The book of Hebrews is a marvelous book. The author of Hebrews spends much time detailing the supremacy of Christ. Under the Mosaic Law, there were sacrifices that had to be performed yearly, monthly, weekly, and even daily; they required the individual to go through a specific priest, at a specific place, at a specific time. The sacrifice of Christ was perfect. God says in Hebrews 10:10-12:
By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
Once for all! What an incredible statement. One sacrifice for all sins, for all time! Christians have received a tremendous gift. With that in mind, God challenges the believer to do three things with this incredible gift. We will call these the three “Let Us” Challenges:
Let Us Draw Near
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. (Hebrews 10:22)
We are called to draw near to God with confidence in Him and a clean conscience towards Him. We have the ability to communicate with God because of the sacrifice of Christ. What a shame if we do not take advantage of that. As Christians, we must have a “full assurance of faith,” an unwavering confidence in God. We must serve God in a manner that shows we believe in Him. Serve Him with a clean conscience—that means to repent when we sin. This is our first responsibility – Draw near to God: committed, confident, and cleansed.
Let Us Hold Fast
Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) (Hebrews 10:23)
God has given us this faith and He commands us to “hold fast.” Our faith is our shield. Satan throws his fiery darts of doubt and fear in an attempt to keep us from serving God. When those darts are being hurled in our direction, God call us to grip tightly our shield, without wavering. God gives us the strength to hold on. God promised in 1 Corinthians 10:13: “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” This is our second responsibility—hold fast to our faith.
Let Us Consider
And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: (Hebrews 10:24)
This final exhortation directs our actions towards our fellow believers. We must consider (think about) our brethren and treat them correctly. Not just treat others correctly but act in such a way that others will want to do good. As Christians, do our actions encourage fellow believers to live in a loving way? Do our words and deeds inspire people to act charitably? This is our third responsibility – consider and love the brethren and exhort them.
In Conclusion
Christ grants us access to God, gives us an unwavering faith, and unites us with the brethren. However, we must act on these gifts! Let us examine our lives. We must ask ourselves: Am I drawing near to God as I should, or have I neglected my relationship with Him? Have I wavered in my faith, or am I holding fast to it as God would have me do? Am I considering and loving fellow believers and encouraging them to do right, or is my testimony too poor to be a good example to them?
In 1 Timothy 4:12, Paul encourages Timothy to still serve God even if people look down upon him for his youth. We may not all be youths, but Paul’s advice to Timothy is still the exact advice that we need to follow each day: “…be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” May that be the desire of our hearts today.