Transcript
For our consideration from the book of Hebrews tonight, may I invite your attention to Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10. Beginning to read at verse 19.
Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
Now we come down to verse 28.
Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment do you suppose will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. And again, ‘The Lord will judge His people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Verse 35.
Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God you may receive the promise. For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith, but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.
When Jules Troupe turned forty-five years of age it looked like he had everything going for him. He was a physician in Miami Beach and his medical practice brought in lots and lots of money. He owned a waterfront home on a private island in Biscayne Bay. He owned a prized art collection. But he also had something else. He had cocaine.
Many of his wealthy patients both used and sold cocaine and eventually Jules Troupe was drawn into the cocaine habit. It made my conversation seem sparkling, he says. It made music sound better. It made me feel good. In fact it was sort of like drinking at a fountain of youth. He could now outrun his nineteen-year-old son in a three-mile race. His sex life improved. I became the macho man, he said, that I always dreamed of becoming.
After a little while he was spending one thousand dollars a week on cocaine, taking two grams, snorting two grams a day, sometimes with only minutes between toots. Even when he was driving in his car he could put a little sniff on his hand. After a year of cocaine use he discovered freebasing. And now his social highs became hiding, antisocial.
In the beginning, he says, I thought I was communicating with God. And at the end I thought I was God. With the help of an unsuspecting nurse he somehow managed to maintain his medical practice. But at home his life was coming unraveled. He was not disturbed by the constant small fires that he caused with his freebasing equipment. By this time he was spending two thousand dollars a day, two thousand dollars a day on cocaine. He only wanted to be alone away from his disapproving wife and children. Eventually he moved out of his mansion and moved into a decrepit apartment.
He says, I was chasing the high. But the memory of the high that the high had got more and the lows got deeper. Now his skin was covered with sores from malnutrition. The freebasing caused rashes on his body and his mouth was so swollen that he could hardly talk. Shards of broken glass stood in a pile in his apartment as high as his thigh. The apartment was a mess. It was filled with unwashed clothes and dishes. But the doctor didn’t notice. He was now spending most of his time in the shower, even smoking his coke in the shower to relieve the constant sweating.
He says, I went as low as you can go without dying. The road back was tough. He had sold off his art collection and he had mortgaged his home in order to pay for his habit. After going through a series of treatment clinics he gradually began to rebuild his marriage and his career. But even today, although it has been nearly three years since he had any cocaine, he freely admits, I am only a hit away from where I was before. I am only a hit away from where I was before.
Now unfortunately the story that I have just told you is not unique. There are many stories very much like it that you can read and hear today. And I have not told you the story this evening because I want to talk about America’s drug problem, even though that problem is very serious and very real.
Well I told you the story this evening because I am interested in something that is far broader and deeper than drugs. I am interested tonight in man’s tragic, tragic capacity to reach the highest level of personal experience and to fall from that level and plunge down, down, down into the depths of misery and ruin.
And perhaps more than any other book in the Bible the book of Hebrews faces this tragic capacity in man. And even more to the point it faces this capacity as it exists even in true Christians, even in those who have come to know our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Years ago when I was still a student at Wheaton some of the other students at Wheaton used to go into Chicago on Sunday mornings to Skid Row to bear witness for Jesus Christ. I suppose that every major city has its own Skid Row, a street or a section of the city that is dominated by beer joints and flop houses and populated by bums and winos. And these dedicated young students would go into the city on Sunday morning to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with the derelicts who lived on Skid Row.
And I shall never forget the report that they brought back. Sometimes they said that often more than once as they were witnessing to some bum or wino from the Word of God they would receive a response like this, “Yeah, I know all about that. I used to go to Sunday School. I used to go to church. I was saved when I was a kid. I was saved when I was a young man. I was saved as a young adult. But I got away from all that and here I am today.”
Now I know that some of those who responded in that way probably were not Christians at all. But the tragedy is that probably some of them were. And the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews reminds us that anyone who despised Moses’ law died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. And then he adds to that these solemn words,
“Of how much worse punishment do you suppose will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?”
When he writes like that he reminds us of a sobering fact that there are some punishments that are worse than death. There are some experiences that are worse than execution. Turn sometime to the Book of Lamentations. Read the grievous laments that fall from the lips of the daughter of Zion as she looks out over the land of Judah, as she mourns for the tragedy that has fallen upon Judah. They have come under the judgment of God. And listen to the cry of the prophet who says,
“The punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom which was overthrown in a moment with no hand to help her.”
All those, says the prophet, I just wish that we could have been wiped off the face of the earth like Sodom was. That would have been better. That would have been better than this. This is worse. There are punishments that are worse than death.
And I would like you to remember tonight one thing. That if the time ever comes when we turn our back on the grace of God and turn our back on the truth of God’s Word, God doesn’t have to kill us. God doesn’t have to send us to hell to repay us. And that is why the writer of Hebrews says,
“For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. And again, ‘The Lord will judge His people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
You say, “Wow, this was a real downbeat message tonight.” It’s an honest one so far because this is what the Word of God is telling us. But I’m happy to be able to tell you tonight that there is no reason why you should fall into the hands of the living God. Because you see it is our supreme privilege to fall at His feet. To fall at His feet. It is our privilege to fall at the feet of God in praise and gratitude, submission, surrender and worship.
And in Hebrews chapter 10 verses 19 to 25, before the writer ever speaks the grim and solemn words that we have been talking about in the last few minutes, the writer puts upon the pages of his epistle what I think is one of the most eloquent passages in the entire letter. A passage that is rich with exhortation, with encouragement and with hope.
And in verses 19 to 25 it seems to me that we reach the very heart and core of what this writer desires from the depths of his heart for the experience of his readers. And I would like to suggest to you tonight that in verses 19 to 25 we have what might be called a divine antidote to apostasy. A divine antidote to apostasy. Or to put it another way, we have a divine prescription for spiritual victory. We have a divine prescription for spiritual victory.
And it all begins with boldness. It all begins with boldness.
“Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.”
You see you cannot be a successful Christian if you are a frightened Christian. You cannot be a victorious Christian if you are uncertain about the nature of your relationship to God, about the privilege of access that you have into His presence. And the first element in remaining victorious is boldness.
There is a story that is told about Napoleon. And it is said that on one occasion Napoleon was riding a horse and he lost control of the horse and the horse ran away with him. And an ordinary soldier stepped right out of the ranks, a soldier we might have described as a buck private. He grabbed the reins of Napoleon’s horse and he pulled it to a stop.
And Napoleon looked down at the man and he said, “Thank you, captain. Thank you, captain.” And the soldier, realizing that he had just been promoted, without a moment’s hesitation responded, “Of what regiment, sir?” And Napoleon replied, “Of my personal guard. Of my personal guard.”
That’s boldness. Face to face with the Emperor of France, relying completely on the Emperor’s word, he gained access to the personal presence of the Emperor by becoming a member of his personal guard.
And do you realize that it is our high and holy privilege to come face to face with the Emperor of the universe? To come into the very presence of God at any time with prayer, with praise, with worship?
You see when Jesus hung on the cross bearing that immense load of the guilt of your sin and mine, in the wicked world as He hung in that dramatic darkness something very remarkable happened. The veil of the temple, that thick curtain that kept men out of the holiest part of the Jewish temple, was torn. It was ripped from top to bottom. And in this symbolic act God was signifying to men that by the wounding of the flesh of Christ on the cross the way is now opened into His presence. We have a new and living way through the veil, that is, through His flesh.
And at any moment we can draw near to God with the full assurance of faith.
Queen Victoria is said to have had a strong tendency to visit the humble and the needy. And on one occasion she was visiting an elderly woman who lived in a cottage all by herself. And this woman happened to be a happy believer in Jesus Christ. And as the Queen got up to leave she said to the woman, “I’d like to do something for you.” And the woman said, “Thank you, Your Majesty, but I have everything that I need.” And the Queen replied, “But I really would like to do something for you.” “Your Majesty, thank you,” said the woman, “I have all I need. But maybe, maybe you could just promise me one thing.” And the Queen said, “If I can do it I will.” And the woman said, “All right, Your Majesty, would you please promise to meet me in heaven? Would you please promise to meet me in heaven?”
And very calmly and very firmly Queen Victoria replied, “I shall do that by virtue of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
It seems to me that in that story we reach the very essence of true biblical Christianity. A humble cottage woman and a famous queen promising to meet each other on the shores of heaven and assured that they can do so not because of what they have done or what they hope to do for God but by virtue of the blood of Jesus Christ.
And that, my friends, is the basis of a true heart that approaches God with the full assurance of faith. And one of the things that the writer of Hebrews wants us to understand clearly is the greatness and sufficiency of the sacrifice which Jesus Christ made on the cross.
And in the longest expository section of this epistle, stretching all the way from chapter 7 verse 1 to chapter 10 verse 18, the writer has expounded for us the marvelous role and ministry of Jesus Christ. Whom God has said, “The Lord has sworn and will not repent, ‘You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.’”
And as the great High Priest in the order of Melchizedek Jesus offered a sacrifice that did something that none of the sacrifices of the Old Covenant could do. For the blood of bulls and goats can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God, expecting His enemies to be made the footstool of His feet. By one offering, this is wonderful, by one offering He has perfected forever those who are sanctified.
And each and every believer in Jesus Christ on the basis of the cross work of our Savior has a standing before God that is perfect. Perfect.
And therefore I can come to God, you see, at any time and I can come as one whose heart is sprinkled from an evil conscience, free of guilt. I can come to God as one whose body is washed with pure water. For He has washed me and sanctified me and justified me. And therefore I come confidently. I come boldly. I come with assurance.
You know what really delights me is the realization that wherever I am on the face of the globe I can walk instantly into the throne room of heaven.
Bruce Rodriguez has left Los Angeles and the Lord willing he has arrived safely in Washington D.C. by this time. But the first night that Bruce and I were in the hotel room over here at the Hilton and as we were getting ready for bed Bruce said to me, “Zane, I think it would be nice each night before we go to bed if we would read a passage of Scripture.” So we sat down and read a passage of Scripture. And when we were finished he said, “Now I think we should pray.” And he said, “I like to kneel when I pray.” And so he got down on his knees at the foot of his bed and I got down on my knees at the foot of my bed. And we closed our eyes and began to pray.
And do you know something? There is a sense in which we were no longer in the Hilton. And lovely and attractive as those accommodations are we had stepped into the Holiest of All. Instead of bowing before a bed we were bowing before the throne of grace. And we were holding audience with the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
Does that thrill you? It should. It should.
And here is the first ingredient in the divine prescription for victory. It can be summarized in four simple words: let us draw near. Let us draw near.
But there is a second element in the prescription and it also can be summarized in four simple words. And the words are these: let us hold fast. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering. Let’s hold on to it.
Now I suggest to you tonight that the person who is clinging fast to his present privilege of coming near to God for all his needs will not find it all that difficult to hold on to his hope for the future.
And I trust that by this time all of us have understood the book of Hebrews is setting before us a hope that is more than simply being with God, even though that is a very wonderful hope indeed. For the book of Hebrews sets before us the marvelous privilege of sharing in the power and dominion of Jesus Christ in the world to come, of becoming partners with the King. And that is the full-orbed hope to which we are destined.
But there is one thing we have to be sure. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
I was talking to you a moment ago about Queen Victoria, a very remarkable queen. And she also had a very remarkable prime minister. His name was Lord Palmerston. And it is said that on one occasion Lord Palmerston was walking across the Westminster Bridge and there was a little girl in front of him carrying a jug of milk. And she dropped the jug of milk. It shattered on the bridge. The milk was spilt and the little girl dissolved into tears.
And the Prime Minister went up to her, wiped the tears away, consoled her. But because he didn’t have any money on him that day he said to the little girl, “Look, if you will come back to this bridge tomorrow at this time I will pay you for the jug and the milk.”
Well the next morning Palmerston was in a cabinet meeting with the other ministers of state and all of a sudden he remembered the little girl. He jumped up without explanation. He rushed out of the cabinet meeting leaving the startled ministers gaping and wondering where he had gone. And he went back to the Westminster Bridge. There was the little girl and he dropped a half crown in her open palm.
And the little girl learned something about the Prime Minister that day. She learned that he who promised was faithful.
And you know I think it is very lovely that along the Christian pathway when we have frustrations and disappointments and problems and it appears to us we dropped the jug and the milk has spilt and we are inclined to dissolve into tears, it is not only that there is someone who draws alongside of us and comforts us and strengthens us and wipes the tears away. But I’ll tell you something else that is equally lovely. It is to hear the same person say, “I’m coming back and when I come back I will repay you for this. Whatever the frustration, whatever the problem, whatever the disappointment endured in submission to Me I will repay you when I come.”
You know, my friends, I think it is possible that the readers of Hebrews had begun to wonder about the promise of the Lord’s coming. And the writer has to tell them, “You have need of endurance so that after you have done the will of God you may obtain the promise. For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith, but if anyone draws back My soul has no pleasure in him.”
The songwriter has told us to sing it: “It will be worth it all when we see Jesus. Life’s trials will seem so small when we see Him. One glimpse of His dear face and sorrow will erase. So bravely run the race till we see Christ.”
Therefore hold fast the confession of your hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
Have you gotten these two parts of the formula? Let us draw near. Let us hold fast.
But there is one final element of the prescription and frankly I think it’s a little bit surprising. The third element is let us consider. Let us consider what or whom? This is the part that may surprise us. Let us consider one another to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, not giving up church, but exhorting one another and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
I was in a man’s home years ago and I was inviting him to church. And he said to me, “I really don’t need to go to church. I can worship God, you know, out in fields, out by the lake. I don’t need church.” My, my, my, what a familiar refrain. And let your pastor occur chorus down here has heard it and every stanza, verse in which it can be sung.
“I don’t need to go to church because everybody at church is a hypocrite. I don’t need to go to church because the folks at church are too uptight. I don’t need to go to church because I don’t get anything out of it. I don’t need to go to church because fill in the blank, fill in the blank. Almost anything.”
What’s wrong with all of those excuses? They consider only ourselves. They consider only ourselves.
Try this on for size: I’m going to church because my brothers and sisters down at church need me. They need my encouragement. They need my love. They need my concern. They need my exhortation. They need to have me help them while they help me along the road as we wait for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Now that’s a good reason for going to church. And you know something? You try out that approach and you’ll be doing yourself, I mean yourself, one of the biggest favors you can possibly do.
You know the Bible says it is more blessed to give than to receive. The Bible says he that watereth shall be watered also himself. Jesus said, “I came into the world not to be served but to serve and to give My life a ransom for many.” And one of the best things you can do for yourself is to stop thinking so much about yourself and to begin to think about others.
And therefore one of the secrets of spiritual victory is let us consider one another to stir up love and good works.
Have you got the whole formula? It’s easy to remember. Let us draw near with boldness. Let us hold fast without wavering. Let us consider one another with loving exhortation.
That is the path to victory.
If you should ever happen to come to the city of Dallas, which I hope you will, then we recommend the restaurant to you. It’s called Baby Doe’s. And it is laid out sort of in a turn-of-the-century mining setup. And the story behind Baby Doe is an exceedingly interesting story.
Baby Doe was a beautiful divorcee when she met a man named Tabor who was a wealthy miner. And they had made millions of dollars off of the mine which he called the Matchless Mine in Leadville, Colorado. Mr. Tabor divorced his wife and married Baby Doe. And the wedding was one of the great social events of the early West. The President of the United States was invited and he came.
But not long after the wedding a series of reverses struck Mr. Tabor and he lost everything. And he died heartbroken and poverty-stricken. But just before he died he gave a final word of admonition to Baby Doe. He said, “Have faith in the Matchless Mine. Don’t give it up. It will repay you all that I have lost.”
Well Baby Doe believed that promise. And for the next thirty-six years of her life as she became an aging widow she lived close to the Matchless Mine despite crushing adversity and repeated court orders designed to get rid of her. And in 1935 in a dilapidated shack close to the Matchless Mine Baby Doe died nearly penniless because she had put her faith in a promise that could never be fulfilled.
And you realize that the world in which we live is pockmarked with dry holes and with worthless mines. And the story of Baby Doe has been repeated a hundred different times by men and women of the world who set their hopes on something in this world which can never fulfill or reward them.
But you know something? I could wish that in our spiritual lives we were all like Baby Doe. Because you see the Christian faith is the only Matchless Mine there is. It is from this mine that we dig the silver and gold of eternity. It is from this mine that we draw the riches of the world to come. It is from this mine that we can dig the splendid privilege of being a partner with the King.
So have faith in the Matchless Mine. Never give it up. And whatever it has cost you to be obedient to Christ will be doubly repaid when He comes again.
So you have need of endurance so that after you have done the will of God you may obtain the promise. For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry.
Shall we pray? Father we just thank Thee for drawing us to such a great Lord and Savior as Jesus Christ. We recognize the dangers that confront us on the Christian pathway but far above and beyond these dangers are the privileges and the joys and the hope that is ours. We pray that each and every believer in this audience may grasp the Christian hope more firmly than ever and press forward to the glory of the future. We ask it in Christ’s name. Amen.