Sermon Text: Hebrews 10: 19-25
A Call to Persevere in Faith
19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,
20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body,
21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,
25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Morning Message:
Encouraging one another! How can we, as Christian brothers and sisters obey this teaching? This is easier for some than for others. There are some who have the gift of encouragement, and they naturally, when functioning within their God given gift, encourage. All of us have known and experienced encouragers in our lives. You know that person who picks you up when you fall down; the one who can always find the silver lining in the dark clouds of life. I hope that all of you have known at least one of these wonderful saints in your lifetime. I have been blessed with many such people. I don’t believe that I am special, but I do believe that God makes sure pastors have their share of encouragers for this journey of life. Without God’s leading and the gentle push of many encouraging, loving people, I would never have become a pastor. I wish that I had time to properly give credit to all of them. By the way ladies, most of them have been women. My wife, who never gets enough credit for putting up with me, encouraged me to go to classes at seminary even though it meant a lot of sacrifice on her part. Had she not supported it, I would have not pursued this call. I will mention one saint who has gone on to be with the Lord. Her name was Judy, and when I first felt the call to be more involved in the work of the church she was my biggest cheerleader and encouraged me to teach, something that I had never done before and was scared to death to attempt. These are just examples of the many who have encouraged me and continue to do so. I know that if you think about it, you can also remember those who have supported you.
Encouraging is not just for those with the natural gift to do so. It is the responsibility of all Christians to encourage and uplift others. Now I understand that this is not easy for some. Like any good work it takes effort and determination to be encouraging. I will even go as far as to say some Christians are the opposite of encouraging. That would make them what? Discouraging and sometimes just depressing. I have said this before, but it is true enough to repeat, some Christians walk around like they have been baptized in pickle juice. Now I understand that we can’t always be upbeat and positive, but as people who have been saved by the grace of God through Jesus Christ, all of us, every Christian must find it within ourselves to be an encouragement, at least occasionally. Now I want to touch on something here that I believe is a cancer in the church; something that can never be encouraging, something that tears people down and tears congregations apart. We sometimes joke about it because it is so easy for us to slip into, but it is one of the most hurtful things a follower of Jesus can do to a fellow believer. Anyone want to guess what it is? Gossip: it goes on in every church and it disguises itself as concern. It usually starts like this. I am so concerned about this person or that situation, and then, I heard this or that and isn’t that awful. It pulls you right in and begs you to add something to the conversation. Now we are gossiping; we don’t have any facts and even if we do, it is not our place to talk about them to others. There is an old rule that we can follow: if you don’t have something nice to say then don’t say anything. Some professional gossips even take this one step farther; they not only talk about others, but they get upset if you don’t take what they say as gospel and insert yourself into the situation. I have witnessed firsthand the destruction that gossip can do to a church.
Do you want to see a thriving congregation here, in this church? Listen: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” I think that gossipers only read half of that verse because all that they seem to want to do is spur one another. You know what a spur is right? A spur can hurt; you can find them on the back of cowboy boots. They can be used to remind us of our duty to move forward in God’s work. They should not be used to simply inflict pain but as motivation to love and good works. You don’t just spur someone because you can you do it with good intentions to help one another.
Listen, this is for those who think that church can be done exclusively online; giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing. Coming together in worship is God’s plan for the church; by encouraging one another. You are called to encourage; you can do that over the phone or by a text or email, but the best way to do it is by gathering together, putting your arm around someone, and being present in their life. And all the more as you see the Day approaching. What day are they referring to? In our reading from Mark, Jesus describes what it will be like at the end of this age. As we see the Day of the Lord approaching, we need to double our efforts to be the church. When Jesus returns for us what will he find? A congregation filled with love and encouragement, or people standing around gossiping about each other. If we really want to, we can all make a positive difference in our church and in our world by doing one simple thing. Encourage one another. Can you even imagine what it would be like if we only said positive things to one another?
In Christ’s Love and Peace
Pastor Bob
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