Anchor Verses: Hebrews 10:19-25, Ephesians 4:32

Focus: “Nourish your soul in silence. Savor the fruit in fellowship.”

  • Introduction: Lettuce/Let-us/We Should
    • Book of Hebrews
      • Written around the 60s A.D.
      • Persecution was rising
      • Christians were losing faith amid trials
  • “Let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him.”
    • Sincere hearts—Luke 7:36-50
      • A sincere heart comes from being desperate for Jesus
      • A sincere heart comes from wanting to know the truth
      • A sincere heart comes from when we see the depth of our sin
      • Fully trusting Him
    • Four different times Jesus asks, “Why do you doubt?”
      • Jesus questions the disciples’ fear and doubt during the storm on the sea—Matthew 8:26 (ESV) – “And he said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?’ Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.” 
      • Jesus asks Peter why he doubted when walking on water—Matthew 14:31 (ESV) – “Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’” 
      • Jesus rebukes the disciples for doubting His ability to provide—Matthew 16:8 (ESV) – “But Jesus, aware of this, said, ‘O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread?’” 
      • Jesus appears to His disciples after His resurrection and questions their doubt—Luke 24:38 (ESV) – “And he said to them, ‘Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?’”
  • “Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm—”
    • Hold tightly to hope
      • Read Exodus. Don’t do what the Israelites did.
    • We affirm
      • Titus 1:15-16 
      • James 1:22
      • Matthew 7:21
  • “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.”
    • Motivate one another
    • Acts of love and good works
    • Living Water—John 4:7-14
    • Cultural Christianity’s Approach
      • It teaches people to rely on secondhand faith—show up, listen, do the right things, and serve.
      • It often produces surface-level belief, rather than deep-rooted discipleship.
    • Jesus’ Approach
      • The woman’s testimony sparked curiosity, but personal encounter sealed their faith.
      • She didn’t just believe because of what she said—they experienced Jesus for themselves.
      • This is how real discipleship works—we share from our own overflow, but true faith comes from each person encountering Jesus personally.
      • Lesson: We can’t manufacture faith—we can only invite others to experience Jesus for themselves.
      • But God’s design for us is a garden, not a factory.
  • “And let us not neglect our meeting together…
    • Not neglect meeting together
    • Waving to people in the parking garage is not meeting together
    • Setting close at church is not meeting together

Sermon Questions

  • What does it mean to have a sincere heart before God, and how does recognizing the depth of our sin lead us to fully trust Him? Refer to Hebrews 10:22 and Luke 7:36-50.
  • In what ways do you see “spiritual dehydration” in your own life? How can you shift from striving to be filled by religious effort to living from the overflow of Christ’s presence? Consider John 4:7-14 and the story of the Samaritan woman.
  • How does true fellowship nourish our faith? What steps can you take to move beyond mere proximity with other believers to genuine community that encourages acts of love and good works? Reflect on Hebrews 10:24-25 and the importance of gathering.

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