Faithful to Gather

Hebrews: The Supremacy of Christ  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented
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Faithful Together: The Power of Community in Christ

Hebrews 10:24-25

And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.
This is the Word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God.
One of the most popular passages of Scripture to read at weddings is 1 Corinthians 13. It is frequently referred to as the “Love Chapter” of the Bible. We see the Apostle tell us that love is patient, kind, does not envy, and does not boast. He gives many other descriptions of what love is and how it should be evident in our lives.
In 1 Corinthians 13:13, Paul finishes off this chapter by saying, “Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love—but the greatest of these is love.”
Paul is informing the Corinthians that our faith, hope, and love will not be fully realized until we get to heaven. However, these are things that we should see and experience in this life as Christians. This trifecta of the Christian Life appears in many places throughout scripture.
In the last two verses of last week's passage, we saw the author of Hebrews tell us to draw near to God with a true heart and full Assurance of faith. In the very next verse, he tells us to hold on to the confession of Our Hope without wavering.
This week, the author exhorts us to provoke each other, as Christians, to love and good works, but the way to do that is by gathering together. I believe that one of the reasons that Paul stated that Love is the greatest of this trifecta is that it establishes and encourages the other two.
We are created for relationship. Jesus didn’t just send a message; he came in the flesh. The incarnation of Christ reminds us that physical presence matters.
Sam Hyeong Rae Jo, Why Attending Church Service Matters in the Digital Age
Big Idea: Gathering together as the body of Christ is a necessity.
Hebrews 10:24
And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works…
As Christians, we are to seek out ways to watch over and watch out for each other. Our passage says that we should “consider” one another. The word consider is:
κατανοέω - katanoeō - to consider, contemplate, to look
The author is calling is to think about others. This is in direct opposition to how the world tries to tell us to live our lives today. We live in a me first society. My life. My finances. My time. My wants. My truth. You do you.
This isn’t the first time we have seen Scripture point us to look outside of ourselves. When we went through the book of Philippians, we were confronted with Paul continually telling his readers that they were to have humility.
Philippians 2:3–4

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others.

This passage does not say that you should not think of yourselves at all. We all have basic needs that have to be met in order for us to have the capacity to help others. If you have stretched yourself so thin in your daily routines that you snap at anyone who looks at you wrong, this is a sign that you need to take care of your own health and time to be any good to anyone else.
However, this passage in Philippians is telling us that we should consider the needs and interests of others as more important than our own interests. We are to consider others as more important than ourselves.
One of the greatest examples of this is in marriage. John MacArthur once said:
“Marriage is where you go to die to yourself.”
In marriage, you become a member of a new family. Men, as husbands, your life no longer revolves around yourself. You may not get to go golfing as much, or hang out with the guys as much. You work and serve your family to build them up in the faith, showing them the sacrificial life that Jesus lived for us when he was on the earth. As wives, ladies, you also work and serve your family to build them up in the faith, showing them the sacrificial life that Jesus lived for us here on earth. For most women, their bodies become the vessel in which new life is formed, nourished, and protected. That process often involves pain and discomfort. However, you endure that for the sake of the children you are bringing into this world. In both cases of the husband and wife, your life is no longer about what you want, but it is about serving the needs of others.
It is the same for each one of us when we become a follower of Jesus. When we have submitted our lives to Christ, our lives are no longer about us. Jesus told his disciples that if anyone wanted to follow him, they were to deny themselves - meaning deny their earthly and fleshly desires, take up their cross - meaning they were to understand that following Jesus was going to feel like a burden, a heavy weight that would be extremely difficult to carry, a weight that symbolizes your own death.
In Galatians 2, Paul is explaining the difference between a life that is ruled by following the law for the law’s sake, and a life that has been transformed by the grace of God. He tells his readers that he had been crucified with Christ.
Galatians 2:20

I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Obviously, Paul was not on the cross with Jesus at Calvary, but the apostle is telling his readers that he is following the path of Christ, in dying to self. He says that it is now Christ living in him. The work of the Holy Spirit to give Paul a new heart and mind means he no longer chased after his own sinful desires, but was driven by a heart to serve God in a way that pointed away from himself and instead pointed to God’s glory.
So how does that play out in our relationships with other Christians? The author of Hebrews says that this selflessness should provoke others to love and good works.
That word “provoke” is an interesting word. It is only used twice in the New Testament. It is used once, here in Hebrews. The other time is in the book of Acts, where it talks about Paul and Barnabas parting ways because of a disagreement.
παροξυσμός - paroxysmos - sharp disagreement, irritation, exasperation
How are we to irritate others into showing love and doing good works? This is what I am called to do every week as your pastor. When I preach a sermon, I have to take the text and see what it means within the context of the paragraph, the chapter, the book, the Testament, and all of Scripture. Then I have to proclaim the truth of that text, knowing that my own sinful nature is going to fight it, and that the sinful natures of the people I preach it to are going to want to fight it. I am called to provoke this congregation to the love of God, the love of others, and to good works, even if you feel irritated or exasperated with what Scripture says.
I have said before that my job is not to make everyone feel completely encouraged after one of my sermons. When I preach the Word of God, some are absolutely going to be encouraged by it. Others are going to be irritated by it. Still others are going to feel the heaviness of their sin and of the wrath of God. Too many preachers have capitulated to a gospel that James K.A. Smith calls:
Moralistic Therapeutic Deism
Moralistic: The central goal is being a good, nice, and fair person.
Therapeutic: The purpose of belief is to feel good, happy, secure, and at peace.
Deism: God is seen as a creator who exists but is uninvolved in daily life, only intervening to solve problems.
This is teaching a way of living that is rules based, not grace based. It makes everyone feel good because, deep down, everyone is a good person, right? Oh, and let’s not forget to talk about God in this as well, that God loves everyone exactly how you are and wouldn’t change a thing about you. That is the outline of every Joel Osteen sermon you will ever find, unless God does an amazing work in his heart and mind.
True Christianity calls us to point each other to truth, even when we don’t want to hear it. But we must make sure to point out that truth in love and grace.
Galatians 6:1-2

Brothers and sisters, if someone is overtaken in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual, restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so that you also won’t be tempted. Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

The idea of provoking each other to love and good works is very present in these two verses. The Paul says to restore someone with a gentle spirit is because you will be poking at a sin, or a wound that is painful, that could make them easily irritated or agitated with you for telling them they are wrong.
Often, we just let people keep going in their sin or hurt because we don’t want them to get angry at us. We don’t know how they will respond.
If someone is standing in the middle of the road, and we see a semi truck barreling toward them, is it loving to let them stay in the middle of the road? Is it loving to say, “They will figure it out on their own”? Should we not say anything because they may get mad at us for pointing out the truth? That is caring more for your own interests than for the interests of others, which we already saw Paul say should not be the case.
The author of Hebrews is telling Christians to love one another, pointing each other to good works and deeds, but to do so even when it may cause some irritation. Because as Christians, we should be looking out for others more than we do for ourselves.
Christians, you are to love one another, not because of the gain which you get from one another, but rather because of the good you can do to one another.
Christ’s “New Commandment”, Volume 51, Sermon #2936 - John 13:34, 35
Charles Spurgeon
Where have you been afraid to point out someone’s faults because you were more concerned about how they would respond, or how they would treat you afterward, than how their current sin could destroy their lives? Be encouraged to point each other to the hope found in Christ!
We now get to the part of the sermon where I have the opportunity to provoke, irritate, or even exasperate us all to love and good works.
Hebrews 10:25a

…not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other…

The method by which the author of Hebrews tells us to show our love, care, and protection for our fellow Christians is by gathering together as the body of believers. The author treats gathering with the church as a normal and necessary part of the Christian life. We are called by Scripture to join together as the people of God, meeting together for mutual benefit.
We can see in the early days of the church that there was a concerted effort, an emphasis on being together as believers. After Peter gave his sermon on the Day of Pentecost, Luke tells us what the people did:
Acts2:41-42

So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added to them. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.

When the New Testament church really got started on the day of Pentecost, Luke says that they focused on 4 things. The devoted themselves to sound doctrine of the apostles’ teaching. They devoted themselves to fellowship, being together with the people of God. They devoted themselves to breaking bread together - Biblical evidence of the need for church Potlucks, and to prayer.
What is interesting to see though, is what happened as they devoted themselves to these 4 things.
Acts 2:46-47

Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

Luke is telling us that the constant gathering of the people of God, their fellowship in right teaching, prayer, and breaking bread together, led to the growth of the church. Their growth was not based on the most recent marketing techniques, or social media strategies. Their growth was not because of a gimmick, or a particular growth strategy.
The church grew because they were devoted to right teaching, having meals together, and praying together. They were doing all of these things together!
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Two: Power from Heaven! (Acts 2)

The Christians you meet in the Book of Acts were not content to meet once a week for “services as usual.” They met daily (

Is the risen Christ a living reality to you? Is his resurrection power at work in your life? If you believe it is, can you see that manifesting in the constant desire to be together with the people of God? If that is not your desire, you should be asking the Lord why.
Why does the author tell us that we should be meeting together regularly? Because he warns that there are those who have stopped gathering with other Christians. Perhaps it was out of fear of persecution - which we will see later in Hebrews 10. The author does not specify. However, he tells his readers to not stop meeting together.
In today’s world, we see a different reason for people not attending church, not gathering with the saints.
In his book, Unquestioned Answers: Rethinking 10 Christian Clichés to Rediscover Biblical Truths, Jeff Myers states that, according to Pew Research surveys, only 28% of non-church-attenders say it is because they are non-believers. 37% say that they practice their faith in other ways (I want to worship “my way”). 23% say that they haven’t found a church or house of worship that they like (No churches fit “my preference”). 18% say they don’t like the sermons (The preacher doesn’t encourage me enough). 22% cited “logistical” problems - Attending a biblically based church would mean driving farther than I want to. The weather is too nice for me not to take advantage of it and go out on the lake, or to the golf course. Or, going to church conflicts with my kids’ sports schedule, and they could miss playing time, which would affect how they are seen by the coaches.
This does not mean that there are no legitimate reasons to miss church, like being sick or out of town. But when that happens, do you miss gathering with other believers? When you are out of town, do you find a church in the area to attend to be encouraged by the saints?
He goes on to state a quote from the Barna Research Group saying such people “still love Jesus, still believe in Scripture and most of the tenets of their Christian faith. But they have lost faith in the church.”
I can understand the notion of losing faith in different churches or church leaders. When some of the biggest churches and ministries, especially in the USA, are led by hucksters and con-men like Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn, and Paula White, it can be easy to be cynical. When we see that Bethel Church in Redding, CA denied it when confronted, but has now admitted to platforming someone who claimed to be a prophet for God but was fact-farming off Facebook from his phone while at the pulpit to make it look like he was getting a “word from the Lord” about people in the audience, who also did many other detestable things that I won’t get into now, it can be discouraging. I can name multiple prominent pastors and preachers, some of whom I looked up to as faithful expositors of God’s Word, who have disqualified themselves from ministry because of their lust, greed, and pride.
But my faith was never in those men. Their unfaithfulness does not necessitate me to no longer attend church.
Did you know that the No. 1 reason that people give for deconstructing their faith is “church hurt”? They point to personal abuse, cover-ups, or manipulative leadership in churches as the decisive catalyst for doubt and departure. That wound makes the whole system look untrustworthy. Church hurt is real, absolutely. But it isn’t an excuse to stop going.
So, they adopt a me and Jesus type of faith, if they keep their faith at all. However, lone wolves don't survive, they die. There are no Lone Wolf Christians. When animals get separated from the pack in the wild, they become the targets of predators. They are less safe when unconnected from the group.
Some try to invoke the phrase “where two or three are gathered in my name, I am with them” from Matthew 18 to avoid going to church. While it is true that God is in our presence when we meet with fellow Christians, the two or three is from a teaching witnesses providing testimony about church discipline. It is not about your coffee meeting with your friends where Jesus MIGHT come up in the conversation so that you can call that “going to church.” We are to be gathering together in the public assembly to encourage each other, love each other, and provoke each other for good.
In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul tells his readers that we are all part of the same body. There are different parts of the body: toes, feet, legs, arms, hands, feet, eyes, ears, etc. Each part of the body has a different function. The different parts cannot fully function without each other.
1 Corinthians 12:21-22

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” Or again, the head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that are weaker are indispensable.

The eye can move around a little bit in your head, but it still has a limited range of vision. The eye often needs the hand to bring objects closer to it so the eye can examine the objects in greater detail. The head can move around a bit to see or to hear things. It can smell aromas that are around it. But without the feet to take the body beyond the limited range of the senses when stationary, the head will have very limited experiences.
The church body needs all of its members together. Going back to Jeff Myers and his book Unquestioned Answers, he says this about the need for God’s people to gather.
We experience the best of God’s abundance in our “withness,” our being with others. Obviously, this kind of community calls for deeper engagement than just getting together with cherished friends over cups of coffee. A dominant metaphor for the church in the New Testament is that of a body. The strength the arm needs to perform wasn’t given to the arm alone. It was given to the circulatory system, the nervous system, and the brain’s coordinating function. If you see an arm all by itself, something very bad has happened.
Jeff Myers, Unquestioned Answers
One of the best examples of this was what happened to churches during COVID. I am not here to argue about whether churches should have closed, or if they did close, how long they should have stayed closed. That is a discussion for a different time. However, the CDC did a survey during June of 2020, in the thick of the pandemic. When state governments ordered citizens to shelter in place for long periods of time, 10.7% of people responding to this survey said they had seriously contemplated suicide in the previous 30 days. Before the pandemic, the CDC reports that only 4.3% of people had contemplated suicide in the previous 12 months. 13.3% of respondents to the COVID survey had increased or started substance use to cope with pandemic-related stress or emotions.
This is because humans were never meant to do life alone. We were meant for community. When God created the world, we see in Genesis that everything created is called good…except one thing. God said that it was NOT good for man to be alone, and so he created woman.
As Christians, we need each other. The reasons people have left church - or even left one church to go to a different church - are often personal reasons that are superficial. “I didn’t like the music style.” “I suggested a class for the church to offer, but no one started it.” The excuses, I mean “reasons” that people use to stop attending church are all about themselves. But notice what Warren Wiersbe says about these two verses in Hebrews 10:24-25
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Nine: The Superior Sacrifice (Hebrews 10)

It is interesting to note that the emphasis here is not on what a believer gets from the assembly, but rather on what he can contribute to the assembly. Faithfulness in church attendance encourages

The other major thing that happened with COVID was that churches started doing more livestreaming of their services and putting them on YouTube and social media. I have heard people say that they get what they need by listening to sermons online.
Charles Spurgeon had something to say about that in his own time…
Hebrews Exposition

There are some who make a bad use of what ought to be a great blessing—namely, the printing press, and the printed sermon—by staying at home to read a sermon because, they say, it is better than going out to hear one. It is a bad example for a professing Christian to absent himself from the assembly of the friends of Christ. There was a dear sister who used to attend here with great regularity, although she could not hear a word that was said; but she said it did her good to join in the hymns, and to know that she was worshiping God with the rest of His people.

I wish that some who stay away for the most frivolous excuses would think of this verse: “Not abandoning or meeting together, as is the habit of some.”

One of the organizations that we give to regularly is Voice of the Martyrs. The distribute Bibles, clothing, and supplies to Christians in countries that are hostile to the Word of God. We have some of their magazines in our lobby area. I would encourage you to look through them and see the stories of people who walk miles and miles to gather with the saints.
Does being with God’s people on Sunday matter so much to you that would sacrifice your own comfort to worship? Do you see the benefit of gathering regularly with the people of God? If it does not matter to you that much, ask God why.
Hebrews 10:25b
...and all the more as you see the day approaching.
Main idea: 
As we see where the world is headed, knowing that the Lord's return is coming, it should encourage us even more to gather with God's people. Mutual encouragement becomes more important, not less, as the Day of Christ approaches. The church is called to strengthen one another, help the weak, and persevere together in a hostile age.
Galatians 6:1-2

Brothers and sisters, if someone is overtaken in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual, restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so that you also won’t be tempted. Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

This is an urgent call to Christians to look after one another, not in a sibling-like “I’m telling on you if you don’t take care of this” kind of way. But we are to encourage each other, provoking each other to love, to good works, and to obedience to God. The author of Hebrews has already shared this urgency earlier in the book.
Hebrews 3:13 

But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception.

The urgency here is not “Just make sure and do it before Jesus comes back.” The urgency is “Don’t let the sun go down without encouraging each other in the faith.” If you wait until tomorrow, it may be too late.
There is an ownership that should be felt by those who follow Jesus. When we submit our lives to Christ, we become a part of his family, we become sons and daughters of God. Within a family, everyone has their own responsibilities.
Did this message today grate on you a little bit? Do you feel provoked? Again, ask the Lord why you feel this way. Do you think that my tone was off or that my explanation of the text was out of line? Then provoke me to love and good works by talking with me and encouraging me in the faith, pointing out my faults, in gentleness, so that we can grow in the Lord together.
A church body that does not want to meet together will not grow. As we saw in Acts 2, the church grew in number because of its focus on the teaching of the apostles, prayer, and being together. When people gather, others take notice. When people see cars parked all around the building on a Sunday morning, they start to ask why. A gathering church becomes an evangelizing church, giving us oportunities to share with others the hope that we have in Christ.
Let us seek to gather together, encouraging others in the faith, and watch what God does with this little church, not only in Carnation, but throughout this entire valley.
Let us pray.
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