THREE TYPES OF LET US
HEBREWS 10:22-25 NKJV
22 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. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
Now, if you are listening to this devotional without reading it, you may be thinking, what? Okay, I will go with Iceberg, Romaine, and Bibb as my three types. And you would be correct if I was referring to the green leafy vegetable. But the ‘let us’ I am referencing is not the vegetable but rather three instructions that the writer of Hebrews gave to the Jewish believers.
The writer of the Book of Hebrews was helping the believers who were under pressure to return to the Mosaic law. By inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he had masterfully contrasted the difference between the old covenant and the new covenant that was theirs in Christ. Now, he begins to practically instruct these Jewish Christians as to what to do next. And he gives three directives, starting with let us.
Let us draw near to God with a true heart in full assurance of faith. No longer would a person have to bring an animal for a sin offering. Now, everyone could come close to God, not by works, but by faith in what Jesus had done. And that faith assures the one coming to God that their heart has been cleansed; they no longer have to live with a consciousness of sins. The awareness of the cleansing power of Jesus' blood overrides the sense of guilt and unworthiness.
Let us hold fast the confession of hope. Hope being the expectation of good, not a wish. Holding fast the confession of what has been done in Christ. Holding fast to saying what the new covenant promises. Holding fast which would imply not saying anything contradictory. Holding fast also means not wavering or saying one thing one day and something totally different the next day. The foundation of holding fast is the faithfulness, and the consistency of God who promised and the Lord who is the guarantee of those promises.
Let us consider one another. Not simply thinking about one’s individual needs but giving thought to what was taking place in the lives of other believers. Thinking about others stirs up love and good works. When someone is only thinking about themselves, it results in selfish thoughts and actions. So the writer also connects considering others with not forsaking getting together with others. The life of a believer was never intended to exist in isolation.
APPLICATION
Two thousand years later, these three types of let us still apply today.
Let us draw close to God, knowing we have been cleansed by the blood of Christ. We come close by faith, not feelings, but know that as we come close to God, He will come close to us. (James 4:8)
Let us hold fast to saying what God has promised and what He has done. Hold fast to saying that we are the children of God, and He is our Father. Hold fast to saying we are new creations in Christ, and we are blessed in Him. Whatever the scriptures say about God, the Lord Jesus, the indwelling Holy Spirit, and all God has promised, we are not to veer away from. Hold fast to saying what God says.
And let us think beyond ourselves thinking about other people and what would help and bless them. This stirs up good things in us and starts a life cycle of good works. Imagine if we had an entire church thinking this way. And don't forget to let us not abandon coming together as a church. I appreciate our online and television outreaches, but if you can come to church, there is encouragement and strength in the togetherness of God's family.
Three types of let us that have a greater long-term benefit than any kind of salad.