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Introduction:
How many sermons have we heard about Hebrews
10:25. We all know it by heart. But what about Hebrews
10:24? “And let us consider how to stimulate one another
to love and good deeds” (NASU). We have been talking about good
deeds all month. As we conclude our look this week, we learn that
good deeds are not done in a vacuum. We are not individually on
our own trying to get all this done. Rather, we are here to
support, strengthen and push one another in good deeds. Examine
what this verse says about our relationship with one another in
good deeds. Discussion: I.
Our goal is love and good deeds. A.
According to I
Timothy 1:5, the goal of our instruction is love. We are
to love God (James
2:5). We are to love each other (I
John 4:7). We are even to love our enemies (Matthew
5:44). We are to love. As we gain this love, we become
more like our Father in heaven. B.
However, our goal is not love in some mystical, ethereal
way. It is not merely an emotion or feeling of love. Our love must
be acted out through the good deeds we perform. Already in our
series, we have seen how important good deeds are. According to Ephesians
2:10, God saved us to walk in good deeds. In Titus
2:7, Paul exhorted Titus to be an example of good works. In 2:14,
he said Jesus died to redeem us from lawless deeds and make us
zealous for good ones. In 3:8, he claimed believers should be careful to engage in good deeds.
In 3:14, he said “our
people must also learn to engage in good deeds.” The reason He
gave us the Scriptures, according to II
Timothy 3:16-17 is to equip us for every good work. We are
only useful to God when we are equipped for every good work
according to II Timothy
2:21. II.
We must stimulate one another to love and good
deeds. A.
A natural problem with good deeds is burn out. The path of
good deeds is narrow and difficult. Many times we love those who
will not return our love. Often we cannot see the results of our
good deeds for a long time. No wonder Paul exhorted us to “not
grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do
not give up” (Galatians
6:9, ESV). B.
Hebrews
10:24
is the key to overcoming this weariness. Gratefully, God has not
set us down here as individuals who must go it alone and simply
always be self-starters and self-motivators. Rather, He has put us
together. We are to stimulate one another. That is, we rouse and
incite each other to action. “Stimulate” is the word used by
the New American Standard translators. Some of the other
translations are very interesting. 1.
The King James Version says to “provoke” one another to
love and good works. Most of the time, when we speak of provoking
someone we mean we have made them angry. Here we are to provoke
one another to love and good deeds. 2.
The English Standard Version and the New King James say to
“stir up” one another. Most of the time, when we say somebody
stirred up something we mean they caused some trouble. Here, we
are supposed to stir up love and good deeds. 3.
The New International Version says to “spur on” one
another. That may not be often used in a negative context.
However, have you thought about what it means to be spurred on? We
spur on a horse by jabbing it in the flank with a sharp metal
object. C.
The Greek term translated here is also interesting. The
only other time the root word is used in scripture is Acts
15:39 in which Paul and Barnabas had a sharp disagreement. The
word used in Hebrews 10:24
is translated “sharp disagreement” in Acts
15:39. D.
In Hebrews 10:24,
we see a picture of Christians actively making sure other
Christians are growing in love and good deeds. We see a picture of
Christians getting actively involved in each others’ lives,
challenging one another, stirring things up in each others lives,
jabbing one another in the flank with sharp objects to push them
down the path of righteousness. It is almost as if the Hebrew
writer says we ought to be getting in each other’s faces and
saying, “Look here, I am not going to let you be a loser
Christian. Buck up, get off your backside and start loving and
growing in good deeds.” III.
We must consider how to stimulate one another to
love and good deeds. A.
Before we just get in others faces, we need to consider how
to stimulate one another. Fulfilling this passage will not take
place on the spur of the moment. We need to give consideration to
one another. That is, we must pay careful attention to the
spiritual needs of those around us. Based on that careful
consideration, we determine what is most needed to help our
brethren. B.
The Hebrew writer provides one avenue through which we can
stimulate one another. In Hebrews
10:25, he says we need to maintain the habit of assembling
together. However, that is only one way. How else can we stimulate
one another to love and good deeds? C.
While we could brainstorm many specifics, we will note the
threefold approach given in Titus
2:14-15 to spur others on to be zealous for good works in
Jesus Christ. He said Titus should “speak and exhort and
reprove.” 1.
“Speak”—Sometimes, to stimulate one another, we need
to simply open our Bibles and teach one another what is found
within them. 2.
“Reprove”—Sometimes, to stimulate one another, we
need to reprove and rebuke one another, exposing error and
challenging each other to repent. When we take this approach we
are to do so gently, looking to ourselves to be sure we do not
also sin (Galatians 6:1). 3.
“Exhort”—Sometimes, to stimulate one another we need
to encourage one another. This is perhaps the most overlooked
approach to stimulate one another to love and good deeds. We need
to catch one another doing things right. D.
Finally, as Paul encouraged in Titus
2:7, we can stimulate one another to love and good deeds by
being an example of them. Why not carry someone along as you are
doing a good deed. Are you visiting the sick, conducting a study,
making a meal…include someone in the good deed and stir them up
to go on with their own good deeds as well. IV.
We
must stimulate one another to love and good deeds. A.
Please notice that the Hebrew writer did not say, “Let
the elders consider how to stimulate you to love and good
deeds.” He did not say, “Let the deacons consider how to
stimulate you...” He did not say, “Let the Bible class
teachers consider how to stimulate you…” He did not say,
“Let the preacher consider how to stimulate you…” He said,
“Let us consider how to stimulate one another to
love and good deeds.” B.
We are equally responsible for stimulating one another to
love and good deeds. This is your job. This is my job. Not because
we are elders, deacons, preachers or Bible class teachers, but
because we are Christians. According to Ephesians
4:12, God did not give some to be elders or evangelists in
order to do the work of ministry for saints. He gave elders and
evangelists to equip saints for the work of ministry to build up
the body. C.
We must approach this responsibility practically. For the
most part we cannot have this kind of relationship with every
member of this congregation. How could one Christian possibly know
what more than a hundred other Christians need to grow? To
accomplish this, we all must purposefully and intentionally get
involved in stimulating relationships. You will never be able to
stimulate everyone else. Further, you will rarely be stimulated by
everyone else. However, you should be stimulating some and some
should be stimulating you. The questions we must ask are: Who is
stimulating you to love and good deeds? Whom are you stimulating? D.
One final thought on the one another nature of this
responsibility. We might all find it easy to try to stimulate
others. However, we must learn to accept stimulation, provocation,
spurring on and stirring up from others first. Before looking
around to see who you can spur on to love and good deeds, look for
people to stir you up. This is the hard part, the rub that brings
us up short. We rarely want others pushing or challenging us. But
this is integral to the verse. We must allow it. Conclusion: Can I stimulate you right now? Please do not go home and let this lesson slip into mental oblivion. If you do not already have multiple brothers or sisters who are purposefully and intentionally holding your feet to the fire and challenging you to grow in love and good deeds, think of some who can and call them this week. Find others who will push you and challenge you to grow. We have spent an entire month on this. By this point, some of us are probably already burned out. What better time to seal our commitment than this week to reach out to others and have them start stimulating you to good deeds?
Glory
to God in the church by Christ Jesus
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