Sermon By Derek Morphew Sunday 23 October 2016

1. Hebrews:
The Voice of a NT Prophet
# 6
The heroes of faith

2. Jesus is fully divine
Jesus is fully human
Therefore
He is uniquely qualified as High Priest
In a New Covenant
In a heavenly temple
Offering a perfect sacrifice
Applied by the Holy Spirit
Therefore

3. Therefore … (10:19-25)
Three exhortations – “let us”:
1. Worship
2. Confession
3. Fellowship
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy
Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us
through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest
over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in
full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a
guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let
us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is
faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward
love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are
in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more
as you see the Day approaching.

4. Text Subject
1:1-4 God has spoken through his Son
1:5-14 The majesty of the Eternal Exalted Son
2:1-4 Pay attention to God’s Son-mediated revelation!
2:5-18 The Son of God became incarnate, and suffered
3:1-6 Fix your thoughts on Jesus: Son over God’s house
3:7-19 Avoid the company of the faithless generation
4:1-11 Do not emulate those who lost the blessing
4:12-13 You are accountable before the Word of God
4:14-16 Embrace this Great High Priest
5:1-10:18 Jesus Christ: All-Sufficient Sacrifice and High Priest
10:19-25 Avail yourself of this Great High Priest
10:26-31 You are more accountable because of this High Priest
10:32-39 Pursue the blessing promised to the faithful
11:1-40 Join the company of the heroes of faith
12:1-3 Keep your eyes on Jesus, seated at God’s right hand
12:4-13 Endure suffering, as God’s true sons and daughters
12:14-17 Don’t sell your birthright as Esau did, carelessness!
12:18-24 You are firstborn sons of God, in the city of God
12:25-29 God will speak once more at the Final Judgment

5. The Eternal Son
Jesus the Messiah
Perfect Sacrifice
Great High Priest

6. The Inclusio: The “speaking” of God
• God has spoken in the last days in Jesus Christ (1:1-4)
• God will speak one last time at the Final Judgment (12:25-29)
Therefore listen!

7. Hebrews 12:19-12:29 – Exhortation after exhortation
3 Exhortations
Join the company of the heroes of faith
3 Exhortations
Final exposition: the final destination of the people of God
Final exhortation: God will speak one last time, make sure you listen!
Faith: From creation to consummation

8. Join the company of the heroes of faith (11:1-40)
Definition: “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
Great heroes of faith
1. Primeval history
2. Abraham and the Patriarchs
3. Moses to the Conquest
Great deeds of faith
From David, through the prophets, to the Maccabees
Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith
The final destination of faith, the coming kingdom

9. The patriarchal heroes of faith
1. Abel
2. Enoch
3. Noah
4. Abraham
5. Isaac
6. Jacob
7. Joseph

10. The Mosaic/Joshua events of faith
1. Moses was hidden by his parents
2. Moses refused to be called the child of Pharaoh’s daughter
3. Moses left Egypt
4. Moses kept the Passover
5. The people crossed the Red Sea
6. The walls of Jericho fell down
7. Rahab welcomed the Israelite visitors

11. The Judges era of faith
1. Gideon
2. Barak
3. Samson
4. Jephthah
5. David
6. Samuel
7. The prophets

12. The main point: in two sections of commentary
All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not
receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a
distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.
People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their
own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have
had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country, a
heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he
has prepared a city for them (11:13-16).

13. The main point: in two sections of commentary
These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what
had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only
together with us would they be made perfect (11:39-40).
The coming kingdomFaith

14. This age The End
Age to Come
R PM&M
Christian
Faith

15. The coming kingdom
1. A future inheritance (11:8),
2. The city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God (11:10),
3. A country of their own (11:14),
4. A better country, a heavenly one (11:16),
5. Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem (12:22),
6. A kingdom that cannot be shaken (12:28).

16. Kingdom faith
“Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
1. The future vision: what we hope for … what we do not see - the city, the
kingdom.
2. The kingdom breaks in from the future to the present, in Jesus and by
the Spirit.
3. Faith makes that future real, gives it substance, or certainty, in down-
payment, or deposit.
4. Once you have this faith, you can persevere through adversary, suffering,
persecution, and even death!