In this text of scripture today, there's a great warning and cause
for concern. But remember, whenever God's
word gives us a cause for concern, what should we do? But flee to
Christ. And so that's really the admonition
that's being given here. So I've entitled this message
really just taken from the this last verse here near the end,
we are not of them who draw back into perdition, but of them that
believe to the saving of the soul. That's really the subject
that we want to look at today. So not to perdition, but to the
saving of the soul. Let's pray. Father, thank you
for your word. Thank you that it's clear and
that it points us to Christ, points us away from ourselves
to him alone. And this is a great comfort to
us. And we are so thankful that we can come to you and know that
in confessing our sins, that you receive us for Christ's sake.
You're faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to receive us
for Christ's sake. In ourselves, we have no other
plea but that you would receive us for Christ's sake. So, Lord,
as we look at these words today, I pray, Lord, that you would
give us grace to see that all of our help is in him and not
come to you any other way but by him. And even that coming,
we look to you for. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
I want to take you to Mark chapter nine as a preface to these words
here. It doesn't seem like they're
connected, but everything really is connected in scripture. Mark
chapter nine. If you look at this, it's a story
about a man who had a son. The son was very young when the
devils took hold of him. He couldn't hear, he was deaf,
and he couldn't speak. In the scripture it calls it
dumb. It doesn't mean that he's stupid. It meant that he couldn't
speak. We say today he was mute. But
it was more than just not being able to talk and not being able
to hear. The devil also tried to kill
him, to kill this man's son. And this was a long time. He
had had control of his son for a long time. And so the man brought
his son to the disciples. It says in verse 14 of Matthew
9, when Jesus came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about
them and the scribes questioning with them. So there's a commotion
going on, his disciples are there, it's almost as if they're being
attacked by the scribes. and they're probably questioning
them about what's wrong, you know, your doctrine is supposedly
better than ours, but clearly there's something wrong with
you because of what follows. In verse 15, in straightway all
the people when they beheld him, Jesus, were greatly amazed and
running to him, saluted him, and he asked the scribes, he
didn't address the disciples, he asked their enemies, he said,
what question ye with them? You can see the Lord here being
protective of his children, of his sheep. And one of the multitude
answered and said, Master, this is the man, the father, Master,
I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit, meaning
he couldn't talk. And wheresoever he taketh him,
wherever the spirit taketh my son, he teareth him, and he foameth,
and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away, and I spake
to thy disciples that they should cast him out, and they could
not. So the disciples weren't able to do this. They weren't
able to cast a demon out of this man's little boy. And Jesus answered him and said,
oh, faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How
long shall I suffer you? Bring him to me. Now, no matter
how distressing it is, notice what Jesus said to do. Bring
him to me. That's a comfort, isn't it? I
don't know what to do. I don't have any strength, but
my eyes are upon you, Lord. Bring him to me, verse 20. And
they brought him to Jesus, and when he saw him, straightway
the spirit tear him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed foaming.
We know what this is like. We have loved ones who seem to
be out of their mind, insane with, the attachments to things
that are not true. And they're slaves of this thinking
that they don't need God, they have no dependence upon him,
and they trust everything they hear in this world rather than
trusting Christ alone. Verse 21, and Jesus asked the
father, how long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said,
of a child. And oftentimes it hath cast him
into the fire and into the waters, trying to burn him up or drown
him, to destroy him. Notice the words of the father
now at this point. But if thou canst do anything, have compassion
on us and help us. He was asking it as if he had
so long hoped that God would deliver his son from the devil
and it hadn't happened, that he wondered if it was ever possible,
and that clearly the disciples weren't able to. This man was
at the end of his own faith in Christ. So he said, if you can
have compassion on us and help us. And Jesus said, he turned
it around, if you can believe, all things are possible to him
that believe it. That seems rough, doesn't it? It's like that chastisement
we were hearing about earlier. It just seems like you would
expect at any point, at every point here, he'd be comforting
this father, but he turns it around. Why? Why did he put it
back on him? To show him, to show us, to show
us the comfort that this father received in his utter weakness
that he couldn't even believe. See? Jesus often did this. He asked questions in order to
bring out the truth he was about to teach. If you can believe,
all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway
the father of the child cried out and said with tears, Lord,
I believe, help thou by an unbelief. This is the cry of a believer.
Who did he go to? Lord. Help my unbelief. I do believe, but I don't believe. Help my unbelief." Confused?
Was he confused? No. He was clear. He was transparently
honest, unconcealed in what he truly was, helpless without Christ. And he called upon Him to help
him. That's comfort, isn't it? When Jesus saw the people coming,
running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying to him,
thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him and enter
no more into him. And the spirit cried, and rent
him sore and came out of him, and he was as one dead, in so
much that many said, he is dead, but Jesus took him by the hand
and lifted him up and he arose. Amazing. who is no problem for
Jesus, but he does what he does, he brings things into our lives
so that we might be brought to the end of ourselves in order
that we might find all of our salvation, even our faith in
Christ. Look at 2 Corinthians chapter
1 to support this. 2 Corinthians chapter 1 verse
9, The Apostle Paul, writing to the Corinthians, has said,
we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves,
but in God, which raiseth the dead, who delivered us from so
great a death, and doth deliver in whom we trust, that he will
yet deliver us. You see the heart of the believer? We had a sentence
of death in ourselves. But this sense of our own imminent
death and our helplessness before death itself was given by God,
the comfort was taken away, withdrawn as it were, in order that we
would not trust in ourselves. And that's the greatest blessing,
to not trust in ourselves, but in God. who delivers us, who
raises the dead. Look at 2 Corinthians chapter
12. 2 Corinthians chapter 12. And the Apostle Paul is describing
himself here in sort of a third-party language. He said, verse six,
2 Corinthians chapter 12, verse six, for though I would desire
to glory, I shall not be a fool, for I will say the truth, but
now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which
he seemeth me to be, or that he heareth of me. He's about
to, he's trying to defend his apostleship. The Corinthians
didn't, they had doubts about his apostleship because there
were other men who exemplified greater skill and power than
the Apostle Paul. And so he said, I could fall
into this trap of boasting in my own achievements, but I don't
wanna do that. He said, here's what I'm gonna
do. I'm gonna talk about my weaknesses. He says in verse seven, and lest
I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the
revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the
messenger of Satan to buff at me like a boxer, landing blows
on my body, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this
thing, I besought the Lord thrice that he might depart from me.
And he said to me, like Rommel said earlier, in the midst of
tribulation, My grace is sufficient for thee. My grace, not some
don't look for yourself, my grace, it directs us outside of ourselves
to God's faithfulness, his promises, his power, his grace towards
us in Christ. My grace is sufficient for thee,
for my strength, God's strength, is made perfect in weakness.
Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities
that the power of Christ may rest upon me. You see what trouble
does to us? It presses us and we don't know
what to do. We have no strength, but we look
to the Lord by God-given grace, by God-given faith, and we look
to Christ and we just wait. We wait for him, don't we? On
him who raises the dead. Now, back in Hebrews chapter
10, The book of Hebrews has been presenting to us the most eloquent,
powerful dissertation of the meaning of Old Testament scriptures
throughout. It exalts Christ in his person
as the son of God, in his offices as our high priest and mediator,
our king, our prophet. and it tells about his work,
it tells about the finality of it, it tells about the accomplishment
and how he obtained for us an eternal redemption, it tells
about how this was according to God's eternal covenant, an
unalterable covenant God made with his people, not between
him and themselves personally, but between him and them through
their mediator, the covenant head, Christ. He's been building
up to this. He brought it to the climax.
He has by himself purged our sins and now in chapter 10 he
says, by the witch will, by God's eternal will, which Christ fulfilled
by himself, we are made holy through the blood of Jesus. He
has forever perfected them that are sanctified by His one offering
for us. And this is the fulfillment of
His eternal covenant, because the Spirit of God had been declaring
this before, that He would remember our sins and iniquities no more.
Therefore, Christ has finished that work. the blood of the everlasting
covenant. And he has directed us to this.
He says in verse 19, having therefore brethren boldness to enter into
the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which
he has consecrated for us through the veil, through the veil that
is to say his flesh, and having in high priest over the house
of God. You see how he's building up
and drawing the conclusion? Let us draw near with a true
heart in full assurance of faith. in Christ, because of Christ,
and no other way. Lord, help my unbelief. Look to Christ. Everything God
requires of you, He has provided and accepted from His Son. Look to Him. Consider nothing
else. Have regard for nothing but Him.
Come to God only by what He thinks of His Son for you. As a sinner,
you have nothing else to plead. Jesus himself gave that parable,
I mentioned it a few weeks ago. Here's what the publican prayed,
God, be propitious, be merciful, look upon the offering on that
mercy seat of the blood of the sacrifice, Christ. and Him crucified,
and be merciful to me, the sinner." That's what we do. That's what
this is teaching here. Come boldly, openly. I'm a sinner. I'm in all of my
corruptions. I cannot fix myself. It's rooted
as part of my nature and come to God through Christ. That's
what faith does. It brings myself and all of my
sin to Christ for all of my cleansing and all of my righteousness,
the clothing of his own perfect righteousness. And coming to
God, trusting God will receive me for his sake, that's what
God tells us to do. Let us draw near with a true
heart, not a heart duplicitous, not a heart that has two different
confidences. Well, it's my sincerity. I just
gotta be more sincere. When I'm more sincere, then I'll
have confidence. Or when I have done certain things
to give evidences, then I'll have confidence. No confidence
in my confidence. No assurance in my assurance.
My confidence is Christ. My assurance is God's received
Christ for my sake. That's it. How do I know it's
for me? Are you a sinner? Do you need
a savior? Let God decide. Leave it in His
hands. Put yourself there. Lord, receive
me for Christ's sake. That's your only hope. That's
all you have. And so he goes on. true heart,
with full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from
an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. The application
of what Christ has done and what God thinks about it to our own
minds and conscience causes us to walk with a clear conscience
before God, because in the presence of God, He has accepted Christ
for us. And he's accepted us in Christ as him, rewarded us
with all the blessings he's given to his son. If God didn't spare
his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not
with him also freely give us all things? Romans 8, 32. So here we have it. Let us therefore
draw near. Having our hearts sprinkled,
We receive what God has said as the way things are, even though
we're sinners in spite of all of our weaknesses and corruptions.
When I am weak, then I am strong. It's not like we go out and commit
sin in order to feel that guilt in our conscience and then be
coming to God all beat up and bloodied by our own stupidity.
No, but we do sin, therefore we come to him. with no other
way. We never have anything, and the best that we do, we're
unprofitable servants. All that we can do, for God was
given to us, we have nothing to boast in. Our pride keeps us from coming.
Our pride. That's it. Pride causes us to
think that we can't come until we make ourselves good enough. Pride also thinks that I can't
do what God has given me to do because somehow I need the strength
myself to do it, and I don't have it. Pride does that. But humility looks away from
itself to Christ. Humility comes to God on the
basis of what God thinks of Christ. Humility depends on God's strength
that he has given us in Christ. The Lord is my strength. So we
come boldly, we come openly. Our bodies are washed with pure
water by the word of God, the gospel. And then verse 23, let
us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering. How
can we, we're like the palm tree in a hurricane, just bending
over in the wind. How can we not waver? We're like
sand when the wave hits the shore, it just takes it out, shifts
it all around. We're unstable as water in ourselves. How can we therefore not waver? He gives the answer. For he is
faithful, that promise. It's not dependent upon me, it's
dependent upon God and his faithfulness and Christ and his righteousness. Verse 24, let us consider one
another to provoke to love and to good works You see, it's not
only directing our attention and our trust outside of ourselves
to Christ, but directing the focus of our life, not to our
own selves, but to others. Let every man please his neighbor.
It says in Romans chapter 13 or 12 or 13, I think. Not to
please himself, but his neighbor. Let this mind be in you, which
was in Christ Jesus. esteem others better than yourself. Paul said that Jesus said in
his ministry while on earth it's better to give than to receive.
We're to think about what we can do for others and what can
we do to help others. We're comforting, we're comforted
by God, what do we do then? We comfort others with that same
comfort with which we are comforted. And what is that? I'm a great
sinner and I am nothing at all, but Jesus Christ is my all in
all. Look, when I had nothing and
the Lord said, you have to believe, I didn't know, I couldn't believe.
When he said you should pray, I didn't have words to pray.
And guess what? I found my words here in the
gospel. I found my faith in Christ. It was in his strength, not mine.
With his words, he gave me words to bring. and told me to come
and gave me the way. And he pointed me to him, to
the Lord Jesus Christ. And so we comfort one another.
Tell me the old, old story. Tell it to me again. Tell it
to me slowly. I'm the sinner, Jesus came to
save. All those words come rushing
in like a flood. When we're together as the body
of Christ, as the brethren, as the family, that's the way we're
to operate. It's to bring one another, to
exhort to love and to good works by pointing one another to Christ. And through our own troubles
and tribulations we comfort one another that way. I want to take you to Ephesians
chapter 4. Again, I think I took you there last week, but in case
I didn't read this part, I'll read it here now. Ephesians chapter
4. He says in verse one, the Apostle
Paul, I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord beseech you that
you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called. You
know what a vocation is? A carpenter would be a vocation,
or an electrician might be a vocation. Each father's go to work, that's
their vocation. or nursing is a vocation, being
a doctor is a vocation, that's a calling, that's your work.
God has called his people to something, what? To follow Christ,
that's your vocation. You're to be a saint. Trusting
Christ, we find our righteousness, our holiness is in him. We're
called the saints because we believe him. It's evidence that
God has cleansed our hearts. and cleansed our record in heaven
by the blood of Christ. We're called into this. Jesus
told his disciples, follow me. They left everything and followed
him. They were called into this vocation. We're called into a
vocation. What is that? The just shall
live by faith. We're called to live upon Christ
by faith. So I just wanted to help you
with that. The prisoner of the Lord, the Apostle Paul, I, therefore,
the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the
vocation wherewith you are called with all lowliness and meekness,
with long-suffering, this is the way we have our attitude
towards one another, not arrogantly, not haughty, lowliness, meekness,
long-suffering, forbearing one another in love, endeavoring
to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. What is
our unity? Is it because we're all mathematicians
and we gather together in the math club or the chess club?
We like to play chess, or we're boating, people who like to go
boating, so we all get together and talk about boating? No. It's as sinners. We have a Savior. We have the same Savior. The
same blood that purchased us and washed us from our sins.
The same God and Father. So he goes on, that's what he's
gonna say. There's one body. The believers are, by the Spirit
of God, by the electing will of God, and by the application
of Christ's blood to them, they're one body. He's one with them.
Each one of them individually is a member of his own body.
Bone of his bone, flesh of his flesh, so intimate that even
the marriage, the intimacy of marriage, is just a picture of
that intimacy. One body, one body, one spirit,
the spirit of Christ, even as you're called in one hope of
your calling. We have one hope. It's eternal life, eternal glory
with Christ because of Christ. One Lord, that's Christ. One
faith, Jesus Christ and Him crucified. One baptism. We're all baptized,
confessing in our baptism. that my only hope of glory is
that I was united to Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. And now, having been given the
Spirit of God, having been raised with Christ, been given the Spirit
of God, I believe Him. I therefore live to God, just
like He did. That's baptism. Dead with Christ, buried with
Christ, risen with Christ, walking by faith in Christ. That's what
baptism is saying. One God and Father of all, who
is above all and through all and in you all. You see, but
to every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the
gift of Christ. What is our union? It's Christ. What is that that
binds us together? It's love that grows out of faith
in our common Savior through the common gospel, through the
spirit given to us in Christ for us, one Father. This is the
reason we gather together. This is the bond that connects
us. What Christ has done and our
love for Him is a common thing. That's why I wanted to sing that
song, Tell Me the Old, Old Story. We get together like, yeah, tell
it to me. Brother Joe, Miss Mary, whoever it is, tell me. I like to hear it from you. I
want to hear it. Sometimes I'm, you know, each
one of us, we have these issues that we face. What do I do about
this? I don't know. Most of the time people ask me
questions. I don't know the answer. I suggest you just call upon
the Lord, brother. Trust in God. So that's the way,
you know, the body is. So back to Hebrews chapter 10.
So exhorting one another. to love and do good works. Don't
think first of yourself, but think of what you can do according
to the calling you're being called to, to walk by faith on Christ,
to live upon him, and to function in that body of Christ as a member
of that body for Christ's sake. Not forsaking the assembly. It
doesn't mean that when you can't come to church, that's forsaking
the assembly. But what it means is, ultimately,
you leave off fellowship with God's people. You find no joy. You get no benefit from fellowshipping
with the Lord's people, with the believers in Christ. You
know what gives us the greatest joy? It's when we hear the gospel
as a sinner, and that gospel becomes gospel to us. Good news
to me as a sinner. And I need that. That's why we
listen to sermons. That's why we meet together.
That's why we talk to one another, because we need that. And so
we don't want to forsake the assembly numbers. That's to think
of ourselves. Each one of us has a threshold
of what's tolerable. but have a greater delight to
spend time on the lake and the boat and skiing or whatever,
I just use that as an example, than to hear the gospel that
shows something wrong. There's something wrong with
us if that's the case. That's why he's saying this.
This is coming as a warning. Forsaking, not forsaking the
assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is, but
exhorting one another. Think of the other one. Exhort
one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching.
We're always looking forward in anticipation of Christ's return.
Verse 26, here's the warning. For if we sin, now this is like
a big turn in the epistle to the Hebrews. It happened in chapter
two, and in three, and four, and six, but here it's coming
again. Very serious warning. If we sin willfully after that
we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth
no more sacrifice for sins. That's a scary thought, isn't
there? Does that mean if I know to do right and I don't do it,
that I willfully sin, that there's no more hope for me? Is that
what that means? Verse 27, but a certain fearful
looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour
the adversaries. So it's adversaries here. It's
not just leaving off, but now this person is an adversary.
He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three
witnesses. Of how much sorer punishment,
suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy who hath trodden underfoot
the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant wherewith
he was sanctified an unholy thing, and hath done despite to the
Spirit of grace? Three things here. The Son of
God trampled, His cross trampled, and the Spirit of grace, despite
for the Spirit of grace. trodden underfoot the Son of
God, considered the blood of the covenant wherewith he was
sanctified an unholy thing, it's just common, doesn't matter,
and has done despite to the Spirit of grace. That's huge, isn't
it? For we know him that has said,
Vengeance belongeth to me. I will recompense, saith the
Lord. And again, the Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful
thing to fall into the hands of the living God. So that's
the warning. But we wonder, does it mean that
I've blown it? I've sinned more than once. And
I did it willfully. There's no question. Is there
any hope for me now? He goes on, verse 32, But call
to remembrance the former days, in which, after you were illuminated,
you endured a great fight of afflictions, partly whilst you
were made a gazing-stock, both by reproaches and afflictions,
and partly whilst you became companions of them that were
so used. So you yourselves, some of you at least, were the object
of scorn, reproach, and afflictions. You were actually put under trouble
in some way or another for the gospel's sake. And then partly,
some of you became companions of those who were so used. Verse
34, for, he gives an example, you had compassion of me in my
bonds when I was in prison for the gospel. You had compassion.
and you took joyfully the spoiling of your goods. It didn't matter
to you that it cost you something tangible, physical, material,
to help me when I was in prison? Why? Because knowing in yourselves
that you have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. What
does it matter if I lose all earthly possessions if I have
eternal glory and life in heaven? Now here's the helpful explanation
of what came before. What does this mean to sin willfully
after that we receive the knowledge of the truth? What does it mean
to trample underfoot the son of God and to count the blood
of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified as an unholy thing
and do despite to the spirit of grace? What does that mean?
He's gonna help us here in what follows. Notice, cast not away. What? Therefore your confidence which hath great recompense of
reward. For you have need of patience, that after you have
done the will of God, you might receive the promise. What is
doing the will of God? Hold that thought. For yet a
little while, and he that shall come will come and will not tarry.
Notice verse 38. Now, the just, or the righteous
ones, shall live by faith. In contrast, but if any man draw
back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. Draw back from what?
Faith. But we are not of them who draw
back unto perdition. That would be described by this
of how much sorer punishment, the perdition, but we are of
them that what? Believe to the saving of the
soul. Confidence, don't cast that away.
You have done the will of God, that you might receive the promise,
and the just shall live by faith. We're not of those who draw back
to perdition, but in contrast, we believe to the saving of the
soul. What is he saying here? So what is he saying when he
says, for if we sin willfully, after that we receive the knowledge
of the truth. It means that we willfully disobey the gospel
in unbelief. We understand what the gospel
is saying. We have even gone with the people
of God as the Israelites went through the wilderness, they
came out of Egypt, they went through the Red Sea, they traveled through
the wilderness, they got right to the edge of Canaan with the
rest of that nation. And then what did they do? They
turned back in their hearts because they did not believe God. They
didn't believe his promise. They thought that by their own
strength, they would entertain him. So they turned back because
in their pride, they thought it all depended upon them, or
at least most of it. And so they couldn't believe
God. They didn't do what it says here in the earlier part, to
hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for he
is faithful, that promised. And so if you look back in Hebrews
chapter three, he describes this then, Anticipating this, in Hebrews
3, verse 6, he said, Moses was faithful in all his house as
a servant for a testimony of those things which were to be
spoken after, as a shadow, as a figure, as a pattern. But Christ,
as a son, he's the substance, over his own house, the house
of believers, whose house are we if we, what, hold fast the
confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.
What is that? What is our confidence? What
is our hope? It's Christ and Him crucified. That I do not
have my own righteousness, but that God finds me without my
own, but with Christ's righteousness, and therefore gives me life because
of His righteousness, deliverance from death unto eternal life
because of Him. That's our faith, that's our
hope, that's our confidence. And so we look for the reward,
we expect what God would give to Christ, he's going to give
to us, that eternal life. And even though all around us,
in all appearances of our life, we don't see it. Yet we come
to God, Lord, I believe, help my unbelief. And we look, we
expect, we wait for. We, through the Spirit, do wait
for the hope of righteousness through faith, Galatians 5.5.
And so, he says here, if we hold fast the confidence in the rejoicing
of the hope, firm to the end, where's that gonna come from?
Where is that confidence, our subjective confidence in Christ?
It's gonna come from His grace. Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.
We look to Him for everything, including the faith we need to
look to Him. Verse seven, wherefore as the
Holy Ghost saith, today if you will hear His voice, harden not
your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the
wilderness, when your fathers tempted me and proved me and
saw my works 40 years. Wherefore I was grieved with
that generation, and said, They do always err in their heart,
and they have not known my ways. So I swear in my wrath they shall
not enter into my rest. Salvation, eternal life, eternal
glory. Take heed, brethren. Notice,
here's the warning again. Take heed, brethren, lest there
be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from
the living God. To leave Christ, in my dependence
upon him as all of my salvation, to break off the fellowship with
the believers because I have broken off with Christ is apostasy. It's a willful denial of the
truth that God has made clearly known to me, and I say, it's
not my salvation. I don't need that. I don't find
that necessary for me. I continue to trust the old thing
that I held to, which for them was the old covenant, right? Keep reading here in Hebrews
3, verse 13. But exhort one another daily
while it is called today, lest any of you be hardened through
the deceitfulness of sin. That's what sin does, pride.
It deceives us. We think of our own selves. Come
to God. We're not. Don't come to God.
But a sinner comes to God. I need a Savior. And Christ is
my only hope. For we are made partakers of
Christ, again, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast
to the end. The people of God believe, but
they keep on believing. It's not just something I did
when I was a child. I made a confession or a profession
of faith and they baptized me and since then I've lived however
I've lived. No, this is a daily dependence.
This is a mature acting out. of this fate in our minds, in
our conscience, going to God when sin afflicts us, when troubles
in our lives. We go to our Savior, don't we?
It might take some time. We might be beat up like the
poor father was with his son, but the Lord's gonna bring us
to himself. We're gonna say, Lord, I don't have anyone to
go to. I need, help me, save me. So he says, While it is said
today, while it is said today, if you will hear his voice, harden
not your hearts as in the provocation that was referring back to the
time in the wilderness when the children of Israel would not
go into the land of Canaan. For some, when they had heard,
did provoke. Howbeit not all that came out
of Egypt by Moses, not everyone was lost and died in the wilderness,
but with whom was he grieved 40 years. Was it not with them
that had sinned whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? The answer,
of course, is yes. To whom swear he that they should
not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not
enter in because of unbelief. In Hebrews 10, now let me read
the verse to you again. Hebrews 10, verse 26, if we sin
willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the
truth, if we've heard the gospel, we said, that makes sense to
me. and you join up with the people of God and you say, yes,
this is for me. And then over the course of time,
you prove that it was just your own activity that made that happen. You were influenced by whatever. It wasn't God's work because
you no longer look to Christ. In fact, you deny him. He said,
you're going to receive a much sorer punishment. Therefore,
everything he's been telling us here, trembling, fearful,
unbelieving child of God. Everything he's been telling
us here is to direct our attention, our confidence, our expectation
to what God thinks of Christ, what he has received, what he
ordained for Christ to do and what he's received from Christ
for his people. And we find all of our salvation
in him. And to turn away from that is
to sin willfully after that we've received the knowledge of the
truth. It's equivalent to trampling underfoot the Son of God Himself. And to consider the blood wherewith
He was sanctified an unholy thing. He was sanctified. He said in
John 17, 19, I sanctify myself that they also might be sanctified
by the truth. How did he do that? As our high
priest. He set himself apart in order
to offer himself. He sanctified himself. The high
priest sanctified himself and offered himself as a sacrifice
to God. And he says, and has done despite to the Spirit of
grace. What does the Spirit of God do? He tells us about Christ,
about His grace, how He saves sinners. And here I am as a sinner,
and I completely despise that message. I don't find it helpful
at all. I consider it to be for the foolish,
for the weak, for those who can't think for themselves, or whatever. that person is going to receive
so much sore punishment. Look at 2 Peter chapter 2, and
we'll have to close with this. 2 Peter chapter 2. You can read the whole chapter.
It's a warning about false prophets and those that follow them. And
Israel, throughout Israel's history, God continually lambasted. He spoke negatively against them.
He condemned them for their what? Their idolatry. And so he says
here, these prophets, he says, let's
see, I don't know where to pick it up. Let's go to, Let's just
jump in here in the middle, verse 17. These are wells without water,
clouds that are carried with a tempest, to whom the mist of
darkness is reserved forever. For when they speak great swelling
words of vanity, they allure through the lust of the flesh,
through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from
them who live in error. The gospel delivers us from error,
from living in it. Verse 19. While they promise
them liberty, They themselves are the servants of corruption.
For of whom a man is overcome of the same is he brought into
bondage. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the
world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,
they are again entangled therein and overcome, the latter end
is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them
not to have known the way of righteousness than after they
have known it to turn from the holy commandment delivered to
them. But it has happened to them, according to the true proverb,
the dog has turned to his own vomit again, and the sow that
was washed to her wallowing in the mire." This is the way God
created these animals with that characteristic so that we could
see what happens when someone utterly apostatizes, when they
utterly forsake Christ, willfully forsake Christ in unbelief. They
were delivered when they heard the gospel. They turned from
that holy commandment to believe Christ. Isn't that God's command? And they did what the dog does. They go back and they eat what
they regurgitated. It's sickening when you see that
happen. Oh, how can a dog do that? And
a pig, nice and clean, buttered up for the fair, right into the
mud. Listen to what the Lord says
about disobedience to His commands. John chapter 3 says this, John
chapter 3 verse 36, He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. He that believeth not the Son
shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. Is it
any clearer? It's the difference between one
who holds to Christ alone as all of his salvation. That one
has what he trusts. He has the salvation he trusts.
He trusts Christ for it. But the one who doesn't is under
the wrath of God because he comes to God in his own righteousness. He presumes as a proud and disobedient
to God's word, he comes in his own way. John chapter 6 verse
40 says the same thing. This is the will of Him that
sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son and believeth on
Him may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up. What
is it to do the will of God here? It's to believe Christ. And so
to sin willfully is to turn from Him. We think, I'm sure I committed
that sin. Lord, what shall I do? If you
cry to the Lord Jesus Christ, you have not committed that sin.
You would have no interest in Christ if you did. It's just
the way it is. But you say, but my interest
in Christ is so low, what do I do? Look to Him. Lord, I believe, help my unbelief. Let's pray. Lord, we pray that
you would direct each one of our hearts individually Not to
a man, not to another, but to Christ alone. To have dealings
with God himself, considering only the Lord Jesus Christ, the
Son of God, come to save his people from their sins, and having
done that, to trust him only. We know ourselves to be sinful,
vile, wretched, corrupt, and helpless. to change ourselves. Our own pride prevents us from
understanding the truth about ourselves and humbling ourselves. It guides us in the way we think,
in our motives, in what we do. We serve ourselves. We have sinned
against you in every possible way, and we need a Savior. And the Lord Jesus Christ is
the and only savior of sinners. And so we trust him, Lord. We
come to you by him. We take your word as the truth,
as the way things are, even for sinners, in spite of all that
we are in our corruptions. And we come, Lord, and ask you
like the public and receive us for Christ's sake. Consider only
Him and help us to do the same. Not forsake our confidence, not
to turn back, to draw back from the truth of the gospel, but
to believe to the saving of our souls. And we know that this
faith is yours, given to us by your grace, through the preaching
of your word. And so grant us, Lord, to rest
in Christ. to know that the salvation we
trust in has been accomplished and obtained by Him, and that
will be brought to us because of His faithfulness, because
of your almighty power, because you are true, you cannot lie,
and help us to go on in this confidence and do all that we
do, knowing our labor is not in vain in the Lord, that you
can use these earthen vessels to bring the glory, your own
glory of Christ to this world. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.