He is Faithful

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at some scripture from…

Heb 10:22-24

Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

²³ Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

²⁴ And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works

Let’s begin today looking at verse 22. He teaches, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.

When you draw near to something, it means to approach or to come close to. For example, all of the children like to draw near the supper table when food is being served. God wants us to seek Him and draw near to him. He wants us to come closer to him. Draw near means to approach something.

James 4:8

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Psalms 73:28

But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.

God wants us to draw near to him with a true heart. A true heart is a heart that is sincere.

Matthew 15:8

This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

That verse teaches us that you can do things very religiously but your heart really isn’t in it. You can say that you really care about somebody with the lips, but the state of the heart comes up short. Whatever it is that we do, it has to be from the heart.

1 Cor. 13:1-3

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

² And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

³ And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

A true heart, is more than just religion, it is sincere. It is real. It is the heart of the humble publican who beat upon his breast and was sad for what he had done. It’s the tears of Peter who wept bitterly when he denied Jesus.

Sincerity is the quality of being free from pretense. It is honesty of the heart and mind. Somebody who is sincere acts in accordance with the entirety of their actual feelings, beliefs, thoughts and their desires in a manner that is honest and genuine.

Sincerity is free from guile or falseness. The Apostle Paul preached the Word of God sincerely.

2 Cor. 2:17

For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.

Paul preached the truth. He preached honestly to the people, even when they didn’t like to hear it. God wants more than lip-service Christianity, he wants us to draw nigh unto him with a truly sincere heart. He wants our genuine love.

Next, it says: in full assurance of faith.

When you have assurance, that means a positive declaration that is intended to give confidence to others. When we have assurance, it means that we believe something is true or is going to happen. A synonym is the word guarantee. It’s a formal promise that certain conditions will be fulfilled.

1 John 5:13

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

The apostle Paul was filled up with faithful assurance.

2 Timothy 1:12

For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

So again, let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith. You want to believe wholeheartedly in the promises of God having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience.

Exodus 24:8

And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words.

That was in the Old Testament of Judaism. In the New Testament of Christianity, we partake of the Lamb of God in Holy Communion. We partake of His body and His blood. Our hearts are sprinkled from an evil conscience because he washes our sins away.

When we partake of the body and the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, His blood is running through our veins. He cleanses our hearts and our minds. He forgives us for our sins. Our bodies are washed with pure water. When we get baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, we begin a new life with Christ and we begin a new walk with him. He washes our sins away through baptism with pure water.

Verse 23 again…

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

When you profess something, it means to affirm ones faith or allegiance to a religion or a set of beliefs. When we profess to believe In Christ, we are affirming our faith and trust in Him which leads to obedience to Him. We are trusting in the promise of eternal life someday.

When you continue to keep that faith and trust in your heart and your mind, it’s going to cause you to want to do God’s will. You have to believe and trust without wavering because He is faithful that promised.

Some people have done so many wrong things all their life that they feel like God can’t save them. They feel like their life is beyond repair, or that they have so many faults that they can never be forgiven for their sins. Those people need to understand Jesus Christ died to forgive them of all their past. Paul didn’t dwell on the past. Come to Christ for forgiveness and trust Him without wavering. He is faithful that promised. He will forgive us. We need to have our sins washed away in the blood of the Lamb.

Look at all the things that the Apostle Paul regretted doing in his past. He was destroying churches for following Christ. When Saul became a Christian, his faith never faltered because he trusted in God’s forgiveness so much. He never stopped preaching about Christ.

The Apostle Paul did not waver in his faith and trust in Christ. He believed fully in God’s grace. Look at the change in his heart and in his life. When you waver, it means that you become weak or that you falter. You are not trusting fully and completely at that point. It means to vacilitate irresolutely between choices or to fluctuate in opinion, allegiance or direction. It means totter back and forth.

God gives a promise of eternal Life and when you truly trust in that promise with your whole heart, God can bring it to pass.

It’s about trusting him so much that you do his will and return the love and forgiveness He has shown us.

Hebrews 6:11

And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:

1st Peter 1:13

Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

We can receive forgiveness for our sins but we have to trust Christ.

As I said already, some people have done so many wrong things in their life that they feel like if they changed their minds right now they are not going to get forgiven for what they’ve done.

Take a look at the Apostle Paul who trusted and had faith in God’s forgiveness and mercy. What’s required is a repentant heart. Look at one of the people who was crucified with Christ at the cross. He believed in Jesus at the very last moment of his life but Jesus told him that he was going to be with him in heaven. It is never too late to believe In Christ.

²⁴ And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works.

When you provoke somebody it means to stimulate or incite them to do or to feel something. It means to encourage them in a particular lifestyle or action.

2 Timothy 1:6

Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.

2 Peter 3:1

This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:

In the church we want to stir one another up to love and good works. The first love of our life has to be Christ Jesus. That is the first commandment to love the Lord God with all your heart, before your relatives, and neighbor. If you truly love Him, you’re going to keep his commandments. Secondly we want to love one another in the church. We want to love one another in the truth. We want to be merciful and forgiving and reconcile one with each other.

Lastly we want to be filled up with good works so that people can see the things that God is doing in your life and praise God the Father.

Look at all the good works Jesus has done. All the books that have ever been written in this world could not contain how many wonderful things that He has done. Get up in the morning and take a look at this world that He has created. The Sun in the sky and the moon at night. His works are unending towards us. Believe the promises of Christ, because it’s never too late.

Get forgiven and turn to Christ. Be filled up with good works as Paul was. Encourage one another in the church to love. He is faithful who has promised.

That’s where I’m going to stop for right now, but Lord willing we’ll talk to you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye-bye everybody