Commitment To The Church #1 Series

Theme: Commitment to the Church Pt.1

Text: Hebrews 10: 19-25

Introduction:

A. Last Sunday we have talked about our commitment to God the Father. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself taught us by word and example what commitment to the Father means. It is to be committed to His glory, fellowship, and holiness. First, we are called to live our life in a way that God is glorified. Second, God wants us to commune with Him. And last, we are called to be like Him.

B. This morning we will continue on in our series on the subject of commitment, and this time, let’s focus on our commitment to the Church.

The church is the people who believed on the saving work of the Son of God at the Cross, people who, by faith, believed they were sanctified by the blood of Jesus, and people who adhered to the claims and message of Jesus Christ. By this definition, we understand that we are the church. This congregation is the church of God, a local visible part of the universal invisible church.

We are yet 3 years being a church here. Now, we are on our fourth year. Will you believe with me that this year can be a blessed and wonderful year for us as a congregation here? Can you believe with me with all your heart that something marvelous and glorious will happen in this congregation of God? There are some things that we know are going to happen based on vision and goals. And there are certainly things that will happen that we do not know or expect about. There will be challenges. There will be opportunities. We must prepare ourselves. We must be ready.

The way to be ready is to be committed. Each of us is a part of this church family, of this church organization, and of this church army. We must each one love, serve, and fight with a deep commitment. We are members of the Family of God. How do we live up our commitment? The author of the book of Hebrews tells us 4 things to do to live up our commitment to the church of God:

I. WE MUST CLEAN UP (v.22)

The author of Hebrews, whoever he is, says, “…let us draw near with a sincere heart in the assurance that faith brings, because we have had our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water.”

The focus of this verse is holiness. There is a book that teaches how to stop making Jesus look bad. It says that sin is what keeps most of us from living with power. Sin destroys our witness in a world that desperately needs to see the love and victory evident only in the life of a committed Christian. Sin is not only killing you, but it is hurting the body of Christ through poor testimonies. Sin does not only hurt you, it also hurts the people whom God is ministering through you. We need to become reacquainted with a sense of holiness.

God’s plan for us is holiness. God’s purpose in our life is not our happiness, but our holiness. I Thess. 4:3 states clearly, “For this is God’s will for you: your sanctification.” Every Sunday we come here and listen to the instructions of God’s Word. Everyday God may have laid something in our heart to repent about. If you fail to listen and settle it with God, you deeply hurt yourself. If you fail to listen to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and allow the sin to continue, you also allow your spiritual wounds to continue.

But you also hurt the church body as well. Imagine the damage it could bring to the church if you live a defeated life. How many would become discouraged and disheartened? On the other hand, imagine the environment which would be created if you responded to God’s call when you were under conviction. How many more would confess if you did? How many others would be challenged or encouraged to give their lives to the Lord because they have been blessed with your life? Friends, it is time to get serious about sin and clean up. We can never enjoy a wonderful fellowship with God with sin in our heart. We could never help to build up this church of God when your life is not a blessing to others.

II. WE MUST STAND UP (v.23)

“And let us hold unwaveringly to the hope that we confess, for the one who made the promise is trustworthy.”

The focus here is on our commitment to the hope we have in Christ when we placed our faith in Him and confessed Him as our Savior. The hope is that God has delivered us from the bondage and penalty of sin, that we are no longer condemned and under God’s divine wrath. The hope is that soon, in the time set by Him, we shall be with our Redeemer in His eternal home. We are commanded to hold fast, to anchor, to stand firm on this hope without wavering because it will never fail. The author says with emphasis, “…for the One who made the promise is trustworthy.”