Series: Full
Assurance
Title: Full Assurance of Faith
Text: Hebrews 10: 22
Date: December 21,
2014
Place SGBC, New Jersey
Hebrews 10: 22: Let
us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts
sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
A
few weeks ago we saw in Colossians 2 that Christ is the full assurance of
understanding. Then we saw in
Hebrews 6 that Christ is the full assurance of hope. Our subject now is the “Full Assurance of Faith.”
Christ
is the full assurance of faith. Who is the object of our faith? Faith does not
look to our faith, faith looks to Christ; faith does not believe upon self,
faith believes on Christ; faith does not trust in our works, faith rests in
Christ’s works; faith looks to one, believes on one, and rests in one. Christ
is the object of our faith. So then Christ is also the full assurance OF faith.
Our
text says to every believer, “Let us draw near.”, that is, draw near to God. God
is holy. To draw near to God we have to
be perfect: no sin, no curse, perfect. But God says to you who believe, “Let us
draw near.” Christ is our full assurance that we can draw near to God.
Our
text will be verses 19-22. I will point out some key words. These words tell us
he is referencing the tabernacle which God told Moses to make in the
wilderness. That tabernacle was God’s picture to teach his children how Christ
is our full assurance of faith to draw near.
Hebrews 19: 19: Having therefore,
brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest…
When
God cast Adam out of the garden, it signified God casting us all out of God’s
holy presence, out of his holy place. Then when God told Moses to build
the tabernacle, he made a little room called the holiest of holies, picturing
God’s presence. But while that first tabernacle stood, God was
signifying that the way into his presence was not yet manifest.
Hebrews 9: 2: For there was a tabernacle
made; the first, [room] wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread;
which is called the sanctuary. [the holy place] 3: And after the second veil,
the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;…6: Now when these things
were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, [that is
as far as the priests could go] accomplishing the service of God. 7: But
into the second [the holiest of holies] went the high priest alone once
every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the
errors of the people: 8: The Holy Ghost this signifying, that THE WAY into the
holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet
standing: 9: Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were
offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service
perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; 10: Which stood only in meats
and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them
until the time of reformation.
Hebrews 10: 19: Having therefore,
brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest…
But
now, every believer has boldness—full confidence—to enter THE HOLIEST. But, he is not speaking of that little room
in the tabernacle; he is speaking of God’s very presence. What is our
confidence to enter?
Hebrews 10: 19:…by the blood
of Jesus, 20: By a new and living way, which
he hath consecrated [opened] for us, through the veil, that is
to say, his flesh; 21: And having [Christ] an high priest over THE HOUSE
of God.
In that earthly tabernacle, the high priest went alone,
once, every year. He went through the
veil; he went into the
holiest of holiest; he went with the blood
of a lamb. It was to make
atonement for his own sins and for the sins of the children of Israel. The
whole ceremony and all the objects used, typified Christ laying down his life
for God’s spiritual Israel by which he made atonement.
Now, every believer has boldness and assurance to enter
God’s very presence by the blood of Jesus. We have assurance “by a new way” as
opposed to that old covenant way of works, a new way by the new, everlasting
covenant of grace. Our assurance is not a dead sacrifice but by Christ our
living Way who has himself opened the way for us. We have assurance to enter not through the earthly
veil but through Christ’s flesh, which was offered for his people. We have Christ
as our High Priest, not over an earthly tabernacle, but over the very house
of God, in God’s very presence making intercession for us.
Hebrews
9: 11: But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a
greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not
of this building; 12: Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own
blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal
redemption for us…24: For Christ is not entered into the holy places
made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven
itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: 25: Nor yet that he should
offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year
with blood of others; 26 For then must
he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the
end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27:
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 28: So
Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for
him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
Hebrews
10: 11: And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the
same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: 12: But this man, after he had
offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; 13:
From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. 14: For by
one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
Our full assurance of faith is that Christ is our High
Priest and Christ is our Lamb; our full assurance of faith is that Christ bore
the sins of his people and put them away; our full assurance of faith is that Christ
obtained eternal redemption for his people; our full assurance of faith is that
Christ died our death and settled our judgment; our full assurance of faith is
that Christ perfected forever them that are sanctified; our full assurance of
faith is that Christ is entered and now appears in the presence of God for us;
our full assurance of faith is that he shall come again a second time, without
sin, not to judge us but to carry us into glory.
Hebrews 10: 19:
Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of
Jesus, 20: By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through
the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 21: And having an high priest over
the house of God; 22: Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of
faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies
washed with pure water.
What about this true heart? The Holy Spirit sprinkles our
heart from an evil conscience and washes our bodies with pure water—with the
blood of Christ—by bearing witness in our hearts that this gospel is true. God also
drew us a picture of this.
God gave laws which made it so that the children of
Israel were constantly considered defiled and unclean. It pictured how we are
defiled in sin and unclean: by nature, by birth, by practice. The High Priest
took the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a red heifer and sprinkled
them on the people. Ceremonially, that blood sanctified them and purified their
flesh so that they could enter the tabernacle and serve God. It pictured the
blood of Christ, with which the Holy Spirit truly purges our conscience and
washes our body from those dead, old covenant works, so that we enter God’s
house, his church, and serve God.
Hebrews
9: 13: For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling
the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14: How much more shall
the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without
spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?...
There was another picture which showed the work of the
Holy Spirit purifying our conscience and sanctifying us with the blood of
Christ, typifying God writing the new law—the everlasting covenant of grace—on
our hearts.
Hebrews
9: 19: For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to
the law,
The old covenant of works was made through God’s
prophet—speaking the precepts of the law to the people. But the new covenant of
grace is made in our hearts through the preaching of the gospel—speaking the
precepts of grace to the people.
Hebrews
9: 19:…he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool,
and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, 20: Saying, This is
the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.
I will show you the new covenant version of
this in just a moment. When Moses established the law, he sprinkled the blood
of animals; when grace and truth come into our hearts by Jesus Christ he sprinkles
his own blood:
Hebrews
9: 21: Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the
vessels of the ministry. 22: And almost all things are by the law purged with
blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. [putting away of sins] 23:
It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens
should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves [speaking of
Christ’s people] with better sacrifices than these.
He picks back up with the purging of the conscience and
the writing of new covenant of grace on our hearts in
Hebrews
10: 1: For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very
image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by
year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. 2: For then would they not
have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have
had no more conscience of sins.
If they had been purged inwardly, rather than only
ceremonially in the flesh, they would have had no more condemnation, no fear,
no guilt, no worry that God would condemn them. To be made perfect is to know
Christ has put away our sins.
Hebrews
10: 3: But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made
of sins every year. 4: For it is not possible that the blood of bulls
and of goats should take away sins. 5: Wherefore when [Christ] cometh into the
world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou
prepared me: 6: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no
pleasure.
Those sacrifices never brought satisfaction to God’s
divine justice; no propitiation, no atonement.
Hebrews
10: 7: Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,)
to do thy will, O God. 8: Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt
offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure
therein; which are offered by the law; 9: Then said he, Lo, I come to do
thy will, O God. [Christ] taketh away the first,
Christ took away the first covenant of works: by making
himself the sacrifice and offering, fulfilling that old covenant of works in
righteousness for his people; by putting away their sins, perfecting them
forever; by pleasing God by satisfying God’s justice.
Hebrews
10: 9:…that he may establish the second.
The new, everlasting covenant of grace is the law God
writes on our new heart through the declaration of the precepts of grace—the
gospel. When the Spirit purges our conscience with the blood of Christ he
declares God remembers our sins no more. The Spirit turns us from dead works of
the law to serve our living Redeemer by bearing witness in our hearts that there
is no more offering for sin. By this inward work of grace, God makes us know in
our conscience that we have boldness and assurance to draw near to God, forever
received and accepted. And both of these covenants were fulfilled by Christ doing
the will of God the Father on behalf of his people. So he says in the next
verse,
Hebrews
10: 10: By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of
Jesus Christ once for all.”
“For all” is added by the translators, it means “once for
all time, as opposed to once every year.” As we see in verse 14:
Hebrews
10: 14: For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are
sanctified.
Now, remember, the sprinkling of the blood of the red heifer
to purify their flesh ceremonially. That pictured the Holy Spirit sprinkling
the blood of Christ, purging our conscience from dead works, sanctifying us so
we can draw near to God in full assurance of faith. Remember the old covenant
was made by God’s prophet, Moses, declaring the precepts of the law; but grace
and truth, the new covenant of grace, is written on the heart as we hear God’s
preacher declare this gospel. Here is how the Holy Spirit does all that. This
is what is referred to in verse 22 by “having our hearts sprinkled from evil
conscience and our bodies washed with pure water”—
Hebrews
10: 15: Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that
he had said before, 16: This is the covenant that I will make with them after
those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their
minds will I write them; 17: And their sins and iniquities will I remember no
more. 18: Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for
sin.
God does not write the law of Moses on our hearts because
that is in our hearts by nature. But God writes the law of the everlasting
covenan of grace on our hearts: the law of faith, the law of righteousness, the
law of love, the law of Christ. Now, our conscience is purged and our bodies
washed by the blood of Christ. We have
no more conscience of sins because God has written his everlasting covenant of
grace on our hearts, promising never to remember our sin. The blood of Christ
purges our conscience from dead works to serve the living God because God
promises there is no more offerings for sin.
Hebrews 10: 19:
Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of
Jesus, 20: By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through
the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 21: And having an high priest over
the house of God; 22: Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of
faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies
washed with pure water.
In all that I have showed you we see the full assurance
of faith is Christ alone. Christ fulfilled the old covenant of works for us and
established the new; he perfected us forever on the cross; he made us holy by
his blood. By his blood God remembers our sins no more and there is no more
offering for sin; by his blood we have boldness to enter God’s presence. We have a great High Priest
seated in heaven, who lives to make intercession for us.
Full assurance of faith is to
believe this sure promise of God, believing on his Son the Lord Jesus. If we
trust the Lord Jesus Christ alone for the whole of our acceptance with God, we
may come to him, being fully assured of our acceptance by the blood,
righteousness, and mediation of Christ.
We have every reason to
come to God by Christ. Christ has opened the way, Christ is the way, and every
sinner who comes to God by this way is welcome in the holiest! But we cannot
draw near to God in any other way. God is seen by faith, known by faith,
honored by faith, and worshipped by faith in Christ. Let us therefore draw near
to God in the full assurance of faith. And he adds
this, “Let us hold fast the
profession of our faith without wavering; (for HE is faithful
that promised;)” (Heb 10: 23)
Amen!