Hebrews 10:19-25 - Committing (Starting Point)

I love my mother-in-law.

I’m a mother-in-law’s boy.

Hilary and I were engaged for about 9 months before we got married.

Jacquita and I had this running joke that after July 7, 2018 “No takesies backsies.”

Under no circumstance was I to return Hilary.

Jacquita believes in the covenant of marriage and this was a humorous reminder that this is a lifelong commitment.

Essentially, she gave me plenty of headway.

After July 7, 2018, I’ve been in. No takesies backsies.

I’m committed to my bride. I’m committed to my marriage.

On the hard days, the commitment remains.

With the gospel, we see a very similar understanding.

As Jesus went to the cross to give His life, there was no takesies backsies.

He was committed to the plan of salvation put into place before the world began.

He was committed to the mission of God to redeem God’s people.

He took to Himself our sins and gave us His righteousness.

Jesus is commited to His people.

He’s not going to send us back. He remains faithful to us!

In light of this, what we’re going to see in our text today:

Big Idea: The gospel pushes us to commit

If we have been changed by the gospel, we are compelled forward by the gospel.

Stand to read

Hebrews 10:19–25 ESV

19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Leader: This is God’s Word

Everyone: Thanks be to God

Context

The author of Hebrews revealed that Jesus gave up Himself to be our sacrifice to the Law of God (vv. 1-18)

He gives us this reminder of what Jesus came to accomplish by citing Psalm 40.

God does not take pleasure in burnt offerings or sin offerings.

The Lord does not take pleasure in sacrifice.

Gospel presentation

So Jesus came to be the sacrifice according to what the Scriptures said of the will of God.

Jesus came, fulfilled the law of God, took your sin, shame, and guilt onto Himself

Then died on the cross so that you and I can be forgiven through faith in Him alone!

After Christ offered Himself as a sacrifice for our sins, He was risen to life in victory over sin and death and He’s ruling and reigning in heaven at the right hand of the Father!

Now, through faith in Jesus and not through sacrifice, we have access to God the Father again!

We no longer have to go to a Temple where a priest enters into a secret place we cannot go to make atonement for our sins.

Jesus invites us into the holy, perfect, and powerful presence of God through His Spirit!

His Spirit lives in us and brings us to God!

What does that lead us to believe?

Jesus is committed to us.

Jesus had provided a way to God for sinners who are hopeless in themselves.

We were brought to where God is “by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that He opened for us through the curtain…” (v. 19-20)

He let us back into the presence of God.

What do we do with this?

We take confidence in Jesus’s commitment.

We push all our chips in on this! That Jesus is the great priest that doesn’t present the blood of animals for our sins, but presents His blood to God for our sins!

Therefore, since, so let’s draw near!

Hebrews 10:21–23 ESV

21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

Let’s give our hearts to God, fully convinced of Jesus’s commitment and love for us!

If you’re not a Christian, you can do this for the first time!

Put your faith in Jesus and turn from you sin and see this rock-solid assurance!

If you’re a Christian, let’s hold fast to Jesus.

Jesus has cleaned our evil and broken consciences by His blood and washed us from our sin!

Not because of anything we did, but because of Jesus’s love and commitment to us!

How can we hold fast to this? How do I know that He won’t fail?

Because He who promised is faithful (v. 23).

The Scriptures told us that a Savior would come, and then He came!

God, who promised mankind a Savior, was faithful to send us His Son.

This is the God we draw near to.

God desires us to be near to Him in worship.

We covered last week that our God is worthy of thankful worship because He has saved us from our sins to a Kingdom!

We don’t have to go to hell anymore because God is faithfully merciful!

Those who believe in Jesus will not face the curse of hell because of the sacrifice of Jesus!

This should lead us to respond!

This means that:

As we pursue God in worship, we grow to commit to Jesus.

When we take part in God’s Kingdom, we begin looking like the Kingdom’s culture.

When you spend time with a particular group of people, their mannerisms, thoughts, and dialect begin to wear off on you.

We are a product of the culture that we are immersed into.

We see this played out practically on sports teams, political parties, and workplaces.

We grow accustomed to what is anticipated and begin to practice the expectations.

Similarly, when we’ve been apart from the church for extended periods of time, we fall out of practice with Bible reading, with prayer, with fellowship.

Then our lives, our mindsets, our hopes begin to look like whatever we’ve given ourselves over to.

This is why we pursue Jesus in worship.

This is a verb, not an idea.

This requires movement.

Let’s draw near.

Day by day, we must pursue Jesus and become more like Jesus.

Through spending time in God’s Word and prayer

Through subjecting ourselves to discipleship

Through humbling ourselves to rely on the Spirit of God to lead us.

The author of Hebrews says, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope! (v. 23)

We pursue and hold fast to Jesus because He is our treasure whom we worship.

Now, we need to think: What does this lead us to do for our relationships with one another?

Hebrews 10:24–25 ESV

24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Holding fast to our commitment to Christ, we stir one another up toward Jesus.

A lot of people protest that we shouldn’t tell people they have to come to a particular church building and pray.

The text calls us to “not neglect to meet together.”

We don’t call people to a building, we call people to a people.

We are not a congregation that meets at a church building.

We are a church that meets together, preferable inside of a building (Because, single digit temperatures outside)

We don’t pursue a building, we belong to a people—the church.

In my relationship and obedience to Jesus, I want to think on/consider how to point you more toward Christ and love for His people.

I want to invite you to drink deeply the beauty of what Jesus has done for us.

I want to invite you into a pursuit of a marvelously great God who has redeemed us from hell

I want you to love the church, because Jesus loves the church.

The gospel pushes us to commit to Jesus and Jesus pushes us to commit to one another.

This does not look like checking-in for attendance points at a church building.

Church,

We engage in the life of the church together

Jesus died to redeem for Himself a people

who will walk in step with the Spirit

and stir one another to take another step toward Him daily.

The gospel leads us to take more steps toward Jesus together.

Where I lack, I need you.

Where I’m strong, I’ve got you.

I need you to point me toward Jesus in bad days.

I need you to help me kill sin in my life.

I need you to help me be more like Jesus.

I need the church.

In times of exceeding joy and gut-wrenching sorrow, we need God’s people to comfort us with God’s love and message.

Jesus has called us to be a church—a gathering of believers joined together by faith in the gospel and on mission with one another for mutual joy and God’s glory.

This is what we strive to be here at Graceland.

I want you in on this.

How do you get in on this?

Let’s start with Starting Point.

Walk through Starting Point

Starting Point is a four part series for all things Graceland.

It’s difficult to communicate the vision, mission, and culture of the church in just a Sunday morning gathering.

This is a relaxed time to hear what Graceland is about.

Mission

History and future of Graceland

Beliefs

Doctrine of the Church

Belong

Small groups

How does your spiritual gift fit within the Church?

Sent

How do I live the gospel?

Starting Point has a two-part goal: Membership and serving.

Belonging to the church and serving from the church.

This is a time to move past spectator, get off the bench and get on the field

Playing is so much better than watching.

I want you to grow toward Jesus for your life and you joy!

This community needs us to grow toward Jesus because the more amazed we stand before Jesus, the more prone we are to feel the weight for our lost family members and friends.

There are those who don’t know Jesus, and without faith in Him will spend eternity separated from God in an eternal death.

Jesus has give us the gospel, new life, and we have this message of life: Jesus died to save sinners!

You and I don’t have to ride the bench. We can get in the game and see lives changed in our area in our day.

He created you and me for such a time as this.

Where do we start?

Here’s what I want you to do:

Register and attend Starting Point.

Let’s commit to starting growing toward Jesus together.