Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10. I'd like to continue our study
in the book of Hebrews, and we're going to be looking at verses
28 to 31 this evening. And before we Let's ask our Lord's blessing. Our Father, it's so wonderful
to be able to come together, assembling ourselves together
in the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And to know, Father,
that You have allowed us the privilege to be here. You've given us a heart to be
here. And Lord, this evening we ask, would you speak through
your Holy Spirit? Would you bless this Word to
our hearts and give us understanding? And Lord, help us to worship.
And Lord, you said that this Gospel is the power of God unto
salvation. Lord, would you bless it for
the salvation of sinners? Lord, I pray, bless the Word
tonight. Comfort Your people, I ask for
Christ's sake. Amen. The last time we were in Hebrews,
this is the verses that we ended with. We ended with verses starting
in 26, 27. It says, For if we sin willfully,
after that we have received the knowledge of the truth. There
remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking-for
of judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries." In this world in which we live,
and it's always been like this, I know it has. I know it's always
been. Man from the fall is fallen. He's just a depraved sinner,
evil. And I know that from the fall,
men have always been born with a heart, a mind that the Scripture
reveals as being enmity against God. Man by nature hates God. But it just seems to me that
lately, and I don't know if it's the Lord's restraint taking the
restraint away, holding. When I was growing up, you know
what I'm talking about, there was a certain even at least outward
respect of God. There was an outward... I mean,
there appeared to be at least outwardly. I know that man...
That's never changed, but at least outwardly. But it just
appears as though that lately, more and more I see, evil abounds. Disrespect. Disrespect of God. Disrespect of God's people. Disrespect
of God's gospel. And somehow, I truly believe
that men, they've got this thought in their mind. Well, this antiquated
God that men have spoken of for years, I just feel they say that Well, in the end, everything
is going to be okay. I can't figure it out all together
right now, but I know this. I know that everything is going
to work out. Tonight, I want us to consider
what Almighty God has got to say about the forsaking of Christ. The peril, that's what I've entitled
this message, the peril of forsaking Christ. Now the verses that we just read,
if we sin willfully after we've received the knowledge of the
truth. Let me tell you that we looked at this last time, but
I think it bears repeating. It does not mean that if a believer
in the Lord Jesus Christ, commits sin after that he has confessed
the Lord, professed Him in baptism. It does not mean that if he sins
willfully, because as one writer said, I can tell you this, most
sin, unless it's one of these sins of omission that we just
didn't know what we were doing, ignorance or something. But I
can tell you this, sin is willful. We do that. We do it because
we want to. It doesn't mean that if we sin in that sense, that
there remains no more sacrifice for sins if we're lost. Now,
if that was the case, then nobody would ever be saved because 1
John 1 says if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves
and the truth is not in us. And if that's the case, then
when the Lord said, My sheep hear My voice, they follow Me,
and I give unto them eternal life, then if that Scripture
meant that a man could be saved and then lost, well, then it
really isn't eternal life. Well, then what does it mean?
This Scripture is dealing with the subject that was dealt with
starting in verse 24. And it was talking about considering
one another to provoke unto love and to good works. Now how is
that scripturally? How does Almighty God say that
love is promoted? How does the Scripture set forth
that we provoke? unto love and to good works.
How do we do it? I'll tell you how it is, verse
25. It's by not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together
as the manner of some is. Now, there is a mysteriously
wonderful thing that's happening right now. And what's happening
is God's people are meeting together and the Spirit of God blesses
blesses the Word. And God's Word that is not going
to return void. It's going to accomplish the
purpose for which it's sent. And love is provoked. It's stimulated. We meet together. We hear the
Gospel preached. The Spirit of God blesses it
to our hearts. I love meeting with you. This is an encouragement to me.
It's an encouragement to you. I know it is. The Lord blesses
this. And we've come together this
evening. Why? To honor Him. To hear from Him. To learn of Him. To be taught
of Him that we might grow wisdom. Grow in knowledge. That we might
understand. Grow in grace. Understanding
of our Lord. His Word. His grace. His mercy
to us. This scripture sets forth that
we don't forsake the assembling of ourselves together. Verse
39 of this, we're not of them that draw back unto perdition,
but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. God's people
don't forsake the assembling of their selves together. Now
when I say forsake the assembling of ourselves together, I'm not
talking about Men and women are providentially hindered to be
able to come to a service. That's not what this is talking
about. What this is talking about is
that men, women that have professed, they professed to believe the
gospel of God's grace. Now when I say professed, I mean
to say that they professed without a true heart. They said they
did. They said that they loved it.
They said that Christ was their only hope. They outwardly acknowledged
that He was the surety of God's elect. They verbalized for a
while that His sacrifice was the fulfillment of all the tides
and shadows. They say that the Scriptures
set forth the Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone, that salvation
is all of grace, that God sovereignly chose Christ, redeemed in particular
those that the Father had given Him. And the Spirit of God effectually
calls out only those that the Lord has chosen to show mercy
to. Now you know that's what the Scripture says. That's not even up for debate.
Almighty God has set forth. God has a people. Christ died
for them. The Spirit of God is going to
save them. They're going to come. All that the Father has given
me, they're going to come. And men say, they profess, I
believe that. I cannot do without that. I love
that Gospel. I love that message. But in time, in time, this leaving, this going
away, it's usually very gradual. It didn't happen overnight. Sadly, over time, things began
to change. Well, they really never changed. Outwardly, they began to manifest
themselves of what was really never there to begin with. And what they formally professed,
they forsook. the forsaking of ourselves together,
the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is, is
to come to that point where you say, I don't believe that. I said I did, but I don't. I
said I had to have it, but I don't. And what they do is they go back.
They go back to wherever they came from. It's only two messages
that's ever been preached, grace and works. And what they do is
they go back to that false, man-centered, free-will religion. But they're
really going back to nothing. They're not going back to life.
They're still in death. They've forsaken. Now, the Scripture
sets forth that forsaking the assembling of ourselves together
if we sin willfully. A willful acknowledgment that
I do not believe that message anymore. If we sin willfully,
that's the will for sin. After we've received, after we've
at least acknowledged it, like that stony ground here, it springs
up quickly and makes a show. But when persecution for the
gospel's sake comes, it withers because there's no root there.
It looked good. Tares looked good for a while. They looked like sheep. And we
don't know the difference. We don't realize who God's sheep
are. Oh, we've got a good indication
based on the manifestation of consistency, settledness and
stuff. But they that endure to the end
are going to be saved. Lord, keep me. Lord, help me. Lord, speak to me. I want Almighty
God to teach me. Now, this Scripture this evening
that we're going to deal with sets forth the crime. That's what it is. It's a crime
against God. The crime of willful and final
rebellion against the light of God's truth, God's Christ, God's
wisdom. This is so serious. There is no way that I can express,
even in my own mind, I know I can't express the seriousness of Almighty
God keeping His people, being kept by the power of God. The
apostle here refers to the consequence. of forsaking the assembling of
ourselves together. And here's where we are, verse
28. We know that verse 27 says, if we sin willfully after we've
received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more
sacrifice for sins but a certain, absolutely certain, fearful,
looking for, it's coming, of judgment and fiery indignation
which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses' law died
without mercy under two or three witnesses. Almighty God had set forth and
had given Moses the law on Mount Sinai. He gave it to the people
of Israel. He gave it into the hands of
Moses to deliver. That was God's law. It says Moses'
law. Moses was the means. Moses was
the one that God used to bring it. But Israel was bound to that
law. Almighty God had given the law,
God's law, to His people. And its demands were just and
right. And those that despised it, those
that willingly and knowingly, there's the issue right here,
they knew what they were doing. Those that despised it, willingly,
rejected it, they disregarded it, they cast it off, they treated
it with contempt, they died without mercy, no questions, no appeal,
nothing. Turn with me to Deuteronomy 17.
Deuteronomy 17, verses 1 to 7. This is the severity of God's
law. I think about that Scripture
while you're turning. Paul says, you that know the law, do you
know what the law says, you that want to be under the law? Oh,
my. Here's what Deuteronomy 17, 1
to 7 says. Listen to God's demand. Thou
shalt not. sacrifice unto the Lord thy God
any bullock or sheep wherein is blemish or any evil favoredness,
for that's an abomination unto the Lord thy God. If there be
found among you within any of thy gates which the Lord thy
God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness
in the sight of the Lord thy God in transgressing His covenant,
and hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either
the sun, the moon, or any of the hosts of heaven, which I
have not commanded, it should be told thee that thou hast heard
of it, and inquired diligently, and behold it be true, the thing
certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel. Then shalt
thou bring forth that man or that woman which hath committed
that wicked thing, And to thy gates even that man or that woman,
and shalt stone them with stones till they die at the mouth of
two or three witnesses, that he that is worthy of death be
put to death. But at the mouth of one witness
he shall not be put to death. The hands of the witnesses shall
be first upon him to put him to death, afterward the hands
of all the people, so thou shalt put the evil away from among
you." This is God's law. This is God's
law. This is God's demand. This is
the way it is. Almighty God set forth His law
and setting forth that law, He said, now, despise this law,
treat it with contempt, reject it, ignore it. Two or three witnesses,
you're guilty, you're dead. How much, verse 29, 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 unto the
Spirit of grace? How much more aggravated punishment,
sorer punishment, Here we are taught the seriousness of the
willful rejection of Christ and His Gospel. If the Lord poured out His wrath
upon those that despise the types, the shadows, the pictures of
His Son, how much worse shall be the punishment of those that
reject the fullness of those types, the Lord Jesus Christ. I want you to turn with me to
Luke. Hold your place there in Hebrews. Turn to Luke 12. Luke 12. Here's what Almighty God has
to say. Luke 12, verse 43 to verse 48. The Lord gave a parable. And in this parable, He set forth
Demands for obedience. Luke 12, 43. Blessed is that
servant whom his Lord, when he cometh, shall find so doing. Of a truth I say unto you, that
he shall make him ruler over all that he hath. But, and if
that servant say in his heart, My Lord, delayeth his coming,
he shall begin to beat the men servants, maid servants, eat,
drink, be drunken, The Lord of that servant will come in a day
when he looketh not for him, and in an hour when he is not
aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion
with the unbelievers. And that servant which knew his
Lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according
to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that
knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten
with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given,
of him shall be much required. And to whom men have committed
much, of him they shall ask for more." Now let me tell you what's
being said right there. To hear the gospel, I want men to hear the gospel.
This is the only message that Almighty God blesses for the
salvation of His people. This is the power of God. I want
men to come. I want men to hear. I want, Almighty
God, I pray, I do, as the Lord is my witness, I pray, ask Him,
ask Him for this congregation. Lord, would You bless this congregation?
Would you draw your people to yourself? Lord, would you bless
the word to the salvation of your elect? I want people to
come. But I do know this. I know that
it is a fearful thing to hear the Gospel that you must hear.
To hear the Gospel and then to treat that Gospel with disrespect
and to forsake it and say, I'm not going to have that man rule
over me. I'm not going to do it. But the thing that's so horrible,
and this is just the truth, this is what these Scriptures are
bearing out. Those that heard, that servant that knew his Master's
will, Those have heard, He's going to be beaten with many
stripes, Scripture says. And those that knew not His Master's
will, they deserve punishment. They're going to be beaten with
lesser stripes. There's degrees of suffering.
Let me show you that too. Matthew 11. Matthew 11. Matthew 11, verse 20. We've read
this before. Look, look. Matthew 11. Matthew
20-24, the Lord in verse 20, Matthew 11-20, Then began He
to upbraid the cities wherein most of His mighty works were
done, because they repented not. Woe unto thee, Chorazin! Woe
unto thee, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works were
done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have
repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. Now, obviously, the
mighty works of God, the witness of Almighty God, bearing witness
of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ was shown to be with the witnesses
of miracles, wonders. God confirmed Him by those things. If the mighty works had been
done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago
in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, it shall
be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment
than for you." Now, there's no way in the world that you're
going to get around that there's going to be degrees of suffering.
Not degrees of mercy and grace in heaven. We have One who is
our Lord and Savior, and in Him we rejoice. He is our great and
exceeding reward. But according to these Scriptures,
those that have heard and have rejected, it's going to be more
tolerable for those that never heard. Verse 23, And thou, Capernaum,
which art exalted unto heaven, shall be brought down to hell.
For if the mighty works which had been done in thee had been
done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But
I say unto you that it shall be more tolerable for the land
of Sodom in the day of judgment than for thee. Why? They're going
to remember. They're going to remember. They're
going to remember every time they heard the Gospel, every
time the message of Christ was set forth, every time that glorious
message of hope and life was set forth. They'll remember. That's what the Lord told them.
Remember that rich man that died? He fared sumptuously every day.
Lazarus, the dogs licked his sores. Lazarus died and went
to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man died. He lifted
his eyes up out of hell. He called to Father Abraham. He said, Father Abraham, would
you send Lazarus and let him dip his finger in some water?
Come over here and cool my tongue. My tongue is burning up. And
he said, Remember. Remember. Remember. Oh, the seriousness. of hearing
the gospel and forsaking it. He that despised Moses' law died
without mercy under two or three witnesses. How much sorer? How much more aggravated punishment? How much more? How much? How much sorer punishment? Suppose ye shall he be thought
worthy who hath trodden underfoot the Son of God. He that has insulted
the dignity of God Himself and has tread upon His authority."
That's what he's saying. "...who has trodden underfoot
the Son of God and has counted the blood of the covenant wherewith
He," that is Christ, "...was sanctified." An unholy thing. Listen. We preach Christ and
Him crucified. And when one comes and he hears
the gospel of God's grace and he walks away, eventually, inside
he never was there. He acknowledged that he was,
but he walked away. I'm not going to hear that. This
is what Almighty God says you're doing. You're trodden underfoot,
the Son of God. You're counting the blood of
the covenant that Almighty God has accepted. The Lord Jesus
Christ shed His blood at Calvary just as that high priest in the
Old Testament in type would take that blood, the blood of that
animal that was shed. He would go into that Holy of
Holies one day a year, not without blood. And he'd go behind that
veil and he'd sprinkle that mercy seat. And God accepted it. That was a picture, that was
a type of the Lord Jesus Christ who gave his own life, his own
blood and entered into heaven with his own blood. Almighty
God accepted it. Those that hear the Gospel and
walk away, What they've done is they've counted the blood
of the covenant wherewith He was sanctified to be an unholy
thing. The blood that was shed by the
set-apart One, the hallowed One, reject that blood? God accepted
it. Then they've done despite unto
the Spirit of grace. They've blasphemed. by the Holy
Spirit of God, the One that Almighty God calls sinners out of darkness,
the One that is the sealer of God's elect, the teaching, the
quickening God. It's a serious thing. We cannot
and we dare not shy away or fail to be truthful with men, with
women concerning that which awaits those that reject Christ. I hear
these words right here and I think to myself, Lord, keep me. Lord, keep me. Tonight, we're here by the grace
of God. We're here by the mercy of Almighty
God with a heart that desires His Word, His Son. The only scriptural
conclusion concerning those that formerly professed to believe
Christ as He's revealed in His Word and then have willfully
left, is this, the only scriptural conclusion. Someone can say,
well, I don't like the way He handles Himself. I don't like
His mannerisms. You can use any excuse in the
world. The only scriptural conclusion is this. Verse John
2.19, They went out from us, but they were not of us. For
if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued
with us. But they went out that they might
be made manifest. They were not all of us. The Scripture says in verse 30, For we know Him. that has said, Vengeance belongeth
unto me. I will recompense, saith the
Lord. And again, the Lord shall judge
His people. I was going over my notes a few
minutes ago. And as I was reading these extremely
heavy words, they are heavy words. They are words of warning. The only comfort that I have
is that I know this, the Lord of Glory is going to do right.
And I know this, that He is a merciful God, that He has had mercy and
compassion on His people. And oh, how thankful I am because
I'm telling you that but for the grace of God, I would have
been the first one to leave. I'd have quit. I wouldn't have
stayed. I wouldn't have continued. This
gospel that honors God only and gives me no honor in myself.
It doesn't say anything good about me. It's always putting
me down. Always telling me that I'm a sinner. But for the grace
of God, I would have listened to the crowd just like that one
thief last Sunday that listened and railed on the Lord. It was
only by the grace of God that the other thief didn't do it
too. God's grace. God's mercy. But as I was going
over my notes a few minutes ago, I read this Scripture again.
And these first few words out of that verse 30, it just jumped
out at me. For we know Him that hath said. For we know Him that hath said.
Oh, this is life eternal. that they may know Thee, the
only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent." Paul, the
apostle, that I'm convinced, I'm convinced these scriptures
bear out, there was a believer. There was a man named God. And
what did this man say concerning himself? The one that said that
he was the chief of sinners, what did he say? Oh, that I may
know Him. that I may be found in Him, that
I may know Him. You that believe, do you not
echo those words right now? Oh, that I may know Him. You
that have stood under the Gospel all these years and heard the
Gospel preached from one of the most faithful men that I ever
knew, oh, brother Scott, how thankful I am God raised up a
man to preach the Gospel, tell the truth, And there were times
that I know men despised Him for it. But He was a faithful
man. Faithful. Faithful to be honest
with men. Faithful. And spoke of this One
that we sing right here. We know Him. We know Him. We know Him. We know Him. That He has revealed Himself
to us. We know that He's a just God. We know that He's faithful,
faithful, merciful. We know Him. And this is what
the One that we know has said, Vengeance belongeth unto me.
I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, the Lord shall
judge His people. I will. I will recompense. Oh, when I think of the mercy
of God, that when the Lord Jesus Christ was made sin, 2 Corinthians
5.21, who made him sin, who knew no sin, that we might be made
the righteousness of God in him. I know this, the one that by
the grace of God we know, he dealt with a substitute for his
people. I know this, that he put away
the guilt. I am in myself. All of these
things that men are going to stand before God for. I know
this. There's no difference in me and
them. There's no difference in you and them. No difference in
any of us but for the grace of God. We know Him. He who is truthful
and faithful to His Word. The one who has the right to
exact vengeance. Why? Because all sin is against
Him. All sin is against God. That's
what David said, against thee. David had sinned against Uriah,
Bathsheba, the people that trusted. He said, Lord, against thee and
thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight. We know
Him. He will recompense. He will revenge
sin. All sin is going to be dealt
with. in absolute judgment. And again, the Lord will judge
His people. What does that mean? Does that mean that God's people
are going to be under the judgment of God? No, what He's saying
here is that those that are His, according to the covenant, He's
going to chastise. Almighty God has already dealt
with His people in wrath in a substitute. God has already dealt with His
people in judgment in Christ. The wrath of God has already
been spewed out upon our blessed Redeemer. But He now will chastise
His people. Why? Because He loves them. He's
going to draw us to Himself. He's going to teach us. He's
going to search out and He's going to discover and He's going
to expose that which needs to be exposed in us. But it's because
He loves us. for those that everlastingly
are known in Christ, chosen in Christ, redeemed by Christ, regenerated
by the Spirit of God, taught of Christ, kept by the power
of God, they're going to know Him. It's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the
living God. Rejoice, believer, that you know Him. Rejoice that
He's kept you. It's a fearful thing, frightful,
frightful thing. It's a frightful thing to fall
into the hands of the living God, to fall when a man thought
he stood, to fall into the hands of a mere man and his power Well,
that's going to end at physical death, but the Scripture says,
Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill
the soul, but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both
soul and body in hell. Judgment of God. It's either
been spewed out in the blessed Lord Jesus Christ, or men in
that day are going to hear Him say, Depart from Me. I never
knew you. The Scripture sets forth, If
any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his
cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life
shall lose it, and whosoever will lose his life for my sake
shall find it. My question, I had a last question,
and I started to read it. Here was my last question. Why
will you perish? Why will you perish? Some men may say, well, what
if I'm not one of God's elect? Somebody asked Mr. Spurgeon that.
He said, what if you are? What if you are? Do you want to come to Christ
by faith? Do you want to confess Him? Confess
Him in baptism? Cast yourself upon His mercy?
Come! Believe Him! Trust Him! May the Lord bless these words
to our heart, for Christ's sake. Amen.