Faith - what if the shadow has been replaced by the reality? a sermon on Hebrews 10:19-12:13
What is really real? (Hebrews 10:19-25)
We are motivated to action by what is real for us at any given time. In our lives it may be the HSC, IVF treatment, cancer treatment, long hours of work, going on Zoom, our children’s welfare etc.
Hebrews has presented us with a picture of reality
Entering the "holy of holies" - not the earthly one but the heavenly one, not the model but the reality
AND entering with absolute certainty and confidence knowing for sure that (ie the basis)
a) we have the new relationship with God (Cov't)
b) won by the perfect mediator - God’s son (High Priest)
c) by his perfect sacrifice (himself)
d) in the heavenly sanctuary where we now meet God. Hebrews 10:19-22
Reality Produces Action – Four Lettuces
The writer urges us to locally in response to our heavenly reality
1) let us draw near to God
DON'T LOSE IT
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
2) YOU CAN'T GO ALONE
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
3) WE NEED HELP
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but
The writer is talking about meetings made up of people :-
God has assembled at his throne.
whose common interest is being God’s people
who look to Jesus – the pioneer and perfector of their faith.
who are anticipating a heavenly gathering.
4) PURPOSE OF EARTHLY MEETING
let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
5) HOW DO WE ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER
spur one another on toward love and good deeds ie to put the reality of our profession into action.
Don’t Give Up (Hebrews 10:26-39)
The Christian life needs such discipline. Does it surprise you that these early Christians needed exhorting to go on?
1) Falling away has no hope (Heb 10:26-31)
31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
2) Encouragement - you've persisted so far
32 Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. 33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. 34 You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.
3) Keep going
35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.
4) Why not give up?
a) Jesus is returning soon (Heb 10:37 quoting Habakkuk 2:3).
‘‘He who is coming will come and will not delay.”
b) The life of a Christian is always one of faith
38 But my righteous one will live by faith. (Hebrews 10:38 quoting Habakkuk 2:4)
Rom 1-8 and Gal 3:11 us this verse to shown that we need to depend on God to be righteous.
Hebrews uses it to say that we need to be faithful – ie not shrink back, it’s ongoing.
He is confident that they will persist.
Hebrews 10:39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.
Faith/Faithfulness (Hebrews 11:1-12:2)
Chapter 11 lists OT characters who have been faithful and trusted God’s faithfulness. eg
· Abel acceptable sacrifice by faith
· Enoch taken didn’t see death
· Noah saved – condemned the world
· Abraham promised land, descendants, prosperity
· Sarah promised a child in old age
Hebrews 11:39-40 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
What is the function of faith?
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1)
This verse is a summary of what faith does – the rest of the chapter illustrates that truth.
Faith binds the believer securely to the reality of what he or she does not (yet) see, but for which he or she hopes.
Being Witnessed to (Hebrews 12:1-13)
The list of faithful people is used to encourage us (Hebrews 12:1)
These witnesses to God’s faithfulness (not ours) give us good reason to continue persevering too. We, like them, run the race because of God’s faithfulness.
ESPECIALLY as we look to the ultimate witness to God’s faithfulness – Jesus
He saw the “joy set before him” (Hebrews 12:2)
So he “endured the cross”.
So to another part of reality
When we suffer it is not God punishing us. It is God disciplining us (Proverbs 3:11). He is treating us like his children (12:7). He disciplines us so that we can share his holiness and not drift into taking him for granted.