06/26/16 Ats of Love!
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.”
In : Sermon
Tags: "great christians series" "book of hebrews"
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