We Are Of The Faith

REFLECTION VERSE:

Joshua 24:15–16 ESV

15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” 16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods,

SCRIPTURE READING:

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.

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Set up of Message

There are some things that light you up! Some crises, social injustice, misunderstanding, some lapse of “benefit of the doubt” that causes you to blow up!

And then…it can be easy for you to shrink back and be indistinguishable? How uncomfortable does your Christianity have to be before you find yourself warming your hands by the world’s fire like Peter in the gospel accounts, denying the Lord.

Why is that? What are the factors that cause us to stand or withdraw? What are the matters that matter most? What drives us?

Turn with me to Hebrews 10

We’re going to read several verses this morning with the hope of

recalibrating our identity,

reorienting our motivation, and

reexamining our filters for how and when we engage a dark and tasteless world that is crying out for the church’s light and salt of the Gospel!

Context

Great passage on Faith and its full assurance for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Text focus: v39

Hebrews 10:39 ESV

39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

Comments

I want us to hone in verse 39

This is a description of the child of God

shrink back - context is previous verses

when the struggle is strenuous (v32)

when our reputation is wrecked (v33)

when there are others believers suffering in plain sight (v33)

when our possessions are pilfered (v34)

and are destroyed - 

also translated:to destruction / and are lost / unto perdition

the picture here is clearly of those who are outside the faith

WE ARE OF THE FAITH

1. JESUS’ FOLLOWERS RUN TO THE ROAR

The normal, natural-man inclination is to run from the roar.  But we are not normal, we are peculiar.  We are not only natural, but have the super natural resurrection power of the person of the Holy Spirit alive within us.

2. JESUS’ FOLLOWERS RUN FOR JESUS; NOT A CAUSE

WE RUN TO THE ROAR…but not for a cause!

Jesus didn't die for a cause.  Jesus didn't die for a program.

Luke 19:10 ESV

10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Matthew 20:28 ESV

28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Matthew 16:24–26 ESV

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

"If anyone would come after me"

Matthew 4:19 ESV

19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

NOT Follow this method of evangelism, or this cause of rescuing the perishing

Though it may have been the rallying cry from days gone by, "Is there not a cause?"  there is something bigger than cause or program or ministry initiative or department or business unit or organization: it's bigger than the CAUSE OF CHRIST!  IT IS CHRIST HIMSELF!

Colossians 1:15–29 ESV

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. 21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister. 24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 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. 28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

[JESUS IS BETTER…HE IS WORTH ALL THAT!]

3. JESUS’ FOLLOWERS AREN’T LOOKING FOR A FIGHT; THEY’VE ALREADY WON!

Philippians 1:21 ESV

21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Zechariah 10:5 ESV

5 They shall be like mighty men in battle, trampling the foe in the mud of the streets; they shall fight because the Lord is with them, and they shall put to shame the riders on horses.

WE ARE NOT OF THOSE WHO SHRINK BACK

Shrinking back because of...

QUESTION TO YOU:

So what causes the shrinking back in your life?

Apathy - I would ask if you’ve been forgiven. Have you ever seen Christ as Savior and yourself as a wretched sinner in need of a savior? If you’ve been forgiven much - you love much.

Fear of loss - You’ve got too much to gain to lose.

Lack of clarity - TV won’t help you develop a Biblical worldview. Recreation won’t help you hear the voice of God. Social Media does not contain the wisdom you need for your life. The Internet is not an authority that will have a voice in the day of judgment. Get your face in this book…clarity will come!

Heavenbound - no need for me to engage! This is warped view of what it means to be a Christ follower. Jesus is calling us to follow Him, follow Him to a place of full surrender where we are willing to selflessly lay down our lives on the barbed wire of life for the sake of someone else - when there’s no one there to capture the moment for your new cover photo…THAT’S THE GOSPEL in the FLESH!

In v39 of Hebrews 10, I don’t see the battle cry of Gideon against the Midianites - not as a rallying cry to the frontline of battle…

I see it differently…

Walk with me a few miles northwest of Shiloh - where Abraham first received the promise of God concerning his seed and the land of Canaan. We arrive at a town at the southeastern shoulder of Mt. Ebal at a town in the center of western Palestine called Shechem.

It’s the place where Jacob stopped to bury the idols of his family; it’s one of the first altars built by Joshua for Yahweh as the Israelites were on the first leg of their Canaan conquest. There were stone pillars there that they had inscribed with the Law of God. Stand with me on the banks of this shoulder at this poignant farewell scene and hear Joshua cry out to the people for the last time:

Joshua 24:14–15 ESV

14 “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

The question isn’t so much who is going to fight as it is, God’s people should not be in the throws of an IDENTITY CRISIS - we should never mistaken for those who aren’t following Jesus!

Like Moses coming down from the mountain, crying out “Who is on the LORD’s side? (Exodus 32:26), Heaven is calling out to a world of darkness, These are on the LORD’s SIDE… WE ARE NOT OF THOSE WHO SHRINK BACK!  WE ARE OF THOSE WHO HAVE FAITH!

(Who Is On The Lord’s Side, 1877) Adapted Who is on the Lord’s side? Those who serve the King. Those who are His helpers, other lives to bring! We who’ve left the world’s side. Through Him we face the foe. Who is on the Lord’s side? Those who for Him will go!

Not for weight of glory, not for crown and palm,

…

but for Love that claimeth lives for whom He died:

…

Jesus, Thou hast bought us, not with gold or gem,

but with Thine own life-blood, for Thy diadem.

With Thy blessing filling each who comes to Thee.

Thou has made us willing; Thou hast made us free.

Fierce may be the conflict, strong may be the foe,

but the King’s own army none can overthrow.

Round His standard ranging, vict’ry is secure,

for His truth unchanging makes the triumph sure.

Refrain:

1. By Thy call of mercy, by Thy grace divine,

2. By Thy love constraining, by Thy grace divine,

3. By Thy grand redemption, by Thy grace divine,

4. Joyfully enlisting, by Thy grace divine,

WE ARE ON THE LORD’S SIDE—SAVIOR, WE ARE THINE!

We may be afflicted in every way, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down.  But we do not shrink back.  We are also not crushed, not driven to despair, not forsaken, and NOT DESTROYED!

We aren’t posting everything that pops into our mind! We aren’t jumping on the bandwagons of the social quagmire with a worldview that reeks of self-serving, self-preserving, self-exalting, self-delusions of grandeur! WE ARE OF THOSE WHO HAVE FAITH!

People who have faith, PRAY!

People who are saved by faith, WORSHIP THE ONE TRUE AND LIVING GOD!

People who are in the faith, LOVE THE CHURCH - THE COMMUNITY WITH OTHER BELIEVERS!

People who are of the faith, ENDEAVOR TO PUT OTHERS FIRST!

People who live by faith, DO GOOD AND NOT HARM!

People who walk by faith, DO NOT SHRINK BACK!

when the struggle is strenuous

when our reputation is wrecked

when there are others believers suffering in plain sight

when our possessions could be pilfered

WE ARE OF THOSE WHO HAVE HAVE FAITH! THE FAITH! WHOSE AUTHOR AND FINISHER IS THE ONE TRUE HIGH AND HOLY GOD! THAT’S WHERE OUR EYES ARE - THAT’S WHY WE RUN…

CALL TO RESPOND

LOST

Friends, I just have to ask you to examine yourself and see whether or not you're in THE FAITH. (That phrase comes from Paul’s final warning to a church…he says, “test yourselves”).

Are you following Jesus or yourself?

Are you caught up in Him or anything BUT Him?

Do you have anything above God’s rightful place in your life?

If you haven’t yet repented of that sinfulness, and put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ who was crucified on a criminal’s cross for our sin and shame, buried in a tomb because he was dead, and raised to life on the third day…and is ENOUGH /

CHRIST IS ENOUGH for every aspect of fulfillment in your life, but more than that - he’s the only person who is qualified to be the “way” to your eternal home in Heaven with the Father.

If you haven’t come to Jesus yet as a sinner, you can’t come as a saint. Surrender your life right now to the King.

CHRISTIAN

Whom are you identifying with? Those who shrink back…or those who are of the faith?

I would ask you to do the same thing…examine yourself.

Could anyone consistently mistake you as being outside the faith?

not talking about the golf course (or maybe I am)

workplace? campus? browser histories? in the things you can’t stop thinking of

we all stumble bumble and fumble…BUT We are not of those who shrink back unto destruction…

He’s given you everything you need to live a godly life

2 Peter 1:3 ESV

3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,

HAVE JULIA PLAY 1 VERSE AND CHORUS OF COMMUNION HYMN.

LET’S PRAY

Recalibrating our identity - we are all your creation, but only the redeemed are your children. Help us to walk as the people of light, love, and faith.

Reorienting our motivation - we run for you! Not a cause! Passion alone will not sustain us, Love will not build a bridge that lasts, Human need alone will not fuel our tanks in a way that brings you the glory and honor - remind us that You alone sustain us…we exist for your pleasure; we are most satisfied when you are most glorified.

and Reexamining our filters for how we engage, when we engage - we need a fresh touch from your Holy Spirit for both our senses and our obedience - so that we’ll be known by our fruits, our love, and your Word alive in us.

We acknowledge this morning that it is your power alone that can impress on us a sense of divine things, and can render that sense lasting and effectual. Do it Lord…for your sake and for your glory!