Hebrews 10:19-25 – Worship: A Christ-saturated community

Introduction

What happens when a fire is deprived of oxygen, or if you want to get technical, of any other oxidizer? It burns out, doesn’t it? The same is true for Christians. We need one another to follow Jesus and be an oxidizer so we can shine brighter for him in a dark world.

Because of Christ’s high priestly work which has given us bold and confident access to God, we should gather together as a community of believers regularly, committing our lives to the corporate worship and praise of God. As we gather and worship, we provoke one another to love and good works, preparing ourselves for the day of Christ’s return.

Background

How can I summarize the book of Hebrews in a brief way? Jesus is better than all; he is worthy of our faith; trust him and don’t fall away.

The letter argues that Jesus is worthy of our faith. As a Revealer he is greater than the prophets and the angels (1-2). As a Mediator he is greater than Moses (3). As a Rest-Provider he is greater than Joshua (4:1-4:13). As a High Priest he is greater than Aaron (4:14-10:18).

This passage, 10:19-25, is the capstone of the exposition on the person and work of Christ, and it is a transition into the remainder of the book. It exhorts us to live in faith, hope, and love. It sums up the theological truths so far, including Jesus’ appointment as high priest and his high-priestly offering of himself. This exposition of Christ is the foundation and motivation for the actions that are mentioned in this passage.

Exposition

So, why do we meet to worship God weekly? Sometimes we can forget the most basic of all things, and so we need a reminder.

What Christ has done: the basis of our worship (vv. 19-21)

In verses 19-21 we are reminded that through the completed work of Christ, his death and resurrection, we can boldly and confidently enter the holy place, God’s presence with a true heart (Heb. 4:14-16).

The idea of confidence here is the freedom to approach an authority without fear, anxiety, or cowering. Just like the OT high priest was able to enter the earthly holy place by the blood of animals, so Jesus, by his blood, has won us entry into the heavenly holy place, God’s presence.

Christ has made a new and living way into the presence of God. The word new carries with it the idea of being fresh. It is new because it is no longer seen and known through types and shadows. The OT people could not enter into the direct presence of God. Only the high priest could, and that but once a year. And so it is also new because Jesus opened a permanent path that is always available to us.

It is living because Jesus has been slain, as the perfect sacrifice, but also has been raised from the dead by the power of God. He is a living sacrifice, dead but always alive. Though Christ’s death happened only once, he is a living sacrifice in the present. His once-for-all sacrifice has a continuing effect. It is also living because Christ is the living God. He was resurrected and provided life to us. He is the word of God. He is living and active. He has made us alive together with Christ.

Christ has opened a way through the closed curtain. This alludes to the veil that separated the outer and inner rooms of the tabernacle. It was a physical representation of a spiritual boundary that no sinful human could pass to be in the presence of God. In the OT, this passageway was closed to all but one, once a year, and he came in through cleansing and sacrifice. Christ, however, is the way, truth, and life. His flesh is the tabernacle “curtain” or veil, which was torn for us. His flesh was torn so that the veil of the heavenly tabernacle could be torn. Jesus is the only way into the presence of God. Our confidence is in the torn curtain of Christ’s crucified body which takes us into the direct presence of God.

And so, we can walk confidently into God’s presence through Christ. Before there was only surrogate access to God, through another man. But now there is direct access to God through and in Christ. It is not temporary, but permanent. Christ’s sacrificial death allows us to enter boldly into God’s presence. Through Jesus, you and I can go right into the most holy place of all before our Father through Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, and we get to talk to him, we are in his immediate presence when we pray. Do you understand this? This is what Jesus did for you…direct access to God.

Christ is the great high priest who presides over the house of God. He alone can usher his people into the presence of God. He is the new and better Moses who leads us out of slavery and into God’s presence. He is the new and better Aaron who gives us entrance into God’s presence. He is the new and better Joshua who takes us into the Promised Land. As Aaron bore the names of the tribes, so Christ bears our names on his body and heart, making constant intercession for us. Jesus has brought us as his people into existence and given us an intimate relationship with God. Jesus is both our access (curtain) and our advocate (priest). His torn flesh provides access and his priestly advocacy continually gives us access. This gives us great confidence to come before God.

What we have seen is provision in Christ. Now we look to the results of this provision: faith, hope, and love. We are given three exhortations, three “let us-es” based upon Christ’s completed work.

The results of what Christ has done in us (vv. 22-25)

Enter/draw near (access) into God’s presence with intimacy in prayer and worship with a true heart in full assurance. (FAITH)

What good is having something if you never use it? Like a bike that you never ride or a car that you never drive. We have been given the greatest gift of all, the ability to enter God’s presence with unfettered access, as a child. Why wouldn’t we use it? One of the biggest tragedies of the Christian world is that God’s children don’t pray.

As we have said…Christ is better than all that has come before. He is our access and advocate. He is the way to God. Because of this we can draw near to God in truth/sincerity. A true/sincere heart is one that involves our thoughts, will, emotions, or character. We draw near to God sincerely, without religious pretense. We draw near in belief and confidence. Because God sees our hearts, we must come with a true, genuine, real, or loyal heart. We must be committed to him. We must love and serve God with all our heart and soul.

But we don’t feel this way. We don’t live this way. So, what should we do? We must look to Christ. We must see his beauty and wonder. We must come to God, drawing near to him every single day in faith and repentance. We must challenge ourselves by asking, “What am I living for? What am I seeking?” When we fail, we can have our consciences cleansed by Jesus’ blood. We can repent and turn to Christ and pursue God in worship. This is the access we have been given.

We can pray for mercy and help in time of need, especially during persecution. All those in Christ have direct access to God. If you have a million dollars, but never spend it before you die, what good is it? So, if you have access to God, but never use it, what good is it?

We also come with full assurance of faith. Our heart should be, as one commentator said, “glutted with faith, filled until it can hold no more.”

We have conviction and certainty. We have a clear-headed confidence and stability in Christ’s work on our behalf. Faith is not a blind leap, we have confidence in a real person who lived, died, and rose from the dead. We have a firm or unwavering confidence in God’s faithfulness because we are rooted and grounded in Christ.

Because our hearts are sprinkled clean from an evil conscience. Our inner person is purified by Christ. Under the old covenant the people were sprinkled with blood, but in the new covenant our hearts are inwardly sprinkled with blood. Our inner person is purified by Christ.

Our bodies have been washed with pure water, probably referring to baptism. But more than likely representing how we are purified by Christ as the priests were washed in their ritual to prepare to meet God. Thus, we can come boldly and worship him without fear.

We must be careful, however, not to think that this only happens in a church building, or only one day a week. God lives in us. Our entire lives should be worship, we can do this by practicing the presence of God through prayer, reading his word, meditation, singing, and fellowship. This can happen in your home, car, or anywhere you go.

Hold fast to our confession of hope without wavering, holding on to the anchor of our soul (HOPE).

What is our faith or belief if we don’t continue in it? How would it go for us if we were walking on a tightrope, got halfway across, and lost our confidence in the rope? We must have a faithful, unwavering understanding that Christ will support us.2

We must keep a tight grip on our Christian faith. Or better said, we must keep a tight grip on Christ. We must hold fast to him, unswervingly. Like the sailors whose ears were blocked with wax by Odysseus so they could row the boat to safety and not be lured to their death by the sirens, we must have our ears stopped from the siren song of the world as it tries to make us abandon our confession. If we draw near to God, then we will certainly persevere in hope. Being near God in worship will give us the power we need to keep rowing, not listening to the siren songs of the world that will bring us to eternal ruin.

The world tries to make it from day to day, eking its way through, one painful moment after another. They hope against hope, depending on and living on unsubstantiated hope. But not Christians, we have substance behind our hope, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, God himself. We have an anchor for our soul which is firm and secure, Christ who draws us near to God. Our confidence is in the life, death, resurrection, ascension, intercession, and immanent return of Christ.

Because God has promised that Christ’s work is and will be effectual for us, we can have a confident spirit because we have a constant, competent, and effective advocate. Our lives are to be controlled by the hope that we profess and hold without wavering. Why? Because God is faithful. God’s character and person is trustworthy, so we can hold our confession before others. We can tell others of the promises of God. We can rest in our confession no matter what it may cost us.

Stir up/provoke one another to persevere in love and good works (LOVE)

What good is an army if everyone simply runs off and does their own thing at the first sign of a skirmish? Nothing will happen but death and destruction, the whole army will be obliterated. We must be actively engaged in working together to do what Jesus commanded us and saved us to…love and good works (John 13:35 and Eph. 2:10).

We are to think about one another. The idea is to “observe well or understand one another in a reciprocal relationship.”’ We are to get to know one another in the intimacy of a community of faith. We are to stimulate one another both spiritually and morally. We are to consider or focus our attention on consciously encouraging those in the Christian community. Why? Persecution, trouble, and the temptation to wander away. The best way to do this is to provoke each other to love and good works; we are to challenge one another to a love that is actively expressed in a Christian ethic or way of life.

Many make excuses to stay away from worship. This isn’t a new problem, it has been around in biblical times when there was persecution, ostracism, and apostasy. Today in our country, at this moment, this may not be the reason, as it was in this time, as it soon may be, but rather it is laziness, discomfort, or not seeing the need.

By not abandoning the gathering. The Greek term for their meeting, assembly, suggests a formal gathering of some kind. A few of them were in the habit of neglecting this responsibility. 

A community of encouragement requires being together, doing that which we have been given privilege to do, entering God’s presence in worship. We are to consistently be involved in the life of the church, not simply in a bunch of programs.

Are you meaningfully engaged in the life of the body every week? Are you involved in worship (rejoicing and growing in Christ through being immersed in the word and prayer)? Are you ministering to others and using your spiritual gifts? Are you experiencing Christian fellowship? Though Christ would never leave or forsake anyone, never abandon anyone, the reality is that many have abandoned him.

Why would they do this? Persecution. Delay of Christ’s return. Connections with the Jewish synagogue. Apathy. This is fatal for perseverance in the faith. You cannot be encouraged in isolation. We must remind each other that Christ is returning.

So, why should we not dismiss attending the Gathering? First, the being or person of Christ is with us as we gather (Rev. 1:9-20). In corporate worship, we meet Christ in a special way. One commentator said, “It is true that a person does not have to go to church to be a Christian. He does not have to go home to be married either. But in both cases if he does not, he will have a very poor relationship.”

Second, corporate worship gives you a place to intensify your passion and joy as God’s word ministers to you in a powerful way. You will be able to more wonderfully and ably glorify God in your worship.

Third, you gain stronger theology and doctrinal understanding which leads to doxology or praise. Deeper theology leads to deeper worship.

Fourth, you will grow in love. You may be able to grow in hope and faith on your own, but not love. Developing love is a communal activity. In other words, you can’t be a good Christian without attending and participating in the weekly Gathering of the saints.

One commentator said, “Worship is the event in which we become radioactive for God. When we are not in the collective worship with God’s people, we have missed an exposure to God, and having missed it, we lose our radiance.” You and I have a very short half-life, we need to be exposed to the radiation of God’s presence through God’s people more and more, and the more we do, the more energy we will have to worship and follow God.

By encouraging or provoking each other. The word carries with it the idea of a sudden and violent emotion or convulsion. We are told to provoke each other to love and good deeds. Voicing exhortations that will strengthen each other’s faith. This encouraging is not judgmental. It is finding weak brothers and sisters and encouraging them in their journey toward Christ. It is lifting them up when they fall and calling them to follow you as you follow Jesus, it is building them up in Christ.

The coming king

Why? Because the day of reckoning is coming. Jesus will return and judge both the living and the dead. We can either approach that day with confidence in the finished work of Christ, being united to him, filled with hope, or we can live a life as the world, filled with despair.

Application

So, what do we do practically? First, we must draw near to God by leaving time for intimacy with God by worshipping him. Second, we pray for each other by name. Third, we live as examples for one another. Fourth, we eat and drink and consume God’s word in community. Fifth, we verbally spur each other on through words of encouragement.

To conclude, Christ’s high priestly work has given us bold and confident access to God, thus, we should gather together as a community of believers regularly, committing our lives to the corporate worship and praise of God. As we gather together and worship, we provoke one another to love and good works as we prepare for the day of Christ’s return.