Hebrews: The New Covenant Administration of Christ Max A Forsythe (c) Anno Domini 2005

From the Pulpit at Pilgrim's Rest Presbyterian Church in America

Access to Christ
For the Lord’s Day:  the 10^th of April 2005

Hebrews 10: 19-25

Introduction:  This week the world took a long, long week to mourn the passing of the head of the largest christian body in the world.  While I have no doubt about the general encouragement of faith and freedom accomplished during the reign of the man being honored, at least as a Protestant, I was completely poped out from the media coverage by the end of the week.  And again, I have no doubts that very many faithful people are members of the Roman administration – but the pomp and majesty of the funery rituals were more appropriate for a head of state than for a leader in Christ’s Church.  Of course, the Vatican City does claim a certain independent sovereignty for itself – so therefore in a materialistic, patriotic sense:  all was thereby allowable and appropriate.

However, coming at the time when we have reached the great dividing point of the book of Hebrews, the whole ritualistic show and the emphasis on the continuing sacrificial theology of the Roman administration must cause one to wonder if the sacrificial aspects of the Mass are not more in keeping with the former Old Covenant administration of the former Jewish Church than that of any Christian emphasis encouraged under the New Covenant administration of Jesus Christ.  A key theological point for Protestants in general is the access every Christian now has to the Lord Jesus Christ.  The very notion of any earthly priest ought to give us all pause because of the very insistence of the writer of the letter to the Hebrews in our text for today.

In the context of the first nine and a half chapters of the book of Hebrews – the whole essential theology is the revelation that Jesus Christ has once for all dispensed grace and mercy through His sacrifice on the cross.  This fact was proved by His resurrection when He took up again the life He laid down for all of the elect in every place and time.  The heart of the matter is this:  Jesus Christ is central.  And in our text for today the reactionary question of the great doctrine established is this:  what is our proper reaction to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, His resurrection and ascension?

Development:  Verses nineteen through twenty-one reinforce the concept of access to God through the sacrifice of Christ.  There is no longer any curtain separating the Holy of holies in any temple.  They way into the presence of God is opened by and through the blood of Jesus.  And all of those who constitute God’s elect may approach God directly in prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ.  This text is one of several cited to teach us to pray to the Father, through the Son and by the Holy Spirit.  Many years ago, when I was first introduced to people who prayed directly to Jesus, I was somewhat perplexed until I was helped to realize that the orthodoxy of the older churches was correct in the manner of learning how to pray from the direct instructions of Jesus who taught the disciples to pray to “Our Father in heaven.” even as He prayed to Him.  However, verse twenty is instructive in that our access is always understood as in and through the person of Christ alone.  F.F. Bruce notes that “the present passage is our author’s counterpart to the affirmation of John 14: 6:  ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.’”

Because we have been given this access, therefore, the writer says, let's be practical about our obedience to God.  Since, unlike the Priests of old, he announces that we can enter directly into the holy place of a relationship with God, through the presence of the Holy Spirit.  F.F. Bruce notes that “the practical implications … are now summed up in this sentence of sustained exhortation, which might well have formed the conclusion of the homily, had not our author judged it wise to expand and apply in greater detail the points made here, for the further encouragement and strengthening of his readers.”  The Apostle goes on to give us four reasonable points to consider.

1. First he admonishes us to draw near with a sincere heart because the new way or covenant provides for this special relationship promised by the witness of Jeremiah.  God Himself has provided access to His grace through Jesus.  But this does not mean that we are all priests!  No, Jesus Christ is our only priest.  It is because of his access to the Father that we are granted three things: 

a. a conscience cleansed by His blood.
b. the assurance of the removal of guilt.
c. confidence to approach our Holy God in prayer.

Briefly, let us consider these three things.  Because of the death of Christ, we no longer must live with guilt day in and day out.  Obviously, we need to repent of our sins and desires – but we should not let them weigh us down and depress our souls.  Once for all the sacrifice has been made and as the old hymn goes, “there is power in the blood” – power to cleanse, to be forgiven and the sins forgotten for all time.

Further, just as in the old Jewish ritual, where the sins of the whole people were symbolically laid upon the head of a goat, which was sent out to wander in the wilderness to meet its fate – so too was all the guilt piled up over the ages by the elect removed: once it was born to the grave by our Lord Jesus Christ.

And finally, since the Lord’s Anointed accomplished this salvation, we dare to approach the awesome and holy Lord God of heaven and earth in prayer.  After all, He was the author of not only salvation, but also the means by which it was accomplished.  And once the final vestiges of earth are swept away, we too like Adam and Eve may know the blessed eternal state of the heavenly garden where Christ shall rule forever and ever.

2. Second, the author proposes that we should hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.  Notice the plural emphasis!  It is the Church together that is to hold fast the confession, it is together that we are stimulated to love and good deeds.  It is together that we encourage one another.  Certainly, we must always keep in mind the ultimate sacrifice that God made for our benefit by His establishment of His Covenant of Grace.  That covenant in His Name allows the Holy Spirit to work in our lives to fulfill His promise to all those who are called apart to be part of His Church.

3. Third, we are urged to consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.  We need to remember that we are Christians not for our own sake, but for the sake of others.  Our faith is not a selfish satisfaction, but a call to ministry in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  One and all we may participate in the work of the church.  Certainly, some are called to lead, others to teach and to serve, but there is always more than enough work to occupy the whole body of the Church.

4. Finally, we are urged to not give up meeting together but to encourage one another.  Some time ago, I heard on the radio - the report of a counselor saying that people shouldn't feel guilty for not worshipping in crowds because some people just didn't have the personality to worship in that way!  In effect, he was saying it was alright to stay home and worship privately.  I don't see that premise here.  If the Church is to be the Church we must work and witness and worship together.  If we do not regularly uphold one another and go our own way instead, continued neglect may possibly lead to a forsaking of the Christian Church and even a renunciation of the Christian faith.

Application:  Now, there are several ways that churches seek to complete these charges from the Apostle who wrote this letter to the Hebrews.  The Old Covenant Church, by the time of Christ had fallen on hard times, and the leaders of that Church made the holy faith a heavy burden indeed.  All sorts of methods were found to multiply the income of the church and to force the faithful to pay penance for any forgiveness granted by the authority of any priests.

From time to time, even in the new economy of the Lord’s direct administration of the church, many wicked and powerful men have attempted to re-establish such a mindless political and spiritual control.  We have to remember that the members of the church do not exist to be manipulated by the leadership!  All that leaders are charged with is to preach Christ and Him crucified, raised and ascended to govern the Church from on high.  And whenever a body of leaders begins to disagree, the scriptures tell us that spiritual and theological divisions arise within Christian bodies, it is so that the Lord may prove over time, which group He will bless and affirm.

It is always a heavy responsibility for the people of the church to weigh carefully the trends and fads that affect and even afflict the growth and management of every congregation.  We ought all and sundry to pray to the Lord for His blessing and leading year by year.  And the regular application of our text would be that we all participate in the working out of polity and fellowship.  I am reminded of an episode of the Little House on the Prairie some years ago:  the students at the little one room school where Laura went were being bullied by a large and loud-mouthed lout.  After an hour’s exploration of how upside down everyone’s lives were being turned, a solution was found.  The whole gang of a dozen children took on the bully and thereby brought him down to defeat.  The struggle, as I remember it was in getting everyone, no matter how small and week to join together and bell the cat, so to speak.

I have seen this played out in several congregations over the years.  In one case, it took twelve years to accomplish, in another place – the issue is still unresolved.  Remember, that in the context of this passage you are all a part of the church and as the Apostle charges here – we all must work together to maintain sound doctrine, a minimal sense of holiness but most of all an atmosphere of loving fellowship where the weak as well as the strong may continue to grow in grace.  May this be our goal and His accomplishment in our lives and in our congregation.  Amen.

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PREACHING RESOURCES

Brown, Raymond.  The Bible Speaks Today:  The Message of Hebrews.
Bruce, F.F.  The Epistle to the Hebrews.
The Holy Bible:  English Standard Version.

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