If you're looking in one of the Pew Bibles, it's page 1007.
Hebrews chapter 10, beginning at verse 19, says this,
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus,
by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain that is through his flesh,
and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart,
in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience
and our bodies washed with pure water.
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,
not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some,
but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
Let me pray for us.
Lord, we pray that as you call us to draw near to you,
that you would draw near to us today by your spirit,
as we listen to your word.
In Jesus' name, amen.
If you take a walk this afternoon through downtown New Haven,
and if you look carefully at some of the buildings along the edges of the Yale campus,
you may notice several buildings that have no windows.
One of them is just a few blocks up Grove Street.
So a two-story marble building with impressive Corinthian columns
facing the entrance to the Grove Street Cemetery.
It belongs to a society called Book and Snake,
one of Yale's older secret societies, founded 150 years ago.
There are several other such buildings throughout campus.
Now over the years, Yale's secret societies have aroused plenty of curiosity.
What is contained inside these imposing windowless buildings,
known as tombs, that no one else is allowed to enter?
What exactly happens when the societies meet on Thursday and Sunday nights?
Are some of these societies at the center of a giant conspiracy to take over the world?
Well, conspiracy theories aside,
the phenomenon of secret societies is interesting because of how they have persisted over time,
and even grown.
There are probably a dozen or even more active secret societies for seniors at Yale.
Every April, a new class of rising seniors is tapped,
and you can see them walking around campus in all kinds of masks and costumes on some night
a couple weeks ago and invited to join each society for the next year.
Now you might ask,
what is the point of speaking about this in a sermon at church,
and what is the attraction of these secret societies?
Well, I would say the phenomenon of secret societies is only one instance of a widespread human longing.
Don't we all long to be on the inside of something great and important,
of something intimate and personal?
Isn't that a large part of what attracts Yale students to secret societies?
They promise a road to potential greatness,
an elite network of students and alumni to which you are now connected for the rest of your life.
And they also promise a place of intimate trust,
where everyone shares their life stories and their deepest secrets,
and you know that you are safe.
Now whether it's a secret society or a college fraternity or a sports team or a political movement
or a military hierarchy or a musician's collective or a mom's network
or an inner city gang or simply a group of friends,
don't we all long to be on the inside of something or other?
We want to be connected to something great and important,
and we want to be accepted intimately and personally.
Now our desire to be on the inside can also create problems.
C.S. Lewis wrote a thought-provoking essay on this topic entitled The Inner Ring.
Now he said the fact that inner rings or inner circles exist is not inherently bad.
In fact, it's necessary for families and societies and governments to run.
But he says our desire to get in or stay in,
an inner circle,
presents one of the most powerful temptations
to compromise what we know to be true and right.
And besides that, being on the inside isn't always what it's rumored to be.
To take just one example,
from the outside,
it might seem like if you can get into Yale,
you've got it made.
You have all the brains and all the connections that you will ever need.
But if you are on the inside,
if you're a Yale student,
almost no one thinks that way.
I don't think I've ever met a Yale student
except for an occasional freshman.
Who is fully satisfied
simply by being at Yale.
Right?
When you get into Yale,
it's like peeling back the outer layer of an onion.
And you see how many more inner circles
are contained inside.
And how much farther you have to go
to really make it in.
Isn't that one of the driving motivations
behind the 300 extracurricular organizations
that exist at Yale?
And all the career networks and secret societies
and all everything else.
We long to be on the inside
of something great and intimate and lasting.
But we feel that we haven't got there yet.
Or even if we have made it in,
we have to constantly work
to maintain our status.
to make sure that we don't get pushed out,
left behind.
Now the passage we're looking at this morning
speaks to our human longing
to be on the inside
of something great and intimate and lasting.
And it shows us that there is a way to enter in
to what we were truly made for.
Verse 19 says,
We have confidence to enter
the holy places
by the blood of Jesus.
By a new and living way
that he opened for us
through the curtain.
And then it says,
Therefore let us draw near
with a true heart
and full assurance of faith.
Now this morning's passage
comes at a crucial turning point
in the book of Hebrews,
which we've been going through
as a church this year.
Up to this point,
Hebrews has been primarily teaching
about who Jesus Christ is.
The Son of God
who became our brother.
The King of Heaven
who became our priest.
The mediator of a new covenant.
Opening the way to a new relationship with God
through his sacrifice on the cross.
But from here on out,
the emphasis shifts
to application or exhortation.
In other words,
what it looks like practically
to live in light of the reality of Jesus.
And this morning's passage
is the hinge
on which almost the whole book
of Hebrews turns.
Verses 19 through 25
are one long sentence
in the original Greek.
And verses 19 through 21
point back
to what we've already seen.
Verses 22 through 25
lay out the agenda
for the rest of the book.
And so we'll be looking
at these verses
not only this week
but also the next two weeks.
There are three exhortations
that he presents
in verses 22 through 25.
First,
to draw near
with faith
in Christ.
Second,
to hold fast
to hope.
And third,
to stir up one another
to love.
Faith,
hope,
and love.
And the rest of the book of Hebrews
develops these themes
in greater detail.
So chapter 11
focuses on the theme of faith.
Giving examples
and pictures
of what it means
to live by faith.
Chapter 12
focuses on hope.
Looking forward
to the eternal kingdom of God
that cannot be shaken.
That sustains us
through painful suffering
in the present.
And chapter 13
focuses on love.
And gives concrete
exhortations
and encouragements
to love one another
both within the Christian community
and outside it.
So that's what we'll be looking
for,
at,
for the,
for our,
our summer
until the end of August.
Is these themes,
is these themes
of faith
and hope
and love
as a response
to who Jesus Christ
is.
And these themes
are,
are intertwined.
They're sort of like a rope
that you can't,
that's tangled together.
Faith is defined
as assurance
or conviction
that God is trustworthy
based on what God
has done in the past.
Hope
looks forward
to the future,
to the joy set before us.
And love
is what we are called
to display
in the present.
Now this morning
we're focusing in particular
on the theme of faith
and the invitation
to draw near to God
in faith,
not to enter in.
So I want to look
at three questions.
First,
what exactly
are we
entering into?
Second,
why can we be confident
to enter in?
And third,
how
can we enter in?
What,
why,
and how?
So first,
what exactly
is Hebrews promising
that we can get into?
Well the answer is
the presence of God.
Verse 19,
he calls it
the holy places.
Verse 21,
he calls it
the house
of God.
Now according
to the Bible,
human beings
were made
in God's image
to dwell
in God's presence.
The book of Genesis
describes the home
that God created
for human beings
as a fruitful garden.
And this garden
would be a temple
where God,
the sovereign Lord
of heaven and earth,
would dwell
in intimate
and secure
and loving
relationship
with his people,
providing for them.
Walking with them,
speaking with them
as a father
with his children.
And this garden
would also be a palace
from which God
would extend
his glorious reign
through all the earth.
Through us,
his image bearers,
his representatives,
his vice
regents.
The garden
was the ultimate place
of greatness
and intimacy.
Dwelling with the
sovereign Lord
of the universe,
ruling over his creation,
and we were on
the inside.
But then one day,
an intruder
made his way
into the garden
who questioned
God's power
and God's goodness
and tempted
our first parents
to listen to him
instead of God.
And instead of
taking up
our rightful authority
and kicking him out,
we took his side.
We decided
that instead of
living with God,
we should try
to be
our own God.
instead of
trusting God,
we should trust
ourselves
more than God.
Instead of
living within
God's purposes,
we should
make our own
meaning.
And so we
messed everything up.
And all of us
have continued
down that same
track.
And so the story
goes,
we had to leave
the garden.
We had to leave
the palace
of God's glorious
greatness
and the temple
of God's
intimate presence.
and we
became
outsiders,
excluded from
God's presence
by our own
willful
rebellion.
And in our
fallen state,
every one of us
has continued
in that direction.
But even in
our fallen state,
we still bear
the image of God.
And so we
long
for what we
lost so long
ago.
We long
to get back
on the inside
of something
great
intimate.
And when we
look at human
history,
or even when we
think about the
story of our
own lives,
isn't it full
of attempts
to construct
a fruitful
garden,
a glorious
palace,
an intimate
temple?
Isn't that
what we seek
in so many
different ways?
But the
problem is
even our
best efforts
only produce
temporary
copies
and fading
shadows
or even
cheap
substitutes
of what we
lost so long
ago,
the glorious
presence of
God
himself.
But now
the author
of Hebrews
says,
there is a
new and
living way
open for
us to
enter the
holy places,
to enter
this glorious
palace of
God's presence
in this
intimate
temple of
his mercy,
to enter
into his
house and
be part of
his family.
That's why
he calls
the people
brothers and
sisters.
That's those
who have been
brought in
to the
family of
God.
So that's
the promise
of what we
can enter
into.
But that
raises the
second question.
how can
the writer
be so
confident
that we
can
enter in?
If we've
been excluded
from God's
presence by
our rebellion
and we've
messed it all
up, how
can we be
so confident
that we can
enter in?
Now in the
historical context
when he was
writing,
the writer of
Hebrews was
making an
unprecedented
claim here.
He was
writing to
people coming
from a
Jewish
background
who would
have been
familiar with
the temple
in Jerusalem
and the
laws and
regulations
in the
Old Testament.
But the
temple in
Jerusalem
was certainly
not open
to all.
There was an
outer court
where anyone
could go,
but then there
was a wall
separating the
outer court
from the
inner court.
And there
were large
warning signs
posted
warning all
Gentiles.
anyone who
was not
Jewish,
warning all
Gentiles not
to enter the
inner court
on penalty
of death.
And even if
you were
Jewish,
you could go
into the
inner court
but not
into the
actual holy
places.
Only the
priests could
enter into the
holy places
to offer
sacrifices on
the altar.
And only the
high priest
could enter into
the most holy
place,
which represented
the very throne
room of God.
it was a
place which
had within it
something called
the mercy
seat.
The very
throne of God,
the very
presence of
God,
and only,
he could only
enter once a
year,
and only with
a sacrifice to
offer on behalf
of himself and
on behalf of
the people.
And this was not
just the custom
of the Jewish
people at that
time, it was the
command of God
in the Hebrew
Bible, in the
Old Testament.
You see, the
temple in
Jerusalem was
not a place
where anyone
and everyone
could come
freely into the
presence of
God, it was
more like a
miniature version
of the
Forbidden City,
where no one
could enter or
leave without
the emperor's
permission on
pain of death.
Now, in our
modern culture, we
can often assume
that God should
be accessible to
us, that God
should be
available.
We've lost the
sense of the
barriers between
us and the
holy and perfect
creator of the
universe.
We've lost the
sense that they
would have had of
the inherent danger
of rebellious
human beings,
self-centered
human beings
encountering a
radically pure
and holy God.
The writer of
Hebrews probably
understood this
better than most
of us naturally
do.
And so it's
even more
striking that
he says, as
he does in
verse 19, we
have confidence
to enter the
holy places.
In other
words, we have
official authorization,
we have freedom
of access, we
have a promised
welcome, because a
new and living
way has been
opened for us.
Through the
curtain, through the
barriers that
separated us from
God himself.
The image is of
a trail being
blazed, of a
highway being laid
down through
previously
inaccessible
territory.
That's the image
of a champion who
throws himself into
the middle of a
raging battle so
that he might open
a new path to
victory along the
track of his own
life blood.
And the writer of
Hebrews says, this
is what Jesus, the
Son of God, has
done.
The eternal Son of
God, the King of
Glory, became flesh
and blood.
In other words, a
fully human being.
He willingly became
our brother.
He lived the life
that we ought to
have lived.
A life of perfect,
trusting obedience to
God, even to the
point of death on the
cross, where he
died the death that
we deserve to die.
And then he rose
again.
Three days later,
demonstrating his
victory over sin and
death for all who
would believe.
Verse 12 in this
chapter says, he
offered for all time
a single sacrifice
for sins.
And then he sat
down at the right
hand of God, having
completed his work.
Through his flesh and
through his blood,
offered on our
behalf, Jesus has
opened up a new and
living way for us to
enter into the
presence of God.
Because, and he can
do this because he is
the Lord of heaven and
earth.
He's the great king who
rules over everything,
but he has become our
priest.
In other words, our
advocate, the one who
stands for us and
intercedes for us.
And as our brother, as
our priest, as a fellow
human being, he has
gone into the very
presence of God.
He is seated at the
right hand of God.
So we can enter into
the palace of God's
glorious greatness,
knowing that the one
who sits on the throne
is our very own flesh
and blood.
Our brother.
Our champion.
Our king.
Jesus.
And not only that,
Jesus is the son of
God, who lived from all
eternity in intimate
relationship with the
father and the Holy
Spirit.
And he has now become
our brother so that he
might join us to himself
and that we might enter
into that intimate union
with God himself.
And know God's secure and
loving presence.
He's saying that through
Jesus we can approach
God with the confidence
of a little child running
up to her daddy.
We can be confident to
enter God's glorious and
intimate presence through
Jesus.
So third, how?
What does it look like?
How do we actually enter
in to God's presence?
Well, in the Old Testament,
the high priest would
enter into the most
holy place, but he would
only enter in for a very
short time.
He would offer his
sacrifices, he would do
his thing, and then he
would get out until next
year because it wasn't
safe for him to stay.
But the offer of Hebrews
is saying not only can we
go in to the presence of
God, we can stay.
We can rest.
We can be there.
We don't have to worry
about being pushed out
because our status as sons
and daughters of the king
is secure.
So he says in verse 22,
he says in light of all
this that Jesus has done,
he says let us draw near.
With a true heart.
In full assurance of faith.
With our hearts sprinkled
clean from an evil
conscience and our bodies
washed with pure water.
If you want to summarize
this verse in two words,
it would be truth and trust.
Draw near to God in truth,
he says, with a true heart.
A heart that has been
sprinkled clean from an
evil conscience.
Well, for one thing,
that means we should
approach God without
pretending.
Without trying to hide
our flaws or without
trying to impress him
by our good deeds.
It's almost the exact
opposite of how any
career services office
would tell you to
approach a job interview.
Right?
They would say,
dress smartly.
Bring a resume listing
all your skills and
accomplishments and
none of your weaknesses
and failures.
Put your best foot forward.
But with God,
all of that would be
utterly futile
and foolish.
It would be as futile
as a high school student
waking up in the morning,
getting dressed in
your nicest clothes,
printing out a copy of
your resume on resume paper,
and writing a snazzy
cover letter in order
to go downstairs
and present yourself
to your mom,
who's cooking you
breakfast,
hoping to make an
impression on her
and earn her favor.
I think your mom
will not be very impressed.
She might be amused.
She might think
you're doing this
to practice.
But if she realizes
that you're doing this
to try to impress her,
she already knows
everything about you.
She knows your strengths
and weaknesses
better than you do.
And her love for you
is not dependent
on the image
that you project.
I mean,
she changed
your messy diapers
for years
before you even knew
what she was doing.
You're already
an object
of her love
and favor.
You're already
on the inside.
And it wasn't
because you did anything
to deserve it.
Just because
she's your mom
and she will always
love you.
And in the same way,
faking with God
is futile.
Not only because
God sees and knows
the truth about us,
but also because
in Jesus Christ
we are objects
of His eternal favor.
His unmerited grace.
He gave His own life
for us on the cross
to prove it
so that we
who were once
outsiders
might come in
and be part
of His family
forever.
So we can draw
near to God
in truth.
But also
we can draw
near to God
in trust.
In the full
assurance of faith.
Because He
has proven Himself
worthy
of our trust.
You know,
when the Bible
talks about faith,
it does not mean
what some people
think.
It does not mean
believing that
something is true
apart from any
evidence and contrary
to all rational
thought.
That is wishful
thinking.
That is not
biblical faith.
If you're skeptical
whether there is
solid evidence
for the Christian
faith,
I encourage you
to look into it.
Read through
one of the
New Testament
Gospels.
Read through
Tim Keller's book,
The Reason for God,
as a start.
Talk to people
who are Christians
and consider.
But in the context
of the Bible,
faith refers to
trust.
Trusting a person.
In particular,
trusting the person
of Jesus Christ
who died
and rose from
the grave.
Who has
demonstrated Himself
through His death
and resurrection
to be supremely
worthy
of our trust.
trust.
So let us draw
near to God
in truth
and in trust.
And you know,
it's interesting,
it doesn't simply
say,
let each one of you
draw near to God
in truth and trust,
but it says,
let us
draw near.
So this truth
and trust
should increasingly
characterize
not only our
individual
relationships with
God,
but also
our community
life,
our worship
and prayer
and fellowship
and community
as a church.
So let me close
with four brief
exhortations for us
built on this
invitation
to draw near.
First,
let us confess
our sins
and share our
struggles honestly.
Instead of
feeling like
we have to hide
or make excuses
or justify them.
because the
sacrifice of
Jesus Christ
covers our
sin and our
guilt.
In Jesus Christ
our hearts have
been made new
and so we're
free to
acknowledge
our sins
before God
and even
before each
other,
knowing that
in Jesus Christ
we have found
mercy.
And we will
continue to
find mercy.
James 5
says,
confess your
sins to one
another
and pray
for each
other
so that you
may be healed.
confession
of sin
is the first
step toward
freedom
from its grip.
So let us
be honest
and not
hide.
Second,
let us bring
before God
our grief,
our anger,
our sorrow
and all the
other ugly
emotions that
we feel.
Let us bring
those into the
presence of God
through prayer
instead of
stuffing them
away or
trying to
deal with
them in
some other
way.
You know,
if you read
the Psalms,
they will help
you do this.
To bring
everything that
we might feel
into the
presence of
God.
So let's
bring our
emotional life
before God
so that in
his presence
our emotions
can be healed
and transformed.
Third,
let us praise
God with
assurance and
joy and
abandon.
Drawing
near is not
only about
confessing our
sin or dealing
with our
negative emotions,
it's also about
rejoicing with
exceeding great
joy.
The way has
been opened.
We have
freedom of
access to
go into the
palace of
God's greatness
and the
temple of
his intimate
presence.
That's a
reason to
praise the
Lord.
It's a
reason to
say amen.
So whether
you shout
amen or
raise your
hands in
surrender or
kneel before
God in
adoration or
clap your
hands or
jump for joy
or simply
smile and
sing,
rejoice.
For we have
a great
privilege in
drawing near to
God through
Jesus.
Fourth, and
finally, let
us celebrate
baptism.
that's what
we're going to
do today.
And it even
connects to our
text.
Verse 22
says,
Our hearts
sprinkled clean
from an evil
conscience and
our bodies
washed with
pure water.
Baptism is a
public expression
of what it
means to draw
near to God
with truth
and trust.
Most likely
the author is
reminding the
hearers of
their baptism,
the physical
sign of
identifying with
Jesus through
faith in his
death and
resurrection.
And because
it is a
physical act,
baptism also
reminds us that
the cleansing
work of
Christ extends
even to
our physical
bodies.
You know,
our hearts and
our bodies have
been affected by
our fallen
nature.
Right?
He's talked about
how our hearts and
our conscience can
be cleansed,
our sin and guilt
and shame can be
removed.
But even our
bodies are set
apart for God
in a new way
through the work
of Christ.
You know,
some of you
might feel this
very keenly,
the sense of
how our fallen
nature has
affected our
bodies.
Maybe you can
identify particular
destructive behaviors
from the past
that have brought
harm to your
body.
perhaps when you
look at yourself
in the mirror,
you feel ashamed.
You feel dirty
and defiled
because of
something that
you did or
someone else did
to you in the
past.
But this verse
has good news
for you.
It's saying that
in Jesus Christ
your heart has
been washed
clean and your
body has also
been washed.
Your body has
been set apart
for life in
God's kingdom.
your body is
not damaged
goods.
Your physical
body has been
purified by the
sacrifice of
Christ.
And it is now
a vessel
dedicated for
holy and
honorable service
to God.
The Apostle Paul
says in 1 Corinthians
6, do you not
know that your
bodies are
members of
Christ?
Do you not
know that your
body is a
temple of the
Holy Spirit
within you?
Whom you have
from God.
You are not
your own, for
you were bought
at a great
price.
So glorify God
in your body.
And baptism,
having our body
plunged into the
water and
raised again,
is a physical
sign of the
totality of
Christ's cleansing
work.
That he has
purified our
conscience and he
has set us apart
body and soul
for life in his
kingdom, in his
family.
So let us draw
near with truth
and trust because
we have confidence
to enter through
Jesus.
Let's pray.
Lord Jesus, we
praise you, our
great king and
our brother who
is drawn near to
us.
Lord, it is only
because you have
drawn near to us
and even become
one of us
and took our
guilt and sin
upon yourself
and carried it
to the grave
and rose again
and you are
seated at the
right hand of
God, interceding
for us,
advocating for
us.
Lord, because of
that, we have
this great
confidence to
approach you.
Lord, we pray
that we would
draw near with
truth and with
trust, with
reverence and
with joy, with
confidence and
assurance.
We pray this in
Jesus' name.
Amen.