The Other Option on that Day - Hebrews 10:26-39

The curtain of Jesus’ body was torn that we might enter in to the Most Holy Place in the true sanctuary of heaven before the throne of God.

He is the High Priest we need to permanently and sufficiently atone for our sin.

I had no sooner finished typing those words when my husband laid his hand on my shoulder to tell me a friend of ours passed away. A young wife and mother of six succumbed to leukemia. After a moment of reflection, I looked back at my screen and heard the words, “She has passed through the curtain.” My friend knew Jesus’ sacrifice covered her sin. She was a testament to His grace and the power of a relationship with Him up until the end.

The author of Hebrews began last week’s section with those two opening statements. We considered a possible response to Jesus’ sacrifice… to draw near to Him, to hold on to the confession of our hope, and to be concerned about one another. That's the life my friend lived.

Another response exists, as well. It’s, well, let’s just say that God didn’t sugar coat the message on this one. To begin, I encourage you to read Hebrews 10:26-39.

Click picture for a printable handout for this section

Deliberate Sin (10:26)

If a person hears the message of Jesus’ sacrifice, they may choose a different response than the one we considered in the last section. They may choose to reject it. The author of Hebrews classifies this response as a deliberate sin.

The Law classifies two other sins as deliberate sins – premeditated murder (Exodus 21:14) and rejection of the Word of God (Numbers 15:30). If we deliberately reject Jesus’ message of truth, then we likewise reject the Word of God as He is the Word made Flesh. Our rejection arrogantly declares that Jesus’ death wasn’t an atoning sacrifice but was only another premeditated murder; a murder for which the guilt lies upon us because it was for our sin that He died. If we hear and reject Jesus’ gospel message, then we are guilty of both of these deliberate sins and Scripture guarantees the outcome.

Guaranteed Outcome (10:27-31)

During the era of the Old Testament and the Law, if someone heard the message of the Law and disregarded it, then the punishment was death without mercy. The gospel message is superior to the Law. How much worse, then, is it to disregard the gospel message of Jesus?

If we disregard His message, we don’t only turn His sacrifice of love into a barbaric, premeditated murder. We also…

• Trample upon Him. Jesus will make a footstool of His enemies of sin and death but when we reject Him, we conceitedly try to make a footstool of Him. Pride didn’t work out too well for Satan and it won’t for us either.
• Regard Jesus’ blood as common, profane, or ordinary. Remembering the first century Jewish context of this book, our rejection of Jesus’ sacrifice arrogantly declares the blood of bulls and goats to be more precious than the blood of Jesus sprinkled before the throne of Holy God in the true sanctuary.
• Insult the spirit of grace. We insolently decide the Law was a superior message than the message of grace we have available to us through Jesus.

Yet, God guarantees the outcome for those who choose this option over the option to draw near to Him as we considered in the last section. The outcome for those who choose to reject Jesus’ sacrifice is vengeance and judgment at the hands of the Living God. Like I said, no sugar coating on this message.

When Times get Hard (10:32-34)

Difficult times will come as a follower of Christ. We all experience times of doubt as we wonder if the struggles are worth it. We all question if the foundation of our faith is secure. In His Word, God often asks us to remember how He worked in the past – to pause and reflect on where we have been in our journey – in order to find comfort and encouragement to continue.

He does so here; “Remember the earlier days when…” (Hebrews 10:32). Remember how your friends and family persecuted you because you accepted Jesus’ message. They rejected you because you accepted Him. Remember the time you were willing to go to prison rather than deny your faith. Not just you, but you saw your loved ones suffer in their prison cells, as well. Remember the time when the government took away all your stuff. Even then, you knew it was ok because your treasures are in heaven, not here on earth. Those were rough times and yet, Jesus sustained you through them. You were so confident in your faith that no persecution of this earth could stop you. You clung so tightly to the hope before you that the cares of this world drifted far beneath you. Remember those days now.

Why? (10:35-39)

No one ever promised this journey is going to be easy. Leukemia takes young moms away from their children. Governments confiscate the belongings of those who follow Jesus; they imprison those who preach His Name. Loved ones abandon, ridicule, and harass us for believing the truth of God’s Word. Any of these – and more – can happen to any of us. Even here in America.

We can’t give up now. We can’t throw away our confidence. We must endure. Jesus is coming and we want to be found faithful.

Don’t throw away the confidence and boldness we have because Jesus made a way through the curtain. Our confidence comes with a great reward – restored access to the Father. “Hold on to the courage and the confidence of our hope” (Hebrews 3:6).

God created us for a purpose – His will for us to accomplish in our time on earth. Strong’s describes it as a “deliberate purpose” which I find interesting because we began this section by considering “deliberate sin.” We see our choice here once again; we either deliberately sin by rejecting Jesus and His message or we choose a deliberate purpose for which God created us. As we follow through in that purpose, we have to endure. The battle is long, the persecution intense. The journey isn’t easy. We won’t be able to make it until the end unless we develop the ability to endure through the struggle. Then, in the end, when the purpose is done, we’ll receive the promise.

Jesus is coming and we aren’t quitters! It’s been a long wait from our human perspective but each day brings us that much closer to His imminent arrival. Until that moment, our call is to endure and persevere by faith. God says of those who won’t step forward in faith, “If he draws back, I have no pleasure in him” (Hebrews 10:38). Those who draw back are destroyed but that’s not us. We are the ones called to move forward in faith – despite the struggle – and find the life which God intended for us.

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As the Day Draws Near - Hebrews 10:19-25

I taught through today’s section the first time about five years ago. It created a desire in me to study the entire book of Hebrews in-depth but I didn't know it would be years before the opportunity presented itself. In those intervening years, I would occasionally read through the book knowing that treasures hid within its words. This study has not only encouraged me but I’ve also connected with it on a deep level. I’ve been thrilled to have this new method of sharing it with you as we progress through the chapters.

Click picture for a printable handout for this section.

I encourage you to start this section by reading Hebrews 10:19-25.

Therefore

We don’t use the word “therefore” in common language very much anymore. In the Bible, though, it’s such an important word. Never skip over it! When we see it, we need to back up because we’ll never fully understand what we’re about to read if we don’t first understand the previous section on which it’s based.

The book of Hebrews uses “therefore” more than any other New Testament book. The entire argument which the author presents builds upon itself throughout its chapters. The one that begins today’s section may be the most important of them all. It begins a conclusion of how we – you and I even today – are called to live and what we can expect in these last days.

Because of These…

The author is about to call us to action in three different areas. Before he does, however, he’ll give us two reasons why we need to step up in these three areas. He has explained these two cause statements throughout the last several chapters so watch for the links to take you to articles where we discussed them. I won’t go into much detail here.

Since We have Boldness (10:19-20)
We aren’t bold on our own – we have boldness. God has given it to us. We have confidence to enter the most holy sanctuary before God’s throne knowing the blood of Jesus atones for our sin permanently.

God split the curtain in the Jewish temple at the time of Jesus’ death. That's the parable. The power of His blood sprinkled on the mercy seat in the true heavenly sanctuary opened a new curtain for us. Through this new curtain – His body – we may enter the heavenly sanctuary in full boldness and confidence. This is our hope. This is reality.

Since We have a Great High Priest (10:21)
Every day the priests offered sacrifices and burned incense in the temple. Every year on the Day of Atonement they sacrificed for their sins and those of the people. They entered the Most Holy Place with burning incense and blood to sprinkle on the mercy seat. But it was never enough.

Jesus is a different kind of high priest from the order of Melchizedek. With Jesus’ final sacrifice, it was enough. The price was paid, sin atoned for, and Jesus sat down at the right hand of God as His work was finished. A new covenant was established. No other priest in the history of the Jewish people could say the work of atonement was done; only Jesus finished the job.

Let’s Do These…

We should live a certain way because Jesus opened the way for us to enter in and because He atoned for our sin once and for all. Our lives should be different as the reality of our position before God transforms us.

Let Us Draw Near (10:22)
Do you realize the significance of all Jesus did to make it possible for you to enter God’s presence? He has sprinkled His blood on our heart to purify the wickedness of our seared consciences. He has given us pure and living water to wash away our filth. All He asks in response is we accept it by faith. Jesus’ sacrifice was absolute; our faith should be so as well. The greatest step of faith is the one that takes you away from the call of the world and toward the presence of Holy God.

Fake faith isn’t going to cut it. A cheap knock-off of the real thing won’t enter God’s holy presence. Those who enter with a true and sincere heart can stand boldly in His presence.

What does it mean to draw near to God? I see two possibilities – a here and now and a then and there.

Here and now we can enter God’s presence spiritually through prayer. We can come before Him in devotion and reverence as we would before no other. We can make requests to help us as we strive to serve and love Him. We can intercede on behalf of those who struggle and despair. Finally, we can praise Him and offer up thanksgiving for the abundance of blessings He pours into our lives.

Then and there we can literally and physically enter into God’s presence after our time on earth is done. Some day we will each cease to breathe on this planet and we’ll take our first full breath of eternal life. Perhaps then we will finally start to comprehend the gravity of Jesus’ sacrifice as we literally and truly enter into God’s presence through the curtain of Jesus’ body and stand where Jesus’ sprinkled His own blood on the true mercy seat.

Let Us Hold On (10:23)
We don’t want to lose hope; it’s a desperate place in which to exist. Yet we have to make a conscience decision to hold on to it. We have to restrain it so we don’t lose it. We have to “hold on to the courage and the confidence of our hope” (Hebrews 3:6). We have to “hold firmly until the end the reality that we had at the start” (Hebrews 3:14). And here we read, we have to “hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering” (Hebrews 10:23).

Culture will continue to decline – both in America and around the world. In all honesty, we can’t stop it. The decline will leave us discouraged, despondent, and worn out. At times it seems tempting to just lay down and stop the fight; to give up on hope. God calls us to something different, though. We do all that we can to hold on to our hope without wavering. The idea here is to not lay down or recline. Don’t lean back and don’t give up. Hold on to that hope with which you first confessed your sin and faith in Jesus because that is what you’ll need to stand tall until the end.

Let Us Be Concerned (10:24-25)
Sometimes it’s easier to just not care; to lay back and decide it all doesn’t matter. Let whatever happens happen because people get what they deserve. That’s not the attitude for which Christ died, however. What if He had said that of us instead of leaving the glory of heaven to come to earth and offer Himself as the final sufficient sacrifice? Since He didn’t choose that attitude, we shouldn’t either.

We need to be concerned about one another. We need to think about others; doing so should elicit a three part response in us. None of those responses allow us to leave people to their own devices and not care what happens to them.

Considering one another should provoke us to love and good works. The author of Hebrews threw in a little sarcasm here, I think. I can appreciate that. He wrote that when we think about others, it should provoke us. The word means “an incitement or irritation.” We can relate to that, can’t we? After all, we all know people who the thought of them is a source of irritation in our lives. Here’s the twist, though. That irritation should prompt us to love and good works. It doesn’t lead to griping, complaining, backstabbing, or ignoring. When we think of others and the thought irritates us – God calls us to respond with love and good works. After all, that’s what He did for us even though our sin was more than just a little irritating to Him.

Considering one another should bring us together in worship. My pastor makes the same comment almost every Sunday, “I can think of no other reason except worshipping God that would bring together such a diverse group of people this morning.” And that’s a good thing. When we think about others, we should want to come together with them in the common cause of worshipping our mutual Savior. Jesus died for them as much as He died for you. They love Jesus as much as you do. Come together and celebrate those things.

Unfortunately, this is a primary area of attack for Satan. He loves it when he can regularly pull us away – to the lake, sleeping in, preparing lunch, getting ready for an upcoming week. Any excuse will do as long as it keeps us out of the church building and away from worshipping with like-minded believers. He has another source of victory when he uses pettiness and dissension to make our togetherness a time of griping rather than a time of worship. We complain about the color of the carpet, the number of songs, the time of the service, and any other little tidbit that makes no eternal difference. Thinking about one another should be an irresistible pull to come together in worship.

Jesus is an example to us of someone who understood this. He said during the Last Supper with His disciples, “I have fervently desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:15). I don’t know if you’ve ever had a chance to celebrate a Messianic Passover but I guarantee it is a worship service. How much more would the Passover with the Messiah have been one? Jesus longed for it; He “fervently desired” it. In Hebrews, He asks us to feel the same way.

Considering one another should be a call to encourage. To encourage someone means to fill them with courage. Similarly, to discourage means to take away their courage. Your words and actions have the power to do either. You can either fill someone with the courage they need to face life’s battles, serve as God calls, and live a life honoring to Him. Or, your words and actions can take every bit of their courage to do those things and throw it in the trash. It’s up to you which way you choose.

As the day draws near

One day Jesus will return. Whereas He came as a baby in a humble manger the first time, the second time will be one of great power and authority as every eye will see Him and behold Him as King of all. That day is near. I don’t know when it will be; neither does anyone else. However, Jesus told us some things to watch for and those things are lining up in a way unparalleled in human history.

Life will be hard until that day. We may think it’s hard now but it’s going to get worse. That’s why these kind of passages are so important. Right here we have three simple reactions we should have to Jesus’ sacrifice. These reactions are the way God calls us to live as we see the day of His return approaching. He asks us, quite simply, to draw near to Him, not waver in the hope we possess, and consider one another in a way that leads to love and good works, worship, and encouragement.

I don’t think that’s too much to ask in a world gone crazy.

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Clean, Once and for All - Hebrews 10:1-18

The Old Testament sacrifices were the parable – the earthly example given to show us the reality of heaven. Jesus’ sacrifice was the real thing. The real thing has a whole different outcome than did the parable. Hebrews 10:1-18 will teach us more; I encourage you to read it now.

Click picture for a printable handout for this section.

Never Enough (10:1-4)

The old covenant, the priesthood, and the sacrifices – all based on the Law – are the parable. They were “a symbol for the present time” (Hebrews 9:9). However, cast on their pages was a shadow of the good things to come. The Law didn’t contain the good things – grace, forgiveness, eternity, and so on – in and of itself but the light of God cast a shadow of the reality in heaven onto the pages of the Old Testament Law or the Torah.

Since the Law didn’t contain the good things, it could “never perfect the worshipers” because “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:1, 4). The sacrifices didn’t have the power to cleanse our conscience and purify our inner self; only the blood of Jesus could do that. Again, the Old Testament was a time when “gifts and sacrifices [were] offered that cannot perfect the worshiper’s conscience” (Hebrews 9:9). But, “how much more will the blood of the Messiah... cleanse our consciences from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:14).

The sacrifices were necessary, though, because “in the sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year” (Hebrews 10:3). God gave the Law as a definition for sin and to reveal the regulations required to atone for sin. Consider this hypothetical situation with me… After revealing the nature of sin and the method of atonement, God could have left it at that until the time came for Jesus to come to earth. However, by having the people make the sacrifices day after day, their sins were ever before them. Year after year, as the high priest entered the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement, they were reminded of their sinful position before Holy God and their desperate need for salvation.

Jesus left a similar reminder for us today. The days of the Old Testament sacrifices are long behind us. And yet, Jesus called us to remember another sacrifice when He said, “This is My body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19). With each Lord’s Supper, each cup reminds us of His poured out blood and every bit of bread remembers His broken body. We humbly remember Him in that moment as the weight of our own sin reveals the inadequacy of our works and our desperate need for salvation.

Jesus is Enough (10:5-10)

King David figured out a lot of stuff before his time; this is one of those times. The Spirit inspiring him to write as he did may have had something to do with it as well. Either way, Jesus – the Word made flesh – spoke through His ancestor David in Psalm 40. The author of Hebrews quotes Psalm 40:6-8 here in chapter 10.

David knew the sacrifices and offerings didn’t satisfy a righteous God; they would never atone for sin. Only the Savior who came to do the will of the Father would satisfy the need for atonement for sin. Only the sacrifice of the Son would fully cleanse and forgive us from sin’s filth.

David figured this out long before Jesus was born. Even still, many of us today don’t get it. We may not offer animal sacrifices to atone for our sin but we still try to attain salvation through works. Even many who believe in salvation by faith fall into the trap of adding works to their salvation. They formulize…

• Grace plus right behavior will give me eternal life.
• Grace plus tithing a certain amount will lead to salvation.
• Grace plus not doing bad things will grant me God’s favor.
• Grace plus serving in ministries will earn me a spot in heaven.

No, no, no! Grace plus nothing. Period. We can’t add anything to it. The Messiah alone purifies us because that is the will of the Father which Jesus established when He took away the time of the sacrifices. “By this will of God, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all” (Hebrews 10:10).

His Victory is More than Enough (10:11-14)

The sacrifices served as a constant reminder. The priests sacrificed day after day, year after year, even though those sacrifices would never clean away the filth sin left upon our hearts and minds. Not so with Jesus, though. He sacrificed one time and the job was done. “‘It is finished!’ Then bowing His head, He gave up His spirit” (John 19:30). And unlike any other priest in the history of the Jewish priesthood, He sat down after making the sacrifice because for the first time, the Priest completed the work of sin’s atonement.

“He is now waiting until His enemies are made His footstool” (Hebrews 10:13). Permit me a moment of humorous honesty here. The New Testament is full of references to Jesus completed sacrificial work leading to the establishment of His enemies as His footstool. I guess I always pictured this as a reference to Jesus kind of kicked back and relaxed with His feet propped up. The only mental picture I know in our current culture for a footstool is a piece of furniture also known as an ottoman. I started wondering this week, however, if the Old Testament used this phrase in a different way than how we use it today. After all, we should use the Old Testament to understand the New, not modern day culture.

My suspicions were correct. A footstool has nothing to do with furniture. The cultural idea is to stomp on something with the foot. Similar words mean to crush an item with the foot or to stomp it into pieces. Most commonly, a victor would place his foot upon the neck of the enemy after battle as a sign of triumph and defeat of the enemy.

The Old Testament refers to a footstool six times. At first glance, though, none of them seem to refer to placing one’s foot on the neck of the enemy as a sign of victory. They all refer to the Ark of the Covenant and/or the Most Holy Place as the Lord’s footstool. For example, look at the first time it’s used, “Then King David rose to his feet and said, ‘Listen to me, my brothers and my people. It was in my heart to build a house as a resting place for the ark of the Lord’s covenant and as a footstool for our God’” (1 Chronicles 28:2; for other uses read Psalm 99:5, 110:1, 132:7; Isaiah 66:1-2; and Lamentations 2:1).

Although possibly not evident at first, I see a gut-wrenching connection between the cultural use and the Scriptural use. A connection that fits right in with all we’ve learned through this study in Hebrews.

The temple… the Most Holy Place… the Ark of the Covenant… down to the mercy seat of God… is where God stamped His foot upon the neck of His enemy and declared His victory over sin and death. Satan was defeated when Jesus shed His blood upon the mercy seat of God in the true tabernacle before God’s presence.

Let’s bring this up to modern day. The temple is destroyed; we don’t know where the Ark is hidden away. Remember though, that our priestly service remains because our body is the temple of the Spirit of God (Romans 12:1, 1 Corinthians 3:16-17). Friend, Jesus will stomp on the neck of sin and death in your life! He defeated them to no longer control you or have power over you. His blood purified you inside and out once and for all. In the end, He will – in all His power and majesty; Jesus is not a wimp! – stomp His foot on the neck of Satan and powerfully declare, “You are defeated. You have no power over this life anymore because she is Mine and is covered by My blood.”

“Death has been swallowed up in victory. Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting? Now the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).

No More – Enough is Enough (10:15-18)

Whew. Ok, that last part was intense but we have to push on to the end.

The Holy Spirit confirms the testimony that all of this is true. The New Covenant, as presented in Jeremiah 31:33-34, contains five parts. We studied them in an earlier section. The last two parts of the covenant affirm that He will grant us mercy when we distort and twist His truth and He will grant us grace even though we mess up every time we try to live right. “Now where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer an offering for sin” (Hebrews 10:18). Once and for all, God forgives and cleanses us from every type of sin because of Jesus’ sacrifice. Nothing we can offer, no sacrifice we can make, no work we can try to accomplish will ever add to that. The work is done.


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