The "Let Us" Series From The Book Of Hebrews
#7
"LET US CONSIDER HOW TO SPUR EACH OTHER ON TO GOOD WORKS!"
TEXT: Hebrews
10:24
INTRO: Have you ever been
provoked to anger? Probably we have
all had that experience. It usually
involves someone deliberately working hard to get under our skin, to not only
show their contempt for us, but to move us to respond in kind. All of this of course with the intent of
causing pain and hurt. In such
cases the person who can get that kind of reaction from us feels powerful and in
control. They may also feel a sick
sense of relief at getting even.
What if we did this in reverse?
Instead of provoking someone to anger, we used the same kind of emotional
strength and strategy to provoke others to love and good works. This is behind this single verse of
Scripture as the third exhortation in Hebrews
10. The invitation to “Let
us…” is meant to invite all the believers into process of deliberate
actions toward others that will move them to love more, and to do good works out
of joy. The more we combine our
acts of love and good works, the more we move the world toward Christ! We may think our own small contribution
won’t matter, but when added to other believers we can show the power of God’s
love.
ILLUS: The story is told of a heavy bronze bell
that had sunk into a river in
PROP. SENT: The
Bible teaches us that we are to not only be full of love and good works, but we
are to help spur on or provoke others to love and good works.
I. EXORTATION! Heb.
10:24a
A.
“Provoking” Heb.
10:24a
1. The author is using an unexpected
word here, “paroxusmon” in Greek translated here, “Provoke.”
This word was normally used in a negative sense, such as in provocation
or exasperation toward anger!
a. This may indicate that the
believers were already “provoking” one another in negative ways, such as in
arguing, or disagreements, perhaps building toward hatred – and so the author
uses the same word to tell them STRONGLY to provoke each other toward love
instead.
b. In other words the author is
saying, “With the same energy you are using to provoke each other
negatively use to do good
instead!”
c. The author of Hebrews does this in
a very pastoral way, he says, “LET US…” so he includes himself; it is not just
aimed at them.
d. All believers need to be cognizant
of their own actions toward others, not to provoke to evil, but to provoke
toward good.
2. Discipline of life and
love
a. They are to take notice of how
their interactions affect each
other.
b. We can help people down a path of
love, or hurt them down a path of
pain.
c. Any attitude or action taken by us
should be viewed through the lens of how it will affect others. Does it move others into the arena of
being built up, or pulling them
down?
d. The idea is to go even beyond the
“average” response, actually go out of the way to do good to others, whether
they deserve it or not!
ILLUS: Have you understood what is really involved
in the "cup of cold water," as Matt 10:42 calls it? There is more to it than appears
on the surface. In Eastern lands the water is drawn up from a well in the court
or fetched from a distance. The housewife brings in a supply in the morning and
lets it stand ready for use. As the day goes on the water gets warm. It would be
easy for her to give a cup of this water to a thirsty friend or stranger, but a
"cup of cold water" implies the kindly thought that would lead
her to take the trouble to draw it or fetch it straight from the well, perhaps
in the heat of the day. So often we give what amounts to tepid water to save
ourselves extra work. But I believe it is the "cup of cold water" that shall in no wise lose its reward. The
principle would seem to be that going out of our way, making sacrifices to help
the poor, will have a sure reward. – Source Unknown
3. When you fall in love with someone
else that is your only desire, you are provoked or excited to see how you can
show your love to the one who is
loved.
a. This is natural when we fall in
love with someone!
b. Falling in love with someone will
provoke us to do everything we can to show
it!
c. There should be the same attitude
toward others when the love of Christ is ruling in our
hearts!
d. The Christian life doesn't just
happen, it comes as the fruit of self-discipline along with God's
graces.
e. The focus here is a call to action,
not just thought.
B.
Practicing! Heb.
10:24a
1. We cannot assume that Christian
graces will “just happen” in our
lives, they need to be developed, we need to “work out our
salvation with fear and trembling.” (Philippians
2:12b)
a. Intentionality is involved here, as
well as discipline.
b. The writer is speaking about the
effort of choice, they will need to stop “provoking” out of emotional responses,
but rather start taking seriously their new status as believers and guide their
beliefs and behaviors to be those that would “provoke” one another toward good
works, not evil deeds.
2. If in their past lives they
provoked one another to hatred and anger, in their new life in Christ they are
use the same energy and zeal to “provoke” each other to love and good
deeds.
3. By doing this they will enable
others to do the same, their combined efforts will help them
all!
ILLUS: Have you ever wondered why the Canadian
geese fly only in the V formation? For years specialists in aerodynamics
wondered the same thing. Two
engineers calibrated in a wind tunnel what happens in such a V formation. Each
goose, in flapping his wings, creates an upward lift for the goose that follows.
When all the geese do their part in the V formation, the whole flock has a 71
percent greater flying range than if each bird flew alone. Each depends upon the
other to get to its destination.
Something else - When a goose begins to lag
behind, the others "honk" it back into place. Now, let us learn from God's animal
creation. The church needs to fly in a spiritual V formation, "honking" one
another into steadfastness. And it must be at least 71 percent easier to live
the faithful Christian life flying with the flock as opposed to going it alone.
"Let us consider one another, to provoke
unto love and to good works" (Heb 10:24). – Source Unknown
4. The kind of love they are being
asked to provoke is the word “agape”
– the deepest kind of love.
5. “To consider”
provoking means to become deliberate at both thought and action how
they could move each other forward in their hearts and minds, and actions. To take self out of the front position
and put others there instead.
6. The concept of them provoking one
another is almost akin to making a contest to see how they can outdo each other
in moving people by love and good
works.
a. This shows how important good works
are!
b. It is not good works to get you saved, it is good works because you
are saved!
7. The fruit of showing their good
deeds and provoking one another to doing good deeds will be others coming to
Christ. It is way we demonstrate to
the world the reality of God’s presence in our own
lives!
II. EXAMPLES! Heb.
10:24b
A.
Purposeful! Heb.
10:24b
1. We become students at loving
others, and spurring others on to love
others.
2. The Christian life is not a
half-hazard existence, it is meant to be one of purposeful
living.
3. The purpose in life is not to
fulfill ones’ own needs, but those of others.
a. There were no doubt some in the
chuch who were doing this, and the writing is trying to encourage the rest to
join in, hence the “LET
US…”
b. A community of believers loving
each other is a powerful draw.
People are drawn to a church not at first because of doctrine or
architecture, they are often drawn because they hear and see stories of people
who genuinely love each other and are out working hard at doing good
works.
ILLUS:
In Conspiracy of Kindness, Steve Sjogren
(pronounced Show-gren) tells the true story of Joe Delaney and his
eight-year-old son, Jared, who were playing catch in their
backyard.
Jared asked, "Dad, is there a
God?"
Joe replied that he went to church
only a few times when he was a kid; he really had no
idea.
Jared ran into the house. "I'll be
right back!" he yelled.
Moments later he returned with a
helium balloon from the circus, a pen, and an index card. "I'm going to send God
an airmail message," Jared explained. "Dear God," wrote Jared, "if you are real,
and you are there, send people who know you to Dad and
me."
God, I hope you're watching, Joe
thought, as they watched the balloon and message sail
away.
Two days later, Joe and Jared
pulled into a car wash sponsored by Sjogren's church. When Joe asked, "How
much?" Sjogren answered, "It's free. No strings attached. We just want to show
God's love in a practical way."
"Are you guys Christians, the kind
of Christians who believe in God?" Joe
asked.
Sjogren said, "Yes, we're that kind of Christians." From that encounter,
Steve led Joe to faith in Christ. Many people may be only one act of kindness
from meeting a true Christian. - Tom Lundeen in Fresh Illustrations for
Preaching & Teaching (Baker), from the editors of Leadership.
c. Even Jesus equated works as
evidence of what lies inside each of
us.
d. So much so that faith and works
were connected: (James 2:14) “What good is it,
my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save
him?” The implied answer
of course is “no.”
ILLUS:
It has been said
that separating faith and works is like separating the heat and light from a
candle. You know both are produced
by the candle. You know they are
not the same thing. You also know
you cannot separate them. -- Robert C. Shannon, 1000 Windows, (Cincinnati, Ohio:
Standard Publishing Company, 1997).
4. The
5. That is an awesome
responsibility!
6. Church is not just about
worshipping God by a few songs and a sermon; it is also just as much about
spurring each other on to love and do good works to give witness to the powerful
change that has taken place in our lives, lives once ruled by self, selfishness,
and sin.
B.
Powerful! Heb.
10:24b
1. A Christian or community of
Christians who are set on fire to love others, and to do good will be a
community or church that doesn’t have a hard time attracting others to join
in.
2. The power of the Gospel is
reflected through our love and those actions of
love.
3. So much so that Paul said to the
Corinthians that even if we had supernatural abilities and supernatural gifts
but did not have love we would be at best making a bunch of useless and
powerless noise!
a. Discipleship is not just “learning”
Scripture, it is “living”
Scripture!
b. Even sinners have a hard time
rejecting “good” people!
4. This is not to be confused with
goodness to earn God’s favor, it is not that! It is goodness for God’s
sake!
ILLUS:
A converted
cowboy put it very well when he said, "Lots of folks that would really like to
do right think that serving the Lord only means shouting themselves hoarse
praising His name. Now I'll tell you how I look at that. I am working for Jim
here. Now if I would do nothing but sit around the house telling what a good
fellow Jim is and singing songs to him, I would not suit Jim. But when I buckle
on my straps and hustle among the hills and see that Jim's herd is all right,
not suffering for water and feed, or being driven off the range and branded by
cow thieves, then I am serving Jim as he wants to be served." Let that be our
philosophy, too, when the temptation is to talk instead of serving the
Lord. – Source
Unknown
a. To be ambassadors of love to a
suffering world, to do good to even those who would despitefully use us, that is
power.
b. The early church thrived though it
was persecuted harshly because the early believers kept love in their hearts for
sinners, and kept good works as the normal outflow of everything they
did.
c. When the
5. The path to revival in America
isn’t just some catchy campaign or large coliseum event, it is more about us
“provoking” one another on to love and good
works.
6. So “LET
US…!”
CONCLUSION: To impact the world for
Christ will require us to consider how we can spur or provoke one another on
toward love and good works. This
does not cause faith to be brought down to the level of “good works” – rather it
elevates good works to the level of faith!
The existence of God’s love is so powerful that it can’t help but act in
a positive way to others. Hebrews 10:24 “And let us
consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good
deeds.”