2013 03 03 ASH PM TOGETHER IN FAITH
As we continue our theme of Forward in Faith, this evening for our communion service, I want us to consider what it means to be Together in Faith.
To focus our thoughts lets look at
Hebrews 10:19-25 (New Living Translation)
19Dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. 20By His death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. 21And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, 22let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting Him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.
23Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise. 24Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near.
(Hebrews 10:19-25, New Living Translation)
The writer to the Hebrews is clear that an essential part of the Christian life that should not be neglected is meeting together - motivating and encouraging each other.
Yet, there are hundreds, thousands, or perhaps even millions of people in this world who would claim they are Christians -
But they choose to never attend a church service, a bible study or participate in any other church activity.
In fact the only time you might find them in a church is to attend a Christening, wedding or funeral.
The thought of spending time together with other believers is not on their agenda.
They don’t see the importance of regular commitment of time in Corporate Worship with others as an essential part of their lives.
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In New Testament times, if a person consistently and deliberately missed opportunities to join with others as church, the assumption was that person had chosen to abandon following Jesus and was no longer part of the local church.
New Testament Christians saw meeting together to worship as a privilege, a priority and a duty to God.
Three times in these verses the writer uses the phrase, “let US,” to emphasize the importance of being together in faith as the church of God.
While it is true that God is everywhere, and that we can personally worship Him anywhere.
When we come together in faith, when we meet together as church, we can glorify God together, we can demonstrate our unity in Christ, we can share, care and support each other.
We can motivate and encourage each other to be the people that God has saved us and called us to be - together.
19Dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. 20By His death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. 21And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, 22let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting Him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.
Together we are to worship God,
together we are to enter into His presence.
Friends why are we here together this evening?
Why do we meet together on a Sunday Night?
To draw near to God!
What motivates us to be here tonight?
Our motivation to come to church is not just to listen to a sermon,
Our motivation to come to church is not just to
sing and enjoy the music,
Our motivation to come to church is not just to have fellowship with others or to put our offering in the collection bag.
Our motivation to meet together must be for us, by faith, to draw near to Jesus together.
It is easy to say “I can worship Christ alone.
I don’t have to attend church to do this.”
Yes, we can to worship Christ alone; but corporate worship is taught in the Bible.
And together in faith, as the body of Christ, we are commanded to draw near to Him.
Together we can boldly, come before our Lord, together we enter the Most Holy Place, by the blood of Jesus.
The Most Holy place these verses speak of is the Holy of Holies.
The innermost part of the tabernacle.
The place where the Shekinah glory of God was revealed to the High Priest.
Together we have access through the curtain, through the veil, into the Holy of Holies.
Together we can experience the Glory of God.
In the Old Testament, it was only the High Priest that was allowed to go into the Holy of Holies
and we was only allowed in once a year.
He went in with a basin of blood and would sprinkle the blood upon a piece of furniture called the Mercy Seat.
The High Priest could not go in without the blood and the permission of God.
In the Old Testament, only the High Priest could go into the Tabernacle. But today all of us can go in!
Now, by the grace of God, through the sacrifice of Jesus, we are able to enter into this holy place by the blood of Jesus.
For fifteen hundred years, only the High Priest could go in once a year.
We have access to God every day, individually, and together.
By faith we can approach God together through the curtain, through the veil.
The veil was a woven curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies.
That veil was made of many colours.
The book of Exodus tells us that it was made of snow white, sky blue, blood red crimson and royal purple.
When the High Priest went into the Holy of Holies, he would lift up the corner of the curtain and slip under.
Friends, we don’t need to crawl under a curtain to have direct access to God.
When Jesus Christ died on the cross,at that point, the Bible says the curtain of the temple was torn from top to bottom.
Not from the bottom to the top, as though man had done it, but from the top to the bottom.
The way into the Holy of Holies is now clear and open because of the sacrificial death of Jesus.
Because of the blood Jesus shed, we can enter in. Because of the price He paid we have access to God. Together in Faith.
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Together in Faith, that is what the writer of Hebrews is describing.
23Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise. 24Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near.
We are to meet with God every day, we are to be in a real realationship with Him.
Everyday, not once a year like the high priest.
We are to take every opportunity, individually and together to meet to draw near to God together without “wavering”
Every time we meet together, every time come to church, we are professing our faith in Jesus.
It is a way of showing that you are moving forward in your faith. It’s a way of showing “Yes, I still believe and trust in Jesus as Lord and Saviour!”
When we willingly meet together in faith, we can show love to each other and the community we are part of.
We can serve God together in faith.
But if we neglect meeting together,
if we choose to consistently forsake the opportunity to meet together as part of the body of Christ, then we can miss out on so much.
We can miss out on being the people God has called us to be and we ignore what God has told us we should be doing.
We can avoid real commitment to God and to each other.
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In the Bible, the people of God, the Church of God is described in three ways.
The Church is described as a body, a bride, and a building.
As a body, Christ is the head; and we’re all parts of the body.
The head and other parts of the body are not identical, but, they are inseparable.
And a body can not function without a head.
Jesus Christ is head of His church, and the church is also described as His bride, we are joined to Christ.
The church is described as a building. A building rests on a foundation. Our foundation is Christ.
A building without foundation will eventually collapse. Our foundation together in faith is Christ.
Friends we, the people of God, are the church.
And we need to be faithful to God and to each other.
We need to be determined in our decision to be faithful to God to not waver in our commitment.
To willingly take our place in the body of Christ.
Church attendance is part of our testimony that we love God.
But Church attendance should never be the only part of our Christian witness the world sees, but it is a tangible, visible expression of our relationship with God.
When we are faithful in attendance together, we are proclaiming together that worshipping God is an important part of our lives.
We are showing we believe that Jesus Christ is the way to God.
When we attend church week-by-week, on rainy days, on snowy days, on sunny days, we are saying to our neighbours, to our community, we love God enough to make the effort to draw near to Him.
Maybe your friends, your neighbours, your family find the time to do what they want on a Sunday.
Perhaps when you walk past them or drive past them on a Sunday they are getting ready to go shopping, or putting their clubs in the car to go and play golf, or setting off for their football match, or washing their cars.
When you walk past them or drive past them on a Sunday your testimony is that drawing near to God through Christ, together, as part of His body, means more to you than worldly things.
Every time we meet together, we are showing we have placed our trust, our faith in God, we are showing that God is important to us.
When Christ went to the cross, He made a commitment to you.
He was willing to suffer in your place.
He was willing to die that you might live.
He was willing to endure the cross for your salvation.
When you accepted Christ as your personal Saviour it was the greatest decision you could ever make in this life.
You made a commitment.
Tonight I really want to encourage you to make another commitment, I want to encourage you to commit to moving forward together in faith.
I am convinced, that God wants each of us to recommit ourselves to Him.
To agree that we will follow through on our personal commitment to Christ without wavering.
That we would be willing to motivate and encourage each other in love.
Especially now that the day of His return is drawing near.
Friends, every day is one day closer to His return.
We have the a God given responsibility not only as believers, but as brothers and sisters in the church of God, in the family of God.
We can encourage others by our presence when we meet together.
When we come to church, we are saying God is important to us and that our church family, brothers and sisters are important to us.
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When your family has a birthday party or a celebration do you make an effort to attend?
If you receive an invitation to go somewhere important, would you RSVP by saying “I plan not to go because I will need to wash my car that day”?
Do the choices you make show how important God is in your life?
Do your choices show that you are willing to be where God has called you to be?
Do your choices show that you are willing to meet together?
Do your choices, do your actions, really affirm your hope and your faith?
Do you come to watch or to worship?
Do you come to sing or to serve?
We are called to worship together in faith.
When we worship God with all our heart,
we encourage others to worship with all their heart.
In closing let me ask two final questions
“Is God ever too busy for you, especially when you are in need of His help?”
Are you willing to be as committed to God as God is to you?
May each of us follow through on our personal commitment to Christ without wavering.
And together, may we be willing to motivate and encourage each other in love and faith. AMEN
---- COMMUNION----
For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself.
On the night when he was betrayed,
the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it.
Then he broke it in pieces and said,
“This is my body, which is given for you.
Do this to remember me.”
In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying,
“This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this to remember me as often as you drink it.”
For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.
