"OUR FUTURE REALITY"
Hebrews 10:19-25
Posted July 31, 2001
"And so, dear friends, we can boldly enter heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. {20} This is the new, life-giving way that Christ has opened up for us through the sacred curtain, by means of his death for us. {21} And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God's people, {22} let us go right into the presence of God, with true hearts fully trusting him. For our evil consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. {23} Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. {24} Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. {25} And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near."
This first century letter was written to persuade Jews to have their Old
Testament faith completed by accepting Jesus as their Messiah and it was also
written to keep Hebrews who had already accepted Jesus from falling back
into the old way. The author (possibly Paul) speaks of, "..a new and living
way that Christ has opened up for us through the sacred curtain, by means of
his death for us." (v.20, NLT). The very first followers of Christ were all
Jews and they seem to have expected all other Hebrews to fall in line,
accepting Christ as their long anticipated Messiah. Many did as do many still.
Several weeks ago Marilyn and I were invited to a dinner meeting hosted
by the Government of Israel's Ministry of Tourism. The purpose seemed to be
to assure Christian leaders that we could expect there to be a resumption of
Holy Land tours as soon as the current hostilities pass. There was a better
than expected attendance due to the fact that most of us had never had a five
course dinner at the Ritz. We were seated beside a wonderful couple. Murray,
the husband, is the Director of "Messiah Ministries." Murray explained that
he was a Jew who had accepted Christ as a teenager and had led many of his
family to also become what he calls, "Jews who have had their faith fulfilled
in the new way of Jesus the Messiah." The stated mission of our denomination
is to "Make Disciples of All People." This new way is indeed for everyone.
New Testament salvation is by faith in Christ from the first tentative
step to the grave and beyond. Verse 22 describes our mature experience of
"full assurance of faith." (NRSV). Inward and spiritual assurance come as a
result of both God's implantation of His Holy Spirit and repeated experiences
of both joy and adversity in which God's promises are found to be
trustworthy. My cat Ginger trusts me because I have cared for her for sixteen
years. When she was a kitten and was sick she would hide, but nowadays she
seeks me out.
Personal salvation is based on what we read in God's Word and on what we
hear said about the potential for new life. We observe others leading
redeemed lives as a result of their faith adventure with God and we assume
that there must be a reality behind the subjective cumulative experiences of
persons we trust. Perhaps a parent or pastor led you to first have faith in
Christ. Sometimes a trusted teacher or coach can have a dramatic influence by
his/her actions and words. Ultimately however, we jump into the venture by
faith and hope
Since God's Promises are true we can think of tomorrow as a future that
is sure and certain: I like to call it "Our Future Reality." God will always
do His part in fulfilling the promise, the only question is whether we will
fulfill our promises to Him in cooperating with Grace. We march into the
future with hopeful hearts as we trust in His continued blessings.
The entrepreneur starting a new company begins with an idea, perhaps a
new approach to an old problem or a new product that he/she feels will meet a
need and make a profit. The risk is based on a careful study of past
experiences and a reliance on objective principles. However, ultimately the
venture is seized with faith and hope.
In verse 23 our text tells us to "..hold tightly to the hope we say we
have for God can be trusted to keep his promise." (NLT). Our hope is based on
God's faithfulness on which we have come to rely and trust. Secular hope will
ultimately disappoint, but Hope implanted by God will sustain. If it were not
for divine hope our hearts would sometimes break. "Hope unbelieved is always
considered nonsense. But hope believed is history in the process of being
changed." (Jim Wallis, "The Soul of Politics.") Hope is in the future, but
is in the process of becoming a reality based upon God's promises.
These same principles and experiences also apply to our community of
faith. Verse 25 says, "And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some
people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of
his coming back again is drawing near." (NLT). The local church is absolutely
essential to our personal spiritual pilgrimage. We need others in order for
ourselves to grow, and we need others in order to become a blessing in
ministry. The New Testament knows of no isolationist Christianity. Folks in
Christ seek out their fellows and build little brown churches in the wildwood
and sometimes cathedrals. Salvation always calls us to an outwardness beyond
our personal boundaries. Indeed, we are called into the whole world to reach
out to others with the fullness of the gospel and its grace.
In our great church we can look around and see that together we are
achieving positive results. We feel that this same growth will continue in
the future. Thus, we can reasonably expect that our resurgence will be an
ongoing reality in the future. We are experiencing God's faithfulness as we
work and walk together. Our faith grows as we learn and do and worship amid
like-minded friends. Our oneness in the Spirit is our future hope, assurance
and vision of tomorrow's reality. Fortified by this life giving faith and
hope we will remain faithful in our promises to God. There is great joy in
giving to a church which is making such an impact in our community. Our
gothic cathedral, lighted in the night and standing tall and stately in the
heart of the capitol of the South, is a ministry in itself. Atlanta
Interfaith Broadcasters has raised its estimate of how many folks see our
televised worship each week to one hundred thousand souls. That figure may
include channel surfers and dimpled chads.
The future of our church is in our hands as we support it with our:
positive prayers, our faithful presence, our financial gifts, and our loyal
service.
Your church is worthy of your magnanimous giving: your pledge, your
tithe.
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