How Our Lives Change In Covenant

Life Outside The Gate

•Christianity often peddled as a softsoap, socially sweet, namby-pamby religion.•Many calling themselves Christian see no reason to change their lives.•Many fail to understand the meaning of repentance or sacrifice.•True Christianity is a life-changing experience.•All true Christians change, grow and mature to be more like Christ as they walk with Him.

The Christian and Hebrews 13

•To fully appreciate covenant relationship in Christ, we must grasp the last half of Hebrews 13.•It speaks of a genuine Christ-centered life.

• Hebrews 13:11-12 --The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood.

Jesus Outside The Camp

•Jesus suffered outside the camp•Outcast•Rejected•Accused of being criminal•Crucified•Sacrificed

•Through His blood He makes people holy

•Purified•Sanctified•Redeemed

The Christian Life of Continual Disgrace

Hebrews 13:13 14 -- Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. 14For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.

• As Christians we must meet Jesus outside the gate.•We must bear the reproach (disgrace) which Jesus bore.•We must appreciate that we are people without a city – we are pilgrims in this world.

The Christian Life of Continual Sacrifice

•A continual sacrifice of praise

•Verse 15 -- Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.

•Confessing His name to others•Speaking of the excellencies of God•Proclaiming His goodness and holiness both in words and in deeds.

A Continual Sacrifice of Service

•Verse 16 -- And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

•Good deeds take time and effort – a sacrifice for God.•Sharing takes sacrifice – what is mine is yours.•God is pleased when we sacrifice ourselves for Him, so proving our faith and trust.

A continual sacrifice of obedience

•Verse 17 -- Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.

•Certainly speaks of response to elders•Obedience•Submission

•Elders are watchmen and will give an account for each soul under their charge.

How Do We Help Our Elders?

•By following their holy example•By submitting to their authority – serving according to their direction.•Be available and accountable, ready for any good work.•Such will be of great advantage to the church and will make the work of the elders a joy and not a burden.

A Continual Sacrifice of Holiness

Verse 18 -- Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way.

• The desire of the Hebrew writer should be our desire

• We should desire to have a clear conscience.

• We should desire to live honorably in every way.

• We should desire to be people of holiness.

The Christian Life of Continual Covenant

Verse 20 -- May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep…

• Our covenant is eternal – now and forever.• Our covenant is one purchased with blood.• Our covenant is with a resurrected Lord

who has overcome death.• We are sheep.

A Life of Sacrificial Labor

Verse 21 -- …equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

• We are given God-enabled work to do• God is working in us• God is working through us

Continual Obedience To God’s Will

• Our great desire is to bring glory to God and Christ

• God is glorified when we live sanctified lives.

• God is glorified when we abstain from the behaviors of the world.

• Christ is glorified when we avoid bringing reproach against His body, the church.