Living for Christ Requires Living in Community

Introduction|

Attention:

Let me ask you a question this morning: how many of you want to live for Christ?

Background:

The Book of Hebrews was addressed to a group of Jewish Christians who are contemplating returning to Judaism. From the outset of the Book, the author has expounded upon the fact that Jesus is better than everyone and everything. In , he explained the High priestly work of Christ and the superior sacrifice of Christ. He concludes this section with three points of application for his audience.

Need Element:

Everyone desires a sense of belonging. The feeling of belonging is important for seeing value in life and in coping with intensely painful emotions.

A secular psychologist made the following statement: “A sense of belonging to a greater community improves your motivation, health, and happiness. When you see your connection to others, you know that all people struggle and have difficult times. [Thus,] you are not alone.”

As a believer, you need the Christian community to live for Christ to your fullest extent. God did not design us to live in isolation but in relationship with others. In our time together this morning, I want to show you from how living for Christ requires living in community.

Textual Idea:

The author of Hebrews urges his jewish readers to live for Christ because of his superior sacrifice.

Big Idea:

Christ summons us to live for him!

Interrogative:

How can we live for Christ?

Transition:

Let’s stand as we pay honor to God and His Word!

Outline|

I. Because we have access to the father and an advocate with the father, we can live for Christ by drawing closer to him in faith as a community (vv. 19-22)

Explanation:

In the previous section, the author of Hebrews explained how Christ’s superior sacrifice has brought about forgiveness for sin (, NIV). With this superior sacrifice, the believer has been given two amazing benefits that motivate them to draw near unto the Lord, hold fast to the profession of their hope, and provoke one another unto love and good works. First, we have been given access to God through Christ (vv. 19-20). The word boldness refers to a position of confidence or courage. Thus, the believer has the confidence and courage to enter into the sanctuary. We have gained this access by means of Christ’s sacrifice and covenant. Since the author is addressing a group of Jewish Christians, the term blood refers to the life of the sacrifice. Thus, we have been granted access to God through Christ’s sacrifice. We have also gained access by a new and living way. The word living carries the idea of a life-giving avenue. This life-giving way has been “opened unto us by means of the vain—that is his flesh” (Greek). When Christ offered his life on the cross and died for our sin, the curtain “of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom” (, NIV). Because Christ became the final sacrifice for sin (), we have open access unto the Lord through life-giving life.

As F. F. Bruce so adequately said, the vail “which, from one point of view, kept God and man apart, can be thought of, from another point of view, as bringing them together; for it was one and the same veil which on one side was in contact with the glory of God and on the other side with the need of men.… And by His death, it could be added, the ‘veil’ of His flesh was rent asunder and the new way consecrated through it by which man may come to God.”

Secondly, we have been given an advocate with the Lord (vv. 21). Since we have a “high priest over the house of God,” we have an advocate with the father.

John says: “And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” ().

Since we have this confidence to enter into the sanctuary and a high priest over the house of God, the author of Hebrews urges his readers as a collective body to “draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith” (). The phrase draw near carries the idea of coming into the presence of the Lord. If we are going to come into the Lord’s presence, we must have a true heart and a confident faith. Because we have had our hearts purified from an evil conscience [and] we have had our body washed with pure water, we have been given a true heart and confident faith through the transformation of Christ at salvation which enables us to come into the very presence of the Lord with assurance.

Illustration:

A married couple of many years rode along in their automobile. The wife sat at one end of the seat and the husband at the other end behind the steering wheel. The wife asked, “Why can’t we sit close together as we did shortly after our marriage?” Her husband replied, “I ain’t moved.” Well, you can be confident of one thing. God hasn’t moved, so draw nearer to Him.

Argumentation:

The psalmist declared: “it is good for me to draw near to God” ().

Why should we draw near unto the Lord? It is because God wants to have a relationship with His children. God, throughout the Old Testament, summoned his people to draw near unto Him with a pure heart.

James says it this way: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” ().

Application:

Let me ask you an important question: have you had your sin forgiven through a relationship with Christ in faith and repentance?

If you want to know the Lord and have a vibrant walk with Him, you must repent of your sin and turn to Christ in faith and belief. If you are a follower of Christ, let me ask you a question: are you drawing near unto the Lord through spending time with him? Every day, we ought to be growing closer to the Lord and growing in our faith. If that is going to take place, we must submit ourselves unto the Lord, seek the Lord in repentance, and humble ourselves before the Lord.

Transition:

Since we have the confidence to enter into the sanctuary and a high priest over the house of God, we ought to draw near unto the Lord with a true heart in full assurance of faith. However, this fact brings us to our second observation.

II. Because we have access to the father and an advocate with the father, we can live for Christ by holding fast to our profession of faith as a community (vv. 19-21 and 23)

Explanation:

Since we have the confidence to enter into the sanctuary and a high priest over the house of God, the author of Hebrews urges his readers to “hold fast to the profession of our hope without wavering” (, Greek). The phrase let us hold fast” carries the idea of firmly adhering to a conviction of belief. Based upon our access to the father and our advocate with the father, we ought to firmly adhere to the profession of our hope without wavering. The word profession refers to a confession—“the confession of our hope.”

The author of Hebrews provides clarification to this confession: “for the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God” ().

This confession is a confession of Christ as Savior and Lord! It is a confession that God is faithful!

reads: “Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus.”

We profess a firm commitment to Christ and His Word because “he who promised is faithful” (, NIV). It is the faithfulness of Christ that motives us to firmness for Christ!

Illustration:

Hudson Taylor, founder of China Inland Mission, use to hang in his home a plaque with two Hebrew words on it: Ebenezer and JEHOVAH JIREH. The first word means "Hitherto hath the Lord helped us." The second word means, "The Lord will see to it or provide." One looked back while the other looked forward. One reminded him of God's faithfulness and the other of God's assurances.

Argumentation:

Why should we hold fast to the profession of our hope with steadfastness?

It is the faithfulness of God.

God told Joshua: “as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them” ().

You can trust God because He is faithful!

Application:

Let me ask you a question: do you firmly profess Christ without wavering?

We possess a firm commitment to Christ because He is faithful. I want to challenge you to trust Christ. Because He is faithful, We can trust Him!

Transition:

Since we have the confidence to enter into the sanctuary and a high priest over the house of God, we ought to draw near unto the Lord and hold fast to the profession of our hope in Christ. These truths bring us to the final observation of the passage.

III. Because we have access to the father and an advocate with the father, we can live for Christ by provoking each other to love and good works as a community (vv. 19-21 and 24-25)

Explanation:

Since we have the confidence to enter into the sanctuary and a high priest over the house of God, we must “provoke one another [unto] love and good works” (Greek). The phrase let us consider suggests thinking about something carefully. As one writer says, it means “to direct the mind towards and reflect on [it].” The writer urges his readers to think carefully about “provoking one another unto love and good works.” The word provoke carries the idea of stirring up something. In many passages, this word suggests provoking or stirring up anger. Instead of a negative connotation, it is used in a positive manner of stirring up love and good works. The writer begs his readers to stir up one another. By using the term one another, we recognize the importance of living for Christ in community with other believers.

As one writer says, it means “to direct the mind towards and reflect on [it].” The writer urges his readers to think carefully about “provoking one another unto love and good works.”

The word provoke carries the idea of stirring up something. In many passages, this word suggests provoking or stirring up anger. Instead of a negative connotation, it is used in a positive manner of stirring up love and good works. The writer begs his readers to stir up one another. By using the term one another, we recognize the importance of living for Christ in community with other believers.

One writer says: “our walk with Christ was never designed to be lived in isolation.” How can we stir up love and good works within the local church?

First, we stir up love and good works within the church by not neglecting the Christian community (vv. 25). The word forsaking suggests abandoning something. In the context of the passage, some were neglecting the Christian worship gatherings—“as some are in the habit of doing” (, NIV). The phrase the assembling of ourselves together is an apparent reference to the gathering of believers for worship, prayer, fellowship, and instruction.

To quote Dr. Stanley Outlaw, the act of “going to church does not make a person a Christian, but abandoning the church is almost always a sure sign of. . .serious spiritual problems within the life of the individual.”

Secondly, we stir up love and good works within the church by encouraging one another within the Christian community (vv. 25). The word exhorting suggests encouraging someone. As followers of Christ, we are to be encouraging one another to love and serve Christ within the context of the local church. The phrase as you see the day approaching is a referencing to the return of Christ. You can be an encouragement to others by showing up to church with faithfulness, urging others to love Christ supremely, and urging others to serve Christ faithfully. As we near the return of Christ, we need to make the church a matter of importance instead of an opinion. You need the accountability, love, encouragement, and correction that can only be found within the context of a local church.

Illustration:

Have you ever heard the story about the man who became president for a day? Does anybody know the name of the man who was president for a day? President James Polk spent his last day as president on March 3, 1849, and at midnight, Polk was out of office. However, his successor, Gen. Zachary Taylor, a staunch churchgoer, refused to be sworn in on March 4, 1849, because it was a Sunday. He said, “Going to church was a higher priority than becoming president of the United States.” He postponed his inauguration until Monday, March 5. So for one day, US Senator David Atchison of Missouri was president pro tempore of the US. Can you think of anything more critical than becoming president of the US? Zachary Taylor could – it was going to church.

Argumentation:

Why should you attend Church?

You shouldn’t attend a church for the pastor, the music, or the programs. We attend Church because of overwhelming love for Christ. A manifestation of love for Christ is obedience to his words.

Jesus says: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” ().

In our passage, Christ reminds us of the importance of faithfully attending our Christian community. When you love Christ, you will love what Christ loves. Because Christ loves the Church, you ought to love the Church and faithfully attend your Church out of love for Christ.

Application:

Let me ask you an important question: are you stirring one another to love and good works?

Because we love Christ, we ought to faithfully attend church and encourage our fellow members to love and serve him. You can do this by making Christ our priority. When Christ is our priority, we will make his church our priority. You can also do this by encouraging others in their faith.

Transition:

Since we have the confidence to enter into the sanctuary and a high priest over the house of God, we ought to draw near unto the lord, hold fast to the profession of our hope in Christ, and provoke one another to love and good works.

Conclusion/Application|

Visualization:

Since the sacrifice of Christ was a sufficient payment for our sin, we have been given access unto the father and an advocate with the father. Because of this access and advocacy, we should want to draw near unto the Lord, hold fast to our hope, and provoke our fellow brothers and sisters unto love and good works.

Action:

Because we have access to the father and an advocate with the father, our father urges us to draw near unto him in faith because He has transformed our life. He also summons us to hold fast to our profession of faith in Him with steadfastness because He is faithful. Finally, He implores us to provoke our fellow believers unto love and good works by not forsaking His church and encouraging other believers.

Appeal:

Would you be willing to draw near unto the Lord in submission, repentance, and humility? Would you be willing to hold fast to the confession of Christ with steadfastness? Would you carefully consider the importance of stirring your fellow believers to love and good works?