Let Us Hold Fast!

Let us Hold Fast!

Hebrews 10:19-38

The significance of addressing the readers as brethren should indicate the care the writer of Hebrews felt for the people he was writing to. Usually, even in a secular setting, to call someone a brother indicates a particular level of feeling for that individual. Often in secret societies, gangs, and other groups/organizations there is a form of brotherhood present that even though they may have a high regard for each other as “brothers” it is a pseudo-relationship that has recognized the deep necessity of filling a void that can only be filled through a true brotherhood. The constitution of true brotherhood is based on the familial relationship which comes through having the same parents. As sons and daughters of God, we can experience that true brotherhood.

As an example of this pseudo-brotherhood I give this story. During the Civil War (or was it the Uncivil War) The future President William McKinley was visiting the Army hospitals on the field and as a Free-Mason noticed a fellow Free-Mason lying there in the hospital bed. Now this young man had been injured in the battle and though he had been fighting for the south (the opposite side), William McKinley indicated to those in charge of the hospital that they should take extra good care of the young man due to the “brotherhood” they shared in the Masonic Lodge.

If the Free-Masons can understand the concept of brotherhood, then shouldn’t we also who are born of the Holy Spirit also understand what a true brotherhood really is?

The encouragement to enter into the Holiest with boldness through Jesus blood may seem like an obscure reality, and so it would have been for the Jews as they struggled with the thought of entering into the Holy of Holies which was prepared for the presence of the Holiness of God. They understood that even the high priest couldn’t just go in; but once a year having sprinkled blood of a perfect animal over everything and through ceremoniously washing himself, prepared himself for this grand entrance into the presence of the Holiness of God. Now that the veil has been rent, torn top to bottom; there is nothing that can stop the child of God from entering into the presence of God their Father. The thickness of the veil appears to have been at least 4” thick so that along with it being torn from top to bottom indicates no ordinary feat of tearing the veil. The rending most assuredly came from the hand of God as He had prepared the way back into His favor through the death of His perfect Son.

The veil was representative of the flesh through which we are separated from the presence of God. When the body or flesh of Jesus Christ was broken or rent the symbol also was torn giving us access into the Holy of Holies.

The boldness that we may experience as a child of God is not an arrogance (which is a sin) but a humble acceptance that God wants to be your Father.

The story of Ananias and Sapphira are an example of entering into the presence of God with arrogance. The name Ananias means “Whom Jehovah has graciously given”. It seems as though Ananias was living his Christian life in a state of hypocrisy. He appears to have been one who delved into and claimed the mercy and grace of the Lord, notwithstanding that he was missing the characteristic of God that is Holy and Righteous and hates a lying tongue. Proverbs 6:17

In order to understand what is meant by the new and living way we go back to look at the old way. Romans 7:1-25 The Old Testament Law was not meant to bring death, but to bring life. As we continue on in this passage and as we have looked at in past lessons the Old Testament Law had no power to bring life to those who adhered to its principles. Sure, if it was kept perfectly, there was a blessing that fell to those who kept it; but life itself was not issued by the Old Testament Law. As Romans 7 says “when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.” The Old Testament Law gives us insight to the Holiness of God and our woefully inadequate righteousness which is as filthy rags before the Holiness of our Lord. The New and Living way is being delivered from the effects of the Old Testament Law which condemn us to death for our unholiness to a New Testament Law that is written on our heart so we may serve the law with our spirit and not just by our deeds. This New way has the power to make you alive in Christ, since His Spirit has quickened or made us alive just as the bones were resurrected in Ezekiel 37.

When an individual draws near, he gets closer to something or someone. This is part of a plea to live godly, and as we go down through the passage we will continue to see the with clarity the necessity of being an intentional Christian. When the verse says draw near with a true heart, we could first look at what a true heart is. A true heart is one without pretense. It is without hypocrisy. A true heart can be trusted for its honesty. A true heart lives in full assurance of faith.

There is no place for the Christian to begin doubting his Salvation. This is not to say that if you do, you are not a Christian. What is being said by this is that when Jesus reaches into your heart and cleanses it from your unrighteousness, “sprinkling his own blood” upon the mercy seat of your heart; He has begun the work of redemption in your soul and to doubt that is to doubt the power of the Lord at work in your life. That is sin, and since that is sin it needs nipped in the bud and doubts need given to Jesus to gain that victory and any future victory. There is a reason why the armor of God includes the Helmet of Salvation.

As the Old Testament priests did their work in the temple sanctuary, they would be sure their first stop would be the laver. They would always wash themselves with this Holy Water before proceeding with any other type of service in the tabernacle or temple. The symbolism of this is they were to purify their bodies physically before they proceeded to sprinkle the blood on their toes, on the walls, and on the mercy seat. As a spiritual type, we too must be cleansed; first of all being drawn by the Holy Spirit and then having our hearts sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ.

Hold Fast! The message is getting more intense as the author here gives plea that invokes a lot of feeling. Hold fast to the profession of our faith. First of all, what is the profession of our faith? What have we professed to believe? The profession of our faith is that Jesus Christ, God incarnate, has come to pay the penalty for our sins and the sins of the whole world. Hold fast onto that belief, that truth without wavering. The word wavering has the meaning of bending or leaning back and forth similar to the setting of the sun. Hold a steady course with your belief! What does it profit if our belief wavers like a man on a tight-rope. He tries to balance himself, but the rope keeps moving around and his foot has to be placed very carefully. He may make it across the rope, but how about securing your belief in something more secure like complete trust in the sacrifice and atonement of Jesus Christ.

The word provoke has the meaning of stir up, to agitate. Is good works wrong. There is a push to say that heaven is a reward for those who have merely accepted Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for their sin, and that is indeed where it starts. These people believe that works good or bad have no bearing on whether you will actually receive the crown of life that has been promised. The reality is a Salvation experience that is not followed by Good works is dead. If we are to provoke each other to Good Works (stir up if you will) then how do we accomplish that without being impatient with the lack of growth in some of the babes in Christ? The good works we are to exhibit may include things like our kids club, going into prisons, going on the mission field, etc., but the main thing that should never be missed is the fruit of the godly which should then be what gives birth to the aforementioned works. The writer of Hebrews was concerned about the laziness in which the Hebrews were living their lives and was giving them instructions to stir each other up in Christ.

Encouragement is also a part of the Christian’s vocabulary and as we encourage each other in the Lord we will be stirred up to lived Godly.

Apostasy:

The Word of God says: “Buy the truth and sell it not”, and then in another place “You will know the truth and the truth shall set you free”.

What can be expected if we have knowledge of the truth, and have experience the truth in our hearts and then we choose to sin wilfully? It is clear that there is but one sacrifice that is accepted by God for the sins of mankind and if that sacrifice along with the blood of Jesus that was shed for the sin gets trampled underfoot in the process of their rebellion, there is nothing left for them but an end where the wrath of God is felt.