Fellowship with a side of Let Us
Hebrews 10:19-25
Intro: “Us” magazine...it says us, but it’s really about them.
If it was about us it would have more about football, hunting and food.
The reason
Read Heb. 10:19-25 and pray.
There are 3 doctrinal exhortations in our passage that I want us to consider this morning and they actually come in response to the doctrinal truths presented in the preceding chapters.
Each of these are “Let us” phrases and they use present tense verbs in the Greek; meaning they are a continuing action...and before we are done this morning we will see how they coincide with three great Christian virtues that should come as a result of our fellowship with God.
1.Let us Draw Near
vs. 22
Our fellowship with each other begins with our fellowship with God.
This is a reminder to us first of all that we must prepare ourselves spiritually for our time in His presence.
The language used here goes back to the OT and temple worship.
The OT priests had to go through various washings and the applying of blood on the Day of Atonement according to Leviticus 16.
This went along with the daily ministry they had where the priests had to cleanse themselves by washing themselves that the laver before entering into the holy place themselves according to Exodus 30.
What this should remind us is that as New Testament born again believers we must come before God with a pure heart and a clean conscience.
That word “conscience” literally means with knowledge, so that means we should have a pure heart and we should know it because God knows it.
Fellowship with God demands first and foremost purity.
The Apostle Paul describes us this way, Read 1 Cor. 6:9-11.
We have been cleansed and we need that to be evident in our lives, most of all when we enter into God’s worship arena.
This command is not only an individual command, but also a corporate demand.
It says “let us” meaning that we not only should do this individually, but also corporately.
Remember...we need each other.
And like the old adage says we are only as strong as our weakest link.
What this says to me is that if I don’t don’t take my worship preparation seriously, it will not only effect me, but will effect you.
And If you don’t take your worship preparation seriously it will effect someone else.
And went our lack of worship preparation begins effecting the lost who are here t witness what we do and hear the Gospel proclaimed..then that has eternal consequences
Our preparation isn’t in sacrifices, cleansing and ceremonies..but in prayer and supplication.
It is in anguishing over the things of God to the point that we realize we can’t live without His presence and we long for an opportunity to gather with others before Him.
We have been called to draw near to God...which means not a single one of us has a right to hinder anyone else from that and we have an obligation to lead each other.
This morning, have you been drawn near to God?
Have you done what is necessary for you to experience God in worship?
And most of all have you done your part for “us” to all draw near to God?
We have been first of all called to draw near to God, our 2nd “let us” phrase is...
2.Let us Hold Fast
vs. 23
This letter was written to a group of Hebrew believers, those Jews who came into Christianity as new believers but had a hard time leaving behind many of the worship requirements of the Mosaic Law.
In fact many of the first readers of this passage were being tempted to forsake their confession of Jesus Christ by going back to the old covenant worship.
Here in vs. 22 the writer of Hebrews invites them to hold fast, or hold unswervingly, to the hope that we profess in Christ.
Although the Greek word is “hope” the confession of hope comes as a result of a profession of faith in Christ.
What this means is first of all a profession of faith is required, a moment where you are I have understood our sinful natures require some thing more than us to save us and call upon Christ for salvation.
When we make that profession of faith in Christ then we have something to hold on to, something that we can never lose.
According to Romans 8 nothing, absolutely nothing can ever separate us from the love of God that we experience in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Being told to hold to the profession of hope is also a reminder to us that we have yet to fully realize or even appreciate all that the salvation we have in Christ consists of.
Read 1 Thess. 5:23-24
This promise is based on the fact that Christ is indeed faithful.
Read 2 Tim. 2:11-13
Once again, the phrasing used is “let us”...meaning it isn’t just about you and it isn’t just about me.
It is about all of us; we must be united as a result of our faith and in tat unity we encourage each other in faith.
And that actually takes us to our 3rd “let us” phrase this morning.
Let us draw near, let us hold fast and then...
3.Let us Consider Others
vs. 24-25
When we are gathered together in true fellowship the least of our concerns should be ourselves.
Look again at vs. 24-25 as to why we gather:
A. Encouraging Love
The very basis of our relationship is love.
Depending on the translation you are using you may find the word “stimulate” or “encourage” but a better translation might very well be “provoke”.
Think about this though, our use of “provoke” is usually in the negative.
When someone is usually provoked it is to something like violence or hatred...but because of the redemption that we have in Christ we are not called to provoke or encourage love.
Don’t forget this isn’t much different than what Christ said to do.
John 13:34-35.
We love God and as a result we love each other and that provokes each other to love.
It should not be possible for a born again believer to feel hatred toward another born again believer...and if there is hatred, there is a huge problem.
1.You have lost your first love
2.You have never experienced the love of God.
When we gather in fellowship, we should gather in love.
It also says we should...
B. Encouraging Good deeds
When we gather together for worship, when we depart we should be ready to serve.
Listen to what we find in Titus 3:8, “This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable to men.”
Paul was encouraging this pastor to encourage his congregation to encourage each other in good deeds; those actions that will contribute to the well being of the local congregation as well as building God’s kingdom.
Don’t forget, the works are a result of salvation, not for salvation.
Eph. 2:8-9...saved by grace through faith, not by works; vs. 10 says we are created for good works in Christ.
Do you encourage others to do good as a result of fellowship?
Sadly, what tends to happen too often is that people are often discouraged from doing good works because they are new, they haven’t been here long enough, or other self described limitations.
At a previous church there was an unwritten rule that many claimed was in the constitution and bylaws that said to work with children you must fill out a back ground check form and also be a member of the church at least a year.
Two problems: back ground check forms never were turned in for back ground checks and there was an immediate need within the church for children’s workers...and the church suffered as a result.
We must provide as a local assembly an avenue for people to use their God given shapes, like we discussed last week, for the building up and equipping of the saints.
In our passage the emphasis is not on what we individually might gain as a result of being in fellowship with other believers but in what we can contribute; so we need to do what is necessary to allow for that.
And it should remind us that we call it “service” for a reason...we are hear to serve and not to be served.
And this takes us to the third reason why we gather...
C. Encouraging each other
There is no excuse for people to ever walk out of a gathering of born again believers and experience any feelings other than joy and encouragement.
If we gather together in worship, fellowship, Bible study, prayer times, business meetings, committee meetings...or anything else we do together; if people leave are not encouraged there is something wrong.
If our meetings together lead to divisions, gossip or anything other than encouragement...we are missing some where.
Remember in Ephesians 4 it talks about peace and unity and how we need to be diligent in pursuing that.
The reason is, if we aren’t encouraging each other then service isn’t happening as a result of the love we share...and that only happens when we consider ourselves 1st.
We need to leave behind our agendas, our desires, our wants and even our preferences for the greater good of all and the building of the kingdom.
It means coming to the understanding that it isn’t about me.
I’m not the most important person in the mix of things, in fact I’m the last and the least...but I don’t feel that way when I’m seeking to encourage others.
How about you? Do you encourage others?
Do you encourage them to love and good works?
Or does meeting up with you send people over the edge...and not in a good way?
Closing:
God has created us for relationships, He has created us for each other.
I need you and you need the next person and they need someone else...that is the fellowship we share.
That is why the Holy Spirit encouraged the write of Hebrews to say “Let us” and not “let me” or “let you”...but let us.
When we began I mentioned how would see three great Christian virtues in these commands...those are found in 1 Cor. 13:13 “These three remain, faith (Heb 10:22), hope (vs. 23) and love (vs. 24).
Are you in true fellowship today?
It is evident in faith, hope and love...the greatest is love but it begins with faith.
Faith that saves...
