and preaching of God's Word. our scripture text today for our sermon from Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews 10 verses 19 through 25. For some context, we'll keep the reading going till verse 31. But starting in Hebrews chapter 10, Hebrews chapter 10 in verse 19. This is the word of God. Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which he consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, his flesh, and having a high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true 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 one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching. For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. "'of how much worse punishment do you suppose? "'Will he be thought worthy "'who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, "'counted the blood of the covenant "'by which he was sanctified a common thing, "'and insulted the spirit of grace? "'For we know him who said, "'Vengeance is mine, I will repay,' says the Lord. "'And again, the Lord will judge his people. "'It is a fearful thing to fall to the hands "'of the living God.'" So for the reading of the word of God, you may be seated. Church of Jesus Christ, brothers and sisters, have you ever seen yourself falling away from God, drifting away from him? Have you seen yourself at some point losing your zeal for the things of the Lord, perhaps taking less interest in things like fellowshipping with the church, Perhaps also have you seen in your life some pattern of backsliding into persistent and willful sin. If I have just described you, you're not alone. Certainly struggles like these are ones that are gonna be common to believers in all ages who need encouragement. And the church that the book of Hebrews is written to is no different. This is a book that encourages the readers, the church, to persevere in the Christian faith. And the lesson that is presented to them is a lesson that is applicable to the church in all ages, and of course very applicable to you and to me today. So we must learn the valuable truths that are being taught here. And in this text, Hebrews 10, 19 through 25, I believe our writer here wants us to learn that Christ's approach to the Father assures us in our approach to the Father. That Christ's approach to the Father assures us in our approach to the Father. And as we come to the text today, we can point out that these few verses form a pivotal point in the book of Hebrews, these verses 19 through 25. These are seven verses, which in the original Greek are just one long sentence. Let me note here as well that at the beginning of verse 19, the words therefore and brethren, the word therefore has not been used with a command, along with the command all the way back to chapter four. The word brethren has not been used to address the audience at all, all the way back to chapter three. And so if we're going to ask the question, what is this therefore? Therefore, I think it summarizes part of the previous. part of Hebrews, at least back to chapter eight, perhaps further than that. And we can also say that generally speaking, at least in my opinion, the book of Hebrews can be divided at Hebrews 10, 19. The commentators have noted that generally speaking up to this point, the writer has been giving us doctrine that focuses on the person and the work of Jesus Christ. And generally speaking, after this point, after Hebrews 10, 19, the writer's going to focus more on practice, how to live out the Christian life. And I do paint that in general terms because there are exhortations and commands before this point and some doctrinal teaching after this point. But generally speaking, that's a good way to see the book of Hebrews, in my opinion. And so as we approach the text today, this main idea, the idea we're considering of Christ's approach to the Father, giving assurance for us to approach, we're going to see in two parts. The first part concerning Christ's approach to the Father, verses 19 to 21. And then secondly, our approach to the Father, verses 22 through 25. Let me go ahead and read this first section on Christ's approach to the Father, starting in verse 19. Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which he consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, his flesh, and having a high priest over the house of God. Now as we're looking at this first part that considers Christ's approach to God the Father, I believe that we see here two main things that we are provided with. So in connection with Christ ascending to God the Father in heaven, we are given two things that are spelled out clearly in verses 19 and 20, perhaps also in 21. The first of these things is assurance of access to God. Assurance of access to God, which we'll see in verse 19 and then in verse 20. But in verse 19, we read that we have boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus. Now, the word boldness here, it carries with it the idea of authorization. You could say that God has authorized us, or He has cleared us. He's given us clearance for us to enter. It's not just a subjective feeling. It's not just an emotion. This boldness that the author is writing about, this is an objective thing. This is a right, an authorization that God has granted. We have the right here to enter into these holy places. And then we read that there's this place that's called the holiest. And what is this holiest place that the author speaks of, if not the holiest place that the Old Testament Jew would have known, if not the holy of holies itself? And if you're familiar with your Old Testament theology, you might know that these Holy of Holies represent the very presence of God. Back in that Old Testament system of worship, there was no place in which the presence of God was more fully revealed and manifested than within the Holy of Holies. Once the priest passes into the tabernacle, which is itself a holy place, he passes into the holiest place behind the curtain once a year to perform his great ministry, a ministry of atonement. And as he does this, he passes through that dividing veil to the Holy of Holies. At this point, there is nothing that separates him from the greatest manifestation, from the greatest revelation of the presence of God on earth that you could find during that time, during that Old Testament, in that Old Testament system. This is a place where God dwells. And now Christian, brother and sister, you are told that you have authorization to enter into God's presence, into a place that is described for us as the holiest, as the holy of holies. Let's try to drive home what a great and deep privilege this is. Imagine for a second, imagine with me, you're living in an ancient kingdom that's governed by a good and a righteous and a gracious king who's respected and loved by his subjects. One day you receive a letter, the town crier comes to you and the herald gives you a letter stamped by the king that says the king wants you to come and work for him at his castle. Imagine the joy, the great privilege that you would feel at such a wonderful invitation as that. But imagine, let's take it a step up, let's take it up a notch, if this letter were actually to say not only does he want you to work for him at his castle, but rather to serve in his courts, to be in his presence regularly. What a joy that would be. But imagine then, what if the invitation actually said, the king invites you to come be his guest of honor at his banquet table, to sit at his right hand. And perhaps that's one of the best ways to illustrate such an invitation as this. And in this text, it is no king, no mere earthly king, but the king of the universe, the Lord God, who is graciously inviting you and who is assuring you and your access to him. The high priest might have only entered into the holiest of holy places, into God's presence, but once a year. But now all of God's saints, all of his children, dear brothers and sisters, are invited to approach the Lord. Whenever they desire in prayer, they can come to the Lord. So we can say that our approach to the Lord happens in prayer. That's certainly an application. I think that might be in view here. But we can also say that this privilege of entering, of approaching God in the holiest of holy places, it represents heaven itself. After we die, this is where the Lord takes us. So even though the high priest could come with blood and enter into God's presence once a year, we are invited, we are really exhorted and commanded to enter into heaven through Christ's own blood, which he has brought into the heavenly holy of holies. Chapter 9 says this more clearly. Chapter 9, 23 to 24 draws out the connection between heaven, after which the holy of holies on earth was modeled. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are figures of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. So verse 19 presents to us this idea that you have access, you have authorization, boldness to enter into the holy places by the blood of Jesus. then this idea of access to God is spelled out a second way in verse 20, which I consider a parallel statement to verse 19, by a new and living way, which he consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say through his flesh. So this way in which we approach God is not by a Jewish priest in the tabernacle, This is the way that is the name of Jesus, the way that is from our Savior who died for us. And as we look at this way, pay attention to three particular words that describe this way. Here's the first one. It's new. This is a new way, verse 20 says. And how is this way new? It's new because it was not fully revealed before this. The Old Testament did not as fully reveal the coming Messiah and the work that he would do, atoning for our sins as we see here. So this is indeed a new way. And secondly, this is a living way. Now, if you were to step back or if you're just going to read the passage, you might think it's kind of a peculiar thing to describe this as a living way. In what sense is this approach to God, this way to him, a living way? Well, think about the alternative. What is this being contrasted to? In the tabernacle, the way to God that the priest would take was one that was marked with death. Was it not? Didn't you have those animal sacrifices that were offered year after year in order for this approach to happen? But is our sacrifice dead? No indeed. Our sacrifice is alive. Our priest is alive. So this is indeed a living way. Now let me add in here that this doesn't mean that we have more boldness necessarily in our prayers than the Old Testament saints could. It doesn't mean, for example, if you lived in the Old Testament, there was a chance you could offer a prayer to God and he would not hear you. Of course, God, his ears are always open to the cries and to the prayers of all of his saints throughout all time. I do believe it means that we have our truth that is revealed to a greater degree, that is made clearer, that we have this higher degree of clarity and a fuller scope of the revelation that God has given to us. And I also think that results in a greater sense of boldness. Of course, we have spelled out here objectively. We have boldness. We have access to God. So this way is new. This way is living. Then thirdly, there's the word consecrated. This is a way that Christ has consecrated in verse 20. Now, what does this mean? How can a way be consecrated? Well, it's interesting, the only other use of this word, particular word, in the New Testament is in the chapter before, in Hebrews 9, 18, in which we read about the inauguration of the old covenant. It says, therefore, not even the first covenant was dedicated or inaugurated without blood. And so in chapter nine, we have the inauguration of the old covenant that is by the blood of animals. In chapter 10, we have the inauguration of the new covenant, the dedication, the consecration of it, which is by our great sacrifice, the Lord Jesus Christ. So we have this, really this pattern that is being repeated here. Christ has to die in order to give us this way of approach to God within the New Covenant. We're reminded here explicitly of the curtain in the tabernacle. As we read in verse 20, he did this through the veil, that is to say, his flesh. And it is And this veil here is representing Christ's body. And as the veil had to be passed through, Christ's body has to be broken in order for salvation to be given to his people. And in God's providence, today we are going to observe the Lord's Supper. And in the breaking of the bread, we have symbolized the breaking of the body of Christ, through which we have salvation. Now when Christ was on earth, he spoke in this way as well, of himself as being this way of access to God. In John chapter 10, he calls himself the door. I am the door. In John 14, 6, a very famous verse, he says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me. So this shows us that the blood of Jesus is the only way for us to enter heaven. It is the only way for us to be saved. There is no other way for us to come to enter into the presence of God. And ultimately speaking, there's no way for us to be accepted into heaven than by the blood of Jesus. And so friends, that means that if there is no other way, it doesn't matter how sincere someone else is about their faith, how devoted they are to their false religion. If indeed it is false, if they are seeking to enjoy the presence of God, whatever God they worship, if they are seeking to enter into the next state of eternal rest, if they do not seek to enter that through the blood of Jesus, They will not make it there. Christ is the only way. There is no way to pass it to heaven than to pass through his blood as the means of getting there. The sober truth is that these people shall not enter heaven if they do not repent of their sins, if they do not look to Christ as the means of salvation. Scripture teaches they shall be cast out into the everlasting fires of hell. And when that sober truth is presented, let us be grateful for the wonderful salvation that God has given to us. There is a way, it is the way of Jesus Christ. Let us thank him, let us relish the fact that his blood has been shed for us, that we indeed may be saved. And so you must be washed with this blood of Christ. And so where does that take us? What if we have these times of trial? What if we have these times of doubt, of backsliding, of falling into willful sin, persistent sin, where we find ourselves? Claim to Christ's blood. Claim Christ's blood. There is forgiveness through Christ. Repent of your sins. And for everyone who repents of their sins with sincerity and truth, truly looking for the Lord's forgiveness, God is gracious to give that forgiveness. And he will turn away none who come to him with a sincere heart who is turned away from his sin. So if this describes you today, my dear friend, if you are here as an unbeliever, please turn away from your sins. Turn away from them. Claim the blood of Christ as that by which you need to have to enter into the throne room of God to enjoy His presence forever. And so we have this great truth of our assurance of access to God, this objective sense, this objective right, this authorization to enter into God's presence, this great truth that is presented to us here at the beginning of the text. This is the first thing that is provided for us in connection with Christ's approach to the Father, as we've been reading about. And the second thing, more simply and more obviously, is Christ himself. Verse 21, and having a high priest over the house of God. Now I could ask the children, perhaps the adults, what is a priest? Maybe you know your Old Testament, you know what a priest does, you know that he offers sacrifices. But maybe if I ask the question, what is a priest, that could be a harder question to answer. Here's a short definition that I like to use. A priest represents man to God. He represents man to God. Our Old Testament priests that we read about, they represent people to God in the intercession and the sacrifices that they make. And according to this text, Christ is our priest. Christ is our representative. He is one that is over, he represents, he is over the house of God. And what is the house of God? Or maybe I should say, who is the house of God? The house of God refers to his church. If you want to see this more clearly, he says this in chapter three, verse six. I'm not going to read that verse, but he says that the church is God's house. And so we are the house of God and Christ is the priest. Christ is the representative that is over that house. And so what we could not do in terms of salvation, in terms of us approaching God, of drawing nigh to the Father, Christ has done. Christ's approach to the Father is assuring us in our approach to the Father. He draws nigh to him, and Christ brings us with him. So to speak, we are dragged along in his wake, all to his credit and to his glory. I think of Hebrew 619, it's just Hebrew 620. It said a little bit more clear. It says, talks about the place where the forerunner is entered for us. Even Jesus made a high priest forever. So Jesus is our forerunner ascending into heaven. And as a forerunner, he brings along others who are with him, namely his people, those who are underneath his priesthood, those whom he is representing. So how can we picture these two ideas together, these two ideas, these things that are provided for us in connection with Christ's approach to the Father? We have our right, our boldness to approach God, and also Christ who is our priest over us, our forerunner. Perhaps some of you have read books or you've watched television shows about those who seek to climb Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world. And those who seek to scale this mountain every year don't simply do that by themselves. There is a system of ropes and hooks and pulleys and things like that that are already laid out across the mountain, up the mountain for them. And these are laid out by them by the natives of the land of Nepal called the Sherpas. These are people who are natives of the land. Even their lungs are specially adapted, I believe, to the oxygen levels that are on this mountain. And they go up first. And they provide this system of ropes and hooks. And they guide people like me who are not accustomed to that. They guide everyone else to scale the tallest mountain in. the world, those who would not be able to scale the mountain by themselves. And so, brothers and sisters, Christ goes up for us first, not up to Mount Everest. but to a far greater, a far higher mountain, the heavenly Mount Zion, the mountain of God's dwelling. And Christ brings us along with him to his credit, to his credit, to his glory, and to his glory alone. And so congregation, let me ask you, where is your boldness? Where is your boldness? We have been told that we have this confident assurance of access to God. We have a God whom the New Testament most fully reveals in the person and work of Jesus Christ. So how do you exercise that boldness? Do you exercise that boldness? Do you draw near to God as you should? Do you appreciate the means of grace, his church, the word, sacraments, prayer that are given to us through which we can draw near to God? Do you not see that Christ has risen, that God has raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus? Do you not see that you are united to the Savior, that your life is hid with Christ and God, that your life is bound inseparably to him, as scripture says, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge? Brethren, sister, if you then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above where Christ is, who sits at the right hand of God. Set your affection on the things above, not on things on the earth, for you are dead and your life is hid with Christ and God. So when we ask, where is your boldness? You should be sure that you exercise this boldness, that you take great advantage of these privileges, that you do so voraciously in your communion with God. Also, let me ask, who is your priest? And that's a way of saying, who are you trusting in? I touched on this a few minutes ago. Christ needs to be that which you are trusting in for your salvation and none other. There is no other name given under heaven whereby men may be saved, Acts 4.12. So Christ ought to be that which you're trusting in to save you from God's wrath. But are you truly here today trusting in Christ? Are you trusting in Christ, perhaps in your heart of hearts, that which I cannot see? Are you trusting within your own good works for your salvation? Are you trusting in yourself? The fact is there are only two options. You can either be trusting in Christ or trusting in anything else. If you are trusting in anything else, you are not trusting in Christ for your salvation. Come to the Lord. Come to Christ. Not that believers can struggle and have doubts in our faith and at times be tempted to trust in our own good works or things like that, but in your heart of hearts, what do you really trust in and believe in? You must have Christ's blood. There is no other door and you must approach the Father through Jesus Christ alone. So repent and believe if you have not for this access into the throne room of God. Now, for those of you who are believers, perhaps you've been believers for a long time. Let us be sure that you do not become complacent, that you do not lose the joy of the great privileges that you have, that you can come to God, that you can enjoy fellowship and communion with him. What a great, what rich privileges, what deep and profound privileges these are. It is imperative that we continually enjoy them, that we revel in them, that we delight in them. We can also say the great mercy of God in saving a sinner is the same mercy that keeps a sinner and preserves that sinner from ever falling away. So we have these great privileges that are presented to us in connection with Christ's approach to the Father. Then the text goes on and it talks not only about Christ's approach to the Father, but now what does it look like when we approach the Father, following our Lord Jesus Christ. We see this in the rest of the text, starting in verse 22. Let us draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith. Having our hearts sprinkled 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 one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another and so much the more as ye see the day approaching. As we look at this text, as we look at what it means, what it practically looks like for us to draw near, for us to approach the Father, following the Lord Jesus, we're going to see three commands. The text here gives us three exhortations, which really are three commands for us to follow. And here's the first one, the first of these three commands. Come to God. Come to God. We see this in verse 22, which commands us, which exhorts us, let us draw near. Then the verse goes on and it tells us how we are to do it, to do that. It tells us how we are to draw near to God. We have these two phrases, with a true heart and in full assurance of faith. What do these mean? What does it mean to draw near to God with a true heart and then with a full assurance of faith? As one preacher put it, it means to approach without hypocrisy and without doubt. So what does it mean to draw near to God with a true heart? You draw near to God without hypocrisy. You draw near to him with a heart that is pure, that is clean, that is purified from anything else that heart could be holding onto, certainly pure from any sin that that heart could be harboring secretly. And it is God that you are to draw near to. And then in the phrase, full assurance of faith, we're approaching God without doubt. We're not approaching God as Queen Esther once approached the king, doubting if he would be gracious to accept her in his presence. But we approach as one who has full assurance that we will be accepted in Christ Jesus. And so then approaching God without hypocrisy, approaching God without doubt, this is to be the nature of our hearts. This is to be our heart disposition as we approach God. And then as we go through the text, going on to verse 22, I guess we're still here in verse 22, the writer is going to deepen the description of what it means. in the way that we approach God. And he's going to use the biblical imagery of washing when he says, hearts that are sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and bodies washed with pure water. And I think there's an unmistakable reference to baptism here. I don't think that the readers of this letter can read this and not be reminded of the waters of baptism. But it's not really the physical waters of baptism that are in mind here, is it? If not, what baptism symbolizes. Symbolizes the cleansing inwardly of the heart. symbolizes the work of the Holy Spirit. And by God's grace and his providence, today we observe the sacrament of baptism being given. So we have seen for us today a physical depiction of the spiritual work of the Holy Ghost on the heart within the inward man. And so we have this internal picture of washing, washing of the heart. It is this cleansed heart that we must have in approaching God. So we have the first command, the first exhortation, come to God. Secondly, we have cling to the gospel. Cling to the gospel, and we see this in verse 23. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he is faithful who promised. So the word profession or the word confession here, I believe, refers to some kind of public statement that a person would make a public acknowledgement of the things that they believe of their Christian faith. And we probably have something very similar in our Westminster Confession or our Nicene Creed, our Apostles' Creed. Think of something that is a summary of Christian doctrine. Here in this case, it might be something that's very simple, but we have a very similar idea here, I believe. Also, I'm using the phrase here in my outline, cling to the gospel, the word gospel here, just kind of a catch-all phrase for the things that we need to hold as Christians, the doctrine that's taught in scripture. So there are certain truths that we have to hold fast to that we can't give any way in. So then we're going to see in this text how we do this, how we cling to the gospel, and also why. Why we cling to the gospel. And as for the how, he says, let us hold fast to the confession of our hope. How? Without. wavering. So we must not bend to the world. We must not bend in our doctrine to any other outside influence that could come, that could seek to keep us from having our thinking, our theology measured by the straight word of God. We must hold to the confession of it, of our hope without wavering. And if you think about it, there are so many times in which the world will seek to bend your thinking in which they want the church to give in to what they believe in terms of God, in terms of the doctrine of scripture. Maybe it's a doctrine of eternal hell, or scriptures teaching on gender roles in the family, in the church, or could be anything else, anything else that the Bible has to say. The world wants to do is to set themselves as the standard for what to believe philosophically, and then let the church try to be modeled up to that standard. But does Christ teach that the world is that standard that the church should look to? Doesn't he teach the opposite? On the Sermon on the Mount, doesn't he say to the church that you are a city that is set on a hill, that you are this light that is there that must not be hidden, this light that is shining before men? The church is to be the model for the world. The world should be looking up to the church to see what to believe, how to And so it doesn't matter what area of our doctrine we're speaking to. It doesn't matter what it is that's being challenged. We have to believe what the Word of God says. We have to believe it without wavering. It doesn't matter what they call us. It doesn't matter how they mock us. That's how we cling to the gospel. It's how we cling to the message that has been given to us to believe. That's how we cling to the gospel, but why? Why do we cling to the gospel? And this is spelled out for us in the very next words. For he is faithful that promised. What greater reason, what greater impetus can there be for holding to the things that God has told us? To be faithful to what God has given us, if not the character of God himself. That's the grounding here. We should be faithful to God and believing what God has communicated to us because God himself is faithful. I'm reminded of 2 Timothy 2.13. It says that even if we are faithless, he remains faithful. For, for why? He cannot deny himself. So this rests on the perfect, unchanging character of God. So we've seen that we must, what's the first one? Come to God. And then we must cling to the gospel. And now we see at the end of the text, consider the gathering. Consider the gathering here, the gathering of Christians, of the church in verses 24 to 25. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works. not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more, as you see the day approaching. So as we consider this gathering of Christians, we are told not to forsake this gathering, not to forsake the gathered body of Christ in church. Rather, we are to be a part of it. We are to belong to it, and we are to encourage it. Not simply as bystanders, but those who are perhaps more active in provoking one another and stirring up one another, your translation might say, unto love and unto good works. Now let me note here some things about these virtues that are in the text, and maybe you've noticed these, maybe you haven't, and that's fine. There is a progression of virtues. Let's go back to the first command, to the command of come to God. It says that we are told to come with a full assurance of faith. And the second command, cling to the gospel, we are to hold fast to the confession of our hope. So faith and hope. And now in this third command, consider the gathering, we are to stir up one another to what? To good works and to love. So our text presents us with this progression of virtues of faith and hope and love. And what does that remind you of, Christian? Perhaps Paul's teaching in 1 Corinthians 13, that faith, hope, and love, these three remain. The greatest of these is love. And it is fitting, I believe, that with love being this great virtue, that a writer in Hebrews kind of leaves us here at the end of this text talking about, or at least mentioning, the importance of Christian love. And by God's grace, if you come back tonight for the evening service, there's going to be a sermon on brotherly love from a different text, but speaking to the same truth. So we have that progression of virtues, but there's also a progression in terms of their direction. You can think of the directionality of these virtues. And here's what I mean. So first we draw near to God upward in faith, approaching the Lord. So the first direction is upward, but then when we cling to the gospel, that direction is inward. We need to internalize the things that God has told to us once we have drawn near to him. So we have the direction of upward in faith, inward in hope, or connected to hope. And then thirdly, we have outward in love, as we seek to stir up one another to love and to good works. So we have this progression of going upward inward, and then outward. And if you think about it, isn't that the way it has to be? If you have a man, let's say the country's in turmoil and he needs to go to war, do you just send him out? Do you not first send him up to boot camp, up to his camp where he can then internalize the things that his brain and his body need to learn for him to be actually an effective soldier on the battlefield? Those things have to happen first before then you can send him out and he can be effective in his just warfare. This is the way that things have to be. And so what God does for us in his good grace and his providential plan is he brings us to him. He pours into us first. So then we can be effective in ministering and encouraging others. And in that way, we're not relying on any virtue of our own. We are ministering to each other with the virtues that the Lord God has poured into us himself. This is another way that God shows forth his glory, even in being helped by other Christians, by other brothers and sisters. That's a way of the Lord, ultimately, who is helping us. And also note here, and this is important, that the climax of these exhortations, so we come here to the end and now we're considering this gathering, the body of Christ. The climax comes in public worship. That's what we're doing here today. And it is absolutely true, it's 100% true that we should be reaching out to each other and encouraging each other and church, stirring up one another to love and to good works. But it's also true that the church's gathering is about God. It's not, first of all, about ourselves. It's about the worship of the Lord. And as you think about where Christ is, excuse me, as you think about following Jesus into God's presence, think about where Christ is. It's true that Christ is in heaven. His body is in heaven. He's entered the heavenly holy of holies sitting upon his throne. And we should and we will, as Christians, follow him into heaven as believers. But it's also true that Christ is among his people. Psalm 22, which Hebrews earlier quotes, it attributes these words to Jesus. In the midst of your congregation, I will praise you. In the midst of the congregation, I will praise you. And so as we praise the Lord, Christ is, so to speak, he is here with us. He is leading worship, I believe. Matthew 18, 20, where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in their midst. So Christ is here. The Bible teaches as clear as day, Christ is here among his people. And so where Christ is, let us also be. I would be remiss not to comment on the warning that comes after this text. And I read this passage at the beginning here. So we've seen this text with its climactic exhortation in these famous verses that are about the church. But then Hebrews doesn't just stop there. It doesn't just go on to a totally different topic, does it? There's a warning that's given and this is the context of that warning. And if you read through verses 26 to 31, as we did, you will see, I think this is one of the most terrifying warnings in the entire Bible about God's wrath that is coming upon those who have continued in willful sin and who have fallen away. I think it's important to see that this comes in the context of the gathered body and not forsaking the gathered body. Perhaps you know of people who have abandoned the faith, those who have totally fallen away from professing Christianity. In so many of those cases, isn't it true that their walk away from Christianity started with them stopping attending the church? You've seen they haven't been to church in a month, and maybe it's been three months, maybe it's been a year, and then the person stops professing belief in Christianity and the Bible altogether. If we think about what defines a Christian, is it one of the most basic things that they attend church on the Lord's Day? And that's certainly true. And for those of you who are gathered here today in obedience to that command, we praise the Lord. This is where God would have you to be. But it's also important to say that this warning is not just for those who are outside of the church. It is given to the church. It is given to the people of God. It is meant to be read and preached within the assembly of the Lord. And so please take this to heart. Take the warning to heart and value the body of Christ, even as the head of the body, Christ himself. values it. Do not forsake the bride of Christ, for you cannot forsake the bride without forsaking the bridegroom. And then for believers, for brothers and sisters, those of us who are members of the church, who are faithful, who are persisting in these things, who indeed do draw near to God, who cling to the gospel, and who consider the gathering, we must indeed remain part of Christ's body as we worship the Lord. So as we do so, we approach God the Father on account of Christ, following him into the heights of heaven itself, following Christ into the true holiest place that he has entered into with his own blood, through which we approach the Father. as well. So come nigh to the Father through Jesus Christ the Son. Come nigh to God who has secured for us an everlasting salvation with his blood, the blood of the very Son of God. Brothers and sisters, let us come after him. Let us come after Christ, approaching the Father, claiming Christ's blood as our assurance. Let us come to him without hypocrisy, without doubt. Let us come without wavering in our commitment to the Word of God, what the Bible teaches. Let us come to him without forsaking his gathered body, the church. And let us come all the more as we see the great and final day approaching. Amen. Let us pray. Dear Lord, we thank you for your word. We thank you that you have provided a means for us to draw near to you. What a wonderful privilege this is. So let us indeed draw near through Jesus Christ, who is our mediator. Let us never, ever take these privileges for granted. Let us do so every day. And we thank you that as we do so, we have your promise that you have blessed these means of approach, these means of grace by which we are made more like our great mediator, our great high priest, the Lord Jesus Christ. So we trust this day to you, this worship service, and we thank you that you have blessed us and that you will indeed bless us through the Lord Jesus Christ and the means of approach that he has appointed. In whose name we pray, amen.