HEBREWS 13:8-252009 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Hebrews 13:8-25

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2009.

This morning we're finishing up the book of Hebrews and it's very exciting as we do. It's not so exciting that it's over so much, but just exciting as we get to see the conclusion of all of the things that we've been studying thus far in the book of Hebrews. The emphasis and really the point of the book of Hebrews that we've seen over and over and over again is the supremacy of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one

Jesus is far superior. The author of Hebrews went to great lengths to make sure that we understood, to make sure that we knew, to make sure there was no question about it in our hearts or in our minds that Jesus Christ is superior to everything else.

And everything that we have in Jesus Christ is superior to what can be obtained under anything else, under any other system, under any other religion, under any other person, under anything that you can think of. What we have in Jesus Christ is the best that you can have in this life.

And so the author of Hebrews has been making this point through all of the different aspects of the Old Covenant. He started out with angels and demonstrated how Jesus Christ is superior to angels, to angelic beings, to everything that could happen with the relationship of an angel, to everything that could happen through the leading of an angel. Everything about angels is inferior to Jesus Christ. The appearing of Jesus Christ is far greater.

And a relationship with God through Jesus Christ is far greater than what could be had through angelic beings. He also went on to look at the person of Moses and again testifying to us that Jesus Christ is superior to Moses, not only in person, but when Moses led the people and the way that he led them in relationship with God and the things that God did through Moses with his people,

those are all inferior to what we have in Jesus Christ and the way that God leads us and the way that we have relationship with God through Jesus Christ. It's superior than that which was under Moses.

We saw Joshua as well earlier in the book of Hebrews. And as great as it was, the things that Joshua did, as wonderful as it was, as Joshua led the people into the promised land, and as great as it was that they conquered the land, that they won the battles, that they had the victory, and all the things that were accomplished under Joshua, as wonderful as those things were, the

They do not compare. They are far inferior to what is accomplished under Jesus Christ. And what we have in Jesus far exceeds that which the people had under Joshua. Well, you can continue down the list. Under Aaron, the whole Levitical priesthood, it's all inferior to Jesus Christ. The

The sanctuary that the priest served in was inferior to the sanctuary that Jesus serves in. He serves in the heavenly sanctuary, the permanent eternal sanctuary, and they serve in the temporary earthly sanctuary. It's far inferior. Jesus is superior. He exceeds everything else.

About the old covenant, about any other system, about any other way to relate to God. The new covenant that he provides is far superior to the old covenant. It's far superior to any other way of coming to God or trying to have relationship with God or trying to get to heaven. The sacrifice that Jesus offered, his own blood, the blood of the only begotten Son of God.

was the best sacrifice that has ever been offered. There's never been a more pure sacrifice. There's never been a more costly sacrifice. There's never been a more valuable sacrifice. There's never been a sacrifice that was better than the sacrifice that was offered by Jesus Christ. He is superior.

And so he's been sharing with us and emphasizing these things to us that we would run to Jesus. His encouragement, his exhortation throughout the book is to draw near. Since Jesus is superior, let's lay aside the other junk, the other stuff that just distracts us,

distracts us, the things that tie up our words and mouths and tongues, those things we need to lay them aside and we need to draw near to Jesus Christ. We need to follow after Him and stay close to Him and not be persuaded by

by ourselves, by pressures around us, by persecution, to go anywhere from Jesus Christ, but to run to Jesus Christ, because what we have in Him is the best that we can have in this life. What we have in Him is everything that God has in store for us. All of God's plans for us are based upon this man, Jesus Christ, and our relationship with Him.

And so we're to draw near to Jesus Christ. And he continues this emphasis throughout the book. And now as we finish off, he has that same emphasis, but it's in some final exhortations, some short points and commands that he gives as he closes out the book and as well as a few greetings that we'll see.

But five things I want to look at this morning. The first four are things that we're called to do. We're encouraged, we're exhorted. These are things for us to challenge our hearts with and allow God to do this work in us. The last one is what God does for us. So the first four are things we do. The last one is something that God does. The first one that we see this morning is that we're to be established by grace. That's the first point this morning.

Be established by grace. Look at verse 8 and 9. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them.

Here he starts out sharing with us that Jesus Christ is the same. Yesterday, today, and forever, Jesus is the same. He does not change.

He is immutable, unchangeable. It's one of his attributes that makes us aware that he, in fact, is God because God does not change. And the only one who does not change is God. He does not change. He's not something one day and something entirely different another day. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

And I couple that verse with verse 9 because since Jesus is the same, the author of Hebrews is saying, then we should not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. The point here is that Jesus doesn't change, so his message doesn't change, his doctrine doesn't change, his covenant doesn't change. It's going to be the same because Jesus Christ is the same.

Since Jesus is the same, do not be carried about with strange doctrines. There is not going to be another revelation of Jesus Christ. There is not going to be new doctrine, some new way to approach God, some new way to have relationship with God. Because Jesus...

Well, He is the way, the truth, and the life. And no one comes to the Father except through Him. He said so Himself. And Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So He still is the way, the truth, and the life. And still to this day, no one comes to the Father except through Jesus Christ. And this is why we always go back to the Word of God.

The fact that Jesus Christ does not change, that He is the same, yesterday, today, and forever, is the reason why that we base our practices, our doctrine, our beliefs, our understanding, our decisions, we base all of these things upon the Word of God. Some question, you know, hey, this was 2,000 years ago that these things were written, at least. Some of them were even older.

I mean, you know, it's 2009 now, and we're living in this postmodern generation, and so we need to do things differently. And the same things that applied back then, well, they don't apply today, and so on and so forth. There's lots of questions that you could bring up like that. But remembering the point that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever explains it all.

Yes, it is true these were written 2,000 years ago. Yes, it is true. These things, well, some of them are very old words. But the point is,

It doesn't change. It's still the standard by which we're called to live. It's still the way which we have access to God, which is Jesus Christ. The words that are taught here are just as true now as they were when they were written before the ink even dried. It's exactly the same because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. If Jesus is the same, then what the Bible says about Jesus...

is still true today. Just as true as when it was written. If Jesus is the same, He is still superior to the old covenant and to angels and to Moses and to Joshua and to the sacrifices and to any other system that you can come up with. If Jesus is the same, He is still the only way to the Father. The new covenant is based upon Jesus Christ.

And that is a solid foundation because Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And so the author of Hebrews says, so don't be carried about with various and strange doctrines. You don't have to get caught up in all the winds that come through.

The body of Christ or the church of God. All the strange things and all the new ways and if you do this or if you do that, then you'll have this experience or that experience. You don't have to be caught up in those things. Stick to the Word of God because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.

And so he goes on to say, it is good that the hearts be established by grace. Now the specific various and strange doctrine that he is referring to is what the Hebrews were challenged with, and that was to go back to the old covenant. That was to go to the Levitical system and to...

They were teaching that you had to participate in those practices. They were tempted to go back to those old things, the Levitical system, the sacrifices, the offerings, the law. They were tempted to go back to those things and

And he is saying, look, what you have in Jesus Christ is far superior and he doesn't change. That hasn't changed. What you have right now in Jesus is still far superior to what you had under the old covenant, the old system and the Levitical ways. So it is good then that your heart be established by grace, not by works, not by legalism, not by

your performance, not by how well you do or how poorly you do. He says, let your heart be established by grace. We need to be established by grace. The word establish here means to make firm. Again, it's this idea of a foundation. Let the foundation of your heart be grace. The thing which your heart rests upon, let it be grace. Let it be the grace of God.

The grace of God as the foundation of your heart is perfect because grace is what is offered to you through Jesus Christ, who is the same yesterday and today and forever. And so if the grace of God is the foundation of my heart, if it's the foundation of your heart, then it will be a solid foundation that will not change. From one day to the next, it won't be different. It will be a solid foundation that your heart can rest in.

The contrast here, he says, not with foods. Don't let foods be the foundation of your heart. A reference there to the Levitical system, to some of the strange doctrines. There was lots of winds that went through and different teachings. People get caught up in attempts to approach God on the basis of works.

And they begin to try to combine Jesus Christ, where you must believe, but then you also must do all these things in order to be saved. And it changes from a grace relationship with God to a works relationship with God, which is really an oxymoron because by works you cannot have relationship with God.

And so he says, not with foods. Don't let works or legalism be your foundation. There's a few problems with that kind of foundation, with that type of attempt to relate to God. First of all, the author of Hebrews says there in verse 9, he says, it has not profited those who've been occupied with them.

Those who've been occupied with the foods, the Levitical system, those who've been occupied with the laws and the regulations that we come up with. He says it has not profited them. They've been occupied with it. They've been caught up and consumed. Well, we got to be worried about this and concerned about this. And you can only be right with God if you have this diet or maintain this type of thing. And he says it hasn't profited them. They're no better for it.

In Colossians chapter 2 verse 23, the Apostle Paul said, these things, he's talking about a similar type of situation, the legalism, the works types of relationships. He says, these things indeed have the appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh. Here's the bottom line, he says. It appears to be wise, right?

And you can present these things. People present these alternatives to the grace of God very well and can be very convincing. And it has the appearance of wisdom. It sounds smooth. It sounds, oh yeah, that sounds great. And it feeds our flesh really because we like the works-based relationship or system in approaching God. But Paul says there is no value against the indulgence of the flesh.

Here the author of Hebrews says, they've not profited those who've been occupied with them. Those who practice legalism, the fact is, they are not more holy.

I know that baffles our mind sometimes. I know that must be a logical like, what? Well, they should be more holy because, well, they have all these laws and they have these rules and they're legalistic. Those who practice legalism are not more holy. They do not have more self-control. They are not closer to God. You see, we try to fix things by putting rules in place and putting laws in place in our own lives, in our country, in kind of any situation you look at.

And so we take the same principle to our spiritual life. And if I have a struggle here spiritually, then I will enact a law. I put in a rule. If this person or that person or if my children, they're out of line, I put in rules. And these rules, they're meant to keep those things from happening. And so it's very easy to get sucked into a legalistic relationship.

Putting rules in place and now we begin to approach God based on how we keep these rules that we've set up. Well, the problem with that, number one is that it's not profited those who have been occupied with it. You can get caught up in all kinds of rules and systems and it won't help you. You won't be more holy. You won't be closer to God. You won't have more self-control. The other problem is that it's a very lousy foundation.

And it's a lousy foundation because it's based entirely upon you keeping those rules and walking in those things. It's based on your performance. It's a lousy foundation and then your heart cannot be established because you're a sinner. And as sinners, we fail. We fall short. Whether it's God's laws, for sure we fall short of those. But even, some people do this, if we make up our own system,

We make up our own system instead of rules and regulations. Even if we put in place what we think is right, what we think we need to do because God has revealed himself to us and I know what I need to do in order to have a relationship with God and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. People say, even if I come up with my own system, I'll still fail at it because I'm a sinner, because I fail. I fall short. That's what I do.

So it's a lousy foundation because my heart can't be established because constantly, continually, there is failure taking place. Your heart can't rest in that. Be established. Let your heart be established by grace. Let the grace of God, the goodness of God, the completed work of God on your behalf be the foundation of your heart. If it's anything else...

Well, understand that that foundation has not profited those who've been occupied with it. It's a lousy foundation because your heart can't be established because you always fail. Not only that, but it also then is based upon our emotions and feelings. Instead of the truth of God's Word, the solid foundation we have, it's based on how we feel about

You ever notice, sometimes you feel like you're really close to the Lord. And He's just right there, and He's like, man, it's just, you can feel it, and He's right there with you. And then there's other times where He feels like He's a hundred miles away. See, if we base our life, our decisions, if our heart is founded upon those feelings, upon our performance, upon our emotions, it's a, not even a, you can't even use the word foundation. It's a,

It's like waves going back and forth, all around, tossed to and fro. Our emotions are all over the place. It's just like taking the classic picture of a rose and pulling off a petal and saying, He loves me, and then He loves me not. God loves me today, and He doesn't love me today, and He loves me today, and He doesn't love me today, and He loves me today, and He doesn't love me today. That's no foundation. Let your heart be established by grace.

Paul asked the Galatians a very pointed question in Galatians 3.3. He says, Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? You began in the Spirit. You began in grace. Are you now then trying to add on to what God has already done with your flesh, by your works, by your works?

performance? Are you going to now perfect the salvation that God has offered with what you can do? He says, are you so foolish? The author of Hebrews here says, be established by grace. Rest firmly in the finished work of Jesus Christ. He completed it. He did it. And he offers it to us free of charge. We can have this firm foundation by faith in Jesus Christ. Nothing more.

Nothing more is required for salvation. Nothing more is necessary to be pleasing to God except to receive the gift that he offers to us, to receive Jesus Christ. Be established by grace. Let your heart rest firmly there. Well, number two this morning, he tells us, be an outsider. You and I were called to be outsiders. Look at verse 10.

He says, we have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. Verse 11, for the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin are burned outside the camp. We have an altar, he says, and this altar, those who serve at the tabernacle, they don't have a right to eat there.

The altar he's referring to is Jesus Christ. You could call it the cross. And the type of legalism that the Hebrews were tempted to go back to was the Levitical system. And so he's using this system as an illustration. He says, look, kind of the highest point of the Levitical system is the priests, right? They were able to minister before the Lord and do the service of the temple. The altar that we have, what we have in Jesus Christ...

Those who serve in the tabernacle, the priests there under the old system, they don't have a right to eat from that altar. They don't have a right to partake of what Jesus Christ offers. The altar that we have cannot be approached by the regulations of the old covenant, is what he's saying. They can't be approached through the system of rules and regulations and sacrifices and offerings.

Those who served as priests under the old covenant do not have a right to partake of the new covenant. You can't get to the new covenant through the old covenant. You can't get to God through that legalistic relationship. And so he goes on to give this example of the bodies of the animals who were burned. Now,

In Leviticus chapter 4, it describes for us the sin offering. And that is what the author of Hebrews is making reference to here. The sin offering was unique as far as offerings go, as sacrifices go. Because the other offerings, well, they were meant to be enjoyed. If you wanted to give to God an offering.

A sacrifice of praise, of thanksgiving. If you wanted to give God a fellowship offering, well, you could come and you could offer the sacrifice to the Lord, but you would also partake of that sacrifice. And you and your family, you'd have a good meal, you'd have a great barbecue, you'd fellowship together there with the Lord, offering that to the Lord, spending time there with the Lord together. That was part of the offering. Also,

With the offerings, the priest was able to partake and partake of the meat and part of it would be eaten by the priest and his family. But the sin offering was different than those other offerings. The sin offering, you were not allowed to sit down and have a meal with it.

The priest didn't partake of the sin offering. The sin offering was there. It was sacrificed in the temple. It was sacrificed in the tabernacle. And then it was carried out outside of the city, outside of the camp. And there it was burned, completely consumed, reduced to ashes. Nobody got to eat of that sin offering. Its body was burned.

And that's what he's referring there to in verse 11. The bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin are burned outside the camp. The sin offering, the thing which took care of sin, it was burned outside of the camp. Well, verse 12 says,

Therefore, Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate. So you can see this picture that he is making, the point that he is making here. The sin offering was burned outside the camp. Our sin offering is Jesus Christ and his death upon the cross. And where did that take place? Where was he crucified? Outside of the city, right outside of the city gates.

The priest could not eat the sin offering. The priest could not partake of Jesus. Those who serve the tabernacle cannot partake of Jesus. Because you cannot partake of, you cannot apply the sin offering, you cannot have your sin dealt with through the old covenant, through the old system, even if you're the priest, even if you're the highest position of that other system, of that older system.

No matter what rank you have in any other religion or system, you can't take care of sin through that. You can only take care of sin. Sin is only atoned for. It's only taken care of at the cross by receiving what Jesus Christ did for us. And if you try to partake any other way, if you try to approach God any other way, you cannot partake of Jesus.

You cannot have, you know, backup gods. Well, just in case Jesus really isn't God. Well, see, I have this image here, and I worship this statue, and I pray to it because just in case, you know, just in case Jesus isn't God, well, then I'm praying to this God as well. Well, I wear this thing here because, well, see, just in case. You can't have the backup gods. It's...

Jesus or nothing. You can only come to the Father through Jesus Christ. And you cannot approach God through any other way. And if you try to approach God through any other way, you no longer have the right to eat of that sacrifice, to partake of the sin offering. You no longer have the right for your sin to be covered at the cross. You have to come through Jesus Christ. You have to come to God by faith in the finished work that He accomplished for us at the cross.

And so he says in verse 13, therefore, let us go forth to him outside the camp bearing his reproach for we have no continuing city, but we seek for here. We have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come.

And so he keeps making this reference to the outside. The offering was taken outside of the camp. It was burned there. Jesus Christ suffered outside the gate. And so now he says, therefore let us go forth to him outside the camp bearing his reproach. You see, we're to be outsiders. You're to be an outsider. Kind of a dual meaning that the author is referring to. First of all, pointing to that sin offering and Jesus is the fulfillment of it.

But it's also pointing to the fact that we do not fit in with the world. He says, let us go forth to him outside the camp bearing his reproach. Bearing his reproach. Jesus Christ did not fit in to this world. The world hated him. And so if we're going to go to Jesus, if we're going to have relationship with God through Jesus Christ, if we're going to follow him and be his disciples,

Well, we're not going to fit in either. We're going to bear the reproach just as he did. We're going to go outside of the camp just as he did. Do you want your sins taken care of? Do you want to be sanctified? Go to Jesus. That's found in Jesus Christ. You cannot find that in the temple. You cannot find that in a works system. You cannot find that in any other religion. You must go to Jesus Christ.

He says,

We're looking forward to eternity with God. And our time here in this place, yes, we're going to be outsiders. We're called to be outsiders. We're called to follow Jesus Christ, even if it's not popular, even if it means we stick out like a sore thumb, even if it means we will not fit in. Jesus told us in John chapter 15 verse 18, if the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you.

Don't be surprised if the world hates you, Jesus says. Because you know, the world hated me. What did the world do to Jesus? We should not expect anything different. We need to be willing to take a stand, to go to Jesus, because that's where sin is taken care of. But counting the costs, we need to bear his reproach. Jesus went on in John chapter 15 to say, if you were of the world, the world would love its own.

Hey, if you were of the world, the world would love you. But because you're not of the world, because I chose you out of the world, therefore, the world hates you. The world's going to persecute you just like it did me, Jesus says. The world is going to hate you just like the world hated me, Jesus said, because you're my follower. And so the author of Hebrews says, let's go forth to him outside of the camp. Be an outsider. Stand apart. Be different. Follow Jesus Christ. There's going to be reproach.

There's going to be, well, hatred and persecution as a result. But that's where sin's taken care of, at the cross, with a relationship with God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So be an outsider. Go to Jesus. Bear His reproach. Number three this morning we find in verses 15 and 16. Number three is be pleasing God. Be pleasing God. Verse 15 says, Therefore by Him...

let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God. That is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Now we just finished talking about that. The sin offering, it's accomplished in Jesus Christ. There's no longer a sin offering that's needed to be offered. It was completed, it was done. Sin finished.

completely taken care of by Jesus Christ upon the cross. So there's no longer the sin offering. There's no longer even the other temple sacrifices. But there are still sacrifices that we can offer to God. There are still sacrifices that please God. And so he lists for us these three things. First of all, we can offer the sacrifice of praise to God. And what is the sacrifice of praise? He says, that is the fruit of our lips.

Giving thanks to His name. The fruit of our lips. Now, just humor me for a moment. Let's go back to three years old. Can you point to your lips? Where are your lips? You ask a three year old. Oh, right here. The fruit of our lips. These things right here. That is the instrument for bringing forth the sacrifice of praise. The giving of thanks. Letting it come forth from our lips. Letting it come forth from our mouths.

It's something that's audible. It's something that's verbal. It's something that comes forth from us. It's a sacrifice of praise that we do, that we give, that we offer with our lips. So let's just practice. On the count of three, can you just say, thank you, Jesus? So one, two, three. Thank you, Jesus. There you go. Good job. That's a pleasing sacrifice to God.

The sacrifice of praise. It happens when we worship the Lord together. It happens when you worship Him and sing out on your own. It happens when you say thank you, Jesus. It happens when you praise Him, when you say hallelujah. It happens when you use your lips to thank God, to praise Him, to lift Him up, to glorify Him. And it's a sacrifice that is pleasing to Him. He says, "...therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise."

something we are to continue to offer to the Lord. But it's not the only sacrifice we can offer. He says, do not forget to do good and to share. You can offer the sacrifice of doing good. Just doing something good for somebody else. Blessing somebody else. Ministering to somebody else. Helping someone else. Meeting them in their need. Praying for somebody else. Do good. I don't think we need to spend, you know, 30 minutes praying

analyzing and figuring out what the word good means. We just need to do it. We can't list it all out because there's too many possibilities and variables. Do good. You have an opportunity to do good, to minister, to bless someone. Do good. As you do good, it's a pleasing sacrifice to God.

A pleasing sacrifice. Now, it is a sacrifice, which means sometimes it's going to cost you. It means sometimes in order to do good, you might have to take time away from, well, what you had planned and what you had wanted or what you preferred to do and to help someone else. It might mean that, you know, you change lanes and get off to the side of the freeway and delay your return home to help someone with the flat tire. That's doing good.

It might mean that you help your neighbor with the groceries on the way in. It might mean that, well, fill in the blank. The point is, do good and do it as an offering, as a sacrifice to the Lord. It's well-pleasing to Him. But also, we can share. The sacrifice, the offering of sharing with others. That is, the things that we possess, which really we're just stewards of because it all belongs to the Lord, allowing others to have access to

to those things, those resources. It's financial, it's material, it's allowing others to use, to partake of, you know, share. It's not very difficult, right? It's another thing we learned when we were about three years old. We have to be taught to share. Let someone else use it. And we say, "No, it's mine." And still today, sometimes, many times, someone comes up to you and says, "You know, I ran out of gas. I need to get back to Fontana." We share, "No, it's mine."

Share. Be willing to bless others. Help them in need. It doesn't mean you give to everybody who asks. Don't give indiscriminately. There's a lot of scams out there. God's not trying to encourage us to be ripped off. That's not the sacrifice that He's looking for. But to give, to look for those opportunities and be willing to share, to minister to those who are in need. Now, there's a point that needs to be made here. The point here, three, is be pleasing God.

These sacrifices are not sacrifices that we do in order to be pleasing to God. These are sacrifices that we do to please God. There's a difference. To be pleasing to God, well, that's accomplished for us by faith in Jesus Christ. He is already pleased with you if you believe in Jesus Christ. If you've received that gift that he's offered to you, if you've been born again. In Jesus Christ, we are pleasing to God.

But we have this opportunity where God gives us the ability, the opportunity to do something a little bit extra special for Him. Because we love Him. Because we know it blesses Him and brings Him joy. We can offer these sacrifices. It's not in order to earn God's pleasure, but it's to bring a special blessing and joy to Him.

We can offer the sacrifice of praise. Even when I don't feel like it, even when it's a sacrifice, even when it's costly, I can give the sacrifice of praise and bless God and bring Him joy. I can please God by doing good and by sharing. These are opportunities that I have to please Him. Number four, found in verse 17, number four is to be submissive.

Be submissive. Verse 17 says, Obey those who rule over you and be submissive. For they watch out for your souls as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. Now I know it's only one verse, but I think it's probably the most important verse in the Bible, and so we're going to spend a lot of time in this. No, I'm just kidding. He tells us now to be submissive. God calls us to be submitted to our spiritual leaders.

It does not mean that they are to run our lives and make all of our decisions for us. But it does mean that we are to be submitted to our spiritual leaders. He says, obey those who rule over you. To obey means to listen to, to yield to, to trust or to have confidence in. Obey, yield to, listen to, trust. Those that God has placed over you

As spiritual leaders, as spiritual authorities in your life. And be submissive, he says. I like this word submissive because it means to resist no longer. Resist no longer. Yield to them. You've been resisting them. Now, resist no longer. Have you ever noticed we have this habit? We only obey when we agree and understand with those in authority over us.

When we understand the reason for the things that they say, when we agree with what they say, well, our habit, our tendency is that's when we obey. When we disagree with them, well, that's when we disobey. That's when we disregard. That's when we, well, no, I know better and I don't need to be told what to do and we have all of these things. It's our habit that we obey when we agree with

And when we understand. Now here's what he's saying. Be submissive. Stop resisting. Resist no longer. Yield. Even if you don't agree, even if you don't understand, listen to, yield to those who rule over you, those who lead, those who have a spiritual authority in your life. Spiritual authority is real. And we need to know that it was created by God. It's not man-made.

It's not something that, you know, Peter and James came up with and said, here's how we can have some authority and have some power that we've always wanted. It was created by God. It was given by God to the body of Christ. Created by God, put in place by God. It was given as a gift to the body. So obey those who rule over you because those are God's gifts to you. We talk about, you know, the gifts of the Spirit. Those are very important in all of our lives, in our everyday life.

But don't neglect, don't forget that part of the gifts of the Spirit are the gifts and the positions and the roles of authority within the body of Christ. Ephesians chapter 4, Paul deals with this idea of these gifts that were given, these positions and roles of authority within the church, within the body of Christ.

And there Paul explains that these roles of authority, these positions of authority, spiritual authorities in our lives are put there by God for the equipping of the saints so that we would be equipped and prepared for what we've been called to do. Those authorities have been put there for our edification, verse 12 of Ephesians 4 says, that we would be built up, that we would be strengthened, strengthened.

That we would have what it takes to do what God has called us to do. Verse 13 and 14 of Ephesians 4 tells us that those spiritual authorities are there to bring us to maturity.

To produce growth in us, to help us go on from infancy to maturity. The Hebrews had that problem. You remember in chapter 5 and 6 we dealt with that. They've come to need milk instead of solid food. They were stuck in the same place and Paul says you need to grow beyond that. Well, part of that is spiritual authorities and leaders. Those are given to the body of Christ that we might grow onto maturity.

Also in verse 14 of Ephesians 4, he tells us that those authorities, those roles of leadership within the body of Christ are given to the body for the protection from false teaching, to protect us from those things that would harm us, to protect us from those things that are false and would lead us astray from the Lord. God has given us spiritual leaders to help us.

There's times that we would run out onto the battlefield before we are ready, and those spiritual leaders are there to watch over us. He says, for they watch out for your souls as those who must give account. They're watching out for you. So take heed to them, listen to them, yield to them, he says, so that you don't run out before you're ready and get hurt. Sometimes we would engage in activity that would harm us, that would lead us away from God.

Our spiritual leaders watch out for us. They rebuke us. They correct us. They help us understand the scriptures and apply them to our lives. There's those authorities in your life and in my life that God has placed there and we're to be submissive. We're to yield. They have a little bit better understanding. They have a little bit more insight from the Lord about our situation. They can see a little bit farther than we can. We don't have to agree or understand anything.

We just need to be submitted. You know, it's interesting how often we choose to listen to our friends or our peers or even our own opinions instead of what our spiritual leaders share with us. And what makes that interesting is those that God has placed as spiritual authorities in our lives, they watch over us as those who will give an account. They watch over us. They watch out for our souls knowing, I'm going to have to stand before God and give an account personally.

for the counsel I gave, for the encouragement I gave, for the rebukes I gave, I'm going to have to give account to the Lord for what I shared and what I instructed. While our peers and our friends and even our own selves won't necessarily have that mindset. And if I don't have to give an account for what I share and what I say, it's easy to be careless. It's easy to, well, it's not really a big deal. If I don't have to give an account for it, I can say whatever I want.

I can share whatever I want. I can speak whatever I want if I don't have to give an account for it. Here he's saying, look, be submitted to them because they're going to give an account. Pay special attention to the encouragement that they give, the instruction they give. If they say, hey, don't go forward in that, you're not ready. Don't go forward. They're watching out for your souls as those who must give account. Even if all your friends say, oh no, you should do it. You should go for it. Hey, who's the one that's going to give account for you?

Pay extra special attention to those. I had a friend share with me several years ago, many years ago now, and I didn't listen at the time, but later on I looked back and I thought, man, that was a really great word. She shared with me when I was in a situation of disobedience and involved in things I shouldn't have been. People were talking to me and counseling me and I wasn't listening and she told me, hey, when two or three people that you know love you

share with you the same thing, you'd better listen. They're right and you're wrong. Two or three people in your life and you know they love you. When they're sharing the same things with you about a situation, about a decision, whatever, they're in agreement and you're in disagreement, you better listen to them. They're right and you're wrong. And so here he says, obey those who rule over you. Be submissive. They're watching out for your souls. They must give account.

let them do it with joy, not with grief. That would be unprofitable for you. Don't make it miserable for them to lead you. Let it be a joy for them to lead you. Yield to. Resist no longer those that God has given that place of spiritual authority in your life. Every one of us, we have those people.

In verse 18 and 19 now, the author goes on and he's kind of making this more personal now as he closes out the book. He asks them for prayer. He says, Pray for us, for we are confident that we have a good conscience in all things, desiring to live honorably. But I especially urge you to do this, that I may be restored to you, the sinner. So he asks them for prayer. He asks them,

wherever he's at, whatever situation he's in, that they would pray that he would be restored to them, that he'd be able to come quickly to them. Well, then he turns around and he prays for the Hebrews. He prays for us and gives us some

Good final encouragement for the book of Hebrews. Verse 20 and 21, we find the fifth thing here this morning, that God will complete the work. Verse 20 says, Now may the God of peace, who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do his will. Word of God says,

working in you what is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Here in this prayer, I would encourage you to take some time, maybe today or throughout this week, just read through verse 20 and 21 over and over again. Allow God to speak to you even further, because there's so much here that we won't get into, but it's powerful as you look at this prayer.

The overall encouragement is that God will complete the work in you. God will complete the work that He began in you. Who is this God? Well, He's the God, He says in verse 20, who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead. He's the God who resurrects from the dead. He is not lacking in power. He's not lacking in strength. He is the God who can...

resurrect the dead. He is the God who resurrected Jesus Christ from the dead. And so, in Him making you complete in every good work to do His will, He has infinite resources, infinite power. He's not lacking strength. Even if it takes rising you from the dead, which He will do if you're a believer in Jesus Christ. He will do that. He has the power, the capability to do that, to make you complete in every good work to do His will. God

the Resurrector of the dead, the Almighty, the All-Powerful, will make you complete. He's not lacking power. But He's not only God Almighty, the Resurrector of the dead, He is, verse 20 goes on to say, that great shepherd of the sheep. God is that great shepherd of the sheep, which means He does not lack care. He's a great shepherd. Not just a shepherd, but He is that great shepherd.

He looks out for His flock and He's really good at what He does. In feeding His flock, providing for them, in meeting their needs, protecting them, caring for them, healing them. He's really great at what He does. He is the best at His job. He is that great shepherd of the sheep. This great shepherd, the one who cares for you infinitely, He is the one who will make you complete in every good work to do His will.

He's not lacking in care. He's not lacking in power. And He's not lacking in resources. There at the end of verse 20, He says, "...through the blood of the everlasting covenant." The blood of the everlasting covenant. It's through this that God will make you complete in every good work to do His will. Through this new covenant which we have in Jesus Christ, He has infinite resources. He's not lacking in resources.

He has everything He needs to complete the work that He began in you. It's this God who will make you complete. Philippians 1, verse 6, you remember the Apostle Paul said, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. We can have confidence in this. We can be assured, no doubt about it,

God is not lacking in power. He's not lacking in care. He is not lacking in resources. He is the God who resurrects from the dead. He is that great shepherd of the sheep and He will make you complete in every good work to do His will. He will do the work. He will make you complete. He will accomplish it. He will be faithful to complete that work. He began it. He will finish it. You know, sometimes we can become overwhelmed with...

just depression we can become burdened over those areas in our lives that we just really don't see the progress or the growth that we want to see you know we get frustrated with ourselves why on earth do i still struggle in this area we might say why do i still wrestle with this thing

Man, I've read every Christian book about it. I've tried everything. I've gone up for prayer 300 times. I've been anointed with oil. I mean, I've done... Why do I still struggle with this thing? Hey, relax. He will make you complete in every good work to do His will. He'll do the work. He'll finish it. He's not lacking power. He's not lacking care. He's not lacking resources. He's the God who resurrects. He is that great shepherd of the sheep.

You're in good hands. He will finish the work. You don't have to be depressed and give up and freaked out and terrified and tortured and frustrated. Relax. It doesn't mean, you know, just go live in sin. But it does mean we can rest. Well, let's go back to the beginning. Our hearts can be established by grace. We can rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ.

we can walk in relationship with Christ. That's our job. That's what we do. We just stay close to Him. Walk in relationship with Him. He does the work in us. He brings it to completion. He fulfills it. We have those areas in our lives that, man, why don't I have this character of God

more prominent in my life. Why don't I love? And we look at this person. This person, look at the way that they love people. How come I can't love people like that? I want to love people like that. What on earth is wrong with me that I'm not in that place? That I'm not...

In that role, in that position, that I'm not able to demonstrate love or service. Jesus said, you know, He came not to be served, but to serve. And this person over here, look at them, such a heart of a servant. How come I don't have that same attitude? How come I'm not in that same place? We can become frustrated. We can be tempted to give up. The enemy will like to beat us up with those things. Listen, God will make you complete in every good work to do His will.

And He's got infinite resources. He's got infinite power. He loves you deeply. He's that great shepherd of the sheep. He's going to bring you to completion. It's not your responsibility. It's not your job. He's going to do it. He's going to accomplish it. He began the work in you. He will bring it to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. So that you, so that He is working in you what is well pleasing in His sight. He's bringing you

to completion. He's working in you so that you will be able to do what is well-pleasing in His sight. He's fashioning you the way that He desires for you to be, conforming you into the image of His Son. Philippians 2.13 tells us it's God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. He's doing the work and He does not lack power, He does not lack care, and He does not lack resources. Be patient. Look to the Lord. Stay close to Jesus.

He will do the work. Let's finish it up. Verses 22 through 25, his final greetings. Verse 22, And I appeal to you, brethren, bear with the word of exhortation, for I have written to you in few words. We would maybe disagree, but that's what he says. Verse 23, Know that our brother Timothy has been set free, with whom I shall see you if he comes shortly. Greet all those who rule over you and all the saints. Those from Italy greet you. Grace be with you all. Amen.

This morning, I want to encourage you once again in these five things. The worship team, you guys can come up and make ready. We'll end in praise in just a moment. But number one, be established by grace. Let your heart be firmly rested upon, seated upon, founded upon the grace of God. His completed work, not your own. Number two, be an outsider. Don't be afraid to stand out. Go outside the camp. That's where Jesus is.

That's where he was offered. Bear his reproach. Be pleasing God. Offer to him those sacrifices. You have this great opportunity to bless God, to bring him joy, to please him. You're already pleasing to him by faith in Jesus Christ, but you can bless him by offering the sacrifice of praise, by doing good, and by sharing with others. Be submissive. Those that God has placed over you, given roles of spiritual authority, listen to them, yield to them,

even if you don't agree or don't understand. But ultimately, number five, know that God will complete the work. He's going to finish it. He's going to accomplish it. It's His responsibility. And I don't know about for you, but for me, that brings great joy. That brings great relief because I'm a work in progress and there's much that, well, I look at my watch, I look at the timeline, Jesus is coming back soon, and I look at God and I say, God, you've got to start working some overtime. Yeah.

There's a lot to do and very little time to do it. But Lord, it's your work. My job, be established in grace. Go out to him. Stay in relationship with him. To offer to him the sacrifice of praise. We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of his word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.