Bulletins - Keystone Presbyterian Church

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Gloria Patri
Doxology
Prayer
Let us pray. Gracious Father, by Your Spirit take the truth of Your Word and press it upon our hearts. Because Christ has opened the way, teach us to draw near. Because You are faithful, teach us to hold on. Because You have made us one people, teach us to encourage one another in love. Keep us from merely hearing the blessings of the new covenant. Teach us to live as those who have received them. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our great High Priest. Amen.
Introduction: The Door Is Open
There are doors we know we are not supposed to open. A locked office, a restricted hallway, a room marked "Authorized Personnel Only" - the sign tells us that we do not belong on the other side. We may wonder what is there, but we understand the message: keep out.
For generations, the curtain before the Most Holy Place carried that message. Behind it was the symbol of God's holy presence. In front of it stood sinful people who could not enter. Only the high priest went behind that curtain, only once a year, and never without blood. The whole arrangement preached a sermon: God is holy, sin is serious, and the way into His presence is not yet open.
But Hebrews has been telling us that Jesus has changed everything. He is the better Priest. He has offered the better sacrifice. He is the Mediator of the better covenant. His blood has cleansed the conscience. His one offering has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. The priest has sat down because the sacrifice is finished.
Now we arrive at verse 19, and the word “therefore” turns all that doctrine toward us. Hebrews has shown us what Christ has done. Now listen as the Word of God tells us how we are to respond.
Hebrews 10:19–25 CSB
19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus— 20 he has inaugurated for us a new and living way through the curtain (that is, through his flesh)— 21 and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water. 23 Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, 25 not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.
This is the Word of the Lord.
The new covenant is not merely a doctrine to place in our theological filing cabinet. It is not simply something to underline in our Bible or discuss in Sunday school. The finished work of Christ calls for a response. Because the way is open, come near. Because God is faithful, hold on. Because Christ has gathered a people, encourage one another.
The new covenant gives us access to God, confidence for tomorrow, and a family for the journey.
Notice the three invitations in this passage: "Let us draw near." "Let us hold on." "Let us consider one another." Faith draws near. Hope holds on. Love looks around and cares for others. This is how we respond to the new covenant.
I. Draw Near to God with Confidence(vv. 19-22)
Verse 19 begins, "Since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus." That would have sounded almost impossible to the first Jewish hearers. Boldness? Enter the sanctuary? Ordinary people drawing near to a holy God? Under the old covenant, everything seemed to say, "Stand back." But through Jesus, God says, "Come near."
Our boldness is not self-confidence. It is not the confidence of someone who thinks he has behaved well enough to deserve an audience with God. We do not enter because our record is clean, our prayers are eloquent, or our faith has never wavered. We enter "through the blood of Jesus."
That means our confidence rests outside of us. On our best day, we come by the blood of Christ. On our worst day, if we belong to Christ, we still come by the blood of Christ. We never graduate from grace. We never reach a point where we can say, "Lord, I have done well enough this week, so now You should listen to me." We come because Jesus has made the way.
Hebrews calls it "a new and living way through the curtain - that is, through his flesh." When Jesus died, the curtain of the temple was torn from top to bottom. God did the tearing. The barrier was removed because the Son offered His body in our place. The way is living because the crucified Savior did not remain in the grave. Our access to God rests in a risen and living High Priest.
And verse 21 reminds us that we have "a great high priest over the house of God." Jesus did not open the door and then leave us to find our own way. He brings us near, represents us before the Father, intercedes for us, and keeps us by His grace.
So verse 22 says, "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith." A true heart is a sincere heart. We do not have to pretend before God. We do not have to clean ourselves up, rehearse our excuses, or hide the parts of our lives that shame us. We come honestly, confessing our sin and trusting the Savior who already knows us completely.
Some Christians live as though the curtain were still hanging. They believe Jesus saves, but they remain at a distance. They pray as though God must be persuaded to care. They carry forgiven guilt as though it still has the right to condemn them. They wonder whether this failure will finally make the Father close the door.
This assurance of cleansing is part of God’s new-covenant promise. Through Ezekiel, God declared, “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols.”
God does not invite His people near only to cast them away when they stumble. People often live in fear of losing their salvation because they look more closely at their failures than at God’s faithfulness to His promise.
Dear congregation, if you are in Christ, the door is not barely cracked open. You have been invited in. Your Father is not tolerating you at the edge of the room. Christ has brought you near.
The writer says that our hearts have been "sprinkled clean from an evil conscience" and our bodies "washed in pure water." The language comes from the cleansing ceremonies of the old covenant and points us to the complete cleansing Christ provides. Baptism gives visible expression to that cleansing and to our union with Christ, but water itself cannot wash guilt from the conscience. Only the blood of Jesus can do that.
A tender conscience can be a gift. It warns us when we sin and drives us back to confession. But an accusing conscience can also keep arguing after God has spoken. It says, "Yes, Christ forgives sinners, but surely not this again." The gospel answers, "The sacrifice has been made. The blood is sufficient. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
Do not measure your welcome by the strength of your feelings. Measure it by the sufficiency of Christ.
Draw near in prayer. Draw near in worship. Draw near when you are joyful and when you are ashamed. Draw near when faith feels strong and when all you can manage is, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief." The command is not to stand at a distance and inspect yourself. The command is to come to God through Jesus Christ.
And if you have never trusted Christ, this invitation is for you. You will not enter by becoming religious enough. You will not enter because your good deeds outweigh your sins. Come with empty hands. Turn from sin. Rest the whole weight of your life upon Jesus Christ. The way to God has been opened by His blood.
II. Hold On Because God Is Faithful(v. 23)
The second response is in verse 23: "Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful."
The Christian life is not only a moment of drawing near. It is a lifetime of holding on. The first readers of Hebrews knew what it cost to confess Christ. Some had been publicly humiliated. Some had suffered. Some had lost property. The pressure to turn back was real. They were tempted to loosen their grip on the hope they had confessed.
We may face different pressures, but we understand the temptation. There are seasons when faith feels easy and seasons when it feels like we are walking into a hard wind. A diagnosis changes the future. Someone we love dies. A prayer seems unanswered. A child wanders. The church disappoints us. The culture grows colder toward the faith. We begin to wonder, "Can I keep doing this? Is hope still reasonable?"
Hebrews does not tell us to hold on because we are naturally strong. It directs our eyes to God: "He who promised is faithful." Our hope is secure because its foundation is not our grip on God but His faithfulness to us.
A few days ago, we were in a small town, and Adaline wanted to cross the street. She came to me, told me where she wanted to go, and took my hand. She did not take my hand to help me across, but so that I would keep her safe as she crossed.
Adaline was holding my hand, but her safety depended far more upon my grip than hers. In the same way, believers truly persevere, but beneath our holding on is the stronger promise that God holds His people.
Therefore, we are called to hold on, to use the means God gives, and to remain in the Word, prayer, worship, and fellowship.
This is not permission to become careless. The God who ordains the end also ordains the means. He keeps us through His Word, through prayer, through the sacraments, through the fellowship and discipline of the church, and through the encouragement of other believers. Holding on is not earning salvation. It is the evidence and fruit of God's preserving grace.
What exactly do we hold? "The confession of our hope." We hold the gospel we have confessed: Jesus Christ is Lord. He died for our sins. He rose from the grave. He reigns at the Father's right hand. He will come again. He will raise the dead, judge with righteousness, wipe away every tear, and make all things new.
Christian hope is not wishful thinking. We often use the word hope to mean uncertainty: "I hope it does not rain," or "I hope everything works out." Biblical hope is different. It is confident expectation based upon the promise and character of God. We do not know every detail of what tomorrow will bring, but we know who holds tomorrow. We do not know how every trial will be resolved, but we know that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
Perhaps today you are holding on by your fingertips. Then do not look first at how weak your grip feels. Look at the One who promised. Has God ever ceased to be faithful? Has Christ's sacrifice lost its power? Has the resurrection been reversed? Has the throne of grace been closed? No. The faithfulness of God has not changed with your circumstances.
When your circumstances make you question the promise, let the character of God interpret your circumstances.
Hold on without wavering. Not because life will always be easy, but because God will always be faithful. Not because you can see the entire road, but because Christ has already reached the destination. He has entered the sanctuary as our forerunner, and where the Head has gone, His body will follow.
III. Encourage One Another Toward Love(vv. 24-25)
The third response turns our attention from ourselves toward the people around us: "Let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works."
The word "consider" means more than noticing that other people are present. It means paying careful attention. It means thinking about what will help another believer keep following Christ. The Christian life is personal, but it is never private. Christ does not merely save isolated individuals. He gathers a people, builds a house, forms a body, and gives us to one another.
We are told to "provoke" one another. Usually we think of provoking someone as irritating them, and some people appear to have a special spiritual gift for that. But here the idea is to stir one another up, to awaken love, to move each other toward good works.
That takes intention. If I never think about you, I will not know how to encourage you. If we only exchange polite greetings and hurry away, we may never discover who is grieving, who is discouraged, who is tempted to give up, or who needs someone to remind them of the promises of God.
Notice that Hebrews does not say, "Let us consider how other people ought to encourage us." It says, "Let us consider one another." The question is not merely, "Did I get anything out of church today?" The question is also, "Whom did I strengthen? Whom did I welcome? Whose burden did I help carry? Whom did I point toward Christ?"
That is why verse 25 says we must not neglect gathering together. This verse is sometimes reduced to taking attendance, as though the main point were simply occupying a pew. Gathering matters, but not because God needs to count heads. We gather because God has appointed the worship and fellowship of His church as means by which He keeps and strengthens His people.
When we gather, God calls us through His Word. He hears our confession and announces His pardon from Scripture. He feeds our faith at the Lord's Table. We sing truth to God and to one another. We pray for burdens we could not carry alone. We look around and remember that we are not the only ones trying to follow Jesus in a difficult world.
Church attendance cannot save anyone. Sitting in a sanctuary does not make us Christians any more than sitting in a garage makes us automobiles. But Christians need the gathered church because God did not design us to persevere alone.
A coal removed from the fire may remain hot for a little while, but separated from the other coals it cools. Put it back among them, and the heat returns. In much the same way, isolation makes discouragement easier, temptation stronger, and falsehood harder to recognize. We need brothers and sisters who will speak truth when our own hearts are lying to us.
Sometimes encouragement is gentle: a note, a meal, a prayer, a hand on the shoulder, a quiet reminder that someone is not forgotten. Sometimes encouragement must be courageous: "Brother, the road you are taking will harm you." "Sister, do not surrender to despair." "Friend, remember what Christ has done." Biblical encouragement is not empty optimism. It brings another person into contact with the truth and grace of God.
Hebrews says we should do this "all the more as you see the day approaching." The Day is coming when Christ will return, every hidden thing will be revealed, faith will become sight, and the church will be gathered in glory. We do not know the day or hour, but we know it is nearer than it was yesterday.
As that Day approaches, the church should not become less important to us but more. We need more truth, not less. More prayer, not less. More worship, not less. More encouragement, not less. The darker the night, the more clearly the light of faithful Christian fellowship should shine.
We draw near together. We hold on together. We encourage one another until Christ comes.
Conclusion: Come Near, Hold On, Look Around
Hebrews has spent ten chapters lifting our eyes to Jesus. He is the final Word of God, greater than the angels, greater than Moses, the faithful Son over God's house, the sympathetic High Priest, the Mediator of the new covenant, and the once-for-all sacrifice for sin.
Now the writer says, in effect, "Since all of this is true, you cannot remain where you are." The open door calls us to enter. The faithful promise calls us to persevere. The approaching Day calls us to care for one another.
So where do you need to respond?
Are you standing at a distance from God because shame has convinced you that you are not welcome? Look to the blood of Jesus and draw near.
Are you weary, wavering, and uncertain whether you can continue? Look to the faithfulness of the One who promised and hold on.
Have you begun treating the Christian life as something between you and God alone? Look around. Consider your brothers and sisters. Encourage someone toward love and good works.
And if you have heard about Christ but never entrusted yourself to Him, do not remain outside the open door. The sacrifice has been offered. The curtain has been torn. The Priest is seated. The way is open. Repent and believe the gospel. Come to God through Jesus Christ.
Because Christ has opened the way, draw near. Because God is faithful, hold on. Because the Day is approaching, encourage one another.
This is how we respond to the new covenant: with faith that comes near, hope that holds on, and love that refuses to walk alone. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
- - Hebrews 10:19–25CSB

I. Draw Near to God with Confidence(vv. 19-22)

II. Hold On Because God Is Faithful(v. 23)

III. Encourage One Another Toward Love(vv. 24-25)

Hebrews 10:19–25CSB