Hebrews chapter 10. This morning our text will be
found in verse 24 through 27. We'll read these together and
then we're going to go back and we're going to bring us up to
this point by way of context. The scripture says, consider
one another to provoke unto love and to good works, not forsaking
the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is, but
exhorting one another. And so much the more, as you
see the day approaching, For if we sin willfully after that
we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth
no more sacrifice for sins but a certain fearful looking for
the judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries. The title of the message this
morning is The blessed consideration of the saints. Consideration
of the saints. I could have titled it the love
of the saints. It's the same. Consideration
and love of the saints. Now, the Apostle, having now
brought to our attention the greatest and highest glory of
doctrine, that Jesus Christ has fulfilled all the law and the
prophets, that by his one offering, Jesus hath perfected forever
them that are sanctified. All that the Father predestinated,
ordained, and chose in sovereign election were sanctified of the
Father. They were set apart. They were
purposed to be holy by God from eternity. these saints being
given to Christ by God, that he should be all their salvation. In 1 Corinthians chapter 1 and
verse 30, it says, But of him, but of God, God hath made Christ
to be wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. All salvation is made by God
to rest in Christ. That's what God purposed from
eternity. That all the salvation of His
elect should be in Christ. That's who should save. And now
we read that Jesus Christ has done it. He's fulfilled it. He's accomplished it. the salvation
of his elect. He redeemed us. He reconciled
us to God. How? By his one offering. That's what Paul says in this
verse of Scripture. Look at verse 12. But this man,
after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on
the right hand of God, henceforth expecting till his enemies be
made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected
forever them that are sanctified. Now that Christ has done it and
been risen from the dead, we who believe on Christ have been
sanctified by the Holy Spirit through belief of the truth.
You see, I know that I am perfected by the work of Christ because
I have been sanctified by the Spirit. The word sanctification,
it means set apart, and it means holy. I have been set apart by
the Spirit of God through faith in Christ. I have been made holy
by the offering of Christ, and now the Spirit of God has given
me what Christ has merited for me. It's mine. I have been sanctified,
made perfect. Paul says in 2 Thessalonians
2 and verse 13, he says, but we are bound always to give thanks
to God for you, beloved, because God hath from the beginning chosen
you to salvation through, here's the means, sanctification of
the Spirit and belief of the truth which we preach by our
gospel. You heard it, you believed it.
How? Through the preaching of the gospel, this is the means
that God has chosen to save his people. And believer, we have
then, therefore, Paul says, having access, verse 19, having therefore,
brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
by a new and living way, which He consecrated for us through
the veil that is His flesh. What happened at the veil? The
veil was rent. The way to God was made open. And now, you, believer, you,
believer, have access to God. You have boldness to enter into
the very presence of God, not by yourself, but through your
high priest who has entered in for you. That's the very next
verse, having a high priest over the house of God. You see, we
may have access by Jesus Christ to the very throne room of God,
to make our requests known unto God, to lay our burdens bare
before God. Always think of this, when that
king Hezekiah, Hezekiah was surrounded by those Assyrians and they were
mocking his God. They said, don't let Hezekiah
tell you God will deliver you. No God delivered their nations. He won't deliver you. And Hezekiah
took those letters and he spread them out. before the Lord. He
just laid them out there and said, I don't have any strength.
I can't do this. That's exactly what believers
do. We lay out our case before God every time, and we have access. And that's why Paul says this,
verse 22, let us draw near. You see, there's a thing. We
have access, but how often do we use this access? How often
do we use this access? May God in grace cause us to
use what God has given us. We have access to the very throne
of God being justified by faith in Christ, Paul says in Romans
5, but rather we're justified not by our faith, but the object
of our faith. You see, I can come to God. I
know this. I have no merit in myself to
come to God. I have all the merit I need in
Christ, and therefore, by Christ, in Christ we are to come and
draw near with a heart of full assurance of faith. Draw near
to God. This is the exhortations. You see, so first, Paul lays
out the doctrine. Doctrine is important. Doctrine
is necessary. You can't go to God without understanding
the doctrine. How can you go to God except
you know Christ took away your sins, except Christ has given
you righteousness? You can't have any assurance
you're going to be heard. It's by the doctrine we have assurance. But not only do we have assurance,
we are exhorted to use it. Use it. Make use of it. Draw
near to God. Seeing we have this access, let
us use it. Not by carnal means of ceremony
and ritual. You know, that's how people think
you come to God, isn't it? By feeling good. They think, well,
if I feel religious, then obviously I've come to God. That's not
true. Not necessarily true. You see, I have access to God
whether I feel like it or not. I have access to God. I can draw
near to God with my heart is cold, my faith is weak, my love
and grace and exercise are low. Isn't that when you draw near
to God? I don't know. If I'm waiting
to feel good to draw near to God, I would most likely never
come. No, we come in our lowest state. We come and draw near to God
because of our lowest state. Because only in Christ can we
be elevated. Only in Christ can we be lifted
up, strengthened, encouraged, comforted in Christ. And so by
this we come to God in prayer. You know, prayer is the breath
of the believer. You know, if you have a man that
doesn't pray, I tell you, that man, something's wrong with his
religion. That man doesn't have any prayer to offer to God. But believers, in the very teeth
of our trouble, in the very trials of our being, we are exhorted
to draw near. Come near to God. We have this
promise, if we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. Isn't
that good? Because I tell you, when I draw
near, I don't feel like I can go very far. How many times your prayers don't
even feel like they reach the ceiling? Well, that's good that
he draws near to me because I can't go. I don't have any strength
to go. But that's when you need to go.
Draw near. And draw near with heart of full
assurance. In other words, you should expect
to be heard. That's something, isn't it? That's
not presumptuous to expect God to hear you. Why? Because you're not praying in
yourself. You're praying in the name of Christ. You are praying
on the behalf of my mediator, of my high priest, Lord. I ask
these things in his name. That's not just an incantation.
People say at the end of a prayer, they go, in Jesus' name, amen.
That's not an incantation. That's not just some magical
spell. We are praying in his name, and our merit is his merit. I should be heard based on his
merit, not my own. Therefore, I have a heart of
full assurance to be heard. Why? Because he is always heard. Christ, my mediator, is always
heard of God. And secondly, he gives this second
exhortation, is verse 23, let us hold fast the profession of
our faith. This word faith should be better
translated hope. Let us hold fast the profession
of our hope. What is hope? Hope is no wish. Hope is a rock solid absolute
assurance, confidence. Let me hold fast to my confidence. What is my confidence? My confidence
is not in me, but in the oath and counsel of God. That's what
Paul says in Hebrews chapter 6. He said, by two immutable
things, which is impossible for God to lie, that we might have
a strong consolation, a strong hope. You who have fled to Christ
for refuge, you have a strong hope. Now you hang on to it. That's what Paul says. Don't
let it go. Don't let it go. I know we are tempted to because
everything around us opposes my confidence in Christ. Everything. My flesh opposes me. This morning,
did anybody have trouble worshipping? Anybody got trouble worshipping?
Does the flesh get in the way with you as it does with me?
I've got someone opposing me every second of every day and
telling me that I have no hope. But I don't care what he says.
I don't care what he says. I care what God says, and God
says I have a strong consolation in Christ. I've got a good hope,
a good confidence, and I'm going to hang on to it. I'm gonna hang
on to it. I like that when Joshua, that
high priest, he approached before God in those filthy rags, and
Satan was at his right hand ready to accuse him. But before he
could say a word, the Lord Jesus Christ said, shut up. Shut up. Take those filthy rags off of
him and put on a clean robe and put a crown on his head. Why? Because Christ had merited that
for us. I have a strong hope and no one
can accuse me. No one can oppose me. Who is
he that condemneth? As Christ had died, yea rather
has risen again. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It is God that justified me. How can anyone condemn me? If God justified me, you would
have to speak to Him about that. Anyone who want to accuse me,
you might have to speak to Him about that. Because in Christ,
I'm clean. My sins are gone. I've been built
upon the foundation of Christ as my hope, my righteousness,
my all. And all the world, though it
oppose me, though Satan tempt me, I know this, I have hope. Peter said this, he said, seeing
that all things will melt with fervent heat, what kind of person
then ought we to be? What causes you so much anxiety,
so much trouble? Seeing all these things eventually
will be gone, what kind of person ought you to be? Doubtful? Should you be an unbelieving
person? No. We ought to walk in holy
communion and conversation, looking for and hastening for the coming
of our Lord. We ought to be people of hope.
Lay hold of the hope. Do you have hope? I don't mean
a wish. Do you have confidence? You do
if you're in Christ. You have an immovable confidence. Do you know this? That God would
have to cast out His Son to cast me out. I am so in union with Christ
that He cannot deny me. Is that not the most amazing
thing? Lay hold of that hope. when everything
else seems to go against it. Now then, look at this next exhortation
in our text here. Let's look at this together.
He says, this is the third exhortation, let us consider. Let us draw
near. Let us hold fast to the profession
of our hope without wavering, seeing God is faithful who promised. And the third thing is, let us
consider one another. Consider one another. This word,
consider, it is very strong and expressive of action. Action. In other words, it doesn't
mean to consider one another in a flippant manner. We do this
often, right? You think of somebody and you
go, oh, I wonder how so-and-so is doing. That's not what he
has meant here. That is not the word. You are
not considering one another if you just think about somebody.
This word has to do with action. It has to do with intention and
on purpose. It means to perceive, remark,
observe, understand, attentively consider, and set one's mind
and eyes upon them. It is to actually care and love
one another. Love. This is no light or fleeting
consideration, no polite conversation or casual behavior. To consider
one another is an ongoing, continual, outgoing of sympathy, empathy,
and compassion. It is caring deeply and loving
fully, considering them in love and desiring only the best for
them above one's self. That's what it means. Let us
love and consider one another above our own desires. That's what it means. Let us
love, as the Apostle said, without hypocrisy. Isn't it hypocrisy
to say, I love you, brother, and see he has a need and not
give it? It's hypocrisy. That's not what
is said here. Consider one another, to love
one another. To consider one another is ongoing
continually, considering that we are all the members of the
body of Christ. When you look at another believer,
you should consider that is the body of Christ. If you would consider the body
of Christ, you would consider his saints. You would love them. If you love his body, then you
will love his people. You would love his people. Now,
believers, we are free from the law in Christ. This is no doubt. Scripture says that Christ is
the end of the law for righteousness. So this love that I'm telling
you about, It is a law. It is not the law of Moses, but
it is the law of Christ. You see, we're free from the
law, but we're not lawless. We're not lawless. Believer,
are you without law? Really? No, we have a law. It's just not the law of Moses.
It's not the law of Moses. What is it? It is the law of
love. Go to 1st John, chapter 2. If
you want to read anything about love, John is explicitly well-versed
in this, about these commandments of God, these commandments that
believers are under. John, chapter 2, verse 3, "...hereby we do know
that we know him. You want to know if you know
Christ? Do you? John says, here's how you can
know if you know him. If we keep his commandments,
For he that saith, I know him, and keepeth not, his commandments
is a liar, and the truth is not in him." Oh man, then what are
these commandments that we must keep? So many liars have crept in and
tried to sow this to mean the Ten Commandments. But I refute
and deny such evil claims, even because the Word of God
denies it. What does the Word of God say
about the law? I know people say that. Well, he's saying here,
if you want to be his, you've got to obey the Ten Commandments.
That's what that means. No, it doesn't. Listen to what
God says about the law. Cursed is everyone. Cursed is
everyone. that continueth not in all things
written in the law to do them." The law of Moses is one law. You cannot separate it. You cannot
divide it. You can't say, well, we're finished
with the sacrifices, but we've got to obey circumcision. We're
finished with the dietary law, but we've got to keep the Sabbath.
No. The law is the law is the law
is the law, and cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things
written in the book of the law to do them. All right? So raise your hand if you've
done that. Anyone continued always, forever, in all things written
in the law. So if you desire to be under
that law, God says, Cursed is everyone. Cursed is everyone. Cursed. That's not what John
is talking about, the Ten Commandments or any other part of the law.
What is John talking about? Look at 1 John chapter 3 and verse 23. And this is his commandment. You know, when you look for an
answer in Scripture, it'll give it. You just gotta look. Here
it is. And this is his commandment. First of all, that we should
believe on the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and what? Love one another as he gave us
commandments. So what's your commandments?
What are your commandments? Believe on Christ and love one
another. He that keepeth his commandments
dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth
in us by the Spirit which he hath given us. The Spirit that he had given
us. love one another. And that's what our text is rightly
dividing here. That we should love one another. Consider one another. In 1 John 4 and verse 7 it says,
Beloved, let us love one another, for God is love. And everyone
that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not
knoweth not God, for God is love. And this was manifest, the love
of God toward us, because that God sent forth His only begotten
Son into the world, that we might live through Him. Herein is love,
not that we love God, but that He loved us and sent His Son
to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved
us, listen, we ought also to love one another. We ought to love one another.
Why? Seeing what God did in love for us should move us to love
one another. And John, in that same book,
he says this, if a man doesn't love his brethren, he doesn't
love God. You can decorate your faith with all kinds of so-called
evidences, but if you don't love the brethren, something's wrong
with your faith. Something's wrong with that.
God's people love the brethren. How far should we go with this,
Pastor? How far should we go in considering
one another? Let's go straight to the Lord
and ask Him. What does the Lord say? He says, love one another
even as I have loved you. Now you take that as far as you
want to because you still won't find an end to it. You still won't find an end to
it. Love one another as I have loved
you. John says we should love even
unto death. We should love one another so
much that we are willing to die for the other. Isn't that what
Christ did for you? Was he not willing to die? We are to be long-suffering with
one another, forgiving one another, is to consider one another. It
is to want the best and give the best for the objects of our
affection, even as Christ did for us. Love disperses iniquity, forgives,
it bears all things, believes all things, it never fails, it
is sure, it is continual, perpetual, and this is His commandment,
that you love one another. Now this is not a suggestion. So this morning I am not merely
suggesting you consider one another. Do you suppose Christ is suggesting
that for you? This is not an option for you, believer. Let us consider one another. Actively set our hearts and bodies
and minds for the good of the saints. Since this is to be done,
our aim, our goal, the question then arises, how? How? This love must be done by seeing
believers as men and women in Christ. You can only love me
as much as you see me as I am in Christ. There's a lot of reasons not
to love me. If you see me as I am, surely
there are many reasons for you not to. But as you see me in
Christ, you then have the best reason to love me. because we
are all the body of Christ. We are all brethren of the Lord,
partakers of the same grace, loved by the same God, born of
the same Spirit. You know, J.D. Farmer does not
have any more privileges or blessings or benefits than I do. We have the same. We're born
of the same Lord, redeemed by the same blood, covered in the
same righteousness, loved by the same God, eternally, effectually,
immutably loved. That gives me every reason to
love you. That gives me every reason I need to love you. There's no difference among us.
You see, When we look for differences, that causes distinctions, levels. That's not how we look at each
other. We're to look at each other as we are in Christ. And
this produces love. I'm looking over here in 1 Corinthians
chapter 12. 1 Corinthians chapter 12. I'm sorry, I think it's 2 Corinthians
chapter 12. No, it's first. I'm in the wrong
book. I knew that wasn't right. 2 Corinthians chapter 12. Now,
there are diversities of gifts. but the same Spirit. There are
differences of administration, but the same Lord. There are
diversities of operations, but the same God, which worketh all
in all. But the manifestation of the
Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one
is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom, to another the word
of knowledge, by the same Spirit, to another faith by the same
Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the same Spirit, to another
working of miracles, another prophecy, another discerning
of spirits, to others divers kinds of tongues, and others
the interpretation of tongues. But all these worketh that one
and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he
wills. For as the body is one, and hath
many members, all the members are of that one body, being many
are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we are all
baptized into one body, whether we be a Jew or Gentile, bond
or free, we have all made to drink of the one Spirit. For
the body is not one member, but many. And verse 17, if the whole
body, I'm sorry, but now hath God set the members, every one
of them, in the body as he hath pleased. In other words, Paul
is talking about diversity. Yeah, there's diversity of gifts.
I have been called to pastor. You guys have not been called
to be a pastor. But does that make a distinction
among us in the body? We may be different members in
the body, but we're all the same body. And this, I pray, would
not cause men to envy. Paul is saying, don't envy someone
else's gifts. Because that has no bearing on
your sufficiency before God. You're in Christ. We're not to
be divided by these things, but rather consider one another and
their gifts and rejoice in them. Shouldn't you rejoice in the
gifts that God has given others instead of envying them? Yeah,
consider them. Consider them in love and praise
to God. Let us consider one another.
We are the same body. and consider that we desire the
best, but also consider this, that men, that the saints of
God, that the best of us are at best
men. I am still a sinner saved by
grace. And so as you love me, you should
consider that. You should consider that. And
as I love you, I should consider that. And so when we are cross
with a believer, we should consider to be quick to forgive. Quick
to forgive. Peter, you know, he asked that
question, how often should I forgive my brother? Seven times. He thought
he was being generous. God said, forgive as I've forgiven
you. Seventy times seven. Perfect
forgiveness. Perfect forgiveness. We should
be willingly loving one another. And this is the purpose. Now
go back to your text. I'm going to give you the purpose. Now,
I've told you how it is. We should, by considering one
another, we should love one another by considering who we are in
Christ. considering that we're sinners
saved by grace. But what does this do? What is the aim of this?
To provoke unto love and good works. To provoke unto love and
good works. The aim of our love is to provoke. The word translated here is irritate.
That's strange, isn't it? irritate one another to love. I like this. Think of the Old
Testament prophets. Think of David. Think of his
life. What great things God gave him. What great swelling love and
presence. Oh, you could hear it in his
words. He was so close to God that he
could feel like he could touch him. Oh, how I long for that. And yet I look at my life. What does that do? That stirs
me up to want that. Doesn't it you? I desire to be
like David in many ways. I desire to be like Abraham,
who followed God without question. Don't you want to be that? You
look at your life and you're pretty irritated. I'm not even
close. But what does that do? It stirs
me up, Lord. Make me like that. And that's
what the love of a believer does. We do this by example. By example. We are exhorted to consider one
another to action, to provoke to action. The Scripture says, Be ye followers
of God as dear children. Walk in love, and by this men
shall know that you are my disciples. By loving one another, by walking
in love, what are we doing? Without thinking, you are stirring
others to love. That's what you're doing. Simply
by obedience to Christ, we stir others to love. By our example. By our example. Love begats love. I love you. I really love you. I consider you often. In my prayers, in my study, I
think of you often. and you bring such joy to my
heart." Paul says to his congregation, you are my crown and joy. Love begets love. How often do we read of others
and envy them that we should be loved. And if we do walk in
love, we will stir others to the same affection. How often then, if you are loved
by a brethren and you feel anger, are you not made ashamed? Yes, I am. I'm ashamed that I
do not love you. like I should. And so what is
that doing? It's stirring me up to love. When you consider me, it stirs
me to love you. When I consider you, it stirs
you to love me. We provoke one another, we stir
one another up as Christ. is follower by following Christ.
You know, three times the Apostle says this, makes this remark,
follow me even as I follow Christ. What is he saying? By my example,
follow my example of love. Therefore, let us consider one
another in love, actively longing, forgiving, and loving to stir
up others to love, not for our glory, but rather the glory of
Christ. Now, look at the means that the
apostle uses as the pinnacle to stir one another to love.
Look at this in verse 25. Not forsaking the assembling
of yourselves together as the manner of some is. This loving
consideration and example of love that provokes other saints,
Paul says, by the Holy Spirit, is exemplified and best displayed
when we gather together and worship God and fellowship together in
hearing the gospel. This love is best exemplified
and nurtured where? Assembling together. Nothing like it. There'll be
some that get this video. Scott, hopefully, right? The
Lord blesses. Somebody may get this video.
And they may be blessed by the message. But I tell you what,
there is altogether a difference from watching it and being here. It's different. You know it is. Because there's a very special
thing that God has made for the assembly of the saints. It's
special. It's special. Assembling together
is considering. Pastor, will you mean the attendance
of the saints in public worship is really an act of love toward
the believer? Yes, it is. You being here is
an act of love toward the believer. That's what Paul is saying. It's
an act of love. It's exactly what God is teaching
us. This assembly has in view every time the saints of God
meet to worship and fellowship in the gospel, no matter the
day of the week. This is where God and the saints
display love. This is now the time when those
men will come who are unfaithful to attend the worship and start
to try to find loophole. This is the part where people
will try to find ways out or excuses for not assembling. They say, I can worship God at
home just as well as you can there. I can do this in private
just like I can in public. I don't need a church building
to worship God. I can read on my own, pray on my own. Well,
I'll tell you this, I never ever will discourage private worship.
Ever. Very important. Private worship
is necessary. It is good for a man to enter
into his closet and commune with his God. It is good that you
take this word that I'm preaching to you and you go home and you
study it with all intensity and prayer and you should read this
word constantly. There's no doubt. I recommend
Spurgeon's morning and evening. Get up every morning and read
it. And every evening before you go to bed, you can read and
you can pray and have devotion, and those are good. David said,
every morning and at noon and evening, I pray unto thee and
cry with my voice. And you should. So private worship,
I'm not preaching against private worship. Not at all. So then to assume that those
unfaithful to attend the public worship, I encourage and exhort
them to private worship, but I also tell you something that
is of greater value and importance than private worship is public.
It is greater than private worship. I've got many reasons, and I'm
going to tell you the pinnacle one according to this text. You
cannot provoke anyone to love when you're alone. How can you provoke me to love
if I can never see you? Now, you can tell me you love
me, but is that the word consider that we're talking about? Consider
is an active, engaged thought and concern for the other. And
I tell you, if people are forsaking the assembling of the cells together,
they are discouraging others. You see this is not about us. This is about Christ and his
people. We come here first of all to
worship God. And by doing so, we provoke others
to love and we encourage one another to good works. Just by
being here. I remember some time when I was
going working at night and I was exhausted. I just, I could not
keep myself awake, but I knew Christ would be there. Isn't that what he said about
public worship? This is better than private worship
because in a very special way, Jesus Christ is here among us. He is always with us. He never
leaves us. His spirit is continually indwelling
us. Yet it says in Matthew's gospel
that he said, where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there I am. Not there I will be, not there
I might be, if you're good enough. No, I am always there. I am always there. So consider,
if you forsake the assembling of yourselves together, I want
you to understand you are forsaking the presence of Christ. That's just so. That's just so. David said when he was away,
he said this, As for me, I will come into the house of the Lord
in the multitude of thy mercy, and in thy fear I will worship
toward thy holy temple. In other words, it's a determination.
Being here is a determination. Because everything in the world
opposes it. Am I right? Everything opposes it. You know,
I cannot and will not force men to come to public worship. It's not possible. Now, I can
make you sit in a seat, but I can't make you worship. I can't do it. People can be
guilted into coming, can't they? That's not what I'm trying to
do. I'm trying to tell you that it provokes one another to love.
And if you love one another, forsake not the assembling of
yourselves together as a manner of some is. They even had that
problem in Paul's day. They even had a problem with
that. Imagine the Apostle Paul was
preaching. He had an attendance problem. Why? Because a manner of some
of them is. It's a custom that they just won't do it. I can't
make anybody and I won't try to. But as for me, I will. I will because he's here. I will
because he is worthy of my worship. I will because I love you and
want to encourage you. Is that not what I do? When I
come and preach the gospel, is it not encouraging? That's what
it does. It incites love and good works
when the gospel is preached. I, like David, determined to
worship God publicly, openly, to spread the gospel of Christ
to everyone who will hear, so that the lost might hear it and
believe on Christ. And I tell you, when I'm deprived
of it, I'm like David, who even envied the birds. You remember
the birds. He said, the sparrows have found
nests in thy house. And he envied them. Sometimes
when God hinders his people and they are not allowed to come. My poor sister is in the hospital
and she cannot come. My poor sister is sick this morning,
she cannot come. I understand. But I know this,
their heart desires to be here. They long for it. You let a believer
go without it and see what happens. He can't last. He just can't. He's got to have it. Got to hear
it. The gospel is not an option to
us. We should come because this is
where the gospel of Christ is preached. This is where sinners
are saved. You realize that? That this is the means God has
chosen to save sinners? Preaching what the world calls
foolishness. To us, it is the power of God. unto salvation to everyone that
believeth." This is power of God here. I know that. Why? That's how I was saved. Through the preaching of the
gospel. And if you're going to be saved, listen, it'll be through
the preaching of this gospel. We ought to meet here because
this is where God's people meet. You know, sheep, we're mentioned
like sheep. Sheep are the dumbest animals
that ever lived. I identify with that. I do. But sheep are gregarious
creatures. They have to flock together.
They have to. It's in their nature. When God
gives you a new nature, I guarantee you this, you will flock with
his people. You will. Matter of fact, the
first church, after that first message, it says that the Lord
added to the church daily, such as should be saved, and they
joined themselves together. They joined themselves together. They considered one another to
provoke to love and good works by the assembling of the saints.
And this assembly of the brethren encourages and exhorts, exhorting
one another as you see the day approaching. Those who absent
themselves willingly from the worship of God truly are selfish
people. They're selfish. They're not considering what
an effect it has on the other believers. They only consider
themselves. And you listen very carefully,
that is not the character of God's people. That is not, that
is in direct opposition of love. That's self-love, self-love. True brethren, true brethren
are not to focus on their own pleasures, on their own property,
on their own family, but rather to be faithful to
God and His people. A man can tell us all about his
love for Christ, but John says this, if he loves not the brethren,
he's a liar, and the truth is not in him. Therefore, let us
consider one another to encourage one another, so that we not forsake
the assembling of ourselves in worship to God. For where the gospel is preached,
Christ is present. Let us then be fervent until
we see the day drawing close. Let us consider one another. Consider that we're in Christ
together. Consider that we're saved by the same gospel, same
grace, loved by the same Father. Consider we're sinners saved
by grace. Let us forgive and love one another and provoke
how by assembling, by hearing, by loving one another, caring. But this thing is not about us,
but about God and His Church, the glory of God and the glory
of Christ. And that's what we assemble for.
And the next thing that the Apostle is going to speak about that
I don't have time to do. Do you know this, that forsaking
the assembly is the first step to apostasy. That's what he begins the next
verse about, those who sin willfully. If they neglect this willfully, there remaineth no more sacrifice
for sin. Man will not consider the brethren.
Most likely, he's apostate. But God's people are not such.
I love you. I love you because I love Him.
I love Him because He first loved me. And I desire His glory. I pray
that God give this, bless this to your hearts. This stand be
dismissed in prayer.