Let us be Faithful to Assemble Together

I echo what Brother Keith was praying and what he was singing and what we were singing together. She is treasured in prized. She is treasured in prized. That's us, the body of Christ. I love those verses. That should warm our hearts. That should bless us. That should cause us to see this work and each other and all that's before us in the life of Grace Life Church. In a great, great, wonderful way. I appreciate that worship. It really fits with where we're going. And I did ask Brother Keith to pull up one of our good songs, one of our good worship songs that had to do with the church and I think he chose one that was just right.

Well, let's take our Bibles and let's turn back to Hebrews chapter 10. And like I said earlier, we'll be right there in one verse, verse 25. And as always, I will mention and read some other verses and you can write those down and make those a part of your own personal study time. Now before we get into the verse and before we get into our message, I want us to look at some basic information about this letter. Some of you know a little about the letter. Some of you know a lot about the book of Hebrews and some of you might not know very much at all.

But it is important for us to know what is going on with these particular Christians that are addressed here in this letter and it is important to know why God inspired these things to be written to them and then ultimately for them to come down to us in our day. Now usually the first thing that comes up in discussing the book of Hebrews is the author of the book. We really do not know who wrote the book although there are many, many opinions. Now if you do some studying on your own, you're going to run across those opinions. You'll even see evidence for those particular opinions. But we really don't know.

But really the earthly author of this book is really not important. We must remember that God inspired this letter and it is a part of the written word of God. Therefore this letter has authority over us. Yes, all of God's word in this letter has authority over us and we should seek to obey what's in the letter. And this may surprise some of you but we need to see when this book was written, the timing of all of these things. Now scholars tell us that this letter was written sometime after 60 AD and before 70 AD. You'll see specific dates at times and also ranges of dates like I've just given you.

And there is plenty of information in the letter that help us to see the time frame in which the book was written. I will mention just three. First it appears that this book was written by a second generation Christian. Chapter 2 verse 3 and chapter 13 verse 7, those verses seem to tell us that this was a second generation Christian. So this book was not written like some of the early books that are in the canon of the New Testament. And then also it is obvious that this letter was written before the destruction of the temple there in Jerusalem.

Chapter 8 verse 4 and chapter 9 verse 6 and chapter 12 verse 27 and then also in chapter 13 verse 10. All of those verses indicate that the temple had not been destroyed and the sacrificial system there in the temple was still in place. And then third although persecution of these Christians by the Jews is mentioned, they had not faced this persecution in a full way quite yet. Chapter 12 verse 1 says that they had not yet resisted to bloodshed. Scholars in church history tells us that ultimately they did.

And seeing when the book was written really helps us to see the purpose of the book and this sheds a lot of light on what these Christians were facing. But we really need to understand the general purpose of the letter. Now a major part of this book are the rich contrasts between the Old Covenant, that would be Judaism, and the New Covenant, that's Christianity that's found in Christ. In all of the contrasts within the book, Christ is presented as a fulfillment of the Old Covenant. And the Old Covenant is presented as the shadow and Christ is presented as the substance that was to come.

And a big part of the book are the multiple warnings that the author gives those original recipients. It seems that these believers needed quite a bit of encouragement and they even needed some serious warnings. But the overall purpose of the letter was to address a big, big struggle that these particular Christians faced. It's obvious from the letter that these were Jewish Christians in the land of Israel and possibly even located in or around Jerusalem. Although there were some false converts among them, there were many who had been converted out of Judaism to Christ.

And it is obvious that these were Jewish Christians who were struggling between their old life in Judaism and their new life in Christ. That is why the author was making so many contrasts between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. And he is exalting Christ as this new way, this best way of fulfillment of all of the Old. But they really were struggling. They really, really were struggling between their old religious world and their new religious world. It is very safe to say that they were in a tremendous battle between their old religion and their new religion.

The pressures they faced to leave their new life in Christ and to return to Judaism is really hard for us to imagine. When these Jews were converted to Christ and they left Judaism, they faced ridicule, they faced alienation, they faced rejection at a level that would be extremely hard for us to even grasp, much less say we could understand. These Jewish Christians would have lost their families. Their families literally would have disowned them and disinherited them. Religiously and spiritually they were rejected because they would have been excommunicated from the Jewish congregation.

And socially they would have been ridiculed and alienated by everyone in their culture. Friends and associates would have disowned them. And most would have even lost their jobs. They could have struggled to gain employment so they definitely could have struggled to even provide for their families. They even faced the possibility of imprisonment and persecution and death. And we know that imprisonment and persecution and death did come to many. Church history tells us this fact.

But we need to understand the overall struggle that these Christians faced and the overall purpose of this letter and the times in which they lived and the timing of the letter here really comes into play. These Christians were struggling with tremendous pressures, great temptations to leave their newfound faith in Christ and to return to their life of Judaism. And the overall purpose of this letter was to warn and to encourage these struggling Christians not to leave their new faith in Christ and not to go back to their former religion and that world of Judaism.

And the timing of these things, the temple and the sacrificial system was all still there in Jerusalem. It was still in place. The temple had not yet been destroyed although it would be totally destroyed just in a few years. So these struggling Christians were looking there at the temple. They were looking at their old religion and that entire religious system and it was still very popular. It was still very, very, if I can use this word, successful. Simply these Christians were struggling with this tremendous temptation and all of these pressures to leave their new faith and to return to their old faith.

And the overall purpose of the letter was to warn and to encourage them not to go back, not to go back, not to go back. The Bible scholar A.T. Robertson says the author was battling to stop a stampede from Christ back to Judaism. You hear that? He says that the author of the book here was battling to stop a stampede from Christ back to Judaism. And Judaism was very much alive. It was very successful. It was all around them. The Bible scholar Albert Barnes says the purpose of the letter was to preserve them from the danger of apostasy. Let me say that again.

Albert Barnes says the purpose of the letter was to preserve them from the danger of apostasy. Of course apostasy means abandoning the faith. And the author was trying to preserve them from abandoning the faith and returning to Judaism that was right there on Main Street. And it was a part of every aspect of their world, of their life, and of their culture. Look at how all of this comes together. Look at how all of this comes together to show us what God was doing in their lives. God inspired the writer of this letter to issue a series of encouragements and warnings. I mentioned those earlier. I've preached on those warnings before.

And it is one of those warnings that I want us to study this morning. And this warning we see here in verse 25. "Do not forsake or neglect meeting together with believers." That would be the church. Now I'm going to read the verse from the amplified version. I love how it just puts word upon top of word and it helps us see the verse. The amplified reads, "Not forsaking or neglecting to assemble together as believers, as is the habit of some people, but admonishing, warning, and urging, and encouraging one another, and all the more faithfully as you see the day approaching." So this morning I want to basically do two things in the message.

First I want us to examine together what is in this one verse, and then second as your pastor I want to give us some instruction and some encouragement, maybe even some correction from what we see here. Now there are going to be more than two truths throughout the message in the outline. It will be easy for you to follow me. So first, our number one, I want us to notice the command. I want us to notice what I call the command, and this is at the beginning of verse 25. What does he say? Not neglecting to meet together.

Now here the writer commands them not to neglect to meet together, and it is obvious that the writer is saying that some within their fellowship were guilty of neglecting to meet together. Now we'll get to that part of the verse here in a minute. Now even though this is a passive command, this is still a strong command and a strong warning. And I want us to see two things that some were doing among this group of believers. First some were neglecting or forsaking. There were some who were neglecting. There were some who were forsaking. And the meaning of this word helps us to see what was going on.

It means that they were leaving something behind. It means they were forsaking something, even abandoning something. Now we see this exact same word in some other places in the New Testament. I'll give you a few examples. While Jesus was on the cross, he cried out with a loud voice saying, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why have you abandoned me?" In 2 Timothy 4.10 Paul was describing Demas who apostasized, he left the faith. Paul said that Demas was in love with the world and he deserted, he abandoned him, he left the faith. And then later in 2 Timothy 4, Paul was writing Timothy about his second imprisonment.

And he said that in his defense there in the court system, no one came to stand with him. And Paul goes on to say that all deserted him, all abandoned him, all forsook him. So there were some among these believers and they were neglecting, they were forsaking, they were abandoning. And then second, some were neglecting, they were forsaking, they were even abandoning to meet together or to assemble together. This means that they were failing to assemble together with the church. This means that some were forsaking. Some were even abandoning the fellowship of the believers, that would be the church.

This phrase "meet together" or "assembly" in this form is used in only one place in the New Testament. In 2 Thessalonians 2.1 Paul was writing about the second coming of Christ. And there he said that at his coming, that's Christ's coming, we as believers will be gathered together, we will be assembled together with him. And this word is also used in the verb form in other places in the New Testament. In Matthew 22.37 Jesus was lamenting over Jerusalem. He was brokenhearted for the Jewish people and how they had rejected him. And he declared how often he had desired to gather them, to assemble them, that would be the Jewish people to himself.

In Mark 1 we see where Jesus healed Simon Peter's mother-in-law. His news spread meaning were brought to see Jesus and Jesus healed them. And verse 33 says that the whole city was gathered, it was assembled at the door waiting for Jesus. And in Mark 13.27 Jesus says that at the end of time he will send out his angels into the world to gather together or to assemble together his elect people. So there were some among these believers that were neglecting to assemble together. Some were forsaking to gather together as the church. Some were even abandoning the fellowship. And so we see this command right there at the beginning of verse 25.

And it may be a passive command but it is a strong command and it is a serious warning. The writer of Hebrews was commanding these believers to be faithful to assemble together as believers and he was even warning them not to abandon the assembly or the church which some had actually done. And for us as believers in our day and time right here at Grace Life Church of Brookhaven we need to see that this same command and warning is just as much needed today as it was then. This is for us as individuals. This is for us as families. This is for us as a whole, as a church. And this is especially for us men.

See men are to lead their families and this is for the leaders of the church and men who lead in the church and lead in their homes. And for us I want us to see that this command and this warning it applies in two ways. It applies in the positive and it applies in the negative. First we are commanded to be faithful to meet together. Hear how it's in the positive? We are commanded to be faithful to gather together and to meet together and then we see the negative. We are warned not to neglect, not to forsake to meet together. You see the positive and the negative? And look church this should be our desire.

Oh and we should see that this is our duty. We should see that this is our deepest desire. It should be our deepest desire and we should see that this is our deepest desire and our duty. And this should be our deepest desire and duty that comes out of a love for God. It comes out of a love for His church. It comes out of a love for God's people, each other. It comes out of a love for all of this that we call the church and the work of the church. And look folks I'll be honest with you. If you are here this morning and you do not have this love. If you do not have a love for God's church, God's people and the work of the church.

If you do not have this love I have to seriously wonder if you've ever even been born of God. I like what the Bible commentator William McDonald says. He says this verse may be considered as a general exhortation for all believers to be faithful in their church attendance. And look folks I want us to see the command. The positive and the negative. Now some of you need to see the positive more than the negative and I'll be honest with you some of you need to see the negative more than the positive. And this is where I rely on the Holy Spirit of God to make application.

Because if you have been neglecting and forsaking the assembly in a way in which you should not, well it's the Spirit that will come to you and say you should not do that. And if you've been faithful it's the Spirit of God that will come along and say yes you have been faithful you keep on being faithful. So we see the command and there's this warning God was commanding these believers to assemble and be faithful to assemble and He was warning them not to neglect to meet together as believers. And then second or number two I want us to see the rebuke. This is out of verse 25 as well. I want us to see the rebuke. Let's look back at the verse.

Not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some. Now if the command seems passive or maybe even side door this rebuke does not. I call this a rebuke because the writer of the letter is clearly calling out or singling out a group of people. He does not call any of them by name but he is clearly referring to some and no doubt the original recipients of the letter knew exactly who they were. Let me call you to do a little exercise with me.

We as Grace Life Church of Brookhaven, especially members of Grace Life Church of Brookhaven, if we had a group of people in our church and they were neglecting the church, they were forsaking to assemble as they should, would we know who they are? Now at first we might not notice. But oh, if we are faithful and we are plugging our lives into the local church and we had members of Grace Life Church and they were forsaking, we would know who that some are. Now I want us to see one thing that the writer does here. He refers to the group who were forsaking the church and he says that this was their habit.

The English Standard, the New American says this was their habit. The King James says this was their manner. Now this word habit or manner is simple to understand. It means practice, it means custom, it means manner, it means habit. We see this word used in other places in the New Testament. I'll mention just a few. In John chapter 19 verse 40, when Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus took care of Jesus' body for burial, the text says that they cared for the body and they prepared it for burial according to the custom or according to the manner of the habit of the day.

In Acts 26 when Paul was defending himself before King Agrippa against the accusations of the Jews, in verse 3 Paul said to Agrippa that he knew that he was an expert in all of the customs or the habits of the Jews. Later on in Acts 28 when Paul was defending himself before the Jewish leaders there in Rome in verse 17 Paul said to them that he had done nothing against our people or their people or the customs or the religious habits of the fathers. So there were some among these believers that were neglecting to assemble together. Some were forsaking to gather together as a church.

They were even abandoning the fellowship psalm and it was their habit. This had become their custom and in the manner in which they were relating to the church. And so we see this rebuke. It may not seem like a rebuke because he does not name names. But the writer clearly rebukes some. He names no names but those who received the letter knew exactly who they were. But I want to ask you a question. Why were some neglecting? Now here's where we have to use our imagination and we have to be careful the text doesn't say. But why were some neglecting? Why were some forsaking? Why did ultimately some even abandon the church?

Why were some facing the temptations to do these things? This is where understanding the time in which these things were happening helps us to answer those questions. This is where understanding the overall purpose of the letter helps us to understand and answer those questions. I believe the reasons why some were neglecting and forsaking the fellowship can be summarized in two words. And I believe the reason why some were abandoning the local assembly and the faith can be summarized in one word. First the word pressure. The word pressure.

These Christians, true Christians were facing unbelievable pressures from their Jewish family, their friends and their entire Jewish culture. They were facing terrible pressures to forsake and to abandon the faith and return to Judaism. And no doubt these were true believers who were facing these pressures and maybe they were even falling prey to these pressures and falling into these temptations and sins. And then second the word persecution. These Christians were beginning to face persecution. The book tells us that. And in time they did face terrible persecution.

They were the unpopular minority in this new and strange religion called Christianity. In the book of Hebrews scholars in church history tell us that they faced harassment, ridicule and persecution for their faith. And because of this they faced terrible pressures to forsake the faith. And no doubt some of these were true Christians who were enduring this persecution and maybe that persecution or the reality that the persecution was coming caused some of them to fall into this sin. But then third the word apostasy. There were some who were not true believers. Those were false converts and they apostatized.

That means they left the faith altogether because of the pressures and the persecutions. They went out from them because they never were of them. First John 2.19. I like how the commentator Albert Barnes speculates here resonated with me. I'm taking what he said and just putting it in my own words. He says they may have been dealing with fear of persecution or they simply may not have been interested in being faithful. Have you ever known folks like that? Or they may have not even seen the necessity or the priority of faithfulness. Have you ever seen people like that?

Or they may have even been dissatisfied with the preacher or a member of the church or even the church as a whole. Have you ever known folks like that? Barnes goes on to say that whatever the reasons for a believer or some of these believers they should not be allowed to operate like this. It's in the life of the church is what he's saying. They should see their sacred duty to meet together ultimately to worship God. And for us today here at Grace Life Church we need to see that this same rebuke is just as much for us today as it was for them in their day.

If we have any in the life of the church and it is their custom or their habit to forsake, to neglect, to assemble together, this is for you. But I thought about that word pressures. Pressure. What kind of pressure may you face that would push you and tempt you and lead you to neglect and forsake the gathering together as you should? You know some of you have family pressures that do that. One of the hardest things to do for some is to leave and to cleave. Even some of you have moms and dads and brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts.

You just got family pressures that can pull you and push you and pressure you to neglect forsake gathering together as you should. Some of you have work pressures. Now I'm going to address work a little bit later. But sometimes folks will allow work to just pressure them and pull them into forsaking and neglecting the fellowship of the believers like they should. I remember years ago when a man in the life of our church used to always say, "You know work, work's just got me pastor. I just can't be there." And he would quote that Old Testament passage. He'd all say, "Well my ox is in the ditch.

My ox is in the ditch." Finally I looked at him one day and I said, "I think you need to shoot that ox." Sometimes folks are too busy. They got the pressure of a busy life. Sometimes when you have the pressure of a busy life you just got to stay home on Sunday because you can't make it. You just got to rest. Sometimes your rest needs to come on Saturday. But you know we don't face persecution. But you know what we do face? Pleasures. Rather than persecution we face pleasures. And oh what kind of pleasures could come into our lives and are in our lives that tempt us to neglect and forsake the church.

Our culture abounds with pleasures that can pull us away and make us and lead us to forsake the assembly. And then this word apostasy. Look folks there's some people that just apostasize. They come in, they act Christian, they talk Christian. Oh they may even profess Christ, be baptized. They may even be able to teach and lead in the life of the church. And then circumstances come along and they apostasize. They leave. They forsake the church. We must remember the verse. First John 2.19 says they went out from us because they never were of us. And it's hard because sometimes those people can be our family. So we see the rebuke.

There were some among these believers who were neglecting and even forsaking the fellowship of the believers. And they were singled out for their sin and their sin was revealed. And then third, number three, I want us to see the encouragement. That's out of verse 25. It's easy to see. I call this the encouragement. Not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some but encouraging one another. Now after the writer gives them a command and a warning and after he singles out some Father rebuke, he then encourages the struggling believers. And it is clear to see how he encourages them. He commands them.

He calls them to encourage one another rather than to neglect one another. You see? He commands and he calls them to encourage one another instead of forsaking one another. Now I want you to listen real close with me. Especially if you've been born again and you've been in the life of the church for a few years. Have you ever had a brother or a sister in the church that should have been an encouragement for you but instead of encouraging you, they neglected you, they even left you? I have.

Have you been one rather than plugging your life into the local church and encouraging other believers, other sisters, even struggling believers and sisters? Have you been one where you've backed away and you have forsaken them and you have neglected them and you have not encouraged them? A lot of application there. And this word encouragement is much more than just a few kind words. This means to call upon someone, to come alongside someone. It means to come near to someone so you got to get involved in someone's life here folks.

In all for the purpose of comforting and instructing and exhorting and encouraging and yes even correcting, we see this same word used in other places in the New Testament. In Matthew 5 we see that those who mourn should be comforted. Now this speaks of mourning over sin. This is a great sorrow for sin and a sorrow that leads to genuine repentance. And here we see that those who mourn in this way will be comforted. They will be encouraged by work of the Holy Spirit through that forgiveness of sin and salvation. In Matthew 8 when Jesus had entered Capernaum a centurion came to him and he was begging him or encouraging him.

He was beseeching him to heal his servant. We also see this in John the Baptist in his ministry. In Luke chapter 3 verse 18 we see that with many other words, exhortations and encouragement. See he got involved in people's lives and he encouraged them as he preached the gospel to the people. And notice how all of this comes together. Rather than neglect and forsake the assembly of believers the writer here calls them to come alongside one another and to encourage and exhort and even instruct one another, and it is clear the context. It's clear the arena in which all of these things should take place.

This encouraging work was to all be done in the context of assembling together, gathering together. It's the context of the local church. Listen folks, beware of the trap of thinking that you encourage Christians and other Christians encourage you in a biblical way outside of the church in a parachurch organization. I've known Christians who wouldn't encourage folks in the church. They wouldn't get involved in people's lives. They wouldn't come alongside folks in the life of the church and encourage one another and then allow someone else to encourage them. But strangely they could do it in a parachurch organization.

There's something wrong with that. My experience is most of the time those people are not as mature as you think they are. As a matter of fact usually they're trying to fly undercover. Think with me here. Were these just words of encouragement like we see in a Hallmark card or here in a Christian song? No. As they faithfully assemble together as the church they would encourage one another and they would do certain things. First of all they would encourage one another to be faithful to assemble together as a church neglecting and forsaking the body of believers was one of their greatest temptations. That was their situation right here.

So they would encourage one another to be faithful to the body of believers and not to neglect one another no matter the pressures of the persecution. And then they would encourage one another to do the things that faithful believers do. What would a faithful believers do? They would encourage one another in their personal walk with God. They would encourage one another in prayer and Bible study. They would encourage one another to flee from sin and to run after personal holiness.

They would encourage one another to use their spiritual gifts within the body of the believers and to use all of their physical abilities and opportunities in the church. You see they would encourage each other to do all that a believer does and should do. So we see this encouragement. They would have come alongside one another. They would have come call upon one another and draw near to one another so as to encourage and exhort and help and teach and even correct one another first to be faithful to the church and not to neglect the church and then second to be the best believer that they can all be in their circumstances.

I like to think of these believers in this encouragement through the lens of our church. These believers were to come alongside one another and to encourage one another not to neglect the assembly of one another for the pleasures of the world. Remember they face persecution. We face pleasures. These believers were to engage one another and to draw near to one another to encourage each other to the preaching and the teaching ministry of the church.

This verse by verse, pulpit ministry, they would encourage one another to be faithful in Wednesday night and all of the teaching and to be faithful in small groups and even the special events where the word of God is taught. These believers were to draw near to one another and to encourage one another to be faithful to attend and participate in small groups and not only to attend but to truly engage in the lives of one another and that ministry. Why? To encourage one another and to be encouraged.

These believers were to come alongside others and to exhort one another to serve in the life of the church in Vacation Bible School, the children's ministry with teenagers wherever they could and they would encourage one another with one standard, every member of ministry. You see, this is for us just like all the others have been for us. We need to be reminded that this type of encouragement is much needed in our lives and here I want to ask the Grace Life Church members and prospective members and future members because some of you are still going through that process.

Are you drawing near to other believers so as to encourage them as you should? Are you in relationships with two or three or four brothers or sisters where you are consistently and faithfully encouraging and exhorting one another? Are you giving encouragement and are you getting encouragement? Sometimes you think you want to give and you don't want to give. Men, ladies, sometimes men can step back and let the ladies do. Older mature believer, if you're an older mature believer, if you've been born again for ten years or more, oh, you should be doing this all the time.

The small group leader, elders, pastors, one of my greatest jobs is to encourage you and I'll do that and you know. So we see this command, instruction, to draw near to one another so as to encourage and exhort one another. Yes, to be faithful to the local assembly but we are to come alongside one another to encourage one another in all areas of the Christian life, no matter the circumstance. And then fourth or number four, the motivation. This is at the end of verse 25. I call this the motivation.

"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." Now here the writer offers them what I see as a motivation. He seeks to motivate them to obey and to live out all that he has called them to do. Here he says, "As you see the day drawing near, obey and live out all of these things." Some of you know this but there is much debate here as to what this day drawing near refers to. Some scholars say this refers to the last judgment of the second coming of Christ. Some scholars say that this refers to death.

There's some commentators and scholars say that this refers to their specific situation, the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. That was right around the corner. Of course we know that Israel, it was judged. Jerusalem was judged. Israel was judged. The temple was destroyed. Really the nation was overrun. Well which is it? I believe we let the Scriptures tell us what this writer is referring to. We actually see this exact same word or phrase only in one place in the New Testament. In 1 Corinthians 3.13 Paul says that on the day using the same words or the day of judgment God will reveal each believer's work.

He says the fire of God's judgment on the believer's work will reveal that which is worthless and that which is of eternal value. So when the only place that this term is used in the New Testament besides here in Hebrews, it is clearly used to speak of the Lord's coming, the judgment of God on the believer's life. And so to me we see the motivation that the writer puts before these believers and this entire church. He says to them as you see the day of Christ's return drawing near be faithful to assemble and to meet together.

Make sure you do not forsake and neglect one another and make sure that you certainly draw near to one another so as to encourage one another and gain encouragement for others. And as you see the day of judgment that is surely coming into your life make sure you obey these things. And for us we need to see that this same motivation is before us. This verse in 1 Corinthians 13.3.13 tells us that on that day the fire of God will be put to our lives and those things that are a wood, hay and straw that means they are worthless.

Oh those things they'll be burned up but those things that are gold, silver or precious stones those are things that are of eternal value. Well those things will determine our eternal reward, yes our eternal reward. And you know what's sad? Think of the Christians who are not as faithful to the assembly like they should be. Think of the true believers that just neglect the church. They are not as faithful therefore they do not encourage other believers as they should be and they are not encouraged by other believers as they should be. What will that day be like for them? But then also I think about how wonderful this is.

Think of the believers who are definitely faithful to assemble. Oh they do not neglect the believers they are faithful to encourage believers and to be encouraged. What will that day be like for those believers? So we see the motivation that the writer of Hebrews puts before these believers to be faithful to obey these things. So what have we been seeing this morning from just one verse? It's real simple. Let's be faithful to assemble together. That's the title of a message. I chose to title it in the positive not the negative. Let's be faithful. Let's be faithful to assemble together.

Now if you would give me a little more time I want to make a few comments as your pastor. What do we do about work? There are some of you who thought what about work pastor? Work is essential. If you quit work you are going to be like the Thessalonica. They quit work because they thought Jesus was coming back and then they were a burden on the church. You have to work and those things are a matter of conscience. There are some of you who have jobs where your work pulls you away. You have to be careful. You have to be faithful there. I've known people that because of their work they could struggle to be faithful on Sunday.

They had to make sure they were faithful on Wednesday. I've known men that they couldn't be faithful on Wednesday but oh they were faithful to be faithful on Sunday. And sometimes you might need a little counsel from an older brother. You might need a little counsel from leaders in the church to help you sort those things out. What about vacation? We all need rest. We're in a place in our culture where we can vacation. Some of you vacation in ways in which I don't and I vacation in ways in which some of you do not. But we all need vacation. We need rest. We have to unhinge and disconnect from work and vocation. Vacation is good.

Oh but just like anything else we can get that out of balance. I've known people that vacation so much they just never could come to church and then they would spiritualize it. Years ago in the life of the church I had a family like that and you know they just spiritualized it you know. And I remember one day they said to me, "Pastor, you know we have a camper and we're all together as family and we go together and we have church and we pour into our children." But that's a violation of the text. They did it all the time. Church at home is not church. Church in your camper is not church. Church at the condo is not church.

But what about sickness? Look folks if you're sick stay home. If you're not sick come to church. Some of you men are good at this. If everything's good at home and maybe one of your little ones are sick you'll come on to church. But I can't tell you when you need to stay home and help your wife with the kids. There's a legitimate time of sickness but you know isn't it strange how COVID came along and shocked us there? Look folks we can't live in fear. "Oh pastor I could get COVID." What do these Christians face? Getting COVID is one thing but persecution is another. We should evaluate these things and pray over these things.

Make sure we have these things in balance. And look sometimes you need an older brother or sister to help you there. Sometimes you might need to go to a brother say, "Brother would you help me here? How do I need to view these things?" And look the work of the church, the advancement of the gospel, the growth and the ministries of this church depends on your faith on us. Not mine. Oh a great deal of it depends on mine but it depends on you and you and you and you and you. It's every member ministry. Now let me share with you a little of my own personal testimony.

One of the things that I'm going to share in this series, messages from the pastor's heart is my testimony. But let me share with you a portion of my testimony. When I came to faith in Christ I didn't know a lot scripturally. I knew the Old Testament and the New Testament. I didn't have a lot of Christianity and religion that was just set on fire by the Spirit of God. In many ways I was ignorant of a lot of things. And I'll be honest with you back in those days you know if I read my Bible for 10 minutes I kind of felt like the Apostle Paul. And I'll tell you what I did that set fire to my Christian wall. Two things. I was faithful.

I was there on Sunday morning. I was there on Sunday night. I was there on Wednesday night. Our church had a visitation program. I was there on Tuesday night. I was there. I was sitting there in the front. I had my Bible open. I had a pin to take notes. Everything my pastor taught I accepted it. Oh if I struggled with it I might have worked through it. I sought counsel. Can I make a confession to you? There are times I'd say, "Oh Brother Dennis is off the rails. He's wrong. Oh but I'd begin to pray and study the scripture. Get a little counsel and I'd think, "Oh no Brother Dennis was right." I went to Sunday school. I went. I was faithful.

And look I grew and I grew and I grew. I might not see tangible growth but I grew. And look listen if you're a young Christian don't worry about reading. Don't worry about trying to get your theology straight. Don't worry about watching everything on the internet. If you will come on Sunday morning. If you'll come to small groups. If you'll engage in what we've been talking about. If you'll come every time we have an event you will grow. Sometimes you'll grow just by being around other believers in a way in which you don't know. That's the second way I grew.

Exponentially is when I walked into the door of my pastor's office and I said, "Brother Dennis I'm here to serve." And he leaned back in that squeaky office chair and he said, "Okay son I'm going to put you to work." And I grew. I was faithful. So what is this series of a few messages? Messages from the pastor's heart. So let's be faithful to assemble together in all of these things beginning this Sunday. The first Sunday of the new year, next Sunday. Oh the next Wednesday when we start Wednesday nights back. Small groups when you got a lot going on at work. Maybe when you're dealing with sickness starting today.

Let's be faithful to assemble together to do this work that's before us. Let's pray.