Christian Community is a matter of life and death.

Life and death? Not physical life and death - there may some benefits to bring g tied into a community. Not life in the sense of cultural respect or comfort and ease - Hebrews was written to people who would have found it more difficult to identify with the Christian church. Define life and death - eternity. You may be thinking, “Sounds like hyperbole! You better back this up!” Well, the reason I say this is because being actively, dynamically, seriously engaged in Christian community is how God keeps you saved to the end.

Our text says God keeps Christians saved (not lost) through their active, serious, engagement in Christian community. Apart from active, serious, engagement in Christian community we are in serious danger of shipwrecking our faith and perish forever.

Here is the structure of the text. Verses 12 and 13 give 2 urgent commands to be actively engaged in genuine, serious, Christian fellowship. Verse 14 gives the reason why - because it’s life and death.

I want to start in verse 14 with the reason why I say Christian fellowship is a matter of life and death. Then back up and look at verses 12 and 13 which show us how God wants us to engage in community together in light of verse 14.

Why do I say life and death? Well, because of verse 14.  What is very common in our day is a “punched ticket assurance”. I remember a time when I overheard a conversation with one person who was very evidently living apart from God. But this person conversing with him asked the question, “Do you remember the time you asked JEsus into your heart?” as if that was all he needed to do. The NT, however, doesn’t present assurance in that way.

Hebrews 3:14 is perhaps the most important verse in the bible which affirms both 1) He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion and 2) the one who endures to the end will be saved. Let’s look at this verse…

“For we have come to share in Christ if we hold fast our original confidence firm to the end.”

Follow the tense of the verbs here. We have come to share in Christ. If we continue to the end. Something in the past is true and authentic, if it is proven true to the end. This is how the NT speaks to us. 1 Corinthians 15:2, Hebrews 3:6.

“We have come to share in Christ..." This is an amazing truth. We participate in and benefit from the Person and work of Christ. And this is something that’s experienced together.

“If we hold our original confidence firm to the end…” We aren’t given a list of do’s and don’ts. We are told that we truly have come to share in Christ if we hold onto the confidence we had in Christ at the beginning all the way to the end. If Christ continues to be our hope, our treasure, our salvation!

Our faith in Christ in the past and now is confirmed by enduring all the way to the end. We give evidence of its genuineness by continuing all the way firm to the end. So he will bring to completion those he has begun a good work in. And he will do it through deep and intimate fellowship.

This ups the ante. Christian community isn't to be approached casually and it is not to be engaged that magical time when it is convenient. It is a matter of life and death. Apart from this engaged community life, you and I won’t make it to the end.

So how is Christian fellowship God’s plan to keep us saved? Verses 12 and 13 show us. This is so amazing! You and I actually get to be part of keeping each other saved. Two commands in verses 12 and 13.

Commandment One: Watch out for one another than no one falls away from God.

Take care brothers, lest there be in any of you and evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. (Hebrews 3:12)

Take care brothers. Warning for Christians to watch out for one another.  Verse 12 and the second part of verse 13 give us a sober reminder of the downward spiral of sin. Sin starts in a heart of unbelief, the heart of unbelief falls for the deception of sin, which when persisted hardens the heart, until one “falls away from the living God.” JC Ryle said, “First it [sin] startles him, then it becomes pleasing, then easy, then delightful, then frequent, then habitual, then confirmed! Then the man is impenitent, then obstinate, then resolves never to repent, and then he is damned.” So we must be watchful. Look at the phrases used in these verses.

Evil, unbelieving heart - literally “evil heart of unbelief” I think unbelief actually gets to the essence or core of what sin is. Underneath every other sin is the sin of unbelief. Either because you are believing a lie or not believing the truth. Speak O Lord, “Words of power that can never fail, let their truth prevail over unbelief.” And belief is more than just cognitive assent. It includes our affections. The essence of faith is a heart that believes and prizes and treasures all that God is for us in Christ.

Leading you to fall away from the living God. Wherever our heart is, we will be led. Then the last words of the chapter say the ominous words, “they were not able to enter [the promised land] because of unbelief.” God had promised to care for them and be their God, but they were faithless toward him, forsaking him with hearts of unbelief.

Deceitfulness of sin. Sin is sneaky. Sin is misleading. When unbelief prevails over God’s truth, we are susceptible to deception. And sin is so deceitful! Ephesians 4:22 - Put off the old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires.

Then persistent sin hardens us over time. At one time our conscience was chastened, was convicted, but now it has become so calloused, hardened. This heart of unbelief which falls for the deceitfulness of sin and is hardened over time leads one to actually fall away from God.

Commandment Two: Encourage one another daily in the Gospel.

But exhort one another every day as long as it is called today. (Hebrews 3:13)

Encourage one another in the gospel (daily). If what we have come into is a "sharing in Christ", and we are called to hold our "original confidence firm to the end" and what threatens us is a heart of unbelief" and this leads us to "fall away from God", then what we need is the good news of Jesus Christ over and over and over.

Daily - exhort and encourage one another daily. Why daily? Because sin threatens to deceive us daily. Unbelief presents itself daily. How long? As long as it is called today. For the rest of your lives. We need to be reminded of the gospel daily! Philippians 3:1, 2 Peter 1:12.

So here is how this works. God saves by his gracious work. By his grace, we come to share in Christ. And God ensures that we are preserved to the end in saving faith. But how does he do this? Well, one way is through Christian fellowship or community. Watching out for one another that no one falls away from God. And encouraging one another day after day for the rest of our lives in the gospel! You have an important part in the salvation of your brothers and sisters. And they play an important role in yours.

We need each other. We need a greater realization of how God keeps us to the end and engage in the depth of community that is best for us.