Hebrews 10:19-25 ESV
“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, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near 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. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 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.”
When Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, who is the
second person of our triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – died on that
cross, he who knew no sin became sin for us that we might become the
righteousness of God. And so when he died, our sins were put to death with him
so that we might now, by faith in him, die with him to sin and live to him and
to his righteousness. For by grace we are saved. And that grace teaches us to
say “No!” to ungodliness and fleshly lusts, and to live self-controlled,
upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s return.
[2 Corinthians 5:15,21; 1 Peter 2:24; Romans 6:1-23; Titus
2:11-14]
Now, under the Old Covenant, a high priest went once a year
into the Holy of Holies to make sacrifice first for his own sins and then for
the sins of the people. And he was the only one who could enter into this holy
place behind a curtain. But when Jesus Christ died on that cross, that curtain
was torn in two, symbolizing that now, through Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins,
and by faith in him, we can now enter into the presence of Almighty God and we
no longer need a human mediator between us and God. And now Jesus Christ is our
high priest, and no other, and we all are a holy priesthood.
[Hebrews 2:17; Hebrews 3:1; Hebrews 4:14-15; Hebrews
7:26-28; 1 Peter 2:5-9; Revelation 1:5-6; Revelation 5:9-10; Revelation 20:6]
Therefore, since we can now come into the holy presence of
Almighty God, by God-given faith in Jesus Christ, because of what he did for us
on that cross in shedding his blood for our freedom from slavery to sin, we
should draw near to God with true hearts in full assurance of faith in our Lord
Jesus. And that faith involves us being crucified with Christ in death to sin,
and being raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as
slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. So we now
walk according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh.
And now we are to hold fast the confession of our hope in
our salvation from sin without wavering. And that confession is not lip service
only. For to confess is to agree with God, to voice the same conclusion as him,
and it is to align with him, and it is to speak the same thing as him.
And Jesus said that if anyone would come after him he must
deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow
(obey) him. For if we don’t, but we hold on to our lives of living in sin and
for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if we are crucified with Christ
in death to sin, and so we are raised with him, and we are now walking in
newness of life in him, we have eternal life. For if we are ashamed of Jesus
and his Word in this life, then when he comes back he will be ashamed of us (he
will deny us).
[Luke 9:23-26; cf. Matthew 7:21-23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans
8:1-14]
Now, not everyone who professes faith in Jesus Christ has
truly been crucified with Christ in death to sin and been raised with Christ to
walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin, but now as slaves
to God and to his righteousness. For many are buying into a lie which is
telling them that they can make a one-time profession of Christ as Savior and
Lord, and have all their sins forgiven (past, present, and future), and that
heaven is now guaranteed them when they die, regardless of how they live.
But that is not the gospel message of the Scriptures that
Jesus Christ and Paul and the other New Testament apostles taught. They taught
that we must die to our old lives of living in sin and for self, and that we
must be transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God (be born again), and
that we must now walk in holiness and in righteousness in obedience to our
Lord, in his power and strength. For if we continue in deliberate and habitual
sin, and if righteousness and obedience to our Lord are not what we practice,
then we will not inherit eternal life with God regardless of what we profess.
[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn
15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10; 2 Co 5:10;
Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-11; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn
2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Pet 1:17-21;
Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]
So, when this encourages us to consider how to stir up one
another to love and good works, encouraging one another, and all the more as
you see the Day (of judgment) drawing near… and as we read that we are to
exhort one another every day so that none of us may be hardened by the deceitfulness
of sin (Hebrews 3:13), it is because if we go on sinning deliberately after
receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the
adversaries (Hebrews 10:26-31).
Now, when this says, in this context, that we are not to
neglect meeting together, as is the habit of some, it is for the purpose for
the body of Christ to encourage one another in our walks of faith, and to stir
one another up to love and good works, and it is for the purpose to prevent one
another from being hardened to the righteousness of God by the deceitfulness of
sin, because if sin is what we practice, and if righteousness and godliness and
obedience to our Lord are not what we practice, we will not enter the kingdom
of heaven, but Jesus will tell us to depart from him.
Also, when it says that we are not to neglect meeting
together, this has nothing to do with the institutional market-driven gatherings
called “church,” that are of the flesh of man and not of God. For those are
businesses which are being marketed to the world like any other business, and
so they are working to attract the world to their businesses called “church”
via marketing tricks and schemes, and via entertainment and the manipulation of
the gospel to make it less offensive to human flesh. So, we are to come out
from among them and to be separate.
[Jn 15:19; Rom 12:1-2; Jas 4:4; 1 Jn 2:15-17; 2 Co 6:14-18;
Rev 18:1-5]
An
Original Work / September 11, 2012
Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.
Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Men deceiving: We’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.
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