Hebrews 10:1-18- {"The failure of the Law (vv. 1-5), Christ's final sacrifice, and the forgiveness of sins (vv. 5-18) are summarized and emphasized. The Law, as "a shadow," anticipates "the good things to come" in Christ (v. 1). Its sacrifices were unable to provide (my comment – perfect and complete) forgiveness, the meaning of "perfect" (v. 1). Even after making such sacrifices, the worshiper still had a painful consciousness of sin (v. 2). The author interpreted Psalm 40:6-8 christologically (Heb. 10:5-7). He saw the words of the psalm as being spoken by Christ to God at the time of the Incarnation. God had no desire for any further sacrifices. Jesus, therefore, committed Himself to obey God in His human body and to offer that body as a once-for-all sacrifice which actually sanctifies (v. 10). His active obedience abolished the need for Levitical sacrifices." [1]Thomas Nelson, Inc: Woman's Study Bible . Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1997, c1995, S. Heb 10:1}
"make perfect" (v.1) "And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all (v. 10) because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy." (v.14) These terms mean that we are positionally perfect in our spirit (similar to justification, Rom. 5:1; also see 2 Cor. 5:21) and set apart (holy – set apart for God's purposes). It does not mean sinless perfection. Paul's epistles (Rom. 6-8) speak of sanctification (being made holy) as an on-going process as our soul (our mind, will and emotions) and body (righteous actions) become more and more like Jesus (2 Cor. 3:18).
Hebrews 10:5-10; Psalm 40:6-8 – Not only was the blood of animals not sufficient for our forgiveness but only pointed to Christ and His sacrifice; the animals, unlike our Lord, did not voluntarily offer their life-blood as our Lord did. And even more so, Jesus did this with delight as seen in Psalm 40:6-8, a prophetic Psalm about Jesus' incarnation and sacrificial death. (Also see Heb. 12:2) "Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said, 'Here I am-it is written about me in the scroll- I have come to do your will, O God.' " First he said, "Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them" (although the law required them to be made). Then he said, "Here I am, I have come to do your will." He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. I delight to do thy will, O my God. (Psalm 40:8) {"Our blessed Lord alone could completely do the will of God. The law is too broad for such poor creatures as we are to hope to fulfill it to the uttermost: but Jesus not only did the Father's will, but found a delight therein; from old eternity he had desired the work set before him; in his human life he was straitened till he reached the baptism of agony in which he magnified the law, and even in Gethsemane itself he chose the Father's will, and set aside his own. Herein is the essence of obedience, namely, in the soul's cheerful devotion to God: and our Lord's obedience, which is our righteousness, is in no measure lacking in this eminent quality. Notwithstanding his measureless griefs, our Lord found delight in his work, and for "the joy that was set before him he endured the cross, despising the shame." Yea, thy law is within my heart. No outward, formal devotion was rendered by Christ; his heart was in his work, holiness was his element, the Father's will his meat and drink. We must each of us be like our Lord in this, or we shall lack the evidence of being his disciples. Where there is no heart work, no pleasure, no delight in God's law, there can be no acceptance. Let the devout reader adore the Saviour for the spontaneous and hearty manner in which he undertook the great work of our salvation." Spurgeon – The Treasury of David}
Hebrews 10:19-25 – Faith, hope and love – "Therefore… Since we know we are completely forgiven for all of our sins, past, present and future, and that we can have a personal and intimate relationship with a holy God who is our Abba Father through our Savior and High Priest Jesus (Heb. 4:14-16) and since we have a sure hope of heaven and the anticipated joy of being with our God and our saved loved ones forever, we can love and serve one another and inspire one another to reach out with deeds and words of love to those around us; and especially in light of Christ's return (as you see the Day approaching) and our desire to hear our Lord say, "Well done my good and faithful servant."
The words, "let us" (seen five times in verses 22-25) is a picture of what a good leader says and does. The author of Hebrews does not say, "you all go and do so and so" but says, "let us (you and I) go together in a good (Godly) direction" and then models and inspires others to join him. Let us J look at these five exhortations together:
1) Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith. Think of faith in God as Who He is and all He has done (the past) as revealed in His Word (His-story) from creating the universe (Gen. 1-2; Psalm 19; Heb. 11:1-3) to creating you and then dying to save you and all He has done for others in the Bible (Heb.11 tells a lot of faith stories) and for those you know today.
2) Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. Think of hope as all God has promised you for the future and most importantly in heaven (Rev. 21-22). If the hope of heaven is not a clear and strong hope we will, by default, have misplaced, fleeting hopes in the things of this world, which is cursed, evil and filled with suffering (which can lead to hopelessness). See David's hope in heaven, the land of the living in Psalm 27:13 {" Alas! what a land of the living is this, in which there are more dead than living, more under ground than above it; where the earth is fuller of graves than houses; where life lies trembling under the hand of death; and where death hath power to tyrannize over life! No, my soul, there only is the land of the living where there are none but the living; where there is a church, not militant, but triumphant; a church indeed, but no churchyard, because none dead, nor none that can die; where life is not passive, nor death active; where life sits crowned, and where death is swallowed up in victory." Sir Richard Baker. Spurgeon – The Treasury of David}
3) Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. The most obvious way to do this is by our personal example and inviting others (let us…) to join us in the loving deeds we are doing (the present). And even though others may not be called to your deeds of love, your example may inspire others to find how they too can love and serve others with their unique gifts. (1 Peter 4:10)
4) Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing. Believers at the time of this epistle were being persecuted for simply being a Christian (see Heb. 10:32-34) and thus tempted to not associate with other believers. But it is difficult to do the next "let us" – encourage one another, unless we are together.
5) but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching. The following is from my prayer guide for A DAY ALONE WITH GOD, we did this week and summarizes the need for meeting together for encouragement. {"The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. (Gen. 2:18)" Again I saw something meaningless under the sun: There was a man all alone. (Remember the wolf loves the lone sheep). Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!" (See Eccl. 4:7-10) "People who finish well do not do so without the caring support of other growing members of the body of Christ. These relationships help us 1) to increase in intimacy with Christ, 2) to maintain the needed disciplines, 3) to clarify our long-term perspective, 4) to sustain a teachable attitude, and 5) to develop our purpose and calling. As opposed to the world's way of relating which can be extreme independence on one end of the spectrum to extreme codependence on the other end of the spectrum, Scripture calls us to interdependence. Genuine Christian community requires ongoing forgiveness, truth-telling in love, and commitment. It is one of God's main tools to comfort and encourage us and to rub off sharp edges of our un-transformed personalities." (Conformed to His Image by Ken Boa) In addition to being a part of a local church, small group relationships are important and I encourage men and women to be in a men's or women's small group as well as co-ed groups. One on one relationships are also important so we can get very personal about our needs and issues. Spiritual growth comes from both receiving (from a mentor(s) and giving (to a disciple(s) the life of God from and to others in in-depth, honest, and accountable relationships. We all need a Paul (a mentor), a Barnabas (a peer), and a Timothy (a disciple) in our life. (See Psalm 119:63, (peer); 74 (mentoring a disciple); and 79 (mentored by someone.) Without these relationships our growth is stunted and our salt and light influence on our families, workplace and society is minimized or lost. (Matthew 5:13-16)
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AND APPLICATION
1. Remember the wolf loves the lone sheep. Who are your best friends and how do you remain close to each other?
2. List some of the communities you are a part of such as marriage, family, church, business, small groups, one on one relationships, etc. A) Which ones really strengthen you and why? B) Which ones drain you and why? C) In which ones do you practice forgiveness and celebration and how do you do this? D) Are there new groups you need to find for support and for sharing your gifts? Make a note of those.
3. What do you do to build and maintain your faith in God (see # 1 under Heb. 19-25 above)?
4. What do you do to build and maintain your hope in all He has promised you in heaven? (see # 2 under Heb. 19-25 above). If the hope of heaven is not a clear and strong hope we will, by default, have misplaced, fleeting hopes in the things of this world, which is cursed, evil and filled with suffering (which can lead to hopelessness). "I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living." (Psalm 27:13) See Baker's comments above on heaven (the land of the living) under #2 and discuss your hope in heaven.
5. Where do you meet for encouragement and how do spur others on to love and good deeds for the Lord?