Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Followers--Not Fans Hebrews 6:9-20

Last weekend I had the distinct pleasure of attending the last A&M home football game in College Station, Texas with my brother and his girlfriend Randi. Because I knew this would be a rare treat, I wanted to experience as much as I could throughout the day leading up to the game itself. We got up early, drove the two-and–a-half hours to College station, stopping at a popular Aggie hub along with way were I saw a sea of maroon and white shirts buying food and retrieving supplies for tailgating. Smiles and friendly “howdys” were exchanged by those who were on their way to the game. Once in College Station my family and I went to a popular taco place where Aggies congregate for lunch and enjoyed some authentic cuisine, everyone was hospitable, friendly, and welcoming. Thereafter we perused the tailgating scene, walking among the decked-out trailers and barbeque pits that peppered the entire campus. Thousands of people, all in maroon and white, were out in force, ready to cheer their team to victory. As game time approached we lined up along the street near the enormous stadium where the band would parade before the game—that is the band and the entire core made up of thousands of students in full military attire. As we waited, a canon went off in the distance that took my breath away, and immediately everyone sent out an aggie “whoop” simultaneously as if on cue. Following the parade we entered the huge stadium (seating over 102,000) and made our way to our seats, via the escalators provided. Once we found our resting place, things really began to pick up the pace. Students filed in and took their seats—only, the 40-45,000 students in the student section did not sit. A newbie to this spectacle, I stood by my brother in amazement as I watched the entire student section respond to cues from the announcer, band, and yell leaders (their version of cheerleaders) with carefully articulate chants and cheers throughout the game. No one needed to be reminded what to say. Everything seemed to be second nature to them—all of them. It was a sight I had never before beheld. These were more than just fans of the Aggies, these were Aggies through and through. Everything from the Aggie greeting I heard numerous times throughout the day (“howdy”), the hospitality that is enforced around the entire city, to the “whoops” offered upon cannon fire, a first down, or at the end of a cheer, confirmed that being an Aggie for these students went way beyond casual association. It was who they were.  



In the midst of this synchronized display of total allegiance and camaraderie, I couldn’t help but wonder, what if the church bought into Jesus the way these Aggies bought into their team? What if people in the church were more than just fans of Christianity and lived it, spoke it, breathed it, etc. What if following Christ was as second nature as it is for Aggies to respond to the hand signals the yell leaders offer for the field below? I cannot help but think that this world, this state, this city, would look very different. I believe that the preacher in Hebrews wanted the church to be full of followers—not fans. In Hebrews 6:9-20, he offers two encouragements to this end that might compel us out of superficial association and into the way of life God provided for us through Jesus.

The Charge-”BE DILIGENT IMITATORS OF CHRIST”-6:9-12

In verse nine of chapter 6, the author changes tones very abruptly. The harsh warning and deeply compelling thoughts of 6:4-8 (in the hypothetical scenario painted earlier), are eclipsed here by a word of confidence in the listening audience when the preacher says, “But beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way,…”(6:9). This is the only place in the entire sermon of Hebrews in which the preacher calls the audience his “friends.” Perhaps he is doing his best to reassure the audience of their place in the fellowship of believers. For the preacher, he is convinced that those to whom he is writing enjoy a better state of affairs than do those who are described earlier (see 6:4-8) because they are truly saved. Their existence is “better” because of the salvation that accompanies their lives. Here, as is the case elsewhere in Hebrews, “salvation” calls to mind not just one’s present state of right relationship with, but also one’s future hope of glory in heaven. Rather than a cursed outcome (as can be expected by unbelievers and apostates) those the preacher is writing to are enjoying and will one day enjoy in full the salvation that was provided in Jesus Christ.

However, what convinces the preacher of his congregation’s salvation? The answer is articulated in verse 10, “For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints…”Good works and genuine love are the hallmarks of true faith.

James 2:15-17-“If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace,  be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?  Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.

1 John 13:35-"By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
Because this congregation has ministered in the past and is ministering in the present through love and good works, the preacher is confident of their salvation.

Given their present condition of work and love, the preacher encourages them to press on—to keep on keeping on—and continue this faithful living—“and we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end” (6:11). In a subtle way, the author affirms here that while work and love demonstrate saving faith, so too does diligent perseverance until the end. While works and love should give any believer confidence in their salvation, if these become absent, this confidence goes away. Works and love must be of a lasting quality if they are going to inspire confidence in a believer.

This first-century preacher encourages his congregation to continue to exhibit the “same diligence” shown in work and love. This word “diligence” means “eagerness,” or “haste” and suggests the state of being meaningfully engaged in something. Those who are diligent in their faith, as witnessed in the work that they do and the love that they show, are those whose lives are characterized by hope in the future, no matter what goes on in the present. This hope would be key if the young church to which this preacher is writing, was going to remain effective in the midst of persecution.
While hope was the desired result of true salvation manifested in good works and fervent love, the preacher also wants to be sure to demonstrate that one purpose of this kind of life was to prevent laziness, “so that you will not be sluggish.” The world cannot afford a sluggish church! The world cannot afford lazy believers! Too many people in the first century and in the 21st century are dying without Jesus for Christians to lay down on the job. Instead, in good works and in love, believers ought to be “imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (6:12). The greatest of these is Jesus Christ, who, upon His work of redemption and love witnessed in HIs passion, inherited the world. In the disciples’ work and love, they imitate Christ’s example and are assured of their inheritance of the Kingdom of heaven.

Again, the first statement given in this passage is a positive charge—“Be diligent imitators of Christ!” This was accomplished by good works and genuine love which reveal true faith in Jesus Christ. Such a life would prevent a sluggish church in a world that desperately needs the Lord.

The Promise-AS I WAS FAITHFUL TO ABRAHAM, SO I AM WITH YOU”-6:13-20

There is no greater example of faithful perseverance for those oriented to the Jewish Scriptures than Abraham. This is especially true of the story involving the sacrifice of his son Isaac. This familiar account provides the backdrop for the discussion taking place here in Hebrews 6:13-15. As it revealed in Genesis, Abraham is caught in a crisis situation in which the promise God had made with him, that is to make of him a great nation, seemed to be in jeopardy. However, Abraham’s faith in the promise of God allowed him to be faithful, even under the greatest of all tests, sacrificing his own son.

What made Abraham so sure of God’s promise to him? The answer is given in verse 14, “For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, ‘I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you.’…” (6:14). Abraham knew God and knew that if He had promised a great nation from him, from him a great nation would arise, even if Isaac was sacrificed. God’s promise to Abraham was assured for, God swore on Himself—the greatest ever being.

Convinced of God’s blessing in spite of His unusual request to offer Isaac as a sacrifice, Abraham was faithful to the last second until an angel interrupted the sacrifice ritual and spared Isaac’s life. In response to Abraham’s faithfulness under fire God said in Gen. 22:15-18, “‘By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.’” God blessed Abraham’s faithfulness with His presence. When all seemed lost, God intervened and blessed Him with an incalculable victory and sure promise.

The author emphasizes that when God repeated his promise to Abraham, he confirmed it with an oath in order to underline the certainty and solemnity of His words. God’s word is as good as He is, as true as He is, and as binding as He is. There is none greater than He. What a sweet assurance it must have been for Abraham to know that the promise he received was as good as done—God swore this would be the case.

Drawing from this example, and arguing from lesser to the greater, the preacher continues by making a connection between God’s promise to Abraham because of his faithfulness, to the promise made every faithful believer, “in the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath” (6:17). The same God who promised blessing for Abraham promises all His children the blessing of heaven and makes it certain, “interposes” this the only way He can, by swearing on himself, “with an oath.”

The hope and blessing promised to believers by God is confirmed by the greatest oath ever made. In fact, you have hear it said by people when they are making a promise that they are “giving their word.” However, when God “gives His word” to His followers, He literally gives His Word—Jesus Christ! He came, died, and rose again and His resurrection confirms the hope of all believers—signaling that death and defeat is not the end for those who faithfully follow Him. This is the preacher’s point to those listening. The promise God has made to those listening to this sermon is even more compelling than the one given to Abraham in light of what Jesus Christ has done.
This hope should provide the believers with the added encouragement needed to live rightly in a world gone terribly wrong—to persevere in the midst of perversion—to snatch victory from the clutches of defeat.

The tradition of the Twelfth Man was born on the second of January 1922, when an underdog Aggie team was playing Centre College, then the nation's top ranked team. As the hard fought game wore on, and the Aggies dug deeply into their limited reserves, Coach Dana X. Bible remembered a squad man who was not in uniform. He had been up in the press box helping reporters identify players. His name was E. King Gill, and was a former football player who was only playing basketball at the time. Gill was called from the stands, suited up, and stood ready throughout the rest of the game, which A&M finally won 22-14. When the game ended, E. King Gill was the only man left standing on the sidelines for the Aggies. Gill later said, "I wish I could say that I went in and ran for the winning touchdown, but I did not. I simply stood by in case my team needed me."

This gesture was more than enough for the Aggie Team. Although Gill did not play in the game, he had accepted the call to help his team and provided much needed encouragement He came to be thought of as the Twelfth Man because he stood ready for duty in the event that the eleven men on the gridiron needed assistance. That spirit of readiness for service, desire to support, and enthusiasm helped kindle a flame of devotion among the entire student body; a spirit that has grown vigorously throughout the years. The entire student body at A&M is the Twelfth Man, and they stand during the entire game to show their support. The 12th Man is always in the stands waiting to be called upon if they are needed.

What a great encouragement it was to the players to have E King Gill standing on the sidelines ready to come in and save the team at any moment. However, what a greater encouragement it is now for the team to see 40,000 students standing tall, offering the same promise to their beloved Aggies. What God promises His disciples in light of what Jesus has accomplished on their behalf is much the same way. Though it was a great encouragement for Abraham to hear the promise he was given from God, it is a far greater encouragement for today’s believers to know the promises of God as realized in Jesus Christ and confirmed by the presence of the Holy Spirit. The difference between Abraham’s world and the disciples’ world is Jesus—and in Him is the greatest encouragement of all.

This is confirmed by verses 19-20, “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” Jesus is the anchor of the soul which provides safety and a reliable basis for living in the very presence of God. He is uniquely qualified to anchor the believer’s vessel in God’s presence because He Himself is in God’s presence, standing even now before the Lord as the believer’s Highest High Priest—advocating winsomely on his or her behalf. That this is the preacher’s point is confirmed with the image used of “within the veil.” Under the old covenant only the high priest could go behind the curtain separating the outer part of the Holy Place from the inner, and then only once a year on the Day of Atonement. This barrier keeping the broader people of God from entering into the presence of God, however, has been torn away because of Jesus’ death on the cross. Now, all believers, including those to whom this was originally written, may enter the presence of God. These know that the security of their souls rests firmly in the work of Christ who stands forever in God’s presence, making their case and defending their legitimacy for being there in the first place.

So What?


The first encouragement of this passage—the be a diligent imitator of Christ—is supported by the assurance that God will make Good on His promises of hope to those who are faithful. These two statements—the challenge and the promise—were given by the preacher to motivate a church to not just be a casual fan of the Christian life, wearing its colors and adopting it cheers on game day only (which, for the believer is Sunday morning and Wednesday night). These encouragements were given so that believers in both the first century and in the 21st century would be more than just fans of Jesus—they were to be followers. Although I would call myself a fan of the Aggies, I in no way claim to be one. I stood out like a sore thumb, not knowing what to do with my hands or what to say when given cues I didn’t understand to begin with. Similarly, we cannot just be fans of Jesus who, in reality, do not really know what they are doing. We must be followers. This means imitating Christ (adopting a certain and distinct way of living, speaking, loving, working, etc.) and holding fast to the promises that have been sworn to us by God Himself and confirmed in the resurrection of Jesus. This world will not be in any way affected by Christians who are just fans of Jesus. But this world will be changed by those who truly follow Him. Churches in the face of persecution will not make it if those who attend on Sunday mornings are just fans of what goes on there. Churches that will flourish in the face of persecution are those made up of followers who are contributing in multiple ways to the mission of God in their good works, love, and remembrance of the hope they have in Jesus. 

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