October 5, 2012

FINDING STRENGTH TO FINISH THE RACE

Hebrews 10

Zach Spilman
Friday's Devo

October 5, 2012

Friday's Devo

October 5, 2012

Central Truth

As Christians, we must not give up our hope and faith in Christ, but we must endure to the end so that we can receive the reward that God has promised us at the Judgment Seat of Christ.

Key Verse | Hebrews 10:35–36

Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. (Hebrews 10:35-36)

Hebrews 10

Christ's Sacrifice Once for All

For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

Consequently, when Christ 1 10:5 Greek he came into the world, he said,

“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
    but a body have you prepared for me;
in burnt offerings and sin offerings
    you have taken no pleasure.
Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,
    as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’”

When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. 10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ 2 10:12 Greek this one had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,

16  “This is the covenant that I will make with them
    after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws on their hearts,
    and write them on their minds,”

17 then he adds,

“I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”

18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

The Full Assurance of Faith

19 Therefore, brothers, 3 10:19 Or brothers and sisters since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

32 But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, 33 sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. 34 For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. 35 Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. 37 For,

“Yet a little while,
    and the coming one will come and will not delay;
38  but my righteous one shall live by faith,
    and if he shrinks back,
my soul has no pleasure in him.”

39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

Footnotes

[1] 10:5 Greek he
[2] 10:12 Greek this one
[3] 10:19 Or brothers and sisters

Dive Deeper | Hebrews 10

Face red from exposure, trembling uncontrollably, and feet numb, I didn't have much left, but I was trying to stay optimistic. It had snowed 46 inches in two days. People on the team had broken down crying, we had picked up two girls left behind that were close to hypothermia, and we had already hiked 30 miles. There was no end in sight, only more snow. My water had been gone for four or five hours already, and my only hope was that the snow in my mouth would melt fast enough for me to drink. The team was silent, we just stared blankly into one another's eyes . . . and lost hope. Half the team quit and radioed for evac. As the rescue team came for us, they asked us, one by one, if anyone wanted to continue. I still had a little left, but I was scared. Fourteen hours into our first Eco-Challenge in the Colorado mountains in late October, and we quit . . . I quit. Turns out, we were 3/4 of a mile from the day's checkpoint.

In Hebrews 10:23, we read about the importance of not quitting our race with Christ . . . of holding "fast the confession of our hope without wavering." At the time Hebrews was written, people were recanting their faith in Christ because of family, religious, and cultural pressure, as well as persecution. This is why the author of Hebrews shows the futility of religious practice without relationship in Hebrews 10:1-11 & 18 and the eternal danger of knowing the truth and then abandoning Christ in verses 26-31, 37-38. We can see this when writer talks about the dangers of remaining in spiritual immaturity in Hebrews 5:11-6:8. So is giving up in the race of faith dangerous? Absolutely.

In life, we have a long race ahead of us, and "through many dangers, toils, and snares we have already come." This is why we must find the strength to continue on in faith in Christ as we see in Hebrews 10:19-23. Luckily, we are not called to do this alone. Instead, as the church, we are called to encourage and stir one another on to love and good deeds (verses 24-25).

Discussion Questions

1. In light of this passage, how seriously do you think God treats our giving up our faith in Christ? What is His solution?

2. Do you believe that Jesus is the answer for your race? If so, have you trusted in Him to be your Savior?

3. What are some areas in which you are still spiritually immature? Have they affected your race?

4. Do you have other people encouraging you in your race? Or are you running alone?

5. What can you do to run your race well and keep running to the end?

WEEKLY FAMILY ACTIVITY

October 1-5 (Hebrews 6-10)

Read Hebrews 10:19-25.

• What makes us clean and allows us to be in the presence of a Holy God?
• What hope do you have? (Talk about the hope of Jesus coming back and being with God face-to-face one day.) How do you hold tightly to this hope?
• What does verse 23 tell us about God and His promises?
• What does it mean in verse 25 that we are not to forsake "our own assembling together"?
• What are different ways that your family meets with other believers?
• What does it mean to encourage each other in truth?

Activity: Think about some people you know who are having a hard time right now. They may be struggling to trust God or living through really hard circumstances. Take Hebrews 10:23 and think of a fun, creative way to use that verse to encourage them today.