If you would, let your new Bibles turn with me to Hebrews chapter 10, page 1007, I believe.
And we're going to continue our series in Hebrews this morning.
If you remember, we've come to chapter 10 and we're spending three weeks camping out on verses 19 to 25.
Looking at the three exhortations related to faith, hope, and love.
So this week, hope is on the menu.
And so, if you were there, let's read together Hebrews chapter 10, verses 19 to 25.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus,
by the new living way that He opened up for us through the church, and that is through His flesh.
And since we have a great high priest, a great priest over the house of God,
let us draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith,
with our hearts sprinkled clean from the evil conscience,
and our bodies washed with pure water.
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering.
For He, the promise, is faithful.
Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and new works,
not neglecting to meet together as is to have a son,
but encouraging one another and all the more
as we see the day of God.
Father, we pray with Him.
Oh Lord, we need You in the works.
We need You every day.
We need You as I should do this morning.
God, that You would awaken our sleeping souls.
You will soften our hard hearts.
That You will open our dull ears.
You will give sight to our blind eyes.
You will bring light to our dead hearts.
That we might take hold of our community
and all the years I can tell us in Christ.
God, I pray this morning that You would help me
and that the words I speak
and the fitting instruments in Your hands
and that Your Word would speak
to each of us this morning.
Lord, that You would impart to us
a hope that cannot be shared.
We pray that we say this in Jesus' name.
Christians have the best hope in the whole world.
Yeah?
Okay, so, now some of you may be sitting there going,
okay, that's kind of arrogant, isn't it?
That you would say that,
like I could just say it better than everyone else.
Well, no.
No.
Because if the hope that Christians have
was based on anything in us,
then it would be an arrogant statement.
But the Christian hope isn't about us.
It's about God,
what God has done for us.
And when we talk about Christian hope,
we need to start from the very beginning,
make sure it works clear,
because hope in our everyday conversation
is used in many ways.
I hope it's not going to rain tomorrow.
Or, I hope I pass my class.
We have some desire that tends to be used
in our common vocabulary word
as wishful thinking,
or some kind of desire
that we would have.
And so,
we need to clarify
that the Christian hope
is not that sort of
uncertain future thing
that we hope,
that we think might happen,
but it really doesn't know.
The Bible uses hope.
It uses it to describe
a future good reality
rooted in God's work for us
that is certain
to come to pass.
Christians have the best hope
in the whole world.
And if you were
the recipient of the letter
of Hebrews
in the first century,
and you read it through,
I think this is
one of the main messages
that the writer of the Hebrews
would want you to get,
is that Christians have
the best hope
in the whole world.
Why do I say that?
Well, let's look at our passage
from this morning.
We've talked about it already.
We're going to try
to not rehash
everything Greg said last week.
But when you look
at our passage,
verses 19 through 22
is a summary
where the writer of the Hebrews
is trying to remind us
in very brief fashion
of all the things
he's been teaching us
about God
and his work in Christ.
And you see these two
since statements.
Since,
we have
look at it with me.
So we get it right.
Since we have
confidence to enter
the holy places
by the blood of Jesus,
by a new living way.
And then since we have
a great high priest,
there are two things
that he wants us
to remember
about what God has done
to give us hope.
The first one
is the word of Christ.
By the blood of Christ,
that is,
by Jesus' death
on the cross
for sinners
like you and me,
he has satisfied
the wrath of God
in sin.
He has,
he has
completed
everything
that needs to be done
for people like us
to approach
a holy God.
The death
of Jesus Christ
has opened up
a new way
so that we can
walk into
the very presence
of holy perfection.
not with fear
and trembling,
not with
the certainty
of condemnation
for our
wicked hearts
and our rebellious
natures,
but with confidence
and full assurance
because of what
Christ has done
him.
And so what is
the work of Christ
that he has done?
If you've been here,
I hope this resonates
deeply.
Jesus is the
perfect sacrifice
that was offered
in the heavenly temple
for us
so that we might
finally enter
into the holy
of the Lord
where God
himself
manifests his presence
so that we can
actually know
him.
And the second
ground
in verse 21
is in the person
of Christ.
Since we have
this work
that Christ
has done,
but also
the person
of who
Christ is.
Christ
who is the
Son,
the final
word
spoken to us.
Christ
who is
the second
person
of the Trinity
who took
on humanity
so he can
identify
with us
in our
weakness,
yet without
sin,
so that he
can be
the perfect
sacrifice.
And not only
that,
he also is
the high
priest
who then
takes the
sacrifice
into the
very presence
of God
and offers
it on
our behalf.
He does
all the
work and
he himself
is the
one in
his person
who carries
this out.
Right
if you
said,
because
Christ
has opened
this way
and because
of who
Christ
is,
skipped
down to
verse 23,
let us
fall fast
to the
compassion
of our
hope
to the
power of
the
Lord.
Hope
is a
future
looking
forward
to the
goodness,
to the
certain
goodness
of what
God
has done.
Not only
has Christ
done all
of these
things in
the past,
but there
is a
certain
future
that he
has secured
for us.
Do you
remember
chapter 6?
Turn with me
back to
chapter 6.
It's actually
kind of an
inclusio.
Chapter 6
and chapter
10 kind
of
frame
this
thing.
Chapter 6,
verse 18.
18.
I want
you to
see it.
He's been
making the
argument about
how God
has prepared
us and
how God
is going
to prove
himself to
be trustworthy
through an
oath and
through a
promise that
he made
to Abraham
and how
there's this
greater
promise that
he's made
for us.
So in
verse 18 he
says,
so by two
unchangeable
things in which
it is impossible
for God to
lie, we
who have fled
for refuge might
have strong
encouragement to
hold fast to
the hope set
before us.
That's the
exact same
phrase we see
in chapter 10.
Hold fast to
the hope.
Hold fast to
the hope set
before us.
We have this
as a sure
steadfast anchor
of the soul.
A hope that
enters into the
inner place behind
the curtain where
Jesus is gone as
a forerunner on
our behalf.
Having become
high priest
forever.
in the order
of the
Lord,
his name.
Not only
is Christ
a forerunner
for our
future.
What does
this mean?
Well, this
word, we've
talked about
this before,
but it means
that he has
gone ahead
and secured
away.
He has placed
the anchor
of our hope
in the very
presence of
God because
he himself
has gone
there and
now sits
there.
having made
a way
for us.
I don't
know if
you've
ever been
to the
forbidden
city in
Beijing.
It's a
magnificent,
awe-inspiring
place.
And if
you've
ever seen
any of
the movies
that feature
those huge
courtyards,
basically the
forbidden city
is a series
of gates
and courtyards
and gates
and courtyards.
And in the
very middle
of it is
the place
where the
emperor would
entertain those
who would come
to see him.
And then beyond
it is the
private palace,
so to speak.
But you go
through and
as you walk
in, you walk
in and you pass
these massive
walls through
this massive
gate into
this huge
courtyard and you
walk down
into it and
walk back up
and through
another gate and
then down and
back up.
And if the
emperor was
there,
at least in
my mind's eye,
those courtyards
were filled
with soldiers.
And there's
always a question
as you walk
through,
are you actually
going to get
to the emperor
or not?
Do you actually
have access
to him or not?
And as you
walk through,
your very life
is a danger
because if you
ever showed
a threat,
unless you're
gently in a
bad movie,
you're never
going to get
there because
he is well
protected.
the holiness
of the emperor
is protected
by the guards
in each of
these courtyards.
Friends,
Jesus has
walked through
the courtyards.
He has
satisfied every
requirement,
every demand.
And when we
walk into the
heavenly,
forbidden city
of the presence
of God,
God,
if we look
ahead,
we see the
throne of God
and Jesus
standing at the
right hand.
And he is the
one who is
saying to the
emperor,
and therefore to
all of the
angels,
well,
to all of the
forces that
would protect
the holiness
of God,
I vouch for
him.
I have
done what
he needs to
approach you.
He is with
me.
He is here
under my
invitation,
and he is
here under my
heart.
Jesus is the
forerunner who
has gone ahead
and now invites
us into the
very presence
of God,
having done
everything we
needed.
And this is
now awful.
This is not
just a past
reality of his
death,
but it is also
a future
reality that
for our
eternity,
we will be
with Christ
in that place
with God.
By his
past life,
death,
and resurrection,
Jesus,
cured for us
a certain
future with
God that
cannot be
shaken,
that cannot
be overturned.
As I was
meditating on
this tree this
week,
as I've been
thinking past
for you,
as I long
for you to
get the weight
of how
glorious this
is,
that we
have this
past
word and
future hope
that is
certain and
secure and
completely done
for us,
my fear
for you
is rooted in
what I see in
my own heart,
which is a
little bit of
hope,
hope.
the hope that
Christ has
secured for us.
This glorious,
wonderful hope
doesn't actually
seem particularly
attractive to us.
Now, some of you
may be going,
no, this is the
best thing in the
world, amen,
amen, and we'll
get there at the
end.
But my fear is
that for many
of you,
the hope of
being with
God in His
presence for
eternity isn't
a very attractive
thing.
It's not
something that
grips our
hearts.
And I've been
thinking about
why that is
and trying to
figure out what
is it, what
is it for the
writer of the
Hebrews that
makes him have
to say, having
laid out how
glorious his
work is in
all sorts of
detail, why
does he have
to say, hold
fast?
Who in the
world would
turn away from
access to the
unburnt world
for all
eternity?
But we do
don't.
We do turn
away.
It's hard to
hold fast.
Why?
Because I
think it can
be hard against
what the
hope can be
given to us.
I think there
are a number
of reasons for
this.
Sometimes I
think as
Christians we
can be
embarrassed.
We can
think, well,
hope of heaven
is really nice,
but I don't
want to be one
of those
high-in-sky
Christians who
just pretends
like everything's
okay, I'm
just going to
go to heaven.
I think we
can be
embarrassed about
being high in
the sky or
too heavenly
minded and
the earthly
good or
whatever critique
that you
have heard.
And so we
kind of
downplay it in
our hearts.
I think
honestly it's
probably
need to
come in
that
though.
I think
that we
have lost
the sweetness
of hope
and future
because we
live in
culture and
because we
have embraced
values that
we look for
the present
to be
everything we
hope for.
we are
looking for
this life,
our 70
or 80
years,
to actually
be the
fulfillment
of our
lives.
And you
know friends,
this is not
normal.
If you go
back and read
throughout the
history of the
world,
most people,
and particularly
in the church,
most people
throughout history
have thought
that we have
a very short
life here and
then we die.
And most
people in the
world,
throughout most
of history,
have spent
their time on
earth trying
to figure out
how to be
prepared for
eternity.
And the
church,
in its
history,
has seen
the Christian
life as
preparation
for heaven,
not
satisfaction
here on
earth.
I think
that we
set our
hopes on
the things
of this
world.
And so
we have
to get
it all
now.
He knew
the most
boys wins,
so on and
so forth.
And when
we focus
our hearts
on the
things of
this world,
hope slips
away from
us.
You can
simplify it
different ways
because when
we get what
we want and
our hearts
are satisfied,
when our
desires and
longings are
fulfilled in
this world,
then hope
seems unneeded.
We don't need
anything else.
If I have
everything that
I'm longing for
right now,
how good is
it going to
be if I
haven't been
with God?
It doesn't
seem any
better than
what I've
got right
now.
And when
we don't
get what we
want,
when we
face the
disappointments
and the
discouragements
when the
world isn't
meeting our
desires and
satisfying our
health,
we fall
into despair.
We see
hope as a
dangerous thing
that will only
lead us
ultimately to
discourage
our lives
because we
won't get
it.
You see
the danger?
So
prosperity
dulls are
needed for
hope.
You know
the C.S.
Lewis quote
but it
has a
slightly
different
take in
this world.
Our
desires are
too small,
not too
great.
We're too
easily
pleased with
the things
of this
world and
so we
prefer the
month-pies
of this
world to
the glories
and the
joys in
his image
of the
vacation in
the sea.
So
prosperity
dulls our
heart and
trials
overwhelm
them.
when we
get the
news
we get
the call
your dad
is in
hospital.
You didn't
need to get
into the
program.
I need to
return this
ring to you.
there's
nothing more
we can
do.
Feels like
life
crashing
down around
us,
slipping
through our
fingers.
Disappointment
crushes our
spirits.
And when
we put all
of our
hope in
this life
and it
slips away,
there's
nothing
left.
nothing
wanted.
So of
course we
despair.
And we
might drown
our despair
and eat
and drink
and be
married,
for more
we may
die.
We may
sink into
darkness,
loneliness,
depression.
When we
make our
present
reality the
greatest
reality,
the thing
that we
put our
love is
hope.
Hope has
more
meaning
than
else.
There's
a third
reason why
we can
lose hope
in the
world.
It's not
true for
those of
us.
It's true
for the
Hebrews
though,
those who
are receiving
this letter.
For them
following
Christ was
a very
cost of
being
in their
culture.
I
cost them
their
jobs.
I
cost them
their
belongings.
In fact,
chapter 10,
if you look
down in
verse 34,
it says,
for you
had compassion
on those
in prison,
you joyfully
accepted the
plundering of
your property.
That seemed
to be real
for these
believers that
they were
suffering deep
social
injustice,
and probably
material
poverty,
life
and physical
suffering.
for being
a Christian.
It can be
hard to
hold on
hope then
too.
Where is
God?
Have you
abandoned
me?
I
believed in
you and
what am I
getting here?
Suffering
and
trial.
But do you
see that even
then, the
reason why it's
hard is because
we think that
the promises of
God have
meant to be
fulfilled here
and now
in this
time.
instead of
receiving our
blessings and
our prosperity
as a
forte of
heaven,
instead of
receiving our
trials as a
reminder that
this world is
never meant
to satisfy
us,
we lose
hope.
We lose
hope.
But friends,
holding on to
hope is
possible.
Seeing hope
as good
and taking
hold of it
and holding
fast to it.
The image of
holding fast is
a great one.
It's a
nautical term
where if you
take a rope
and you tie it
to the
worry,
yeah,
and you
pull,
the idea is
that when the
knot is tied
well,
it will hold
fast.
And the
harder the
pressure is on
the rope,
the tighter
the knot will
be.
Friends,
this is the
picture of what
the writer of Hebrews
is adoring us
to do,
is to take
hold of the
hope in
Christ
without
wavering
like that.
so that when
the greatest
storms blow,
so that when
the greatest
prosperity comes,
we are not
pulled away
from this
coming.
Now,
it would be
very easy at
this point to
think,
and I'll end
the sermon
with,
so hold on,
cling harder,
do more,
try harder to
hold on.
But thankfully,
we would be
verse 23.
The writer of Hebrews
knows that that
is not
actually the
God's way.
hold fast
to the
confession of
hope
without
wavering
for
explanatory
grounds.
The reason
for why
we can do
this
is he
promised
his
faithful.
Friends,
the reason
why
we can
cling to
hope
is God
will not
let us
go.
In the
argument of
Hebrews,
he's already
proved how
God was
faithful in
all of the
promises and
all the
hopes that
were laid
out in the
Old Testament
found their
critical and
their fulfillment
in the
person of
Jesus Christ.
When he
came, he
was the
temple and
the sacrifice
and the
high priest
and the
king.
He was
the one
who would
come and
fulfill all
of those
hopes.
And so
he has
already
demonstrated
his
faithfulness
in sending
Christ to
do what
he did
on the
cross.
But friends,
his faithfulness
doesn't end
there.
His
faithfulness
is anchored
in the
cross saying,
I will not
forsake you,
I will not
obey you,
I have
done all
that I
need to
do for
you to
be secure
in me.
And that
anchor now
points forward
and God's
faithfulness
looks ahead.
It looks
ahead to
the dead
where you
can finally
applaud all
that he has
accomplished
in Christ.
And the
dead will
be raised
to life
and sin
will be
no more.
There will
be no more
sadness,
no more
sickness,
no more
tears.
There will
be no more
sorrow.
There will
be no more
death.
And the
prosperity
that we
have will
be the
riches of
the presence
of God
which will
be
secure
than
anything.
He
who
promised
is
faithful.
He
has taken
hold of
us
in Christ.
And so
the
exhortation
to hold
fast is
rooted in
God's
faithfulness
and his
taking hold
of us
in Christ.
By doing
what we
could not
do and
by calling
us to
himself and
by turning
our hearts
towards him
and by
allowing us
to make a
profession of
faith, I
believed that
Jesus is all
that I need.
He has
done this
for us.
And that
is how
we
think
about
him.
How do we
cultivate
this in
our hearts?
There are
things to
do.
We're
writing a few
reasons to
learn it out.
Chapter 3,
consider Jesus.
Think on
him.
Remind
yourself
potentially
of who
he is
and what
he has
done for
you.
Chapter 7
talks about
boasting
in our
hope.
Friends,
do you
boast about
Jesus?
Do you
boast that
the power
of sin
and death
has been
broken?
Do you
boast about
the fact
that if
you die,
you know
exactly where
you're going?
Not because
you have
done anything
to deserve
it.
When you
boast about
something,
it's the
thing that's
captured your
affection to
this thing
everyone knows
about you.
draw near
to Jesus.
Seek
him.
Seek
him in
personal
devotions.
Seek
him in
regular
Bible
reading.
Seek
him
corporately
by
coming
and
being
together
with
his
people,
reminding
us
of the
work that
Christ has
learned.
And
finally,
we have a
gospel
in chapter
12.
Look to
Jesus,
the author
and effector
of our
faith,
who
through the
joy set
before him
endured the
cross,
despising
his shame,
and now
seated at
the right
hand of
God the
Father.
Friends,
it's possible
to do
this.
Chapter
11,
the
will
remind
us
of
those
who
died
in
faith,
having
not
received
the
things
promised,
but
having
seen
them
and
greeted
them
from
afar,
having
acknowledged
that they
were
strangers
and
exiles
on the
earth.
These
people
who
speak
with us
make it
clear that
they're
seeking
a better
homeland,
a different
homeland,
to seek
a better
country that
is a
heavenly
one.
As I
was
poking
around,
I found
a story
of a
woman
on her
blog.
Her name
is
Starry.
She lived
in England.
She died
last December
of Hodgkin's
lymphoma.
Last month
before she
died,
she wrote
this.
One
thing I
noticed,
though,
she's
kind of
got a
funny
grade
writing,
so bear
with me.
One
thing I
noticed,
though,
is that
people will
always tell
me how
faith and
hope,
it's an
interesting
concept,
faith and
hope,
that is.
It's
interesting
because the
real and
more important
question is
what should
the object
of my
faith be
revealed?
What am I
asking for
faith and
hope in?
God,
my faith
and hope
are firmly
rooted in
God.
That does
not mean
that I'm
praying and
asking God
to keep me
alive.
Having faith
and hope in
God is
knowing that
your salvation
is safe.
I know
where I'm
going.
We've all
got died at
some point
and of
something.
For me,
that's what
it means to
have faith
and hope.
God loves
me.
He knows
how hard
this life
is.
I want
to go
home and
have every
tear wipe
away.
For my
eyes,
here in
time,
be well
done,
good and
faithful
servants.
Welcome
home,
my child.
Let's
pray.
Amen.
Lord, we want to repent this morning
looking for satisfaction in this moment
for thinking that these 70 years
are the son of our lives.
For you have created us for eternity.
Create us for eternity with you.
Lord, you have done all that we need in Christ
and that that may be ours.
We need you right now.
Lord, I pray that you would help us
to live with you.
Help us to hold fast.
Help us to hold patience.
Lord, you are faithful.
Lord, you do this.
Lord, we pray to Jesus.
It's fitting to end the sermon on hope
with the table.
When Paul writes to the Corinthians
about the Lord's table,
he reminds us that this is a table of remembrance.
We remember back to what Christ has done,
but it's also a table of remembrance
where we look forward
and making fun real
of all the things that he hoped for.
He said,
for our sake of the Lord,
but I also delivered to you
that the Lord Jesus on the night
when he was betrayed
took bread
and when he had given thanks,
he broke it and said,
this is my body,
which is for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.
And in the same way,
also,
he took the cup
after supper,
saying,
this cup
is a new covenant
in my blood.
Do this as often
as you drink it
in remembrance of me.
Or as often
as you eat this bread
and drink this cup,
you proclaim
the Lord's death
until he comes.
We live in the between times
where
the pastor of Christ
that secured
a certain future
for all of our in Christ
is able to give us hope
today
to persevere
in faith.
To persevere
in cherishing,
serving,
and worshiping
in Christ.
And that's what we celebrate here.
Let me ask those
who are going to serve
and come forward.
And as they come forward,
let me just say,
if you're here this morning
and if your hope
has not been
in security in Christ,
if you don't know
if that's where
your hope is yet,
we pray that you can just
let these pass by.
Let these pass by
so that you can spend time
considering
what it is that
would mean
the body and blood
of Christ
that was shed
for your sin
and broken for you
so that you might
turn
by the meaning of Christ
have access
to God
so think
on these things.
But if you're here this morning
and you know
that Christ is your hope,
even if your hope
has been wavered,
take hold of this
as a reminder
of the certainty
of what God has done
and the certainty
of the future
for all
He's seen
Jesus
Thank you.