Encourage One Another

Hebrews 10:19-25

 

²⁴ Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. ²⁵ And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another… NLT

 

Recently I met my daughter at our church to rehearse for a duet that we are singing. Between the sheet music, a water bottle and, oddly enough, four bars of soap, she had her hands full. She had brought the soap to donate to a ministry to the poor that our church is supporting. Her example was motivating.

 

Fourteen years ago, when I was going through a very dark and difficult time, a friend met with me for lunch and asked if I would want to get together each week and pray for one another. As a result, virtually every week for the past fourteen years, we have met for breakfast and done just that.

 

There are many ways that we can encourage one another in our faith. Sometimes it happens by example like my daughter, and other times it is intentional like my friend.

 

The above verses follow a passage that describes the sacrificial system that the Hebrews had followed for centuries. The problem was that the animal sacrifices never really took away their sins; it was just a reminder of them. However, Jesus was the sacrificial lamb that, once and for all, took away our sins.

 

What does that mean for us today?

 

²² …let us go right into the presence of God… ²³ Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm… ²⁴ Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. ²⁵ And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another…  NLT

 

What Jesus did for us was a miracle. However, don’t discount what we can do for one another. In a very real way, it was just as much a miracle that my friend reached out to me during those dark times, and helped pull me through “right into the presence of God”. He was the hands and feet of Jesus to me.

 

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%2010%3A19-25&version=NIV;NLT
https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/niv/Heb.10.19-Heb.10.25

 

 

 

 

 

 

The End

“Jesus dies and is buried”

Matthew 27:45-61

Linda Ellis wrote a poem called, The Dash. The main point of this poem is that it is the “dash” of our lives that is most important. Let me explain. My tombstone will someday read as follows:

Joseph B Williams: 1950 – 20_ _

 What will the dash represent for me? Whose lives will I have impacted? What difference will I have made in this world once I have left it?

What happens during the dash is important for all of us, but for Jesus the end is what made the difference. The passage today tells us about the end and why it had to happen.

 ^46 “About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).

 Imagine Abraham taking his son Isaac to be sacrificed. “But where is the sheep father? God will provide my son. And then raising the knife to sacrifice his one and only son, God suddenly provided the sacrificial lamb.”

 What was the depth of Jesus’ pain and agony as he cried out?

His Abba Father who had always been there for him; had sent angels in the wilderness to minister to him; had been there in the early morning to commune with him; had sent the Holy Spirit down in the form of a dove to empower him; had declared for all to hear, “this is my son whom I love, with him I am well pleased”.

This same Abba Father had now turned his back on Jesus; had deserted him in his hour of greatest need. Or in the visual of Abraham and Isaac - had driven the knife into his heart. Oh what dreadful pain for both of them.

But it had to been done. Someone had to bear the judgement. The perfect sacrificial lamb, had to take the sins of the world; your sins and my sins. The Scapegoat had to go into the wilderness alone to die taking with him the sins of Israel. The living Passover lamb made it possible for all to go to the Promised Land.

 Jesus’ dash didn’t matter anymore. Only the end.

The Lord Keeps His Promises

I can’t believe it is December already, with Christmas but a mere two weeks away. My mind is still stuck in October, with thoughts of Halloween.

When I was a child, we annually watched, “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.”

 

If you’ve watched it, then you know that Linus skips trick-or-treating and the ensuing Halloween party to sit in a pumpkin patch. Linus is waiting for the Great Pumpkin to come and bring him toys and other fun stuff. Sadly for Linus, the Great Pumpkin never comes.

 

Today’s reading is Ezekiel 34:7-16. Ezekiel and a large group of exiled Jews were living in Babylon. During their exile, Jerusalem was a vassal state to Nebuchadnezzar, a  Babylonian king. Nebuchadnezzar tore down the walls of Jerusalem and leveled King Solomon’s Temple to squash a rebellion against him in 586 BC.

 

The Lord, speaking through Ezekiel, tells the Jews that he will come to his people, rescue them and take care of them.

 

History tells us that Cyrus, a Persian King, defeated the Babylonians and returned the Jews to Jerusalem in 539 BC, just as the Lord promised.

 

Ezekiel spoke words of comfort to the Jews 2500 years ago, yet these same passages speak comfort to us today. The Lord tells us that he will tend his sheep, a reminder that he sent “The Good Shepherd” to take care of us. The “lost” sheep will be found and not suffer the eternal ravages of sin, a reminder that the “Good Shepherd”, also was a “Sacrificial Lamb” who suffered for our sin.

 

Yes, God came to the Jews and took care of them. In the person of Jesus, God also came to us for our eternal benefit! History and the Bible tell us that Jesus lived on earth and died for us, just the Lord promised.

 

We also know that Jesus, our Good Shepherd and Sacrificial Lamb, will come again to rebuild a new creation for us. We know that we will live with him in eternity.

 

History tells us that the Lord keeps his promises.

 

Unlike the Great Pumpkin!