Don’t Quit

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Hymn of Preparation #

†CALL TO WORSHIP Hebrews 11:6

Pastor Austin Prince

Minister: We are here to worship God!

Congregation: We come in faith, because without faith it is impossible to please him. We come seeking an audience with God, because he is a rewarder of those who seek him.

†PRAYER OF ADORATION AND INVOCATION

O Lord our God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. You alone are worthy of our worship for you are the one true and living God. Your purpose will be established and you accomplished all your good pleasure. Your mercies are great. You are compassionate and gracious; you so loved the world that you sent your only begotten son that whoever believes should not perish. Remember your promise to meet with your people when they have gathered in your name. Draw near to us as we draw near to you. We praise your unfailing love Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

†OPENING HYMN OF PRAISE #286

“Let Us Love and Sing and Wonder”

†CONFESSION OF SIN & ASSURANCE OF PARDON Romans 12:1-2, Ephesians 1:7-14

Minister: Christians, we are called not to be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewal of our minds. He has given us the Holy Spirit, and, by testing, we may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Congregation: But many times, and in a variety of ways, we have failed to discern and failed to do God’s will. We have much to confess.

Pastoral Prayer of Confession

Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known,

and from whom no secrets are hidden—cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, so that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

(Book of Common Prayer 1552)

Assurance of Pardon

Minister: Christians, in him we have redemption through his blood.

Congregation: In him we have the forgiveness of our sins, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight, making known to us the mystery of his will. In him we have obtained an inheritance, according to the purpose of him, who works all things according to the counsel of his will. When we heard the word of truth, the gospel of our salvation, and believed in him, we were sealed with the Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it. All to the praise of his glory, amen!

CONTINUAL READING OF SCRIPTURE

Numbers 27:12-28:8 Elder Steven Hoffer

THE OFFERING OF TITHES AND OUR GIFTS

CONGREGATIONAL PRAYERS

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

†HYMN OF PREPARATION #243

“How Firm a Foundation”

SERMON Hebrews 10:32-39 // Don’t Quit

PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION

Blessed are you, God of all creation. You spoke in the beginning and all things came to be. You spoke, and your word came to dwell among us, full of grace and truth. Bless this place where we would hear your voice. As the word is spoken, may our ears be attuned to you. As the word is spoken, may you speak to us.

TEXT HEBREWS 10:32-39

Hebrews 10:32–39 ESV

32 But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, 33 sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. 34 For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. 35 Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. 37 For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; 38 but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” 39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

AFTER SCRIPTURE

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.

INTRO

Giving up and throwing in the towel after a long effort is tragic.

Maybe you can imagine an athlete, a runner, who has endured for mile after mile, but as the race nears the end, he starts to falter, and quits just shy of the finish line.

Or, think of the tragedy when this happens in a marriage. There are years of investment. You keep going, perhaps for the kids, but love has been low. You stop appreciating, you stop gratitude, you stop loving and hoping. You don’t believe that God will do anything, and so you give up.

This text is a call for endurance. It comes on the heels of the great warning that we heard last week—that those who presume upon Christ, those who have such a marvelous Redeemer and yet flatter themselves by thinking that they can love their sin and indulge in sin while seeking shelter under the cross, must not expect anything but judgment.

In view of last weeks charge not to apostatize in this way, this week is how to endure and to hold on.

I think we feel that tension. Like that runner who is exhausted and doesn’t see the point anymore will find it easy to indulge his flesh — to stop and to seek rest somewhere else. Or that marriage that has lost hope and perspective on what it has and what it is and all of the grace will fall prey to fear and doubt and quits.

So, too, the Christian must be charged to not lose perspective. To not turn to cynicism and doubt and fear.

So again, this is a charge to hold on, to stay in the race, and to endure.

How do we keep going?

Outline

Looking back and looking forward

Looking Back

“But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings,” (Hebrews 10:32, ESV)

Recall the former days

Think back on those early days of your salvation and recall just how much work Christ has done in your life. Meditate upon it, not letting that memory fade into something that has become commonplace, but remember how extraordinary are the effects of the gospel.

In the book of Revelation there is a warning to the church at Ephesus that they had fallen exactly into this kind of apathy and forgetfulness.

Revelation 2:4–5 ESV

4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.

Remember from where you have fallen — which can be both an encouragement and a warning.

Look at how much Christ has done in your life. And…

Maybe you had a rich love for the word of God then, but not so much now.

Maybe you were eager for repentance, but not so much now.

Perhaps a helpful image is that of the Exodus. They saw God’s deliverance in an amazing way as the parted the sea and led them to safety, but now walking in the wilderness seems exhausting and that zeal that I had for God’s control and plans has fallen to doubt and grumbling.

3 specific ways to look back with joy and hope:

Suffering

“But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated.” (Hebrews 10:32–33, ESV)

For the Hebrews, belief in the gospel came with a public cost. Some were publically reproached and afflicted, but they endured. There was a zeal for Christ that considered it more gain to suffer than to give up.

Essentially, the writer is encouraging them to not give up. They have come so far and endured so much already. Look back on all the grace and goodness.

Think of that image of the faltering marriage. Sometimes you need to gather the wedding album and look back. You need to recall the grace of leaving father and mother and giving yourself over to loving another. Suffering was easy then. Love covered a multitude of sins. But no so much now; we have forgotten about that.

Perhaps for us, we don’t look back and remember heavy suffering and persecution in the same way, but we can look back and see that obedience and repentance came with more zeal. You became a Christian and you had to cut ties with some of the friendships that you had (some of you teenagers are in this season right now), or you gave up habits of drinking or pornography or all the grand plans that you made for yourself gave way to a news decisions

The things mentioned here are both an encouragement and a warning. An encouragement to see what you once had and to be filled with gratitude—to have perspective on all that God has done in your life. But it’s also a warning to those who have drifted.

Maybe for you, suffering isn’t a badge you wear with pride as you anticipate God refining you. Maybe suffering for you right now just seems like suffering.

And suffering is when people leave.

Look back. Recall the former days. Don’t grow cynical.

Loving Others

“sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, ….” (Hebrews 10:33–34, ESV)

The Hebrews’ situation:

Perhaps for us…

Joyful hope

“sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.” (Hebrews 10:33–34, ESV)

The Hebrews’ situation:

Flipping the script on tragedy — our hope and joy and treasure is where moth and rust cannot destroy

Perhaps for us…

Growing in cynicism instead of joy

But faith is the beginning, middle and future of the christian life

Don’t Throw That Confidence Away

“For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.” (Hebrews 10:34–35, ESV)

Being able to let go of what we cling to here and now.

Don’t throw away that zeal and faith. Don’t throw away the way you used to hope in Christ. Don’t throw away that anticipation of His grace.

Looking Forward

Need for Endurance:

“For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.”” (Hebrews 10:36–38, ESV)

What I have now might not seem like much — it used to.

What I once loved has become tired and difficult.

What I long for and hope for seems so far off.

Looking Forward

“so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.”

“Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith

Faith works in the medium of time. What faith often looks like is waiting well.

God’s stories always end well. But they sometimes span decades and generations.

Our reward is Christ. Our hope is not in a thing, just like last week when I preached that rejection of the gospel is not a thing — it’s trampling underfoot the son of God. Our hope is in a person. Our hope is in Christ.

He whose hands were pierced for you are the same hands that uphold the world and hold the future.

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16–18, ESV)

“and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.”

Abandoning Christ

God does not look fondly at doubt. It is a sin.

Don’t shrink back!

It’s like not letting that marriage grow cold.

Where are the places where we are tempted to do that?

Really apply here to what hoping in God looks like in practical life (marriage, singleness, ambitions, etc….)

Stir one another up - consider how and consider who

Dad and Mom, this is what you are here for.

Conclusion

“But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.” (Hebrews 10:39, ESV)

Confidence about those the writer is writing to.

In the Christian life, it’s not a race that has to be won ahead of others. It’s not about who does the best; it’s about finishing at all. And we have need of endurance. We have need of encouragement.

Don’t quit.

PSALM OF RESPONSE #27A

“The Lord’s My Light”

THE MINISTRY OF THE LORD’S SUPPER

Minister: Lift up your hearts!

Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord.

Minister: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

Congregation: It is right for us to give thanks and praise!

THE WORDS OF INSTITUTION Mark 14:22-25

Hear Jesus’ words as he offers the supper to his disciples:

And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it.

And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

CONFESSION OF FAITH Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A’s 75, 80

Minister: Christians, what do you believe about these words?

Congregation: By these words our Lord commands all believers to eat this broken bread and to drink this cup in true faith and in the confident hope of his return in glory.

In this supper God declares to us that our sins have been completely forgiven through the one sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which he himself finished on the cross once for all. He also declares to us that the Holy Spirit grafts us into Christ, who with his very body is now in heaven at the right hand of the Father, where he wants us to worship him.

Minister: Let us worship him together. Be seated.

INVITATION TO THE LORD’S TABLE The Lord has prepared this table for all who love him and trust in him alone for their salvation. It is for those who belong to Christ through repentance, faith, baptism, and abiding union with his Church.

“O taste and see that the LORD is good; happy are those who take refuge in him.” Let’s pray.

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING Minister: Lord, our God, send your Holy Spirit so that this bread and cup may be for us the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. May we and all your saints be united with Christ and remain faithful in hope and love. Gather your whole church, O Lord, into the glory of your kingdom. We pray in the name of Jesus, Amen.

DISTRIBUTION OF THE ELEMENTS [Ask elders to distribute the trays].

Does everyone have what they need?

SHARING OF THE LORD’S SUPPER

As the Lord Jesus has commanded us, take, eat and drink, remember, believe, and proclaim.

†OUR RESPONSE #234

Tune: The God of Abraham Praise

The whole triumphant host gives thanks to God on high;

“Hail, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!” they ever cry.

Hail, Abraham’s God and mine! I join the heav’nly lays;

all might and majesty are thine, and endless praise.

†BENEDICTION: GOD’S BLESSING FOR HIS PEOPLE

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” (Romans 15:13, ESV)

Grace Notes Reflection

Hebrews 10:32-39 calls us to perseverance by looking backward and forward. When we “recall the former days,” we find both encouragement and a gentle warning. Reflecting on the past shows us how far we’ve come in Christ. We see the paths we’ve walked to follow Jesus, the friends and opportunities gained or lost, and the sins we’ve turned from in repentance. The message is clear: Look at your progress. Don’t give up now. Hold on to Jesus.

Yet looking back can also stir a caution. Perhaps you notice a zeal or confidence that’s starting to fade. Maybe the Word of God and the church once felt like nourishment for your soul, but now they seem routine, more ritual than joy. Reflection reorients us, filling us with gratitude, perspective, and the strength to endure.

We’re also called to look forward in faith, trusting that the “coming one will come” (Heb. 10:37). Our hope rests not in an idea but in a person—Jesus, our Great High Priest. The hands pierced for us are the same hands that hold the world. He will not fail to fulfill His will, nor will He disappoint those who wait for Him in faith. He who promised is faithful.

Life often brings challenges that cloud our perspective or breed disappointment. The joys we once cherished can fade amid time and trials. Yet this is where worship, shepherding, and church membership stir us to love, good deeds, and steadfastness. We’re reminded that shrinking back is not an option for the Christian—our faith is meant to endure.

This week, consider how you can encourage someone toward perseverance. Take a specific step: write a letter, send a text, make a call, or start a conversation.

Pause to reflect on your past. Praise God for your growth and, if needed, repent where you’ve drifted from your first love.

And fix your eyes on the future. Spend time this week meditating on Christ’s character and the certainty of His promises. Let your heart be refreshed by the hope of His return. Fill your heart with a deep drink of heaven.