Let Us Draw Near With A True Heart Sprinkled Clean

Hebrews 10 and the New and Living Way

Once again, if you will turn your scriptures to Hebrews chapter 10 the epistle to the Hebrews Chapter 10 once again before we go to the Word of God. Let us ask his blessing upon our time together. Indeed our Heavenly Father we come before you and once again, we ask that great privilege.

The presence of your spirit with us. We know you delight to meet with your people as we come this day. We confess our need for your guidance. We need your light. We need your spirit to give us understanding.

So be with us now all to your honor and glory. We pray in Christ's name. For quite some time now we have been working through the book of Hebrews when I have had the opportunity of standing behind this pulpit and we are in the 10th chapter we have worked through the central theological Argumentation of this particular letter and now we are transitioning into the exhortation section we are coming up on a very difficult section a section that is Probably one of the two that is most often cited from this book and beginning of verse 26, but we're not quite there yet.

Instead we have a few more verses to go as last time we had worked through verse 20 and so I will begin reading Hebrews chapter 10 at verse 19 and Look at the section that we will be examining today. Therefore brethren since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus By a new and living way, which he inaugurated for us through the veil That is his flesh and since we have a great priest over the house of God Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled clean 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 how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds. Not forsaking our own assembling together as is the habit of some But encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

Now we in the last time we were together worked through verse 20 and once again saw that the Apostle now upon asserting from So many scriptures he has brought together that that great assertion verse 18 now where there is forgiveness of these things There is no longer any offering for sin.

He has demonstrated that the old Levitical priesthood has been fulfilled the sacrifices have been fulfilled the way has been opened through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that once for all sacrifice that one time sacrifice.

The way has been opened into the very presence of God and therefore The pressure being put upon these believers to go back to the old ways. The pressure being put upon them to go back and offer sacrifice in the temple in Jerusalem.

There is nothing to go back to. Those sacrifices are no longer pleasing to God. Because they are in essence a continued testimony on the part of those doing that that what Jesus has done is not Sufficient he is not truly the Messiah.

He is not the Son of God. He is not the final sacrifice and we considered briefly the fact that all of man's religions that try to undo the things that Christ has done to go back and establish priests and to go back and establish mechanisms whereby There are sacrifices offered over and over again a complete undoing of the work of Christ.

You cannot put these things together. Where there is forgiveness of these things there is no longer any offering for sin and so the primary argument of the epistle has been accomplished, but now there needs to be application and there needs to be exhortation just as we see in the book of Romans.

While Paul finishes his great argumentation then beginning in chapter 12 you have the exhortation the application the very practical Outliving of these theological truths and so Paul has said we have Confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus by a new and living way.

Which he inaugurated for us to the veil that is his flesh. We looked at that and we saw In the the tearing down of that veil that stood between God and man In that work of Christ that veil was torn from top to bottom at his death.

We now have a new living way. There have been many parallels drawn to Old Testament Types and shadows, but now the living way the new and living way has come. He is inaugurated that for us through the veil that is his flesh.

And so we pick up with verse 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God. That is we have one priest. We don't have many priests. There are no New Testament priests you will search forever to find in the New Testament any establishment of any concept of a Priest who is separate from the people who functions in the way the Old Testament priest did who stands in an altar?

There is no such thing in the New Testament. And I have debated those who call themselves priests and what they've done as a well. You know you have the presbyters and you have the bishops and and over time the presbyters developed into the priests well.

If you look at the use of the term presbyter whether it's elder overseer bishop. They're all interchangeable in Paul's thought there is no difference between them. They're all one office. Yes centuries later those offices started to divide as People added traditions to the Word of God, but nowhere in the New Testament.

Do you have any concept of? These idea of priests in fact the only discussion of priests New Testament. Is that every one of us male and female are a a kingdom of priests unto God? And so there is no concept of this idea of a priest we have a great priest singular one.

Now that is the same term that is used of the high priest. It really is a synonym. It could have just simply said a we have one high priest of the house of God. We are the house of God. We the people of God are the house of God, and it is interesting I'm not sure to be honest with you if this is where it comes from but it is very interesting that if you go back to Zechariah chapter 3 You discover when you look at the Greek translation of the Old Testament that their Joshua is called the the great priest and Interestingly enough in the Greek Septuagint that is the name Jesus.

And so you have one who is called Jesus in the Old Testament who is called a great priest there in Zechariah? 3 1 is there an echo of that. I don't know. But it is interesting to note that that does appear in the Greek translation of the Old Testament.

And as we have seen so many times in our journey through Hebrews. That is the translation of the Old Testament that the writer is Referring to and drawing our attention to and so we have a way through the veil through the body of Christ.

We have a great priest one singular over the house of God. As a result look at verse 22 Let us draw near. Then look down at verse 23 let us hold fast and Then in verse 24 let us consider. So you have three commandments here, and we are to draw near.

We are to hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering and we are to consider how to stimulate one another. It's a love and good deeds. You might add to that considering not forsaking so it's a it's a positive thing to Consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds.

That's pretty much impossible to do if you're never around the brethren. If you're not in the fellowship of faith if you're not meeting on a regular basis with them. It's sort of hard to fulfill that command and so you have the negative aspect in verse 25 Not forsaking our own assembling together.

We will be looking at especially This evening so verse 22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water, so Here we have the exhortation to draw near.

The way has been opened. The way has been opened through the sacrifice of Christ. The veil is no longer there. The altar is no longer there. There were all these things that were between the people in the presence of God.

Opened up and so now let us draw near. Well now think with me for just a moment when the people came to worship on the day of atonement the day of atonement as we saw and that priest did he just Show up in a pair of overalls and a t-shirt.

Was he wearing jeans, you know? I mean, that's the big thing today is you know, we don't we want to make sure everyone's real nice and nice and comfy you know and and so I. In fact, it's it's really starting to drive me crazy.

I will. I don't know who wrote the memo because I didn't get the memo. Maybe pastor Fry got the memo and he didn't pass it on to me, but he's been ignoring it too but every time I see Christian leaders today and They're gonna be on Fox so they're gonna be on MSNBC they better wear asbestos and armor if they're gonna be on MSNBC, but They're making some kind of public appearance.

It seems like if you're a Christian leader now, you want to look cool. That's all you can tell especially today. I don't worry too much about that. In fact, I try to go against that flow as much as possible.

In fact, I really appreciated as as some of the Broyles children came in a Little daughter looked down and saw me down front said bowtie. I'm like, yeah. Good good Recognition training her. Well, there you go.

Which I did tie myself. Yes, it is. Yeah, I just want to make sure mention that but anyways Nobody wears a tie anymore. It's all like well, I just want to look like you all and yet, you know when you think about it.

The same thing with worship today, you know in many many churches today the whole idea has become what we just want. We just want anybody who just walks in off the street. To just feel like they're just at home.

Well, we are in the house of God. But I hope no one's gonna be putting their feet up on the pews and taking your shoes off. There is a reason why we are concerned about the attitude we have when we come into worship.

Because it's not something you do every day. Oh, yes, you should worship every day. But gathering together in the place of worship where the Word of God is being opened. I Don't know that high priest.

He didn't show up in work clothes. He was decked out. He was investments there was something about the way he was dressed that demonstrated that you know. What he took seriously what he was doing and what was happening that day is not what happens every day.

There was something special happening. We're meeting with God worships going on here. It's not just an everyday thing. And so this description in verse 22 Might help us to understand how is it that we should approach the worship of God?

Is it is it just this well where you get together with God and you know, he's our bud and you know. We're just gonna you know, just sort of you know, hang out together. There's a lot of people who think that's the way to get people to come now.

They can feel like we're just hanging out with God. Ask the sons of Aaron about hanging out with God ask about hanging out with God. God takes his worship. Seriously and just because Christ has opened the way into the very holy place doesn't mean that it's become unholy.

It's become more holy. And so when you think about this, this is I'm not saying well Here's some here's some new and even harder rules and regulations. They couldn't do it on the old covenant. We can't do it under the new.

No, I'm not saying What I'm saying is in recognizing That the way has been opened by Christ that there is a new and living way that it's no longer in the temple. It's no longer that man who wears all those vestments.

No but In letting us draw near the author says with a sincere heart. It's literally with a true heart. It's the very word for true and truth with a true Heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled clean From an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water when that when that priest When he entered into the holy place.

There were all sorts of washings and cleansings and everything else. And what was that meant to show? Was meant to show that we're sinful. God isn't. God is holy. We need to take his holiness seriously.

Well, we don't have any washings or ablutions anymore that we're supposed to do because now we recognize that since he's opened that way through his flesh that sacrifice the holiness that is Necessary to be in the presence of God is provided by someone else is provided by our relationship with Christ it's internal and so when we talk about this our hearts sprinkled clean there was the sprinkling of the altar with blood and all there was lots of lots of sprinkling that went on in the in the in the Old Covenant but Now it's our hearts That have been sprinkled clean from an evil conscience our bodies washed with pure water.

This is a spiritual thing this is a spiritual reality and many people in looking at this description Have looked back and gone. Well, you know, this is this this has a reference to our baptism. It has a reference to to baptism.

Well, I'm not a hundred percent certain about that, but certainly everyone in the Christian congregation was following after Christ could look at their baptism as An example as that as Peter puts it. It's not the putting off of the of the the dirt of the flesh.

It's that appeal of the conscience to God and here you have the same term our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and So if there is an echo of that, it would be something that all the people in the Christian congregation had experienced they had experienced that baptism and As a result they could think back upon that confession.

They had made that assurance of faith that sincere heart they had but here's a description of The attitudes that should be ours as we seek to draw near to God. The first exhortation is indeed to draw near but when we do so when we when we recognize the holiness of God.

When we recognize the holiness of God does that not result in maybe some people fearing? To enter into his presence. Well, it did under the Old Covenant. That's why he had all the sacrifices. He had to have a representative, but now if the way has been opened up.

What must we understand if we were to have full confidence full assurance to enter into his presence? We have to understand why we have peace with him so often in the church today people are afraid to talk about deep theology.

You know, that's why they this book of Hebrews isn't one of the first places they necessarily go when you're going to be doing a preaching series and as a result, I think The people of God are robbed of being able to have the full assurance of faith because they don't know what is the basis?

Why can't I? Enter into the presence of God and there is a balance that we must maintain. There is a balance we must maintain and to be balanced we must understand what God has done for us in Christ Jesus we need to understand everything else.

The writer has said you understand. Yes, there's been one sacrifice and it's over. It's one time and He has accomplished and it's only in him that we have this salvation. It's only in him that we have righteous.

All those things are true. You see the danger is. Well, if he's done at all, then I don't have to worry about anything. I can just you know, I can just live a life of apathy. No, how could a person who's been united with Christ recognizes what he's done for them?

Recognizes my soul dependence upon him. How can anyone have an attitude like that? But then the other hand there's always that that tendency on the part of man to be trying to Stitch that veil back up and create priests and things I've got to do and I've got to go through all these sacraments.

And I've got all these works and and there's always this imbalance and to be balanced. We have to know what God has done in Christ Jesus and how it applies to us. And so I just simply ask those of us that are here today.

When we draw near to God let's let's ask that that that first description a true heart a True heart now, sometimes we use the word true in the sense of straight. For example as brother Rich will tell you If you want a true cut of wood if you want something done true in the sense of built well.

Don't have me do it. Amen, so you got I got I got an amen now I can trust him to do that. But I Know no, we recognize when something's been made. Well. We can recognize when something hasn't been made.

Well, because you know, there's there's deviations the measuring wasn't done, right? You can tell when a piece of Woodworking has been done real well, and someone has taken care and all the cuts are right and the measurements are right.

Reminds me of Paul's statement to in Galatians. He describes what Peter was doing. They were not walking straight Ortho podeo they were not walking straight in accordance with the truth of the gospel.

There was there was a variation. They're veering off the path and sometimes at the beginning of a woodcut. It can be very small by the time you get to the end. Well, it gets even worse a true heart focused upon God desirous of doing his will.

How often do we come into God's worship with a distracted heart. Distracted by so many things or maybe with the heart that as the pastor was just saying has started to come to Love a certain sin. Something is opposed to God's truth.

You see as Jesus said The Father seeks those who will worship him in spirit and in what? Truth truth a True-heart and so we should pray Lord as I come into your worship. May I not have a heart? That is untrue.

That varies that wanders from the path that when my heart experiences the proclamation of your word does my heart receive it as it truly is your word and Desire to have that influence my life or because of some hardness in my heart.

Do I bend your truth? It's sometimes it's amazing to me what people hear when I speak. I do a lot of speaking do a lot of talking and Sometimes somebody will come up to me after I've spoken somewhere.

They'll they'll say they were listening to something on YouTube or on the Internet or something like that. And they'll say and you said this and I go What I said that really and then we go back and look at what I really said.

And I sort of look at them like how could you have heard me? How could you have thought that I that's what I meant or even thought that I said something like that. Sometimes it's amazing and then you dig a little farther.

It's because there is a Tradition frequently a false belief in the way. I just did a debate Friday night almost three hours with a Subordinationist a Unitarian a person who denies the deity of Christ and the comment that I've gotten from people over and over and over again is How could he not hear what you were saying it was so obvious in your Cross-examination he wasn't getting the point at all.

Well, it's easy to see in situations like that. It's easy to see what's causing the blindness but amongst believers can be more subtle a true heart a Heart that does not twist God's truth a true heart full assurance of faith full assurance of faith, you know when you When you go into the presence of God, is it?

Honoring to God is it something that God? finds pleasing. That we might be fostering in our hearts in the back of our mind a Question as to whether he really desires to fulfill the promises. He's made to us in Christ Jesus.

You know back in January. No, I had little trip down to the hospital and I Had to trust a group of men and a particular doctor to fiddle around with my ticker, you know and I Don't know that it would have helped the doctor a whole lot when he came in that morning.

You know. They always come in to see you and they're smiling and stuff like that. I'm trying to set you at ease because they know your heart rates elevated and your blood pressure is elevated and you're nervous.

That's the natural thing to me. I don't know. It would have helped him a whole lot to be a better surgeon that day. I don't know that would have lifted him up. If I had laid there saying Doc you sure you're up to this?

How many years were you training it? How many times you've done this you sure? I'm not sure that would really help the guy out a whole lot and yet sometimes. Do we not have? And we may not we're not gonna say it openly so I can say it openly in the church.

But by our actions. By the way, we think. Aren't we sometimes basically saying to God? I'm not. I'm not really sure if If the promises you've made me in Christ Jesus, sir I'm not. I'm not sure you're gonna really follow through a full assurance of faith means.

We know the one we've placed our faith in and we know that he is himself truthful and he is capable and he is able to Do what he said he's gonna do. Jesus told us back in John chapter 6 That he's come down from heaven not to do his own will but the world one who sent him.

And what is the world one who sent him that of all? That he has given him he lose none of it, but raise it up on the last day. Do we really believe that is it not really the case that all of man's? Religiosity.

All of and I refer here specifically to quote-unquote Christian Religiosity all of man's false teachings under the name of Christianity. Isn't it all just basically man saying you know? I don't think that Jesus can really do this of his own.

Let's let's help it out some. Let's add some things to his work because you know I you know. Just throwing myself completely upon him boy. You know it's it's sort of scary. Yeah, I think it's Saving faith really is a true heart.

The full assurance of faith. I suggest to you that the full assurance of faith Comes to us as we truly Look away from ourselves. To the one who is able to truly save. You know if you're sitting around contemplating your navel and don't get me wrong.

Bible tells us examine yourself all those things that's true, but when I examine myself I am driven from myself to my Savior and a full assurance of faith comes when we are convinced of the ability the mercy grace and love of The one who has said to us.

I will fulfill my promise. I've given my spirit to you. He's the down payment. He is my promise to you that I will finish the work of redemption in your life, and how often? In gratitude. Do we question?

God's ability to finish that work within us when we come before God we are to draw near a true heart full assurance of faith. Having that heart Sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water now I I think most of us know the tremendous beautiful background to this when you hear these words water sprinkling clean heart hopefully one of the first passages that comes into your mind is John chapter 3 and G is talking about the new birth and what it means to be born of the Spirit being born of the the water and.

But then you've thought about that text and you you realize there's actually a prophetic text That leads us to that that gives us the background and it is that tremendous text in Ezekiel chapter 36 and there it is Ezekiel 36 beginning verse 25 then I will sprinkle clean water on you and You will be clean.

I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you and I'll remove the heart of stone From your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. What a tremendous promise. And when you consider the days in which that promise was given and the long history of the rebellion and the failure of the people of Israel.

This has got to be something God does. This has got to be a divine fulfillment because it's pretty obvious. The people of Israel couldn't bring this about no, they had tried and they had failed over and over and over again.

But you see here the writers telling us fulfillment completion. The way to true worship has been opened up through Christ Jesus. Our hearts have been sprinkled clean that evil conscience Has been washed away not by anything we could do.

But by the very action of God. Having our hearts sprinkled clean. It's something that God has done. We didn't do it to ourselves. That evil conscience has been cleansed and our bodies washed with pure water.

The shadows of the old Have been fulfilled and now God is worshipped in spirit and in truth by his people because he's made them to be a new people. He's taken out that heart of stone. He's given a heart of flesh and the worship which we now offer.

It's not worship mediated by types and shadows, but it's worship offered by a people who have been united with Jesus Christ in Him we are able to approach Into the very presence of only in him. Not in any other way all the insult That is offered to God when people who call themselves Christians Out of the fear of men and a love of this world Are willing to say well Jesus is one way, but there are many others that is Absolute apostasy that is absolute heresy.

It is a fundamental denial of the entire message of the New Testament that in Christ and only in him. Has this way been open to. I know I've said before I know I sound like a broken record. The pastor Frye can quote the story about Pilgrims progress and the oil being poured in and the stuff like that as many times as he has.

I can repeat this one a few Times myself, okay. But you must realize that every day. That the world is putting pressure upon you and it does. Unless you're living in a lead-lined cave. The world is putting pressure upon you to be embarrassed.

That you believe God has opened the way into his presence in a unique way in Jesus Christ. The world says to you don't you dare say that out loud in fact you can't even think in your heart that is the ultimate heresy in our culture today and Yet it is the heart of what the gospel is that there was a need and God met that need in the only way it could be met in the person of Jesus Christ and to say there's some other way.

Is to blaspheme his name and the world says to you you better do that. We can't and all the subtle ways that pressure is brought against us and because it's so subtle. It's very easy for us to to sort of adjust to it.

You know it's it's some of you don't do a lot of flying. I do. I Mean, I'm that close to being platinum this year. I never wanted to be platinum trust me, but it doesn't mean I'm always up in the cushy seats either.

I get a few upgrades and you start getting that many miles, but oftentimes, I'm I'm just sitting back with everybody else and and Sometimes it's a full flight, and I'm over in one seat. The aisles been taken and there's that middle seat.

I'm just going Lord, and I'm watching the people coming down here comes this little this little thing. It's about four foot eleven. And oh that would be perfect now she goes by and then here comes the linebacker for the Green Bay Packers.

And I get that sinking feeling that he's going to be in the middle seat. And lo and behold that's where he's going. I Don't know why they don't get on earlier, but anyways they you know he sits down now.

And I just got to get used to this reality. You know there's I'm on. I paid for this whole seat, but I ain't getting all of it on this flight ain't gonna happen. Okay, and so you know after a while you just sort of get used to you.

Just sort of squished over and it's just sort of like well. This is the way it is you know. Now that's only for a few well sometimes many hours. But you know it might just be for just a few hours, and you know after you get off.

After a while you just sort of forget about it, and they all just sort of meld together. And you don't think about it much, but you know if you have that pressure put against you all the time. You know if I just flew down to Australia, man I my back would have been a mess if I had had to sit in a seat like this the whole time.

Because there's be a long but 15 hours. You see we live in a culture Where they don't just put a little pressure on you once we're pretty good when you got just for once you know I mean Over to here in Los Angeles, I don't care who's sitting in the middle seat.

It's only you know 45 50 minutes. We're gonna be out of here. No big deal. But you see the pressure is placed upon you every day. And it might be very subtle and you might not even recognize it and you might just make a little Accommodation.

I'm a little more comfortable now what you've done is you become silent about the uniqueness of Jesus Christ. We have to look to ourselves. We have to ask ourselves the question do we have a true heart?

Do we recognize the centrality of Jesus Christ to our faith and have we've been forced to compromise in a way? Well, let us draw near draw near in a particular way that is pleasing to God and Let us hold fast the confession of our Hope now when you think about it.

What would you normally expect to come after confession of our? Faith and then it'd be easy for us to sort of think about so, you know. The confession of faith and and the the the the body of doctrine and things like that.

But it doesn't use that now faith and hope are used In a very closely related way in the epistle of the Hebrews. There's no question about that. But there is a sense in which hope hope points us to that that Constant looking Away from ourselves to someone else.

I hope they're going to be able to do that. I have faith in them. Yes, you see you see how closely related they are, but there is a little bit of a difference and We are to hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering same idea as the preceding verse where you have that that slight variation of That little bit of a change.

You know since I'm talking about airline flying if you fly those fly over the ocean and Long flights they'll normally put up on the screen somewhere something used to be that right in front of you. Depends on which airline you're on you can you can watch the flight and you can see your little plane.

Slowly very slowly moves, you know going across the globe and when you get to the end, it's like wow I travel all that's that's pretty cool. But you know when they first take off that point you're trying to get to is a long ways away.

And if they're off by just a little bit remember that that that Korean Air jet that was shot down back in the 80s by the Russians the error in navigation. Wasn't all that much at the start but after a half hour an hour two hours that little bit of variation that little bit of wavering.

Gets bigger and bigger and bigger and sometimes we don't even see it coming he exhorts the readers to Hold fast the confession of our hope he wouldn't have to do that if there weren't pressures upon us to let go to abandon.

Because you see to hold fast the confession of our hope means We will be put in a direction. That's exactly opposite of the flow of the world and The pressure of the world is going to come at you in every form possible and we must hold fast.

They say well now I think you're contradicting yourself because you said Jesus does everything and now you're saying we must hold fast. God ordains the ends and the means and Why do I even have a desire in my heart to hold fast?

Why any of us sitting here who have held fast for decades on end? Why are you still holding fast? Because Christ is a perfect Savior. But he uses means to do it. He's changed my heart. I want to hold fast to honor him to glorify him, but also because I realize What would I have to turn to?

If I'm not holding fast the confession of my hope without wavering. What else is there? What else does this world have to offer when you think about it anything else the world has to offer is is No place in the storm.

It's nothing. It's shallow. It's empty. We are to hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, but you see. While I'm holding fast the direction I'm heading my goal. Look at the last phrase of the Of the sentence for he who promised is faithful.

You see I can trust the one in whom I've placed my faith. I Can trust the one in whom I've placed my faith? He has proven himself Faithful, why is the resurrection of Jesus Christ so important? Oh for so many reasons, but here's another one.

Because you see How could I really have trust? If Jesus is like all the rest of the religious leaders in the world and I could go visit his tomb. How would I know his sacrifice was accepted? How did I know he wasn't just like any of those other religious leaders?

I don't know what happened to them after they died, but you see his tombs empty. Because God raised him from the dead showing he accepted his sacrifice showing he was who he said he was. He who has promised is faithful.

I may not be faithful. I may stumble and fall. But he is faithful he cannot deny himself as Paul put it writing to Timothy and. So that hope is not an empty. Hope it's not an irrational faith. It is focused upon the one who has promised to finish the work in me.

Promised that I have that open access to the Father through the work of Jesus Christ and he is Faithful and so we've looked at two of the three two of the three exhortations found in this particular section to draw near.

If you're still afraid of entering into the presence of the Father knowing what Jesus Christ has done. Then you don't understand what Christ has done. You don't understand that you are in him and that in him you have his righteousness and the wrath of God finds no place in You and his sacrifice is finished and complete.