PUBLIC WORSHIP

HEBREWS 10:3

A. "AND NOT FORSAKING THE ASSEMBLING OF OURSELVES TOGETHER, AS THE MANNER OF SOME IS, BUT EXHORT ONE ANOTHER, AND SO MUCH THE MORE, AS YE SEE THE DAY APPROACHING."
  1. This admonition by Paul is timely and in accord with:
    1. Ancient practice among God's people - Read carefully Lev. 23:1-38; Ps. 89:7; 107:32; 111:1
    2. The Patriarchs built altars wherever they pitched their tents - Gen. 8:20; 12:7; 22:9; 35:1
  2. Public worship is practiced by most all religionists all over the world: Acts 17:23
B. LET US CONSIDER PUBLIC WORSHIP IN THE LIGHT OF OUR OPENING TEXT
  1. New Testament examples:
    1. Christ attended public worship. It was His custom to meet with the people in public worship - Luke 4:16
    2. The disciples of Christ attended public worship - Acts 3:1- 9; 16:13; 17:1-9
    3. Not to attend is contrary to the Lord's counsel - Heb. 10:26
  2. Here are a few important reasons for public worship:
    1. On Christ's account. He made a promise, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." - Matt. 18:20
    2. On the church's account. The church is called "assembly" - Jas. 2:2; Heb. 12:23
      1. It is in the assembly of the church where the spiritual gifts are manifested. 1 Cor. 12:1-28; Eph. 4:11, 12
      2. It is in the assembly of the church where communion is served - 1 Cor. 11:23-34
      3. But we ought to attend the church services for our own sakes, which is foremost. We are in need of the blessings waiting for us at the church.
  3. Specific reasons for attending public worship:
    1. "Exhorting one another" - Heb. 3:13. To exhort is to encourage each other in the Lord - 1 Pet. 5:1
    2. Exhortation takes place in public gatherings - 1 Cor. 11:20
    3. This exhortation should be to watchfulness and prayerful vigilance - Matt. 24:42-44; 1 Pet. 5:8; to courage and perseverance - Matt. 24:12, 14; Rev. 2:10
C. A POWERFUL MOTIVE: "AS YOU SEE THE DAY APPROACHING"
  1. Paul must have thought of the trials and persecution that the early Christians were facing:
    1. We face similar conditions approaching indicative of the last days - Rev. 12:17; Heb. 11:36-40; Acts 8:1-4
    2. It seems to me that Paul had S.D.A.'s in mind when he admonishes the believers to meet together and exhort one another because we do know that we are nearing the time of persecution - the fulfillment of Bible prophecy.
  2. We have four specific fulfillments of Bible prophecy to show that the end is near at hand:
    1. Rev. 13:11-17 -- development in the U.S.A.; the emergence of the papacy; and the leaning of nominal protestantism toward Rome.
    2. The moral breakdown of the home, society, and the nations - 2 Tim. 3:1-9; Matt. 24:12
    3. Conditions in our church cannot be ignored - Rev. 3:14-17
    4. The signs foretelling the coming of our Lord have all, except the Mark of the Beast, been fulfilled. Surely we have many reasons to heed Paul's admonition to assemble ourselves and to use these gatherings for prayerful exhortation and encouragement because the end of all things is upon us - Rom. 13:11-14


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