I. Introduction
A. Well, we’ve been on quite a journey. But we’ve come to a turning point.
1. Up to this point, we’ve had to spend a lot of our time just understanding what the author of Hebrews has been saying.
2. Now things have changed, assuming we’ve been paying attention and have a basic grasp of the first part of the epistle. Now we must open our eyes wide, take it all in, and let it affect us.
B. Today we cover only five verses, but this passage is the core of the whole epistle.
II. Summary of Hebrews 10:19–23
A. First, the author summarizes what he’s been saying:
1. 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.
2. We have a great priest over the house of God.
B. Then he applies it:
1. In light of all I’ve been talking about, “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.”
2. He’s actually getting back to what he was saying in Hebrews 4:16 “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” before he delved into the Jesus-as-high-priest part of his epistle.
3. AND v.23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
III. Now let’s unpack these statements a little.
A. 19 “enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus”
1. Remember the tabernacle/temple, where God’s presence dwelt in the OT?
2. Remember how the curtain separated them from the presence of the Lord in the Holy of Holies?
3. Remember how the tabernacle/temple were pictures of the true presence of God in the heavenly places and how the whole set-up was designed to show how man is separated from God and how Jesus our high priest broke through the barrier by dying on the cross and gave us access to the presence and favor of God?
4. So now we can enter into the very presence of God by the blood of His Son Jesus!
B. Our confidence to enter (“ we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus”)
1. How in the world can unholy creatures enter into the presence of a Holy God with boldness and confidence? Because it doesn’t depend on us but on Him!
2. How this should affect our church experience? I am all for reverence in worship. But if Christ has opened the way so that we’re supposed to enter boldly, then that reverence must be accompanied by joy and by warmth and by confidence.
C. “A new and living way”
1. New = new covenant as opposed to the old
2. Living = through a person not through a ceremony or a law
a. Not just a person, but a person who is still living
3. Way: Jesus is the way to God – the only way. John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
a. So many don’t like this at all. It seems arrogant to say that your way is the only way.
b. But we’re just accepting what Jesus said.
c. The astonishing part is not that there’s only one way, but that there is a way at all!
D. “A new and living way He opened for us through the curtain, that is, through His flesh”
1. Hebrews 9:12 “He entered once for all into the holy places...by means of his own blood.” Now we enter the same way!
2. As His flesh was torn, so the curtain was torn: Mark 15:38; Matt. 27:51; Luke 23:45.
E. This is the gospel, this is the message of the NT.
1. Man is separated from God through sin.
2. Jesus has broken down the barrier with His death on the cross.
3. Now we are able to draw near to God because our sins have been washed away
4. “By a new and living way, entrance to the very throne is secured for those for whom Jesus’ blood does now atone. Priests and prophets of the past never were such access given. Now the lowliest blood-washed son may approach the throne of heaven.” (Jimmy and Carol Owens)
5. This is what is spectacular about Christianity.
a. It’s not the wonderful fellowship we experience.
b. It’s not the wonderful music we enjoy.
c. It’s not the beautiful cathedrals which have been built.
d. It’s not the eloquent preachers or brilliant theologians.
e. It’s not the amazing works God does to intervene in times of trouble.
f. It’s not the great things we do for God.
g. It’s what Jesus did 2000 years ago to take away our sin.
F. A great priest over the house of God
1. He just spent 5½ chapters elaborating on this.
G. Draw near – v.22 “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.”
1. Just because the barrier has been broken down and the way has been opened up, doesn’t mean everyone is going to enter in, it doesn’t mean that everyone is going to draw near.
2. The greatest thing in life is to draw near to Jesus.
3. It’s not just the most important thing to do in life, it’s the greatest privilege in life.
H. Draw near with a true heart
1. It’s not a matter of how we look or how smart we are or the things we can do. The big thing in life is to draw near to Jesus with a true heart.
2. It’s easy to try to put on a heart of faith so you can go in, to try to convince that you’re in when you know down deep you’re not. That won’t work.
3. You need a true heart of faith.
4. There are plenty who try to get in without it.
a. Lord, Lord, didn’t we? (Matt.7:21-23)
b. No wedding clothes (Matt.22:11-14)
5. It’s not that your faith has to be big. It just has to be true.
I. Full assurance of faith – 22 “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.”
1. This is not being confident of our faith, but in faith being confident of God’s faithfulness.
J. “Hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience” = inward/spiritual cleansing, removal of the sin which separates us from God. How removed? We’re sprinkled with the blood of Jesus. I.e. His death counts for us.
K. Bodies washed with pure water = baptism, the sign of the inward cleansing
L. 23 “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.”
1. This verse expresses the whole point of the book of Hebrews.
2. This is the most important thing each believer needs to do: “hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering.”
3. It’s a beautiful thing to see a person who lives his life faithful to Christ to the end.
a. Oh! the beauty of Christian funerals! — the recognition of a person who finished the race, who fought the fight.
4. Every believer faces trials. Every believer has his faith tested.
5. Every believer is faced with this question: Am I going to keep fighting, keep running? Or am I going to give up, because it is just too hard.
6. So, how do you keep going? How do you keep holding fast? By believing that God — who promised an unspeakably great reward to those who put their hope in Him — is faithful.
a. This is our constant temptation. There is nothing Satan more loves to whisper into the ears of believers than this: God isn’t telling you the truth. You can’t trust Him. He’s not doing a good job. He may not even exist!
7. Is God faithful? Or am I going to conclude that He is not faithful?
a. Is God the problem here? That’s what you’re deciding when you fall away from the living God.
8. We don’t hold fast because we’re good people, or because it’s the right thing to do. We hold fast because our God is faithful.
9. Is holding fast enough? What about doing great things for God?
a. Colossians 1:11 says something amazing about the manifestation of God’s power in our lives: “May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy.”
b. When a person holds fast the confession of hope without wavering, it is a miracle, explainable only by divine power.
IV. Conclusion
A. Hebrews is a glorious explanation of the gospel of Jesus, and a call to come to Him, to enter His presence through His blood.
B. Hebrews is also an alarm to all of us about the danger of falling away, drifting away, running away from Christ. And it is an exhortation to hold fast, to hang on, the stand firm.
1. “Troubles almost overwhelm the soul; griefs like billows over me roll; tempters seeks to lure astray, storms obscure the light of day; but in Christ I can be bold, I’ve an anchor that shall hold. And it holds, my anchor holds. Blow your wildest then, O gale, on my bark so small and frail, by His grace I shall not fail, for my anchor holds, my anchor holds.” – Daniel Towner
C. Mothers of young children
1. This is only a stage in life. It’s a crazy and wonderful stage of life, but just a stage.
2. The question is, will this stage involve drifting away from Christ or clinging closer to Him?
3. Craziness and stress and even sleeplessness is no excuse for drifting away from Christ.
4. The fact is there are some who are in much harder circumstances than you who are close to Christ.
5. You must not allow yourself to drift away from Christ during these years.