Do you know what it means to be TREATED AS AN OUTSIDER? To be left out? Overlooked? Remember, at school, when you were last picked for the sport team? Or when everyone ganged up on your because you were different? It’s never a nice feeling. Even as an adult.
Or what about being treated that way BECAUSE YOU’RE A CHRISTIAN? Perhaps the conversation stops as you walk into a room. Or you don’t get invited to the party? Or the weekend away? Because people just don’t understand you. Don’t know how to ACT around you? Or perhaps you DO get invited. And people behave as if you’re not there. Or MAKE FUN of you. And they just don’t understand. And you feel like the outsider.
But that’s the reality of the Christian life. Being a Christian always means BEING AN OUTSIDER. Always HAS, and always WILL. Ever since the time of Jesus himself, who was rejected and despised. So we should JOIN him. Accept the rejection, and OWN in. That’s the point that’s made in verses 11 and 12 of chapter 13. There in the middle of this last section.
11 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. 12 And so Jesus also suffered OUTSIDE THE CITY GATE to make the people holy through his own blood. 13 LET US, THEN, GO TO HIM OUTSIDE THE CAMP, BEARING THE DISGRACE HE BORE.
The picture is of Jesus. Part of the Jewish people. Part of Jerusalem – the city of his ancestor, King David. And yet, he’s REJECTED by his people. Treated as an outsider. Then dragged out of the city, stumbling under the weight of a rough wooden cross. Insulted, spat upon, beaten. Suffering to make us holy. If he’s done THAT, then let US go to HIM outside the camp. Follow him. Imitate him. Leave behind the people who reject him. And suffer rejection together with him. Bear the disgrace he bore.
That’s the call. The call to those first Jewish Christians. (Who are tempted to fit in with the Jews around them.) A call to go outside the camp of JUDIASM. And it’s the call to US, AS WELL. Who’re tempted to blend in with the culture around US. (Tempted to change what we say and do and think. And who we are.) So that we’ll FIT IN. Be an outsider, just like Jesus!
What makes it EASIER to do is the fact that / what you’re OUTSIDE of / WON’T LAST. This world is passing away. And what you’re PART of /is BETTER and STRONGER. Verse 14 gives the reason WHY we should be an outsider
14 For HERE we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city THAT IS TO COME.
THIS WORLD will PASS AWAY. It won’t LAST. Whereas the CITY to COME. Is BUILT FOR ETERNITY. Just like US. That’s why we go to Jesus outside the city. And bear the disgrace he bore. It’s like being in a life boat, looking back at the Titanic. It’s big and warm and most people are on it. But it won’t last. Much better to be AN OUTSIDER. When Jesus returns, this world will be SHAKEN and DESTROYED. And only GOD’S kingdom will remain. A kingdom that CAN’T be SHAKEN. That’s the key idea of this last section of Hebrews. Look at chapter 12 v28.
28 THEREFORE, since WE ARE RECEIVING A KINGDOM THAT CANNOT BE SHAKEN,
Jesus’ work is SURE. That’s what the whole of Hebrews has been showing. (He’s a better priest, with a better name, and a better sacrifice.) And he brings A BETTER KINGDOM. So we can be CONFIDENT. Our hope is SOLID.
And then it follows up the THEORY with the PRACTICAL. What we’re do IN RESPONSE to the THEOLOGY.
let us be THANKFUL, and so worship (or SERVE) God acceptably with reverence and awe,29 for our “God is a consuming fire.”
This verse is often used to talk about WHAT WE DO IN CHURCH. In our Sunday gatherings. That our MEETINGS are about worshipping God acceptably with REVERENCE AND AWE. And so church will be respectful and dignified, with singing of hymns and prayer.
But I don’t think it’s talking about what we do in church AT ALL. At least not SPECIFICALLY. Yes, church is ONE of the places where we thank and serve God. But it’s about MUCH MORE.
The key to understanding, I suggest, is to remember that the letter is comparing the FAR BETTER CHRISTIAN experience with THE JEWISH EXPERIENCE. And so the writer uses JEWISH CATEGORIES AND CONCEPTS to DO it.
So, for example, the “worship” word there. Don’t assume it’s talking about CHURCH. The word used is the same one used in Hebrews to describe the priest’s work – the SERVICE they give at the temple. Ch 8 v5 says The priests SERVE at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. And 13.10 translates it as MINISTER: “those who MINISTER at the tabernacle.”
The point is/ it’s not just JEWS who offer service to God. Christians are to offer service AS WELL. But service that actually PLEASES God. 12:28 says it’s to be ACCEPTABLE service for God.
But our service to God isn’t about getting the candles lit in the right order, or washing your hands the right number of times. Or cutting the lamb up the right way. It’s about RIGHT ATTITUDES. Be THANKFUL – because you’re inheriting an unshakeable kingdom.
And since God is A CONSUMING FIRE – HOLY and JUST, have the attitude of REVERENCE and AWE – of caution. Of wonder and respect. With a full sense of the seriousness of the task we’re performing. Because we serve the God who SPOKE to us from heaven THROUGH HIS SON.
But if our service isn’t about sacrifices, what IS it? The end of chapter 12 is the heading, which is then explained in chapter 13. Ch 13 shows us what acceptable service to God LOOKS LIKE. Al Mohler says “(The author) closes chapter 12 by saying, ‘Let us be thankful and serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe.’ In this last chapter the author tells us how to do that very thing.” Mohler 219
Just forget the chapter division is there. And notice how the end of chapter 12 connects with the start of chapter 13. 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so SERVE God acceptably with reverence and awe,29 for our “God is a consuming fire.”1 Keep on loving each other as brothers.2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.3 Remember those in prison… etc.
Acceptable service. In attitude. AND in DEED. It’s not just ON SUNDAYS, IN A CHURCH GATHERING. But ALL WEEK. In ALL OF LIFE.
Offer a sacrifice
And it’s not just SERVICE we’re to offer God. Interestingly, (and provocatively), Christians are also encouraged to OFFER SACRIFICES. Jump down to v15.
15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us CONTINUALLY OFFER TO GOD A SACRIFICE/ of praise–the fruit of lips that confess his name.16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with SUCH SACRIFICES GOD IS PLEASED.
The whole sermon has been about how USELESS sacrifices actually ARE. How the whole Jewish system of temple, and altar, and burnt offerings don’t actually WORK. And yet, there it is. V15. “Let us offer to God a sacrifice.” But notice the DIFFERENCE. Firstly, our sacrifice is THROUGH JESUS. Because of the GREATER sacrifice he’s made on our behalf.
Secondly, it’s a sacrifice of PRAISE – the fruit of lips that confess his name. It’s not a dead goat that God’s interested in. But A LIFE that directs praise and thanks to God. Not just songs of praise. But CONVERSATIONS that confess the name of Jesus. That declare that he’s the One who brings grace and forgiveness. Words that declare the gospel/ are sacrifices!
And not just WORDS. ACTIONS TOO. V16. “Do good, and share with others FOR WITH SUCH SACRIFICES GOD IS PLEASED.”
It’s THAT response that’s FITTING, for all God has done. Far more appropriate and suitable than a few dollars spent to buy an animal, so its blood can be poured out! Or a mumbled prayer before you run out the door to start your day. Or doing your one hour duty on Sunday morning sitting through a church service. That’s hardly SUITABLE for all that God’s done.
He deserves the sacrifice of EVERYTHING WE CAN OFFER. Sacrifices of words and actions, of desires and goals, of choices, and priorities. Of money and emotions and time. Of passions and possessions and plans and priorities.
Song-writers struggle to offer a suitable response! Nothing we can offer seems to measure up to what God has done for us. O for a thousand tongues to sing my sweet redeemer’s praise.
Were the whole realm of nature mine, THAT were an offering FAR TOO SMALL; love so amazing, so divine, DEMANDS MY SOUL, MY LIFE, MY ALL.
Who else would rocks cry out to worship. Whose glory taught the stars to shine. Perhaps creation longs to have the words to sing. But this joy is mine. With a thousand hallelujahs We magnify Your Name. You alone deserve the glory. The honor and the praise. Lord Jesus this song is forever Yours. A thousand hallelujahs. A thousand more
And the rest of chapter 13 begins to describe the BREADTH of that service. That SACRIFICE. A total life/ focused on following Jesus OUTSIDE THE CAMP. A life that DOESN’T CARE if it bears the disgrace of the world. As long as GOD is pleased. As long as GOD accepts us.
If we think in terms of the five outcome areas of being a growing follower of Jesus, it’s mostly about LOVING ONE ANOTHER. But notice the connection to LOVING GOD. We SHOW our love for God/ by LOVING ONE ANOTHER.
Counter-cultural Service
And it’s a life that will, increasingly, set you apart as DIFFERENT. And as we look through the list, notice how COUNTER-CULTURAL it is. How OUTSIDE normal behaviour it is. If Christians did a bit more of this, people would probably treat us even MORE as outsiders. Because so much of this stuff just seems like NONSENSE to the world.
13:1 “Love each other as brothers”. Have a look around. This is a bunch of people who are SO DIFFERENT to each other. If it wasn’t for Jesus, most of us would have nothing in common. People out there NEVER get together with people like THIS. The way WE do at church. Because it’s HARD WORK to invest in someone’s life, who’s so different from you. To HELP, to WEEP with each other. To CARE. To LOVE. Counter-cultural service.
Or v2. Don’t forget to entertain STRANGERS. Who does THAT? Most people don’t even entertain THEIR CLOSEST FRIENDS. Yet Christians are called to entertain STRANGERS. Those we have to work HARDEST with.
Or v3. Remember those IN PRISON. And those who are suffering. It’s talking about their fellow-Christians locked up for their faith. It’s counter-cultural to make yourself feel uncomfortable – to put yourself at risk – for the sake of someone else. But the Christians were doing it. That’s counter-cultural!
Or look at the next paragraph. Counter-cultural service in the area of VALUES. There’s nothing that shows a Christian as an outsider/ MORE than their attitude to SEX, and MONEY. Which are more powerful forces than most of us probably like to admit. The world says you can never get enough of either SEX OR MONEY.
And for Christians, in the areas of SEX, we’re going to be, very visibly, outsiders. Because these days, marriage ITSELF, let alone marital FAITHFULNESS – is a foreign concept. But for Christians, it’s one of our key distinctives. Because we know what a great GIFT marriage is. We know how BEAUTIFULLY God has designed sexuality. And how much he HATES it when we misuse it. Take a look at verse 4. Marriage should be honored by all, and THE MARRIAGE BED KEPT PURE, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.
Honour marriage. VALUE it. Whether you’re married or not.
But, whatever you do, DON’T LOVE YOUR MONEY. Time to come outside the camp. Read verse 5. Keep your lives FREE FROM THE LOVE OF MONEY, and BE CONTENT WITH WHAT YOU HAVE, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
You know, there’s always been a sort of a conventional wisdom that money can’t make you happy. But new research has actually proved that it CAN. And apparently – this is true – apparently they’ve proved there’s a simple formula for the amount of money you’ve got to have for it to make you happy… whatever culture or country you in, whatever income you’ve got. The amount is… MORE THAN MOST OF YOUR FRIENDS. University research has proved it. If you’ve got more money that most of your friends, it’s going to make you happy. Which says just about all there is to say about human nature, doesn’t it?
There’s a painful eye condition called conjunctivitis. But there’s an even MORE dangerous eye condition. It’s called COMPARISONITIS. That’s when you’re constantly comparing what YOU’VE got with what you see around you. And you’re never CONTENT. And it’s DEADLY!
It’s interesting, people think if they can get more money, they’ll be FREE. Free to make choices, and live the way they want. But this encouragement is so counter-cultural. There’s even GREATER freedom in NOT loving money. In being CONTENT. If you can live like THAT, you really ARE going to be very different.
Being CONTENT. Because, v6, you trust that God is WITH you, providing, meeting your needs, working for your GOOD.
The whole advertising industry works on the understanding that people are NEVER content. They always want something new, or bigger, or faster, or better looking. Be counter-cultural. Come outside the city. Be content with your salary, with your car, your house, your spouse.
And one final counter-cultural command. Something the world doesn’t do naturally. Especially as Australians. And, to be honest, it’s a bit hard for me to talk about. Because I’m pointing to myself. But it’s there in v7 and again in v17 – so it’s got to be important. Respect your leaders. Don’t put them down, or criticize them. Obey them. Support them. Back them up. Have a look at v17
17 Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.
Submit to their authority. Because good leadership isn’t about building a personal empire. It’s not about what’s in the LEADER’S best-interests. But WHAT’S BEST FOR THE PEOPLE. See it there near the end? If you make a leader’s job a burden, that would be of NO ADVANTAGE TO YOU. That’s what leaders are trying to do. To protect and guide and build-up. To keep watch over you. In fact, the word for “keeping watch” is literally “stay awake”, or “lose sleep”.
Your leaders are the ones who LOSE SLEEP over you. Who will have to give an account before God of how they’ve treated their precious cargo. So, make their job easy. Obey them. Listen. Support. Help. Encourage. Give feedback. Tell us how we can do it better.
Because we DO lose sleep over you. We DO keep watch over you. And it IS a joy. It’s something we do because we LOVE it. And when our work is a joy, it’s TO YOUR ADVANTAGE.
So there are a whole range of practical things you can be doing. Things which are acceptable service. Pleasing sacrifices. Ways that you can be counter-cultural. That you can come out of the city, and bear the rejection Jesus bore.
Ultimate Acceptance
But rather than finish on a miserable note. Just remember that OUR REJECTION WON’T BE FOREVER. Because we ARE headed for ANOTHER city. A city to come. A kingdom that can’t be shaken. A city where our disgrace will be over. Where instead of REJECTION, we’ll experience INCLUSION AND INTIMACY AND ACCEPTANCE. ULTIMATE acceptance.
It’s an experience we’ll only know COMPLETELY into eternity. But it’s one we can BEGIN to enjoy, one we can GLIMPSE, with each other at church, as we follow Jesus together. As we learn to love and accept each other.
Listen to the wonderful words of Ch 12 v22. (back at the BEGINNING of our chapter). Describing the eternal city we’re coming to. Accepted by God, washed clean by Jesus, and accepted by his people. Gathered together for eternity.
22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the HEAVENLY Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
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