Hebrews 10:19-31

Hebrews 10:19-31

    Home Alone

Well, it is that time of year when we watch our favourite Christmas Movies.

For the smith household, we will either be watching “Die hard” (again) or more than likely “Home Alone” (again).

Both movies don’t really have a Christmas message…….both movies just happened to be set at Christmas time.

Out of the two, movies, “Die Hard” and “Home Alone”, perhaps “Home Alone” actually had more of a Christmas message.

For those who haven’t watched “Home Alone”, I don’t think I am going to spoil it too much for you here, since the title actually gives it away…….but the movie is basically about a young boy called Kevin, who is left home alone during the Christmas season.

His family go on Holiday and forget to pack one of their children….easy mistake to make, even Mary and Joseph made this mistake as they left Jesus at the temple.

And as Kevin’s large family swans off to Paris and leaves Kevin all alone at home back in America, Kevin immediately sees the perks of this “unfortunate” mishap. He begins to eat all that stuff that mum and dad would put a limit on, like ice-cream and chocolate, he watches all those movies that mum and dad would not normally allow him to watch.

He even made sleigh which he ran down his stairs and into the front garden.

Initially, Kevin, was just fine in being Home Alone- he could do what he liked, whenever he liked.

However as time went by and some bandits attempted to steal from the family house, Kevin realised that it wasn’t so much fun being on his own. He realised that despite all the faults of his mum, dad and siblings, that he actually loved his family and he actually needed them, especially when times were tough.

Friends, as we look at our passage today from Hebrews chapter 10, there is a simple message that we must all hear again this Christmas time, and the message is this:

We need God and we need each other.

We need God and we need each other.

One of the major themes of the bible which runs from creation all the way through to revelation is that “He will be our God and we will be His people”

When God created Adam and Eve, they were his people in His place and God was with them, he walked in the cool of the day with them.

In Revelation 21, when it describes heaven, it describes it as a place where God will dwell with His people

The tabernacle that Moses built in the desert was built so that God could dwell with his people.

When Jesus came to this earth, which is the reason we celebrate Christmas, it was so that God could dwell with man.

Friends, God wants you to draw close to Him.

God desires for you to walk with Him.

This is what you were created for, to be with God.

Look at verses 19-22 with me:

¹⁹ Therefore, brothers,^[c] since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, ²¹ and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

The author of Hebrews urges us to draw near to the living God.

He urges us to draw near to God with full assurance that God will accept us.

And we can only have that full assurance that God will accept us as we draw near to him, only because of his son Jesus and what his son has done for us.

Before Jesus came to this earth, no-one could draw near to God with full assurance, not even the great high priest.

Even though God’s presence dwelt in the tabernacle that his people built, there was still separation between God and his people, not only separated by the outside walls of the tabernacle, but also separated by a curtain, which divided the Holy of Holies from the rest of the tabernacle.

And then, only once a year, could the high priest go into the holy of Holies and make a sacrifice for the people of God. And that one time of the year, the high priest would have entered that place with fear and trepidation, hoping the sacrifices he made for himself were enough to cleanse him.

Friends, when Jesus died on the cross, as our one sacrifice for all our sins, the curtain in the temple was torn in two, which symbolised the reality that our access to God is open through the person of Jesus.

What does that practically look like for us now?

It means that if we want to draw near to God, we don’t have to go to a certain temple, we don’t have to go to a certain mountain, we don’t have to go to a certain priest, but praise God we can draw near to God, anywhere, at any time, by just simply praying to Him. We are a people who worship God in spirit and truth and because of the sacrifice of Jesus, we can boldly approach God at any time.

Perhaps friends, you are not the praying type.

Perhaps this Christmas is the time, when you become the praying type.

Ask God to help you.

Ask God to forgive your sins.

Ask God to draw near to you.

Friends, it is a sweet and beautiful thing to be friends with the living God, however, as we read in verses 26-31, it can also be a very dangerous thing to draw close to God, if you are not fair dinkum about it.

If you draw close to the living God, you will change and change for the better, however if you draw close to the living God, but then deliberately just keep on sinning, deliberately keep living a selfish life, then God will bring judgement on you, because God cannot be mocked.

Look at verses 26-27 with me:

²⁶ For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, ²⁷ but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.

Now, the word deliberately is important here, because if you have drawn near to God through the person of Jesus, you have repented of your sins and put your trust in Jesus as Lord and saviour, then, you are still going to sin in this life, we still will battle our sinful nature, but we will always have forgiveness in Jesus.

However, if you claim you are a believer, but life doesn’t show that change or even that struggle you have with sin, then you are making a mockery of God, you are claiming his benefits without actually living as one of his.

It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God

But, and this is my last point today, if you have drawn near to God through His son, the Lord Jesus Christ, you have repented of your sins, you have put your trust in Him, then not only will you drawer nearer to God, but you will drawer nearer to your sisters and brothers in Christ.

This is just inevitable.

As the sheep follow the shepherd, the sheep come closer together.

I don’t know how many of you here today are C and E Christians, that is people who just go to church at Christmas or Easter…..but I want to encourage you in 2026 to join a local church family.

Join a local church family, that preaches Christ and holds the authority of scripture, because the fact is, not only do we need God, but we need each other.

This is why the author of Hebrews urges us to meet regularly.

Look at verses 23-25 with me:

²³ Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, ²⁵ not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Friends, we need to meet together, to stir one another up.

If we are not meeting with other believers, we become cold, we hope wavers, we take our eyes off Jesus, we get down with all the evil that is happening in our world.

But as we meet together we stir one another up to love and good works, we remind oner another that we overcome evil by continuing to do good. We remind one another that we leave vengeance with the Lord.

We remind one another that we really do need God and we do need each other.

Friends, this Christmas, there is no need to be Home Alone- God is ready to take residence in your heart, a church family is ready to welcome you.

Let us pray.