Hebrews 10:21-25
 
Heb 10:21 (KJB)
And having an high priest over the house of God;
 
The Lord Jesus Christ is not one who just serves in the house of God but by right of His inheritance has rule over the house of God, that is, the true believers whom He has redeemed.
 
Heb 10:22 (KJB)
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
 
Full assurance - Complete confidence
Sprinkled - Purified or cleansed ceremonially
Evil - Wicked
Bodies washed - To be ceremonially or ritually cleansed
Pure - Without mixture or adulteration
 
Since we have a High Priest, who Himself paid for the sins of the believer, over the House of God who is in the presence of God, we may approach God with full assurance that our hearts have been purified from a wicked conscience. We read in Hebrews 9:14 how our conscience was purged from dead works to serve the living God. (Heb 9:14 KJV) How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? Just as the Levitical priests were washed before they entered into the daily service, the believer’s body has also been washed, in that, we are now sanctified unto the service of the Lord. The true believer does not let sin reign in their mortal bodies. We will still struggle with sin but we will not live in it anymore as if our whole physical body has been cleansed. Prior to salvation, we used our bodies for selfish and sensual purposes but now after salvation we use our bodies to the glory of God and turn away from the sins we sought after. (2 Cor 7:1 KJV) Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
 
Heb 10:23 (KJB)
Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
 
Let us hold fast - Possess
Profession - Confession
Without wavering - Unbending or steadfast
 
Christians are to continue in the faith, that is, they are to persevere in unwavering hope. We can be assured that everything the Lord had promised will come to pass in His timing. There must never be a time of compromising our Christian faith, even in hard times which is normally a time of testing. All the promises that God has given for the believer are as good as if they have already come to pass. Because time is linear, and humans are bound by time, there is always going to be a period of waiting, and that applies to all things in life but especially in the Christian walk. (Psa 62:5 KJV) My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. The profession of our faith consists of both word and deeds. Even when times are tough and we want to stop our works of faith, it is at that time that we must keep going because faith in action under hard times gives evidence to the world of the truthfulness of our profession.
 
Heb 10:24 (KJB)
And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
 
Consider - To observe or understand in a spiritual sense
Provoke - Incite
 
Christians are like soup on a wood stove. If they are dormant too long, they will become cold and indifferent and it is the responsibility of all Christians to consider our brethren, that they are basically flesh and blood but they are redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ. While considering their position, we must provoke or incite them to continue loving the brethren because our love can wax cold. Cold Christianity is all too prevalent today. We must also incite other brethren to continue in good works and not allow them to fall by the way side. Now back to the soup on the stove. If we allow the fire to continue without adding wood, the fire will go out and the soup will become cold. This is what happens to Christians if they are not prodded to continue in their walk of faith and love. As we consider the limits of each Christian, we provoke them within the boundaries of their strengths to continue in the faith, in both word and deeds.
 
Heb 10:25 (KJB)
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
 
Forsaking - Abandoning or desert
Manner - Custom or habit
Exhorting - Encouraging
Approaching - Drawing near or immanency
 
One of the most important aspects of Christianity is the fact that we need to gather together for the purpose of encouragement and strengthening. This normally takes place in a local church but that is not always the case. There may be a few Christians in rural areas who meet in homes because a church may be very far away. In many of the countries where there is a massive anti-Christian spirit, the believers will meet in the forests or in caves. That’s the only church they know of and recently it was revealed by some North Korean Christians (www.worthynews.com 5/2/08) that communist agents are posing as Christians to infiltrate these meetings for the purpose of eliminating the Christians from their country. In the United States and many other countries, churches are still permitted to exist and many Christians have decided to stay away. Our brothers and sisters in hostile countries meet at the possible expense of their life and we in western countries take it for granted until the time that we too will be forced underground. If Islam continues to invade the western countries at the present rate, then sooner than we think the church will become non-existent and Christians could and would be killed under Sharia Law. This is why we are to meet together to encourage each other and not neglect our meeting together because we see two days approaching. The first, when Christianity will be outlawed and secondly, the return of the Lord Jesus Christ and leading up to His return will be increased persecution of the Christians. Sometimes the only way to be strengthened under persecution is to be encouraged by other Christians. Some feel they can be islands, in that, they do not feel they need to meet with other Christians but the problem is that these are the first ones to fall to temptation and to escape persecution, they will renounce their Christianity and even reveal the identities of the other Christians.

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