Okay, Hebrews chapter 10 if you'd like to stand for the reading of the word.
I'm going to start in verse 19.
Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
by a new and living way which he consecrated for us through the veil, that is, his flesh,
and having a high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith,
having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water,
let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful, amen.
And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some,
but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching.
You can be seated. I just want to mention a couple of things before I begin.
Next week we have our Healing and Miracles night here, next Friday 7pm,
and Good Friday the 7th, at 10.30 we are meeting at the entrance for our annual crosswalk,
and if you want more information on that, outside in the foyer there's a little A4 piece of paper
with all the information you need.
Now, this passage, or that short passage rather that I read out,
speaks about the not forsaking the gathering of the people,
and that's something I've been considering a lot lately, not for any particular reason,
I've just been sort of meditating on it every now and again,
and if I gave that scripture to you today and said,
what people group would you give it to, what would you say?
Some of you, I'll answer for you, would say,
well I would go to those Christians who are not in church that have forsaken the gathering,
and say, look, it says do not forsake, come back to church.
That's true, but there would be some of you that would say,
well that's for the people who are already in the church, and you're right as well.
And so this message today, because we're not sure exactly who wrote Hebrews,
but the author is writing to the church, and he's speaking to the church,
and telling us not to forsake the gathering of the brethren.
And that is really important because it's something that we may not necessarily need to know,
right here and right now, because you are all in the church.
So it's a bit of a unique message.
It's a message of caution, because I meet so many people,
well that's a bit of an exaggeration, I meet a lot of people,
or I hear of Christians who are not in fellowship, that they're just not in church anymore.
I often have a conversation with a Christian,
and I almost hesitate to ask what church do you go to,
because more likely than not they're going to say, I don't actually go to church,
which is a sad, really sad reality for us.
And I thought, well we need to actually hear a message so that we don't forsake the gathering,
because today it seems like it's optional to come to church, to gather in fellowship,
it seems like the attitude is it's just optional, whether I do or whether I don't, it doesn't really matter.
So I want to share a message on that particularly today,
because the enemy has a weapon, one of them is division,
and you can see through COVID what's happened.
A lot of people haven't returned to church.
And that's really dangerous for a number of reasons, which I'll explain as I go on.
But you know Jesus is coming not for the individual, although that is true,
He's coming for the church, He's coming for you and I, the church, the body of the Lord Jesus Christ as we are known.
And so this is a message I want us to heed as a caution,
because we are as a church, we are like a living organism,
and we all rely on one another, we ought to rely on one another.
And there's a word for a living organism that you and I fall under, like an animal does, it's called a heterotroph,
and it's an organism that consumes other organisms to sustain life,
like we eat food, breaks down, it sustains us, etc. etc.
But in the spiritual that's the same, because the Bible says that iron sharpens iron,
and as we gather together that is what's happening in the spirit,
we are building one another, we are encouraging one another, we are strengthening one another, and so forth and so forth.
And so it's so important that we actually grasp and understand more than,
I've just got to go to church, because if it's just, I've got to go to church, and that's all it's sort of said and done,
that won't hold you when things get tough, that won't hold you at all,
if you don't know why it is that we are actually gathering together.
You know, the Lord's Prayer we're all very familiar with,
but the very first word I think it says, our Father in heaven in Matthew 6, 9.
It doesn't say my Father, it says our Father.
So the approach to God is relative to family, that's the orientation of that prayer, it's our Father.
It's collectively, it's the body.
And I spoke about Luke 15, about the protocol a number of weeks ago,
and when the protocol son comes back and the older son's not too happy about it,
he rebukes the father and says, as soon as this son of yours came back,
who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.
And in verse 32 he says,
it was right that we should make Mary and be glad, for your brother has died and is alive again and was lost and is found.
So this brother refers to him and says, this son of yours.
And then the father comes and says, this brother of yours.
So we need a right attitude toward our brother first if we're going to have a right attitude towards God.
Because it doesn't work otherwise.
We are fooling ourselves if we live individualistic lives unto God and believe we are in right standing
because the horizontal relationship between us together is just as important as the vertical.
It's ineffective otherwise.
And so I ask, maybe today you are, possibly you might be in church,
but there might be relationally speaking people who you've got offence towards.
Maybe it's something like unforgiveness, bitterness, resentment.
Something that you're holding against another brother.
Could be another pastor from another church that you've left.
Could be something you're holding against someone in another church and that's the reason why you're here.
But there might be something, and I want to challenge you today, that something that's holding you,
something that's holding you against that brother or sister, that's not been made right.
We are to pursue peace with all people as far as it is possible.
Romans 12, 18 says, as far as it is possible that we pursue peace with one another.
So maybe that's something that you need to identify and fix because if that horizontal is not right,
then the vertical is not right either.
Now, in Hebrews it says in verse 23 there,
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
That confession of our hope is Jesus Christ.
That's the confidence of the greatness of Jesus Christ and that is what the author is telling us to hold fast to.
That's the confession of our hope.
Well, that's the thing that we affirm as Christians and we do that, yes, individually,
but we do that in the context of church, in fellowship, because we're all coming together to join.
That's what fellowship is. It's the same. It's oneness. It's communion with one another.
And he says, let us do this.
He says, let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
Because there will be a temptation to give up and let go.
And there's no shortage of Christians outside the church who are sitting at home.
I heard someone say that the biggest church is those not in church.
Now, it could be true, I don't know, but it's a profound statement that the biggest church is outside.
You think about that. And it's such a dangerous place to be.
So I want to really affirm to everyone here today this message so that you don't end up being those people out there.
Because it's too late. I can't preach on your doorstep when you're out there in the world.
I don't know where you live. You know, this word is for today.
It's those in the church that need to hear it.
Just, of course, as much as those outside the church.
But each of us need to hear this.
Now, Paul said at the end of, to Timothy when he was before the courts, he made this statement.
He said, all forsook me. All forsook me.
So there's going to be times and challenges that we are faced with.
Again, these things will maybe pull us away.
But you know, the thing with Paul's life, everything he suffered, he endured.
The one thing that he had going for him, he just kept enduring.
Everything that he suffered, persecution, tribulation, the shipwrecks, whatever it was, the stoning, the beating,
everything that came against him, rather, he endured.
And that included people as well.
And we too are going to have people and they may forsake us.
But there's not a reason to move out of the church.
And in verse 24, he says, let us consider one another to stir up love and good works.
Now, you can't consider, we can't consider one another if we can't see one another.
Is that true?
I can't see you and you can't see me if we're not in fellowship together.
So we are to consider one another in order to stir up love.
Now, love is a gift. It's a verb, rather. Love is a verb.
So when we're in the body, it's more than just meeting together and worshipping God, although that's part of it.
We want to actually stir up love.
We want to do something because it's a verb.
We want to see the need.
We don't want to just see the need, but we want to act on that need.
Pastor Michel spoke about the Good Samaritan, how many saw the need but simply walked on the other side.
We want to be one who sees what each of us are going through.
And we want to be there because that's what the church is.
It's not just simply coming in here and singing songs.
It's fellowship.
It's deeply relational, like God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit.
They're all different, but they're interconnected.
That's like the body of Christ.
We are all a living organism.
And so I want to ask you, how are you going, seeing the needs of others?
Because we can still come in here and have an individualistic attitude.
I'm just coming in here to get my blessing.
It's just about me.
And then I'll leave.
But what about seeing the person next to you?
What about meeting their need?
And I'll tell you why this is really important to, number one, be in the church, but number two, to stir up love.
Because in the end of times, before Jesus comes back in Matthew 24,
He speaks about the times and the signs of the end of the age.
And He says in verse 9 of Matthew 24,
Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake.
And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.
Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.
And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
So if we know, if Jesus is telling us that love's going to grow cold, that is true.
We can't pray against that. That's what He's prophesied. That's what will come to pass.
But there's a level that we can maintain, because not everyone's love's going to grow cold.
It says many.
So we are to remain in the body when things get more and more challenging, more difficult.
We are to stay in the body because the stirring up of love is in the context of remaining in fellowship.
No fellowship, no stirring up love.
So we ought to be a people who maintain that love, who stir up that love.
How do you do that?
Like I said, stirring one another up is encouraging one another.
It's doing something for someone. It's meeting that need.
Making that meal.
Spending time with a person who's suffering.
Praying for that person.
You know, fruits of righteousness.
Maybe they need money.
Give them some money. They might be struggling.
Spend time with them. Pray with them.
All things to stir up our love.
It's so important at the end of days, and if we don't get a handle on this now,
then there's a potential for us to be one whose love grows cold.
And if you've read the book of Revelation, the first chapters of 2 and 3,
all talk about seven churches.
It's a prophetic book.
And those seven churches refer to,
they have come to pass everything that did happen in what is written,
but there's also a prophetic picture of that to come.
And many believe different parts of that, but by and large,
there were seven churches and there were seven letters to the churches.
And if you weren't in the church, you didn't get the message.
So it's so important that we are in the church,
because in the church is where you have the prophetic.
In the church is where God's speaking the now word.
In the church is when you are having and you're receiving that word in season
that you need now.
Like in COVID.
During COVID, people are fearful.
I don't want to learn about serving, although serving is important,
but I want to know the now word.
It comes down from heaven, it comes through the pulpit.
And he says in one of the churches, the last one,
the one that he had no commendations for,
the church of Laodicea, the Luke Warm Church,
Jesus said, he who has an ear, let him hear.
So we actually have to have our ear open to what God is saying.
Now, in 1 John, if you want to turn there, 1 John chapter 1,
that's not the Gospel of John, it's the Epistle of John.
So just past Peter at the end of the book.
1 John 1, verse 5 to 7.
This is the message which you have heard from him and declare to you that God is light
and in him is no darkness at all.
If we say that we have fellowship with him, that's God,
and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another
and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
So he's saying at the beginning there in verse 5 that we can be living,
if we are living in sin, we're deceived to believe that we are walking in the light before God.
There's a deception there.
But he goes on to say, in verse 7,
but if we walk in the light as he is in the light, that talks about walking in obedience,
if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another
and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
So fellowship is an acid test of where you are in your spiritual life.
Christians who walk in the light have fellowship with one another.
Is that true?
This is what it says.
If we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another
and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
He has cleansed us once and for all, we know that, through the cross, the forgiveness of sin,
but there's almost like a stain of sin.
If we fall, we do something, we say something, and we fall, we sin,
there's the sin that the blood of Jesus is cleansing us in.
But where does he do it?
He does it when we're walking in the light, and where's the light when we're walking in fellowship?
Where's fellowship?
It's in the church.
Out of fellowship, out of light.
Jesus' blood doesn't cleanse in the dark, it cleanses in the light.
So I want to remind you again how important it is that we actually are in fellowship.
And I'm not talking about small home groups, you know, two, five, ten at home,
I'm talking about in the context, this is church, God's governmental church,
where government is established, the five-fold ministry is established,
the church, where the prophetic is, where the apostolic is, where the pastoring is,
where the eldership is, where the teaching is.
Okay, that's the context I'm speaking of in the church.
And if we are not in that fellowship, well the blood of Jesus, it says here, is contrary.
It doesn't cleanse us because it says that when we are walking in the light,
the blood of Jesus Christ, this Son, cleanses us from all sin.
That's why it's so important, church, that we remain steadfast,
that we remain committed to the church, whether it's here, whether it's somewhere else,
wherever it is, that you actually remain completely and totally committed.
Now, what are some of the things that stops us from going and fellowshiping with one another?
What stops us going to church?
I think one of them is, I mentioned it earlier, is the wound of offence.
You've been offended, many people have been offended here and left.
Now, you might have come from another church and you've landed up here and you're offended.
I want to highly suggest that that's dealt with because if that offence is not dealt with here,
you'll soon get offended and you'll leave here and you go to the next church and the next church.
But that wound of offence, more often than not, that's the reason people leave church,
of come to experience, this person said this, the pastor didn't do that, whatever, whatever.
The expectation on the church, expectation on the pastor, the expectation on leadership,
whatever it is, and people just simply get offended and leave.
Another one is disappointment, which is sort of in line with offence,
that people so easily disappointed today because, you know, like I said, those expectations of the church are unmet.
And sometimes those expectations are real, but sometimes they can't be met.
They're an unrealistic expectation.
So there are two of the things that we, and I'm telling you this because we have to guard our hearts
against those two things because more than anything, offence and disappointment
will see you walk out those doors and you'll go to the next church and so forth and so forth.
So there are dangerous things to have. Another one is pride.
Pride always opens up the doors for deception.
Obadiah, it doesn't have a chapter, it's just one book, but verse 3, it says,
talking to the people of Odom, Edom, it says,
the pride of your heart, the pride of your heart has deceived you.
So pride opens up that door, that gateway to deception.
And the thing with deception is when you're deceived, you don't know you're deceived.
That's the danger of it.
And that's the danger of coming into a church and then leaving maybe because, you know,
you've got the truth and you've got it, you don't need anyone else to tell you what to do.
You're a church in and of yourself and you don't need anyone because you've got it all,
you know the truth better than anyone else.
I tell you, that is a dangerous place and that is a place full of pride.
It's a place full of self-will and in Proverbs 18 verse 1, it says,
a man who isolates himself seeks his own desire.
He rages against all wise judgment.
You could come to someone, a Christian who's not in the church,
and I could quote all these scriptures to them, some of them probably would listen,
but some of them would be so almost deceived that they wouldn't be able to hear what I'm saying.
Because that scripture says, a man who isolates himself seeks his own desire.
He rages against all wise judgment.
It's almost pointless saying anything because he rages, he or she rages against that wise judgment,
the wise judgment of God's Word.
And the cutting of oneself off, isolating oneself, it's always, it's just a selfish desire.
It's all about me.
Some people, the enemy wants to isolate.
The enemy wants to isolate, the enemy wants to divide.
And part of that, it's so dangerous to just to go off on your own.
And you know, praise God that we have the resources here and the people in ministry
to look where we can and we don't do it perfectly,
but just to, when those people aren't in church,
we haven't seen them for a couple of weeks to actually follow up.
And if that is you, by the way, it's not at all why aren't you at church.
It's not that at all.
It's checking in on you.
It's not being a busybody.
There's enough work to do, trust me.
It's not being a busybody.
It's seeing how are you going.
Okay, so if anyone ever, if that is ever you, please don't feel like we're, someone's intruding.
It's simply looking out for your best interest.
Now, when we do, when we do come into church, when we do gather as a family,
as the family of God, because that's who we are, we are the family of God,
it is a place of encouragement.
Like I said, iron strengthens iron.
It's a place of encouragement.
It's a place where we are fed through the Word.
It's the anointed Word that is, I pray God always anoints my Word,
but it's the anointing through the power of the Holy Spirit that touches your life.
That is where you're fed.
It's where the job of a shepherd, one of the jobs is to feed the sheep.
And you get that in the church.
It's a place where you're going to flourish.
Psalm 92 verse 13 says,
He who is planted in the house of the Lord,
so when you're in a church, but more specifically when you're planted,
you'll flourish.
Those that are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.
So this is a place where you're going to flourish when you remain and when you are planted.
Now, this is a great illustration.
It's not my own and you've probably heard it, but it's so good that I'll continue to use it.
It's like when you, the church is like a whole heap of coal in a fire.
All those coals individually are us.
They all stay warm for a very long time, for good really, almost.
You take one of those coals out and what happens to it over here?
It goes cold. It goes out.
It's a beautiful illustration of us.
You take yourself away.
You take that coal out of the heap of coals and you're going to go cold.
No ifs, no buts.
You'll be deceived to think that you won't, but you will.
Because the Word of God cannot lie.
I mean, that's not a scripture I'm quoting,
but the scriptures I've let you know refer to staying warm in the fellowship.
Now, when you are in church, you are under, and I spoke about this before,
regarding the fivefold ministry, the apostle, pastors, teachers, evangelists, prophets.
When you come into a church, you are under authority.
And that's really important that you are under authority and you are under the church.
I'll tell you why.
Because in Hebrews 13, verse 17,
No, it's three.
No, 13?
It is.
Verse 17, verse 17,
So there is an accountability here in church leadership, particularly the elders.
There is an accountability for every single one of you.
Now, it says there that we are to watch out for your souls.
Now, if you're not in the church, we can't see you.
We need to see each and every one of you, because we have, I don't like the word obligation,
we have a responsibility over every one of you.
But if you choose to take yourself out, you're not under authority, there's no eyes on you.
And that's, again, that's a dangerous place to be when there's no eyes on you.
Because what happens to sheep without a shepherd?
They scatter, they get lost, they get deceived, they fall in ditches.
All that's true.
You know, either become a shepherd or put yourself under a shepherd, one of the two.
You need one or the other.
It's so important because without a shepherd, that flock goes astray.
And leading to deception and ditches and all sorts, they become a prey for the enemy.
Now, there's a covering in prayer when the church comes together, when the elders pray individually.
Not all the time it's for the church, but some of the time it's for the church.
So there's a covering in prayer, particularly when we come in and we're corporately gathered.
The prayer is over the church.
You might not be here on the Wednesday night, for instance, or the Sunday morning,
but the prayer is offered as a covering for the church, for you, even though you may not be here.
So it's really important that we do pray.
It's a covering for the church.
It's a protection against enemy.
I want to tell you furthermore about that protection.
In Acts 27, this was when Paul was on one of his shipwrecks, the one that's noted at least in Acts 27.
The storm hit the ship and he's on his way to get in trouble.
And in verse 22, he says, I urge you, he's talking to the sailors now.
He had, what, 276 people on board with him.
And here's this Christian man.
He's the leader.
He's the apostle and he's saying, I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you,
but only of the ship.
For there stood by me this night an angel of God to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying,
do not be afraid, Paul, you must be brought before Caesar.
And indeed, God has granted you all those who sail with you.
Therefore, take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told to me.
However, we must run aground on a certain island.
So there was a covering there from Paul that was offered over 276 people, all the people on board,
and they were saved.
They all believed they were going to die.
It was a tremendous storm they were in.
There was a covering that Paul was giving them because he was a man to God.
And that's the same as true for the church.
That covering, there's a covering of prayer.
There's an anointing, a corporate anointing when you're in the church.
The corporate anointing is so important because it's the anointing that breaks the yoke.
It's the anointing of the Holy Spirit that breaks off bondage, breaks shackles,
breaks off everything of your life that cannot only be broken by the Holy Spirit, by the power of God.
It comes under the corporate church, corporate anointing.
So as we get closer to the time, now I read that Scripture out in Matthew 24 about the end of times.
Lawlessness would abound.
Now lawlessness has never abounded as such as we see today.
Never has God's laws, we may have been lawless, that's been forever since day one,
but it's never abounded in such a way where God's rules or God's decree has been reversed and changed.
That's never happened.
That's when lawlessness really abounds.
So we are really living in those end times.
We're getting closer and closer.
Now what I read out in the beginning in Hebrews, it said,
do not forsake the gathering of the brethren, but it also goes on to say one more thing.
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves, that's the same thing, together, as is a matter of some,
but exhorting one another and so much more as you see the day.
That's the day that Jesus is coming back.
So much more you see the day approaching.
Are you seeing the day approaching? I believe we are.
In light of what Matthew 24 says, what Jesus said about the end of times, lawlessness abounding.
Now we are together so much the more as you see the day approaching.
There's an increased importance of gathering the closer that Jesus comes.
There's an increased importance.
That means we want to, as a church, we meet regularly, whether it be a life group,
which I want to encourage you to be and if you're not.
Corporate prayer, we gather in corporate prayer.
Jesus said my house should be called a house of prayer for all nations.
We do that. We gather together.
What we're doing is we're gathering together.
And of course church. Church is not an option.
It's not whether I feel like it or not.
It's gathering because you have something to give.
We are all, one's an ear, one's a leg.
We all have something to give.
We are all part of that one organism and it's a living organism.
We all part, take a part to play in that.
So think about today as you go, how much am I fellowshipping?
Am I coming in and out?
Am I just coming into church and I'm getting straight out?
Or am I doing what I can?
Am I fellowshipping?
Am I looking where I could be of use?
Where I can help someone, where I can stir up my love,
where I can do something for someone to help them, maybe to encourage them, to strengthen them.
Am I meeting regularly with Christians?
Am I meeting with them regularly?
Am I doing something?
Maybe am I doing a life group?
That's why it's called a life group.
We changed the name from Bible study.
I think it used to be called Bible study.
We call it a life group because this is the place with life.
This is the type, this is the fellowship that we want to be in,
the communion that we want to be in amongst our believers.
Because it's so important church as, and I'll close with this,
as the day comes nearer and nearer,
we cannot afford just to come in here on a Sunday and nothing else.
We have to.
We have to be more vigilant.
We have to be more aware of our relationship, where we are relationally.
And that of course not only means gathering,
but it also means connecting and having relationships healed and restored
where there is offence, where there's unforgiveness.
That too is just as important because that vertical,
you might be doing really well, but we want to have the horizontal.
It's just as important.
So Lord, I want to thank you Lord that you've given.
Lord, through Hebrews, we see Lord, there's a caution for us.
And Father, I lift up every person here.
Look, I pray right now that all the days of their lives, Lord,
they would be planted in your house,
whether it's at Elam, whether it's somewhere else that you've called them.
Father God, I ask right now, Lord, that you would preserve every life here going forward.
You would preserve their life from all offence.
Lord, even if they do come, I'm asking right now, Lord,
they would be quick to forgive.
There would be mercy over judgment.
Lord, you would keep us at all times with a sweet heart towards our brothers, our sisters,
Lord, those in the workplace, Lord, those in the family.
I'm asking Lord that you would keep our fellowship so sweet between Lord,
those outside the church, but Lord, more so in the church, Lord,
that there would be a great unity.
I'm asking right now, Lord, that you would build unity in this church.
You would strengthen unity in this church.
You would strengthen fellowship in this church.
I'm asking Lord that you would do something, Lord, in us.
Lord, we don't simply just want the vertical as amazing and beautiful as that is, Lord.
We want the horizontal, Lord.
We want our relationships to be, Lord, just as you've called them to be,
just as you've meant them to be because, Lord Jesus, we are your body
and you're coming back for the body.
You're coming for a spotless bride.
So, Lord, I'm asking Lord, you would gather us as one.
Lord, we would become more one.
Lord, I come against right now, Lord, whether it is division between people in your church,
whether it is discord, Father God, whether it is offences and unforgiveness,
I'm asking right now, Lord, that by your power you would move in every one of those relationships,
Lord, that you may bring healing and restoration.
Lord, I'm asking right now, Lord, you would build and you would strengthen that unity in us, Lord.
And, Lord, we would be a people, Lord, according to your Word, Lord, we would not waver.
We would continue to affirm the faith and the hope of the Lord Jesus Christ in and through our lives.
Father, may we be a people never to forsake the gathering, Lord, as the day approaches.
Father, let it not be so.
May we remain all the days of our lives in Jesus' mighty name.
Amen. Amen.