#4. Serving My Church Series

THE WINDOW

Bible Teaching Ministry of

CEDAR LODGE BAPTIST CHURCH

Thomasville, NC

a fellowship of faith, family and friendships

Dr. Russell Brownworth, D.Min., Pastor

June 6, 2004

We have been looking at the seven pillars of building a kingdom family – ways we can help our families draw closer to God in devotion and service.

To be a Kingdom Family requires dedication. On Mother’s Day one church held a dedication for children. Little Johnny had seen his Mom and Dad stand up with the preacher holding his little sister. He sobbed all the way home in the back seat of the car. His father asked him three times what was wrong. Finally Johnny replied, "That preacher said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home; but I want to stay with you guys!"[1]

Today is #4 in the Building Kingdom Families series – Serving My Church; first the scripture, then the pillar:

Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having 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 stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

Hebrews 10:19-25 (NASB)

Pillar #4. Serving My Church

The church is the bride of Christ, comprised of all the redeemed who will, one day, be taken to heaven by Him. By exalting Christ, resting on the sufficiency of His word and giving place to the ministry of the Spirit, the local church becomes the means by which spiritual growth is promoted and the ministry of Christ is brought to my family, my community, and to the world. I will support and will encourage my family to support our local church with faithful attendance, diligent service, generous and God honoring giving, and loving cooperation.

There is a phrase in our text that evokes a picture. That phrase is “through the veil”. The sky was clear the morning they led Jesus through the streets of Jerusalem to Golgotha. The sky didn’t stay clear! Near mid-day the sky went dark; three hours later it was still dark when Jesus breathed his last agonizing words: “it is finished”.

At that moment the earth began to shake like a bad California day. Matthew[2] tells us the earthquake was so violent huge rocks were split in two. Tombs were opened when this happened; corpses were raised and they were seen walking in the cities nearby.

Notice what else happened:

And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; Matthew 27:51a

This is the veil Paul mentioned when he wrote to the Hebrews of how Jesus made a way for us to enter God’s presence. The veil was a separation in the Old Testament temple. It separated everyone from the holy presence of God. The reason for the veil was sin. When that veil was torn in two it was because the sacrifice of blood on the cross was final; it was a victory over sin and death.

Our text tells us to do three things in light of that veil torn down: we are to draw near, hold fast and design an impact. Now, those are the “what” in “what to do”. Paul also gives us the “how” and “why” in each instance.

Draw Near to God’s House

Drawing near to God’s house is a matter of coming close to the One who gave it all for you. When Jesus died for our sins, he proved the truth of what he said in His teachings: for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son…[3]

I don’t have to be encouraged to draw near to the ones I love. Sometimes I need a reminder, because I get distracted doing things. But the normal thing to do when you love someone is to hang-out with him.

The “how” of hanging-out with Jesus is found in the word “assured”. We have been cleansed by His blood, so we can draw near to God’s house in full assurance that our faith has brought us into God’s Forever Family!

Why should we do that? His sacrifice makes our salvation certain. To be saved is the most important reality in life. We live on this planet for less than 100 years in most cases…150 would be astounding. Eternity is a lot longer than that! Draw near to God…join with His household…be adopted into the family. After all, you cannot be a Kingdom Family if you’re not in the Kingdom.