Hope Without Wavering

Transcript

This transcript was generated automatically from the audio and may contain small errors.

Alright, now we're good? Alright. I think I can manage. Okay, as I was saying, pastoral resident, which I believe Drew mentioned it was an intern, but the official term is pastoral resident. It's a little more official and cool sounding. Just to describe the residency, we're just kind of learning what goes on in the kitchen, so to speak, with the inner workings of the church and the goals that send us out to revitalize and plant other churches. So, just thanks for the opportunity to open God's Word with you all this morning. So we're going to be in Hebrews chapter 10, where the author addresses a group of people who are being tempted to go back to old habits, bad habits, or old ways of doing things. And I have one or two, probably more bad habits, that I tend to fall into, and if there's ever a moment to fall into those bad habits, it's going to be when the family is out and about,

trying to have a good time, I'm going to step into that bad habit and make sure I ruin that time. So I got married at the ripe age of 29, and as a single man, I had established some habits that don't translate well into marriage. And one of these habits, or a few of these, as a single person, is I didn't have to share my actions, my thoughts, or my feelings with anyone. I could just inwardly process and then move on. And this translated to me not being a good listener or a good communicator as a husband. I know that's a big surprise for some of y'all. So one day, we were visiting Pirates Cove, the local water park here, with our four kids, and the older kids wanted to go ride the big slides, and the younger ones kind of ran off to the kid's side. So my wife said, hold on here, wait here, I'll go get the little ones, and then we'll all go do the big slides together.

It's like, okay. One minute later, I go off with the big kids. One slide later, I come back, and my wife is looking at me in just utter disbelief. I'm confused, which is not abnormal. And long story short, we regroup. She's like, I'm gonna get the little kids, and then we'll go to the big slides. I'm like, okay. Well, a minute later, as the caring, loving husband that I am, I go to the big slides again, leaving my wife in the dust. And needless to say, I ruined our time at the water park. But it's just, if I'm not intentional, I can fall back into my old ways, my natural ways that are comfortable to me that I kind of ingrained as a single man, and not trusting in God's design for a marriage to flourish.

So our author in Hebrews is addressing a similar issue. He's writing to a group of Jewish Christians who are facing the same experience falling back into old habits, going back to what they know and are comfortable with. This group was most likely being persecuted and imprisoned for their faith. And often as life goes, when it doesn't go as planned, we tend to start questioning, am I on the right path? Am I doing the right thing? And we can start to doubt what we're doing and start looking back to how things were, how we did things long ago. And in this case, they're looking back at the sacrificial system. And life was getting tough. Things weren't going the way they expected. They were lacking confidence in entering the presence of God. So my question for you this morning is, how confident are you to enter the presence of God? So our scripture this morning is Hebrews

chapter 10 verses 19 through 25. I'll be in the ESV version. So if you're able, would you stand with me as we read God's word? Starting in 19. This is God's word. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you just for this opportunity to open your word with South Burleson. Father, I just ask that your spirit meet us here. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 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. This is God's word. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you just for this opportunity to meet us here, that you focus our minds, that you focus our hearts on what you have for us this morning. Father, I ask that you move me aside and use me as you see fit. I pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen. You can be seated. So before we get to our scripture, we need to talk about God's holiness or His uniqueness.

Holy is a word that means set apart. It's pure and associated with the divine, with God. When we say our God is holy, we are saying He is pure, He is perfect, He is unique, and He's so much of these sayings that it's dangerous for impure people to enter into His presence. Just like you and me, if we get close to God, that is dangerous for us. So let's think about the sun. That's the S-U-N sun. It's unique in our solar system. Here on earth, we can benefit from its warmth, the life-producing rays. It helps plants produce food. It allows us to see during the day. The very power that generates warmth and life on earth is going to destroy anything that enters into its presence. Not because the sun is bad, but because the sun is a giant ball of fire, and if earthly things get close to it, you're going to get burnt up. So being in the presence of the sun is dangerous.

Even here on earth, you can get a sunburn just being out too long in it. So God's presence for a sinner is much the same. Once sin entered the picture, we became impure. If we were to approach God who is perfect, good, and pure, if we were to enter His presence with our sin, we would drop dead. His purity is so powerful, it will destroy anything impure. So how do impure beings approach a holy, perfect God? So this brings me to our main point this morning. Through the sacrifice of Jesus, we are invited to freely and confidently enter God's presence, prompting us to support each other in a community that inspires growth and accountability. I'll read that one more time. Through the sacrifice of Jesus, we are invited to freely and confidently enter God's presence, prompting us to support each other in a community that inspires growth and accountability. So how confident are you to enter the presence of God?

Starting with Hebrews 10, verses 19, Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that He opened for us through the curtain that is through His flesh, we'll pause right there, even as unclean people, we can be confident to enter God's presence. We all struggle with that feeling of unworthiness. Some of us undoubtedly struggle with having too much confident and have contentment that is settled in us. So considering this is a Jewish audience, in the Old Testament, they would have a high priest who would represent the people to God and God to the people. He was expected to live with a higher moral standard amongst a multitude of other expectations. One of the big tasks of the year of the high priest was to enter the place called the Holy of Holies. This is a place where heaven and earth came together.

This is where the Ark of the Covenant was placed. It was the symbol of God's throne. It was where His presence was. In 2 Samuel, David had a group of guys transporting the Ark. And just a side note, they were transporting it in a manner that was against God's command. So they're already off on the wrong foot. And the ox pulling the cart stumbled, and the guy reached out to support the Ark, and as soon as he touched it, he dropped dead. And that's because God's presence has serious and instant consequences for sinners. The Holy of Holies, where God's presence dwelled, was a place that was separated from the rest of the temple or tabernacle so that no one could see it or enter it. And that was for everyone's protection. The high priest had to follow strict cleansing rituals and offer specific sacrifices for himself and for the people before entering the Holy of Holies.

And they would even put bells at the bottom of his robe so that they could hear if he was still moving in there. And they would tie a rope around his ankle, so if he did drop dead, they could pull him out. So this wasn't just a meaningless religious ritual. This was a true life or death situation for the priest. And he would go through this ritual once a year to cleanse all the people of their sin from the previous year, giving everyone a clean slate moving forward. And this was called the Day of Atonement. So because of Jesus, we can now confidently enter into this dangerous area through his blood. When you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus died for your sin and he was raised from the dead and now sits at the right hand of God the Father, the Bible says that if you believe these things, then your impurity, your sin is covered by the blood of Jesus.

And that's the good news. That is the gospel. No need for animal sacrifices, no need for more bloodshed. You can now confidently enter into the Holy of Holies right where you are, the holy place, God's presence, 24-7, 365. So old A.J. thinks only of himself isn't concerned about others. New A.J. has a wife who loves him and likes him most of the time. So why would I go back to bad habits, to the old ways from a daze as a single man when I have been given a wonderful, godly woman to enjoy? Why does anxiety cripple us? Why do we bite our nails? Why do we allow fear to oppress us? The author of Hebrews is asking a similar question. Why would you go back to the time before Jesus? Verse 21, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, when you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, he is your high priest. He goes into the Holy of Holies on your behalf. He goes in for me and says to God, A.J. is mine.

I represent him. His sins are covered. Jesus sacrificed his life for me. He lived the life I could not. And I am accepted in the presence of God. And the name is offered to you. So continuing to verse 22, Let us draw near with a true heart and a full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. So with Jesus representing you, with boldness, you can go in with your questions, your struggles, your victories, your failures, your fears. Because of Jesus' work on the cross, you can bring all that you are to God without guilt and without shame. You are seen as clean and can draw near to God. James 4, 4, 8 says, Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. So through Jesus, we can have confidence to enter God's presence. Then the question becomes, how do we draw near to God? And the first step, accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior,

who lived the life we could not, he died the death we deserved, rose on the third day, we repent from our sins and believe. That is the ultimate thing. That is the point where old becomes new. So without that first step, we have no chance of closing the infinite void between us and God. Jesus is the only way. So you follow Jesus. So what are some practical ways we can draw near? We can draw near through daily worship, through dependence on God. We draw near by conforming to God, by communion with Him, by continuing to be influenced by God. We are constantly fighting to draw near to Him and He will draw near to us. Verse 22 says to draw near with a true heart. That is a heart characterized by honesty, integrity and devotion to God. That doesn't mean you have to be happy or satisfied where you are. That just means that when you go to God, be honest about where you are,

how you're feeling. It's okay to be raw and unfiltered when you approach God. The goal is to continue to grow and learn, grinding down those rough edges that we tend to have. And we call that the process of sanctification. When we experience depression or broken relationships or a failure, we can draw near to God, trusting that He is faithful and will bring us not out of it, but through it. Rarely does God just remove us from situations as much as we want Him to. He uses the storm to shape us, to grow us. That storm becomes the tool that draws us near to Him. We often pray to be removed from the storm when our prayer should be, what are you showing me in the storm, Father? How can I draw near to you in this situation? He's with us every step of the way. He can trust that whatever is happening, no matter how terrible it might be, He knows our pain. He knows our struggles.

And He wants us to draw near to Him in our prayers through reading His Word, walking alongside with other believers as they help carry us through these difficult times. It's somewhat cliche, but singing songs of praise to God in times of darkness, in times of struggle, temptation, they can truly lift your spirit and point it back to Jesus. And on the ever so rare occasion, which is some sarcasm, me and my wife get in a conflict or hurt one another, where our heels are dug in, horns are locked, taking a time out to pray with and over one another out loud can really take the temperature down and point our hearts back to God, align our hearts back with Christ. That time out, that pause of just taking the time to align our hearts with Christ, to pray for one another, really makes a difference. So how do we draw near to God? We hold fast. Verse 23, Let us hold fast the confession of our hope

about wavering for He who promised is faithful. This confession of hope, our confession of hope in Jesus, to constantly remind ourselves and each other of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, and how that is freely given to us despite being completely undeserving as such a gift. We are forgetful people. We are no better than the Israelites in the Old Testament. They saw an entire sea split, walked across dry ground. They wandered through the wilderness following a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire. They ate magic sky bread every morning for breakfast. They had quail run into the camp to feed them for supper at night. They drank water from a rock where there was no water. They saw some of the biggest miracles ever recorded, yet that was never enough. They always needed more signs. So we're no different today. We constantly forget about the blessings of yesterday

as we ask for more blessings today. We must remind ourselves daily of the only gift that can satisfy a restless soul, and that is the sacrifice of Jesus' life in place of ours. Verse 23 ends with, For he who promised is faithful. We hold on to that fact that our God is unchanging. He's the same today, or let's say, He's the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. His promises are never broken. His faithfulness should encourage us to be faithful and depend more on Him. So how do we draw near to God? Doing life with one another. Verse 24, And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 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. So when I grew up in the church, and even still today, we dwell on the personal relationship with Jesus. It is personal, and it is between you and God,

but, and that's all true, but in our context, personal is usually considered or taken as private. The Bible knows nothing of a private relationship with Jesus. That your relationship is personal, but it is not private. So let's look at the text. There are three let us statements here in these seven verses. Let us draw near. Let us hold fast. Let us stir up. The Christian walk is not meant to be lived alone. Sheep who travel alone are just a snack for the enemy who's looking to steal, kill, and destroy. The Christian life is designed to be lived within a community of believers. And here in verse 24 is this term, stir up. It can also be translated spur one another. So I know we're in Texas, and I'll assume that most of us know what spurs are, but we're going to talk about it anyways. So cowboys wear spurs on the hill of their boot, and they'll use this to poke a horse

as they're riding it to inflict a little pain on the horse to get it to move or change direction. And if we're honest with ourselves, we need that in our lives as well. We need people to come up beside us to put a little spur on our side to get us back on track. And this is a time to encourage us during times of struggle and temptations to walk along us, not to judge, but to encourage and motivate. And that's not the pat on the back type of encouragement, but it is to put that spur in your side to move you along to get you back on track. So in verse 25, we get this phrase, not neglecting to meet together. And I don't think this is just talking about the Sunday morning church gathering. I think it's more than that. If we are going to help one another, if we're going to spur each other along, we need to be getting together more than just at the building on Sunday

and sometimes Wednesdays. Worship services are the starting point. That's where we can get fed. That's where we can meet each other. That's where we can corporately worship. And that's also where we can get the awkward first meetings out of the way. We can get to know each other, get some contacts to call. So when we do go outside this building, we have people to call, to pray with, to share our lives with, to encourage each other. And so it starts here, and it continues at work, at home, at school. Your personal relationship with Jesus is personal, but it's not designed to be private. So as we begin to land this plane, being a Christian is a collective journey where we build each other up, encourage one another, help one another, and it takes all of us participating in that journey. So when we leave this building today, Christians, be bold, share your testimony with others,

talk with the outcast. God will use your interactions with others to change lives. So remember, it's through the sacrifice of Jesus. We are invited to freely and confidently enter God's presence, prompting us to support each other in a community that inspires growth and accountability. So in what ways will you draw near to God? If you're going through a storm right now, how are you going to hold fast? Some of us need a spur in our side. Others need to put a spur into somebody else's side. And even in the midst of the storm, even in the midst of being off track and all that we go through, through the blood of Christ, we can have confidence and enter into the presence of God. So if you aren't confident, if you are unsure of entering this presence of God, the one true God, I'd be happy to talk with you. I'm sure Drew, Daniel, any of the other guys here would be happy to talk with you after the service.

So let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for this opportunity to open your word, to dive into it. Father, I just ask that you help us to be a people that just doesn't come to church, but we live your word outside of these walls, that we reach the outcasts, that we reach one another, that we encourage one another, that we not be afraid to spur each other along. Father, we love you. I pray all this in Jesus' name, Amen.