“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 10:25
Hi James and Ellen,
Why do you think that guys, gals or kids would want to attend a church? Why do you think that guys would want to make sacrifices? There was a time when making sacrifices was the right thing to do to worship God and to have sins forgiven. Sacrifices that were made over 3,000 years ago to God were made by Levitical priests. Do you know anything about the Levitical priests? The Levitical priests were from the Levite tribal clan. Levi was one of Jacob’s twelve sons. Jacob’s name was changed to Israel. Another one of Israel’s kids – Joseph, was sold by his bros to an Ishmaelite camel caravan. Joseph was taken to Egypt to be an Egyptian slave. God made it possible for Joseph to make a name for himself in Egypt. Joseph had two sons. After the Israelite people group’s guys had wiped out almost all of the people groups who were living in the land area that God had promised Abraham that his extended family would always have as their very own land, Joshua – using lots, assigned specified portions of the land area between ten of Israel’s son’s family clans and the family clans of Joseph’s two sons. The Levite tribal clan’s guys and gals did not get a land area apportioned to them that they could call their own land. The Levite tribal clan – or Levi’s extended family, had been chosen by God to be the tribal clan to take the delegated lead in worshipping Him. The Levite tribal clan guys were the guys who were to guard and carry a worship center called a tabernacle. The Levite tribal guys and gals were the ones who were to sing praises to God. The Levite tribal clan priests were the guys who were to make sacrificial offerings to God. God’s specially chosen guys and gals for nearly 1500 years worshipped God through sacrificial offerings using animals, birds, grain, oil and bread. God almost 2500 years ago had Himself worshipped with fellowship, grain, burnt and sin offerings. God no longer is to be worshipped using sacrifices. A sacrificial offering was never for once and for all the answer to be in fellowship with God. God wanted your grandpaa to know what it would be like to try to please God by works – which He had His specially chosen
guys and gals do for almost 1500 years to try to please Him through works sacrifices. God’s specially chosen guys and gals had to always have to make one more sacrifice for one more reason to keep God happy with them.
After almost 1500 years of trying to please God using sacrificial offerings, God changed everything for His specially chosen guys and gals – the Israelite people group. God did not change everything for only His specially chosen guys and gals; God made it possible for other guys, gals and kids – the guys, gals and kids who He chose and elected for Himself before He created planet Earth, to be able to worship Him as born again Christ-followers. The Hebrews Book author in Hebrews 10 explains what took place as Jesus was being cruelly crucified on a cross. When God had Moses build a tabernacle, God had Moses make a beautiful curtain to separate the Holy of Holies from the rest of the tabernacle. The Holy of Holies was the place where God’s presence resided. The Holy of Holies was part of the holy place which was located inside the tabernacle. The moment that Jesus died on two crude crossed beams of wood, do you know what happened to the curtain which separated the Holy of Holies from the holy place? At the moment that Jesus’ body – while nailed to the cross, gave up life, the curtain that was separating the Holy of Holies from the holy place was torn in half. This curtain had kept the Levite clan priests and the guys and gals who God had specially chosen for Himself from being able to go directly to Him. When God tore the curtain in half, God was saying to every guy, gal and kid now you can come directly to Me with your life as a living sacrifice to serve Me.
Do you know what happened to Jesus after He was crucified? God had Jesus become alive again so that Jesus could sit at His Father’s right hand side in heaven. Do you know why Jesus is sitting in heaven next to His Father? Because a Levite clan priest was never finished making sacrificial offerings to God, the Levite clan priest needed to always stand. Because Jesus’ sacrificial death on a cross once and for all defeated sin and death, Jesus is now able to sit. To worship God now is to believe in faith in what His Son Jesus did on the cross. God no longer wants animals, birds, oil and bread sacrificed to Him. God now will have the lives of the guys, gals and kids who He elected before He created planet Earth give their lives to Him as living sacrifices so that He can reflect His glory back to Him and to other guys, gals and kids through these guys, gals and kids. There are things which God clearly desires that guys, gals and kids who believe in Him – because of His having had His Son Jesus die on a cross, do to please and bless Him. The Hebrews letter author in verse 25 tells the guys and gals who he wants to read this letter to “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.” Going to church is communing together – which is what the Hebrews letter author really wants all Christ-follower guys, gals and kids to do. The Hebrews letter author knew that when guys, gals and kids who have made decisions of faith get together that they will encourage each other. About thirty years ago, your grandmaa, grandpaa and dad moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota from Agawam, Massachusetts. Your grandmaa, grandpaa and dad had lived for about sixteen months in Agawam. Your grandmaa and grandpaa enjoyed living in Agawam. It was very picturesque and interesting around where your grandmaa, grandpaa and dad lived in Agawam. Because your grandmaa and grandpaa could not find a church where they enjoyed worshipping in in Agawam, your grandmaa and grandpaa decided to relocate to Sioux Falls in hopes of finding a church there to go to for community.
Hebrews 10 (140)