ADVICE FOR TREACHEROUS TIMES
Heb. 10:19-25
How do we handle hard times?
What do we do when life is hard? When the going gets rough?
“When the going gets tough, the tough get going!”
But, some days we don’t FEEL like it! Do we? What do we do then?
How should we respond to Christ’s greatness,
as we face the practical issues of life?
First 9 ½ chapters demonstrate that Jesus is better than Judaism.
Based on Jesus’ superiority, presents the proper response for God’s people.
He shifts from doctrinal focus to practical response to Christ’s superiority.
He moves from precept to practice, from creed to conduct.
If Christ’s PERSON is superior to the great leaders of Israel, . . .
If Christ’s MINISTRY is superior, . . .
HOW SHOULD WE THEN LIVE? 10:19-13:25
Primary response called for: trust God and remain faithful to Him.
[ This call is especially evident in . . . ] 10:19-25
BASIS FOR FAITH 10:19-21
By way of review, he reminds us of TWO THINGS WE HAVE RECEIVED IN CHRIST:
Two reasons for faith, in the midst of hard times:
1. 10:19-20 We have confidence to approach God. Access to God.
“Since Christ has given us direct access to God, . . .”
2. 10:21 We have a great high priest. An Advocate before God.
“Since He intercedes for us continually as our High Priest, . . .”
We are so used to these two benefits that they no longer impress us.
To the Hebrew reader these represented a radical change.
The O.T. system reminds people that we are separated from God.
They approached Him with fear, and even then, they couldn’t come near to the Holy of Holies where God’s presence dwelled among His people.
That privilege was reserved for High Priest; he could only go once a year.
We have a new priest, a new covenant, a new tabernacle, a new and better sacrifice.
Therefore, we can come boldly into God’s presence.
CALL TO FAITH 10:22-25
THREE APPEALS, Based on God’s provision.
Based on our direct access into God’s presence.
1. Let us draw near to God by faith 10:22 FAITH
Negatively–Appeal not to turn away from Him.
Positively–Appeal to enter His presence with confidence.
Symbolic language invites us to come into God’s presence clean and pure.
Let’s draw near with confidence. since He has cleansed us.
The symbols look back to the rituals of O.T. purification:
Blood was sprinkled as a means of purifying instruments of worship.
Priests washed themselves with pure water so they would be clean.
The symbols never could truly cleanse those sprinkled and washed.
Now our hearts have been sprinkled and cleansed by Jesus’ blood
Our bodies likewise are purified, as with pure water.
We stand cleansed in God’s presence–both heart AND body!
We can come boldly into His presence with sincere heart, and with confidence
Eugene Peterson: “So, friends, we can now—without hesitation—walk right up to God, into “the Holy Place.” Jesus has cleared the way by the blood of His sacrifice, acting as our priest before God. The “curtain” into God’s presence is His body. So let’s do it—full of belief, confident that we’re presentable inside and out.”
2. Let us hold firmly to our confession of hope. 10:23 HOPE
Neg.—Don’t waver in our trust.
Pos.—Trust God. He is faithful. He won’t fail us.
Christians possess a unique kind of hope.
People are waiting for a nebulous “something better” than what we have now!
Their hope has no solid ground under it.
If our hope is ungrounded, as the world’s is—if it’s just an “I hope everything turns out all right in the end”—we are to be pitied.
But it isn’t! Our hope has substance. 6:19-20:
“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.”
Our hope is grounded in the life, death, resurrection, ascension, glorification, and intercession of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Our anchor isn’t in the sea; it’s in heaven.
It’s anchored in the presence of God. “He Who promised is faithful!”
From the perspective of the present, all may be tragedy;
from the perspective of eternity, God uses the cinders of devastation as building blocks to make something beautiful for His glory.
Hebrews doesn’t just say to hang on to our hope.
It urges us to hang on to the confession of that hope [NAS].
Hang on firmly to what we SAY we believe.
Rather than throw in the towel and escape,
hold on to it; don’t be ashamed of our hope—proclaim it without flinching!
3. Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good works
—unite and encourage one another. 10:24-25 LOVE
Last two “let us” in v. 25 in the NIV,
are actually dependent clauses derived from the single exhortation in v. 24.
We spur one another on to love and good deeds
by meeting together and by encouraging one another.
Neg.—We shouldn’t allow ourselves to become discouraged.
—We shouldn’t isolate ourselves from other believers.
Pos.—We ought to encourage one another.
The reason for gathering isn’t what we get out of church attendance.
It’s because of what we give to it!
Family of God is not a place for verbal put-downs and critical comments.
World is full of discouragers.
Church is for encouragement–not discouragement.
Don’t isolate yourself.
Don’t throw a “pity party.”
Come together and encourage each other.
The word “encourage” is used in describing a battle.
Euripides says, “So they did hail them, cheering them to fight.”
Barclay: “[It] is the word of the rallying-call; used to urge each other on.”
That’s how we should be encouraging one another to hang in there.
The beautiful thing about encouragement is that anybody can do it!
Anyone can “come alongside” someone else to help.
We might just send a note of encouragement to someone who’s struggling.
I went to high school in the “fabulous 50s.”
I attended a Christian high school—one of the best–I trusted Christ there!
There were 75 in my graduating class. I only know the stories of 6 of them.
2—the glowing class romance, ended in divorce a few years later;
today they have no relationship with God or the church.
1—died violently, far from the Lord.
1—my best friend and student body president, is a successful lawyer,
but won’t have anything to do with Christ or the church.
2 are in ministry
Others are probably serving the Lord as professionals, business leaders, and homemakers.
But these 6 are the only stories I know about.
4 out of 6 are flunking the final exam for a Christian school—in life, where it really counts.
What made the difference?
I don’t pretend to know all the factors that affected these kids’ lives.
But there is one factor that I am sure of:
We failed to encourage one another to love and good deeds!
In fact we pulled each other down.
—We sometimes made light of Bible classes and chapel messages.
—We made fun of people who took the spiritual life too seriously.
—Little by little, we dragged each other down spiritually.
The way we treat one another sometimes reminds me of playing basketball
We’ve watched it happen many times.
Two teams are playing.
One has great individual players–Each plays for himself or herself.
They begin to criticize one another => They come unglued!
The other team has players of only mediocre ability.
Each tries to help and encourage the other.
That team usually wins the game! They pull together and win!
That’s what God wants us to do!—to pull together.
—to encourage one another
—to stimulate one another to love and good deeds.
If we don’t learn to work together,
when the pressure rises and affliction comes, we will come unglued!
Don’t take this passage out of context!
This isn’t an exhortation to go to church on Sundays.
It’s a warning of the danger of isolating ourselves from others in hard times.
The illustration of one burning ember separated from the rest
demonstrates our need for one another, in order to burn brightly in a dark society.
In isolation, like the ember, our flame dims and we turn cold.
It’s impossible to stimulate people to love and good deeds, if we’re never around them.
We can’t encourage each other, if we live our lives in isolation, pushing people away from us.
Encouragement is a face-to-face thing.
It’s even more important “as you see the day approaching”
because in the last times “perilous times shall come.”
Things are going to become treacherous.
We will need each other’s support as never before.
The role of the church in encouraging one another in the midst of suffering
is like the small child, awakened by a nightmare at 3 a.m. He calls out: “Daddy, daddy!
His father groggily answers, “What is it? “I had a bad dream! I’m scared!”
“Just go back to sleep, buddy. It was only a dream.” “But I want you with me!”
Daddy groans, “Go back to sleep. God is with you.”
After a brief silence, “But I want somebody with skin on!”
God with skin. That’s what we need when the pressure rises.
When we no longer believe in ourselves, our brothers and sisters believe for us,
They hold on to God for us. That’s what we need.
Someone to come along side and be there when times are tough.
Suffering has a way of isolating us, at the exact time when we need each other most!
When the pressure rises,
the church has to hang together; encourage each other to do what’s right.
HOW SHOULD WE RESPOND WHEN THE PRESSURE RISES?
When times are hard, . . .
Rather than turn away from God, . . .
* DRAW NEAR TO HIM! Draw near!
* HANG ON TO OUR HOPE! Hang on!
* Consider how to SPUR ONE ANOTHER ON to love and good deeds —Encourage one another. Spur on!
When we face hard times, isn’t the time for isolation!
Satan wants to isolate us–to get us to try to tough it out; to go it alone.
WE don’t FEEL like getting together; much less like going to church.
That’s when we need each other most!
We need Him.
We need each other.
I’d like to give us an assignment for this week.
Think of three people you know that need encouragement.
Apply this passage specifically to them.
It says “consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds.”
CONSIDER how you could spur these three people on.
Pray God will show you how to encourage them—each may need something different.
Then just do it! Do whatever you come up with to spur them on!