Hebrews 1:1-4 & 13:20-25

Introduction to Hebrews

Over the history of our lives, we hear a lot of sermons.  But have you ever wondered what it would be like to go back to the days of the early church and sit in on one of the house churches and hear one of the sermons of the ancient church, very close to the time of Jesus and Paul?

Well, this is your incredible privilege beginning this morning.  In the book of Hebrews we have a sermon dating back most likely before the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70.  This morning we want to briefly outline the main contours of this incredible sermon so that we can begin in the weeks and months to come to look more closely at the detail of each important theme and mine the precious nuggets of gold littered throughout.

First, note that the preacher, who remains anonymous to the church, has described his own work in 13:22 as a "word of exhortation."   The word, "exhortation" emphasizes that the preacher wants to encourage you to do something in light of the many doctrinal points that he will make throughout the sermon.  So you should expect the preacher to make a doctrinal point and then follow it with a series of encouraging words to exhort the audience to do something in light of that theological point addressed. 

For example, look at Hebrews 11.  Here the preacher gives you an incredible display of how God proved faithful to many of the Old Testament believers who trusted Yahweh even when it looked as if everything was against them.  Then in 12:1-3, the preacher says, "Therefore, since you have so great a cloud of witnesses (to the faithfulness of God) surrounding you lay aside the sin of unbelief and fix your eyes on Jesus!"  This is what you should expect of the preacher throughout the whole sermon.

Now, what is the primary problem that the preacher is seeking to address in his sermon and how does he seek to resolve the problem for his hearers?

Very simply the preacher is addressing a group of Christians, most likely Jewish Christians who are living in a Gentile world -- maybe Rome, who are going through a crisis of faith.  Look at Hebrews 10:32-39.  The audience had a history of faithfulness to Christ but due to the persecution they are now undergoing they are being tempted to turn away from Jesus Christ and return to the old life they once knew.  They are growing weary under the heated pains of suffering and are being worn down quickly. 

So the preacher writes a sermon to help support their sagging faith who are possibly in the process of abandoning Christ.  Have you ever been there?  Do you understand what these Christians are going through?  Has life ever gotten so bad that you were on the verge of throwing in the towel?  Have you ever gotten so overwhelmed by the muck and mire of life that you felt that heavens' doors were barred, God just didn't care, and you were all alone in a world gone crazy?

The Psalmist certainly felt that way.  In one of my all time favorite Psalms (Ps. 73; cf. v. 17) you can hear the deep grief and disappointment plaguing the heart of one of God's children.  But then the Psalmist turns in the midst of the turmoil of life and fixes his eyes on Yahweh and everything, including the future destiny of his persecutors is suddenly brought into proper perspective.  The preacher in Hebrews is seeking to do the same thing in the hearts of God's children in the new covenant, by fixing their attention on the excellencies of Jesus Christ.

Imagine the preacher as the captain of a ship that has been suddenly overtaken by a huge storm and the future destiny of all the sailors aboard is uncertain.  They have been fighting the storm for hours, perhaps days, and they are growing weary.  But the captain knows that the storm will let up soon and all they have to do is just press on for a few more hours.  So he begins to encourage the sailors to stand firm, the hour of testing is almost over.  He even warns them that those who turn back will be disappointed when the storm is over and only those who stay the course will rejoice in the end.

Now in that crisis moment what could the preacher possibly give to a group of Christians who are seriously contemplating throwing it all away?  Well look at 8:1 where the preacher makes clear what is his main point in the sermon!  The preacher gives this congregation of saints who are poor in spirit an anchor for their souls.  Though the whole world might bring their worst to the door of God's child, there is a firm foundation upon which you will never be moved. 

In 4:14-16 the preacher points you too your high priest who knows exactly what you are going through, in fact, knows it even better than you yourself understand it, and it is because of His faithfulness that you now have unlimited access into His presence that you may enter with the bold assurance knowing that you will always receive from Him both mercy and grace at just the right time when you need Him.

Now, I want you to put yourself in the shoes of these early Christians and ask yourself what you yourself tend to do when the trials of life press against your soul.  What is your natural tendency to do in a moment of crisis?

The tendency in all of our hearts is to turn around and try to find the first thing we can SEE or TOUCH that will comfort us in the moment of trial.  When things go seriously wrong we have a tendency to be impatient with the fact that the full glory of the life of heaven is not yet our present experience.  Let me explain.  When you get sick, what do you automatically begin to want?  You want to be well.  You want the pain and stress of being sick to be taken away.  Now, this isn't so traumatic when all our illness is is a nagging cold or cough.  But what about when you have cancer or go blind or loose you hearing?  A long term or even a permanent breakdown in the body can cause us to wonder why heaven's glory is not yet present.  Why am I suffering?  Why aren't things better? 

Now God may certainly choose to work through the prayers of His people and make use modern medicine and doctors to bring relief and healing to our bodies and for that we can only be grateful to God.  But what about those times when God chooses to say only, "I am not going to remove this sickness, but instead I am going to show you that "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in your weakness?"    It is easy in "those" times when healing doesn't come to get discouraged and even want to tear away the veil that separates us from the glory of heaven and make that full healing that awaits us our present experience.  Impatience in times of suffering is always a constant struggle this side of heaven.  And this is the point that we need to remember:  we should expect that in the wilderness period of our journey to heaven that there will be times when the "full" healing that awaits us only in heaven will often not be our present experience.  Instead God uses those times of weaknesses to bring us to a point of confession where we will proclaim:

Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.  10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. -- 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Another, perhaps even more serious danger in all of our lives, is the tendency to constantly try to make our faith in Christ external.  To walk by sight, rather than faith.  Remember the children of Israel in the wilderness, with Egypt to their back and the promise of the Land flowing with milk and honey before them.  What was their continual struggle throughout their wilderness journey?  Every time things got tough they grumbled and complained and looked back to Egypt for their hope.  Why?  Because they knew Egypt.  They had felt Egypt, smelled it, tasted it, and saw it.  Egypt was comfortable and safe.  Going out into the desert where food, water and shelter were not readily available is neither comfortable nor safe.  Out there you have to CONSTANTLY live by faith in the providential hand of God.  And you have to trust Him that He is not ultimately just leading you off into a wild goose chase that will just end in disaster. 

But we too live in the wilderness period of the Christian life.  This is not the time in which you can see the glory that is in Christ.  You walk by faith in Him.  You have been crucified to this world and are waiting for the final resurrection that will usher each of you into the eternal, glorious presence of your Triune God where you will fellowship in the true land of promise forevermore.  In fact, one of the main points of the sermon to the Hebrews is that Jesus Christ has already completed this pilgrimage for you and is seated on His throne in glory in heaven and will soon return to take gather you to himself and take you home.  He is both the author and finisher of your faith and having completed the race for you He now sits at the right hand of power for you in Heaven.

 

But to be honest this morning its hard to hang our faith on what we cannot see and touch.  This was certainly the problem of the Jewish Christians who are addressed in this sermon.  They knew Moses.  They touched and smelled and tasted the sacrifices.  They could lay their hands on an innocent year-old lamb, confess their sins, and see the blood flow -- their sins were atoned for yet another year.  But how do you see the true sacrifice made in Heaven, where the precious blood of the true Lamb of God atoned for sin once and for all?  How do you know in times of difficulty that Heaven's doors are flung open for you and you are fully welcomed with open arms at the throne of grace so that you can enter with full assurance through the new and living way?  Indeed how do you know for sure that you have inherited a better covenant than Moses with better promises that have already been fulfilled for you and the old has passed away?

Well, that is the purpose of the sermon.  Look at Heb. 1:1-4 where we find the preacher's opening declaration of the sermon -- God has spoken in many ways in the past to our fathers of the faith but to "you" He has gloriously and definitively spoken through His Son.  You are the ones upon whom the "last days" have come.  You are the ones God has spoken to in Jesus Christ.  In other words, all the promises that have been made in the Old Testament have been lavished on you in Jesus Christ.  God has given you His Son, there is nothing more you need. 

You don't need rosary beads, or confessionals, or the mediatorial work of human priests, or the gold and glitter of earthly temples.  Neither do you need Christian t-shirts, WWJD bracelets, altar calls, or bumper stickers to make your faith in Christ real.  Jesus Christ is more real than you can possibly ever imagine.

And He is the one who has been crowned with all glory and honor (Heb. 2:5-9).  He is already sitting upon His throne of a kingdom that cannot ever be shaken or moved.  You don't have to look to the kings and queens of this world to find your security or safety.  Do not trust in the mighty armies and horses of men to protect you in days of harm and terror!  Your faith is forever anchored in the King of all kings, whose hand alone turns the hearts of the kings of this world any way he so chooses. 

You don't have to tear the heavens open and bring the glory of heaven down.  It has already come in fullness in Jesus Christ and is currently hidden in jars of clay that we might know that the power at work within us is from God alone. 

In times of trial and suffering don’t be impatient or discouraged.  Don't look for the answer in yourself or in the things of this world.  

Fix your eyes on Jesus and walk by faith.  Man will always let you down and this whole creation is passing away.  But Jesus will never disappoint.  You can stake your eternal destiny on Him and know that He will complete everything He has started in you.           

Hebrews 6:19-20   19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil,  20 where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Amen!

-SDG-