Hebrews 13:11-14

I wrote this a few months ago after listening to a sermon by John Piper. This sermon left me with so much on my mind that I had to write it down, and this is the product. I highly recommend this sermon by John Piper. It is called "How the Supremecy of Christ Creates Radical Christian Sacrifice". I think that it was preached at a conference of pastors, but it applies to all of us. What are ways that the principles laid out in this scripture can be applied in daily live? Share it as a comment!

Hebrews 13:11-14

¹¹ For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. ¹² Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. ¹³ Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. ¹⁴ For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come

I listened to a sermon, by John Piper, in which this passage was used to support a point that he was making. The point was very powerful to me, so I decided to make a few points of my own. Some of what I will say was alluded to by Bro. Piper but much of it was shown to me as I read the passage (and accidentally ignored a few minutes of a sermon, good thing I could rewind.).

From verse 11 we learn that the bodies of the animals that were used to make sacrifices were carried outside of the boundaries of the camp. This concept is very simple and easy to understand from this text. The thing that we need to remember is that the blood of these animals was used for the cleansing of sins. This is a powerful reminder as we go into the next verse.

Verse 12:  Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate.

When you put this together with verse 11 it is a beautiful picture of the sacrifice made by our Lord Jesus. The way this passage puts it Jesus literally became the blood sacrifice for our sins! Rev 1:5, 1Jn 1:7, Heb 12:24 and Eph 2:13 all talk about Jesus’ blood as what has saved us. It is also talked about as what has allowed us to draw near to God. Jesus took up his cross and went outside the camp, outside of safety to suffer and die for us! Can there be a more beautiful thing than a friend that lays down his life for his friends?!?! Even the Bible talks about that (John 15:13), but I say YES there is something more beautiful. Jesus did not die that we may live a few more years on this earth! He died so that we may live in the presence of his Glory for all eternity! That is the most beautiful act of Love that has ever been committed!

But wait! This passage continues and it gets more amazing (if that is possible). Verse 14 asks us to go outside the camp too. Now we may say at first “Wait, u can’t expect me to go out there! That is where the persecution and pain happens it is much more comfortable here, and after all I can serve God from right here.” We often tell ourselves that if we just go to church and volunteer a little bit of our time there then we are doing what he has asked us too. After all it is safe and easy to just go to church. However, I do not think that is the case. We are called to spread the word to all peoples no matter what the cost. After all that is the cause that Jesus himself died for. How do we do that from the church? Can it be done if we simply sit on our comfortable pews in the church?

In part it can. We can give our money to missionaries but there is more to it than that. There are people here at home that are dying and going to hell. Probably as many of them here as there are in the countries that we give money to. And yet we are content to sit on the pews. NO! Jesus sends us outside of the camp, outside of comfort! But he does not send us alone! He is there waiting, he calls us to him. He does not send us anywhere that he is not, nor to anywhere that he won’t use you because he has been there already! This is one of the most amazing things to me. God has not told us to do anything that he has not already done.

Verse 13: Therefore let us go FORTH to Him, OUTSIDE the camp, bearing His REPROACH.

Does that mean that we will never be persecuted? NO! It means the exact opposite. We will be persecuted, spat on, put in jail, killed. Whatever the world deems necessary. That is what verse 13 means. That is what waits outside the camp for us. That is what Jesus received when he left the camp. He was scorned, beaten, and physically and mentally abused until he died. I do not think that the last part of the verse “bearing his reproach” means that we are being reproached by Jesus. It means that we are bearing the same reproach that he bore. Oh how would it be if all of the Christians in America adopted this mentality? This mentality of no matter what comes my way on this earth I will serve the Lord! I think if Christians in America started thinking like this it would solve a lot of problems in the world today. Washington DC would not know what to do. People would be receiving Christ left and right because they would see a people that are willing to die for the One they serve. They will see Christians with a Love for each other that they cannot understand.

But wait it’s still not done! Verse 14: For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come.

This is the reason that we do these things. We are willing (if we adopt this attitude) to die for Jesus because we understand that the reward in not here. The reward is in Heaven. It is in the everlasting city to come. Oh that we would stop worrying about stuff here on earth and would start serving! We cannot imagine the work that God would do if we started witnessing biblically. Oh it would be beautiful! I am having a hard time finding the right words to describe what we would see. To me, just the sight of a person completely sold out and willing to do anything for Christ is one of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring things on this earth!

I do not write this so that we can all go out and become missionaries. I write this as a reminder for myself to give up my life. We do not (unless God calls you in that) need to become foreign missionaries or even give up our jobs and homes to be missionaries here in the states. We simply (it is simple to say but hard to do) need to start living the radical, self-sacrificing, Christ-Exalting lives that make non-Christians uncomfortable. 

Religious people, you white washed tombs. You’re beautiful on the outside, but you’re full of bones. You look very religious; you follow all your little rules. But you don’t follow Jesus. You just talk like you should. Woe to you.

-Matt Papa “Woe to You”

Lord, Thank you for sending this passage of scripture into my life. Help me to not just be religious, or comfortable. Help me to become more and more as I have written here. Help me to become so self-sacrificing and Christ-exalting that even Christians ask me where it comes from. Thank you for what you have done and will continue to do!