Like all preachers, the writer of Hebrews is willing to tell us what he has already told us. The “once-for-all-ness” of the sacrifice of Jesus sets us free from sin guilt and initiates the process of making us holy. As forgiven people being sanctified, we enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus. Having received the blessings of heaven, we are called to hold on to our faith and encourage one another in active, godly living. With the end of all things in view, we encourage one another to keep one another from falling back into willful sin. The writer knows that Christians who rebel against God by trampling the Son of God underfoot, treating the blood of the covenant as an unholy thing, and insulting the Spirit of grace will fall into the hands of the living God for judgment. Our salvation is not fragile, but we can rebel against God and lose our salvation if we want. Remember, this possibility and the need to warn against it is the reason Hebrews is written. We must choose to be among those who believe and are saved.
With this warning firmly in mind, the writer transitions to the practical applications with a wonderful discourse on the mighty, faithful ones. Without faith it is impossible to please God. We decide to be sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. In so doing we take our place beside the great heroes of faith—the world was not worthy of them.
These faithful ones from the old covenant form the great cloud of witnesses who are the witnesses of our faith journeys. Since we have such a distinguished audience, we should lay aside everything that keeps us from running our faith race well. Two realities mark our running: we run with our eyes on Jesus and we run among those who oppose our faith. We should not complain about those who oppose us. Instead we consider the opposition to be resistance training that disciplines our faith and makes it stronger. Such discipline is a sign that we are in God’s family. So we should strengthen our arms and knees to be able to run the race well.
There are specific behavioral admonitions. Live in peace. Be holy. Avoid sexual immorality. Do not be godless. These behaviors grow out of our faith and our respect for God who has called us through Jesus. We are members of the church of the firstborn ones. We are the ones whose names are written in heaven.
After the visit to God’s holy mountain, the writer returns to his practical teaching. The social implications of the Christian faith are powerful. We share love, open our homes, remember those imprisoned for their faith, care for the mistreated, respect our marriages, know the proper place of money, and respect our leaders in the Lord. We live this way because of Jesus, who is the same yesterday and today and forever.
We ignore false teachers and focus on true worship — a sacrifice of praise from our lips, the sacrifice of doing good, and the sacrifice of sharing with others. Our leaders help us grow in these virtues.
The benediction in Hebrews is majestic. Read 13:20, 21 again aloud. You might want to memorize it. God bless the reading of his word.
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