“Sacrifices of Praise” Pastor Ross Kershaw

Scripture: Hebrews 13:1-16
13 Let mutual affection continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. 3 Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them, those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured. 4 Let marriage be held in honor by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers. 5 Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, for he himself has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” 6 So we can say with confidence,
“The Lord is my helper;
    I will not be afraid.
What can anyone do to me?”
7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 9 Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by regulations about food, which have not benefited those who observe them. 10 We have an altar from which those who officiate in the tent have no right to eat. 11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. 12 Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the city gate in order to sanctify the people by his own blood. 13 Let us then go to him outside the camp and bear the abuse he endured. 14 For here we have no lasting city, but we are looking for the city that is to come. 15 Through him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. 16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

​The Letter to the Hebrews is more a sermon than a letter.  What we have here is The Preacher speaking to his congregation.  In Chapter 13 we see that he has finished the main body of the sermon and is moving on to the announcements. These are parting thoughts on what’s important to their faith lives: mutual affection, hospitality, empathy, caring, morality, contentment- all represent the outcome of their faith.
Religious life: Verses 9-14 – which were not in the lectionary passage for today - verse 9a introduces grace vs. religious practices.  The preacher begins with what they probably know, that is Jewish religious practices.  The idea of sacrifices quickly takes center stage.  The sacrificial system would be familiar to them, but then he reminds them that system has no value in light of Jesus our Lord. Jesus sanctifies believers  through his sacrifice on the cross once for all. To sanctify means that we are being made over in the image of Jesus: following His precepts and example, His call on our lives if you will. 
The relevance of this passage to the rest of the lectionary passage isn’t immediately obvious.  It seems that the Preacher has set the announcements aside for a moment and is preaching again.  “Outside the gate” seems like a strange reference at first. It indicates that Jesus was outside the safety of the city walls. City walls were extremely important in everyday life in the time of Jesus.  They were a defense and a protection. Jesus was driven out of the safety of the city walls, where He met grief, humiliation, and death. There He sacrificed for us that our sin might be forgiven.   
Now in verses 15 and 16 the Preacher uses the word sacrifice twice.  The first is the “… let ius continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess His name.” And the second refers to doing good, “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” 
The implication of the preacher is that our sacrificial living needs to be outside of our protected religious lives. What does that mean?
Let’s go back to the opening verses again.  Here we find a quick litany of things that are important to living our faith-filled lives. Look again at verses 1-5 above.
The Setting of this whole sermon involves the congregation the Preacher is speaking to.  They are tired and beaten down. It is hard to stand for Christ in the midst of a secular world – a world focused on power and wealth, getting ahead. Many times, we will face indifference or downright opposition to our attempts to live a Christ-centered life. Sometimes it is just easier to keep our faith to ourselves – stay within the church walls and enjoy our Lord in safety. But we are called to live outside in the world, and outside of our comfort zones.
In light of what the preacher is asking us be and do, there follows a rather strange quotation on first glance. “For He [Jesus] has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” 6 So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?”” (verses 5c-6)
Is the Preacher pointing to the need to refrain from greed?  No! The preacher is pointing to the fear we can live under.  To accomplish a faithful life can be fearful, and we need the Lord’s assurance. The preacher is reminding us that we are never alone.  We are always in the care of a loving and powerful God.
Fo example, the empathy for the magnitude of another’s suffering to the depths that are indicated – sacrificial – could threaten to consume us.  Fear of not having enough to be up to the task can be a powerful deterrent to action.  The fear of judgement from society (non-believers, anti-believers) can cause us to retreat back within the walls of comfortable religious practice, never to fully live the great commission of Jesus. This is where the end of verse 5 is so powerful – He will never leave or forsake us! That coupled with the consistency of Jesus proclaimed in verse 8 (“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever”) makes the answering of God’s call on our lives possible.
So, we are called to go out of our way with love and caring … it is to be sacrificial in its character.  The phrase, “praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess His name” can be understood as the life we lead can be a praise to God and the Lord Jesus Christ whom we follow. The outcome of our lives is a “sacrifice that is pleasing to God.”
We don’t try to duplicate Jesus’ sacrifice, but we do follow his lead (and the lead of our leaders) to go outside of our comfort zone.  “Consider the outcome of their way of life.” (verse 7) Emulate those who have brought you into the faith, from whom you have learned the love and Jesus Christ.
So I say, ask yourself: ‘Where do I draw the line in helping someone?’  What defines where it gets drawn? Is it my fear? Is it my lack of capability? Is it felling all alone and vulnerable? Take heart, claim God’s consistency and capability, take our faith with us and Go Out to the world.  Let’s live boldly for the Lord we love!
 
Benediction:
20 Now may the God of peace, who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 make you complete in everything good so that you may do his will, as he works among us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever. Amen.