Assembling Ourselves Together
Hebrews 10:24-27 - “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. 26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.”
I must say that this passage is speaking to saved people, not lost people.
The truth is that going to church won’t save anybody. Going to Jesus is what brings salvation. When a lost person, by the leadership of the Holy Spirit, though the preaching of the Gospel message, understands they cannot be pleasing to God in any way, shape, form or fashion, and they come to Christ as a lost, hell bound, deserving to go to hell sinner, completely unable to do any good thing at all, Christ will save their unworthy souls, redeeming them in His own shed blood, and granting unto them eternal life.
After a person is saved, they ought to serve God. If a person refuses to serve God after they claim to be saved, they just aren’t saved. When a person is saved, God changes their thinking and they want to please their Heavenly Father. They don’t want to sin anymore. They will not continually be engaged in willful sin.
After a person is saved, they will want to be scripturally baptized, and join the membership of a local Baptist Church to worship God, their Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. The saved person will not only want their names on the membership roll, they will want to be a part of that membership. They will want to be in every service, worshipping God with other believers.
Exceptions that God accepts when people can’t assemble themselves together.
Shut in’s, (illness, old age, so forth). These folks must worship at home. God knows this and understands.
Several years ago, I visited with a young woman in the hospital who had cystic fibrosis. She was about 18 years old, was saved, and a member of a local Baptist Church, which she regularly attended. She wanted to attend church services, but couldn’t because of her illness. I must state that she always attended church services when she was able, but her disease had progressed to the point that it was impossible for her to be out of the hospital. She was actually near death. I was reading the Bible to her, with her permission, of course, when she started softly sobbing. I stopped reading the Bible and asked her what was the matter. Had I done something to bring on the weeping? She replied that it was not my reading, or anything like that. She just wanted to go to church. She wanted to be in the fellowship of the believers, to hear the singing, the teaching from the Bible as believers gathered together to learn about and to worship God Almighty. I explained to her that God knows and understands the infirmities of this flesh. God knows when we are too sick to go to church, but God also knows when we have Sunday-itis. She found some comfort in those words, because her heart was right with God.
I have a dear pastor friend who was forced to stay out of church services for several years to take care of his invalid wife. He missed many church services, even though he had three devotions in his home daily. He watch many good religious television broadcasts, and listened to many good radio broadcasts. This broadcast was one of the radio broadcasts he listened to. His dear wife passed on, and he was once again able to assemble himself with the people of God in regular Sunday worship. I remember well what he told me on that first worship service when he was able to once again assemble with the people of God. He told me he couldn’t believe how much he needed to assemble with the people of God. He told me that although he and his wife had had daily devotions and prayer, it was not the same as assembling with God’s people.
The Bible gives us some reasons why we should assemble ourselves together to worship God.
To encourage other believers - “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works.”
“To exhort one another.” Exhort means to call others near, so encourage others to be faithful to God. This week, I have talked to two different men who, they say, are trying to get some women in their lives to go to church. Neither of the women are interested in attending church services. You know why? Because neither of the men are interested in attending.
“So much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” The day here is the rapture of the saints, and the coming tribulation period, and the coming judgment of all our works, thoughts, and motives by Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God.
But some people don’t want to go to church services.
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is.” Most folks can go to church, most people just don’t want to go to church. Most people want to claim Christ without letting Christ claim them, or their thoughts, or their time, or their resources. People have all sorts of excuses for not attending church services.
In the winter time, it’s too cold. In the winter time, it’s almost always too cold to get out in the cold and go to church, but it’s never too cold to get out and go Christmas shopping. Right?
In the summer time it’s too hot. Even though the church building is air conditioned, nice and cool, it’s still too hot. But – it’s not to hot for fishermen to go fishing, or for boaters to go boating. It’s just too hot to go to church services.
I have known people that were too tired to go to church, but never too tired to go to work.
I have known people that were too distressed to go to church and talk to God about their problems, but never too distressed to talk to people about them.
The vast majority of people’s excuses for not attending church services are completely worthless and will be rejected by God.
“And so much the more as ye see the day approaching.” People that don’t faithfully attend church services are showing they aren’t looking for Christ to come.
Most people believe they can worship just as good at home as they can during church services, but they are wrong. It is possible to worship God at home, but it is not possible to get the quality of worship at home as in the house of God with other believers. People tell me, they are able to read their Bibles just as good at home as they can during church services. Well, people can read their Bibles at home, but there is a very special blessing given by God to all those who faithfully attend worship services. Listen, did you know that the vast majority of the New Testament was written to churches and not to individuals? Did you know that the vast majority of the Old Testament was written to the Jews? Think of it: The books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy was written concerning the history of the Jewish nation. Joshua was written concerning how Israel conquered the land of Canaan. The book of Judges was written concerning the period of time when judges rules the land of Israel. I and II Samuel, I and II Kings and I and II Chronicles was written concerning the history of the Jewish nation during the times of the kings. The major and minor prophets are the recorded messages of men of God to Israel. Why did God put all these books in the Bible? I Cor. 10:11 states, “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” What about the New Testament? Who was the New Testament written to? The vast majority was written to churches. When you miss worship services, thinking you can get just as much out of it at home, you are wrong.
The four gospels was written to describe the blessings of Jesus Christ in coming to take away the sins of the world. In other words, they were written concerning salvation.
The book of Acts was written concerning the acts of the early church.
Romans 1:7, “To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
I Cor. 1:2 - “Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:”
II Cor. 1:1 - “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia:”
Gal. 1:2 - “Gal 1:1 Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;) 2 And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia:”
Eph. 1:1 - “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:”
Philippians 1:1 “Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:”
Colossians 1:1,2 - “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother, 2 To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
I Thess. 1:1 - “Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
II Thess. 1:1 - “Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:”
Timothy and Titus were written especially to pastors, as was the fifth chapter of I Peter.
Even the book of Revelation was written to churches. At least that is what is said in Revelation 1:11, “Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.”