Hebrews 10:23-25; John 9:4 *
Dear Friends in Christ,
Here at
That theme and logo has served us well, and will continue to do so. It reminds us of where we draw our strength – from Christ and His Word. It also reminds us of the historical part we as a Christian Church have played in this community for almost 125 years. Finally it reminds us of the privilege, the opportunity, and the responsibility we have to reach out to those around us with the Gospel message of Jesus Christ.
Today, as we gather here for our fifth annual Unity Sunday, the writer to the Hebrews. as well as Jesus Christ Himself, encourages us stay rooted in the Word, to stay growing in our faith, and to keep reaching out to those around us. In other words, what we are asked to do, both as individuals and as a congregation, is to
CONTINUE ON IN OUR LIVES OF FAITH
In the Word before us we have a number of pieces of individual encouragement. We can synthesize and crystallize them into three specific directives on how to carry out this “continuing on” stage in our lives of faith. We are asked to:
1. Hold unswervingly to the hope
we profess
2. Be responsible to each other as members of the
same Christian family
3. Advance the kingdom while we
can
Our text begins with this word of spiritual counsel: 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. Keeping in mind that this letter was originally written to Christians who came from a Jewish background, and knowing from other parts of this letter that some were beginning to feel the sting of persecution, the context suggests that some of these new Christians were becoming discouraged, maybe even considering abandoning the faith and returning to their Judaism.
So the writer to the Hebrews (and we’re not sure who that is) exhorts them to “hold unswervingly” to their confession and find confidence in the fact that God is faithful to His promises. What promises in particular ought they cling to? Certainly the salvation He promised them in Christ, but also all those many promises He gives in His Word to provide strength in time of need and hardship. Continue on in the faith, he tells them, by holding fast to the truth.
Good counsel for us as well. So how do we do this? Practically speaking, how do we hold “unswervingly to the hope we profess”? Allow me to introduce you to someone who can answer this far more eloquently than I’m able. His name is John Chrysostum. He lived way back in the 5th Century, but his words to Christians at that time are just as relevant today. This quote from a sermon he preached is worth sharing…
“Listen carefully to me, I entreat
you…[P]rocure books that will be medicines for
the soul… At least get a copy of the New
Testament, the Apostle’s epistles, the
Acts, the Gospels, for your constant
teachers. If you encounter grief,
dive into them as into a chest of medicines;
take from them comfort for your
trouble, whether it be loss, or death, or
bereavement over the loss of
relations.
Don’t simply dive into them. Swim
in them. Keep them constantly in
your mind.
The cause of all evils is the
failure to know the Scriptures well.”
How do we stave off the temptations to become discouraged by the events in life? By knowing Scripture well. By staying “rooted and growing” in the Word through personal devotions and involvement in the structured Bible studies offered by our church.
That’s how we continue on in our lives of faith.
The writer to the Hebrews has more to say on the subject. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. We have three separate statements, all of which address how Christians are to relate to each other.
Before we look at them more closely, let’s not overlook the general underlying thought, because it is so very important. It is this: As Christians, we need each other. As Christians, we have a responsibility to help each other “continue on” in our lives of faith. Christianity is many things, but there is one thing it is not: it is not a solitary endeavor. Each of us is part of a whole. Therefore, we need the strength and encouragement of our Christian family. Because that is what we are: a family.
That’s one of the reasons why this Sunday, Unity Sunday, is
so special and so meaningful. It reminds
us that even though we may have different backgrounds and different occupations
and different stations in life; even though we may attend different services
and even have different opinions about what’s best for
That being said, what kind of responsibility do we have toward each other?
First, we are “to spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” How do we do this? I don’t think this is accomplished through pep talks. I believe this is best accomplished through simply and quietly living out our lives to the glory of God. When Christians do this, they may not even be aware of the impact they are having on others. But people notice. And people can be encouraged and spurred on in their own lives of faith. Let me give you an example of this…
When a person wishes to become a member of
Do you know what I most often hear? People will talk about their parents or
grandparents or spouses, or maybe a pastor or a teacher or a special Sunday school
teacher from their past. In other words,
they mention ordinary folks. Folks who
will never be written up in Christian history books. But folks who day in and day out lived out
their lives of faith. And in doing so they “spurred
one another on toward love and good deeds.”
How else do we exercise our responsibility toward each other? “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage each other…” Let’s go back to the context. Something was evidently going on with some of these Hebrew (Jewish) Christians. The modern day equivalent would be that they were no longer going to church, or going irregularly. Why? Maybe they bought into the idea which we still hear today: “You know, you don’t have to go to church to be a Christian,” which, let’s be honest, is usually just an excuse for laziness. Or maybe there was some other reason. But they weren’t going.
What’s interesting is the reason advanced by the writer to the Hebrews for why they needed to be in church. Certainly implied is for their own spiritual welfare. But just as important is for the encouragement their presence provides to other Christians. Which all goes back to the responsibility we have toward each other.
When we see each other in worship, even if we don’t know each other’s names, our very presence is an encouragement to them. And their presence is an encouragement to us. The encouragement is this: We have friends. We have allies. We are not alone. We have brothers and sisters who go through the same struggles we go through and need the same strength that we need and get it through the same means that we do: the Word and Sacrament.
So by “meeting together” there are actually a couple of things going on. Not only are we helping ourselves, but we’re helping our fellow Christians as well.
There is yet another way that we must “spur one another on toward love and good deeds and encourage each
other,” and that has to do with the entire overall mission of the
church. We need to always be encouraging
each other to continue doing the work God has given us to do here at
Jesus gave us our marching orders in the Great
Commission. We are to teach and to reach. We are to strengthen the saints and
evangelize the lost. That is the dual
purpose given us as a Church by Christ. We are to advance the kingdom while we can.
Consequently everything we do at
Take this facility for example. Last year on this day we dedicated this building. When we built this building, it was never meant to be a monument to ourselves, but a tool to reach out with the Gospel. And God has allowed it to be used for that purpose. This year we have 30 more students than we did last year. Most of them are in our early childhood program. Many of them have little or no church background. We have had the privilege of baptizing some of these little ones and instructing the parents. This building has given us the opportunity to share and declare Jesus Christ. For that, God be praised.
And it is that kind of work we must continue doing, because we don’t know how much time is left. The writer to the Hebrews tells us to do all these things “all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Jesus tells us in John chapter nine that we must work while it is day, because night is coming when no one can work.
In the sermon two weeks ago I mentioned that we are living in a period of interlude between the two great events in history – the first and second coming of Christ. And we “see the Day approaching.” We know it could come anytime. That causes us no fear, because we know we have a place awaiting us in heaven. But it also casts a certain sense of urgency and importance on how we use our time and our resources… It fills us with a sense of purpose and gives us encouragement…
As does our text for today.
That purposeful and encouraging message is this: God in His grace has rooted faith in our
hearts and allowed it to grow. Let us
now, with the strength He provides and to His glory, CONTINUE ON IN OUR
LIVES OF FAITH. How?
By holding unswervingly to the hope we profess.
By being responsible to each other as members of the same
Christian family.
By advancing the kingdom while we can.
God grant it. Amen.