Help Me Hold On

Text

Hebrews 10:24–25 NASB95

24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

The writer has one thematic thrust:

“Hold On”

Don’t stop believing, be faithful, Don’t abandon faith in Jesus

The persecution they faced casued them to lose lands, be mistreated, caused distress in their life. - But he tells them Don’t Stop Believing!

Hebrews 10:32–34 “32 But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, 33 partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated. 34 For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one.”

They faced some stuff, but he needs them to keep believing!

Hebrews 2:1 “1 For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.”

Hebrews 4:1 “1 Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it.”

Hebrews 6:10–11 “10 For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints. 11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end,”

What concerns the writer is that his readers abandon their belief in Jesus.

He encourages this by highlighting the greatness and superiority of Jesus

And, in the work of Jesus!

I think we struggle with this thought of “just believe” because we sometimes have a leaglistic view of Christianity. meaning, we overemphasize the work/activity/performance and not the condition of the heart

The writer spends most of ten (10) chapters expounding Jesus and His work before he tells them to do anything.

These folks need a revival

He wants them to know, if you’re going to make it you must keep believing!

John 20:31 “31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.”

John 3:16 “16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

John 5:24 “24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”

It is this belief that the Hebrew writer doesn’t want his listeners to abandon

This means: I need to know my Jesus/ I need to know what my Jesus did for me

Why? Because it’s easy to abandon something of which I don’t know the true value.

It’s easy to give up in the storm when I don’t know Jesus controls the storm

It’s easy to give up when I feel lost when I don’t know He is the good shepherd

It’s easy to give up when I can’t see a way out, not knowing He’s a way-maker

Whatever your situation: Jesus will always be the answer

Peace; Power; Lacking;

I need to know who I have in Jesus Christ/what I have in Jesus Christ

The writer understands that key to enduring what they are facing is not in their performance, but in their faith.

Do not fall in the trap of subscribing to a merit-based Christianity

There is nothing yo can do to earn God, but when you see what God has done there is nothing you won’t do for God.

[This does not mean I can just have faith; faith must have evidence]

Yes. faith must exist, but where faith exists there must be evidence of that faith. James 2:17 “17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.”

Our Text

The thematic thrust is: Don’t Stop Believing

The writer drives this home by highlighting:

Christ’s is superior

Christ’s priesthood is better

Christ’s covenant is better

This third point regarding His covenant, began in ch. 8 and extends to ch. 10.

Based on the POTENCY, SCOPE, LONGEVITY of the Second Covenant, he calls his listeners to act.

You have confidence to enter the holy place

You have a new and living way made through Jesus your High Priest

Firstly, Hebrews 10:22 “22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”

COME CLOSER

Secondly, Hebrews 10:23 “23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;”

HOLD TIGHTER

These two calls are to stir the individual, in relation to their faith in God. The other is a bit different

Thirdly, Hebrews 10:24 “24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,”

The word “consider” means to look at closely or observe intently

It means to be concerned about with the plan to help

There is careful consideration

thoughtful attention

deep concern

This look is INTENSE This is not a glance or a quick look/ This is not a side eye

This look is also INTENTIONAL. This look is not with malicious or selfishness. This look is for the purpose of stirring to love and good works

The word “stimulate” means to cause something by stirring up (usually neg. connotation)

Somethings don’t happen until you stir it up

You can have flour, eggs, baking powder, spices, butter together - But if you don’t stir it you won’t get to the cake

You can have sharp sand, cement, and water the same vicinity - But if you don’t stir it up you won’t get the concrete

This stirring is meant to be reciprocal - You need to stir me, but you need to let yourself be stirred

The stirring is toward love and good works Hebrews 6:10 “10 For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.”

LOVE is what is happening on the inside

WORKS is what is happening on the outside

It is the disposition of love that fuels and facilitates the doing of the good works

When I talk, walk, and work others need to hear, see, and feel loved

Do others feel loved by you? Do you feel loved by others?

I say this not to condemn but to challenge us to love

This writer is not calling his listeners to observe to see if others are stirring.....He wants them to commit to their stirring - When Everybody focuses on stirring, everybody will get stirred

This is how I “Help Others Hold On”

When I’m striving to hold on and keep believing, God wants me to “Help Others to Hold On”

You are not in the race by yourself

To the person that feels alone, you’re not alone

To the person that wants to make it by themselves, you can’t

How we understand vs 24, is modified by Hebrews 10:25 “25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”

Firstly, do not forsake our own assembling - We should not approach this with the “performance based” mindset. This is not talking about missing services.

This word “forsake” it means to abandon, desert (Demas deserted Paul [2 Tim 4:10], God did not abandon Christ to Hades [Acts 2:31]

This is an attitude where I am unconcerned about my brothers, for I may come but not engage in stirring anything

Second, encouraging one another - this verb implies exhorting and strengthening - coming alongside to aid.

This is not the first time he mentions this, Hebrews 3:13 “13 But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”

There is a great danger for the Christian who feels sufficient in themsleves - You need somebody

When God sends you help, He sends a person

The gathering of saints should be one of upliftment and encouragement - We shouldn’t be bracing ourselves for battle when we gather, or rude/insensitive remarks/unfair criticisms/castigations - that’s not what we gather for

There’s a Day Coming....this is raises the urgency

Having a sense of the imminent return of Jesus should never escape our sights.

What I do “today” is becasue of “that day”

Help Me Hold On

Sometimes its hard to Hold On

The bills are more than the money

You’ve cried til you have no more tears

You tried and tried and it still doesn’t work out

The relationship has drained you beyond measure

What brethren need is for someone to come alongside them

And say it’s gonna be alright

Jesus might be asleep in the boat, but thank God Jesus is in the boat

I will lift up my eyes to the Lord

The Lord is my very present help in the time of trouble

My grace is sufficient

You need to come alongside them, stir them, To Hold On

If you are not in Christ this morning, you don’t have anything to hold on to