2021 Reboot / Pastor Pat Peglow / September 12, 2021

2021 Reboot

Hebrews 10:19-25 September 12, 2021

I. Introduction:

A. I have very little understanding about the inner workings of computers but from

years of experiencing computer problems, I have learned that before I call

someone to fix something the first thing I want to do is reboot the computer. That

simply means to turn it off and back on again

1. I am amazed at how many problems get fixed with that simple little

maneuver.

2. It clears up various different kinds of low-level errors, unloads and closes out

things so the computer runs much smoother when you restart it again.

B. Computers are not the only things that could benefit from a restart –I think

believers could benefit from a reboot after 2020.

1. 2020 created many low level problems for many of us as we have been

internally on overload or our systems have shut down!

2. I feel like a reboot could help us as a church and as individuals run a bit

smoother again.

3. So today, I felt led to take just one Sunday in between the series to stop

and see how we are doing!

C. 2020 was a tough year!

1. As a church we stopped meeting together for services for a while and many

ministries shut down which slowly we restarted with various restrictions.

2. As a nation, we saw a pandemic and deep division over masks, race and

politics that not only touched the world around us but the church as well!

3. Many individuals felt it with their jobs. We experienced separation from

friends and families. Major milestone events like birthdays, graduations,

holiday gatherings and anniversary parties were canceled or were reduced to

drive-byes. Weddings and showers were postponed or greatly reduced to just

a few people. Families were impacted who could not grieve properly or in a

timely fashion as wakes and funerals were adjusted.

4. We can add to this 2021 where there is now strong division over vaccines,

new terror threats on our own home land and inflation that is flying out of

control. The other day I went to my favorite Mexican restaurant and it cost

me $2 more for my favorite burrito while they cut the size of it by 1/3rd!

D. But my concern this morning has to do with what all of this has done to us when

we just started to come out of hibernation from the pandemic and then are hit

again with another wave of the delta variant.

1. The isolation and lack of engagement with others has put some into

depression as they wrestle deeply with their thoughts and emotions

2. Others felt totally disconnected from their church family and even their

friends and even now that they are back, they still are feeling very alone.

3. Fear is like an algorithm on the internet – it picks up on our emotional

behaviors then sends similar types of material to you.

a) The fear that came originally from the pandemic has put people’s fear in

overdrive and has caused fear in other areas of their lives or the past to

raise its ugly head.

4. Mental health has become a very big concern in these days; so much, so that

from more than one source I have been receiving materials, seminars and

videos that directly address the mental health of pastors after 2020.

5. The racial and political divide, with time, has driven people to the polar

opposite ends of the spectrum. People who used to be comfortable around

others who had different views are no longer comfortable around them.

Selfishness and anger are finding pockets in people’s hearts!

6. Some people stopped going to church in person and have become

comfortable with doing church online. Some have done so for medical

reasons but some could and should be back but have gotten out of the habit of

worshiping with their church body.

7. Even when ministries are starting back up people are not engaging in the

ministries or with people the way they used to either from fear or habit of

being disengaged.

E. I could go on and on, but I want to take us to one passage today that can help us

reboot as we clear away all the internal junk and focus on the basics of

relaunching our church and our lives in 2021.

• Please turn in your Bibles to

II. Hebrews 10

A. This was a church made up of Jewish believers who suffered intense persecution

to the point of even losing their property and were under constant pressure from

Jews to return to Jewish religion and all of its Old Testament rituals

B. He spends the first ten chapters showing them the superiority of Jesus to the Old

Testament worship system and how Jesus’ once and for all sacrifice on the cross

forgave their sins.

1. Now since they have a new and living way through the blood of Jesus to

approach the very presence of God and since they have Jesus as the great

priest over the church….

2. He tells them three natural responses to these great blessings and privileges

that God has given us. These three things are the things we need to reboot

too, we need to clean out all the other stuff that has crowded our hearts and

lives and re-center again on important three things.

3. Each one starts with let us. The first one is in v22.

a) Watch for it as I start by reading in 19-22.

C. The first one is believing prayer.

1. This is so crucial for the messes and clutter in our hearts, especially anxiety

and fear, along with the wisdom we need to navigate so many new things in

our lives and world.

2. Prayer is the way we connect with God and turn His graces into our actual

experience. Prayer moves God’s truth from our heads to our hearts. Prayer

makes the promises of God our personal possessions.

3. Turn and read Hebrews 4:14-16

4. Let me encourage you with three ways

a) Personal prayer – rather than worrying about and trying to figure out our

problems we need to be intentional to drop everything and turn to God

and talk to Him about them and receive His peace and wisdom and grace

as He sorts us out as the Good Shepherd of our souls

b) Get a prayer partner – one time per week – in person best, Zoom works

too.

c) Corporate prayer – 1st week in October

D. The second let us is found in v23. Read

1. Holding on to our confession, the content we publically declare of our hope.

2. This is not about holding onto our confession of faith where we look back to

when we trusted Jesus but here in Hebrews it is about holding on the future

hope of the return of Jesus and His kingdom and all the blessing that will

come with that

3. Hebrews 9:28; 13:14

4. This was desperately needed by that church because of the persecution they

were going through and it is desperately needed today in light of the

discouraging world events that are taking place and the new realities we are

facing from Covid to terrorism and everything in between.

5. This kind of hope puts a light at the end of the tunnel and gives us a larger

perspective of what is going on. We are people of hope as Christians not

pessimists who are angry and fearful about everything that is going on!

a) Read 1 Peter 1:3-7

b) Then we are positioned to give an answer when they see and wonder

about the hope within us in the midst of these crazy days.

E. The third let us in found in v24-25.

1. Has to do with our corporate lives together, our meeting together and

engaging with one another.

2. The emphasis of this passage is not about how coming together as a church

can benefit you but rather how you can benefit others by coming. It is about

your value to others – stimulating others to love and good deeds as well as

encouraging others. It is not just that you need church but the church needs

you!

3. Read 24-25

4. When we meet as a church, it is not just to worship and hear God’s word but

it is also for engaging with one another! Encouraging other believers.

5. Three best ways

a) Corporate worship - takes place both before and after the service. So

church really goes on when we send you away and now it is your time to

engage and encourage others around you or in the atrium.

b) Small groups

c) Minister together with others

6. As I said earlier, some have forsaken coming and now are the habit of not

meeting personally with the church. Even before the pandemic research

showed that, many Christians were only going to church 1 to 2 times a

month.

a) You cannot fulfil what God says we need here and only come once or

twice a month. In other words, you cannot be spiritually healthy, not

engaging with other believers, giving and receiving encouragement from

each other both to keep coming and gathering with the body and

encouragement for life in these tough days.

b) Especially in these days when the soon return of Christ is becoming

more and more evident this passage is saying that other believers, the

church needs you even more!

7. I love what my friend Sam Hamstra about why people need to be back in

church – “in the Sunday service we employ many spiritual disciplines that

complement and expand upon our private spiritual disciplines. When we

gather we worship the Lord and pray together with others, we fellowship with

others, we do communion together, we can serve one another, we teach one

another, and we encourage one another”

• So

III. How can we reboot

A. Start with the shutting down and the clearing out of all the stuff that is bogging

down our hearts – confession clears that away and allows us to experience the

freshness of a clear conscience.

B. Restart – this week I want you to practice three things:

1. Be intentional to set time aside to pray. Call or get face to face with one

other believer and pray with them

2. Meditate on and praise God for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory

of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ and the great kingdom He will set

up. In light of that, consider the necessity of today’s events to lead up to

that.

3. Reach out to at least one other believer this week whom you could

encourage. Listen, encourage, remind of God’s truth, and just bless

them somehow.

C. This is God’s wisdom of what we need to reboot back to. Let’s start with a time

of asking the Lord to search our hearts for anything that needs to be confessed!