We are together in work of God. Tearing down is easy. People need much encouragement. This is how God builds His House. Let us draw near, let us hold fast, let us consider for we have a High Priest. (2 Corinthians 6:1; Proverbs 14:1; Ephesians 3:8; Hebrews 10:21-24)

Speaker(s): Thomas Schaller
Sermon 12424
7:00 PM on 12/14/2022

P. Schaller –

That was awesome worship, huh? I just have fun doing that. Wow! That’s just amazing. Isn’t it good? It’s
great. Wow! I know you had a good long day today and you’re hear tonight. I praise God for
that. We’re going to have a good message. I’m going to tell you what it is for just a minute or
two and then Jesse comes up and we do our offering and then we’ll do the message.
To introduce it to you – I don’t know if I should do this right now. Wait a minute. I want you to
be happy tonight. I do. I want you to just get released and have a good time. Praise the Lord!
Wow! Come on! Wow! It’s a joy. I was glad when they said let’s go up to the house of God. The
concert last night was a beautiful time for families and the musicians and Julius does a great
job. I’m really thankful for him. And all the staff that made that happen.

Okay. The theme tonight is “Let Us.” This is a phrase in our Bible. Let Us. And then it’s a word, a phrase of
encouragement. Let us. Because, therefore, then and we see it in the book of Hebrews eleven
times.

I want you to look at 2 Corinthians 6:1 just to introduce it. This is a memory verse. Could we memorize
that right now at your seat? When you go home tonight and your mother says, what did you
learn at church? You say, we then as workers together with him. Could you say that now a few
times. Ready? One, two, three: We then as workers together with him. Again: We then as
workers together with him. Another time: We then as workers together with him. Do we work
with God? Are we workers together with God? How much is it God and how much is it you? We
are workers together with him. But how much is it you? When you pray, how much is that you
and how much is it God? How much of it is both of you?

Here it says we are workers with God. That’s a way of life for us. If God is so great and he has
given us so much, then should we work with him? What does that look like? How does it work?
What does it mean that we work with him?

This is behind the words “let us.” Because if God has given us so much, if God has given us a lot,
then therefore, let us. Let us fear lest we do not enter into the Promised Land. Let us labor to
take ahold of what it is that we have. So that will be our message tonight and I hope it
encourages you. Let us. We work with him.

P. Eric Handel did Homiletics the other night for me in our last class of the semester. He’s such
an excellent teacher. He’s teaching principles of teaching and preaching. And he used one
illustration and I have it here. Could you grab that saw on the floor and bring it over? Yeah.
When ladies see this, they are frightened. When guys see it, they start to smile! Okay. So, here’s
a good illustration for us.

When Scotty Dubay cuts a log and the saw dust flies up in the air and on the floor and he saws
the two-by-four right through, who did it? Yeah. Who did it? who cut the two-by-four? That did
it. No, Scott did it. No, that did it.

When you live the Christian life, who does it? Yeah, all of the above. Not the devil. Who does it?
We are workers together with him. Say it again. We then as workers together with him. One
more time: We then as workers together with him. That’s all. That’s amazing. That’s a big deal.
Because that machine is very powerful. That machine is powerful. It will rip through. That will
do the work.

Big question for us: Can God do this? Can God do this through us? Can he go to the deep part of
our hearts? Can he live in the deep parts of our hearts? Can he show us his grace? Can he
overcome our sin? Can he raise us from the dead? Can he baptize us into the Body? Can he
make us members one of another? Yeah. Can he overcome the devil?

At the end of your life, you say wow! That was an amazing ride. I’ll tell you; I had what I needed.
I did. God did not leave me to myself. God did not fail me in his grace. He did not say do the
best you can and leave me to my own devices. When he said you’ve overcome sin, he means it.
That we have overcome sin and we end up like – here’s a good picture. I don’t touch it. What
do I get done? Not much. I’m chewing on a two-by-four. I don’t touch it. I don’t know his grace.
I don’t know who he is. I don’t have faith in his finished work. I don’t realize what he gave me.
Every time we gather together, I feel like this is a big thing that the Spirit wants to say to us. He
wants to tell us, to talk to us. When we understand we kind of say it together. Let us go on. Let
us consider him. Let us move on to perfection. Let’s go on deeper. Let’s believe it.

You know who said, “let us”? You know who said that in the Bible? Caleb. Let us go up at once.
We are well able to take the land. Let us go up. They didn’t hear him. They didn’t hear him. That
will be a good message for us tonight. I think it will bless us and encourage us. Praise the Lord!
Turn to your neighbor and just say, “let us” and then have a talk for a minute and make up your
own message before I preach it. Have a good time for a minute and tell a joke and say “Merry
Christmas” and talk for a minute or two. Say a prayer. Encourage each other.

Okay. Turn in your Bibles to Proverbs 14:1. We want to build a little bit on our message. Let’s bring
the rotary saw back out, Jesse. Proverbs 14:1, Life is, life is to be lived. Let’s pray. (Prayer). I feel
cause I told you the message already; I’m going to take really – I want God to lead because I
think when we make a point and stop there and the anointing teaches you. The anointing helps
you understand what we are saying. We are not men that speak with the wisdom of the world,
but we speak in a different way because the Spirit wants to speak to hearts. We want to think
about what is being said and receive it.

This verse, vs. 14:1, I want to say building a house it takes three months. Sometimes in parts of
the world it takes years. But to tear it down, takes a week or maybe even less. To tear down a
life is easy but to build a house, to build a live, that’s something else and that’s what God does.
Wisdom builds a house. God builds a life. God changes us, motivates us, speaks to our hearts
and affects us.

Look at vs. 1. I want to change it a little bit. Every wise woman builds a life, builds a home,
builds a family. We could say every wise pastor builds a church. The Savior, Christ, built the
church. You can say wisdom builds a life but the foolish plucks it down with her hands. That’s
the verse I want you to take note of. How easy it is to tear people down. How easy to gossip,
accuse, attack, judge. How easy it is. Critical. Negative. Depressed. How easy it is to say you
know, there isn’t any such thing as this thing, the power of God. There isn’t any. I’ve never
found it. I don’t know about it. It’s not real. I don’t care about it. It’s not going to make any
difference. It’s not true.

But you and I are in the middle of a world that you cannot see and the world that you can see
and we are saying we are believing in the God that we cannot see and that he makes a
difference, a big difference in life. Does he? A big difference.

Let’s look at a short list. Ephesians 3 and these phrase. I’m going to cut it down. Did I steal the –? Did
I bring it over there? Wait a minute. I brought this pen home with me the other day. Okay.
Chapter 3:8. Unsearchable riches. I have three of these. Unsearchable riches of Christ.
Unsearchable. You don’t know what the power is in this saw if we relate this saw to God. And
what God is doing and that this is something beyond human beings. It’s unsearchable. Who is
God? What can God do when he builds a house? Who is God? What does God do when he
speaks to a heart? Who is God? What does God do when he raises his Son from the dead? And
he ascends up into heaven and he’s seated at the right hand of God.

These are unsearchable riches, treasures that affect our minds, that affect our hearts, our will,
affects our lives. I wonder what it means “unsearchable riches”? Isn’t it a good question? I like
it. You can’t find it. You cannot. You search here. It’s Job 28 is a good comment on this. You
cannot find wisdom. You go to the depths of the ocean, the heights of the heavens. You cannot
find wisdom. You cannot go to the birds and the animals and find it. You cannot go to the
treasures of the earth and find wisdom. It’s only the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.
The second phrase here is in vs. 9.

Fellowship of the mystery. Again. A great phrase. We’re hungry for this. Fellowship of the mystery. What’s a mystery? It’s a mystery what’s behind the wall. You don’t know what’s behind the wall if you don’t know the building. It’s a mystery. You don’t know what’s behind the universe. You cannot see it. It’s a mystery. When Christ came
into the world and you see him as a babe in Bethlehem, there is a mystery and a fellowship of
the mystery. In prayer, fellowship of the mystery. In a life of faith, fellowship of the mystery.

Beyond reason, eyes. Beyond my eyes and my reason and my intellect which is actually so
small. How our world is so small compared to God. How little we understand his ways. How
little we understand his nature and his character. How little we understand what he is doing but
we delight in finding out about it. We love it when we see something about God in life and we
are drawn to it.

I think the fellowship of the mystery is in Christ of course and it is also in the Body of Christ.
Keep your eyes open because in the Body of Christ is a mystery. It refreshes us. It’s not boring.
It’s not dull. It’s powerful. It’s like a guy who knows how to handle this thing and he uses this
thing and he rips through the two-by-four and he does it. He does it. But he doesn’t do it. But
he does it. He’s living. He’s alive. God is building a house. God is with the believer. God is for the
believer. God is working in us and through us. God is there.

There’s a third phrase here. And it’s vs. 10. Those are both demons and angels that are
watching this power happen. The demons and the angels are aware of God’s work on the earth.
We struggle with it. We cannot always see it. We are believing in it and we draw near, but the
point is that there is a reality of it and it is evident in the spiritual realm much more obvious to
them than in the physical realm.

Vs. 10. Many expressions of his wisdom. We could say the weakness of Christ. We could say
Jesus was in the eyes of the world foolish. He was foolish and he was weak but in that weakness
and foolishness dying on a cross was the wisdom of God. Many sided. Manifold. Turn it this
way. Turn it. Turn it. Many sides. Turn it. Turn it. Turn it. Wisdom of God. You turn it any way
and there you see God’s counsel. God’s power. God’s wisdom.

So, this is the first point here. These three phrases. You and I are to understand, find
unsearchable riches of Christ, the fellowship of the mystery and then the manifold wisdom of
God. Therefore, let us. Hebrews 10:21-22. This means a lot. We have Christ as our high priest over
the church, the house of God. Let’s draw near. We could say if God has told us that we have
Christ, the fullness of God in our lives, then let us in vs. 22 draw near. Grab the saw. Take ahold
of the promises. Say a prayer of faith. Rejoice a lot. Sing halleluiah. Draw near to the Body of
Christ.

I read an article that was sent to me about the smart phone and the whole world that we live in
now with people more and more alone. More and more being alone. There’s numbers on it.
How people are more and more preferring to be by themselves with their phone. They prefer it.
I was thinking we are those that kind of grab ahold of this and we draw near. Because we have
something to say. We have something to give. We have a heart. We have something going on in
our hearts and our lives. We have love, compassion, faith.

Also, I was thinking what happens when people stop moving physically. They stop moving
physically. They get out of good shape or condition. They have to keep moving no matter how
old you are as much as you can. Some cases it can happen but many people stop moving. And
so, keep moving physically and then spiritually. How important my life is on a spiritual level.
What happens when we live by faith. We end up doing things that maybe we wouldn’t do. Like
take the saw and do something. No, I don’t need to do it. I don’t want to do it. No, I’m not.

Then this is exactly what this epistle is saying. If we have a high priest over the house of God, let
us draw near. Have a conversation. Care about each other. Spend a little time together. Laugh a
lot. Laugh and rejoice a lot. Rejoice always. All the time. As much as I can. As much as I possibly
can rejoice always. There is so much to rejoice over. There is so much to talk about. There is so
much to be thankful for. We are those that have eternal life. Let’s draw near to God, to each
other, to the truth. Let’s be active in it. Let’s embrace it. Let us believe it.

Look at vs. 22. I need to check my heart. I need to check my heart. Isn’t that a good word? I
want God to check my heart. My heart is cold. I withdraw. I’m angry about something. I’m fed
up with people. I’m fed up with life. The Lord says draw near with a true heart in full assurance
of faith. Having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience. It’s beautiful when you are with
the sisters and brothers and out of their hearts come beautiful words and thoughts. Our sisters
and brothers have grace. How they are not critical. They are not gossiping. They are not
judging. They are loving. They are kind. They are forgiving. They are encouraging. They are
edifying.

Somebody said recently that people need so much encouragement. They need us to sit with
them and just encourage them. In a conversation, look for an opportunity to say something
good and encourage them. Because what God is doing is building a house. And he takes people
that are sometimes very much needing encouragement and he builds them up in the inner
man. Can you imagine if Jesus had a five minute conversation with you and what you would feel
afterwards?

At the Last Supper, when he said I’m going to go away, they say said, we’re going with you.
Cause whenever we are with you, we feel encouraged, edified. By the way, what happened
when they walked from the Last Supper down to Gethsemane? Do you know what some of
them were talking about? It’s a critical hour of darkness. Last Supper to Gethsemane and some
of them were talking about which one of them were the greatest. Why?

Because when you are with Jesus, you start to feel good about yourself. Cause when Jesus is
with you, he encourages you. When God is present, he is for you and not against you. This thing
is manifold wisdom, the fellowship of the mystery and unsearchable riches. It means we got a
lot going for us. Let’s draw near he said.

Look at vs. 23. Remember, who did hinder you? Remember that a week ago. Who did hinder
you? Why did you quit? Why did you draw back? Why did you draw back from your vision to be
a pastor? Maybe God has put it in your heart but you stopped coming to church. You stopped
listening. Soon you start to doubt and question a lot of things.

And it says here in vs. 22 we are to hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering. Let’s
not waver, waffle, be double minded. Let’s not doubt it. Let’s get on the horse. It’s hard to get
on a horse half way. Get on or get off. You got to get on or get off. Get on. Get on. Get engaged
in the life that God has called you to. Believe it. Let us. Therefore, if we have a high priest, if we
have a resurrected Christ.

We are looking at a dark time in our history. We’re looking at a time when everyone is
questioning everything. To be honest, I feel they don’t know anything. They know more than
ever and they know so little. They know so little about their own heart, their own life, the
objective reality of God. They listen very little to the things about God and they listen a lot to
the things about people. Likes and dislikes and reputation and trends and everything. But we
are holding fast cause this thing is real, isn’t it? this thing is Jesus. Let’s finish here.

Vs. 24. “let us consider one another.” Let’s spend some time this week considering one
another. God will put people in your mind when you wake up in the morning. God will put
people in your mind when you go to bed at night. Let us consider one another. Let’s consider
our Bible college students. Let’s consider our pastors like P. Sterling and Barbara over here from
New York. Thank you for coming. Let us consider our missionaries that labor by faith.

Let us consider the people that are struggling with drug addictions. Let us consider the parents,
the single parents, the moms that are raising a family by themselves. Let us consider our
teenagers, our little ones that are amongst us. The new born babies of the past year. New
marriages that are happening. Relationships. Let’s consider the affiliated pastors. Let’s consider
our staff on campus. Let’s consider the people that left and are out there in the world finding
their way. Let us consider them with hearts of love and compassion because Christ died for
them. Christ rose from the dead. Christ invites them into his house of grace and encourages
them in a life of faith.

We are to take ahold of this and not waiver in it cause it’s real. It changes us. It’s a house that
wisdom builds. But the foolish tear it down. They tear down one life. They go to another. They
tear down another life. They tear down another one. Then they say I don’t have any friends.
Maybe because you tore them all down. Maybe because you never found the secret of life. You
never found the power. You never found the reality of Christ. You didn’t walk in him but you
were wavering and drew away and backed off from the very family of God, the very solution for
your life. The solution for your life, your family life, your friends. The solution for your future.
The work of grace that happens. This is where he is saying let us go on. Let’s go. Let’s go.

So, let’s go to vs. 24. This is a good word, provoke. Provoke unto love. Isn’t that cool? You can
do it. How about you talk to a little boy. You can do it. You can do it. How about a coach? You
can do it. Go ahead, take the shot. Go ahead. You can hit it. Go ahead. Do it. do it. Go head.
Don’t worry about it. You’ll hit it. Go ahead. Take the shot. Take the three pointer. Go ahead.
We provoke them. We provoke people to love and to forgive. Come on. You’re bigger than that.
You’re bigger than that. You cannot limit your life to yourself. You cannot.

Here’s a – you know the story. I won’t forgive them. I won’t forgive them. Come on! You’re
bigger than that. You can forgive them. Come on! Take ahold of this. Forgive them. Jesus
forgave them and you forgive them. Come on! You’re bigger than that. No, I’m not going to
forgive. I’m not going to forgive. There’s no life. There’s no provocation of love. There’s no
future in that. Let us take ahold of. Let us embrace it. Let us believe God for what he can do. Let
us forgive. Let us build up. Let us provoke unto love. Let us say to the little boy, say to the
teenager come on! You’re bigger than that. I know you can do it. Come on! I believe God for
you. Let us have a prayer. Come on. Let’s believe God. Jesus will help you. He will help you and
he will do it. This will happen. I believe it in my heart.

This is how Jesus would talk to us, isn’t it? Come on! Come on guys. How long must I be with
you? What are you talking about? You’re talking about which one of you is the greatest. Come
on. I got bigger things. You’re not going to be saying that anymore. I’m going to show you what
this is about. This isn’t about you guys talking about which one of you is the greatest. This is
about you discovering, you finding it. You know that it is Jesus. You know that is Christ. You
know that it is God that did it. God used you. God gave you the power. God gave you the
wisdom. God gave you the ability. God gave you the forgiveness in your heart. God gave you
the love. God gave you the encouragement. God used you. God built a house. And the foolish
tear it down. That can’t happen, right? Okay.

Vs. 24. Let’s go out and share our faith this Christmas season. I know more than a hundred of
you have been out caroling and we are just half way into the season. There’s more of that. Get
the flyer on the dates and times of locations at the center over there. What’s that called? The
welcome center. You can get that if you want to sing out in the street and carol. I’m so blessed
and encouraged about how we celebrate quietly, personally, peacefully in our hearts. A small
thing that we do for our neighbors. Bring them a little gift of cookies this Christmas season. Talk
to your neighbors. Spend a little time if you can. Forgive them. Love them. If it is at all possible
as much as lies within us. There’s something to say about that.

Lastly vs. 25. It just rolls into this. Don’t forsake the assembly. No matter what, don’t forsake
the assembly of ourselves together. No matter what, do not stop assembly. You’re going to get
a piece of heaven. You’re going to have something happening that you and I need for our lives.
You and I are going to have a fellowship in the mystery of Christ that falls upon us in the
anointing, that encourages us. I want to learn to read a book. I’m going to spend some time in prayer. I’m going to have a conversation with a sister or a brother and sow a seed.  A minute or
two or three and spend a few minutes with a brother or a sister and give a word of wisdom
because I care about them and encourage them in the Lord.

I want to laugh a lot. I mean that. I said it a few times. I want to laugh a lot in my life. I need it. I
need my brothers and my sisters with their joy and their laughter and our peace and their
fellowship in our café like we have. I love it. I need it. That’s how we live our life. I believe God is
in it in many ways. Don’t forsake the assembly.

You might say that’s not my personality. I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about this. I’m
talking about this thing. This is – we are in a fellowship where actually the power of God knits
us together in the mystery of a fellowship with manifold wisdom. You turn it this way, that way.
How did you live that life? I’m telling you it was God that did it. I’m telling you God did it. How
did you get so many friends? I’m telling you God did it. God gave me a Jonathan and gave
Jonathan, David. I’m telling you.

How come you didn’t have those bad habits? I’m telling you that God did that. He delivered me.
He shut it down. He closed the door the devil opened. And he opened the door that Christ
opened up. I needed the Body of Christ. I needed the Word of God. I needed encouragement in
my life. I needed to hear somebody pray. And when I heard them pray, I started to pray and
believe that prayer will move a mountain. Pray will be answered. God will answer prayer. How
do you know that? Cause we just know it. The Bible says it. So that’s the message. Amen.
Turn to your neighbor and say, we are workers together with him. I want to thank Scotty Dubay
for bringing the saw in tonight. That saw was the message tonight. All we had to do is put the
saw there and we’re good to go! Alright. So, thank you. Would you pray with me.

Please enjoy these sermon notes from the messages preached at Greater Grace Church in Baltimore. These notes are provided to aid in your study and understanding of the Word. Note that these notes do not represent complete, word-for-word transcriptions. Also, they may contain omissions as well as some errors in spelling and structure, etc., as we attempt to provide them as soon as possible. Our hope is that these notes serve as a way to help you search and connect with messages on related subjects and passages. Thank you for your interest in the ministry of Greater Grace.