November 9, 2003
Morning Worship
Text: Hebrews 10:19-25
Subject: Steadfastness
Title: I Am Not the Same
How many of you can clearly remember when you first gave your life to Christ? If I asked you what you felt at that moment, there would probably be as many responses as there are people here this morning. For me personally, it was an end to the struggle to earn my salvation. Peace flooded my soul as I came to the understanding that I have been saved from wrath. One other thing that happened, and it holds fast even to this day, I could not wait to get to church. I just knew God was going to show up in some glorious way and I didn’t want to miss it.
Fred Craddock, in an address to ministers, caught the practical implications of consecration. "To give my life for Christ appears glorious," he said. "To pour myself out for others . . . to pay the ultimate price of martyrdom -- I’ll do it. I’m ready, Lord, to go out in a blaze of glory. "We think giving our all to the Lord is like taking $l,000 bill and laying it on the table-- ’Here’s my life, Lord. I’m giving it all.’ But the reality for most of us is that he sends us to the bank and has us cash in the $l,000 for quarters. We go through life putting out 25 cents here and 50 cents there. Listen to the neighbor kid’s troubles instead of saying, ’Get lost.’ Go to a committee meeting. Give a cup of water to a shaky old man in a nursing home. Usually giving our life to Christ isn’t glorious. It’s done in all those little acts of love, 25 cents at a time. It would be easy to go out in a flash of glory; it’s harder to live the Christian life little by little over the long haul." Darryl Bell.
“If You Want to Kill the Church”
Never go to your church or meetings held there,
If you do go, be late, it’s no one’s affair.
If the weather is bad, either too hot or snowing,
Just stay home and rest, for there’ll be others going.
But should you attend, be sure and remember
To find fault with the work, each official and member.
Be sure to hold back on your offerings and tithes,
The bills will be paid by the rest of the guys.
And never take office if offered the post,
But eagerly criticize work of the host.
If not on a committee you’re placed, be sore!
If you find that you are, don’t attend any more.
When asked your opinion on this thing or that,
Have nothing to say, just turn ’em down flat.
Then after the meeting, shine out like the sun
By telling the folks how it should have been done.
Don’t do any more than you possibly can,
Leave the work for some other woman or man.
And when you see faithful ones work themselves sick,
Then stand up and holler, "It’s run by a clique!"
The writer of Hebrews tells us that if we are born again, then there is something different about us. And if we are different, we need to act like we are different. This message today is most likely for those who aren’t here. But I hope it strikes a chord in your hearts today.
I give this message today in the spirit of a prophet, with the heart of a pastor, and the love of Jesus Christ.
I pray that today you receive it the way it is intended and that you learn from it. Because of the work that Jesus Christ did for you, you are not the same.
I. A New Way. (19-21)
A. Going where we couldn’t go before. The therefore in verse 19 prefaces this passage with what has been previously said. Verses 11-18 tells us that the death of Christ perfects those who are sanctified. Therefore, we can have boldness to go where only the high priest could go before. When the high priest entered the Holy of Holies he did so with fear and trembling, not know if his own sins were covered or if he might end up like Aaron’s sons, who offered profane fire in the tabernacle. But because we have been made righteous in God’s eyes, by the blood of the sinless Lamb, we don’t have to worry anymore. Ephesians 2:18 says that, “through Him we…have access … to the Father”. It is not by our works. It is not because of our righteousness. But it is because of God’s grace and His desire for us to be in fellowship with Him. If Jesus Christ made a way for us to enter into the Holy of Holies, then what do you expect that He would desire us to do? Before Christ’s atoning work we could not enter in. Now we can go boldly.
B. Seeing a way we couldn’t see before. Before I received eternal life, I worked so hard to gain it. I never had the assurance, only a slight hope. I could not see the truth. Verse 10 says, “by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh” 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age (world) has blinded, who do not believe…” We could not see the way because we were spiritually blinded and it is only seen through the eyes of faith. Now our eyes are opened and we can see clearly. The way is new because we have all become priests and can enter in. It is living. In the O. T. worship, the priest entered in only by the blood of the dead sacrifice. We enter in by the blood of the living sacrifice Jesus Christ. The O.T. priest had to enter in through the veil. We enter in through the veil, which is His body. It is because He is alive that we can come into the Holy of Holies.
C. We have an advocate we never had before. 1 John 2:1-2, “we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins…” We need not attempt to stand in our own righteousness, but through the blood sacrifice of the Lamb, we have been made righteous and declared “Not guilty!” Because we have that advocate sitting at the right hand of the Father, because we can go boldly into the throne room of God Almighty, because the scales have been removed from our eyes, we approach life differently than we ever could before.
II. A New Attitude (22-23)
A. A true heart. We are encouraged to “draw near” with a true heart. Contemplation of what Jesus has done should stir our hearts to action. Contrast the attitude of Israel in Isaiah’s day with the attitude we are called to have. Isaiah 29:13, “…these people draw near Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men.” Look at the difference between those who have a real heart for God and those who are abiding by the commandment of men. Both the hummingbird and the vulture fly over our nation’s deserts. All vultures see is rotting meat, because that is what they look for. They thrive on that diet. But hummingbirds ignore the smelly flesh of dead animals. Instead, they look for the colorful blossoms of desert plants. The vultures live on what was. They live on the past. They fill themselves with what is dead and gone. But hummingbirds live on what is. They seek new life. They fill themselves with freshness and life. Each bird finds what it is looking for. We all do. Steve Goodier, Quote Magazine, in Reader’s Digest, May, 1990. The fear of God taught by men lives in the past and decays, but the fear of God the comes from a true heart is fresh and new. A true heart takes us to a new level.
B. A real faith. Verse 22 speaks of the full assurance of faith. The Greek word translated “full assurance” comes from two words that essentially mean to be covered over as by clothing. It carries the thought of being totally, completely sure of something. The word translated “faith” literally means, “persuasion, credence, moral conviction of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God, especially reliance upon Christ for salvation; constancy in such profession.” If we put the two ideas together, we see “full assurance of faith” as wearing our faith – our persuasion of the truthfulness of God and our dependency on Christ for salvation – like clothing. We are totally covered by it, never to be left in the nakedness of doubt. It is the kind of faith that believes that whatever God has promised, He is able to perform. “Come unto Me and I will give you rest…” “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” “He bore our sins in His own body … by whose stripes you were healed.” Put on that kind of faith and wear it like the armor of God as members of His army.
C. A clear conscience. We can have that kind of assurance because our hearts have been sprinkled with the cleansing water of repentance which cleanses our evil conscience and our bodies have been washed with the blood of the sinless Lamb. “There to my heart was the Blood applied- Glory to His name!” Since the priests, under the law, were to wash before they went into the presence of the Lord to offer before Him, so there must be preparation made for our approaches to God. Much of that preparation involves come to Him in faith. Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
D. A steadfast spirit. “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” Once we have set our hearts on Jesus, there should be no turning back. There is real danger in that. Jesus said in Luke 9:62, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” We are also instructed in James, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord…” Once you have turned your eyes upon Jesus, nothing else should ever distract you from His work, His calling, or His promises. As soon as we begin to walk in that new way, we are changed. When we are changed, we have a whole new attitiude. When our attitudes change, we begin to place different values on our lives.
III. A New Priority. (24-25)
A. Considering one another. We are reminded of the anagram that children learn about relationships. Our relationships find joy in this order, Jesus – others – you. The phrase, “one another” is used here, not as leaders telling others what they should do, but in a sense that is speaking of mutual activity. The word that is translated “stir up” carries with it the meaning of agitating or irritating. For this word to be used in a positive sense makes the meaning even more compelling. Agitate – stir up – love in others. How do you do that? By first loving them. Irritate them to good works. How? By doing good works as an example. Why good works? Works are an outward expression of the grace you received through faith. Good works stem from love. Good works are just a natural by-product of the Spirit filled Christian life.
B. Assemble with one another. I believe that, following your salvation, and then the baptism in the Holy Spirit, church attendance is the most important part of your Christian walk. Why meet together? Ephesians 4:12-13, “for the equipping of the saints for works of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:” We come together to build one another up. The church setting is where your understanding is increased. The church is where the gifts of the Spirit are to be in operation. “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all.” (1 Corinthians 12:7) Sometimes I have to chuckle when I hear people say things like, “I don’t get anything out of church.” Or, “I can get closer to God out in nature than I can in church.” What you get out of church is directly proportional to your desire to get something. If your attitude is, “what can God do for me today?” then there is a problem. You see, God has already made provision for everything you could ever need. The difficulty lies in the fact that God’s blessings are always tied directly to obedience. So, what we should be asking is this, “What can I do for the Lord today?” And not because we want to receive, but because we love Him and the work He did on a Roman cross for us. Are you closer to God in nature? That’s OK, because Paul told the Roman church that God has revealed Himself to us through His creation. By looking at nature, we can come to believe that there is a God. But it is only through instruction can you come to understand about salvation, sanctification, adoption, and justification. Can you look at a boulder and learn that Jesus is the Rock of your salvation? Can you look at a tree and see the old rugged cross? Can you look at a wise old owl and understand that God’s foolishness is better than man’s wisdom? Creation speaks of a Creator, but coming together with other believers gives you opportunity to worship that Creator with others and draw closer to Him through prayer, study and communion.
C. Exhort one another. Be an encourager, even more so as you see the day approaching. We know that Jesus is coming and the world news tells us that prophecy is being fulfilled at an amazing pace. When the attack on the World Trade Center took place where did you find consolation? It should have been with others who trust God’s mercy and grace. As we continue to see our young men and women die in battle, where do we find peace? By coming together to pray for the families and for a godly president. Paul told the church in Ephesus to, “be filled with the spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, sing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ …” Where does that take place? In church!
Is church attendance important? I believe it is of the utmost importance. Church attendance is not about the church. It is about your relationship with the Lord. If you don’t like my preaching, that’s fine. Go somewhere else – but be in church. Though I cannot imagine a church where the people would love you more, encourage you more, where you would have greater access to the pastor when you need to have it. Church attendance tells the world how important your relationship with the Lord Jesus is. Where is your heart?
