Congregational handout; outline sermon text on following pages Sermon Notes & References Confidence in Worship Hebrews 10:19-23 November 2, 2014 A. Introduction 1. The Priority of Worship A. 2. How Can We Worship? B. C. Confidence to Come 10:22 1. One A True Heart D. 2. Two An Assured Faith E. 3. Three An Inner Cleansing F. 4. Four A purified Life G. B. Reasons for Confidence 10:19-21 1. By Jesus Dying Blood (19) C. 2. By Jesus Resurrection Body (20) D. Confidence in Our Confession 10:23 1. A Steady Profession 2. A Faithful Promise 3. By Jesus, Our Priest-King (21) E. Conclusion A B C Rev 4:11; Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Leviticus 19:18; John 4:24 Isaiah 59:2; Romans 7:18, 22; Psalm 9:1 Ephesians 3:12; 2:18 D E F G Ezekiel 36:26 Romans 12:3, Ephesians 2:8, Mark 9:24 1 John 1:8-9 Ezekiel 36:25, 1 John 1:7
{1}. Hebrews 10:19-23............................................... Confidence in Worship A. Introduction 1. The Priority of Worship a. the Shorter Catechism first asks, What is the chief end of man? or, What is man s purpose? Why was he created? (A) and proceeds to give the answer: Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever. (B) Revelation 4:11is one of those Scriptures which helps answer that question, where the elders say, Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honour and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created. b. Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law? asked the scribe (A) from Deuteronomy 6:4-5 Jesus answered, Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. (B) and then you shall love your neighbour as yourself; I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19:18) c. to the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus said, God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:24) d. meditating on all these verses, we gather that worship glorifying and enjoying our Creator God consists of a spiritual, love relationship between us and God; between man and Majesty 2. How Can We Worship? a. how are we to love God, with all our heart, all our soul, all our might? b. Do we? Can we? Those questions silence any proud answer. c. we are all too aware of how Isaiah 59:2 applies to us: But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear. d. sin has interrupted the worship of God for which we were created e. salvation through faith in Christ brings us forgiveness of that sin, but also the indwelling Holy Spirit who increases our awareness of sin (A) so that on the one hand we confess with Paul, For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. (Romans 7:18) (B) while on the other we can truthfully say, For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, (Romans 7:22) (C) with this turmoil inside us and Satan s temptations festering it how can I worship, how can I say,
I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonders. (Psalms 9:1) f. Hebrews 10:19-25gives us reasons by which we can be assured that we can come to God in worship and that it will be accepted by God (A) until now Hebrews has been teaching profound truths about Jesus (1) about His Person; about His Ministry; about His salvation (2) now Hebrews applies those truths to a Christian s daily life (3) the first subject is that of worship and service B. Reasons for Confidence.......................................................... 10:19-21 1. By Jesus Dying Blood (19) a. Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, b. since we are using that word, confidence, through this message, let us give a fuller definition of its meaning in Scripture, it is a boldness, where in a relationship one can meet freely and speak frankly c. the OT high priest could not boldly enter the Holy of Holies (A) but only once a year, and then only after the proper sacrifice (B) although he entered as the representative of God s people, yet he could only go alone; and that with much reverence and fear d. now, however, our Lord, Jesus Christ, has offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice, thereby carrying out the eternal and perfect will of God (A) so He has been able with perfect confidence and joy to enter into the Presence of His Father for us, as our representative (B) the NT describes the people who have found salvation by faith as being in Christ, because they have identified themselves with Him (C) Ephesians 3:12 speaks of those in Christ when it says in whom we have boldness and confident access (D) through faith in Him. that the believer can therefore accompany Christ into heavenly places is further explained by Ephesians 2:18, for through Him Christ we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. e. Christ s shed blood has opened the way unto the Father, so that we, sinful as we are, are able to engage in true, spiritual worship 2. By Jesus Resurrected Body (20) a. by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh,
b. in 1954 the Toronto Yonge subway opened, and I remember how I wanted to travel from end to end on that first inaugural train but strangely enough I cannot remember whether did so or not! c. Jesus is, as it were, the inaugural train, that conveys His people with Him into the heavenly Holy of Holies, the very Presence of God (A) He did so in His flesh that is His resurrected Body (B) there is a great emphasis in the record of those 40 days before His ascension that Christ s resurrected body was very real (C) although He could pass through locked doors, nevertheless He could be touched, He could eat, He could walk and talk (D) this was given as clear evidence that one day our bodies will be raised immortal and incorruptible and we shall join with our Lord (E) in the book of Acts, the preaching of the resurrection is every bit as important as the preaching of the cross d. because by that resurrection He opened a new, really effective, living way by which we can have spiritual access to our Father God e. one day that access into God s Presence will be perfected for us, that what we now perceive through a veil will be fully opened to our view that outcome is assured 3. By Jesus, Our Priest-King (21) a. and since we have a great priest over the house of God, b. this is the double reason for our confidence (A) unlike the dead and gone OT high priests (B) our High Priest is well and alive and living in heaven (C) there He is our defence lawyer, pleading on our behalf c. but He is also our Sovereign Lord, for He rules over God s household, the church, and so able to return one day to take us back to Himself, that where He is, we shall be also C. Confidence to Come............................................................... 10:22 1. Verse 22: let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. a. in this verse there are four conditions that enable the believer to come to God in confidence to worship b. but each of these represent changes that have first of all been effected in the believer, not by one s own effort, but by the Holy Spirit of God
c. yet each of these also include an ongoing responsibility on our part 2. One A True Heart (22a) a. let us draw near with a sincere heart b. Jesus Christ came 2000 years ago not to judge, but to save the world c. nevertheless, He spoke words of judgement, with the most scathing of these being against those hypocrites making a great pretence of piety d. so the first reason for confidence is the radical work of the God in the innermost part of a person whereby, despite every weakness and failing, they truly love God and desire to please Him e. in such, then, God has kept his promise, Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 36:26) f. if so, then it is our responsibility is to live that new life in the Spirit 3. Two An Assured Faith (22b) a. let us draw near with full assurance of faith b. As Romans 12:3 and Ephesians 2:8 teach, even our faith is God s gift c. yet, you may have, as I, breathed the same prayer of the father who said, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief (Mark 9:24, AV) d. how much easier it is to walk by sight, than by faith! e. yet faith is like a muscle: it has been placed in us as part of our new creation in Christ, but it grows strong only as it gets regular exercise f. we are encouraged to come to God in worship: in prayer and praise, with the increasing full assurance that he will accept and will answer 4. Three An Inner Cleansing (22c) a. let us draw near with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience b. this verse speaks of a past action having been sprinkled that took place at salvation, but whose results still abide in the believer c. and yet, sinful thoughts so easily besets us, and we find need to apply the words that1 John 1:8-9 directs to us as Christians, If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. d. fresh forgiveness clears the guilty conscience for confidence in worship
5. Four A Purified Life (22d) a. let us draw near with our bodies washed with pure water. b. some would apply these words to water baptism as though an external rite could effect a spiritual change in us: the meaning is symbolic c. it is the fulfilment of the prophecy of Ezekiel 36:25 (a verse back from the verse we quoted a moment ago): Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. d. and we find our words and actions defiling us, John would again encourage us, but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:7) e. such renewed fellowship gives boldness to meet with our Father God D. Confidence in Our Confession......................................................... 10:23 1. A Steady Profession (23a) a. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, b. without wavering was used to indicate something held straight up and down, something perpendicular, such as a pole c. if you have ever moved a long ladder from say, one tree to another, you know that as long as you hold it perfectly perpendicular it can be carried from place to place; but if you let it fall just a little, it becomes close to impossible to hold upright and it will plummet to the ground d. so it is with our testimony; our profession of faith let it waver but just a little and it will plummet downward e. the first 9 chapters of Hebrews have given reason upon reason as to why we can rely for our salvation completely upon Jesus Christ, both on account of the fact that He is God the Son, and He has completed the work of salvation perfectly on our behalf don t let it waver! 2. A Faithful Promise (23b) a. Let us hold fast for He who promised is faithful; b. but how difficult we may find it to keep our confession from wavering c. the spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh, our physical being is weak d. so where can we find hope? e. only in the promises of God recorded in the Scriptures and in the faithful character of the One who has made
those promises E. Conclusion 1. These then are the reasons the Christian can approach God in confidence in praise and prayer a. Jesus completed work on earth and entry into heaven b. The work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer making him fit to approach God c. The profession we are able to make based on the promises in Scripture 2. Let us then approach our Father God with boldness in worship
1. 2014 by Garth Hutchinson, Faith Fellowship Baptist Church of Aurora (Ontario): may be distributed or quoted freely, only let this be done to the glory of the great God and our Saviour, Jesus Christ (Titus ii.13). Except as noted otherwise, quotations are from the New American Standard version, used by permission. Various other English versions of the Holy Bible may be used in this sermon. Explanatory additions to the Bible text are shown in braces. Version identifiers are: ASV American Standard Version of 1901 AV Authorized (King James) Version of 1769 NAS New American Standard version 1960, 1995 The Lockman Foundation (usually the 1995 edition) NIV New International Version 1984 by the International Bible Society NKJV New King James Version 1979 Thomas Nelson Inc., Publishers WEY The New Testament in Modern Speech 1902, 1912 R. F. Weymouth Some of the commentaries and resources used in the preparation of this message are identified as follow: Barnes Notes on the New Testament, et alia, by Rev Albert Barnes, Gall & Inglis, Edinburgh BM Biblical Museum, Editor James Comper Gray, ca 1870 EBC The Expositor s Bible Commentary, 1986 Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 49530, Michigan Hebrews, by Leon Morris EGT The Expositor s Greek Testament, Hodder & Stoughton Hebrews, by Marcus Dods Gill Exposition of the Old Testament, Exposition of the New Testament, by John Gill, D.D. Kerux The sermon & illustration data base compiled by Rev. David Holwick at the web-site, www.holwick.com. NICNT The New International Commentary on the New Testament The Epistle to the Hebrew, by F. F. Bruce RWP Robertson s Word Pictures of the New Testament, by Dr. A. T. Robertson TYN The Tyndale New Testament Commentaries Hebrews, by Donald Guthrie