“Spur On” One Another

Introduction

If you would be going on and turning in your New Testaments to the book of Hebrews, if you would. The book of Hebrews is where we’ll spend most of our time together this morning. Before as you’re turning there, I just want to express a word of thanks on behalf of myself and my family for the warm invitation and the warm welcome that we’ve received since we’ve been down here. It is a pleasure to be able to spend and share and worship with you this morning. And so I want to express those words of things. The book of Hebrews, as we often think of it, is somewhat of an unusual book. It’s unusual because it’s typically classified as an epistle, a letter, if you will, but it bears none of the earmarks of a typical New Testament epistle.

Fact is, is when you look at the book of Hebrews, it reads as a sermon. It’s as if the writer of Hebrews is preaching to an audience. He shares with them truths, if you will, or doctrine, or points on which their faith will rest. He talks about the priesthood of Jesus Christ. He talks about the superiority of Christ and his priesthood and the covenant. And interspersed with those truths are warnings and exhortations. Warnings not to depart the faith. Exhortations to keep going strong for the rest that’s in front of them. And so on each one of those truths is based a warning or an exhortation. As such, I’d like you to turn with me to Hebrews chapter 10. And we’re going to spend our time there in that section of the text.

In verse 18 of chapter 10, the last of the major doctrinal sections of the book of Hebrews ends. And in verse 19, the Hebrew writer begins a sentence that stretches from verse 19 all the way down through verse 25. One long sentence. And it begins with this striking image. It says in verse 19, he says, Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which he inaugurated for us through the veil, that is his flesh. And since we have a great high priest over the house of God, since we have this confidence, this assurance, even some translations render it this boldness to enter into the presence of God. That is a wonderful image for us as priests, as people redeemed by the blood of Christ, to comprehend and take in.

People couldn’t approach the presence of God. Even the high priest who were allowed to go into the holies of holies went in with trepidation in their hearts. Many of them had said, tie the rope to their leg in case God was angry and would pull them out of the presence of God. But because of what Christ did, because of Christ’s blood, you and I, with a sense of assurance in our hearts, a sense of confidence, we can come into the throne, unto the throne. And you notice how he describes it. He talks about we can do this through the blood of Christ, through his flesh. And based upon that, that wonderful, that privileged position that we now have in Christ Jesus. The Hebrew writer then continues and gives us three statements that begin with, let us, beginning in verse 22.

1. The Goal: Love and Good Deeds

He says, let us draw near. In verse 23, let us hold fast. In verse 24, let us consider. There’s some things that that ought to enjoy in us. Things that the fact that we now can approach the throne of God, there’s some things in us that ought to change that ought to motivate us to action. He says, Let us do these things. And so this morning, what I want to spend our time together on is verse 24 and the let us statement that he makes there. Because he says there’s something to be about the people of God and how they interact with one another that ought to be different now that we understand what we have in Christ Jesus. He says, to begin with, the goal of our interaction, the goal of this interaction with one another, is to produce in each other love and good deeds.

Did you notice that in verse 24? In verse 24. And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds. The goal, the poet, the purpose of our interaction is to stir up in each other love and good deeds. The Apostle Paul over in 1 Timothy chapter 1 and verse 5 says the goal of his instruction was what? It was love. That was the end result of what he wanted to accomplish in those who would teach or to hear his instruction. It would be love. The question arises what’s he talking about? What’s he really wanting to see in us? Well, who’s this love directed towards? I mean, we can think about in the New Testament all the different individuals that love is to be directed at.

It’s to be directed toward God. It’s to be directed toward one another, and it’s even be directed toward our enemies. We might think of Matthew chapter 22, the song that we sang earlier, basically, based upon the two great commandments that Jesus speaks of there. Our love directed toward God and toward our neighbor who encompasses everyone around us. So the goal of our interaction with one another is to be love. But I want you to understand that biblical love is not a mere emotion. Biblical love that is approved by God is emotional, but it’s actually service, active goodwill toward each other. And so the writer of Hebrews goes on to say it needs to be manifested by good deeds. The love that we are to enjoy toward anyone, the things that we’re to encourage one another in, love and good deeds.

I don’t know if I could sum up most of the exhortations of the New Testament in this way, is that we need to be busy as Christians. There are things that are supposed to change in our lives. The focus of our lives is to change, and we’re to be actively involved in good, in good activities, and good deeds toward one another and toward bringing honor to God. I’ve just listed a few verses up there that just mention the idea of good deeds. You might think of Ephesians chapter 2, and if we look down in verse 10, we are God’s workmanship. We are God’s work product. God created in us. He’s talking about salvation, what God accomplished through the blood of Jesus Christ. He says we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus for what purpose?

Good deeds. To go out and do good things for one another and our neighbors and our enemies. You think about what Paul says in the pastoral epistles, whether it’s Titus or Timothy. He talks about good deeds over and over again. Be zealous for good deeds. Even verses that we are very familiar with, like 2 Timothy chapter 3. We talk about what all scripture is for. But what is it to produce in us? We’re to be adequate or equipped for what? Every good deed. Brothers and sisters, that’s what our interaction is supposed to produce in each other. Love and good deeds. When you’re around your brothers and sisters. When you’re around your neighbors, when you’re around people, we’re trying to produce that in them. Love and good deeds.

2. Stimulate One Another: Spur On

But did you notice something else in that verse? How we’re to go about it. He says we must stimulate one another to love and good deeds. That’s a very striking word, isn’t it? That’s the way the New American standard renders the word. Stimulate one another to love and good deeds. Other translations use other words. I mean, we’ll think, if you will, if you will, of uh, I can’t even get ahead of myself here. The New American Standard means stimulate. It means the idea of rousing or inciting something. You go on to the King James, it talks about provoking the idea of someone to poke or prod. You go to the EISB, it’s stirring up. And then finally, the NIV. It means to spur. Does that sound very pleasant to you?

To spur one another on to love and good deeds. The only time that I’m aware that this word is used in the New Testament is found over in Acts chapter 15. Acts chapter 15 records the interchange or exchange between Paul and Barnabas over the decision to take John and Mark on their preaching journey. And they apparently had a difference of opinion on whether John and Mark ought to be included. The Apostle Paul recalled back earlier when John and Mark left them after for some reason the text doesn’t disclose. Many people speculate because they had gone through a rough area and there was threats of robbers and things. But he returned back. And so when this second journey was going to begin, they were deciding who to take with them.

Paul says we can’t trust him. We can’t, we don’t have confidence in him. Barnabas, being the son of encouragement, wanted to drag him along with him. He was his cousin, it seems, and wanted to give him a second chance. So they had this difference of opinion, and it says they had a sharp disagreement. That’s this word in Hebrews chapter 10, verse 24. A sharp disagreement. We are to stimulate one another to love and good deeds. Let me ask you a question. What do you think that looks like? What do you think that looks like?

What do you think it looks like? Well, I’ll tell you. I tell you, it’s people who are involved in each other’s lives, is what it looks like. If you ask the horse, do you think he would be appreciate being spurred all the time? Do you think it was comfortable for a horse to be spurred by a rider? That’s the very idea behind this word. You think the cowboy who’s out riding the range and takes his spurs and digs them into the side of the horse, that’s always pleasant. No. That’s the very idea behind this word. It’s uncomfortable sometimes, right? It’s uncomfortable to try to encourage someone to be something that they’re not. I don’t know if you’ve ever maybe thought of yourselves and others around you in this way before.

But everyone’s setting here has really three personas, at least. There was what you were in the past before you knew Christ Jesus, before you were redeemed by the blood of Christ. There’s what you are right now. But there is what you can be. What God can accomplish in each one of us if we allow Christ to dwell in us. And as your brothers and sisters, people who love you, people who’ve been instructed by the Word of God, we’re people who want to see you arrive at your full potential. We stimulate one another to love and good deeds. We provoke. We rouse. We spur on to love and good deeds. The point is, there’s not one of us who cannot say that we couldn’t do better. Right?

3. Consider How to Stimulate One Another

I could do better. I’ve not really messed up today. I skipped two slides all of a sudden. I could do better. But we all can. And because I love you, and hopefully you love me. You’re not going to let me just slide. You’re not let me just sit there and be a pew potato. You’re going to see, try to provoke me to love and good deeds. And the question becomes maybe, how does that has that accomplished? How do we how do we do that? Well, he says we need to consider how to stimulate one another to look good deeds. And I want you to understand that that would suggest to me the idea of forethought, right? You’ve got to give some thought to that. Not everybody’s motivated in the exact same ways, are they?

I need to think about you, and you need to think about me, and what do I need in my life? What do you need in your lives, and what can I do for you? I need to give a little bit of forethought to that. This is not a rash action. This is not a spur of the cuff kind of thing. This is a time for a reflective consideration of what would be good for you. And what can I do to try to accomplish those ends. Here in the book of Hebrews, I think he kind of gives us maybe at least one idea of how that can be accomplished. Don’t forsake the assembling of yourselves together. The importance of assembling, not merely to worship God, which is its primary importance, on the first day of the week, especially to remember the sacrifice of our Lord.

But to look with joy upon the idea that we can get together with fellow saints, and I have an opportunity to influence them for good. Edify them, stimulate them to love and good deeds. Every time that there is an opportunity to assemble with the saints, I want to do so I can help them, and vice versa. Maybe I’ll receive a little help myself. But that’s not the only way that the New Testament points to the idea of how we can stimulate one another. I mean, in Titus chapter 2, if you will. Titus chapter 2, beginning in verse 14. Let’s back up to verse 11, just to kind of complete the entire thought of the sentence. Titus chapter 2, verse 11. It says, For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires, and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for good deeds.

These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you. Obviously, the Apostle Paul is primarily speaking to a young man who is an evangelist, this young man Titus. And he gives them a threefold approach. Based upon what they have in Christ Jesus and what people ought to understand has been done for them through the blood of Jesus Christ. He says, with all authority, speak these things. But did you notice he uses three different words there in verse 15 to describe how he is to motivate those around him? He says, speak, exhort, reprove. And to me that signifies three different avenues of communication that we have with one another. Sometimes we need to just speak, spend time talking with one another, right?

Communicate with one another. I’d so enjoy speaking, talking about sports. We talked about sports yesterday, college football. There’s nothing wrong with that. But you know how much more valuable it would have been for me to go up to Chris and say, Chris, how’s your family life? How could I help you? Is there something I can encourage you in? If I went up to Greg and said, Man, if you would have helped me in this, I could have been much better today or tomorrow. There’s something valuable about talking to one another about spiritual things. Asking each other how we’re doing. Being concerned, not merely about the physical things of this life which have value, but so much more the spiritual condition of what the people we love are in.

But then did you notice he said not only speak, which seems to signify some type of common communication? He says, sometimes we’ve got to exhort. You can do better. I know you can. I know you have the potential. I know you can do this. With God’s power and his blessing and what hell he’s done for you, how much you’ve put behind you in the past, I know you can do even better. So sometimes we have to exhort people in those ways. I mean, sometimes the race gets long. The Apostle Paul talks about that in Galatians chapter 6. It becomes very difficult to continue doing good sometimes. And you say, well, how is that possible? Well, not everybody appreciates you doing good. I mean, it’s really easy to do good and love people who love you back.

It’s a joy in those occasions. But sometimes people don’t always appreciate it, right? People don’t always value it. But you’re still required to go forth and do good. So it’s very easy to grow burned out, complacent, give up. Grow weary, to use the Apostle Paul’s words. So sometimes we just need to exhort. You can finish the race, you can finish the course, you can do this. But then Paul uses a third word. Sometimes we’ve got to reprove.

You know that’s not what you want to do. You know that’s not going to be pleasing to God. You know that’s not what Christ died for. So we speak, we exhort, and we reprove. But I think it seems like he even mentions another thing here in this text in Titus chapter 2. If you’ll notice just in verse 7, what does he tell Titus to do? In all things show yourselves to be an example of good deeds with purity and doctrine, dignity. Show yourselves an example, right? Model it before others. Not only talk the talk, but walk the walk. I mean, we use that sometimes. Show people how to live the life of faith. Show people how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds. Don’t just tell them.

4. Let Us: It’s Up to All of Us

Show them. That’s what he encourages us to do. We must consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds. But did you notice there’s another part to this? It says we must, or let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds. The fact is, when it comes to this spurring on, the stimulating, this provoking, it’s up to us. It’s up to all of us. All of us who are part of the body of Christ, all of us who are part of this local, you are part of this local body. It’s up to all of us to engage in this activity. I mean, when we think about different roles in a local work, we think about maybe we’ve got different jobs.

And Ephesians 4 does talk about different jobs, right? Different gifts that God gave. He talks about evangelists. He talks about teachers, and he talks about pastors. And they are to be involved about equipping the saints for the work of ministry. That’s not what this verse says. It says, let us, let all of us, all of us who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ, be involved in stimulating one another to love and good deeds. It’s your job. It’s my job. It’s the elders’ job. It’s the deacon’s job. It’s the teacher’s job. It’s your job. All of us need to be involved in this effort. And the thing is, not only do we need to learn how to do it, we need to learn how to accept it too.

Because just as we have good intentions to offer helpful words to others, we need to be able to accept that too. Putting this best spin on it, the best motives, not to impugn motives saying, they’re really wanting the best for me. It wasn’t pleasant to hear, maybe. It’s not what I wanted to hear. I thought I was doing good. But I said, well, they’re wanting the same thing for me, I want for them. They want to see me do better. And so he says, let us continue in this vein. I want you, if you will, to go back to Hebrews chapter 10 for a moment. And we’re going to reread this text together, and then I’m going to kind of see if I can give a little bit of practical application of this text.

Conclusion

He says, therefore, brethren, since we have this confidence, since we have this assurance to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he inaugurated for us through the veil, that is his flesh. And since we have such a great high priest over the house of God, does anybody deny any of that? Do you understand what you have now in Christ Jesus? If you do, let us draw near with a sincere heart and full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful, and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day approaching.

Without a show of hands, how many in here feel that there’s things that they could do better?

Now, again, without a show of hands, how many of you think someone in this audience could do better? This third question. Have you been approached over the past week by a brother encouraging you to do better? Have you? Has anyone spoken to you? Said, Robert, I love you. Keep going. Has anybody said that? The Hebrew writer says to each one of us, let us consider how to stimulate what? Spur one another on, provoke one another, rouse up, set a fire in our hearts for love and good deeds.

Let us be about that. And if you see someone who is in this fold, this family here, that could be doing better. Encourage them to do so. Not because, not in the spirit of self-righteousness or meanness or criticeness, but because you want to see them do better. And you know they can. Because they have been equipped for every good work through what God has given us. That’s the lesson this morning. That’s the thought I asked you to consider this morning. And before we depart from one another and go to our various classes, I’d ask if we spend just a moment in prayer together before we leave this place. Father, we are so grateful for everything you do for us in Christ Jesus. When we stop and consider how you have blessed us by sending your own son to die, to shed his blood, we cannot help but stop and praise you.

We pray, Father, as we come to comprehend and begin to even understand just the hymn of the garment of that sacrifice, that we will be motivated to change and do better. That not only will we be motivated in ourselves, but we will try to encourage that in others. We pray, Father, that as we consider the words of your servant, the writer of Hebrews, this morning, that the word will find its home in us. That it will continue its transforming work in us. And we will be your tools for your glory and honor. We pray, Father, bless us and help us this day as we offer worship to you and as we study from your word. We pray, Father, the words that we hear, we as they come from your word, that we’ll recognize they come from your mind, and we will acknowledge them as such.

And therefore you will receive glory and honor. We pray in all things, Father, that your name be lifted up before others, and that we bring glory and honor to it. It’s in your Son’s name, Jesus, that we pray. Amen.