Hebrews 10:19-25
Aim: to emphasize the need for faithfulness in worship attendance.
Thesis: the most important reason for faithfully attending worship is that it allows us to draw near to God through Jesus.
Introduction:
PLEASE BE TURNING to Hebrews 10.
Hebrews 10:25 “Do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together, as the manner of some is, but encourage one another, and all the more as you see the day approaching.” If you, like me, grew up in the churches of Christ, you know that verse by heart, because our folks have always maintained a strong emphasis on faithfulness in worship.
But I have to confess that when I was growing up the way I most often registered the command in Hebrews 10:25 is that it was just another “spos’ta.” You know what a “spos’ta” is, don’t you? It’s an obligation – a requirement – it’s just one of those things that you are SUPPOSED TO do!
This morning we will take an in-depth textual approach to Hebrews 10:25. First we’ll zoom in on the verse itself – then we’ll back up to a wide-angle view and look at the theme of the whole book – finally we’ll focus back in on the immediate context to truly appreciate this command. READ TEXT.
Verse 25 Note three significant phrases in this verse:
1. “as some are in the habit of doing” Even in the first century, even in the days of the apostles, there were some members who had one foot in the door of the church house and one foot out: they wanted to have their name on the roll, but then weren’t around to answer when the roll was called; they wanted to BE saved, but didn’t feel the need to be present WITH the saved. Every congregation I’ve ever been associated with has had such a minority of such members, and if this verse describes your own pattern of worship attendance, then the Holy Spirit is speaking to you today!
2. “meeting together / the assembling of yourselves together” Discipleship begins with our own individual relationship with the Lord, but it ALSO includes our combined, corporate relationship with Christ. The word “corporate” literally means “body” – and all this fall in our Growth Groups we are talking about what it means to be the Body of Christ in the world. Our verse this morning provides a preview – the “assembly” has a special significance and plays an essential function.
In 1 Corinthians 11:18, when the apostle Paul was discussing the Lord’s Supper, he begins by saying “When you COME TOGETHER as a CHURCH.” You sometimes hear it said, “We are the church wherever we go” and that is true. There is clearly a special significance, however, to our “assembling together.” When we gather in a worship assembly, and especially when we meet together around the Lord’s Table, we are not just remembering the Body of Christ, we are in a profoundly spiritual way becoming the Body of Christ as a church. Paul describes it this way: “Is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf” (1 Corinthians 10:16b-17). We observe this common meal as a communion not only with Christ, but also with each other.
3. “Not FORSAKING” – That is a strong word! It means to desert, abandon, leave behind. It implies that Christians who neglect their consistent participation in weekly worship are “forsaking” a vital obligation and placing themselves in spiritual danger.
Why does verse 25 warn us against neglecting worship? We need to place this verse in its larger context: the theme of the book of Hebrews is found at the end of this chapter:
READ Verses 35-39 “Do not throw away….persevere…..shrinks back”
Hebrews was written to a persecuted people whose faith was faltering, whose will was wavering, who were being tempted to “shrink back”: to put it bluntly, they were on the verge of quitting! The entire book is filled with a combination of promises for faithfulness and warnings against apostasy, against leaving the Lord.
• Sometimes people ask me, “Dan, can I lose my salvation?” When that expression is used my answer is “No” – because salvation isn’t a THING you can accidentally lose, like that remote control we’re always misplacing.
• If, however, you ask me, “Dan, can I choose to give up and walk away from the Lord?” my answer is “Yes” – because salvation is a RELATIONSHIP, and while Jesus is never going to leave me, I have the free will to foolishly abandon him if I so choose, and backslide into sin once again.
Occasionally people who are confused by the doctrine of “once saved, always saved” will ask me to show them where in the New Testament it says we can abandon our relationship with Jesus. I have dozens of Scriptures from which to chose, and in fact I have prepared a brochure on the subject – you may pick up a free copy from our Welcome Center if you want one. If I only have time to provide a short answer, however, I just say – “Read the book of Hebrews.” “Which verse?” they ask. “The ENTIRE book” is my answer.
When we put Hebrews 10:25 in its larger context, we understand the urgency of the verse. You see, once a person starts neglecting the worship assembly, they are beginning a process that can lead ever downward. TURN BACK to Chapter 2. What happens when Christians become spiritually lazy?
FIRST, THEY BEGIN TO DRIFT!
Hebrews 2:1-3a “We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not DRIFT away. For if the message spoken by angels (i.e., the law of Moses) was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall WE escape if we ignore such a great salvation?”
The word “drift” has an ominous tone to it, because it implies a lethargic lack of purposeful activity – a careless absence of attention to our spiritual direction – an unintentional but steady slipping away from the safety and security of our salvation.
Folks, no one “drifts” upstream! That’s why I become deeply concerned whenever I hear someone casually claim, “Oh, I don’t have to go to church to be a Christian.” Well, you don’t have to go home to be married, but if you don’t, you’ll have a very poor relationship! When I hear people minimize the significance of worship I know they aren’t taking their salvation seriously. Now TURN to Chapter 3.
THEN THEY BEGIN TO DOUBT! Hebrews 3:12-13 “See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”
Have you ever heard it said that we ought to “practice what we preach”? That’s true – our BELIEFS ought to shape our BEHAVIOR. But this passage reminds us there is a reverse dynamic also at work: our BEHAVIOR eventually comes to shape our BELIEF. That means if I intentionally stop assembling with my church family in worship, no matter what my excuse, I’ll gradually come to doubt the importance of that worship. Then, once our faithfulness begins to falter, our rationalizations, justifications, excuses will begin to erode our faith.
Look carefully at verse 13. Why should we “encourage one another daily”? Because without a consistence exposure to the encouraging fellowship of my brothers and sisters, it says I run the risk of gradually becoming “hardened.” From long observation I can predict the progression of this pattern:
“Well, it won’t matter if I’m not there just this once……You know, I’m so busy, I’ll just miss one more time……you know how it is, once you get out of the habit, its just so hard to start back……….they won’t really miss me, didn’t really need me…..I’m not sure this church business was ever all that helpful, anyway ……I’m not that bad a “sinner,” so what’s all the fuss about?”
Hebrews 3:12-13 tells us what so many Christians have learned the hard way: you can’t maintain a strong faith without faithfulness! You may have seen a popular message on church signs: “Seven days without worship makes one weak.” NEXT, Chapter 5.
THEY BECOME DULL OF HEARING! Hebrews 5:11 “We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn.” The KJV renders is “dull of hearing.”
QUESTION: How many of you took algebra back in high school?
SECOND QUESTION: How many of you would like to try to pass an algebra test today? Why not? You know why not: most of us haven’t cracked an algebra book in years! When you don’t keep up with a skill like that, your knowledge fades. Thus the saying, “Use it or lose it.”
That’s what this verse implies: they had become spiritual dullards because they weren’t keeping their faith fresh through constant practice. FINALLY, Chapter 6.
EVENTUALLY, THEY WILL BACKSLIDE! Hebrews 6:4-6 “For it is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the Word of God and the powers of the coming age, (you can’t get more “saved” than that!) IF they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.”
Can a saved person fall away? This verse says they can! There is a very similar warning in our text this morning. TURN to Chapter 10. We’ve already reviewed Hebrews 10:25, but now listen to the very next verse, to Hebrews 10:26: “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching. IF we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.”
Did you notice how neglecting worship is immediately followed by a warning against falling into deliberate sin? Hmm….. Now, do these verses mean a backslider can never, ever repent? No, but they are saying that if we don’t worship regularly, we are placing ourselves at greater risk to leave the Lord, and if you abandon Jesus, you’ve cut yourself off from your only hope of forgiveness!
Remember: this book was written to people who were on the verge of quitting. And they were not only tempted to desert Jesus, they were leaving the Lord to go back into Judaism. But back in Chapter 9 the writer of Hebrews had already explained that the animal sacrifices of the Law of Moses could never fully, finally cleanse a person from sin. He writes in Hebrews 9:12 that Jesus “did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.”
Conclusion:
Now we are at the crux of the matter. Here is why we should worship regularly! The whole purpose of our existence on this earth is to prepare for eternity. God wants us to enjoy fellowship with Him in glory – but when we finally arrive outside those pearly gates, we don’t want to be a stranger – we don’t want to be in the eternally embarrassing position of having to introduce ourselves to the Lord! So, whenever we come together as a church to worship, we are connecting with glory – entering into the presence of an Almighty God – getting ourselves ready for heaven – and we do so through Jesus!
READ Verse 19 How do we even dare to enter into the presence of God? What gives us the confidence to come into the sacred space of worship? JESUS! By his blood he purchased this right for us! Hebrews 9:12
READ Verse 20 Why does Matthew 27:51 tell us that at the very moment Christ died, the heavy curtain over in the Temple that sealed off the Holy of Holies miraculously “torn in two from top to bottom”? What is the “ticket” that gains our admission to the presence of God? JESUS!
READ Verse 21 Who represents us before the throne of God? Who speaks for us when we are speechless with our own unworthiness? JESUS! Hebrews 7:23 “He is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.”
Here is the most important reason to worship regularly! It’s not a “spos’ta” – it’s a “get’ta”! What is the only logical response to the sacrifice of Christ? Why, to take advantage of the wonderful privilege of “drawing near” to the heart of God! Because of Jesus we get to worship!
READ Verse 22 “Let us” – We’re not saved because we worship – we worship because we’re saved! When were our bodies “washed with pure water”? When we were baptized! Why is that important? Because it’s when we were connected to JESUS! I want to worship because Jesus gives me a clean conscience and a strong confidence that allows me to draw near to God!
READ Verse 23 “Let us” – We’re don’t desperately hold on to our faithfulness in the hope that it will make God accept us – we have the hope to hold on because God is faithful to US! Our confidence is grounded in what God has done for us, not what we are doing for him!
READ Verse 24 “Let us” – The word “spur” (KJV “provoke”) can mean to ‘irritate”: we stir one another up in a good way. We will do more for God, and be more for the Lord, when we’re in regular fellowship with our brothers and sisters!
READ Verse 25 “Let us” – Now we have this verse in the proper context! Now we understand that our presence is required in worship not because of some legalistic duty, but because God wants us to stay strong, and secure, and most of all, He wants us to stay close to Him!
James 4:8 “Come near to God and he will come near to you”
Dan Williams