1 Christ Outside the GateHebrews 13: 8-16 We plan to show: --The value of the city gate and its many uses --The purpose, plan and power of Christ’s suffering outside the gate --Meaning of being inside the gate, and what appear to be advantages. --True Advantages of being outside the city gate.

2 Gates Protect the City The gate was weakest part of a city’s defenseEzekiel 26:2 It was protected by a tower, Nehemiah 3:26 An inner gate added extra security, 2 Samuel 18:24 The Gate was especially subject to attack, Ezekiel 26:2 “Tyre has said of Jerusalem, 'Aha! The gate to the nations is broken, and its doors have swung open to me; now that she lies in ruins I will prosper” To “possess the gate” was to possess the city, Genesis 22:17 promise to Abraham was “your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. “ It was protected by a tower, Nehemiah 3:26 They made repairs “on the gate and on the projecting tower.” An inner gate added extra security, 2 Samuel 18:24 “David was sitting between the two gates”

3 Gate is Secured and Closed Each NightJoshua 2:5, 7 – “. . . the gate was being shut when it was dark . . .” Judges 16:3 – “ at midnight, took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two gateposts, pulled them up, bar and all . . .” Doors were secured with a bar. Usually of wood Nahum 3:13 – “The gates of your land are wide open for your enemies; fire shall devour the bars of your gates.” Sometimes metal Bronze, 1 Kings.4:13 Iron, Ps.107:16

4 Markets are Held at GatesSheep gate, Nehemiah 3:1 Fish gate, Nehemiah 3:3 Horse gate, Nehemiah 3:28 Gates are Civic Centers Genesis 19:1 – “sitting at the gate. . .” Ruth 4:1 – “went up to the gate and sat down” CIVIC CENTERS -- The gate is the center of cultural life. Lot is sitting at the gate and welcomes the angels. Boaz goes to the gate to meet his close relative to talk business. Notice there are seating places.

5 Elders Administer Justice at GatesGenesis 23:10,18 – Abr. buys cave Proverbs 31:23 – Husb. known in gates; sits among elders Kings Make Legal Decisions There 2 Samuel 15:1-2 – Absalom’s decisions When Jerusalem fell – Jer. 39:3 “Oppression in the gates” is a synonym for judicial corruption Proverbs 22: “Do not rob the poor because he is poor; do not oppress the afflicted at the gate” Amos 5:15 – “Hate evil, love good; Establish justice in the gate.” This is because the gate is the location where justice is meted out.

6 Priests and Prophets Deliver Discourses at the GateProverbs 1:21 – Wisdom calls out at the gates, ‘How long will you love foolishness?’ Jeremiah 17:19-20 – “Go stand in the gate and say ‘Hear the word of the Lord . . .” The Gate was the location for Priests and Prophets to deliver the Word of God. Jeremiah was to stand at the gate of the children of the people, where the Kings of Judah go in and out and say, “Hear the word of the Lord . . .”

7 Condemned Criminals are Executed outside the City Gate“And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha” John 19:17 Where was Jesus crucified? Outside the city.

8 Condemned Criminals are Executed outside the City GateJohn 19:20 – “Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.”

9 Condemned Criminals are Executed outside the City GateActs 7:58 – “ and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.” Stephen dies like Christ, so he was thrown out of the city.

10 Outside the Gate Hebrews 13:10-12We 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 for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate.

11 Outside the Gate Hebrews 13:10-12We 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 for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. We Who? We Jews? No. We Christians have the Altar. Altar = metonymy for sacrifice. We have what took place on the altar of the cross, the sacrifice of God’s Son.

12 Outside the Gate Hebrews 13:10-12We 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 for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Jews think they have a better sacrifice! But they do NOT serve God. Irony is Jews serve only the tent (the piece of canvas). They serve the tent. They do not serve the altar!

13 Outside the Gate Hebrews 13:10-12We 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 for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate Those Jews who serve the tent have no right to eat of the altar – that is, they have no right to partake of the altar. They cannot be where they are in the tent in the city – They have to come outside the city to the sacrifice. They must come out to where He is.

14 Outside the Gate Hebrews 13:10-12 We partake of altar = we receivebenefits of the sacrifice

15 Outside the Gate Hebrews 13:10-12We 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 for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate Purpose of altar: that He might sanctify… Heb 9: For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? Titus 2:14 - who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

16 Outside the Gate Hebrews 13:10-12We 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 for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate At what price was the altar made? With His own blood. He gave His life.

17 Outside the Gate Hebrews 13:10-12We 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 for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate Next slide – He suffered

18 Jesus treated as the sin bearer Jesus Suffered, Heb.10:12-13outside the gate Leviticus 16:27 Jesus treated as the sin bearer Lev 16:27 – “The bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Holy Place, shall be carried outside the camp. And they shall burn in the fire their skins, their flesh, and their offal.” Remove the bodies of the sin bearer offerings and burn them. Jesus is like the sin bearer/sacrifice on the day of atonement.

19 Hebrews 13:13 “Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach.” Once a place of shame. He despised the shame, Heb 12:2. He turns everything on its head! Outside the Camp is OUTSIDE THE CITY. Unclean and lepers are outside the city! Jews threw Him out as criminal to be executed. He despised the shame – Heb 12:2 Lit, thought nothing of, despised, disdained, so in 1 Tim 4:12 – “let no one despise your youth but be an example of the believers in W, C, L, Sp, F Purity.” Don’t let others treat you as less because you are young. Christian as someone beneath you. He despised the shame.

20 Share insults intended for HimHebrews 13:13 “Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach.” Reproach = Disgrace Hebrews 11:26 1 Peter 4:14 His reproach is what the nonChristians would have seen as disgrace and humiliation. Heb 11:26 – Moses esteemed “the reproach of Christ greater than the treasures in Egypt.” 1 Pet 4:14 – “If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you . . .” Share insults intended for Him

21 Views of Jesus Jews’ view Galatians 3:13 “Accursed”Maimonides calls him “Jesus the Nazarene who imagined that he would be Messiah and was killed . . .” God wants you to share in that insult. Will you be cursed too?

22 Jews’ Views of Jesus Jesus the Nazarene, may his bones be ground to dust impelled people to believe that he was a prophet sent by God to clarify perplexities in the Torah, and that he was the Messiah that was predicted by each and every seer. He interpreted the Torah and its precepts in such a fashion as to lead to their total annulment, to the abolition of all its commandments and to the violation of its prohibitions. The sages, of blessed memory, having become aware of his plans before his reputation spread among our people, meted out fitting punishment to him.” Maimonides Another view by Maimonides – You and I should share in this shame as well! Jesus got what He deserved! Not. And neither did we brethren.

23 Roman’s View of Christ and Christians“ (Nero). . . punished Christians, who were hated for their enormities. Christus, the founder of the name, was put to death by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea in the reign of Tiberius: but the pernicious superstition, repressed for a time broke out again, not only through Judea, where the mischief originated, but through the city of Rome also, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind.” Tacitus, Roman Historian , AD 56 – AD 117 The Roman historian Tacitus said this about Christ and Christians. Hated. Pernicious. Hideous. Shameful Guilty. Hatred against Mankind. You CARRY HIS REPROACH in that too!

24 Pliny’s View of Christ and ChristiansI interrogated them as to whether they were Christians.; Those who confessed, I interrogated a second and a third time, threatening them with punishment. Those who persisted, I ordered executed. For I had no doubt that, whatever the nature of their creed, stubbornness and inflexible obstinacy surely deserve to be punished. Pliny, Roman Governor, A.D. Pliny, a Roman Governor of Bithynia, wrote this to the Emperor Trajan about those awful Christians. Worthy to be Executed. Stubborn. Obstinate. We will carry the shame with us as we also go Outside the Gates.

25 More of Pliny’s View . . . meet on a fixed day before dawnand sing responsively a hymn to Christ as to a god, and to bind themselves by oath . . . not to commit fraud, theft, or adultery, not falsify their trust, nor to refuse to return a trust when called upon to do so. When this was over, it was their custom to depart and to assemble again to partake of food . . . In the same letter to Trajan, Pliny explains what he had found out about the Christians from former Christians who had now turned to paganism. Hmm, doesn’t sound too shameful to me . . .But hey, I am not a pagan.

26 Pliny’s View about Reforming to HeathenismIt is certainly quite clear that the temples, which had been almost deserted, have begun to be frequented, that the established religious rites, long neglected, are being resumed, and that from everywhere sacrificial animals are coming, for which until now very few purchasers could be found. Hence it is easy to imagine what a multitude of people can be reformed if an opportunity for repentance is afforded. They can be reformed!! That’s what he says in the same letter. I will carry that shame, that he views Christ and me as defective.

27 Seutonius’s View of Christ and Christians“Punishment by Nero was inflicted on the Christians, a class of men given to a new and mischievous superstition.” Caius Seutonius, Roman Scholar, A.D. They have a mischievous superstition! I will carry that shame too. It is one my Lord carried.

28 Lucian’s View of Christ and ChristiansThe Christians, you know, worship a man to this day -- the distinguished personage who introduced their novel rites, and was crucified on that account You see, these misguided creatures started with the general conviction that they are immortal for all time, which explains the contempt of death and voluntary self-devotion which are so common among them; and then it was impressed them by their original lawgiver that they are all brothers, from the moment that they are converted, and deny the gods of Greece, and worship the impaled sophist Christ is the impaled sophist! His followers misguided, and denying the gods. I will carry that shame upon me as I go outside the gate to see Jesus. Lucian, Author, A.D.

29 You are Outside the GatesYou are with Christ. You do not go, act, dress, live as they choose to. You stand out – rejected, outside the gate. You stand outside. Are you willing to do that for God? Sever their emotional and religious ties to Judaism. Ties to city – severed. Jerusalem was no longer their special city (cf. v. 14). Rather it was outside the City that they want to be.

30 You Leave Behind Ready for Disgrace! Fun Lights Beauty Warmth CultureProtection Commerce Importance Friendships Governance Congeniality Justice System Strategic Planning Religious Respectability Your Kids’ Chances for Better Life Civic Life (Restaurants, Theatre, Best Schools) What are the advantages of being inside the city gate? Well there seem to be a few. We will leave these behind. I am ready to be disgraced for God. I am ready to be called a hayseed, a seed picker, a babbler for Christ, as Paul was in Acts I am READY! Ready for Disgrace!

31 “And so, Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through His own blood. Let us, then, go to Him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace He bore. For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come. Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess His name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” Why do what we do? We do what we do because of the last three words in the quote: “God is pleased.” God is pleased! Be assured that Christ suffered – you will as well DON’T LOOK AT WHAT YOU HAVE LOST --- LOOK AT THE CITY TO COME. THE ENDURING CITY – not Rome – Not Jerusalem – But the enduring HEAVENLY JERUSALEM THAT HAS COME DOWN OUT OF HEAVEN. The enduring city. Have you set your hopes on nothing and become disappointed? He that believes and is baptized shall be saved. Come to Christ—outside the city gate—while we stand and sing. Hebrews 13:12-16