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Good morning to everyone. You 
can turn in your Bibles with me to Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews 
chapter 10, as we now engage in that act of worship, the preaching 
of the word of God. We're going to read Hebrews 10, 
beginning at verse 1 and finishing at verse 25. Again, that's Hebrews 
10, 1 to 25, and this is the word of the triune God. For the 
law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very 
image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which 
they offer continually year by year, make those who approach 
perfect. For then would they not have 
ceased to be offered? For the worshippers, once purified, 
would have had no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices 
there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible 
that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. Therefore, 
when he came into the world, he said, Sacrifice and offering 
you did not desire. but a body you have prepared 
for me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin you had no 
pleasure. Then I said, Behold, I have come. 
In the volume of the book it is written of me to do your will, 
O God. Previously saying, sacrifice 
and offering, burnt offerings and offerings for sin you did 
not desire nor had pleasure in them, which are offered according 
to the law. Then he said, Behold, I have 
come to do your will, O God. He takes away the first that 
he may establish the second. By that will, we have been sanctified 
through the offering of the blood of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands ministering 
daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can 
never take away sins. But this man, after he had offered 
one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of 
God. from that time waiting till his enemies are made his footstool, 
for by one offering he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. But the Holy Spirit also witnesses 
to us, for after he had said before, this is the covenant 
that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord. I 
will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write 
them. Then he adds, their sins and their lawless deeds I will 
remember no more. Now, where there is remission 
of these, there is no longer an offering for sin. 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 is the manner of some, but 
exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the 
day approaching. Amen. Well, let us pray. Heavenly 
Father, we rejoice in the fact that we can gather here this 
morning for the worship of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, that we 
can gather together in the name of our Savior, the Lord Jesus 
Christ. We do pray for the Spirit's aid now, Lord God, for both preacher 
and hearer. We do pray that saints would 
be edified in this place this morning. We pray, Lord God, that 
sinners would be saved. We would ask, Lord God, for that 
glorious act of amazing and condescending grace this morning, Any and all 
who entered inside these two doors, outside of Jesus Christ 
in unbelief, would leave singing the praises of their victor, 
Jesus Christ the Lord. Do be with us now, might you 
be glorified, and might we receive as your saints, good from on 
high. We pray in the name of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. 
Amen. Well, we're going to look at 
Hebrews 10, 19 to 25 this morning, the perfection of Christ as the 
prompting of his people. In the book of Hebrews, we have 
something here that Pink notes, the principal design of the spirit 
herein, that is, the book of Hebrews, is to exhibit the excellency 
and efficacy of Christ's satisfaction, and this not so much Godwards 
as saintwards, showing the inestimable blessings which it has procured 
for the favored members of the household of faith. Here in Hebrews 
19 to 25, that is chapter 10, 19 to 25, we've come to a pivotal point 
in the epistle to the Hebrews. Largely prior to this point, 
we have had theology set forth, we have had doctrine set forth. 
Now we have a transition in verse 19 with this, therefore, a transition 
to exhortation. And exhortation, kids, means 
a strong urging to do something. And so the apostles in the New 
Testament, and of course, those in the Old Testament, the prophets 
and such, would set forth the glory of God, the glory of the 
Lord Jesus Christ, and then would exhort the hearers unto certain 
action in light of amazing and victorious grace. And here we 
have such a transition. If the theological substance 
of the book of Hebrews is, and it is, if the theological substance 
of the book of Hebrews is the superabounding excellency of 
Jesus Christ over all that had come before him, then the exhortative 
substance that we will look at this morning, that exhortative 
substance is to lay hold of that glorious Jesus Christ with an 
unswerving constancy. That is the letter to the Hebrews, 
the glory of Christ and exhortations to lay hold of that blessed Savior 
with an unswerving constancy. Remember that the theological 
content of the book of Hebrews is the glory of Christ. Simply, 
kids, that Christ is better. Better than all things. He's 
better than the angels, the author sets forth. He's a better hope, 
the author sets forth. He's the better priest, the better 
prophet, the better and enduring promise. He is the mediator of 
a better covenant and that surety that is built upon better things. The glory of Jesus Christ is 
set forth and then by virtue of that, there are exhortations 
given by the Apostle Paul for Christians to conduct themselves 
in a manner worthy of so glorious a Christ. Very briefly, before 
we dive into two things in this particular passage, we want to 
note the context. Verses 1 to 4, we can find what 
we might say a mosaical insufficiency. That simply means that the Old 
Covenant had a divinely designed insufficiency insofar as the 
sacrifices that were rendered. There was a divinely designed 
obsolescence to the offering up of bulls and goats, which 
could never take away sins, because they pointed forward to that 
greater sacrifice, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who takes away 
the sins of His people. So, there's a statement of a 
mosaical insufficiency with regards to the sacrifices of the Old 
Testament. Notice verse 4, For it is not 
possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. 
But there is then, in verses 5 to 10, a statement and elaboration 
upon the absolute sufficiency of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice. Notice at verse 10, by that will, 
that is by Christ Jesus, by that will we have been sanctified 
through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 
So old covenant insufficiency at the point of the sacrifice 
is rendered, but new covenant absolute sufficiency in Jesus 
Christ, our Savior. Then in verses 11 to 18, we have 
the insufficiency of the earthly priesthood, followed by the absolute 
sufficiency and perfection of the priesthood of Christ. Notice 
at verse 11, and every priest stands ministering daily and 
offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take 
away sins. But see, in the scriptures, we 
have these wonderful these wonderful buts, B-U-T, in the Holy Scripture 
that set forth something of a greater contrast. But this man, after 
he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at 
the right hand of God, from that time waiting till his enemies 
are made his footstool, for by one offering he has perfected 
forever those who are being sanctified. You see, the labor of the Apostle 
Paul in this epistle is to set forth the glory of Jesus Christ 
before the eyes of faith of those who are being tempted to depart 
away from Christianity. The temple was still standing, 
Judaism was still going on, the sacrifices were being offered, 
the washings, the ceremonies, all of these things were taking 
place, and the family members and the friends and the countrymen 
of Hebrew Christians were tempting those Hebrew Christians to depart 
from this glorious Christ and to go back to the shiny things 
of the old covenant, because they were still before their 
eyes. And so Paul wants to set forth, no, the glory of Jesus 
Christ, not these things that were typical, not these things 
that foreshadow Jesus, not these things that were copies of the 
true, but the true has come, Lord Jesus Christ has come, our 
blessed savior has come, do not depart, but maintain that allegiance 
by grace in the crucified one. And so we get to our particular 
passage and we want to note that this passage breaks down into 
two parts. First, the foundation for the 
exhortation in verses 19 to 21, and then the giving of the exhortation 
in the following verses, that is, 22 to 25. So two simple things, 
the foundation for the exhortation and the giving of it. First of 
all, the foundation for the exhortation in some, to borrow from John 
Owen, the dignity of the person of Christ and the virtue of his 
office. That is what the apostle Paul 
is setting forth, the dignity of Jesus. He is the perfect one. He is very God and very man, 
yet one Christ, the only mediator between God and man, and all 
of those old covenant things only pointed forward to Him. 
All of those blessed streams of old covenant revelation merged 
and found their confluence in, and find their confluence in, 
Jesus Christ the Lord. The dignity of His person, that 
He is very God and very man, Hebrews 1, 1-4, And the virtue 
of his work, that means the perfection of his work. He didn't fail. He came into this world, sinners 
to save, and he saved sinners and that perfectly. Notice the 
language of verses 19 to 21. So there's this transitional 
word, 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, etc. So, there are two things that 
we see here. First, confidence in the once-for-all 
sacrifice of Christ, and then second, the glorious fact of 
Christ's high priestly office. These two things correspond with 
verses 1 to 4, verses 5 to 10, and then verses 11 to 18. because there are two things 
that the Apostle Paul is doing by way of comparison. He's comparing 
the old covenant sacrifices, ineffectual in and of themselves, 
and then he's comparing that with the glory of the sacrifice 
of the Lord Jesus Christ, the one to whom those things pointed. 
And then secondly, he's comparing the insufficiency of the priesthood 
of the old covenant, and that's compared to the excellency, the 
super abounding excellence of the priesthood of Christ. The 
old covenant priests ministered daily with sacrifices that could 
never take away sins. They would go once a year on 
the Day of Atonement into the Most Holy Place with a sacrifice 
that itself could never take away sins. These things were 
only signals that signified the glory of Jesus Christ, His perfect 
sacrifice, and His perfect priesthood. So, first of all, confidence 
in the once for all sacrifice of Christ. It is sacrifice and 
priesthood being compared and set forth here. Confidence in 
the once for all sacrifice of Christ. Notice the language of 
the text, having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood 
of Jesus. We are not so many Christians 
that come into this place with sheepishness and trepidation. We come into the house of the 
Lord on the day of the Lord, gathering together with the people 
of the Lord. were not to be marked by a sheepishness 
and a trepidation. The text says that by virtue 
of the perfect work of Jesus Christ, we're to be marked by 
a boldness. We're to have courage. It assumes both liberty from 
religious restriction and the absence of trepidation. He has 
hushed the law's loud thunder. He has quenched Mount Sinai's 
flame. It's the language of the hymn 
that we sing. You see, we don't come in, if 
we are marked, and we are to be marked by a boldness, if we 
come in and we somehow think that that boldness is by virtue 
of us, if we somehow think that we're mighty Christians, we puff 
out our chests, we lift up our noses and our chins, and we think 
ourselves bold, we're placing boldness in the wrong location. The boldness that we have is 
by virtue of what is in chapters 1 through to 10, 18, and what 
we see in verses 1 through to 18 in chapter 10, that is the 
perfect work of Jesus Christ. That's where our boldness lies. 
That's where Christian courage lies. We are not so many lion-hearted 
Christians, bold in our own strength and vigor. But we are so many 
Christians bold because Christ lived for us, Christ died for 
us, Christ rose again for us, and He has ascended to the right 
hand of the Majesty on high where He ever lives to make intercession 
for us. That's where in our boldness 
lies. And so the author can write here, having boldness to enter 
the holiest by the blood of Jesus. Well, he says note that we're 
able to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus. So By the 
holiest is meant the most holy place and it has reference first 
off to that Typical place the tabernacle in the temple where 
there was a veil that separated and the most holy place was behind 
it only the high priest was able to go in there once a year on 
the day of atonement and to offer up the sacrifices and quickly 
depart. And remember, to offer up sacrifices 
first for himself and his own household, and then for the people. 
But this Jesus entered the holiest, that is, the true of the copy. He entered into heaven itself 
by the blood of himself. He needed no sacrifice for himself 
because he is holy, harmless, and undefiled. But he offered 
up the sacrifice for his people, for all those whom had been given 
to him by the glorious predestinating grace of Almighty God. Jesus 
Christ by his blood secures this boldness. And notice as well, 
we have this glorious language, by a new and living way, which 
he consecrated for us. What does that mean? We have 
this boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new 
and living way, which he consecrated for us. Again, this has a comparison 
to the old covenant. The old covenant, remember that 
at the time of Jesus, up until the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, 
It was propitious and it was right for these to enter into 
the temple to offer up sacrifices in their service unto God. But 
with the coming of Christ, His crucifixion, subsequent resurrection 
and ascension, this activity was to cease. It was no longer 
a lawful thing. Why? Because the true had come, 
the copy was to be cast off. The substance had come, the shadow 
is to be cast off. the true temple, the true tabernacle, 
the true priest, the true sacrifice had come and so the old was to 
be cast off. So a new and living way in contrast 
to the old and the repetitious and the dying and fading away 
way that was the typical ordinances of the mosaical institutions. 
These were old, these were repetitious, these are fading away, but Christ, 
by a new and living way. It's living, it's eternal, it 
brings life, it gives life, it sustains life, and it brings 
us into eternal life. And new, we can think of other 
texts, other doctrines in the New Testament, the New Covenant. 
The fact that by the rending of the shed blood of Christ, 
we have that blessed new covenant inaugurated wherein all are the 
people of God. And so Christ, by a new and living 
way, consecrates this worship for us. That means He sanctifies 
our worship. He sets apart our worship, our 
confident approach to God, by virtue of His shed blood. Remember, 
we don't come sheepishly, we don't come with trepidation. We just sang the hymn, Arise 
my soul, arise, shake off thy guilty fears. We don't need to 
come guilty into these doors of worship, into the house of 
God. Why? Because Christ has taken 
away the guilt of sin. He has dealt the death blow to 
the power of sin, to the condemnation for sin, and to the guilt of 
sin. He has taken it away by the perfection 
of his sacrifice. That's why the hymn writer can 
write, arise my soul, arise. Don't be sheepish, don't be trepidatious, 
if that's a word, don't be marked by trepidation, but come with 
confidence because the high priest has shed his blood for the salvation 
of a multitude which no man can number from every tribe and tongue 
and people. And notice the language is used 
here, through the veil that is his flesh. Remember that on the 
day of the crucifixion, the sun was darkened and the veil of 
the temple was torn in two. That wasn't just the gospel writers 
making a historical note. Oh, isn't it interesting that 
the sun was darkened and the and the veil was torn in two. 
That's curious. I'll just make a note of that 
in my gospel account. No, there was great typology, 
there was great significance, there is great theology to the 
rending of the veil. Leo notes this, that is, Leo 
Maximus. If you ever want to name a son, 
there's another name on the all-time name list, Leo Maximus. So anybody 
planning on having children, and you want to think of the 
name for a boy, Leo Maximus. But Leo writes this, and it's 
notable. The New Testament also was being ratified, that is, 
in the rending of the veil, that is, his flesh. And in the blood 
of Christ, the heirs of the eternal kingdom were being enrolled. 
The great high priest was entering the Holy of Holies, and to intercede 
with God, the spotless priest was passing in through the veil 
of his flesh. In fine, so evident a transition 
was being erected from the law to the gospel, from the synagogue 
to the church, from many sacrifices to the one victim, that when 
the Lord gave up the ghost, that mystic veil which hung before 
and shut out the inner part of the temple and its holy recess, 
was by sudden force torn from top to bottom. For that reason 
the truth was displacing figures, and forerunners were needless 
in the presence of Him they announced." Listen to this last statement. 
For that reason, the truth, that is capital T Christ, for the 
reason that truth was displacing figures and forerunners were 
needless in the presence of Him they announced. That's the Apostle 
Paul's point in the book of Hebrews. Forerunners are needless in the 
presence of Him they announced. The announced One had come. The 
announced One had come gloriously. Life, death, resurrection rendered 
for the salvation of a multitude. So those forerunners are needless 
because the One to whom they pointed had come in glory. Going 
back then to the passage, secondly under the foundation for the 
exhortation, we just want to notice here the glorious fact 
Christ's high priestly office notice the language of verse 
21 and having a high priest over the house of God This is to give 
us much confidence This is to give us the boldness that the 
Apostle Paul is here writing about we have a high priest over 
the house of God it is not according to our machinations in our movements 
and our operations and our actions that the house of God is perfected 
and That service unto God is rendered, but it is by the perfection 
of the actings and the operations of the high priest who is over 
that house, even Jesus Christ the Lord. This is to give us 
great confidence. Jesus is the worship leader. 
We don't need a worship leader. Why? Because Hebrews 2.12, the 
Lord Jesus Christ is the worship leader of the church. He walks 
amongst the lampstands. He is the greater brother. for 
his brethren who give service to God in the house of God for 
the people of God. So this brings us then to the 
giving of the exhortation and the rest of our time will be 
taken up with this. So I think we hopefully get the 
blessed point, the perfection of Jesus Christ, his person and 
his work. Therefore, these following things. So we have now the giving of 
the exhortation and it is threefold or we have three exhortations. We have them given in verses 
23 through to 25. And I want us to note here that 
the exhortations are structured such that first, the exhortation 
proper is given. So there's an actual exhortation 
given, and they're given with these let us clauses. Secondly, 
the giving of the exhortation comes and it states the manner 
in which the exhortation is to be carried out. So we're exhorted 
unto an action, how are we to carry it out? Paul writes this. 
And then thirdly, there is a reason or motivational impetus for heeding 
the exhortation provided. So exhortation given, manner 
by which it is to be carried out, and then a reason for doing 
it. Notice here that these three 
exhortations are given to us with the introductory language 
of let us. Let's not avoid, let us not avoid 
that language or just skip past that language when we're reading 
this passage. It is congregational language. The language is let 
us, that is, it's congregational. It's given to the assembly of 
the saints. It's given to the gathered church. 
And so this congregational exhortation is to be understood in that exact 
sense that it's given to the church. He doesn't write, let 
all of you individually exercise such and such, but rather he 
says, let us, as the gathered church, as the people of God 
in worship, Peculiarly and specifically, how are we to act and what are 
we to do when we are assembled together? You see, we are not 
a smattering. We are not a gathering of maverick 
Christians. We are not to be so many maverick 
Christians that just come into these doors gather together, 
sing a few hymns, do a few elements of worship, and then scatter 
out about our way. We are together, gathered together, 
in union with our Lord Jesus Christ, and in union with each 
other. We are to fellowship, we are 
to be assembled saints, we are to be exhorting saints, and as 
we'll notice in a moment, we are to be others minded saints. So the first exhortation that's 
given is the call to engage in confident and true new covenant 
worship. Notice the language in verse 
22. 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. It's a call to engage in confident 
and true New Covenant worship. The exhortation that is given 
is, let us draw near with a true heart. So that's the exhortation 
proper. Let us draw near with a true 
heart. This drawing near is to the triune 
God through Christ. It envisions worship and spiritual 
sacrifices that we render to God. Prayer, the reading of the 
word, the hearing of the word, the singing of the word, and 
the preaching of the word. So it also entails confidence 
and not presumption. So we are to draw near with a 
true heart. We're not to draw near like those 
of the old covenant. Many in the old covenant remember 
the rebuke of God, they draw near to me, or you draw near 
to me with your mouse and with your lips, but your hearts are 
far from me. That was the condition of those 
many in the old covenant that would offer blind and lame sacrifices. Yeah, they might render lip service 
to Yahweh, but by their actions and in their heart and absence 
of religious hearts, they would not render a true sacrifice, 
or rather a true religious service with true hearts. And so this 
is, we are to draw near with true hearts, not in outward worship 
only, the motions of the physical man, but with hearts purified 
by faith. That's something that we ought 
to pray for every Lord's Day, shouldn't it? I mean we have 
we have you know, we're in this we're in August right now the 
heats here It's heavy in the building that you know, the air 
feels heavy. Maybe it's humidity the hots here We're fighting 
the flesh to try and stay awake You know, these are difficult 
things. We ought to pray every Lord's Day morning that we would 
have true hearts in worship, that we would not just come through 
these doors and with the motions of the physical man, engage in 
outward worship only, absent of a true Christian heart. We 
should pray every Lord's Day morning, and even when we're 
in the pews, before the one opening worship comes up, we should pray, 
Lord, give me a true heart of worship that I might honor you 
today. So we also see that there is a horizontal responsibility 
that we'll see in a moment, a horizontal responsibility for the people 
of the church. Not only are we to honor God, 
but we are to exhort one another. And so praying for true hearts, 
that our souls would be lifted, that it would be true of us, 
arise my soul arise, that we might even have the crazy wherewithal 
to crescent our lips and smile. that we might be joyful and cheerful 
Christians on the Lord's Day, honoring our God and exhorting 
one another and encouraging one another to lay hold of their 
God with an unswerving constancy. So let us draw near with a true 
heart. And notice the manner in which 
this exhortation is to be carried out. It is in full assurance 
of faith. Let us draw near with a true 
heart in full assurance of faith. It speaks again to the confidence 
and to the boldness that Christians are to have when they enter into 
the worship of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the one and only 
living and true God. We are to have full assurance 
of faith. Again, not because we're so splendid, not because 
we're so glorious, but because the triune God is glorious in 
His amazing and victorious grace. and because of the finished and 
perfect work of Jesus Christ. We are promised that all those 
who believe in Jesus Christ will not perish, but have everlasting 
life. And so we can, in full assurance 
of faith, come into the worship of our God, come into the honoring 
of our Christ, with confidence and with boldness. Isn't it a 
blessed thing, brethren, that our sins are forgiven? You know, 
this is another reason why, because Christ is perfect in the rendering 
of Him as a sacrifice, the forgiveness of sins are a promise given and 
a means by which we can have boldness and confidence in worship. 
Because we've had the power, the condemnation, and in this 
case specifically, the guilt of sin taken away. You know, 
there was, I think in the history of me 
preaching, I probably used this illustration or this, not this 
illustration, but this quote from the Pilgrim's Progress about 
every third time that I preach, but it's because it's so glorious 
at the point of this very thing that we're studying right now, 
being confident and bold in worship, and having this full assurance 
of faith. We don't come to Christian worship 
with guilt. The guilt of sin has been taken 
away. If you've come here this morning and you're feeling guilty, 
you're wallowing in sin right now, you're presently enduring 
a season where the storms have come in and God's countenance 
seems far from you, the love of God seems far from you. Repent 
and find forgiveness with Christ. You see we don't need to wallow 
in our sin We don't need to engage in seasons where we're where 
we're you know, it's metaphorically flagellating ourselves until 
God somehow accepts our personal atonement Christ has died for 
you. The perfect sacrifice has been 
given so cast off your wallowing It does no one good. There's 
no nobility and wallowing in sin and Okay, if you're if you're 
I'm gonna endure a season of guilt because I'm so holy and 
pious I'm just gonna wait for a period of time and Metaphorically 
flagellate myself if you want to ask what that means later 
on the Roman Catholics would put you know beads and sharp 
things on ropes and whip themselves in order to atone for their sin 
Christ has died for us Christ was raised again for us. Christ 
has ascended to the right hand of the majesty on high, where 
he ever lives to intercede for us, so don't wallow in guilt. 
That Pilgrim's Progress quote goes something like this, how 
far have I come laden with my sin? How far have you come laden 
with your sin this morning? How far have we come laden with 
my sin? Nothing could ease the grief 
that I was in. Till I came here, what a place 
is this! Must here be the beginning of 
my bliss? Must here this burden fall from 
off my back, the burden of sin? Must here the cords that tied 
it to me crack? Blessed cross, blessed sepulcher 
that is tomb, blessed rather be the man who there was put 
to shame for me. You see, we don't come before 
the triune God riddled with guilt. We come before the triune God 
with the confidence of a crucified Christ, with the confidence of 
a resurrected Christ, with the confidence of an ascended Christ. 
And there we find our glory. There we find our confidence 
in worship. We draw near in full assurance 
of faith. And the reason for heeding this 
exhortation is also given here. having our hearts sprinkled from 
an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. The imagery 
comes right out of the Old Testament. Again, remember, Paul's writing 
to those who are being stolen away or who are people are attempting 
to steal them away back to Old Covenant worship. And so he uses 
Old Covenant worship here to speak to the greater reality 
of New Covenant truth. And he says, having our having 
our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies 
washed with pure water. The imagery is drawn from those 
Exodus and Leviticus admonitions and narratives where Aaron, after 
the offering of the sacrifice, would sprinkle the blood upon 
the altar. And it speaks to that blessed 
new covenant reality, or that's what it points to, the blessed 
new covenant reality that our hearts have been sprinkled from 
an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. You see, 
that sprinkling of the blood of the sacrifice, it never washed, 
it never purified, it never took away sins. But it pointed forward 
to as a signal to the thing signified, which is our hearts sprinkled, 
our hearts washed, our hearts regenerated by the saving power 
of the Holy Spirit. That's the promise of Ezekiel 
36, where our hearts will be washed, that the Spirit will 
be that one who washes us in pure water, purifying us by amazing 
and victorious grace. The second exhortation that we 
find here is the call to be steadfast in the confession of Christ. 
Notice the language here, verse 23, The call to be steadfast in the confession of Christ. 
The exhortation that is given is, properly, let us hold fast 
the confession of our hope. So that's the exhortation that's 
given. Let us hold fast the confession 
of our hope. Or we could render that the profession 
of faith, our faith. But this exhortation, first off, 
assumes that there is an exertion of strength that's rendered, 
a diligence. We are exhorted, believers are exhorted to hold 
fast. That means we are to grip strongly. We are to have a strong 
grip upon something that something follows, but hold fast, be steadfast, 
grip the truth, hold on to something. It comprehends an exertion of 
strength. Christians, we are to exert a measure of strength. 
As we rail against the devil, as we rail against the world, 
as we rail against the flesh, we are to maintain not an inviolable 
grip because only Christ has that, Not a perfect grip because 
only Christ has that, but we are to maintain as much as we 
are able by supplies of the Spirit. We are to grip something in the 
exertion of a diligence and of a strength. And that thing is 
given or the object gripped is given here. The holding fast 
assumes that there is something of value to hold on to. And in 
this case, it is of inestimable value. So we're to hold fast, 
and we're to hold fast something, and that something is the confession 
of our hope or the profession of our faith. What is that? If we were to define that, we 
could define that with one word, and that one word is Christ. 
Again, the dignity of His person and the virtue of His work or 
His office. That He is very God and very 
man, yet one Christ, the only mediator between God and man, 
our Savior, our Redeemer, our King. That is the confession 
of our hope, that the Son of God, the second of the blessed 
triune, of one substance with Him who begat Him, came into 
this lower world, took upon Himself man's nature with all the essential 
properties and common infirmities thereof, and yet without sin, 
and effected a perfect salvation. That's what we are to lay hold 
of. Why? Because the danger in the context 
was that those countrymen, those family members, those friends 
were trying to steal these Christians back to Old Covenant worship. 
Why would you engage in a worship when there are no shiny things, 
when there is no temple, when there are no brushed accoutrements, 
however you pronounce that, when there aren't all these physical 
things that you can cast your eyes upon in the temple? You 
can see the high priest decked out. You can see all of these 
elements of worship. Why would you go to this one 
invisible? Why would you go to this one that you cannot see? 
Why would you go to this simple worship? So they were fighting 
against that the answer is why because all of those things pointed 
forward to this blessed one All of those streams of Old Covenant 
reality pointed forward to this Christ whom you crucified That's 
why we worship the triune God and engage in the honoring in 
the worship of Jesus Christ the Savior but back to the point 
here This gripping, this laying hold of something is the laying 
hold of Jesus Christ, and it recognizes the danger of opposition. There is contemporaneous Jewish 
opposition. So you might say, maybe some 
of you are asking, but hopefully not, but maybe some of you are 
asking, okay, well, what does this have to do with me? We're 
2,000 years removed from the giving of this revelation. We're 
2,000 years removed from this pre-temple Judaism, or this pre-temple 
destruction Judaism, that is. This doesn't occur anymore. Well, 
there still is an assailing devil. There still is a contrary world, 
and there still is a lusting flesh, and we rail against these 
enemies each and every day, and those three things are trying 
to steal us away, are trying to allure us away from us laying 
hold of Christ Jesus the Lord. And so we fight against these 
things, and the exhortation, yes, comes to the Hebrews 2,000 
years ago, But by the fact that this is the living word, it comes 
to us here in 2022 in Chilliwack on a hot day. And so we are to 
lay hold of this hope, the confession of our hope. The manner in which 
this exhortation is to be carried out is given. Notice the manner 
is without wavering. We're to have a doubtless faith. 
We are to be resolute in believing. So we are to lay hold of the 
hope confession of our hope, and we are to do so without wavering. 
We're not to be like so many boats, so many ships that are 
rudderless, sailless, mastless, oarless. We're not to be such 
as those boats tossed about on a waving ocean. We are to have 
the rudders and the oars and the sails captained and piloted 
by Jesus Christ the Lord, realizing that we are on that boat, not 
on so many boats, cast and tossed afro and asunder by the waves 
of the storms, but rather we have our captain, the Lord Jesus 
Christ. We are to lay hold of him and 
we are not to waver. This brings us to an important 
point with the context here, and that is that given the weight 
of the Apostle's arguments throughout the book of Hebrews, given the 
fact that the Apostle has spent 10 chapters trying to set forth, 
not trying, setting forth by divine inspiration the glory 
of Jesus Christ, and doing so time and again, emphasizing that 
all of those old... I know I keep saying this, but 
Paul has to keep saying it in the epistle to the Hebrews, because 
of the weakness and the corruption of the hearts of men. Why would 
you go back to Judaism? Why would you go back to old 
covenant religion? Why would you go back to those 
things when Christ has come and perfected salvation? We can almost 
hear the Apostle Paul say these things repeatedly. Why would 
you go back to the fading away and becoming obsolete things 
of the old covenant religion when Christ has come and perfected 
salvation? Why would you go back to the 
foretellings of the prophets when the one to whom they foretold 
has come, their scope, their end, and their terminus. He has 
come. Don't seek out those foretellings 
as if to look for another Christ, as if to look for a future Messiah, 
which they do. the Messiah has come, the Christ 
has come. Why would you seek out the ministrations 
of angels like we have in the beginning chapters of Hebrews? Why would you seek out the ministrations 
of angels when in Christ we have the ministry of the maker of 
angels? Why would you go back to the 
temple when we have Immanuel? Why go back to the copy when 
we have the true? Why go back to the shadow when 
we have the substance? Why go back to the type when 
we have the blessed anti-type, Jesus Christ the Lord? It's madness. Why the copy when we have the 
true? In the context here, why go back to repeated sacrifices 
when we have the once and for all sacrifice of the Lamb of 
God who takes away the sins of the world? Why would you go back 
to the ministrations of an earthly priesthood when in the high priest 
Jesus Christ we have that obedience unto cross-death vocation of 
the Son of God incarnate? Why would you go back? And so 
us so far removed from this particular time with the assailing devil, 
with the contrary world, and its allurements, with the lusting 
flesh, and that battle, we are to look to this Christ, to hold 
on with an unswerving constancy. And the reason for heeding that 
exhortation is given, for he who promised is faithful. Notice again, verse 23, let us 
hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he 
who promised is faithful. This is the motivational impetus. 
As if to this point, perhaps there's still doubting, You know, 
the weight of their countrymen, the weight of their family, the 
weight of the shiny things of Judaism that were before them, 
even though they should have been cast off and they should 
have only owned one alone, Christ Jesus the Lord, but these things 
are before them. If they were still doubting and 
if there still was hesitation in their hearts, the language 
of, for he who promised is faithful, would come as that blessed balm. 
that blessed cure to that doubt. Why? Because it stresses the 
immutable promises of our living and true God. He who promised 
is faithful. This comprehends and asserts 
the infinite, eternal, and unchangeable character of God and calls upon 
the reader to consider the promissory declarations of that God. What 
does that mean? God has promised and he is immutable in his promises. 
He is unchangeable in his promises. He is infinite, eternal and unchangeable 
in all of his glorious perfections. And he has promised that all 
those who believe in his son will have everlasting life. So 
lay hold of this Christ and lay hold of him. with that unswerving 
constancy. I think it's okay for us to make 
some assumptions as to what perhaps the promises are in view here. 
That promise that Genesis 3.15 promised that the hero born of 
woman will crush the serpent with his heel. that covenant 
of grace given in the garden, given at the garden. Remember 
that that is language concerning Christ and all of revelation 
that follows the giving of that promise that the hero born of 
woman Christ will crush the serpent with his heel. All of subsequent 
divine revelation builds off of that particular promise. The 
promise to Abraham that from you, the nations will be blessed. 
From your seed, that is capital S seed Christ, according to Galatians, 
all the nations of the earth will be blessed. The promises 
to David, the promises to the patriarchs, the promises given 
to the prophets, that the prophets announced to the nation of Israel 
that there is one coming who will give himself for guilty 
sinners, who will rise again the third day and ascend to glory. That promising God is the ground 
and the motivational impetus for all of us, brethren, to lay 
hold of Jesus Christ with an unswerving constancy. And then 
lastly, the call to be others-minded in our walk with Christ. This 
is the final exhortation given, the call to be others-minded 
in our walk with Christ. Notice the language in verse 
24. And let us consider one another 
in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the 
assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but 
exhorting one another, and so much the more, as you see the 
day approaching. The exhortation proper that is 
given is let us consider one another in order to stir up love 
and good works. See, there's a posture and a 
connected activity given here. We're to have this posture of 
considering one another, and there is a purpose given to stir 
up love and good works. So this posture that we're to 
have is an others-mindedness. And this is very difficult for 
humanity. It's very difficult for us to 
be others-minded, isn't it? Because we're so often about 
ourselves. You know, even right now, and I promise that I'll 
end soon so you don't have to worry about me going on for another 
30 minutes, but even right now, when's this preacher going to 
end? When can I leave? When can I get my lunch? Maybe 
I'm imputing evil to you that I shouldn't. Please forgive me 
if I am, but sometimes the flesh avails as we're sitting in the 
pews and our thoughts can wander. Our thoughts can go astray from 
the worship of God and from honoring Christ and from a horizontal 
responsibility to other people in the church that we might exhort 
them and be examples of conducting ourselves in a manner worthy 
of the gospel of Christ. We're hot. We're tired. So we 
are to be others-mindedness. We're not to be selfish. We're 
not to look inwardly, we're not to be about our own issues and 
our own problems, but we are to put the interests of others 
ahead or before those of our own. That's the language of the 
Apostle Paul in Philippians 1 and 2. We are to, in humility, put 
others' interests before those of our own. And so there is an 
other-mindedness posture that we are to have, the language, 
let us consider one another, and the purpose is to stir up 
love and good works. Ought not we to pray about that? That we 
would, by our activity, based upon the finished work of the 
Lord Jesus Christ, by our conversation in the gospel of Jesus Christ, 
that's an old word that means our conducting ourselves, By 
conducting ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel, that we 
would stir up one another to love and good works. That's what 
we ought to pray for. That is, we come into church, 
we would have an others-mindedness, not a me-mindedness, but an others-mindedness, 
considering one another, in order that we might stir up service 
unto God and unto the honor of Christ. The manner in which this 
exhortation is to be carried out is by not forsaking the assembling 
of ourselves together. So how do we consider one another 
in this context? And how do we stir up love and 
good works? It's by coming to church. It's by assembling together. 
It's by the stuff of the let us's that Paul is trying to bring 
out in the flavor of congregationalism. We are an assembly of saints. 
And what does that mean? It means we assemble. We gather 
together in the name of Christ Jesus the Lord to worship our 
God and to exhort one another and build each other up in our 
most holy faith. So we are not to forsake the 
assembling of ourselves together as is the manner of some. These 
were tempted not to gather out of fear of persecution. Out of 
fear, later on in Hebrews 10, later on we read of their goods 
being plundered, of them being persecuted by their countrymen. 
And so out of fear, out of apprehension, some weren't coming to church. 
But you see, that is where we are blessed. That is where God 
blesses us. That is where Christ is. And 
we are not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as is 
the manner of some. And then what is that reason 
for heeding the exhortation? Notice the text goes on here. 
But exhorting one another, and so much the more, as you see 
the day approaching. So what is this day? Very quickly, some have thought, 
is it the day of our death? Is it the day of the future and 
general judgment? Is it the Sabbath day? It is 
most likely the day of judgment upon Jerusalem in AD 70. As you 
see that promised day approaching, first century Hebrews, as you 
see that day approaching, all the more conduct yourselves in 
a manner worthy of Christ. All the more exhort one another. 
All the more gather together. and encourage one another to 
stir up love and good works. John Owen writes this, he says, 
whatever desolations and destructions may be approaching, Our best 
and wisest frame will be to trust unto God in the discharge of 
our duty. All other contrivances will prove 
not only vain and foolish, but destructive unto our souls. The 
day here intended was coming on the city and nation for their 
neglect and contempt of the gospel. It was the revenge of their murder 
on belief and obstinacy against Christ. Wherefore, if any that 
made profession of the gospel were now negligent and careless 
in the known duties of it, they could have no evidence and satisfaction 
in their own minds that they should not fall in the fire of 
that day. And so, brethren, we may not 
have the problem or the approaching day that these Hebrews had in 
the first century. But remember, we do have our 
problems. We do have our oppositions. We 
do have our enemies, our trials, our storms, our floods. And so 
the answer to that is not to submit to the flesh and not assemble 
together. The answer is to submit unto 
God and with joyfulness and cheerfulness come to church on the day of 
the Lord with the people of the Lord, singing, praying, engaging 
in the ministry of the word and honoring the triune God. So in 
closing, brethren, just a few things, and these will go very 
quickly, but not to the sacrifice of treating the content as it 
ought to be treated. First off, reflect often upon the person 
and work of Christ. A very simple one for a preacher, 
but a very important one for Christians. Reflect often upon 
the person and work of Christ because this is glorious in and 
of itself, but also because it is the ground of our service 
unto God. That's what the text says. Because of the perfection 
of his sacrifice, because of the perfection of his priesthood, 
we have access to God, free access unto the triune God, and we are 
to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the amazing grace by 
which we were brought from darkness to light. Secondly, there are 
no strange appendages to our Christian duty and worship. You might wonder what that means. That means that Christianity 
is simple. Biblical Christianity is simple. 
And I don't mean that in the sense that there will never be 
persecution, that there will never be trial, that there will 
never be hot opposition against us. But I simply mean that the 
apostolic exhortation unto Christian activity is very simple. We're 
not called to seek after the next experiential high. We're not called to capture or 
recapture the next emotional experience, lifting your hands 
higher, crying more uncontrollably, shedding more tears. We're not 
called to seek after prophecy and tongues and knowledge and 
think of ourselves as failed when we don't have them, because 
those three things ceased with the completion of the canon in 
the New Testament. We're not called upon to buy 
the brooch, to buy the DVD, to buy the little bottle of water 
that was kissed by angels in the Middle East. We're not called 
upon to do all of these things. We're not called upon to pay 
for the conference, to listen to the incessant ramblings of 
modern prophets and apostles. We're called to think upon, to 
dwell upon, to engage in sweet contemplations of the triune 
God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, were called upon to engage in 
the sweet contemplations of the Son of God, who came down from 
on high, took upon Himself humanity, sinners to save. And what do 
we do in light of those blessed contemplations? We gather in 
worship, we draw near confidently, we lay hold of the confession 
of our hope without wavering for he who promised is faithful, 
and we gather together in others-mindedness, exhorting one another until that 
blessed day for us when we enter into Emmanuel's land. Brethren, 
we're called upon to engage in a simple Christianity, and it's 
a glorious one. sweet contemplations of our God, 
is there anything better than laying hold of a triune God, 
infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in all of His glorious perfections, 
dwelling upon the blessings of so glorious a God? Is there anything 
more sweet than that holding fast grip upon the Son of God 
who came into this world, sinners to save? Is there anything blessed 
to grip than an incarnate, than a living, than a bleeding, than 
a dying, than a rising again, an ascending Savior? There isn't. Let us do that unto that great 
day, and let us do that together as a congregation, as a band 
of brothers. So we stand and we sing during 
worship, as just one example. You know, the Bible says that 
we sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. We do sing them 
unto God, yes, but we also sing them to one another, the text 
says. So as a band of brothers, when we sing, when we rise up 
and sing, we are to rise up and we're to consider that before 
us and behind us, that to the left and to the right, there 
are Christians saved by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, interceded 
for by an exalted Lord Jesus Christ, and that we are together 
as that band of brothers to sing the praises of Jesus Christ unto 
that great day when we enter into Emmanuel's land. And if 
you're here this morning and you are a Christian, rejoice 
in your Christ, dwell upon the glories of the triune God, dwell 
upon the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, the blessedness 
of our redeeming King. If you're outside of Christ this 
morning, what is so ugly about this Savior? That God came down 
from heaven, sinners to save? What is repugnant about that? 
What is repugnant about the one who fixed the stars in place, 
being fixed in place upon a tree to redeem mankind? There are 
so many sweet things, quote, unquote, that you chase after 
in this lower world with all of its allurements, and you neglect 
the one thing that is worthy to be chased after, and that's 
Jesus Christ, the Savior, the one who came into this world, 
sinners to save. sinner believe on him. Saints 
rest upon him. And might every single one of 
our tongues, because it's possible only with God, leave these two 
doors singing the praises of our victor. Let us pray. Heavenly 
Father, we thank you for your truth. We rejoice in your goodness 
to us, that we can embrace your word, that we can study your 
word, that we can preach your word, that we can sing it, that 
we can see it in your ordinances. And we do just pray, Lord God, 
that you would apply this word to our hearts, that we might 
rejoice in your word, that we might sing the praises of the 
Christ to whom it points. And do go with us, help us to 
engage in the heating of these exhortations joyfully and cheerfully, 
Lord. And might we do all things in 
the honor of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We pray in the name 
of our Savior, Jesus Christ, the Lord. Amen. Well, let's stand 
and sing a doxology, and that is the doxology. We'll stand 
and sing 568. If you don't know it, let's stand 
and sing that together. ♪ Praise God from whom all blessings 
flow ♪ ♪ Praise Him, all creatures here below ♪ ♪ Praise Him, our God, ye heavenly host ♪ ♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy 
Ghost ♪ Now may the God of peace who 
brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great shepherd 
of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 
make you complete in every good work to do his will, working 
in you what is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, 
to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Well, please be seated, 
and we'll have a brief time of prayer. When the piano's finished, 
you're dismissed.