Hebrews 10:19-25

“Our Confidence to Draw Near God”

What would cause you to doubt and depart from the following God? This should be a sobering and maybe even fearful question. As we have been looking at thus far in our study of Hebrews, we have seen the theology of the supremacy of Christ in all things taught in this epistle. It is at this point in chapter 10 that there is now clear application to this theology for these Hebrew believers that were facing intense persecution. It is possible that they faced even death for their faith in Jesus Christ. The temptation to depart from Christ and doubt their faith and break fellowship with those who were being led to the slaughter was real. Especially if it meant the saving of their physical life.  What would cause you to doubt your faith and depart? You see for these believers death was a sobering thing. Facing it, let alone the valley that leads to it would have been daunting. John Bunyan clearly describes this test in his classic work The Pilgrims Progress as he nears the valley of the shadow of death: 

“Chr. Whither are you going?

The Two Men. They said, “Back, back; and we would have you do so too, if either life or peace is prized by you.”

Chr. “Why, what is the matter?” said CHRISTIAN.

Men. “Matter!” said they; “we were going that way as you are going, and went as far as we durst; and indeed we were almost past coming back, for had we gone a little farther, we had not been here to bring the news to thee.”

Chr. “But what have you met with?” said CHRISTIAN.

Men. Why, we were almost in the Valley of the Shadow of Death;

“Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons, and covered us with the shadow of death.” Psalm 44:19

“Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron;” Psalm 107:10

but that by good hap we looked before us, and saw the danger before we came to it.

Chr. “But what have you seen?” said CHRISTIAN.

Men. Seen! why the valley itself, which is as dark as pitch. We also saw there the hobgoblins, satyrs, and dragons of the pit; we heard also in that valley a continual howling and yelling, as of a people in unutterable misery, who there sat bound in affliction and irons; and over that valley hangs the discouraging clouds of confusion; death also doth always spread his wings over it; in a word, it is every whit dreadful, being utterly without order.

“Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it; let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it.” Job 3:5

“A land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness.” Job 10:22

Chr. Then said CHRISTIAN, “I perceive not yet, by what you have said, but that this is my way to the desired haven.”

Men. “Be it thy way, we will not choose it for ours.” So they parted, and CHRISTIAN went on his way; but still with his sword drawn in his hand, for fear lest he should be assaulted.”

Bunyan so clearly defines the temptations that come in the Christian Life to doubt and depart from Christ and His way. Even at the end of our life when our hope is in seeing Christ face to face lies just one more step. So, death let alone things far less intimidating have caused many to apostatize and leave the way. It is on this very thought that the author of Hebrews inspired by the Holy Spirit pens these words of this passage that confidence, not fear should fill the Christians heart. This confidence is not something each believer produces but a confidence in the person and work of Jesus Christ who has made a way of access to God and continues to make intercession for His people.   so let’s look now at these two points and their implications:

1. Confidence in our Pathway  (19-20)

“Therefore brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the New and Living Way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, his flesh…”

Our passage starts with “therefore” and connects us with what we studied in verses 1 through 18 concerning God’s New Covenant in Christ to take away the sin of those people.  In other words there are implications to these truths for the Hebrews (and for us). The author says “therefore brothers” which can also be translated “brothers and sisters” and he wants  these Hebrews to know that they’re not in this race alone. Notice the author says since “we” have this confidence. The author is not just saying that they ought to do something, but that they are connected larger body of believers in the world that are suffering the same thing and they also share the same hope including the author. And what is this hope? Enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus by the New and Living Way that it’s opened for them through the curtain that is Christ. The author is clearly saying that this confidence leads to draw near to God is not one that has been imagined but is one that is paved  through the work of Christ on the cross. Notice the language here that this pathway was opened for them through the curtain, that is through Christ’s flesh. We continue to see this continued terminology concerning the temple and here the veil of separation of the most holy place from the holy  place. It was not just Christ’s incarnation that was enough to save them but that His appearing paved the path for Him to be their propitiation. This curtain had to be torn for access to be granted to the holy place. Likewise Christ had to die as a sacrifice for sins to make this New and Living Way. As in John 14:6 Jesus said of Himself, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no man comes to the father except through me.”  True faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will bring a confidence to enter the holy places. Confidence, notice, is not based on one’s actions but on the actions of Christ and His sacrifice.  

The antonym for confidence is fear or uncertainty. This confidence is that they now have access to God. It  is no longer in question now through the death of Christ. It is this confidence that is all encompassing that overcomes fear. Hope of standing before God reconciled, sins atoned for, fully redeemed. This confidence is sure, as real as the person of Jesus, who now, on their behalf, is seated at the right hand of God.  Which leads us to a second point:

1. Confidence in our Priest (21-25)

Look at verse 21: “ and since we have a great priest over the house of God”  their confidence  is not just in the pathway provided  through the death of the Lord Jesus, but their confidence was to be in the very person of Christ their high priest. Believing God involved trusting His Redemptive plan offered in His Son the Lord Jesus Christ, not just in his propitiation but also his continuing Priestly service. We trust Christ present tense. We do not just trust Him once, we continue! Why is this important? If Christ died and rose again only to leave his people orphans, there would be agony, discouragement and hopelessness. But notice how the pathway is a New and Living so as with this living priest who lives to make intercession for his people. Resurrection is our hope because our High Priest has risen! He sent His Holy Spirit as the guarantee of our inheritance (2 Cor. 1:22) His ministry is active which flows from his once and for all action:  His death on the cross. So, there are dual sources for the Hebrews confidence and ours: access granted through the work of Christ, and the advocacy provided by Christ upon the cross on their behalf . This great priest is serving them and on their behalf and in this context, over the house of God. The author is alluding to a priests work in the temple as service in the house of God. So Christ serves in a new Priestly order. John Calvin in his commentary on this verse says, “He was sent by God remains to serve over the whole house of God, so that whoever wishes to have a place in His church would submit to him and no other.”

It is at this point, that this confidence that they now have in this new pathway, and their confidence in this great priest, they were to collectively encouraged to do three things in light of  these truths. All of them are preceded by the words, “let us”

1. They were to “draw near”  (22)
2. They were to “hold fast” (23)
3. They were to “consider” (vs. 24) 

First, they were to “draw near”. Look at verse 22: “Let us draw near with a True Heart in full assurance of faith”… true faith will trust the work of Christ not one’s experience or performance in the Christian Life. The very truth  that a pathway had been provided and this great priest was not the end of the story. They had to draw near and therefore, the encouragement is that based on these confidences, an action was to take place. It was not merely an action of thinking or believing only in their heart, but in the action of their lives. It is an active faith. As James 2:26 puts it: “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.” They were to draw near God. Are you drawing near God? Notice that they were to draw near with full assurance of faith also keeping in mind that their hearts were sprinkled clean from an evil conscience alluding to the blood that priest would actively sprinkle over everything. And their bodies washed with pure water. This is language speaking of the priestly services and the various washings, but also of the regenerating work of God is cleaning them from sin and making them alive to God. This doesn’t specifically mention baptism per se but definitely draws the connection between the clean conscience and truly being washed before Him. They are responding to the person and work of Christ and based upon his accomplishment they could draw near to God. This truth is not just for the first century Christians, but for us. Have you drawn near God? The truth is theologically you cannot draw  near God unless you have access through an advocate. But experientially you cannot draw near to God unless you are believing that theology which drives you to the action of actually drawing near God. The exhortation is to draw near. “Let us draw near” It is not just possible, it’s not just theological but it is logical. In light of all that Christ has done, if we understand this it just makes sense to walk in this way! A way has been made now, walk down this pathway! 

To have confidence in truth will always lead to conscious action on the truth. And so, this sprinkling and washing which are celebrated in the picture and symbolism of baptism leaves the believer with the position and the power to draw near to God in full assurance. These dual confidences were not just to lead them towards drawing near to God (22), but to also hold fast to their confession without wavering (23). What is their confession? That the Eternal Christ came to earth, lived a sinless life, obeyed God fully, became their atoning sacrifice for sin, died, rose again securing resurrection for His people and now sits at the Father’s right hand as their advocate and High Priest until the Father sends Him to return. That is the Gospel, and their confession as outlined in this great epistle. Notice how in verse 23 they are to hold fast to this confession: “without wavering” literally this word adds the negative particle to the word that means to lean. Literally, the exhortation to to hold fast to the confession “not leaning” on or towards anything or anyone else. A firm stand is being encouraged amidst a strong persecution against this new sect of Christ followers, let alone anything else that would tempt them to doubt and depart from Christ. For us, a firm stand amidst the ideas and philosophies of our day. These new Jewish believers were tempted to walk away from the faith based upon persecution, shame on us in our day and age for walking away from the faith in light of temptation of far lesser things! As if these confidences are not enough to draw near and hold fast to their confession without wavering, they were to remember that this is possible because  (end of verse 23) “He who promised is faithful”. When God says or promises something, it will be done. “God said, let there be light, and there was light.” God said to Abraham, “I will make you a great nation” and He did! God said to David, “you will never lack offspring to sit on the throne” and it is true as Christ descended from David. God said He would put His people in exile if they disobeyed, and He did. God said he would bring them out of exile if they repented and called out to Him, and He did. God said he would send the Seed of the woman to crush Satan’s head, send a prophet like Moses, and Priest like Melchizedek, a King like David, and He did in the fullness of time! What God says He will do, He does!

He doesn’t make promises like an earthly father who may forget or never fulfill what He has promised, but fulfills what He has promised faithfully in His time. Finally, The exhortation to not just draw near to God, and not just to hold fast to this confession without wavering, but also to consider. Consider what? Verse 24. “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, …” To draw near was “godward”, to hold fast to the confession of their faith was “inward”, and now to consider how to stir others up to love and good works is towards others. This word consider means “to observe fully” or “behold, consider, discover, perceive.” What were they to consider? How to stir one another up. This word means to “incite, or stimulate”. Surely people know how to incite others towards evil, or stir people up around some idea or cause. Just watch the news. But, this stirring up is to incite them or stimulate towards love and good works. It implies for these Hebrews that a settling can happen that is unhealthy for their souls and like coals in a fire starting to cool down, they needed to be stirred up with their consideration of their brothers. They ought to incite them towards the same works they are giving themselves to. 

Our actions are contagious church! For good or for evil! Are we stirring one another up towards love and good works? While such examples are not mentioned here of particular good works there is encouragement in the negative and positive here at the beginning of verse 25, first the negative “not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some”. Then the positive “encouraging one another”. This persecution may have become so intense that these Hebrews did not even want to be seen with other Christians which would associate them with other Christians therefore leading to their possible persecution. While other things can tempt the church in the West, these things are no different today. Simply interpreted the author of Hebrews under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is saying that in hard times or good times, “go to church!” 

One of the first steps towards apostasy is neglecting to meet together with other believers. The Enemy of our souls loves to separate us from our brothers and sisters before coming in for the attack. This is why calling worship with your family “Church” is so dangerous. This is why thinking that you do not need other believers or so called “organized religion” is so dangerous. The church Gathers. This is the founding verse of this church, and it is our founding verse for this very purpose. That a church that is drawing near God and is holding fast to the confession of Christ without wavering is a church that is gathering together. Our calling is to glorify God and enjoy Him together forever. We are not to just trust Christ individually but also corporately as well! God not only draws you to the Person of His Son Jesus Christ, but as Titus 2:14 says, “who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”

1 Peter 2:9, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

But this “gathering” is not just referring to a crowd as this word can be used in Greek, but this specific “gathering” the Church was organized in a particular way by God Himself as the other epistles teach. How would you define a church then? A Church is defined as “…a community of regenerated believers who confess Jesus as Lord. In obedience to Scripture they organize under qualified leadership, gather regularly for preaching and worship, observe the biblical sacraments of Baptism and Communion, are unified by the Spirit, are disciplined for holiness, and scatter to fulfill the Great Commandment and Great Commission as missionaries to the world for God’s glory and their joy.”

If any of these elements do not exist your “gathering” is not a church. Further, the warning to not neglect the gathering of ourselves together points to condition of the believers that are giving in to this behavior. For these Hebrews perhaps it was fear of persecution. But for us, what is it? When we fail to gather and join a body of believers we reveal many things about ouselves but here are a few possibilities (they all end in “y”: 

Our lethargy, sleepiness, or drowsiness: We have to wake up! Particularly in the Western Church. Our greatest enemy is not physical persecution but a slow lullaby whispered into our ears to relax and rest instead of reaping a harvest that our great Lord has purchased!

Apathy – We are tempted to just not care anymore. Afterall Christians disagree on so many theological issues and there are so many denominations and church leaders falling and blah blah blah, we have all heard these things but instead of taking them head on, we settle for mediocrity and as it sets into our souls we become disinterested in God’s people and then God’s mission and call to the point that we eventually do not care. No wonder the author of Hebrews says we have to stir one another up! 

Priority- We begin to see our own agenda as our sole priority. Our business, our family, our interests, our sports, our camping trip, our favorite musician is in town, our family reunion, our car rally, our vacation, our honeymoon, our “sleep in day”, our home project…. Am I stepping on any toes? Has gathering with God’s people become inconvenient to you? This is not loving God’s people, this is not building them up, stirring them up to love and good deeds. In fact, it the opposite, it tears down, discourages and is selfish, sensual and demonic. The Enemy loves when God’s people are not together! Consider these things and your commitment to God and His people, your eternal state may be at stake! Why do I say this? Here is my last “y’.

Apostasy – Failing to gather together with God’s people and refusing to repent of this will eventually lead to Apostasy. How can I say that? Based upon the authority of God’s Word as taught in the later part of this chapter which Pastor Ryan will walk us through next week. Verse 25 not only encourages us to not to forsake the gathering of ourselves together but to do something. “encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Why is encouragement needed to persevere and gather together? Because the “Day” is approaching. What is this Day? The Day of Christ. Where is your confidence? Do you find yourself tempted to doubt and depart from your faith? You see why we are to consider these confidences in this pathway that is prepared for us and this great High Priest of ours and why we are to draw near to God, hold fast to this confession, and consider how to stir one another up? It is because there is a God, the One we claim to love and serve, who sent His Son to redeem us, a people for Himself and He will hold us and cause us to persevere if we would only trust and yield to Him continually. We will stand before Him one day to give account. Will we have finished the race of faith secure in the loving arms of our Savior or will we be found wanting in wavering, wallowing in our faithlessness and excuses having not continued in the faith? Will we have doubted and departed rather than persevered under trial? It is this topic and answers to these questions that Pastor Ryan will shepherd us into into next time. Let’s pray.