[0:00] I want to turn to Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10. We're talking about first things first. And I wanted to come and during the month of May and be as transparent as I know how to be with you, full disclosure about if you wonder what makes the new guy tick, I want to share with you this month what makes me tick.
[0:25] I first started talking about the need of knowing that you are saved. If someone is haunted by those questions, it always defeats them in their spiritual walk as well as limits them in their testimony.
[0:38] I don't want you to doubt your salvation. I want you to be sure of that at the same time. I don't want you to be sure of something that you don't have. And so if you don't have Jesus, I want to tell you how you can have Jesus.
[0:49] And so I began with that and we took some time to honor our ladies on Mother's Day. I continued by encouraging you to be in the Word of God daily. And how many of you read the Word?
[1:01] No, I'm kidding. I'm not going to do that. Because that's not why we read it. And if you're one of those who are taking that bookmark and checking it off and showing it to people when you check it off, you know, real big, you know, that's not what the point is, folks, you know.
[1:16] It is to have a time with the Lord. And so I encourage you to do that. And today I want to encourage you to spur one another on. I want to tell you why.
[1:27] And I want to tell you how. It's in Hebrews chapter 10, beginning in verse 23. And it says, First, I want to tell you why we ought to spur one another on.
[2:08] Because we have a great opportunity. That's why. I have a friend that has made a great impact on football for the cause of Christ. He's on the board of Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
[2:20] He's in their Hall of Fame. And he is known by all Christian coaches in college and in the NFL. And God's used Ken Smith in a mighty way. And I've enjoyed following him around on occasion.
[2:34] When he spoke at Ole Miss, he invited me to come along. And we went before a ball game. And I waited for that game to start in the coach's locker room with the coaches.
[2:45] I went to the head coach's office for a little while. When the game started, I had two options. One, I could either be on the sidelines and watch a ball game. Or I could be in the coach's box.
[2:57] I chose both. I spent the first half of the game on the sidelines. I was moved out of the way for just a moment for a presentation when Joe Gibbs of NASCAR fame and before that of the Washington Redskins, if you can say Redskins.
[3:13] But anyway. As well as Archie Manning. And Archie Manning, you may know him as a quarterback that suffered for the New Orleans Saints. But in Mississippi, I'm telling you, he hung the moon.
[3:27] He was a hero. The golden boy of Mississippi in so many ways. And at any point I wanted to, I chose halftime. I went up an eight and sat in the head coach's box with his family.
[3:39] I was sitting there with Monty Kiffin. Some of you who know a lot about NFL may know who that is. He's a legendary defensive coordinator throughout the years. As well, Jimmy Sexton.
[3:49] And Jimmy Sexton is an agent to, the last time I looked, 11 of the 14 coaches in the SEC as well as a bunch of NFL greats. And I looked and the governor was in a box over from us.
[4:02] Waved at him through the glass. For a football fan, I'm just telling you, it was amazing. I'm not trying to drop names here. I'm just telling you, I didn't belong. I was invited.
[4:13] I was on somebody else's invitation. And I was having a heyday until the fajitas did not agree with me. And then everything changed. But it was as good as college football can get unless, of course, there's another team playing.
[4:29] I won't bring them up. I don't want to make folks mad this morning, so I'll be quiet. But I do love games locally as well. However, there is nothing compared, that is nothing compared, nor any interaction that we've had upon this earth compared to what Hebrews chapter 10 talks about in the verses before the ones I read.
[4:54] The Hebrew writer is saying there, because Christ has died in our place, and because he has removed every barrier that we have to keep us from God, we can approach, get this, we can approach the very throne of God with boldness.
[5:15] We are welcomed into his presence. Now, understand this. He knows everything about us. He knows what we've done.
[5:28] He knows what we would have done. He knows what we've said. He knows what we thought about saying. He knows what we wish we'd have done.
[5:43] He knows what we wish we hadn't done. He knows it all, and loves us enough to die for us and give us the opportunity for salvation, giving us access to the throne of God for forgiveness and for the presence of God in worship.
[6:02] And if you are a born-again believer today, you are blessed. And it is not because you deserve it, because we do not deserve it. It is not because we've earned it, because we have not earned it.
[6:15] It's because he came to us, not because we came to him. We were dead, dead, dead in our trespasses and sins.
[6:27] And he's made us alive through his death and resurrection. And because of that, we have access to him. So we take it. And every day, we read his word, we seek his face, and we spur one another on.
[6:43] It is necessary that we do that, the Hebrew writer says, because the day is approaching. Jesus is coming again.
[6:55] Like the old hymn says, maybe morning, maybe noon, maybe evening, and maybe soon. I love that hymn. It's what's irritating him, honestly. But it's the truth. He's coming back.
[7:06] And nothing on this earth is keeping him from coming back. I don't know what kind of chart you have, but I'm telling you, nothing is keeping him from coming back. He can return at any moment.
[7:17] And so we be ready. We are to be ready and be spurring one another on. The ESV, I think, does an injustice to this when it says stir.
[7:29] Now, if you know what stir means there, it's okay to use that word. But it really depends on what kind of stirring you're talking about. I eat that fruit bottom yogurt every morning, or just about every morning.
[7:43] And the first thing I do with my spoon is I stir that. Just stir it a little bit. And get that fruit from the bottom to where I can taste it.
[7:56] That's not the kind of stirring he's talking about. If when you think of stirring, he's talking about how you stir people when there's a breakaway, go-ahead touchdown that happens late in the game to a fan base of a team that has been down by less than a touchdown.
[8:17] If you've been in that kind of atmosphere, you know what that does to the crowd. That's the kind of stirring that he's talking about. He's talking about a stirring that makes a difference. And that's why some translations, and I agree with them, translate this spur.
[8:33] Because you can spur a horse along to get it going. Now, I say, you can spur a horse because of Old Blue. I think it was the Wanata Valley, if I'm not mistaken.
[8:47] Years ago, when I had the opportunity to go on a horse ride, we all lined up, one tail in front of the other, you know, and we all got on there. Nobody knew what they were doing.
[8:59] Hard enough just to get on the horse. We're all standing in line, about from here to the back of the room. And I'm looking at the tail in front of me, talking to Old Blue, my buddy.
[9:10] I got a legend right here before me. And this legend sees something up an embankment that he liked. We wasn't moving along the way.
[9:21] We were just standing still. And instead of me looking like I had my act together, Old Blue had to get the weed on top of that embankment. And so up we climbed about 15 feet. I kicked him in the gut.
[9:34] I yanked on his ropes. I did whatever I could. And Old Blue wanted to go to the top of that hill. And Old Blue went to the top of that hill. So now I'm standing on top of the hill like a victorious captain, looking down at everyone else, when all they want to do is go on the ride.
[9:51] And somebody came and helped me get Old Blue down the hill. So when I say, you can spur a horse, I mean, you can spur a horse because I'm not going to. But I'll tell you what, you can spur a horse and we can also spur one another along.
[10:06] And we're instructed to do that by Scripture. So not only do I want to tell you why you ought to spur, but I want to tell you how we ought to spur, just some ways of how we ought to spur one another along.
[10:22] One way we do that is to pray. You say, oh, preacher, I thought you were talking about something we could do. Well, whatever you're going to do for the Lord, you ought to pray about it before you do it.
[10:38] You ought to pray about it while you're doing it. You ought to pray about it after you're doing it. Because the difference that you make comes only from a complete dependence upon the Lord that allows him to work in us and through us.
[10:55] And so we must pray. Now, let me be honest with you. I'm not just preaching here. I'm telling the truth. The word there, stir, for encouragement, excuse me, the word for encourage there, that stir, is the same word in English as paracism.
[11:15] Paracism is a medical term that speaks of a sudden shaking, like a convulsion of sorts, an emotion. It's normally used as a negative word in the Greek. Now, you don't have to be negative to spur one another on, but you might need to be.
[11:31] But I'm telling you, whether it's negative or whether it's positive, when you try to spur others along, you ought to pray before you do. The second thing is invite and share.
[11:45] Spur one another along by inviting and sharing. Notice what he says. He says, all the more as you see the day drawing near. What day is he talking about?
[11:55] He's talking about that day there is short for the day of the Lord. He's talking about a day of judgment that is coming. The chickens will come home to roost.
[12:07] You can count on it. The signs of the times tell me that it's closer than it's ever been. We need to act on it. And listen, if they needed to act on it as the day was approaching 2,000 years ago, how much more do we definitely need to act on it?
[12:23] So tell somebody about Jesus. Invite them to worship with you. Share what Christ is doing in your life. If you're rooting for a ball team and they win a championship, you're gonna go tell everybody that already knows it, ain't you?
[12:38] You want everybody to know it because your team won even though it's been well publicized and people know. Well, tell them something bigger than that. Tell them something more lasting than that.
[12:50] Tell them something better than that and much more important that they need to know and may not. And that is Jesus saves. Jesus changes lives. That is that God wants to do a wonderful work in a local church and I want to encourage you to come to church with me.
[13:07] What a wonderful opportunity you have. The power that is in you because you pray in a dependence upon the Lord, ask God to use you.
[13:18] Simply walk through the doors that he opens and has the opportunity to invite and to share. There's some VBS cards out there. That's easy. If we run out of those, there's postcards as well that we can use.
[13:31] That's easy. You see a kid in the neighborhood, that kid that won't get off your lawn, just tell him, get off my lawn. Here, come to Vacation Bible School. Spur one another on.
[13:46] Shake each other up. We missing somebody this morning? Spur each other on. And then smile. Smile.
[13:58] You know, you can love God and live for him and still be happy. You can. And you can be winsome and you can be pleasing to others. Don't mean they're always going to agree with everything you say.
[14:08] Probably shouldn't agree with everything you say. You really can, though. And so I want to tell you to make a point to be for his honor and for his glory one who's winsome.
[14:20] Why are we spurring each other along? The middle of verse 24 says that we do it for love and good works. Love is an eternal matter. It's a heart matter.
[14:31] It's taking care of things in the heart. And if the heart is right, that drives outward into those good works. But if love is not right, it will not promote good works.
[14:42] If the love in the heart is right, it'll promote good works. You can't do that grumbling. You can't do it like when you look like you've been sucking on a lemon. That's not holy.
[14:53] It's ugly. And so if Jesus has changed your heart, inform your face. And listen, the guest here today probably will not remember what I said.
[15:06] But they'll remember what you said. And they'll remember how you treated them. And they'll remember the love and the smiles of the people. So smile.
[15:19] I promise you folks, it ain't that hard to smile. Next thing is respond. When God speaks, respond.
[15:32] If it's in this worship hour, respond. If it's in your prayer time, respond. If the spirit prods you, respond.
[15:43] If the spirit waves a red flag on your life, respond. If the spirit waves a green flag on your life, respond.
[15:56] I think about Philip. God told Philip to go down to the crossroads. He didn't really know what he was getting into. But he went because God told him to go. And when he got there, what he didn't know was that God was working on that Ethiopian eunuch in that chariot by leading him to a passage that spoke of a coming Messiah.
[16:17] And when they met up at that divine appointment, that man said, how can I understand this unless somebody explains it? And he sat down and explained it to him, led him to Christ, baptized him right there.
[16:31] Listen, in every church I've pastored, I've had people meet me at the door and tell me, I felt led to come down. I felt led to make a decision, but I didn't.
[16:44] And when I hear that, do you know what I want to do? I want to spur them on. And I mean in a horse kind of way. I want to take a pointy thing on the end of my boot and stick it in their side of sorts.
[16:57] Why? Because your disobedience, my disobedience, our disobedience, quenches the spirit of God from moving and working in the way he'd had moved.
[17:09] What if your obedience would have given someone else the courage to come up as well? By following your example. I'm not asking you to orchestrate something. I'm simply asking you to be obedient to God.
[17:20] Just do what God tells you to do because God has a way of using us to help each other. Spur one another along. We can build an atmosphere of being stiff as a board, scared to death, that God's going to move in a mighty way.
[17:33] Or either we can be one built on obedience and an expectancy that God wants to change lives, that God's still in the saving business.
[17:45] He's still doing miracles and he wants to work and to move in people's lives and we ought to expect it. We ought to pray for it. We ought to look for it. We ought to invite people to experience it.
[17:57] I'll never ask you to do more than what God tells you to do and I'll never want you to be satisfied with doing less. You shouldn't do less. When God speaks, respond.
[18:09] It'll be like a kick in the pants to the rest of us. When you respond to what God tells you to do, respond. The next thing is to reach. To reach.
[18:19] To assure you that I have not left the text. If you're going to stir one another along to love and good works, you're going to have to rattle a cage or two from time to time.
[18:31] If they're missing, check on them. If they need Jesus, reach out to them. Pray before you do. Ask God to open up the opportunity and then step out boldly and reach out to them.
[18:50] If you need a church home, if they need a church home, touch base with them. If they're missing here this morning, check on them. If they're sick, reach out to them.
[19:01] If they're hurting, love on them. Worship is not, I'm here, I dare you to bless me. That is not worship, folks.
[19:13] That's a standoff. It's not worship at all. Worship is Isaiah chapter 6. In Isaiah chapter 6, Isaiah said, whoa, I am a man of unclean lips.
[19:25] Cleanse me, Lord. And then he said, send me, Lord. That's what worship is, friend. It's getting right with God and then being ready to walk with God. He'll use you this very hour if you respond as he tells you to and you reach out to somebody on the way out of here.
[19:45] I promise. He'll do works in you you don't expect. Spur one another on and then attend.
[19:57] It says, not neglecting to meet together. Being faithful in worship is the gift that just keeps on giving because you need it but not only do you need it but Christ established the church because we need each other and we have a job to do.
[20:17] We're to reach the world. We're to spur one another on and you can't do that from the couch. You can't do it online. It's a great option for those that can't be here physically but if you can be, be here physically.
[20:33] You can't do it from the lake. You can't do it from the ball field. Now I know as the Hebrew writer knows, so many preacher are in the habit of doing it.
[20:50] He warns us of that very thing. Let's don't act like some. Notice in scripture, it's the people who were not like others that God used mightily.
[21:05] It was the exceptions. It was not the normal. They said Noah was blameless and above reproach. You know what that means?
[21:17] That means when a man builds a huge boat in the middle of the desert and people walk by and go, I think he's losing it. Somebody else is going to say, you know what?
[21:29] He must be on to something because that old boy has got it going on. I don't understand what he's telling us but there's something about what he's doing that must be right. He was blameless.
[21:41] That means people didn't accuse him. He was above reproach. That means if they did accuse him, that somebody else would go, nah, I'm sorry. Not Noah. Noah stood out and because of that, God used him.
[21:54] It says David was a man after God's own heart. Man, David was as imperfect as any of us. But the reality is he had a heart for God. And when God told him to do something, he did it and God used him.
[22:07] Abraham went to a land that God would show him and was willing to go and do what God would have him to do. The disciples dropped their agenda and followed Christ.
[22:20] Do you know how significant it is when your daddy has a fishing business and you're cleaning out the net on the side of the water and Jesus says, come and follow me and he don't wait on them and he don't beg them and he don't plead with them.
[22:34] I believe he just turned and began to walk and they dropped their net. They dropped their inheritance. They left their career behind to follow Christ.
[22:53] Oh, you know what? Two millenniums later, we're still talking about them because they stepped out for the Lord because Christ uses those who are willing to be used mightily of God.
[23:11] So let's not be in the habit of so many. Let's be faithful to not neglect meeting together because not only do you miss, but you are missed, I promise you.
[23:26] And another way to spur, and listen, what I always say is miss for the extraordinary. But don't miss for the ordinary. There's great opportunities to come around and they come around on weekends.
[23:38] It happens. Miss for the extraordinary, but don't miss for the ordinary. Attend. And then give. You knew I was going there. I want you to notice the impact of giving.
[23:52] 2 Corinthians chapter 9, verse 6 through 8 says this, the point is this, whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. And whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
[24:04] Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful, that's that smile I was talking about. God loves a cheerful giver.
[24:17] And God is able. Have you seen the economy? Have you seen what houses cost?
[24:29] Are y'all praying? You been in the gas pump lately? Been in the grocery store? Preacher, how in the world can we be faithful to the Lord when things are like they are?
[24:49] And God is able to make all grace abound to you so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times you may abound in every good work.
[25:11] As long as it's all in your pocket, you're responsible for it. But when you obey God and give as he instructs you to give, I'm not responsible anymore.
[25:26] He's going to provide my needs. He'll be more than sufficient. And listen, this is the good part. Abound, amen? Abound in every good work.
[25:39] When you trust God by giving the tithe and the offering, God's grace is more than sufficient to provide your needs and to strengthen and empower the work that you are doing in his name.
[25:50] It will spur us all on. The lack of faith of those that do not give hinders the work of God among his people. Now, I don't want you to misunderstand.
[26:01] My father owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He don't need our money. But he chooses to use the obedient. That's who he chooses to be a part of.
[26:12] That's who he chooses to work in. Make a point to be obedient with what is precious. Because when we fail to give faithfully, we are hindered ourselves.
[26:23] But we are also not trusting God in that matter. And that stunts personal growth. And if you've learned anything from this passage of scripture today, I hope you've learned. And when we fail to grow in the Lord, and when we fail to do what God tells us to do, that fails to spur or to stimulate the work of the Lord in other people as well.
[26:44] So give. Just give faithfully. God's got it taken care of. I promise you. Just be faithful. And then serve.
[26:55] The Apostle Paul said in Galatians 5, verse 13, through love, serve one another. Remember, we're talking about spurring on.
[27:06] We're talking about stirring up. We're talking about motivating, promoting, stimulating. That's what teachers do. That's what was going on in Sunday school classes just a few moments ago.
[27:20] From the little bitty ones to the real old ones. That's what was happening. Spurring one another on. That's what happens when those greeters stand out there on that porch.
[27:31] Invite you in. Stirring one another on. That's what happens when people serve. That's what happens when people cook. That's what happens when people host. When they sing.
[27:42] When they play instruments. Every one of us needs a small group. A Sunday school class to share our life with and a place of service to serve God in.
[27:53] Nobody needs to do everything. Everybody needs to do something. And we encourage one another along when we serve the Lord. God honors such as that.
[28:04] You've got to find your niche. Get busy for God. And then follow up. There's possibly no better way to be an encourager than to touch base with someone as you have the opportunity.
[28:21] When you greet somebody touch back base with them. Don't leave them behind. When you pray for somebody follow up on them.
[28:34] When you share your faith with somebody follow up on them. When you invite somebody to come follow up on them.
[28:46] If the first contact means that you care the second one means that you love and when folks are loving one another and when folks are spurring one another along God gets involved and God does wonderful things in our midst.
[29:00] so I encourage you spur one another on. If that was an acrostic it'd be a horrible one.
[29:11] I don't like acrostics. I just want you to get the point that we ought to spur one another on.
[29:21] I've been a part of a high school football program as a chaplain or as a stat guy or as an announcer for over 25 years.
[29:34] I've been in a lot of field houses at halftime. Heard a lot of things I didn't really want to hear. The coach's job may be to chew them out.
[29:48] The coach's job may be to fire them up. He may be to console them. Hopefully not to cry with them at least not at halftime.
[30:02] But he knows his team and he knows the time and he knows what they need. And it's his job to bring that team to the next level for the rest of that game.
[30:21] Church, I'm new. I don't know you as well as I want to. I'm trying. Studying your pictures and names last night. You didn't get your picture made at Easter.
[30:32] Shame on you. I'm trying. But church, let's spur one another on. Let's not be satisfied with where we are.
[30:43] Let's spur one another on to do great works of God. Preacher, how do we do that? Well, you see it. Find your place.
[30:55] Do your thing. God has orchestrated the body of Christ and the body of this body of Christ together.
[31:05] Together, we have everything we need. We just got to be obedient and follow God. And he'll do wonderful things among us. Listen, if we're going to do it in the name of the Lord, let's do it right.
[31:23] He deserves our best. So spur one another along. Find a place to click into. Find a place to serve.
[31:36] Don't try to do it all, but do something for the Lord Jesus. With every head bowed and every eye closed, I want you to know the time is precious.
[31:50] It's precious. I don't know exactly what that means. It could mean for an individual here in some capacity. I don't know. But I know that what I see in Scripture over and over again that was all written over 2,000 years ago, all of it is to telling us to spur one another along, to encourage one another along the way because the day is approaching.
[32:20] We're on barred time. We only have so long in this life. God tells us to make the most of it for His cause and His kingdom.
[32:34] If we're Christians and we're set apart for Him, let's make a difference in His life. Now what is it in your life today that's hindering you from being everything that God would have you to be?
[32:46] Maybe it's that you've never taken that first step. You've never asked the Lord Jesus to come into your life. You've never asked Him to save you and to change you. And if you're here this morning and you've never surrendered your life to the Lord Jesus Christ, I am thankful that today is the day of salvation and that if you'll surrender your life to Him and ask Him to forgive you and to cleanse you of your sin and you'll turn from it and follow Him in His way, He'll save you today.
[33:10] I'm thankful for that. When we stand and sing in just a moment, you come down this aisle, I'll be happy to guide you in that. Maybe you're here and you know you're a Christian but you know there's some stuff missing.
[33:22] Ain't enough spurn going on for you. Well, I hope the sharp point has hit you in the side today. Not just to make you feel bad but to respond to it in a way that will honor God and please Him.
[33:39] Will you be faithful to Him today? Maybe you're here and God's drawing you to this body of believers. You come. Let's talk about that. What a wonderful it would be for you to join us along the journey of serving the Lord.
[33:53] Lord Jesus, I love you and I thank you for your Holy Spirit and how He works and moves and I ask right now, dear God, that you'll just lead us to be obedient whatever you tell us to do. In Jesus' precious name, amen.
[34:06] Let's pray to Him and Alpha and��ides. Thank you, at Brook Lead, and other projects folk movement that I've ever left with While Twine is a responsible and should be helping the earth and their son and has a medicine in the circle of disciples.
[34:17] I don't see you like the building and the fragile and the world and the unknown and the 91. And that we have them before that where when the people went past their dual and the automobile and the Prep and história to become master father after that all and the child and life and became very