Let's pray together. Will you join me as we come before our Father?
Heavenly Father, what an awesome, awesome privilege it is to come and to meet with you and to draw near to you again this morning.
To encounter you, the living God. You, the one who made all the galaxies and the cosmos and the entire universe, God, beyond what we've even discovered.
You, who, God, know the secrets at the depths of the bottom of the oceans, God.
Things we don't even know or haven't discovered. You, the creator, God, and you invite us to come and draw near and to encounter you.
God, it is an awesome privilege to come to you this morning.
Thank you for sending Christ, our atoning sacrifice, to die in our place that we can draw near to you, that we can know you and know your love for us.
Father, where could we find such a love as yours? Where could we find such a faithful God?
Where could we go to find a life like you give us?
You, God, are what our hearts truly need, and in you we find rest.
In you, God, we see the world correctly. In you, we see ourselves correctly.
Our fears and our concerns don't evaporate, but they're tempered, they're reduced, they are mitigated in the presence of your awesomeness.
God, we've come to find hope for tomorrow, even in the midst of the confusion of today.
And so we gather to be reminded of our unwavering hope that is in you.
Father, this morning we also confess our many sins to you.
Those that we are aware of, those, God, that we are unaware of,
we acknowledge, God, just how much of our lives are consumed with self,
living for our own glory rather than you, looking to ourselves rather than you.
Father, forgive us, we pray.
Thank you for communion.
What a beautiful act and demonstration it is of your amazing grace.
And God, as we come to your word this morning, we pray that you'll wash us in the gospel.
Open our eyes to see you freshly, to be in awe of you and to trust you.
Pray, God, for the next half an hour as we come to your word,
that you really will, Spirit of God, take the words on these pages and apply it to our hearts.
Father, we continue to pray for our city this morning and the unrest we're currently experiencing.
Oh, God, give us profound wisdom to know how to live as salt and light in the midst of this.
Father, we confess we don't know how to respond.
At times we feel angry.
At times we feel confused.
At times we feel frightened.
At times we feel boldened.
Father, forgive us where our hearts' attitudes have dishonored you.
God, where we've not glorified or worshipped your name,
whether with our words, with our thoughts, or what we have or haven't done.
Glorious God, we do ask you for a solution to the current situation,
for people to find each other, to be able to talk.
We pray for soft hearts.
We pray for humility.
We pray for peace to prevail in our city.
Come and do it, God.
Come, Lord Jesus, come.
God, we pray for every Hong Konger this morning.
Every foreigner.
Pray for everyone from across Asia.
Mainland Chinese, Singaporeans, Indonesians, Hong Kongers, Japanese.
Pray for everyone that calls the city home.
Come and wash our hearts in your peace, we pray, Lord.
Lord, we pray these things, Lord Jesus, in your majestic and your comforting name.
Amen.
Let's listen to God's word being read to us this morning.
Thanks, Karen and Pui.
The scripture reading comes from Hebrews chapter 10.
Please follow along in your bulletins or on the screen.
For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come,
instead of the true form of these realities,
it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year,
make perfect those who draw near.
Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered,
since the worshipers, having once been cleansed,
would no longer have any consciousness of sins.
But in these sacrifices, there is a reminder of sins every year.
For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,
Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body you have prepared for me.
In burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure.
Then I said,
Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,
as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.
When he said above,
You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices
and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings.
These are offered according to the law.
Then he added,
Behold, I have come to do your will.
He does away with the first in order to establish the second.
And by that will,
We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
And every priest stands daily at his service,
offering repeatedly the same sacrifices,
which can never take away sins.
But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins,
he sat down at the right hand of God,
waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet.
For by a single offering,
he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us,
for after saying,
This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord.
I will put my laws on their hearts and write them on their minds.
Then he adds,
I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.
When there is forgiveness of these,
there is no longer any offering for sin.
Therefore, brothers,
since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus,
by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain,
that is, through his flesh,
and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
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.
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering,
for he who promised is faithful.
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.
For if we go on sinning deliberately,
after receiving the knowledge of the truth,
there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
but a fearful expectation of judgment,
and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.
Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses
dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses.
How much worse punishment do you think
will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God
and has profaned the blood of the covenant
by which he was sanctified
and has outraged the Spirit of grace?
For we know him who said,
Vengeance is mine, I will repay.
And again,
The Lord will judge his people.
It is a fearful thing
to fall into the hands of the living God.
But recall the former days
when after you were enlightened,
you endured a hard struggle with sufferings,
sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction,
and sometimes being partners with those so treated.
For you had compassion on those in prison,
and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property,
since you knew that you yourselves
had a better possession and an abiding one.
Therefore, do not throw away your confidence,
which has a great reward.
For you have need of endurance,
so that when you have done the will of God,
you may receive what is promised.
For
Yet a little while,
and the coming one will come,
and will not delay.
But my righteous one shall live by faith,
and if he shrinks back,
my soul has no pleasure in him.
This is the Word of God.
Is this on?
Great.
Thanks, Karen.
I know that was a long passage,
so thank you for reading it so well.
Okay, this morning,
we are starting a three-week preaching series
called Why Worship?
And we are looking at the question,
why it is that Christians gather on Sundays,
the first day of the week,
to sing songs,
and listen to a sermon,
and take communion together,
and listen to God's Word being read to us.
Why do Christians do this?
Why do we gather on Sundays?
I'm sure many of us have heard people say,
maybe you yourself have even said it,
maybe you currently would say,
that, you know,
I believe in Jesus,
I'm fine with Jesus,
but the church,
I don't see why I need to go to church.
Maybe as we think about that question,
why do we gather on Sundays,
week in and week out,
I wonder what answers come to your mind.
Why do you think we gather?
Maybe you think the reason we meet each week
is because we need to be inspired and motivated
to go out into the week
and live moral upstanding lives,
to be good citizens,
and church is a good place to do that,
to teach us the morals.
Maybe you think that the reason we gather
is to hear an interesting or entertaining talk,
something philosophical,
some psychology or spirituality,
something to entertain our minds
that are intellectually stimulating.
Maybe it's a moral prep talk
to encourage us to be better people.
For those of you that are on youth,
why do your parents drag you to church each Sunday?
Maybe that's a question you've been asking them recently.
So the next few weeks,
we're going to look at this question.
Why is it that for 2,000 years,
Christians of every culture,
every ethnicity,
in every corner of the globe,
have gathered week in and week out,
just as we're doing today,
and why it is that believers have seen this
as one of the great privileges
and great responsibilities
of being a follower of Jesus?
Now, in order to think about this question,
we need to actually think about
another question before that.
And we need to first answer the question,
what is the Christian faith all about?
What is the essence,
the most fundamental part
of the gospel and the Christian faith?
Because once we have clarity on that,
we can then understand
why it is that God instructs Christians
not to abandon this weekly practice
of gathering together.
And in our passage
that Karen and Pui read to us today,
the passage Hebrews 10
actually answers both of those questions
with real clarity.
In the first half,
it explains to us
what is the gospel?
What is the Christian message all about?
And then secondly,
it's going to say in light of that,
why we should gather as Christians
weekly on Sundays, okay?
So that's where we are going today.
Now, today I have three or four points
somewhere around there.
I had originally had three points,
but as I woke up this morning,
I'm actually going to make them four points.
And so this is a little bit out,
but I'm sure you can follow with me.
The first one is this,
Jesus, our only hope.
Secondly, the gospel for all of life.
Okay, that's kind of point one there.
Thirdly, a gospelizing community.
I know the word gospelizing
isn't a real word.
We kind of made it up here,
but anyway.
And then fourthly,
how to come to church, okay?
So Jesus, our only hope,
a gospel for all of life,
a gospelizing community,
how to come to church.
So let's dive in.
Firstly, Jesus, our only hope.
This morning,
we're looking at Hebrews chapter 10.
And the context of Hebrews is this.
The writer of this book of the Bible,
we actually don't know who it is.
Some writer,
we've never figured it out
who wrote this book,
but he's writing to a bunch
of Jewish Christians.
That's why it's called
the book of Hebrews.
And he's writing to explain
to these Jewish Christians
how Jesus Christ is the fulfillment
of everything that God did
and said and promised
to his covenant people,
the nation of Israel,
in the Old Testament.
And he's showing them
how all of the major stuff
in the Old Testament,
part of the Jewish Hebrew faith,
the narratives,
the law of Moses,
the pictures,
the signs,
the symbols,
the sacrifices,
all of that is actually
a foretaste
or a sample
or a sign
which is all pointing
towards Jesus.
Okay, so here's an example.
In our family,
we like to have people
around for dinner.
And Claire,
my wife,
is an amazing cook.
And so let's say
it's a Saturday evening
and some friends
are coming around for dinner.
I know Saturday afternoon
and evening,
Claire's going to be
in the kitchen
preparing a whole lot
of different dishes.
And so what do I love to do?
I love to go into the kitchen
and just sample
the various things, right?
Try a bit of this
and a bit of this
and nibble on that.
I love it.
Now in some ways,
that's what's happening here.
The author is saying,
don't you see
how everything,
the sacrifices
and the high priest
and the temple,
all these things
in the Old Testament
and especially
the law of Moses
are like a sample.
They're like a foretaste
of the real thing
that's to come,
which is Jesus.
They are all showing us
in sample form
what God is doing
in the world.
And what is God
doing in the world?
He's establishing
His rule
and His reign.
In other words,
His kingdom.
He is vanquishing
or destroying
His enemies,
including Satan
and sin,
and He's establishing
His kingdom
on the earth.
But all of that
ultimately happens
in Jesus.
You see,
the rites of Hebrews
isn't saying,
hey,
we once thought
Judaism was right,
but now we've seen
Christianity was right,
and so I'm asking you
to switch religions.
That's not what
He's asking you to do.
He's saying,
everything you've heard
and seen
and understood
as you've read
your Jewish Bible
is good
and true
and right,
but it's all pointing.
It's a signpost.
It's a foretaste
of the real thing,
which is Jesus.
And so for 10 chapters,
He has been making
this point.
And so let's see
how He gets there
as He climaxes
His arguments
in chapter 10.
Look at verse 1.
He says,
For since the law
of Moses
is but a shadow
of the good things
to come,
instead of the true
form of these realities,
they can never,
by the same sacrifices
that are continually
offered year in
and year out,
make perfect
those who draw near.
Verse 3.
For in these sacrifices
there is a reminder
of sins,
but it is impossible
for the blood
of bulls and goats
to take away sins.
So what is this thing
that the law
of Moses
in sample form
could tell us about,
could give us
a foretaste of,
but couldn't actually
deliver in substance?
Well,
He tells us here.
It could not
take away our sin.
It could show us
the problem of sin.
It could show us
how we need a solution
and we need a Savior,
but it could not
solve our problem.
It could not make us
righteous before God,
those who adhere
or obey the law.
You see, friends,
this is the heart
of the Bible's message.
At the heart
of the Bible
is this message
that as human beings
we have this problem.
And it's a problem
that we can't solve
on ourselves,
by ourselves.
And the problem
He describes here
in verse 4
is that we have
this debt of sin.
And the problem
with sin
is far-reaching.
It means the God
who made us
for relationship
with Him,
to know Him,
and to love Him,
and to walk with Him,
and to be close to Him,
and to find our hope
and our rest
and our peace in Him,
we now no longer
know Him,
but we're actually
under His judgment.
We're under His wrath.
And we are cut off
from His grace,
and cut off from
knowing Him
and knowing His relationship.
But not only that,
remember how Augustine
said,
the problem with sin
is that it disorders
the loves in our hearts.
And so when we were made
to know God
and love Him
and find our rest
and our confidence
in Him,
now suddenly we love
and trust
and find our confidence
in created things
and things around us,
our reputation,
our jobs,
our careers,
our children,
our bank accounts,
ultimately in ourselves.
Augustine said,
sin caused us
to be curved in
on ourselves,
to look inward
and to look to ourselves
for our hope.
And friends,
this is the problem
with the world
and this is the problem
with my world.
And I'm telling you,
chances are I think
it's the problem
with your world.
You see,
the problem with my world
isn't political
or economic
or family issues.
Those things are difficult.
That's true.
But the main problem
with my world
is that I'm so self-centered.
I'm self-orientated.
My heart is curved in
on myself.
My life,
my heart has been corrupted
by this cancer of sin.
And I now love
and serve
and hope
and trust in myself.
I saw this
a little while ago.
Claire and I
were having
a difficult,
I guess a difficulty
with a family member,
an extended family member.
And I felt like
this family member
was being very unreasonable
to us.
And they were accusing us
of things
that we thought
we hadn't done.
And it was a little bit
difficult and tense.
And the more unreasonable
this person was being
towards us,
the more frustrated
and irritated
and upset
and even angry
I was getting
towards this person.
And so I would,
when I was alone
at night,
I would think about
the conversation we had
and I'd play it over
in my mind.
And then I would
play an imaginary
conversation in my mind
what would happen
the next time I see them.
They're going to say this
and then I'm going to say this
and then they're going to say this
and then I'm going to
nail them with this.
Does that sound familiar?
Sounds like I'm not
the only one
that's done that.
And so I was in the midst
of all this
and the one day
I went for a prayer walk
and as I was praying
about it
I just realized
how my self-righteousness
and my sense
of superiority,
my sense of moral superiority
was actually exasperating
and contributing
towards the problem.
You see,
yeah,
sure there's difficulties
but it's my own
self-righteousness
that was actually
making things
even worse.
Remember how
Salman Rushdie
in one of his novels
said,
the barbarians
weren't just at the gates
they were in our skins.
The problem
isn't just out there
it's in here
it's in my life
and friends
it's in your life as well.
And so God
in the Old Testament
he gives his people
these signs
and these symbols
and these pictures
to show them
the problem of sin
and the need for forgiveness
but the problem
is the pictures
and the signs
can't actually do
what they need.
And so verse 3 says
these sacrifices
there's a reminder of sin
but it is impossible
for the blood
of bulls and goats
to actually take away sin.
And yet
this is where
the astonishingly good news
of the gospel comes in
because of God's
radical love for us.
He didn't leave us
to our own devices.
He didn't leave us
to ourselves
but he came to us
in the person of Jesus.
He died on the cross.
He took our sin
upon himself
so that we can be
washed free
so that we can be
set free
because of him.
But friends
Jesus didn't only die
to save us
from the penalty
of our sin
but also
from the power of sin.
Look at how
the writer says this
in verse 11
if you've got your
bulletin with you.
He says this
under the old covenant
every priest
would stand daily
at the service
offering repeated
the same sacrifices
which can never
take away sin.
There's our problem again.
But
verse 12
when God
when Christ
had offered
for all time
a single sacrifice
for sins
dying on the cross
rising again
ascending to the heavens
he sat down
at the right hand
of God the Father
until his enemies
should become
his footstools
for his feet.
See the author
here is giving us
this amazing picture
that Jesus dies
he ascends
to heaven
and then
what does he do?
He sits down
he's at rest
he's completed
his job.
You see friends
Jesus isn't in heaven
today
running around
scurrying
to and fro
trying to juggle
a billion prayer requests
and hoping
he doesn't drop
any balls
hoping like
mad
that things
in Hong Kong
work out
and in America
work out
and that
at the end of the day
his kingdom
will finally be established.
No friends
what did he do?
When he got to heaven
the author says
he sat down
job done
having accomplished
what he set out to do
having established
his kingdom
and destroyed
his enemies
he sat down
job done.
Remember
that song
we sometimes sing
in this church
when Satan
tempts me to despair
and tells me
of the guilt within
upward I look
and see him there
who made an end
to all my sin.
And so when Jesus
is on the cross
he cries out
it is finished
it is paid
in full
or as our verse
11 says here
when Christ
had offered
for all time
a single sacrifice
for sins
he sat down.
And so friends
what that means
is that
if you are in Christ
and you've surrendered
to him
and you've come to him
it means your sin
has been totally
dealt with
your record of sin
has been done away with
it is finished
your debt
is paid in full
your sins
have been removed
as far as the east
is from the west
or as Malachi says
they've been thrown
into the depths
of the sea
never to be recovered
again.
It means friends
that if you are in Christ
you have no reason
to ever feel
unworthy
unloved
unlovable
ever again
because Christ
has dealt
with your sins
totally and utterly
forever.
except
if you're anything
like me
when I look
at my life
something doesn't
feel quite right
about that
because on the one
hand the Bible
says Christ
deals with our sin
it's completely
done with
he is perfected
for all time
I stand before
God the Father
perfect
because of Jesus
but as I look
into my own heart
I see that I'm
very far from perfect
there's all sorts
of rubbish
in my heart
there's defensiveness
there's judgmentalism
there's self-moralism
and superiority
and so what do we do
with this dichotomy
on one hand
the gospel says
you are washed
you are clean
you are sanctified
but on the other hand
the gospel says
you're still a work
in progress
how do we deal
with this dichotomy
and that leads us
to the second point
which is that
the gospel
doesn't just save us
for eternity
the gospel
is for all of life
look at how
the writer
says this
in verse 14
this is one of the
most important verses
to understand
the Christian life
look at what he says
he says
for by a single offering
God has perfected
or Christ has perfected
for all time
those who are
busy being
sanctified
the word sanctified
means
to be made holy
to be made righteous
to be cleansed
to be made
like Jesus
so here we see
by a single offering
by a single sacrifice
Christ has perfected
for all time
holy in Christ's sight
those who are busy
being
sanctified
or another translation
says
those who are busy
being made perfect
you see that
on one hand
Christ's sacrifice
makes me righteous
before God
but on the other hand
God is still at work
in my heart
and making me
more like Jesus
and friends
this is the Christian life
this is the hope
of the gospel
that Jesus deals
with our status
before God
but he's also
at work in our hearts
that slowly
sometimes too slowly
in my own life
very slowly
over time
my heart starts
to look like him
and so look at how
he says this
in verse
15 and 16
he says
for by a single offering
he has perfected
for all time
those who are
being sanctified
this is as the Holy Spirit
said
this is the covenant
I will make with them
I will put my laws
into their hearts
and I will write them
on my minds
and remember
their sins
no more
now
here's the question
how does this
actually happen
how does God
do this
how does God
grow us
and mature us
and to make us
more like Jesus
because friends
you can be a follower
of Jesus
for 30 years
and still be a baby
Christian
just
you know
length of time
doesn't necessarily
equate to maturity
so how does God
actually grow us
and mature us
and to sanctify us
and to make us
more like Jesus
and the answer
is this
it happens
as we see
with the eyes
of our hearts
the glory
and the beauty
and the majesty
of Jesus
as we are humbled
by his awesomeness
and as we turn
to him
in faith
and repentance
in other words
as we see
who Christ is
and the gospel
gets deeper
into our hearts
and in light
of God
we recognize
our sinfulness
and we turn
to him
in faith
and repentance
God actually
reorientates
the orders
of our hearts
and makes our hearts
to become more like Jesus
he sanctifies us
and grows us
and works in us
so let me
give you an example
when we experience
a conflict
in our lives
okay
so let's say
you've got a family member
like a little while ago
I had
and someone
who challenges you
and they accuse you
of things
and they
are unreasonable
what happens
in our lives
well if you're anything
like me
you feel defensive
you start to justify
ourselves
we start to
think about
what they've done wrong
we maximize
their wrongdoing
and we minimize
our own wrongdoing
now why do I do that
what's going on
in my heart
why do I do that
the reason I do that
and the reason
friends possibly
why most of us
do that
is because I'm trying
to find my justification
in the fact that
I'm not such a bad person
I'm trying to make myself
feel good about myself
because I'm not secure
in the love of Christ
I don't like the fact
that I'm a sinner
but that Christ's love
is enough for me
and so I'm trying to
feel good about myself
and find my justification
in the fact that
though I'm not perfect
at least I'm not as bad
as those people
down there
does that make sense
and so what do I need
I need to see Christ
I need to be humbled
by his awesomeness
and I need to come to him
in faith and repentance
and as I do that
Christ works
and softens my heart
so that actually
I approach that person
with a completely
different spirit
I see that actually
maybe they are not
the problem after all
maybe I'm the problem
and friends
we do this in a million ways
we do this with our kids
we do it with our career
we do it with finances
we look to all sorts
of things to justify us
but the hope of the gospel
is that Jesus
doesn't just wipe our state
clean and give us
a second chance
he's actually at work
in our lives
and he's changing us
to make us more like him
friends the gospel
isn't just that Jesus says
I'll pay your debts
and now you pull yourself
back together again
the gospel is a power
that not only saves us
but it sanctifies us
believing in Christ
and the gospel
not only forgives us
of our debt
it changes our hearts
to become more like him
as we see the majesty
of Jesus
and believe in him
and that's why
friends
as a church
we make such a big deal
of the gospel
it's why everything we do
is centered on this
centered on the wonder
of the gospel
because loving
and trusting
and hoping in Jesus
is not only the way
into the kingdom of life
it's also the way
of the kingdom of life
it's not only the way
by which you become
a Christian
it's the way
by which you grow
as a Christian
it's not just the way
that you get saved
it's the way
to be sanctified
learning to live
by faith in Jesus
and his gospel
the fact that you
and I are sinners
but we are loved
by God
and he joyfully
and willingly died
for us
that's the Christian life
that's what the whole
Bible is all about
that's what it means
to be a Christian
and so that's why
in the New Testament
Paul writes to the Romans
these bunch of people
that are Christians
and he says
I can't wait to come to you
so that I can preach
the gospel to you
why does he need
to preach the gospel
to them
they're already Christians
because as the gospel
gets deeper into our hearts
that's how we live out
the gospel
that's how we become
the people God's called us to be
that's why Paul writes
in 1 Corinthians
and he says
to this gospel community
he says
at the end of the letter
now brothers
I thought I'd just take
a few minutes
just to remind you
of the gospel
why does he need
to remind them
because if they're
going to become
the people
that God's called
them to be
they need to be
reminded day in
day out
of the gospel
now
all that brings us
to the question
what does this have to do
with Christians
gathering on Sundays
okay
all that's by way
of introduction
now let's finally
start the sermon
okay not really
point three
why do we gather
on Sundays
the reason we gather
is because we are
a gospelizing community
in other words
the essence of what
the church does
is that we wash
each other with the gospel
week in
and week out
let's look at
verse 19
to 25
together
look at what
the writer's
going to say here
he's going to say
therefore
in light of
everything we've said
for ten and a half
chapters
in light of
who Jesus is
and how he died
on the cross
to save us
and to forgive us
in light of the fact
that he has
perfected for all time
those he is busy
perfecting
therefore
let us
xyz
okay
so as we read this
look out for where
he says
therefore let us
okay
let's read
verse 19
together
he says this
therefore brothers
and sisters
since we have
confidence to enter
the holy place
by the blood of
Jesus
verse 21
and since we have
a great high priest
over the house of
God
that's Jesus
let us
draw near to God
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 secondly
hold fast
to the confession
of our hope
without wavering
knowing that he
who promised
is faithful
and thirdly
let us
consider how to
stir up one another
to love
and good deeds
not neglecting
to meet together
as is the habit
of some
but encouraging
one another
and all the more
as you see
the day of Christ
approaching
okay
did you see that
he said
therefore
in light of the fact
that Christ
is at work
he's busy
sanctifying us
Jesus has died
for our sins
but he's also died
to change our hearts
and he's making us
more like him
therefore
let us
draw near to God
let us
hold fast
to the hope
of the gospel
but thirdly
let us
stir up
and encourage
one another
how so
how should we
do that
verse 25
by not
neglecting
to meet together
as some people
do
but to encourage
one another
and all the more
as we see
the day of Christ
approaching
you see friends
why do Christians
gather every single
week
yes we gather
to worship
that's true
but worship
isn't just
singing songs
remember how
in Corinthians
Paul says
let everything
you do
be worship
whether you're
eating
dumplings
or drinking
bubble tea
or you're going
to work
or you are
proposing
to your girlfriend
let everything
you do
be an act
of worship
so we come
to church
to worship
but not just
that's not the only
reason we come
we come
to be blown away
by the wonder
of the gospel
and who Christ
is
so that as we
go into the week
Monday to Friday
we can live
lives of worship
we can go to the
office as an act
of worship
we can engage
with our colleagues
as an act
of worship
we can serve
the poor
and help out
and love our
neighbors
as an act
of worship
you see friends
if you and I
are going to
become anything
like the men
or the women
that God
has called us
to be
you and I
need to be
living from
the security
of the gospel
and we need
to be living
out the gospel
day by day
seven days a week
but you know
what
the gospel
leaks
it leaks
from our hearts
and so on Sunday
you come to church
and you're washed
in the gospel
and you're secure
in who Christ is
and his love
for you
and then on Monday
morning you wake up
and you've got to get
the kids ready for school
and you're ready for work
or you've got an assignment
to hand in
and you go off
and by Monday
lunchtime
your boss is shouting
at you
and a client
is upset with you
and suddenly
you're getting a little
bit worried
and anxious
that things aren't
as good as you
thought they were
and by Wednesday
the stock market
has crashed
and you're seeing
your wealth come down
and you're pulling
your hair out
and by Friday
you've done something
wrong
I don't have much
hair to pull out
but if you're a female
you're pulling your hair
out
and by Friday
you've said something
dumb to somebody
or you looked at
something you shouldn't
have looked at
or you lied to somebody
and you feel like
God hates you
and he could never
love you
friends
in that moment
what do you need
when you come to church
on Sunday
I'll tell you
what you don't need
you don't need
a pep talk
or a motivational
or inspiration talk
saying you can be
a better person
you don't need
some inspiration
telling you
how to look after yourself
or five ways
to make your life
successful
what you and I need
friends
is to be washed
by the incredible gospel
that yes we sinners
but Christ loves us
and he loves us so much
that he went to the cross
for us
and even this week
things are going to go
wrong again
but he still loves you
because his love for you
isn't based on what's
in your heart
it's based on what's
in his heart
for you
we need to be washed
in the gospel
friends
every week
we are washed
by an anti-gospel message
every week
in our city
we are told
that God helps
those who help themselves
we live in a
extreme meritocracy
don't we
in Hong Kong
you get ahead
by working hard
and being richly rewarded
and if you do the right things
and you don't mess up
Hong Kong says
your life will be a success
friends
every week
we are told
an anti-gospel message
that our hope
for the world
is found in political solutions
economic solutions
or academic grades
friends
that is a false gospel
it is a false hope
and unless you and I
are washed
in the true gospel
the cultural waters
in which we swim
are going to change
our thinking
and change the way
we approach life
friends
we need to come
and find our hope
in Jesus again
friends
what happens
when things go wrong
in our life
the child is diagnosed
with some disease
you lose your job
a spouse is unfaithful
to you
what happens
when things go right
in your life
you make a billion dollars
and you've got more money
than you know what to deal with
what happens
when your picture is
on the front cover
of all the business magazines
the front page
of the newspaper
and you're heralded
at a success
what's going to stop you
getting proud and arrogant
what's going to stop you
thinking that you're
better than others
friends
we need to be washed
in the gospel
week in
and week out
and so the writer
of the Hebrews
after spending
ten chapters
describing the length
and the breadth
and the fullness
and the height
and the wonder
of the glory
of the gospel
Jesus' death
on his cross
and our hope
in life and death
says this
therefore
do not neglect
to meet together
but gather
and encourage
one another
and all the more
as you see
the day of Christ
approaching
three or four weeks
five weeks ago
you might remember
we preached
the book of Habakkuk
and we got to Habakkuk
chapter three
and the final verses
of Habakkuk chapter three
are this incredible prayer
where Habakkuk says
God even if the fig tree fails
if the vines produce
no harvest
if the storehouses
are empty
if the trees are bare
if the cattle are lost
and everything is going wrong
in other words
if everything in my life
is stripped from me
I will still rejoice in you
I will take joy
in the God of my salvation
and we looked at that passage together
and that Sunday night
after we looked at that
I was alone
and I thought to myself
I don't know if I could say that
I know that's a bad thing
for a preacher to say
but
I thought to myself
I
I mean
I want to be able to say that
but if everything
was stripped from my life
man
I get grumpy
just when like
a little bit
gets stripped from me
never mind everything
but I want to be that person
I want to be able to say
God I'll trust you
no matter what
things happen to my family
I'll trust you
I want to be able to say that
but I'm not there
and that Sunday night
I realized
you know what
I need you
and friends
you need me
because the way we
get the gospel
deeper into our hearts
isn't just by living
individualistic
isolated lives
we get into a gospel community
that can wash us
week in and week out
with the gospel
and so that song
when Satan tempts me
to despair
and tells me
of the guilt within
I need someone else
I need you
to lift my eyes
to see him
who's seated on the throne
who has dealt with
all my sin
I need to be
washed in the gospel
and so do you and I
so practically
how do we do that
well
I'm so glad you asked
that question
if you
I want you to grab
your bulletin
we are almost done
grab your bulletin
and you'll see
as you open it up
on the top left hand corner
we've got an order of service
we've called it
the flow of worship
and you'll see
there are three main parts
to our Sunday worship service
the first is
adoring God
it's where we fix
our eyes on God
the second part
is being renewed
by the gospel
and then thirdly
response and commitment
and so the way
we've actually ordered
our Sunday worship service
is that we follow
the gospel narrative
we don't just come to church
and do three nice songs
and interesting talk
and then go home
we actually follow
the gospel narrative
we start off by
fixing our eyes on God
adoring Him
and so
the song leaders
actually choose songs
that start off with us
fixing our eyes
on the majesty
and the glory of God
remember this morning
we sang
how great thou art
this is who you are
we sang of the wonder
of who God is
and then
having seen God
we move into a time
of being
washed in the gospel
of acknowledging
our sinfulness
and we do that
through prayer
we do that
through communion
of acknowledging
the fact that
we don't have it
all together
and then we are
washed in the hope
of the gospel
that despite that
God loves us
and we do that
through listening
to the sermon
and listening
to the scripture reading
and sometimes
taking communion
after the sermon
and then after that
we sing response songs
and then we say
a benediction
which sends us out
to go and live out
the gospel
into our city
in the week
maybe one way
of saying it
is that each week
we gather
in order to sing
the gospel
and preach the gospel
and hear the gospel
and pray the gospel
and see the gospel
acted out
in communion
and so
one practical thing
in that regard
is
what it means is
if
if you do happen
to come late
to church
I know
that doesn't happen
in this church
I'm just saying
the church down the road
it means that
if we happen
to walk in here
at 1045
and we come straight
into a time
of communion
and we're acknowledging
our sin
we haven't first seen
the wonder of God
in a few years
and so we walk
straight into the service
saying yes God
I'm a sinner
but it's hard
to confess sin
without first having
seen the majesty
of God
and so actually
the way we order
our service
is with intentionality
it takes a gospel flow
finally
last point is this
how do we come
to church
how do we actually
come to church
well I want to just
tell us two
brief things
first thing is this
come to church
with your heart
prepared
I know that in Hong Kong
culturally
Sundays is a little bit
of a lazy day
right
it's the one day
of the week
some people get
to sleep in
traditionally people
go for breakfast
with families
and Sunday mornings
and I understand this
and so it's really easy
for us just to kind of
roll into church
like we
half on holiday
but I want to
encourage us
not to do that
and the reason is
because we're coming
to encounter
the living God
and so the best way
to do that
is actually to prepare
our hearts
to meet with God
you know
imagine you
invited by some
world dignitary
the queen of England
or some
president of a country
to meet with them
if that was me
friends
we probably wouldn't
roll into
Buckingham Palace
you know
a little bit late
sleep in our eyes
yawning
yo queen
sorry
just excuse me
I'm just getting
ready
if that was me
I would get there
early
I'd be ready
I'd be prepared
I would be thinking
about what I'm going
to say
friends
every Sunday
we come to
encounter the king
of the universe
the glorious
majestic God
and the best way
to come is our
hearts prepared
and one of the best
ways to do that
is to actually
spend time on Sunday
morning
in the scriptures
and in prayer
when I was younger
I used to think
Sunday is the one day
I don't need to have
a devotional
got like an hour
devotional here
right
but actually
I know somebody
that every Sunday
wakes up
and just spends
a few minutes
praying through the
Psalms
just one or two
Psalms
it's not deep
Bible study
it's not in depth
study
but it's preparing
our hearts
that when we come
to church
we're ready to
encounter God
from the get go
come with an
expectation
here's another
practical thing
as you come
down the ramp
into Ebenezer
as you leave
Pocfulum Road
whether you're
walking down the
ramp or you're
driving
just pray a prayer
say God
I need you today
I'm coming to
meet with you
God come and
wash me in the
gospel today
I pray I need you
really practical
way
here's a second
practical thing
so first thing
is come to church
with your heart
prepared
secondly
come to Sunday
worship
ready to encourage
and serve
remember how our
passage
it says this
because of the
richness of the
gospel
let us consider
how to stir up
one another
to love and good
deeds
not neglecting
to meet together
but rather
encouraging one
another
one of the
greatest things
that you can do
for your fellow
brother and sister
is to come to
church
ready to bless
them and love
them and serve
them
Colin Marshall
is an Australian
writer and he
writes this
he says
church
is a gathering
of God's people
to hear his
word and respond
in faith and
obedience
in this
gathering
we are a
fellowship
with each
other
through the
blood of
Jesus
and because
of our
fellowship
we seek
to serve
each other
we use
our gifts
and our
abilities
to strengthen
one another
and to build
Christ's
church
all believers
are involved
in building
the church
not just
the leaders
the new
testament
consistently
teaches
that in
the growth
of the body
of Christ
each part
must do
its work
because
of this
we aren't
to see
ourselves
merely as
a part
of an
organization
called
Watermark
Community
Church
but as
servants
of God's
people
eager to
meet the
needs
of others
even if
it means
sacrificing
our own
in many
ways
because
we're
part of
a family
I know
that most
of us
and actually
Watermark
is probably
one of the
best churches
I've ever
encountered
in terms of
numbers of
people serving
it's incredible
I think almost
everyone is
serving
but sometimes
we can think
that serving
means just
joining the
sound team
or joining
kids ministry
or the
pack up team
and those
things are good
but I want to
encourage us
that serving
means more
than just being
part of a
roster
or a
volunteer team
it actually
just means
showing up
and so I
want to
encourage you
every Sunday
come to
church
with this
attitude
today I'm
going to
bless
and strengthen
and encourage
someone
today I'm
going to
pray for
someone
today I'm
going to
help point
someone's
eyes to
Jesus
and wash
someone
in the
gospel
and so all
that requires
that we come
to church
ready
prepared
early
ready to
meet God
and encourage
each other
as we come
to a close
let me
close with
this
the final
section
Hebrews
chapter 10
we're not
going to
look at it
too much
but the
author goes
on to
say
he says
believers
don't you
realize that
as followers
of Jesus
it's almost
definite that
you're going to
encounter suffering
and persecution
and he says
remember the time
when you first
trusted in Jesus
you had your
property taken
away from you
and you
joyfully
accepted it
because you
realized you
had a better
inheritance
one that can
never be taken
from you
inheritance
in Christ
friends in this
city and in
our lifetime
there are going
to be troubles
and there are
going to be
reasons to
lose hope
there's going
to be
challenges
there's going
to be
suffering
there may
even be
persecution
friends what
you and I
don't need
is a
motivational
talk
what we
don't need
is a
pep talk
an inspiration
telling us
to be
nicer people
friends when
the furnace
of life
comes when
the storms
of life
come or
when abundance
and prosperity
comes what
you and I
need to know
is that the
God of heaven
is in control
of all things
and he has
our lives
in our hands
and that he
loves us
and he's for
us because
Jesus died
on the cross
for us
friends we need
to be humbled
by his awesomeness
and built up
in his love
we need to be
washed again
and again
in the good
news of the
gospel
and that's
why we gather
on Sundays
let's pray
together
I want to
invite the band
up and
let me pray
for us
and then
I'll invite
anyone that
particularly
wants prayer
to come
and join
us
heavenly
father
we confess
god
that
the gospel
leaks from
our hearts
father we
confess there
are moments
when we are
so in awe
of you
and so
astounded
by you
that we
say things
like god
I'll do
anything
for you
I'll go
anywhere you
want
god you
have my
life
and yet
just a
couple of
days and
weeks later
god we
find ourselves
so consumed
with ourself
and our own
agendas
father we
need you
we find
ourselves
from time
to time
overwhelmed
god
by the
hopelessness
that seems
to pervade
us
father lift
our eyes
again we
pray
god as we
come to
you as
we draw
near to
you as
we sing
these songs
of worship
and adoration
god open
the eyes
of our
hearts
to see
you
open our
eyes to
see where
our true
hope lies
christ come
and wash
us in your
love we
pray
come and
humble us
with your
majesty
and build
us up in
your love
we pray
christ come
and have
your way
amen
doing
you