Encouraging One Another

 

Text: Hebrews 10:19-25

Focus: Perseverance

Function: To remind us of our calling to good works.

¹⁹Therefore, my brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), ²¹and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²²let us approach 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. ²³Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. ²⁴And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, ²⁵not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Good morning!

We are going to focus on verses 24-25 this morning. But before we get there, look at the introduction to these verses. The author summarizes the deep theology that the book of Hebrews gives about the atonement and the sacrifice of the Christ and he reminds us of the privilege we have as those who trust Christ. We have direct access to God.

In the Church of the Brethren, we call the the priesthood of all believers. And verses 24-25 tell us something about how to apply the idea that we are also priests in the family of God.

And I just have to mention something neat about our recent baptism. Verse 23 mentions the two different forms of baptism, sprinkled clean and washed. Both are valid. I think it is kind of cool.

Now on to the meat of the message, how we as Priests of God are called to do good works.

I wonder at times if verse 24 describes of the emphasis of my ministry. The verse says: “Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds.”

I go back and forth in my ministry and calling between being a pastor and being a prophet. There is a difference. The term pastor comes from the root word we use for a field, a pasture, where we keep the domesticated animals. And the idea behind it is we are shepherding a flock.

The beginning of Psalm 23 struck me during my meditation yesterday morning. I never really paid attention to it. But it is a pastoral scene as well. The Lord is the Shepherd. And it is close and personal: My Shepherd. He goes on to describe all the benefits we have from having such a loving, caring and thorough shepherd.

I was reminded of that while reading in Ezekiel about the tyrant shepherds of Israel who only served to gratify their own desires.

And David shows the love and care that God has for us in Psalm 23. It is comforting to have a pastor who places the concerns of the flock over their own.

That is what a good shepherd does. And although I am only human and very weak, sometimes by the grace of God and the power of the Spirit I find God reaching out to people through me to give them the love and care they need for the moment.

Christ still shepherds people through us, the church.

I served for a while as a police chaplain. And my main job was to do death notifications of people who were either murdered, committed suicide or died in an automobile accident.

It sounds horrific, but every single time, regardless of the spiritual condition of the people I was ministering to, I saw God move in deep and loving ways to comfort the grieving.

I think my greatest proof, to me, of the reality of God is the way I always find God to be faithful during a funeral or a time of suffering. God is near the suffering.

Jesus suffered on the cross and knows what pain is like and I find in his love I am beginning to find that peace he promises because he shepherds us to love.

So, because of the Spirit of God inside of us, we also get to shepherd and comfort people in times of pain and sorrow.

That is the pastor part of us.

The prophet part of us wants to focus on what the Holy Spirit is doing spur people to love and good works.

A prophet speaks to the culture and either blesses or exposes the spiritual condition.

Jeremiah was a prophet who felt like God’s words inside of him were a burning fire and he couldn’t help but vent them to the public. It was the move, or unction of God’s Spirit inside of him.

Sometimes, and I hope, I believe you have felt it, we also are called to speak out against evil and injustice when we see it happening.

One of the thoughts that comes to my mind in the presence of evil and injustice is that our silence is a form of consent.

The problem I find is trying to remember that along with my words is the hope that God’s Spirit is also working and leading. What I mean is that God loves the people we are addressing and God wants the best for them as well. And God is faithful to lead them. God doesn’t want us condemning them even though we are called to provoke. Provoke is a powerful word. It means to stimulate. And for us who believe in God’s love for the other, it sometimes involves gentle, loving confrontation.

The prophet has to remember to reflect the love and power of God to do the transformation.

Let me go back and read verses 23-25: ²³Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. ²⁴And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, ²⁵not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

So, 1): God is faithful, rest in God. Don’t fear. 2): provoke each other, we talked about that and that leaves us with 3): do it together.

This verse is the New Testament command to go to church on a regular basis.

And there is a purpose for your gathering together, to encourage each other. When we encourage each other, we stimulate and provoke each other.

We all need it. And in community, we do it together.

I started out with the mention of the priesthood of all believers. 1 Peter 2:9 speaks of it this way: ^9-10But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.

Praise God we when we encourage each other, the Spirit comes alongside and bless them also.

Let us be a blessing to others.