The 1^st Sunday of Advent

SERMON

Text: Hebrews 10:19-25

Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

In Christ Jesus, Who promised and so will come again at the end of time, dear fellow redeemed:

If today were the last full day you had to live on this earth, for tomorrow morning either your life would end through death or Jesus would return in judgment, how would your day differ? Would you still spend three hours watching a football game this afternoon? I would imagine that many of you would choose not to do that, for after all, what would be the point? You wouldn’t be living to see your favorite team through the playoffs, or they wouldn’t even occur. Would you clean the house? I doubt it, for what would be the point? Would you quarrel with your neighbor or your spouse? I think not. Would you purposely fill your day with sins of the flesh—sneaking off to commit adultery or view a triple “X” rated movie, or getting drunk or high? I would hope not! Would you spend your time with your family and closest friends? Probably, you would. Would you focus more or less than you usually do on God and your relationship with Him? I am confident that your answer would be, “More, rather than less,” for after all our eternal futures lie in God’s hands.

My dear friends, if these final observations would be true for you if this were your last day to live on this earth, then I would urge you to live today and everyday as if it were to be your last! Do those things most important for your future—build up your relationship with God and foster and enjoy your relationships with your families and your fellow believers. This is the advice of the writer of Hebrews who in our text reminds us that THE DAY OF JESUS’ RETURN IS APPROACHING! Rejoice, therefore, in the privilege of exercising your faith privately, and rejoice as well in the possibilities of expressing your faith publicly!

I.

Yes, rejoice in the privilege of exercising your faith privately! The book of Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians who were in danger of converting back to Judaism in view of the persecutions they were undergoing as Christians. The author develops a series of themes in his first ten chapters, all of which are intended to demonstrate the superiority of Christianity over a Christ-less Judaism. He points out that Jesus in truly God’s own dear Son, that He unlike the priests of Judaism is a holy and eternal priest, and that the sacrifice He offered—His own precious blood—was offered once to atone for the sins of the world. Having completed his presentation, the author now issues a series of exhortations to you and me, his readers. He begins with an encouragement to exercise our faith boldly in our private relationship with God. He writes, “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”

If we are to understand this encouragement, we must understand something about the Old Testament temple and the worship conducted in it. The Old Testament temple was a building with one large room divided into two parts—the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. A large curtain served as a divider. In the Holy Place there was a table for ceremonial bread, a seven-prong candlestick, and an altar upon which incense was offered. The Ark of the Covenant was the only thing in the Holy of Holies, which represented the very presence of God. A large courtyard surrounded the temple building. In Old Testament times worshipers never entered the temple itself and approach God directly. Rather they stood outside for worship in the courtyard. Only the priests were allowed in the Holy Place, which they entered each morning and evening on behalf of the people to place bread on the table and offer an incense offering. The High Priest alone was allowed in the Holy of Holies, which He would enter once each year on the Day of Atonement. This, too, he did on behalf of the people. He would sprinkle the blood of an animal sacrifice on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant to symbolize the coming sacrifice of the promised Savior, whose blood sacrifice would pay for their sins. If the same principles were to hold true today, we would remove all of the pews from our sanctuary and put a big curtain up separating the altar area from the rest of the sanctuary. You as a congregation would gather on the steps and in the street outside the church, while only Pastor Eichstadt and I would enter the sanctuary to offer prayers on your behalf. One a year, we would pass through the curtain and make an offering for sin once again on your behalf.

The writer to the Hebrews, however, points out that in view of Jesus’ suffering and death, you need not stay outside never to enter the Holy of Holies. No, he says that Jesus opened the doors, so to speak, and invites you into God’s presence. Instead of a curtain hanging and restricting your access into the presence of God, He has created a “new and living way”—the offering of His own flesh as a sacrifice for the sins of the world—by which you can go directly into God’s presence. Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). You and I may be assured that our sins have been paid for and completely washed away as we confess them to your heavenly Father. St. Peter reminds us, “Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19). There is no need for an intermediary any longer, the writer to the Hebrews says, for our hearts have been “sprinkled” with the blood of Christ and our bodies washed with the “pure waters” of baptism. St. Paul wrote Titus, “When the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Titus 3:4-6). Consequently, we are urged boldly to enter into the presence of God as His redeemed children and heirs. This is why in our church a pathway is open through the communion rails directly to the altar, symbolizing the truth expressed here.

Dear friends, bear these truths in mind day by day as you see the day of Jesus’ return approaching. Keep on going to your heavenly Father in prayer. Lay out before Him all of your cares, concerns, and thanksgivings. Rejoice in a relationship renewed through Christ and based entirely upon His completed work of redemption! Your heavenly Father has identified you as “His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). He declares that you are in His hands and that no one is able to snatch you out of those hands (cf. John 10:29). He invites you to ask and promises that He will answer (cf. Matthew 7:7). Therefore, rejoice in the privilege of exercising your faith privately!

II.

Truly, THE DAY OF JESUS’ RETURN IS APPROACHING! Rejoice, secondly, in the possibilities of expressing your faith publicly! The writer of our text now encourages us, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful!” The present words of our text, as with those before and those which will follow, imply ongoing activity. We are, therefore, to “keep on holding fast” to the “confession of our hope.” Our hope, as identified earlier, is that Jesus as our Savior came and as our substitute removed our sins through His perfect life and innocent death. St. Paul told the Colossian Christians, “In Him (that is, Jesus Christ) dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power” (Colossians 2:9-10). Away with all notions that we can and must attempt to please God and earn our own salvation by the good works appointed by men. Rather let us publicly confess with our Savior Jesus, “It is finished” (John 19:30). The work of mankind’s redemption was accomplished by Christ, and God has affirmed that redemption by raising Jesus from the dead!

Our world opposes this truth, and as prophesied in Scripture much of that opposition has arisen from with external Christendom. Men and women in their supposed wisdom reject the truths of Scripture. They deny the Bible’s inspiration and claim that Jesus is not true God, that He did not perform the miracles described in Scripture, that He did not arise from the dead, ascend into heaven, and that He will not, therefore, return in glory! Be gone such apostasy! Rather, let us continue to confess our faith and hope as we did earlier when we recited the Nicene Creed together. Let us not waver, even as our blessed Savior did not waver on our behalf but who “for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame” (Hebrews 12:2) to assure our eternal salvation!

The writer of our text then goes on urging us “not forsaking (to forsake) the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some.” My dear friends, this passage is used frequently and properly to encourage individuals to attend worship service and Bible studies regularly. But let us examine closely the reasons for such attendance as expressed in our text. The writer says, “Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works…(let us exhort) exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” Unfortunately, it is so very easy to fall into a rather selfish mode of thinking when it comes to attending worship services and Bible classes. We can easily view such opportunities merely for what they offer us. I go to church or to Bible class simply to hear God’s Word and grow personally through that experience. Or, I may under the influence of Satan suggest that since I do not get anything personally out of the worship service, therefore I will not attend. But the author of the book of Hebrews stresses what you can give, rather than what you can get by attending worship services and Bible studies. Coming together allows each of us to encourage one another, and we need such encouragement. Life is difficult and the temptations of Satan and real and many. We need encouragement to love each other as we should. We need encouragement to be patient and kind in those situations, which are most trying to our souls. We need encouragement in the midst of our grief, or our loss, or our struggles with any of the multitude of problems that can beset us.

Look around you dear friends! Each person here today presents us with possibilities for expressing our faith. Each person here is struggling with his or her personal issues, all of which need to be addressed from a godly point of view. Are you the person God wants to help your brother or sister? Are you the person whom God wants to help through a brother or sister? THE DAY OF JESUS’ RETURN IS APPROACHING! That statement was true when written in our text, and it is even more true today! Rejoice, dear friends, in the possibilities of expressing your faith publicly! Amen.

—Pastor Paul D. Nolting