Worship of the Saints

The theme of Hebrews 10:19-25 is the worship of the saints. This does not mean that we worship saints; rather, it is speaking about the saints’ worship of God.

Those who have trusted in Jesus Christ are called saints. In the previous section, we learned that God made us perfect and holy in Jesus Christ. Our sin problem, which kept us from God, has been solved forever. In Hebrews 9:22 we read that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. Yet we also read that “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Heb. 10:4). Therefore, the Mosaic sacrific ial system failed to deal with our sins. It pointed to the new covenant, which Christ established by the shedding of his own blood for our sins on the cross. As he said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (cf. Matt. 26:28; Luke 22:20).

The wages of sin is death. We were supposed to die, but Christ died instead. By dying our death, he took away our sins. Now those who trust in him are called saints. They alone are invited to worship and serve God.

This section begins with “therefore.” The author is giving his logic, that since Christ has perfected, cleansed, and sanctified us, we can now draw near to God.

In the wilderness the Israelites had to worship God from a distance because God is holy and they were sinners. Even after they came to the Promised Land, they were still kept outside the temple. Only for a very brief time on the Day of Atonement could the high priest, with the blood of animals, enter through the curtain to the Holy of Holies. But since Jesus Christ, our great high priest, made his perfect sacrifice, all believers can go directly into God’s presence. Once we were far off, driven away from the presence of God. Now we are brought near to God in Jesus Christ.

From this text we want to examine two reasons for us to draw near, and three things we are exhorted to do on the basis of these reasons: to draw near, to hold fast, and to consider.

First Reason to Draw Near: We Have Boldness

What has God done for us so that we can now draw near and worship him? First, we read, “Since we have confidence” (Heb. 10:19, italics added). The word is parrêsia, boldness. If we have trusted in Jesus Christ, then we are holy brothers, beloved of God. Our sins have been blotted out, we have been set free, and we are blessed forever. As children of God, we have confidence.

Beyond that, we have a God-given objective right to draw near to God. Just as the children of the president of the United States always have confidence to enter the Oval Office, so we have the right as God’s children to come to the throne room of God. “Through Jesus Christ both Jews and Gentiles have access to the Father by one Holy Spirit” (Eph. 2:18).

What is the ground of this confidence? The blood of Jesus. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. Christ’s blood, however, was shed to open the way to the Father. The Father’s will was accomplished in Christ’s death on the cross, and we have been saved from our sins. Paul says, “Now in him and through faith in him we may approach God the Father with freedom and confidence” (Eph. 3:12). Jesus Christ inaugurated for our benefit the way into God’s presence. It is called “the way of his flesh” (Westcott, 322). This way of Christ’s incarnation is a new way that did not exist before. It was inaugurated when Christ died on the cross. At that point, the veil that separated God from his people was torn apart forever and this new way was opened. No longer are there any restrictions or barriers between us and God. Now all believers are welcome to come into the Father’s presence in the Holy of Holies of the heavenly sanctuary.

This way is a living way; the way of the cross leads to eternal life. Jesus Christ who died now lives an indestructible life (Heb. 7:16). “Jesus lives forever . . . Therefore, he is able to save completely those who come to God through him” (Heb. 7:24-25). This same Jesus is coming again to glorify us and utterly defeat every enemy that will not bow his knee to Christ and confess him as Lord.

Jesus tells us, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). He also says, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish” (John 10:28). In the Mosaic system, this way into the Holy of Holies was not open to us (Heb. 9:8). But it has been opened up since the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord. Christ is the new way, the living way, and the only way to come to the Father.

Second Reason to Draw Near: Christ Is the Head of the Church

The second reason to draw near is “since we have a high priest over the house of God” (v. 21). Our great high priest is the sinless Son of God who offered himself to God in our behalf. He is the priest after the order of Melchizedek. He is greater than Moses, Aaron, the temple, and Solomon. He is over the house of God, meaning he is the head of the church: “But Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house, and we are his house” (Heb. 3:6).

Peter writes, “As you come to him, the living Stone-rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him-you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 2:4-5). We are God’s temple and his priests. Over this spiritual house is our head, our great high priest, Jesus Christ. Paul speaks of the same idea: “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit” (Eph. 2:19-22).

We are the house, the church of God, and Jesus Christ is the head over the house. We are the body, he is the head. Jesus Christ is Lord and we are his obedient subjects. He is the high priest; we are priests. He is the King of kings; we are kings. He is the Son of God; we are adopted sons of God. As the head of the church, he is with us when we gather together in his name (Matt. 18:20). He is with us always, even unto the end of the ages.

As our head, Christ directs, protects, provides, and intercedes for us. He arrived in heaven in our behalf to help us and bless us: “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek” (Heb. 6:19-20).

Christ our forerunner made the way so that we can follow him. He is in God’s presence for our benefit, and he escorts us there so that we can boldly approach the throne of grace.

Draw Near to God

In view of these reasons, the author now exhorts us to do three things. First, he says, “Let us draw near to God” (v. 22). We must draw near to God, not to dying men who cannot help us. They will promise to help, but, in time, they cannot. We must draw near to the head of the church who has indestructible life. We must draw near to God, not once a year as the Aaronic high priest did, but continuously, as indicated by use of the present tense. We must come to God daily in worship, prayer, reading the word, singing, faith, repentance, confession, and thanksgiving. Come to God in private and public worship. Come to God when we drive, when we cook, when we fellowship with others. The door is always open; come to God and rejoice. Come to God and worship him in Spirit and in truth.

You may ask, “But who can ascend to the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place?” Psalm 24 answers the question: “He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. He will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God his Savior” (vv. 3-5). Only those who are pure in heart, may enter God’s presence. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matt. 5:8). In our holy Jesus draw near, and you shall see God. There is no more veil or smoke. God invites us to come now and see him by faith. And when he comes again, we shall see him face to face.

Our problem is that we are full of sin and an evil conscience. But thank God, Christ ascended as the Holy One for us. After his life, death, and resurrection, all those who trusted in him ascend with him into the very presence of the Lord.

John 3:13 tells us, “No one has ever gone into heaven, except the one who came down from heaven-the Son of Man.” Jesus came down and did the will of God by shedding his blood for the forgiveness of our sins. We are united with Christ by faith; this is the mother of all doctrines He went into the presence of God, having ascended the holy hill of the Lord. He is seated there, and in him we ascended and are seated with him in heavenly places. We are not stranded somewhere, left to fend for ourselves. Nothing in all creation is able to separate us from the love of God. We died with him, we were buried with him, we were raised with him, we ascended with him, and we were seated with him. He is holy; in him we have been made holy.

Hebrews 4 tells us, “Therefore since we have such a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess . . . Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence that we may receive mercy and find grace in time of need” (vv. 14, 16). In time of our temptation, in time of our persecution, in time of our martyrdom, in time of our work, in time of our warfare, we need mercy and grace.

Do not be afraid to draw near. You shall not die. The wrath against us has been absorbed fully by our glorious substitute. Draw near with confidence. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1). Come to Jesus, and through Jesus, come to the Father.

The same word is used in Hebrews 12: “You have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel” (vv. 22-24, italics added). Even now, both Jews and Gentiles are drawing near to God through Jesus by faith: “Whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

We are to draw near with a true heart (v. 22). Do not draw near as Nadab and Abihu did. They were consumed by a holy God. Come with an undivided heart, for a double-minded person is unstable in all his ways. We cannot serve both God and money. Do not be a hypocrite. Come with a sincere, honest heart, without any doubt. Do not be like Achan, Demas, Simon Magus, or Ananias and Sapphira. David prays, “Surely you desire truth in the inner parts” (Ps. 51:6). Elijah asked, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him” (1Kings 18:21). Double-minded people cannot come into God’s presence. We must approach him with a true heart.

Then we are told to come to him in fullness of faith (v. 22). “Anyone who comes to [God] must believe he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Heb. 11:6). God cannot lie, nor can he die. God always fulfills what he promises. All his promises were fulfilled when God the Father sent his Son to die on the cross. His promises are to be trusted because they are the promises of God. (PGM) In addition to his promises, God has also given an oath: “God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged” (Heb. 6:18).

We must come to God with fullness of faith. Faith comes by hearing the word of God. This means we must read the word daily, hear God’s word preached, listen to the testimonies of God’s faithfulness to his people, and be encouraged by God’s answers to our prayers.

James the brother of Jesus says, “Come near to God, and he will come near to you” (James 4:8). But we must draw near with a true heart and in full faith. Hebrews 11:11 tells us, “By faith Abraham, even though he was past age-and Sarah herself was barren-was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise” (cf. Romans 4:17-21).

Then we are told to draw near “having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience” (v. 22). The Mosaic system could not cleanse the consciences of the worshipers, but the new covenant inaugurated by Jesus can. In Hebrews 9 we read, “This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper . . . The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from the acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!” (vv. 9, 13-14). Christ’s blood gives a clean conscience to those who trust in his person and his work. No more do we experience the torment of sin and its guilt! Our fear is blotted out, and we are set free to serve God and draw near to him in prayer and praise.

In 1 Peter 1:2 we read that we “have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and the sprinkling by his blood.” It is not by the blood of bulls and goats sprinkled on us, but by the blood of Jesus Christ sprinkled upon our conscience that we are cleansed. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). The blood of Jesus justifies and sanctifies us so that we can draw near to God.

Finally it says, “having our bodies washed with pure water” (v. 22). This may be speaking about water baptism. Ezekiel 36:25 speaks about clean water: “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.” In Acts 22:16 we read, “And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name.” Those who are drawing near have been cleansed inside and baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, indicating that the work has been done within.

We can now draw near with a clean conscience. Come to God confessing Christ and confessing sins, with a true heart, in fullness of faith. Come to God that you may receive help to resist the devil and live a victorious Christian life. The Father is waiting for us, as is Jesus, our great high priest. Clean people draw near to God to worship.

Hold Fast to Your Confession

The second exhortation is: “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess” (v. 23). Calvin said that hope is a child of faith and nourished by faith. The objective content of hope is our eternal salvation. In view of the two reasons we spoke about, we must persevere in faith and hope. Do not throw away the gospel for the sake of a cup of soup. Do not forsake Jesus to go after Baal. Hold on to Christ, especially in the midst of temptations, troubles, persecutions, and difficulties. Be a martyr for faith, if needs be. Deny yourselves, take up the cross, and follow Jesus. Hold on to your faith.

In Hebrews 11 we read about some people who held on: “Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted, and mistreated” (v. 35-37). In 2 Corinthians Paul speaks about the severe trials and persecutions he experienced. Yet he fought the fight, kept the faith, ran the race, and died in faith.

Hold on in your sickness, in persecution, in poverty, and in the face of torture and death. What can death do? Christ has conquered death by his death. In Christ, death has become our servant. To live is Christ and to die is gain (Phil. 1:21). Jesus has given us eternal life, and we shall never perish (John 10:28). Can death or anything else in all creation snatch us out of the hands of God? (Rom. 8:35-39).

We must hold on. Notice the conditions in these verses: “But Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house, and we are his house if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast . . . We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly to the end the confidence we had at first” (Heb. 3:6, 14). False professors start out testifying about their faith in Christ and are active in the church, but in due time, they fall away.

In Hebrews 6:11 the writer exhorts, “We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure.” Be faithful and hopeful till death. Our hope is a living hope that never fails nor makes us ashamed. We hope in Jesus, who ever lives and raises the dead.

We must to hold on to the hope we profess (v. 23). We must confess our hope so that all God’s elect will hear and be saved. Jesus said, “I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will acknowledge him before the angels of God. But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God” (Luke 12:8-9). Confess your faith in the world. Do not turn to the right or to the left of this gospel. As pilgrims, let us move steadily on to the heavenly city, resisting all temptations and distractions from a hopeless, miserable world.

We should hold fast to our confession of hope because the One who promised us eternal salvation is trustworthy. Satan is a liar, but our Savior is truth and so keeps his promises. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Others may forsake us readily, but God tells us, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Heb. 13:5). Jesus never changes his mind. God never divorces his people.

We are not alone. The triune God is in us, with us, and upon us. We are in God and God is in us. May we hold fast to our confession of hope unswervingly, for he is coming soon.

Spur One Another On

The third exhortation is found in verse 24: “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (italics added). A rider spurs his horse so that the horse will do what he wants it to do. The writer is exhorting, “Let us continuously consider, think, count ways, study, and use our minds to inspire and incite one another to love and good deeds.” Christianity primarily demands thinking, not feeling.

We find the same idea of considering in Hebrews 3:1: “Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus” (italics added). We are to focus our minds on Jesus. We are to study God’s word that we may love and trust Christ and know his work in our behalf. We must know that he alone is the sinless Son of God who became incarnate and died for our sins, and that he rose again and entered the heavenly sanctuary. He is seated on the right hand of God’s majesty, and every enemy of his is being made subject to him. He is coming again as our Savior and the Judge of all his enemies. The first thing our mental effort should be used for is to know Jesus.

He who thinks of Jesus cannot neglect God’s people. As we read, “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (v. 24). There is no solo Christianity. The church is a family; therefore, we look after one another. As brothers and sisters, we live and die for one another. “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” (1 John 3:16-17). The early church came together and loved one another, even selling their real estate and placing the money at the apostles’ feet to provide for the people of God (Acts 2, 4).

As the family of God, we love our Father and, necessarily, we love one another. When we love someone, we want to be with that person. Nothing can keep lovers apart. They think up ways to be together. Love knows no obstacles. It is the same in the family of God. People will come from far and wide to worship and fellowship with the people of God. They will know each other’s needs and take care of them. When one member suffers, they will all suffer; when one rejoices, all will rejoice. They will think up ways to spur one another to love. Love will be evident everywhere-a love that translates into deeds to help God’s people. They will spend their time, talents, and money to help others, especially the household of God.

At various times Jesus urged his disciples to learn from creation, whether it was the ravens, or the lilies of the field, or the ants. So also we are to study the people of God. We must get together so that we can know our brothers and sisters and help meet their needs-spiritual, economic, physical, marital, and familial. We are to rebuke, correct, teach, and instruct on another. We spur each other on to provoke and stimulate us to love God, that we together can enter into his presence for eternity.

In verse 25 the author exhorts, “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.” Yet some forsake the assembling together of the saints because of trials, persecution, or arrogance. Matthew 24:12 says that in the last days the love of many shall grow cold. First John 2:19 speaks of those who went out from the church, but they did not really belong to it. Such are false brothers. True people of God shall not forsake or abandon the assembly of the saints. He who loves God will love God’s people necessarily. The people of God are not like the Dead Sea; rather, they are channels of blessings. Out of their innermost beings flow rivers of living water to help others.

The Hebrews author previously wrote, “See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness” (Heb. 3:12-13). In Ephesians Paul prays that we “may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ” (Eph. 3:18, italics added).

God’s love book consists of his people. Each one is a page. We cannot understand the love of God without belonging to his church. We cannot know the love of God apart from his saints. We are responsible and accountable to one another. “Submit yourselves to one another” (Eph. 5:21). We must get together to encourage one another and build one another up through our ministry. We know who lost jobs, who is sick, who is wandering from God’s way, and we help them. We get together to correct and refresh each other. Paul writes, “May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day. You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus” (2 Tim. 1:16).

Therefore, we must get together in large groups, in small groups, and on a one-to-one basis to help one another, that we may together draw near to God and hold on to the confession of hope without swerving. We get together to encourage one another to love and good deeds. We follow Jesus Christ who came, not to be ministered unto, but to minister and give his life as a ransom for many. We live to serve Christ by serving Christ’s holy people. We should get together more frequently, not less, because “the Day is fast approaching”-the day when we shall see God face to face, either at our death or at his second coming.

I pray that we will all draw near with confidence to worship God, to hold on to our faith, and to encourage one another to love and good deeds, that all of God’s people may persevere in faith, hope, and love.