“No Grace, No Glory”

Scripture: Hebrews 10:19-31

The letter to the Hebrews is one that is notably oriented toward a merging of the Hebrew faith in Jehovah God, with the new understanding of faith in Jesus Christ. When this letter was written, The Christian sect, known as “The Way”, may have still been based within Judaism, but regardless of the exact date of the writing, the writer is laying out a comparison that the Jews would definitely understand.
As a reader of this epistle, we need to see how the writer makes the connection between the faith of Israel and the faith of followers of Jesus. We have seen Jesus described as the new High Priest; we have seen the discussion of the former blood sacrifice versus the sacrifice of Christ; we have seen how the old covenant that was given for the Hebrews has been tied into the new covenant that is given for all in Jesus Christ.

Today, we continue to see some of these relationships, even as the writer advances the thought that the new has come and the old has passed away, and his call to live this new life in Christ.

Read Hebrews 10:19-25

Did you see the ties that are made for Israel? “The Most Holy Place”, “the blood”, “a new way .. through the curtain”, the “great priest”, the “House of God”, “cleansing .. and washing”? These are all references that pertain to both the old faith and the new, but would Israel see the connection to Christ?
The “Most Holy Place” had always been located in the temple, but now it speaks of heaven itself – the place of God that no mortal had any hope of gaining – except through Jesus.
The ‘blood” was always about animal sacrifice for sin that had to be offered for each individual, over and over again, but now it speaks of the blood of Jesus, the offering that is made once and for all.
The "way through the curtain” was available to only one person – the High Priest of Israel – and then only on the Day of Atonement. But now the way is no longer a limited, physical passage, but rather one that exists by faith, for all, in Jesus Christ.
The “great Priest” had always been a mortal human, fragile and frail, and now this is the One who is both Son of Man and Son of God, the one who became fragile for us, but who has now become eternal power and grace.
And “cleansing and washing” was another ritual that had to be experienced over and over by human hands, but now it was done by God Himself, on our behalf.

The author Cindy Jacobs writes:
Sometimes we [prefer to] take a little shower at Calvary rather than let God deeply cut and wash away the hurts with his atoning blood. Oftentimes we are unaware of the extent of the damage to our hearts until we are in difficult situations and our bitterness reveals itself in our words and actions. Unless we let the Holy Spirit shine his light on all the unforgiveness in our lives, our prayers will be tainted by the wounds of our hearts.
--Cindy Jacobs, Possessing the Gates of the Enemy (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Chosen Books, 1994), 45.

Jacobs is telling us that the washing that we receive in Christ is not only one that cleanses and forgives, but also one that heals. Have you ever thought of it that way? In the “sin healing” that comes to us from Jesus, our broken relationship with Almighty God is also healed and restored.
And the writer of Hebrews also talks about the healing that our relationship with other people receives. We are told that we are to encourage each other in faith, and not just at a distance, but up close and personal. “Let us not give up meeting together”. There had been a huge rift between the people of Israel and those who were from Samaria and the Gentile nations – they saw themselves as the Chosen, and others as excluded. But Galatians 3:28 tells us that “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” And if we are truly “one”, how can we possibly exclude anyone else from our circle?

Of course, we would never exclude anyone, would we? We would never make anyone uncomfortable, would we? Are we inviting as well as welcoming? Inviting and welcoming of those who have yet to know Jesus? Who are totally different from us? Who worship in different ways than we do? One of the greatest barriers that Kairos has had to overcome in the prison is in the bringing together of Protestants and Catholics. At Waymart, it took us several years before the walls began to fall, and now the level of religious tolerance has, for the most part, embraced all. We even had an Amish man and a Muslim man come to a weekend, and they were welcomed warmly. That is what being “one in Christ Jesus” is all about – a union of all sorts of believers, and seekers, alike.

Read Hebrews 10:26-31

Some commentaries say that this warning against “deliberately keeping on sinning” is related to the previous thought regarding those who fall away from meeting with each other. Being part of the Body of Christ can never be a part time thing – it must be joyful and consistent. In verse 29, we see neglect of the Church as comparable to “trampling the Son of God under foot” – a rather extreme but apt comparison. In Chapter 6:4-8 of this book, this same issue is described as “crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.” Trampling on Jesus, crucifying Jesus – not very pleasant thoughts, are they?

Therefore, the sinful way that is mentioned in verse 26 is no routine sin, but rather the intentional and decided rejection of Christ after coming to know him in a personal and committed way. The writer is also implying that those who stop meeting with other Christians fall into this category! In other words, if we turn away from the Body, it is equivalent to turning away from the Lord. If we reject the grace, how can we expect the glory?

But the concluding verses tell us that judgment of these acts is not ours to claim – that it is God’s and his alone. So what are we to do about those who are about to fall away from the church? Do we have any responsibility in this matter? Do we have any obligation to them?
The answer is a resounding “Yes”! We must understand that this doesn’t apply to those who miss a Sunday of worship now and then – it is about those who are rejecting the entire concept of the Body, and the redemption that is and of Jesus Christ. And this isn’t something that happens over night.

This is about those who have been hurt by the church – know anyone like that? It is about those who decide that they don’t need the church any longer – know anyone like that? It is about those who decide that they have better things to do than be part of the church – know anyone like that? This isn’t about folks whose jobs require them to work on Sunday, it isn’t about the elderly who are unable to be part of the church’s activities because of their physical infirmity. It isn’t even about those seekers who come to worship a couple of times, and then never come back.
It is about a deliberate decision on the part of a member of Christ’s Body to separate themselves from the Body. And we are to be the means for the healing in this broken relationship. We can never be content to quietly let anyone slip away from the fellowship. We are to extend the hand of grace to them - to listen to them; to let them know that Christ’s covenant with them is still intact even if their covenant with other people has been damaged; we are to be the hands and feet and voice of Almighty God for the world.

Returning to the advice we received from Cindy Jacobs at the beginning of this message, “Unless we let the Holy Spirit shine his light on all the unforgiveness in our lives, our prayers will be tainted by the wounds of our hearts.” Unless WE let the Holy Spirit shine his light and mercy and grace and glory on all who feel unforgiven and set upon and abused and wounded by whatever means or purpose, the wounds that they bear must become our wounds, too.
In Romans 1:11-12, Paul writes “I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong – that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.” We need each other, and those who feel as though they are no longer a part of the Church are in a much greater need. They will never be encouraged in faith by themselves – that is our job, and Jesus Christ is depending on us to “spur one another on toward love and good deeds”. We are to show the grace that comes to us from Jesus through the presence of the Holy Spirit, so that others will receive that grace, and will know the glory of God.

Will you be the one who lives God’s grace in such an obvious way that others may come to know his glory? Who will you reach out to today? How will you renew the covenant of Christ in the wounded heart of a brother or sister? When will you begin?