Pillar 5, Church Membership, Hebrews 10:19-25

The Blood of Jesus and the Great Priest Over God’s House

Hebrews chapter 10 verses 19 to 25. Hear the word of the Lord. 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 fateful 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 may the Lord add his blessings to the reading of his Holy Word. Well, happy Groundhog Day everybody.

Groundhog Day used to be a cute little kind of unofficial Really non-holiday and most people only paid some amused attention to for maybe a minute. They'd tune into the news and see if he saw the Phil the groundhog saw his shadow or not.

That's kind of what it was until a movie came out by that name in the 90s. And since then because the movie if you ever seen it's about a weatherman who gets caught in a loop of re-experiencing Groundhog Day over and over again actually in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania himself and and no matter what he does.

He tries everything he possibly can to get out of this day and nothing changes. So since then Groundhog Day has become a byword for futility. For no matter what you do. You just keep trying and you try every kind of thing.

Nothing changes. That's what I've begun to wonder. Sometimes feel like tempted to feel like addressing church membership is like No matter how many scriptures. Used to show it like much of 1st Corinthians in this culture.

Some people just continue to believe the church is just like their. Individual service provider like a satellite TV service is to be changed as impersonally as that for whatever reason that you want someone once said.

Someone around here one said I know who I belong to. Sound spiritual than it or an admirable talking about Christ. I know who I belong to that was her reason for Leaving the church that she was a member of to go to one where some family went.

Which she quickly abandoned to go back to an old church to support her friend the pastor there. Never mind about the pastor of the church. She left she had told him I know who I belong to and when that did work out.

Who knows where she goes now she thinks that because she belongs to Christ. She says she doesn't need to belong to a specific church as long as she's attending some church. Her commitment to the church.

She said it can be broken really for any reason just because she feels like it because she belongs somehow you belong to Christ. You don't have to belong to a particular body in the meantime. She also left her husband.

Apparently she didn't belong to him either now for you or for me to tell her. That she should go not just go to church, but be a member of a church committed to a specific church. Would probably strike her like a restaurant owner berating a former customer.

From you know, why haven't you been coming to our restaurant anymore? What's wrong? You used to have dinner with us every Sunday. You you're committed to this restaurant. I Know who I belong to. I only belong to the universal restaurant.

That's many people's idea of the church. We live in a culture Soaked in individualism. They say that if you want to know about water, the last one to ask is a fish. So if you want to know about individualism, the last one to ask I guess is an American.

We're swimming in it. It is acids that that's why addressing church membership to many Americans is. Like Groundhog Day, you know, no matter what you do. The next day because they're they're just soaked in a culture that goes against what the Bible says on the subject.

They go back to where you started. They just seem to be able to learn it. We're so surrounded by it. It's it's hard for us to see it to imagine life. Without the acid of individualism that we are dipped in that acid has soaked its way into the church.

So a church member in Castle Town County right here could say Unashamedly, I know who I belong to as an excuse to abandon the people. She had said she belonged to that's the acids of individualism. Dissolving the church and many churches response to that Is to admit it to surrender to it.

To enable it like you can't you can't change it. You might as well go along with it that they admitted by accepting the reality of it. Letting covenant breakers without rebuke go their merry way and then they spend their time.

Seeking to market the church so to often to so-called members. To try to help them hope that they can get them to come back for a visit. Maybe they're inactive. Maybe they go somewhere else, but if they can come up with some gimmick to get them to come back for a visit.

Maybe they'll maybe they'll win them back. So what. Maybe he'll try a gospel sing. Given that it gives him an excuse to invite them. You know, you'll love it. Don't miss it or maybe a revival. Or quote revise it with that quotation makes a bar or maybe quote a homecoming but above all.

Don't offend them on their way out, you know like by telling them that they're breaking their commitment to who they said. They belong to they're not acting with integrity. Because then they won't then they won't come back at all.

You know, they won't come back again because they're offended and above all the goal of the modern church. More than anything else. You must get more people. That's the goal, right? Anyway We can't really rebuke them.

Many think because We all at least not maybe not all of us many of in this culture deep down. Agree with them. Deep down they kind of think yeah, you know, they're they're right. They belong to Christ.

Not not the body of Christ. That we cannot in fear and the sacredness of their free choices about how to be a member. About whether they should actually keep their commitments whether they're yes should be yes.

Whether they should have integrity. Whether they should be expected to be a covenant keeper like God. Whether they should actually consider the impact of their decision on the other people in the church that they leave behind so so many reason.

With that same attitude since I know who I belong to. Well, why not just stay home and listen to my favorite preacher probably with a big smile and slick hair. I mean you can find some really good speakers online or on TV.

That's better than what you can get live right here. I can stay all by myself in my living room with none of those other annoying people to make me uncomfortable. Why not if we don't belong to a specific body?

We don't why not do that the exact same attitude is in theaters or restaurants. Entertain me or feed me or leave me alone, but above all I Know who I belong to and it's not you church. That's the dominant idea of the church in America.

The Church Is Not a Consumer Service

Now the Bible's idea of the church is radically different than that. We saw that in first Corinthians last fall and all kinds of different issues. But it came down really to that principle consider one another and and now we see that here a vision of the church built and Presided over by Christ as one house of God and we see three commands to the church here a one to come together.

To to hold together and third consider together. At the root of the individualism is the assumption that each of us is essentially different distinct and entire and to ourselves and like most extreme distorted misconceptions.

There's a lot of truth to that each of us is essentially different and distinct. Each of us has to stand before God on our own. That's true. We each have to believe on our own. That's that's true. We Psalm 49 we cannot decide for Get someone else into heaven by our own faith by our own works and we have this is between us and God alone but the misconception is that each that we each stand before God on our own with our own individual faith each of us custom-making a confession a salvation to hope in that we belong to Christ without belonging to his body his temple his family were Disconnected we assume.

Oh, we might get tips from each other on how to build up this relationship with Christ but in the end We're alone. We think. But the Bible says no. This passage particularly shows us that our ability even to come to God to approach our Father in heaven.

It is not just between us individuals and God it is based on what was done for us. Not just for me and maybe by the way for you, but for us the house the household the family the body of Christ. In verses 19 to 22 We see two foundations that have been laid for us that all believers are founded on.

First in verse 19 We can now enter the presence of God by the blood of Jesus and then second in verse 22 We have a great priest over the house of God so the blood of Jesus gives us confidence that we can enter God's presence and the blood was spilled when his body was broken when It was torn just like a curtain dividing the Holy of Holies where the presence of God symbolically dwelled in the Ark of the Covenant from from the holy place divided it from the holy place where the priest could go and Then and dividing and then that was divided from the other outer areas of the temple.

They're almost in concentric circles. Some men could go and the women could go and the non-jewish people restrictions restrictions restrictions. All that restricting access to the presence of God. Prohibiting where that Ark of the Covenant was all but the high priest the great priest from from going in now however he says We can confidently come to God and that confidence is based not on Just my life.

Individualistically what I've done or not done. My religion but on what Jesus did for us all. So that way that foundation is the same for all God's people. We do not come to God as individuals each in our own way.

We come Together in the only way that has been provided or we don't make it at all and The advantage of that is that we can be confident. If we had to come by ourselves on our own merits, we'd have to wonder, you know, have I done enough?

Have I have I prayed enough or gone to church enough or sacrifice enough? But because we come based on what Christ has done. We can be Confident we come to God based on the confidence that Christ will give me his life and death.

Was perfect. We come because we have a because it here a great priest. The great priest in verse 21 is is the high priest. I think by great doesn't mean like quality. He's the highest. He's the he's. The chief priest.

He's the high priest. Have not simply us as individuals not like the way we may have. You know, we all have if we have the same cell phone service. We probably don't but if people with the same cell phone service with y 'all just happen to have AT &T.

You know that gives us wireless communication. But you know. We but that's only all that joins us together just a coincidence that our checks happen to go to the same place the same company. Our credit card number.

No, we here we get to communicate wirelessly with God. Confidently because we are all part of the same group plan. Jesus is in verse 21 the great priest over he says over the house of God and the word their house could be translated as it could be translated as household as.

Like as in family, you know here the comparison house is probably the best translation because the comparison is to the temple. God lives in the temple the church just as the high priest in the Old Testament.

We're not priests over just individual bricks or planks or stones. You know the structure these parts of the structure of the temple. But over the whole temple built together and with all the joined pieces so Christ is the high priest over the the temple of God joined together with each part a Brick or stone or plank could not say to the brick or stone or plank next to it.

You know, I know who I belong to. But out it's not you no, every part joined together makes for the house of God and it is over that that Christ presides as the great priest. That is a biblical picture of the church now with that the rending of Christ's body which we remembered in the Lord's Supper or the broken bread and the spilled juice for The blood that rending of Christ's body making a way for us with it.

We can we can confidently Come to him and we come together to him says in verse 22. Let us Draw near some people call this the lettuce patch of the New Testament because there's three lettuce. Let us let us let us first one.

Let us draw near. Draw near to what? You know to God or to each other. Well first he does mean to God we have confidence to enter the holy place. That is the presence of God we can know that we are saved that our sins are covered that even though we have individually sinned and The soul that sins shall die.

Christ sacrificed for us letting his body be torn and his blood spilled to be remembered just now makes it possible. For our sins to be paid for for God's anger at our sins to be appeased. For God to be just.

God got a God of justice holiness. So he punished sin that kept like it deserved and to accept us so that both those things could be accomplished. For Christ's perfect life to be attributed to us so that when we approach the father He sees us clothed as if we had lived just as perfectly as Christ had so we come confidently.

Now before him, that's why we can be confident not because we're moral or religious something. We've done or not done or we memorize our Bible books in order. We think that you know makes us great. Our individual lives are Not confidence inducing are they our lives are not confidence inducing but Jesus's is.

It's trusting in him. They can give us a what he would hear Hebrews called a true heart and full assurance of faith. Our hearts can be sprinkled clean with the blood of Jesus from from an evil conscience.

That's a conscience that makes us aware of our evil. We don't have to feel guilty and fearful of God because of our sins. When Martin Luther was in this especially strict bunk He was also nominated as a young man to become a to be a priest.

Which in their theology that he would have the privilege then of saying the words that they believed. According to their theology that would convert the simple bread into the literal body of Christ and the wine into the literal blood and that was in their view that was how.

Through taking that through doing that that was the sacrifice. How you drew near to God? Right and. And it had to be done of course over and over again that sacrifice and you know. What if you slipped up?

What if you didn't take it enough you really couldn't have much confidence and it's Luther stood there. When saying his first what they called the mass when saying his first mass holding that that piece that broken wafer holding that broken piece of bread.

And believing that he was really holding the the body the literal broken body of Jesus and In he held it and declared. This is the body of Christ. He trembled and he reported he wrote about it later at these words.

I was utterly stupefied and Terror-stricken. I thought to myself. Well, what tongue shall I address such majesty who am I that I should lift up mine eyes or raise my hands to the Divine Majesty the angels surround him and his nod the earth trembles and shall I a Miserable little pygmy speak to the living eternal and true God.

That's the lack of confidence. The the evil conscience mentioned here, but faith in the completed sacrifice of Christ. Opening up a new and living way for us the way to life Gives us gives us confidence.

So we're not utterly stupefied and terror-stricken when we try to pray a full assurance. We can have a clean conscience and We each demonstrate that that fresh clean conscience by being baptized. That's what he's referring to in that last phrase in verse 22 are our bodies washed with pure water.

Baptism is a corporate endorsement of someone's salvation. It's not just Not just you as an individual making a statement. I've been washed in the blood. I have a clean conscience and so now I can come to God it is it is that it's not just that.

It's also the church saying we believe you have been washed in the blood that you have a clean conscience. And so that you can come to God. Confidently now we believe it. So since we can draw near to God.

We should since we can Come together to the father. We should we should want to write to be a desire better is one day in your house than thousands elsewhere. The house now is not a temple in the Middle East or a building in Providence.

But the presence of God with the gathered family of God, so now we can draw near to God since we can. We should. Then since we are drawing near to God where to draw near to each other that if I belong to Christ and I know it Then I belong to the body of Christ if I belong to God.

I Belong to the family of God. Right makes sense. We all we not only come together. He says here the the second command the second let us we hold together. The second thing we are to do on the common foundation We have of Christ's blood is to says hold fast the confession of our faith without without wavering in verse 23.

That is we are to continue hold fast. Continue to believe and the eternal life and the access we have to the father the forgiveness of sins. Bought for us by the blood of Christ. We continue to confess that great salvation because in verse 23 Says he gives the reason there he who promised Is faithful he will keep he will continue.

So let's continue to trust him. So if God is faithful holding on to us, then we can hold on to the promise of salvation without wavering. We have one hope that we are as a church to hold on to and that hope will hold us hold together.

The Church Must Conspire for Love and Good Works

Finally we are to consider together in verse 24 and here's really the bulk of the message. We are told let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works. You think of that phrase? Here's the second the third.

Let us let us consider How to stir up one another? Who are you supposed to consider. Who. In other words, who is the one another here? The key question who do you belong to is not whether you believe in attending church any church.

Giving to a supporting some church. You just believe the church is a great establishment. And so you support the the theory of it. It's who you belong to which body of people. The issue of church membership is not.

You know. What what organized religious corporation will you attended and give to not what building you will go to but what group of other? believers. Will you be committed to? Who is the one another here in verse 24 the one another we're supposed to consider.

Now if you take them The the individualistic consumeristic view to its logical conclusion that these models of the church that I think many Americans particularly have in their minds and they it's hard to get them out of their heads.

The church is like like a restaurant. I think I were used to restaurants. We think of rest the church is like that. It's for me being fed for me getting my blessing. Or maybe it's like a gas station. It's an inspiration station where I go to have my spiritual tank filled up or maybe it's like a theater.

It's where I go for the biblical show. Right, you like you like to be entertained you like you like biblical themes. You like Christian music. If you take these ideas of these models of the church the logical conclusion.

They each will destroy the church. People will drift from church to church depending on which one is catering to their To their needs at the moment as a religious consumer or maybe they'll maybe they'll stay in one church.

But they won't be committed to the people. They're committed to maybe an organization for some reason or maybe to a building maybe they were raised there just what they're. You're used to their it feels home to them.

Or maybe or maybe they'll they just won't go at all. It'll stay home and watch something on TV or on the internet. They know who they belong to and It is at the church the people the other members. The body of Christ and the key question is whether you should belong to a specific church be committed to a Particular body of fellow believers covenanted to one local church.

Verse 24 answers that question consider. How to stir up one another? Which one another who? If you don't know that if you can't then you can't obey this command this passage. And we see this over and over again in the New Testament.

The idea what we now call church membership, you know, sure I can't get a verse but says thou shalt be a church member. But that implied in so many places over and over again in the New Testament. How can you obey the Lord Jesus's command in Matthew chapter 18 verses 15 18?

You know, we're there. Jesus says if you see your brother in sin you go to go to him you can bring others. Then if necessary, he says tell it to the church. And if he doesn't listen to them, then you put him out.

How can you obey that command without committed membership in a particular church. How do you know someone's a brother? How do you know that they are in sin it implies some involvement in each other's lives, doesn't it?

They're not just like fellow spectators like at a movie. You know, what's something about what's going on their life? Who do you tell tell it to. The church what what church if you could put someone out.

Doesn't that imply that there is an in that there's a membership. In first Corinthians 11, we're told to discern the body before taking the Lord's Supper. Discern that is think about consider. Like like in this passage here those around you about your impact on them without membership.

How do you know who to discern? Just any maybe just a few Christians you want to discern. Well, that's not real. First Corinthians 12 says that we are together one body with many members that each member has different gifts.

If you're not a committed part of the local church. How are you contributing your gifts to the body? What body? Just whatever will accept you and you just show up and you expect that church to Plug you right in.

Do you do you even know which body your gifts are supposed to be part of? How do you even know what your gifts are if you're not part of a body? Do you you help other members use their gifts? How can you be a detached?

Uncommitted member like an arm going from transplanted from body to body. First Corinthians 13 the great love chapter is about relationships in the body if you're not committed to a specific church. Who are you being patient with?

Who are you being kind with? Who you not in being not boasting to. Who are you not being angered by? It's easier not to be angered by just fellow spectators at a at a theater, isn't it? I've never been angered.

Well, maybe I mean I angered somebody else at a movie theater because it was too narrow. It's easy to if our relationships are so shallow super superficial. We're like fellow spectators at a movie theater.

It's easy not to be angered by them. But that's obviously not what he has in mind. Is it who we're not keeping a record of wrongs of. Who are you protected and trusting and hoping for and preserving for who are you?

Never failing. Who exactly? If a member bears believes hopes and endures all things of other members. Will he or she leave for some frivolous reason to be entertained? Somewhere else. Then in the next chapter of 1st Corinthians 14, we're told to to bring our gifts for the building up of the church.

An actual Specific church a group of fellow believers that you want to contribute something To their building up, you know what they need because you know them they know you and you you edify them. That's 1st Corinthians 14.

So we're told the same thing here in Hebrews 10. We are commanded here to think. Consider. Special kind of thinking think together. In fact, we're called to conspire in a way to get together and plot and scheme form plans.

Not against each other but to conspire to help each other to love and good works. How we can encourage each other form little huddles and talk about hmm. How can I get so-and-so? How can we make him better?

How can we get that John to be more loving and do more good things, how can we help him. Maybe we see a member in it with a need. Maybe they seem a little down. Their family's not helpful. Look look especially after members who don't have other family as members.

Allow some groups to develop groups of friends form discipling relationships to small groups that meet for together for prayer. Or perhaps just to talk to eat together get to know each other so that you can know precisely how to encourage them.

And build networks across different kinds of people so that clicks are the same kinds of people don't come become a exclusive. Encourage the young to relate to the old the white to the black to the Chinese the married to the single.

This is God's idea of the church. A conspiracy of kindness. Intent on helping each other love and give. But you have to know who? To stir up to provoke. To incite to love and good works. Who exactly are you called on to conspire to be kind to.

Who do you belong to and. Know it's not just Christ by himself without his body. Who do you belong to? If you don't know exactly who. If you can't say I know who I belong to and you you see specific people.

You can name names. You can see faces if you can't do that. You'll drift wherever is convenient. Whoever does the most for you? You know like a good consumer. Going to rest this this restaurant a sale today.

They have a special so that you know, that one has a mariachi band today. We'll go there. Like a good consumer this suggests that loving one another will not just happen. It needs to be worked at worked at even in even provoked.

And and yes, this is one of the purposes. This is what person is what I'm doing right now preaching. It's to stir you up. To do some good works to draw near to God perhaps. Hopefully draw near to each other perhaps start attending our Wednesday evenings prayer meeting if you can as a way to do that be more Concerned about evangelism so you can find a place at Jim jr.

Or Jim to help reach the kids or visit. Mr. Perry in the casual house. It's part of what I'm supposed to be doing right now. But the command here is for all of us. To do it consider Each other. How can you help them?

Now while we still can't You know, all of us are to get together and plan how we can help each other. Be more loving and generous and we do it more and more as the day of Jesus is a turn. Which will then end our opportunities to build up the church as that day comes closer.

So merch church membership then is not just like going to a restaurant where your only consideration is Whether you're getting what you want out of it, you know is the food good and service-friendly and prompt is the place clean the ambience attractive that is the individualism of Consumerism and the acids of that attitude dissolve the church and God's idea of the church.

We come together to consider. Not first, you know, what am I getting out of this but what can I do to help that other believer? Grow. What can I do for this particular body? How can we working together?

Create a house of God where those we are attached to. Become more loving and do more good works. That's the church. And to do that. One thing is absolutely necessary. As he says here verse 25 We have to attend.

You know, the church is a body with many parts. We can all do different things. We saw in first Corinthians 12 last fall that we all have different gifts, but there's one body. We can allow for different members to use their gifts.

We can do that. I think it's a it's important for a healthy church. You allow members to use whatever gifts they have. We can't expect everyone else to be gifted to do the same things. We're gifted at you know, why can't they show the gospel is as easy as I can.

Well, maybe they're not as gifted to do that as you are or one body with many members and members doing different things. But there is one thing that all but a very few. Rare members those who aren't physically capable.

But all besides that all members should do and that is we must attend. The command of verse 25 applies to all Christians. All who are physically able to attend are told to do so do not forsake. Assembly give yourselves together.

In other words, that's not sure things come up if you get sick or whatever work. You can't make it but is a part of a manner of life. You should not where you where you don't you can't come to church anymore to belong to an assembly a church.

You must assemble. Remember God's idea of a church is a conspiracy of believers. Joining together to plot to help each other to be more loving and generous if you are not meeting with other believers.

You can't join in those holy conspiracies. You can't obey this command and we see that in the meaning of the very meaning of the word church. The Greek word for church requires us to attend to be part of it.

It is a klesia. Which simply means assembly or gathering? Think how it changes your view if every time you see the word church you put in an assembly their covenant reform. Baptist assembly. If someone is not assembly, how can they be possibly possibly be part of the assembly?

Now it's true that we are to go out to people. You know, we believe in outreach, but you're not supposed to have to reach out to members of the assembly. Because if they're members of the assembly. Then they are assembling.

In other words, they're here. We're supposed to be reaching out to unbelievers to put it succinctly. Except in the cases of shut-ins. Those are physically not able to attend if we have to reach out to him.

He shouldn't be a church member. This is God's idea of the church. It's not like your favorite restaurant you you like going there most of the time the food is good and the service is friendly. But you'll visit you'll visit other places.

Occasionally. There's a special. You get invited out by someone a church is where you are a member. You are actively conspiring. Not how you can win a petty political struggle or get rid of the pastor, but how you can make other members better more loving more generous more like Christ.

Right, that's you be what you wake up for in Sunday morning. How can I go help someone? Be better, especially that John got a church membership. Then is a commitment it's a commitment that every Christian needs to be a part of membership is like a Cup membership is a covenant commitment like a marriage in a marriage that the wedding vows define that covenant commitment.

The commitment means I won't you know, love honor and cherish forsaking all others until death do us part. It's our way of defining precisely Who I belong to. I know who I belong to. And you know the wedding we say you.

For our church, the commitment is defined by our church covenant. Which is why we've decided as part of preparation for the Lord's Supper. It is telling us whether we are stirring or How to stir up one another to love and good works we are saying My church membership that we belong to each other that we will walk together in Christian love.

Now having made that commitment having accepted God's idea of the church then everything everything changes. We realize that we can't shrug each other off and say, you know, I know I belong to and it's not you.

If we belong to Christ we belong to his body and that's not just that is a theoretical thing the theological Category that has no real impact like claiming to believe in the universal church while refusing to commit to the to a specific church.

So that's that's like a man. Refusing to commit to one specific woman. Because he says he believes in the and I believe in the universal woman. No, no as as much as our culture instills in us that consumer mentality that this this and every relationship Exists for my customer satisfaction and if it doesn't deliver.

Right now. Well, I'll drift off to the next one. Whether church or spouse as much as we're tempted to hear hear this. But I've been saying it's just so many empty words and just go back To our cultural way of doing things.

You know, it's Groundhog Day. So tomorrow we wake up and everything is the same again. No matter what was said slip right back into our individualistic self-centered consumerism. And which the the only thing that we plot to do really is to have it our way.

We need as much as we're tempted to Go back. We need finally to be converted in our minds. And our attitudes to look at other members of the church and ask What can I do to help them? After all, I know who I belong to and It's them.

So we're committed not just to our own customer satisfaction, but to specific People to names we know to faces we can see. Church membership. The pillar of a biblical church. It's not another word for church attendance.

But as long as you're attending somewhere long as you're in a church building somewhere, it's okay. It doesn't matter which one specifically you're going to it's like a man who thinks it doesn't matter.

Which woman specifically he's with is whether it's his wife or someone else just as long as he's with a woman. No in marriage, we ask that a man be committed to a specific woman in church membership. We ask that you to be committed to a specific church to specific fellow believers.

And if there's no commitment There's likely no coming together. No holding together and no considering together. God's idea of the church is a single house of God built by God a family of God made possible.