This past week Justin began dancing around the floor saying “Awses, Awses, Awses” and then he would fall over and just laugh and laugh. At first I couldn’t figure out what he was doing then he repeated it again laughing with the delight the whole time and I realized he was playing Ring Around the Rose” I couldn’t help but smile as I remembered playing the simple games of my childhood.
My favorite was Duck, Duck Goose. I loved it. I loved being the Goose. Loved the anticipation of being called on , loved running, loved the serge of energy when I was tapped on the head. I loved being in charge as the duck. I was always trying to talk the group into playing it but not everybody I knew liked to play Duck Duck Goose. They didn’t like running, they didn’t like going around in circles. They didn’t want to be the goose. Occasionally they would still play the game with me but then they would spend their whole time trying to avoid being the goose. You know what I mean, they’d tuck and duck their head trying to keep the leader from touching them, they didn’t like having to run around the circle and even if you were able to touch them they would argue you didn’t really they weren’t the goose and they would just sit there.
Sometimes I think as Christians Duck Duck Goose is our favorite game. We don’t want to be God’s goose so every time we think He is reaching out to really touch our lives we duck our heads. We really don’t want God to touch us, well, at least we don’t want him to touch us too much. Just enough so we can claim we are in the game but not enough to answer the call to be God’s goose, to be the leader, to really be involved into much of the work, besides God’ never really called us, never touched us on the head and so for one reason or another we choose to sit the game out, refusing to participate.
I think that is the situation we find our hearers in this morning in our text granted they may have some good reasons for their waning interest and enthusiasm but our writer of Hebrews has some encouraging words for them.
Turn with me if you will to Hebrews 10:22-31, 39.
We do not know exactly who wrote the book of Hebrews, or where it was written or to whom it was written but we believe it was probably written during a time when Jewish Christians who were facing persecution so much so that they were ready to give up on faith. They were ready to throw the towel in claiming, this Christian stuff wasn’t worth it. Their enthusiasm is fading, they have lost their courage, lost their zeal for their faith and their attendance at church is falling off. It was too much work, took too much effort and they were tired of always being the ones there when no one else would do the work.
We have only to examine our lives, our own attitudes about the work of the church and our church attendance to realize that we too sometimes face the same dilemma as this Christians were facing. There are times when each of us are tempted to duck out of our Christian responsibilities, when our enthusiasm seems to be waning, when we seem to have loss the courage and zeal we need to follow Christ’s examples. Times when we want to give up on the work of the church. Times when our lack of enthusiasm is evidenced by our lack of attendance.
If you have ever been tempted to give up on the church, tempted to not come to church then this morning the Hebrew writer wants to encourage you and I to stay in the game.
I. Verse 22
A. As Christians, as ones whose hearts have been made pure, sins have been forgiven, as ones who have been baptized as believers the Hebrew writer calls us to draw near
1. to draw near means to approach God so as to come into his presence
2. the Greek verb is present active subjective – meaning it is denoting an ongoing activity – not a once a week, or occassionly do we need to draw near to God
3. But with a continusous, ongoing sense of action “draw near to God”
B. With a sincere heart
1. to draw near not half heartedly with improper motive or pretense but with an undivided heart in genuine worship
C. When you are feeling down, when your feeling like there is no need to continue in the church, no need to continue the work, no need to go, when you are ready to give up on the church and your faith stop – draw near to God and worship him.
II. Verse 23
A. Again we find the Greek present active subjective verb – meaning in an continuous way, with continuous action “Let us hold on to our faith”
1. to remain true to God’s teachings without wavering, waffling or flip flopping
2. to remain true and faithful to God like he has remained faithful to us
(a) I wonder what life would be like if God’s faithfulness and attention to us mirrored our own attentiveness and faithfulness
III. Verse 24
A. Sometimes in the translation of the text from the Greek to the English we lose something
1. again while we have the continuous active verb the translation comes across bland, low key
2. But “to spur” means to stimulate strongly, to arouse, or incite a riot – it is a strong, intense verb
B. The Broadman Commentary suggests a better translation of the text would be “Let us rival one another”
1. Let us challenge one another almost as if we were in a competition to love and do good deeds
2. This morning I taught Sunday School at Whitesburg Baptist
(a) Don’t panic I am not considering converting back or anything like that, BUT you may remember my uncle was pastor over there for many years
(b) Ever since I moved home they have been trying to get me to come over and teach or preach for them some Sunday.
(c) Always before it wasn’t possible but this week I saw Rulon Johnson
(d) He argued now was a perfect opportunity – I was in town, I could teach there and still get to my church in time – of course he also told me SS started at 9, but it didn’t really start until – that I could finally honor the memory of my loving uncle by teaching there…if you know Rulon you know he doesn’t take no for answer very well
(e) ANYWAYS – as we discussed this verse this morning I wondered out loud what would happen if the we challenged each other in some sort of expression of God’s love and good deeds
(f) Are you challenged by your faith? What if you were in a competition of expressed godly love and good deeds? Would you win or what place would you take
(g) We have before us a unique opportunity – a competition between UMC and WBC – Are you ready to accept a challenge?
(h) What could it or should it be? (discussion)
IV. Verse 25
A. Continuous verb – meaning do it continuously without stopping without breaking
B. Now we have 40 members in this church plus a whole lot of other folks who attend but haven’t yet committed themselves to joining the church but look at our attendance last Sunday, or the Sunday before or the Sunday before --- I mean it doesn’t seem to matter how many Sermons I preach on church attendance people still don’t choose to come every Sunday – oh by the way I won’t be here next Sunday
C. Personally I think if God had chosen a different day as the Lord’s Day why we might have better attendance
1. A poem - “You see God” (From twentieth Century Christian) You see God it is like this: We could attend church more faithfully if your day came at some other time. You have chosen a day that comes at the end of a hard week, and we’re all tired out. No only that, but it’s the day following Saturday night and Saturday night is one time when we feel that we should go out and enjoy ourselves. Often it is after midnight when we reach home, and it is almost impossible to get up on Sunday morning after being out so late. And you must realized that you have picked the very day on which the morning paper takes the longest to read – the day when the biggest meal of the week must be prepared. We’d like to go to church and we know that we should; but you have just chosen the wrong day.”
D. Having faith, being of the faith – isn’t easy and the Hebrew writer understands that we need each other to sustain us, buoy to help us stay faithful and true to God’s teaching.
E. The Hebrew writer knows that life is easier when we continuously commit to being in the church.
V. Verse 26-30
A. A Warning – The Hebrew writer knows we need the church to encourage us, to push us along, to challenge us and he knows we need the church to hold us accountable
B. We who know God, who know Jesus Christ are as our lord and savior are accountable for our actions
1. Now over at the Baptist church this morning they believe once saved always saved
2. But we as Methodist don’t believe that and this scripture seems to support that
C. If God is going to swiftly and harshly judge those who have heard the gospel how much harsher do you think he is going to judge those who accept him and then refuse to change their lives, refuse to be touched by fun
D. The Hebrew writer says to accept God, to accept Jesus and then not live seeking to honor God is an insult to the Spirit of Grace and deserving of God’s wrath –
E. Thanks be to God that even then, even when we have fallen short of God’s glory - we can come to God for forgiveness and salvation if we do so with a willing and open heart, ready to change and grow.
VI. VS 39
A. Now wait a minute the Hebrew writer has just the last 15-16 verses warning us, chastising us because we aren’t who we should be in Christ’ I have just preached the last 10-12 minutes seeming to suggest we have fallen short, haven’t been loyal and faithful in our church and then we read “But we aren’t like that..”
B. You see, the Hebrew writer understands that sometimes our faith wavers, sometimes we don’t want to come to church, want to give up, give in, sometimes we feel like ducking and avoiding God’s touch to be called on to be the goose
1. He is saying even when you feel that way be encouraged, draw near to God and his presence, holdd to the one who is faithful to you, share love, do good deeds and go to church where you can receive the benefits of being part of the kingdom of God.
2. The benefits of being touched and called upon to be the goose
VII. Your Goose isn’t cooked but rewarded: did you know there are some very real, tangible benefits of being a goose. (from Duck Sense in Chicken Soup for the Soul)
A. A goose lives and thrives in a flock. He or she chooses to be part of a flock. They aren’t independent creatures left out in the cold to defend and care for themselves but they are part of a community of other geese.
B. Geese fly together in a V formation for a reason for as each bird flaps its wings it creates an extra lift for the bird immediately following behind it. By flying in the “v” formation the whole flock adds at least 70% to flying capacity and endurance then if each bird tried to fly on its own.
C. When a goose slackens up if flying efforts, it begins to fall out of formation, it begins to feel the drag and resistance of the air that once helped it, lifted it up. Quickly, the goose will then increase its drive and push a little harder to get back into formation, so that it can take advantage of lifting power of the flock
D. When the head goose gets tired and falls back – guess what – automatically, without hesitation or resistance another goose flies up and takes the point position the lead.
E. Geese hnk from behind the lead to encourage those up front to keep up their speed, to encourage them - I wonder if all our honking in church about the leader is for the same purpose>
F. And finally when a goose gets sick or is wounded and falls out of formation two other geese will fall out with it and follow it down to lend help and protection. They will stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly again and then they will launch out and find another formation to stay with until they can return to their own flock
VIII. Christians united together in the common community of God’s church can have a greater impact and further God’s kingdom further when we work together, when are striving to lift each other up closer to God, closer to his will for our lives and the life of the church.
A. If we will only have as much sense as a goose does when we feel the resistance, the downward tug of this world instead of giving up, if we will just increase our efforts, push a little harder –
B. we will be strengthen and lifted up by the flock
C. if we will only accept the responsibility of caring for others in the flock, in this church, in the universal church of God.
1. very proud the past two weeks of our efforts at funerals
2. but what about other times,
(a) visitors,
(b) those who have fallen out of the flock
D. I’m all ground up now I’ve matured and I really don’t want to play duck duck goose anymore
E. How about you? Are you here ready to eel the touch of God on your heart, are you ready to get up and run the race?
