Exhortations From the Sanctuary

Copr. 2013, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. All scripture references are to the New International Version (NIV), copr. 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society, unless otherwise noted. Quotations from the NIV are used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers. Suggested answers are found within parentheses. If you normally receive this lesson by e-mail, but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this link: . Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as you study.

Introduction: Have you enjoyed studying this series of lessons on the sanctuary? The great news in this series is righteousness by faith! A judgment is going on in heaven in which Jesus, our High Priest, is presenting Himself as the sacrifice for those who accept Him by faith. What does this mean for daily living? Our last lesson in this series closes with a look at the relationship between grace, works and confidence in our salvation. Let’s plunge into our study of the Bible and learn more!

1. Made Perfect
   1. Read Hebrews 10:1. What does it mean that the law is a shadow and not the reality? (It means that it gives us an idea of what God has in mind, but it is not actually what God has in mind.)
   2. Read Hebrews 10:2-4. What law do you think is being discussed? Is it referring to the Ten Commandments? (I think the Ten Commandments are a shadow of what God has in mind for us, but here I believe the reference is specifically to the sacrificial system.)
   3. Read Hebrews 10:5-7. If God established the sacrificial system, how could He not be pleased with it? (I think the sacrificial system had two roles: to point to what Jesus would do for us and to (Hebrews 10:3) remind us of the terrible nature of sin. I don’t think God was pleased with the death of so many animals or the fact that it was not the true cure for sin.)
   4. Read Hebrews 10:8-10. Is the sacrificial system still in place? (No. When Jesus died on our behalf, He set aside the old system.)
      1. Why is that good news? (Because Jesus died for us, if we accept it, “we have been made holy ... once for all.”)
         1. What does that mean - for you to be made holy once for all?
   5. Read Hebrews 10:11-14. Notice how this states things a little differently. It tells us that Jesus has “made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” How does that clarify the question about us being holy? (When we rely on Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, we are perfect. We are perfect because Jesus is perfect, not because we are perfect people. But, this places us on the road leading towards holiness - a decision to live a life in accord with what Jesus has made us - perfect.)
   6. Read Hebrews 10:15-16. “After that time.” After what time? (After Jesus made us perfect.)
      1. What happens after Jesus has made us perfect? (He puts His laws in our heart and writes them in our mind through the Holy Spirit .)
         1. What does that mean - to have laws in our heart and mind? (First, that we have a heart for God. We desire to do His will. Second, it means that we have made a mental decision to do His will.)
         2. How does that accord with your life? I find myself being attracted to sin. How about you? (I don’t think the pull of sin ever goes away this side of heaven. Romans 7:21-25 explains the pull of sin, but also notes that we want to do good. A heart for God means that we want to do good even when our sinful nature pulls us into sin. We need to make the mental decision every day to live a life led by the Holy Spirit.)
2. Confidence in Our Salvation
   1. Read Hebrews 10:19-21. What does it mean to “enter the Most Holy Place?” (Read Leviticus 16:1-2. God appeared in the Most Holy place - and sinful humans would die in God’s presence. But now, we can enter into the presence of God with confidence that we will not die because Jesus has made us perfect.)
   2. Read Hebrews 10:22. What does “our bodies washed with pure water” bring to mind? (Baptism!)
      1. Read Romans 6:3-7. What does baptism mean for us? (“We are therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead ... we too many live a new life.” When we are baptized, we participate in Jesus’ death for our sins!)
      2. Look again at Hebrews 10:22. What is a sincere heart in full assurance of faith? (While we cannot earn our salvation through our works, Jesus is looking for those who really mean it when they say that they are relying in faith on what He has done for them.)
      3. When Hebrews 10:22 tells us that our guilty conscience is something that is also cleaned, what does that mean? (It means that you no longer need to feel guilt for your sins. Satan is the accuser, not God. God cleansed us and therefore you should accept your forgiveness and leave guilt behind!)
   3. Read Hebrews 10:25. What is the potential problem mentioned here? (We all need to be encouraged in our faith. We all need to be reminded of what Jesus has done for us. We need to meet together with other believers to be encouraged.)
      1. What does that suggest about reading this Bible study? (It means that just reading a lesson on the Internet is not good enough! We all need to be studying the Bible with other believers. We need to be meeting to praise and worship God with others.)
3. Warning
   1. Read Hebrews 10:26-27. That got ugly fast! I know that you probably sinned today. I’m certain your sin was not an accident - it is not like you tripped and fell into sin. You sinned knowingly and deliberately. Perhaps you did not say, “I think I’ll sin today,” but your sin was most likely not an accident. Should we all now be expecting “fire that will consume the enemies of God?”
      1. How could we snap so fast from confidence in entering the presence of God to fear that we have become God’s enemy?
      2. How do we explain Romans 7:21-25? Was Paul God’s enemy?
   2. Read Hebrews 10:28-29. What kind of actions are described here? Notice the “action words” - “rejected,” “trampled,” “treated as an unholy thing the blood [of Jesus],” and “insulted the Spirit of grace.” What do these action words suggest? (This in not “deliberate” sin in the sense that most everything you do is deliberate. Rather, this means that you have rejected God. You have rejected grace. You have rejected what Jesus did on your behalf. Your mind-set is hostile to all that God has done.)
      1. Is God being fair here? Is this really a quick and nasty snap into ugliness? (No! Since God did it all for us by dying a terrible, painful death in our place, isn’t God entitled to be upset if we reject His love and sacrifice? If we “trample” on His love and grace? I say,“Yes.”)
      2. Is there anything positive in these verses? (Yes. We do not accidentally become lost. We make a decision to reject all that Jesus has done for us. All saints find that they are deliberately sinning. But, that is not what I believe is being described here. This is deliberately rejecting Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf and choosing a life of sin.)
      3. What if you have a son, daughter, parent or spouse who you fear has rejected Jesus; is there any hope? (Yes. Notice that Hebrews 10:26 says, “after we have received the knowledge of truth.” Most of those who are rejecting Jesus now never fully understood the truth. I recall at one point when I was a young man, because I had been taught righteousness through works, I concluded that I would never been good enough and I might as well reject God. I had not “received the knowledge of truth.”)
4. Courage
   1. Read Hebrews 10:32-34. How would you compare the bad things in your life to this list?
   2. Read Hebrews 10:35. What kind of confidence are we talking about? (Confidence in God. Confidence that we are doing the right thing even though it might cause us to suffer.)
   3. Read Hebrews 10:36-39. What does it mean to “shrink back?”
   4. Read Revelation 21:8. Cowards are listed before murderers? What message is God giving us in these references to shrinking back and cowards? (God is looking for those who trust Him. He is looking for the faithful who have confidence in what Jesus has done for them. Those who are confident in their salvation.)
   5. Friend, will you determine today to trust God? Will you place your faith in Him and His grace? Will you leave behind trusting in yourself?
5. Next week: We start a new series of lessons dealing with being disciples of Jesus.