Hebrews 13:10-16
(Before we return to Kings, I felt impressed to take one week,
When we returned to the table of the Lord and focused on the cross)
I have entitled this sermon after that famous hymn,
“When I Survey The Wondrous Cross”
Isaac Watts set out to tell you what he thinks, what he feels,
Whenever he survey’s the wondrous cross.
HUMILITY – “When I survey the wondrous cross, on which the Prince of glory died, My richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride.”
He would go on to say, “Forbid it Lord that I should boast, save in the death of Christ my God.”
For him, the cross also brought:
GRATITUDE – “See from His head, His hands, His feet; Sorrow and love flow mingled down. Did e’er such love and sorrow meet? Or thorns compose so rich a crown?”
It also brought:
OBLIGATION – “Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were an offering far too small; Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.”
That would lead to an obvious question of:
What do you feel when you survey the wondrous cross?
I hope your sentiments are similar to that of Isaac Watts.
– I hope you are brought to your knees in humility,
– That you lift your voice in gratitude,
– And that you are forced to your feet in obligation.
But understand not everyone responds to the cross like that.
1 Corinthians 1:22-23 “For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness,”
There are many who look at the cross and think:
That it is a dumb idea, and a stupid thing to follow.
Others are influenced by their mocking.
Many see the scorn of the cross and so
They see sacrifice too high, a cost too great, and suffering too real
They won’t follow Jesus
Because the cost of carrying His cross is too high.
For them, Christianity is all about what they have to lose.
I bring that type of person to mind because that is who
The preacher in Hebrews is talking to.
He is preaching to those who thus far
Have been unwilling to pay the price to follow Jesus.
WHAT WAS THAT PRICE?
They could be cut off from the temple,
And even forced to leave the city of Jerusalem.
This began before Jesus ever died (parents of the man born blind)
John 9:22 “His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed Him to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.”
Jesus warned that this was no idle threat:
John 16:2 “They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God.”
And we read that this plan was working.
John 12:42-43 “Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.”
People could be banned from the temple and even removed from the city.
That meant they lost:
• The Forgiveness of God through the priestly ministry
• The Presence of God which was in the temple at Jerusalem
• The Acceptance of God, being no longer able to offer the sacrifices
For a Jew, that would be an enormous cost for following Jesus.
The preacher here is going to correct their misconception.
By coming to Jesus, they don’t lose a thing.
THIS MORNING:
Maybe you have rejected the cross for similar reasons.
(You thought the cost was too great)
This morning I hope to let Scripture change your mind.
If you have decided to follow Jesus,
I want to remind you that you made the right decision.
There are three things he wants them to know about people who follow Jesus.
#1 WE HAVE AN ALTAR
Hebrews 13:10-11
As I already mentioned, there was a fear that if they confessed Christ, They would lose their access to the temple, and to the altar of God.
In order to offer them comfort,
The preacher reminds them of a shocking Old Testament truth.
“We have an altar”
Just because you can’t get to the temple
Doesn’t mean we don’t have an altar.
“We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat.”
WHAT IS HE TALKING ABOUT?
In most cases the sacrifices given to God were eaten by the people.
Passover – your family ate it in haste
Other Sacrifices – priest ate his potion, you ate your portion
1 Corinthians 9:13 “Do you not know that those who perform sacred services eat the food of the temple, and those who attend regularly to the altar have their share from the altar?”
BUT THERE WAS ON INSTANCE IN WHICH IT WAS FORBIDDEN.
(The Day of Atonement)
Leviticus 6:24-30 “Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘This is the law of the sin offering: in the place where the burnt offering is slain the sin offering shall be slain before the LORD; it is most holy. ‘The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it. It shall be eaten in a holy place, in the court of the tent of meeting. ‘Anyone who touches its flesh will become consecrated; and when any of its blood splashes on a garment, in a holy place you shall wash what was splashed on. ‘Also the earthenware vessel in which it was boiled shall be broken; and if it was boiled in a bronze vessel, then it shall be scoured and rinsed in water. ‘Every male among the priests may eat of it; it is most holy. ‘But no sin offering of which any of the blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement in the holy place shall be eaten; it shall be burned with fire.”
If the blood was carried into the Holy,
The body of the animal could not be eaten.
That body was to be burned outside the camp.
Exodus 29:10-14 “Then you shall bring the bull before the tent of meeting, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the bull. “You shall slaughter the bull before the LORD at the doorway of the tent of meeting. “You shall take some of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger; and you shall pour out all the blood at the base of the altar. “You shall take all the fat that covers the entrails and the lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, and offer them up in smoke on the altar. “But the flesh of the bull and its hide and its refuse, you shall burn with fire outside the camp; it is a sin offering.”
(11) “For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp.”
He is reminding them that there is a figurative altar outside the camp,
Where the body of the sin offering is taken.
And from this altar, the priests are not allowed to eat.
That was a SHADOW in the Old Testament.
Next, the preacher reveals the SUBSTANCE.
Here is what that incident pictured,
(12) “Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.”
To a Jew the most acceptable sin offering
Was the one in which the blood was carried directly to God.
The preacher is revealing is that Jesus was THAT sacrifice.
When He died, it was not in Jerusalem, but on a hill outside of Jerusalem.
That was specifically planned by God
To reveal that Jesus blood was acceptable to Him.
It revealed that the sins of the people
Had transferred to the body of Jesus,
And He now had to be removed.
He was unclean, He was defiled, He had to be exiled.
• He was REJECTED so we could be ACCEPTED.
• He was CURSED so we could be BLESSED.
• He was DEFILED so we could be SANCTIFIED.
Galatians 3:13 “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us — for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE”
2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
By confessing Jesus, you don’t lose forgiveness through sacrifice, You gain it.
Romans 5:1-2 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.”
By following Jesus you may lose your rights to the temple,
And may lose your access to the altar, but WE HAVE AN ALTAR.
THE CROSS
You no longer have to cling to that altar in the temple,
Now you cling to that altar outside of the city.
The one where the true sin offering was given.
We don’t lose forgiveness by coming to Jesus, we gain it.
(Those who cling to the old religion, have no right to this altar – no forgiveness)
#2 WE HAVE A CITY
Hebrews 13:13-14
Jesus Himself was rejected and suffered outside of the city.
And now the preacher is asking us to follow His lead.
(13) “So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.”
Jesus is the only way of forgiveness,
So quit clinging to the old life.
Bear the reproach and run to Jesus.
Matthew 16:24-26 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Now the preacher asks the same.
• Persevere through the shame…
• Pay the cost…
• Bear the reproach…
AND THEN HE TELLS THEM WHY
(14) “For here we do not have a lasting city…”
Everything you are holding on to in this world, will not last.
It is not “a lasting city”
Someday, everything in this world is passing away.
2 Peter 3:10 “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.”
WHY WOULD YOU LET THAT KEEP YOU FROM JESUS?
Jim Elliot said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
THIS WORLD IS PASSING AWAY
1 John 2:17 “The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”
Isaiah 51:6 “Lift up your eyes to the sky, Then look to the earth beneath; For the sky will vanish like smoke, And the earth will wear out like a garment And its inhabitants will die in like manner; But My salvation will be forever, And My righteousness will not wane.”
SO THEY KICK YOU OUT OF THE CITY.
And you suppose you no longer have access to God’s presence.
WRONG – We have a city!
“Here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.”
WE MAY LOSE OUR RIGHT TO DWELL HERE, BUT WE HAVE A CITY.
1 Peter 1:3-4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,”
In the Revelation God even gives John a glimpse of this city.
Revelation 21:1-2 “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.”
John even describes it later (by what is not there)
Revelation 21:22-27 “I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”
You don’t lose forgiveness – you gain it.
You don’t lose God’s presence – you gain it.
WE DWELL IN A HEAVENLY CITY WITH GOD FOREVER
And what a city it will be!
THE ONLY WAY I CAN EXPLAIN IT:
Right now we are like a fish out of water
We only have 5 senses…
We only use 10% of our brain…
Because we were not created for this place.
BUT WE WERE CREATED FOR THAT ONE.
(Imagine when my brain really comes alive, and all my senses are operating)
I don’t know how great it will be, but it will be so good,
Joni Eareckson Tada said, “We won’t forget [this place], so much as we won’t have any need to remember”
Isaiah 65:17-25 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind. “But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing And her people for gladness. “I will also rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people; And there will no longer be heard in her The voice of weeping and the sound of crying. “No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, Or an old man who does not live out his days; For the youth will die at the age of one hundred And the one who does not reach the age of one hundred Will be thought accursed. “They will build houses and inhabit them; They will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit. “They will not build and another inhabit, They will not plant and another eat; For as the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people, And My chosen ones will wear out the work of their hands. “They will not labor in vain, Or bear children for calamity; For they are the offspring of those blessed by the LORD, And their descendants with them. “It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear. “The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain,” says the LORD.”
When you lose that city, you don’t lose a thing.
And you certainly don’t lose God’s presence.
Because of Jesus, we have a city, and we have the presence of God.
We have an altar We have a city
#3 WE HAVE A SACRIFICE
Hebrews 13:15-16
The third fear of the Jews was the fear that
They could no longer be pleasing to God
Because they could no longer offer their sacrifices.
BUT THAT IS NOT TRUE EITHER
WE HAVE A SACRIFICE.
We have the ability to offer God what He wants.
And this morning if you would like to give something to God
That pleases Him, then give Him these things.
Not a goat – Not a bull – Not your money
Give God Your Praise, Your Obedience, Your Generosity
1) (15) “let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.”
IT IS THE SACRIFICE OF PRAISE!
Psalms 69:30-31 “I will praise the name of God with song And magnify Him with thanksgiving. And it will please the LORD better than an ox Or a young bull with horns and hoofs.”
Praise is what God wants from you.
It is one of the main reasons we meet as a Church.
(God humbled me a couple of months ago at Lakeside Baptist Church)
GOD DESERVES PRAISE, AND HE IS PLEASED WITH IT.
Paul indicates that singing praise is an indicator
That you are filled with God’s Spirit.
Ephesians 5:18-20 “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;”
It’s always amazing to me the number of people who will
– Get up on a Sunday morning,
– Drive to church,
– Sit in a pew,
– Fix a frown on their face,
– Cross their arms
– And refuse to sing.
Maybe they do it in protest…
Maybe they do it in revolt…
The Bible says they do it because they are not filled with God’s Spirit.
For when the Spirit of God fills a heart,
The natural overflow is to break forth in song
Of thanksgiving to God.
Consider the Four living Creatures
Revelation 4:8 “And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY,WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME.”
That is a sacrifice God deserves and one He desires.
The second is obedience
2) “And do not neglect doing good…”
Psalms 24:3-6 “Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood And has not sworn deceitfully. He shall receive a blessing from the LORD And righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face — even Jacob.”
This was also the essence of what Paul commanded:
Romans 12:1 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”
God doesn’t want goats – God wants your praise and your obedience
Thirdly – God wants you to be generous
3) “do not neglect…sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”
In fact generosity is to be like God.
Luke 6:35-36 “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
God is generous, and God loves to see Himself in us.
That is why Paul wrote:
2 Corinthians 9:7 “Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
You don’t lose your ability to please God through sacrifice
When they run you out of the temple.
You still have the ability to give God a sacrifice He wants.
Give Him Praise
Give Him Obedience
Give Him Generosity
And I hope you see the preacher’s point.
DO NOT WORRY ABOUT
BEING MADE AN OUTCAST BECAUSE OF THE CROSS.
WE HAVE AN ALTAR, it is the cross.
WE HAVE A CITY, it is the new Jerusalem.
WE HAVE A SACRIFICE, it is Praise, Obedience, & Generosity.
You lose nothing by coming to Jesus.
• You gain access to God
• You gain a new city
• You gain a ministry that is truly pleasing to Him.
WHAT ELSE COULD YOU ASK FOR?
The cross isn’t something to run from, it is something to embrace.
The cross is the reason I can get to God…
The cross is the reason I can go to Heaven…
The cross is the reason I can now offer sacrifices that are pleasing to God…
And today we come to remember the cross.
If you have never let go of this world to turn and follow Jesus,
Let me encourage you to do it today.
In a moment I will pray and then we will enter
A time or preparation for the Lord’s Supper.
• It is a time to examine ourselves…
• It is a time to check our motives…
• It is a time to order our hearts right before God…
1 Corinthians 11:28 “But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.”
For you that might mean salvation (you need to surrender to Jesus)
For you that might mean baptism (you need to make it public)
For you that might mean time at the altar
For you that might mean offering forgiveness to a brother
For you that might mean singing with the song at the top of your lungs
Regardless, I am asking you to fill in the this blank:
“When I survey the wondrous cross, on which the Prince of Glory died, I_________________________”
When you look at the cross, what do you do?
Do you run from it?
Do you mock at it?
Do you ignore it?
Are you unmoved by it?
Do you embrace it?
Do you break out in singing?
What do you do when you survey the wondrous cross?
THE LORD’S SUPPER IS THE TIME TO DO IT.
LORD’S SUPPER
Colossians 1:21-22 “And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach”
• Give bread to deacons
• Prayer
• Deacons Pass out Bread
Matthew 26:26 “While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”
• Take Bread
Colossians 1:19-20 “For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.”
• Give juice to deacons
• Prayer
• Deacons Pass out Juice
Matthew 26:27-28 “And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.”
• Pray
• Parting Chorus
