Hebrews, Last Message

 

Hebrews, Last message

1. Throughout his epistle, the author has exhorted his readers to
   "steadfastness"...
   a. With a warning not to drift away - He 2:1
   b. With a promise of becoming partakers of Christ - He 3:14
   c. With exhortations to be diligent - He 4:11; 6:11-12
   d. With a reminder of God's faithfulness - He 10:23
   e. With a promise of great reward - He 10:35-36

2. As the epistle nears its end, we find some final exhortations that
   appear to encourage such steadfastness...
   a. They are sprinkled throughout He 13:7-17
   b. They are given in view of the danger of "various and strange
      doctrines" - He 13:9

Heb 13:9  Do not be carried about with different and strange doctrines, for it is good for the heart to be established with grace, not with foods, in which those who have walked in them were not helped.
 
That is why new doctrines which conflict with the unchanging message about Jesus Christ should be rejected. This is probably not a reference to normal Judaism but as if the readers were confronting a peculiar, sectarian variation of that.

Much in the same way that treasury agents are taught to recognize counterfeit money by becoming extremely familiar with the real, It is incumbent on a believer to have a working knowledge of the teachings of the Bible so that we might recognize the false when it comes by.


Heb 13:10-14  We have an altar of which they have no right to eat, those who serve the tabernacle.  For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the Holy of Holies by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp.
 Therefore Jesus also, so that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.   Therefore let us go forth to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.  For here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come.
 
If those who hawked “strange teachings” tended to idealize the wilderness experience and the tabernacle, the writer’s  makes a special point. A Christian has a special altar  In Christ from which he derives spiritual sustenance.

Those who minister at the tabernacle were not entitled to partake of that kind of spiritual food.

If some people preferred a legal “desert” way of life and considered themselves “servants” of the ancient tabernacle they were  barred from Christian privileges.

Many today stray away from the teaching that we are saved ONLY by grace through faith. There is an undue emphasis on getting or holding our salvation by works, when ion reality it is our salvation by grace that enables us to produce heart felt deeds of mercy and kindness.

Under the old covenant the blood from sacrifices  on the Day of Atonement was brought into the most holy place, but the bodies were burned outside the camp (Heb_13:11), a location designated as unholy in the wilderness years . But Jesus also suffered outside the city gate (i.e., outside Jerusalem), but the effect of His sacrifice was to make the people holy. Far from association with Him being unholy, as some unbelieving Jews regarded it, the readers were in fact “holy” (or sanctified; cf. Heb_2:11; Heb_10:10, Heb_10:14) and should not hesitate to share in the disgrace He bore (cf. Heb_12:2) by abandoning the camp of Judaism and identifying with Him.  The readers’ true home was no camp   the city that is to come 

Heb 13:15  By Him, then, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips, confessing His name.  16  But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

No blood sacrifices were needed in the light of Jesus’ death, but to offer… praise and to do good and to share with others were indeed sacrifices that God desired .
Peter , in his second letter (1:5-8) urges his readers to “… add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;   And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;  And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.   For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Fruit bearing is in view here and not deeds to attain faith. Someone has said “Goodness and righteousness do not bring on faith, but true faith brings on goodness and righteousness.”

Heb 13:17  Yield to those leading you, and be submissive, for they watch for your souls, as those who must give account, that they may do it with joy and not with grief; for that is unprofitable for you.

If former leaders were to be remembered and their teachings hung on to as we saw in (Heb_13:7-8), present ones were to be obeyed. Their responsibility before God was to be recognized and their shepherding tasks should not be complicated by disobedience.  “so their accounting  to God for you  may be with joy.”  In other words, I get judged on how well you do!! Scares the spit out of me. I need to be careful in what I teach and you need to listen and be careful to follow Jesus as he leads.

Heb 13:18-19  Pray for us; for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.   But I beseech you the rather to do this, so that I may be more quickly restored to you.
 
With that same sense of spiritual humility that led him to use “we” in most of his warning sections, the writer requested the prayers of his readers, and particularly that he might be restored to them soon. His interest in them was personal, and he was eager to see them.

Heb 13:20-21  Now may the God of peace (who brought again our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant)   make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
 
In this benediction which captures a number of the major themes of the epistle (e.g., peace, blood, covenant, Resurrection, Shepherd, equip), the writer expressed confidence in our Lord Jesus as the Great Shepherd of New-Covenant people, through whom God was able to effect His will . It is God’s desire to prepare, make ready for use. This indeed is what he prayed for his readers.

THE GREEK word here rendered perfect really means "to put in joint, to complete." In his original creation man's will was intended to show the Will of God, to say Yes to it, and to pass the divine  commandments to the rest of our being.  That was our Lord's attitude throughout His earthly life. He said: "My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me"; "I seek not My own will, but the will of Him that sent Me"; "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt."
But in the Fall, the dominance of God's will and the loyal response of man's will became disorganized; and the human will instead of functioning in harmony with the Will of God, began to obey the will of the flesh in its grosser or more refined forms. Not what God wills, but what 'I' will, has become the working principle of the great majority.
Thus it has come about that the will, by constant misuse, has become dislocated, warped, "out of joint." Tennyson says: "Our wills are ours to make them Thine!" Just so, but they are too stubborn for some of us to manage. Hence the suggestion that we should pass the matter over to the "God of Peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus."
Heb 13:22 -25 And I beseech you, brothers, allow the word of exhortation. For I have written a letter to you in few words.  Know that our brother Timothy has been set at liberty, with whom, if he comes shortly, I will see you.  Greet all those leading you, and all the saints. Those from Italy greet you. Grace be with you all. Amen.

Urging once again that his readers bear with his word of exhortation, he expressed the hope that he and Timothy would soon see them. After giving them greetings, he committed them to God’s grace.
God’s grace alone will enable us to deal with the years ahead. We will be, undoubtedly, called on to stand up with him and be counted. To, in a sense, go outside the gates with him. We may be outcasts, pariahs of society. Our views may become hated and we shall feel the lash of scorn at bearing the Name “Christian.”

As the writer has urged
Meet to encourage each other…be bold, in his grace to go outside the gates for Him.
Gates of modern thought
Gates of “If I feel it is OK”
Gates of “many roads to Heaven”

“Bold moment in the old movie, “ WILLOW,”  Madmardigan ,a hapless self serving wanderer, in the face of common sense stands up and says “I serve the Nelwin” A turning point in the fortunes of the company.
Dare to stand up even if it costs and say “I serve the Lord   Jesus, It will be a turning point in your eternal fortune as well.
He is better than angels, better than Moses, better than any one and any thing, his is a better covenant, and a better priesthood. And he call us to come and follow with whole hearts.

May we serve the better Savior