WEBVTT 00:00:02.449 --> 00:00:05.629 Thank you, Mike. It's good to have Paul back. 00:00:05.750 --> 00:00:08.230 He was away on vacation for a couple of weeks. 00:00:08.990 --> 00:00:10.810 And you can tell he was at the lake. He's got 00:00:10.810 --> 00:00:14.609 this suntan. Have you noticed that? A little 00:00:14.609 --> 00:00:22.309 additional suntan there in his face. Would you 00:00:22.309 --> 00:00:24.589 open your Bible, please, to the book of Hebrews 00:00:24.589 --> 00:00:27.879 and today to the tenth chapter of the book. as 00:00:27.879 --> 00:00:32.060 we continue our study about firming up our foundations. 00:00:34.579 --> 00:00:38.000 When we consider the foundational concerns of 00:00:38.000 --> 00:00:45.320 life, we think of things like faith and salvation, 00:00:45.960 --> 00:00:49.359 which we have talked about. But the one we're 00:00:49.359 --> 00:00:52.420 going to look at this morning may surprise some 00:00:52.420 --> 00:00:56.579 people. I believe it too is a crucial subject. 00:00:56.780 --> 00:01:00.340 for us to talk about. However, what we're talking 00:01:00.340 --> 00:01:04.379 about is on the periphery of so many people's 00:01:04.379 --> 00:01:11.379 lives. It's considered by some secondary as nice 00:01:11.379 --> 00:01:20.060 but not necessary, as an ancillary issue. But 00:01:20.060 --> 00:01:25.010 today I want to talk about the church. as being 00:01:25.010 --> 00:01:27.650 one area of the foundation of our lives that 00:01:27.650 --> 00:01:32.269 many of us may need to firm up. I believe the 00:01:32.269 --> 00:01:34.549 attitude that most people have about the church 00:01:34.549 --> 00:01:38.750 is desperately in need of just that. For slippage 00:01:38.750 --> 00:01:44.370 has occurred that humanly speaking puts in jeopardy 00:01:44.370 --> 00:01:49.590 the work of Jesus Christ in the world. One denomination 00:01:49.590 --> 00:01:52.569 did a study a couple of years ago of its missions. 00:01:53.600 --> 00:01:59.620 outreach. And the study showed them that if their 00:01:59.620 --> 00:02:02.680 current giving trends continued in that denomination, 00:02:03.659 --> 00:02:06.400 by the year 2000 they're going to have to recall 00:02:06.400 --> 00:02:09.319 most of their missionaries from the mission fields 00:02:09.319 --> 00:02:16.560 of the world. There is tremendous slippage regarding 00:02:16.560 --> 00:02:20.280 the place the church has in the lives of those 00:02:20.280 --> 00:02:24.419 who are God's people. We need to firm that up, 00:02:24.780 --> 00:02:30.479 because this is important to God. Jesus Christ 00:02:30.479 --> 00:02:35.219 gave His life for the church. The sad fact is 00:02:35.219 --> 00:02:40.099 that some people don't give a rip for it. As 00:02:40.099 --> 00:02:42.900 long as the church is there to meet their needs 00:02:42.900 --> 00:02:45.900 on Sunday morning, they could care less about 00:02:45.900 --> 00:02:48.819 what happens in the church or with the church 00:02:48.819 --> 00:02:54.719 the rest of the time. That's because of worldliness. 00:02:57.280 --> 00:02:59.719 I grew up in a time when worldliness was defined 00:02:59.719 --> 00:03:05.520 as four or five things you didn't do. How well 00:03:05.520 --> 00:03:09.699 the devil fooled us in those years as to what 00:03:09.699 --> 00:03:14.960 worldliness is. Worldliness is not difficult 00:03:14.960 --> 00:03:17.360 to figure out. It's not four or five things that 00:03:17.360 --> 00:03:19.479 Christians ought not to do. Worldliness is an 00:03:19.479 --> 00:03:25.669 attitude. Worldliness is adopting the value system 00:03:25.669 --> 00:03:32.169 of the present order that controls the world. 00:03:33.870 --> 00:03:37.729 That present order is created by and dominated 00:03:37.729 --> 00:03:44.449 by none other than Satan. He has instilled into 00:03:44.449 --> 00:03:47.830 the world system certain values and worldliness 00:03:47.830 --> 00:03:50.629 in the lives of Christians as the adopting of 00:03:50.629 --> 00:03:56.150 those attitudes. We see it in secularism, for 00:03:56.150 --> 00:04:01.449 example. Our world is secular in the sense that 00:04:01.449 --> 00:04:05.990 it tries to rule God out up front. As a presupposition, 00:04:06.270 --> 00:04:10.189 God isn't important in our world. And tell me 00:04:10.189 --> 00:04:12.229 if that attitude hasn't crept into the lives 00:04:12.229 --> 00:04:17.209 of some Christians. God is important as long 00:04:17.209 --> 00:04:19.569 as He saves me from hell, but beyond that, I 00:04:19.569 --> 00:04:22.910 wish God would get out of my way. I've got too 00:04:22.910 --> 00:04:29.730 many things I want to do. Our world is given 00:04:29.730 --> 00:04:34.970 to the value of materialism. Where material things 00:04:34.970 --> 00:04:40.460 are all important, there is little or no emphasis 00:04:40.460 --> 00:04:45.399 or attention given to spiritual things. Has that 00:04:45.399 --> 00:04:47.819 affected any Christians that you might know? 00:04:51.800 --> 00:04:54.199 Where all the money is spent on material things? 00:04:54.339 --> 00:04:57.040 All the time is spent on things here and now? 00:04:58.079 --> 00:05:00.579 Very little thought, very little emphasis in 00:05:00.579 --> 00:05:04.779 the life on what comes next? On what is spiritual? 00:05:08.620 --> 00:05:11.240 The values of the world are not only secular 00:05:11.240 --> 00:05:15.420 material, but they're also individual. Individualism 00:05:15.420 --> 00:05:18.680 is one that has developed in the last couple 00:05:18.680 --> 00:05:23.899 of decades in the West. It puts the priority 00:05:23.899 --> 00:05:27.600 in whatever is satisfying to oneself. There is 00:05:27.600 --> 00:05:33.660 no need of anybody else. And so we just close 00:05:33.660 --> 00:05:38.639 ourselves and our family up and we're just ourselves. 00:05:39.579 --> 00:05:45.800 Individualism. The Bible's value is interdependence. 00:05:49.120 --> 00:05:52.439 But I tell you that individualism has swept into 00:05:52.439 --> 00:05:55.560 the church of Jesus Christ as a worldly value. 00:05:58.939 --> 00:06:06.660 Consumerism. We all understand what consumers 00:06:06.660 --> 00:06:11.720 are like in the world, but the attitude of consumerism 00:06:11.720 --> 00:06:18.100 has crept into the church as well. I want the 00:06:18.100 --> 00:06:23.220 church to meet my needs. And if it doesn't, I'm 00:06:23.220 --> 00:06:27.220 going to go shopping somewhere else, where a 00:06:27.220 --> 00:06:31.500 church will meet my needs. So people look at 00:06:31.500 --> 00:06:37.370 the church as consumers. And the last one I want 00:06:37.370 --> 00:06:43.610 to mention, I just did mention it. I thought 00:06:43.610 --> 00:06:47.529 I had five, I only got four. I had one other 00:06:47.529 --> 00:06:50.149 one in mind, but I couldn't put a title on it. 00:06:51.850 --> 00:06:56.209 The church is at once taken for granted, and 00:06:56.209 --> 00:07:01.889 practically speaking, it's ignored. People want 00:07:01.889 --> 00:07:03.930 the church to be there when they need it, but 00:07:03.930 --> 00:07:07.139 they do not want the church to expect any commitment 00:07:07.139 --> 00:07:11.259 from them. They want the church to inspire them 00:07:11.259 --> 00:07:13.759 with heavenly music and entertaining preaching 00:07:13.759 --> 00:07:17.519 that please don't confront me with my sin or 00:07:17.519 --> 00:07:21.540 call for repentance. They want the church to 00:07:21.540 --> 00:07:26.959 offer a wide array of programming without even 00:07:26.959 --> 00:07:31.220 having to pay for it. If the church doesn't measure 00:07:31.220 --> 00:07:36.050 up, they look around, or worse, Worse, they decide 00:07:36.050 --> 00:07:40.389 to go to two or three or four churches and select 00:07:40.389 --> 00:07:43.069 what offerings they want from those two or three 00:07:43.069 --> 00:07:46.769 or four churches. They treat the church like 00:07:46.769 --> 00:07:51.790 a smorgasbord. So when I think today about firming 00:07:51.790 --> 00:07:55.649 up the foundation, I don't think there's anything 00:07:55.649 --> 00:07:57.910 really more critical than our attitude about 00:07:57.910 --> 00:08:02.019 the church of Jesus Christ. Our text today is 00:08:02.019 --> 00:08:05.939 in Hebrews chapter 10 verse 19 where we'll begin 00:08:05.939 --> 00:08:29.829 reading and read through verse 25. over the house 00:08:29.829 --> 00:08:34.649 of God. Let us draw near with a sincere heart 00:08:34.649 --> 00:08:38.509 in full assurance of faith, having our hearts 00:08:38.509 --> 00:08:42.090 sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our 00:08:42.090 --> 00:08:47.509 bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast 00:08:47.509 --> 00:08:50.330 the confession of our hope without wavering for 00:08:50.330 --> 00:08:55.309 he who promised is faithful. And let us consider 00:08:55.309 --> 00:08:57.690 how to stimulate one another to love and good 00:08:57.690 --> 00:09:01.110 deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, 00:09:01.149 --> 00:09:04.529 as is the habit of some, but encouraging one 00:09:04.529 --> 00:09:07.649 another, and all the more, as you see the day 00:09:07.649 --> 00:09:11.429 drawing near. The day drawing near, of course, 00:09:11.710 --> 00:09:17.889 is the day of our Lord's return. And he says, 00:09:18.110 --> 00:09:21.769 as we see the sky brightening in the east, as 00:09:21.769 --> 00:09:25.970 the dawn is about to break, we are to be sure 00:09:25.970 --> 00:09:36.029 to be committed to the church. The church is 00:09:36.029 --> 00:09:38.710 the house of God, as the writer of Hebrews puts 00:09:38.710 --> 00:09:43.429 it. Look at verse 21, we have a great priest 00:09:43.429 --> 00:09:48.940 over the house. of God. That isn't the first 00:09:48.940 --> 00:09:52.179 time that phrase has occurred in Hebrews. Go 00:09:52.179 --> 00:09:56.600 back to Hebrews chapter 3 for a moment. Where 00:09:56.600 --> 00:10:04.899 there's a contrast between Moses and Jesus. He 00:10:04.899 --> 00:10:12.340 is showing here the superiority of Jesus. He 00:10:12.340 --> 00:10:15.299 says, therefore, my holy brethren, partakers 00:10:15.299 --> 00:10:19.539 of the heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the 00:10:19.539 --> 00:10:25.019 apostle and high priest of our confession. He 00:10:25.019 --> 00:10:29.340 was faithful to him who appointed him, as Moses 00:10:29.340 --> 00:10:35.220 also was in all his house. Now he's saying that 00:10:35.220 --> 00:10:38.159 Moses had a house, and he's going to say that 00:10:38.159 --> 00:10:41.210 Jesus had a house. He's not talking about a structure, 00:10:41.409 --> 00:10:45.690 a dwelling. He's talking about a family. We might 00:10:45.690 --> 00:10:49.870 say a household. He says Moses was faithful in 00:10:49.870 --> 00:10:54.889 his household. That was Israel, of course. Verse 00:10:54.889 --> 00:10:58.009 3, for he, Jesus, has been counted worthy of 00:10:58.009 --> 00:11:02.649 more glory than Moses by just so much as the 00:11:02.649 --> 00:11:06.549 builder of the house has more honor than the 00:11:06.549 --> 00:11:13.279 house. For every house is built by someone, but 00:11:13.279 --> 00:11:18.039 the builder of all things is God. Now Moses was 00:11:18.039 --> 00:11:23.360 faithful in all his house as a servant for a 00:11:23.360 --> 00:11:25.539 testimony of these things, which were to be spoken 00:11:25.539 --> 00:11:30.139 later. But Christ was faithful as a son over 00:11:30.139 --> 00:11:35.200 his house. You see, Moses was faithful in the 00:11:35.200 --> 00:11:38.600 house. He was a part of the household. Jesus 00:11:38.600 --> 00:11:41.909 is faithful over. his household, the superiority. 00:11:43.250 --> 00:11:48.730 He's God, the one who created the house. He was 00:11:48.730 --> 00:11:52.529 faithful, it says. And then he goes on to say, 00:11:53.669 --> 00:12:02.350 whose house we are? We. We're his household. 00:12:03.889 --> 00:12:06.649 The Israelites of old were the household of Moses. 00:12:07.690 --> 00:12:12.629 He was faithful as their leader. He was a member 00:12:12.629 --> 00:12:15.529 of the house. He is commended for his faithfulness. 00:12:15.730 --> 00:12:21.809 But far greater than Moses is Jesus, who created 00:12:21.809 --> 00:12:24.830 the house and who is over the house, who is faithful 00:12:24.830 --> 00:12:30.789 as an apostle and high priest. And we are His 00:12:30.789 --> 00:12:35.769 house. We, the church, we're His house. He says, 00:12:36.559 --> 00:12:40.480 We hold fast our confidence and the boast of 00:12:40.480 --> 00:12:45.799 our hope firm until the end. He's not doubting 00:12:45.799 --> 00:12:47.960 necessarily that the people he's writing to or 00:12:47.960 --> 00:12:54.059 that we will not hold fast. But the point he's 00:12:54.059 --> 00:12:56.220 making is the same one that we made last week 00:12:56.220 --> 00:13:01.279 when we talked about salvation. And that is our 00:13:01.279 --> 00:13:07.590 genuineness is proven by our continuance. Not 00:13:07.590 --> 00:13:09.649 by some date we've written down in the Bible, 00:13:09.669 --> 00:13:12.690 not by some prayer that we prayed at some point, 00:13:13.149 --> 00:13:17.429 but the genuineness, the authenticity of our 00:13:17.429 --> 00:13:21.250 salvation is demonstrated by our continuance 00:13:21.250 --> 00:13:24.649 in the faith. And there may be times of lapse, 00:13:24.909 --> 00:13:28.269 there may be times when we backslide, but inevitably 00:13:28.269 --> 00:13:30.970 God will discipline us and bring us back because 00:13:30.970 --> 00:13:33.710 all of His sons, He disciplines like a faithful 00:13:33.710 --> 00:13:38.259 father and brings us back. and we continue on. 00:13:39.759 --> 00:13:42.659 We are the house of God. Now let's go back to 00:13:42.659 --> 00:13:46.980 Hebrews chapter 10. The local church is the expression 00:13:46.980 --> 00:13:52.679 of the house of God in the world. Today there's 00:13:52.679 --> 00:13:57.759 no temple of stone, but there is a temple of 00:13:57.759 --> 00:14:02.019 redeemed people, living stones, that are being 00:14:02.019 --> 00:14:05.139 built together by God and indwelt by the Holy 00:14:05.139 --> 00:14:10.590 Spirit. to make the temple of God. The church 00:14:10.590 --> 00:14:14.289 is the center of what God is about in the world 00:14:14.289 --> 00:14:17.450 in this age. What a thrilling thing that God 00:14:17.450 --> 00:14:19.850 has called us to be a part of what He's doing 00:14:19.850 --> 00:14:23.750 in the world. God is at work in the world and 00:14:23.750 --> 00:14:27.110 He is at work in and through His church. It is 00:14:27.110 --> 00:14:31.330 an exciting thing to be called out by God from 00:14:31.330 --> 00:14:35.000 the world to be a part of His task force to go 00:14:35.000 --> 00:14:40.440 back to the world, to represent Him. It is an 00:14:40.440 --> 00:14:42.620 exciting thing to be a part of the temple that 00:14:42.620 --> 00:14:46.379 God is building in this age, in honor to Himself, 00:14:47.720 --> 00:14:52.100 a temple in which the Spirit dwells. But we know, 00:14:52.279 --> 00:14:54.980 all of us know, how imperfect the church is yet, 00:14:55.860 --> 00:15:00.080 for it still exists as we know it in this fallen 00:15:00.080 --> 00:15:05.879 world. Jesus is preparing His bride for her heavenly 00:15:05.879 --> 00:15:08.679 calling, but she still has spots to be removed 00:15:08.679 --> 00:15:11.940 and wrinkles to be smoothed out. We all know 00:15:11.940 --> 00:15:14.679 that. The church is not a perfect place. Someone 00:15:14.679 --> 00:15:17.019 said to me last week, the church is full of hypocrites. 00:15:18.580 --> 00:15:21.139 Well, of course it is. Can you think of a better 00:15:21.139 --> 00:15:22.919 place for hypocrites to come and get healed? 00:15:25.539 --> 00:15:27.899 There are hypocrites in the church. There are 00:15:27.899 --> 00:15:29.120 hypocrites in the world. There are hypocrites 00:15:29.120 --> 00:15:33.399 everywhere. The church is still in a fallen world. 00:15:33.460 --> 00:15:35.580 The church is not perfect. I'm not perfect. You're 00:15:35.580 --> 00:15:44.019 not perfect. But we are God's house. That's why 00:15:44.019 --> 00:15:47.000 it's important that we firm up the foundation 00:15:47.000 --> 00:15:53.019 of our lives with regards to the church. I say 00:15:53.019 --> 00:15:57.919 this with conviction. That our commitment to 00:15:57.919 --> 00:16:01.399 the church parallels our commitment to Jesus 00:16:01.399 --> 00:16:07.120 Christ. Now I've been in the ministry 26 years, 00:16:08.059 --> 00:16:10.860 and in those 26 years I have yet to meet a Christian 00:16:10.860 --> 00:16:16.580 who was deeply devoted to Jesus Christ and had 00:16:16.580 --> 00:16:21.340 little time for the church. Now to be honest 00:16:21.340 --> 00:16:23.580 with you, I have met people who were deeply devoted 00:16:23.580 --> 00:16:27.019 to the church and were not too devoted to Christ. 00:16:29.639 --> 00:16:33.620 And that's not right either. But I have never 00:16:33.620 --> 00:16:37.899 met a Christian who was devoted to Jesus Christ's 00:16:37.899 --> 00:16:40.559 lordship in his life and who was laissez faire 00:16:40.559 --> 00:16:46.440 regarding his commitment to the church. Our commitment 00:16:46.440 --> 00:16:50.679 to Jesus Christ parallels our commitment to the 00:16:50.679 --> 00:16:55.340 church. The two line up. Therefore, we need to 00:16:55.340 --> 00:16:59.080 firm up that commitment. In the text that we've 00:16:59.080 --> 00:17:03.360 looked at today, this morning, we see that the 00:17:03.360 --> 00:17:06.299 commitment to the church involves three duties 00:17:06.299 --> 00:17:10.579 that every one of us has as a part of the church, 00:17:10.779 --> 00:17:14.839 the house of God. I think it was J. Vernon McGee 00:17:14.839 --> 00:17:18.359 who called this one of God's gardens. He says, 00:17:18.579 --> 00:17:21.539 this is the lettuce garden. Lettuce draw near. 00:17:22.299 --> 00:17:26.299 Lettuce hold fast. Lettuce consider. Here we 00:17:26.299 --> 00:17:30.000 have the three duties that all of us have to 00:17:30.000 --> 00:17:35.680 the church. As part of God's house, you and I 00:17:35.680 --> 00:17:41.900 are to worship God corporately. Now today we 00:17:41.900 --> 00:17:44.279 have this emphasis on individualism. Well, I'll 00:17:44.279 --> 00:17:46.660 worship God out there at the cabin by the lake 00:17:46.660 --> 00:17:50.920 sitting on the rock. And of course you can worship 00:17:50.920 --> 00:17:55.619 God there. You can worship God anywhere. But 00:17:55.619 --> 00:18:01.180 the writer of Hebrew says let us draw near He 00:18:01.180 --> 00:18:03.400 doesn't say let each one of you draw near in 00:18:03.400 --> 00:18:07.740 his own way his own time his own place He says 00:18:07.740 --> 00:18:13.980 let us draw near Part of our commitment to the 00:18:13.980 --> 00:18:18.259 church has to be this that we worship God together 00:18:18.259 --> 00:18:25.319 as a body of people It is a household duty that 00:18:25.319 --> 00:18:27.759 we have as God's family, that we worship Him 00:18:27.759 --> 00:18:32.200 in association with others. Now the whole basis 00:18:32.200 --> 00:18:36.400 of this is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We 00:18:36.400 --> 00:18:41.559 can draw near because it says in verse 19 that 00:18:41.559 --> 00:18:44.579 we may enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus. 00:18:46.660 --> 00:18:53.140 He has inaugurated for us That is, He has dedicated 00:18:53.140 --> 00:18:56.200 for us the way to God. It is the sacrifice of 00:18:56.200 --> 00:19:01.019 His own body. Just as there was a veil that separated 00:19:01.019 --> 00:19:05.059 the holy of holies from the holy place in the 00:19:05.059 --> 00:19:09.900 temple. So Jesus came veiling the glory of God 00:19:09.900 --> 00:19:13.859 inside of Him, and that veil was broken. It was 00:19:13.859 --> 00:19:19.079 rendered. It was sacrificed. And in the sacrifice 00:19:19.079 --> 00:19:22.069 of His body, The way to the Holy of Holies was 00:19:22.069 --> 00:19:24.910 opened up for us. And that was symbolized, wasn't 00:19:24.910 --> 00:19:28.109 it, by the veil in the temple being torn from 00:19:28.109 --> 00:19:34.549 the top to the bottom when He died. So the whole 00:19:34.549 --> 00:19:37.750 basis of our worshiping together is the sacrifice 00:19:37.750 --> 00:19:41.569 of Jesus Christ. The sufficiency of His blood 00:19:41.569 --> 00:19:47.279 shed on the cross of Calvary for our sins. And 00:19:47.279 --> 00:19:50.099 because of that he says that we are a priesthood 00:19:50.099 --> 00:19:53.960 of Jesus Christ. He says we have a great priest. 00:19:56.579 --> 00:19:59.700 We are priests who serve under a great priest, 00:20:00.500 --> 00:20:04.519 the high priest, Jesus Christ. And because he 00:20:04.519 --> 00:20:08.400 is in heaven today in his glorified body interceding 00:20:08.400 --> 00:20:11.859 on our behalf before the throne of God, we may 00:20:11.859 --> 00:20:19.339 come together here and worship. And it says that 00:20:19.339 --> 00:20:22.839 we have been made fit to do this, for our hearts 00:20:22.839 --> 00:20:25.619 have been sprinkled clean, our bodies washed 00:20:25.619 --> 00:20:29.059 with pure water. These are the symbolic kinds 00:20:29.059 --> 00:20:32.559 of language relating to the temple worship. But 00:20:32.559 --> 00:20:36.779 what he's saying is that we are fully qualified 00:20:36.779 --> 00:20:41.440 to worship God, to come into His presence. And 00:20:41.440 --> 00:20:44.140 so we're to come, he says, with a sincere heart, 00:20:44.680 --> 00:20:49.630 a true and genuine heart. in contrast to the 00:20:49.630 --> 00:20:52.609 way Israel at times worshiped. In fact, Isaiah, 00:20:53.309 --> 00:20:55.369 in the first chapter, if you begin reading about 00:20:55.369 --> 00:20:57.990 verse 10 and following through that chapter, 00:20:59.849 --> 00:21:03.990 it strikes you how God rejects all of the rituals 00:21:03.990 --> 00:21:08.849 that He Himself had ordained for the Jews. He 00:21:08.849 --> 00:21:11.329 said, I've had enough sacrifices. I don't want 00:21:11.329 --> 00:21:14.369 any more observances. I don't want any passovers. 00:21:14.450 --> 00:21:17.150 I don't want this. I don't want that. Why? Because 00:21:17.150 --> 00:21:21.029 their hearts were far from God. They were just 00:21:21.029 --> 00:21:24.650 going through the deal, see? Just going through 00:21:24.650 --> 00:21:28.930 the rituals. And God says, don't even bother 00:21:28.930 --> 00:21:35.869 with it. We are to come together for worship 00:21:35.869 --> 00:21:40.650 with hearts that are sincere. That are involved 00:21:40.650 --> 00:21:46.170 sincerely in what we're doing It does us no good 00:21:46.170 --> 00:21:50.049 and God is not pleased if we come to church just 00:21:50.049 --> 00:21:55.609 to go through the motions We need to come to 00:21:55.609 --> 00:22:05.450 church with intention To come with purpose and 00:22:05.450 --> 00:22:09.000 that purpose being that we will enter into God's 00:22:09.000 --> 00:22:12.059 presence with others and offer praise to Him. 00:22:14.160 --> 00:22:16.859 So he says, let's draw near but be sure with 00:22:16.859 --> 00:22:19.400 sincere heart and also with full assurance of 00:22:19.400 --> 00:22:23.900 faith. We're to be completely engrossed with 00:22:23.900 --> 00:22:28.740 an expectation of God's promises. But I fear 00:22:28.740 --> 00:22:32.259 that for some Christians worship is at best half 00:22:32.259 --> 00:22:38.670 -hearted and at worst lifeless, faithless, merely 00:22:38.670 --> 00:22:44.190 routine. So as we think about firming up our 00:22:44.190 --> 00:22:46.210 commitment to the church, let's begin here at 00:22:46.210 --> 00:22:49.970 this point and recognize that it involves coming 00:22:49.970 --> 00:22:53.809 to worship God corporately with others. How you 00:22:53.809 --> 00:23:00.849 doing? Does your life need to be firmed up? Is 00:23:00.849 --> 00:23:04.019 the foundation where it ought to be? regarding 00:23:04.019 --> 00:23:06.319 your worship of God with others and coming to 00:23:06.319 --> 00:23:10.440 church with a right heart attitude and expecting 00:23:10.440 --> 00:23:16.700 God to do something in you. Now secondly, he 00:23:16.700 --> 00:23:21.700 says, we have a duty as God's house to weather 00:23:21.700 --> 00:23:26.299 our tribulations patiently. He says, let's hold 00:23:26.299 --> 00:23:31.720 fast the confession of our hope without wavering 00:23:31.720 --> 00:23:38.940 God's faithful. You and I are promised in the 00:23:38.940 --> 00:23:47.500 world a good deal of affliction. We are told 00:23:47.500 --> 00:23:52.319 by God to expect tribulation. 2 Timothy 3 .10 00:23:52.319 --> 00:23:56.559 says all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus 00:23:56.559 --> 00:24:01.759 will be persecuted. It doesn't necessarily mean 00:24:01.759 --> 00:24:09.029 persecuted all the time. But there will be seasons 00:24:09.029 --> 00:24:13.950 of persecution for those who will live godly 00:24:13.950 --> 00:24:19.690 Peter joins in and says do not be surprised The 00:24:19.690 --> 00:24:24.609 implication there is that of an astonished resentment 00:24:24.609 --> 00:24:30.950 Peter says don't be surprised and resentful At 00:24:30.950 --> 00:24:36.000 the fiery ordeal among you Which comes upon you 00:24:36.000 --> 00:24:39.920 for your testing as though some strange that 00:24:39.920 --> 00:24:44.279 is some foreign thing were happening to you Peter 00:24:44.279 --> 00:24:48.460 says that's the norm The fire is the norm the 00:24:48.460 --> 00:24:52.059 quiet times the times of peace when there's no 00:24:52.059 --> 00:24:59.079 persecution. That's the unusual Then Paul says 00:24:59.079 --> 00:25:02.099 in first Thessalonians he's writing here to a 00:25:02.099 --> 00:25:06.460 persecuted church You yourselves know, he says, 00:25:06.519 --> 00:25:12.039 that we have been destined for afflictions. For 00:25:12.039 --> 00:25:14.359 indeed when we were with you, we kept telling 00:25:14.359 --> 00:25:19.059 you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction. 00:25:21.420 --> 00:25:23.599 Affliction means hardship. It means pressure. 00:25:28.259 --> 00:25:30.180 If you're a member of God's house, you're going 00:25:30.180 --> 00:25:34.380 to have pressure in the world. Jesus himself 00:25:34.380 --> 00:25:38.940 said, in the world you shall have what? Tribulation? 00:25:42.000 --> 00:25:43.599 But he went on to say, but be of good cheer, 00:25:43.680 --> 00:25:49.059 for I have what? I've overcome the world. He 00:25:49.059 --> 00:25:51.160 said the world is going to put its pressure on, 00:25:51.200 --> 00:25:56.000 but remember, I'm the conqueror. I'm the victor 00:25:56.000 --> 00:25:59.920 of the world. But he said you will experience 00:25:59.920 --> 00:26:07.259 trouble. Some of you are. We have one man in 00:26:07.259 --> 00:26:11.539 our church who periodically updates us on the 00:26:11.539 --> 00:26:13.640 pressure that he's facing at work because of 00:26:13.640 --> 00:26:17.980 his Christian commitment and asks us for our 00:26:17.980 --> 00:26:22.220 prayers. Some of you know what that's about. 00:26:23.500 --> 00:26:26.220 If not today, you have in the past experienced 00:26:26.220 --> 00:26:31.180 what we're talking about here. Now we should 00:26:31.180 --> 00:26:34.240 count that as an honor. In fact, doesn't Paul 00:26:34.240 --> 00:26:37.339 say that? He says, rejoice that you're counted 00:26:37.339 --> 00:26:42.599 worthy to suffer shame for His namesake. Boy, 00:26:42.599 --> 00:26:48.119 that's a different perspective, isn't it? We're 00:26:48.119 --> 00:26:52.119 worthy of suffering for Christ. What an honor. 00:26:54.720 --> 00:26:57.220 And the writer of Hebrews joins in with this 00:26:57.220 --> 00:26:59.460 now and he says, now listen, as part of the household 00:26:59.460 --> 00:27:03.720 of God, weather your tribulations patiently. 00:27:03.819 --> 00:27:08.859 Hang in there. Hold fast. There will be times 00:27:08.859 --> 00:27:11.319 when you will be tempted to turn around and walk 00:27:11.319 --> 00:27:15.900 the other direction. The pressure against you 00:27:15.900 --> 00:27:18.960 is going to, you want to be carried downstream 00:27:18.960 --> 00:27:23.539 with it. But keep swimming upstream. He says 00:27:23.539 --> 00:27:32.400 weather. Hold fast. Endure patiently. The tribulations 00:27:32.400 --> 00:27:39.130 that come upon you as a believer. Those are times 00:27:39.130 --> 00:27:44.049 when Satan tries to get us to compromise. When 00:27:44.049 --> 00:27:47.170 we're under pressure, he comes to us whispering 00:27:47.170 --> 00:27:50.470 how sweet it would be just to lay off a little 00:27:50.470 --> 00:27:57.450 bit. To retract our confession of faith. To submit 00:27:57.450 --> 00:28:01.630 to the peer pressure. And let's not kid ourselves, 00:28:01.970 --> 00:28:04.250 teenagers aren't the only ones who have peer 00:28:04.250 --> 00:28:13.690 pressure. He comes to us inviting us to escape 00:28:13.690 --> 00:28:17.950 the disapproval of society by taking this route. 00:28:20.910 --> 00:28:28.009 But God's Word says hold fast. Don't give up. 00:28:29.349 --> 00:28:33.430 Don't take the compromising way out. Rejoice 00:28:33.430 --> 00:28:37.950 that you can suffer for Jesus. as part of God's 00:28:37.950 --> 00:28:43.309 house. Are you willing to do that? We're talking 00:28:43.309 --> 00:28:46.829 about commitment now to the Church of Jesus Christ. 00:28:48.910 --> 00:28:51.650 Are you willing to firm up that foundation of 00:28:51.650 --> 00:28:54.769 your life and be willing to suffer with the Church? 00:28:55.910 --> 00:28:59.970 The Church has always suffered and always will, 00:29:00.089 --> 00:29:03.740 as long as it's in this world. Now there's a 00:29:03.740 --> 00:29:05.940 third duty that he gives us as a part of God's 00:29:05.940 --> 00:29:08.759 house. That is that we are to weigh our actions 00:29:08.759 --> 00:29:14.619 responsibly. He says let us consider how to stimulate 00:29:14.619 --> 00:29:21.759 one another to love and good deeds. He says let's 00:29:21.759 --> 00:29:28.799 weigh carefully. Let's observe. Let's contemplate. 00:29:29.319 --> 00:29:32.240 That takes time, doesn't it? It takes effort. 00:29:33.440 --> 00:29:35.700 But this is part of what we're about. He says, 00:29:36.319 --> 00:29:41.140 now let's consider how to stimulate one another. 00:29:41.240 --> 00:29:42.960 How does the King James put it? Does anybody 00:29:42.960 --> 00:29:50.079 have it here this morning? Provoke. How to provoke 00:29:50.079 --> 00:29:52.940 one another. Some of us have misunderstood this 00:29:52.940 --> 00:29:59.779 term. We have taken the King James literally. 00:30:01.519 --> 00:30:05.039 The word here can have the meaning of irritating. 00:30:06.319 --> 00:30:08.019 And let's face it, there are some Christians 00:30:08.019 --> 00:30:10.960 who are irritating. But that isn't what he's 00:30:10.960 --> 00:30:14.700 talking about here. He's talking here about inciting. 00:30:16.559 --> 00:30:23.720 Stirring up. Encouraging. Raising up people. 00:30:24.619 --> 00:30:32.869 To what? Well, to love and good deeds. You see, 00:30:32.869 --> 00:30:36.390 we are to sharpen each other. We are to encourage 00:30:36.390 --> 00:30:40.630 each other. To love God and love others and be 00:30:40.630 --> 00:30:46.329 involved in doing good in the world. How do we 00:30:46.329 --> 00:30:48.569 do that? Well, first by doing it ourselves. We 00:30:48.569 --> 00:30:51.150 have to set an example and then we take a hold 00:30:51.150 --> 00:30:52.930 of the hands of other people and we say, come 00:30:52.930 --> 00:31:00.670 on! We need to firm up this part of our foundation. 00:31:01.610 --> 00:31:04.490 You see, we have a responsibility for others. 00:31:05.049 --> 00:31:07.049 This goes back to this idea of individualism 00:31:07.049 --> 00:31:09.890 again. Well, you know, I wouldn't do that, but 00:31:09.890 --> 00:31:19.150 if that's their choice. Sounds great. The only 00:31:19.150 --> 00:31:21.869 problem is it's not biblical. Because we are 00:31:21.869 --> 00:31:27.470 to be concerned about others. How many one and 00:31:27.470 --> 00:31:29.349 others are there in the New Testament? Twenty 00:31:29.349 --> 00:31:33.329 some? Pray for one another, build up one another. 00:31:33.589 --> 00:31:37.470 Here he says, stimulate one another. And he says, 00:31:37.730 --> 00:31:45.309 encourage one another. I got a little chuckle 00:31:45.309 --> 00:31:52.970 frankly this last couple of months as we noted 00:31:52.970 --> 00:31:56.109 in our bulletin on Sundays that the elders are 00:31:56.109 --> 00:32:00.380 going to be discussing church discipline. And 00:32:00.380 --> 00:32:03.160 there were some people in our church, and I don't 00:32:03.160 --> 00:32:04.980 know who they were, if it was you, I don't know 00:32:04.980 --> 00:32:07.059 who you are, so you don't have to be embarrassed. 00:32:07.960 --> 00:32:11.720 But I found it a little amusing to me, in a perverse 00:32:11.720 --> 00:32:14.859 sort of way, that there were people who said, 00:32:14.900 --> 00:32:16.440 well, what are they trying to do here, create 00:32:16.440 --> 00:32:21.960 a police state? Isn't that an interesting attitude? 00:32:25.140 --> 00:32:27.839 You see, there is such a thing as church discipline. 00:32:29.740 --> 00:32:36.680 where the body watches out for one another. And 00:32:36.680 --> 00:32:40.859 it begins so very simply as Galatians 6 .1 says, 00:32:42.579 --> 00:32:47.140 if you see anyone overtaken in a fault, in a 00:32:47.140 --> 00:32:54.680 sin, you who are spiritual, restore them. Checking 00:32:54.680 --> 00:33:01.630 your own attitude. Checking your own life. You 00:33:01.630 --> 00:33:04.170 see, we have a responsibility individually for 00:33:04.170 --> 00:33:06.869 one another. Church discipline begins with one 00:33:06.869 --> 00:33:09.930 member who lovingly goes to another member and 00:33:09.930 --> 00:33:13.289 says, my brother, my sister, I'm concerned about 00:33:13.289 --> 00:33:18.730 you. You see, worldliness says, that's their 00:33:18.730 --> 00:33:22.569 choice. You wouldn't do it, but let them have 00:33:22.569 --> 00:33:26.609 their way. No. If it's dangerous, if it will 00:33:26.609 --> 00:33:30.329 hurt them, we care about them. And so we go to 00:33:30.329 --> 00:33:35.950 them. And of course, the theology of church discipline 00:33:35.950 --> 00:33:39.190 goes beyond that. The other extreme of it is 00:33:39.190 --> 00:33:42.690 when one is involved in some public gross sin 00:33:42.690 --> 00:33:45.009 that is bringing disgrace to Christ and to the 00:33:45.009 --> 00:33:50.170 church and will not repent, although pleaded 00:33:50.170 --> 00:33:53.910 with, then that one is to be removed from the 00:33:53.910 --> 00:34:00.960 church. But I just found it interesting. When 00:34:00.960 --> 00:34:03.420 just the idea of church discipline was being 00:34:03.420 --> 00:34:05.140 discussed, that there would be some who would 00:34:05.140 --> 00:34:10.659 react that way, so typically American, so sadly 00:34:10.659 --> 00:34:15.659 unchristian, biblically illiterate. Because the 00:34:15.659 --> 00:34:18.480 Bible says that we have responsibility for one 00:34:18.480 --> 00:34:22.059 another. And we need to firm up that part of 00:34:22.059 --> 00:34:25.880 our foundation. We need to seek others good. 00:34:27.280 --> 00:34:30.099 We need to realize that we are interdependent. 00:34:34.219 --> 00:34:36.719 And under the same thought, he tells us here 00:34:36.719 --> 00:34:40.579 that we are to not forsake our own assembling 00:34:40.579 --> 00:34:48.159 together. As the habit of some, he says. Even 00:34:48.159 --> 00:34:54.980 then, in the third quarter of the first century, 00:34:56.380 --> 00:34:59.699 only 40 years or so after Jesus had been on the 00:34:59.699 --> 00:35:02.059 earth and died and rose again and went back to 00:35:02.059 --> 00:35:05.900 heaven, There were some whom he says were forsaking 00:35:05.900 --> 00:35:10.619 the assembling of the believers. This word assembling 00:35:10.619 --> 00:35:14.719 together is where we get the English word synagogue, 00:35:16.679 --> 00:35:22.420 the Jewish meeting, the synagogue. It means to 00:35:22.420 --> 00:35:26.019 come together, to assemble together in one place. 00:35:28.400 --> 00:35:31.280 But it doesn't mean just to come together in 00:35:31.280 --> 00:35:35.800 one place on an occasion, but it means to do 00:35:35.800 --> 00:35:41.980 that as a habit and as a custom. And so we are 00:35:41.980 --> 00:35:46.119 to set priorities in our lives that are God -centered. 00:35:47.659 --> 00:35:50.659 Assembling here doesn't just mean coming to church. 00:35:52.039 --> 00:35:55.969 That would be easy enough. But the whole thrust 00:35:55.969 --> 00:35:59.730 of this idea of synagogue is being involved in 00:35:59.730 --> 00:36:03.929 going the same direction. It means being involved 00:36:03.929 --> 00:36:08.590 in the mission of it all. To have heart and soul 00:36:08.590 --> 00:36:13.510 in what's taking place in the meeting. And what 00:36:13.510 --> 00:36:18.909 he says is that even in that day, and remember 00:36:18.909 --> 00:36:24.070 this is the day when there was a Laodicea, and 00:36:24.070 --> 00:36:27.849 a Thyatira, and those other churches that Jesus 00:36:27.849 --> 00:36:32.010 wrote to in Revelation chapters 2 and 3. In those 00:36:32.010 --> 00:36:36.469 days, there were believers who just weren't with 00:36:36.469 --> 00:36:42.809 Him. They had other priorities in life. Other 00:36:42.809 --> 00:36:44.809 things are more important than what God was doing 00:36:44.809 --> 00:36:48.150 in the world. Other things took priority over 00:36:48.150 --> 00:36:54.860 the church. So they were forsaking. The word 00:36:54.860 --> 00:36:58.980 forsaking here is used in some literature of 00:36:58.980 --> 00:37:05.940 betraying one's loyalty. It's the kind of a word 00:37:05.940 --> 00:37:12.019 that you would use of Benedict Arnold who forsook 00:37:12.019 --> 00:37:18.059 the United States by his actions. It's a very 00:37:18.059 --> 00:37:26.659 strong word. And so the writer is saying, don't 00:37:26.659 --> 00:37:30.480 forsake the assembling. Don't forsake the being 00:37:30.480 --> 00:37:34.880 together with a mission. Don't betray God's cause 00:37:34.880 --> 00:37:40.619 in the world is what he's saying. Don't turn 00:37:40.619 --> 00:37:46.179 against what God is doing in His church as the 00:37:46.179 --> 00:37:54.340 habit of some is. In the lives of many Christians, 00:37:57.539 --> 00:38:01.360 the place of the church is firmly in place. I 00:38:01.360 --> 00:38:04.679 thank God for them. I thank God for the people 00:38:04.679 --> 00:38:07.780 of Grace Church Roseville in whom that is true. 00:38:09.420 --> 00:38:12.820 Who understand what the church is, what it's 00:38:12.820 --> 00:38:16.420 about. Who understand their place in the church, 00:38:16.480 --> 00:38:20.849 who are deeply committed to it. and whose hearts 00:38:20.849 --> 00:38:28.869 are knit together in the assembling. But I weep 00:38:28.869 --> 00:38:35.570 for those who do not understand that. And I believe 00:38:35.570 --> 00:38:45.170 the Lord weeps. I have my very expensive Casio 00:38:45.170 --> 00:38:51.170 watch on today. I pulled out my dress Timex a 00:38:51.170 --> 00:38:55.050 couple of days ago to wear it to an occasion 00:38:55.050 --> 00:38:59.949 and it wasn't working. So I picked it up and 00:38:59.949 --> 00:39:05.849 shook it and it started moving. So I set it down 00:39:05.849 --> 00:39:07.510 and thought, well, maybe you're just one of those 00:39:07.510 --> 00:39:09.710 things. Maybe I healed it or something and touching 00:39:09.710 --> 00:39:12.309 it. So I just left it there and came back a little 00:39:12.309 --> 00:39:15.530 bit later and it had stopped again. It had stopped 00:39:15.530 --> 00:39:19.639 again. So yesterday... Yes, it was yesterday 00:39:19.639 --> 00:39:23.059 that I took it to a local store to get a battery 00:39:23.059 --> 00:39:27.559 put in. And they took the old battery out and 00:39:27.559 --> 00:39:30.119 tested it and they said, hmm, this is very strange. 00:39:31.380 --> 00:39:33.619 Part of this battery says it's fine and part 00:39:33.619 --> 00:39:38.539 of the battery says, eh. But it looks like it 00:39:38.539 --> 00:39:41.820 ought to still be good. And I said, well, here's 00:39:41.820 --> 00:39:43.960 what the watch is doing. I'll tell you what, 00:39:43.980 --> 00:39:46.039 let's just put a new battery in and hope that 00:39:46.039 --> 00:39:51.349 that takes care of it. So, we did. And this morning, 00:39:52.269 --> 00:39:56.309 I pulled out my dress Timex to put on my wrist 00:39:56.309 --> 00:40:01.409 and it wasn't working. It stopped at 220 this 00:40:01.409 --> 00:40:06.190 morning. You know what I'm going to have to do? 00:40:08.489 --> 00:40:14.340 I don't know, do you repair a Timex? You probably 00:40:14.340 --> 00:40:17.820 send it in with $100 to cover the shipping and 00:40:17.820 --> 00:40:20.659 handling and they will repair it, I suppose. 00:40:21.619 --> 00:40:24.199 I'm probably going to end up getting a new dress 00:40:24.199 --> 00:40:29.079 time mix. Because you just can't have a watch 00:40:29.079 --> 00:40:34.039 that runs part of the time. You can't trust a 00:40:34.039 --> 00:40:39.880 watch that runs occasionally. Do you think there's 00:40:39.880 --> 00:40:43.610 any application there? to us as part of God's 00:40:43.610 --> 00:40:50.449 family? Do you think God needs the members of 00:40:50.449 --> 00:40:57.969 His household to be faithful? Do you think He 00:40:57.969 --> 00:41:02.030 expects to be able to count on us? Well, of course 00:41:02.030 --> 00:41:05.730 He does. Of course He does. And that's why I 00:41:05.730 --> 00:41:07.969 need to talk about this this morning. That's 00:41:07.969 --> 00:41:10.389 why it's important for you and me to think about 00:41:10.599 --> 00:41:13.119 firming up the foundation of our lives in the 00:41:13.119 --> 00:41:16.360 area of the church. And ask ourselves the tough 00:41:16.360 --> 00:41:19.539 question, what is my commitment to this church? 00:41:22.019 --> 00:41:24.599 What is my commitment to this church? How do 00:41:24.599 --> 00:41:28.960 I measure it? How do I measure my commitment? 00:41:29.659 --> 00:41:32.760 But then the most important question, how does 00:41:32.760 --> 00:41:40.119 the Lord measure my commitment? And when we've 00:41:40.119 --> 00:41:42.960 begun answering those questions in our hearts, 00:41:43.539 --> 00:41:47.219 then we'll be at work, firming up this foundation. 00:41:48.719 --> 00:42:13.659 Let's pray. Please sing with me. In my life, 00:42:14.980 --> 00:42:21.880 Lord, be glorified today. Would you stand please? 00:42:22.099 --> 00:42:32.820 And let's sing, In our church, Lord. In our church, 00:42:33.079 --> 00:42:58.980 Lord, be glorified. Lord, we have sung our prayer, 00:43:00.780 --> 00:43:04.539 and we pray that you will be glorified in your 00:43:04.539 --> 00:43:12.579 church. by the commitment of our lives to your 00:43:12.579 --> 00:43:18.699 Lordship. I pray that you will guard us from 00:43:18.699 --> 00:43:24.039 allowing the foundation to erode. Help us to 00:43:24.039 --> 00:43:28.639 see, Lord, where it needs to be firmed up. And 00:43:28.639 --> 00:43:31.139 especially today as we think about where it needs 00:43:31.139 --> 00:43:36.300 to be firmed up in regards to the Church, the 00:43:36.300 --> 00:43:43.980 household of God. which house we are. And as 00:43:43.980 --> 00:43:46.579 we go from here, may we determine in our hearts 00:43:46.579 --> 00:43:50.320 to do whatever we need to do under your Lordship 00:43:50.320 --> 00:43:55.340 to be sure that that foundation is well built 00:43:55.340 --> 00:44:00.960 and stays in place, especially as we see the 00:44:00.960 --> 00:44:09.639 day drawing near. Amen. God bless you.