Our scripture reading for this evening, to which I invite you to turn with me at this time, is found once again in the New Testament book of Hebrews, the 10th chapter, beginning in the first verse. It's toward the end of the New Testament, right before the book of James, Hebrews chapter 10. If you have been worshiping with us recently, you know that we are concluding this evening a four-part series of messages on the theme, Let Us, that is, biblical exhortations, which the Lord gives us, letting us do certain things, certain actions, certain behaviors, certain spiritual disciplines together, corporately, communally, as the body of Christ. We began the series on the theme, Let Us Draw Near to God. We continued it with, Let Us Hold to Our Hope. We most recently considered the exhortation, Let Us Spur One Another On. And now tonight we conclude the series of messages with the exhortation, Let Us Encourage One Another. And to that end, Though we will be reading verses 1 through 25 of Hebrews 10, I draw your special attention to verse 25, as that will constitute our text for tonight. Hebrews 10, beginning in verse 1, hear then the word of the Lord. The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming, not the realities themselves. For this reason, it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. Those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said, sacrifice and offerings you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me. With burnt offerings and sin offerings, you were not pleased. Then I said, here I am. It is written about me in the scroll. I have come to do your will, O God. First, he said, sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them, although the law required them to be made. Then he said, here I am, I have come to do your will. He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Day after day, every priest stands and performs his religious duties. Again and again, he offers the same sacrifices which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time, he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice, he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First He says, Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the most holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, open for us through the curtain that is His body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience, and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing. But let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the day approaching. Thus far, the reading of God's Holy Word. As always, brothers and sisters, I ask and urge you to keep your Bibles open and handy as you look to God's Word together at the close of this Lord's Day. Dear congregation of Jesus Christ, in the Gospel according to John, the 13th chapter, beginning in the first verse, and continuing on through John 17, verse 26, we find what theologians refer to as the Great Upper Room Discourse. That is words which Jesus either spoke to His disciples or prayed to His Heavenly Father immediately prior to His being betrayed and arrested and crucified. Now interestingly enough, in the midst of that so-called upper room discourse, we find the Lord speaking extensively about the Holy Spirit, about the third person of the Blessed Trinity. For example, if your Bibles are open and you would care to turn with me, let's go to the Gospel according to John together, beginning in the 14th chapter, the 15th verse. John 14, beginning in verse 15, and I'm going to read through verse 19. John 14, beginning in verse 15. This is part of the upper room discourse. Jesus says, If you love Me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another counselor notice to be with you forever, the Spirit of truth." The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you. Before long the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. Now, if you're in John 14 with me, drop down with me, please, to John 15, verse 26. John 15, verse 26, where Jesus continues speaking. And He says, when the counselor notice comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who goes out from the Father, He will testify about Me. You also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning. And then finally on this score, let's go to John 16, verse 7. John 16, verse 7, just the next chapter down, verse 7, Jesus says, But I tell you the truth, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the counselor will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. Now brothers and sisters, please take note of the fact that in each and every one of these instances in which Jesus references the Holy Spirit, and in the NIV He is referred to as the Counselor. In each and every one of those instances, in the original language, the same word is used in reference to the Holy Spirit. The Greek word is paracletos. It's where we get our English word paraclete from. And that word paraclete or paracletos is a combination of two different Greek words. The first is para, which means parallel, alongside of. The second word is kaleo, which means to call. And so a paraclete, literally, is someone who is called alongside of another to counsel them, to encourage them, to exhort them, or to encourage them. Now, that being the case, as we turn back together to our text in Hebrews 10, 25, I find it very interesting that the verb form, stay with me, the verb form of the noun paraclete, paracletos or paracleto, is used in reference to you and me. In other words, the Bible is saying that in a certain sense, You and I as Christians. You and I as brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. You and I, as those who have been washed clean in the blood of the Lamb, who now have communal and corporate access into the throne room that governs the universe, we come through Christ and Christ alone to our Heavenly Father. Being the fact that we are God's people, the Bible says that part of our corporate communal responsibility is literally to serve as paracletes for one another. Think about that. To serve as paracletes for one another. For indeed, here in the words of our text, we learn that as God's holy people, we are exhorted by God's holy word through His Holy Spirit to be constant, to be consistent, and to be compassionate in our encouraging one another are encouraging of one another now then as we begin to work our way very carefully and I trust prayerfully through the words of our text we're going to first of all attempt to answer the question let us encourage one another how let us encourage one another how look at verse 25 of Hebrews 10 with me if you would here the Holy Spirit inspired author writes notice let us That is corporately communally as brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ Let us not give up It's not a bad translation, but the King James and a couple of the other translations, I think, come through a little more clearly because this is a very, very powerful term in the original language. I think the King James says, let us not forsake. It's a very strong term in the original. Some other synonyms for that term would be not simply not forsaking, but not abandoning, not deserting, not leaving behind. Keep those synonyms in mind as we read, do not let us give up, do not forsake, do not abandon, do not desert, do not neglect, do not leave behind, notice, the meeting together, stay with me, epi-synagoguein, this is where we get our English word synagogue from, and it basically just means an assembly, a meeting together. And brothers and sisters, John Calvin makes the very interesting insight that when we are speaking here about the gathering of believers in Jesus Christ, It is to be a place, it should be a place, it must be a place where all social and racial and ethnic and economic barriers come down because we are gathering as one in Christ. I was meeting this past week with one of our young adults. And we were talking about this very fact, about the unity of the body of Christ. And I shared with him a historical fact. Many years ago, some of the brothers here are going to remember this, when we began the Men's Bible Study Breakfast at Miranda's, probably 20, 25 years ago, we used to meet in the restaurant before we outgrew that and moved into the private meeting room. But we used to meet in the restaurant where they had tables kind of that you could connect along a bench and the bench was on one side, chairs in the other. And it kept getting longer and longer. It was heading into the kitchen. And so they moved us into the other room. But I will never forget the day. And I'm sharing this respectfully of the people involved. I'm sitting there at the end of this long table, all these brothers studying the word early on a Wednesday morning. And as we're going around reading God's word, I try not to get emotional. I mentioned Dr. Tony in the prayer. Dr. Tony was there. They had just started coming to the church, and here's Dr. Tony. We're coming around. Dr. Tony reads. Sitting next to Tony, and some of you know who this was, there's an African-American shoeshine boy from Newark who took the bus all the way up to Wayne from the Ironbound section of Newark, and he walked the rest of the way to Miranda's restaurant at quarter to seven. You know who he is. And we're reading around, and here's this Franklin Lakes orthopedic surgeon in a, I don't wanna say how much Tony's suits cost, but it was a nice suit. And next to him is Lester. And they were brothers in Christ. Think about that. I'll leave that there. It's gonna become too much for me to, but you understand what I'm saying, okay? Let us not give up. This meeting together. And. The commentators say, well, yeah, this this episode to go again, it refers to Christians meeting together anywhere at any time in any kind of meeting, and that's true. And that's what the early church did, by the way. In fact, and you don't need to turn to it, but in Acts 2, verse 46, Acts 2, 46, it says, every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts. Just a meeting together. But most Bible commentators and scholars, brothers and sisters, believe that, especially here in the words of our text and in its context, the biblical author especially has in mind the gathering together of God's people in worship on the Lord's day. That's especially what this means when it says, let us not give up meeting together, you see. And yet, sadly enough, as our text goes on to teach us, it goes on to say, Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit or the manner or the custom of doing. Think about that. Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit or manner or custom of doing. The great reformer John Calvin writes, and I quote, listen carefully, please. But when we hear that there were faithless men, even in the age of the apostles, who departed from the church, we ought not to be less shocked and disturbed by similar instances of defection which we may see in the present day." End of quote. And that's true, that's true. And yet, my dear brothers and sisters, let us also take careful note and consideration of the fact that the Reformed Bible commentator William Hendrickson has so well said, listen carefully please, I'm gonna say it twice, Hendrickson writes, one of the first indications of a lack of love toward God and neighbor is for a Christian to stay away from the worship services. I'm gonna read that again, William Hendrickson, quote, one of the first indications of a lack of love toward God and neighbor is for a Christian to stay away from the worship services, end of quote. Even though, as Dr. John MacArthur so insightfully and correctly states, and again I quote, collective and corporate worship is a vital part of spiritual life. Collective and corporate worship is a vital part of spiritual life, end of quote. But now some may say, and I've heard many people say this down through the years, both prior to and entering the pastoral ministry, well listen, I love the Lord. I love God. I try to live for the Lord. I go worship God and creation and just out wherever I am. And besides, I will often hear, what's the deal with the evening worship service? What's that about? I mean, I can kind of see the morning, but what's this about the evening? And you get asked all these kind of questions. And these are good questions. They're fair questions. Brothers and sisters, as always, the Bible has the answers. The Bible has the answers. For example, turn with me, if you would, to the book of Exodus, second book of the Bible, Genesis, Exodus chapter 20. Exodus chapter 20. And as you're turning, please take note of this. I've had many people down through the years, often in broader ecclesiastical circles, say, well, that's in the Old Testament. That's the first thing they say, well, it's in the Old Testament. And the first thing I say back to them is, yeah, but it's in the Old Testament, but it's part of the moral law of God. It is not part of the ceremonial law of God. It is part of the moral law of God, which is binding on all people in all times and in all places. And so in Exodus 20, verses 8 through 11, God's word declares, remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, but He rested on the seventh day. Therefore, in other words, because this was a creation ordinance, you see, Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy." And similarly if you're taking notes in the New Testament in Revelation chapter 1 verse 10. The apostle John is in exile on the island of Patmos because of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus. And in Revelation 1 verse 10, John writes, On the Lord's day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, and so on. But notice that just as is true for the Sabbath day, John in Revelation 1 verse 10 refers to the Lord's day. And not the Lord's one or two hours on a Sunday morning, you see. And this is extremely significant. It is extremely significant. In other words, the Bible says that this whole day is supposed to be set apart unto the Lord. And young people, boys and girls, that's why the Ten Commandments says, remember the Sabbath day, the whole day, to keep it holy. And to keep it holy means something that is holy means that it has been set apart by God for God. It has been set apart by God for God. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, you see. Now friends, think about that, think about that. You know, when I entered the pastoral ministry here in North Jersey a little over 32 years ago, as best as I can recall, virtually every church in this area had an evening worship service. Virtually everyone had an evening worship service. And sad to say now, Hardly any of them do. There are exceptions, we praise God for that. But relatively, comparatively speaking, now hardly any of them do. And again, for many people, that does beg the question, well, why do you have to worship in the evening? Why worship in the evening? Well, again, the Word of God gives us instruction. For example, if your Bibles are open, turn with me to the book of Psalms, to the right if you're still in Exodus, to the left if you're in Hebrews, Psalms 141, Psalm 141, verses 1 and 2. In Psalm 141, verses 1 and 2, the psalmist David declares, O Lord, I call to you. Come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to you. May my prayer be set before you like incense. May the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice, like the evening sacrifice. The Old Testament saints worship the Lord not only in the morning, not only in the midday, but also at the evening sacrifice. Well, again, people say, well, that's David, that's the Psalms, that's the Old Testament. Well, let's go to the New Testament together. Let's go to the book of John, the Gospel according to John, the 20th chapter, John chapter 20. And in John chapter 20, verses 19 and 20, we find the disciples behind locked doors for fear of the Jews on resurrection evening. Not resurrection morning, but resurrection evening. And it says in John 19 and 20, on the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, Peace be with you. After He said this, He showed them His hands and sighed. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. And so Jesus not only appeared to some of His disciples, some of His followers on resurrection morning, He also appeared to them on resurrection evening. And it says that they were overjoyed, because I'm saying to myself, if you love someone, wouldn't you want to spend as much time with them as you possibly can? They met with him in the morning, they met with him in the evening. And also, let's go to the book of Acts, the 20th chapter, verses 7 through 12. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, chapter 20, verses 7 through 12. Look with me, please. In Acts 20, 7 through 12, it says, on the first day of the week, we're talking Sunday, Dr. Luke writes, we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people, and because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. I don't know that Paul would have appreciated Luke writing that, but that's what he did under the Holy Spirit's inspiration. He talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. Don't be alarmed, he said, he's alive. And he went upstairs again and broke bread, probably the Lord's Supper, and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted." Now, friends, you might be able to use a passage like that as an argument against excessively long sermons. I understand that. But you cannot use a passage like that to say that the believers weren't together on the evening of the Lord's Day. In fact, they were there till midnight. And they were still rejoicing in the Lord, and of course in the miracle that the Lord had accomplished through the Apostle Paul in the raising of Eutychus from the dead. So, when we carefully and prayerfully consider these kinds of texts, and there are others that we could look at together, is it any wonder, listen carefully, that the 18th century atheistic French philosopher Voltaire once said, and I quote, I can never hope to destroy Christianity until I first destroy the Christian Sabbath. Voltaire. I can never hope to destroy Christianity until I first destroy the Christian Sabbath. And similarly, as the 19th century British Prime Minister William Gladstone once said, and again I quote, tell me what the young men of England are doing on Sunday, and I will tell you what the future of England will be. I'm gonna read that again, a quote from William Gladstone, 19th century British Prime Minister. Tell me what the young men of England are doing on Sunday, and I will tell you what the future of England will be. And brothers and sisters, believe me when I say that we could insert any country, we could insert the United States of America into that quote, And it would be every bit as true today as it was true the first time William Gladstone ever said it. In other words, tell me what the young men of America are doing on Sunday, and I will tell you what the future of America will be." End of quote. My brothers and sisters, in spite of all that, let us never forget this. Let's turn together to the gospel according to Matthew, the fifth chapter, part of the Sermon on the Mount, verses 13 through 16 of Matthew 5, 13 through 16. Our Lord Jesus said this to his disciples, and by his word and spirit, he says this to you and me today. Matthew 5, 13 through 16, he says, you are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. And consequently, my dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, let us encourage one another. How? How? Our text teaches us by not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, as some are in the habit of doing. Well friends, secondly and finally, our text goes on to answer the question, let us encourage one another, why? Let us encourage one another, why? Verse 25, Hebrews 10, look with me again. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us parakaleo, let us encourage, let us comfort, let us counsel, let us exhort, let us encourage one another, And all the more, the King James says, so much the more, as you see the day approaching. As you see the day approaching, or drawing near. Now friends, please note that as is true here in the NIV, I believe it is also true in the ESV, and I believe it is also true in the New King James Version, that that word day is capitalized. That word day is capitalized. And rightly so. Why so? Because here the biblical author is not simply referring to any day. He is referring to the day. He is referring to Judgment Day. He is referring to the day, the Bible says, when we will hear the voice of the archangel and the trumpet call of God. 1 Thessalonians 4, 16. He is referring to the day, the Bible says, when the sky will recede like a scroll. Revelation 6, verse 14. He is referring to that day when our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who is already reigning now today, will return on the clouds of glory to judge the living and the dead. And what a day of terror! And what a day of triumph that will be. For example, turn with me if you would please to the Gospel according to Matthew, the 24th chapter. Matthew chapter 24, verses 36 through 39. Matthew 24, 36 through 39. Here Jesus is speaking. And He says in Matthew 24, beginning in verse 36, no one knows about that day or hour. Not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. And they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Think of it. Turn to 1 Thessalonians with me also, if you would please, right before the Timothys and Titus and so on. In 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verses 1 through 3, 1 Thessalonians 5, 1 through 3, the Apostle Paul declares, About times and dates, we do not need to write to you. For you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, peace and safety, destruction will come on them suddenly as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. And then finally on this score, let's go toward the end of the Bible, please, to 2 Peter 3. 2 Peter 3, verses 10-13. The Apostle Peter declares, beginning in 2 Peter 3.10, But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar. The elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with His promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. All glory be to God." Again writes Calvin, and I quote, listen carefully please, We, who are continually looking for Christ's second coming, should regard every day as though it were the last." I'm going to read that again. We, who are continually looking for Christ's second coming, should regard every day as though it were the last. End of quote. And that's true. And that's true. But you know, brothers and sisters, because that is true, And I say this with all due love and respect, because what I just quoted there and what we read from the scriptures is true, I suppose that is why the elders and I what do I say, become very weary or heavy hearted or burdened when we hear or are simply aware of the fact that some or any of our members are compromising the consecration of the Lord's Day and missing worship. because, for example, of a trip to the beach or going to a ball game or playing sports on Sunday and on and on it goes. We're burdened with that. We answer to the Lord concerning the spiritual charge of the sheep entrusted to our care. And yet, again, without trying to point fingers at others in any way, is it not also true that many of us, myself included, can come up with all kinds of reasons and rationalizations as to why we may not be in worship, or why we may not be in Sunday school, or why we may not be in catechism class, or why we may not attend youth group, or why we may not be a part of households, or why we may not come to an evening of worship and praise And so on, and some of those reasons and rationalizations are along the lines of, well, I'm just too tired or I'm just too busy or it's too hot or it's too cold or it's too rainy or it's too windy or it's too something. And the word of God says. Let us not give up meeting together. Some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another and all the more as you see the day approaching. And bearing my soul on this just a little bit more, if I may, something the Lord has really laid on my heart recently is the fact that when that day comes, of which we read in Revelation 6, 15, and following, when the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hides in caves and among the rocks of the mountains and calls to the mountains, and the rocks fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand when that day comes? Listen, I'm concluding myself in this. When that day comes, are frail and feeble and finite and flimsy and sinful and selfish excuses as to why we weren't more faithful before His face while He gave us the breath of life is going to make us all feel incredibly ashamed. It's going to make us all feel incredibly ashamed. Especially when we consider what Hebrews 10 goes on to say, look with me please, in verses 26 and following. Verses 26 and following of Hebrews 10. If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left. Only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, it is mine to avenge, I will repay. And again, the Lord will judge his people. It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. But oh my dear, dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, as we close, by way of contrast, consider these precious words of promise which the Lord gives to us as his people and they're recorded for us in Isaiah 58, verses 13 and 14, where we read, If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath, and from doing as you please on My holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight, and the Lord's holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way, and not doing as you please, or speaking idle words, Then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob. The mouth of the Lord has spoken. Amen. Let's bow our heads and our hearts together in prayer. O faithful father, Your word elsewhere teaches us that as your people, we are like living stones being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to you through Jesus Christ. And Lord, that means that if even one of us is missing, If any of us is missing at worship or elsewhere, Lord, it's like there is a stone missing from the wall. And that missing stone makes us all weaker. It makes us all more vulnerable and more susceptible to collapse. And O Heavenly Father, that is why we pray and we plead to you tonight for the grace which would enable and empower each and every one of us each and every day to not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing. But let us encourage one another and all the more as we see the day approaching. Hear us, O Heavenly Father, in Jesus' name. Amen.