Outer Banks Community Church

Great Christians Series – Hebrews 10:23-25

Intro: You show me your friends and I will show you your future. Great Christians Pursue Great people! We have plenty of examples from the Bible dealing with great Godly men and woman to follow. Joshua was able to follow Moses’s; Solomon valued wisdom because of his father David. Timothy was encouraged and strengthened as a young pastor despite difficulties because he submitted himself to Paul. The greatest example of pursuing a great person was the twelve men who followed Jesus for 3 years. God has ordained relationships as the primary medium for learning.

Great Christians share acts of love by being great examples: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2 (NIV) His good, and pleasing and perfect will require “acts of Love.”

Text: Hebrews 10:23-25 (NLT)

“Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 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, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”

1. Great Christians Hold Tightly: vs. 23

“Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.” (NKJV) “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” A Great Christian Holds Tightly or fast understanding the profession in Christ they have made. So without wavering Great Christians know that Christ is their savior and that He died for our sins and forgives us. Know that Christ also has risen from the grave and He is seated at the right hand of God. When a person professes Christ to be his Savior and Lord, he is to hold his profession fast and he is to do it without wavering. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 15:58 (NKJV) In my entire lifetime I only remember a few times riding on a roller coaster, but in those few times I remember the different feelings or emotions I felt as I went up and down the coaster. I felt the tug as I neared the peak of the ride; I felt the gasp of air when I started to descend down off the peak. And throughout the whole rid I remember tightly holding on the rails of the seat cart… Great Christian hold tight throughout the entire ride.

Great Christians do not listen to the voices of the world, there is no doubt Jesus Christ died for them, and that He rose for them. The Great Christian does not listen to false teaching, nor are Great Christians letting circumstances, trials, or temptations shake their faith in Christ. There is one strong reason for holding our profession fast. What is it? "God is faithful that promised." God keeps His Word. And He is the One who has promised to let the sacrifice of Christ count as the sacrifice for our sins. God is the One who has promised to accept us in Christ—to accept us in His perfection and righteousness. God will do exactly what He has said. He is faithful. Therefore, "let us hold fast the profession of our hope without wavering." We have been saved and will inherit eternal life—given the glorious privilege of living with God forever and ever in the new heavens and earth. “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” Galatians 5:1

Hold tightly, great Christians hold fast. “Test all things; hold fast what is good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:21 (NKJV)

2. Great Christians Do Good Works: vs. 24

“Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.’

Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works. Whether you’re the Moses’s or Joshua, the Paul or Timothy, “acts of love” lead us to doing good works.

Chip Ingram said; “you need someone who believes in you, who will speak the truth in love, who can give you a picture of the kind of person you want to be, and who will help you set goals and push you toward them. You need people who can play a role in your spiritual Mount Rushmore.” There were important people in Chips life that became his spiritual Mount Rushmore. For you that remember you’re History; Mount Rushmore also known as the President's Mountain, is located in the Black Hills of Keystone, South Dakota. The sculpture of four famous presidents, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln, was carved into the granite rock face. There is an interesting fact about each of them and why they were selected; George Washington - He was the first president and represented the foundation of American democracy. Thomas Jefferson - With the Louisiana Purchase, he greatly expanded the nation. He was also the author of the hugely influential Declaration of Independence. Theodore Roosevelt - He not only represented the industrial development of the nation, but was also widely known for conservation efforts. Abraham Lincoln - As the president during the US Civil War, he represents the preservation of the nation above all costs. It took 14 years to complete Mount Rushmore. George Washington's face is 60 feet long and 90% of the heads were carved with dynamite. What does all this history have to do with “Acts of Love?” Everything! These men left legacies, Great Christians are influential in their sphere of influence. Mount Rushmore took years to build and it will sometimes take years for Great Christians to be used.

“Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.’ Hey guys it is this simple; Great Christians care for each other, they give attention to one another. They watch over one another. How different the church would be—how much stronger we would be in Christ and in life—if we heeded this exhortation!

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 (NKJV)

3. Great Christians Surround Themselves with Positive Influence: vs. 25

“And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”

Whomever you hang out with, whoever’s teaching you come under, and whomever you choose to influence you will greatly determine the direction of your life. Great Christians assemble together, for worship, for prayer, for the study of God's Word and for ministry and witnessing.

“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." John 4:24 (NKJV)

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.” Psalm 23:6 (NKJV)

“One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in His temple.” Psalm 27:4 (NKJV)

Great Christians surround themselves with positive influence they become a positive role model and experience great “Acts of love.”