Therefore, Let us Offer to God a Sacrifice of Praise
Hebrews 13:7-16 (Pastor Heo)
7 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
9 Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by ceremonial foods, which are of no value to those who eat them. 10 We have an altar from which those who minister at the tabernacle have no right to eat.
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. 14 For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.
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.
v 7-8
Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. 8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
If you are a Christian today, you owe much to those who came before you, who preached to you and others, and have helped bring you to this place (your leaders).
Only Jesus, though, is unchangeable, immutable.
The cycle from life to death is a testament to a human’s changeableness. Even the sun, the moon, the sky, our character, personality, culture will change. Only Jesus is unchangeable.
v 8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
All change must be to the better or worse, but Jesus does not get better – not more holy, more righteous, more worthy – because he is NOW perfect. Nor does he get worse.
Also, his immutablility must not be confused with immobility.
He is not immovable, but he enters into dynamic relationships with us, changeable and mutable human beings. Therefore, he must enter into relationships in different, changing ways, because we are all different. He also deals with us differently when we commit to him and when we don’t, when we sin and when we don’t.
He is always good, righteous, and truthful. He is the same yesterday (past), today (present), and forever (future).
- Yesterday: served faithfully, offered prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears.
- Today: he serves faithfully, interceding for us to God (Hebrews 7:25 “Therefore, he is able to save those who come to God through him because he lives to intercede for us.”)
Because of these things, he is more than sufficient, more than enough for any need any person will have now or in the future. He is good for our future, our benefit.
Enjoy this, it is truth for us.
v 9-10
9 Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by ceremonial foods, which are of no value to those who eat them. 10 We have an altar from which those who minister at the tabernacle have no right to eat.
Two keywords:
- Grace (v 9)
- Altar (v 10)
We need grace because we are saved by grace, through faith (not of ourselves, but as the gift of God).
Water flows from high to low, it brings life, fruit, and growth. Grace is carried to the lowly in heart. Grace flows to the humble – this is an unchangeable spiritual law.
Consider rain: it falls from heaven everywhere, but only soft soil receives it and reaps its benefits. Hard soil rejects it and doesn’t enjoy its benefits.
Like this, God’s grace falls everywhere:
- “God causes his sun to rise on the good and the evil.”
- “God sends rain to the righteous and the unrighteous.”
But if our soul stands proudly against God, then that grace cannot penetrate our hard hearts, and we cannot enjoy that grace.
Second keyword: the altar (Jesus’ cross) is where we receive this grace.
“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me… you will find rest for your souls.”
“The Law came through Moses, but grace came through Jesus Christ.”
“God gives grace to the humble” (repeated 3x in the Bible)
God bless us to be humble.
How? By confessing Jesus Christ and kneeling down before that altar, the cross of Jesus Christ.
v 11-14
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. 14 For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.
OT animals were burned outside the camp.
Likewise, Jesus suffered outside the city gate to become the sacrifice for all people.
The animals offered for sacrifice were a symbol of Jesus, the ultimate sacrifice.
On the Day of Atonement:
- A bull was offered for the sins of the High Priest and his family.
- Then a lamb was offered for the sins of the people.
- These were taken inside the Holy of Holies.
- Afterward, the two carcasses were taken outside the city and burned.
- This was symbolic so that those outside the city gates would also have access to this grace.
Jesus was sacrificed outside the walls of Jerusalem, on the hill of Golgotha, for the sins of the whole world.
This means: he is accessible for anyone from all the world who comes to him. He is constantly accessible, as our daily bread, our daily life. He is with us, in us, all the time as our living Savior and Lord.
“I am the Bread of Life.”
Therefore, let us offer to God a sacrifice of Praise (all the time) – Sermon title
If this is true, what should our lifestyle look like? There is one final thing that will sustain us. Our lifestyle must be worship in works – by helping others in his name.
v 15-16
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.
This is a sustaining lifestyle. This is one final statement about how our lifestyle should be – it must be simply worship, working for Christ.
- First spiritual sacrifice = praise to God (v 15)
- Second = good works, sharing with others (v 16)
Jesus became sin, and the atoning sacrifice for sin, once for all. If we believe this truth, then our reaction to this truth must be also sacrifice, but a different kind.
- Jesus became the sacrifice of sin.
- In response to this, our sacrifice is a sacrifice of praise.
- Jesus sacrifice was once for all.
- Our sacrifice is ongoing, for a whole life.
Romans: “Therefore, I urge you dear brothers, in view of God’s mercy to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. Then you will be able to test and approve his good, pleasing, perfect will.”
Jesus forgives our sins, hears our prayers, shoulders our burdens.
God is eternal, sovereign, preparing the most glorious future for our lives.
v. 16 – this is two sides of one coin “Do not forget to do good and share with others…”
- Do good
- Share with others
True worship always involves giving of ourselves in living sacrifice. Jesus “Whatever you did / did not do for one of these the least of my brothers / sisters, you did / did not do for me.”
A great gift of sacrifice is to bring the gift of help to one of his children in need.
Eph “It is by grace you have been saved through faith. This is not of yourselves so that no one can boast. .. We are all God’s workmanship created in Christ to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
God bless us all to continuously praise God through our whole lives to be living sacrifices.
Let’s pray.
