Let us...

Through Hebrews we have discovered the necessity of Jesus’ death. It was required in order for true freedom and restoration to be inherited by his followers. So, what is your response to that? How can you respond to so great a gift?

Hebrews 10 encourages and exhorts us as follows:

22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. *23*Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. *24*And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, *25*not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. 
Hebrews 10:22-25

Did you notice the phrase, ‘Let us’ is repeated three times? Whenever anything is repeated in any text it draws attention and indicates significance. So, what is the relevance of the words, ‘let us’? These words suggests that we have permission to do what follows, and we are invited or encouraged to partake in what follows. As Jesus has left to us his great inheritance, our response should be to;

‘Draw near with a true heart’
‘Hold fast’
‘Stir up one another’

This is the expectation. As a follower of Jesus, it is your responsibility to do these things, so what do they involve? Let us have a closer look….

‘let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith’

You have permission, freedom and an invitation to get close to God. We can get into His presence because Jesus has paid the sacrifice to make you pure, isn’t that exciting?! You are clean, cleansed, free from ALL sin! Therefore you are encouraged into the presence of God, not to stay at a distance, but invited in as close as you can get! WOW!
So, how close are you?
What do you do in your everyday life to get closer to God? How’s your prayer life? How often do you read the Bible? Discuss Scripture with others? Do you take part in fellowship with other believers? Are you active in your faith? Are you taking opportunities to grow? Are you desiring to get to know the King of heaven better?

‘Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.’

‘Hold fast’. Be steadfast. Persevere. Keep going. Don’t quit.
Life gets hard, you may get doubtful (even Jesus closest friends did), attacked for your faith, but HOLD FAST - Remember the hope God has given you because, ‘he who promised is faithful’. Other things will let you down, but God won’t. When the tough gets going, keep going.

‘let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works’

The final exhortation of this passage is to; encourage, challenge and inspire others. You have the opportunity to build people’s faith. To support them to grow, and inspire them to trust God in new ways. Do you do that?
This kind of goes against the culture that we live in where everyone is out for the best for themselves, self-promotion and self-elevation. This verse encourages us to bring out the best in others not ourselves.
Are you actively inspiring and supporting other believers? Do you ‘stir up’ people to act out their faith in new and brave ways?

So, today as you ponder these things, is there a personal challenge that is brought to mind where you can get closer to God? Is there an encouragement to keep on going even when times are tough? Or are you inspired to support others in faith?

‘Let us’ as a result of the love and sacrifice of Jesus make a difference to this world through the outworking of our faith and the demonstrated love we have for God and one another.