Hebrews 10 Falling into the Hands of the Living God

Hebrews 10:26-39

We are moving back into another warning here, a danger of drawing back and running from grace and the once and for all sacrifice of Christ for sinners.

Verse 26 - Sinning willfully… Refusing to repent of sins and living a lifestyle of sin indicates the reality of the heart.

Don’t we all sin? Yes. But do we all practice repentance and faith? No. Some people wrestle with sin. Some people live in sin without any signs of repentance… Which reveals the heart.

This needs to be understood in our day. This needs to be clear. Lifestyle indicates the heart.

1 John 3:4-9 - Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness… No one who abides in Christ continues on sinning (practicing a lifestyle of sin).

1 Cor. 6:9-11 - None of those who practice these lifestyles will enter into the kingdom of God. (And this is where we all were… but we have been washed, sanctified, and justified.

Gal. 5:19-21 - Those who do such things (practice these lifestyles) will not inherit the Kingdom of God. These are lifestyles ruled by the flesh… not of the Spirit.

Matthew 7:23 - Jesus will say to religious people one day, “Depart from Me I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” They could preach, witness, and cast out devils… But they themselves had demon faith.

When we hear the Gospel commands… What do we hear? “Now everyone repeat this prayer after me…?” No.

“It is repent, and believe. Repent and trust. Believe on the lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.”

It is repentance and faith.

But what does genuine faith look like?

Genuine faith is marked by repentance (sorrow, brokenness over sins and a turning from sin to Christ), and we see fruits of repentance (humility, love, compassion, kindness, joy, peace, victory over sinful patterns and so on).

A heart that has been turned… turns a life.

Now: Jesus explains that people will respond to the Gospel in different ways:

Matthew 13 - The Parable of the Soils captures the spiritual reality: That there is only one out of the four seeds that produces fruit... to various yields.

There will be lives/hearts that are hardened; some will be intellectually stimulated, and they might get excited and show signs of enlightenment… but in the end… The Gospel is not fruitful in their lives, and they turn away.

Some will get choked out by the weeds of worldliness… When struggles come, they will run away. When trials come, money issues come… They will run from Christ.

And what is our Biblical answer to those who were in our circles, and in our churches, that did this or do this?

1 John 2:19 - They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us… but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.

They show that they were not Christians, born again, to begin with. They prove that their faith was false. They are choosing to reject Christ by word, by action, or both.

What is our response: James 5:19 - Try to turn them back. Jude 23 - Try to pull them from the fire...

But if they keep on going...

What is left for them? Hebrews 10:27 - A certain, dreadful expectation of judgement, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries...

Wrath/hell is coming to them.

Matthew 13:41-42 - And the Son of Man will send out His angels and they will gather all who practice lawlessness and they will be cast into the furnace… where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 25:41 - in the judgment, the King will say to the unrighteous: “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels...”

Hebrews 10:28-29 - Rejecting the Law of Moses is one thing, and that will lead to death on the testimony of two or three witnesses...

But those who trample the blood of Christ under their feet… Those who treat Christ and His life as common, and disgrace Him… For those who kill the Son of God and never repents...

What is going to happen to that person?

Hebrews 10:30-31 - It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. God says, “Vengeance is Mine, and I will repay, says the Lord.”

The wrath of God is coming.

And we say, “Oh sinner, please fall into the Hands of Christ and seek forgiveness while forgiveness can be found. Humble yourselves before Him, repent, turn to Christ in faith and then you may feel the hands of the Heavenly Father...”

Psalm 2:12 - Kiss the Son of God, lest He be angry and you perish from the way… Blessed are those who put their trust in Him and take refuge in Him...

Do it not... and you will fall into the Hands of the angry Judge of the universe… This is a fearful thing!

And for those who knew the truth… and turned away from it… Luke 12:47 - The servant who knew the Master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating… Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required… The punishment will be greater!

Now: Let’s pause and ask the question - Why do Hebrew churches, why do groups of professing Christians… need to be warned like this?

Do we need to examine ourselves? Do we need to check ourselves? Does everyone take this seriously?

True believers are called to holiness, to persevere. Philippians 2:12 - We are called to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. We do not want to dishonor the Father, Son, and or grieve the Holy Spirit… And all professing Christians need to examine their lives and walk in a worthy manner.

False believers need to stop pretending and repent. They need to look at their lives and be honest with themselves and with God, and turn to Him before it is too late...

And this is the reality: There are true believers and false believers in every group of professing believers.

That is why, even in the local church, there is a need to preach and teach in such a way that we connect with the true believer and the unbeliever.

We must call the unbeliever to repent and believe, and we must call the true believer to repent and grow up in the things of Christ.

Now: In this last section of chapter 10, verses 32-39, there is a shift towards encouragement, after giving this warning.

Verses 39 - But we are not of those who draw back to destruction, but believe to the saving of the soul.

Verse 32 - Recall/Remember/Think back and reconstruct this in your mind...

“After you were illuminated/enlightened… you have endured great sufferings… You have persevered and are persevering… You have endured public reproach; people have taken from you… but you know that you have a better and an enduring possession in heaven...”

The author has confidence and applauds the endurance and the compassion that these professing Christians have...

“You know what you have in heaven and you are acting like it.”

The people do have confidence in Christ and in the promises that they have received… And Verse 35 - the author encourages them to continue in their confidence, which has great reward.

How can the believer go on without confidence?

Go back to Hebrews 10:19 - We have confidence… We have peace with God, and we are confident that we can stand before Him, worship Him, as a child of God...

We cannot go on and endure with confidence in our flesh, in our abilities, our brains… or… absolute confidence in other persons… No!

We need and must have an absolute confidence in the Lord.

Psalm 118:9 - “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord that to put confidence in princes.”

Our Christian self-confidence comes from our confidence in God’s Word and Character. We have confidence as Christians because it is He Who is working in us...

You need confidence in the Lord. We need to know… and to be sure about the Person of God, the Character of God, the Promises of God, the Work of God… We need the Helmet of salvation, the Shield of faith, the Sword of the Spirit, and the Breastplate of Righteousness.

We need the Anchor for our souls.

And the good news: You can have great confidence in the Lord forever, and ever, amen. We can have certainty and assurance today.

Because we know Him!

If we are willing to trust Him… We will have the rewards of confidence that will result in great strength, joy, and peace.

If we are willing to rest in Christ, there will be benefits and blessings for you, and whosoever will do the same.

Verse 36 - Christian: For you and I have need of endurance, so that after we have done the will of God, we may receive the promise...

We, as Christians, desire to endure to the end. We want to fight the good fight of faith and make it to the finish line… and run the race to win… with passion… with all that we have...

We have confidence of what?

We have confidence that Jesus is worth it. We have confidence that the Christian life is worth it. We have confidence that God is with us and that He will help us… And in the end… All the pain and suffering will be worth it.

Philippians 1:6 - For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

Psalm 138:8 - The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever...

Joshua 1:9 - The Lord is with me everywhere I go...

Romans 8:28 - I know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:18 - For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

We, as Christians, have a great confidence in the Lord, and it is what is needed for us to persevere and endure in this life.

Wrath and damning judgment is not in our future.

Our destiny is heaven, perfection, not perdition… not hell.

Verse 37 - Christ is coming back… Be confident in this.

You will not be disappointed on that day you see Him...

Live by faith… Live by the assurance you have in God through Christ. Live by the confidence and conviction you have in God.

This will please God, and we will endure until the end.