Hebrews 10:32-39

Last Time We Finished the 4th of the 5 Warning Passages in Hebrews

Hebrews 10:26–31 (NIV)

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.

Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?

For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Now We are Going to Finish Up Chapter 10

Hebrews 10:32–39 (NLT)

Think back on those early days when you first learned about Christ. Remember how you remained faithful even though it meant terrible suffering. Sometimes you were exposed to public ridicule and were beaten, and sometimes you helped others who were suffering the same things.

You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail, and when all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever.

So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.

“For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. And my righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.” But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved.

This Text is About This Hebrew Christian Audience’s Past

They’ve Been Through Persecution and Hardship Before

And They Remained Faithful

But Now They are Starting to Shrink Away

The Author is Calling on Them to Remember Their Past Faithfulness…

And Persevere as They had Back Then

Their Past Needs to Be an Example for Their Present

The Lessons We’re Going to Find in this Text are Going to Be Difficult for Some, if Not Most, of Us to Obey

Hebrews 10:32–33 (NASB95)

But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated.

The Author Tells this Hebrew Christian Audience to Remember the Former Days

When Were the Former Days?

After They Were Enlightened

We’ve Asked this Question Before in this Study of Hebrews:

What Does Being Enlightened Refer to?

They Received the Light

Light Consumed the Darkness Within Them

They Placed Their Faith in Jesus, Being Baptized into Him

What Happened After They Were Enlightened?

They Endured a Great/“Many” Conflicts of Sufferings

“Conflict” = athlēsis = Contest, Challenge, Struggle

Like an Athlete is Challenged and Struggles in a Contest

These Hebrew Christians Faced Many Challenges and Struggles with Suffering

Hebrews 10:32–33 (NASB95)

But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated.

What Were Some of the Many Kinds of Sufferings They Experienced?

They Were Made a Public Spectacle

theatrizō = To Be Publicly Shamed as if Set on a Stage

There are Few Things Worse Than Being Publicly Shamed

Shame is How Society Responds to You When You Don’t Conform to Their Cultural Expectations

Hebrews 10:32–33 (NASB95)

But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated.

How Were These Hebrew Christians Publicly Shamed By Their Community?

Through Reproaches and Tribulations

What Does Reproach Mean?

To Insult, Mock, Curse, Blame

It is Verbal Harassment

What Does Tribulation Mean?

It Refers to Being Distressed (Inwardly or Outwardly) By Oppression

It is a Broad Word that Can Refer to Any Kind of Oppression that Brings Distress

These New Hebrew Christians Were Publicly Shamed/Humiliated Through Verbal and Physical Violence

And Even When it Wasn’t Them Personally Being Publicly Shamed…

They Stood By Their Brothers and Sisters Who Were

They Became Partners/Sharers in Their Humiliation, as a Loving Family Does

The Author Tells Us They Endured This Public Humiliation of Verbal and Physical Violence

What Does that Mean?

How Does a Christian Endure These Things?

There are 3 Options a Christian Can Take When Being Publicly Shamed By Their Community:

1.) Seek to Preserve Our Honor By Fighting Fire with Fire

2.) Conform to the Sinful Values of Society

3.) Be Content with the Shame

In American Christianity, We Primarily See Christians…

Fighting Back to Preserve Their Honor

Or Conforming to the Sinful Values of Society

But Neither of Those Reactions are “Enduring” Shame

And Jesus Taught Neither of Them

Matthew 5:10–12 (NASB95)

“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

When Shamed By Those Who Disagree with Your Standard of Living in Jesus…

Rejoice and Be Glad

Don’t Fight Fire with Fire

Don’t Conform to Their Standards

Just Rejoice and Be Glad Because We Will Be Rewarded for Such Faithful Endurance

Matthew 5:38–39 (NASB95)

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.”

Slapping Someone was to Cause a Minor Amount of Injury, But a Great Amount of Shame

How Did Jesus Teach Us to React to Shame and Persecution?

Do We Fight Back?

Do We Return the Favor?

No, We Allow Ourselves to Be Shamed

Paul Lived According to the Way of Jesus

2 Corinthians 12:10 (NASB95)

Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

Paul was Content with the Shame He was Dealt By Others

As Christians, We Must Be Too

Hebrews 10:32–33 (NASB95)

But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated.

This is How the Hebrew Christians Responded to Their Public Shaming When They Were First Converted…

But Now They are Starting to Conform to Their Culture’s Standards/Values

They Needed to Remind Themselves of Who They Used to Be

Hebrews 10:34 (NASB95)

For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one.

At the Root of “Sympathy” is the Idea of “Suffering With”

The Hebrew Christians Used to Suffer With Their Siblings Who Were Imprisoned for the Faith

They Had Compassion on Them

Imprisonment Under the Roman Empire was Harsh

The Prisoners Were Given Very Little Food and Were Treated Terribly

To Suffer with a Prisoner Would Be to Visit Them and Care for Them

But This Would Bring Shame Upon You and Associate You with the Prisoner

This Could Possibly Lead to You Being Arrested as Well

Instead of Ignoring Their Siblings Who Were Imprisoned…

Which is What Society Encouraged Them to Do…

They Risked Their Own Lives to Care for Them

They Accepted Joyfully the Seizure of Their Property

“Accept” = To Receive Something in a Friendly Manner

“Joyfully” = To Be Glad

They Were Happy to Have Their Possessions Stolen Away By Authorities Because of Their Faith in Jesus

Why?

Because They Know They Have a Much Better Possession Stored in Heaven…

That They Will Never Have Taken From Them

Can We Say that We Have the Faith that These Hebrew Christians Once Had?

Look Within Yourself and Ask:

Am I More Like the Past or Present Hebrew Christians?

Hebrews 10:35–36 (NASB95)

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 was promised.

Confidence in Hebrews has to Do with Being Bold, Frank, and Blunt

They Were Throwing Away Their Confidence

Because of the Persecutions They Were Facing…

They Didn’t Want to Be Bold, Frank, Blunt About Their Faith in Jesus

They Wanted to Quietly Keep that to Themselves

But There’s Not Reward for Those Who are Willing to Deny Jesus to Save Themselves

They Needed Endurance

The Ability to Be Steadfast Through the Difficulties They Faced

The Rewards God has Promised to His Faithful People…

Will Only Be Given to Those Who Have Done His Will

Hebrews 10:37–39 (NASB95)

For yet in a very little while, He who is coming 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 to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.

The Author is Quoting From Habakkuk 2:3-4

He’s Reminding His Audience that Jesus is Coming

Those Who Want to Inherit the Promises and Blessings Must Keep the Faith

God is Not Pleased with Those Who Shrink Back (Are Hesitant and Timid - No Boldness)

Shrinking Back Will Only Lead to What?

Destruction

But What Will Happen to Those Who Keep the Faith?

Their Souls/Lives Will Be Preserved/Protected/Saved

If We Hope to Have Life in the Age to Come…

We Must Be Content in Being Publicly Shamed for Our Faith in Jesus

We Must Be Outspoken About Our Faith in Him

Invitation

Last Time We Looked at James 1:21…

Where We are Told to Put Aside All Moral Uncleanness and Wickedness…

And Humbly Receive/Accept the Gospel

Those Who Do Will Have Their Souls/Lives Saved By Jesus

James 1:22–25 (LEB)

But be doers of the message and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves, because if anyone is a hearer of the message and not a doer, this one is like someone staring at his own face in a mirror, for he looks at himself and goes away and immediately forgets what sort of person he was. But the one who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues to do it, not being a forgetful hearer but a doer who acts, this one will be blessed in what he does.

James Tells Us that Accepting the Gospel Through Faith is Not Enough

We Also Must Obey the Gospel

It’s One Thing to Hear the Gospel, Believe it, and Be Baptized into Jesus

It’s Another Thing to Obey the Gospel Afterwards

James Uses the Illustration of Looking in a Mirror

Why Do People Look in Mirrors?

To Analyze How We Look and Then Fix Any Imperfections We Find

We are to Use the Gospel of Jesus in the Same Way

We Analyze Ourselves Against Jesus and His Teachings

If We Find Any Places Where We Don’t Match Up, We Try to Fix it

But if We Aren’t Obeying the Gospel…

We’re Like a Person Who Sees His Own Imperfections in the Mirror and Doesn’t Do Anything About Them

What Good is Having a Mirror is You Aren’t Going to Use it to Better Your Appearance

What Good are the Teachings of the Gospel if We Aren’t Going to Obey Them?

James Calls the Gospel the Perfect/Complete Law of Liberty/Freedom

The OT Law was a Law of Slavery…

Because it Couldn’t Liberate Anyone From Sinful Desire

But Jesus has Fulfilled the Law and Made it a Law of Liberty to Us

Through His Sacrifice of Himself, We Have Justification

Through the Giving of His Spirit, We Have Sanctification

Obeying the Laws of God is No Longer a Hopeless Enslavement

It is Hopeful Freedom in Which Obedience is Possible Through Godly Desires

We are to Look into this Law of Liberty and Remain in it

We are to Obey God’s Laws

When We Do, God Will Bless Us

Let’s Get to Know Jesus and His Gospel Through Getting to Know Our Bibles

Let’s Obey His Gospel and Be Blessed