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