Sermon Notes: Hebrews 12.18-29; Psalm 103.1-18 On Apostasy

Hebrews 12.18-29

            Luke 13.10-17

            Psalm 103:1-8

Prayer of Invocation

Father, grant that your Church, being gathered together in unity by your Holy Spirit, may show forth your power and goodness among all peoples, to the glory of your Name through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

INTRODUCTION

1. Two high profile cases have reminded us that faith in Jesus Christ requires endurance. I’m speaking of Joshua Harris and Marty Sampson. Joshua Harris has divorced his wife and renounced his faith. Marty Sampson, a song writer for Hillsong, has said that he is "struggling with many parts of the belief system that seem so incoherent with common human morality." Hold on to that thought for a moment.

This is a sober reminder that being a disciple of Jesus Christ is not a sprint. It is a walk, a long obedience in the same direction. 

2.            Apostasy, or turning away from Jesus,  is not a new phenomenon of Christianity. Hebrews is a letter written nearly 2000 years ago  to a group of people that was struggling because many who had initially professed faith in Jesus had turned away when things got tough, when life didn’t turn out the way they were hoping, when the wider community that they lived in was not so happy for them that they had entrusted their lives to Jesus.

3.            The author of Hebrews reminds us of what contributes to apostasy, to turning away from Jesus. Five times in the letter he warns his readers. 

a.            Hebrews 2, he reminds us of the threat of drifting away from what we have heard, learned and professed. The thing about drifting away is that no one does it intentionally. Drifting is by nature, slow and inconspicuous.  (Heb 2.1)

2. In Hebrews 3, our author describes the threat as  falling away --because of the deceitfulness of sin.  Sin, like the serpent, is deceptive. It seeks to trick us into thinking God is not good, that what He promises us is not worthy, that He is withholding something from us, or that we would be better off just going and getting it ourselves.  Sin allures us to look for sources of life that don’t require us to depend upon God. 

3. In Hebrews 5-6, apostasy is described as no longer being able to distinguish between good and evil; being enlightened, sharing in the Holy Spirit, and tasting the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come, and yet turning from it. 

4. In Hebrews 10, the author describes apostasy as neglecting to meet with fellow-believers in order to encourage one another; as losing confidence in the hope and promises given to us by God through Jesus Christ. These two  go together like PB and J: holding fast our confession is nurtured and sustained by being with others who can orient us to faith in Jesus, who can anchor our confidence in the High Priest who mediates God’s life to us. 

4.            Our Epistle reading this morning is the fifth warning in the letter, and as we will see it ties together  a thread that runs throughout this letter that is intended to protect us from drifting away, from the erosion of faith; to prepare us for the long walk of endurance. 

Prayer of Illumination

Living God, help us to hear your Word that we may truly understand; that, understanding, we may believe, and, believing, we may follow in all faithfulness and obedience, seeking your honor and glory in all that we do; through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

EXPOSITION

1. Hebrews 12.18-29

For (v.18), but (v. 22), see that (v. 25), therefore (v.28). This is the structure of this passage. 

For: what comes (v. 18-29) is the basis or rationale for endurance, for continuing on with confidence in Jesus. He is offering an explanation for why we must endure, not give up, not fall away. 

But: signals a contrast that the author has been making throughout the letter. Jesus is a better; what he reveals is more substantial; what He has accomplished is more secure; He is the faithful high priest who unites us to God. 

The contrast: 

Mount Sinai v. Mount Zion (the city that God is preparing for all those who remain faithful; the better city, the city that included the mediator of the new covenant and the blood that atones for our sin

Unapproachable v access through Jesus

Exodus v new exodus journey supported by faithfulness of Jesus

The exhortation: Do not refuse the one who is speaking

Present continuous: this signals our need to be constantly listening

This is perhaps the foundational point of the entire message of Hebrews: God has revealed to us a way--a way to salvation, a way to live life in the present; our calling is to orient our lives around this.

Heb 1.1-3--God has spoken to us in His Son

2.1: Therefore we must pay much closer attention

3.7 “today, if you hear his voice…

5.11      you have become dull of hearing”

10.26   we have received knowledge but no longer align our lives with it

12.25   do not refuse him who is speaking

The word of God, the revelation made complete in Jesus Christ is reality, it is the real world that we must attend to and conform our lives to

Marty Sampson: "struggling with many parts of the belief system that seem so incoherent with common human morality."

Common human morality is not the starting place; Arius made the same mistake; comparing God to what we know to be true about our world;

Scripture teaches us to work the other way; the Scriptures describe the real world and how to rightly live in it; everything else is measured against this.

Rom 12.2   Renewing our minds takes a village, a congregation; we must meet together to do this

65 per of Christian think they don’t need others to be a disciple of Jesus. (LifeWay survey, CT)

Heb 12.15: see to it that no one fails to obtain the grace (we are called to help one another)

To ignore God’s word is to be cut off from life; 

The word that God has given us is not only helping us know God’s will, it is protecting us from judgment, from being consumed by the fire of God’s love and preservation of all that it good, true, and beautiful.

2.            Psa 103: Soul talk

Our Psalm offers another way that we protect ourselves against apostasy, another way to sustain our walk, our long obedience in the same direction: soul talk

We have to preach to ourselves, remind ourselves of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness

We do this in song; in our liturgy--so much of what we do is remind and remember what has been revealed.

EXHORTATION

As we encounter reminders of apostasy, let us ask ourselves:

1. Are we paying attention to what God is saying to us?
2. Are we preaching to our souls the steadfastness of God’s love in our lives?
3. Do we receive with gratitude the gifts of God given through Jesus Christ?
4. Are we gathering to encourage one another in the long obedience in the same direction?
5. Are we drifting?

EUCHARIST

The eucharist is where we hear God speaking to us; it is where we practice listening; it is where we defuse the lies spoken to us; where we orient ourselves so that we do not drift away!

And it where we preach to ourselves, reminding ourselves of God’s steadfast love.

It is where we express our gratitude and reverence: Therefore, let us be grateful (eucharist), bc we have a kingdom that cannot be shaken--we offer worship with reverence and awe--by paying attention; apostasy begins with contempt for God’s good gifts; it is then eroded by failing to continue to listen to His word

BENEDICTION

20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.  Hebrews 13.20-21