[0:00] from verse 22 where it says let us draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering for he who promised us faithful and let us consider how to stir one another up to love and good works and it'll just be a light overview of these three let us phrases that we come across here in this chapter now the writer to the hebrews well it's not really clear who he was and there are in this chapter in this book the great verses that we could consider and as the writer goes through from hebrews at the beginning of hebrews he seems to be building this momentum as he's writing as he indeed does through the whole book he elevates the person of christ who christ is what christ has done for us and what it means to have faith in this man christ that he this person is superior to any other angel in the heavens he's superior to any other prophet that ever lived and superior to any other priest that went on behalf of the people he's lifting up the name of christ he is greater than every sacrifice that was ever offered and in his great sacrifice he accomplishes that eternal atonement for the lord's people and washes us the scarlet sins of our garments whiter than snow in the light of the writer's considerations of christ and who he is and his building of momentum of this person and all that he has done and all that he means the teaching of this great prophet priest and king he calls out then to the reader to respond and he seeks to instill the reader with confidence equally in this christ as he considers christ that as individuals we would find confidence and knowledge of knowing who christ is that he is a superior prophet priest and king an ever superior prophet priest and king but also as a church that he is a prophet priest and king superior to all others and in this letter we have this phrase letter it's not only repeated here but it's it's it's repeated through the book of hebrews 12 or 13 times and often this letter it's a it's a resulting clause of the writer looking at christ he looks at christ and then he calls to the people and he says therefore let us with consequent actions he turns to the people he turns to the church to respond with action let us do something let us therefore because of christ sprawl says if he was thrown into prison rc sprawl if he was thrown into prison and he could only take one book with him he said it would be the bible and if he could only have one chapter of the bible
[4:00] he said it would be isaiah chapter 6 but if he had one book of the bible he said he would take the book of hebrews because he says it brings the whole council of god together on every page and gives us the most magnificent portist of christ and each chapter and it's that consideration of christ and then the call to us to respond to the superior person and our savior and prior to the texts that we have here the three letters we were reading of christ's sacrifice and how the old ways and the sacrificial ways are now not required because through the blood of christ jesus we have been cleansed and who satisfied divine justice in this perfect sacrifice that has been offered for our sins and therefore the way has been opened through this sacrifice the curtain has been torn in two to enter into this kingdom there is no more need for any further payments and the section finishes there in verse 17 that he will therefore remember our sins no more and our lawless deeds they're not to be remembered they're gone so then we're presented after this image of christ the sacrifice that he has given to us the writer says there in verse 19 therefore and then gives us the three letters following we have confidence to enter the holy places let us draw near let us hold fast let us consider how to stir one another to good works and even if you consider that let us that is set out to each other it's important in and of itself because of who he is speaking to calls out to the people of god calls out to each individual here it means that there is no one left on their own and the church family is to be bound together in christ jesus as one body let us together act come with us together in doing what we're doing let us together strengthen our minds our bodies let us increase our assurance in christ jesus let us gain our understanding in christ jesus let us trust more and more to live our lives devoted to christ jesus let us it's that great phrase after considering christ that calls us to do something let us remember each other let us it's a great welcome that the church should give to new members that come you are now a part of this body of believers and therefore new members are welcomed with this let us regardless of how old we are regardless of how young we are spread there let us together learn from one another
[8:00] and see the experience of the elder brother of the elder brothers that we know and learn from them and the young ones the older ones learn from the younger ones as well that call of being together as one body the children of god and while there's a sermon it's the chapter it's loaded there's a sermon on each one of these calls we just look at them and I see there's a response to each one of these letters one is let us draw near one is let us hold fast one is let us consider how to stir one another to love and good works so just briefly we'll consider each of these let us phrases let us draw near that's the first of these three saints it is good to draw near together it is good to draw near with a focus on christ and it is natural for the believer to draw near but if you love someone you are inclined to draw near to them you desire to be with them it's natural to be together in each other's company it speaks of joining together and the joy of joining together as we saw in the psalms and how we desire that we we would love to have that desire all the time to come together but it's true that we don't that we would love to have that heart like mary did that she was inclined to come and just sit and listen to every word and almost hang off every word as she was consumed with the presence and the words of christ as she sat there that she drew near to him natural affections to the love of our saviour a place where she and we can pour out the affections of our heart and come to him with confidence but we know that as I said our love is not always that inclined to naturally draw near to christ we are the weak link in that relationship his love towards us is perfect and ours is tainted to our shame we don't always maintain the idyllic relationship that we even desire to keep to draw near to him and yet we are so consumed to draw away to other things that call our hearts desires with it with that we acknowledge the truth of our hearts let us draw near with a true heart confessing the truth of ourselves as we heard in prayer acknowledging the weaknesses of our heart and our desire to come to christ remember we looked at isaiah a couple of weeks ago isaiah chapter 1 where the people were so sinful before this great phrase was said that their sins were so scarlet in the sight of god and yet he would still wash them whiter than snow there was an assurance if they came as he called to them that they would be washed and let us
[12:03] draw near with a true heart assurance of faith sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water and yet we come we're not consumed with that evil of our heart the evil does not rule the consciousness of our hearts we come because we confess and see the smallest of evils within our hearts and the impurities of it we come to that cleansing power at Calvary and that great display of his love towards us where he died on the cross and where his blood was spilt to cleanse us and it is a call and compelling picture where we can draw near to and a place where we can continue coming to and drawing even closer to that knowledge of that great love love at Calvary to know it in a greater sense and to understand him and what he has done for us how close are we to Christ we have to ask ourselves do we need to draw near again on that cord of love that has been extended to us by means which we meet with him and he with us in the word and through the means of grace in his gathered people where he pours down his blessings that we would continue drawing near us every day confessing the truth of our heart but there are times we must admit and confess that although we are called to come and draw near we feel like we're stopped in our tracks and we can't draw any closer than we can at such a time as where we hold fast let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering for he who promised his faith we are also called to hold fast to the confession of our hope in the man through whom we have professed our faith in therefore let us hold fast the confession of our hope as we look at Christ and we see the sacrifice that he paid for us we have confidence in all that he has done for us and we steadfast and trusting when the world and its devils are telling you to let go to turn away to stop drawing near it is then we need to hold fast in the difficulties in the difficulties of life when we feel stopped in our tracks it is then we need to hold fast let us hold fast to the hope set before us as he previously speaks in Hebrews chapter 6 for we have a sure and steadfast anchor for the soul we have a sure and steadfast anchor on which we can hold fast to and we have an assured hope in his promises to us through his word and the provisions that he has made for us
[16:03] such a hope that will not leave us tossed to and throw like the wind or waves of doctrine as is spoken in James and Ephesians but that anchor if we hold fast will keep us secure in the uncertainties of life steadfast upon that figure Christ therefore we hold fast to the one who holds me it is him who is the anchor for us to hold fast to and in these times where we feel like we cannot go on where we feel like we are just holding on this in these days where a word of encouragement can be so precious to us and keep us holy let us 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 all the more as you see the day drawing me the third call let us let us stir up one another to love and good works the word consider in the
[17:39] Greek has strong implications that we pay attention with the greatest care and consideration to one another that we consider the need of each other we consider one another in that great let us be attentive and that we stir one another up that we support one another in ways that are needed that we care for one another as we go on to live in love and good works and highlights the importance of being together that we do stir each other up together we encourage each other when we meet together and even we stir one another and keep each other and watch over each other in our marriages in our friendships in our families in our church the family we stir one another up we pay attention with the greatest consideration to each other on how to draw one another to love and good works let us in the gathering of
[19:02] God's people as the church have this special bond of love to stir each other and to encourage one another on the way and these three let us just briefly in concluding let us draw near let us hold fast let us stir up one another to love and good works I want to present to you an image and there is more to it I just don't have the time to fully go into it the simplest of images that ties these three actions in the Christian faith I'd imagine you were on a raft at sea and each of you is in your own raft there is no land to be seen the sea as you know is full of dangers storms pass over from time to time and you realise you must get to land somehow before you perish and you notice in each corner ropes tied to the raft and there are people likewise in a similar situation beside you on their own raft with their ropes that you can speak to and interact to and have you tried pulling on any of the ropes say well some have pulled on the ropes some have ropes that have been tagged eternal joy eternal pleasure and it was only a loose end there are other ropes that have given promises that have been tagged with promises of material possessions and the riches of this world and there are only ropes that they have left bundled on their raft barely keeping them afloat and dragging them down themselves but yet there is a small red scarlet cord tied to the corner of each raft raft and this is a cord that is really holding the raft this is a cord that is keeping the raft from being completely lost it is this small cord that people despise that is the sustainer of each raft and each life every occasion the wood of one raft becomes so absorbed with wood with the wood of the raft becomes so absorbed with water that it sinks with its occupant it brings fear and uncertainty to those who are left but soon these feelings pass by and they continue in their own comfort in their own way by no effort by staying in the same place but you in pondering the situation realise the plight of staying where you are and so pull on this red cord small in size but three fold in construction and this one is tagged the cord that saved my life by one called rehab and as you do so pull on this rope every effort of it there is a weight to it and pulls you in a sure direction separating you from the others that you leave behind and you know that at the end of this cord is something there is
[23:03] weight to it and as you draw on this cord the windings of it are wrapped with the promises of God and it is what you hold on to as you draw on it these promises of God and your hope is then shifted not on the raft nor yourself but on the cord that you hold on to and it is that cord that we likewise hold on to that promises of God and the uncertainties of our lives and yet that cord is a sustainer of every life really do we pull upon do we draw near upon storms come as we pull upon this cord that test us that deny our faith in this promises do we hold fast to it in the struggles of life we are inclined to let go of it that cord is the anchor of your hope isn't it in no other rope is there confidence to be placed and you hold on to it and you pull upon it it's the word of
[24:28] God and only as you pull upon it you see at the end land and a secure refuge and a figure that holds the rope who is Christ himself and then you realise that while all you're pulling upon the rope he did not let go of you and if that rope you stained it with your sins and the weight of the rope was bundled on the raft behind you and all the sins of your life and the sins of your hands that stained it were not too much of a weight for the man that held unto you and he did not let go of you even when you let go of it even if you slipped even if you were just holding on with doubt that we hold fast and yet others come alongside you that are pulling upon the same cord of love that is extended to them and you encourage one else to continue mist may come down and obscure your vision surprises may lurk in the water you may hit a reef and feel grounded but we hold fast through the difficulties of life and we hold fast confidently to the promises of
[26:07] God that he is one that will take that raft and that sins and take us to a sure shore and he will cut these sins from us and the raft so uncertain and set you on a rock in which you can have confidence in his presence that he was the one that held you all the time through the difficulties and uncertainties of life as we look at Christ it is encouraging us to say to one another let us draw near let us hold fast in the times of difficulty let us consider one another and stir one another up to love and good works as we go on in the Christian journey keeping our eyes upon
[27:09] Christ and keeping our eyes also on each other let us draw near up to to Christ let us hold fast to Christ and let us stir each other up to love and good works in Christ may these thoughts be blessed to us we'll conclude later