Some time ago, I began blogging on our Sunday sermons to help myself review; today, I’m continuing that by covering our Aug. 30 sermon, on Hebrews 10:24-25.

As usual, I won’t summarize the sermon, since you can stream it if you want to hear yourself, but will focus on what I take away from it. Here we addressed this passage:

… and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

We reviewed the previous sermon, and in particular the aspect where we first need to begin by drawing near to God, then persevering in the faith, then only finally, to reach out or to “stimulate one another to love and good deeds”. This comes after the others, and is based on the others – if we draw sustenance from reaching out to other people rather than from Christ, that will eventually fail us.

Here, we’re called to consider how we’re going to spur others on to love and good deeds – how are we going to “provoke” others? Here the word “provoke” is to provoke in a good way, like how we might see someone serving the church and it spurs us to think of how we might do so ourselves. We are to consider how we can provoke one another in that way.

Part of the challenge in this sermon – and one I very much need – is to give very careful thought to this, to take time to really consider it. Instead of constantly jumping between activities, always being entertained, etc., we are to give deep thought in this area. And that’s part of what I took away from it – this is something I need to be investing effort and care in.

This sermon, P. Peter also assigned homework:

  1. Consider carefully. How am I going to provoke/spur on others? First, I have to consider who, as I can’t influence people I don’t interact with. But, then, how?
  2. Make a list of people, then decide specifically how I can encourage them, spur them on, help them. What can I do, individually or with others, to encourage people?

I won’t write here what I’m deciding on that front, but it’s something I am considering carefully – and need to develop a habit of considering carefully.