Keep It Together
By Rev. Heidi L. Barham | November 17, 2024
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Read Hebrews 10:19 – 25 (NIV)
As we prepare to take a deeper look at our New Testament lesson for this morning... I ask your indulgence as I read it to you again as it appears in the Message Paraphrase, under the subtitle:
Don’t Throw It All Away:
So, friends, we can now—without hesitation—walk right up to God, into “the Holy Place.” Jesus has cleared the way by the blood of his sacrifice, acting as our priest before God. The “curtain” into God’s presence is his body. So let’s do it—full of belief, confident that we’re presentable inside and out. Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.If I could offer a quick summary of this passage, I would suggest that what the writer of Hebrews is calling us to do is simply to KEEP IT TOGETHER... as we do all that God has called us to do... working alongside one another... as the church... the body of believers in Jesus the Christ.
And it would almost seem to go without saying that we are living in a day and time when we need the church more than ever.
Watching things that are unfolding around the world... as well as here, closer to home... we find ourselves living in a perpetual state of uncertainty... many of us waking up each day pondering that daunting question, “What could possibly happen next?”
That is why there is such a great need for us to be the church, perhaps now more so than ever before... and that is why it is incumbent upon as the church to do our best to KEEP IT TOGETHER.
Now, as we explore this passage from Hebrews, let me suggest that there are at least three areas in our lives where it would benefit us to KEEP IT TOGETHER... as we find ourselves faced with challenging circumstances and stressful situations.
The first is in our relationship and connection to God.
The writer of Hebrews tells us that the curtain that used to hang in the temple to seal off the Most Holy Place was removed as a result of Christ’s death. According to scholars, the Most Holy Place was only accessible by the high priest one time each year and that was on the Day of Atonement.
But as Jesus hung on the cross at Calvary, the scriptures tell us that the curtain was ripped in two (Matthew 27:51, Mark 15:38, Luke 23:45). And because there is no longer any separation and nothing to keep us out... we now have direct access to come into God’s presence.
But how is that possible? How can we come into God’s presence?
Jesus’ death made it possible.
And as true believers, when we place our faith and trust in Jesus... we have the assurance that whenever we come before the Lord and enter into His presence... He will hear and answer our prayers.
Now, that is not to say that we will always get the exact answers that we want... but we can trust that what God has promised... God will deliver.
Looking at the Scriptures, we read that God has promised to “supply all of our needs, according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).
He has promised “never to leave us nor forsake us” (Deuteronomy 31:6). And He has promised to be with us “always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
But perhaps it was the Psalmist David who said it best when he wrote Psalm 23:
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.In other words, God has promised us that He will take care of us and meet all of our needs... but beyond all of that, He has made provision for us to be with Him forever, for all of eternity... so we there really is no need for us worry. Regardless of what is going on around us... we simply need to KEEP IT TOGETHER.
Now, our text from Hebrews also shows us that there is an internal component that is necessary for us to KEEP IT TOGETHER.
As a result of Christ’s sacrifice we have been cleansed inside and out so we can come to Him as the text says, “with a sincere heart and the full assurance that faith brings because our hearts have been sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies have been washed with pure water.”
So often we think that we have to get our act together before we can come before the Lord... but the reality is that it is not possible for us to get our own act together... Christ is the One who does that for us.
In fact, if we were to look back to Hebrews 9:14, we would find these words, “How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”
In a nutshell, the fact of the matter is that apart from Christ, we cannot get ourselves together... but because of Christ who makes all thing possible... we now have the ability to KEEP IT TOGETHER.
Now, the next thing we can take from this text is the call for us to KEEP IT TOGETHER as the church. None of us can make it on our own and the reality is that God never intended for us to do it all alone.
From as far back as the book of Genesis, God has made it clear that it is not good for us to be alone... that is why He made Eve... so Adam would not be alone.
And over in John 14 (16-17a), we find Jesus’ promise, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth.”
Because God never intended for us to live this life alone... the writer of Hebrews encourages us not to neglect gathering together with other believers. And when we do come together as the church, we can not only share our faith... we can help strengthen one another in the Lord... as we pray with and for one another.
Now, at the risk of stating the obvious, Ledgewood Christian Church has some of the most powerful prayer warriors I have ever seen. Rarely does a week goes by that we don’t hear about how God has answered the prayers we offer for our families and friends, for one another and for ourselves.
And as the Day of the Lord draws ever closer, we will see more and more hardships and difficulties arise... and with that will come more opportunities for us to pray with and pray for one another. So, we would do well to continue to KEEP IT TOGETHER as the church... recognizing as the song says that we are the church together.
Quite some time ago, I read a devotional in Daily Guideposts that talked about a fire that had destroyed the 150-year-old Grace Episcopal Church in the Bronx back in 1993. Until a new church could be built, they began to worship in a temporary location.
The writer of the devotional said that when she arrived to visit the church at the temporary site, she made a comment to the pastor that everyone was so cheerful that no one would think that they had just lost their beautiful church.
That is when the pastor told her, “We didn’t lose the church. That was just a building.” Then he gestured to the group and said, “This is the church! People who love Jesus and love one another. No fire can destroy that.”
And that is my encouragement to us today, that even in the face of hardships and challenges that can feel almost insurmountable... we can KEEP IT TOGETHER because there is nothing that can destroy the church... the people who love the Lord and love one another.
That is because when we come together as the body of believers... we have the assurance that the Lord will be right there with us to carry us through whatever situation we may find ourselves in.
In Isaiah 43 (1-3) we read:
But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.’No matter what difficulties we may face, remember, we can KEEP IT TOGETHER... First and foremost, because of our relationship and firm foundation in the Lord... the One who has promised never to leave, nor forsake us... to be with us even as we go through the fire and the storms of life.
We have been given the ability to KEEP IT TOGETHER because of the confident assurance we have that we can come into God’s presence whenever we need to do so... and because of the promise we have that God will not only hear our prayers... He will answer them... often in ways that go beyond our wildest imagination and exceed our greatest expectations.
And let us not lose sight of the fact that we are called to KEEP IT TOGETHER as the church... the body of believers whom God has set apart as His chosen ones... so we can be a beacon of light in a dark and dying world and point them to a living Savior who is Christ the Lord.
When we make it our mission to KEEP IT TOGETHER as the church... it means we will be intentional in showing our love for God and the people of God through all that we say and do... whether it is welcoming in the stranger... providing for those in need... or simply doing our best in caring for one another...
Whatever the case may be... we must never forget that our actions will speak louder than our words... which is why we must do everything in love. That way when other people see us they will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are Christians by our love.
And with that thought in mind, let us stand and join in singing our Hymn of Discipleship: They'll Know We Are Christians #494.
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