The Proper Response

Hebrews 10:26-39 | The Proper Response "The story is told of an overweight man who decided to shed his excess pounds. So he made a radical decision to change his route to work so he would not pass by his favorite doughnut shop that had contributed greatly to his excess weight. He was so determined to lose weight that he old his coworkers about his commitment to swear off doughnuts. Not long after this, however, he arrived at work one morning with a huge bag of doughnuts. When his coworkers asked him what was going on, he said, 'These are no ordinary doughnuts. They're from the Lord' 'What in the world are you talking about?' they asked. 'Well, it's simple. Today on my way to work I accidentally drove by my favorite doughnut shop and saw all the doughnuts and pastries sitting in the window. I knew I had to pray for strength, so I said 'Lord, if You want me to have any of these delicious doughnuts, You are going to have to give me a parking place right in front of the doughnut shop. If You do this, I'll know that You want me to have some doughnuts.' 'And sure enough, after eight trips around the block, there was a parking space right in front of the doughnut shop!'" Tony Evans shared his story in a book titled "Life Essentials." He shares this story as he opens a chapter on temptation. If we listened closely, we can see that this man deliberately went out of his way to that doughnut shop, even though he knew the consequences. Christians and non-Christians alike have the tendency to do the same thing. This morning, as we will finish chapter 10 of Hebrews, you will see this in context of what we've learned in Hebrews so far. And as you will also see shortly, this passage is not an easy one to preach on, so I want to take a few minutes to set the table, so to speak. If you were to read 10 commentaries on this passage, you could very well get 10 viewpoints on what this text is saying. Pastor Pat and I have both approached the entire epistle of Hebrews with these warning passages with this premise in mind: the writer is writing to a local congregation, and his exhortations and warnings are pastoral in nature. Think about it this way. Generally speaking, every local congregation have people of varying levels of maturity, and every local congregation may have people who are exploring Christianity for the first time, or may even look like Christians on the outside, but have never made that genuine commitment to make Christ their Lord and Savior. This isn't the first time we've come to this question of who the writer is speaking to, and the best way to answer that is to go to the letter as a whole. I'll give you three examples. First, introduced in chapter 2, are the warning passages themselves. Throughout most of those passages, pronouns such as "we" and "us" are used. We also see the term "holy brothers," or "brothers" used throughout the epistle. Second, in chapter 6, we saw that in verses 3-5, there are four descriptions of the group of people that the writer was addressing. None of these descriptions that are used elsewhere in Hebrews allude to a non-Christian. These descriptive terms include "enlightened" - which is in our text today, "tasted" and "shared." Third, using our passage from last week. He begins the chapter addressing the "brothers" and we saw that he was speaking to those "with a true heart" and who had "full assurance." So, my conclusion is that these warning passages address the general need for believers in that local congregation to mature in their faith and take their walk with Jesus to a deeper and more meaningful way. This is how I will be approaching this text today. So, with this background in mind, I want to approach this passage in two parts, along with our main idea. The first part of this passage, verses 26-31, is the writer's warning. The second part of this passage, verses 32-39, is the writer's encouragement. Our main idea from the passage this morning is this: How you respond to the Gospel carries significant eternal consequences. Let's begin in this first section, please follow along as I read verses 26-31: 26 FOR IF WE GO ON SINNING DELIBERATELY AFTER RECEIVING THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH, THERE NO LONGER REMAINS A SACRIFICE FOR SINS, 27 BUT A FEARFUL EXPECTATION OF JUDGMENT, AND A FURY OF FIRE THAT WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES. 28 ANYONE WHO HAS SET ASIDE THE LAW OF MOSES DIES WITHOUT MERCY ON THE EVIDENCE OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES. 29 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? 30 FOR WE KNOW HIM WHO SAID, "VENGEANCE IS MINE; I WILL REPAY." AND AGAIN, "THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE." 31 IT IS A FEARFUL THING TO FALL INTO THE HANDS OF THE LIVING GOD. There are several ways we can approach this set of verses. * By looking at the direct context from the preceding passage, namely verses 24-25. o The word "for" in verse 26 connects this section with the prior section that spoke about "drawing near," "holding fast" and "stirring one another up to love and good works." o The climax of that section was focused around the meeting together of the saints. o Maybe the writer here then is speaking of how this group of Christians had some that drifted away from not only their Savior, but also from His people. * Or, we can approach this from the direct context found in verse 28. o Here, the writer speaks and uses the example of the Law. o Throughout the entire letter, the writer is escalating Christ, while deescalating the Old Covenant, in which the Law would be included. o So, the writer may be saying that if you turn to the Law for your redemption, you will not only be disappointed, but you will also be rejecting the sacrifice of Christ. * Or, we can approach this passage with the context from the whole epistle of Hebrews. o This is to say, as our sermon series title states, Christ (and all the work the He did, and will do) is greater than anything that preceded Him, as they were all a shadow of things to come. o We've discussed much of this already throughout this sermons series that evidently, some of these Hebrew converts were considering returning to the Old Covenant system, and in doing so, they were rejecting Christ. o The warning, therefore, from the writer is a strong warning of judgement for those who decide to do so. * Now, when we opened, we stated that there are several interpretations to this passage. * One of those is whether the writer is stating that one can lose their salvation. * The answer to that question is an absolute, no! * In fact, we saw something similar back in chapter 6, which we touched on a bit earlier. o Verses 7-8 of chapter 6 states: 7 FOR LAND THAT HAS DRUNK THE RAIN THAT OFTEN FALLS ON IT, AND PRODUCES A CROP USEFUL TO THOSE FOR WHOSE SAKE IT IS CULTIVATED, RECEIVES A BLESSING FROM GOD. 8 BUT IF IT BEARS THORNS AND THISTLES, IT IS WORTHLESS AND NEAR TO BEING CURSED, AND ITS END IS TO BE BURNED. o We learned back in chapter 6 that this picture is one of one land that produces both useful crops and thorns and thistles, not two different lands. o This illustration was directly correlated to the idea of "falling away," which is seen again in this warning passage. o Accordingly, the same passage shows this idea of rewards and judgment, or as Pat described it last fall, blessings and curses. * So. We see that this section is clearly a warning those who have or were contemplating returning to the Old Covenant system of worship that there are eternal consequences for that. * In fact, he goes on to use the example of the Law, stating that even under the Law, there were certain sins that were not able to be atoned for under a designated offering. So, what does this mean for us today? Let's begin by reviewing some of the actions that are being warned against. * "GO ON SINNING DELIBERATELY" o This is to mean that someone has received and understood the gospel, therefore understands sin, yet makes the informed decision to continue in that sin. * "TRAMPLED UNDERFOOT THE SON OF GOD" o This implies a complete disregard of the things of God o Disgracing the work of Christ * "PROFANED THE BLOOD OF THE COVENANT" o This places the sacrifice of Christ obsolete * "HAS OUTRAGED THE SPIRIT OF GRACE" o The writer may be warning against complete rejection of the Holy Spirit. o But, notice the two Old Testament passages he quotes. Both, from Deuteronomy, were tied to the people's response to the covenant that God made with them. He warned them about the consequences of breaking that covenant. IMPLICATIONS FOR US: Borrowing from Pastor Pat when we looked at chapter 6, there are two that seem to work well for this passage as well: * Don't unnecessarily question my salvation o This passage is not teaching that one can lose their salvation, rather it is helping us to see the consequences of our actions. o Any type of judgement or discipline from the Lord is always to point the person back to Him. * Don't go back o Going back, the writer says, is to say that the blood of Christ was not enough and there is a better way. So, you see how you respond to the Gospel carries significant eternal consequences. I know, there is some real heavy stuff there, and I hope that I've cleared it up for you. Recall, the rest of this warning passage offers some encouragement and hope, so let's finish up chapter ten. Follow along as I read verses 32-39: 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. Okay, this sounds a bit better, doesn't it? That term enlightened in verse 32 means "to bring to light," and no surprise to me, this term was also used back in chapter 6. This also ties this section back to verse 26 to those who have received the KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH. So, the writer here is speaking to these Christians who were once persecuted and through that, they had joy, showed kindness to others, yet did not throw away their confident hope. In a word, they endured. IMPLICATIONS FOR US: * We are to live by faith o I can't help but think that the writer is setting us up for Hebrews 11, the great faith chapter. o Also notice the writer brings us back to Habakkuk 2:4, just as Paul did in Romans 1:17 and Galatians 3:11. o This verse speaks to the Christian to live by faith. * Think about this, once again, in the full context of the epistle, returning back to the old systems shows a lapse of faith in a Savior that saves by grace, not by works. o These Christians already showed that they once lived by faith, even when their homes were plundered and they were publicly reproached, and even imprisoned. o They looked forward to their reward, which produced confidence in their savior. o What does living by faith look like? * Well, I think see this clearly in the text. They endured a hard struggle. * Their faith didn't waver * They continued to do the will of God * They remained confident in spite of their circumstances o Not only did these trials produce confidence, we see too that these ... * Trials produce endurance o I am reminded here of James 1:2-4 which reads: o 2 COUNT IT ALL JOY, MY BROTHERS, WHEN YOU MEET TRIALS OF VARIOUS KINDS, 3 FOR YOU KNOW THAT THE TESTING OF YOUR FAITH PRODUCES STEADFASTNESS. 4 AND LET STEADFASTNESS HAVE ITS FULL EFFECT, THAT YOU MAY BE PERFECT AND COMPLETE, LACKING IN NOTHING. o That word endurance is used many times in the New Testament as perseverance and steadfastness. * Recall, when we speak about perseverance and steadfastness in the Scriptures we're alluding to a patient, cheerful and hopeful waiting. * Context reveals from verses 25 and 37 that this hope refers to the Second Coming of Christ. * As we wait, we know that we are to continue on, as the writer here exhorts. * I'll be the first to admit, I'm a bit impatient. * I'm going to share a quick story, which is a bit embarrassing ... when I was about 18 I bought a Toyota Corolla from my church. It had a manual transmission, and I was learning how to drive it. But because it was taking me some time to get it down, I pulled all the money out of my savings and bought another car (an automatic), so I can get out into the open road. If I just gave it a bit more time, I would have had a decent savings left, and would have been able to drive that car and other manual transmission vehicles to this day. * The text implies that there may have been some Hebrews here were being impatient not wanting to wait for the Lord and trust Him in the process along the way. Again we see, how you respond to the Gospel carries significant eternal consequences. I know we've had a heavy topic today. But, here is the reality. Both for the Hebrew audience and for us reading this today, verse 39 is the comfort that we've been waiting for. If you hadn't noticed, the writer went from "you" in verse 32 to "we" in verse 39. It is here where he states: 39 BUT WE ARE NOT OF THOSE WHO SHRINK BACK AND ARE DESTROYED, BUT OF THOSE WHO HAVE FAITH AND PRESERVE THEIR SOULS. See that? As we learned in chapter two, those who drift away from the Lord have not lost their salvation, but they are drifting further and further away. The writer is confident that those who is writing to have not drifted away, but some are dangerously close. How do we know if we are dangerously close to drifting away? Here are just three quick ways, a list that is not comprehensive. * You've stopped growing * You've stopped gathering with the saints * You've stopped praying and reading your bible We've talked about these many times before, so I won't belabor the point. Last week, I mentioned that I had a time in my life where I drifted away. I've told this story several times before, so forgive me if you're sick of it. In 2004, after leaving a bad relationship, I felt free and spent a lot of time out with friends. After a long night of celebrating a friend's birthday, I drove home. I fell asleep at the wheel and wrecked my car, running head first into a light pole on the freeway near downtown Los Angeles at two or three in the morning. Remember earlier I told you there were consequences to our deliberate sins? Mine was nearly a week in the hospital recovering from a shattered tibia and a dislocated hip, losing out on a great job opportunity (don't worry, that turned out to be okay), and 7 weeks out of work and off of my feet as I recovered from my injuries. Today, nearly 18 years later, I suffer from probable arthritis in both my knees and a hip that acts up every once and awhile. In many ways, I didn't draw closer to the Lord again until we started coming here about 12 years ago. Where there was good teaching, good fellowship, great opportunities for growth and serving. Since we've been here, my wife was baptized, my oldest daughter was baptized, and I realized my calling. This is not by chance, but by the grace of God. If you are suffering from deliberate sin, repent and run to the Lord. Then get plugged in. We'd love to be a part of that. Let's pray. 2