I. Because regular worship assists in building and maintaining our faith. (v.25a)
- Illustration # 2
- 2Th 2:1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers,
- The Greek noun (“episunagoge,”) for “being gathered together for Him” is the same here “meet together”
- The idea is to meet “In Christ” or as Christians for the purpose of worship.
- This is a regular theme in scripture
- Matthew 12:30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
- Rom_6:11 …alive to God in Christ Jesus.
- Rom_6:23 …eternal life in Christ
- 1Co_1:4 …grace …in Christ Jesus,
- Eph_2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,
- “In Christ” , means to be saved, to have no higher focus or purpose, to do all things because of.
- Regular church attendance will work to keep you from apostasy.
II. Because gathering together assists in building and maintaining our faith. (v.24a)
- Illustration # 3
- Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
- We receive encouragement from one another
- We receive love from one another.
- We receive accountability from one another
- We receive discipleship from one another
- Our faith cannot be maintained without these
III. Because being a servant to God in our local assembly assists in maintaining our faith. (v.24b)
- Illustration # 4
- Ephesians 4:1-13
- We all have gifts given to each of us by God and they are to be used to serve Him in His local assembly.
IV. Because being obedient to scripture assists in building and maintaining our faith. (v.25)
- Illustration # 5
- Church attendance is a clear command to put into practice which is regular fellowship and worship with other believers in a local assembly where your gifts and talents can be used to glorify God.
Conclusion: Matthew 24:30-31 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Revelation 20:4 Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
Php 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,
- Our salvation is a gift but we still have a responsibility to maintain our faith.
- It takes regular up keep and attendance
- It can be neglected
The question is asked: how can justification take place without the works of the law, even though James says: “Faith without works is dead”?
In answer, the apostle distinguishes between the law and faith, the letter and grace. The ‘works of the law’ are works done without faith and grace, by the law, which forces them to be done through fear or the enticing promise of temporal advantages. But ‘works of faith’ are those done in the spirit of liberty, purely out of love to God. And they can be done only by those who are justified by faith. An ape can cleverly imitate the actions of humans. But he is not therefore a human. If he became a human, it would undoubtedly be not by virtue of the works by which he imitated man but by virtue of something else; namely, by an act of God. Then, having been made a human, he would perform the works of humans in proper fashion. Paul does not say that faith is without its characteristic works, but that it justifies without the works of the law. Therefore justification does not require the works of the law; but it does require a living faith, which performs its works. - Martin Luther
- When our church attendance and worship is based on what we can get out of it (ie consumerism mentality) then when things are not like we want them we will go where they are like them. We are like a sail in the wind.
