We are looking here still in
chapter 10 and the exhortation that has
been given unto the children of God to hold fast their profession
of faith without wavering because in reality, You cannot have a
profession of faith that does waver. If it wavers, then it
is not faith, because faith is that which is set upon something. Christ is our faith, and He does
not waver. Now, we, in the weakness of the
flesh, in our grasp of that which Christ has done, that does waver. And that's what it is that Paul
is writing here, exhorting us, that we look upon that which
Christ has done, who has not wavered, because it's set. It's done. It's finished. It's
a work that is accomplished. And he says to us, don't let
your understanding and grasp of that waver. Don't turn aside
from it. Because if you turn aside from
that which Christ has done, what do you have left? I mean, that's
what he said down here of how much sore 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 in unholy thing. Now what would we have left if
we turn aside from Christ? That is that which He speaks
about if we sin willfully. After that, we come to the knowledge
of the truth. I mean, if we've been brought to the place where
we see and know who Christ is and what He's done, if we trample
that underfoot, if we say, well, I'm going to try something else,
what do we have left? Nothing. We are of all men most
miserable. Now in a measure this is a hypothetical
situation because we know this to be true and that is that none
of those for whom the Lord Jesus Christ shed His precious blood
can possibly perish. They cannot turn aside and walk
no more with Him. They cannot lose their faith. They cannot deny the faith. They
cannot ultimately waver in their faith because the Lord will keep
that which is His until the end. He said, Faithful is he which
calls you who will also do it. He keeps those that are His.
But this exhortation is given to the people of God as men just
in the same fashion in which we speak about the fact that
our faith as we grasp it does waver, does it not? And we need
the constant encouragement to hold fast onto that which we
have now. As he's saying, hold fast to
your faith or hold fast to the profession of your faith which
is that which Christ has done. See, that's the profession of
our faith. The profession of our faith is not what we've done.
It's not, well, I made a profession of faith. That's not what he's
saying. He's not saying go and get the piece of paper where
you wrote out your profession of faith and hold on to it. No. He's saying hold fast to the
profession of faith that you have which is Christ. That is
that which we hold on to. Even when our faith wavers, our
understanding of it, our grasp of it, even when we're weak,
Because when we are weak, then we are strong. Because it is
that which Christ has done that is the basis and grounds of that
which we have confessed. And so it doesn't matter what
happens to us. It is important that we understand
that what Christ has done is the center and the substance
of that which we have confessed. And we continue to confess and
we shall confess. But we are exhorted as though
it was a thing that was dependent upon us to hold on to. Now this is something that the
natural man can never fully grasp or get. But we do exhort one
another to continue on in the faith, to be faithful. Do we
not? To stand steadfast and firm. And that's what Paul's doing
here in this writing to these Hebrews because they were well
versed in understanding the nature of Moses' law. In fact, he uses
that to them. He says, we know that, or he
says here, he that despised Moses' law died without mercy under
two or three witnesses. Now, they understood that. They understood that the law
made no provision for any forgiveness or whatever. It just was what
it was. If you broke it, you paid for
it. And so it is here, he said, if
we understand that, and we understand that a man who breaks Moses'
laws worthy of destruction How much more would it be than that
which is greater than the law of Moses if we were to despise
that? If we trample underfoot the Son
of God, how much more is that such a one is that worthy of? How much sorer punishment, suppose
ye, would they be worthy of? Because to turn away from the
knowledge of Christ, is far worse than turning away from the knowledge
of the law. Because turning away from the
knowledge of the law, a man could find a place of forgiveness for
that. But there is no place of forgiveness
for those who have trampled underfoot the Son of God and counted the
blood of the covenant to be an unholy thing. It's of no use. We don't need it. We don't want
it. There would be no profession of faith left, would there? There
would be nothing to stand upon. And so that's a terrible thing,
that a man should turn from that which he knows to be true. In verse 30 it says, For we know
him that saith, that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me,
I will recompense, saith the Lord. The Lord shall judge his
people. It's a fearful thing to fall
into the hands of the living God. Now we know for a fact that
it is appointed unto men and after this the judgment. It's
appointed unto men once to die and after this the judgment.
So how could it be that a man could not tremble if he knows
who God is? at the consideration of that,
that a man should be brought into an account before God. Now
thankfully, by the grace of God, we understand that those who
are in Christ have had an account made for them. But how much sorer
punishment should he be worthy who hath trodden underfoot the
Son of God, for we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth
unto me. If a man despises the Son of
God, turns from it, that would be an awful thing, would it not?
Because it would be not only disobeying the way of God, but
it would be like spitting in his face. It would be an affront
unto him. It is a fearful thing to fall
into the hands of the living God. And you know, God's people
know that. We constantly live with the awareness
of that because the Spirit of God is sent into the world to
convince us of sin, righteousness, and judgment. And He continually
does that. And so it is a fearful thing.
We don't take it lightly that a man who despises the way of
Christ should come into the presence of God and not be cast away. But Coulter remembers. Here is Paul's exhortation as
a means of encouragement to these who are weak. Perhaps their families
have been after them. You know, you need to cast this
off. You need to come and follow the Lord. You need to come back
over here into the religion that you've always embraced. They
were under this pressure. not only from that aspect, but
from the outward aspect of the continual persecutions, physical,
that were placed upon them. He said, call to remembrance
the former days after you were eliminated and ye endured a great
fight of afflictions. Think of the sufferings and troubles
that you have gone through for the cause of Christ. Remember
what it was, how you felt at that time. Remember how your
heart was desirous of walking in the way of Christ, even so
much so that you did not let these afflictions turn you aside. He said, partly whilst you were
made a gazing stock, or that is put on display is what that
means, both by reproaches and afflictions, and partly whilst
you became companions of them that were so used. So not only
do you remember what it was that you underwent, but you remember
the camaraderie and the fellowship that you had with the brethren
when you were in such state as that. Think on that. That's not
a light thing. I mean, if a man walks his whole
life, confessing Christ in the Gospel, and then he begins to
waver at the end, would it not be a normal thing that we would
go to him and say, Brother, listen, remember back. You confessed
these things before men. You've stood the test of time. You've wanted the way of Christ
your whole life. Why would you turn away now?
And so that's just an exhortation. It's an encouragement unto these
saints. For you had compassion of me
in my bonds. You thought of me. I mean, you
took joyfully the spoiling of your goods. You were willing
to give the things that you had for my sake. He said, you took
joyfully the spoiling of your goods as you were persecuted,
as they took these things from you, or as you willingly gave
them up, as these saints in Jerusalem did, as they gave their goods
and sold them for the benefit of the sustenance of the body. He said, knowing in yourselves
that you have in heaven a better and enduring substance. Why did
you do that, He said? What was the purpose of that?
Because you knew that there was something greater than this world
and all of these things that you now see. He said, so don't
cast away your confidence. Don't turn away from that which
you once believed in. And we do exalt one another in
that fashion, do we not? I mean, day by day, isn't that
why we preach the gospel to one another? I mean, left to ourselves,
in and of ourselves, in the weakness of our flesh, we'll turn away
tomorrow. But you see, the Lord is pleased
through the work of His Spirit, the preaching of the gospel,
the exhortations and the interactions of the people of God, to encourage
the people of God to continue on. Isn't that what he said there
in verse 24? Let us consider one another to
provoke unto love and good works, not forsaking the assembling
of ourselves together. That's the whole purpose for
why we come together. It's not to come down and listen
to somebody preach. It's not so that we can sing
some songs. But our gathering together is
more involved than that. We are trying to build one another
up in the most holy faith, to guide one another, to encourage
one another. Whether it be in this assembly
that we gather on one day a week or whether it be in the course
of our lives as we are knit together in Christ one with the other.
And we are seeking to encourage one another. So it says, "...cast
not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of
reward. For ye have need of patience.
After that ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the
promise." Some would take that and try
to twist the context of what he's saying here. He's not trying
to tell them that they're going to gain this by their ability,
but rather that it is because of the work of Christ in them
and the encouragement that they have to walk in the things of
God that they will receive these things. It is the blessing of
God to give us the recompense of reward, is it not? Now, we
do not serve God for the prospect of reward, but He has promised
us that none shall be ashamed who serve Him. He said to Peter,
you know, there is no man that hath given up himself that he
will not gain greater things than these in the kingdom which
is to come. So cast not away therefore your
confidence which hath great recompense or reward. And what is their
confidence? Christ. Don't cast that away. I mean, what would you have left
if you did that? He is your confidence. For ye
have need of patience, after that ye have done the will of
God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he
that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just
shall live by faith, but if any man draw back, my soul shall
have no pleasure in him." Now that's a passage taken from the
book of Habakkuk, basically word for word. It says, Yet a little
while he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now,
that's speaking directly of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ
who will come. And he's telling them, as in
a prophetic sense in the Old Testament, don't give up. He that shall come will come,
and he will not tarry. And in the same fashion, We exhort
one another, he that shall come will come and he will not tarry.
The Lord is coming. Now, you know, whether we see
him come in bodily form in the life now in which we presently
live, one thing is for sure, he is coming for each one of
us at some point in time. And we shall see him. And that
is the exhortation. Now, the just shall live by faith,
but if any man draw back, my souls will have no pleasure in
him. Why? Now, he says the just shall live by faith. Well, does
that mean he's going to live by his faith? Now, it says by
his faith in the book of Habakkuk, but who is it that has lived
by his faith? is Christ Himself. You see, Christ
was a man of faith. He lived every day of His life
in perfect faith. And our faith, that faith wherein
we are, the faith which is pleasing to God, is not our faith in the
sense that He looks down and sees us, well, He's walking in
faith, so I like Him. No, it is that we have the faith
of Christ, that we are in Christ. Christ is our faith. I mean,
He's the one who has believed God for us, and we believe Him. I don't believe my faith. My faith wouldn't get me out
of a paper sack. It would be gone tomorrow. I
mean, it's weak. It's beggarly. It can't do anything
but the faith of Christ. You see, it is the faith of Christ. It's not the faith in Christ,
although He gives us faith in Him because He's the one who
has the faith. So we are encouraged. The just
shall live by faith. What is the faith we live by?
If we're made just in Christ, it's Christ. It's everything
that Christ did. I mean, that's the only thing
that we have. It's not, well, I'm going to
hold out to the end, brother. I'm going to be faithful. Well,
I'm not going to be faithful. I know that. I'm going to turn
aside and walk no more with the Lord, but I believe this, that
he who went to the cross in my behalf And if He paid the price
for my sin, He will keep me until the day of judgment. And He will
preserve me. And that is my faith. And the
just shall live by faith, by that faith which we have in Christ. He is our faith. And the Lord
said, if any man draw back, my souls shall have no pleasure
in him. That's exactly what He said earlier. If you turn from
Christ, what have you got left? There's nothing. You don't have
any basis. You know, what would you do?
Well, Lord, look on my faith. I'm going to follow your way,
but I'm going to reject Christ. Well, how could that be? And
how foolish is it when men talk about all these different faiths
out here? Well, just be men of faith. We're
just glad that we're men of faith in the world. Well, I'm not opposed
to there being men of faith in that sense. I'm not fighting
against them. I'm not trying to overcome or anything else.
But I'm saying this and declaring what the Scripture says, that
any faith which is not the faith of Christ is of no lasting value. God's not pleased with faith.
He's pleased with the faith of Christ. And that is our faith. That is that upon which we stand. But then listen to what he says.
And this is the encouragement to the people of God. He said
all this. He said if you draw back, if you turn aside, if you
deny that which you once confessed, then you're going to perish.
Simple as that. Because you won't have anything
left. But listen to what he says here, "...but we are not of them
who draw back into perdition, but of them that believe to the
saving of the soul." See, we're not those of whom he described. He's saying to these Hebrews,
It doesn't make a difference what the bleak situation looks
like that you may be in. It says you are not of these
people because God called you out. Don't you remember in those
early days when you were made a gazing stock, when the Lord
called you by His grace? Don't you remember that? He said
we are not of those that turn aside, but we are those that
believe. And only can that be said if
we understand that it is the work of God that keeps His people. I mean, you might as well tear
that page of Scripture out, that verse of Scripture out, if you
don't believe that, because you wouldn't have any basis to stand.
If it was all dependent on you, you might be of one of those.
I mean, as Paul looked at these Hebrews, he said, well, some
of you might be of these. But no, what did he say? He said,
ye are not. Because he said, your confession,
the profession that you have in Christ Jesus cannot fail. And we are not of them that believe
something that will not stand the test of time. We are not
of them that believe, that turn back. Why? Because we know that
Christ is the Savior. He's the Lord. We're not of them
that draw back into perdition, but of them which believe. Why
do we believe? Because of the mercy of God.
What made us believe in the first place? The grace of God. What is the hope that we have
that shall keep us to the end? Is it our ability to continue
on? No, it's that the grace of God
that called us will keep us. And thereby we exhort one another
to that end. Well, I don't want you to be
trusting in your ability to believe. I don't want you to be trying
to believe. I want you to see Christ. And
if that be your confession, let's hold fast. And don't let people
come around and try to turn you aside to this side or that side.
It's always going to come back to Christ. It's going to be Christ. Nothing less, nothing more. You
know, nothing less. It's just Christ.