6/28/2026 ONE ANOTHER: A New and Living Way - Pastor Len Browning

The command to love one another is not left hanging in the air as a bare command. The fifty nine “one anothers” of the New Testament give shape to that love: bearing with one another, praying for one another, singing to one another, supporting, encouraging, greeting, honoring, and teaching. Hebrews 10 gives the power and the motivation for that kind of love by pointing straight to what Jesus has done.

The old covenant kept the people outside while one high priest entered the holy of holies once a year. The blood of animals covered sin for a time, year after year, but Jesus stepped into history as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” The curtain was torn from top to bottom when Jesus died, and that torn curtain said that the way into God’s presence had been opened. Christ, the great high priest, made a new and living way through his flesh.

Hebrews says, “let us draw near,” because believers now have direct access to God. The blood of Jesus gives full assurance, not a shaky maybe, and the Word and Spirit wash the heart clean. The Holy Spirit regenerates, fills, transfers from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of the Son, and keeps filling believers for the works of service God has prepared.

Hebrews also says, “let us hold fast.” The hope named there is not wishful thinking, not “maybe the Broncos will play professional football next year.” Biblical hope is a life shaping certainty about something that has not happened yet but absolutely will. Christ in the believer is the hope of glory, and that hope rests on God’s faithfulness, not human feelings, performance, or steadiness.

Hebrews then says, “let us consider.” That word is not casual thinking. It means planning, intending, getting serious about how to stir up one another to love and good works. The church is not trying to earn God’s favor by good deeds. The church is God’s workmanship, his poem, created in Christ Jesus for the good works already prepared.

The gathering of God’s people must not be abandoned or left for dead. When believers disconnect from the body, the loss is not private only, because the body itself is hurt. The Spirit is the Paraclete, the One called alongside, and the church is called alongside too. The Christian life is walked like a blind road with one hand in the Holy Spirit and the other hand in the body of Christ.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Direct access changes everything [29:58] The blood of Jesus does not merely improve religious life. Christ opens the holy place and makes ordinary believers priests of God. Prayer, worship, and nearness to God are no longer secondhand realities mediated by another human being, because the torn curtain declares that access has been purchased. [29:58]
• 2. Biblical hope is certainty [37:07] The hope of the gospel is not a spiritual version of “maybe.” Christ in the believer is the hope of glory, a life shaping certainty rooted in God’s promise. Feelings may wobble, obedience may be uneven, but the faithful God does not deny himself. [37:07]
• 3. Love requires intentional consideration [39:50] Hebrews does not call the church to vague goodwill. The word “consider” calls for careful thought, planning, and real attention to how another believer may be stirred toward love and good works. Christian encouragement becomes mature when it stops being accidental and starts becoming prayerful, specific, and embodied. [39:50]
• 4. Gathering is not optional isolation [43:09] Neglecting the gathering is described as abandoning or forsaking, not simply missing an event. The body of Christ is harmed when one member disconnects, because fellowship is part of how God keeps his people steady. Singing, teaching, sharing meals, serving, and living life together are not accessories to faith, but means of preservation. [43:09]
• 5. The Spirit and body come alongside [48:48] The Holy Spirit is the Comforter called alongside, and the church is also called alongside through encouragement. The Christian life is not walked by sight or self sufficiency. God steadies his people with one hand through his Spirit and with the other through brothers and sisters who pull them back when they drift.
  
  ** [48:48]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [22:51] - The One Anothers Show Love
• [24:02] - Power And Motivation To Love
• [24:53] - The Curtain Torn Open
• [27:10] - Hebrews 10 And The New Way
• [28:08] - Old Covenant Sacrifices
• [29:14] - Jesus The Final Lamb
• [29:58] - Draw Near With Assurance
• [31:16] - Washed By Word And Spirit
• [34:55] - Hold Fast To Hope
• [39:16] - Consider How To Stir Up
• [42:51] - Do Not Neglect Gathering
• [44:50] - Encouraging One Another
• [48:23] - Spirit And Body Alongside
• [52:16] - Citizenship In Heaven

Bible Reading

Hebrews 10:19-25
“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” [26:58]

John 1:29
“The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” [29:27]

Colossians 1:27
“To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” [37:34]

Ephesians 2:10
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” [41:54]

Observation questions

1. In Hebrews 10:19-25, what are the three “let us” commands, and what specific actions toward other believers show up in that passage? [26:47]
2. What pictures are used in Hebrews 10 to describe access to God, and how are “blood,” “the curtain,” and “the great priest” all connected? [24:53]
3. In John 1:29, what does John call Jesus, and how does that title connect with the repeated sacrifices described under the old covenant? [29:14]
4. What are some concrete examples of “one another” love that can be seen in the Christian life and gathered church life? [23:27]

Interpretation questions

1. Hebrews says believers can “draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.” What does that suggest about how Jesus has changed a believer’s relationship to God compared with standing far off or relying on someone else to go in for them? [29:58]
2. Hebrews says to “hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” How does that change the meaning of hope from a weak “maybe” into a settled confidence, and why does God’s faithfulness matter so much here? [37:07]
3. Hebrews does not just say to love one another, but to “consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.” What does that reveal about Christian love being intentional rather than accidental? [39:50]
4. Hebrews warns against neglecting to meet together and ties that to encouraging one another. Why might disconnecting from the body harm not only one person but the whole church? [43:18]

Application questions

1. Direct access to God has been opened by the blood of Jesus. What does drawing near to God actually look like in this season of life for each person here? Where has prayer, time in the Word, or quiet before God become weak or rushed? [30:55]
2. Christ in the believer is the hope of glory, and that hope rests on God’s faithfulness, not personal steadiness. Where is someone in the group tempted to base assurance on feelings, performance, or recent obedience instead of on Christ? [38:27]
3. Love for one another should be thoughtful and specific. Who has God already placed in each person’s mind to encourage, check on, pray for, or serve this week? What might it look like to act on that instead of leaving it as a good intention? [40:34]
4. Good works do not earn God’s favor; believers are already God’s workmanship, created for them. What kinds of good works seem to fit how God has shaped each person right now—at home, in the church, or in the community? [41:54]
5. Neglecting to meet together slowly turns into disconnection. Are there habits, disappointments, schedules, or private struggles that are pulling anyone away from the body? What would help re-engage in a real and honest way? [43:09]
6. Encouragement means coming alongside one another. When has someone else recently helped keep a person steady in faith, and where might that same kind of coming alongside be needed for someone else now? [44:50]
7. The Christian life is often walked like a blind road, with one hand in the Holy Spirit and the other in the body of Christ. In a practical sense, is anyone trying to walk alone right now? What would it look like to receive help instead of hiding the drift? [48:48]