A Word about the Greatest Motivator

Today we will continue in a series of sermons from the Book of Hebrews that I am calling the Greatest of All Time. In this episode, we will see that Jesus is the Greatest Motivator.

It has been said that two types of people populate our world. Some of us wake up in the morning and cheerfully say, “Good morning, Lord!”   The rest of us grudgingly crack open an eye and groan, “Good lord! Its morning!” Jill fell into that last category while Jack fell into the former.

One day, Jack woke up Jill with a cheery, “It’s time to get up and get ready for school!” Jill groaned and said, “I don’t want to go to school today.” Jack asked in a soothing voice, “Sweetheart, what’s wrong? Why don’t you want to go to school?” Jill replied, “I don’t like it. It’s boring, and the kids in my class don’t like me!” “Oh, honey,” Jack replied, “It’s not that bad.” “Yes, it is,” Jill snapped, “I don’t like the teachers, and the principal is a jerk, and the lunches are terrible.” “That may be sweetheart, but you still have to go.” “Why? Why do I have to go?” wailed Jill.  Jack frowned, “Because you’re the teacher!”

From time to time all of us may lack motivation. We may feel as if our “get-up-and-go,” has “gotten up and went” while leaving us behind. This leaves us without drive and without direction. James said that when we are in that state of mind, we are like the waves of the sea, tossed to-and-fro by the winds. James went on to say that such a person was unstable in all their ways. While many people profess to know the secret of motivation, the only one who ever existed who can help with our motivation is Jesus Christ, the Greatest Motivator. Let’s begin with Hebrews 10:19-23

Therefore, brothers, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way He has opened for us through the curtain (that is, His flesh), and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water. Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

Motivation Through Assurance:

Sometimes only bold actions will do. Sometimes, it does not pay to be cautious, but instead, the situation and the people involved require making bold decisions. Many examples of this have occurred in our history.

During the American Revolution, the Continental Army was encamped at Valley Forge. They had been run out of New York City, and they had suffered several defeats at the hands of the British. They were hungry and demoralized and cold, but their commander, General George Washington, decided that his best move was to attack! This was bold to say the least.

On Christmas night, 1776, Washington led his troops in crossing the Delaware River to raid the Hessian troops quartered at Trenton. The Continentals surprised the Hessians at dawn on December 26th, capturing almost all of them, as well as large quantities of greatly needed supplies of food and clothing as well. Not only was this a legendary victory, it greatly improved morale and recruiting also.  Washington’s boldness stemmed somewhat from desperation. He had nothing to lose, but he also had confidence in his plan and his troops

The attack at Trenton was bold, but its audacity was exceeded by that of General Tecumseh Sherman’s march across Georgia during the American Civil War.  Sherman cut loose from his lines of communication and marched from Atlanta to Savannah and then into South Carolina. He could make this move because He was confident in his troops and also because he was confident in his commander, General U.S. Grant. In a letter he told Grant,

I knew that wherever I was, you thought of me, and if I needed you, you would come.

Centuries before Washington or Sherman had ever been born, David was a little shepherd boy who was not afraid to confront the giant Goliath. David could do that because he was confident in his God and in the tools that his God had given him to use. Because of his God-inspired boldness, he snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, and he led the Children of Israel to victory that day. Neither Malachi 3:10, nor the old hymn based on it were written yet, but David knew the principle already,

Trust me, try me, prove me says the Lord of Hosts and see if a blessing, an unmeasured blessing, I will not pour out on thee.

Because of what Jesus has done for us, we can be bold. First, we can be bold in Christ, because we have nothing to lose. No sacrifice we make, no offering we give, no law we follow, can satisfy our sin debt. The only option we have is to attack our spiritual life with boldness based on Christ’s work in our lives.

We also can be bold, because like Sherman, we can trust our commander. As David knew, God will always be there for His people. So, we never face our spiritual, emotional, relational, and every-day-life challenges alone. Jesus always has our back!

We are motivated to live for Christ by the assurance of the salvation and power that He gives to us! Now, let’s read Hebrews 10:24-25,

And let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works, not staying away from our worship meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

Motivation Through Fellowship:

The Bible tells us that Satan is a roaring lion, roaming the world, seeking whom he may devour. If that is the case, then we are his prey, and if we observe nature, we will find that prey animals travel in groups. They find safety in numbers, and the same is true for people in various situations.

In war, being alone is dangerous. When I was in Iraq, helicopters travelled in pairs and a ground convoy had to consist of a minimum of three armored vehicles. In fact, we all took special “isolated personnel” training about what to do if we ever became separated from our unit. While I was there, one Soldier, who was an American citizen originally from Iraq, slipped away to visit family. He is still missing today.

In times of temptation, being alone is dangerous. Jesus was alone when He was tempted; Judas was alone when he betrayed Jesus; Peter was alone when he denied Christ. Yes, it is true that groups of people can make bad choices, but being alone makes it much easier for an individual to give in to temptation.

When confronting the forces of evil, being alone is dangerous. Moses was alone when he killed the Egyptian overseer, but Joshua sent two spies into Jericho. Later, God had all the people march around the city before the walls fell. When Jesus sent out the twelve and the seventy to do ministry, He sent them out two by two. When they returned, He told them that He saw Satan falling because of their service. On all of Paul’s missionary journeys he was accompanied by teammates. When he found himself alone on Mars Hill in Athens, his spirit was troubled, and his witnessing there was ineffective. Ministering with others has a synergy that multiplies our work so that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

When making spiritual decisions, being alone is dangerous. Proverbs 15:22 tells us,

Plans fail when there is no counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.

Matthew 18:20 also counsels us that,

For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there among them.

Just like a hot coal taken from a fire will cool rapidly, often the spiritual motivation of a solo Christian does also. However, a coal which stays within the fire will retain its heat and will even grow hotter. The same is true for the ardor of God’s people when they stay within their congregation!

We are motivated to live for Christ by the fellowship of those saved by grace through faith! Now, let’s read Hebrews 10:26-31,

For if we deliberately sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire about to consume the adversaries. If anyone disregards Moses’ law, he dies without mercy, based on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment do you think one will deserve who has trampled on the Son of God, regarded as profane the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know the One who has said, Vengeance belongs to Me, I will repay, and again, The Lord will judge His people. It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God!

Motivation Through Warning:

A boss once told me that a leader can motivate people in two ways: with a pat on the back, or a kick farther down. This fellow also said that fake motivation is better than no motivation at all, so I guess that it is also true that negative motivation is better than no motivation at all.

A common saying is that a word to the wise is sufficient, based on Proverbs 9:10 which advises us that,

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

This means we must retain a healthy respect of the consequences of ignoring God’s wisdom. This applies in two ways:

First, those who are not saved risk hell by ignoring God’s law and love. We should remember the case of Herod Agrippa in Acts 12:21-23:

So, on an appointed day, dressed in royal robes and seated on the throne, Herod delivered a public address to them. The assembled people began to shout, “It’s the voice of a god and not of a man!” At once an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give the glory to God, and he became infected with worms and died.

Second, those who are saved get a taste of hell on earth when they ignore God’s law and love. A great example of that is Ananias and Saphira, who lied to the Apostles and to God about their offering. In this case they both died.

We should not dwell on the negative aspects of motivation excessively, but we must be careful not to develop an attitude of arrogance. Many flight instructors will caution new pilots not to become overconfident after they have earned their first pilot’s license. The record shows that when pilots think they have everything under control, that is when they can make a fatal error. It has been said that the Federal Aviation Administration regulations are written in the blood of arrogant pilots. A healthy fear of planes, the weather, and random chance, makes for a long life for both pilots and their passengers. 

We are motivated to live for Christ by the knowledge that God corrects those who disrespect Him! Next, let’s read Hebrews 10:32-35

Remember the earlier days when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to taunts and afflictions, and at other times you were companions of those who were treated that way. For you sympathized with the prisoners and accepted with joy the confiscation of your possessions, knowing that you yourselves have a better and enduring possession. So don’t throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.

Motivation Through Overcoming:

Few things build motivation like overcoming our challenges and our limitations.  The Continental Army experienced this after the victory at Trenton. As the saying goes, “nothing succeeds like success.”

The first time we experience challenges, however, we are like “a calf looking at a new gate.” We don’t know what we are looking at or what to do or where to turn. As we have success in our walk with God, however, we gain confidence in Him and in His work in our lives.

The story of Ruth in the Bible is well known, and it is a truly amazing one for her faithfulness to Her mother-in-law Naomi. Often overlooked is the fact that when Naomi lost her husband and her sons, she asked people to start calling her Mara, which meant bitter. However, as she and Ruth walked with God, He brought to her the ideas and concepts that led to Boaz becoming Ruth’s kinsman-redeemer. God brought her and Ruth a long way during their journey with Him.

We also see God’s people overcoming challenges in the New Testament. In James 1:2-4 the pastor of the Jerusalem church taught his congregation to,

Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

We can see this taking place throughout the New Testament: The Apostles were vastly more mature after the Cross and after Pentecost than before. Paul after being blinded on the Damascus Road became an asset to God’s people instead of a threat to them. John Mark failed during the First Missionary Journey, but later he became a useful member of Paul’s team and he also was chosen by God to write one of the four Gospels.  Apollos was a great orator, but he did not fully understand the Gospel. But, after being confronted and instructed by Priscilla and Aquilla, he became a great champion of the faith.  Timothy and Titus were both young in the faith when they were appointed by Paul to become church pastors, and both had their struggles. Paul had to write to both of them to encourage and correct and motivate them, but as they overcame challenge after challenge, they also became heroes of the faith.

Paul, himself was not a stranger to overcoming troubles, and what he learned from his experiences he shared with us in Romans 8:28,

We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.

We are motivated to live for Christ every time we see Him work out an impossible situation in our lives for our Good! Finally, let’s read Hebrews 10:36-39,

For you need endurance, so that after you have done God’s will, you may receive what was promised.  For yet in a very little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. But My righteous one will live by faith; and if he draws back, I have no pleasure in him. But we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and obtain life.

Motivation Through Hope:

The writer of Hebrews was quoting the prophets Isaiah and Habakkuk in these verses. Both of these men lived many years before the Advent of Christ, but they were still motivated to serve God. They were motivated by their hope that they placed in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They had not yet seen the Messiah, but they were confident He would come for the consolation of Israel.

They knew God, the way that David knew his sling and trusted it. Among modern warriors there is a saying, “Beware the man who has only one gun.” This is because he knows it well and he is proficient with it. Isaiah and Habakkuk had only one God and they knew the hope that they placed in Him would never be disappointed. They could easily have sung the old hymn that proclaims,

For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able, to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day!

For believers today, not only can we read God’s Word, and not only can we observe God’s acts, but we also have His Spirit in our lives, motivating us from within. We are motivated to live for Christ because of the hope that He has embedded in our hearts!

Conclusion:

When it came time to sell our house in Alabama and move to Illinois, we were what the real estate community calls, motivated sellers. At the same time, we had a motivated agent who found us some motivated buyers. God brought us all together so we could agree on a deal that worked for everyone involved. 

What motivates us today to walk closely with our Lord? If nothing above works in our lives, surely God’s love for us will. As John 3:16 reminds us,

For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

Really, when all is said and done, that is more than enough to motivate us to live for Him!

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt

A Word about the Greatest Sacrifice

Today we will continue in a series of sermons from the Book of Hebrews that I am calling the Greatest of All Time. In this episode, we will see that Jesus is the Greatest Sacrifice.

Not long before I wrote this message, the Winter Olympics were conducted in Italy. Along with the coverage of the sporting events, the news media also highlighted the long years of effort and sacrifice that the athletes had experienced to make it to the world-wide stage of the Olympic Games. Usually, this required them to devote their entire lives to this cause, which is a wholesome one, of course. Ultimately, however, it was a self-centered cause, focused as it was on individual achievement and reward.

Training for the Olympics was a sacrifice, but not an altruistic one. Contrast this with the sacrifice during the Second World War of a man named Jorge Vargas.

In the Philippines, before the war, Jorge Vargas had been President Manuel Quezon’s indispensable right hand. This continued after the Japanese invaded the Philippines in January 1942. When the Japanese closed in on Manila, the president and the rest of the civilian government fled to exile in Australia. That was when Vargas learned what kind of sacrifice he was about to make of himself for the people of his country.

President Quezon gave Vargas an order that struck him like a blow: “You must stay.” When all the other government officials evacuated, Vargas was required to remain in the doomed capital, the lone thread of legitimacy left behind. He had to face the invaders with nothing more than an assignment from his president, and a trembling sense of duty. 

The Japanese seized control and elevated him as head of the Philippine Executive Commission. Vargas accepted this position with the knowledge that refusal meant imprisonment or death. Yet he also knew that he probably would be seen as a traitor, despite being directed to stay behind for this very purpose. 

Vargas used his position to try to blunt the sharpest edges of occupation, and to shield civilians where he could, but he feared that his own people would see only the surface, the meetings, the handshakes, the forced cooperation, and call him a traitor. And when liberation finally came, that fear became reality: he was detained and interrogated, and his loyalty was dissected by a nation still bleeding. 

As great a sacrifice as Vargas made for his people, the writer of Hebrews tells us in Chapter 10 that Jesus made the Greatest Sacrifice.  Let’s begin our study by reading Hebrews 10:1-4,

Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come, and not the actual form of those realities, it can never perfect the worshipers by the same sacrifices they continually offer year after year. Otherwise, wouldn’t they have stopped being offered, since the worshipers, once purified, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in the sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

The Shadow of the Greatest Sacrifice:

Often, people see things, but they don’t understand them. This happened to Jesus regularly. For example, when Jesus came to Bethany after Lazarus had died, this is what happened in John 11:33-37,

When Jesus saw her crying, and the Jews who had come with her crying, He was angry in His spirit and deeply moved. “Where have you put him?” He asked. “Lord,” they told Him, “come and see.” Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how He loved him!” But some of them said, “Couldn’t He who opened the blind man’s eyes also have kept this man from dying?” 

At other times, Jesus was accused of casting out demons by the power of Satan. On another occasion He was accused of violating the Jewish law. In Nazareth, Jesus could do no miracles because He was seen as simply the son of Joseph the carpenter. People thought they saw Jesus, but they only saw a shadow of Him.

Paul, who was Saul before he came to truly see Christ, also thought he saw the real Jesus. He was a conspirator in the stoning of Stephan, and then he saw the need to eliminate the followers of Jesus, who he saw as a false prophet. On the road to Damascus, however, he saw the real Jesus, and the vision blinded him. Later, God assigned Ananias to lay hands on him, and when Saul was filled with the Holy Spirit, this is what happened in Acts 9:17-18,

So Ananias left and entered the house. Then he placed his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road you were traveling, has sent me so that you can regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” At once something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized.

So, Paul knew from his own experience what he wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:9-12,

For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when the perfect comes, the partial will come to an end. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put aside childish things. For now we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am fully known.

The thing we must see about the Mosaic Law is that it was good, but it was only a pale reflection of the Greatest Sacrifice. Likewise, the thing we must see about our own efforts to please God is that they are good, but they, too, are only a pale reflection of the Greatest Sacrifice. They are like the difference between a black and white image versus a four-color image versus a photo image. The lesser versions of an image resemble it, but they are not nearly as good.

Our efforts to please God are not bad, but God’s grace, the grace that comes to us through the Greatest Sacrifice, is perfect.  

Now, let’s read Hebrews 10:5-9,

Therefore, as He was coming into the world, He said: You did not want sacrifice and offering, but You prepared a body for Me. You did not delight in whole burnt offerings and sin offerings. Then I said, “See—it is written about Me in the volume of the scroll—I have come to do Your will, God!” After He says above, You did not want or delight in sacrifices and offerings, whole burnt offerings and sin offerings (which are offered according to the law), He then says, See, I have come to do Your will. He takes away the first to establish the second.

The Desire for the Greatest Sacrifice:

One of my favorite memories of my mother from when I was a child involved meals. My mom would cook us wonderful meals with a variety of tasty foods, but she would just sit at the table and pick at her food. Then she’d say, “I am just not satisfied,” and she would go to the refrigerator and get out a slice of bologna. She’d put that on a piece of white bread, and splash Tabasco sauce on the meat. After she folded the bread in half, she’d return to the table and eat her bologna and Tabasco sandwich with a pleased look on her face.

In these verses, the writer of Hebrews was quoting Psalm 40:6-8. In this passage, Jesus was saying, “I see all the elaborate sacrifices you are giving God, but it just doesn’t satisfy Him.”

The issue wasn’t the sacrifices themselves, because God had established them. No, this issue was with the hearts of the people who were presenting them. This problem has existed as far back as Cain and Abel. Genesis 4:1-7 tells us,

Adam was intimate with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain. She said, “I have had a male child with the Lord’s help.” Then she also gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel became a shepherd of flocks, but Cain worked the ground. In the course of time Cain presented some of the land’s produce as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also presented an offering—some of the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions. The Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but He did not have regard for Cain and his offering. Cain was furious, and he looked despondent.  Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you furious? And why do you look despondent? If you do what is right, won’t you be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”

Remember also, that God told King Saul that, “To obey is better than sacrifice,” and Jesus told us, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” This is because obedience comes from a heart of love towards God. Jorge Vargas obeyed his president because he loved his nation and because he loved her people. 

Jesus told us that we must come to God like a little child. God desires us to gaze up on Him with loving and trusting eyes. He wants us to be like children who see their parent or grandparent and then run up to them and hug them with as tight a grip as they can muster. He wants us to love Him with the wild abandonment that children do the ones whom they love.

What God want’s is our hearts, but someone had to remake them for us. The only one who can do that is Jesus. God gave Him a body so that He could live among us and become the perfect sacrifice, the one and only one that truly satisfies God.

Our hearts cannot please God, but God’s grace, the grace that comes to us through the Greatest Sacrifice, can remake our hearts to be pleasing to Him! 

Now, let’s read Hebrews 10:10-14,

By this will of God, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all. Every priest stands day after day ministering and offering the same sacrifices time after time, which can never take away sins.  But this man, after offering one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God.  He is now waiting until His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are sanctified.

The Fruit of the Greatest Sacrifice:

Jesus told us not to judge people, in the way that Jorge Vargas was afraid that he would be judged for what he did. At the same time, however, He did tell us to observe the fruit of their lives carefully. In Matthew 7:15-20, Jesus said,

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

What was the fruit, then, of the Greatest Sacrifice? First, the Greatest Sacrifice made salvation possible.  Acts 4:14 tells us,

There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people, and we must be saved by it.

Isaiah 53:5 also says to us,

But He was pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on Him, and we are healed by His wounds.

When the woman with an issue of blood met Jesus, she was in a desperate situation. She was sick and she had spent all her money on physicians who could not heal her. She had nowhere else to turn. She trusted that Jesus could heal her, however, and He did. He was the only one who could heal her body, and He is the only one who can heal our souls.

Next, the Greatest Sacrifice made salvation permanent. In His High Priestly Prayer, Jesus told God the Father that He had kept all the souls who had been committed to Him. When He had washed the feet of His disciples, Peter asked Him to wash him completely, but Jesus already had, spiritually. What is clean and presentable to God does not need to be cleaned again. 

If we consider the sacrifice made by Jorge Vargas, it only lasted for about three and a half years. Jesus made His sacrifice and then He said, “It is finished.” He then went and rested at the right hand of God because there were no more sacrifices to make. He also sent the Holy Spirit to seal us for the day when we see Jesus face-to-face! The Greatest Sacrifice is a permanent sacrifice!

We also see that the Greatest Sacrifice made salvation perfect. God cannot abide sin, but when God looks at His people who are covered in the blood of the Greatest Sacrifice, He no longer sees their sin, but instead He sees the perfect life of Jesus.

A great story that explains how that works involves a man and his son who stood inside a shop, watching British soldiers marching by. The son asked, “Father, who are these soldiers?” The man replied, “British soldiers, my son. See the red coats?” The son replied, “Father, that is why I asked. All I see are white coats.” His father looked down and realized his son was looking through a red-colored border of the window. The red window filtered the red from the coats and made them appear white.  The blood of Jesus does the same for our sins. That’s why in Isaiah 1:18 we read, 

“Come, let us discuss this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will be like wool.”

Lastly also we can see that the Greatest Sacrifice made salvation personal. Jorge Vargas made his sacrifice for his nation and for the people of his nation. Luke, however, brought to us the Parable of the Lost Sheep, the Parable of the Lost Coin, and the Parable of the Lost Son. In each parable something or someone was lost, but the shepherd, the woman, and the father in those stories all had other sheep, coins, and sons but they did not rest until what had been lost was found again. The same is true for us today. If only one soul had needed saving, Jesus would have still come to be the Greatest Sacrifice.

The next time you are in a crowd, look in front of you. Jesus came to be the Greatest Sacrifice for that person. Look to your left and to your right. Look behind yourself, also. He came for those people as well. Finally, look at yourself. Yes, He came for you also!

When Jesus came as the Greatest Sacrifice, the fruit of His life made salvation possible. It was not only possible, but permanent, and perfect, and personal, as well.

Finally, let’s read Hebrews 10:15-18,

The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. For after He says:  This is the covenant I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws on their hearts and write them on their minds, He adds: I will never again remember their sins and their lawless acts. Now where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.

The Covenant of the Greatest Sacrifice:

During the Cold War between the Western powers and the Soviet Union, most people in the United States were afraid that a nuclear war would breakout and destroy our nation. That was a threat, no doubt, but a greater threat came from inside our nation.

Soviet Premier Nikita Khruschev believed that western capitalism would fail because the seeds of its collapse were built into it. In essence Khruschev believed that our nation would fall from the inside out and when that happened, he said, “We will bury you.” Thus, the biggest threat was not external, but internal; it was from within.

When his president asked Jorge Vargas to stay behind, he did so to put a seed of patriotism inside the Japanese-dominated government. Vargas agreed to work from the inside to help the Filipino people, while Douglas MacArthur worked to free them from the outside. Vargas was just one man, but he did everything that he could.

When Jesus became our Greatest Sacrifice, He made an agreement with us to work from the inside of our lives. He promised to inhabit our lives, and to be with us always. He promised to teach us His ways and God’s will and pledge to never remember our sin again. He also promised to accept our worship and praise as our sacrifice of faith in Him.

When Jesus came as the Greatest Sacrifice, He promised to build us up from the inside of our lives.

Conclusion:

So, what happened to Jorge Vargas? In short, the truth about his assignment came out. Vargas was arrested and questioned, but he had people who were advocates for him, including American officials who testified that Vargas had acted under duress to protect his helpless fellow citizens from their oppressors. He was never charged, never condemned, yet he carried the weight of those years for the rest of his life—marked not by betrayal, but by the impossible burden of being the man who stayed when everyone else escaped.

What about us? Are we carrying a burden today? If so, John 2:1-2 tells us, 

My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ the Righteous One. He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world.

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt

A Word about the Greatest Mediator

 

Today we will continue in a series of sermons from the Book of Hebrews that I am calling the Greatest of All Time. In this episode, we will see that Jesus is the Greatest Mediator.

In a previous episode we saw that the writer of Hebrews recognized Jesus as the Greatest Agent. Mediators are like agents, in that they both stand between two parties and help them to deal with an issue. The difference is that a mediator deals with trouble, whereas an agent deals with more routine issues. We might consider a mediator a type of agent who is a trouble-shooter.

Mediators are especially useful when a conflict has arisen between two parties. They bring skills and talents, and a professional distance, that can help these two parties in conflict resolve their issues. In our modern world, mediators are often lawyers, and even lawyers, when they get into difficulty, will engage another attorney to be their mediator. The power of mediation is such that a famous legal saying is, “A lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client.”

What the writer of Hebrews tells us in Chapter 9 is that, as we have seen before, Jesus is the Greatest Mediator. Let’s begin our study by reading Hebrews 9:1-7:

Now the first covenant also had regulations for ministry and an earthly sanctuary. For a tabernacle was set up, and in the first room, which is called the holy place, were the lampstand, the table, and the presentation loaves. Behind the second curtain, the tabernacle was called the most holy place. It contained the gold altar of incense and the ark of the covenant, covered with gold on all sides, in which there was a gold jar containing the manna, Aaron’s staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. The cherubim of glory were above it overshadowing the mercy seat. It is not possible to speak about these things in detail right now. With these things set up this way, the priests enter the first room repeatedly, performing their ministry. But the high priest alone enters the second room, and he does that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance. 

Imperfect Mediators:

The role of a priest, as we have noted before, is to stand between God and His people, and to act as a mediator. This is why priests were separated from the rest of the Children of Israel. They had their own lineage, their own regulations, their own cities to live in, and even their own clothing to wear while serving in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple. They were of the people and they served God’s people.

When I was on Active Duty in the US Army, I was in the Military Police Corps. MPs are set apart to enforce regulations and laws on the behalf of their commander. They have a motto: “Of the Troops and for the Troops.” By and large, civilian police don’t patrol Army installations, and law and order are usually enforced by the Military Police. The motto reminds everyone that a MP is a soldier first, and their purpose is to protect soldiers from themselves as well as from others.

The problem, of course, is that MPs are soldiers too, and so they make mistakes also. For example, we had one MP that wrote many, many tickets, but he never registered them properly. They were only discovered in his locker during a health and welfare inspection of his room. Another MP backed a patrol car into a civilian vehicle in front of Building 3004 on Scholfield Barracks, Hawaii, which at that time was the MP barracks. A third MP showed positive on a test for illegal drugs, and a fourth fell asleep while guarding a dumpster, which was a crime scene of a murder. He only woke up when the dumpster was being emptied by the trash truck. A fifth MP had a grudge against his platoon sergeant, and he destroyed the sergeant’s shot record in an effort to make him take them all again. The wise old platoon sergeant had a duplicate copy, and the MP spent several weeks in a corrective custody facility for his efforts. All of this happened in a single year! 

Lest you think that the legal profession is exempt, I also know of a unit legal clerk that had to prepare her own charge sheets for her commander to punish her for her misdeeds.

Yes, many of the priests were good, and some were great. Other priests however were not good, and some were even false priests. Even the best priests were not perfect priests, and so they could not be perfect mediators.

The fact that the priests of the Temple had to make multiples sacrifices for the people and for their own sins indicates that human mediators are imperfect. How would that affect the needs of the people? 

Let’s read Hebrews 9:8-12:

The Holy Spirit was making it clear that the way into the most holy place had not yet been disclosed while the first tabernacle was still standing. This is a symbol for the present time, during which gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the worshiper’s conscience. They are physical regulations and only deal with food, drink, and various washings imposed until the time of restoration.

Imperfect Salvation:

Another saying that people have is this: “If all you have is a hammer, then all the world is a nail.” A similar saying is, “You go with what you know.” This same was true of these imperfect mediators, the priests of Israel.

Because these priests were human and physical, all that they had available to them were physical means. They asked people to give sacrifices and offerings, and they asked people to obey certain regulations about foods, and they asked people to observe certain practices and certain holidays. This was all that they had, and it was good enough, temporarily.

These physical acts reminded God’s people of their need to seek His forgiveness and to walk closely with Him. Sadly, they, like us, were imperfect people. They, like us, strayed from following God, just as the old hymn says,

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love;

Here’s my heart; O take and seal it; seal it for thy courts above.

The problem that people have in relationship to God is a spiritual problem. Physical items or physical actions point to that problem, but they cannot solve it. This reminds me of many counseling classes I took during my years in seminary. These classes were great at describing the issues people face, but they were much less useful at prescribing solutions for those problems. This is exactly the issue with the Mosaic Law and the ministry of the priests. They point us toward our failings, but they fail to provide us a permanent solution for them. For that, we need a Perfect Mediator.

Let’s read Hebrews 9:11-14,

But the Messiah has appeared, high priest of the good things that have come. In the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands (that is, not of this creation), He entered the most holy place once for all, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow, sprinkling those who are defiled, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of the Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to serve the living God?

A Perfect Mediator:

Like the priests in the Temple, Jesus is a mediator. He stands between us and God, and He deals with the issues that God has with us. He is like them, but He is different, and He is different in all the good ways.

First, Jesus’ work is done for us in the real Temple that is in Heaven. The Temple on the earth was a reflection of the real thing, but Jesus does His ministry for us in the real thing. Substitute items often work, but they are not as good as the genuine article, and that is what Jesus Is, and that is where He works on our behalf.

Next, Jesus finished the job. The human priests made sacrifice after sacrifice, because what they did was not sufficient to permanently solve the problem. These priests were like a car my aunt loaned to us when we came back from the mission field.

The car that she loaned us was a Lincoln Continental that had been driven by my uncle, who had been a businessman. He was deceased, and it was too much car for her, and she was glad to loan it to us. We were grateful, but I had to be careful when I drove it to visit church members. The motor’s rear main seal was leaking oil, and I didn’t want to leave oil stains on the driveways of our members. I could keep the oil topped up, but that did not solve the essential problem. My aunt was not interested in spending the money to repair it, and so for as long as I drove it, I parked it on the street, and I kept a case of oil in the trunk!

Finally, as we will see next week, Jesus was the perfect sacrifice. As both God and human, as a perfect person who had never sinned, Jesus was the Greatest Sacrifice of all. His sacrifice exceeded all the other offerings that had ever been sacrificed to God, because His righteousness exceeded every other person’s righteousness who ever lived.

So, if you are O.J. Simpson, and you are on trial for murder, who do you want as your advocate? Would you choose the Los Angeles County Office of the Public Defender, or would you choose Johnny Cochrane and his “Dream Team” of lawyers? As one wag said, “If I am brought before a judge, I don’t want an attorney, I want a lawyer!” Yet, even Johnny Cochrane and his “Dream Team” could not protect O.J. Simpson from later being found liable in a civil lawsuit.

In all of history only one perfect person has ever walked the earth. We should be grateful that He also is our Perfect Mediator!

Finally, let’s read Hebrews 9:15 and 27-28

Therefore, He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called might receive the promise of the eternal inheritance, because a death has taken place for redemption from the transgressions committed under the first covenant . . . And just as it is appointed for people to die once—and after this, judgment— so also the Messiah, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.

Perfect Salvation:

If anyone ever asks me, “I have good news and bad news, which do you want to hear first?” I always want to get the bad news out of the way as soon as I can, and finish with the good news. That’s what we will do now.

The bad news is that we have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. Because God is perfect, He cannot abide sin, and therefore He punishes it. The Bible tells us that the wages of sin is spiritual death, and no power here on earth can change that in our lives. Without an external spiritual intervention, we are all dead people walking. That is bad news!

We know this fact instinctively, and as much as we try to ignore that dark stain on our soul, what’s in our hearts will ooze out. Maybe that is the reason for the popularity of the zombie and post-apocalyptic genre of books, motion pictures, and television shows. The darkness of our hearts cannot be ignored.

There is good news, however! This is what the angels, God’s messengers told the lowly shepherds about the birth of Jesus:

In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: Today a Savior, who is Messiah the Lord, was born for you in the city of David. This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in cloth and lying in a feeding trough.” Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest heaven and peace on earth to people He favors! Luke 2:8-14

Jesus, because He is the Perfect Mediator, offers us the perfect solution for our sins.  He offered up a perfect sacrifice for our sins. As Isaiah 53:6 says, 

We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way; and the Lord has punished Him for the iniquity of us all.

Jesus has done for us what we could not do for ourselves. Jesus has done for us what our parents could not do for us. Jesus has done for us what our friends could not do for us.  Jesus has done for us what our priests and pastors could not do for us. 

Jesus, the Perfect Mediator, offers us the perfect salvation we need, and that’s Good News indeed!

Conclusion:

Everyone who has ever been in trouble and has had a mediator intervene on their behalf will know just how wonderful an experience that is . . .  until they get into trouble again. Jesus, however, is the Greatest Mediator, who promises us a permanent and perfect solution to our sin problem. Won’t you let Him help you today?

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt