Read Hebrews 10:19-25

Have you ever wanted to go someplace where you weren’t allowed? The oval office at the White House? A space ship? If you suddenly heard that the place was open, would you be scared? But would you go?

The immediate presence of God was closed to mankind through long centuries. Now abruptly the way is open. The writer portrays the curtain hiding the Most Holy Place as Christ’s body. That literal curtain split when Christ died (Matt. 27:51), a sign that through his broken body everyone has access to God. Christ’s death opened God’s immediate presence to all of us. “Draw near,” the writer urges. “The way is open, don’t miss life’s greatest opportunity.” What qualities do you need to go into a strange, new place? Confidence? Assurance that anyone you meet there is welcoming and trustworthy? The writer reassures us. Don’t be faint hearted. God has promised to receive us and he is faithful. Our part is sincerity of heart, acting in faith, never swerving from our hope.

Having made his point, the author quietly moves from teaching us about Christ’s atoning death to practical Christian living. Care about each other, he says. Be sure to attend church regularly. Encourage each other. These are all cures for depression. He sounds almost like Paul talking about faith, hope, and love. Perhaps someone’s tongue-in-cheek translation of Psalm 37:3 sums it up: “Trust in the Lord, and do something nice for somebody.”

Read Hebrews 10:1-18

When someone keeps repeating himself, what do you conclude? Either he is mentally incompetent or he has something of extreme importance to say.

The second option seems to apply here. This passage is the summary and climax of the writer’s message. Notice how many basic doctrines of Christianity he presents in a short space. He reminds us of the inadequacy of the Law. It can never deliver us from our sins. Enter Jesus, the willing sacrifice, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Christ, as high priest, offers the perfect sacrifice. He emphasizes to us again that Christ’s death and resurrection is a finished work. We need not expect, nor do we need, anything more to rid us of bondage to sin. He mentions the doctrine of Christ’s second coming. He reminds us of the priesthood of all believers.

The passage the writer quotes from Psalm 40 may indicate Jesus’ own attitude toward his divine mission. He says to his Father, “Here I am…I have come to do your will.” He made an offering once for all. Then he sat down. His task was complete. What he did fulfilled Jeremiah’s prophecy, also quoted. This is an internal change for the believer. God’s laws can now be written on our hearts bringing a peace of conscience never possible under the old sacrifices. God, for his part, remembers our sins no more. Praise be to God!

Read Hebrews 9:23-28

Nobody repeats death. We die once. Then we stand before God in judgment to give account. Make no mistake. We won’t be back. Perhaps for those whose religious tradition teaches reincarnation with its endless lives, the Christian teaching of only one life is at once fearsome and a welcome relief.
These verses summarize what the author has said before, emphasizing again Jesus’ dual roles as high priest and sacrifice. He adds two new facts. We have heard before, several times, in fact, that Jesus entered the presence of God the Father taking with him his own blood as a once-for-all sacrifice for our sins. The author adds here that Christ entered God’s presence specifically for us. He stands before the Father to plead our cause.

The other new idea is a startling contrast to our human experience. Unlike us, Christ will return to earth. He will no longer be a sin-bearer. He will come to reign as King over his waiting people, those who have repented and trusted him as savior.

On the Day of Atonement the high priest in ancient Israel laid aside his magnificent robes. Dressed in plain white linen he entered the Most Holy Place. He put on his robes again before reappearing to the people. So Jesus laid aside his splendor and clothed in a man’s body came to earth to make atonement for our sins. He will return some day, resplendent King of Glory.

Read Hebrews 10:26-31

God takes human sin seriously. People make jokes about doing wrong, but God doesn’t.

Why do people do wrong? Original sin, we say. Adam and Eve sinned, and we inherited the tendency. Well, yes, that’s true. What else? What lies behind greed, gossip, murder, stealing, and lying besides the inherent weakness of human nature? Selfishness? I want my way no matter what. I’m self-centered. I am the hub of my universe. Self-satisfaction? Do I consider myself wiser than God? I can run my life quite well, thank you. I don’t need God’s help. Besides, he might ask me to do something I don’t want to do. Or we may believe the devil’s lie that we must run our own lives because God does not really have our best interests at heart. When we believe that, we are forgetting that God died to deliver us from our sins. He loves us and wants the very best for us or he would not have bothered.

God loves us, but sometimes even he is powerless to save us from ourselves. Not wanting robots bobbing up and down before him rather than true, voluntary worship, he made us with something called free will. We can turn away from God if we want to. Only trouble is, if we do that, finally God will have no choice but to say, “Sorry, I cannot admit you to a heavenly home. You turned it down long ago.”