“Why Did You Come to Church this Morning?”
Hebrews 10:19-25
Why did you come to church this morning?
· Perhaps you came here because that’s the thing to do on Sunday morning.
· Perhaps you came because you really like the music.
· Perhaps you came because you knew that a certain attractive someone of the opposite sex would be here.
· Perhaps you came because you wanted to hear some preaching.
· Perhaps you came because you thought this service would help you worship God.
Why did you come to church this morning?
Some of those reasons are better than others. But I suggest this morning that if those are the only reasons you came you are misunderstanding an important aspect of this time together. You are failing to put into practice an absolutely vital biblical command.
Let me put that positively: Any congregation that improves in following this biblical command will have greater joy, closer fellowship, greater spiritual growth and will bring more glory to God.
What is this vital biblical command?
Let’s read the passage, and see if you can pick out the command I’m referring to: I’ll be reading from my own translation of these verses.
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence of an entrance into the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living entrance that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through the agency of his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, because our hearts have been sprinkled clean from a guilty conscience and our bodies have been washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the unwavering confession of our hope, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider one another carefully, how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging, exhorting, and comforting one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Hebrews 10:19-25
Notice the structure of the verses: Verses 19 and 21 contain the word ‘since.’ These verses give reasons, grounds on which the author bases the upcoming commands. Verses 22, 23, and 24 all contain the words ‘let us.’ Here the author provides us with three actions to perform because of the reasons given in the earlier verses. Let’s summarize these reasons and actions:
· Since we have confidence of an entrance into God’s presence, and
· Since we have a great High Priest, Jesus
§ Let us draw near
§ Let us hold fast the confession of our hope
§ Let us consider one another carefully
Which do you think is the vital biblical command I referred to? I’m not going to say yet; we’ll come back to it. We’ll go through the verses quickly, and come back to this question.
First, the two foundations, which explain why the three commands, are logical. These two foundations draw on the earlier themes of the book. Let’s consider them one by one:
“Since we have confidence of an entrance into God’s presence”
Hold it! Why should I have confidence that I can go into the very presence of God?
I can think of many reasons why I should not be confident: Who is God? Who am I? How can I be confident of an entrance?
Remember Esther? She wasn’t even confident on an entrance to an earthly king – her own husband! If he hadn’t held out the golden scepter to her, she would have been done for! So how can I, a sinful human being, be confident to enter into the presence of someone much greater than the King of Persia - the perfect, holy God Himself?
The author gives us the reason: Jesus opened that entrance for us through the agency of His blood. Back in chapter 9, the author refers to the blood of Jesus 12 times. Here are a few examples:
Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. Hebrews 9:22
13 For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Hebrews 9:13-14
Jesus’ blood purifies our consciences. Jesus’ blood enables us to serve God. So we have entrance to the presence of God! We are sinful, but we are purified! Forgiven!
That’s one basis for the three upcoming commands. Here’s the second:
Since we have a great High Priest, Jesus
What does a priest do? A priest makes intercession for the people: He goes to God on behalf of the people, and offers sacrifices for them.
In chapter 2, the author explains what Jesus does as a priest on our behalf:
Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. Hebrews 2:17
Jesus is a merciful and faithful High Priest, and what does He do? He makes propitiation to appease God’s wrath. That’s not a word we use every day, but the idea is straightforward. God hates sin. As the moral ruler of the universe and the judge of all, He must punish all evil. He must exhibit His wrath against sin. But God sent His Son Jesus to make propitiation for the sins of the people – to pay the penalty for our sins, turning God’s wrath away from us.
So, though there are many reasons why we can’t enter God’s presence, though we are all guilty of many sins, Jesus opened the way, taking God’s punishment for sin on himself. Chapter 7:25-26 explains more:
Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. 26 For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. Hebrews 7:25-26
That’s the priest we have: Merciful. Faithful. He saves to the uttermost. He always makes intercession for us. He turns away God’s wrath.
Now, let’s move to the commands. We have our two foundations here: Since we have entrance to God’s presence, and since we have such a High Priest:
Let us draw near!
Here is our first command:
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, because our hearts have been sprinkled clean from a guilty conscience and our bodies have been washed with pure water.
See how this builds on what comes before? We alone could never do this!
Suppose that the Super Bowl was being held at Ericsson Stadium (where the Carolina Panthers play but this will fit at any Pro football stadium.) You would love to go, wouldn’t you? What do you need in order to get in? You need a ticket! If you don’t have a ticket, there’s nothing you can do – you can stand outside the stadium and look sad and plead with the ticket takers at the entrance, but unless you have a ticket, you won’t get in. But, imagine you do have a ticket. You’re standing outside the stadium, ticket in hand, and your friend walks up and says, “Let’s go in! Let’s go see the Super Bowl!” What are you going to say? Would you say, “Nah, I’d rather stand out here on Trade St. Maybe I’ll go pass some time sitting in the Greyhound station.”
That would be ridiculous, wouldn’t it? You have the ticket! You have entrance into an exciting event! So you will go in!
How much more into presence of God! Before, our way was blocked by sin. We had no access to God. But now, Jesus has made a new and living way to enter into the presence of the living God – a new way into something much better than the Super Bowl!
Think about this some more. What does the author mean by “drawing near”? What kind of “drawing near” is he talking about? Is he, perhaps, talking about coming into God’s presence by coming to church? Or praying?
No. We know that God is ever present, in every place. Thus, this isn’t talking about physically going somewhere. Rather, as the author says, we are to “draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith”. We are to have a God ward orientation. “Drawing near” to God is directing our heart to the wonder of God’s presence. As the Psalmist says:
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? Psalm 42:2
The answer? It’s given to us right there in verses 5 and 6:
I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.
I come and appear before God whenever I praise Him. So you too can draw near to God by seeing Him for Who He is, and praising Him in response. You can do that right now, while I’m preaching. But you don’t have to be in church to do this. Praise God while driving in the car. Praise God while eating dinner. Praise God while taking a shower. Indeed, 1 Corinthians 10:31 says: “Whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.”
That is how we are to draw near. We don’t draw near as those who are self-assured, confident in our own righteousness, but as those who are Christ-assured, confident in the sufficiency of the shed blood of Jesus. Whatever we have done, his blood is sufficient to open the way to God.
In your visitors’ packet, you include a pamphlet entitled “Things you can expect from New Beginnings.” I particularly like the ninth expectation:
#9: A Place where a person can start over in life and in Christ, irrespective of what he/she has done in the past.
Indeed. Any true church should be a place where we know forgiveness, where our hearts are cleansed, and God’ forgiveness becomes our forgiveness of each other.
We have our new and living entrance opened to God. If you belong to Him, you have the ticket. So draw near!
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope!
The second command tells us to hold fast the “unwavering confession of our hope, for He who promised is faithful.”
Are you tempted to waver? Are you tempted to lose hope? What do you do when you face such temptations?
Look at our text here: “He promised!” If we are tempted to waver, we are to look to the promises of God.
Recall some of these promises:
§ “I will never leave you or forsake you”
§ “A broken and contrite heart, you will not despise”
§ “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore”
Paul said at the end of his life, “I have fought the good fight.”
What fight was he referring to? The fight to believe! The fight to believe in all of God’s promises – even when everyone around you is telling you it is foolish to believe.
So hold on to God’s promises! Hope in Him! Trust Him!
So, we have looked at two of our three commands: Let us draw near, and let us hold fast to our hope. Finally:
Let us consider one another carefully
And let us consider one another carefully, how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging, exhorting, and comforting one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Does this command surprise you? Look again at the list of things we have just examined:
§ We have confidence of an entrance to God!
§ We have a great priest!
§ So let us draw near!
§ Let us hold fast to our hope!
What might you expect to come next? It would seem logical for the author to say, “Let us do good works!”
But this is not what he says. Instead, we are told: let us consider one another.
How many people go to church considering one another? Most people, on going to church, are thinking: “What am I going to get out of this service?” Their focus is on themselves. They think, “This church thing is all about me and Jesus, me and Jesus! I come here, sing songs to Jesus, and relate to that pastor up there.”
Think now: At many churches, when the sermon ends, when the music stops, what do people do? They walk out! They don’t even say anything to anybody else! Or, if they say something, they just talk about how many games the Panthers are going to lose next season.
Let me ask you this: What name should we give to you all sitting out there?
What are you? Are you an audience?
If you go to a concert, you’re an audience. In an audience, you don’t care who else is there. You go because you want to see the performance up front. Once it’s over, you don’t even notice the other people who are there, except to wish they would get out of your way so you can get home. You don’t speak to anyone else; you just honk your horn at them in traffic.
But this is not a concert. This is not a performance. No, you are not an audience.
What should we call you? New Life FGB Church, here on Sunday morning, is not an audience, but rather a congregation! God’s people gathered!
Now, am I communicating to you? I certainly hope so. I hope you are listening to me carefully and letting the Word of God have its mighty effect on you. You should benefit from the service, from the preaching. But there is much more going on here this morning! You should also be communicating one to another! You need each other. There is no such thing as a Lone Ranger Christian.
So what does all this mean? What are we supposed to do? The author gives us three ways to obey this command. Look at the remaining verses:
· “Spur one another on to love and good works”
· “Not neglecting to meet together”
· “Encouraging one another”
Consider the last phrase: “Encouraging one another.”
The Greek word is one of the most important in the New Testament: parakaleo. This word has a broad range of meaning, including exhort, encourage, and comfort.
Thus we are to come here thinking, “What might I be able to do for others at the service today? I know George lost his mother this week. He needs comfort – maybe just a firm arm around his shoulders. Then there’s John – I know he’s not walking with the Lord these days. He needs a good kick in the behind! And what about Joe? He’s doing very well. I should just encourage him to keep on doing what he’s doing.”
That’s what you should be doing before you come. Not only on Sunday morning, but it should happen on Sunday morning.
Recall at the beginning, I said: Any congregation that improves in following this biblical command will have greater joy, closer fellowship, greater spiritual growth and will bring more glory to God.
So which command was I referring to? “Consider one another carefully, how to stir up one another to love and good works.” When you are considering one another, when you are comforting one another, when you are exhorting and encouraging one another, you will grow in joy and fellowship, glorifying God in the process.
But really, all three commands lead to these outcomes, for all three go together. Part of considering each other is helping all to draw near; helping all to hold fast to the confession of our hope, to believe God’s promises; Part of considering each other is spurring all on to love and good works, encouraging, comforting, exhorting. Oh, I pray this for Desiring God Community Church and New Beginnings Community Church.
So what does this passage tell us about motivation for coming to church? You are to come here to help yourself draw near to God, this morning and throughout the week; you are to come here to help yourself hold fast to unwavering confidence in God, now and throughout the week; and you are to come here to help others to do the same! To help others to live lives of faith, showing God’s love to the world around us.
“Why did you come this morning?”
Maybe for you it’s to open the entrance to God for the first time. Do you have access to this living way? Are your sins covered by the blood of Jesus? Have you drawn near to God?
If not, we’re so glad you’re here. Only believe; no matter what you have done, the blood of Jesus is sufficient to cover all your past sins.
Now, those of you who are Christians: “Why did you come?”
You too need to draw near; you too need to hold fast to that unwavering confession of hope; and you need to consider each other.
May New Beginnings and Desiring God Community Church be places where each member considers all others carefully; where each member encourages, exhorts, and comforts each other; where each member helps all others fight the fight of faith; where each member spurs the others on to love and good works.
