Hebrews 13:8-16
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever. Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings; for it is well that the heart be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited their adherents. We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. 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. So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go forth to him outside the camp, and bear the abuse he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city which is to come. Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of the lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
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In verse 12 it says, "So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood." Then follow three exhortations for how we should respond.
- Verse 13, "Therefore let us go forth to him outside the camp, and bear the abuse he endured." This is the priority of getting outside the safety of our camp and being inconvenienced, and perhaps even suffering, to make Christ known.
- Verse 15, "Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name." This is the priority of praise, or worship.
- Verse 16, "Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God." This is the priority of generosity and sharing and ministering to each other.
Let's look today at the new worship—the "sacrifice of praise." Verse 15: "Through him [i.e., through Christ] then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name."
I want to impress upon you as powerfully as I can this morning that this is your sacred duty and joy—to praise God continually with your lips.
Priority Number One at Bethlehem is the cultivation of hearts that stand in awe of God. We believe in missions. We believe in evangelism. We believe in nurture and education. But we know that this is all a weariness of the flesh if it is not preceded and carried by a sense of wonder at the glory of God. If your
- heart is not amazed by the grace of God,
- and your mind is not gripped by the truth of God,
- and your sense of right and wrong is not permeated by the justice of God,
- and your faith is not resting in the power of God,
- and your imagination is not guided by the beauty of God,
- and your life is not steadied by the sovereignty of God,
- and your hope is not filled with the glory of God,
then the service of God will be what Paul calls works of the law, and not the fruit of the Spirit. Work for God that is not sustained by wonder at God is a weariness of the flesh. Priority Number One is the cultivation of hearts that stand in awe of God.
Someone may say, "Why do you say that the Number One Priority at Bethlehem is the cultivation of a heart of praise, when this verse 15 emphasizes lips that praise?" My answer is that the word "fruit" demands the priority of the heart. God calls us in this verse to offer a sacrifice of praise which is the "fruit of lips." Fruit is something that grows naturally when the sap is flowing within. Jesus said in Matthew 15:8, "This people honors me with their lips but their heart is far from me." That is not what Hebrews 13:15 is commanding. That is the work of the lips, not the fruit of the lips. The "fruit" of lips is the natural outgrowth of the heart. And therefore Priority Number One is the cultivation of a heart that stands in awe of God.
But it does say "lips." Not just heart, not just thoughts, but lips. God wants from us lips of praise. Lips that speak and sing the praises of his name. Real sounds. Real words. And the verse says he wants them "continually." "Let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips . . . " One of the reasons that so many Christians lead such weak and unhappy and ineffective lives is that this exhortation is disobeyed most of the time. Ask yourself, does the praise of God grow out like fruit on your lips continually?
Most of us would have to say, No. Do you see what a great need there is in our lives for revival, for a great awakening of heart-felt love for the glory of God? Most of us live at a level of praise that is pathetically beneath this text. But God would not have called us to this experience of continual verbal praise if it were bad for us or impossible for us. If you want it, you may have it. And not to want it is to disobey Scripture—to disobey God.
It doesn't mean of course that every sentence should have a "Praise the Lord" attached to it. (Though we are not now in danger of overdoing it!) But it does mean, at least, that we should weave worship into all the parts of our lives. Not just silent worship of the heart, but verbal worship of the lips. We should weave explicit worship into all our board meetings and committee meetings and business meetings and small groups. Not the same in every group, of course, but somehow the praise of God's greatness and goodness finding verbal expression in all our gatherings.
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