Why We Gather for Worship

Let's pray together. Will you join me as we come before our Father?

Heavenly Father, what an awesome, awesome privilege it is to come and to meet with you and to draw near to you again this morning.

To encounter you, the living God. You, the one who made all the galaxies and the cosmos and the entire universe, God, beyond what we've even discovered.

You, who, God, know the secrets at the depths of the bottom of the oceans, God.

Things we don't even know or haven't discovered. You, the creator, God, and you invite us to come and draw near and to encounter you.

God, it is an awesome privilege to come to you this morning.

Thank you for sending Christ, our atoning sacrifice, to die in our place that we can draw near to you, that we can know you and know your love for us.

Father, where could we find such a love as yours? Where could we find such a faithful God?

Where could we go to find a life like you give us?

You, God, are what our hearts truly need, and in you we find rest.

In you, God, we see the world correctly. In you, we see ourselves correctly.

Our fears and our concerns don't evaporate, but they're tempered, they're reduced, they are mitigated in the presence of your awesomeness.

God, we've come to find hope for tomorrow, even in the midst of the confusion of today.

And so we gather to be reminded of our unwavering hope that is in you.

Father, this morning we also confess our many sins to you.

Those that we are aware of, those, God, that we are unaware of,

we acknowledge, God, just how much of our lives are consumed with self,

living for our own glory rather than you, looking to ourselves rather than you.

Father, forgive us, we pray.

Thank you for communion.

What a beautiful act and demonstration it is of your amazing grace.

And God, as we come to your word this morning, we pray that you'll wash us in the gospel.

Open our eyes to see you freshly, to be in awe of you and to trust you.

Pray, God, for the next half an hour as we come to your word,

that you really will, Spirit of God, take the words on these pages and apply it to our hearts.

Father, we continue to pray for our city this morning and the unrest we're currently experiencing.

Oh, God, give us profound wisdom to know how to live as salt and light in the midst of this.

Father, we confess we don't know how to respond.

At times we feel angry.

At times we feel confused.

At times we feel frightened.

At times we feel boldened.

Father, forgive us where our hearts' attitudes have dishonored you.

God, where we've not glorified or worshipped your name,

whether with our words, with our thoughts, or what we have or haven't done.

Glorious God, we do ask you for a solution to the current situation,

for people to find each other, to be able to talk.

We pray for soft hearts.

We pray for humility.

We pray for peace to prevail in our city.

Come and do it, God.

Come, Lord Jesus, come.

God, we pray for every Hong Konger this morning.

Every foreigner.

Pray for everyone from across Asia.

Mainland Chinese, Singaporeans, Indonesians, Hong Kongers, Japanese.

Pray for everyone that calls the city home.

Come and wash our hearts in your peace, we pray, Lord.

Lord, we pray these things, Lord Jesus, in your majestic and your comforting name.

Amen.

Amen.

Let's listen to God's word being read to us this morning.

Thanks, Karen and Pui.

The scripture reading comes from Hebrews chapter 10.

Hebrews 10 · chapter mention

Please follow along in your bulletins or on the screen.

For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come,

instead of the true form of these realities,

it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year,

make perfect those who draw near.

Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered,

since the worshipers, having once been cleansed,

would no longer have any consciousness of sins.

But in these sacrifices, there is a reminder of sins every year.

For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,

Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,

but a body you have prepared for me.

In burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure.

Then I said,

Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,

as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.

When he said above,

You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices

and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings.

These are offered according to the law.

Then he added,

Behold, I have come to do your will.

He does away with the first in order to establish the second.

And by that will,

We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

And every priest stands daily at his service,

offering repeatedly the same sacrifices,

which can never take away sins.

But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins,

he sat down at the right hand of God,

waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet.

For by a single offering,

he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us,

for after saying,

This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord.

I will put my laws on their hearts and write them on their minds.

Then he adds,

I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.

When there is forgiveness of these,

there is no longer any offering for sin.

Therefore, brothers,

since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus,

by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain,

that is, through his flesh,

and since we have a great priest over the house of God,

let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith,

with 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 stir up one another to love and good works,

not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some,

but encouraging one another,

and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

For if we go on sinning deliberately,

after receiving the knowledge of the truth,

there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,

but a fearful expectation of judgment,

and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.

Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses

dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses.

How much worse punishment do you think

will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God

and has profaned the blood of the covenant

by which he was sanctified

and has outraged the Spirit of grace?

For we know him who said,

Vengeance is mine, I will repay.

And again,

The Lord will judge his people.

It is a fearful thing

to fall into the hands of the living God.

But recall the former days

when after you were enlightened,

you endured a hard struggle with sufferings,

sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction,

and sometimes being partners with those so treated.

For you had compassion on those in prison,

and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property,

since you knew that you yourselves

had a better possession and an abiding one.

Therefore, do not throw away your confidence,

which has a great reward.

For you have need of endurance,

so that when you have done the will of God,

you may receive what is promised.

For

Yet a little while,

and the coming one will come,

and will not delay.

But my righteous one shall live by faith,

and if he shrinks back,

my soul has no pleasure in him.

This is the Word of God.

Is this on?

Great.

Thanks, Karen.

I know that was a long passage,

so thank you for reading it so well.

Okay, this morning,

we are starting a three-week preaching series

called Why Worship?

And we are looking at the question,

why it is that Christians gather on Sundays,

the first day of the week,

to sing songs,

and listen to a sermon,

and take communion together,

and listen to God's Word being read to us.

Why do Christians do this?

Why do we gather on Sundays?

I'm sure many of us have heard people say,

maybe you yourself have even said it,

maybe you currently would say,

that, you know,

I believe in Jesus,

I'm fine with Jesus,

but the church,

I don't see why I need to go to church.

Maybe as we think about that question,

why do we gather on Sundays,

week in and week out,

I wonder what answers come to your mind.

Why do you think we gather?

Maybe you think the reason we meet each week

is because we need to be inspired and motivated

to go out into the week

and live moral upstanding lives,

to be good citizens,

and church is a good place to do that,

to teach us the morals.

Maybe you think that the reason we gather

is to hear an interesting or entertaining talk,

something philosophical,

some psychology or spirituality,

something to entertain our minds

that are intellectually stimulating.

Maybe it's a moral prep talk

to encourage us to be better people.

For those of you that are on youth,

why do your parents drag you to church each Sunday?

Maybe that's a question you've been asking them recently.

So the next few weeks,

we're going to look at this question.

Why is it that for 2,000 years,

Christians of every culture,

every ethnicity,

in every corner of the globe,

have gathered week in and week out,

just as we're doing today,

and why it is that believers have seen this

as one of the great privileges

and great responsibilities

of being a follower of Jesus?

Now, in order to think about this question,

we need to actually think about

another question before that.

And we need to first answer the question,

what is the Christian faith all about?

What is the essence,

the most fundamental part

of the gospel and the Christian faith?

Because once we have clarity on that,

we can then understand

why it is that God instructs Christians

not to abandon this weekly practice

of gathering together.

And in our passage

that Karen and Pui read to us today,

the passage Hebrews 10

actually answers both of those questions

with real clarity.

In the first half,

it explains to us

what is the gospel?

What is the Christian message all about?

And then secondly,

it's going to say in light of that,

why we should gather as Christians

weekly on Sundays, okay?

So that's where we are going today.

Now, today I have three or four points

somewhere around there.

I had originally had three points,

but as I woke up this morning,

I'm actually going to make them four points.

And so this is a little bit out,

but I'm sure you can follow with me.

The first one is this,

Jesus, our only hope.

Secondly, the gospel for all of life.

Okay, that's kind of point one there.

Thirdly, a gospelizing community.

I know the word gospelizing

isn't a real word.

We kind of made it up here,

but anyway.

And then fourthly,

how to come to church, okay?

So Jesus, our only hope,

a gospel for all of life,

a gospelizing community,

how to come to church.

So let's dive in.

Firstly, Jesus, our only hope.

This morning,

we're looking at Hebrews chapter 10.

Hebrews 10 · chapter mention

And the context of Hebrews is this.

The writer of this book of the Bible,

we actually don't know who it is.

Some writer,

we've never figured it out

who wrote this book,

but he's writing to a bunch

of Jewish Christians.

That's why it's called

the book of Hebrews.

And he's writing to explain

to these Jewish Christians

how Jesus Christ is the fulfillment

of everything that God did

and said and promised

to his covenant people,

the nation of Israel,

in the Old Testament.

And he's showing them

how all of the major stuff

in the Old Testament,

part of the Jewish Hebrew faith,

the narratives,

the law of Moses,

the pictures,

the signs,

the symbols,

the sacrifices,

all of that is actually

a foretaste

or a sample

or a sign

which is all pointing

towards Jesus.

Okay, so here's an example.

In our family,

we like to have people

around for dinner.

And Claire,

my wife,

is an amazing cook.

And so let's say

it's a Saturday evening

and some friends

are coming around for dinner.

I know Saturday afternoon

and evening,

Claire's going to be

in the kitchen

preparing a whole lot

of different dishes.

And so what do I love to do?

I love to go into the kitchen

and just sample

the various things, right?

Try a bit of this

and a bit of this

and nibble on that.

I love it.

Now in some ways,

that's what's happening here.

The author is saying,

don't you see

how everything,

the sacrifices

and the high priest

and the temple,

all these things

in the Old Testament

and especially

the law of Moses

are like a sample.

They're like a foretaste

of the real thing

that's to come,

which is Jesus.

They are all showing us

in sample form

what God is doing

in the world.

And what is God

doing in the world?

He's establishing

His rule

and His reign.

In other words,

His kingdom.

He is vanquishing

or destroying

His enemies,

including Satan

and sin,

and He's establishing

His kingdom

on the earth.

But all of that

ultimately happens

in Jesus.

You see,

the rites of Hebrews

isn't saying,

hey,

we once thought

Judaism was right,

but now we've seen

Christianity was right,

and so I'm asking you

to switch religions.

That's not what

He's asking you to do.

He's saying,

everything you've heard

and seen

and understood

as you've read

your Jewish Bible

is good

and true

and right,

but it's all pointing.

It's a signpost.

It's a foretaste

of the real thing,

which is Jesus.

And so for 10 chapters,

He has been making

this point.

And so let's see

how He gets there

as He climaxes

His arguments

in chapter 10.

Look at verse 1.

He says,

For since the law

of Moses

is but a shadow

of the good things

to come,

instead of the true

form of these realities,

they can never,

by the same sacrifices

that are continually

offered year in

and year out,

make perfect

those who draw near.

Verse 3.

For in these sacrifices

there is a reminder

of sins,

but it is impossible

for the blood

of bulls and goats

to take away sins.

So what is this thing

that the law

of Moses

in sample form

could tell us about,

could give us

a foretaste of,

but couldn't actually

deliver in substance?

Well,

He tells us here.

It could not

take away our sin.

It could show us

the problem of sin.

It could show us

how we need a solution

and we need a Savior,

but it could not

solve our problem.

It could not make us

righteous before God,

those who adhere

or obey the law.

You see, friends,

this is the heart

of the Bible's message.

At the heart

of the Bible

is this message

that as human beings

we have this problem.

And it's a problem

that we can't solve

on ourselves,

by ourselves.

And the problem

He describes here

in verse 4

is that we have

this debt of sin.

And the problem

with sin

is far-reaching.

It means the God

who made us

for relationship

with Him,

to know Him,

and to love Him,

and to walk with Him,

and to be close to Him,

and to find our hope

and our rest

and our peace in Him,

we now no longer

know Him,

but we're actually

under His judgment.

We're under His wrath.

And we are cut off

from His grace,

and cut off from

knowing Him

and knowing His relationship.

But not only that,

remember how Augustine

said,

the problem with sin

is that it disorders

the loves in our hearts.

And so when we were made

to know God

and love Him

and find our rest

and our confidence

in Him,

now suddenly we love

and trust

and find our confidence

in created things

and things around us,

our reputation,

our jobs,

our careers,

our children,

our bank accounts,

ultimately in ourselves.

Augustine said,

sin caused us

to be curved in

on ourselves,

to look inward

and to look to ourselves

for our hope.

And friends,

this is the problem

with the world

and this is the problem

with my world.

And I'm telling you,

chances are I think

it's the problem

with your world.

You see,

the problem with my world

isn't political

or economic

or family issues.

Those things are difficult.

That's true.

But the main problem

with my world

is that I'm so self-centered.

I'm self-orientated.

My heart is curved in

on myself.

My life,

my heart has been corrupted

by this cancer of sin.

And I now love

and serve

and hope

and trust in myself.

I saw this

a little while ago.

Claire and I

were having

a difficult,

I guess a difficulty

with a family member,

an extended family member.

And I felt like

this family member

was being very unreasonable

to us.

And they were accusing us

of things

that we thought

we hadn't done.

And it was a little bit

difficult and tense.

And the more unreasonable

this person was being

towards us,

the more frustrated

and irritated

and upset

and even angry

I was getting

towards this person.

And so I would,

when I was alone

at night,

I would think about

the conversation we had

and I'd play it over

in my mind.

And then I would

play an imaginary

conversation in my mind

what would happen

the next time I see them.

They're going to say this

and then I'm going to say this

and then they're going to say this

and then I'm going to

nail them with this.

Does that sound familiar?

Sounds like I'm not

the only one

that's done that.

And so I was in the midst

of all this

and the one day

I went for a prayer walk

and as I was praying

about it

I just realized

how my self-righteousness

and my sense

of superiority,

my sense of moral superiority

was actually exasperating

and contributing

towards the problem.

You see,

yeah,

sure there's difficulties

but it's my own

self-righteousness

that was actually

making things

even worse.

Remember how

Salman Rushdie

in one of his novels

said,

the barbarians

weren't just at the gates

they were in our skins.

The problem

isn't just out there

it's in here

it's in my life

and friends

it's in your life as well.

And so God

in the Old Testament

he gives his people

these signs

and these symbols

and these pictures

to show them

the problem of sin

and the need for forgiveness

but the problem

is the pictures

and the signs

can't actually do

what they need.

And so verse 3 says

these sacrifices

there's a reminder of sin

but it is impossible

for the blood

of bulls and goats

to actually take away sin.

And yet

this is where

the astonishingly good news

of the gospel comes in

because of God's

radical love for us.

He didn't leave us

to our own devices.

He didn't leave us

to ourselves

but he came to us

in the person of Jesus.

He died on the cross.

He took our sin

upon himself

so that we can be

washed free

so that we can be

set free

because of him.

But friends

Jesus didn't only die

to save us

from the penalty

of our sin

but also

from the power of sin.

Look at how

the writer says this

in verse 11

if you've got your

bulletin with you.

He says this

under the old covenant

every priest

would stand daily

at the service

offering repeated

the same sacrifices

which can never

take away sin.

There's our problem again.

But

verse 12

when God

when Christ

had offered

for all time

a single sacrifice

for sins

dying on the cross

rising again

ascending to the heavens

he sat down

at the right hand

of God the Father

until his enemies

should become

his footstools

for his feet.

See the author

here is giving us

this amazing picture

that Jesus dies

he ascends

to heaven

and then

what does he do?

He sits down

he's at rest

he's completed

his job.

You see friends

Jesus isn't in heaven

today

running around

scurrying

to and fro

trying to juggle

a billion prayer requests

and hoping

he doesn't drop

any balls

hoping like

mad

that things

in Hong Kong

work out

and in America

work out

and that

at the end of the day

his kingdom

will finally be established.

No friends

what did he do?

When he got to heaven

the author says

he sat down

job done

having accomplished

what he set out to do

having established

his kingdom

and destroyed

his enemies

he sat down

job done.

Remember

that song

we sometimes sing

in this church

when Satan

tempts me to despair

and tells me

of the guilt within

upward I look

and see him there

who made an end

to all my sin.

And so when Jesus

is on the cross

he cries out

it is finished

it is paid

in full

or as our verse

11 says here

when Christ

had offered

for all time

a single sacrifice

for sins

he sat down.

And so friends

what that means

is that

if you are in Christ

and you've surrendered

to him

and you've come to him

it means your sin

has been totally

dealt with

your record of sin

has been done away with

it is finished

your debt

is paid in full

your sins

have been removed

as far as the east

is from the west

or as Malachi says

they've been thrown

into the depths

of the sea

never to be recovered

again.

It means friends

that if you are in Christ

you have no reason

to ever feel

unworthy

unloved

unlovable

ever again

because Christ

has dealt

with your sins

totally and utterly

forever.

except

if you're anything

like me

when I look

at my life

something doesn't

feel quite right

about that

because on the one

hand the Bible

says Christ

deals with our sin

it's completely

done with

he is perfected

for all time

I stand before

God the Father

perfect

because of Jesus

but as I look

into my own heart

I see that I'm

very far from perfect

there's all sorts

of rubbish

in my heart

there's defensiveness

there's judgmentalism

there's self-moralism

and superiority

and so what do we do

with this dichotomy

on one hand

the gospel says

you are washed

you are clean

you are sanctified

but on the other hand

the gospel says

you're still a work

in progress

how do we deal

with this dichotomy

and that leads us

to the second point

which is that

the gospel

doesn't just save us

for eternity

the gospel

is for all of life

look at how

the writer

says this

in verse 14

this is one of the

most important verses

to understand

the Christian life

look at what he says

he says

for by a single offering

God has perfected

or Christ has perfected

for all time

those who are

busy being

sanctified

the word sanctified

means

to be made holy

to be made righteous

to be cleansed

to be made

like Jesus

so here we see

by a single offering

by a single sacrifice

Christ has perfected

for all time

holy in Christ's sight

those who are busy

being

sanctified

or another translation

says

those who are busy

being made perfect

you see that

on one hand

Christ's sacrifice

makes me righteous

before God

but on the other hand

God is still at work

in my heart

and making me

more like Jesus

and friends

this is the Christian life

this is the hope

of the gospel

that Jesus deals

with our status

before God

but he's also

at work in our hearts

that slowly

sometimes too slowly

in my own life

very slowly

over time

my heart starts

to look like him

and so look at how

he says this

in verse

15 and 16

he says

for by a single offering

he has perfected

for all time

those who are

being sanctified

this is as the Holy Spirit

said

this is the covenant

I will make with them

I will put my laws

into their hearts

and I will write them

on my minds

and remember

their sins

no more

now

here's the question

how does this

actually happen

how does God

do this

how does God

grow us

and mature us

and to make us

more like Jesus

because friends

you can be a follower

of Jesus

for 30 years

and still be a baby

Christian

just

you know

length of time

doesn't necessarily

equate to maturity

so how does God

actually grow us

and mature us

and to sanctify us

and to make us

more like Jesus

and the answer

is this

it happens

as we see

with the eyes

of our hearts

the glory

and the beauty

and the majesty

of Jesus

as we are humbled

by his awesomeness

and as we turn

to him

in faith

and repentance

in other words

as we see

who Christ is

and the gospel

gets deeper

into our hearts

and in light

of God

we recognize

our sinfulness

and we turn

to him

in faith

and repentance

God actually

reorientates

the orders

of our hearts

and makes our hearts

to become more like Jesus

he sanctifies us

and grows us

and works in us

so let me

give you an example

when we experience

a conflict

in our lives

okay

so let's say

you've got a family member

like a little while ago

I had

and someone

who challenges you

and they accuse you

of things

and they

are unreasonable

what happens

in our lives

well if you're anything

like me

you feel defensive

you start to justify

ourselves

we start to

think about

what they've done wrong

we maximize

their wrongdoing

and we minimize

our own wrongdoing

now why do I do that

what's going on

in my heart

why do I do that

the reason I do that

and the reason

friends possibly

why most of us

do that

is because I'm trying

to find my justification

in the fact that

I'm not such a bad person

I'm trying to make myself

feel good about myself

because I'm not secure

in the love of Christ

I don't like the fact

that I'm a sinner

but that Christ's love

is enough for me

and so I'm trying to

feel good about myself

and find my justification

in the fact that

though I'm not perfect

at least I'm not as bad

as those people

down there

does that make sense

and so what do I need

I need to see Christ

I need to be humbled

by his awesomeness

and I need to come to him

in faith and repentance

and as I do that

Christ works

and softens my heart

so that actually

I approach that person

with a completely

different spirit

I see that actually

maybe they are not

the problem after all

maybe I'm the problem

and friends

we do this in a million ways

we do this with our kids

we do it with our career

we do it with finances

we look to all sorts

of things to justify us

but the hope of the gospel

is that Jesus

doesn't just wipe our state

clean and give us

a second chance

he's actually at work

in our lives

and he's changing us

to make us more like him

friends the gospel

isn't just that Jesus says

I'll pay your debts

and now you pull yourself

back together again

the gospel is a power

that not only saves us

but it sanctifies us

believing in Christ

and the gospel

not only forgives us

of our debt

it changes our hearts

to become more like him

as we see the majesty

of Jesus

and believe in him

and that's why

friends

as a church

we make such a big deal

of the gospel

it's why everything we do

is centered on this

centered on the wonder

of the gospel

because loving

and trusting

and hoping in Jesus

is not only the way

into the kingdom of life

it's also the way

of the kingdom of life

it's not only the way

by which you become

a Christian

it's the way

by which you grow

as a Christian

it's not just the way

that you get saved

it's the way

to be sanctified

learning to live

by faith in Jesus

and his gospel

the fact that you

and I are sinners

but we are loved

by God

and he joyfully

and willingly died

for us

that's the Christian life

that's what the whole

Bible is all about

that's what it means

to be a Christian

and so that's why

in the New Testament

Paul writes to the Romans

these bunch of people

that are Christians

and he says

I can't wait to come to you

so that I can preach

the gospel to you

why does he need

to preach the gospel

to them

they're already Christians

because as the gospel

gets deeper into our hearts

that's how we live out

the gospel

that's how we become

the people God's called us to be

that's why Paul writes

in 1 Corinthians

and he says

to this gospel community

he says

at the end of the letter

now brothers

I thought I'd just take

a few minutes

just to remind you

of the gospel

why does he need

to remind them

because if they're

going to become

the people

that God's called

them to be

they need to be

reminded day in

day out

of the gospel

now

all that brings us

to the question

what does this have to do

with Christians

gathering on Sundays

okay

all that's by way

of introduction

now let's finally

start the sermon

okay not really

point three

why do we gather

on Sundays

the reason we gather

is because we are

a gospelizing community

in other words

the essence of what

the church does

is that we wash

each other with the gospel

week in

and week out

let's look at

verse 19

to 25

together

look at what

the writer's

going to say here

he's going to say

therefore

in light of

everything we've said

for ten and a half

chapters

in light of

who Jesus is

and how he died

on the cross

to save us

and to forgive us

in light of the fact

that he has

perfected for all time

those he is busy

perfecting

therefore

let us

xyz

okay

so as we read this

look out for where

he says

therefore let us

okay

let's read

verse 19

together

he says this

therefore brothers

and sisters

since we have

confidence to enter

the holy place

by the blood of

Jesus

verse 21

and since we have

a great high priest

over the house of

God

that's Jesus

let us

draw near to God

with a true heart

and full assurance

of faith

with our hearts

sprinkled clean

from an evil conscience

and our bodies

washed with pure water

let us secondly

hold fast

to the confession

of our hope

without wavering

knowing that he

who promised

is faithful

and thirdly

let us

consider how to

stir up one another

to love

and good deeds

not neglecting

to meet together

as is the habit

of some

but encouraging

one another

and all the more

as you see

the day of Christ

approaching

okay

did you see that

he said

therefore

in light of the fact

that Christ

is at work

he's busy

sanctifying us

Jesus has died

for our sins

but he's also died

to change our hearts

and he's making us

more like him

therefore

let us

draw near to God

let us

hold fast

to the hope

of the gospel

but thirdly

let us

stir up

and encourage

one another

how so

how should we

do that

verse 25

by not

neglecting

to meet together

as some people

do

but to encourage

one another

and all the more

as we see

the day of Christ

approaching

you see friends

why do Christians

gather every single

week

yes we gather

to worship

that's true

but worship

isn't just

singing songs

remember how

in Corinthians

Paul says

let everything

you do

be worship

whether you're

eating

dumplings

or drinking

bubble tea

or you're going

to work

or you are

proposing

to your girlfriend

let everything

you do

be an act

of worship

so we come

to church

to worship

but not just

that's not the only

reason we come

we come

to be blown away

by the wonder

of the gospel

and who Christ

is

so that as we

go into the week

Monday to Friday

we can live

lives of worship

we can go to the

office as an act

of worship

we can engage

with our colleagues

as an act

of worship

we can serve

the poor

and help out

and love our

neighbors

as an act

of worship

you see friends

if you and I

are going to

become anything

like the men

or the women

that God

has called us

to be

you and I

need to be

living from

the security

of the gospel

and we need

to be living

out the gospel

day by day

seven days a week

but you know

what

the gospel

leaks

it leaks

from our hearts

and so on Sunday

you come to church

and you're washed

in the gospel

and you're secure

in who Christ is

and his love

for you

and then on Monday

morning you wake up

and you've got to get

the kids ready for school

and you're ready for work

or you've got an assignment

to hand in

and you go off

and by Monday

lunchtime

your boss is shouting

at you

and a client

is upset with you

and suddenly

you're getting a little

bit worried

and anxious

that things aren't

as good as you

thought they were

and by Wednesday

the stock market

has crashed

and you're seeing

your wealth come down

and you're pulling

your hair out

and by Friday

you've done something

wrong

I don't have much

hair to pull out

but if you're a female

you're pulling your hair

out

and by Friday

you've said something

dumb to somebody

or you looked at

something you shouldn't

have looked at

or you lied to somebody

and you feel like

God hates you

and he could never

love you

friends

in that moment

what do you need

when you come to church

on Sunday

I'll tell you

what you don't need

you don't need

a pep talk

or a motivational

or inspiration talk

saying you can be

a better person

you don't need

some inspiration

telling you

how to look after yourself

or five ways

to make your life

successful

what you and I need

friends

is to be washed

by the incredible gospel

that yes we sinners

but Christ loves us

and he loves us so much

that he went to the cross

for us

and even this week

things are going to go

wrong again

but he still loves you

because his love for you

isn't based on what's

in your heart

it's based on what's

in his heart

for you

we need to be washed

in the gospel

friends

every week

we are washed

by an anti-gospel message

every week

in our city

we are told

that God helps

those who help themselves

we live in a

extreme meritocracy

don't we

in Hong Kong

you get ahead

by working hard

and being richly rewarded

and if you do the right things

and you don't mess up

Hong Kong says

your life will be a success

friends

every week

we are told

an anti-gospel message

that our hope

for the world

is found in political solutions

economic solutions

or academic grades

friends

that is a false gospel

it is a false hope

and unless you and I

are washed

in the true gospel

the cultural waters

in which we swim

are going to change

our thinking

and change the way

we approach life

friends

we need to come

and find our hope

in Jesus again

friends

what happens

when things go wrong

in our life

the child is diagnosed

with some disease

you lose your job

a spouse is unfaithful

to you

what happens

when things go right

in your life

you make a billion dollars

and you've got more money

than you know what to deal with

what happens

when your picture is

on the front cover

of all the business magazines

the front page

of the newspaper

and you're heralded

at a success

what's going to stop you

getting proud and arrogant

what's going to stop you

thinking that you're

better than others

friends

we need to be washed

in the gospel

week in

and week out

and so the writer

of the Hebrews

after spending

ten chapters

describing the length

and the breadth

and the fullness

and the height

and the wonder

of the glory

of the gospel

Jesus' death

on his cross

and our hope

in life and death

says this

therefore

do not neglect

to meet together

but gather

and encourage

one another

and all the more

as you see

the day of Christ

approaching

three or four weeks

five weeks ago

you might remember

we preached

the book of Habakkuk

and we got to Habakkuk

chapter three

and the final verses

of Habakkuk chapter three

are this incredible prayer

where Habakkuk says

God even if the fig tree fails

if the vines produce

no harvest

if the storehouses

are empty

if the trees are bare

if the cattle are lost

and everything is going wrong

in other words

if everything in my life

is stripped from me

I will still rejoice in you

I will take joy

in the God of my salvation

and we looked at that passage together

and that Sunday night

after we looked at that

I was alone

and I thought to myself

I don't know if I could say that

I know that's a bad thing

for a preacher to say

but

I thought to myself

I

I mean

I want to be able to say that

but if everything

was stripped from my life

man

I get grumpy

just when like

a little bit

gets stripped from me

never mind everything

but I want to be that person

I want to be able to say

God I'll trust you

no matter what

things happen to my family

I'll trust you

I want to be able to say that

but I'm not there

and that Sunday night

I realized

you know what

I need you

and friends

you need me

because the way we

get the gospel

deeper into our hearts

isn't just by living

individualistic

isolated lives

we get into a gospel community

that can wash us

week in and week out

with the gospel

and so that song

when Satan tempts me

to despair

and tells me

of the guilt within

I need someone else

I need you

to lift my eyes

to see him

who's seated on the throne

who has dealt with

all my sin

I need to be

washed in the gospel

and so do you and I

so practically

how do we do that

well

I'm so glad you asked

that question

if you

I want you to grab

your bulletin

we are almost done

grab your bulletin

and you'll see

as you open it up

on the top left hand corner

we've got an order of service

we've called it

the flow of worship

and you'll see

there are three main parts

to our Sunday worship service

the first is

adoring God

it's where we fix

our eyes on God

the second part

is being renewed

by the gospel

and then thirdly

response and commitment

and so the way

we've actually ordered

our Sunday worship service

is that we follow

the gospel narrative

we don't just come to church

and do three nice songs

and interesting talk

and then go home

we actually follow

the gospel narrative

we start off by

fixing our eyes on God

adoring Him

and so

the song leaders

actually choose songs

that start off with us

fixing our eyes

on the majesty

and the glory of God

remember this morning

we sang

how great thou art

this is who you are

we sang of the wonder

of who God is

and then

having seen God

we move into a time

of being

washed in the gospel

of acknowledging

our sinfulness

and we do that

through prayer

we do that

through communion

of acknowledging

the fact that

we don't have it

all together

and then we are

washed in the hope

of the gospel

that despite that

God loves us

and we do that

through listening

to the sermon

and listening

to the scripture reading

and sometimes

taking communion

after the sermon

and then after that

we sing response songs

and then we say

a benediction

which sends us out

to go and live out

the gospel

into our city

in the week

maybe one way

of saying it

is that each week

we gather

in order to sing

the gospel

and preach the gospel

and hear the gospel

and pray the gospel

and see the gospel

acted out

in communion

and so

one practical thing

in that regard

is

what it means is

if

if you do happen

to come late

to church

I know

that doesn't happen

in this church

I'm just saying

the church down the road

it means that

if we happen

to walk in here

at 1045

and we come straight

into a time

of communion

and we're acknowledging

our sin

we haven't first seen

the wonder of God

in a few years

and so we walk

straight into the service

saying yes God

I'm a sinner

but it's hard

to confess sin

without first having

seen the majesty

of God

and so actually

the way we order

our service

is with intentionality

it takes a gospel flow

finally

last point is this

how do we come

to church

how do we actually

come to church

well I want to just

tell us two

brief things

first thing is this

come to church

with your heart

prepared

I know that in Hong Kong

culturally

Sundays is a little bit

of a lazy day

right

it's the one day

of the week

some people get

to sleep in

traditionally people

go for breakfast

with families

and Sunday mornings

and I understand this

and so it's really easy

for us just to kind of

roll into church

like we

half on holiday

but I want to

encourage us

not to do that

and the reason is

because we're coming

to encounter

the living God

and so the best way

to do that

is actually to prepare

our hearts

to meet with God

you know

imagine you

invited by some

world dignitary

the queen of England

or some

president of a country

to meet with them

if that was me

friends

we probably wouldn't

roll into

Buckingham Palace

you know

a little bit late

sleep in our eyes

yawning

yo queen

sorry

just excuse me

I'm just getting

ready

if that was me

I would get there

early

I'd be ready

I'd be prepared

I would be thinking

about what I'm going

to say

friends

every Sunday

we come to

encounter the king

of the universe

the glorious

majestic God

and the best way

to come is our

hearts prepared

and one of the best

ways to do that

is to actually

spend time on Sunday

morning

in the scriptures

and in prayer

when I was younger

I used to think

Sunday is the one day

I don't need to have

a devotional

got like an hour

devotional here

right

but actually

I know somebody

that every Sunday

wakes up

and just spends

a few minutes

praying through the

Psalms

just one or two

Psalms

it's not deep

Bible study

it's not in depth