Not All Israel
Notes
Transcript
Lost Faith
Lost Faith
Losing the Faith
Losing the Faith
If you have your bibles this morning we will be continuing in the book of Hebrews, Chapter 3 looking at verses 12-14 this morning.
This passage addresses a subject that we as Christians find ourselves facing from time to time, and it is this subject of Christians who leave the faith.
If you have been in church for any considerable amount of time, then you probably know some people who you used to call brothers and sisters in Christ who have abandoned Christianity.
Even if you don’t know someone personally, there are always a couple of high profile Christians each year to make national news for denouncing the faith, typically it is musicians or pastors of mega-churches who get the headlines.
Theological Challenge
Theological Challenge
What we have to wrestle with when these things happen is how can someone who professes Christ go on to denounce Christ later if we believe the doctrine the states that once someone is saved they are always saved? The doctrine known most commonly as eternal security.
Todays Scripture
Todays Scripture
If your Bible is open to Hebrews 3 this morning we will consider what the Bible has to say about continuing in our faith, starting verse 12.
12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. 13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
Our message this morning is entitled Not All Israel
Pray
Not All Israel
Not All Israel
We can’t divorce our passage today from the context of the chapter, specifically the passage that we covered last week. The preacher uses the Exodus of Israel from Egypt as a lesson for the Christian.
Israel, 10 times provoked God and tested God’s mercy and at the end it resolved in v11
11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)
There were those who left Egypt with Israel, and travelled with Israel, and worshipped with Israel, yet weren’t Israel.
Romans 9
Romans 9
In Romans 9 Paul speaks of his great sorrow of those who are Israelites, his kinsman who who were given the covenants of God and who were people of the promise. People who — even though they were often unfaithful — were still those who had been in service to God.
Paul in his lamentation declares that his countrymen not making it into God’s rest isn’t a failure of God’s promise. What Paul says in Chapter 9 verse 6 is that it’s
6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:
And just as there are Israelites who didn’t make it into the rest of the promised land there are Christians who are not going to make it into the rest of salvation.
We could parallel what Paul says in Romans 9:6 by saying Not all of the church is the church.
Faith vs Belief
Faith vs Belief
It is difficult for us to reconcile the truth that not all of those who call themselves Christians will be saved because of the confusion that has crept into the church by the promotion of what has been called easy believism.
Easy Believism
Easy Believism
Easy believism frames the gospel in this way: If you believe that God became flesh in Jesus Christ and if you believe that he died on the cross for your sins, then all you have to do is ask Jesus to be your savior and you are saved.
Turn with me over to James 2:19 because James says something that goes completely contrary to Easy Believism he writes:
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
So clearly there is something more than belief that is needed, James continues in v20
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
James isn’t claiming that we are saved by our works, what he is saying is that saving faith will be accompanied by works. Saving faith is the kind of faith that can be tried by God and proven. And if you were to keep reading in James he gives the example of Abraham being shown to be righteous by offering up Isaac on the alter.
Dead Faith
Dead Faith
Israel, by their continued rebellion against God were proving that they didn’t have saving faith. Obviously they believed some things for a time or they wouldn’t have followed Moses out of Egypt, but they never surrendered their lives to the care of God. And so, when it came time for their faith to actually be leaned upon it failed them.
The writer in Hebrews warns Christians in v14
14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
One preacher said of this passage:
It’s not what you believe now that matters it is what you believe in the end that matters
But this isn’t saying that if you are saved you can at some point lose your salvation, not at all. What this is saying is that if you are saved and truly saved you will not fall away from the faith when it becomes difficult to be a Christian.
When times are tough, even to the point of eminent death, someone who is saved can say with Job in Job 13:15
15 Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: But I will maintain mine own ways before him.
True faith is a faith that works, a faith that is functional and it continues unto the end.
Hardened by Sin
Hardened by Sin
The reality is, many fall away because they are hardened by sin. Look with me again in Hebrews 3 and in verse 13
13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
When a high profile Christian walks away from the faith it always seems to be for the same handful of reasons.
Adultery and sexual immorality in its many forms seems to top the list of reasons people fall away. See when Christians are more driven by their own desires than obedience to God what happens is they can find themselves entered into a relationship that isn’t acceptable to God. And when that relationship is brought to the light, rather than repenting and clinging to the mercy of God they will either deny God entirely or they will demonstrate their lack of faith by dismissing their own rebellion or trying to fabricate some loophole in scripture to excuse themselves.
But you can’t underestimate how strong public opinion plays into this, especially for someone who has experienced fame or popularity.
The British PR expert Max Clifford said this of fame:
The sad part about [fame] is people that desperately need to become famous. It’s like a drug...and there’s so many people that come up and then they go, and when you meet them they are desperate, desperate for it. I mean, they are living 10, 15, 20 years ago when they were famous, they can’t accept they are no longer famous. It is an addiction. It’s a craving. It varies from individual to individual but it’s the same as drugs or alcohol or anything else. At it’s worst – and I’ve known a lot of the worst – it totally takes over your life, your philosophy, your outlook on everyday life.
Now of course — The likelihood of becoming famous is relatively low. But, today we live in a connected social media culture where everyone is under constant scrutiny for everything they say and do. It used to be that someone had to put a microphone in front of your face or be willing to write down what you say and publish it for your opinion to be heard by a large audience, but today we can go online and make our opinions heard by hundreds if not thousands of people.
But what happens when your audience holds to a popular view held by our culture that is contrary to the commands of God. What happens when holding an unpopular view is stopping you from reaching that next level of success or fame. What happens when your family and friends and neighbors are calling good evil and evil good and you will be seen as an outsider for siding with God even against popular opinion. What happens when God isn’t politically expedient?
If faith isn’t evidenced by the Christian acting in a way that is faithful then why even call it faith? It’s something else.
See, when Christianity is presented incorrectly, when it is presented with a just believe version of the gospel, it often produces a claimed salvation that will not endure.
The Deceit of Sin
The Deceit of Sin
Sin is deceitful. And you know, one of the greatest and most dangerous lies of sin is to water down the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Because you can believe and it be same belief that brings fear to the devils. And you can have faith and it be dead faith that won’t persevere.
When Jesus taught on saving faith he said this in Matthew 16:24-26
24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Saving faith is a faith that not only believes the historical truths: The truths that God became flesh and dwelt among us, the truth that he was crucified, and the truth that he was buried and then resurrected. Saving faith comes when after believing all of those things and seeing the truth of where you stand before God and so you surrender your life to Christ, because he alone is worthy.
I love the response Peter gives to Jesus when he asks if they Apostles will leave him, Peter responded:
John 6:68 (KJV 1900)
… Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
For the true christian: It doesn’t matter what is popular, it doesn’t matter how things are going. Christ is Lord and he alone has the words of eternal life.
Today
Today
In Hebrews 3:13 we find the churches role in all of this.
13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
Exhort is that same word that is used of the Holy Spirit. παρακαλέω parakaleō: to urge or encourage someone. A major reason a Christian needs the church is for the church is for the churches encouragement. In isolation it is much easier for believers to be led astray. There are a lot of people who say that they don’t need church to have a relationship with God. But to say that ignores the clear teaching in the word as to why we need each other.
And sin is not only deceitful, it hardens the heart. Because usually, people know a sin is a sin. And, in order to embrace a sin you have to build walls up to protect that sin and in a church it’s much harder to build that wall and keep it up if you are surrounded by Christians who are holding a standard of righteousness that won’t excuse sin.
And if you are like those Israelites who aren’t really Israel that wall is a huge problem, because it is preventing the truth of the gospel of Christ from hitting its mark.
Examine Your Heart
Examine Your Heart
This morning I would like you to take a moment and examine your heart. Are you truly a follower of Christ? Or are you like those Israelites who traveled with Moses through the wilderness and when the going got tough abandoned their faith. One of those who does all of the church things, who knows the right things to say and all of the answers that have been expected of you since you were a child in Sunday school.
The reality of Matthew 7:21 is real
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Do you know what the context of that verse is? verse 19 and 20 is speaking of false prophets and says
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
It is the same as what we have been talking about this morning. Faith that doesn’t produce faithful action is no faith at all. It is dead faith. And you can see someones faith evidence by the works that proceed from that faith. This morning if you have faith that doesn’t do anything I would challenge you to consider if your faith will continue until the end.
If you aren’t sure of the answer, let me plead with you while it is still today: decide that you want nothing to do with sin, put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ to have paid for all sins on the cross, and give you life to him. Just as truly as a servant is pledged to a master or a soldier to his country, give you life without hesitation to the Lord.
If you have any questions about this message, or what it is to be a follower of Christ, we are going to close in prayer in just a moment. Please come speak to me afterwards and I would love to talk to you more about our savior. If you are watching from home and you send me a message online I promise I will get back to you confidentially.
Let’s Pray
