Transcript

Good morning, church. We're continuing our series through the book of Hebrews. That's where we've been for 17 weeks. We've gone through this book.

We started last Fall; we took a break and we came back to it this Fall and we're in part 17 of this series. It brings us up to the midpoint of chapter 10. It's our joy to preach through books of the Bible like this. Hebrews has been especially wonderful and deep for us.

And we've entitled this series, “Jesus is Greater.” We don't have to go far in the book before we see the theme. We find it in the fourth verse of the first chapter. Hebrews 1:4 (NLT) “This shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave him is greater than their names.” Jesus is greater.

He's greater than whatever you're facing today. It's my privilege to preach to you a message about how great Jesus is today, as we consider that He provides a greater way. In fact, His way is the only way.

He provides a greater way. We can have salvation through this greater way. We can have 24/7 access to the Father so that we can be in a personal relationship with the Lord. Through Jesus, He provides a greater way as we consider a way to something.

Often in our modern era, people are troubled by exclusive ways, saying, ‘Well, who are you to claim this way or that way? Who do you think you are to make this truth claim?’ Iit made me think about something, as last night I was at a Barton College football game and I was looking at that beautiful moon. Have you all seen the moon the last couple of nights? It has been a beautiful full moon

and as it rises above the horizon, it's bigger than I can remember seeing it in recent days. And as I was thinking about that, it took me back years ago to my grandfather's birthday, when the astronauts landed on the moon. For centuries, humanity dreamed of reaching the moon. They had all kinds of theories about it. Is it made of cheese?

What is the moon? Through countless studies, tests and attempts, they failed over and over again. But finally, Apollo 11, in 1969, successfully landed a man on the moon. So, for the first time, a way was opened so that human beings could step foot on a celestial body other than the Earth. Something previously impossible in all of human history.

July 20, 1969 happened to be my grandfather's birthday. The whole family was there down at the farm and we were sitting around watching after we had had the festivities, watching on his little black and white tv. If some of you older people could explain what I mean to the younger people, they have no idea what I'm talking about. We were watching this and we saw Neil Armstrong land on the moon and say these words. “That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

I was thrilled by it. Wow, look at this. My papaw immediately made a comment. He says, “It's not real. I don't believe it.

It's some kind of fake Hollywood something.” I said, “Papaw, it's real,” and he said, “No, I don't believe it. I don't believe it's real.” So, there have been moon landing doubters ever since.

I think my papaw was part of the first generation of moon landing doubters. Well, maybe that's how the Jews felt when Jesus came saying that He was the way, because for them, God was distant. He was transcendent. He was holy and apart, whereas we are sinful and separated from God and the only way they could reach God is for the high priest.

One day of the year, he could go into the Holy of Holies, carrying the lamb's blood as a sacrifice. The great high priest could go on Yom Kippur, the day of Atonement, representing the people and he couldn't stay in there long. He came out immediately, and then the people would say, ‘Okay, we're good for another year.’ That's God to them.

He was far and distant. How do you reach Him? Who could open a way? Many of them doubted that Jesus claimed to be the way. Not only did He claim to be a greater way, He claimed to be the only way.

He says in John 14:6 (ESV) “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” How have you responded? We saw many of the Jews reject this claim. How have you responded?

Some of you might be here and say, ‘You know what? I believe He is a way. He's one of the ways. I'm just more tolerant than that. I think there are many ways to God, many paths.

You know, different religions and different ways.’ Maybe that's you. You're doubting His exclusive claim. Or, there might be people here that are saying, ‘I just think if you're good enough, God will accept you.’ So, you believe in God.

You're not so sure about Jesus being the only way. You think He's a cool dude, but you're not sure about His claim. Others are here, and you believe that He is the only way to God. That's where you're at, but you lack assurance.

You believe the facts of the gospel, but you still have doubts in your own soul about whether or not you're fully accepted. It's something you've struggled with for a long time. You lack assurance; confidence, if you will. Now, there are others here, and I've been at this for 34 years this month, by the way, and so I recognize all of these different kinds of questions that I get from people.

There are others here that are very confident. You believe the facts of the gospel. You believe Jesus died on the cross for your sins, He was raised from the grave, He lives today

and He's ascended to the Father. You've accepted Him, and you have assurance of your faith, but you know you've kind of taken it for granted. You've got kind of lukewarm in your commitment to Him. You believe and you know your salvation is secure. You have confidence, but you've gotten a little lackadaisical about your commitment to Him. You're not taking full advantage of what Christ has purchased for you.

Where are you at today? Did I touch on the place you're at today? Perhaps the author of Hebrews had these responses and others in mind as the Holy Spirit inspired him to write this book, indeed, for ten chapters. Those of you that have been on the journey with me know this.

For ten chapters, he has laid out a philosophical, propositional set of truths, proving that Jesus is greater. In fact, it's been so intense and so detailed that it was like reading a legal argument being presented before the Supreme Court. Some of you, maybe, were starting to think, Man, I'm not sure where this book is going. So, for ten chapters, we've had what I would call “propositional truth.”

Now, at verse 19 of chapter 10, we're going to have a shift. We're going to shift to prescriptive applications. Now, if you've read the other epistles in the New Testament, you'll recognize this pattern. This is a pattern of the apostolic writings of the New Testament. Read the book of Ephesians - three chapters of doctrine, followed by three chapters of deeds, three chapters of propositional truth, followed by three chapters of prescriptive application.

That's what's happening in Hebrews. It's just a little heavier on the doctrinal side for ten chapters. But then from verse 19 all the way through chapter 13, he's going to now say to us, ‘What should we do now? How should we now respond to the reality that Jesus is greater? Are you ready for this?

You came to the right Sunday. This is the Sunday where we begin to talk about, What do we do about this? Well, in the book of Hebrews, chapter 10, 19-25, the author of Hebrews told those Hebrew background believers that they could confidently respond. They could appropriately respond to the claims of Jesus as being the greater way.

I believe today that we can appropriately respond. As we look at the text, we'll see three appropriate ways to respond to Christ's claim to be the greater way, the only way to a right relationship with God. Let's dig in verse 19 of chapter 10. Hebrews 10:19-25 (ESV) 19 “Therefore, brothers, 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. 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.” This is God's word. Amen. We're looking for these three responses, three appropriate ways to respond to what Christ has done.

1. Let us draw near to God in full assurance.

Since Christ has opened the way to God, let us draw near to God in full assurance. I want you to note a couple of things as we begin here. I'm going to give you three responses because that's how many responses our book of Hebrews gives us.

Indeed, what we have is this beautiful little pearl that just sits like a perfect to preach sermon already. It was so enjoyable to study this week to see it. So, let me show you where the three responses are and then we'll begin to unpack them. Verse 22. Looking at your text, “Let us draw near.”

You see it. Verse 23, “Let us hold fast.” Verse 24, “Let us consider how to stir up one another.”

Do you see them? That's what we're going to do. So you already know where this sermon is going, because the author of the book of Hebrews gave it to us on a silver platter. Here we are; we're just going to go through this.

We want to unpack this together. How do we rightly respond to the great Jesus who has offered this greater way, that He's greater than all? What's the right response? He gives us three. Now, may I note one other thing?

Last week, I taught you something. If you were here last week, I taught you something about the original language of the New Testament. The original language was koine Greek. Koine just means common.

It'd be like saying southern Greek, okay? Just like everyday Greek, Greece Greek, not classical Greek like Socrates and Plato. This is the Greek of the

marketplace; common Greek. And so that's what it was originally written in. It's been translated into every language under the sun. But here we have an English translation, but these three verbs that the English deals with are like this.

”Let us, Let us, Let us.” Someone told me after the service, it made them think of salad. Well, don't think of salad here. But these three “let us” commands are in an unusual Greek voice, and it's in the subjunctive. I know you don't know that word.

It's a very particular word, the subjunctive. The Greek subjunctive says this - there's the possibility of this action. We don't really have an English equivalent

and so what they do to give us the closest thing they could give to it is they say, “let it happen; let us let it happen.” It's not an action word. It's more like a response command.

Since Christ has done this, we should let this happen. We should pursue this. So, there's three of those subjunctive verbs here.

They're all like salad; “let us, let us, let us.” Okay, I'm helping you understand. Putting the cookies on the bottom shelf here, so let's unpack this first.

Let us command. Let us draw near. Let's unpack it like this. Let's back up the bus all the way to verse 19. What do we notice first?

We notice the word, “therefore.” What do we always ask if the word therefore is there? “What's it there for?” It always has an equal sign in the text pointing to what previously happened. Here's what he's going to do:

For ten chapters, he's told us every which way that Christ is greater. He is greater than the old covenant which He fulfills. He is greater in every way, than anyone or any claim or any work. He's greater. Since he taught us this for ten chapters, he has given you this truth, this doctrine.

Then, he decides to summarize it in the next few words. I wish if we could have started here, we could have saved ourselves ten chapters. No, we couldn't have, because he summarizes it very simply. Here's what he says in verse 19, “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus…” What is he talking about?

The actual throne room of the Father in heaven. How? Here's the instrumental support for that. 19 “...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,”

So here's what he's saying: Jesus is a greater sacrifice. He's offered a greater sacrifice. He's offered His sinless body, who kept God's word perfectly. And He has made a way for us through His body and through His blood.

He gives us two “since” bases, if you will, for the three responses - “since” He gave His body and His blood. Then, in verse 21, “and since we have a great priest over the house of God. Jesus makes continual intercession and advocates for us. Where?

In the house of God, which is in heaven. But also, we now are the house of God. Remember what Jesus told them? He said,

”Destroy this temple and in three days I'll raise it up again.” What was he talking about? He was talking about His body. And now we are the body of Christ and He is the head. So the church is not the steeple;

the church is the people. We are the church. So, when he talks about the house of God, certainly he's talking about the throne room in heaven, but he's also talking about us

and so, He is the great high priest over us, advocating for us. So, since this is true now, what he's just done is he's just summarized ten chapters. Therefore, He's the greatest person, He's the greatest sacrifice, He's the greatest high priest, He's the greatest.

He's the greatest. He's the greatest, since He's done all that's necessary to provide a new and living way. Do you see that? That's the title of our sermon.

He’s the greatest way. He's opened up a new and living way through the curtain. What curtain? There was a curtain that separated the holy place, the most holy place, from the rest of the temple, that only the High priest could go beyond the curtain, and then only on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. One day a year, that curtain, except the one in heaven now, is the one he speaks of.

Remember when Jesus was crucified on the cross, and after He said, “It is finished,” an earthquake took place, and the curtain in the temple in Jerusalem was torn from top to bottom, thus symbolizing that the way was what? Open. It's a new way because it's a new covenant. Therefore, we have the New Testament. It's new,

whereas, the old way was through sacrifice, which only pointed to Jesus. It pointed to His fulfillment. It's new and it's living because He didn't stay dead. He was raised again on the third day. So, when we remember the Lord's Supper at the end of our services, we remember His body and His blood.

Since He gave His body and His blood, let us draw near now. Why do we have to remember? Why do we remember here? Why do we offer the opportunity for you to remember every Sunday? Why?

Because we're forgetful people. Perhaps one of the most important imperatives in the whole Bible is “remember.” Why? Because we're forgetful people and getting older is not helping.

Your remembrance doesn't improve with age. We're forgetful people. We're easily distracted. We live in a culture of ADHD

and there's no medication to really solve this problem. We're forgetful people in our spirit. So, we come to the table and we come together for worship. We say, ‘Come on, Lord, I want to draw near. Because You did all that was necessary to open up the way.

There's nothing else for me to do, but there's the possibility of me drawing near. Now the door's open. Why wouldn't I come in?” So now, we've gotten ourselves up to verse 22.

”Let us draw near,” which means to come near. To come as near as you can. How should I draw near? “With a true heart.” In other words, this has to do with a genuine heart, an authentic heart.

Not coming in with memorized prayers, but coming in with all my hurts, habits and hangups. Coming in with everything just as raw as possible. I can come right into the Father. It won't be news to Him anyway. He already knows.

Come in with a true heart, an authentic, genuine part. How? In full assurance. It's a synonym of verse 19, where it says, “since we have confidence.” Some translations say, “come boldly, not pridefully, but without fear.”

The curtain's been torn. And the body and the blood of Jesus is now the new and living way. And we can come in to talk to the Father 24/7. You don't have to make an appointment.

The possibility exists now, believer, for you to go talk to the Father. Did you talk to Him yet today? Have you? We're forgetful people. I meant to.

I get sleepy when I talk to God. You know, sometimes I forget to talk to God. I can't tell if He's listening. Maybe, since I can't tell if He's listening, I won't talk to Him today. I've asked Him for something.

He hasn't given it to me yet, so I'm not talking to Him today. Why haven't you talked to Him today? I don't know why you haven't talked to Him today. Have you talked to Him today?

I knew I had to talk to y'all today and that scared me enough to where I got up really early and started talking to Him. More on that later in this sermon, actually, about how you are part of my sanctification and how I'm part of yours. More on that later. It's in this sermon.

”Draw near.” We can draw near. It says in Hebrews 4:15-16 (ESV) 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

16 Let us then with comfort draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. He understands. He's provided a new and living way. That's the greatest way of all. It's the only way. And He's our great high priest, who has been tempted as we, yet without sin.

So, no matter what you talk to Him about, He gets it. He gets us. He completely understands. “...with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean.”

Now, this is Old Testament language that would have been familiar to the Jewish background believers, they would be sprinkled with blood as Moses sprinkled all the people to sanctify them the blood of sacrifice, which by faith. But here he's not talking about getting sprinkled outwardly. He says that through belief in Christ, because of what Jesus has done, our hearts have been made clean, although the old covenant couldn't do that. But through Christ, our spirit has been changed.

We've been given new hearts and new minds. And so, by the blood and body of Jesus, as has happened, we've been sprinkled “from an evil conscience.” This could be translated as a guilty conscience. It has the idea, literally, of the awareness of past evil. No longer self condemns you because of this inner cleansing.

Now, not only are you feeling forgiven, you're feeling the guilt released from you. Guilt is disabling because the sister of guilt is shame. Guilt and shame always go hand in hand. It disables you and it causes you not to be able to answer God's call on your life because you feel unworthy and you are unworthy. But because of Christ, He's made you worthy. Now you've been cleansed of this evil conscience and your body's washed with pure water.

Now, some theologians say that pure water is a symbol of the Holy Spirit, and so, this is a spiritual washing that we've been washed clean by the Holy Spirit. I think that's probably in view, but as well, others say no, this seems to be a clear allusion. It's using Old Testament language, but it seems to be a clear allusion to baptism, and I'm fine with that as well. Why can't it be both? Maybe it's the Holy Spirit and baptism that is part of this spiritual change in us.

Okay? This is why the possibility of being able to come near, to draw near, is yours in Christ. He's done all the work. And Jesus never separates, nor does the Bible in any place, doctrine from deeds. Now, I'm not saying the deeds earn your salvation, because they don't

and they don't need to, because He's already earned it for us. He's done all that's necessary. But now, there are appropriate responses to what He's done. Since He's opened the way, why wouldn't you come on in? Why wouldn't you?

Oh, let us draw near. Let us draw near with full assurance, because He has done all that's necessary. Hebrews 7:25 (ESV) “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” Remember the story of the Prodigal Son?

The Prodigal Son had taken his inheritance from his Father and he had squandered it in riotous living, the Scripture says. He found himself in a pig sty. Here's a Jewish boy who was commanded never to eat pork, and now he's living with the pigs. Have you ever been in that place where you found yourself so low down you were living with the pigs? Have you ever been there?

He's down there. I don't know if you've ever fed pigs. I have fed pigs. I used to spend the summers on the farm with my grandfather. Pigs will eat anything and they don't care if it's in the mud.

In fact, they seem to prefer it.The scripture says that he was looking at the pig food and it looked good to him. He was ready to eat some pig food. That's how hungry he was.

That's how down in the pit he was and it was at that point, the scripture says, that he came to his senses. He remembered his father's house. And he began to rehearse what he was going to say. The servants in his father's house were living better than he.

I think I'll go to my father and say, ‘Father, I have sinned against God and against you. I'm not worthy to be your son. Let me be a servant in your house. Just let me come home. Let me come home.

Let me come in. Is there a way in?’

So he headed home and he was rehearsing, I believe, all the way home. Then as he came to that path to his father's house, a well recognized, well worn and remembered path, as he came close, he thought, I don't know if he'll let me in.

He was getting worried. He was losing his confidence.

But then, he saw someone running. He saw an old man coming off the front porch and running down that path towards him. In those days they wore robes. I believe he reached through and pulled up his robe and tucked it in his belt, making himself some running shorts. He came running towards his son.

The scripture says that he embraced him and kissed him. ‘My son, who was dead, is alive again. Kill the fatted calf. We're throwing a party. Put the ring on his finger and a robe around him.

My son is alive.’ Jesus has made a way. Why did he tell that story? He told it for you. He told it for me.

We're all the prodigal sons. We all are far from God. He'd made this way for us. Will you draw near? He has provided the possibility.

2. Let us hold fast to our confession of hope.

We're in verse 23. 23 “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope…” Let us hold fast. Remember, it's a possibility. It's in the Greek subjunctive, which means it

is an invitation to respond. It's an imperative. It's a command.

But it's an unusual command in saying, here's an invitation. Here's a possibility. Since Christ has done all this for you, why wouldn't you do it? Hold fast. I was studying the origin of this word in the Greek, and this hold fast was kind of a nautical or a

sailing verb. The idea was that, on a ship, if you're the one controlling the ship's wheel or the rudder, you have to stay a course which is off in the distance, because when you're on the water, it's not like driving on a road. The wind and the waves will drive you off course. So you can't passively steer the ship.

You have to hold fast to the destination that's off in the distance or you'll go off course. That's the background that's helpful to me to think about. In other words, you can't put your Christian life on automatic. You can't put it on autopilot.

You can't just tie off the rudder and go to sleep. It'll drift off course. Notice how it says it here. It says, verse 23, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope…”

If you just go passive, you'll drift off course. Now, I love boats. I love boating.

I love getting out on the water. My grandkids know this because, for our grandparent trip, I will often take the grandkids boating. We've got ten of them “crumb snatchers,” by the way, so it gets pretty overwhelming for me and Robin. But we take them places and one of the things I'll do sometimes is rent a boat and go out on a lake or something and teach them about my love of water and of boats and those things.

As they get older, they get to take turns driving. I'll put them in my lap and they're holding onto the steering wheel, and they might not notice, but I've got my finger at the bottom as they're steering. I'll say, “Look, you can't just hold it still. You have to watch. We're going to head in this direction, and you have to make adjustments.”

It's not passive. You have to stay active or you'll get off course; you'll waver. So he says, “hold fast.” Hold fast to what?

What does he say? 23 “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope…” The word, confession, means to say the same thing in Greek. It means to agree with God, to say the same thing. Homologian is the Greek word, “to say the same word.”

If he calls it a sin, agree with him. I confess it as a sin. If he calls Jesus Lord, he says, Jesus is Lord. I agree.

I confess Jesus as Lord. You agree with Him. Okay. So, he says, ‘Hang on.

Keep your rudder aimed at your confession of hope. Hang on to that without wavering.’ Why?

”...for he who promised is faithful.” It doesn't say that you're faithful. You are sometimes, but He's always faithful. So keep your hope and keep your hopes up. Hang on to hope.

Keep on confessing, because He's coming again and He's provided a way. He's done all that's necessary. So, the possibility exists that I can stay hopeful and I can keep agreeing with God in my statement of hope. That's one of the responses.

Since He's done this, since He gave His body and His blood, and since He lives to intercede for us, let us hang on, let us continue. Let us hold fast our confession of hope. It says in Romans 10:9-11 (NLT) “For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God,

and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.” That which is in the heart is agreed upon from the mouth. And so you confess it. You say the same word, ‘Jesus, you're Lord of my life. I'm hanging on to that.’

If you're losing hope today, if you feel hopeless today, check your bearings. Are you wavering? Are you drifting off of the destination called Jesus? The way is not a road, the way is not a religion. The way is a relationship.

The way is a person. Set your focus. Set your way. Hold fast to Jesus.

It says in Hebrews 4:14 (ESV) “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.” Will you hold fast to Jesus? Will you hold fast to Him?

Would you hang on to him? He's done all that's necessary. Hang on now. Here's the third:

3. Let us consider how to stir up one another.

It's in verse 24 and 25. Do you see what we've been doing? We’ve been going verse by verse through this little section in Hebrews. Let us consider how to stir up one another. You're sitting there thinking, Well, you took those right out of the book.

I know.

Let us consider how to stir up one another. We're in verse 24. Do you see it? Now, normally to stir up somebody, whether it's in Greek or English, is taken as a negative idea. That's not usually a good thing.

In fact, it lends itself to a violent interpretation, like poking somebody, like shaking somebody. So, you might think, Well, that doesn't seem right. He doesn't mean it exactly like that. In fact, he modifies it in the way he words it.

He says in verse 24, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,” Did you catch that? Consider and considerate are related terms, aren't they? Be considerate; be careful. Think about it in advance; pray about it. Don't say to yourself, Well, I just gotta get this off my chest.

That's you saying whatever you want to say based on you. Consider, is this the right time to talk to this person about this? Am I saying this in a loving way? Is it really the Holy Spirit telling me to speak the truth in love, Ephesians 4:15, with this person right now?

Consider what it means to engage the mind and the heart. Think about it. Be considerate. Think about what's best for them, but then don't withhold it. Ephesians 4:15 says,

”Speak the truth in love.” Don't come at somebody poking them with a smile on your face. Come with tears in your eyes and say, ‘Brother, I love you. But I'm worried about how you're acting in this particular situation. I've been praying about it before I came to you.

I need you to think with me about this.’ If you really love people, you'll do that. If you don't care about them, you'd be like, you know, the drama is not worth it.

But if you really love people, you'll speak the truth in love. Now, some of you grew up in a house where everybody just swept it under the rug. If you grew up in a house like that, you've got some chains to break from your past, because that's not the way you live in reconciled love with one another. You've got to speak the truth in love and stop lying to each other. Just take Ephesians chapter four as a prescription.

Take that home and study it if you grew up in a household where they swept everything under the rug. Here's the other extreme of a household like that; they swept it under the rug until one of them exploded with anger and then responded inappropriately. So there's like two ditches. All anger or all denial.

This is Dr. Gary writing your prescription right now - go read Ephesians 4:15.

Speak the truth in love, then get on over there in your anger. Do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your anger. Do not give the devil a foothold. Then, you keep on going.

Do not say anything to each other, only that which would edify or build them up. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit. It's all in there by the way you treat one another.

You have the best insurance right now.

Let us stir one another up. Let's keep looking at this.

We're on point three. Let us consider how to stir one another up. So we thought about it. What are we supposed to stir them up to? What are we supposed to motivate them to do?

”...to love and good works,” To love one another and to do good. Why? Because Jesus gave His body and His blood and He continually prays for us. Why wouldn't we step through the possibility and consider the possibility that our sanctification becoming like Jesus requires us to be in fellowship with one another and to stir one another up. Now, basically, I have a full time job of stirring you up.

That's my job every Sunday. To preach from God's word and to yell, to speak softly, to cry sometimes to even sing, even if your ears can't bear it. Paul called it “the foolishness of preaching.” But yet, God's word does not return void. My job is to stir you up, to poke you, to prod you, to shake you to love and good works.

I have to do it with consideration, being very careful not to come at my own opinion, but to say just what it says as clearly as I can. Prayed up as close as I can with love for you as much as I can.

We need each other. Because you can't do the one another's

without one another. Oh, there's my church. That's the church I've been going to church with for these 34 years.

”...to love and good works…” Then he tells us how not to do it and how to do it. In verse 25, here's how not to stir one another up. And here is how to stir one another up. So first of all, verse 25, not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some.

That's how you don't do it. You can't stir one another up if you don't get together with one another. Seems like a no brainer, yet, we get in a bad habit. We get in a bad habit.

I just read a recent survey about this. Surveys show a significant decline in church attendance among those who consider themselves church members. In the 1990s, a typical church member attended services three out of four Sundays. In fact, it was a little higher than that. It was like 3.2 or something like that almost every Sunday.

If you were a member, you went to church every Sunday. You went to your small group.

But recent data suggests that it has shifted to 1.7 times per month for someone. I'm not talking about lost people. I'm not talking about just, you know, what I call “CE Christians.” They only go at Christmas and Easter. Have you heard of CE Christians? You must not be one because it's neither Christmas or Easter.

Okay, you're here. But I'm talking about members. The new average according to the surveys is 1.7 times a month. If they go once and almost two times, then they count themselves faithful. That's the new level of faithful gathering.

This trend reflects, according to the article, broader cultural changes and increased competition for time on weekends, with factors like youth sports, extracurricular activities playing a significant role. Additionally, the rise of digital worship options since COVID in 2020 has contributed to the reduced frequency of physical attendance gathering together. Now I'm glad we have online. We'd never had it before COVID, then we had to have it in order to have church and we had to keep it once we offered it. I'm glad we have it for several reasons.

I'm glad we have it for when you're on vacation. I'm glad we have it for our international missionaries. We used to send them cassette tapes back in the day. We would mail them tapes and we had to put them on plain wrappers so they were in closed countries and it wouldn't get them kicked out of the country.

I'm glad we have it online for missionaries. I'm glad we have it for elderly people who might be shut-ins and they're no longer able to get out. They might be handicapped. But as I look at the camera right now and I'm talking to you at home.

It's not for you just to be lazy and sleep in. It's not why we offer it online. It's not for that. So you can watch me through your sock feet in your bed. It's not for that,

because you are not understanding that Jesus came from heaven to earth and gave His body and His blood. He died for our sins, was raised, lives today and prays for us constantly. He's opened up the possibility that you could come together in person and shake each other up. Stir each other up. You can't do that at home. I love you. I'm glad you're watching online today.

Don't cut me off, but show up next week if you can, if you're able. Don't be one of those 1.7 attenders. Try to raise the bar and get a new habit because you can't do the one another’s without one another. Oh yeah, there it is. There's the church.

There's the church. That's how you don't do it. You don't fall into a habit of neglecting your community groups. You're gathering together. You don't get in the habit of neglecting being together because we're forgetful people.

Part of our sanctification of becoming like Jesus is that of sharpening each other. So how do we do it? By encouraging one another.

It encourages me just to see you because I love you. I don't know all of you that well. I know some of you really well. Some of you are thinking, Pastor, we know you so well. We wish we didn't know you that well sometimes.

But I know most of you. I'd like to know all of you really well. Someday we'll be in eternity together. We'll have time, but let's practice now,

encouraging one another. There's a lot of “one anothers” in this passage and all the more. We should do it more, not less. In other words, the national trend should be going in the other direction.

For faithful Christians who understand what Jesus did, we should do it all the more, as we see the capital D Day approach. What's D Day? That's the day of His return. I don't want Him to come with me saying, ‘I just wasn't feeling it.’

Oh man, if He could catch me right now while I'm right here and you're right there, wouldn't that be awesome? That'd be awesome.

I hope He finds me faithful. I hope He finds you faithful all the more. He says, ‘as the day approaches.’ I want to close with this:

There was a parable that Jesus tells in Luke, chapter 14. He was visiting one of the Jewish men; he was a rich man. He says to Jesus, ‘Won't it be great when we sit around the banquet table in the kingdom of heaven?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Let me tell you a parable.

A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. At the time of the banquet, he sent his servant out, saying, come, the meal is ready. Come on in. But, they began to make excuses. The first one said, I bought a field.

Let me go take a look at it, and then I'll try to work it in. Please make my excuses to the master. Another said, I've bought five yoke of oxen and I need to go examine them, and I won't be able to make it on that particular day. A third said, I've married a wife. It's going to be a while before I can show up.

I'm sorry. Please give my regrets to the master. And the master of the house became angry. And he said to his servant, you go out into the streets and the lanes of the city, and you bring in the poor, bring in the crippled, bring in the blind, bring in the lame. And they all came.’

Maybe that's what it means for those of us that remember that I once was blind, but now I see. Those of us that remembered I once was lame, but now I can walk. We say yes to the invitation to come on in because He's done all that's necessary for us to draw near to God. If you feel distant today, could it be because you have not taken advantage of the open way to the Father?

When's the last time you talked to Him? If you're feeling hopeless today, could it be because you've taken your eyes off the destination and you've wavered, you've had it on autopilot? If you've fallen into a bad habit of neglecting fellowship with other believers, could it be that you need to be encouraged today to get a new habit? If none of this makes sense to you today, if all of this only says to your heart, I feel like somebody's knocking at my heart's door, then it could be that that's Jesus saying, ‘Come, I've made a way for you.’

Would you let me pray for you right now, wherever you are? Lord Jesus, I pray first for that person that came in far from You today. But, as they've heard Your word today and as they've thought about what Jesus has already done for them, they've said, ‘I

want to confess that I'm a sinner. I want to admit and agree with God that I'm a sinner. I, also, want to confess Jesus as Lord today, Lord, right now in prayer. I want to do that. Lord, forgive me of my sins.

I believe You died on the cross for me and that You were raised from the grave. Come and live in me. Forgive me of my sins and adopt me into Your family as a child of God. I want to follow You all the days of my life as my Lord and Savior.’ If you're praying a prayer like that, believing, He'll save you. Others are here and you're a believer, you're a follower.

But, you feel dry. Maybe you feel distant; maybe you feel hopeless today. Maybe you lack assurance. The possibility exists to come on in, to stay connected. Right now, just confess it to the Lord, ‘Lord, I'm approaching You now.

I want to hold fast, I want to draw near. I want to come to You, afresh, today. Fill me afresh with Your spirit. Help me to be an encouragement to others. Lord, I pray all of this in Jesus' name.

Amen.