Heb 10: 19 -39. “Don’t give up!” in 2008 and beyond
Here we are at the turn of a New year and millions of people around the world will have made new year resolutions to turn over a new leaf, to try something new, to commit themselves to something which they hope will bring lasting change.
A boy once told his father, "Dad, if three frogs were sitting on a branch that hung over a pool, and one frog decided to jump off into the pool, how many frogs would be left on the branch ?"
The dad replied, "Two." "No," the son replied. "There’s three frogs and one decides to jump, how many are left?"
The dad said, "Oh, I get it, if one decides to jump, the others would too. So there are none left."
The boy said, "No dad, the answer is three. The frog only DECIDED to jump."
Does that sound too often like our New Year resolutions? Great inspiration and great resolutions, but often times we only decide, and months later we are still on the same branch of do-nothing. SOURCE: http://irsweb.com/ Citation: Help4Sunday, January, 1999.
I hope we will get passed the deciding stage to make a new year resolution and actually implement a resolution of some sort or the other. If I’m honest I really struggle with new year resolutions, oh yes I’ve decided what they are going to be and I’ve also implemented them up to a point, but I can honestly say I’ve often given up, a few months down the line, I’VE SIMPLY JUMPED BACK ONTO THE BRANCH.
Are you like me?
Whether it’s the resolution to keep fit and start jogging or going to the gym, which has given in to the easy chair and the remote control or the special diet which has given into one too many cream cakes. The resolution to stop smoking has been curtailed after a beautiful meal.
As Christians reading the Bible, prayer , worship and fellowship are a big part of our lives and so each new year I make the resolution to systematically read through the Bible and commit myself to a time of prayer to meet more regular and to worship God afresh. Yet I have to confess as the days roll onto weeks and the weeks roll onto months I find myself neglecting prayer, neglecting reading the Bible, neglecting meeting with others and worship of God becomes a form and not a heart experience.
Yes I still do all those things but not in the way that I had set out to do, I’ve given up that initial passion has been lost, other things begin to squeeze into my time it becomes a low priority rather than a top priority. And so I give up those initial intentions and lose something which I once had.
We all tend to give up don’t we,I suppose its a human trait we all share.
But this sort of lifestyle can have very serious consequences because it can lead if not checked to utter apostasy (falling away from the faith Heb 2:1-4, 3:7,4:11 6:4-8, 10:26-31,12:14-17) ....
How many people do you know who said” I used to be a Christian, but this, that or the other happened”..... Maybe your struggling with a particular sin in your life right now and your are simply ignoring it be careful you could end up in complete apostasy V26 .
It could be that you have become like a boxer in the ring who has started so well but over time he takes so many punches his opponent starts to get the better of him. You’re on the ropes, you’ve been beaten into a pulp, the trainer has nothing else to do but to throw in the towel. You’re nearly down and out.
v26 -31 Paul here is calling these early Christians not to give up but to persevere to keep on going in the face of difficulties it is clear that there were those who had given up meeting together v25 and turned away from holy lifestyles to unholy lifestyles v26
V32 – 39 Paul doesn’t want the others to go the same way, to abandon the faith, he expects better things of them, so he points them back to their conversion and testimony, to their unity shared v32 to the hard times they have experienced and stood together for Christ, the suffering, the public insults and the persecutions all points them to the fact that their endurance is a real sign that their faith is real and not imitation v35 So do not throw away your confidence it will be richly rewarded: you need to persevere.
This New Year I would like to share from God’s word some practical steps if practiced will enrich our Christian lives and prevent us from “giving up!” Also if you are in the horrible predicament of approaching apostasy, submerged in a sinful lifestyle right now if these steps are applied to your life you can be restored to God in 2008.
1. The 1st step is to draw closer to God afresh.
V22 Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water
Are you being drawn apart: Over time marriages often go sour they lose something of the sparkle they first had they can become distant and removed from one another a barrier starts form those thing once shared in common are lost, the marriage becomes fractured drawn apart its often our sinful hearts that cause the damage sins like selfishness put ourselves above the other, greed a desire for more than what we have, a growing hatred or anger towards one other develops , maybe a growing lust for another has entered the equation all of which draws a marriage relationship apart.
AND THE SAME IS TRUE IN OUR relationship with God. The might well have been a time.. Yes at first it was great when you first encountered Christ and you were born again and you felt so close to God and in fact you and God did great things together, but something has come between that relationship something that’s in your heart and its preventing you from drawing near to God and God is distant …
What is stopping you this morning, from entering into God’s presence afresh?
Is it an addiction drink / drugs? Is it a lust for pornography /immoral relationship that you are engulfed in? Is it a selfish spirit in your life not putting God first? It could be that your feet have got so stuck in this world back into your old ways that you have lost the wonder of God and the world to come all these things could well be preventing you from drawing near to God. Maybe you have such a hard time in your life you’ve took so many knocks you begin to doubt God even exists at all.
There was a young man once like that who lost his wife and children then lost his job, and growing somewhat desperate about his plight, went to see an old preacher that he knew. As he poured out his heart to the preacher he angrily declared "I’ve begged and begged God to say something to help me, preacher. Why doesn’t God answer?"
The old preacher, who was sitting across the room, spoke a reply so quiet the young man was unable to make it out. The young man stepped across the room. "What did you say?" he asked. The preacher repeated himself, again in a soft tone. So the young man moved closer until he was leaning on the preacher’s chair. "Sorry," he said. "I still didn’t hear you." With their heads bent together, the old preacher spoke once more. "God sometimes whispers," he said, "So we will move closer to hear him." Source: oz sermon illustrations
The wonderful news is that whatever your condition God will still accept you, He wants you to draw near to Him because He has made it possible: Therefore brothers since we have confidence v19 -21 through the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way open for us through the curtain that is his body This access has been set up Jesus body metaphorically was the curtain the curtain was the means of the High priest entering into the most Holy place so Jesus death was the curtain or access to the heavenly sanctuary for all who come through Him.
The question we need to ask ourselves. Am I willing to draw near in this way again? Am I willing to confess my sins before God and plead the blood of Christ? Am I willing to be up front with God come to him with a sincere heart, to be honest about myself ?
God hates hypocrisy, We all wear masks (hypocrite) let’s be honest about ourselves with God and confess and repent of our sins and thank Him for forgiving us and setting up this access to draw near to God afresh at the start of the new year. God is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse us from our sins to sprinkle our hearts with the blood of Christ to eradicate the guilty conscience that’s ripping us apart and wash us clean to make us pure once again.
Notice who Paul addresses therefore Let us has confidence to enter the Most Holy Place. Not just the individual but all of us LET US draw near to God. In 2008 if we are to be those who do don’t give up we need to be drawing near to God on a regular basis..
At this point we are going to take the opportunity to respond to God now to draw near to Him afresh at the beginning of 2008 as we share in this communion together. This is your opportunity to put yourself right with Him.
• Communion
2. The 2nd step is to continue in the faith
V23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
Here is the call to us in 2008 as a community of Gods people s to keep the faith in 2008 to hold onto it unswervingly because there could well be times you feel like giving up, there will be those who will want to unsettle your faith, to brings doubts into your mind about what you believe but remember that God is faithful and his promises will be fulfilled make no doubt about it.
So what is this faith? Heb.11.1. Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
• There is a true story about the great scientist, Michael Faraday, when he was taken ill. When it became evident that the sickness that had fastened itself upon him would soon result in his death, a group of fellow scientists came to see him--not so much to talk about science as to talk about death. One of them said to him: "Mr. Faraday, what are your speculations about your future?" With evident surprise to them he replied: "Speculations! I have none. I am resting on certainties." Then he quoted II Tim. 1:12: "For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day."
The world thinks that the faith that we profess is irrational and a leap in the dark, so there will always be those who will want to disrupt and unsettle our faith because they do not possess it, they fail to understand that faith is a gift from God not something we muster up in ourselves. it is a real gift given Eph 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved through faith – and this is not from yourselves it is a gift from God.
• CH Spurgeon said, “Christian faith sees the invisible, hears the inaudible, touches the intangible and does the impossible.” Faith is when the Soul of a man comes into contact with the Divine living God and receives the gift of faith to believe and walk in His ways.
You cannot have Christian faith without a personal attachment and a dependence upon Christ, unlike the worlds belief which involves no attachment for Instance I can believe that London is the capital of England, I can believe that 5+5 =10 there is no attachment. I can even believe that Jesus is the Saviour of the world, yet still be without any personal attachment.
The Christian faith is not just knowledge or just a belief in Christ although both necessary, its putting that belief into action and trusting that Jesus can forgive my sins and give me eternal life.
FAITH IS KNOWING, BELIEVING AND PERSONALLY TRUSTING
• Imagine a ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean it is filled with people and in the middle of the ocean there is an explosion. Many people lose their lives,, but a number are still alive. They begin to run to the lifeboats.
• The 1st man though doesn’t know about the lifeboats so he doesn’t get aboard. He doesn’t have knowledge, so he is not saved.
• The 2nd man he knows about the life boat and believes it will save his life, but he is so grief stricken over seeing his wife killed, he chooses not to go aboard and dies with his wife. He has knowledge and belief, but is not saved.
• Yet others on board have the knowledge about the lifeboat, and believe the lifeboat will save them and they get into the boat and are saved, through faith. However it is not their faith that saves them it is actually the boat.
So In 2008 were called to keep the faith a faith which knows, a faith which believes and a faith that personally trusts in Christ and allows Christ himself to save us. , and because of Him, He who promised is faithful.
3. The 3rd step is to consider others.
V24 let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds.
The next step in persisting in 2008 for all of us is to consider one another and to spur one another on to love and good deeds in 2008. This might seem to be so obvious but it is one we often neglect the most. Sadly as fallen human beings we also have the tendency to criticise, to complain to gossip this is not beneficial and it will be a cause of others giving up even to the extent of giving up the faith.
Time and time again when I spoke with people in the street they would say I used to be a Christian but this was said and this was done and so I’ve left, they have been starved of being spurred on (encouragement)love and good deeds and instead have been given no encouragement, unloved feed more upon criticism and as a result they’ve become the critic themselves of the Church.
Don’t get me wrong there is a place for constructive criticism sometimes it is warranted but for every critical word spoken it must be counter balanced with 10 words of love and encouragement.
Notice that spur one another to love and good deeds is not something which comes natural, Paul says “Let us consider” This is something we have to consider doing in our daily lives towards others. But when we do this type of action bring positive results rather than the negative.
The negative is seen.
In sport On the football pitch often when we were losing certain ones would start criticising the others rather than spurring them on - this isn’t a winning formula – the team inevitably lost. The best action is to spur them on
The same principle is seen in the workplace if you have a boss or work colleague who is always complaining or criticising you – you won’t hang around for long – and if you do before long you will have couldn’t care less attitude to it because you’re not appreciated you become critical and as a result you suffer and the work suffers. How different would it be if you had been spurred on?
It seen in the home and married couples when one constantly criticises the other or the other never shows any love they both have forgotten the art of spurring one another in love and good deeds. Its evitable overtime they will just put up with it and become bitter or will divorce if they don’t change.
How different would that relationship be if the couple spurred each other on to love and good deeds.
And in our Churches up and down the land there are situations where people have forgotten the art of spurring one another on to love and good deeds, as a result – it becomes a place where there is little love for one another – it becomes a place where the status quo is kept - where good deeds hardly exist - introspective rather outward looking - arguments form - criticisms - co-exist - in such a place a Church will never be built- because that isn’t Christ’s Church - People will leave - ministries will fail because we all need to be a spurred –to be encouraged – to be loved - to be serving together .
Lessons from Geese:
• When you see geese flying along in "V" formation, you might consider what science has discovered as to why they fly that way. As each bird flaps its wings, it creates uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in "V" formation, the whole flock adds at least 71 percent greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own.
People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going more quickly and easily because they are travelling on the thrust of one another.
When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone - and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front.
If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those people who are headed the same way we are.
When the head goose gets tired, it rotates back in the wing and another goose flies point .It is sensible to take turns doing demanding jobs, whether with people or with geese flying south.
Also Geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed. What messages do we give when we honk from behind?
AND Finally - and this is important - when a goose gets sick or is wounded by gunshot, and falls out of formation, two other geese fall out with that goose and follow it down to lend help and protection. They stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly or until it dies, and only then do they launch out on their own, or with another formation to catch up with their group. If we take to heart these words of SCRIPTURE TO SPUR ONE ANOTHER ON WE WILL have the sense of a goose, we will stand by each other like that.
The Positive is seen.
When these traits are practiced in a Church it will be a PLACE OF AFFIRMATION , SUPPORT , ENCOURAGEMENT , LOVE, FORGIVENESS AND AMAZING ACTS OF SERVICE. This type of Church will be a growing Church.
In 2008 let’s consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds.
The 4th step is to be committed to the community
V25 let us not give up meeting together as some are n the habit of doing
Let us meet together friends. Where does your heart stand, where your heart is that is where you will be, what is your real desire is it for vibrant community if so thats where you will be found in 2008.
Community is a place of reality a place where we can be open with one another, its time to get real sharing our lives together through the ups and downs, not in isolation from one another but together.
Bill Hybels recalls a time when Dr. Gilbert Bilezikian was speaking for a leadership conference at Willow Creek Community Church. He writes about it like this… “Dr. Bilezikian said there’s life-changing fellowship in biblical functioning community. That was a far cry from the childhood experience of a lot of his audience! The only kind of fellowship that many of his listeners had witnessed revolved around the fifteen or twenty minutes after the service when the men and women would stand around the church patio and ask each other superficial questions.
‘So how’s it going at work Jake,’ one of them would ask. ‘Fine, Phil. Say, you driving a new pickup?’ ‘Used,’ Phil would reply. ‘What do you have going this week?’‘Not much.’ ‘Well, great fellowshipping with you, Jake.’
‘Same here.’ That was about it. They’d (find their wives who) were having similar conversations, and go home until next week.
But the Bible says true fellowship has the power to revolutionize lives. Masks come off, conversations get deep, hearts get vulnerable, lives are shared, accountability is invited, and tenderness flows. People really do become like brothers and sisters. They shoulder each other’s burdens - and unfortunately, that’s something that few of the people in that audience had experienced while growing up in church.
In many churches it just didn’t seem legal to tell anyone you were having a problem. Families that sat in the same pew for years would suddenly disappear, because the husband and wife were in turmoil over marriage problems. Instead of coming to the church for help and prayer and support, they fled the other way, because they didn’t feel the freedom to say, ‘We love Jesus, but we’re not doing very well. Our lives feel like they’re unraveling. We need some help!’
The implicit understanding was that you shouldn’t have a problem, and if you did you’d better not talk about it around the church. I learned that lesson well. When I got old enough to stand on the church patio after services, someone would say, ‘So, Bill, how are things in high school?’
And I’d give the response that I thought was expected. ‘Fine, Ben,’ I’d say. ‘They’re just great.’ I didn’t feel I could tell him that my heart was being ripped to shreds because my girlfriend and I had broken up. Or that I was flat-lined spiritually. Or that I had and older brother who was drinking too much and driving too fast, and I was scared about where his life was heading.
I didn’t say anything, because I felt that a good Christian just didn’t admit to having those kinds of real-life difficulties. And in many churches, that’s called fellowship.
It shouldn’t be.” (Rediscovering Church, p. 159-160)
