A Greater Way
Jesus is Greater: An Exposition of Hebrews November 17, 2024 Hebrews 10:19-25 Notes
How have you responded to Christ’s claim to be not only the greatest way, but the only way to come to God? To come to the Father? Many in our world today struggle with this claim. They try to reach God, or their idea of God, through human means, through religion or rule-following or some other way. But they all fall short. Others believe that Christ has opened the way to God, but they don’t feel assured that they are worthy of it or that they can be sure of it. While others are confident of their new position in Christ, but they aren’t taking full advantage of what Christ has accomplished in opening this new and living way to the Father.
Perhaps the author of Hebrews had all these responses to Christ in mind as he shifted from 10 chapters of propositional truth to prescription, from doctrine to deeds.
In Hebrews 10:19-25, the author told the Hebrew believers that they could confidently respond to the new and living way that Christ had opened up for them to God. We can confidently respond to the new and living way Christ has opened to God.
Audio
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.
Audio
Good morning, church. So grateful you're here. Very thankful to be preaching this morning. We're in the last couple of weeks of our series, Jesus is Greater. And then we'll pick up the end of this series next year at about this time.
And so we're in the book of Hebrews chapter 10 today in this series we've called Jesus is Greater. And I want to remind you of our theme verse right out of Hebrews chapter one, which really set the tone for the whole book. In verse four it says, this shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave him is greater than their names. So this whole book is about the idea that Jesus is greater than any other form of law, any other religion. He is the one and only.
In fact, as we'll read today, not only is he the greater way, he's the only way. And so certainly the only would be the greatest. And today we're in part 17 of this series. Believe it or not, we started it last year. And you can be assured today and confident of your 247 access to the Father in Christ Jesus that we can boldly enter into his presence as his kids, as his sons and daughters.
Interestingly enough, this greater Way brought something to mind this week. I'm a bit of a sci fi sort of science y kind of nerd guy. I don't know if y'all know that. You can leave now if you want, if that bothers you. But I've loved space since I was a child.
I was one of those weirdos when I'd go to my grandparents house and go to the encyclopedias because she had them like that set, you know, the Britannica or whatever. I would always go to S for space, man. I'd be living in there looking at shuttles and all that cool stuff. And for a long time humanity was dreaming of reaching the moon. And we ran all kinds of studies and tests and we had a lot of failed attempts.
I don't know if you know this, we've. We blew a lot of stuff up. Some people I think lost their lives. I mean, there was a lot of attempts. It wasn't until Apollo 11 that the astronauts finally succeeded in landing on the moon.
July 20, 1969 was the day that you may have heard of where Armstrong stepped foot on the moon and said, this is one small step for man, but one giant leap for mankind. But I've met a whole lot of people say that is a hoax, a Hollywood hoax. The flags. The wind's doing something and all these various things and maybe I'm crazy, I think they did it. I believe, but maybe you don't.
That's not the point of today. I understand this though. That very notion. And there's a lot of concepts like this. We've had more recent challenges where we weren't sure if what we were hearing was true.
Where one news outlet was telling us this and another this and who do we believe? It's all starting to feel little fishy. And so this is, I think, how the Jews must have felt about Christ in the first century. That's where we're at here. In the book of Hebrews is the author trying to convince them of a greater way.
The Jews would have this opinion of God as being holy and perfect and distant. And there's a lot of truth to that. We have the Old Testament, certainly they had it to convince them of that and that humanity is desperate and sinful. And how do you bridge the gap? Well, the gap was bridged roughly by sacrifice, by constant worship by priests and high priests.
And we've been talking about that for weeks. And so the idea of approaching directly to God is completely mysterious. Seems like a complete hoax to them. This is why they were so bothered when, when Jesus said in John 14:6, I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
This was troubling news. Sounds like a hoax to them perhaps. Do you know it sounds like a hoax to a lot of the world still that okay, there's one way, there's not just a greater way, there's one way and it's Christ Jesus. Have you responded in this way to Christ's claim to not only be the great way, but the only way? Many in our world struggle with this.
We try to reach God in a lot of different ways. In fact, in our culture we're not even really using, well at least not formal religions anymore to reach God. Now a lot of these still have every tenants of a faith, but they don't claim to be a faith. Things like complete hedonism and following the culture and just whatever identity you choose. And there's.
I could fill in the blank on a hundred different ways that people try to attempt to reach whatever idea of God that they have. But I think in all of us we recognize that there's something missing, there's something falling short. Even those of you in the room who believe Christ has opened the way. But maybe at times you don't feel a sense of assurance, maybe you feel unworthy, maybe there's something broken in your relationship that you've not really worked on to restore. Maybe you're not feeling that sense of confidence or maybe maybe there's some of you in the room that really understand your faith in Christ.
You understand and you're walking with him, but you're not always taking advantage of this amazing thing you've been given. It's wild at times that, and I know this, I experience this myself all the time. I have this incredible access to God the Father, and yet I spend a lot of my time in self worry rather than in prayer. Funny things that I do, and I'm sure you probably do, where you waste so many countless minutes and hours in anxiety and worry rather than in prayer not taking full advantage. I think the author of Hebrews is really dealing with these responses to Christ.
Not only is Christ the better, greater only way, but also what about the believers and their struggles and their unique battles in this world? He's shifting. Now, some of you might be thankful to hear that it's been very doctrinal so far. It's been heavy lifting in a lot of ways as we wrestle through. But here in the middle of Hebrews chapter 10, he is shifting for the rest of the book.
This is a habit of a lot of the writers of the apostles, these letters of Paul and various ones. You'll notice a trend that for several chapters they give you doctrine, doctrine, doctrine. They're trying to give you their thesis statement, if you will, trying to build the foundation so that now they can tell you what to do with that. And so for 10 chapters, the writer's been trying to convince us Jesus is the greater access, he's the greater sacrifice, he's the greater offering, he's the greater way, he's the greater high priest. Just boom, boom, boom, hitting all of these really important doctrines now.
Now we're going to get into what you might call deeds or prescription, which I bet some of you are very thankful for. I've heard from various people over the last few weeks, boy, this Hebrews thing is starting to kind of wear on me. And good, I guess. I mean, it's the word of God. I didn't write it, he did.
And so it's been meant to move us and stir us. And now today we're going to move into this idea of being spurred on, being encouraged to do something now with what Christ has done. Hebrews chapter 10, 1925. The author first told Hebrew believers they could be confident in their response to this new and living way that Christ has opened up and we can have this kind of confidence, assurance that Christ has opened a unique way. And the text gives us three ways to respond.
So let's read just a few verses today. Hebrews 10, verses 19 through 25. It says, therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his blood, and since we have a great high priest over the house of God. Here's your points. They're really obvious.
Number one, let us draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith with. With our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Number two, let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us three consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 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.
God bless the reading of his word. Amen. Now, this writer in this section made life really easy on me, the preacher, because there are three very obvious applications in this section. And the first is this. There, right there in verse 22.
Let us draw near to God in full assurance. Let us draw near to God in full assurance. He gives us two statements right away in the first few verses. Two since statements. He says, first, since we have.
Therefore, since we have confidence in what? In the blood of Jesus. So something has shifted in the way in which we approach God. This is what I've been talking about for 10 chapters. We can now have a confidence that the blood of Christ Jesus has granted us new and eternal access to God the Father.
This is incredible news. And then it goes on to say, and since we also have a new high priest over the house of God, so the system has changed. The access is new, it's perfect, it's eternal. And the system now is in the priesthood of Christ Jesus. What do we do with that?
Let us draw near. What should you do now, given this incredible access to God? This is kind of like basic, really basic thinking, although for some reason it's so hard to apply. Now, some of you, I want you to think back for just a minute. Those of you who are married in the room or those of you who are dating, think back of that moment in time where you could tell he or she was shifting into, this is gonna work out this relationship.
This person is. Some of you played hard to get. Some of you ladies, you made this tricky for Some of your men. And that's cool, that's fun. But guys and gals, remember that shift that begins to occur where all of a sudden, okay, we're digging one another's chili.
This thing's gonna work out all right? This is gonna be a thing. And now suddenly you have access. Now, I can remember nights and nights with. He would stay up late talking at Krispy Kreme.
We're supposed to go to school the next day. We're both in college and we're at 2 or 3 in the morning at Krispy Kreme, both of us smelling like lard for the rest of the day. I mean, just that now, all of a sudden, we've got opportunity, we've got access to just. And at the time, all we had was instant messenger. Remember that good time?
Aol Instant messenger. You get that little bing, bing. And I know we were just talking till 3am But I got a few more things to say at 3:30.
Just incredible. And how that felt that suddenly this person really wants to spend time with me. I gotta admit to you, I rarely miss the opportunity to take on that access. And I do it worse now, I have to admit, now that we've been together for next year will be 20 years of marriage, y'all. I'm pretty excited about that.
And we've made it. I think. I think we're gonna make it.
But now I don't always use the opportunity wisely. She always has words for me. I don't always take time to have that access. I can remember the way I felt in the early days. However incredible that is, it's so much more incredible that I can do that with the Lord, with God.
Do you understand this principle? That now the Bible is simply calling us here to draw near you have confidence. You have the blood of Christ. Jesus now has sanctified you. You can come confidently before God instead of spending all this time as I know you do, because I do.
And worry and doubt and anxiety and wrestling it. Those late nights where you just can't get your brain to turn off. Why is it that you don't turn that stuff into prayer? Why is that? I can promise you this.
It's not on his end because he's just as joyful and excited to spend time with you. Because he has created you for himself. He wants to spend time with you. Let us draw near. The Bible says.
Now this verse, all three of these commands are in what you call in English, subjunctive. That's why they say, let us. That means these Aren't your normal kind of commands. These are commands of opportunity. Let us.
It's like drawing you in to draw near to him. You have the opportunity to do this now. You're not going to be made to do it. God's not. This isn't the way he works.
He's not going to be down and, like, shaking. You say, let's chat. Now. Maybe there's stuff that happens in your life sometimes where you're like, I hear you, God. Like, let's talk.
Where just life is so a mess and so chaotic that it feels like he's doing this. But generally that's not how he works. No, there's an opportunity now for you to draw near. He has made the way. He has done everything necessary that you would draw near.
But there's no. There's nothing making this happen. And here's the lovely thing that's happening in verse 22. You don't have to just come in some kind of phony way. Some of you I know, maybe you don't have a strong prayer life.
It's not something you grew up around. Maybe you didn't grow up around church or grow up around believers. And you've not really, until recently, heard a lot of prayer in your life, perhaps. And so it sometimes might feel to you like I'm doing something foreign when I come to him, when I walk with him, when I talk with him. Feels strange to me at times.
The Bible says here that you can draw near confidently, draw near with a true heart. What does that mean? That means not some kind of weird lip service, not some kind of insincere. That means, my friends, when you hear me pray, or when you hear other believers pray, family members pray, and you hear the way in which they do it. Sure, you can take some notes, but here's the way you pray, my friend.
You pray like you talk to everybody else. Yeah. There should be a sense of God's holiness and his sovereignty. That's why we were instructed by Jesus. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
That means you should spend time glorifying God. You are great. I'm thankful for what you've done. But the way in which you phrase this should not be some kind of weird version of you. That's not real.
He says, with a true heart. That means if you use a lot of y'alls, then it's y'all to God, too. All right, if you don't say the thou and thus, then why are you praying that way? That's not A true heart. I don't think.
I've not met any of you that's doing that. Tis so sweet Lord, that I don't know. I've never heard you talk that way. He doesn't expect that from you either. Come with your true heart.
God, I am struggling today with this. God, you are great, and I want to know you better. You make it. You. This isn't lip service.
This is a true heart. How full of assurance. You can come with the kind of confidence that you can't have with anybody else. You ever come to even the most trusted person in your life, which I hope is your spouse, but maybe it's a parent, even more so, somebody that you know. I can tell them this, and they're not going to condemn me, but even that.
Even that. There's just this subtle opportunity that they might rebuke me. They might come back and look, God might do that, too. But here's what you have. With this full assurance of faith, you have a confidence that anything you come before him with, he is faithful and just, and he loves you and he wants perfectly the best for you in a way that no one else could.
Do you understand this level of communication you have with God the Father? Why aren't you drawing near? Why is it that we're this way? I can tell you. It's a brokenness in our flesh.
It's a sinful nature. We are made for God, and yet in every way we run from Him. Even as believers. You don't get a magic prick or something when you come to Christ that says, oh, now you're going to do the right thing and walk with God. Now you have the Holy Spirit convicting you.
Have certainly him moving in your life and often informing you. But this full assurance of faith, draw near to Him. He goes on in verse 22 to say, you, hearts have been sprinkled. Now, for weeks we've been talking about this idea of this crazy occasion where Moses was instructed to take the blood of the sacrifice and to sprinkle it on the altar and to sprinkle it on several items in the temple. In fact, a few weeks ago it said it sprinkled on all the people, which was some kind of thing to see.
Now, what we see in Christ Jesus is that operation, that physical thing is no longer needed because God has done what they were merely showing on the outside. He has done it on the inside. And that was always what God desired. The physical act was meant to show them that a spiritual act needed to take place. But now, in Christ Jesus.
The spiritual has occurred. Your hearts, what they've been sprinkled clean from what an evil conscience. The niv, I think, translates this slightly better. This word evil here could certainly mean that, but it really means full of labor, full of hardship. The NIV says a guilty conscience.
This is the idea that what God has done is he has cleaned or washed away the guilt and the shame. I've talked for several weeks about this idea. Certainly the Holy Spirit of God is still informing and convicting you. When you do wrong, you know it. When you walk in Christ.
I think that's actually. That's a level of assurance in and of itself that when you think or do something wrong, that there's some internal voice saying, not cool, bro. Why you do that? That's the Spirit of God that's happening. But then the guilt after repentance, that's not of God.
Because the Bible again and again says, you have been sprinkled clean, washed of this accusation. You know that's one of the names of the evil one, the accuser. So when you're constantly feeling condemned and accused, that is not God. You can go ahead and lay that again at his feet and say, remove this God. You say in your Word, I've been sprinkled clean of this.
And I know in you I am new. I am new. I'm not what I was. I'm not the drunk. I'm not the mess.
I'm not. You fill in the blank. I'm not the terrible worker, the lazy, the passive. You fill in that. I'm not that anymore.
In Christ Jesus, I have been sprinkled clean. And then lastly, bodies washed. Verse 22, bodies washed. This is, I think, both the allusion to what's happened in the Holy Spirit, but also maybe an allusion to baptism as well, that pure water has now cleansed. I think both could be evident there.
So now we confidently draw near because of Christ's sympathy, His mercy, his grace, his help. Remember what it said back in Hebrews 4. It says, we don't 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. Let us then with full confidence, draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. You have it, use it.
You have access to the throne of God. You use it and see him move in your life in a way maybe you've never experienced. Hebrews 7. Later in Hebrews. Hebrews 7, it says, 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.
Christ Jesus always lives to make intercession. That's incredible. You get in this church, draw near. This is on your side. Sometimes God will certainly do things in your life to shake it up, but this is on your side that you would draw near to him.
This opportunity is yours. Be like the prodigal. I go back to this story so often because it has so many applications, but one thing that I want to remind you of, there in Luke 15, is the prodigal Son, where he does all these terrible things. What he said to the Father is terrible. I just want your stuff.
I wish you were dead. Basically by saying, hey, give me my possession so that I can go on and do what I want. And he goes on and squanders his wealth. You probably are familiar with the story, if not Luke 15, check it out. But then he gets to the end of things where there's a famine and he's struggling and he's eating out of the pig trough.
I mean, it's gotten bad. He has nothing. And he comes to his senses. It says and says, I will arise and go to my father, and I'll just be one of his servants if he'll take me. And that's not how the Father responds.
He runs out, puts a cloak around and puts a ring back on his finger and says, my son was dead, but now he's alive. And there's a whole lot more to that story. But most of us are like the prodigal Son in this, that we're off. Maybe we feel desperate, maybe we're stuck. The question is, will you do what Scripture has said several times in Hebrews, but all throughout Scripture?
Would you draw near? Would you come to your senses and say, I will arise and go to my father? Doesn't matter what I'm facing, doesn't matter the difficulty that I'm in. I will go to him. And guess what he's going to do.
No matter what you have planned, he's running to you and putting a cloak around you and putting a ring on your finger. My son's. Good to hear from you again, my daughter. I'm so thankful you're here again. You don't have to wait like this anymore, honey.
You don't have to. Let's talk every day. Let's talk all through the day. That's Christ. That's the Lord to you.
Full access. Will you draw near to God, here's the second. Let us of this section, verse 23, let us hold fast to our confession of hope. Now, some of you, you might be doing the draw near, you're hanging with the Lord, but the question is, are you hanging on now to this hope that you have in Christ? Are you letting some things kind of cause you to waver?
Verse 23 has got it all. Hold fast. This word is kateko. In the Greek. It means literally to hold on to the ship as it's going through the waves is kind of what this thing means.
It's crazy cool. Like if you're in a storm and if you've been on the ocean, been being on a boat, you know, it's not like driving a car where you can kind of just one hand that sucker, you know, you're doing all this kind of activity. This is the idea of hang in there, draw a straight line, hold the ship straight. It says, hold on to what? Your confession of hope.
This is salvation. This is the hope that you have not only today, but of eternal things. I've often heard you can really tell a lot about a person and how much they express fear. You can really tell a whole lot about a person's holding fast, their hope level when you hear them talk about the things they fear, the things they doubt, the things that worry them. And I know some of us, some of you in the room, I'm not meaning to like, you know, cut you down really hard because some of you are more worriers by nature, but I want to, I want to let you know something, that I think the more you have hope and confidence in Christ Jesus, the less you fear and the less you worry that the idea of holding fast should be medicine to your deep worry.
Some of you, I know you've been told since you were a little boy, a little girl, you're a worrywart, but in Christ Jesus, you are new. And the better that you hold fast to your confession of hope, the more all those things at the end of the day, the more all those fears start to go. But God's got this. Not just eternally, not just beyond, which might be a fear for some. Oh, that's definitely covered by the blood of Christ.
I don't have to fear that anymore. But tomorrow. But what about when my boss just fired me? What about when he or she does this and I'm worried they're going to leave me and the fears, the fears, the fears. But in Christ Jesus, hold fast because, yeah, guess what?
The waves are doing this in every one of our lives if you think you're alone I have good news for you. We are all on rocky seas. It's wild out there. Will you hold fast to the thing that draws a straight line in your life? Hold fast without wavering, it says in verse 23.
How can we do this? Well, he tells us that too. For he who promised is faithful. Now, I racked my brain this week as to why in the world he just said, he who promised is faithful and didn't tell us what in the world he promised. I think that was on purpose.
I think the writer left that part out on purpose so that we could sit there and go, okay, well, what did he promise? That he's faithful. What else did he promise that to? He's faithful. I think he purposely.
Why? Because maybe it would take half the book of Hebrews to talk about what he's promised. Maybe that wasn't his intent. Did he promise eternal life? Yes, and he's faithful.
Did he promise to be with you and walk with you and to never leave you nor forsake you? Yes, he's faithful. What else did he promise? Oh, my friend, he's faithful.
Our confession. Jesus is Lord while simultaneously believing this gospel. I recite this almost every week. And there's a reason for that, because I think it's one of the clear places in scripture that tells us how we place our faith in Christ. Romans 10.
It says, 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're made right with God. And it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. Confession. Hold fast to it.
Well, the confession in the gospel itself is really quite simple. This is shocking to the rest of the world. Just so you know. This is a shocker. What do I have to do?
Believe. Believe what? That Christ died for your sins and that God raised him from the dead? Is that it? Pretty much.
What is next? Oh, the kingdom of God is next. That's what follows. But where does it start? Would you believe in your heart?
Why does Paul here in Romans say, then confess with your mouth? Because this is a public thing. This isn't something you do internally or all alone. Christianity has been and always will be a corporate faith. It has always been this way.
And it will continue to be that we tell others what we've believed. It's confirmation. As the Son of God and great High priest, Jesus has enabled us to hold fast in this way. Earlier in Hebrews 4, it says, since we have this great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. This is why in a few weeks, we're going to do a baptism together.
And if you've been thinking about this, please, this is the opportunity. We're going to do these all throughout the year, but certainly this will be a cool time to come and get baptized in December. And what we do every single time is we ask the person being baptized, do you confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? To which they reply, I do. I make that confession.
And on the basis of that confession, I now baptize you, my brother, my sister, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. We're asking now for a public confession. And then what do we do as a church? We as a church, together hold fast to those confessions we've made before God and before man. When your belief in God is unsure, you can be sure that your fear of what's next or of death will remain.
Will you decide today to fully believe, hold fast and be faithful to him who is faithful? Here's the third, and this one's a big one. I did good, too. I've saved myself a little bit of time. Verse 23, it says, Let us.
Or, Sorry, excuse me. Verse 24. Let us consider how to stir up one another. To love and good works. Some of you so far have been like, all right, check.
All right, check this third one. I bet most of us are going to have to go, mmm, I need to keep working on that one. This final one of let us consider how to stir up. I love that he says, not only let us. This opportune command, this opportunity, but also the word consider.
He doesn't say stir up one another. No. He says, let us consider how to do that and then do it. How do we. What does he mean by consider?
This is the idea that you would carefully, thoughtfully be attentive to one another, that you would have a deeper concern for one another. Now, this one's going to be. This one might hurt a little bit. Okay. Some of you in the room have been thinking, I really need to call such and such out on this.
I really need to challenge this person on what I've been seeing, what I've been hearing in their life, and that may be of God. But again and again, and certainly here in Scripture, it says, consider how you might do that. This word consider has to do with deep concern. So are you doing this out of a desire that something that's going wrong in your life would stop going wrong. I want you to know that's not a good desire.
You won't approach this person correctly. I want this thing that this person's doing to stop. It's getting on my nerves. That's not it. That's not a deep concern.
I really want this person to know that I caught them. I see what you've been doing. That's not a deep concern.
I'm hopeful that this person, when they see that this has been not only hurting the congregation or the co workers or hurting me, but also how it's hurting them and how this isn't a long term good for their life. Now we're getting close. Now when I come to call out, it's I love you, I care for you. I'm worried that what you're doing, what you're saying, what you're doing isn't going to be good for your relationships. And I want you to succeed.
It goes back to something I said a few weeks ago, that we should be the kind of believers who care more about what God is doing for and in this person rather than what we can get from them. And so many of our relationships are like that, where we just treat people like projects rather than people who God loves. So do you have deep concern? If you don't have deep concern, don't open your mouth because you're not in the right place. You want to consider how to stir them up.
All right, I love you. I want you to be right with God. I want to see you be successful in this life. Now you're getting close to ready. Let us consider it.
Do you really care for each other? Do you really deeply care? Because he goes on there in verse 24, to use a word which I'm very uncomfortable with. It's not as uncomfortable in the English, the word he says stir up one another. I want you to know that almost every other time this verse or this word appears in the New Testament, it is negative.
It means to provoke, to incite, to irritate, to spur, like you've spurred a horse to get him to go with the spurs.
That's why you got to consider, because what he's called you to do here is to push one another. What he's called you to do here is that even the hard conversations, you're willing to have them. This is why the Bible says in proverbs, as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. Understand that in that there is great friction, there are sparks. So you better know that you love this person and that you deeply care for them before you go sharpening iron.
Now, what are you stirring them towards? What are you provoking them towards? Love and good works. So not only should you have a deep concern for them, but you should also know the direction in which you're going. Believers, when you encounter one another, when you're lifting one another up, encouraging one another towards great things, you should not only have a deep concern, but you should also know where you're going in the relationship that you're trying to help this person be more like Christ Jesus.
You're not trying to help them not get on your nerves, because maybe your nerves need to get got on. No, what you're trying to help them do is be more like Christ Jesus, which is loving and full of good works, and that faith is now producing these things in a person. One commentator says love is the internal attitude and spiritual disposition that then expresses itself and outward tangible good works.
Do you love. Do you love one another? Does it start with I love the Lord God, I love his purpose for me. I love what Christ has done for me. Now do I love his people?
Now can I help spur them on, stir them up to love God as I do, to love people as I do? And now what are we going to do actively with that? That means actively we're going to do the things of Acts Chapter two, that we're giving, that we're being generous with one another, that we're taking care of each other, that when we're sick and when we're hurt, we will come and visit, we will care, but not just that we're available. Love and good works, not just internally, but externally. That our church, that the church would be known as a place where Christ Jesus is real and moving in the city.
And then he finishes with these two participles. And one of these has become so much more important than the other. One of these participles tells us what wrong looks like and the other one what right looks like. Verse 25, it says, not neglecting to meet together. I can promise you this church, if we're called to stir up one another, we have to be together to do it.
That might sound just basic to you, but somehow the church as a whole has totally forgotten this, that the idea that the only way we can do one another is if we're together, the only way we can stir up somebody is if we're face to face. So already in the first century, he's concerned that people are neglecting to get together that Christians aren't caring for one another because they're not seeing one another. This word is very simple. It's the idea of forsaking or neglecting the fellowship. You know, it takes almost no time to develop this bad habit.
I give you grace on this, my friends. Some of you have gone through seasons where you're not really in the fellowship at church, nor in community groups with each other, nor eating together, whatever fellowship looks like. And you get into a bad habit because life got busy. And life is so busy for many of us. But it's so easy.
It only takes just a few of these to create a bad habit. You can undo a good habit almost immediately. It takes a good while to really create a good habit in your life. A good habit of, I'm going to be with God's people. No matter how I feel that day, no matter what's going on, I'm going to prioritize the fellowship.
Why? Because I'm called to stir up other believers in faith and love and good works. In the 1990s, this is some recent surveys. In the 90s, a typical churchgoer attended church three out of four Sundays a month. Three out of four.
More recent data. Since 2020, it has shifted to 1.7 times a month, not even quite getting half. And that's not me saying, hey, please come to church. I need somebody to preach to. Some of you in the room know this.
Some of you have been with me long enough to know that I will preach to, just like I'll preach to 1200. I could care less. This is between you and the Lord, not me. This idea that we would only come into his fellowship twice a month. Now, there might be reasons some of you have to work, and I would just encourage you find other opportunities for fellowship because the world has gone nuts.
The blue law days are over. And so, yeah, I know some of you got work and things like that, but find every opportunity you can to fellowship. And additionally, this idea of the rise of digital worship since COVID that a lot of churches are doing this. I'm gonna go ahead and warn you guys. Some of you have asked.
Not recently. It's been a while. I don't know that I'll ever do a digital worship service. Primarily because it's just not fellowship. You can fellowship with your kids.
Sure. I noticed something during the COVID season, the couple of times I was at home for worship, I've noticed my family doesn't sing. You know, some of the girls might, but it's awkward. Just the couple of you sitting in there? Alright, let's stand to worship.
It ain't the same. There's something wacky going on. We get in here and some of you still don't sing in here. I would tell you if you can't sing, sing louder. I don't care.
Like I want to hear you up here, man. That's great. That's awesome. Sing. Why?
Because you've been called into his presence that you could stir one another up, that you could love and that you could have good works. There's absolutely nothing in place but the fellowship of God that you would encourage one another. Verse 25. You have to be together to do the one anothers of Scripture. I hope this is a challenge to you.
Not for me or not for this church. That's not the point of the writer's writing here. This is that you would better understand and know God through the fellowship of believers. Encourage one another. This last word is the Greek word parakaluntes.
It's where it's the same word describing the Holy Spirit, the paraclete. I don't know if you've ever heard that before. It literally means to call alongside. That the way in which we encourage one another is that we call alongside and walk through life hand over shoulder. So you know good and well that you can't stir up somebody you're not even willing to put your arm around.
You know good and well you're not going to be a great encouragement to someone that you're like, I want nothing to do with this person. No, it's got to be the kind of relationship, the kind of love for them that you would walk through life like this. He says, encourage one another. And all the more as the day draws near. These first century believers were thinking Christ could come back any day.
Now he's taking some more time. He's still working. No man knows the hour. We ought to be about the Lord's work, right? The day here in the esv, it's actually got it capitalized.
This is the day of Christ's return. Love each other. Encourage one another all the more as Christ could come any moment. John 13 says, A new commandment I give to you that you would love one another just as I've loved you. You also are to love one another.
By this all people will know that you're my disciples. If you have love for one another first. Thessalonians says, therefore encourage one another and build one another. I would ask you, church, give yet again careful consideration to your calendar. Carefully consider it.
What have I Made priority. Is it the fellowship of believers? The word of God says it ought to be right under your relationship with Christ, that I'm going to do everything in my power to walk with him every moment of every day. That's number one. Then number two, and a close number two is that I would be in fellowship with my brothers and sisters in Christ.
Only you can do this. Check out your calendar and say, hey, does my schedule align with my priorities to put Christ first and his people?
Have you made the attempt, the consideration to stir up one another's to love and good works to be present in their lives? That you wouldn't run from this anymore? Boy, it's a challenge to start to move into that way of life where you're no longer so busy that you don't have time for each other. Boy, it's hard to move into that. But the word of God is calling you into that today.
That you wouldn't be like the. The hurt person on the side of the road that this Pharisee passed and this religious person passed, but then a Samaritan stopped and helped. That you wouldn't be like those others who know God but don't show God to people.
Are you feeling distant? Are you drawing near in prayer? Are you feeling doubtful? Are you holding fast to the confession? Will you stir one another up?
Let's pray now together. Church Heavenly Father, we thank you so much that first of all you drew near to us, that the step necessary for us to be made right with you, you took. We couldn't do anything about that. We were so far from. So far from you.
In our brokenness and our guilt, our shame, our sin, we were distant. But now, by the blood of Christ Jesus, by the sacrifice of the cross, by the resurrection, God, we can draw near. I'm asking God, that you would encourage each and every one of us that there's some people in the room that are really struggling right now with worry, anxiety, self doubt, that they're really, really in their own head a lot, God, would you remind them in this very moment you can come talk to me? You have access to me, my son, my daughter. You have access.
Would you remind them of that right now, God, that as they wrestle through this work week coming up, maybe there's some challenges on the horizon, God, that they would draw near? I pray that's not a last resort for your people, your believers, your faithful in this room, Lord, that that wouldn't be a last resort to draw near, but would be first help us to prioritize our relationship with You, God, help us to hold fast this confession. These are, I think, for all of time. There's always been difficult times and desperate hours, God, I just pray for your people, that they would cling to you, God, more than just about any of these three, Lord, I do pray that your church would be the church you desired. I worry all the time, Lord, about this, and I'm putting that before your feet, that I shouldn't be so worried.
But I am concerned, God, that we would be any kind of a church other than what you desire. And I don't want that. I want to be the kind of people, the kind of fellowship that first glorifies and honors you. But does the things you've called us to do, that we would encourage one another to good works and love and good works. That we would be a faithful people.
That we would have time for one another, that you would trust us with more because we show that we can care and encourage and do as you've called. I almost wonder at times, Lord, if sort of the plateau we've been on for several years, God, is partially because we've not quite done the good work yet you've called us to. In encouraging and stirring one another up move us, God. Help us to be the right kind of people to receive a harvest. You say the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.
Lord, I pray you would test us that you would allow us to represent you well to a city that most of which doesn't know you, to a great many people in this community that aren't walking with you at all, Lord, that we would be the kinds of people, the kind of church that represents Christ very well through love and good works. Do this in us. We pray all these things in Jesus name, Amen.