Keeping the Main Things the Main Things: The Right Fellowship

New Year 2023

Message Four

Hebrews 10:19-25.

ETS: The writer of Hebrews urged the believers to not neglect fellowship with God and other believers.

ESS: We should enjoy fellowship with God and other believers.

OSS: [MO: devotional/ethical] {SO: I want the hearers to be passionate about fellowshipping with God and other believers.} Cognitive: I want the hearers to know that they should take advantage of the relationship they have with God and other like-minded believers. Affective: I want the hearers to feel the importance and urgency of fellowshipping with God and other believers. Psycho-Motor: I want the hearers to pursue intentional fellowship with God and believers.

PQ: What instructions are there for us in this passage?

UW: Instructions

Intro.: [AGS]: One person said, “You’re not ‘being the church’ is you’re not part of a local church. Christianity was never meant to be lived out alone.” (Shane Pruitt) Another person said, “Being a Christian and not going to church is like being married and never going home to your spouse.” (unknown) The key is not “membership” as much as it is fellowship. We are not meant to do life alone, and we can’t. [TS]: The text records the writer of Hebrews urging the believers to enjoy fellowship with God and other believers. [RS]: You should be comforted in understanding that, though the times are different, you are not alone in the temptation to not fellowship consistently with God and other believers. The writer felt the need to urge the readers on to these things, so it has been around for quite some time. It is not limited to a twenty-first century struggle. Yet, at the same time, it is not to be dismissed as just “another Christian struggle.” We are meant to fellowship with both God and others. We were created for relationship, and we cannot accomplish our God-given purposes without them.

TS: Let us examine together a few instructions given by the writer of Hebrews in this passage:

Before we begin: Notice the shift in content. Prior to now, the writer of Hebrews has focused on establishing the doctrine of Christ, specifically that He is superior: His sacrifice is superior to the sacrificial system fo the OT; His covenant is superior to those established earlier; His priesthood is superior to those of the OT; etc. Based upon these doctrinal truths, he now shifts to exhort and give instruction to his readers with all of the doctrinal truths in mind. Hence, he begins with, “therefore”

We should draw near to God. (v. 19-22) [FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD]

The first of the instructions regards the believer’s personal relationship with God. Concerning which, the writer urges the believer to draw near. How?

Through the sacrifice of Jesus- having been covered with his blood, cleansed, and redeemed: we can draw near through the new living way (his flesh).

By means of a true heart having full assurance of faith- not doubting. Js. 1:5-8 states that a person who doubts and is wavering in faith will not get anything from God.

The believer should enjoy fellowship with God by drawing near to Him in a personal, intimate relationship.

We should hold tightly to the confession of our hope. (v. 23)

The second of the instructions regards the believer’s confession of faith. Concerning which, the author continues with the need to continue in it, hold fast to it, without wavering.

How can a believer maintain unwavering faith? Because it is not dependent on the believer, but rather on God. The assurance provided is that God, the one who promised, is faithful. This takes the pressure off of the believer to feel any need to perform or to do anything other than maintaining faith in God.

The believer should maintain unwavering faith in God because it is not dependent on us, but on God. He is worthy.

We should watch out for one another. (v. 24) [FELLOWSHIP WITH ONE ANOTHER]

The third of the instructions regards the believers fellowship with other believers. Concerning which, the writer urges the readers to consider others. He elaborates on what he means by this:

The goal of this fellowship with other believers- of considering them is threefold:

provoke them to love and to good works

encouraging them- and all the more as the urgency of the coming of Christ approaches

not neglecting being together (likely referring to formal, official gatherings).

The believer should maintain fellowship with other believers, particularly in the formal setting such as church, in order to encourage one another and provoke good works and love.

CONCLUSION:

[1] It is urgent that we maintain fellowship with God, hold fast to our confession of faith with unwavering trust, and fellowship with other believers. There have always been temptations to not maintain this, but history supports that those who do not maintain them, do not persevere in the path God desires for them.

[2] What temptations do you deal with that hinder your fellowship with God; trust in God; fellowship with other believers in a formal setting?

[3] What hinders you from laying the hindrances at the feet of Jesus and committing yourself to intentional fellowship with God, intentional trust in God, and intentional fellowship with other believers? After all, these are the main fellowships we need to focus on in 2023 to accomplish God’s purpose for our lives.