11/30/25 “A New Hope”
“A New Hope”
Hebrews 10:19-25
Our world – it seems - is full of contradictions.
If you were to look up the definition of contradiction, it would be something like this: “A combination of statements, ideas, or features of a situation that are opposed to one another.”
…or “A person, thing, or situation in which inconsistent elements are present”
There are simple 2-word contradictions like:
Jumbo Shrimp….a working vacation…an honest politician…old news…big baby….bittersweet….feels numb…a whole piece…seriously funny…deafening silence…found missing…silent scream…small crowd….or virtual reality.
Some relationally cynical people may claim that ‘happily married’ is a contradiction in terms….but – in light of our recent sermon series on marriage - we all know that is definitely NOT true, right? RIGHT? 😊
Contradictions are all around us as well.
For instance, one could say that the more connected we are through technology, the more isolated we are.
Or…contradictions can exist in nature. For instance, while forest fires are destructive, they are also necessary for the health of many ecosystems.
Many times, human beings can be hypocritical creatures of contradiction.
How many times have you chosen to make a New Year’s resolution, then a week later, chose to break that same resolution.
Or….you preach to your child the need for them to use time wisely….yet you find yourself scrolling through social media for hours on end
Maybe you see yourself as frugal…yet also find that you often make impulse purchases on Amazon - or in that mile-long checkout line at TJ Maxx!
Well, today’s passage of scripture centers around the concept of hope through Jesus Christ….
And how a genuine believer will be a hope-filled person
In other words – a ‘Hopeless Believer’ is a contradiction in terms.
‘Christian’ and ‘Hopeless’ are concepts that are completely in opposition to one another.
…a hopeless believer is even more rare than an honest politician!
…In fact, you’ll never find one.
…To be a Christ-follower…by definition…is to be a person filled with hope.
As many of you know, today officially begins the season of Advent…the first of four Sundays leading up to Christmas…
It’s a time when – as believers – we begin to prepare our hearts and minds for observing and celebrating how the messiah came to earth to provide a path to salvation for humanity…
A path that goes only through the name of Jesus…
AND – not only that - we also celebrate that He will one day come again…
This time as King of kings….and Lord of lords.
He will one day right all wrongs…banish evil…and establish His kingdom of righteousness, peace, and truth.
The theme for the first Sunday of Advent each year – is the theme of hope.
Biblical hope is different than how the world defines hope.
A worldly definition of hope incorporates the idea of wanting something to happen amidst a backdrop of uncertainty.
Biblical hope, on the other hand, involves the idea of expectant assurance that something will indeed manifest itself…or come to pass…because God has promised that it will.
In other words, biblical hope has no element of uncertainty.
Whatever is being hoped for is a sure thing… like it has already taken place
Think of it this way:
As a Green Bay Packer fan, when the team begins to play a game…my hope is that they win that game.
But I am in no way certain that they will win….
This is how the world views hope…with lots of uncertainty.
But if I were able to have a window into the future and see the final score of that Packer game….then I would be absolutely sure of the outcome.
This is biblical hope.
The Hope of salvation that a believer has through Jesus Christ is a sure thing…and the hope of His return is just as secure.
This is because we serve a timeless, omniscient God who knows the final score….and – through His Word - He has told us how the cosmic contest between good and evil ends.
We have expectant hope this Advent season that Jesus is victorious over the power of sin and death.
….That He has defeated the grave - for those who have given their lives to Him.
THAT is why we are celebrating today…
THAT is why we lift up the name of Jesus…and worship Him with reverence and awe!
Today’s passage from the book of Hebrews is a powerful reminder of what Jesus has done for us…and the hope we have in Him.
If you notice…the first few verses (Verses 19-21) are steeped in Jewish symbolism and tradition.
The ‘Most Holy Place’ in verse 19 (Hebrews 10:19) refers to the exclusive room in the temple where the high priest entered once a year to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the entire nation of Israel…
…This was the room where the Holy Spirit was especially present and active…where the sacred Ark of the Covenant was housed for many years…
This was where the alter of sacrifice for sins was housed….
But the sacrifice was always incomplete.
It was a temporary, imperfect system of atoning for sin….
It was a procedural tradition that pointed to a future, perfect, sacrifice.
Hebrews 9:12 paints a beautiful picture of the perfect, Messianic mission of Jesus Christ.
It reads, “He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.”
The salvific hope we have in Christ is based in the truth that He shed His own blood (Not the blood of sheep or goats)
….And that His blood was offered once for all time (Not repeated every year)
…Jesus’ sacrifice also resulted in eternal redemption for people of faith (Not a temporary covering, as we see in the Old Testament)
Verse 20 (Hebrews 10:20) makes reference to a curtain…
Now, this is no run-of-the-mill IKEA shower curtain.
…This verse is describing the 4-inch curtain that once separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple…
It was a reminder that the average Jewish person could not approach God’s presence without going through Israel’s high priest…
But – according to Matthew 27:51 - the moment when Jesus breathed His final breath on the cross, sacrificing Himself for the sins of men…
…the curtain to the Holy of Holies in the temple is torn in two – from top to bottom –
….symbolizing that God has accepted the perfect sacrifice of His Son…
No more would anyone – Jew or Gentile – need to approach God through a human mediator…
Our one and only mediator is Jesus Christ…who – even now – is interceding for each and every one of us before the Father in heaven.
The author of Hebrews explains it so eloquently through these words, “But because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” (Hebrews 7:24-25)
Our sins are able to be forgiven through the work of Jesus on the cross…AND through His current work of mediation on our behalf before the Father in heaven.
As verse 21(Hebrews 10:21) of our passage for today states, Jesus is now our great priest for all time…he is our way of salvation…
He is our eternal - hope.
This hope began in a cave-like stable in the tiny town of Bethlehem nearly 2,000 years ago….and this same hope fills our hearts with joy today as we look back upon what Jesus did for us.
Awhile back in a sermon, we looked at “If-Then” statements…
If the conditions are right for something, then the resulting consequence will occur because of those conditions…
For example….”If the Culver’s flavor of the Day is Caramel Peanut Butter Cup, Then Andy will visiting Culver’s that day.”
Andy’s visiting Culvers is a natural result to the specific flavor of the Day.
In our passage for today, verses 19 –21 are the “if”….
“Since we Have this…Since we have that…”
While verses 22 – 25 constitute the ‘then’….
Then “let us draw near to God” …in verse 22
Then “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess” ….in verse 23
Then “Let us consider how we may spur one another on” …in verse 24
And, finally, “Let us not give up meeting together…” ….in verse 25
In other words, If we have hope in a High Priest who died for us and is interceding for us before the Father in heaven,
Then we will naturally draw near to God, remaining obedient to Him.
Part of that obedience involves using our gifts and talents to serve and motivate one another in the faith….
…As well as to prioritize in our lives the times when the body of Christ regularly comes together to worship Him.
Let’s take a closer look at each of the “Then” passages, beginning with verse 22.
In this verse (Hebrews 10:22) we are told to ‘Let us draw near to God’…with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.
We see that idea of ‘Drawing near to God’ in a few different passages of scripture…
James 4:8 says ‘Come near to God and he will come near to you….’
…And the Psalmist Asaph says, “But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.” (Psalm 73:28)
Looking at these verses, we see that drawing near to God is our responsibility…
…We have free will to choose to do the things that will result in a closer walk with the Lord….resulting in a more mature faith.
Thinks like reading His Word…
Things like Prayer…
Things like being in community with other believers…
All of these disciplines of the faith will draw us closer to God.
And if we intentionally decide to make these things a priority in our lives…God promises us in James 4:8 that He will draw near to us…
It’s a beautiful, cyclical pattern of commitment and promise…
The more we desire to be in His presence, the more we find that we are in His presence.
In some ways, it’s like learning to play a musical instrument.
The more time we put into practicing the instrument, the better we sound.
A daily commitment to learning the instrument results in a more satisfying and pleasing experience…for the player…AND the listener, right? (Like our choir)
So it is with our relationship to God.
The more intentional we are about committing our time and talents to Him…the more satisfying and pleasing our Christian experience will be.
The second ‘Then’ statement is in verse 23 (Hebrews 10:23)
It reads. “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.”
This is our key verse for today because it deals with hope…biblical hope.
It is because of this salvific hope…
The ‘expectant assurance’ in what Jesus has already done for us by coming to earth as a baby….and leaving this earth as our perfect sacrifice for sin.
By this Hopeful assurance we desire to remain in God’s will….to live in obedience to His Word....and to tell others about what Jesus has done for us.
Did you know that your testimony of God’s grace – how He changed you from being a proud sinner into that of a humble saint –
That testimony is the most powerful tool that you will ever possess while living on this earth…?
The assurance of hope that was planted in your soul the moment your eternal trajectory went from that of destruction – to that of salvation….
It is the profession of this amazing grace that grabs the attention of the unsaved…
…it rocks the world of those who are living in hopelessness to experience someone truly living with hope for the future.
Today in our world….Despite having more technology and material ‘things’ than any generation to have ever lived…
We are also the most hope-less people to ever walk the earth.
Hopelessness will ultimately lead to relational apathy, emotional instability, depression, anxiety, stress, and….if taken to its fullest extent…suicide.
Suicide rates in the United States have increased by 32% since the turn of the century….and it is now the 2nd leading cause of death for individuals between 10-34 years of age…
Every person sitting here this morning has either experienced suicide personally, or they know someone who has.
The more our culture pushes Jesus out of the public square.…the more Satan moves in.
…And while Jesus wants the best for you….Satan wants the worst.
…In fact, Satan wants you dead.
It’s as simple as that.
He has absolutely no regard for your life whatsoever….
If you aren’t saved…he wants you to die in that unbelief…
…and if you are saved…he wants you out of his way.
C.S. Lewis once said, “My prayer is that when I die, all of hell rejoices that I am out of the fight.”
That ought to be our prayer as well.
But a heart that has no hope is fertile soil for Satan to plant his deceitful lies of pride, greed, and – rather than Thanksgiving – “Thank-less-taking”
.…and he knows exactly how to cultivate those evil plants in hearts that invite his advances
But we – Jesus followers – We are people of hope…people of expectant assurance in the finished work of Jesus Christ.
The third “Then” is in verse 24 (Hebrews 10:24) where we read “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.”
That word ‘Spur’ – in the original Greek – has a connotation of great intensity or drive.
We ought to genuinely care enough about each other’s spiritual wellbeing that we should be highly motivated to want other believers to draw ever nearer to the Lord.
Not too lone ago, we sang the hymn ‘Draw me Nearer’ in our morning worship service.
And I love the 2nd stanza where the lyrics read, “Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord. By the pow’r of grace divine, let my soul look up with steadfast hope, and my will be lost in thine.
Chorus: Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord, to the cross where Thou hast died. Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord, to Thy precious bleeding side.
We not only are called to remain near to Christ in our own lives, but help other believers remain close to him in their lives as well.
This is why having accountability in our life is so important.
In submission, to be accountable to your spouse…to be accountable to your church family…to be accountable to someone in the faith to which you can be completely transparent….and they with you.
This will bring true spiritual growth and maturity….something that we all should strive for in our lives.
Lastly, the 4th “Then” is in verse 25 (Hebrews 10:25) and flows directly from the 3rd.
It is the well-known verse that reads, “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.”
I realize that this particular Sunday morning when we are all still digging out from a snowstorm might not be the best time to preach on church attendance…
I realize that many people were just not able to make it to worship service this morning…
…don’t worry – the leadership here totally gets it.
But, in general, intentionally carving out Sunday mornings as a priority to be with other members of the congregation is a vital discipline of the faith.
In many ways, our level of hope and gratitude for Jesus is manifested by our attendance with the rest of the body….
It demonstrates our love for God and our desire to serve Him….
And it demonstrates our love for each other – and our desire to serve one another in humility and grace.
It has been said by some – especially many people in the younger demographic – that congregating with others in not a necessary component of being a Christian.
To which my favorite response is: ‘That may be true…just like being married doesn’t require that you live together….but I highly recommend it’
If you want your walk with Jesus to be vibrant and strong….it is essential to have regular contact with other believers…
Verse 25 actually commands us to congregate on a regular basis…
We should want to do it….right?
Otherwise, we are not demonstrating love toward others.
A lone-wolf brand of Christianity reveals a heart that is selfish, arrogant, and proud….
Attributes that align much closer to Satan, than that of Jesus.
We are told in scripture that each of us is a vital part of the body of Christ….hand, foot, head, ear, eye. Etc.etc.
If you intentionally avoid other believers…you are engaging in the mutilation of the body of Christ….and, someday, you will need to give an account for that devastating decision.
So…In conclusion.
We as believers have great hope.
An expectant hope of assurance in what Jesus has already done…and what He will do in the future.
…And this hope motivates us to draw ever closer to our savior.
…to live in joyful obedience to Him
…to spur one another on in the faith
…and to establish it as a priority in our lives to congregate with each other on a weekly – or even more frequent – basis.
The assurance of Hope in Jesus is a gift from our savior…don’t reject it this Advent season.
Let’s Pray.