Church of the Saviour

Seeking What is Yet to Come 112810 | Hebrews 13:14-16 SERMON SUMMARY

A STUDY OF HEBREWS

Verses 14 through 16 continue the thought of what has already been stated by the writer (139-13). Remembering from last week, those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior go to him outside the gate. That is, there must be some level of reproach on our behalf since we are numbered among the weak. Heb 13:14-16 - The sacrifices we offer are through Christ We do not prefigure, help, or create Christ in anything that we do since Christ has fulfilled all sacrifices. Yet! We still offer sacrifices. - The sacrifices we offer are for praise not for forgiveness 1) Praise through verbal expressions 2) Praise by loving and serving other people

- The sacrifices we offer are continual 1) 2) 3) 4)

Do not neglect corporate worship. Learn the Biblical language of praise by meditating on the Psalms. Battle against a consumerist mindset by seeking to serve. Make it a business everyday to find your joy in Christ.

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Church of the Saviour notes

SEEKING WHAT IS YET TO COME WORSHIP Read aloud and mediate on the following. Psalm 100 A PSALM FOR GIVING THANKS Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! 2

Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!

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Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

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Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!

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For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations

Pray for the group as you begin.

STUDY Read aloud Hebrews 13:14-16 14

For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. 15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. 16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. 2 Copyright © CHURCH OF THE SAVIOUR 2010

Church of the Saviour notes

SEEKING WHAT IS YET TO COME Remember from last week the command for believers to go outside the city gate in order that we may bear the reproach Christ endured (Heb 1312-13). Christ was reviled. We too are reviled. He was disgraced. We are disgraced. We bear the stigma or gospel mark of Christ, and sequentially, we suffer with him. There must be some level of reproach on our behalf: one that forsakes old and foreign securities, occupies new and unchartered territories, and submits all of our thoughts and actions to the full leadership of Christ. Since there is nothing static about Jesus or his mission; to stand still is to fall behind him. Q: How is your life currently marked by reproach? FOR WE HAVE NO LASTING CITY…

The writer references back to the Old Testament “tent of meeting” which was outside and far off from the camp of the people (Exodus 33). There at this tent would God meet with Moses. When the writer of Hebrews commands that those who follow Jesus go outside the tent, it carries great theological weight. Not only does holy and reverent fear occur when meeting God face-to-face, but to be outside the tent is to know and meet with God himself. This is what God does. He meets his people face-to-face, like Moses (Ex 3311), outside the city. Jesus is outside and because of this, we now long for the city whose foundations cannot be shaken. It is the city where Jesus lives. Hence, we long to see him face-to-face, or as it is written, we seek the city that is to come. It is not first and foremost a desire to see the city itself, but it is because of the person who dwells there: Jesus – God, the Son. But we also know from Hebrews 1228 that we have already received this unshakable kingdom. Herman Ridderbos writes: The coming of the kingdom of God is most certainly to be looked upon as the realization of the great drama of the history of salvation… This realization is not merely a matter of the future, however. It has started. The great change of the aeons has taken place. The center of history is in Christ’s coming, in his victory of the demons, in his death and resurrection. (The Coming of the Kingdom) Q: In light of Christ’s once-and-for-all death and resurrection, how is it that we still have a sacrifice to bring before God (Heb 1315)? Jesus died for sin, we die to sin (Galatians 220)

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Church of the Saviour notes

SEEKING WHAT IS YET TO COME The sacrifices we offer now are for praise, and NOT for forgiveness! (see Heb 1315) Our entire lives are now living sacrifices or expressions of gratitude for God’s grace received. We no longer need a mediator since Christ, God himself, mediates for us because only he alone can atone for sin. …THE FRUIT OF LIPS THAT ACKNOWLEDGE HIS NAME Q: How does Heb 1314 reorient your speech in all areas of your life? Consider your current relationships, can you confidently say that you build others up through your speech (Eph 429)? -

How you speak to others Language you are most concerned about Verbal expressions you most use

…DO NOT NEGLECT TO DO GOOD AND TO SHARE WHAT YOU HAVE The message of the cross encourages Christians to live by loving and serving other people. We respond in sacrifices of thanksgiving (Gal 610, 1 Jn 316-18, Rm121) Q: Do you often pray and consider how you might serve and love others? How might your group actively do this? IN EVERYTHING I DO? The sacrifices that we bring are continual. As Christians they last throughout one’s life. They are not rituals of which we make to appease God on separate occasions, Rather, our lives are one complete sacrifice. We respond with our lives to the beauty of the risen Lord. All speech, work, status, thought – everything is for the praise of God! Abraham Kuyper, late 19th century Dutch theologian and politician, lectured saying, “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence of which Christ, who is sovereign over all, does not cry: ‘Mine!’” This is a striking blow towards those who believe Christian faith and weekly living are separate and distinct. Read Col 3:17 aloud Q: Do you live as though your life outside of gatherings such as “church, Bible study, or Christian fellowship” is off limits for God? How have you attempted to segregate or compartmentalize your life before God?

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For the Week Ahead… Take time to read the following pastoral directives from this Sunday, and ponder your week ahead. Where may you need help? Ask your study leader(s) to guide and pray for you. Pastoral Direction Do not neglect corporate worship which provides Biblical structures and categories for life. Learn the Biblical language of praise by meditating on the Psalms. Battle against a consumerist mindset by seeking to serve. Make it a business everyday to find your joy in Christ.

DIRECTED PRAYER Pray that your current convictions and encouragement of the Spirit will be grasped and impressed upon your life. Share with one another your requests and pray before

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