Pastoral Letter 236
Dear Members of St. Andrew’s Uniting Church, Friends and Adherents,
Grace and peace to you all in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Hope you all well.
Last Tuesday I was away in Melbourne overnight to attend the Award Ceremony of Internation Film Festival of Australia (IFFA), the documentary “The Golden Chain of Mercy” was shortlisted as finalist in the category of best documentaries. Unfortunately, we were not successful, but we are glad that film was chosen as one of the finalists.
This month, every Tuesday at 7:00 pm, we will be screening the Trilogy documentaries known as “The Map of Gratitude”, starting on 12 November followed by Tuesday 19 and Tuesday 26. The documentaries will be the following order, “Map of Salvation”, “The American Good Samaritans” and the “The Golden Chain of Mercy”. Don’t miss! Come and join us!
On Wednesday 27 November we will have our Bus Trip to Mount Annan. If you want to join, please let me know or put your name down on the registry sheet. The bus will leave the church latest by 9:00 am. Thanks to Rev. Gaby of Bankstown Uniting Church for providing and driving the bus. I am sure we will have a great time on the day, as we have had in the previous Bus Trips.
On Sunday 1 December, which is Advent 1 and the beginning of the Christmas Season, we will be privileged to have with us a special guest preacher, Rev. Bill Crews, from Exodus Foundation, who will preach during the morning service. Also, on the same day we are going to celebrate our traditional St. Andrew’s Day during the Morning Service followed by St. Andrew’s Day Lunch. Please secure your tickets for the lunch as soon as you can.
On Sunday 8 December will have our Annual Congregational Meeting after the Sunday Morning Service. Please have the date in your diaries and plan to join us.
On Sunday 15 December we will have our tradition Carols Service during the Morning Service and on Tuesday 24 December, Christmas Eve Service at 7:00 pm, hopefully on the lawn, and on Wednesday Morning Christmas Service at 9:00 am.
We have commenced collecting Christmas gifts and food for the Exodus Foundation. All should be in by the 15 December 2024. Please accept our thanks in advance.
If you are not able to join us for worship tomorrow, please light a candle and worship with us following the attached Order of Service.
Here are some prayer points for this week:
- Pray for Lebanon, Israel and Palestine, as the hostilities and war continues.
- Pray for the displaced people of Artsakh in Armenia, as well as those who are displaced by war and violence.
- Pray for the sick, the poor and those who are recovering from surgery or ill-health.
- Year 12 students who have completed their HSC exams and awaiting the results.
- Pray for our future plans beyond 31 May 2025.
In Christ
Krikor
MESSAGE
The Call to Persevere
Hebrews 10:19-26
The book of Hebrews was written to Jewish converts who were considering a return to Judaism. They were having a difficult time leaving the rituals and ceremonies of their old lives behind. They were clinging to their old religion and to their old methods of worship. Some had already walked away from their commitment to Jesus, from the church, and gone back to their old life. They had returned to Judaism. The writer of Hebrews has spent the bulk of the book proving that Jesus, and the salvation He provides, is far superior to anything the Jews experienced under the Law. After proving that Jesus Christ and His Gospel are vastly superior to Judaism and that the sacrifice of Jesus Christ is the only effective sacrifice. He also says that without Christ we cannot get beyond the shadow of God. For the sacrifice of animals is powerless to purify a human being and give access to God.
Now he comes to the practical implication of all that he has said. In another words he turns from theology to practical; exhortation and he closes by challenging the Jewish believers to remain faithful to Jesus and to their faith in Him.
As a part of this message, he mentions two ways that people who hear the Gospel can respond.
A. Receive the Gospel and be saved. These people are given some challenges they must follow to ensure the continued health and blessing of the church.
B. Reject the Gospel of grace and face certain condemnation. The context concerns those who have abandoned their faith and gone back to their old way of life. Their abandonment of the truth demonstrates the truth that they were never truly saved to begin with.
The challenges are identified by four “let us” commands. Each of these “let us” statements tells us something we should do or avoid doing. I want to consider these “let us” commands because they teach us about What the Faithful Do. These verses give us a glimpse into what genuinely Christians do when they are a part of the local church. God has a word for us in these verses.
1. The faithful draw near to God
The first challenge is for us to “enter in” and “draw near”. These verses tell us how it is possible to “enter in” to the presence of God, and for us to “draw near” to Him.
The statement in verse 19 must have sounded strange to his Jewish readers. He told them to “enter into the holiest” with “boldness”. He also told them that there is a “new and living way” into the presence of God.
The old Jewish system was a closed system, as were most religious systems in the ancient world. Under the Jewish system no one could approach God but the High Priest, and he could only do so on the Day of Atonement, and only then with the blood of an innocent sacrifice to atone for his own sins. Man was barred from the presence of Holy God!
But when Jesus came and died on the cross, He made a way for all those who receive Him to enter the presence of God. When the “veil” of Christ’s flesh was broken on the cross, the way was opened to God for all who will enter. When Jesus, who is our High Priest, entered the Holy of Holies with His blood, He left the way open for us to follow.
2. The faithful hold fast to the hope
We are told to “hold fast the profession of our faith”. This means that since we claim to have hope in Jesus, and since we say we are saved and headed to Heaven someday, we are to live out that hope by remaining faithful to Him. Some of these Jewish converts were having a hard time making a complete break from the rituals of their old religion. They were trying to hold onto their Jewish roots and Jesus too. The writer tells them to beware lest they turn away from Christ and go back to their old lives.
There is a danger in that for us as well. Most of us were not saved out of religion, but out of the darkness of our sin. There is always the danger that we might turn back to the world. We are challenged here to be faithful to the Lord who saved our souls by His grace.
We can endure faithfully with the sure knowledge that Jesus will keep His promise of a new life.
3. The faithful spur and look after one another
We are called to help one another along the way of life. The challenge here is for us to “consider one another”. The word “consider” means “to set the mind on”. We are to set our minds on our fellow believers in an effort to “provoke” them. We are invited to “exhort” each other. This word means “to encourage”. Taken together, these words are a challenge for the saints to look out for one another and to encourage one another in their walk with the Lord.
The ways we are to do this are:
a. We are to love together – If we love God, we should love one another. The church is to be a place where people feel loved! It will be sad if people do not receive a warm greeting at the house of God!
b. We are to work together – We are to help our brothers and sisters in their work for the Lord. We are to encourage them in the work they do. Instead of finding fault with everyone and everything they do, we should take the time to notice the positive things people are doing and encourage them in their work for Jesus. We are in this thing together and we are to be in the “building up” not the tearing down.
4. The faithful worship together
Some of the Jewish converts had abandoned the public gatherings of the believers. We are to seek out the fellowship of the saints and not find ways to avoid it. Church attendance is far more vital than many people realize. Just as a hot coal becomes cold when it is separated from the fire, the believer will become cold when that believer is separated from the fellowship of other believers.
We need the excitement, the teaching, the preaching, the worship, the challenges, the encouragement, the fellowship and the sense of family that is available when we go to church. Many of the saints need to re-examine their commitment to the public worship of the Saviour. Nothing will help you stay close to the Lord any more than regular, faithful attendance to the services at the House of God!
As we see the coming of the Lord draw closer each day, we are to encourage one another to faithfulness and holy living. The idea here is this: as the end of this evil age draws near, and the coming of Christ draws near; it is going to become increasingly harder to remain holy and separated from this world. We are going to need the fellowship of the church more than we ever had. We have a duty to one another to encourage, challenge and help one another along the way of life.
When you see the phrase “let us” in the Bible, it is usually a command. These “let us” phrases here are no different. These commands teach us what the faithful people of God do with their lives. This is what the faithful do.
We are called to persevere in our Christian life.
Amen!