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

The King & His People
For the Lord’s Day:  the 17^th of July 2005

Hebrews 12: 1-17

Introduction:  Time was, when knighthood was in flower – that twenty families serfs were counted necessary to support a mounted knightly trooper and his horse.  And all of Europe in the Middle Ages was connected in some way to the security ensured by the system of feudalism.   The knight of course would not always fight alone, several of the braver squires with lesser horses and armor would follow in their train.  The knights of course owed their allegiance to the Barons, Dukes and Counts, who in turn gave their pledge to the crowned kings of Europe.   The quilted landscape of loyalties shifted and shattered according to the fortunes of war.  The reality of any peace was sometimes difficult to comprehend and the absence of war might lull everyone into a false sense of complacency.

The Apostle, who wrote this brilliant summary of the life and purpose of the Jewish Church, has just finished a roll call of the faithful.  And now, we might introduce the twelfth chapter?  And now, he gets serious about the implications of observations he made about the life and purpose of the Old Covenant Community.

But, it is not only the lives of the saints that should inspire us, he insists.  After all, every one of them was looking forward to the Christ, the Anointed One of God.  So “therefore” he writes “since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”

How appropriate was our study in the Psalms this morning, where David described the storms of life that beset us all, and how through it all we are to keep our eyes on the God who owns the heavens and earth.   He it is who sent His only Son to lead us through the storms of life into the bright and beautiful fields of heaven beyond.   The first three verses of our text today identify the King who must lead us.  Verses four to eleven explore the meaning and purpose of the experience of life under the kingship of Christ.  And finally, verses twelve to seventeen answer the question of how then shall we live?

Development:  So let us begin with the descriptive theology that frames the face of our beloved Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!  In the ancient battles, when flags, pikes and swords were the order of the day, every little knightly band would gather around the bloodied banner of their local laird.  In the defense of Vienna an early Habsburg Count lost his standard bearer and took off his white coat, hanging it on a spear to rally his troops.  Once it was held aloft, everyone noticed that the once pristine purity of the coat was stained above and below the belt line with blood.  And thereby was the royal Austrian flag born in its traditional notation:  Red – White –Red.

In a much grander tradition and history – the aged Apostle encourages us to look through the slime and smoke of worldly battle towards the One who died for us: “looking unto Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.”  If we would be led along, like the Old Covenant Church ought to have been lead, then every eye must be upon Jesus.  He is our banner, our blood and our victory!

And then we have for many today, a difficult challenge: to comprehend the absolute joy in victory that Christ attained at such a terrible cost.   We have of course read of the pearl of great price, the treasure buried in the field, but are we ready to comprehend that just as George Patton and Stonewall Jackson gloried in their trade – so too, once all was finished, our Lord Jesus Christ celebrated with great joy, the deliverance which had been achieved in his sweat, blood and tears?

Even though by all accounts, His death was despicable and not considered worthy of a dog – He endured it to the end because of what was accomplished for His people.  And as a result of His perfect obedience, the Creator God appointed Him to sit on the throne with Himself.  It is the greatest honor to ever be reported in all the known and unknown universe.

In section two of our text, the Apostle invites us to “consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.”  Even as you all know, I have felt a heavy weariness for several months and in order not to burden you with that any longer, we have invited a younger man it to share in the calling here.  This is for your good, with enough rest – further studies and your continued encouragement I am confident that there is more work and opportunities ahead for all of us.

Look at verse four, even though in America some of us can feel toasted, still even as the Apostle admonishes us “you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.”  I don’t know about you, but my heart goes out to the churchmen in Iraq and in all the Middle East, where local terrorists murder Christians for the sheer joy of hearing them scream!  Even as David realized in his descriptive analysis of the spiritual storms of life, all of these things come upon us to deepen our faith and obedience.  Every action, small and large is meant to point us ever and anew to the face of our Lord Jesus Christ.

There are churches of course that will promise you health, wealth and all manner of prosperity, and these temples are filled more than we have ever known.  And yet, even while we do not go looking for trouble, our experience here over the years is regularly confirmed – the Lord loves us, and He does indeed test us to make our faith and obedience more certain.  The Apostle compiles revelationary evidence from Proverbs, Job and the Psalms to prove His point that it is in discipline that the Lord God of heaven and earth proves His saints.  “He disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.”   Now, I can tell you for certain that I did not enjoy every year that I spent in public service – it was hard service indeed, but I came out of the trials and frustrations loving the psalms and better able to serve my Lord.

Application:  How then, shall we live?  Yes, that is the title of Francis Schaeffer’s seminal work, published just a few years before he went on to glory.   The Apostle gives us four admonishments, which we should all take to heart.  First he tells us in the dark night of our souls, “lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.”

Did you know that the United States military has recalled over five thousand men in their late fifties, sixties and early seventies?  None of these ersatz troopers will be put in the front lines of course, but they will be used to fill in critical jobs where the younger men have not the experience yet.   How well I remember when the first desert war began.  An Army recruiter told me how many Viet Nam veterans were coming into the recruiting stations asking if they could be of service.  All they really wanted he said was a chance to win a war!  I was even asked if I would come in as a Chaplain, I didn’t of course, but you’ll never know how much it meant to a forty-four year old, out of shape veteran!

What an encouragement for the saints in that first hundred years after the birth of Christ!  Even at the late date when this book was written, there were many who needed encouragement.

Second, the Apostle encourages us to “strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.”  Of course, we well know that this is a difficult calling, and yet even as Paul admonishes us in the book of Romans, we should be very careful that when the peace is violated – that we should not be the rabble rousers to create it or cause any discord.  Blameless we might interpret this calling.  But of course, we know where the true holiness resides and it is the covering of his blood that counts ever so much in the grand scheme of eternity!

Third, the Apostle mixes several thoughts in the complexity of verse fifteen.  In this verse we are regularly encouraged to make certain that we fall within the grace of our Lord and Savior.  In this regard, we take communion seriously and especially joy in the sweetness of the Savior’s blessed covering.  In addition the Apostle hints that we should tolerate no root of bitterness when such discouragements spring up and cause us consternation.  He observes that the worldly envyings that might tarnish our demeanor and make us worthless to the cause of Christ.

Last of all, the Apostle would admonish us to maintain sexual purity in an age consumed and obsessed with the subject.  In a worldly culture, over the years of public service – temptations were available if any one wanted to look into it.  Sometimes, all of a sudden, there it was even if you made every attempt to avoid such things.  It could be unnerving and eating seemed a way out of several situations.  And finally, the extra pounds worked – and such nonsense seems to be finally a thing of the past.  One of the younger teachers once asked me for advice on the subject and I simply asked him if one night of unethical behavior was worth loosing his family, fortune and perhaps even eternity in hell?

Please note, that Esau here is condemned for on single meal, and that was probably an early version of chili!  Not even firehouse chili is worth the calling which ensnared Esau.  And once the Lord of all the earth had made His decision, nothing on earth could change it!

In other words, the Apostle here is telling us simply:

 1.        You have a King!
2.        You are His people!
3.        Live like it!

Amen.

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PREACHING RESOURCES
Bruce, F.F.  The Epistle to the Hebrews.
Owen, John:  Commentary on the Book of Hebrews.
The Holy Bible:  English Standard Version.

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