Fear or Faith?

 

For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. (Hebrews 12:18–24 ESV)/

 

Yesterday we looked at the manner that we approach living “in Christ.” We are called to be models and encouragers for others. If I would have used verses 12-17 for a devotional we could have seen that the writer is encouraging us to be strong (v. 12), run a straight race (v.13), and pursue peace and holiness (v. 14) and by all means not to be like Esau, who looked at his birthright and gave it up for a single meal (vv. 16-17). These verses also convey the difference between living in fear of God and faith in God. The writer mentions the “discipline of the Lord” not as something to be feared as a punishment for wrong-doing, but to be welcomed as instruction to equip us to be all God has designed us to be. Charles Spurgeon wrote:

 

“No stars gleam as brightly as those which glisten in the polar sky. No water tastes so sweet as that which springs amid the desert sand. And no faith is so precious as that which lives and triumphs through adversity. Tested faith brings experience. You would never have believed your own weakness had you not needed to pass through trials. And you would never have known God’s strength had His strength not been needed to carry you through.”

 

So, the exhortations are not ways of getting God to act, but ways you act when you trust that God is already acting for you. This is so important for our everyday life. It means that the Biblical way to be stirred up to do what we ought to do is to think or consider things about God and his action for us - past, present and especially future. This entire book of Hebrews is written to give the readers truth about God to think about so that we will not be like Esau who failed to persevere, and did not obtain the grace of God, but was lured into the death trap of short term pleasure - a single meal.

 

Few things could make it clearer that right-knowing is a key to right-doing. And the relationship between the two is that right-knowing is the basis of right-doing. Jesus is indeed greater in every way than all that has come before or may come after!

 

 

So Great a Cloud of Witnesses

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1–2 ESV).

 

I must confess that the first verse of our reading today has been a great encouragement to me in recent years. Without detailing the health challenges Mary and I have faced over the last seven years, let me say there have been more than one occasion when we had wistful conversations about heaven, I suppose that is a natural occurrence for many people who reach our age, having various medical challenges, and seeing many of our relatives, friends, and others die while we remain. It can be a bit disorienting at times.

 

One conversation in particular drew this into sharp focus some years ago while I was at physical therapy for a session Mary happened to be doing. It is a small office and Mary and I have been there many times over the years, so, the staff know us. As Mary was being tended to, I was drawn into a conversation with one of the therapists with a remark about how important the therapy was in that it would add years to our lives. I simply said, “Well, the alternative is not so bad. We’ve got as many folks on that side as we do on this one. And it is heaven after all.” He was very serious, and said, “But just think of all the things that you would miss seeing and doing if you weren’t here.” I replied by quoting the first verse of our reading and adding, “I won’t miss a thing. I’ll be in that great cloud of witnesses cheering my family and friends along in their race.” Then, he said, “But they would miss seeing you watch them.”

 

Let that sink in for a bit. It made me realize the conundrum of life and death for the believer. It is no wonder that the Apostle Paul said, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21 ESV). As we have seen in a previous devotional, it is appointed “once for all men to die” (Hebrews 9:27). God has scheduled that moment; it will not be early, and it will not be late… it will be on time. Until then, I get to live for Christ. A big part of that is being the model and encourager to others to follow Him. Jesus really is GREATER!

  

The Founder and Perfector of Our Faith

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1–2 ESV).

 

Our reading today is perhaps my personal favorite of the entire letter. There are two descriptions given of Jesus in the verses. Jesus is described as the "founder and perfecter of our faith" (v. 2). This means He is both the initiator (pioneer/author) and completer (finisher) of the Christian faith. By His life, sacrificial death, and resurrection, Jesus blazed the trail for believers, sustaining their faith and bringing it to its final, perfect goal.

 

The word our writer uses and is translated “founder” is the Greek word, ἀρχηγὸν (archēgon), which is only found four times in the Scripture. It is found twice in Acts and twice in Hebrews (cf. Acts 3:15; 5:31; Hebrews 2:10; 12:2). Thayers Lexicon says, it “portrays one who blazes a trail so that others may follow—an originator, leader, captain, or pioneer whose personal triumph becomes the shared victory of a people. In the New Testament it functions as a uniquely Christological title that gathers up themes of creation, redemption, and consummation into the person and work of Jesus Christ. In short, Jesus is the originator, pioneer, or captain who launched the life of faith, demonstrating perfect trust in God.

 

The word our writer uses and is translated “perfecter” is the Greek word τελειωτὴν (teleiōtēn), and is only found once in the New Testament. The Topical Lexicon says: It “is drawn from the wider New Testament family of terms that revolve around the idea of reaching a designed goal, bringing something to its appointed maturity, or completing a course. In Scripture, perfection does not speak of sinless abstraction but of wholeness, maturity, and full development according to God’s purpose. The term emphasizes that what God initiates He also brings to consummation.” Jesus is the finisher who brings faith to its ultimate, intended completion, ensuring it achieves its goal of salvation and perfection, as noted on

 

Therefore, Jesus becomes the perfect example of endurance. The writer says that Jesus endured the cross, disregarding the shame, for the "joy set before him," and is now seated at the right hand of God, serving as the ultimate example for believers. The passage encourages Christians to stay focused on Jesus, especially when facing trials, to avoid becoming weary in their faith. He began this good work in us and will see it to its finish. That is how we may run the race set before us!  

 

  

Dying Once for All

 

Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:23–28 ESV).

 

The letter to the Hebrews is so rich in meaning. Today we come to a passage that is particularly well known and often quoted. The writer says after death follows judgment. He explains it quite matter-of-factly: “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.” (v. 27).

 

After a person dies, neither he nor anyone else can present an offering for that individual’s sin that could alter his destiny. Death ends a person’s opportunity to change his or her position in life; there are no second chances. Nor does anyone die repeatedly, as taught in reincarnation. A person’s earthly life is closed at death, and everyone’s eternal destiny is determined and fixed during his or her life here on Earth. From this thought springs a sobering reminder: death irreversibly places people in either heaven or hell based on their relationship to Jesus.

 

Death is an “appointment”. Everyone dies. Scripture records only a few exceptions. First are Enoch and Elijah. They were taken directly to heaven (cf. Hebrews 11:5; 2 Kings 2:11). Second, there will be a generation of believers who will not experience death but will be taken directly to heaven at the Rapture of the church (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:51–52; 1 Thessalonians 4:17). And Scripture also mentions people who died twice: Lazarus, who was resurrected and died a second time (cf. John 11:43–44), and the people who were resurrected at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion (cf. Matthew 27:52–53). All others have or will die.

 

Our reading today teaches that Christ was sacrificed one time and died once for the sins of mankind. His was a final act that cannot be repeated or reversed. This was a major consideration for the Jewish believers being addressed in Hebrews, as they compared Christ’s sacrificial death with the teachings of the Levitical system.

 

Christ’s appearance for believers is mentioned three times in Hebrews 9:24–28. His first appearance was on Earth to become a once-for-all sacrifice by bearing mankind’s sin on the cross (v. 26). His second appearance was to minister as our Advocate in heaven (v. 24). His third appearance will be at His Second Coming (v. 28). As believers, we have much for which to be thankful. Jesus Christ purchased our redemption, removed our sin forever, restored us to fellowship with God the Father, advocates for us in heaven, and has promised us an eternal inheritance at His Second Coming. He died once forever defeating death! Hallelujah, what a Savior!

 

One Death for the Called

 

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. (Hebrews 9:11–14 ESV).

 

Our reading today is just a part of the chapter (Hebrews 9), which contains the main message of the section. The writer asserts that Jesus Christ, as the superior High Priest who entered the heavenly sanctuary once and for all with his own blood, offering an eternal sacrifice that cleanses consciences and perfects worship, rendering the temporary, repetitive animal sacrifices of the Old Covenant no longer necessary.

 

There are some key elements that we should pay careful attention to in this chapter. The first is the superiority of Christ's sacrifice. Unlike the annual animal blood sacrifices, Christ's sacrifice was voluntary, personal, and final, paying the penalty for sins once and for all. All of these elements are present in the Apostle Paul’s declaration to the Church at Philippi:

 

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5–11 ESV).

 

The second key element is that Jesus entered the true, heavenly tabernacle, not a man-made one, providing direct access to God. At first glance, that seems to be insignificant; it almost feels as if it is no more important than a mere shoulder-shrug. However, when we think of Jesus entering into the very center of all creation, in the presence of His Father and offering Himself as payment in full for our debt is staggering in its impact. Jesus really did “pay it all… and all to Him I owe”!

 

Third, the new covenant sacrifice doesn't just cleanse externally (like the old system), but inwardly, cleaning the conscience to serve the living God. This also bears a "once for all" effectiveness. Because his sacrifice was perfect, it does not need to be repeated, guaranteeing eternal redemption. Hebrews 9 serves as a contrast, urging believers to rely on the completed work of Jesus rather than returning to old, ineffective systems. That same truth applies to any “new system” man may have developed. There is only one means to eternal life. And, that is the perfect blood of Jesus given for us on the cross!

 

Jesus Provides a Greater Covenant

 

Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.” But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. (Hebrews 8:1–7 ESV).

 

When we come to today’s reading we find another example cited by the writer of how Jesus is greater than anything before. In the last two verse of this section he says that Jesus a “more excellent ministry” that was a result of the “old covenant” (v. 6). Further he writes that the reason for this new covenant is the first one had faults. He says this in regard to the first covenant not being “complete.”

 

Perhaps a definition of “covenant might be helpful at this point. A search of definitions provides us with this explanation:

 

A covenant is a formal, solemn, and binding agreement, promise, or contract between two or more parties. It often implies a deeply personal or sacred commitment, going beyond a mere contract to create a lasting relationship or pledge. Covenants are frequently used in legal, religious, and international contexts, requiring specific actions or restrictions.

 

We see here that the reason for the need for this new covenant is that we have now been given a better mediator. Previously in the old covenant it was dependent on the works of the Law. No one was able to keep that covenant until Jesus. So, when Jesus comes, He is the mediator of a "better covenant," which is established on superior promises and a higher ministry in heaven rather than an earthly tabernacle. This new covenant replaces the obsolete, external Mosaic law with an internal transformation—writing God's laws on hearts—providing complete forgiveness.

 

There are some key components in this covenant that we should both understand and appropriate. First, we now have a superior High Priest. Jesus is the High Priest seated at the right hand of God, serving in the heavenly sanctuary—the "true tabernacle" built by God rather than man.

 

Second, we now have superior promises. Unlike the Old Covenant, which focused on external obedience and was broken by the people, the New Covenant, predicted by Jeremiah, involves God placing laws directly into minds and writing them on hearts. It is God initiated and God maintained.

 

Third, there is a better covenant basis. The covenant is not merely "better" in quality but in its very nature, offering direct access to God, internal transformation, and full forgiveness of sins, rather than just covering them. God is not glossing over our sin. Through Jesus He is absolving them from us. They are paid in full, never to hold us accountable for them.

 

And fourth, the writer argues that if the first covenant were flawless, a second would not be necessary. Because the first was broken and temporary, it is deemed obsolete. This is the meaning behind Jesus’ declaration that He had “completed” the old covenant. Where none of us could ever do all that was required for the covenant to succeed, Jesus has already finished that work.

 

That is the hallelujah of our faith!

 

Slave or Son - Trapped or Free?

 

Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron? For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well. For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. For it is witnessed of him, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 7:11–17 ESV).

 

We get back to this incredible image of Jesus’ greatness, even over Melchizedek. All of these last three chapters (cf. Hebrews 5-7) leads to this great, practical, relevant conclusion. Because Jesus is alive, and in the presence of God with the sacrifice of the blood of the Son of God, and full of sympathy for his people, therefore two things must be true: first, we must “hold fast our confession” (v. 14b); and second, we may now “draw near with confidence to the throne of grace” (v. 16).

 

This confession is simply our unshakable hope (cf. Hebrews 10:23), that God is for us and will work to bring us into his final rest and joy. Hold fast to that because you have a great High Priest. That’s the first conclusion. For days we have been seeing the call to hold fast and to be diligent and to take heed. Here we see it again. Only here is the writer spreading out powerful reasons not only for why we should hold fast to our confession, but also why we can! God is for us. We have a great High Priest. He is alive. He is in the presence of God. He is the Son of God. He is sympathetic. So, hold fast to our hope. Now we can explore what we practically do with this hope. The writer tells us: “Jesus knows the battle. He fought it all the way to the end. And he defeated the monster every time.” (v. 16).

 

If I were preaching, this would be that moment when I would take a “dramatic pause” and say, “stop… listen… don’t miss this!” It is an incredibly important point. Every one of us needs help. We are not God. We have needs. We have weaknesses. We have confusion. We have limitations of all kinds. We need help. But every one of us has something else: sin. And therefore at the bottom of our hearts we know that we do not deserve the help we need. And so, we feel trapped. I need help to live my life and to handle death and to cope with eternity — help with my family, my spouse, my children, my grandchildren, my loneliness, my retirement, my health, my finances. I need help. But I don’t deserve the help I need.

 

We are all right there. We can try to deny it all and put on that hypocritical front that we don’t need any help. Or we can try to drown it all and throw our life into a pool of sensual pleasures. Or we can simply give way to the paralysis of despair. But God declares over this hopeless conclusion that Jesus Christ became a High Priest to shatter that despair with hope and to humble that false act and to rescue us as if plucking us from the fire. Because we have a great High Priest, the throne of God is a throne of grace. And the help we get at that throne is mercy and grace to help in time of need. Grace to help! Not deserved help — gracious help. This is the whole point of the Old and New Testaments. God planned for a High Priest, a Savior, a Redeemer, a gracious Helper.

 

You are not trapped. Say no to that lie. Listen to Jesus:

 

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:34–36 ESV).