.  A superior temple. It’s not an earthly tabernacle, but a heavenly tabernacle.  The idea of the true tabernacle does not indicate the other was false, but that it was merely a copy of the heavenly one which is the true tabernacle.

And notice especially that it says Jesus has taken His seat at the right hand of God in the sanctuary.  This was different than the priesthood in the earthly tabernacle, because their work was never done.  They stood in the temple daily, chapter 10:11 tells us,  ministering for the sins of the people.  But Christ has finished His work on earth by HIs sacrifice once for all, and sat down, having fulfilled perfectly the propitiation for mankind.  The satisfaction of the holiness and righteousness of God has been completed and, on the basis of the value of that sacrifice, he is ministering in the true sanctuary.  He is ministering directly in the presence of God for us. He is our perfect, holy representative, by which we are able to draw near to God through Him. We are able to enter the presence of God through Him, because of His righteous sacrifice applied on our behalf.  That’s how Ephesians 2:5 can say that we too are even now seated in the heavenlies, or the spiritual realm, in Him.  We have access to God and to His promises through Christ’s mediation on our behalf.

Now this mediation, or this ministry, of the high priesthood is further elucidated in vs3, “For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer. For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest at all, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law.”

You will remember that it has already been discussed in chapter 7 that Jesus did not come from the line of Levi, and so He was not qualified to be a priest in the temple service on earth. He was of the tribe of Judah.  But Hebrews goes on to say in vs 5 that those earthly priests only “serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned [by God] when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, “SEE,” He says, “THAT YOU MAKE all things ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN WHICH WAS SHOWN YOU ON THE MOUNTAIN.”

He is quoting, by the way, from Exodus 40:5, in which God showed Moses the pattern, or the blueprint of the heavenly tabernacle, and he was instructed to make a copy of it for the Israelites.  In contrast though, he says, Christ ministers in a better sanctuary, as the mediator of a better covenant, established upon better promises.  And as a priest, Christ must offer a sacrifice, albeit a better, permanent sacrifice, a once for all sacrifice,  as compared to the continual copies which the earthly priests offered.

Now this ministry of Christ is based upon a better covenant, or better promises  Vs6, “But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.”  So let’s examine what promises God has made to us that are superior to the old covenant.

First of all, he says that the old covenant was faulty.  Vs 7, “For if that first [covenant] had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second.” The fault in the old covenant was not in the insufficiency of the promises of God, but in the weakness of those to whom it was given.  Paul said the law was good, in and of itself.  But the flesh is weak. We had no strength to keep the law. That is indicated in the beginning of vs8, where he says, “But finding fault with them, or with the people…”  The fault was not in the covenant, but in the ability of the people to meet the requirements of the covenant. 

To illustrate this point, he quotes from Jeremiah 31:31, “BEHOLD, DAYS ARE COMING, SAYS THE LORD, WHEN I WILL EFFECT A NEW COVENANT WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND WITH THE HOUSE OF JUDAH; NOT LIKE THE COVENANT WHICH I MADE WITH THEIR FATHERS ON THE DAY WHEN I TOOK THEM BY THE HAND TO LEAD THEM OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT; FOR THEY DID NOT CONTINUE IN MY COVENANT, AND I DID NOT CARE FOR THEM, SAYS THE LORD.”  So  the fault with the old covenant was in the inability of the people to keep the covenant. And even in the old covenant, we see that God has already planned for and promised a new covenant which was still in the future.

So then to this new covenant, what is so different about it?  Well, for starters, the new covenant was not made to make it easier to keep God’s law, but it was made to make it possible to keep God’s law.  And to accomplish that, God promises to change His people from the inside out, by giving them a new heart.

Vs10, “FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR MINDS, AND I WILL WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS. AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.”

Now this new covenant is founded on three things which I want to explain briefly.  First, there is as I just mentioned, God implants HIs law into their new heart.  Now understand that when God speaks of your heart, He is not talking about the muscle that pumps blood throughout your body, but He is talking about the soul of man, which is the seat of the will, the seat of the emotions, and the seat of the intellect.  And so God is going to implant new desires, a new mind, a new way of thinking, new emotions, new knowledge, a new way of life, by which we may be a people who belong to God.  This is what we are seeking, to be able to draw near to God, to be reconciled to God, to have the life of God in us.  And what Jeremiah prophesies is that it can only happen by a transformation from God of our heart.

Ezekiel speaks of the same new covenantal transformation in Ezekiel 36:26, ”Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.”

Now I know that some of you hearing all this talk about law and ordinances are starting to squirm, because you suppose that the law of God is in opposition to the grace of God.  But I tell you, they are not, but law and grace are merely reconciled through Jesus Christ.  And I would remind you that when Jesus was asked what was the most important law, HE said, “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your might.”  Now if we are truthful, then we must confess that all of us here today fail in that law.  On the basis of that law alone, we are sinners.

But that is precisely why in this new covenant God first changes  our hearts.  He changes our hearts so that we might love the Lord, and if we love the Lord, then we will obey Him.  But we cannot Him if we do not love Him.  Furthermore, that is how we find power over sin.  If I tell my children to eat their spinach, but they hate spinach, then I will have trouble with obedience. But if I tell them to eat ice cream, I have no problem getting to be obedient to eat ice cream because they love it.  

When God gives you a new heart, He gives you new desires. It’s still possible for us to sin, but incongruous for us to sin that love God. If you have been transformed by Christ, then the result should be that you hate sin, because God hates sin.  You want to please God.  And so because you love God, you want to please God.  If you hate your sin, then sin has no more power over you.  And if you don’t hate sin, then you need to repent of it to God and ask God to cleanse your heart and renew a right spirit within you, that you might have the right attitude towards those things of the world.  A new heart is the secret to a new life.

Secondly, the new covenant founded on the knowledge of God as a result of personal relationship with Christ.  And this corresponds to some extent with the previous point, because as we come to know God more fully, through our relationship with Christ, then we come to love God more completely.  To know Him is to love Him.  That is true of earthly relationships as well.  When we date someone, we learn about them.  We are curious about their past, what they like or dislike.  We come to know their character.  And we come to know God through Christ.  For He is the exact representation of God according to chapter 1 vs 3. 

We know God more completely, because we see Him more clearly in Jesus.  Thus, Jeremiah said, “AND THEY SHALL NOT TEACH EVERYONE HIS FELLOW CITIZEN, AND EVERYONE HIS BROTHER, SAYING, ‘KNOW THE LORD,’ FOR ALL WILL KNOW ME, FROM THE LEAST TO THE GREATEST OF THEM.”

Now that is not to say that there is no need for preachers or teachers of the word of God, but that whereas a lot of the plans and purposes of God were not clear in the old covenant, but as the writers said, we see through a mirror dimly, or they spoke of things which they did not understand, now in the new covenant, and especially in the incarnation of Jesus Christ we see God manifested  in the flesh in the person of Jesus Christ.

Such knowledge of Christ by whom we are known, increases as we progress in our sanctification, until it attains the consummation of knowing even as we are known.  We are being continually conformed to the image of Christ, until one day we see Him face to face and we become like Him in all respects.  That is the “perfection” or completeness that Hebrews urges us towards.

Thirdly, the new covenant is based upon the forgiveness of sins.  This is essential to our knowing God.  God is able to forgive us our sins, not on the basis of a daily offering for sin, which could not of itself atone for sin, but He is able to forgive us completely and permanently on the basis of the exceeding sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice.  

But forgiveness of sins must be consistent with His holiness. A just God requires justice. And to accomplish that we see the fulfillment of the principle of the innocent for the guilty. That was what the sacrifices of the first covenant represented.  In the old covenant an innocent lamb died in the place of sinners.  So it was that when John the Baptist saw Jesus walking towards him, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”  In the new covenant, the holy, innocent, spotless Lamb of God suffered the penalty for our sin, that we might be forgiven by God. As 2 Cor.5:21 says, “God made Jesus who knew no sin, to become sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.”  

These then are the three better promises on which the new covenant is established.  1, I will put my laws upon their hearts, 2, they will know Me because of a personal relationship with Christ, and 3, I will remember their sins no more. And our great High Priest, Jesus Christ is the guarantor of these promises, having sealed God’s covenant with His own blood. And because of this great covenant, we are no longer strangers, alienated from God, but we are His own people, His own children, the temple of His Holy Spirit.  

True worship in spirit and in truth then, is no longer dependent upon our faithfulness to fulfilling all the requirements of the law, but it’s a result of a transformation from within, which is accomplished by faith in what Jesus Christ has accomplished on our behalf.  He has made it possible for us to be the sons and daughters of Christ.

Then, almost as an addendum for the sake of the Jews that were still holding on to the old covenant restrictions and ceremonies, the author adds in vs 13, When He said, “A new [covenant,]” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.”  It’s likely that the temple of Herod was still standing when this was written.  But Jesus Christ had already made it obsolete by His atonement.  It was further attested to by God when He rent the veil separating the Holy of Holies into from top to bottom, signifying that a new way to God had been established.  And within one generation, even as Jesus prophesied in His Olivet Discourse, the temple would be destroyed in 70AD. The services and ministry of the priests and the sacrifices would be done away with.  And even today, 2000 years later, the sacrificial service has not been reinstated, because God has determined that something better would take it’s place.  

In this new covenant, however, it is not just Judah and Israel that will benefit, but all the world can draw near to God through the sacrifice and mediation of Jesus Christ.  In fact, as Jesus Himself said, “No one comes to the Father except through Me.” 

I was on an airplane yesterday coming home from California after taking Melissa to college, and a man on the seat beside me started questioning me about a commentary I was referring to on the book of Hebrews.  And during the conversation, he said he was raised Catholic. And I offered no objections to that.  But what I did object to as the conversation continued was his claim that all that really mattered in the end was if you had been a good person.  And yet, he concluded that everyone was going to go to a better place when he died.  

I think a lot of people have that sort of view of theology.  That in some way or another, if there is a God, then He is going to save everyone from death.  That no one really needs to be saved.  But I would ask you to consider this, if that were true, then why did God need to punish Jesus with such a torturous death?  How can God be good and merciful if He required that Jesus be tortured and punished unto death?

No, regardless of what your sensibilities of right and wrong or fair or unfair might suggest, God’s standards of holiness and what is acceptable to Him is far different than what you or I might come up with.  And as I told the man next to me, I would rather trust in what God says than what man may say. 

Our faith is founded not upon wishful thinking on our part, but upon the promises of God.  And in this new covenant, Jesus Christ has offered Himself as our sacrifice that we might have forgiveness of sins, and that we might be transformed into people of God by virtue of receiving a new heart.  And the Bible tells us that all of that is possible only through faith and trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  

On the basis of that covenant, on the basis of God’s promises I offer to you today the invitation to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, that you might be transformed and receive a new heart and find forgiveness of your sins.  That you might draw near to God and have eternal life in Him.  If you want to receive this new life in Christ then call on Him today to save you, to forgive you, and to give you a new heart, that you might become the people of God. 

Last week i told a story about a Porsche 911 that I had my eye on. And that story was intended to illustrate a truth about Biblical faith, as opposed to name it and claim it faith. But that story also illustrated another truth; that is, of all the things I spoke of in my message, the predominant thing most people remember is the story of the Porsche 911. The rest of the sermon was quickly forgotten. That’s why I rarely tell stories. And if I tell stories, I tend to use Biblical illustrations.

But stories or illustrations do serve a purpose. And the author here, in endeavoring to teach us some of the meatier doctrines of the gospel, uses an illustration to teach us about the nature and ministry of Christ. And the illustration he gives us is about a man named Melchizedek, and his relationship with Abraham.

Now this man Melchizedek is an extraordinary man, as we shall see in a moment. But what is also extraordinary, is that the story of Melchizedek is only presented in three verses in Genesis 14, and then 1 verses in the Psalms 110. And yet the writer of Hebrews manages to extract so much doctrine from it. Another interesting thing, is that he spends as much time on what was not said in those verses, as he does on what was said. And so if nothing else, it teaches us the value that he places on every word of scripture, and the importance that we should give to scripture as the inspired word of God.

I believe it was the great 19th century English preacher Charles Spurgeon who said, “For my part, I am far more afraid of making too little of the Word than of seeing too much in it.” The apostle Paul says in Romans 15:4 that “whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” And so we will look carefully at this section today, which is admittedly a difficult subject matter for so early in the morning, but I hope that you have come today to learn what the Lord thinks is important for us to learn, things that are beyond the elementary principles of the word, in hope that it will aid you as you grow into spiritual maturity.

Now the author launches into the illustration of Melchizedek, presuming that he was a familiar figure to the Hebrew Christians who were the primary recipients of his epistle. However, I realize that not all of you know who Melchizedek is, so I would like to look at the story about him in Genesis chapter 14 and quickly review that, to bring you up to speed.

The story begins actually near the kingdom of Sodom where Abraham’s nephew Lot was living. You will remember that Abraham and Lot had separated and went in opposite directions because their flocks and families were too much for the land to be traveling and living together. And Lot looked towards the land which was good and well watered, and he chose to live near Sodom and Gomorrah.

Eventually, there was a rebellion by the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah, as well as three other kings in that region, and they were rebelling against another king by the name of Chedorlaomer. Chedorlaomer had three kings allied with him, and they fought in the Valley of Siddim. And Chedorlaomer and his forces conquered the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and their allies, and so they took the citizens and possessions of that area as trophies and spoils of war. And Lot, Abraham’s nephew, along with his wives and children were taken captive.

However, a fugitive escaped the battle and came to Abraham who was living quite some distance away and reported to him the outcome of the battle and that Lot had been taken captive. So Genesis tells us that Abraham led out his own trained men, 318, and it would seem he recruited some of his neighbors to help, and he pursued the armies of the four kings led by Chedolaomer and when he found them, he divided up his forces at night and attacked them, and defeated them. So Abraham and his small, homegrown force defeated 4 kings and their well trained army.

Now as the saying goes, “to the victor go the spoils.” So Abraham got the spoils of the battle, which was all the people and property of the five kings that Chedoloamer defeated, plus the spoils from Chedoloamer and his three kings. And of course that included Lot and all of his family and all their belongings.

Then in vs17 it says, that as Abraham was returning, he was met by the King of Sodom and also another previously unmentioned king, who was the King of Salem. And it says in vs 18 that Melchizedek, King of Salem brought out bread and wine, and he was a priest of God Most High. And Melchizedek blessed Abraham, and Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the spoils of war.

Then the King of Sodom approached Abraham, and he said you can keep all the spoils of war, but give the people to me, referring I presume to the people of Sodom. And Abraham said to the king of Sodom, “I have sworn to the Lord God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take a thread of a sandal thong or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’”

Now in all of that story, there is very little mention of Melchizedek, just three short verses, and yet Hebrews makes much of what is said, and much of what is not said. There is a lot that can be learned from this story, there are many good applications to be made, and yet the writer of Hebrews focus our attention on just a few attributes of Melchizedek which are for our encouragement and edification.

So let’s consider Melchizedek, King of Salem in light of our text in Hebrews. The author tells us that his name is important, because the name Melchizedek means king of righteousness. And furthermore, his title is important, because he is king of Salem, which is an ancient name of Jerusalem, and the meaning of the name Salem is peace, which is derived from the word “shalom.” So he is king of righteousness and king of peace.

And this order illustrates an important principle, that righteousness always comes before peace. Righteousness is the only true path to peace. People look for that peace in escape, in evasion, in drugs or alcohol, but they will only find true peace in righteousness. And righteousness is a gift of God through faith in Jesus Christ. Spurgeon said that “Peace without righteousness is like the smooth surface of the stream before it takes its awful Niagara plunge.” Lot’s of things in this world promise peace, but they don’t deliver lasting peace. The most important peace is first peace with God, and that is made possible only when we become children of God through the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Righteousness results in life, as opposed to death by sin, and peace is the fruit of righteousness. And a fruitful life is the mark of maturity.

It’s interesting to note also that in the Mosaic covenant, there was a separation between the office of priest and king. A person could not hold both offices. Melchizedek precedes the Mosaic covenant, of course, and he holds a dual office of priest and king. And in so doing, he very aptly pictures the ministry of Jesus Christ, who is offspring of the royal line of David, the Messiah, thus the King of Kings, but also is declared by God to be of the order of Melchizedek, as our the Great High Priest in Psalm 110 vs 4.

Secondly, in vs 3 it says, Melchizedek was “without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually.” Now some commentators have taken this to mean that Melchizedek was a preincarnate visitation of Jesus Christ. And we know that happened in other places in the scriptures, like with Abraham and the three visitors, or with Joshua and the Captain of the Lord of Hosts.

But I would point to the text in vs 3 which says that he was “made like the Son of God.” Notice that it doesn’t say he was the Son of God, but “made like” the Son of God. And the point isn’t that Jesus has Melchizedek’s kind of priesthood. Instead, Melchizedek has Jesus’ kind of priesthood. Melchizedek is a type of Christ, just as the Passover Lamb was a type of Christ. The fulfillment of the type is found in Jesus.

So I think that Melchizedek is a man, as it says in verse 7, “observe how great this man was.” Spurgeon, whom I seem to be quoting from a bit more than usual today, wrote a great message where he reiterates that phrase over and over again, “Consider how great this man was.” He was referring to Jesus, but I would emphasize that Melchizedek was a man, albeit a great man.

The text then says, “without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days or end of life” I believe this is not a reference to immortality, but a commentary on the silence of scripture. Genesis is a book of genealogy. And invariably it records the birth and death of the people of God, generation after generation. But of Melchizedek there is no previous mention, there is no genealogy, no mention of who he descended from. And from that silence of scripture, from what the scripture does not say, the writer of Hebrews uses to illustrate the typology of Jesus Christ.

Jesus, as the Son of Man, had a mother, though not an earthly father. But as the Son of God, He was in the beginning with God, without a beginning, and without an end. And Melchizedek, holding the office of priest and king, from the silence of scripture regarding his heritage typifies the eternal office of Jesus Christ as our priest and king.

Next the greatness of Melchizedek in comparison to Abraham is shown according to our text, by Abraham giving a tithe to Melchizedek. Notice that Melchizedek blessed Abraham, and Abraham gave a tenth of his spoils to Melchizedek. This illustrates the principle of submission. Submission is a bad word today in our culture. And yet through submission to God, represented by the priest of God, Abraham received a blessing. We all must submit to someone, but in so doing we ultimately submit to God. Paul said in Romans 13:1 “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.” God has established certain authorities in society that we are to submit to. And when we do not, then we bear the consequences of that rebellion. So whether we submit to parents, or to our husband, or to our government, or to the church, we submit ultimately to God.

And that is what the tithe represents. A tenth or the tithe was practically a universal means of showing respect or submission to the governing authority in the ancient eastern world. At this time there was not any Mosaic law written concerning tithing. Yet Abraham, when he met the priest of the Most High God, recognizes him as God’s representative, and submits to him by giving him a tenth, showing that he recognized that ultimately all that he had acquired as the spoils of war came from the blessings of God and so all that he had belonged to God. The tithe just showed that he recognized God owned all of his wealth, because God’s blessings gave him the victory.

There is another principle that is presented in Genesis which I feel I want to point out here, though the author of Hebrews is not concerned with it at this point. And that is this; Abram has a choice; to receive the blessings of material things from the king of Sodom, or to receive the blessings of spiritual life from Melchizedek, king of Salem. Abram rejects the offer of riches from the king of Sodom, and instead chooses the blessing of Melchizedek, and as a testament to his commitment, he gives him his tithe. And this is an important principle for us as Christians in this world. The world offers the enticement of riches for our allegiance and subjection to the lusts of this world, but we choose instead the blessings of life which come from God.

In Hebrews 11, the great faith chapter, we see many examples of men of God who forsook the pleasures and riches of this world for the sake of being God’s people. For instance, Moses, it says in vs 26 considered “the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.”

Notice also that Melchizedek meets Abraham with bread and wine. Many theologians see in this a reference to the Lord’s Supper, which may be so. But at the very least, it is symbolic. And I think the bread and wine are symbolic of life, and of sacrifice. And in that respect they are a precursor of communion, in that it represents that by our Lord’s sacrifice we are given life. And then the blessing of Melchizedek upon Abraham represents the blessing of spiritual life from God which comes to us on the basis of the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

Now the author has a lot to say about the tithe of Abraham, and how the Levitical priesthood, which descended from Abraham, means that even the Levitical priests who came many generations later, had paid tithes to Melchizedek. The point being, that the Levitical priesthood submitted to the superiority of Melchizedek, through Abraham. And in return, Melchizedek blessed Abraham, which illustrates according to vs 7 the principle that “the lesser is blessed by the greater.”

Now all of that has been said to illustrate the superiority of Jesus Christ as our great High Priest. But not only the superiority, but also the necessity for a better High Priest. And so to do that, he shows us another priestly order, one that precedes that of the Levitical priesthood, and one that continues on forever far after the Levitical priesthood was done away with. As he says in vs. 11, “if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people received the Law), what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated according to the order of Aaron?”

Well to answer that question, the need arises because the first priesthood was only intended to be temporary, it was insufficient, as it was only a picture or a type of the perfect which was to come. It amazes me, and I think it was disconcerting to the apostles as well, that so many people want to go back to the rituals or ceremonies of the first covenant. There are denominations today that say you must go back and keep the ceremonies and rituals and the sabbaths of Judaism.

Yet right here, as well as in many other places, it says in vs 12, “For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also. For the one concerning whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar.”

Who is he speaking of? Well, it’s true of both Melchizedek and Christ. Neither came from the tribe of Levi. Melchizedek proceeded the Levites by several generations. And Jesus came from the tribe of Judah of which there is no mention of priesthood. And this principle of a greater priesthood, a new priesthood is made even more clear by the fact that Jesus is declared to be our priest, not on the basis of His earthly pedigree, but on the basis of an indestructible, immortal life. So this new priesthood, which is not according to the law, must then have a new law, or a new covenant, to support the new priesthood.

As God said in Psalm 110, vs 4, “YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK.” This quote is the only other mention of Melchizedek, by the way in the Old Testament. Such a brief testament, and yet such great doctrine is to be learned from it. Jesus Christ, the Messiah, prophesied and promised of God that His priesthood would be an eternal priesthood that would never end.

Now I’m going to summarize part of this text in the interest of time, but notice four things he says are true concerning this new priesthood and the ensuing new covenant. First, there is a setting aside of the commandment because he says, the law never made anything perfect, in fact it is weak and useless. In other words, the law could never achieve righteousness on it’s own. It could merely point us to Him that was righteous. Paul said the law was a tutor, to lead us to Christ. It merely points out our worthlessness, and points us to Christ.

Secondly, it ushers in a better hope. A better hope is simply a more sure hope. We have hope made sure in the advocacy of Jesus Christ, and in His atonement, which is much greater than the blood of bulls and goats. Heb. 6:19 “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a [hope] both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil.” Our hope is more sure because Jesus has entered into heaven for us, within the veil, as the forerunner of the saints. And because He is there, we can be confident that we will one day be with Him.

Thirdly, we have the sworn promise of God. God has sworn and will not change His mind, Jesus is a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek. And fourthly, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant. He is the deposit, the guarantee, that where He is, there will we be. That as He overcame death, so death cannot touch us. That as His blood was the complete atonement, we that were sinners have become righteous through faith in Him. His resurrection and ascension to the right hand of God is our guarantee that His sacrifice was sufficient, our debt is paid in full, and His righteousness is applied to our account.

Then once again, the author emphasizes the eternality of Jesus’s priesthood, because it is the basis of the better hope of our salvation. He says the earthly priests were great in number because they were prevented by their eventual death from continuing in that ministry. But Jesus, because He is immortal, holds his office of priest permanently. Though we perish in the body, His ministry never ends, and so He is able to guarantee that we will never die.

These poor people that are having their bodies frozen when they die in hope that they will one day be thawed out and live again, are putting their hope in other finite men who will also die, in hope they will be their deliverers from the ice. What folly that is, to put your trust in finite men, who will die, who will forget, who will not have any memory of who you were. I have things in my freezer that I have no idea what it is anymore. But we put our trust in the living God, who has written our names upon his hands, who has said that nothing, not even death, shall separate us from the love of God.

Rom. 8:38-39 “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Vs. 25 “Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” What a magnificent promise! What a blessed covenant that God has made with us. He has sworn that He would not change His mind, He has sworn an oath that Jesus would be our eternal High Priest, continually making intercession for the saints, forever! And He has sealed His covenant in the blood of His precious Son Jesus Christ, that we might have a more sure hope and have encouragement in the truth.

So the author says it was fitting, that means it was proper, it was good, that this new covenant would be certified and guaranteed by a greater High Priest than those priests of the old covenant. Because those priests were weak, they were human, and they sinned themselves and thus needed to have forgiveness for their own sins before they could help us with ours.

But in the new covenant, we have a Greater High Priest, who is innocent, undefiled, holy, separate from sinners, and exalted in the heavens and His sacrifice is sufficient once for all time and all people who trust in Him. And by His perfect offering, He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

I hope that you have committed to draw near to God today through faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior and your Great High Priest. You can have the blessings of life, even as Abraham did, when you submit your life to Him and trust Him as your Lord and Savior. Jesus’s sacrifice is sufficient to bring you to God, to the source of life, even eternal life, if you will just believe and trust in Him as your Savior, Lord, and Priest. You can have peace with God, through the righteousness of Jesus Christ applied to your account. Won’t you bow down to Him today?

As we look at this section of scripture before us today, it is important, as I underscored last week, that we keep these verses in context. That is, that we make sure we study this passage within the greater framework of what has been said so far.

And as I indicated last week, the context of this passage, I believe, is the spiritual maturity of the believer. Spiritual maturity so far in Hebrews has been likened to a house that is built up on a solid foundation, or a plant that has grown to produce fruit, or a person that has grown from a student to a teacher, or from drinking just milk to eating solid food.

Part of God’s purpose and plan in saving us is that we become spiritually mature and bear spiritual fruit. We are not born again to stay babies, and just receive the same instruction again and again but never grow. God has saved us and left us here on this earth that we might bear fruit, and that our fruit should remain.

In vs 7 the author makes reference to that fruitfulness or lack thereof as the two sides of spiritual maturity, saying, “For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.” The application there is that we might be good soil, which drinks the rain, which is tilled, which brings forth fruit, and then receives the blessings of God.

Jesus said in John 15:16 “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and [that] your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.” You can see by that verse that even our prayers being answered are tied to our fruitfulness. A lot of people question God’s justice and faithfulness by whether or not they think He is answering their prayers. Their attitude is that God doesn’t answer my prayers, therefore I don’t have much faith in God. But in fact, the opposite attitude is the appropriate attitude. “I believe in God, therefore, God answers my prayers.” The just shall live by faith, not by sight. Faith in God produces fruitfulness for God which results in answered prayers by God.

In vs11 we are urged to apply diligence to our faith, that we might imitate those who went before us, so that we might inherit the promises. (11) “And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

And as a supreme example of someone who lived by faith and not by sight, someone who matured spiritually, someone who received the promises of God, and someone who entered the rest of God, the author of Hebrews reminds us of Abraham, the illustration of faith and patience, two great virtues of spiritual maturity. In fact, Abraham is the father of us all, both Jews and Gentiles, in that He is the father of all who believe by faith.

Romans 4:9 says, “FAITH WAS CREDITED TO ABRAHAM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.” … 11 and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them, and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised.” So Abraham is the father of us all, both the circumcised, that is the Jews, and the uncircumcised, that is the Gentiles, though they are circumcised in their hearts. And Abraham was a certain symbol of maturity, who through faith and patience, Hebrews tells us, inherited the promises; the promise of blessing and fruitfulness.

So in what respect are we to imitate Abraham? Abraham lived a long life, and did a lot of things, and so we need to consider the text to determine exactly what God is indicating is worthy of imitating in the life of Abraham. Well, let’s look at vs 13 “For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, ‘I WILL SURELY BLESS YOU AND I WILL SURELY MULTIPLY YOU.’ And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise.”

Now if you look at your margin of your Bible, you should notice that this is a quote from Genesis chapter 22. Now that’s important, because God made promises to bless Abraham and multiply his descendants many times prior to this incident. But specifically this quotation is made after Isaac has already been born. So the promise that God is making at this point is not in reference to Isaac being born, but rather the people who would come about as a result of Abraham’s faith. And as we have already pointed out, that is a reference not only to the Israelites, but to Christians throughout the world. But at the time of Abraham’s death, that had not come to pass. The only grandchildren that he had prior to his death were Jacob and Esau.

So how was the promise fulfilled to Abraham? Because it says, “having patiently waited, he obtained the promise.” Well, the promise was fulfilled partially when Jacob had 12 sons, and they went to Egypt to escape the famine, and then they were there in Egypt 400 years, and by the time that Moses arose to lead them out they were a great multitude, numbering as the sand on the seashore.

But the promise did not reach it’s ultimate fulfillment until the incarnation, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And Jesus said that Abraham, though he was long dead, rejoiced to see His day. John 8:56 “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw [it] and was glad.” He rejoiced because the promises that God had made to him while living upon this earth, the promise that from his seed would come one through whom all the families of the earth would be blessed, was finally fulfilled in Jesus Christ. He was the promised seed of Abraham through whom the world would be blessed. He was the promised seed of Eve, who would crush Satan’s head. And so Abraham, though he was dead in the body, but alive in the spirit, rejoiced to see that day because that was the fulfillment of the promise made hundreds of years earlier.

So we see that Abraham was patient, not just patient in that he waited 25 years since the promise that he would have a son, named Isaac. But he waited 1260 years to see the promise fulfilled. (Matt.1:17)

Now that is an important principle that this is teaching; that not all of the promises made to us as Christians will be fulfilled on this earth. But as Jesus said in John 11:26 “everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.” Some of the promises made to us will be fulfilled at the resurrection, on the other side of the veil. But we that are saved have received eternal life, so that even now we have a life that will never end, but some promises are not going to be fulfilled until some point in eternity.

Let me make this point clear as well, and that is this; our faith is founded on the promises of God. Abraham did not conjure up this idea of nations of people coming from his loins on his own. He did not dare to imagine that all the nations of the earth would be blessed by his offspring. No, rather God had a plan to redeem the world, and he chose Abraham to come out from a pagan land, and go to a land that he would show him, and He promised Abraham a son, and the blessings that followed. It was God’s eternal purpose which prompted God’s promises, and Abraham believed God’s promises, and He counted it to him as righteousness. Abraham, the forefather of faith, believed in the promises of God.

For many, many years, I have had a school boy fantasy that I would own a Porsche 911. I think it started in 1978. Over the years that dream ebbed and flowed, sometimes stronger, sometimes more faint, but always there in the back of my mind. A couple of years ago, I guess I was going through a series of mid life crisis, and I reignited that fantasy by watching countless you tube videos about vintage Porsche 911’s. One day, my wife and I were at the gas station by our house, and an older man pulled up in a 1978 white Porsche 911 with a for sale sign in the window. It was all I could do to try to contain my enthusiasm. I think the guy felt sorry for me or something, so he offered to let me take it for a drive. My wife agreed, thinking that maybe that would get this fantasy out of my system. It didn’t work. I loved driving the car and it became even more a dream of mine to own it.

Now long story short, there was no way I could afford to buy the car. And yet, for some reason, the man still has the car, but has taken it off the market. I drive by his house once in a while and check to see if it’s still there. I sometimes park outside of his house and pray that God would give me that car. I feel a little guilty about praying for it, but I do it anyhow.

Now a lot of people would say that if I just have enough faith, God will give me that car. But listen, as much as I want that car, God hasn’t promised me a Porsche 911. No amount of faith, no amount of tears, no amount of pleading, is going to get the Lord to give me that car unless he wants to give it to me. But no matter how much I want it, I know that God has not promised to give it to me. There is not one scripture verse that I can point to as a promise of God. I might like to make some verse apply to that, like “he will give you the desires of your heart.” But that is a classic example of taking a verse of scripture out of context.

I tell you all of that silly story to illustrate something very serious. Our faith is founded on God’s promises. Not vice a versa. God’s promises are not founded on our faith. We aren’t driving the car, God is driving the car. We must trust in God’s word, and we dare not try to manipulate God according to our desires.

Speaking of men using God to accomplish their desires, the author says in vs 16 “For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute.” In other words, men make promises and to give themselves credence, they swear by God. They realize perhaps that their word on their own is unreliable, so they add God’s name as a witness to try to convince men of their truthfulness.

But God isn’t like man. God cannot lie, because it is not in His nature to lie. But nevertheless, for our sakes, God added an oath to His promise to Abraham, and because He could swear by no one greater than Himself, for He is above all things, He swore by Himself. Vs 17 “In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.”

In as strongest of terms possible, God has given His promises. He says God desired to show us, the heirs of the promise, that His purpose is unchangeable. He then adds, superfluously perhaps, it is impossible for God to lie. And he says all that, so that we may have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.

What is that hope then that he is speaking of? Notice it says that there are two things, two unchangeable things sworn by God, by which we might lay hold of our hope. Now what two things has God sworn? Vs14, “I WILL SURELY BLESS YOU AND I WILL SURELY MULTIPLY YOU.” But aren’t they just promises to Abraham? No, for in the original text of Genesis 22 we read that the promises are made to the seed of Abraham. Genesis 22:17-18 “indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” The promise to Abraham extends to his seed, to those who will be born in the future. So because we are the seed of Abraham, children of faith, we inherit the promises of blessing and fruitfulness.

Notice back in our text, in vs 17, it says that God wished to show the heirs of the promise. See that? Who are the heirs of the promise? According to Romans 4 which I quoted from earlier, it is those of us who have faith in Jesus Christ. Notice that the writer changes the subject from Abraham, singular, to the pronoun “we” in vs 18 and 19. The promises are to us, the promises of blessing and fruitfulness.

We are promised blessing from God, that is all the benefits of salvation; eternal life, having the Spirit of God with us, having the righteousness of Christ, having victory over sin and death, and we are promised that God will multiply us. That simply refers to fruitfulness. God’s blessings of salvation on our life causes us to come to maturity, which produces fruit in our life, causing us to bring others to salvation.

So our hope is our faith and trust in the promises of God for blessing and fruitfulness. And we are strongly encouraged to take hold of that hope, and hold on to that hope, and persevere in that hope. Paul said in Romans 8:24-25 “For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he [already] sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”

Folks, this is the way of sanctification, this is the way of maturity, that we persevere, we lay hold of our hope and do not waver, do not let go, do not drift away. We continue to be obedient to that hope until the end, through life’s ups and downs, through trials and tribulations, knowing that our hope is not in this world, nor even in the resolution of life’s circumstances to our satisfaction now, but in hope we follow the Lord in obedience and faith and in the light of His word, trusting in Him to bring all His promises to fulfillment.

Vs. 19 says, “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul. Our soul is our mind, will, and emotions. Our soul is the tempest in a teapot. It’s the battleground of our faith. Our soul is where our faith finds it’s footing. Our soul must be tethered to an anchor to keep us from reeling to and fro like a ship without a sail in the midst of a blowing gale. Our soul is where doubts arise from the deep and cause us to harden our hearts. Our soul is where passions rise up from the depths and try to sink us. Our soul is where false doctrines blow here and there and toss us like the waves of the sea. If our soul is going to be preserved, to be kept from falling, to be kept from drifting away, then it must be anchored to a firm hope, which is our faith in Christ.

And we can be sure that our anchor holds, because it is tethered not to just empty philosophy, but it is anchored to the Rock, Christ Jesus. And He is unchanging, He has been shown victorious sin and death, He is eternal, He is standing at the right hand of the Father as our mediator, as our intercessor, as our great High Priest. He remains there as our High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. And because He has overcome the world, we will overcome the world. Because He is blessed we will be blessed, because He is fruitful, we shall be fruitful.

Notice that it says He has entered into the Holy of Holies, that is what behind the veil refers to. He has gone into the holy place where the priests went to make atonement for the sins of the nation. Jesus has gone into that Holy of Holies, and He remains there, because His sacrifice was sufficient for all time. His blood avails for us there continually. He doesn’t go out again and have to come back next year. But once for all He shed His blood for the remission of sins, and our faith is in His continual, perpetual sufficiency as our atonement.

And finally, notice it says He has entered there as a forerunner for us. He has gone before us into heaven, into the presence of the Father. He has gone before us through the veil that separates the physical from the spiritual. And where He has gone, He will one day bring us. Jesus said in John 14:2-3 “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”

That is the anchor of our soul, the promise of Jesus Christ, the eternal, immortal, Lord of All, to return for His bride, and to take us to be with Him to live forever. The promise of eternal life with the Lord is the anchor of our soul. That is where we find our rest. We find our rest in Him and by trusting in His promises.

Let me ask you this question. Do you have that anchor of the soul? Have you placed your faith and trust in the promise and atonement of Jesus Christ? Have you trusted Him as your Savior and Lord? The scripture says, that Abraham believed God and He counted it to him as righteousness. Faith in Jesus Christ transfers your sins to Jesus, and His righteousness to you, so that you can be saved and know the hope and peace of His salvation. The invitation is open and available for everyone who hears; believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.