Preached by Gustavo Barros at Gospel Fellowship Community Church Salem
Hebrews 10:19-25 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.
Introduction:
If someone
asks you, “Do Christians have to go to
church?” what would your answer be? Must people who profess that Jesus Christ
is Lord of their lives be in a local church? [I am talking in a general sense –
not including physical and geographical restrictions]
Yahoo! Answers – most of the answers
are ‘NO’ (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090511233739AAAeVFh): “Christ did
not ask anyone to go to temple or to church, but he did say to ‘Worship in
Spirit’”. “No you don't have to but
it would help you understand the word of God more. I just listen to the radio
stations and ask my aunt questions if I have a problem with any of the books of
the bible.”
Justin Bieber: “Most recently, the Canadian star turned
heads again with a new tattoo – the face of Jesus Christ adorning the back of
his calf. With more to say about his faith, Bieber, who is currently recording
his next album Believe, told V Magazine, according to the New York Post, ‘A lot
of people who are religious, I think they get lost. They go to church just to
go to church. I’m not trying to disrespect them ... but for me, I focus more
on praying and talking to Him. I don’t have to go to church.’” (http://www.christianpost.com/news/justin-bieber-i-dont-have-to-go-to-church-66775/#RP6cBDLDz7fUux4O.99)
Beyonce (a famous
singer): “I can’t really go to church any
more, which is a shame. People come up to me during the sermon and, of course,
people watch everything I do. They take pictures on their mobile phones too.
They are very nice, but I think God understands if I miss Sunday service.” (http://www.damnimcute.com/the-juicy/beyonce-knowles/beyonce-im-too-famous-to-go-to-church/)
These ideas
are propagating through the media and encouraging many people to believe they
don’t need a church. The number of people who profess to be a Christian, but
are not involved with a local church and official membership is increasing more
and more. Many believe that the TV (TV evangelists) is enough.
Most people
believe that they can be Christians and not be part of a local church, because
they don’t know/understand why they have to come to church. My prayer is
that the Lord may use this sermon to encourage, exhort, and refresh you with a
new understanding of why Christians must come to church on the Lord’s Day!
Context of Hebrews:
The Book of Hebrews is one of the most
precious and important books in the Bible. No other book shows the Superiority
and Greatness of Jesus as this book does. This is the best Christ-centered commentary
on the Old Testament. It is a letter written to churches in which the majority
of the members came from a Jewish background (that is why it has the name Hebrews – the Hebrew nation). This
letter is actually a sermon – a sermonic letter [see 13:22]. The churches to
which this sermonic letter was written were suffering persecutions. Most of the
churchgoers were coming from a Jewish background and a lot of them were going
back to the Jewish religion in order to avoid suffering. So the author (who was
probably Apollos) writes this magnificent sermon showing the greatness of
Christ, how He is greater than the Old Testament shadows, and because of His
greatness and superiority the believers must go all the way enduring
persecution and sufferings, for our reward in heaven is greater than these
things. He not only exhorts and encourages the believers to remain faithful,
but the author also warns about the terrible thing of going to church,
experiencing the benefits and wonderful things that the church provides and
then turning your back to Christ.
A lot of the
Christians in those churches were abandoning/leaving the church. Some stopped
going to church while others taught that they didn’t need to get together as a
church, because of the terrible persecution they were going through.
Hebrews
10:19-31 is the author’s fervent appeal. He is crying out to
these people to go all the way to Christ. After laying foundation after
foundation of heavy and hard Christology (teachings about Christ) the author
calls them to a decision time. It is like an altar call, but he doesn’t work
with the emotions of the people, instead he gives them the truth! All the
doctrine of Christ must lead the believer to true and holy living, despite the
persecutions and sufferings. His cry is in 10:22, in view of such amazing
truths about Christ, “Let us draw near to
God!”
In verses
23-25 the author of Hebrews shows what true saving faith looks like. He
shows the lives of those who truly approach God through Christ. And in verses
26-31 he shows what happens to those who don’t accept the invitation!
May the Lord help
you to see what true saving faith looks like and why we come to church!
Outline:
I – THE BENEFITS OF THE WORK OF CHRIST
(vs.19-21)
II – THE vertical responsibilities (vs.22-23)
iii – THE Horizontal RESPONSIBILITIES
(vs.24-25)
I – THE BENEFITS
OF THE WORK OF CHRIST (VS.19-21)
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,
Here the
author goes to his last and most powerful exhortation (see 4:16).
v.19 - “THEREFORE BROTHERS” --- The
word therefore (Gk. οὖν)
brings to conclusion all his arguments about the superiority of Christ. “So we come here to the great turning-point
in Hebrews where the writer turns from the
explanation of the superiority of the Person and work of Christ to the
application of it in the lives of the storm-tossed church, from doctrine to duty, from creed to conduct, from precept to
practice, from instruction to exhortation—the
writer becomes very explicit regarding how Christians ought to live.” (http://preceptaustin.org/hebrews_1019-21.htm#10:19)
“BROTHERS”
--- The word refers to the people who were part of those Jewish-Christian
communities.
“SINCE
WE HAVE CONFIDENCE TO ENTER THE HOLY PLACES”
CONFIDENCE
(Gk. παρρησία)
--- It is a very interesting word that means freedom of speech. There was no
fear in speaking and this attitude affects a person’s behavior. But the word
could mean “without the use of figures and comparisons” (John 10:24) - and this
definition also makes sense since Christ has fulfilled all the shadows.
We have
boldness because the fear is gone and the shadows were fulfilled in Christ.
“CONFIDENCE
TO ENTER THE HOLY PLACES” --- Wow! This declaration was and is a
scandal to the Jews, for nobody could enter the Holy of Holies but the
high-priest once a year. Only the high-priest could enter the Holy of Holies
and he did that with much fear and
trembling.
“Confidence to enter the Holy Places’” was a
strange and foreign idea to the Jews. The prospect of entering the holy place
was inconceivable and impossible.
After the
Fall God put man out of the Garden and He placed Cherubim with flaming swords
at the entrance so nobody could go there and from there on we have a story of
separation. The Jews were forbidden to go to the Holy of Holies, but now the
author of Hebrews says that they can go where God is.
Even we are
broken, weak, sick, and hurt we still have confidence/boldness to be in the
presence of the Almighty God! He welcomes me there and puts His arms around me!
THE FOUNDATION OF OUR CONFIDENCE:
The
confidence we have is not ours. It is not confidence in me. It is not about
having confidence in yourself and having a better self-esteem of yourself. This
confidence is based and founded in the knowledge of who Christ is and what He
has done.
“BY
THE BLOOD OF JESUS” --- Our confidence is in the blood of Christ!
We cannot
come into God’s presence by any other means. We cannot come by our own effort,
works, desires, or merits. You can only come to God in a saving and loving
relationship by faith in the blood of Christ that was shed on the cross. There is no other way for you or for your
children. It is not about methods, it is not about growing up and being
raised in a nice family. It is not about growing up in a family-integrated
church. You can only come to God and be saved from His wrath by faith in Jesus’
blood [Eph 2:18
for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father; 3:12 in whom we have boldness and
confident access through faith in Him].
From 9:13-10:18 the author of this letter
argued about the superiority of the blood of Christ and now he tells what this
greater blood sacrifice has provided: access to God.
See Heb 9:11-12 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good
things that have come,5 then through the greater and more perfect tent (not
made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all
into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by
means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.
His blood opened the way for Him to enter and by His blood the entrance is open
for all those who believe. If you have saving faith you are granted boldness
and confidence to enter in the presence of God.
v.20 - “BY THE NEW AND LIVING WAY”
--- By Jesus’ blood the way to the Holy of Holies was opened. The gates were
opened and the way was made so that believers can walk to the presence of God.
How
is the way that Christ opened for us?
1 – NEW --- It is new, the old way is
gone! The old sacrifices are gone! The Greek word (πρόσφατος) means to be
freshly slaughtered, freshly killed.
2 – LIVING --- The paradox: By Christ’s
death we have a living way. By His sacrifice we live. The freshly killed, slaughtered,
and bloody way is in reality a living way. It is living because Christ lives! John 14:6 I am the
way, the truth and the life. This way is living and gives life to those who walk
on it, because by Jesus’ death we have life!
It is new
and living,
but it is also a narrow way (there is no other way), it is a costly
way (it costs your life to walk through this way). Has it been costly
for you? What has it been costing for you to walk through this new and living
way?
“THAT
HE OPENED [inaugurated/consecrated] FOR US THROUGH THE CURTAIN, THAT IS,
THROUGH HIS FLESH” --- He continues exploring
and exposing the Old Testament. Now the author of Hebrews shows how the
veil of the Temple, that separated God from man, symbolized Jesus’ body. When
Jesus’ body was torn on the cross so was the veil of the Temple. Jesus’ death
and the veil being torn pointed to the truth of a new access to God. The veil had to be torn to provide access
into the Holy of Holies, so also with Jesus’ body, it had to be torn for Him
and for us to enter the Holy of Holies.
There is no
access apart from a crucified Savior. There is no access to God’s presence
apart from the bloody death of Christ!
The author of
this letter paints a beautiful picture of how Jesus’ body and blood are so
precious for the Christian faith. That is why the Lord’s Supper is an amazing
memorial, during the partaking of the cup and the bread we proclaim and are
reminded of how precious the blood and the body of Christ is.
BODY
--- His perfection. His perfect obedience. Our punishment was in His body.
BLOOD
--- The price paid. His death is our death. The blood was shed to give us life.
v.21 - “AND SINCE WE HAVE A GREAT PRIEST
OVER THE HOUSE OF GOD” --- The other reason for our confidence is the
present work of Christ.
The
foundation of our confidence:
1 – The Work of Christ on the Cross - His sacrifice.
2 – The Work of Christ in Heaven right now - His
office.
“WE
HAVE A GREAT (Gk.
μέγας)PRIEST”
--- What a wonderful truth! We not only have access, but we have a Mega
High-Priest interceding and giving us strength to approach God (1:3; 2:17; 3:1;
4:14-16; 6:20; 7:26; 8:1).
He not only
opened the way. He not only is the way. But He is praying for us to be in the
way!
He not only
gave His people salvation, but He is at the right hand of God praying for us
and making all things work together for our good (Rom 8 33-34 Who shall bring
any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn?
Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the
right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us).
Where
is the Great High-Priest?
“OVER
THE HOUSE OF GOD” --- All those who come to God through Christ come to the
House of God!
You not only
come to the Holy of Holies, but to the House of God.
The word
house brings to us the idea and thoughts of a family.
The image is
of a family, a huge family, in which God is the Father and Jesus is the oldest
Son in this family and He serves as a High-Priest for His other brothers
(2:17).
Who
is the House of God?
Hb 3:6 But Christ
is faithful over God's house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we
hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.
I Tim 3:15 if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household
of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and
buttress of the truth.
The house of
God is His Church!
You come to
God by faith in the blood of Christ and you are adopted and God becomes your
Father and you belong to a family! There is no Lone-Ranger in this family.
It is
impossible for a person to truly be a Christian and do not want to be with the
family of God! If you love God, you will love His other children.
Answering the
main question of this sermon, “Why Do I Come to Church?” the answer comes in the
form of a question, How could I not come
to church? In view of such wonderful and precious blessings brought to us
by my Lord how could I not desire with
all that I have to come to church to sing, pray, and hear the Word? How can I
not desire to come every Sunday and thank Christ for bringing me back to God?
II – THE VERTICAL
DUTIES (VS.22-23)
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.
Once we enter
the Heavenly Sanctuary, once we come to the House of God, we have duties/responsibilities!
People in our
day and age hate the idea of responsibility (at home, in society, and in the
church). But the Word of God makes it clear that we are slaves and we have
duties to perform.
IMPORTANT
OBSERVATIONS ABOUT OUR DUTIES AS HEAVENLY CITZENS:
- These
duties are not saving works, but the demonstration of a saving faith.
- The
duties flow from a heart devoted to the Lord Jesus. He has my heart, my
emotions, and motivations, and because of that I owe Him everything.
- Let
us remember that God’s commandments are not heavy, are not legalistic, and are
not a burden, but His duties for us are loving, graceful, and wonderful. I John 5:3
For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his
commandments are not burdensome; Psalm
119:47 for I find my delight in your commandments, which I love.
We find in
these verses Christians’ duties toward God (vertical duties) and toward other
Christians (horizontal duties).
In view of
such wonderful truths about Christ and all that He is and has done for us – Let us draw near! This word was used for the priests
when they would come into the presence of God.
How are we
supposed to draw near to God? How should I come to church on Sunday mornings?
How should I approach God in the mornings in my devotionals?
1 - “WITH
A TRUE HEART” [ἀληθινῆς καρδίας] ---
HEART
(Gk. καρδία) --- the
center of emotions and thoughts, the inner being, center of human life; TRUE
(Gk. ἀληθινός)
--- real, genuine, opposed to what is fictitious, simulated and pretended.
The Lord
wants people to come to Him and into His presence and church with a true desire to worship Him! It is
the opposite of hypocrisy. It is the opposite of pretending and having a
religious heart.
The Lord is
seeking true worshippers [Jhn 4:23]! How is your heart? God wants our hearts!
He doesn’t want our religion, but our hearts!
Is your heart
truly devoted to the Lord during the week? Friday night? Tuesday at work?
Sunday morning?
2 - “FULL
ASSURANCE OF FAITH” --- It is assurance of faith and not of feeling! It
is not about feeling, but about assurance of God’s faithfulness. We walk by
faith and not by feelings! When you come to the Lord’s House it is not about
how you are feeling, but about who He is and what He has done.
ASSURANCE OF
FAITH --- This full assurance talks about a full conviction
of your faith. It talks about knowing what you believe and what you are doing.
You don’t worship in superstition and in ignorance, but with full conviction!
I know what I
believe. I know whom I have believed and that is why I do what I do.
Preach this
truth to yourself!
3 - “with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil
conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” --- That is a
picture of the priests. They had to be washed in water and blood was sprinkled
over their bodies.
We confess
our sins and He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (I Jhn 1:9)
We come
clean! Our whole being was washed in the blood of Christ!
See 9:13-14 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled
persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify6 for the purification of the
flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal
Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living
God.
“HEARTS
SPRINKLED…CONSCIENCE…BODIES” --- That is the whole human
being. We can come with boldness to the presence of God. The conscience (Gk. συνείδησις)
many times hinders us from worshipping in Spirit and in truth. Guilt and fear
hinder and hold people back from coming to the presence of God, but we must
know that we don’t have to feel guilty, the Lord Jesus has paid our penalty.
I pray that
you may see yourself as a priest of God. What a joy it must create in you. Just
a few people could come into the presence of God in the Old Covenant, but now
we have free access by the blood of Christ. How can I be downcast and sad to
come to the House of God?
v.23 Let us hold
fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is
faithful.
4 - “LET
US HOLD FAST THE CONFESSION OF OUR HOPE” --- The picture is of a man
hanging by a rope and he holds with all his strength and power. Hope is the
rope that we hold with all of our strength in the middle of the storms of life.
When was the
last time you came to church holding fast with all your strength to your hope?
When the storms come Saturday night and Sunday morning there is a hope that we
can hold fast to and not be shaken or tossed away.
CONFESSION
--- It is a public confession. It is done through baptism and through your
lifestyle.
Have you
confessed your hope through baptism? Have you been confessing your hope through
the way you behave?
The reason:
“FOR
HE WHO PROMISED IS FAITHFUL” --- The promises are connected to the One
who promised! That is the beauty of the Doctrines
of Grace, we believe that God will lead us in triumph to our glorification!
I do what I
do because of Him, not because of my financial, health, or family situation.
It is all
about God! Sometimes it requires “Holy Violence,” as Thomas Watson said, on our
part to go!
Is that you? Is
that how your faith looks like?
** As we can
see verses 22-23 speak about things related to God. These verses speak about
our responsibility [our duties] towards God, the Pater Familias – the Father of the Household.
III – THE HORIZONTAL
DUTIES (VS.24-25)
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.
But now in verses
24-25 we find our responsibilities toward the other people in this House. Verses
22-23 talk about vertical responsibilities/duties, and now the Lord gives us
horizontal responsibilities.
Why? Because
it is impossible to love God and not love His church. It is impossible to serve
Christ and not serve His bride. It is impossible to love the Father of the
house but not love the family of the Father. I John 4:20-21 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for
he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has
not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also
love his brother.
When Jesus
was asked about the greatest commandment, He answered giving two commandments
because it is impossible to separate one from the other. The two tables of the
10 Commandments had the first one related to God and the second one related to
people.
You draw near
to Christ and you must draw near to His Church! It is impossible for you to
draw near to Christ and to not draw near to His body!
“Your walk with God is a community project!”
(Paul Tripp). That is, you don’t walk alone with God. There is no Lone Ranger
in this family.
We live in a society that wants to be
independent. People think they don’t need other people. A lot of people think
they don’t need a local church. How important it is for us to go to the Word of
God to see what He says.
v.24 “AND LET US [true
Christians] CONSIDER HOW TO STIR UP ONE ANOTHER”
“AND LET
US” – See vs. 22 and 23. He continues exhorting (the verbs in the
subjunctive) his brothers and sisters. It is a continuation.
“CONSIDER”
--- Gk. κατανοέω - to observe or consider carefully and attentively. It means to fix
one’s eyes or mind upon and to perceive clearly, cautiously, observantly. It
means to study something or somebody. It was used in 3:1 for us to consider Christ.
The Present
Active form of the verb implies a continuation.
“Consider-with the mind attentively fixed on ‘one another’, contemplating
with continual consideration the characters and wants of our brethren, so as to
render mutual help and counsel.” (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary)
When was the
last time you came to church with the purpose of considering the people of your
local church? When was the last time you got ready for church and prayed for
the Lord to help you to be more attentive to your brothers and sisters?
*** You don’t
consider your brothers and sisters to criticize (clothes, hair style, shoes…),
but to:
“HOW
TO STIR UP ONE ANOTHER TO LOVE AND GOOD WORKS”
“TO
STIR UP” --- Gk. παροξυσμός - to provoke and irritate [used for Paul and
Barnabas in Acts 15:31]. In a family we provoke one another. We know how to
stir up our brothers and sisters in a negative way in our families.
“TO
LOVE” --- We must provoke and stir up people in the church to love more.
We must desire to come here to light the fire in our brothers and sisters to
love Christ more, to love the church more, to love holiness more…
Oh Lord, help
us to make this a reality in our lives! Can you imagine what would happen if, on
Saturday before you go to bed you start praying for this and on Sunday morning
you get up earlier to stir up your own heart to come to church and light the
fire in other peoples’ hearts to love God more?!
“AND
GOOD WORKS” --- Once you stir up people to love God more, once you
provoke people to love Christ more, they will do good works.
The good
works are fruits of your love for God. I John 4:20-21 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for
he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has
not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also
love his brother.
How important
it is for people to be provoked to do good works for the Kingdom of God, the
good works prove and test the people’s faith.
HOW CAN I
PROVOKE/STIR UP MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS TO LOVE MORE?
1 – Coming to church! In order to obey these
commandments you must be in church, in a local church to know your family.
Your love for
God and for others will not be provoked by staying at home. The less you go to
church the more you stop loving God and His people.
2 – By having the Word of God preached! The Word of God
sanctifies the church and sets people free. In Luke 24 the heart of the
disciples burned because of Christ’s exposition of the Scriptures.
3 – By your own example! How you come and behave in
church speak more than words. Matthew Henry said, “A good example given to
others is the best and most effectual provocation to love and good works.”
4 – By your conversation! You can stimulate and provoke
people by the things you talk about.
Some people
stir up love for sports, soccer, hunting, knitting, and reading by the way they
talk about these things. If you talk about the wonderful things God has been
doing and about missionaries who loved Christ more than their lives you will
provoke others to love God more.
5 – By caring for the people in your church. The way
you care for your brothers and sisters provokes others to love God more and do
good works.
“I do not know how we can do that better than by being very loving and
very full of good works ourselves, for then will others be likely to say, ‘If
these people are helped by God’s grace to love like this, and to labor like
this, why should not we do the same.’ A good example is often better than a
very proper precept.” (C.H. Spurgeon)
ISN’T THAT THE WORK OF THE PASTORS/ELDERS?
Most people
think the pastors of the church should be the ones who are responsible for
paying attention to the people and caring and motivating others to love God.
But it is very interesting that this passage says nothing about leaders doing
that. This is the duty of all Christians!
Eph 4:11-12 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds
and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building
up the body of Christ,
The most
precious duty of the pastor is to equip the whole church for the work of
ministry.
“It is only in the local body to which one is
committed that there can be the level of intimacy that is required for
carefully stimulating fellow-believers "to love and good deeds." And
it is only in this setting that we can encourage one another.” (John MacArthur
-http://www.gty.org/resources/questions/QA124/why-should-i-attend-church)
v.25 not
neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one
another (ESV)
v.25 - “NOT NEGLECTING/GIVING UP/FORSAKING
meeting together”
How can you
consider your brothers and sisters, how can you stir up and provoke your
spiritual family if you don’t come to church?
“Not neglecting TO MEET TOGETHER” ---
That is the meeting on the Lord’s Day! They met together on Sundays [the Lord’s
Day, first day of the week] to sing, pray, have fellowship, and listen to the
exposition of the apostles’ teaching.
God commands
His people to come to church! It is sinful to not come to church for selfish
reasons! Forsaking the meeting together for selfish reasons is a sin.
“We shall all do well to remember the charge: ‘Forsake not the
assembling of yourselves together, as the manner of some is.’ (Heb. 10:25).
Never to be absent from God’s house on Sundays, without good reason – never to
miss the Lord’s Supper when administered in our own congregation... The very
sermon that we needlessly miss may contain a precious word in season for our
souls. The very assembly for prayer and praise from which we stay away, may be
the very gathering that would have cheered, established, and revived our
hearts. We little know how dependent our spiritual health is on little,
regular, habitual helps, and how much we suffer if we miss our medicine.” (J.C. Ryle - Making Church Attendance a Priority)
People in
those days were suffering horrible persecution. They were losing their lives,
properties, and being arrested and even then the Lord demands them to be in
church. How much more does He demand us to be in church when we don’t have any
persecution?! Do you truly think the Lord Jesus has a smile on His face when
you don’t come to church because you were tired, because you didn’t feel like
coming, because you programmed other activities on His day?!
“AS IS
THE HABIT OF SOME” --- Some people missed one Sunday, two Sundays,
three Sundays… Suddenly they have these amazing excuses to not come to church.
They listen to TV preachers, do their family devotional, and start believing
that it is all good.
Every habit
starts with small steps!
Satan gives a
thousand reasons for you to leave the church:
- Too
cold
- Too
hot
- Sermon
is too long
- Too
far away
- Don’t
have programs for my kids
- Somebody
offended me
One of the most
given excuses is that Christians belong to the Universal Church and they don’t
need the local church. Mark Dever has a good answer for this excuse: “The relationship between our membership in
the universal church and our membership in the local church is a lot like the
relationship between the righteousness God gives us through faith and the
actual practice of righteousness in our daily lives. When we become Christians
by faith, God declares us righteous. Yet we are still called to actively be
righteous. A person who happily goes on living in unrighteousness calls into
question whether he ever possessed Christ's righteousness in the first place
(see Romans 6:1-18; 8:5-14; James 2:14-15). So, too, it is with those who
refuse to commit themselves to a local church. Committing to a local body is
the natural outcome - it confirms what Christ has done. If you have no interest
in actually committing yourself to an actual group of gospel-believing,
Bible-teaching Christians, you might question whether you belong to the body of
Christ at all.” (Mark Dever - The Church: A Family, a Fellowship, and the
Body of Jesus Christ)
Christ cares
about each local church!
Christ is committed to His church and to each local church (Revelation 1-3).
If you don’t have a serious commitment to the local church you have a problem
committing yourself to Christ!
The hymn
writer Frances Havergal gave several reasons for attending
church—especially on rainy days (they didn’t have cars or antibiotics like we
have now). She enumerates these as follows:
1. God has blessed the Lord’s Day, making no exceptions
for stormy days; 2. I expect my minister to be there. I would be surprised
if he stayed at home because of the weather; 3. I might lose out on the
prayers and the sermon that would have done me great good; 4. For important business, rain
doesn’t keep me home; and church is, in God’s sight, very important; 5.
Bad weather will prove how much I love Christ. True love rarely fails to keep
an appointment; 6.
Those who stay home from church because it’s rainy frequently miss on fair
Sundays, too. I mustn’t take one step in that direction; 7. I don’t know how many more
Sundays God may give me. It would be poor preparation for my first Sunday in
heaven to have slighted my last one on earth."
I go because
my family needs me there!
“The one who comes to Christ, comes to
church! Genuine commitment to Christ must have a genuine commitment to His
local church.” (Steve Lawson)
“BUT
ENCOURAGING ONE ANOTHER” --- The opposite of not coming to church is to
come and encourage the brothers and sisters in the Lord. Instead of not coming
to church you come and encourage (Gk. παρακαλέω – come alongside
to comfort, exhort, build up, and help each other!
How can I encourage my brothers
and sisters? 1 – Praying for them; 2 - Counseling; 3 – Serving; 4
– Forgiving; 5 – Bearing; 6 – Speaking the truth…
“and all the more as you see the Day drawing
near” --- How important it is to have a sound Eschatology! So
many people despise and reject Eschatology, but it is so practical and
important for the lives of Christians.
How important
it is for Christians to be in church. The world and Satan are teaching
and exalting
all sorts of evil things (fornication, homosexuality, divorce, abortion,
smoking, drinking, pornography, sensuality…), that is why there is no better
place for a Christian to be than in the House of God! It is in the church that
we gather together to sing praises to the Lamb (just like it is done in
Heaven), holiness is exalted, sin is condemned, the Word of God is preached,
and the saints have fellowship. It is in our local churches that we have a
heavenly vision of the things that are happening around us. It is at church
that we are reminded that we belong to somewhere else.
CONCLUSION:
I want to
remind you that going to church doesn’t make anyone a Christian [salvation is a
work of God by grace alone], but being a faithful member to a local church is a
mark/fruit of a healthy saving faith in someone’s life.
It is
decision time: Come all the way! Stop being superficial and having lame
excuses! If you truly want to be devoted to Christ you must be devoted to what
He loves – His church!
Let’s have
these truths as our New Year’s Resolution for 2013! Let’s have these truths
preached to ourselves and our families every Saturday night and Sunday morning
in 2013.
“Do not allow them [your children] to grow up with a habit of making
vain excuses for not coming. Make them clearly understand, that so long as they
are under your roof, it is the rule of your house for everyone in good health
to honor the Lord on the Lord’s day, and that you believe that the healthy
person who refuses to go to church on the Lord’s Day brings great harm to his
soul. Do not be discouraged because your children do not see the full value of
church and the Lord’s Supper now. Just train them to have a habit of regular
attendance. Set it before their minds as a high, holy, and solemn duty, and
believe me, the day will very likely come when they will bless you for your
efforts.” (J.C. Ryle, The Duties of Parents, Banner of Truth,
295-298)
WHY DO I COME
TO CHURCH?
Why would I
NOT come to church? In view of such wonderful blessings in my life, in view of
such Amazing Grace saving a wretched man like me, how could I not desire to
come to the Lord’s House?!
How could I
prefer to stay in my house on the Lord’s Day instead of going into the House of
my Lord?!
I go to
church because:
- I
love my Lord and Savior!
- I
love my family!
- I
want to pay attention to my brothers and sisters!
- I
want to stir up my church, fire up my church to love Christ more and do more
good deeds!
- My
Lord requires me to go and I love obeying His commandments!
- The
Day is approaching and I want to do here what I will do for eternity!
It will
probably require Holy Violence [as
Thomas Watson said] from your part. A Holy
Violence to discipline yourself and your family to go to bed early, wake up
earlier, and to pray for joy and for a thankful heart. But I tell you that this
Holy Violence is worth it!
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