Hebrews 10:23-25 - "Let us
hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is
faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good
deeds, 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."
This passage tells us how we should be living in relation to other believers as the day of Christ draws near. There are three basic instructions that we're given in these verses. First, we are told to "consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds." How often do we really do this? We're not just told to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, but we're told to consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds. This involves thinking. We are being instructed to think about other people and how we might move them to action. How often do we ask ourselves, 'I wonder how I could help this person grow in his love for the Lord and His people?' Or "I wonder what I could do to encourage this sister to engage in good works?' Honestly, this is something that I rarely do. It doesn't come easy. It is important for us to focus on our own personal walk with the Lord and how we are doing, but at the same time the Christian life isn't a solo event. We need one another. We need to think about each other and how we can help each other grow in love and good deeds. In Ephesians chapter four the church is called "the body of Christ." What we're being instructed to do in Hebrews chapter 10 is to act like it. The members of a body are intimately connected and concerned with the well being of the other members. As the body of Christ we need to be looking out for one another and consider how we might provoke each other to love and good deeds.
The second thing we are told to do in this passage is to not forsake our own assembling together. We need to meet together with other Christians. How are we going to stimulate one another to love and good works if we never meet together? In Acts 2:42 we are told of four things that the early church did when they met together. Acts 2:42 - "They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ doctrine and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." First, the apostles doctrine, that's the ministry of the Word. We need to meet together in order that we might sit under the teaching of the Word of God. Second, fellowship. This is simply meeting together with others who, though from different walks of life, all have one common thing that ties us together, and that is our relationship with Christ. And we can meet and encourage one another and get involved in each others lives. Third, the breaking of bread, communion. I dealt with this in large part from 1 Corinthians chapter 11, and we saw that as often as we do this we proclaim the Lords death until He comes. This is something that the early church met together to do and this is something that we need to be meeting together to do, to remember Christ. And finally, prayer. They met together to recognize their dependance upon God for all their needs, physical and spiritual, and to thank Him for who He is and for what He has done.
The early church continually devoted themselves to these four things. We are told in Hebrews 12 not to forsake our own assembling together, and all the more as we see the day approaching. As Christs coming draws near we should continually devote ourselves to meeting together with our brothers and sisters under the headship of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Finally, this passage tells us that we need to "encouraging one another." Living in this world can be very discouraging. The worlds systems and governments are opposed to Christ and all who belong to Him. After going through our day to day lives we need to be encouraged. It's easier to run with endurance when you've got others running right beside you. But this doesn't mean that when I come together with other believers I am just a recipient of encouragement, I am encouraged, but I need to encourage others in turn. Encourage one another. That's reciprocal, back and forth encouragement. After giving these three pieces of instruction the writer finishes by saying "and all the more as you see the day drawing near." We need to consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, and all the more as Christs coming draws near. We need to faithfully meet together to sit under the teaching of Gods Word, fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayer, and all the more as the day of Christ draws near. And we need to encourage one another, and all the more as we see the day approaching. Christ is coming, maybe today. This should impact the way that we live in relation to our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Hebrews 10:23-25 - "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 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."
This passage tells us how we should be living in relation to other believers as the day of Christ draws near. There are three basic instructions that we're given in these verses. First, we are told to "consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds." How often do we really do this? We're not just told to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, but we're told to consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds. This involves thinking. We are being instructed to think about other people and how we might move them to action. How often do we ask ourselves, 'I wonder how I could help this person grow in his love for the Lord and His people?' Or "I wonder what I could do to encourage this sister to engage in good works?' Honestly, this is something that I rarely do. It doesn't come easy. It is important for us to focus on our own personal walk with the Lord and how we are doing, but at the same time the Christian life isn't a solo event. We need one another. We need to think about each other and how we can help each other grow in love and good deeds. In Ephesians chapter four the church is called "the body of Christ." What we're being instructed to do in Hebrews chapter 10 is to act like it. The members of a body are intimately connected and concerned with the well being of the other members. As the body of Christ we need to be looking out for one another and consider how we might provoke each other to love and good deeds.
The second thing we are told to do in this passage is to not forsake our own assembling together. We need to meet together with other Christians. How are we going to stimulate one another to love and good works if we never meet together? In Acts 2:42 we are told of four things that the early church did when they met together. Acts 2:42 - "They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ doctrine and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." First, the apostles doctrine, that's the ministry of the Word. We need to meet together in order that we might sit under the teaching of the Word of God. Second, fellowship. This is simply meeting together with others who, though from different walks of life, all have one common thing that ties us together, and that is our relationship with Christ. And we can meet and encourage one another and get involved in each others lives. Third, the breaking of bread, communion. I dealt with this in large part from 1 Corinthians chapter 11, and we saw that as often as we do this we proclaim the Lords death until He comes. This is something that the early church met together to do and this is something that we need to be meeting together to do, to remember Christ. And finally, prayer. They met together to recognize their dependance upon God for all their needs, physical and spiritual, and to thank Him for who He is and for what He has done.
The early church continually devoted themselves to these four things. We are told in Hebrews 12 not to forsake our own assembling together, and all the more as we see the day approaching. As Christs coming draws near we should continually devote ourselves to meeting together with our brothers and sisters under the headship of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Finally, this passage tells us that we need to "encouraging one another." Living in this world can be very discouraging. The worlds systems and governments are opposed to Christ and all who belong to Him. After going through our day to day lives we need to be encouraged. It's easier to run with endurance when you've got others running right beside you. But this doesn't mean that when I come together with other believers I am just a recipient of encouragement, I am encouraged, but I need to encourage others in turn. Encourage one another. That's reciprocal, back and forth encouragement. After giving these three pieces of instruction the writer finishes by saying "and all the more as you see the day drawing near." We need to consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, and all the more as Christs coming draws near. We need to faithfully meet together to sit under the teaching of Gods Word, fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayer, and all the more as the day of Christ draws near. And we need to encourage one another, and all the more as we see the day approaching. Christ is coming, maybe today. This should impact the way that we live in relation to our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Hebrews 10:23-25 - "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 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."
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