We are the Church

Derek Berry

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Assemble

Take your copy of God’s Word and meet me in Hebrews 10:19-25…

Please stand for the reading of God’s word:

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.

If you’ve been my acquaintance for longer than a week, you’re hipped to the fact that I’m a huge marvel fan.

And if you’ve paid close attention to the sermon illustrations that I frequently utilize, you also know

that I am a bit of a marvel fan. What I admire about the MCU is the way in which Kevin Fiege, president of Marvel Studios,

has been able to tie an entire universe together with such great care and continuity.

Not all studios have been able to pull this off. Fox, for example, has had horrific continuity errors in their X-Men movies.

So much so that they created one film that would erase all prior films to repair their fragmented timeline.

Universal studios made an attempt at a dark universe that would

remake all the franchise monster films, but thanks to Tom Cruise that car crashed before even getting out of the driveway.

But where these studios failed, Marvel has succeeded. Not only do they have incredible origin movies such as

Iron Man, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, and recently Shang-Chi, but their strength is in their ensemble films.

This is where they take all these individual characters, and team them up in one movie to save the world.

When these heroes are brought together, they’re called The Avengers.

There’s a memorable phrase uttered by the leader of the Avengers in the comics whenever they come together to defeat the evil forces.

Since the first Avengers movie released in 2012, fans around the world have been waiting for Captain America to

drop this phrase at the right moment. Avengers: Age of Ultron even teased us at the end of its film.

But the masterminds behind Marvel knew that waiting would only mean the payoff would be that much sweeter.

And then it happened. In 2019 the ultimate marvel scene in which every marvel head highly anticipated finally occurred.

With all the superheroes from the previous movies present and ready to ward off Thanos and his imps,

Captain America utters those words. “Avengers……. Assemble.” Prior to Cap uttering these words, he was facing the forces of evil on his own,

namely Thanos and his army. And then these portals created by Doctor Strange, and his colleagues transported all the Avengers to the location of the fight against Thanos.

You see, Captain America understood the power of the Avengers assembled. He was a great hero on his own,

but he was insufficient when compared to the assembling of all the avengers.

It is when the Avengers assembled that something extraordinary took place that could not have occurred otherwise.

I believe this is one of those illustrations that works itself.

Church, assemble! Body of Christ, assemble! Bride of Christ, assemble! Because as unique as it was for the avengers to come together, something even more spectacular takes place when the people of God assemble on the Lord’s day.

God designed it this very way, and it’s evident in the very Greek word for church, which means assembly. We’ll get to that later in the message.

This is the third message in our five-week series entitled “We are the Church.”

We’re taking this time to be reminded of the privileges and responsibilities we all have as members of this local Church.

And we’ll end this series with a celebration of Christ’s faithfulness as head of this local Church for the past eleven years.

Now I want to be delicate, while simultaneously intense, as I know we’re in a unique era today.

In 2020, what has now become known as an infamous year, we were unexpectantly hurled into a worldwide pandemic.

Covid-19 changed the way that we do life. The whole world basically shut down, and for presumably good reason,

to protect one another from a highly contagious virus that has claimed many lives.

This led to most all churches deciding for a season to meet digitally as opposed to in person.

Thank God that we live in an age with so many technological advances that do indeed allow us to remain connected, even amid a pandemic.

Since then, we have slowly transitioned to some sense of normalcy. One of the benefits of living in Southern California,

is the fact that we were able to come together and meet outside sooner than many others in various regions in this country.

As stated earlier, Covid, and technology in general, has changed the way we maneuver in our everyday lives. Many of us have come to the realization,

“you know what, I can actually work my job completely from home.” I was talking to someone recently who works for a law firm,

and he told me that there was a study that showed that productivity increased when the employees in his company worked remotely.

This is also advantageous for employees, in that there is no need to fight traffic or pay the ridiculous amount in gas prices.

The movie industry has also altered their approach to the business. As a matter of fact,

there was a short stint where many questioned whether the movie theatre business would even survive past the pandemic or not. Disney Plus now offers many of their new films

directly on their streaming platform.

So, you can pay $30 and skip the lines and illegal taxation of the popcorn and drink prices at the movie theatre.

HBO Max is a new streaming service that offers same day streaming for all their new films.

Covid has changed the way we do life.

But what about Church gathering?

Not unlike businesses and the entertainment industry,

many churches chose to offer live streaming for their congregations. Although this was less than ideal,

it was necessary with so many unanswered questions concerning this virus. But how should we view the physical assembling of the church today?

Is streaming the future of the church?

I’m here to humbly and emphatically state that streaming is not the future of the church, nor should it be.

It’s so easy to take this approach with so many other facets of our lives becoming remote, from work to entertainment, and even dining.

Why not add church to that list?

I believe the Holy Spirit through the author of Hebrews

has something to say.

So, let’s dive into the text. The book of Hebrews was written to a discouraged group of Jewish Christians,

who were considering abandoning Christianity for their former belief system.

As they experienced severe persecution,

they pondered the fact that this opposition was never an issue when they were practicing Judaism. Therefore, the author, who remains anonymous,

focuses on the superiority of Jesus and the covenant that he administers. Another primary motif of this epistle is this idea of drifting.

At the tail end of many of his Christ exalting sections, he provides his audience with a warning passage.

For example,

Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. -Hebrews 2:1

For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. -Hebrews 3:14

And then we’re brought to our passage this morning,

which is found in chapter 10.

He starts off this passage with the word, “therefore.”

Whenever you see the word therefore in the Bible,

always ask the question, “what is it there for?”

It’s always pointing to the previous passages.

In verses 1-18, the author divulges the reality of Christ as the true and better sacrifice.

Those under the law in the Old Covenant were required to offer yearly sacrifices that were insufficient to remove sin, Christ’s once-and-for-all sacrifice has indeed removed our sin and provided us with forgiveness.

Here are our points this morning:

1.The gospel (Christ) vs. 19-21 2.Let us…draw near (confidence) vs. 22 3.Let us…hold fast (confession) vs. 23 4.Let us…consider one another (community) vs. 24

This passage is a microcosm of what we find in many of the Pauline epistles. Although I don’t believe Paul is the author of this particular letter.

We see a shift from doctrine to duty.

There’s the theological foundation, IE, the gospel, and then the practical application. Y

ou can also refer to this as going from creed to conduct, precept to practice, or instruction to exhortation, you take your pick.

Let’s examine together this gospel foundation.

The author is using language and concepts that his audience

would be very familiar with.

In case there’s anyone here who may not be as familiar,

I’ll quickly touch on this Old Testament subject.

The Lord chose one nation to be his representatives to all the other nations on the earth.

This was Israel.

But in order for this holy God to dwell among his people,

there had to be atonement, meaning a covering for sin.

Either the Israelites would be killed for their various sins,

or there would be a representative, namely a goat,

who would die as a symbolic substitution.

God directed his people on crafting a tabernacle,

a location where the presence of God would dwell.

There were layers to this tabernacle, there was the “tent of meeting,” where the sacrifices would take place.

And then behind a curtain was the Most Holy Place where the presence of God was located.

As discussed in the previous verses of this chapter,

the High Priest in the Old Testament would appear before the presence of God but once a year, and there was anything but confidence that accompanied this High Priest.

Trepidation or trembling would be an accurate term for the

High Priest who went into the Holy of Holies. For if he entered in an unworthy manner, he would be struck dead immediately.

As a matter of fact, the Israelites would tie a rope around the ankle of the High Priest in case his corpse had to be drug out of the holy place.

So, for this people, there was one man who had to enter the holy place trembling once a year with the sacrifice in order for the Israelites to vicariously interact with God.

The author is saying, there was another man who entered the holy place trembling once and for all with a sacrifice for us to now have full access to God.

This is the wonderful gospel message!

Let’s look at how Christ fulfills all these elements in the gospel.

Jesus is the true and greater High Priest.

Chapter seven is concerned with Jesus being a High Priest under the order of Melchizedek, as opposed to Levi.

For it is witnessed of him, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” -Hebrews 7:17

The author lays out the fact that Melchizedek is greater than Levi,

in that it was Levi who paid tithes to Melchizedek,

as he existed in the loins of Abraham.

So, he’s the superior due to his priestly order.

But wait, there’s more. He’s also superior in that he’s eternal and has conquered death, never again to be subjected to it.

23 The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, 24 but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. -Hebrews 7:23-24

He’s also superior in that he’s sinless,

therefore he has no need to offer up a sacrifice for himself.

26 For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. 27 He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. 28 For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever. -Hebrews 7:26-28

Lastly, he’s superior because he’s not only a High Priest,

but the eternal Son of God.

So, he’s the true and better High Priest.

He’s also entered into the true and better holy place.

24 For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. -Hebrews 9:24

The Old Covenant High Priest may have entered into the holy place of the tabernacle, but the Lord Jesus went directly to the true holy place, the throne of God itself. And the text says he has done it on our behalf.

Jesus is also the true and better sacrifice.

11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. -Hebrews 10:11-13

This is the gospel ladies and gentlemen! This is the new and living way.

This is the only usage of the Greek word for new

in the entire New Testament.

The word means literally “freshly slaughtered.”

The good news about our savior is the fact that he was slaughtered for our transgressions,

and yet he is the living way.

Now we can have confidence to come before him.

I recall my high school days. My assistant principal’s secretary was a grumpy lady. She was constantly mean to us students for no apparent reason. Whenever I genuinely needed something, I was always gripped with fear. I remember I asked her for a pass to go home because I was sick, and for some reason she denied me. The exact details escape me. But what I do remember, is the confidence I had when my mom showed up to school. This time, I approached her desk with great confidence, knowing I had someone with me who was equal in age and authority. And you guessed it, she listened to my mom instantly, and I was given a pass. The difference with and without my mom when it came to approaching this lady was night and day.

Well, we too now have someone co-equal with God the Father going before us as we approach his throne.

The difference is, our loving Father was the one who sent the Son. His desire is for us to approach him with confidence, that we may be known by him.

This is the gospel foundation. Let us now look at the implications of the gospel, IE, the three “Let us.” We’ll obviously spend the most time on the last one.

2. Let us…draw near (confidence) vs. 22

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.

The author continues with this Old Covenant symbolic language that would have been easily identified by the original audience.

Priests were consecrated continually-

washing themselves and the sacred vessels in the basins of clean water, and blood was continually being sprinkled as a sign of cleaning.

But in Ezekiel, we see the promise of a new type of cleansing that would not be merely external, but rather internal.

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. -Ezekiel 36:25

So, we no longer have a condemned evil conscience.

We can rest easy in the fact that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Even when there is clear sin in our lives,

we can approach God with the confidence that we belong to him, and we have experienced true forgiveness.

And our bodies have been washed with clean water,

therefore we no longer use our members as instruments of unrighteousness.

This is the practical effect of the gospel we examined in verses 19-21.

We have internal transformation that manifests itself externally as well. Therefore, the author speaks of a true or sincere heart.

Meaning, one that has pure and unmixed sincere love for God.

I remember being in the gym with a friend of mine in Houston who I was seeking to disciple. I was attempting to teach him a story concerning Abraham and Leah. And he was shaking his head as if he was listening to me, but I knew that I did not have his undivided attention. So, I asked him, “bro, what did I just say?” And I kid you not, he responded with, “you said something about Aaliyah, right?”

Let us not be like my good friend.

One who appears to shake their head and give the external responses we believe God desires,

without offering him undivided attention.

The author focuses on highlighting the importance of these believers perpetually coming before God in prayer that is

“sincere and wholehearted, true and engaged.”

3. Let us…hold fast (confession) vs. 23

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

This exhortation builds off the last one,

because if we draw near to God,

we will become positioned to heed the command to preserve in hope.

Unlike the honest secularist, we as believers have a great hope to hold fast to. Bertrand Russell expressed it this way in his book A Free Man’s Worship:

…the laborers of the ages, all the devotion, all the inspiration, all the noonday brightness of human genius, are destined to extinction in the vast death of the solar system, and that the whole temple of man's achievement must inevitably be buried beneath the debris of a universe in ruins... Only within the scaffolding of the truth, only on the firm foundation of unyielding despair, can the souls habitation henceforth be safely built.

Aren’t you glad that you don’t have to be subjected

to such a hopeless future?

The biblical word for hope carries a different connotation than the definition we’re familiar with.

Like I hope that after all the pickups that Lebron and the Lakers have made this offseason,

they’ll be able to win the chip next year.

I would love to live in a championship city again.

No, this hope we have from God is a sure thing.

It is a promise in which we can place our full faith in.

Therefore, the author states, he who promised is faithful.

As mentioned earlier, one of the motifs found in this book is the danger of drifting.

The author is continually warning his audience that if they do not hold fast to this hope,

and preserve in the gospel, they will face deadly eternal consequences. There’s a beauty found in these warnings.

Remember, he’s writing to a church.

And yet, he doesn’t just state, well if you have believed then you are secure and have nothing to worry about.

His view of eternal security is not so mechanical.

God utilizes these warning passages as means to keep his sheep in his fold.

So, you mustn’t take the sting out of such warnings.

Regardless of how sure you are of your salvation, believer, hold fast to this hope, or you will indeed be cast away.

Again, the next exhortation naturally flows from the preceding verse.

4. Let us…consider one another (community) vs. 24

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.

With our remaining time, we’ll discuss why here at the Chapel,

we want you as a member to be present here for worship on the Lord’s Day.

I must first preface this section with the extreme cases,

that are exceptions to the rule.

There are some who are deployed in the military, others who are on the mission field, others who may just be traveling,

others who are sick, others who have recently had babies, and then the vulnerable.

I don’t want you to hear this message and believe that I’m insensitive to these exceptions, because that is truly not the case.

I also know not everyone who fails to prioritize in person worship on the Lord’s Day, fits into one of these categories. For instance, ask yourself,

“why is it that I feel safer in a movie theatre, then I do in a church service? Could it be that I have not prioritized corporate worship as I should?”

I liken it to the professing Christian who says,

“I left the church because my experience with

one wasn’t so great.”

Well do you withdraw your money from banks

because your experience wasn’t so great?

No. You may switch banks, but in your appraisal,

banks are a necessity,

therefore not having your money in one is not an option. And yet, people are under this false allusion that being connected

to a local church is an option.

Therefore, they can do without it.

Similarly, many have decided that going various places and interacting with various people is a must,

but when it comes to church,

the risk is not necessary because you can simply flip

on the streaming service. Perish the thought.

Or perhaps you should ask yourself, “could it be that Covid has gotten me into the habit of not wanting to battle with the kids to get them in the car, therefore I roll over and stream from home? It is certainly more convenient. But is it obedient? That is the question.

And to get ahead of myself, I believe this text will shout out,

that if you can make it to the in person gathering of the saints, you absolutely should.

It is by the grace of God that a congregation is permitted to gather visibly in this world to share in God's word and sacrament. Not all Christians receive this blessing; the imprisoned, the sick, the scattered, lonely, and the proclaimers of the gospel in heathen lands stand alone. They know that the visible fellowship is a blessing. The physical presence of other Christians is a source of incomparable joy and strength to the believer. The prisoner, the sick person, the Christian in exile, sees in the companionship of a fellow Christian a physical sign of the gracious presence of the triune God. It is grace and nothing but grace that we are allowed to live in community with Christian brothers and sisters. It is grace that we get to enjoy this privilege. -Dietrich Bonhoeffer

A few weeks back I was reading an article that spoke of the Christians in Afghanistan who feared for the lives due to the rise of the Taliban.

In the article, one of the Christians expressed that

“we will not stop meeting, even if it costs us our lives.”

This brother understands the power of the church assembling. Do we?

The author says, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.” And then later he says, “encouraging one another.”

Our assembling should never be “self-focused.”

One of the reasons you must attend in-person worship is to stir up and encourage others.

This calls for a complete paradigm shift,

as we have been trained to be consumerists when it comes to church.

I stated this a couple months ago,

but have you ever heard of someone looking for a church that is lacking in an area?

No, we want a church that can meet every single need that we come with.

But this wasn’t the original design when it came to in person worship.

We should always be thinking of that person who may be struggling in their faith who needs a word from you to spur them on.

This simply isn’t something you can do at home in your living room. We need you.

This idea of physically assembling has always been at the heart of the identity of God’s people,

even in the Old Testament.

The amount of Scripture that testifies to that fact is ubiquitous.

We’ll just look at a few.

Then the king turned around and blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel stood. -1 Kings 8:14

Now therefore in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the Lord, and in the hearing of our God, observe and seek out all the commandments of the Lord your God, that you may possess this good land and leave it for an inheritance to your children after you forever. -1 Chronicles 28:8

And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. -Nehemiah 8:1

The word for assembly in the Septuagint,

which is the Greek translation of the OT,

is the word that the New Testament authors use for Church.

So, by its very nature, the church necessitates assembling. That’s why the NT also has an emphasis on gathering.

The author goes on, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some.

Remember earlier I made the claim that the last point

naturally flowed into this one.

The author tells his audience to hold fast to their hope,

in other words, keep from drifting.

Early signs of drifting away from the faith was,

and still is, failing to come together.

Now, this church wasn’t coming out of a pandemic,

but there were some who got out of the habit of meeting together. Which is why I believe this passage is so incredibly applicable for today.

For this church, gathering together meant possible persecution, danger, and for others it was just apathy.

But listen again to the words of New Testament Scholar Lane:

The writer regarded the desertion of the communal meetings as utterly serious. It threatened the corporate life of the congregation and almost certainly was a prelude to apostasy.

Let that sink in. The neglect, when you don’t have to,

to do this habitually may be a prelude to apostasy.

Beloved, let us heed this warning, and not forsake the gathering together as saints. If you are a member, this is the call.

Don’t assume you’re safe from apostasy due to past faithfulness if you are neglecting gathering with the saints now.

Attenders and those who call the Chapel their home if you’re a believer this is written to you as well.

So even if you don’t decide to become a member here,

maybe you find another church that works for you.

Be faithful in your in-person attendance.

But if you are a member especially, a covenant member of this body,

we’re asking you to be obedient and faithful to the Scripture,

and to be present whenever it’s possible.

This idea of waking up one Sunday morning and deciding flippantly that the beach or the bed seem to be a better destination than the Church should be foreign to our people.

I want to close with providing you a picture of what is taking place when you worship with the saints on the Lord’s Day. Turn with me to Hebrews 12:22-24.

22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. -Hebrews 12:22-24

We could camp out here for another 45 more minutes,

but trust me, we won’t. Do you see what the author is getting at?

The Old Testament temple was no doubt an impressive place to worship, but when we worship as the gathered saints, we are brought to heaven itself.

We become an embassy or a colony for heaven.

Not only that, but we are joined by the whole host of heaven who worship with us.

The angels themselves join us every Sunday to worship alongside us, our same Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. If only like Elisha’s servant, the Lord would open our eyes,

just for a single second, we would see an overwhelming host of heavenly beings worshiping with us in our gathering.

Also, in a mysterious way, our worship includes the assembly of the firstborn in heaven. I like what Megan Hill said,

When you come into a half-empty sanctuary on a rainy Sunday evening, be encouraged! The gathering may look small and insignificant; in reality, it’s filled with those who sinlessly and ceaselessly worship God before his face.

And the most encouraging part of all,

is the fact that God himself is with us as we worship him.

And one may say, “yes he’s indwelled in me through the Spirit so he’s with me at home as I stream as well.”

But not in the unique way that he’s with his collective people who are brought together for the purpose of worshiping him.

On week one of this series, I stated that we’d be going through the responsibilities and the privileges that we have as members at the Chapel. There is indeed a responsibility of attending Church in person if you’ve covenanted with this body.

But I pray that you see from this passage that this is clearly a privilege as well.

In light of these glorious realities,

don’t forsake the church’s assembly for worship.

Week after week,

let us come together to listen to God’s word read and preached. Week after week,

let us sing songs to each other and the Lord Jesus. Week after week,

let us proclaim the Lord’s death through communion.

Week after week,

let us encourage and spur one another on to good works,

until the day of his return.

Let’s pray.

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