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I'll desist. 
We're turning this morning in 

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our Bibles to Hebrews chapter 
10, Hebrews chapter 10, and 

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we're going to read from verse 
19 and we'll read all the way 

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through to verse 31. 
Hebrews chapter 10 we'll read 

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from verse 19. 
Let's hear the word of God 

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reading, of course from the 
Authorised Version. 

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Having therefore, brethren, 
boldness to enter into the 

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holiest by the blood of Jesus, 
by a new and living way which he

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has consecrated for us through 
the veal, that is to say, his 

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flesh, and having an high priest
over the House of God, let us 

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draw near with a true heart in 
full assurance of faith. 

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Having our hearts sprinkle from 
an evil conscience, and our 

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bodies washed with pure water, 
let us hold fast the profession 

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of our faith without wavering. 
For He is faithful that 

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promised. 
Let us consider one another to 

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provoke unto love and to good 
works, not forsake in the 

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assembling of ourselves 
together, as the manner of some 

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is, but exhorting one another. 
And so much the more as you see 

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the day approaching. 
For if we sin wilfully, after 

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that we have received the 
knowledge of the truth, there 

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remaineth no more sacrifice for 
sins, but a certain fearful 

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looking for of judgement and 
fiery indignation which shall 

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devour the adversaries. 
He that despised Moses law died 

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without mercy under two or three
witnesses. 

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Of how much sorer punishment 
suppose ye, shall he be thought 

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worthy? 
He of trodden under foot the Son

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of God, and have counted the 
blood of the covenant, wherewith

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he was sanctified an unholy 
thing, and have done despite 

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unto the Spirit of grace. 
For we know him that have said, 

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Vengeance belongeth unto me. 
I will recompense, saith the 

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Lord, and again the Lord shall 
judge his people. 

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It is a fearful thing to fall 
into the hands of the living 

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God. 
Amen. 

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We know the Lord will stamp with
His own approval and blessing 

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this reading of His own precious
and infallible word. 

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Now this morning, as we draw to 
a conclusion or series of 

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messages that I entitled some 
time ago, the Christian and 

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today I want to deal with the 
vital, important subject, the 

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Christian and the importance of 
church attendance. 

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Or to put it simply, to give you
3 other words to remember. 

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Why attend church now? 
You got to ask yourself that 

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question, why attend church now 
My text is taken from Hebrews 

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chapter 10 verse 25, and it 
reads not for seeking the 

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assembling of ourselves together
as the manner of some is, but 

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exhorting one another and so 
much the more as you see the day

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approaching. 
Now Hebrews chapter 1025 is a 

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call to be loyal to the local 
church. 

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Now remember why the Apostle 
Paul LED of the Holy Ghost wrote

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this book of Hebrews. 
He was writing to early Jewish 

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Christians, believers in the 
Lord Jesus Christ who were being

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persecuted for their faith and 
as a result of that persecution,

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they were tempted to turn back 
to Judaism. 

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Not only were they physically 
being persecuted, but they're 

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also being verbally taunted day 
by day. 

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Where's your temple? 
Where's the priesthood? 

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Where's your high priest? 
Look at that wee handful of 

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people with you compared to the 
large congregation that's in the

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synagogue. 
So Paul, inspired by the Holy 

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Spirit, wrote the book to 
encourage God's people to get 

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their eyes on the Lord Jesus 
Christ. 

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Paul emphasised here he told 
them and having an high priest 

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over the House of Gaunt in verse
21, we have and high priest, a 

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great high priest, the Lord 
Jesus Christ. 

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He bought under the guidance of 
the Holy Spirit took time to set

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forth the absolute superiority 
of the Lord Jesus Christ in 

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relation to archangels, in 
relation to angels and Abraham 

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and Aaron and Melchizedek and so
on and so forth. 

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He also set forth the absolute 
soul sufficiency of Jesus Christ

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in his personal work. 
We have a better and a greater 

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sacrifice, the sacrifice of the 
blood shedding of the Lord Jesus

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into Hebrews 10 and 12 But this 
man, after he'd offered one 

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sacrifice for sins forever sat 
down in the right hand of God. 

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And when we come to verse 19, we
read this, having therefore, 

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brethren, boldness to enter into
the holiest by the blood of 

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Jesus, by a new and living way 
which he hath consecrated for us

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through the veil, that is to say
his flesh, and having a high 

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priest over the House of God. 
You see, Paul is laying the 

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basis and the foundation of what
he has to say. 

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He's reminding his readers that 
we have the great privilege of 

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access to the living God through
the blood of the Lord Jesus 

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Christ. 
Our access to God, our approach 

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is secured by the precious 
Blood, and He is exhorting them 

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and exhorting us when we come 
together to remember that. 

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We come together because Jesus 
Christ shed his blood on the 

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cross as a great high priest 
that gave us access to God. 

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He has offered that full and 
final sacrifice for sin. 

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It was once for all. 
The sacrifice has been accepted.

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The proof is the empty tomb. 
Jesus Christ is ascended into 

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heaven as our great high Priest 
and presented there in the altar

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the blood of sacrifice. 
And therefore, in light of this,

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in light of this basis, having 
established that foundation, we 

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can do something. 
And what can we do? 

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Well, notice the three 
exhortations, verse 22. 

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Let us draw near with a true 
heart and full assurance of 

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faith, having our hearts 
sprinkled from an evil 

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conscience and our bodies washed
with pure water. 

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In other words, let us draw near
to God and worship, and the 

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blood of Jesus Christ is the 
basis, the only basis upon which

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man can worship God properly. 
Then he adds in verse 23, Let us

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hold fast the profession of our 
faith without wavering. 

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In other words, let us 
persevere. 

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Let us hold on. 
Let us hold fast and hold forth 

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our faith. 
Then he says in verse 24, here's

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the third exhortation, and let 
us consider one another to 

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provoke unto love and to good 
works. 

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And then he adds this, look at 
verse 25 now not forsaking the 

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assembling of ourselves together
as the manner of some is, but 

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exhorting one another. 
And so much the more as you see 

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the day approaching. 
Surely it's obvious and apparent

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that there were some in Paul's 
day who had forsook the regular 

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gathering of the local church 
for divine worship. 

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And that had become a real 
discouragement to those who 

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remained in the fellowship. 
And sadly, there were more in 

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the fellowship who were tempted 
to follow suit and out the door 

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and stop going. 
They were being persecuted and 

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that was hard and difficult to 
take. 

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Physical persecution, verbal 
persecution, emotional. 

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Many were losing their jobs. 
Many were put out of families. 

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Many were were were had lost 
their inheritance. 

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And yet Paul writes, he deals 
with a very important subject, 

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not forsaking the assembling of 
ourselves together as the manner

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of some is, but exhorting one 
another. 

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And so much the more as you see 
that they approach. 

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He is dealing with the subject 
of the importance of church 

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attendance or the why attend 
church. 

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Now this has been a burden in my
heart for some time and I want 

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to give you some thoughts that 
the Lord has put in my mind. 

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First of all, I want you to 
think of the importance of 

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church attendance. 
You see, this text over all is a

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call, a clear command of God to 
regularly attend the Bible 

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believing church that is 
faithful to the Word of God. 

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Now before I really get into the
heart of the subject, let me 

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point out I believe this is a 
very relevant up to date 

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message. 
I believe it's a very important 

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message for today. 
Why? 

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Because of the state of 
professing Christianity in the 

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21st century. 
What are we faced with? 

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Well, first of all, we're faced 
with the evil of declension. 

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I think it's obvious church 
attendance is declining. 

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Many people in the United 
Kingdom have stopped going to 

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church, and that's especially so
in our Protestant, unionist, 

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loyalist areas. 
And if you want proof, think of 

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the number of churches that have
been closed over this past year 

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in Belfast alone and in the 
greater Belfast. 

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It was pointed out to me by a 
brother from Newton Ards by the 

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name of Jim some time ago as he 
sat in the Schenkel Historical 

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Society, that only one in 100 
regularly attend any church in 

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the greater Schenkel area. 
And what is true of the great 

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Shankill area that's known as a 
bastion of the loyalist 

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Protestant people is also 
something had been repeated in 

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many different places throughout
the United Kingdom. 

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Here's the importance of 
attending church because we're 

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facing the evil of declension. 
We're also facing the evil of 

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individualism. 
See, people tell us it's my 

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life, it's my business. 
Nobody's going to tell me what 

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to do. 
I'm the boss. 

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I go it alone. 
I don't have to go to church 

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unless I want to. 
I can meet God at home at any 

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time on the own if I want to. 
I could read a book, I could 

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read the Bible. 
I could listen to a sermon on 

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the Internet or on TVI don't 
need the church. 

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I don't need to be in a church 
meeting. 

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I want to tell you, you see 
people that talk like that. 

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I want to make it abundantly 
clear God is not speaking either

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to them or through them from 
their own mouth and in their own

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mind. 
It is the devil at work. 

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It's a true indication of the 
state of their heart. 

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For someone to say nobody will 
tell me how to live. 

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It's exactly in the time of the 
judges. 

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Every man did that which is 
right in his own eyes. 

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He's ignoring this call and this
command to publicly attend the 

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local church. 
Here's another evil, the evil of

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consumerism. 
There's many people today in the

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21st century, and this is their 
mindset in relation to church. 

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I'm going to shop around for a 
church, one that I find that 

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meets my felt needs, a church 
that's pleasing to me. 

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You see, it's all about me. 
It's not about the master, it's 

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all about me. 
And sadly the evangelical church

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today has begun for has done for
many years to cater for what 

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people want. 
And we live in an age when 

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people have forgotten what the 
church is. 

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The church is not a club. 
The church is not a social 

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community hub. 
It is not merely young people 

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for hatching and matching and 
dispatching. 

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What does that mean? 
It means that some people only 

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use the church in the day that 
they're born, on the day they 

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get married and on the day they 
die. 

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This is how thousands of 
professing Christians see the 

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church in the United Kingdom. 
It's a sort of a club, it's a 

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social centre, it's a community 
hub. 

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And for many evangelical 
churches then what they get, 

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because that's how the church is
viewed as a very soft gospel 

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message and they're told maybe 
it will, all you need is Jesus. 

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But it's never explained who he 
is or what he's like or what 

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he's done and what is absent. 
There is a clear presentation of

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the whole council of God 
regarding the person and work of

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Christ as we man on Sunday Row 
in the late Ernie Patterson's 

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day used to say this. 
Then he forget the church. 

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And I repeat that. 
Then he forget the church. 

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The church is an important 
institution and it's being 

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ignored and it's being 
undermined. 

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Now let me put in a caveat here 
because I've talked about the 

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evil of declension. 
We've talked about the evil of 

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consumerism, the evil of 
individualism. 

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00:15:29,200 --> 00:15:33,960
But let me put in a caveat. 
If you're sick at home when 

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you've got a fever or you're 
disabled or you're seriously ill

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and you physically can't be here
or be in the House of God, 

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although in your heart you would
love to be in attendance, but 

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you can't physically come, then 
you have a good reason to be 

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absent. 
It's perfectly understandable. 

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The Lord knows, the Lord cares, 
the Lord loves. 

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Let me give you another caveat 
here. 

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There's those that can't be here
because of work. 

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It's often times the nature of 
work, especially legitimate jobs

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00:16:17,270 --> 00:16:21,870
when it comes to the Lord's Day.
Let me give you another caveat. 

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Distance. 
We, we have people tuning in 

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this morning hundreds of miles 
away, and you're very welcome. 

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00:16:27,520 --> 00:16:31,160
You join us online because 
physically you couldn't be here.

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Maybe you're even living closer 
to the church, not 100 miles 

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away, but you don't have a car 
and you don't have a bus and 

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it's too far to walk. 
Or maybe you're on a family 

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break. 
The Bible says come you apart 

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and rest away. 
That was the Lord Jesus advice 

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to his disciples and those in 
holiday. 

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I know you do you aim to worship
God where you're at in the Lords

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day. 
You faithfully attend another 

227
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Church of you here in Northern 
Ireland and you have this 

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00:17:00,680 --> 00:17:03,880
mindset of faithful church 
attendance. 

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So I put it in the caveat, if 
you're ill, if you're working, 

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if you're in a family break or 
because of distance you can't 

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00:17:11,800 --> 00:17:15,200
physically get to a faithful 
Bible believing church, then the

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Lord knows that and the Lord 
understands. 

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00:17:18,359 --> 00:17:21,319
But faithful church attendance 
simply means this. 

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00:17:21,800 --> 00:17:27,400
Nothing will keep those that are
adherents and those that are 

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00:17:27,400 --> 00:17:31,840
members of a local church from 
public worship in the Lord's 

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00:17:31,840 --> 00:17:36,000
Day, except for these legitimate
reasons that I've suggested 

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being sick, work distance, a 
family holiday. 

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There's another thing I want to 
stress is this. 

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Church attendance is only really
beneficial if the church is 

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attended as being faithful to 
the gospel. 

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00:17:52,120 --> 00:17:54,960
See, I have a burden in my heart
and I'm going to tell you what 

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00:17:54,960 --> 00:17:57,800
it is. 
There's many churches in 

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00:17:57,800 --> 00:18:02,520
Northern Ireland and they're not
faithful to the gospel. 

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00:18:03,280 --> 00:18:05,040
And that's true in the United 
Kingdom. 

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00:18:06,560 --> 00:18:10,880
In the pulpit, you've got false 
preachers who don't believe the 

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00:18:10,880 --> 00:18:13,400
Bible to be the inspired and 
errant word of God. 

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00:18:14,880 --> 00:18:17,880
Some of them don't even believe 
in God as he's revealed in the 

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Holy Scriptures. 
They're more atheistic. 

249
00:18:21,160 --> 00:18:23,800
They don't believe in Jesus 
Christ and his person at work. 

250
00:18:23,880 --> 00:18:25,680
They don't believe in the blood 
atonement, the bodily 

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00:18:25,680 --> 00:18:27,720
resurrection. 
They, they don't believe in the 

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00:18:27,720 --> 00:18:30,120
place called heaven. 
They don't believe in hell. 

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00:18:31,080 --> 00:18:34,800
You see, we're we're living in a
day of a great apostasy and 

254
00:18:34,800 --> 00:18:40,000
because these men in the pulpit 
are not being faithful to the 

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00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:43,360
gospel and because of the spirit
of the age, the spirit of 

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00:18:43,360 --> 00:18:47,600
Antichrist that has kept in now 
a spirit of Wook ISM has come 

257
00:18:47,600 --> 00:18:54,280
into the church. 
Ministers will give a sermon or 

258
00:18:54,280 --> 00:19:00,320
a talk and climate change a 
diversity quality inclusion 

259
00:19:00,320 --> 00:19:05,800
programme support. 
Let's stop the oil, support 

260
00:19:06,400 --> 00:19:13,600
transgender identity, support 
LGBT plus support seeker 

261
00:19:13,600 --> 00:19:16,440
sensitive. 
And they're wondering why the 

262
00:19:16,440 --> 00:19:21,120
people won't come. 
And I want to tell you that this

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00:19:21,240 --> 00:19:25,800
is destroying our country and 
it's down grading our Christian 

264
00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:29,240
identity. 
And there has to be a call for 

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00:19:29,240 --> 00:19:33,000
repentance, and repentance has 
to start in the church, and it 

266
00:19:33,000 --> 00:19:37,880
starts with me and it starts 
with every other church leader, 

267
00:19:39,240 --> 00:19:43,040
including our own. 
And many in Protestant, 

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00:19:43,040 --> 00:19:46,120
loyalist, unionist areas won't 
come to church. 

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00:19:47,400 --> 00:19:52,400
And here's one of the reasons, 
because when they come, they're 

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00:19:52,400 --> 00:19:56,440
not hearing a faithful gospel 
message. 

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00:19:57,600 --> 00:20:00,600
And I know that people can tell 
me demographics have changed, 

272
00:20:01,320 --> 00:20:06,520
and they are and have. 
But that's no reason to abandon 

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00:20:06,520 --> 00:20:10,640
the church. 
We've got 4 million Muslims 

274
00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:16,000
living in the United Kingdom. 
25% of them identify with jihad,

275
00:20:16,200 --> 00:20:19,960
a holy war against the West, 
against Bible, believe in 

276
00:20:19,960 --> 00:20:22,840
Christianity, and they want to 
go and worship Allah. 

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00:20:23,480 --> 00:20:26,160
And if a Presbyterian or a 
Church of Ireland or a Methodist

278
00:20:26,160 --> 00:20:29,480
Church closes, or even a Free 
Presbyterian Church for that 

279
00:20:29,480 --> 00:20:33,720
matter, they would want to buy 
it and they would go on their 

280
00:20:33,720 --> 00:20:42,360
Friday and they would have their
place full of young men and then

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00:20:42,360 --> 00:20:47,720
at another place, young women. 
You see I say to the clergy in 

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00:20:47,720 --> 00:20:51,240
Northern Ireland this morning 
and I say in the name of the 

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00:20:51,240 --> 00:20:56,080
Lord Jesus Christ, the soul head
and king of the church, you need

284
00:20:56,080 --> 00:21:02,840
to repent before God and you 
need to restore the gospel and 

285
00:21:02,840 --> 00:21:06,000
you need to rediscover the 
doctrine of salvation, the five 

286
00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:10,440
solas out of the Reformation, 
you need to preach them in the 

287
00:21:10,440 --> 00:21:13,560
power of the Spirit. 
See the Gospels, the answers. 

288
00:21:13,560 --> 00:21:16,760
And that's what Paul said. 
Listen to Romans chapter 1. 

289
00:21:17,480 --> 00:21:21,880
He says, for I'm not ashamed of 
the gospel of Christ, for it's 

290
00:21:21,880 --> 00:21:24,760
the power of God unto salvation 
to everyone that believeth, to 

291
00:21:24,760 --> 00:21:26,360
the Jew 1st and also to the 
Greek. 

292
00:21:26,520 --> 00:21:28,840
For therein is the righteousness
of God revealed from faith to 

293
00:21:28,840 --> 00:21:33,040
faith as it is written. 
The just shall live by faith. 

294
00:21:34,840 --> 00:21:36,480
I would want to keep the church 
open. 

295
00:21:37,040 --> 00:21:38,840
I would want to keep the lights 
on. 

296
00:21:39,600 --> 00:21:43,760
I know that there's many small 
churches like our own, and we're

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00:21:43,760 --> 00:21:51,040
struggling, and we're seeking to
be faithful in our worship, and 

298
00:21:51,040 --> 00:21:53,520
we're seeking to be faithful to 
the person and we're afraid. 

299
00:21:53,600 --> 00:21:55,760
We're seeking to defend the 
gospel. 

300
00:21:56,080 --> 00:21:58,920
And I know we're many older 
people, and I thank the Lord for

301
00:21:58,920 --> 00:22:01,320
the young people that are here. 
And I know that some young 

302
00:22:01,320 --> 00:22:04,480
people want to be involved in 
that which is trendy and that 

303
00:22:04,480 --> 00:22:06,480
which is new and that which is 
modern. 

304
00:22:07,040 --> 00:22:11,480
And I understand that, and I'm 
not opposed to change, But one 

305
00:22:11,480 --> 00:22:14,480
thing that cannot change is the 
gospel. 

306
00:22:15,400 --> 00:22:19,560
The gospel transcends time. 
The gospel is the power of God 

307
00:22:19,560 --> 00:22:22,200
unto salvation. 
And what is the church for? 

308
00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:27,400
It's a hospital for six souls so
that souls can commend that are 

309
00:22:27,400 --> 00:22:30,160
dead, souls that can be 
resurrected. 

310
00:22:30,160 --> 00:22:32,920
Souls can see with the Spirit of
God. 

311
00:22:32,920 --> 00:22:36,960
Souls can hear the word of God. 
Now that's the importance of 

312
00:22:36,960 --> 00:22:41,600
attending the local church that 
has taken me all that time, but 

313
00:22:41,600 --> 00:22:43,520
I pray the Lord will underscore 
that. 

314
00:22:44,080 --> 00:22:47,320
I want you to think secondly, as
you look at our text, the 

315
00:22:47,320 --> 00:22:51,600
instruction for church 
attendance, see if you look very

316
00:22:51,600 --> 00:22:56,680
carefully at Hebrews chapter 10,
verse 25, you'll see that it's a

317
00:22:56,680 --> 00:23:01,640
biblical command. 
Churches attendance is 

318
00:23:01,640 --> 00:23:04,360
essential. 
It's necessary. 

319
00:23:04,360 --> 00:23:07,800
Why? 
Because God has commanded it, 

320
00:23:08,880 --> 00:23:12,760
not forsaking the assembling of 
ourselves together. 

321
00:23:14,640 --> 00:23:19,040
Notice what we're not to do. 
We're not to forsake the 

322
00:23:19,040 --> 00:23:20,920
assembling of ourselves 
together. 

323
00:23:21,680 --> 00:23:24,520
That is, we're not to for seek 
the House of God and the day of 

324
00:23:24,520 --> 00:23:28,000
God, to worship the true and 
living God and hear the word of 

325
00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:30,600
God. 
We must aim to be loyal. 

326
00:23:30,920 --> 00:23:34,600
We must aim to be faithful. 
We must aim to be true and many 

327
00:23:34,600 --> 00:23:38,120
are not faithful like in Paul's 
day. 

328
00:23:38,120 --> 00:23:40,760
This is what Paul says, not 
forsaking the assembling of 

329
00:23:40,760 --> 00:23:44,760
herself together as the manner 
of some is some have already 

330
00:23:44,760 --> 00:23:48,800
left. 
They've stopped attending, and 

331
00:23:48,800 --> 00:23:51,840
they've stopped attending 
primarily in Paul's day because 

332
00:23:51,840 --> 00:23:57,760
of intense persecution, stopped 
attending perhaps for some of 

333
00:23:57,760 --> 00:23:59,360
the other reasons that I have 
given. 

334
00:24:01,280 --> 00:24:03,960
There could be others. 
Why go to church? 

335
00:24:04,480 --> 00:24:07,560
I appreciate you that come and 
you come faithfully, young and 

336
00:24:07,560 --> 00:24:10,440
old alike. 
But what is the real reason? 

337
00:24:11,480 --> 00:24:16,160
Why go to church? 
Well, well, I believe because in

338
00:24:16,160 --> 00:24:20,360
the heart of the individual 
there's a burning desire to be 

339
00:24:20,360 --> 00:24:26,200
there. 
The heart and mind is filled 

340
00:24:26,200 --> 00:24:30,000
with that desire, and that 
desire has come out of the new 

341
00:24:30,000 --> 00:24:34,240
birth. 2nd Corinthians 517 of 
any man. 

342
00:24:34,240 --> 00:24:35,600
Be in Christ as your new 
creature. 

343
00:24:35,600 --> 00:24:37,800
Old things have passed away and 
all things have become new and 

344
00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:41,440
all things are of God. 
That desire to come to worship 

345
00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:45,520
on the day of God flows out of a
changed heart. 

346
00:24:46,640 --> 00:24:52,160
That desire pushes them to crave
the worship of God, to crave the

347
00:24:52,160 --> 00:24:55,400
word of God. 
Think of a baby craving milk, 

348
00:24:56,440 --> 00:25:00,240
craving food. 
Little granddaughter was with me

349
00:25:00,240 --> 00:25:04,840
on Thursday and she's saying to 
me, I'm hungry. 

350
00:25:05,040 --> 00:25:09,480
Granddad, what was she doing? 
She was just craving food. 

351
00:25:11,160 --> 00:25:17,560
And when we have a desire that 
craves for food, that will make 

352
00:25:17,560 --> 00:25:21,320
us speak out and cry out, as 
you, born Biebs, desire the 

353
00:25:21,320 --> 00:25:26,480
sincere milk of the Word, that 
you may grow thereby a soul 

354
00:25:26,480 --> 00:25:31,000
thirsting for God. 
And that desire for God will 

355
00:25:31,000 --> 00:25:35,160
lead to a devotion, And that 
desire and devotion together 

356
00:25:35,160 --> 00:25:39,320
will lead to faithful church 
attendance, because our aim will

357
00:25:39,320 --> 00:25:43,920
be to please and glorify God. 
Remember what the psalmist said 

358
00:25:43,920 --> 00:25:47,560
there in Psalm 42. 
As the heart punteth after the 

359
00:25:47,560 --> 00:25:50,120
water brook, so punteth my soul 
after Thee, O God. 

360
00:25:50,120 --> 00:25:52,360
My soul thirsteth for God, for 
the living God. 

361
00:25:52,520 --> 00:25:54,760
When shall I come and appear 
before God? 

362
00:25:56,280 --> 00:26:00,280
Psalmist couldn't wait for the 
Sabbath day to be in the House 

363
00:26:00,280 --> 00:26:05,560
of God with the people of God to
worship the living in the true 

364
00:26:05,560 --> 00:26:08,720
God. 
Psalm 7325 says, whom have I in 

365
00:26:08,720 --> 00:26:12,280
heaven but thee? 
Verse 25, Psalm 73, verse 25. 

366
00:26:12,440 --> 00:26:15,080
And there is none upon earth 
that I desire beside thee. 

367
00:26:15,520 --> 00:26:18,800
My flesh and my heart feeleth, 
but God is the strength of my 

368
00:26:18,800 --> 00:26:26,080
heart and my portion forever. 
Catechism asked the question, 

369
00:26:26,080 --> 00:26:28,480
what is man's chief end? 
And the answer of course is 

370
00:26:28,480 --> 00:26:32,680
man's chief end is to dorify God
and enjoy him forever. 

371
00:26:33,160 --> 00:26:36,360
Wasn't it the apostle Paul that 
emphasised to the Corinthian 

372
00:26:36,360 --> 00:26:42,280
church in First Corinthians? 
In chapter 10 and verse 31, he 

373
00:26:42,280 --> 00:26:46,240
said this very important 
statement. 1st Corinthians 10 

374
00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:50,000
and 31 whatsoever, whether 
therefore you eat or drink or 

375
00:26:50,000 --> 00:26:55,280
whatsoever you do, do all to the
glory of God. 

376
00:26:56,000 --> 00:27:00,080
And I asked the question in the 
instruction for church 

377
00:27:00,080 --> 00:27:04,320
attendance. 
If it's a biblical command and 

378
00:27:04,320 --> 00:27:06,600
we're not to forsake the 
assembling of ourselves 

379
00:27:06,600 --> 00:27:10,960
together, and this biblical 
command will be rooted in a 

380
00:27:10,960 --> 00:27:13,640
desire that will lead to 
devotion, that will lead to our 

381
00:27:13,640 --> 00:27:19,840
duty, then here's the question. 
If we aren't created for the 

382
00:27:19,840 --> 00:27:23,840
purpose of worshipping and 
glorifying God as Creator, have 

383
00:27:23,840 --> 00:27:28,400
we a desire for this command? 
Are we devoted to this command? 

384
00:27:29,080 --> 00:27:31,720
Do we see it as our duty and 
responsibility? 

385
00:27:32,080 --> 00:27:36,720
I am not going to neglect the 
assembling together with God's 

386
00:27:36,720 --> 00:27:40,840
people on the Lord's Day. 
Notice what we are to do 

387
00:27:41,760 --> 00:27:43,320
assembling of ourselves 
together. 

388
00:27:43,320 --> 00:27:46,720
That's a clear reference to the 
gathering of God's people 

389
00:27:47,440 --> 00:27:50,080
professing believers for to 
worship God, to gather in a 

390
00:27:50,080 --> 00:27:54,680
local geographical place. 
The word refers to the regular 

391
00:27:54,680 --> 00:27:58,000
scheduled meetings of the local 
church, the Lord's Day services.

392
00:27:58,160 --> 00:28:00,160
It's wide enough to include the 
prayer meetings. 

393
00:28:00,320 --> 00:28:02,840
It's wide enough to include the 
Bible study. 

394
00:28:04,360 --> 00:28:07,480
We have three prayer meetings in
the church, morning and evening 

395
00:28:07,480 --> 00:28:10,040
and the Lord's Day, and a 
Wednesday night, a Bible study 

396
00:28:10,040 --> 00:28:11,960
on Wednesday. 
And that has been the practise 

397
00:28:11,960 --> 00:28:15,840
of the early church. 
Down the ages, believers have 

398
00:28:15,840 --> 00:28:19,960
gathered with other believers in
order to worship God, to pray 

399
00:28:19,960 --> 00:28:23,080
together, to read the 
scriptures, to sing prayers, to 

400
00:28:23,080 --> 00:28:26,280
hear God's word, to give their 
tithes and offering, and to 

401
00:28:26,280 --> 00:28:31,200
receive the sacraments. 
You see, this idea of practising

402
00:28:31,200 --> 00:28:38,520
worship, I go it alone. 
This individualistic idea of me 

403
00:28:38,520 --> 00:28:43,960
and God, this idea of desertion 
and consumerism, it's foreign to

404
00:28:43,960 --> 00:28:47,440
the Bible. 
The word assembly here is very 

405
00:28:47,440 --> 00:28:50,480
important. 
It means to congregate. 

406
00:28:50,480 --> 00:28:54,560
In fact it's been used 
congregation in another place in

407
00:28:54,560 --> 00:28:58,960
the book of Acts and we 
congregate for a purpose. 

408
00:28:59,320 --> 00:29:03,880
God calls his people to assemble
together on the House of God and

409
00:29:03,880 --> 00:29:07,760
the day of God to hear the word 
of God and the worship of God. 

410
00:29:08,960 --> 00:29:13,120
And it brings glory to God. 
It honours him. 

411
00:29:13,920 --> 00:29:16,920
And for those who say well I 
don't need God, and for those 

412
00:29:16,920 --> 00:29:20,560
who say well I can worship at 
home, it's not scriptural. 

413
00:29:21,200 --> 00:29:26,760
We are to assemble together. 
That was the practise of the 

414
00:29:26,760 --> 00:29:29,160
early church. 
Remember in the book of Acts and

415
00:29:29,160 --> 00:29:34,880
Acts chapter 2 and in the verse 
42. 

416
00:29:35,280 --> 00:29:38,440
Remember what we read there, the
3000 that were converted on the 

417
00:29:38,440 --> 00:29:42,040
day of Pentecost, it says. 
And they continued steadfastly 

418
00:29:42,040 --> 00:29:45,720
in the apostles doctrine and 
fellowship, and the breaking of 

419
00:29:45,720 --> 00:29:51,400
bread and in prayers. 
Let me give you an illustration.

420
00:29:52,360 --> 00:29:55,880
Suppose I wanted to light a 
fire, what would I need? 

421
00:29:56,960 --> 00:30:00,320
Would need paper. 
I would need then some 

422
00:30:00,400 --> 00:30:04,680
firelighters, few wee sticks, a 
box of matches. 

423
00:30:05,520 --> 00:30:10,640
I would need some coal. 
I would need some logs, maybe 

424
00:30:10,640 --> 00:30:13,640
even some peat. 
I would have to clean out the 

425
00:30:13,640 --> 00:30:17,200
grate, and I would clean out the
grate first, and then I would 

426
00:30:17,200 --> 00:30:21,720
assemble all of that material 
together before I would strike 

427
00:30:21,720 --> 00:30:24,480
the match. 
All of those come together to 

428
00:30:24,480 --> 00:30:27,840
light a fire. 
And suppose after the fire's lit

429
00:30:27,840 --> 00:30:32,400
and burning hot, I take a tongue
and I take a piece of coal out 

430
00:30:32,400 --> 00:30:34,520
of the fire, set it on the 
hearth. 

431
00:30:35,120 --> 00:30:39,400
How quickly it cools down. 
Over time it gets cooler and 

432
00:30:39,400 --> 00:30:43,240
cooler. 
Eventually it loses heat. 

433
00:30:43,480 --> 00:30:47,640
It's warmth, it smokes, it's 
hot, and then it's cold. 

434
00:30:48,640 --> 00:30:52,600
And I want to tell you this 
morning that there are thousands

435
00:30:52,600 --> 00:30:56,880
upon thousands of professing 
Christians who have lost their 

436
00:30:56,880 --> 00:31:01,720
sensible longing, lost a sense 
of identity, lost a sense of 

437
00:31:01,720 --> 00:31:05,400
community because of their 
neglect on the Lord's Day in 

438
00:31:05,400 --> 00:31:10,000
attendance, the House of God out
of their soul, even though they 

439
00:31:10,000 --> 00:31:13,320
professed the name of Christ. 
The heat has evaporated, they 

440
00:31:13,320 --> 00:31:16,920
have grown cold there. 
There's a carnality is set in, 

441
00:31:16,960 --> 00:31:20,120
there's a carelessness is set 
in, there's a corruption that is

442
00:31:20,120 --> 00:31:21,840
set in. 
They have no desire. 

443
00:31:21,960 --> 00:31:24,440
They have no devotion. 
They have no sense of duty. 

444
00:31:25,320 --> 00:31:29,760
The fervency and passion and 
vision for eternal things is 

445
00:31:29,760 --> 00:31:32,400
gone. 
They've lost their identity and 

446
00:31:32,960 --> 00:31:36,360
their loyalty to Christ. 
I urge you to show your loyalty 

447
00:31:36,360 --> 00:31:42,000
to Christ. 
Here's a clear biblical command.

448
00:31:44,000 --> 00:31:47,000
Why attend church? 
It's essentially commanded. 

449
00:31:48,040 --> 00:31:51,200
I want you to see very quickly 
it's a beneficial command. 

450
00:31:51,200 --> 00:31:56,000
If you look again at our text, 
but exhorting one another one 

451
00:31:56,000 --> 00:32:04,200
another's in italics, the the 
word exhorting here is the word 

452
00:32:04,680 --> 00:32:11,640
encouragement. 
This was the practise of the 

453
00:32:11,640 --> 00:32:16,760
early church. 
Here was the pattern they 

454
00:32:16,760 --> 00:32:21,240
gathered for worship because it 
was essentially commanded by 

455
00:32:21,240 --> 00:32:24,080
God. 
But when they gathered for 

456
00:32:24,080 --> 00:32:28,640
worship, they realised that they
not only had a responsibility 

457
00:32:28,640 --> 00:32:32,600
towards the local church, but 
they had a responsibility 

458
00:32:32,880 --> 00:32:37,600
towards one another. 
As they gathered together with 

459
00:32:37,600 --> 00:32:41,840
one another, they were exhorting
and encouraging one another by 

460
00:32:41,840 --> 00:32:45,400
their presence and by their 
words and by their prayers. 

461
00:32:48,840 --> 00:32:54,200
Don't be inconsiderate, don't be
inconsistent, don't have a 

462
00:32:54,200 --> 00:32:56,760
failure in her heart and mind to
consider others. 

463
00:32:57,360 --> 00:33:00,280
Remember, he said, and let us 
consider one another to provoke 

464
00:33:00,280 --> 00:33:02,160
unto love and the good works. 
How do you do that? 

465
00:33:02,400 --> 00:33:05,400
By being present on the Lord's 
Day in the House of God. 

466
00:33:05,400 --> 00:33:10,720
And remember the context here. 
These dear people were facing 

467
00:33:10,720 --> 00:33:14,640
persecution, intense pressure 
from family and friends. 

468
00:33:16,200 --> 00:33:20,360
They they were being forced to 
consider a sense of 

469
00:33:20,360 --> 00:33:24,440
embarrassment by the smallness 
of numbers in the early church 

470
00:33:24,960 --> 00:33:28,080
in the congregation, comparison 
to the large numbers in the 

471
00:33:28,080 --> 00:33:30,320
synagogue. 
But I want to say numbers are 

472
00:33:30,320 --> 00:33:32,480
not an indication of great 
blessing from God. 

473
00:33:33,040 --> 00:33:34,880
You only have to think of the 
mega church. 

474
00:33:35,120 --> 00:33:39,560
Often times the true church can 
be small, and I'm aware of that 

475
00:33:40,200 --> 00:33:42,960
and I know that that impacts 
upon the heart of many. 

476
00:33:43,320 --> 00:33:45,800
And if that is true, then all 
the more so. 

477
00:33:45,880 --> 00:33:50,120
We need to encourage one another
because it's a beneficial 

478
00:33:50,120 --> 00:33:52,760
command. 
If you faithfully attend, you 

479
00:33:52,760 --> 00:33:57,040
will encourage your brothers and
sisters in Christ. 

480
00:33:57,240 --> 00:34:00,800
As I've said, the the church is 
a hospital for sick people. 

481
00:34:01,440 --> 00:34:04,480
The the church is God's chief 
instrument through which he 

482
00:34:04,520 --> 00:34:06,400
meets with and blesses his 
people. 

483
00:34:06,400 --> 00:34:11,000
Remember the Lord Jesus, Matthew
chapter 18, verse 20, where two 

484
00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:12,840
or three are gathered together 
in my name. 

485
00:34:13,239 --> 00:34:15,000
They are my in the midst. 
He's in the midst. 

486
00:34:15,440 --> 00:34:19,000
The local church is his body. 
It's true of the universal 

487
00:34:19,000 --> 00:34:21,960
church. 
It's a coming together of parts 

488
00:34:21,960 --> 00:34:26,000
of the body of Christ and we're 
to strengthen and encourage and 

489
00:34:26,000 --> 00:34:28,520
exhort one another. 
And therefore each member is 

490
00:34:28,520 --> 00:34:31,560
essential as each member of the 
body is essential. 

491
00:34:31,679 --> 00:34:36,320
Each member has a a gift that 
they can contribute for, for the

492
00:34:36,600 --> 00:34:39,840
well-being of others. 
It's an act of love not only to 

493
00:34:39,840 --> 00:34:43,280
God, but an act of love to our 
brothers and sisters in Christ. 

494
00:34:44,400 --> 00:34:47,040
And of course, together we hear 
the word of God. 

495
00:34:47,400 --> 00:34:49,320
And that's the main aspect of 
worship, isn't it? 

496
00:34:49,560 --> 00:34:53,199
Romans 10/17 Faith cometh by 
hearing and hearing by the word 

497
00:34:53,199 --> 00:34:55,040
of God. 
It's not a club to be 

498
00:34:55,040 --> 00:34:58,120
entertained. 
It's not a place for our we 

499
00:34:58,680 --> 00:35:03,160
motivational speech. 
It's not a place where the 

500
00:35:03,160 --> 00:35:07,600
community comes together and 
just have a yarn and a laugh. 

501
00:35:08,080 --> 00:35:11,040
We're commanded to preach the 
word. 

502
00:35:11,960 --> 00:35:15,400
And to those who say, but the 
church is small and to those who

503
00:35:15,400 --> 00:35:18,960
say, well, I need a Family Day, 
do not put family about worship.

504
00:35:19,360 --> 00:35:22,440
And for those who say I need a 
pleasure day, whether it's an 

505
00:35:22,440 --> 00:35:27,800
Enniskillen or somewhere else, 
well, don't put pleasure above 

506
00:35:27,800 --> 00:35:30,560
the worship of God. 
And even for those who say, 

507
00:35:30,560 --> 00:35:32,320
well, I have to work every 
Sunday, you don't. 

508
00:35:32,320 --> 00:35:35,040
It's not the law. 
You only have to work one Sunday

509
00:35:35,040 --> 00:35:37,560
at a four. 
Do not put business or work 

510
00:35:37,840 --> 00:35:41,920
above the worship of God. 
Many have got complacent. 

511
00:35:42,120 --> 00:35:44,120
Many have become spiritually 
lazy. 

512
00:35:48,640 --> 00:35:53,600
We need to be distinct. 
We need to think about what sort

513
00:35:53,600 --> 00:35:58,160
of church people want, and I 
believe the church that they 

514
00:35:58,160 --> 00:36:02,320
need is a church that is 
proclaiming and is faithful to 

515
00:36:02,320 --> 00:36:05,200
the Word of God. 
And if we love the Word of God 

516
00:36:05,480 --> 00:36:08,720
and God's Son and God's gospel, 
then we will not be happy until 

517
00:36:08,720 --> 00:36:11,800
we find a meeting place where 
the gospel is faithfully 

518
00:36:11,800 --> 00:36:15,400
preached, where they're faithful
to the blood and sacrifice of 

519
00:36:15,400 --> 00:36:18,600
Christ, where there's a clear 
call for repentance and faith. 

520
00:36:19,000 --> 00:36:25,480
That's the primary reason. 
It's not only commanded by God, 

521
00:36:26,400 --> 00:36:30,320
it's for a beneficial purpose, 
exhorting one another so much in

522
00:36:30,320 --> 00:36:34,280
that word. 
I want to tell you it's also of 

523
00:36:34,680 --> 00:36:38,400
as a because command. 
If you look again at our text, 

524
00:36:39,280 --> 00:36:42,480
but so much the more as you see 
the day approaching. 

525
00:36:42,480 --> 00:36:47,080
Here's another reason not only 
for exhorting one another, but 

526
00:36:47,080 --> 00:36:50,920
so much the more as you see the 
day approaching. 

527
00:36:50,920 --> 00:36:54,120
Now what day is that? 
Well, it's the last days. 

528
00:36:55,480 --> 00:37:00,680
We're living in the last days. 
The last day is approaching and 

529
00:37:02,480 --> 00:37:05,040
we're being exhorted here to 
think about that. 

530
00:37:05,960 --> 00:37:08,240
Remember, the Lord Jesus has led
by example. 

531
00:37:08,400 --> 00:37:10,840
We follow in his steps. 
He went to the synagogue 

532
00:37:11,080 --> 00:37:13,600
faithfully in his day and 
generation. 

533
00:37:17,280 --> 00:37:20,680
The incentive for church 
attendance as we finish, as you 

534
00:37:20,680 --> 00:37:24,680
see the day approaching, the 
second coming of Christ, the day

535
00:37:24,680 --> 00:37:28,280
of Christ's return, the day when
I lush her in a day of judgement

536
00:37:28,280 --> 00:37:35,680
and a day of salvation. 
Matthew chapter 24 says because 

537
00:37:35,680 --> 00:37:38,200
iniquity shall abound the love 
of man, he shall wax cold. 

538
00:37:39,320 --> 00:37:43,080
Many have become careless, 
complacent, cold hearted. 

539
00:37:44,640 --> 00:37:48,320
Many are full of complaints. 
Many are full of a a spurt of 

540
00:37:48,320 --> 00:37:51,840
bitterness. 
They've got many grapes and 

541
00:37:51,840 --> 00:37:54,520
they've forgotten that their 
great need is to show love and 

542
00:37:54,520 --> 00:37:57,560
loyalty to Christ first and 
foremost. 

543
00:37:59,880 --> 00:38:02,120
Paul didn't just mention the 
day. 

544
00:38:02,120 --> 00:38:04,240
He says much more as you see the
day approaching. 

545
00:38:04,480 --> 00:38:06,360
The day hasn't come yet, but the
day is coming. 

546
00:38:08,000 --> 00:38:11,440
Day of opposition, a day when 
things will get worse, a day 

547
00:38:11,440 --> 00:38:13,080
when there's an increase in 
wickedness. 

548
00:38:13,280 --> 00:38:15,520
And, and he's really saying 
there's an urgency here. 

549
00:38:16,800 --> 00:38:22,400
We need this more now than ever.
The sensible longing, this 

550
00:38:22,520 --> 00:38:26,600
display of loyalty to to Christ 
out of love that this, this 

551
00:38:26,600 --> 00:38:30,160
sense of community, this sense 
of identity, we need each other 

552
00:38:30,360 --> 00:38:34,000
and therefore stay with Christ, 
stay with the gospel, stay with 

553
00:38:34,120 --> 00:38:38,960
God's people. 
That's the incentive for church 

554
00:38:38,960 --> 00:38:43,200
attendance. 
I trust this morning. 

555
00:38:44,240 --> 00:38:48,000
And I have to be honest, I feel 
I've only scratched the surface 

556
00:38:48,000 --> 00:38:52,960
here and what I have shared, but
I pray that what I have brought 

557
00:38:52,960 --> 00:38:58,120
to you will help you to think of
the question, why attend church?

558
00:38:59,040 --> 00:39:02,320
The primary reason is because 
it's commanded by God. 

559
00:39:02,320 --> 00:39:08,360
It's beneficial for you and the 
well-being of your brothers and 

560
00:39:08,360 --> 00:39:12,360
sisters in Christ. 
And it's because of this day 

561
00:39:12,360 --> 00:39:16,920
that's approaching whenever 
Christ returns. 

562
00:39:17,280 --> 00:39:19,800
Or stand before God and give an 
account. 

563
00:39:22,000 --> 00:39:26,000
Imagine the save you're saying. 
Why did you not attend a 

564
00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:30,800
faithful Bible believing church 
to see if you're examining you 

565
00:39:30,800 --> 00:39:35,480
as a professing Christian and 
asking for reasons? 

566
00:39:35,480 --> 00:39:37,480
Your mouth is closed and you 
have none to say. 

567
00:39:38,960 --> 00:39:41,000
That's what Paul means. 
That day's approaching. 

568
00:39:42,040 --> 00:39:45,960
It's a day of opposition, but 
it's also a day of examination. 

569
00:39:47,000 --> 00:39:50,160
That's the incentive for church 
attendance. 

570
00:39:50,640 --> 00:39:51,480
The Lord bless you.