Hebrews 13:7,17,24

Thank you.

We shall be in Hebrews chapter 13 this evening, and if you turn there, it will help me a little later on.

Hebrews 13 · chapter mention

But first let me tell you of the assignment that I was given at the Evangelical Ministry Assembly just the week before last.

I was asked to speak at the last session. There were three evenings, and that was three evening sessions.

And I can tell you that I was very reluctant, partly because I'm old and I've spoken at the Ministry Assembly many times,

and I thought it was quite time for the younger men to be on the platform,

but partly because I was being invited to be a kind of exhibit.

On the first evening, a young minister was meant to speak and explain why he'd been able to persevere.

On the second evening, a sort of middle-aged man was asked to speak on how he had persevered,

and how the Lord had kept him.

And then on the third, an ancient relic like myself was meant to come onto the platform and explain the same thing.

Well, I'm very reluctant to be an exhibit.

You know, it's rather like these London marathons when they wait at the end for the last people to arrive.

You know, there's some aged man who arrives at last, and the commentator is so excited and says,

at last he's come, it's taken him eight days and four hours and three seconds or whatever it is,

let's give him a clap and all the rest of it.

Well, I decided not to be an exhibit, but I felt I must speak on perseverance,

and these texts in Hebrews 13 have meant a great deal to me in the last fortnight as I worked on them.

I was speaking, of course, in the Barbican to hundreds of Christian leaders,

and as you saw or heard in the reading, this chapter has three verses about leaders.

Quite an unusual title, of course.

Not the title of pastor or steward or minister,

but the title of leader.

And so I'm going to read the three verses, if I may,

and then we'll get to work on them.

Verses 7,

verse 17,

and verse 24.

Verse 7.

Remember, your leaders,

who spoke the word of God to you.

Consider the outcome of their way of life,

and imitate their faith.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Verse 17.

So that was a look into the past.

Now we go to the present.

Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority,

because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account.

Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden,

for that would be no benefit to you.

And then finally,

verse 24,

which we will spend time on this evening.

Greet all your leaders

and all the Lord's people.

At any rate,

what verse 24 shows

is that the Lord's people

need leaders.

Of course they do.

All groups need leaders,

all institutions need leaders,

and we know,

all too painfully at the moment,

countries need leaders too.

And I guess you're praying about that,

at least I hope you are.

We were speaking in the car.

It is very remarkable, isn't it,

of the five or six

whose names are in the hat.

At least three or four

seem to be churchgoers

or God-fearers,

and one of them a real Christian.

That's something to be very thankful for

in these days, isn't it?

And we need to pray for them,

and especially for the one

on whom the lot falls.

So, what are the leaders' responsibilities?

This is what I gave my mind to

as I prepared for the ministry assembly,

and what I've been giving to my mind

ever since.

I think the person who learns most

from speaking, of course,

is the speaker.

Well, in verse 7,

the work of the church

or Christian leader

is to speak the word of God.

He's to be a preacher.

And in verse 17,

the work of the church

or Christian leader

is to be a shepherd.

That is a pastor.

It's a very succinct and clear pattern,

isn't it?

He's not a politician.

He's not a social activist.

He's not an ecclesiastical functionary.

He's a speaker,

a shepherd,

a preacher,

and a pastor.

But who,

and I'm talking to people,

I guess,

who know their Bibles

quite well,

indeed very well,

who is the speaker

par excellence

in the letter,

the sermon,

whatever you like to call it,

of Hebrews?

As you turn back

to chapter 1,

you'll soon find out

who the real speaker is.

Isaiah 1:1

Chapter 1,

verse 1,

In the past,

God spoke to our ancestors

through the prophets,

but in these last days,

he has spoken to us

by his Son.

So the great speaker,

according to Hebrews,

is our Lord Jesus Christ

himself.

And the importance of that

is really quite terrifying,

I think,

at the end of the letter,

chapter 12,

verse 25,

we get this exhortation

that shows how important

it is to listen

to the one who speaks.

See that you do not

refuse him who speaks.

If they did not escape

when they refused him

who warned them on earth,

how much less will we

if we turn away from him

who warns us from heaven.

And incidentally,

to show you how severe

the New Testament can be,

look at that last phrase

in verse 29,

Our God is a consuming fire.

That is the verdict

on those who won't listen.

So in this

sermon letter of Hebrews,

the speaker is our Lord Jesus Christ.

Question number two,

Who is the great shepherd of Hebrews?

Well, you read it just now.

It's a wonderful verse.

We need only look at one verse,

verse 20,

of the 13th chapter.

Now may the God of peace,

who through the blood

of the eternal covenant

fall back from the dead,

our Lord Jesus,

that great shepherd of the sheep.

So here's a remarkable background

to the leader's work.

The great speaker

that God has sent into the world

is none other than Jesus Christ.

Oh, we know that, don't we?

He's the word.

He's the teaching.

He comes to preach the gospel.

The soldiers

who are sent to arrest him

said,

No man spoke like this man.

Well, we know that, don't we?

The teaching of Jesus Christ

is the wonder of the world.

Still is.

Would that we obeyed it

and listened to it.

And who is the great shepherd

of the sermon letter?

Well, it's our Lord Jesus Christ,

there's no doubt about that.

He himself said so,

did he not?

He said,

I am the good shepherd.

The one who really pastors

the universal church

and all the churches

in the universal church.

So in this remarkable letter

to the Hebrews,

quite different, isn't it,

from almost anything else

in the New Testament.

The Lord is the speaker

and the Lord is the shepherd.

But,

as you sometimes see

written on the holy table

in Protestant churches,

he is not here,

he is risen.

He's returned to the Father's throne.

He is not with us,

in that sense, bodily.

He is bodily raised from the dead.

So the question arises,

who is to do the speaking now

and who is to do the shepherding?

Who is to preach the word?

Who is to speak the word of God?

And who is to pastor,

verse 17,

the flock of God?

And the answer,

are you ready for it?

Frail,

weak,

mortals.

Described by Paul

in one of his letters

as jars of clay.

You don't even turn to look at it.

I was speaking at the ordination

of a Presbyterian church

in Scotland,

in Glasgow,

two Sunday nights ago.

and in preaching,

I said to Paul,

the young man

who was being ordained,

talking about speaking

the word of God

and shepherding the flock of God,

I said,

I hope that in view of this,

you are more than

a little terrified.

I don't think anybody

was expecting that,

you know.

I think they thought

I was going to say,

it's a wonderful responsibility

and it's a great work

you're going to it.

And all these

rather flattering things,

but I really do believe that,

don't you?

He ought to be feeling

on the evening

in which he's set apart

from this work of leadership,

he ought to be terrified.

Not least,

because of that 17,

you must give an account.

God,

well,

that's enough

to make me tremble.

And might not

the members of the church

tremble too

to think that

your pastor,

your youth leader,

your Sunday school teachers

are in this position

of doing what actually

is the work of Christ.

You have this heavy,

of course it's a great privilege,

but a very,

very heavy responsibility

of actually speaking

the word of God

and looking out

to the flock of God.

You know,

the work of a,

I thought of this young man

a fortnight ago,

very able young man actually,

but quite brave,

I think,

to venture into this work

because the minister today

in our society

is a very marginalized character,

isn't he?

He's regarded as somebody

who can't do any other job,

really.

And here was a young man

committing himself to that.

What did his great namesake

say,

Paul the Apostle?

He asked a great question,

which expects the answer,

who is equal to this task?

So that's the first truth

that seems to me

to emerge from this.

That Christian leadership

is an enormous responsibility.

It is actually the work of Christ

which is delegated to us

and we might well tremble,

we who speak,

we who shepherd,

whether in a church

or whatever.

The second truth

that I think emerged,

there are many truths

that emerge,

and the more I look at this,

the more truths

that seem to come out

and hit me

and make me think.

The second truth

that emerges

is that Christian leadership

demands a reliable

teaching ministry.

Look back,

if you will now,

to the past

in verse 7.

Remember your leaders

who speak the word

of God to you,

consider the outcome

of their way of life

and imitate their faith.

And so it would be good,

wouldn't it,

just for a moment

as we sit here,

to do just that.

Will you just for a moment

cast your mind back

to the people

who first told you

the word of God,

the gospel,

it's a debt

you can't repay,

isn't it?

Maybe a pastor,

maybe a parent,

maybe a class leader,

maybe a friend.

Let's just think

for a moment.

Remember those

who spoke the word

of God to you.

An enormous debt

is what we owe to them.

I'm thinking of

two men at least

and a crusader leader

in whose class

I simply misbehaved.

Well, I suppose

I learned something.

Now, I don't think

we can get the full import

of verse 7

without verse 8,

which is why

I read it.

What does verse 8 mean?

It's a glorious verse,

isn't it?

It's one everybody knows.

Christ the same

yesterday and forever.

And I'll tell you

what I don't think

it means.

I don't think it means

something fairly

conventional,

that whereas

verse 8,

the Christian leader

comes and goes,

those men that I think

of who led me to Christ

to preach the gospel

to me long ago,

gone to be with Christ,

long, long ago.

I don't think it means

that the human leaders

come and go,

but the Lord is still

with us,

whether in the past

generation today

and in the future.

I don't think that's

the point at all.

I think verse 8

is summing up

the essential

Christian message

as taught

by the writer

of the Hebrews.

And that is

the same gospel message,

of course,

as all the writers

are talking about,

but it's very distinctive,

isn't it,

in Hebrews.

It takes him

two-thirds

of the letter

to describe

in chapters 3

to chapters 10.

Chapters 3,

4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

are all taken up

with one thing,

and that is

Christ the High Priest.

In fact,

it's all taken up

with one day

in the Jewish year

in the Old Testament times.

It's taken up

with that great day

of atonement

when the High Priest,

I hardly tell you this,

took the blood

of the sacrifice.

He would go trembling

through the curtain

into the Holy Polis.

The blood would be

sprinkled there.

He would stand there

for a few minutes,

and then he would return,

having ratified

the covenant

between God

and his people

for one more year.

In a year's time,

he'd have to do the same.

And then the next year,

and the next year.

And at very great length,

it's an incredible detail.

And I'm not sure

how many Bible readers

take trouble

to go through

all the detail.

He points out

how Christ has fulfilled

that once and for all,

in virtue of his own

sacrifice,

going through the

Holy of Holies

into the presence of God.

Opening that way

once and for all,

so that the covenant

between God

and his people

is firm forever.

Just an amazing

passage

and an amazing description.

It's very interesting to me.

I'd like you,

if you will,

it'll mean that you're

still with me

if I hear the pages turned.

Just turn to Mark 15

for a moment.

The earliest gospel,

and when you come to

the critical passage

on the death

of our Lord Jesus Christ,

all that he tells you

is that Christ

laid down his life

and sacrificed

bearing the sins

of the world,

verse 34,

that he cried,

a loud cry

in verse 37,

grieved his last,

and the curtain

of the temple

was torn in two.

So there we go

to the very earliest

strata of the Christian

gospel in the New Testament.

You can't go earlier

than that.

So the very essential

gospel that they

were preaching

was the gospel

of a Savior

who takes,

by virtue

of his sacrifice,

takes himself

as a representative

into the presence

of God

and opens that way

forever.

So coming back

to Hebrews,

when we get at last

to the application

of those

many chapters,

look at chapter 10,

verse 19,

I'm sure you know

it well,

and if you don't,

you ought,

because this is the

climax of the whole

letter,

and it's so wonderful,

really.

Therefore,

brothers and sisters,

since we have

confidence to enter

the most holy place

by the blood of Jesus,

by a new and living way,

and since we have

a great priest

over the house of God,

let us draw near

to God with a sincere

heart,

and so on.

Let us draw near.

And you've got

that same drawing

here,

don't you,

in chapter 12.

Just turn over the page.

I love the contrast,

don't you,

in chapter 12,

verse 18.

You have not drawn

near to the mountain

that can be touched

that is burning

with fire and darkness.

That is,

in the Old Testament,

terrifying.

No animal allowed near,

gloom,

storm,

trumpet blast.

But,

verse 22,

you have come

to Mount Zion,

to the city

of the living God,

the heavenly Jerusalem.

You have come

to thousands of angels.

We really ought to say

that at the beginning

of our meeting.

It's all great.

When we started,

when Paul stood here,

he might easily

have said to us

these words,

because they're true.

Because of that sacrifice,

we have come

to thousands of angels

in Joyful Assembly.

You can't see them,

but they're there.

We've come to the church

of the firstborn.

We've come to God,

the judge of all.

We've come to the

sprinkled blood

that speaks a better word

than the blood of Abel.

Now,

why do you think

that he spends

so much time on this

in this letter?

You don't find it

anywhere else

in the New Testament,

though,

of course,

the message of the Gospel

is the same.

Well,

I think that verse 8

has the clue within it.

Jesus Christ,

the same yesterday,

and for ever.

And once you see

those words for ever,

the Bible student

knows exactly

what he's talking about.

Because that is the theme

of those great chapters

in the middle of Hebrews

about the high priest

who is the high priest

after the order of Melchizedek

forever.

Chapter 7,

seven times,

six,

seven times,

the same phrase

is used.

So,

why does he tell us

that our priest

is a priest for ever?

Well,

of course,

he's telling us

because we don't need

any more priests.

Now,

there's some controversy

as to what verse 9 means.

I want to tell you

what I think it may mean

and possibly does mean.

Hebrews was not written

to Jews.

It was written to Christians

and has been read

by Christians

for 2,000 years.

But,

in the first century

there were many

Jewish Christians.

And I think

that many of these Jews

towards the third quarter

of the first century

when people

are getting discouraged

were finding it

so difficult

to live by faith

in an invisible Lord

and an unknown future.

It was also

apparently empty

and you just had

to believe.

But how many

supports they had,

hadn't they,

in their time

as Jews?

They had endless

supports.

The priest,

the sacrifice,

the temple,

the altar,

and so on.

And I think

probably these

Jewish Christians

were saying

we need something

that we can see,

something to support us,

something to give us

confidence

about these

great truths.

Why I think that

is because

throughout this

letter to the Hebrews

you have a constant

word being

almost shouted out.

We have a great

high priest.

Again and again

and again.

You follow it through.

It's worth reading

right through the letter

once in half an hour

and counting the number

of times he says,

he almost shouts it out.

We have a great

high priest.

And there you have it

in verse

10, don't you?

We have an altar.

Why is he saying

this?

Well he's saying

be assured

we have a high priest,

we have an altar.

You cannot see

these things

but the cross

of Christ

was the altar

and the high priest

in heaven

is caring for you.

The God man.

Once a year

the churches

in the city

have an open Sunday

and it's amazing

the number of tourists

who come in

to see the churches

and we're encouraged

to tell them

what goes on

in the churches.

And there's a

I mustn't call him

a lad

because I think

he's probably

getting on to 45.

A young man

on the staff

called Charlie

who is absolutely

brilliant at doing this.

And one of the

first questions

that's asked

in question time

what Charlie does

is to take them

around the building

and preach the gospel

through the various

parts of the building.

And after he's

finished his talk

the first question

is nearly always this

where's the altar?

And what a wonderful

opportunity

for explaining

Hebrews 13.

We have an altar.

The way is open.

It's a majestic

statement isn't it?

So these are words

of enormous confidence

to these young

Jewish Christians

that in Christ

we have a high priest

who has

made that

permanent

and full

and perfect

sacrifice

and is still

today with us

and we won't read

those wonderful

chapters at the

beginning of Hebrews

where we're told

that he cares for us

and has mercy upon us

and draws near to us.

We don't often

hear that do we?

We hear Christ

as a friend

a saviour

a lord

but it's so important

to see him too

as a priest.

So leadership

demands a ministry

of truth

that enables us

to walk

by faith

in an invisible

lord

and a far

distant future.

Well I think

that's enough

probably for this

evening.

I'll finish by

telling you

what my last

point was

in the

Barberkin

ten days ago.

This leadership

was committed

to me

at St.

Helen's Church

in Bishopsgate

38

well for

no not 38

years ago

in 1961

and I can't

do the

mathematics

but some

of you

can do it

it's a long

time ago

isn't it?

And it

seems to me

that I was

given the

responsibility

of doing

these two

things

week by

week

and if I

was not

to be a

humbug

it meant

that first

if I was

to speak

the word

of God

I'd got

to listen

and I

think that's

one of the

great privileges

of the

pastor

or the

teacher

the leader

in any

part of the

church

that they

cannot speak

until they

have listened

and it's

one of the

ways in which

God keeps

us I think

and secondly

if I was

not to be

a humbug

I had to

watch myself

verse 17

if I was

to watch

over others

so that

actually

being a

church leader

is a

very great

privilege

because you

are bound

to listen

and bound

to watch

over yourself

if you're

to do

your job

and so

in the

Bible

can I

finish

by giving

three of

the great

warnings

of Hebrews

which I

think the

Christian

leader has

to take

apart

just as

much as

anybody

else

first

not to

be ashamed

many

many

times

in this

letter

we're

told

of the

disgrace

there is

in believing

the words

of Christ

and I can only

speak for the

Church of

England

in saying

that many

gifted young

men

who were

evangelical

in their

origins

who were

thoroughly

converted

people

who knew

the word

of God

before very

long

were tempted

to be ashamed

of where

they stood

over against

the

liberalism

and the

worldliness

of the

Church

and so

I tried

to make

an appeal

in the

Bible

and do

pray about

this

to those

who are

particularly

gifted

I thought

to myself

there are

1500

Church

leaders

and

amongst

them

there will

be some

peculiarly

gifted

in mind

personality

gift

and they

who will

be tempted

to be

ashamed

they whom

Satan

will try

to move

away

in order

that they

might find

popularity

preferment

promotion

influence

whatever you

like to

call it

it's a

warning for

all of us

of course

but it's

especially

a warning

for Christian

leaders

the second

warning that I

chose to

give to

those

men

ancient

leaders

who are

there is

not to

be

hardened

by sin's

deceitfulness

it's a

strong

strong

message

in

Hebrews

it applies

to all

of you

of course

but in a

very powerful

way it

applies to

the minister

because on

those very

basic things

like

marriage

verse 4

money

verse 5

well

I'm bound

to say

because of

my age

that I

look back

and I

can see

quite a

number of

men who

lost their

ministry

because of

sin

in marriage

and money

matters

and the

the

importance

of this

as I

tried to

say to

them that

evening

was

that for

the minister

you only

need one

strike

and you're

out

a man

can lose

his

ministry

if he's

hardened

by sin's

deceitfulness

in these

matters

and the

third warning

I gave them

that evening

was not

only to be

unashamed

but not

only to be

careful about

sin's

deceitfulness

but to be

careful in

the face

of increasing

persecution

not to

shrink back

if you read

Hebrews 10

and we

haven't

time to

do that

now

it's very

very strong

about not

throwing

everything

away

because of

the bitter

opposition

you face

I think

those three

applications

apply to

you

they apply

to all

our church

leaders

in this

country

today

I think

there's a

tremendous

pressure

on our

leaders

especially

perhaps in the

established

church

to be ashamed

of the

gospel

to be ashamed

of the

standards

of sex

and marriage

to shrink

back from

the constant

secular

sniping

that goes

on today

so this

letter has a

great deal

to say to

us

the work

of the

leaders

is of

unique

importance

isn't it

to speak

the word

of God

and to

look after

the flock

of God

but the

warnings

are equally

great

and I pray

that many

of those

leaders

there

and leaders

perhaps that

you know

and pray

for

and ought

to pray

for

may be

kept

from

shame

and sin

and shrinking

back in

the light

of so

much

opposition

let's

pray