Hebrews chapter 10, I'll begin reading in verse 19.
Let's pray together.
Father God, we thank you for your visible church.
I thank you that you are at work amongst us,
and that a great display of Christ's work sits in this room together today.
And I pray, Father, because of your great love for your church,
you will add your blessing to the study of your word this morning,
for your glory and our good.
And we pray this in the precious name of Christ.
Amen.
So please grab a seat.
As I do the same, I'm going to dispel some notions that you may have about me.
And I recognize that these might be very deep-rooted beliefs that you have about who I am as a person,
really right down in the midst of you.
And I just apologize.
I'm going to shake you up a little bit this morning,
because I have to tell you that I'm not the strongest guy you know.
I know many of you think that, and it's just not true.
Wes and I took a group of students from Truett McConnell caving and rock climbing this weekend,
and I am in so much pain right now,
which is why I'm sitting down, not because I'm cool and preach from a stool,
but because I hurt.
I don't think I can stand for 30 minutes.
The second notion you may have about me is that I'm the smartest guy you know,
which is also not true at all,
because I took a bunch of young people caving and climbing
and thought I could hang with them in that act.
So I'm not the strongest or smartest person you know,
which is evidenced not just in this morning, but in a number of things.
So we've been working our way through this text that I read to you this morning,
in Hebrews chapter 10, verse 19 through 25,
and we came to it with the intended purpose of talking about the vision of Christ's family church.
How is it that Christ's family church,
which we believe exists to experience, proclaim, and display the supremacy of Jesus Christ in all things,
does that?
How is it that we experience, proclaim, and display the supremacy of Jesus Christ in all things?
And I've told you that we kind of like to use an analogy of ministry about the activity of a church,
and we use this picture of a tree that we're to have roots that are firmly and deeply founded in the word of the living God
and branches that exalt Christ in our congregational worship and prayers together,
and fruit that the action of loving one another and the world through service and through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
And so I kind of began in this process of wanting to kind of preach a little series, so to speak,
and God brought me to this text, which contains all of these truths and not quite as neat a format.
But we've been working our way through it, and this will be the last sermon in this text.
Verse 24 and 25 will be our focus this morning.
So let me read just those two verses to you again to kind of bring us in a bit on what we're going to focus on today.
The writer of Hebrews says,
And 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, and all the more, as you see the day drawing near.
And we saw, beginning in verse 19, we saw these privileges, two privileges here.
Certainly there are some beyond that, but two privileges here that have been bought for us
are granted to us by the gospel of Jesus Christ.
And they were, number one, unlimited accessibility to God.
And we see that in verses 19 and 20, that because Christ, because of his sacrifice on our behalf,
the sacrifice once and for all for our sins, we now have full access, easy access,
not once a year access like the Jews had one guy one time a year to enter in the presence of God,
but we have full, unhindered accessibility to God.
And number two, the second great privilege was great advocacy with God,
because Jesus is now our great high priest.
And even now, as I speak at the right hand of the Father,
interceding for me and the preaching this morning,
and interceding for you and your hearing of preaching this morning.
And so we have these great privileges granted to us by the gospel.
And the writer of Hebrews goes on, as a result of that, to give us three exhortations,
three encouragements to us in light of these two privileges.
And these exhortations, these encouragements,
were called by the Puritans, ways of improving upon these privileges.
Not that we make the privileges greater,
but our practicing of them is an improvement upon these privileges.
And the first two that we saw, number one was,
let us draw near to God.
Christian worship, the act of coming together,
let us as a congregation come together with hearts and minds engaged upon who God is.
And number two, we are to hold fast, verse 23,
the confession of our hope, or the one who is our hope, without wavering.
This morning we're going to talk about the third way we're exhorted to improve upon these privileges,
which is there in verse 24 and 25.
So, he begins by saying,
let us consider how to stir up one another.
And you may have a different translation of that.
That Greek word has been translated a number of different ways.
Stimulate, spur on.
But I think my favorite is incite.
Let us consider how to incite one another to love and good works.
Colin Round, who is probably the most renowned contemporary linguist,
has translated this word affectionate incitement.
So, it's not just the strong word of let us figure out how to command one another to love and good works.
Let us affectionately incite one another to love and good works,
which are authentic displays of Christianity.
So, if we're to incite each other to something,
stir up each other to something,
authentic displays of Christianity,
which the writer of Hebrews simply says,
love and good works.
Love, which is affection,
which desires the greatest good of its object.
And good works,
which is just the tangible outworking of that affection.
Is it not?
So, love and good works
is what we're to incite one another to.
And we could easily call this
the ministry of affectionate incitement.
And I want to give you
four points to that end.
The ministry of affectionate incitement.
Number one
is the responsibility
of all of us.
The ministry of affectionate incitement
is the responsibility
of all of us.
And I pointed out to you before,
I'm going to do so again,
the pattern
the writer of Hebrews is using here.
In verse 19,
we see plural pronouns.
We have confidence.
Verse 20,
open for us.
Verse 21,
we have a great priest.
Verse 22,
let us draw near.
Our hearts sprinkled clean.
Our bodies washed.
Verse 23,
let us hold fast.
Verse 24,
let us consider.
Right?
The ministry of affectionate incitement
is the responsibility
of all of us.
If you are in Christ,
this ministry
has been given to you.
I would say,
not only is it a privilege,
but it is a duty
to serve
in this way.
1 Peter 1,
22 and 23.
Peter writes,
having purified your souls
by your obedience
to the truth
for a sincere
brotherly love,
love one another
earnestly
from a pure heart.
Why?
The beginning of verse 23,
since you have
been born again.
Love one another
because
of who
you
are.
You are children
of the Most High God.
Therefore,
love one another
will be another way
of saying that.
1 John 4,
10 and 11.
John wrote,
in this
is love.
Not that we have loved God,
but that He loved us
and sent His Son
to be the propitiation
for our sins.
Right?
He's talking to the church.
Right?
In this is love
that Christ has died
for us.
Then He says,
Beloved,
if God so loved us,
we also
ought to love
one another.
It's a response
to who
we are
because Christ
has purchased us.
John 13,
35,
Jesus says,
By this,
all people will know
that you are
my disciples.
By what?
By Sunday morning
participation?
By the t-shirts
that we wear?
By the things
we claim to hate
and be against?
Mm-mm.
If you have love
for one another.
This is the
defining characteristic.
Are there other things
that you characterize
as followers of Christ?
Absolutely.
But if we had to say
one that trumps them all,
this is the one.
Our love
for
one
another.
So this is a ministry
that belongs
to all of us.
There aren't
people
specifically called
to be
inciders of
love and good works.
This is something
that is responsibility
laid on all
our shoulders.
Number two,
the ministry of affection
and incitement
is the fruit
of intention.
It is the fruit
of intention.
Verse 24 begins,
let us
consider.
And as
has been the pattern
over these past
couple of weeks,
the let us
is not actually
found in Greek,
but it's implied
in the Greek word.
So it's actually
one word here.
Let us
consider
is one Greek word,
plural,
present active.
It's a very strong word,
this word consider.
it means to
consider
attentively,
to fix
one's mind
and gaze
upon.
It's the very
same word
used in Hebrews
chapter 3,
verse 1,
where the writer
says,
fix your eyes
upon Jesus.
The idea there
is not that you
glance
at Christ,
but that you
fully set
your gaze
on Christ,
right?
intently
staring at
who Christ
is,
his person
and his work.
The same
word used
there,
very strong
word,
consider
attentively,
fix your
mind
upon this.
It's not
going to happen
just because.
This is something
we're going to
have to work
at.
Not everyone
here needs
to be
incited
in the same
way.
We all have
different
experience.
We're all
going through
something
differently
today.
All of us
have different
home situations.
All of us
have struggled
with various
sins in the
past and
in the
present.
If we
are to
be about
the ministry
of incitement,
it's going
to take
intention
on our
part.
We're going
to have to
pay attention
to those
around us
and their
needs.
We're going
to have to
get to
know each
other a
little bit,
aren't we?
It's also
regular and
ongoing.
I mentioned
that it's
present active
tense.
This is not
something that
you do
one time.
It's not a
checkbox on
your list of
Christian duty
for the week
and you
check it off
once and
you say,
incited,
I'm done,
it's good.
This is a
constant,
engaged
activity that
we are to
be about.
Leads us
to number
three.
The ministry
of affectionate
incitement
necessitates
consistent
togetherness.
Necessitates
consistent
togetherness.
We see
that in
verse 25.
Now,
I don't
know how
your translation
may render
verse 24 and
25,
but upon
an initial
reading,
it seems
as if
verse 25
is a
fourth
exhortation.
That it's
yet another
thing we
should do
in light of
what Christ
has done
for us.
However,
really it
could be
read,
verse 24,
and let us
consider how
to stir up
one another
to love
and good
works,
verse 25,
by not
neglecting
to meet
together.
So,
let us
consider how
to do
this by
meeting
together.
He says
it in the
negative
first,
not
neglecting
to meet
together,
as is
the habit
of some,
but the
implication is
meeting together
and encouraging
one another.
And all
the more,
as you say,
this day
drawing near,
probably this
book was
written just
prior to
70 AD,
we don't
know exactly
when,
but probably
so.
It was rather
early in the
Christian church,
and it would
seem that
already,
Christians had
gotten out of
the habit
meeting together
had already
become a
challenge in
the church.
This book
written to
Jewish believers
in Rome
had already
began to
drift apart
and neglect
their gathering
together.
We don't see
in this text
why.
He doesn't
get to that,
but we know
historically there
are documents
outside of
Scripture that
talk about what
was going on
and the
varying reasons
that people
were potentially
not meeting
together.
Fear of
persecution
from the
Romans,
embarrassed by
the size of
their small
congregation
compared to
the large
gathering at
the Jewish
synagogues,
business
possibly.
Until the
fourth century,
this was a
day of work,
the first day
of the week.
The Lord's
Day was a
day of work,
and they
met in the
evenings,
early Christians
did,
on the first
day of the
week.
So that's
potentially
spiritual
laziness.
Not really
another way to
put that,
just spiritual
laziness
would have
caused them
to neglect
to meet
together.
As I said,
none of these
things are in
the text,
but the
reason for
that, I
believe,
is that none
of them
really matter.
It doesn't
give us a
way to
wiggle out
of this.
If we have
a ministry
that we've
all been
called to,
that's going
to take
intention,
we ought
to meet
together.
We ought
not
neglect
meeting
together.
Some people
will say,
you don't
have to go
to church
to be a
Christian.
Many of you
may know
people like
that.
You may
be one
of the
people that
would say
that,
whether
you'd say
it out
loud or
not.
You don't
have to
go to
church
to be a
Christian.
And I
agree with
you.
You also
don't have
to go
home to
be married.
But if
that's the
attitude that
you cherish
in your
heart,
there's
something
seriously
wrong in
both cases.
Because of
the privileges
bought for
us by
Christ,
we ought
to want
to be
together.
I'm not
being
legalistic.
There are
things that
take us
away,
and that's
okay.
I wouldn't
begin to
say I
expect you
all to
be here
every single
time we
gather
together.
There are
circumstances
that take
us apart.
Next week,
I won't be
here.
I'm taking
a forced
vacation.
Chris has
told me that
I have to
take a week
off this
fall before
I die.
And so I'm
doing that
next week,
and I won't
be here next
Sunday.
However,
if I don't
long to be
here next
Sunday,
if it's not
the place I
would ultimately
love to be,
there's
something wrong
with my
heart.
I will
miss you
guys next
Sunday.
I know
that for a
fact.
Sam and
I are
going to
go spend
the Lord's
Day with
her family.
Her father
is a
pastor,
and we're
going to
visit his
church.
I've only
been there
once,
and all
the time
I've been
married to
Sam,
so we're
going to
go do
that.
But I'm
going to
sit there
the entire
time wishing
!
I was with
you,
because you
are my
church,
and that
ought to be
the attitude
of our
hearts.
So,
don't
mischear me,
I'm not
being legalistic.
I'm talking
about your
heart,
not the
activity so
much,
but where
do you
long to
be?
Young
people,
when you're
up here
for school,
come and
be with
us.
When you
go home
for the
summer,
I hope
you miss
us.
I hope
you can't
wait until
school starts
back in
the fall.
So it
necessitates
consistent
togetherness.
How are we
going to know
one another
if we don't
spend time
together?
Inciting
one another
to love
and good
works,
encouraging
one another
as the
day draws
near,
is not
something you
can do
if you're
a church
hopper.
How will
you possibly
know how
to encourage
a person
if you
don't know
anybody
at the
churches
you go
to?
Speaking
particularly
to you
young
people,
pick a
group of
people.
No church
has it
all right.
We're all
a mess
because we're
made of
people.
Go to a
church and
get involved
and love
the people.
Fall in
love with
people,
not
programs.
Certainly
there are
attributes that
make a
godly church.
We can
talk about
those later.
But just
be sure
you're not
worshipping a
show,
serving your
ends,
but you're
going to
serve a
group of
people.
number
four.
The
ministry
of
incitement
expresses
itself
in
encouragement.
It
expresses
itself
in
encouragement.
This
is how
we
incite
one
another
to
love
and
good
works.
He
concludes
verse
25 by
saying,
as you
see the
day
drawing
near,
and this
is my
belief,
this is
my
presumption
that he
includes
that because
he believes
that things
are going
to get
tougher
for these
people.
Things are
going to
be more
difficult for
them.
We see at
the end of
chapter 10
that they've
already endured
suffering.
He knows
that more
is coming.
As the
final day
of judgment
comes,
persecution
will rise
in the
world,
and they'll
need this
even more
than they
need it
now.
This
encouragement,
this word,
this Greek
word,
encouraging,
is a
very elastic
word.
It can
mean lots
of things.
It can
mean to
exhort,
to comfort,
to help,
to urge,
to appeal
to,
to admonish,
to strengthen.
It can
mean all
these things.
There are
a number
of others
that it
can also
mean.
But its
emphasis,
the word
of emphasis,
is verbal.
Emphasis is
verbal.
So this
kind of
encouragement
can come
in the
form of
a sermon,
can come
in the
form of
a piece
of music
performed,
or led,
can come
in the
form of
a letter.
Actually,
at the
end of
Hebrews,
the writer
calls his
letter words
of exhortation
or words
of encouragement.
Same word
there.
Words of
encouragement.
But since
this ministry
has been
given to
all of
us,
it also
must express
itself
one-to-one.
On a
one-on-one
basis.
It must,
right?
I can't be
the only one
this morning
that's going
to be an
encourager.
But we
must be
expressing
this one-to-one.
Have you ever
considered that
the part you
play in us
coming together
is to come
and encourage
somebody else?
Have you ever
thought about
that?
We might
show up
before 1030
if we
realize that.
We might
come looking
for an
opportunity
to encourage
somebody
in our
setting.
We might
stick around
a little bit
beyond our
formal gatherings
together.
We might
look for
opportunities
beyond the
organized times
we meet
together to
get with
members of
the church.
church.
Have you
considered that?
You play
an important
part in our
meeting together.
You're not
merely a
spectator.
You might
ask me,
how do I
do this?
How do I
encourage?
I don't
find myself
to be a
particularly
encouraging
person.
I don't
really feel
that I'm
equipped to
counsel
somebody or
minister to
them in
any way
whatsoever.
I'm not a
very knowledgeable
person.
I feel
theologically
weak.
I feel
like I
fail so
much in
my own
sin and
I just
don't have
a lot to
offer to
anybody to
think through
processes.
How is it
that I'm
meant to
encourage the
church?
Let me
tell you how
you can
encourage me.
Talk about
Jesus Christ.
Talk about
the great
work He is
doing in
your life.
And that
will move
me to do
the same to
you.
this
becomes a
cyclical
ministry
in the
church.
You
encourage
somebody
with a
great
work of
the
gospel
in your
life
and it's
going to
motivate them
to do
the same.
Love and
good works.
It begins
to build
like a
snowball
amongst us.
That is
the way
you minister
to those
around you.
Somebody
here may
have a
wayward
father.
Feels
a lack
in their
life.
And you
may not
have ever
experienced
that.
There is
no way
I'll ever
have all
of the
life
experiences
shared in
this room.
Praise God,
that would
be a lot
of a mess,
wouldn't it,
for me?
handle.
But the
gospel of
Jesus Christ
ministers to
all of
those
situations.
So
minister to
one another
with the
gospel.
Encourage
one another
with what
God is
doing in
your life.
I hope
and pray
that God
is doing
something in
your life
worth sharing
this week.
If not,
let's get
busy.
Right?
Let's
imagine if
all of us,
the few of us
that there are
here, but if
all of us
came this
morning with
a thought in
mind, I'm
not coming
here to
serve myself,
I'm coming
to corporate
worship to
praise God
and to
encourage the
church.
That's what
you had.
You got up
this morning
with that on
your mind
and prepared
yourself for
it.
All of us
came together
for that
activity.
Can you
imagine what
a different
group of
people we
would be?
I do
not want
Christ Family
Church to
be known
for the
distinctives on
our website.
Those are
good things.
Those are
important
things.
We're
reformed,
Southern
Baptist,
missional,
family
integrated,
good things.
I don't
want to be
known for
those things.
If that's
all we're
known for,
we're just
another
flavor.
We're just
another type
of church.
I want
people to
know us
for our
love for
one another.
I want
somebody to
say to
you,
someday,
I want
them to
say,
what church
do you
go to?
You say,
oh,
Christ Family
Church,
and in
their minds
they go,
of course,
those people
really love
each other.
That's the
kind of thing
we should be
known for.
Not buildings
and signs
and programs,
but how much
we love
one another.
Can you
imagine
what that
would look
like?
Briefly,
I want to
talk about
four things
that hinder
this kind
of ministry
amongst us.
Four things,
quickly.
Number one,
self-sufficiency.
Self-sufficiency.
You were
not saved
simply for
yourself.
In the
70s,
I've harped
on this a
couple of
times in the
past,
in the
70s,
a little
bit of
language
entered
into
Christendom.
That phrase,
personal
relationship
with Jesus
Christ,
and I
think it
was birthed
out of
good
motivation,
but why
we think
that when
we mess
with
biblical
language,
it won't
have some
negative
side effect
is beyond
me.
Gospel
presentation
should be
repentant
belief,
not personal
relationship
with Jesus
Christ.
God saves
individuals,
but he saves
them to
the church.
You are
not self
sufficient.
You were
saved to a
community of
believers.
God's
graces
come
through the
church.
John
Wesley
once said
there's
nothing more
unchristian
than a
solitary
Christian.
There is
nothing more
unchristian
than a
solitary
Christian.
Number two,
formality.
Having
certain
expectations
of our
time
together,
our
liturgy
together,
and a
belief that
our time
together does
not extend
beyond our
organized time
together.
That coming,
walking in the
back door,
sitting down,
going through
the motions,
getting up and
walking out,
is the extent of
your Christian
participation.
Formality will
get in the way
of the
ministry of
incitement.
number three,
bitterness.
As I've
said before,
we are an
imperfect group
of people.
I won't
always say
the kind
words you
need to
hear.
I pray
that I
always do,
but I
won't.
I won't
always walk
in here with
the best
attitude.
I won't
always call
you when
you feel
you need
a call.
don't let
a root of
bitterness
form in
you toward
members of
the church.
We are
all imperfect.
We are
all on a
progression
towards
perfection,
but we
fail a lot.
Don't make
being here
about you.
Think about
serving others.
Don't let
bitterness get
in the way.
And number
four,
elitism.
Elitism is
the creation
of cliques
based on
exclusiveness.
J.I.
Packard
called
elitism
a satanic
counterfeit
of true
fellowship.
A satanic
counterfeit
of true
fellowship.
The ministry
of incitement
involves you
getting involved
in people's
lives of
varying
backgrounds
and
demographics
from you.
don't allow
yourself to
become a
clique that
excludes
others from
your group.
You never
know who
may need
to be
in your
group both
for their
benefit and
for ours.
It's worth
noting that if
we have a
love like
this that
expresses itself
properly,
this love
and good
works,
that this
kind of
affection,
us being
known for
our love
for one
another,
this kind
of affection
is going
to spill
outside of
our borders.
I believe
that if
I'm
encouraged
the way
I should
be
encouraged
in this
meeting,
the
encouragement
I can
give back,
I'll have
too much
of it.
I won't
be able
to give
it away.
And it's
going to
spill
outside of
the borders
of this
meeting time
to our
communities,
places we
live and
work and
play,
that ultimately
there will
be not just
fruit of love
within our
church,
but fruit of
love to the
world.
We won't
be able to
contain the
goodness of
Christ,
which is
experienced
here amongst
us.
And it's
my deep
prayer,
and I
realized as I
was looking
over my
notes this
morning that
I'm not
shy to try
to coin
phrases.
And I say
try because
if you
actually coin
a phrase,
people begin
to use it,
exchange it
as currency.
They actually
understand what
it means.
And I tend
to say things
and just
continue to
say them and
nobody has a
clue what I'm
talking about.
So let me
tell you when
I say it's
my deep
prayer.
Deep prayers
for me come
out of deep
conviction.
An understanding
of what church
should look
like is not
just something
that God's
put in my
head,
but it
kind of
is sitting
down here
in my
gut.
I long
for our
church to
look like
this.
I desire
not just
a small
group of
people that
understand and
engage in
what community,
what church
is actually
meant to be
about,
but a large
group of
people that
get this.
that put
down the
consumerism of
American
Christianity,
understand that
Christianity is
relational.
It's a
fellowship.
First,
vertical,
and second,
horizontal.
It makes me
hurt to think
about how bad I
want to see this
happen.
And that's what I
mean when I
say it's my
deep prayer.
Christ Family
Church will be a
church that so
greatly appreciates the
privileges bought for
us by Christ,
understands them,
really knows what's
been granted to us
by Christ,
this unlimited
accessibility to
God and our
great advocacy
with God,
that will actively
and continually be
about the work of
improving upon
these privileges,
and that will do
so by drawing near
to God and God
centered,
frequent,
corporate worship
that will hold
fast to the one
in whom we have
hope through a
deep understanding
of His redemptive
work,
and that fixing
our gaze on
mutually encouraging
one another
will be known
for love and
good works.
I hope that
the analogy of
the tree now
has become
glaringly,
abundantly
clear to all
view,
roots,
branches,
and fruit.