What Do Others See?

The story I’m going to share may or may not be true, but it was told at a concert and was passed on for publication. It is about an individual who was a Navy SEAL.

He was performing a covert operation, freeing hostages from a building in some dark part of the world. The team was flown in by helicopter, made their way to the compound and stormed into the room where the hostages had been imprisoned for months. The room was filthy and dark. The hostages were curled up in a corner, terrified. When the SEALs entered the room, they heard the gasps of the hostages. They stood at the door and called to the prisoners, telling them they were Americans. The SEALs asked the hostages to follow them, but the hostages wouldn’t. They sat there on the floor and hid their eyes in fear. They were not of healthy mind and didn’t believe their rescuers were really Americans.

The SEALs stood there, not knowing what to do. They couldn’t possibly carry everybody out. One of the SEALs got an idea. He put down his weapon, took off his helmet, and curled up tightly next to the other hostages, getting so close his body was touching some of theirs. He softened the look on his face and put his arms around them. He was trying to show them he was one of them. None of the prison guards would have done this. He stayed there for a little while until some of the hostages started to look at him, finally meeting his eyes. The Navy SEAL whispered that they were American and were there to rescue them. Will you follow us? he said. The hero stood to his feet and one of the hostages did the same, then another, until all of them were willing to go. The story ends with all the hostages safe on an American aircraft carrier.

Many people never like it when somebody says that we have to follow Jesus. Sometimes they would make Jesus sound angry. But I liked the idea of Jesus becoming man, so that we would be able to trust Him, and I like that He healed people and loved them and cared deeply about how people were feeling.

When we understand that the decision to follow Jesus was very much like the decision the hostages had to make to follow their rescuer, we knew then that we needed to decide whether or not we would follow Him. The decision was simple once we asked ourselves some questions. Is Jesus the Son of God, are we being held captive in a world run by Satan, a world filled with brokenness, and do I believe Jesus can rescue me from this condition?

I like that story about the Navy SEAL, true or not. I like to think of Jesus as my rescuer becoming like me, crouching beside me in my brokenness, putting his arm around my shoulder, and asking me to follow Him. That is what those who don’t know Jesus as their Savior are desiring, even if they don’t yet realize it.

Live in such a way that those who aren’t saved, would want to become a follower of Jesus Christ.

Show What You Are - 6.9

Eloquence nor education will cause an unbeliever to necessarily consider the claims of Jesus Christ. Sometimes, it is simply living as a Christian, in a world that is topsy-turvy, that gets the attention of those who are still holding onto the old ways or any other way besides Jesus.

Hebrews 6:9 NASB95

But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way.

Whenever we read the word beloved in the New Testament, it is always used in reference to believers in Jesus Christ. So we know that this portion of the author’s letter is meant for Christians to heed. In these verses, the author is talking about things that accompany salvation, that which takes place in the life of a saved individual. Last time, he was writing about the information that is part of the message about salvation. This letter, we can assume, was read by both those who were saved, as well as those who knew the information, but had not yet experienced salvation.

So the author is offering words of encouragement and challenge to fellow believers, in that he recognized in them the traits of those who truly belonged to Jesus. As a result, he is encouraging them to be the examples they ought to be, so that the unbelievers that they knew, would be challenged to see what they were doing and how they were living and want to become like them; which meant that they were to live so that others would want to turn their lives over to Jesus Christ.

What were those things that accompany salvation which the author referenced? We have already read about the negative things that showed that many of the others who had heard the message had not chosen to go to the next step. For example, the unsaved were marked by immaturity, a desire for a shallowness of teaching and preaching (milk), knowledge about righteousness while not really practicing it, repentance that only went so far, etc.

However, those who were saved were recognized as people who showed the positive side of being truly born again. Their focus was on Jesus. Who they were was known, not by any religious practices they performed, but by following Jesus and living for His glory. They were indeed indwelt by the Holy Spirit, not just knowing about Him. They were a part of God working in them and through them, digging deeper into God’s Word, applying it to their lives.

Just like when we listen to a reprimand in a group, we often find ourselves wondering if the person speaking is talking to u. These Hebrew Christians were possibly wondering the same thing. That would seem to be the reason for the author to say, though we are speaking in this way. Though the exhortation and reprimands and warnings about the unbelievers were sent to them and they were reading it, it had to be this way, since the unbelievers were in the very midst of this group.

Last time we talked, you might remember the example of the wheat and the tares/cheat. The Bible reminds us in various places, that possessing Christians and those who merely profess are often in the same churches, the same communities, etc. It is always going to be this way until the Lord calls the Church home to be with Him. You and I cannot fully discern the difference, but God can. The only real times that the church should exercise judgment and expel someone from the church is when an individual is intentionally teaching heresy or is living an intentional life of sin and immorality with no repentance. And it seems that this often applies to a believer who has backslidden and is in a state of rebellion. Even then, the intent is that a person repent and be restored. We cannot remove somebody from the church simply because we don’t think they’re saved. We don’t know the heart.

John MacArthur paraphrases this last part this way: Beloved, I do not say these hard things because they apply to all of you. They do not. But there are some among you who very much need this warning.

Secure As to Whose You Are - 6.10

This is not so much of a challenge, but rather to be an encouragement. Even for the strongest of Christians, life has a way of throwing so much at you, it can become discouraging. That is why we need to remember to Whom we belong.

Hebrews 6:10 NASB95

For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.

I am so grateful to know that my name is written in the Lamb’s book of life, aren’t you? I also am reminded that God is not like me in that He can forget things. He cannot forget that I am His child. Neither will He forget those things I have done for His glory. Yet, I understand the feelings that many experience regarding their salvation and the assurance of their salvation. Billy Graham stated that early in his ministry, he wrestled with whether or not he was genuinely saved. Upon studying the last chapter of 1 John, he realized that he was saved, for he had accepted the Son.

Whoever has the Son has life.

Whenever a warning, reprimand, or rebuke is given, it is natural to second-guess oneself, especially if you have a sensitive nature. We even have an example in the Old Testament of this sort of fear in the book of Malachi.

Malachi 3:16–17 NASB95

Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who esteem His name. “They will be Mine,” says the Lord of hosts, “on the day that I prepare My own possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.”

In the very next chapter, after God issues another warning through Malachi, we read:

Malachi 4:2 NASB95

“But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.

What a blessing to not have to worry if we are truly found in Jesus Christ. By the way, it’s not based upon your faith or my faith. It’s based on Who God is; He alone is sovereign and His faithfulness is what gives us our security.

Please understand that the author is not suggesting that works can save a person. Neither do works keep a person saved. However, if a person is genuinely saved, then it is only natural that they will be involved in doing good works. Remember how James tells us that our faith is seen by our works. We see this from the teachings of Jesus, from Paul’s commendation to the Thessalonian Christians, as well as other places.

What are some of these works? One might not really be thought of as works but is a natural proof of a person’s salvation. That is love towards other Christians. Here, the author also states love . . . towards His Name. If whatever we do, we do for God’s glory, then we are showing that love . . . towards His Name. This is actually what enables us to love our brothers and sisters in Christ. We would not naturally do this, unless we truly loved God. Brothers and sisters, if you want to do great things for the Lord, you and I must greatly love the Lord. If we love His Name, then we will want to do all that God wants us to do, for His glory.

As I thought through this, I realized that in and of myself, I don’t really love people, harsh as that may sound. I am quite content to be by myself. If I didn’t belong to Jesus Christ, I probably would have been content to be all alone, being with people only when I had to be. But you know what I realized? I love Jesus. I love the Lord. As a result, I love people. I want others to experience the joy in knowing Jesus that I have experienced. How amazing is that?

That’s what we see in Hebrews in these verses. These Hebrew Christians loved the Lord and they were busy serving each other. It has been said that the more we love God, the more we will want to do His will. And this should continue until the day we leave this planet.

We might wonder how do we specifically minister . . . to the saints? Obviously, through using the spiritual gifts which God has given us. We read about them in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4, and 1 Peter 4. However, please know that spiritual gifts are to be used for the glory of God. They are not intended to be used for ourselves. We use our gifts, (given by God at His discretion, not ours), not to prove anything, but to show our love for the Lord in our service to Him.

We also minister by just being responsible Christians. Prayer is not a spiritual gift, but it is a tool which every single believer needs to use in lifting up other Christians, as well as praying for the unsaved that they might experience salvation. Sometimes, we are called upon to encourage, exhort, rebuke, forgive, give . . . All of these things should be done because of our love for the Lord. Remember that everything you do, anything you do, for the glory of God, is truly ministry.

Of course, the author is referring to the fact that this is done for the benefit of the saints. Everyone who truly belongs to Jesus Christ is considered a saint, though we often might act more like Saint Bernards. The author is not speaking of Christians who are super-saints, or who seemingly have their act together. He is speaking of everyone who is genuinely born again.

Surrender Where You Are - 6.11-12

This last challenge is not for the believers, but for those who need to become Christians.

Hebrews 6:11–12 NASB95

And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

In these last verses, the author is writing specifically to those who may have thought they were Christians, but were not because they had chosen not to surrender their lives to Christ. They were those who preferred the ways of Judaism and were willing to take their chances on salvation. What the author is pleading with them is that they would actually pay attention to the true believers and imitate them. But it’s not just imitation for its own sake, but imitation in that they would actually become Christians themselves. Simply put, in combination with all that has been written, the author is pleading that they not wait until it’s too late for their eternal souls.

This is seen with the use of the word diligence. The hope was that they would be eager and would quickly act. There are those even today that suggest that coming to salvation in Christ is a lengthy process. It is not. It is a simple act of faith; a decision of the will to accept what is being offered through what Jesus did at Calvary. The answer is either no or yes. A person dare not put off such an incredibly important, life-transforming decision.

The author of Hebrews furthers the idea of quickly getting to that point of receiving Jesus as Savior in verse 12 by using the word sluggish. This word carries somewhat of an insulting meaning in that it pictures someone who is dull. Even a person who may not forthrightly say no and reject the gospel message outright, simply by putting it off or delaying, is the same as saying no. Often I will ask the question, Is there any good reason why you would not choose to let Jesus be your Savior and Lord right now? If a person cannot say anymore than, they’re just not ready, I remind them that we never know when the last opportunity comes for us to make that decision.

Summary

Loving one another is not a suggestion. It is an expectation that a believer is expected to fulfill. If one doesn’t love his brothers and sisters in Christ, it is questionable whether that person is a true believer. It is also highly unlikely that we will make a positive impression on those who are unsaved.

We also need to have a love for those who are lost without Jesus; the type of love that caused Jesus to weep over those who had rejected Him. I find that the majority of unsaved people I know have not intentionally and purposely rejected Jesus Christ. They simply have chosen to wait awhile or put it off till they can think about it longer. Sadly, hell is going to have a lot of those individuals in its population.

So what do we need to do, not only for those who are openly antagonistic against Jesus, but also for the many who mistakenly think they are going to heaven on their own terms.

Live in such a way that those who aren’t saved, would want to become a follower of Jesus Christ.