Changing the Systems

The following was preached at Veedersburg and Hillsboro UMC on Sunday, November 15, 2009. The text for this week's passage is Hebrews 10:11-25.

We are looking at the book of Hebrews today. It’s one of those books that sometimes gets overlooked when we think about books of the Bible. Not a whole lot is known about the history of the book, or more accurately, letter. It is an odd bit of literature in the New Testament because it is not addressed to anyone in particular, nor is the author ever explicitly identified. It was traditionally labeled as “to the Hebrews” reflecting the assumption that the original recipients were Jewish Christians. We have also traditionally attributed Hebrews to Paul, but this is far from certain in the circles of people who talk about such things. Perhaps more important than either the author or the audience, though, is the theme of the letter.

Hebrews is all about the supremacy of Christ. The author talks about Christ in comparison with the angels, the priests, and the old covenantal system. And in each case, Christ far surpasses what came before. There is an idea throughout the letter that something new has happened; that the Old Testament promises that God is going to do a new thing have finally come to fruition. In some sense, this letter is a celebration of the dawning of a new era. It’s exciting, it’s uncomfortable and it’s a little scary, as change always is, especially for those who are a part of the system that needs change. But often, as scary and uncomfortable as change can be, it is necessary in order to fulfill the purposes that God has set forth.

Today’s passage takes place in the section where Christ is compared to the priesthood, and, by extension and more specific to this part of the text, the whole sacrificial system. The sacrifices of the priest are compared to the sacrifice of Christ, and they are significantly different in two key ways.

First off, the sacrifices of the priest are offered daily. Day after day, the priest would offer sacrifices to take away the sins of the people. That’s what the sacrificial system was all about. Sin was committed and to atone for that sin, blood was shed. Often times, the priest might lay his hands on the sacrificial animal to symbolize the transference of guilt from the sinner to the animal. Every year, around the time of the Passover was the Day of Atonement. This is where a sacrificial lamb, a lamb without defect, was inspected by the high priest, and then slaughtered for the sins of the nation. It was an annual event, or at least it was until there came a time for a change.

When you read through the story of the Passion Week in the Gospel of John, you are reading about the Day of Atonement re-imagined. John writes the story in such a way that Jesus is the sacrificial lamb during one particular Passover. Jesus is the one that was inspected – by the high priest, by Pontius Pilate, by the Sanhedrin; Jesus was examined, he was without defect, and he was slaughtered.

In contrast with the priest’s sacrifice, Jesus was a one-time sacrifice. Jesus was a sacrifice that did not have to be offered day after day after day. We may need to come to Jesus and submit to Jesus each and every day, but the sacrifice was made, once and for all, on the cross. They system was changed.

The second major difference is implied in the first, but let’s get it out there. Why was it that the priests had to offer the sacrifice time and time again? Because it wasn’t enough. Verse 11 says that the priest repeatedly offers the same sacrifice, “which can never take away sins.” The sacrificial system wasn’t designed to take away sin; it was designed to temporarily atone for sin and to show us the seriousness of sin.

The reason why sacrifices had to be offered over and over again is because they never took away the sin. But Jesus does. Jesus was a one-time, single sacrifice for sin that was good for all time. There’s a reason why Jesus doesn’t come back and offer himself for each and every generation. His one-time sacrifice did what all the other sacrifices combined couldn’t do – it took away sin. It gave us the new possibility of living life without sin. But here’s the catch. It doesn’t happen all at once.

Wouldn’t that be wonderful? Wouldn’t it be great if we could just keep living our lives as though nothing really changes once we put our trust in Jesus? But the truth is, that doesn’t happen. You know it. You’ve seen it. You may be experiencing that right now in your life. We become more mature as Christians over time. It is a process in which the Holy Spirit is working within us and conforming us to the image of Christ.

Verse 14 says, “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” Are being sanctified. Notice, it doesn’t say, “those who are perfect,” or “those who are fully sanctified.” The Greek tense is very intentional here. It reveals a process that is taking place, not an immediate change. This is what our faith is: it’s a process by which we gradually change from within. If a person hasn’t been changed after giving his/her life to God, then something isn’t right. And what is true for individuals is true for the larger group as well.

A community of faith needs to change over time because God is at work, and God doesn’t leave us where we are as individuals. So, shouldn’t we expect God to be working in a new way in the community of faith? Remember the vision in Revelation 21? God doesn’t need our help to make vision a reality. Now, I don’t know about you, but I want to be a part of it. I would be happy to play even the slightest, tiniest, supporting role possible. Because it is exciting to be a part of what God is doing. And sometimes, the systems that we relied on in the past aren’t enough to get us to the place we want to be in the future.

The writer of Hebrews saw this. He is basically saying that the priesthood, as it was understood in Judaism at the time, is past its prime. No longer was it necessary for the priests to offer daily sacrifices because God did something new. In Jesus, the ultimate sacrifice was made for all time. Verse 16 is a quote from Jeremiah 31:33. Let me read it again, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds.” And verse 17 comes from the same passage, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” Sin is wiped away because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. That is something that no priest could ever do.

Then, starting in verse 19, we get the “therefore.” Up to this point in the passage, it has been “because of that,” and now, we get the “therefore, do this.” The writer isn’t just going to tell the reader what has happened, but he calls them to action. And he does so with three “let us” phrases.

The first one, verse 22, “let us draw near.” We have confidence in Christ. We trust in Christ. Through Christ, we can have a clean conscience and enter into the presence of God. We can draw near to God because of the blood of Jesus Christ. That’s where we get a spiritual high; from being faithful and drawing near to the presence of God.

I’ve heard about something called a “runner’s high.” I don’t know exactly what that is, because I only run if there is a ball in play. But I do know what a spiritual high is. A spiritual high is when there is no doubt that the Holy Spirit is present and active in your midst. I remember one particular time when I was in high school. We were on a mission trip and had some great devotions one night. We circled up to pray, and I started shaking. It was Alabama in the middle of the summer; I wasn’t cold. We were praying, and I had my eyes closed, head down, and I didn’t dare look up. Because I knew, I knew without a doubt, that the Holy Spirit was right there with us.

I don’t tell you this so that you’ll be impressed with any kind of spiritual experience that I’ve had. Or to brag about what has happened in my life. I tell you this because that is what I want for this congregation. When we gather together, I want there to be no doubt that the Holy Spirit is present among us. I want people to walk into this church and say, “Wow. God is moving there.”

And I don’t want this because it makes me look good as the pastor, or because it makes us look good as a congregation; it’s not about how we appear to those around us. It’s about whether or not we are being faithful to the calling that God has placed on us. It is a process, a journey, and you don’t go through a process, or on a journey without moving somewhere. And in order to get somewhere, things need to change and adapt to new ways of doing things. Einstein is attributed with saying that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. We cannot expect to do things the same way time and time again, because the world around us is changing.

The second “let us” phrase is, “let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering,” found in verse 23. Do you trust in God? Do you believe that God can put the right people in the right place at the right time? Do you believe that God cares for the world? I do. I believe that God can use us to do amazing things if we are willing. It’s a decision that we have to make, and if we are willing, then we need to be ready to get pushed out of our comfort zone from time to time. And in those times, we have to hold fast to the hope we have in heaven.

God is faithful. God has promised to be with us, even through the difficult times in our lives. Be don’t think that means that things are always going to be easy and comfortable. God was with Joseph when his brothers sold him into slavery. God was with Joseph when he was wrongfully thrown into prison in Egypt. God was with Joseph when all others forgot about him. Things get difficult sometimes, but God is with us. And we have to hold fast to that hope.

Finally, the third one, “let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,” verse 24. What should be our response to the sacrifice of Christ? Love and good works. And not just love and good works, but considering ways to encourage others to love and good works. This is why the community of faith is so important. Have you ever heard somebody say, “I can be a Christian without going to church”? In some sense, yes, you can, but in another, no, you can’t. The community of faith is crucial when it comes to developing as a Christian. We have accountability to grow together in the faith. We have encouragement when times are tough. We have people from whom we learn.

We have a decision to make when we read this passage. We can decide to be a church that is about moving forward and chasing after God, or we can decide to do the same things over and over again. We can shut ourselves off from the world around us, or we can reach out to the lost. As much as I was kidding around about District Conference last week, I’m glad I went because I heard something very powerful, and I want to share it with you. It’s is another decision that we have to make, and it is quite possibly the biggest decision that must be made.

We can decide to be preference-driven or purpose-centered. If we are purpose-centered, then we are focused on a given purpose. And I think that purpose is so clear when it comes to Scripture. Our purpose as disciples of Jesus Christ is to make disciples by reaching out and growing mature in the faith.

If we are preference-driven, then we are more concerned with making sure everything fits into either what we are used to, so that it is familiar and comfortable, or what we like, so that to be a part of our community, people have to conform to who we think they should be. Ultimately, whether we realize it or not, the systems that we set up end up being preference-driven by default. Unless we make the intentional decision to be purpose-centered, we will be preference-driven. And there’s nothing wrong with preferences, as long as it doesn’t get in the way of the mission of the church. These preferences should not drive what we do; that is what the purpose does.

The purpose is something larger than ourselves. The purpose is larger than any single person, than the preferences of a few people, than the church as a whole. The purpose is what causes us to get up in the morning and strive to be all that God would have us be. If we are purpose-centered, we make the intentional decision to listen for the call that God has placed on us. We are flexible enough to know that what worked 20 years ago isn’t necessarily going to work in today’s world.

When Jesus came, he dismantled all the systems that were in place. He challenged and changed the systems because, over time, systems need to be changed. There are some growing pains from time to time, just like when you were young and your legs would hurt from time to time as your muscles were growing. But, in the end, we can look back and be amazed at what God has done. But we have some decisions to make. Do we stick with the systems that got us to this point, or do we step out of our comfort zone just a little bit and see what God can do when we are willing? It is a decision that we all have to make.