Scared Altars and Holy Offerings - Sacrifices of Praise (Hebrews 13:9-21)

During the summer months, we're exploring worship, sacrifice, and offerings. On Sundays, at 9:00 a.m. we’ll be looking at the following themes:

The Genesis of Altars and Sacrifices

• The Offerings of Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:1-16) - June 1
• Noah Builds an Altar (Genesis 8:13-22; 9:11-13) - June 8
• Abraham Makes an Offering (Genesis 22:1-14) - June 15
• Isaac Calls on the Name of the Lord (Genesis 26:24-33) - June 22

Jesus and the Temple

• The Boy Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41-52) - July 6
• Lord of the Sabbath (Matthew 12:1-8) - July 13
• Cleansing the Temple (John 2:13-25) - July 20
• Jesus Predicts the Temple’s Destruction (Matthew 24:1-14) - July 27

Christians and Sacrifices

• Christians as God’s Temple (1 Corinthians 3:10-23) - August 3
• Our Bodies Belong to God (1 Corinthians 6:12-20) - August 10
• The Two Made One (Ephesians 2:11-22) - August 17
• Sacrifices of Praise (Hebrews 13:9-21) - August 24
• Living Stones in a Spiritual Temple (1 Peter 2:1-12) - August 31

On Sunday, August 24, we looked at how we need to member that Jesus is our ultimate sacrifice for sin and praise (Hebrews 13:9-21). The discussion and passage is below.

Hebrews 13:9-21 [New International Version]

Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by eating ceremonial foods, which is of no benefit to those who do so. We have an altar from which those who minister at the tabernacle have no right to eat.

The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

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 of no benefit to you.

Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way. I particularly urge you to pray so that I may be restored to you soon.

Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

A New Devotion - Behavior Has Consequences

Here's a new devotion that I wrote. It's based on the passage below. You can find a recording of this devotion at the bottom of the page.

Hebrews 3:12-19 [Contemporary English Version]

My friends, watch out! Don't let evil thoughts or doubts make any of you turn from the living God. You must encourage one another each day. And you must keep on while there is still a time that can be called “today.” If you don't, then sin may fool some of you and make you stubborn. We were sure about Christ when we first became his people. So let's hold tightly to our faith until the end. The Scriptures say,

“If you hear his voice today,

don't be stubborn

    like those who rebelled.”

Who were those people that heard God's voice and rebelled? Weren't they the same ones that came out of Egypt with Moses? Who were the people that made God angry for 40 years? Weren't they the ones that sinned and died in the desert? And who did God say would never enter his place of rest? Weren't they the ones that disobeyed him? We see that those people did not enter the place of rest because they did not have faith.

Behavior Has Consequences

When I was a kid, I loved going to the circus. You see, every year, the Clyde Beatty Cole Brothers Circus would come to Norfolk. And even though both the Shriners and the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Baily shows also passed through town, for me, the Cole Brothers were different. You see, not only was Clyde Beatty still taming lions when I was young, his circus was under a tent. And there was a side show. And after it was over, dad would buy us these braided whips as souvenirs. I’ll tell you, going to the circus was a big deal. 

And we went every year with one exception. We didn’t go when I was ten, and looking back, it was all my fault. You see, my Sunday School class at Ocean View Presbyterian Church had six students, five girls and me. Of course, looking back, that should have been no big deal, but for a pre-adolescent, it was horrible. And so one Sunday, I simply refused to go in, and no amount of coaxing would move me from my spot in the hall outside the class door. And I’ll tell you, all would have been fine, if my teacher hadn’t called my Dad as a last resort. He came, we talked and I explained how I just couldn’t face being the only boy in a class full of girls. And as I remember, he was very calm when he told me that he was giving me a choice: I could either suck it up and go into the room or I could stay in the hall. But if I stayed in the hall, I wouldn’t be going with him, my brother and my sister when the circus came to town in a couple of weeks. The decision was mine. Well, when he said it, I assumed he was bluffing, and so I decided stay in the hall. And in the next couple of weeks, I learned two things: first, that my father didn’t bluff and second, that behavior has consequences.

And I think that’s the same lesson the writer of Hebrews was getting at in the passage we just read. You see, even though God loved his people after he led them out of Egypt, they still faced the consequences for their sin, disobedience and faithlessness. For them, this was just the way it was, even though they had folks to warn them not to be so stubborn and rebellious. 

And I’ll tell you, that’s as true for us as it was for them. You see, although we can trust that God always loves us and his love will never change, he doesn’t enable us to avoid the implications that come from the choices that we make. Just like me choosing to stand in the hall or the people of Israel acting like rebels in the wilderness, God doesn’t whitewash the choices we make or the actions we take. The piper will be paid. And for that reason, it just makes sense for us to do whatever is necessary to make the best decisions we can make, because behavior has consequences, whether we like them or not.

A New Devotion - Faith Is Trust

Here's a new devotion that I wrote. It's based on the passage below. You can find a recording of this devotion at the bottom of the page.

Hebrews 11:13-22 [Contemporary English Version]

Every one of those people died. But they still had faith, even though they had not received what they had been promised. They were glad just to see these things from far away, and they agreed that they were only strangers and foreigners on this earth. When people talk this way, it is clear they are looking for a place to call their own. If they had been talking about the land where they had once lived, they could have gone back at any time. But they were looking forward to a better home in heaven. This is why God wasn't ashamed for them to call him their God. He even built a city for them.

Abraham had been promised that Isaac, his only son, would continue his family. But when Abraham was tested, he had faith and was willing to sacrifice Isaac, because he was sure that God could raise people to life. This was just like getting Isaac back from death.

Isaac had faith, and he promised blessings to Jacob and Esau. Later, when Jacob was about to die, he leaned on his walking stick and worshiped. Then because of his faith he blessed each of Joseph's sons. And right before Joseph died, he had faith that God would lead the people of Israel out of Egypt. So he told them to take his bones with them.

Faith is Trust

Years ago, I had a good friend named Charlie, and we used to discuss all kinds of stuff related to the Bible. And even though we generally agreed, there was one area where our interpretation was very different. You see, Charlie believed that Christians needed to be certain about God. Doubt just didn’t jive with being a believer. To follow Jesus, you had to know. But I disagreed, because I believe that God has called us to have faith, not knowledge, and faith is trust. And although our ability and willingness to have faith is certainly based on what we know, ultimately trust is always a decision. It’s like stepping into a room that’s pitch black, trusting that there’s a floor on the other side of the door. Now, for me, that’s what faith is all about.

And I think this was what the writer of Hebrews was suggesting about Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. Each made a decision to trust that God was present in their lives and that he would accomplish what he’d promised.