Heb13v9to16 OUTSIDE THE CAMP(A) Introduction This is a very powerful passage. On the day of atonement the bull and the goat for the sin offerings, whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place to make atonement, must be taken outside the camp; their hides, flesh and offal are to be burned up. Lev16v27. The writer to the Hebrews says: And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate Heb13v12.
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It is not fun bearing disgrace outside the city gate! We are invited to join Jesus there: Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore.v13. As Christians we are called upon to identify with him; to show solidarity with him.
WE GO OUTSIDE THE CAMP: (B) For what really matters - our spiritual well being. The Hebrew Christians believed that what they ate was in some way of spiritual benefit to them. They were getting carried away by all sorts of strange teachings.v9. But says the writer the ceremonial foods that they put such faith in were of no value to those who eat them. v9. We are not one whit better than the first century Christians. Well to do people in the West are obsessed with food because they are preoccupied with their health. So we have frequent health scares about food. Other foods are pronounced good for you. To avoid heart attacks we should feast on mackerel and garlic and swig great quantities of red wine. Organic food is best and people pay over the odds for it. It seems to me that a person's interest in their physical health is inversely proportional to their concern about eternal life. The welfare of our souls depends upon God's provision in Christ Jesus. The writer says be strengthened by grace.v 9. He says, We have an altar from which those who minister at the tabernacle have no right to eat. This is a reference to the sacrifices that devout Jews brought to the altar in the Temple which they were then permitted to take away and eat. Jesus is our sacrifice and upon him we feast. He is the bread of heaven and Jesus encourages his follows to eat this bread. "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live for ever". John6v51. We can draw strength and nourishment from him. (C) For the reputation that counts Jesus went outside the camp to do God's will and make sacrifice for sin. It was not easy for him. It was a bitter cup that he shrank from drinking. The cross was a disgraceful way to die.
by men a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we esteemed him not. Is53v3 It is very disagreeable to be despised and rejected. I can remember how I felt when I taught at Samuel Ward School, in Haverhill, on a three-month contract. There was one class that was very hostile and antagonistic. I did my best to teach them but it was an almost impossible task because they rejected me as a person. I recall saying to one miserable, stony faced, bleak eyed girl, "Make my day - let's have a smile." She replied, "P... off you ..... old pervert." In such circumstances it is possible to have self-doubts. You begin to reassess your ability as a teacher and, indeed, worth as a human being. Jesus was able to bear his disgrace because he knew that he was in the will of his Father. He was doing what God wanted. Jesus..... who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Heb13v2. Men may not have esteemed Jesus but God commended him. He went outside the camp for the reputation that counts. Despised by men but exalted by God. If we wish to be a holy people with a good reputation with God we have to do God's will. This may well take us outside the camp. It puts us at odds with the world. Christians should embrace God's values and not those of the world. We have to remember that God's values do not change. So we will not have the same attitude to wealth, our career, personal comfort, our rights, retaliation, success and failure or personal happiness as our worldly friends. Jesus said, "But seek first his(God's) kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Mt6v33. I heard of a youngish man who worked as an IT specialist for a successful company. After he was converted the man regularly and enthusiastically attended the prayer meeting. As time progressed and his work commitments grew he stopped going to the prayer meeting. He worked later and later into the evenings. He should have gone outside the camp with Christ and kept the prayer meeting evening free from work - even if it annoyed his employers, even if it damaged his career prospects. Jesus calls upon us to deny ourselves and follow him. Nothing would have deflected him from doing his Father's will. We are easily diverted into Bypath Meadow along with John Bunyan's Pilgrim. (D) Regarding the value we put on this life. We read in v14 For here we do not have an enduring city but we are looking for the city which is to come. The Jews loved their city. It had a great history and reminded them of past glories. Jerusalem had buildings of magnificence like the temple - a source of pride even to the disciples. It had its pleasures - shady courtyards to sit and enjoy a meal and a glass of wine. Every luxury could be bought in Jerusalem. It was a place of excitement; anybody who was anybody lived there. The city made its inhabitants feel good. Today many things contribute to the feel good factor in a nation. A booming economy, full employment, sporting success, heroic achievements and scientific advances all help a country feel good about itself. Human happiness is usually rooted in the tangible but Christian's feel good, at peace, at their best, as they look forward to the city which is to come.
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This is the joy set before us. The hope of entering that city, the new Jerusalem, is more important to us than the tangible pleasures of this world. Jesus' sacrifice outside the camp was informed by his hope and hope should be the mainspring of every Christian's life.
(E) To please God The sacrifices the Jews were offering up in the Temple did not greatly please God. They had become a formality, an empty ritual or an offering to earn favour. God had had enough of them. So Christians must beware lest their service becomes legalistic, an empty form or a means of acquiring virtue. This passage teaches that there are three things we should offer God:
Are we habitually thankful? Do we delight in God's goodness? Are we uninhibited in showing appreciation for God's grace. I cannot honestly say that I live like that. It should be the fruit of lips that confess his name. I am sometimes very appreciative like on my ramble earlier this week. I walked up a sunken lane through a wood in Essex. The steep banks of the lane were covered in bluebells with here and there a splash of brilliant white where the stitchwort grew or a dash of pink where the first red campions had blossomed. Too often, however, my mood reflects my circumstances. The quality Christian, of whom it is clear I am not one, is able to rise above circumstances and rejoice in the Lord always. I went to see an elderly couple this afternoon. The husband is crippled by a combination of Parkinson's disease and osteoporosis. Henry always expresses thanks for God's unfailing goodness to him. One of his favourite expressions is, "I've got a lot to be thankful for." He does continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise. Henry looks on the bright side and this adds a shine to his life.
(b) Good deeds.
(c) A willingness to share. There is such a lot we can share: the good news of salvation, information and knowledge, our homes, our family, a good meal, our talents and our time. What an enormous amount of happiness has been given by sharing - both to recipients and givers. I think the example of Aquila and Priscila is very lovely. Apollos was a fine preacher but his understanding of baptism was deficient. Luke writes: When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately. Acts18v26. They shared their home, they shared a meal and they shared the truth - in that order!
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