Well, unless you have been living under a rock, you are well aware that there is an election taking place this week. And if the media is your barometer for these things, then you probably believe that this is the most important election in our, in the life of our country, or that the fate of America rests on the outcome of this election. That is until four years from now. Now, while I personally have my doubts about the veracity of those claims, I am no political pundit, and my job is not to make predictions and give political commentary about our election process. As one who seeks to proclaim the scriptures, my job is to give you Jesus. And as preachers, we are called to remind you the biblical truths we hold dear. We stand before you and open up the word of God. We are to remind you of the hope that you and I have in Jesus. And to assure you of his Lordship, and his sovereign control, and the heavenly kingdom that he is ushering in. By the sisters, those are the pressing messages and the truths, God's people and the world needs to hear, not just during tumultuous political seasons, but that is the message we need to hear always. Every single day we need to be pointed to those wonderful truths. Because you do know that the pull of the world and the distractions to draw our attention away from that which matters most are not only present now, but the enemy is always busy and has been so throughout redemptive history. And he has been busy and diligent seeking to draw the people of God away from that which is of utmost importance. These early Christians and the writer is addressing in Hebrews were distracted. They were distracted by all of the rhetoric and the influences of the world around them. They had taken their eyes off of Jesus, and they neglected the main things, the important things, that which was of utmost importance, and they were in danger of walking away from the thing. Listen, brothers and sisters, we do not. We don't want to be ignorant to the schemes of the evil one. He is cunning and crafty. He is the great deceiver. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak and so even good things, seemingly innocent things have the potential to draw us away from the main thing. So here is my exhortation for us in the coming days, in the coming weeks, in the coming months. Don't get distracted from the main thing, brothers and sisters. Do not let it happen. There is going to be a lot of information and rhetoric and media and other messages that are going to be coming at you nonstop over the next days, weeks and months. Here is my warning to you this morning. Stay focused. Don't get distracted. I chose this text this morning because I believe it will help us keep focused and help us to navigate the days, weeks and months that are coming. There are two exhortations. In fact, there are more exhortations in our texts in chapter 10 that the writer gives, but there are two that I want us to reflect on this morning. In fact, it is these two exhortations that I think will help keep us focused on the essentials, on the essentials. The first exhortation that the writer gives to these Christians, to these early Christians and he gives it to us, he says, let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering. Endurance. Endurance and perseverance have been themed that the writer to the Hebrews has woven throughout his address to these early believers. He has as his focus, he has as his focus because he is concerned and doesn't want them to follow in the paths of their forefathers, of their ancient ancestors. He told them back in chapter three what these forefathers had done and he doesn't want them to fall into the same trap. Back in Hebrews, chapter three, verses eight and nine, he says, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion on the day of testing in the wilderness. Don't harden your hearts where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years. He is reminding them of what their forefathers had done and he doesn't want them to follow in that same way. And so he says later on in chapter three, verses 12 through 14, cake, care brothers, let there be in any of you an evil and unbelieving heart leading you to fall away from the living God. But here's what he says to do but exhort one another every day as long as it is called today that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin for we have come to share in Christ if indeed we hold our original confidence firm, firm to the end. Here's the deal brothers and sisters. The reason why the writer to the Hebrews is so adamant about this is because Satan loves to distract the followers of Jesus Christ. He loves to distract them so that they that they might give up and give in and believe that Jesus isn't enough. And so throughout the book the writer is telling these early Christians who are facing persecution, who are facing rhetoric and hearing that they're what they believe about Jesus isn't enough and that they need to go back to following Moses and the prophets. Oh, he says to them, hold on. Hold on, hold on, don't give up, hold, hold on. I remember as a kid one of the things I love was having one of my older cousins give me a ride on their bicycle. And so sometimes what I would do is I would sit on the crossbar of the frame in between the seat and the handlebars and we would go for a ride. As I got a little older there were some pegs that hung off the back of the wheel. And so you would stand on those pegs and put my hand on his shoulder. Now if I was really bold and feeling daring I would sit on the handlebars of the bike and ride and kind of hold on to the bars and he would have to peek around to try to stare and navigate. However I sat though my cousins' instructions were always still hang on, hold on. He was concerned that I hold on because he knew the consequences if I didn't. Consequences for me and of course the consequences for him as he would have to answer to my parents for allowing me to fall. Like my cousin who warned me the writer here is warning believers this world is a difficult ride. There are twists and turns and a myriad of distractions. Here's what you need to do. You need to hold on for the consequences of not holding on or grave. And unlike those slippery pegs and unstable handlebars from my cousin's bicycle. As Christians we hold on to something more secure. More secure he says we are we are called to hold on to the confession of our hope. You know we have talked a great deal a lot about hope that we have as Christians particularly during this pandemic. And as we have said our hope is a sure thing. You and I are not simply hoping in a hope but we hope in that which is sure. And the writer here in Hebrews links he links that surety to that which we confess or the sisters. I think we as modern day Christians underestimate the importance of confession. Not confessions in the Catholic sense meaning like you have to go and confess your sins before the priest. Not not those confessions but we're talking about creeds and confessions. Creeds and confessions. We as it were are confessional Christians. And in a nutshell what that means is that what we believe is not new. What we believe is not new it has been confessed and believed by Christians for centuries brothers and sisters. The sisters news flashed Christian Christianity did not begin in our generation for generation. For generations and generations. The faith that you and I confess is the faith that Jude says is the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints in Jude one university. We believe and we confess ancient truths. But as a deal brothers and sisters it is not simply that we confess some beliefs. Many organizations have common creeds and some confession something that they confess together as one and that it unites them. That which what that we confess is not the significance. It is what we confess and the content of our confession is what gives us the sure hope that we hold on to. Does that make sense? The sure hope that we hold on to it is what we confess on the early church had several, several confessions, truths about the faith that they were able to hold on to and to pass on from generation to generation. Perhaps the earliest confession is what Peter declared. Peter declared when Jesus stood before the apostles and he asked them well who do people who do people say that I am? And it was Peter who stood up and declared in Mark 829. You are the Christ. Peter declared him as Messiah and so this became an early confession of the church. They confessed Jesus as the Christ. Not only is that the early church confessed Jesus as Lord Jesus is Lord. That was an early confession in Romans 10 and 9. It says because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved. This was the confession. These confessions that the early church confessed was what they were holding on to. Jesus is the Christ. Jesus is Lord. They held on to these. What hope is that? That is a glorious hope. Jesus as Savior and Jesus as sovereign Lord, the early church confessed these things. And as the church grew so did her confessions. And thus the church came to develop and confess statements like the Nicene Creed and the Apostles Creed. Soon the church developed full-blown confessions like the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Heidelberg Catechism and others. These confessions in short deal with the person and the nature of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. They talk about and deal with the nature of the church and the sinfulness of man and how sinners come to be saved. They confess all numerous other doctrines that we confess and believe as Christians. So that's one of the reasons why we recite our common faith together every Sunday. We come in here. We confess a confession. But the sisters, that's not simply just a time filler that we, that's not why we have it, simply to fill time. No, it is a reminder that we, as believers, need to focus on the essentials in a world, in a world that is moving at warp speed with twist and turns. We want to confess truth that we can hold on to. We can grip. We want to hold fast the confession of our hope. And the writer, he tells the early believers and he tells us that we can hold fast our confession of hope without wavering. Listen, there is no need to be wishy-washy in what we confess as Christians. What we confess has been tested and tried. We should not let the world bully us into changing our belief simply because the culture is changing. Are our confessions infallible? Of course not. But where they confess that which is clear in scripture, we hold fast. We hold fast without wavering. Oh, we stand firm in them. Listen, you and I can hold on to these confessions without wavering because the one who we confess, he's faithful. The one who we confess is faithful. Look at verse 23. This is glorious. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering for he who promised is faithful. Oh, that's glorious brothers and sisters. You can hold on because the faithful one is holding on to you. He's holding on to you. That again is the promise associated with Romans 10 and 9. Because, remember, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. That is a promise, brothers and sisters, and he who promised is faithful. He's faithful. He's faithful. Faithful to hold on to you. I don't know if you've ever been rock climbing. But when you're rock climbing, they hook you up to a belay system. And as you're climbing the rocks, if you get tired, there's a rope attached to your harness that somebody is holding. And you are climbing up the rock, but that person that is holding the rope who is belaying you and keeping you nice and tight, they say, if you get tired and you slip off, I got you. I got you. I'm holding on to you. Oh, that's the promise. The one who promised is faithful. He is holding on to you. If you get tired and you slip, he is there to hold you last week past the Tony in his series on Psalm 23. He's expounded on the promises of God and he was telling us and exhorting us and reminding us about how faithful God is to keep his promises. He fulfills what he decrees. If God said it, then he will do it. He is not a God to lie. So if you are, yes, I exhort you this morning to hold on, hold on as tightly as you can. But if you slip, oh, the Father is holding on to you because he's faithful. He's faithful. Now to him who is able to do what? To keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of glory with great joy. Oh, Jesus is holding on to you. Not that we are holding fast to our confession, but that Christ is holding us fast. Oh, I love, I love that him and there's a line in that him. He will hold me fast as a line. He will not let my soul be lost. What his promise is will last. Bought by him at such a cost, oh, he will hold me fast. That's true of you, presence. He, his promises will last. Oh, he's going to hold you fast. It's not that not glorious in the midst of turbulent times and the midst of difficult times. The one who promised to keep you, to never leave you, nor to forsake you. The one who promised that heaven and earth will pass away, but his Word, his promises will stand. He who promised brothers and sisters is faithful. That's the exhortation. Now we need to focus on that we are to hold fast the confession of our hope. That's how we focus on the essentials. But there is also another exhortation at the writer. The writer says to give these early believers and therefore gives to us. He says let us, verse 24, consider how to stir one another up toward love and good deeds. Good works. Good works. This is what the USV said. Other sisters, during this time of social distancing because of the pandemic, I really hope, and I don't believe I have to, I don't have to do a whole lot of convincing you regarding the importance of community. During the last several months, the struggles of loneliness and the disconnectedness that people are experiencing cannot be overlooked or underestimated. Community in the life of the Christian is not only crucial, it is essential. That is why the writer says, do not neglect it. Do not neglect gathering together. Don't allow the enemy to convince you that it is not important. Sisters, you and I were saved into a community, into a family, and God designed it that way. And he utilizes the community to help us grow, to sanctify us, and to keep us on the path of the Christian in the life. I know, I know, I'm not unaware that we find ourselves in a unique time. Gathering together has not been at all normal. It's not what it used to be. I mean, we could acknowledge that. In Lord willing, we will be able to gather again like we once did soon. That's our prayer. But let me just say by the insistence, while we haven't been able to meet and together and to connect like we used to, we have been meeting and trying to connect as best we can. And brothers and sisters, there are ways to connect. Do we have to be a little bit more creative and diligent? Yes, but you can connect with other believers. You have the ability to take advantage of the technology that God in His Providence allows us to have during this time. So here is my exhortation. Do not neglect these means because it is not how we used to meet. Or because you don't particularly care for the format. Brothers and sisters, it is during these times when we most need to be with each other and connect. The gathering of the saints is essential, because of what the writer says, because it is where we stir up one another to love and good works. When we gather, when we have an opportunity to connect, we are able to stir one another up to these virtues. We gather, we help each other pursue these things. In fact, in neglect, the gathering together of the saints is to selfishly remove yourself from being that vessel to others and others that to you. It is in the gathering that we can use language like provoke one another to love and good works. And notice what the writer says that we are to consider how we may stir one another up to these things. We had to give thought and to reflect and to plan and to strategize ways that we might love one another, show love to one another and express good works as a community. Consider it, he says, back in chapter three, that we are to consider Jesus, that we are to reflect and meditate on Jesus and then he uses that same word, consider how you might stir one another up. That the same attention we might give to considering Jesus, we are to give to considering how we might stir one another up in love and good works. Oh, brothers and sisters, these are the marks of a community that is holding fast, it's confession. The apostles create the clairs that we believe in the communion of the saints. In that communion, that fellowship, that Coenania is marked out by love. We have been loved by God and therefore we are called to demonstrate and show love to one another. Matthew 22, 37 through 39. You shall love the Lord your God with all your hearted, with all your soul, with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment and the second is like it you shall love your neighbor as yourself. We are called to love one another. We are also created for good works. Titus 2 and 14, who gave himself for us, Jesus, to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession, who are what, who are zealous for good works. That we are passionate about doing good works amongst us, amongst the community. This is when we find in the scriptures love and good works or should be the marks of the church. May this be our pursuit and our priority may we not allow Satan to cause us to think that there is something better to devote our time to. So as we consider to stir one another up in these areas, let us brothers and sisters not be distracted. Let us not be distracted particularly, particularly over the next days and weeks and months. It's amazing to me how quickly the events of the day can cause us to neglect showing love to one another and stirring up one another around good works. Particularly, particularly when it comes to politics, the lack of love toward one another that Christians have shown during this political season has been extremely disheartening brothers and sisters. You and I are Christians and sisters may it not be so the way we talk to one another doesn't show love. It may not be so. We must remember that the world is watching how we love one another. John 1335 by this, all people who know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another. Oh, when it comes to politics, I wonder if that's true. Do they see us loving one another? Do they think that we are God's disciples? Jesus' disciples because the love that we are showing to each other during this political season. Not only that, only to show love to one another so that the world can look at and know that we are God's disciples. But Matthew 5 and 16 are good works. It's supposed to shine that others might give glory to God. In the same way, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your father who is in heaven. Let's focus on the essentials. Listen, not getting distracted doesn't mean we don't engage the political process or that we are not interested in what happens this week. We should take an interest. We need to be informed and we do need to recognize the importance of election seasons and how it might affect our lives. But as Christians, let us not lose our focus on the essentials. We need to major on the majors and minor on the minor's brothers and sisters. Why? Why should we do this? Why should this be our focus particularly over the next weeks and days and months? Why should this be our focus? Because as the writer tells us in verse 25, the day is drawing near. The day. The day. What day you ask? It's not election day. It is the day of the Lord that is coming. That's the day the writer has in mind here. Listen, I can't tell you who is going to win on Tuesday. And I don't know what the fate of America will be. But this is what I know for sure. The day of the Lord is coming. Second Peter 310. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief and then the heavens will pass away with a roar and the heavenly bodies will be burned and dissolved and the earth and the works that are done in it will be exposed. It's coming. The day of the Lord is coming where judgment is coming. All works will be exposed. So that is why we need to encourage one another to keep focus on the essentials. Because when that day arrives on that day, political affiliations are not going to matter who you voted for in the 2020 election is not going to be what the judge just judge is looking for. He is going to want to know what your confession is. Who do you say Jesus is? That's what he's going to want to know. Your confession at that time must be Jesus is Lord. My allegiance, my affiliation is with him. He is the king of kings and the Lord of lords. And he's going to want to know. He's going to want to know has Matthew 25 and 35 to 36. When I was hungry, did you give me food? When I was thirsty, did you give me something to drink? When I was a stranger, did you welcome me in? When I was naked, did you clothe me? When I was sick and imprisoned, did you visit me and come to me? Now on the essentials, our confession of faith and loving one another, stirring one another up to love and good works. The day is drawing near. It's coming. It's coming. Every moment we, every day we wake up, we're one day closer to the day of the Lord. It's coming. So let us encourage one another, particularly when it's easy to get distracted and discouraged over the next week and months. Focus on the essentials. And we not get distracted. And we hold fast our confession of faith and may we consider spend time reflecting on how we might stir one another up toward love and good works. Let's pray.