Grace mercy and peace from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Our sermon text this morning is from the book of Hebrews chapter 10:11 – 25 and reads as follows:
11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. 13 Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, 14 because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. 15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: 16 “This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts and I will write them on their minds.” 17 Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” 18 And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin. 19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.25 Let us not give up meeting together , as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Here ends the reading.
How many of you enjoy watching baseball? My dad loves baseball. Maybe it’s because he is American, I don’t know. When I ask people their opinion about baseball the most common answer I hear is that it is “boring”. Well my dad says baseball is exciting. He told me once that it is exciting because “baseball is a game of inches”: you hit an inch of a ball with an inch of a bat, sometimes you just catch the ball with the top inch of your glove, and you are tagged out as you dive just inches before the home plate. If you miss the ball or the plate by an inch you can lose the ball game. The same is true with life and sin. Sin can be described as missing the mark, the mark of God’s law. The scriptures say that if we break any one of the commandments, even the least of them, we are guilty of breaking them all. If we miss the mark by just a little we are judged guilty and we are condemned.
In today’s text the writer to the Hebrews exhorts us to hold unswervingly to the hope we profess.
So how are we doing? Have we kept on target with god’s laws or have we missed the mark?
Have we held unswervingly to the gospel?
Well, let’s look at the text.
The writer of Hebrews addresses the Jewish converts to Christianity who are familiar with the Old Testament and who are tempted to revert back to Judaism.
In the Old testament God gave sacrificial laws to the Jews which were continually practiced even up to the time of this book’s composition.
The writer explains that “day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices”.
Then the writer says something shocking; he says that the sacrifices “can never take away sin”
Why were the Jews doing them then? Why did God give these sacrificial laws in the first place?
The writer answers these questions earlier in chapter 10 when he says “3but those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, 4 because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”
So these sacrifices were a reminder of sin and could not take away sin.
So great, we’ve got a reminder of sin, but that doesn’t help us have a right relationship with God does it.
The writer continues: “12 but when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God”
Where the Jewish priests offered continual sacrifices standing up, Jesus – the priest, offered one sacrifice sat down “because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” That is Christians; you and I.
Christ offered one sacrifice, for all sins forever. “24 and where these have been forgiven there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.”
There’s a logic to this isn’t there? Why are continual sacrifices for sin necessary if one sacrifice has forgiven sin? Earlier in the chapter the writer states that Jesus “sets aside the first to establish the second” referring to the Old covenant of sacrificial laws that didn’t save and New covenant in Christ’s blood, shed for you. The final, true sacrifice for sins. And Jesus says on his cross “it is finished”.
So Jesus has saved us, now what? What do we do while we wait for Jesus’ enemies to be made his footstool in the second coming? Well we do good works. Jesus commands us to love God and love our neighbour, to make disciples and to baptize them.
The writer gives us 5 “let us statements,” which he preludes with a “therefore” statement.
“Therefore” means: because of everything that precedes before this – “Therefore... since [Christ has forgiven our sins] ... let us”
Therefore... since... let us.
22. ... Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
23. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
24. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
25. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Pastor Garry refers to these verses as the “lettuce chapter”
So how do we hold unswervingly to the hope we profess? The hope we profess is that Christ has saved us from sin, death and the devil. And we can hold unswervingly to this hope by continually being reminded by the word of God that we are forgiven. Christ is our only hope in life for salvation. We cling to the cross because he is faithful to give us the forgiveness he has promised.
We can also hold unswervingly by studying God’s word, through prayer and acts of service. These strengthen our faith and understanding of Christ’s promises and help us to trust in him even more.
Now I return to my earlier question: How are we doing? Have we been doing these things? Have we been holding unswervingly to the hope we profess? No, we have not. And I can say that because God has said it. Through the psalmist he says: “there is no one who does good, not even one.” (Ps 14:3) and the apostle Paul writes, “for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”
We are so in bondage to sin and so tempted by the world it is impossible to hold unswervingly to God. There are many who would try to wrench us away from the Gospel of Christ by their philosophies and slander. And the worries and temptations of this life choke out our hope and drive us to sin and away from God.
God knows this, and that is why your salvation does not depend on you. Like the Jewish priests, our sacrifices – our good works do not save us. But the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ that once and forever took away sin does save us. “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”. You are forgiven – Christ died for you.
Therefore, since, Christ has forgiven our sins let us draw near to God, let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, let us spur each other on toward love and good deeds, lets us continue to meet together to hear the word and to encourage each other that Christ has forgiven us and that he will come again. Let us do these good works not because they save us, but because of Christ’s love! We love because he first loved us.
So, “let us hold unswervingly to the hope that we profess” because Jesus is faithful even though we are not. And Jesus proved his faithfulness on the cross. Amen. And now may the peace of Christ which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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