Assembling
• Hebrews 10:24-25
1. Because of the attacks of September 11th, our nation has been provoked.
2. While the outrage of the American people was
instantaneous, our official reaction has been careful and calculated.
3. Like never before in our history, law
enforcement and intelligence groups went to work to uncover the perpetrators.
4. The military mobilized and began to deploy
5. And now, we’ve begun the first phase of a long
and concentrated effort to rid the world of the threat of further terrorism.
6. I think the architects of the Sept. 11th
attacks badly miscalculated what our reaction would be.
7. They did not believe we would be so provoked.
1. Whereas our nation has been provoked to war
– today’s passage in Hebrews 10 provokes us to peace.
2. In some of the strongest words of the entire
Bible, the writer issues us a stirring challenge.
3. What he says is indeed provocative . .
.
1. It’s vs. 24 & 25 that I want to focus on
this morning, but we need to set the context by starting with v. 19.
19 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the
Holiest
a. meaning the Presence of God.
b. and how can we enter the Presence of God? -
by
the blood of Jesus,
20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us,
through the veil, that is, His flesh,
21 and having a High Priest over the house of
God,
2. Let’s pause right there.
3. For the last several chapters, the writer has
been arguing forcefully for the superiority of Jesus Christ.
4. Remember that this was written to Jewish
Christians who were in danger of drifting away from their faith in Christ and
reverting to the Judaism of their past.
5. So the writer makes a masterful argument for
the supremacy of Christ and shows how He fulfills and completes all that
the ritual law pointed toward.
6. He’s shown how Jesus is our Great High Priest
who supercedes the Jewish high priest and how now that Jesus’ work is complete
and perfect, the way to God has been opened wide to all who will come by
faith in Him.
7. So the writer now presses on to apply that
truth: If the way to God has been opened wide, he writes -
22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of
faith, having our hearts sprinkled 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.
8. Here are the first 2 of 3 exhortations he
gives
a. let us draw
near to God &
b. let us hold
fast to our faith in Christ.
9. As he writes this, he’s drawing on his
original readers understanding of the work of the high priest – and saying that
they all now have the same kind of access he had just once a year, but
they can come any time.
10. In order for us to grasp the significance
of what we find here, let’s think about the experience of the Jewish high
priest on that special day he entered the Holy of holies.
a. Yom Kippur,
the Day of Atonement was highest and holiest day of the year
b. it was our
Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving all rolled into one
c. when the
high priest rose that morning, it was extreme excitement – he was going to SEE
God that day!
d. so he got
up, entered the temple grounds and put on the special clothes marked for that
day.
e. he
carefully went through the ritual of washing, offered a goat in sacrifice and
then entered into the Holy of holies.
f. can you
imagine what it must have been like for him the very first time he
entered and saw the glory cloud that represented God’s presence?
g. all his
life he had grown up knowing he was going to be the high priest one day
h. all his
training, all his life had been aimed at this moment, and now, here he was,
face to face with the manifest presence of God.
i. it’s one
thing to hear about God – it’s one thing to be taught about Him and to
hear the stories of others about how good and holy He is.
j. but it’s
an altogether different thing to see Him yourself and come face to face with
His majesty.
k. in that
instant, the high priest’s faith moved to a new level – it became experience;
and an experience that forever altered his perception of reality.
11. In v. 22 the writers tells
us to draw near, to come in to the presence of God.
a. Jesus
Christ has opened the way for us.
b. the veil
that separated us from God has been removed
c. our faith
in God is not to remain some second-hand retelling of the stories of others
d. we are not
to be like those ancient Jews who crowded the temple grounds on the Day of
Atonement and merely watched from the sidelines as the high priest
entered in
e. no! – we
can draw NEAR to God – all the way in to His manifest presence.
f. and as we
do, as our faith moves into the experience of God, our perception of reality is
changed, just as the High Priest’s was.
12. Then he writes in v. 23,
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope.”
a. as the high priest finished
his service in the Holy of holies, do you think he prepared to depart with a
renewed conviction about his faith and his role as high priest?
b. you know he
did!
c. if he had
had any doubts about his faith before entering, they were now long gone!
13. You see, there’s a progression to the three
exhortations the writer gives here.
a. first, we draw near to God and
our attention is dominated by His glory and holiness.
1) all of earth fades away and recedes into the
background.
2) the light of the glory of Christ drives away all
darkness.
b. then with all things put into
their proper perspective, the Lord sends us back into life and we determine
that this new revelation of God, this renewed sense of His worthiness will
forever alter the way we live.
c. finally,
like the high priest, as we re-emerge from the holy place of encountering God,
we come forth with a re-commitment to share with others what we now know and
have been reminded of.
14. That’s what we find in the 3rd
exhortation . . .
24 And let us consider one another in order to
stir up love and good works,
25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together,
as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much
the more as you see the Day approaching.
15. You can be sure that when the high priest
came out of the holy place, he looked around at the crowd of expectant faces
with a renewed commitment to pour his life and heart in to serving them well.
16. Why?
Because he knew from personal experience that it was all true!
a. their faith
–the things their religion taught were all true!
b. He had just
had proof of it!
17. If I may, let me use the
example of Hawaii once more – I’m sorry if I use this illustration too much –
it’s just such a clear one for me . . .
18. I wasn’t really all that thrilled about
going to Hawaii the first time.
a. I thought it was little more
than a tourist trap, and an expensive one at that.
b. but my wife
really wanted to go and so when we had the opportunity we went.
c. I was
utterly blown away by the beauty and peace of Maui.
d. though we
spent only a week there, I came to realize how up till that trip, I had only
taken time off – not a vacation!
e. a ton of stress rolled away
and I felt such peace and rest I was amazed.
f. by the end
of the week, I had come to a whole new perception about my vocation, my
marriage; about my life!
g. I also made
a commitment that when I take a vacation, I need to really rest and not
just take time off.
h. my knowledge
of Hawaii was translated into experience – and the experience placed within me
a conviction about my need to occasionally withdraw for rest and renewal.
19. But something else
happened as well – Now I regularly meet other pastors who are tired and close
to burn out.
a. the pressures of ministry and
the constant challenge of people’s expectations have tied them in knots
b. they’re not
nearly as effective as they could be because they’re overworked and stressed
out
c. my council
to them is to take a restful vacation – and I don’t hesitate to suggest they go
to Hawaii for a week.
d. yes it can
be a tad expensive – but it’s worth every penny!
20. In a
sense, that’s what the writer is saying here
a. he urges us
to enter in to the presence of God
b. to renew
our grasp of the reality of what we believe
c. and then to
come forth from The Presence with a commitment to encourage others.
1. In v. 24 he says . . .
24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up
love and good works,
2. This translation doesn’t do justice to the
words the author picked
a. these are
strong words
b. we could
translate it like this . . .
Let
us take careful thought for how we can provoke and bug one
another into a lifestyle of selfless love and a habit of doing good.
3. What a great word! What a wonderful thing to strive for!
4. That as the followers of Christ, we would be
devoted to provoking each other to love and good works.
5. What do you suppose would be the reaction of
the world if THIS was what we did?
a. what do you suppose
unbelievers would say about Christians if Christians just did this?
b. we know
what they DO say – what their criticism usually is – that Christians, by and
large, are hypocrites!
6. And all too often that criticism is deserved.
a. instead of
loving one another -
b. instead of
urging each other to doing good
c. we provoke
each other to envy or anger
7. But the writer says – if we’ve
spent time in the presence of God, how can we do anything else but come forth
with a renewed conviction that it’s all true! And because of that, we owe each
other a debt of love and good.
8. As Paul writes in Romans 13 – “Owe no one
anything but love.”
9. “Let us take careful thought for one another”
he says here in Hebrews 10 –
a. do you consider others?
b. do you take
time to concern yourself with them?
c. does the
Body of Christ matter to you?
d. do these
people here today factor into your thinking?
e. when you
make your plans about how you are going to live, about what you’re going to do,
do you think about your brothers and sisters in Christ?
10. We ought to consider each
other – and what we ought to be thinking about is not how to provoke each other
to envy or desire, which is what the world is all into –
11. We ought to be taking careful thought for
how we can stir each other up to love.
a. how we can
provoke each other to doing good.
b. the word
“stir up” is the word we get the word paroxysm from.
c. it means a
sudden and intense action.
d. some time
back, someone responded to the regular report we hear in the news of “random
acts of violence” with a campaign
of urging people into “random acts of kindness”
1) really, that’s Biblical
2) that’s what the author is calling for here
3) we need to develop a mindset that as we go
through our day, we look for ways to provoke others to love, to good works
12. We ought to be in the mode
of spreading beauty and joy.
a. instead of irritating people
and causing a negative reaction because we’re ornery and difficult to live with
b. we ought to
be pleasant and provoke the best in people
13. We ought to be like the
flower girl that proceeds the bride down the aisle.
a. she’s so
cute, dressed in her little satin dress and white bonnet.
b. and the
flower petals she drops bear the sweet fragrance of the rose.
14. We ought to be like that
flower girl, preparing the way for the Bride of Christ, spreading sweetness and
joy all along the aisle of time till the Bride and Groom meet at the altar of
Heaven.
15. What do you spread as you
walk down the aisle called time?
a. what
emanates from your life – an odor or a fragrance?
b. are
people riled or ripened by your presence?
c. are
you a trouble-maker or a peace-maker?
d. ornery
or honorable?
16. Do people draw closer to
Christ because of you, or are they repelled?
17. History is filled with
stories of how a simple word, a seemingly small encouragement, turned a whole
life around . . .
18. A banker owner was in the habit of tossing
a coin in the cup of a legless beggar who sat on the street outside the
bank.
a. but, unlike most people, the
banker would always insist on getting one of the pencils the man had beside
him.
b. everyday he
said to the beggar. "You’re a merchant and I always expect to
receive good value from merchants I do business with."
c. one day the
legless man was not on the sidewalk and as time passed the banker forgot about
him, until he walked into a public building and there in a concession stand sat
the former beggar.
d. he was
obviously the owner of his own small business now.
e. the shop
owner said to the banker, "I have always hoped you might come by someday.
You’re largely responsible for me being here.
You kept telling me that I was a 'merchant'. I started thinking of myself that way, instead of a beggar
receiving gifts. I started selling pencils
-- lots of them. You gave me
self-respect and caused me to look at myself differently."
19. Einstein was four years old before he could
speak and seven before he could read.
a. Issac Newton did poorly in
grade school.
b. a newspaper
editor fired Walt Disney because he had "no good ideas".
c. Leo Tolstoy
flunked out of college,
d. and Werner
von Braun failed ninth grade algebra.
e. Haydn
despaired of ever making a musician of Beethoven, who seemed a slow and
plodding young man with no apparent talent.
f. but what
turned every one of these special people around was the encouraging word of
someone who believed in them.
20. In May 1935, an autograph collector
approached Babe Ruth for an autograph.
a. earlier that day, the great
home-run slugger had struck out three times while playing for the Boston Braves
against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
b. the fans
had booed him unmercifully and Ruth was completely demoralized.
c. the man
approached the sports star in his hotel but Ruth said it was pointless seeking
the autograph of a has-been like him.
d. he admitted
that not only was he disturbed by the boos, but someone had spat on him!
e. the
autograph seeker tried to console the “sultan of swat” and said, "Forget
today. Tomorrow's another day. I have
enough confidence in you to predict that tomorrow you'll be the hero of the
game."
f. Ruth
replied, "Do you really mean that?"
g. when he
said he did, Ruth not only singed his book but a baseball as well.
h. the next
day, Ruth hit three home runs, his second being the only ball ever hit over the
right field grandstand at Forbes' Field.
i. he was the
hero once again.
j. those 3
homers, #’s 712, 713, & 714 turned out to be the last in Babe Ruth's
illustrious career.
k. he retired
from baseball just 8 days later.
21. Like the fans in the stands at Forbes’
Field – this world is merciless and cruel.
a. it delights
in taunting and belittling us
b. it’s
negative and brutal in its criticism
22. How desperately we need one another!
a. how very
careful we ought to be to encourage one another
b. may God by
His grace develop within us the mindset of being encouragers rather than
discouragers
c. may we live
in the mode of looking for how we can urge others to love and good works.
1. The writer then goes on and concludes . . .
25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together,
as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much
the more as you see the Day approaching.
2. This is part of v. 24 and what it means to
consider one another.
3. How can we consider one another if we don’t
know one another?
4. And how can we provoke each other to love and
good works if we don’t see each other?
5. All of this presumes we’re meeting –
that the mystical union of the Spirit is taking actual form in our gathering
together.
6. Let me say it straight away – You need to go
to church!
a. you need to go to church
regularly and often.
b. you need to
be committed to a local church and plugged in in such a way that you are able
to do what it says here –
c. to take
careful thought for how you can encourage others.
7. I’m not saying that just
because I’m a pastor – I’m saying it because God said it – RIGHT HERE!
8. You know, flakiness in church attendance is
nothing new: Look at what he says here . . .
. . .not forsaking the assembling of
ourselves together, as is the manner of some . . .
a. even as far back as when this
letter was first penned, there was a problem with those who devalued the
assembly
b. they
thought they could maintain a solid, healthy relationship with God apart from
participation in the community of Christ.
c. but the
Spirit is clear – no they can’t.
d. it’s God’s
plan that being a Christian involves active participation in the Body of
Christ.
9. Some people excuse themselves
from church and say that they can be a Christian without going to church – and
that is certainly true;
10. Just as they can be married without going
home – but the relationship is going to suffer badly!
11. You see, Christ is present in the
assembling of His people in ways that aren’t possible apart from the
assembly.
a. 1st = Jesus said
that when 2 or 3 were gathered in His name, He was there is a special way.
1) in Rev. 1, we read how Christ dwells in the midst of the local
churches.
2) those who avoid assembling with other believers
for worship are missing out on a dimension of the presence of God that is
critical.
b. 2nd = people that
absent themselves from congregational worship miss out on an intensity of
adoration that cannot occur in solitude.
1) just as a mob can descend to a deeper level of
cruelty than an individual might.
2) in the same way, a large group of music-lovers
can experience a more intense appreciation of a symphony than a single
listener.
3) corporate worship provides the context where our
passion for God is elevated.
c. 3rd = great truths
are best learned corporately!
1) Paul put it this way in Eph 3:18 when he
said he was praying that they might have ability, together with all the
saints, to grasp the knowledge and love of God.
2) the language makes it clear that Paul
understood this as something that was apprehended by believers corporately!
3) indeed, what good is it to know
what love is but to not receive or give it?
4) and love is not something we can
experience in isolation – it presupposes the presence of others!
12. I love to barbeque and there’s one rule you
learn early on – the only way to properly start coals is to keep them together
in a heap.
a. if you spread them out across
the bottom of the grate with space between them, they will not start
b. they need
to be heaped together, and the tighter the heap, the quicker they will catch
and the hotter the fire.
c. if a coal
catches but then rolls away from the pile, it will go out
d. once
they’ve all caught and are fully lit, then you can spread them out a bit, but
again, they all need to stay in touch if they are to keep their heat.
13. And so it is in the Body
of Christ – we need each other, we need to be in touch.
14. We need to be meeting together regularly
for corporate worship and instruction in God’s Word.
15. But it must not end there. The writer says
that we need to encourage each other.
16. The very best place to do that is in small
groups.
a. it’s in
that setting that we can get to know each other better -
b. and have
greater opportunity to interact with one another.
17. I’ve been working out now for a couple
months.
a. I’ve managed to put together a
few weights and gear in the garage
b. I try to work out 3 times a
week
c. though I’ve only been at it
for a couple months I can see and feel a difference.
d. and while I really enjoy the benefits
gained, I have to say that the process of working out is not a
lot of fun - sometimes it’s a huge hassle.
e. something that’s made it a lot
easier and far more rewarding is that a
couple friends have joined me
f. the times when for whatever
reason I work out alone – it’s a drag and I don’t have nearly as good a
session.
g. but when they’re there – it
can be fun and we push each other on to do better than if we were alone.
1. Take careful note of something
the writer says in v. 25 –
2. He says that we should exhort
one another – and even more so, as we see The Day approaching.
a. the
Day he’s referring to is Christ’s Return
b. the
reason why he urges greater participation in the local church and more
diligence in provoking one another to love and good works is because he knows
the last days will be marked by widespread deception and times of persecution
and stress.
c. when
things get harder outside, we need each other more
d. those
whose commitment to the Body of Christ is shaky will find their commitment to
Christ becomes questionable.
3. But there’s something else for
us to glean from this as well –
a. the
writer takes it for granted that we will know what the signs of the Lord’s
coming are
b. and
that they will be specific enough in their unfolding that we will see them for
what they are.
c. we
ought to be able to see the Day of the Lord’s coming approaching.
d. of
course we won’t know which day it is till it comes –
e. but
the approaching of the Day ought to be evident!
4. All I can say is – Here it
comes!
a. Israel
has been regathered into her land in fulfillment of Ezekiel 37.
b. the
nations around her have united in their purpose to annihilate her in
fulfillment of Ezekiel 38 & 39.
c. in
fulfillment of Zech. 12, the city of Jerusalem has risen to be the single
biggest sore spot in global politics
d. the
emergence of the European Union fulfills Daniel 2 & 9
e. and
the merging of banking with global telecommunications lays the groundwork for
the fulfillment of Rev. 13
f. and
that’s just the tip of the prophetic iceberg . . .
5. The stage is set, the actors
are on their marks – all we await is the rise of the curtain on the last act.
6. The Day Of Christ’s return is
at hand – so let me urge you to a zealous and diligent pursuit of Christ that
involves active participation in His Church.