Membership Matters 2: Celebrating on Sundays

Hebrews 10:19-25

 

I wonder if you know what the three most dangerous things people do while driving? What do you think is the third most dangerous? Talking on a mobile phone. What about the second most dangerous? Putting on make-up… And what do you think is the most dangerous thing people do while driving? Reading the newspaper… People actually try and read while they drive. It’s a symptom of the pressure people face trying to cram more and more activities into fewer and fewer hours.

A man called Myer Friedman has given this condition a name. Its called “hurry sickness”. It describes the tendency we have to do too many things at once. So this morning we are going to have a mass confession about hurry sickness.[1] I’m going to read out a short list. When I’m done reading, if you feel you suffer from hurry sickness, I’m going to ask you to raise your hand. If you are really guilty, I want you to stand up - maybe even on your chair - just to get it off your chest. Here’s the first one.

When you come to a traffic light and there are two lanes ahead of you with one car in each lane, you find yourself guessing - based on the make and model - which car will pull away quickest - then you choose your lane. Second: If you are ready to pay at the cash desk of the supermarket, you find yourself counting how many people there are in each line and multiplying it by how many items are in each trolley, divided by the combined age of the shopper and cashier to estimate which line will go faster. 


If you have a bad case of hurry sickness, you keep track of the other lines on both sides of you, just to see if you picked the right one. And if you get out of the store ahead of the person you would have been behind in the other line, you feel happy. But if the person who would have been you gets out first, you are a little depressed for the rest of the day. Okay - now its mass confession time. How many of you suffer from hurry sickness? Let’s get a little more serious. Inside your sermon outline is a tool that will help you assess whether or not we are inclied to hurry sickness. As I read through each of the ten statements, place an X on the continuum that best describes your response “Not at all like me” “Like me sometimes” or “Describes me most of the time.”

  1. You go through the day with a constant sense of urgency - no time to relax or just let down. Put an X that describes where you are.
  2. You notice underlying tension in close relationships. There are a lot of sharp words, quarrels over insignificant things, or frequent misunderstandings. Same thing - mark where you are on the line.
  3. You have a preoccupation with escaping. You tend to seek time to be alone, to tinker with things around the house or garage primarily so you won’t have to deal with people. You find yourself channel surfing to make sure you are not missing something important.
  4. You are often frustrated because you are not getting things done. You frequently find yourself thinking “I’m just not disciplined enough.”
  5. You sense that time is passing too quickly - that your children are growing up too fast or your life is passing by without you getting what you really want out of it.
  6. You have a persistent desire for a simpler life. You imagine moving to the country or changing jobs.
  7. You have little time for love - for doing caring, thoughtful things. You find yourself wanting to be helpful or kind but find yourself backing away because you are afraid of how much time it would take. If you are married, you find you don’t take time for romance or sexual intimacy.
  8. You find that you are often trying to do many things at once - that you slip into frequent multi-tasking. A car journey is a time for talking on the phone, putting on make-up and making notes - In fact, you are probably scribbling a to-do list while you are taking this test….
  9. You’ve lost a sense of gratitude and wonder about life. Maybe you know it intellectually, but you’ve lost the feeling of life being good and the desire to thank God for all you have.

10.When it gets really quiet, you sometimes have the gnawing feeling that there has to be more to life than this.

 

There is no score card for this inventory - its designed to simply help you see if you are inclined to hurry sickness.


Spend some time today reflecting on the problems that arise - or affect those you love - because you are stressed. People with hurry sickness tend to fall for one of two illusions or both. The first has to do with time and the second with possessions.

Time: “Someday, things will settle down”

Hurry sickness is driven, first of all, by an illusion regarding time - that “Someday, things will settle down” We think, “When things settle down, I will get around to it.” When things settle down I will achieve my priorities. When things settle down I’ll have time for Church. Ever find yourself thinking these things? Here’s when things will settle down: when you die. You’ll be amazed at how life slows down then. Until then, things will probably never slow down.

John Ortberg tells the story of how, not long after moving to Chicago, he called a wise friend to ask for some spiritual direction. “I described the pace of life in my current ministry. I also told him about our rhythms of family life: we are in the van driving, soccer-league, piano-lesson, school-orientation-night years. I told him about the present condition of my heart, as best I could discern it. What did I need to do, I asked him, to be spiritually healthy? Long pause. "You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life," he said at last. Another long pause. "Okay, I've written that one down," I told him, a little impatiently. "That's a good one. Now what else is there?"

I had many things to do, and this was a long-distance call, so I was anxious to cram as many units of spiritual wisdom into the least amount of time possible. Another long pause. "There is nothing else," he said. "You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life." I've concluded that my life and the well being of the people I serve depends on following his prescription, for hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day. Hurry destroys souls. As Carl Jung wrote, "Hurry is not of the devil; hurry is the devil." 

John goes on to say, “For most of us, the great danger is not that we will renounce our faith. It is that we will become so distracted and rushed and preoccupied that we will settle for a mediocre version of it. The second illusion concerns our stuff. The illusion is “Someday, ‘more’ will be enough.” Have you ever found yourself thinking “If I just buy this one outfit, I will finally have enough clothes.” Or, “If I just replace this carpet, our house will be complete” Or, “If I just replace the car, I’ll be satisfied.” But you are not - at least not for long.

The distance, says John Ortberg, between more and enough is an unbridgeable chasm. So how can we ruthlessly eliminate hurry from our lives? How can we deal with these two illusions about time and possessions? God has provided several ways but I want to concentrate on just one today - the most important one. The one that God has woven into our world with amazing regularity.

And I want to congratulate you for choosing it this morning. You made the right decision to be here. If you were not here this morning what would you be doing? You could have been doing one of a hundred things (and many people try to) - you could be working, emailing, shopping, cleaning, catching up - the one thing these all have in common is this - treating Sunday like any other day will degrade you and very likely shorten your life. Numerous studies have shown that the most likely day people suffer a heart attack is when? Mondays. 20% more heart attacks occur on Mondays than on any other day.
[2]  Why? One reason is this - people don’t take the need for rest seriously. They have not taken the Lord’s Day seriously. And so they are not ready to go back to work on Monday - rested, refreshed, recharged, re-energised. That’s why you made the right decision. The Lord’s Day, the Sabbath, was designed by our Creator God for our benefit not his.

4000 years ago, God felt it was so important that his people stop their normal work and meet weekly, he made it mandatory. He made it one of the ten most important commands he gave his people:


"Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labour 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…” (Deut. 5:12-14)

 

And if it being a command wasn’t enough, God added this promise.

 

“Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever! … Walk in all the way that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days.” (Deuteronomy 5:29, 33)

 

Do you want to prosper? Prolong your days? Leave a legacy in seeing your family walking with the Lord? What more reason could you possibly want? Well I’m going to give you three more. Three reasons why being here at Christ Church is the best way to spend part of your Sabbath rest each week. Three simple, memorable life-giving reasons why you should attend Church weekly - if you want to have a closer walk with Jesus - if you want to live a longer, healthier, more fulfilling life. Three reasons why membership matters.


1. Come because Jesus is here

2. Come because the end is near

3. Come because his family is dear

 

1. Come because Jesus is here (10:19-22)

“Therefore, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened 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 in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:19-22)

 

Jesus is here interceding, mediating, bringing us into the presence of God Almighty. True, if we have received Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, he is with us each personally by his spirit. But Jesus is here in a special way today because we are gathered together in his name. Jesus promised, "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."  (Matthew 18:20). That is why the writer to the Hebrews repeats the phrase “Let us” verse 22, “Let us” verse 23, “Let us” verse 24, “Let us” verse 25. This should be reason enough for showing up each week. Why? Because you might miss something your brothers and sisters are experiencing.

You might miss something Jesus wants to say to you. You might miss something Jesus wants to do in you or for you.  You might miss something Jesus wants you to know or do. What do you think Thomas was doing a week after the resurrection when everyone else was gathered together to hear God’s word and talk to Him? What could have been more important to Thomas than meeting with his spiritual family?

He wasn’t there and so he missed Jesus. He spent a whole week disbelieving that the other disciples had seen Jesus.

He missed out on meeting the risen Jesus because he wasn’t with God’s people.  What could possibly be more important to you than meeting with Jesus - for one hour on a Sunday? Remember Jesus words in the Garden of Gethsemane? “Couldn’t you keep watch with me for one hour?” (Matthew 26:40). When Jesus needed help they were sleeping. Think back to last Sunday or the Sunday before. What did you do? How did you spend the day? Did it come close to being with Jesus? Hearing from Jesus? Talking to Jesus? If you are too busy to meet weekly with Jesus and his family then perhaps you are too busy. Jesus said on another occasion, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." (John 14:21). We show that we love Jesus by taking his words seriously, by meeting with him together as his family weekly, so that we can learn from him. So let me ask you again: Can you think of anything more important than spending an hour on Sundays with Jesus?


To listen to Him? To speak to Him? To learn from him?

To reflect on how we can help others come to know him?

So come first of all because Jesus is here.

 

2. Come because the end is near (10:23, 25)

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful… 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.” (Hebrews 10:23, 25)

 

What is the hope that you profess? What is the hope that we are instructed to hold onto unswervingly? What is this “Day”? The hope that God’s plan for saving the world is reaching its consummation.  The hope that evil will not always triumph? That an assault in Englefield Green, or a gang rape in Reading or a murder in Staines will not be repeated for ever. That one day justice will reign. That one day peace will reign. That one day love will triumph. Have you ever considered that our meeting together is a visible witness to the corrupt and demonic rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms? That God is in control? That God is rescuing his people?

That evil will be defeated? That God’s eternal purposes are being and will be accomplished finally and fully in Christ Jesus our Lord? The parked cars outside are not just witnessing to our neighbours that this is THE place to be on Sundays - they are witnessing to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms that in Virginia Water, God’s eternal purposes are being accomplished. What we do on Sundays is not just for ourselves. What we do on Sundays should not be based on a casual whim. Paul urges us,


“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15-16)

 

Hebrews makes this even more explicit.

“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. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

 

We are creatures of habit and we are forming habits all the time. We are either forming a habit of coming more regularly or a habit of coming less regularly. And the incentive for the former is what - “the day approaching” What day is approaching?  The day of his coming. The day of judgement. The day of consummation. The day of reunion. The day of our homecoming. That is our incentive.


Lets get intentional about our meeting together with Jesus and all the more as we see the day of his coming approaching. Why attend Church weekly? Come because Jesus is here. Come because the end is near.

 

3. Come because his family is dear (10:24)

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” (Hebrews 10:24)

 

I was speaking to someone recently who is a recovering alcoholic. They described how they could only go three to four days without meeting with their AA friends. They admitted how hard it was to resist just one drink. They said “If I have a one drink today it will be a bottle tomorrow and I’ll be in a straight jacket on Tuesday.” They know their limits. Do you?

They know their need for fellowship every few days. Do you? Have you come to appreciate your fellowship here at Christ Church with that level of intensity? Have you come to value the encouragement we can give one another with that level of intentionality?  Or do we seriously think we can go weeks without fellowship and remain immune to temptation?


To stumbling or falling?  I know I cannot. We need courage. That’s what encouragement means - to give courage. Meeting together in God’s presence, with God’s family,
considering how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds is so encouraging - so invigorating. We were never meant to live the Christian life alone. That is why we encourage you to attend weekly.


Encourage you to make membership seriously. And more so, if you have children. Be regular in coming so that your children get the habit from you and grow up to live healthy, stress free lives also. Together we can help them grow up to know and love the Lord, to discover his plan for their lives.  This is why next week we shall take this last point a little deeper and consider the third aspect of membership - the value of being part of a small group. For its in our bible study small groups where we can get to know one another as friends and family that we best
spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Why meet on Sundays? Because Jesus is here. Because the end is near. Because his family is dear.

Paul writes to the Ephesians:


“Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” (Ephesians 5:25-26)

 

Think about it: “radiant … without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless” This is why we meet. This is why membership matters. This is what we are becoming. This is what we look forward to. Jesus is here. The end is near. His family are dear.


Lets pray.

 



[1] This material is taken from Session 7, “The Pace of Life” from John Ortberg’s course An Ordinary Day with Jesus (Zondervan)

[2] See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4223103.stm