Hebrews 10:23-25
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
Introduction – Nathan Hale
“Nathan Hale was a young man who had every prospect for a happy and fulfilling life. He was very well educated for his day—a Yale graduate in an era when very few went to college. Although there are many contemporary accounts regarding his appearance and personality, no negative statements have been recorded; indeed, he was vividly remembered and admired by his acquaintances—longer than 60 years after his death. Accounts from classmates, friends, relatives, fellow soldiers, teachers, and students all carry the same general theme: that he was kind, gentle, religious, athletic, intelligent, good looking and as one contemporary testified, “the idol of all his acquaintances.” In 1775, Hale accepted a commission as 1st lieutenant in the Connecticut Regiment and later served under Washington as the commander of a ranger company whose mission in the cause of Freedom was forward reconnaissance. One evening in September, 1776, Hale was captured as a spy. After making a “sensible and spirited speech” to those few who were there, the former schoolteacher and Yale graduate was executed by hanging—an extremely ignominious and horrible fate to one of his time and class. Upon his hanging, he spoke the words we all remember, “I regret that I have but one life to give for my country.” He was “… An insignificant schoolteacher who never wrote anything important, never owned any property, never had a permanent job, never married or had children, never fought in a battle and who failed in his final mission—made history in the last few seconds of this life. And there is a familiar ring in the story of Nathan Hale, an echo of 2,000 years ago. Jesus, who was “the idol” of many…kind gentle, religious, who never personally wrote anything important, had no where to lay his head, never married or had children, who in the world’s eyes failed at his final mission—made history in the last few seconds of his life. As we look today at the seemingly insignificant church, let us remember that the church which Jesus Christ established is His body. The church is only insignificant in the eyes of the world. In the eyes of God, we are the messengers of a living and vibrant hope!
SOURCE: SermonCentral Staff. Citation: Circian. “A Time for Heroes—The Story of Nathan Hale. http://www.earlyamerica.com/review/2002_summer_fall/n_hale.html.
Because the church is NOT insignificant, we have an incredible calling to fulfill. Notice what the writer of Hebrews says, “Let us hold fast” and “let us consider”. Our objective is to stay faithful and true to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our hope, love and good works as we serve Him.
The writer also encourages us to continue to assemble together in service to Him. God has no plan B or any other ways to heaven. The road to salvation runs through Jesus Christ alone!
The church has been equipped and empowered to confront today’s culture. We are the counter-culture revolutionists. Because we are the bearers of Light and the salt of the earth, the church has several responsibilities to engage. Let’s examine what a church should be involve in a believers life.
First, we find that the church involves COMMUNITY.
We are to engage and confront a community which is hell-bound. Every individual must make a decision where they stand concerning Christ. Man was not made to straddle a fence!
Christ gives us our purpose in the community. Because we have the Great Commandment (to love God and man; Matthew 22:36-39) and the Great Commission (to win the lost; Matthew 28:19-20) with a Great Commitment (to deny, die and devote ourselves to Him; Mark 8:34).
Second, Christ is our passion in the community. We do it (soul winning and discipleship) because He is our delight. We want others to experience what we have experienced. We want them to share in the glories of Christ!
Then, we rearrange our priorities in the community. We are a small part of the great Kingdom of God. Often we spend our time wasting the moments we are given on vain and useless events. We enable our children to participate in things which neither honors nor respects godly living!
As I look back into my past, I see some specific failures in my life where I did not emphasize the things of God to my children as strongly as I should have. It is really no ones fault but my own. I simply missed the forest for the trees.
Illustration – Missing Tent, The
Jillian and Jordan Brook went with their family on a camping trip. They set up their tent, enjoyed their time together and eventually fell asleep. A few hours later, Jillian wakes up her brother Jordan. "Jordan, look up at the sky and tell me what you see." Jordan replies, "I see millions of stars." "What does that tell you?" asks Jillian. Jordan contemplates for a brief moment. "Astronomically speaking, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, it tells me that Saturn is in Leo. Horologically, it appears to be approximately a quarter past three. Theologically, it’s evident the Lord is all-powerful and we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, it seems we will have a beautiful day tomorrow.” Then after a pause, Jordan says: “Well, Jillian, what does it tell you?" Jillian is silent for a moment and then she speaks. "Jordan, you dummy, can’t you see that someone has stolen our tent?"
Often, we miss the obvious in life. God has established the church to focus on the purpose of winning the lost to Jesus Christ and discipling those who trust in Him. Our passion ought to be souls, obedience and faithfulness. We must prioritize what is really important in life.
Second, we find that the church involves COMMITMENT.
Commitment is being dedicated to doing the right thing at the right time for the right reason. It is knowing what we do and why we do it. I find this is especially true in two ways.
Our commitment is ultimately directed toward God. He is the reason we exist. Our purpose is to honor and glorify Him. Because we have a commitment to honor Him, it gives us reason to live a holy life. I have seen many men stumble and fall because they failed to honor the One who loves them since eternity past. These are good men who have forgotten their calling and commission. They excuse their sin because “they deserve some happiness.”
Because of our commitment to God, our commitment is directed toward man. Briefly, every person will give an account for their life either at the Bema seat of Christ or the Great White Throne judgment of God. We are to exhort them to receive Christ and turn from their sinful ways.
It appears to me there is little commitment in the church today. Fewer people are willing to accept responsibilities to work and volunteer in the church. It seems to have gotten worse in the twenty-five years I have been in the ministry. Insignificant things and events keep people out of church. One person in the family can have a runny nose and everyone in the family has to stay home and help them wipe it. The migraine headache which keeps them out of church on Sunday will still allow them to go work or school on Monday because they can’t miss then! A noon kickoff of their favorite pro football team pre-empts their Sunday morning church attendance.
I recently read an illustration in the book Deacon Wives by Diana Davis which illustrates the commitment of our leaders and their families.
Illustration – Commitment and Deacon Wives
Deacon Wives author Diana Davis writes about Angie and her commitment.
“Let’s take a look at Angie. She loves her church and is committed to its ministry. She considers herself to be a faithful worshipper. If you take a careful look, however, you’ll find a few gaps in Angie’s faithful attendance. Oh, each absence has a justification, but somehow they’ve begun to multiply. For example, her office asks her to work on Sunday but only a few times each year. She would never allow her children to choose athletics as a priority over worship, but her son did make the all-star team, and her daughter just joined a traveling team. Her family reunions are, of course, on Sundays. When her family was blessed with a new home this year, they were too tired to worship God on Sunday. Her recent out-of-town guests didn’t bring clothes for church, so she missed that Sunday. Mother’s Day she spends with her mom and Father’s Day with dad. Two weeks of vacation takes three Sundays. Then there’s Thanksgiving weekend, Christmas, Memorial Day and July 4 weekend, and a couple of three day weekends. An emergency day, sick day, one personal crisis ---- some legitimate “excused absences,” right? At this rate, Angie, our committed deacon wife, attends Sunday morning worship in her church only half the time.”
Let me ask you a question. Is that real commitment? How committed are you in serving the Lord? Do you simply go through the motions of church attendance and obedience only when it is convenient?
Then we find that the church involves COMPASSION. There should be compassion for three types of people in our community.
There should be compassion for the destitute. These are the down and outers as well as the up and outers. Jesus stated in Matthew, “The poor shall inherit the kingdom of God.” The word “poor” is defined as one who is completely and totally destitute. They have nothing to offer God.
When my dad grew up in the Great Depression, he said there were two kinds of impoverished people; those who were poor and those who were “pore.” He noted that the poor people looked down on “pore” people. He and his family were some of the “pore” people.
In God’s economy, all of us are “pore” people. We have absolutely nothing to offer Him. We are spiritual beggars accepting what God offers; eternal life and a living relationship with Him through the blood of His Son!
There ought to be compassion for the disgraced. Everyone fails in life. Some failures are greater than others but everyone does fail. God extends grace and forgiveness to the disgraced. No matter what sin or how big it is, God will redeem and recover the years we have disgraced ourselves before Him.
Finally, there is compassion for the disoriented. By this I mean for those who have lost their way. The map they have been following is useless. They discover there is a better way.
Any of us can become disoriented in life. We focus on the wrong things for the wrong reason and we lose sight on why God puts us here.
Illustration – Insignificant Day
While walking home from school, Mark noticed the boy ahead of him had stumbled to the ground and dropped everything he was carrying. Mark hurried to the boy’s side and helped him collect his belongings. Surprisingly, the boy was carrying an especially hefty load. There was a baseball glove and bat, a couple of sweaters, a small tape recorder, and an armful of books. Mark helped him carry the things home and his new friend, Bill, was most appreciative of his compassion. During the walk home, Mark discovered Bill was struggling in school and had just broken up with his girlfriend. When they arrived at Bill’s house, he invited Mark in for a Coke and they spent the rest of the afternoon talking, laughing, and watching TV. Although the two boys never became real close friends, they kept up with each other throughout the rest of junior high and high school. Several weeks before graduation, Bill approached Mark and asked him if he remembered that day they met when Mark helped him with all of his stuff. Mark nodded as he remembered. Bill then asked, “Did you ever wonder why I was carrying so many things that day?” Without pausing for an answer, Bill explained he had cleaned out his locker and was going home to take his life. He had been storing away sleeping pills and was headed home to end it all when Mark happened along to help him out. Bill told Mark how that simple act of compassion inspired him to go on living. He said, “Mark, when you picked up my books that day, you saved my life!” Imagine how many times our small, seemingly insignificant gestures of concern may reignite the flame of life and inspire someone to continue on. Thankfully, compassion has a way of doing that.
Chicken Soup for the Soul, Jack Canfield and Mark Hansen, 1993, p. 35
You may not think you can make a difference, but the previous story illustrates that one small seemingly insignificant compassionate gesture can make an eternal difference. Have you invested in someone’s life lately?
And then finally, we discover the church involves CONTRIBUTIONS.
Contributions do not always speak of money but it might involve it. We do see that contributions involve three things.
First, we discover there are internal contributions. An internal contribution may be an investment you have made in a preschooler and preteens life. Teaching Sunday school is an investment. It may be working on a committee or volunteering in a specific area in the community. An internal contribution may also be providing a scholarship to a needy youth wanting to participate on a mission trip or attending youth camp. It might be a desire to help pay off a churches indebtedness. There are many internal contributions in a church.
There are also external contributions which can be made. It might involve working in our Hands of Compassion of Wednesday mornings from 9-11 am. Or it might be working with F.I.S.H. or the Hope Center of Greenville. These external contributions give to our community a solid Christian witness.
And finally there are the eternal contributions we make. This relates to the adding of souls to God’s Kingdom. Those things can never be taken away.
No matter how you contribute in His Kingdom, no task is too insignificant. One person’s soul will rejoice when we make one small difference.
Illustration – Insignificant Workers
There is a World War II story that shows how the smallest deed can make all the difference. During the last months of the War, the British conducted daily bombing raids over Berlin. One night the bombers were attacked by a large group of German fighter planes. During the dogfight one of the Bomber Planes got separated from the protection of British Fighter Planes. They watched helplessly as a German Fighter Plane came within range. Bullets whizzed by over and over until five bullets slammed into the fuselage of the bomber near the gas tank. The crew braced for the explosion, but it never came. Fuel poured from the bullet holes, but there was no explosion. After landing, a mechanic handed the pilot 5 bullets he had pulled from the plane. The pilot carefully opened the shells. They were empty --- except for a tiny wad of paper with a note that read: “We are Polish POWS forced to make bullets. When guards do not look, we do not fill with powder. Is not much, but is best we can do.” Five tiny bullets, made by a few weak and lowly prisoners … but for the Crew of that British Bomber it made all the difference. God often chooses insignificant people and events to bring about His great purposes. I Corinthians 12:27-28 says, “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are…”
Are there any insignificant acts in your life? There are NO small deeds in life! God knows and rewards those who remain faithful and active until the trumpet sounds! Glory! What a Savior!
