Do Not Shrink Back
Notes
Transcript
Text: Hebrews 10:19–39
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.
For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
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. 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. 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.”
But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.
INTRODUCTION
There are moments in life that quietly pass.
And there are moments that change everything.
This is one of those moments.
What we are witnessing today is not just a personal decision. It is not just a spiritual milestone. It is not just a symbolic act.
This is history-altering.
For generations, this family has walked in one direction. For generations, there has been a certain understanding of God, of life, of identity.
And today, that direction changes.
Today, a new story begins.
Not because they figured life out.
Not because they found a better philosophy.
But because they have come to know a person.
Jesus Christ.
And that is exactly the kind of moment the book of Hebrews speaks into.
SETTING THE CONTEXT (WEAVED IN)
The people who first received Hebrews were standing in a similar kind of moment.
Many of them had grown up in a system. A way of life. A way of approaching God that had shaped their families for generations.
And now, because of Jesus, everything had changed.
To follow Christ meant stepping out of what was familiar.
It meant redefining identity.
It meant facing misunderstanding.
It meant, at times, real cost.
And so the great temptation was this:
Step back. Stay quiet. Blend in.
And into that moment, Hebrews speaks with clarity:
Do not shrink back.
POINT 1: JESUS HAS OPENED THE WAY. SO DRAW NEAR (vv. 19–25)
“Since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus…”
This is the foundation of everything.
Hebrews has spent chapter after chapter showing that Jesus is not just another religious figure.
He is the fulfillment of everything that came before.
The priesthood, the sacrifices, the temple, all of it was pointing to him.
And now, because of his death, something radical has happened.
Access to God is open.
Not partial. Not temporary. Not for a select few.
Open.
So the author says:
Draw near.
Hold fast.
Encourage one another.
To those being baptized:
This is what you are doing today.
You are drawing near to God through Jesus, not quietly, but publicly.
You are saying, “I am no longer defined by what came before. I am now defined by Christ.”
And for your family, this is not a small shift.
This is not a minor adjustment.
This is a new foundation.
A new identity.
A new direction.
A new future.
And that takes courage.
POINT 2: DO NOT TURN BACK (vv. 26–31)
Hebrews does not pretend this is easy.
In fact, it speaks directly to the temptation that comes after a moment like this.
The temptation to soften things.
To quiet things.
To slowly drift back.
And the warning is clear:
If you walk away from Jesus, there is nowhere else to go.
Because everything this book has argued is this:
Jesus is not one option among many.
He is the reality that everything else pointed to.
To turn away from him is not to return to something equal. It is to walk away from the only true way to God.
To those being baptized:
You have already felt some of this.
You knew that stepping into this moment could bring misunderstanding. Maybe even disappointment from those you love.
And yet you stepped forward anyway.
That is not small.
That is not casual.
That is faith.
And Hebrews speaks into that moment and says:
Do not turn back.
Not when it feels heavy.
Not when conversations get difficult.
Not when it costs you something.
Because Jesus is worth it.
POINT 3: THIS IS A LIFE OF ENDURANCE (vv. 32–39)
The author then says something powerful.
“Remember the former days…”
Remember when you first believed.
Remember when you endured.
When you stood firm.
When your faith was visible.
And then he says:
“You have need of endurance.”
Because following Jesus is not just about this moment.
It is about every moment that follows.
It is about continuing.
And then comes this defining line:
“We are not of those who shrink back… but of those who have faith.”
That is identity language.
This is who we are now.
Not people who retreat when it gets hard.
But people who trust Jesus and keep going.
APPLICATION TO THE BAPTISM
Let me speak directly to you.
Today is not just a step.
It is a declaration that reshapes your story.
It reaches backward into generations.
And it reaches forward into generations yet to come.
Because what begins here does not end here.
This is how new legacies start.
And Hebrews 10 is calling you into something deeper than just a moment.
It is calling you into a life.
A life where you keep going.
Where you trust Jesus when it is easy.
And when it is hard.
When people understand.
And when they do not.
Do not shrink back.
APPLICATION TO THE CHURCH
Church, we are not just watching this.
We are part of it.
Hebrews was written to a community, not just individuals.
“Encourage one another… all the more…”
That means we now step in.
We support.
We walk alongside.
We remind them of the gospel when things get hard.
Because endurance is not a solo effort.
It is a community calling.
APPLICATION TO NON-CHRISTIANS
If you are here today and you are not yet following Jesus, this moment is for you too.
Because what you are seeing is not just emotional.
It is not just cultural.
It is not just symbolic.
It is conviction.
These are real people making a real decision about what is true.
And Hebrews presses this question:
If Jesus really is who he says he is, what will you do?
Because there is no neutral place to stand.
CONCLUSION + TRANSITION TO BAPTISM
Hebrews gives us two paths:
Shrink back.
Or endure in faith.
Today, you are seeing a choice.
A courageous, costly, history-altering choice.
To follow Jesus.
To step forward.
Not backward.
And as they go into the water, you are seeing a picture of that reality.
Buried with Christ.
Raised with Christ.
Walking forward with Christ.
So let’s celebrate this moment for what it is.
Not small.
Not private.
Not temporary.
But the beginning of a new story.
And a declaration to the world:
We are not those who shrink back, but those who believe.
