In Hebrews 10:19–25, the writer gives three exhortations based on the incomparable greatness of Jesus Christ as our great high priest. This sermon focuses on the third: “Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds.” The passage is explored under four headings: the people to be spurred on, the preparation for spurring on, the practice of spurring on, and the place for spurring on.
The people to be spurred on. The original readers were Jewish converts tempted to abandon Christ and return to Judaism. They missed the splendour of temple worship — the magnificent garments of the high priest, the breastplate studded with jewels, the sights and sounds and smells of the ceremonies. They had exchanged all of that for a man standing in a living room teaching from the Bible. On top of that, Christians were beginning to face Roman persecution, while Jews remained protected under Roman law. And some believers had expected Jesus to return soon, yet the years were marching on with no sign of him. For all these reasons, they were tempted to go back.
Our circumstances may differ, but we face the same spiritual sluggishness. Living as Christians in an increasingly godless culture is wearisome. Here in Galway, believers are a tiny minority, completely out of step with the spirit of the age. The temptation is to stop fighting and go with the flow. Our church may not look spectacular — just a little unit in a strip of shops — and the gospel can seem weak and unimpressive. We may be tempted to lose confidence: maybe it just doesn’t work anymore. And the busyness of life, the constant beeps and pings and demands on our time, makes it hard to sustain spiritual zeal.
The preparation for spurring on. A more literal translation of verse 24 reads: “Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good deeds.” The word “consider” is very strong — it means to give careful, deliberate thought. This is not something done off the cuff. You must sit down and think hard about the other people in your church. What are their personalities, their temperaments, their backgrounds, their circumstances?
There is no one-size-fits-all approach. A sergeant major rouses the men under his command at five in the morning very differently from how he wakes his wife. It is the same with parents: raising an eyebrow was enough to bring one of our children into immediate compliance, while another child required hours of patient discipline. In the same way, what spurs one Christian on will be completely different from what helps another. We need to get involved in one another’s lives deeply enough to know the difference.
This challenges the consumer mentality that treats church as a service to use. Christianity is not a private affair between you and God. We do not gather simply to consume a sermon and go away. We gather to worship God vertically and to minister to one another horizontally. How much time do you give during a typical week to thinking about your brothers and sisters? Do you consider them, or do you forget about them the moment you walk through the door?
The practice of spurring on. “Love and good deeds” is a summary of the whole Christian life. We are not saved by good works, but we are saved for good works. As Jesus said: “If you love me, keep my commandments.” Love is shown in our zeal for God’s Word, for prayer, for worship, for fellowship, for service, and for witness.
What does spurring on look like in practice? It depends on the person. It might be exhortation: committing together to pray about specific things each day, or memorising the same passage of Scripture and testing each other on it weekly. It might be pleading with someone who has stopped coming to church: “Please come back — we really miss you, and you’re damaging yourself and hurting us.” It might be a simple suggestion: “I think so-and-so is quite lonely. Would you think of dropping in for half an hour?” Sometimes it requires a direct challenge: “When are you going to get serious about your faith?” And often the most powerful thing is simply setting an example — showing up consistently, coping with illness and disappointment with grace, demonstrating what faithful commitment looks like week in, week out.
The place for spurring on. Verse 25 warns: “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing.” It is supremely as Christians gather for the meetings of the church that we spur one another on. God has designed the church to be a support group for the Christian life. If you want to be stirred up, God is not going to zap you with holiness as you sit at home — it happens as you interact with your brothers and sisters.
Consider what happens when a coal falls out of the fire onto the hearth. It was glowing red, but within seconds it turns black. Meanwhile, the coals still in the fire blaze on. Put it back, and it soon glows red again. That is what happens to Christians who cut themselves off from the body. Staying away hurts others, because they miss our encouragement, and it hurts us, because we need to be spurred on too.
The writer adds: “All the more as you see the day approaching” — the day of Christ’s return and judgment. These professing Christians were on the brink of defecting from Christ. The urgency is real: this is not a game, and the church is not a little club for respectable people interested in religion. It is a matter of life and death. And that is why we are to consider one another, in order to spur one another on towards love and good deeds.
Related sermons: We are members of one another (Rom 12:5) · The means of grace and peace (Rom 1:8–15)
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