Let's open our Bibles again to
Hebrews chapter 10. The title of the message this
morning is Sinning Willfully. This is a very sobering subject,
sinning willfully. I pray that God will cause us
to treat it very seriously, soberly. And then I pray He'll give us
some comfort in believing. Our text begins in verse 26 of
Hebrews chapter 10. For if we sin willfully, after
that we've received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth
no more sacrifice for sins." Now that verse says exactly what
you think it says. Whoever sins willfully is not
saved. Well, then what does it mean
to sin willfully? You know, there are some who
say that sinning willfully means that there's something that I
desire to do. I know it's wrong. I know it's
a sin. I know I shouldn't do it. But I do it anyway. Now if that
is sinning willfully, no son of Adam will ever be saved. Almost
all of our sin is willful sin. Sin that we just decide to do
even though we know it's wrong. Now I know that there are sins
we commit we don't know anything about. We're so sinful. There
are sins we commit we don't even realize are sins. But most of
our sin is willful sin. Adam, and that goes back to the
very first sin, Adam was not deceived. He did it willfully. Willful, open rebellion against
God, and you and I have got his nature. That's not what sinning willfully
means. The writer here is talking about
a specific sin. It's the sin of apostasy. Now,
apostasy is when someone says that they've received the love
of the truth. They've received the knowledge
of the truth. They claim to understand the gospel and they claim to
believe Christ who's declared in that gospel. And they will
agree. The only righteousness I have
is the obedience of Christ. They'll agree that salvation
is all in Christ. It's not in the law, not in me
keeping the law. It's not in me going through all the right
ceremonies. They'll agree salvation is not in the right form of religion,
but it's in Christ. They'll say that the only way
to God is through Christ, through the person and work of the Lord
Jesus Christ. And they may even hold to that
profession for a pretty good while. They may stay around a
pretty good while. But eventually, the apostate
leaves. Eventually, they'll leave and
they'll say that the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace
is not true. Or at least that they'll say
that's not all there is to it. They'll say there's something
more to this than Christ alone. It's got to be something more
than Christ alone. They'll say something that's
got to be added to it. Our works, they'll say our works
have got something to do with it. You know, God saves us by
His grace. We've got to keep ourselves saved
and keep ourselves saved and keep ourselves in His you know,
good pleasure by our works. They'll say that you've got to
have all these different ceremonies of religion. They say that's
got to have something to do with it. And I can tell you why they
think that's got to have something to do with it. Because that feels
good to the flesh. It feels so good to the flesh,
they think it's got to have something to do with it. And when they
do that, I'll tell you what they've done. They've turned their back
on the gospel of God's free grace and they've returned to the law.
That's what they've done. It's some form or another. It's
the law. I look back at Romans chapter
11. I'll show you that's true. This thing of salvation and eternal
life. It's either all of grace or it's
all of works. There's no mixture. Can't be
a mixture of the two. It's all works or it's all grace. Romans 11 verse six. The apostle
tells us this. And if by grace, then it's no
more works. If salvation is by grace, works
have nothing to do with it. Otherwise, grace is no more grace. If our works add to it, then
grace is not pure grace, is it? But if it be works, then it's
no more grace. It can't be works and then God
adds a little bit of grace to it to finish it up. Otherwise,
work is no more work. It's one or the other. All God's
grace are all our works. And when someone leaves the gospel
of Christ, The writer to the Hebrews tells us they have no
hope of salvation left. This is this is a sobering subject,
isn't it? They've rejected Christ. He's the only savior. Then there's
no savior left for them. They've rejected Christ and his
sacrifice is the only sacrifice for sin, so they don't have any
sacrifice for sin. The sinner's only hope of salvation
is the Lord Jesus Christ. And if we reject Christ, we have
no hope left. The only thing that's left for
us is the fear of damnation. Verse 27 tells us that there's
no more sacrifice for sin, but all that's left is a certain
fearful looking for judgment and fiery indignation which shall
devour the adversaries. Now, the writer has been building
up and leading us to this point on apostasy. He told us in verse
22, Draw near to God by faith, with a heart of faith. Don't
make an outward show of religion, but draw near to Him in faith. In verse 23, He said, Hold fast
that profession of faith. Hold it fast. Don't let it go.
Don't quit. In verse 24, He told us, Consider
one another. Be mindful of one another. Be
mindful of the needs of others. Be mindful of the flesh and weakness
about it. Mike and I are just up here talking.
How often do we look at other people and expect them to be
perfect when we're not? We expect them to do something
we're not able to do. Consider one another. In verse 25, he
says, forsake not public worship. Don't forsake public worship.
For, because, here's why this stern warning about not forsaking
public worship. Because the first step in apostasy
every time is forsaking public worship. It's to think, I don't need that.
I don't need that preaching of Christ. I don't need that. And almost always, sooner or
later, that person will reject Christ. Sooner or later, the
person that forsakes the assembling of ourselves together, forsakes
public worship, will reject Christ. Almost always. Sometimes not. I've seen sometimes not. but
almost always. Now, this must be a real danger,
that the writer to the Hebrews in this glorious letter, this
glorious explanation of those Old Testament types and pictures,
how they all point to Christ, for him to now stop and take
the time, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to warn us
of apostasy. He showed us this glorious revelation
of Christ, and you'd think, well, There's no danger of anybody
looking towards him and leaving him. But this must be a real
danger for him to warn us about it. Judas betrayed the Lord himself,
didn't he? He didn't just hear some man
preaching. He heard the Lord himself and betrayed him. Demas
forsook Paul, having loved this present world. The world was
able to draw him away. We've seen it happen here over
the years. And we're warned in scripture
that in the last days, apostasy shall abound. We're in the last
days. So this is something that's very
serious. That's a real danger to us. The sin of apostasy. I want to show you why the sin
of apostasy is such an important matter. First of all, because
it brings the wrath of God. All this left verse 27 says is
a certain fearful looking for judgment. and fiery indignation
which shall devour the adversaries. Anybody who leaves Christ alone,
the only thing they can expect is wrath from God. If we abandon
Christ, we abandon everything. We abandon all hope, all salvation,
all righteousness, all forgiveness, all grace, all mercy, all life. If we forsake Christ, we forsake
everything but wrath. That's all that's left. Verse
28, 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? Now the writer here does what
the Jews often do, builds from the lesser to the greater. Well,
the law is the lesser, Christ is the greater, right? But God's
wrath came upon people who despised God's law, didn't it? The written
law of Moses. Korah and his followers rebelled
against God's high priest, didn't they? What happened? The earth
swallowed them up whole and devoured them. Nadab and Abihu, Aaron's
sons. Aaron's sons taught these things. They came and offered strange
incense before the Lord and the Lord sent out a fire that devoured
them. King Uzziah, so greatly blessed
of God. came in one day and tried to
offer incense before the Lord. He tried to come to God without
a high priest. He tried to come to God without a mediator and
God struck him with leprosy. He was a leper to the day he
died. God sent a flood one day and wiped out this whole planet.
Wiped out every living thing on this planet except for eight
souls and animals that were in that ark. The ark Dan told us
about last Sunday. God's wrath fell in an awesome
awe-inspiring way on people that despise the picture of Christ. That's what the law is. They
despise the picture. Well, how much worse do you reckon
it'll be for people who despise Christ himself? Now, this serious business, refusing
to believe on Christ, is treading God's foot, God's son, under
our foot. Refusing to believe Christ is
not, well, you know, I see another way of doing things that's just
as good. No, it's stomping your heel, grinding your heel on the
Son of God. What wrath do you reckon that
would bring? You parents, what wrath would
that bring you if somebody did that to your son? Refusing to
bow to Christ is not indifferent. How many times If somebody told
you, some preacher from this pulpit told you to come to Christ,
bow to Him, believe Him. And we don't. It's treading God's Son under
our foot. Instead of bowing at His feet
and kissing the Son, lest He be angry and you perish from
the way when His anger is kindled but a little. Instead of bowing
at His feet, we try to put Him under our feet. I'll decide when
it's time. There's something I need besides
Him alone. I'll do that, then I'll go to
Him. Not putting ourselves in willing subjection to His will
at His feet is putting Him under our feet. Well, of course, that's
going to bring God's wrath. God's going to damn people who
do not trust His Son. And it will be worse for those
who have heard of Christ, claim to believe Him, and then turned
away from it. Our Lord told us that. All those
cities He did all those marvelous miracles in, He said it would
be better for Sodom than for you. Those folks who are just
putting on a show of religion, you know why they're going to
get burned? They're playing with the dynamite of God's Word. They didn't believe it. It brings
God's wrath. Second, this sin of apostasy
is so serious because it counts the blood of Christ to be unholy. Verse 29 says, you've trodden
underfoot the son of God and have counted the blood of the
covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing. Now, what is
the blood of the covenant? You know, it's the blood of Christ.
It's the blood of Christ that ratified God's covenant of grace.
That's described to us in verse 16 of Hebrews 10. This is the
covenant. that I'll make of them after
those days, saith the Lord. I'll put my laws into their hearts,
and in their minds will I write them, and their sins and iniquities
will I remember no more." Now that's God's covenant of grace.
What a covenant! That Almighty God, before time
began, before human time began, determined to have mercy on a
sinful people. He determined to save them even
though they did not deserve it. He determined to put away their
sin. He determined not to remember their sin anymore. Well, the
only way that's possible is through the blood of Christ. The blood
of Christ is the blood of the covenant because it ratified,
it sealed, it put into effect God's covenant of grace. What
can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh, how precious is that. makes a black hearted, guilty
sinner, crimson red sinner, white as snow. But apostate counts
that, the writer says, as an unholy thing. And that phrase
unholy thing, it doesn't just mean a sinful thing. You know
what it means? It means a common thing or a shared thing. To count the blood of Christ
as an unholy thing is to say that Christ died for everybody.
It's a common thing. Christ died for everybody to
give everybody a chance to be saved. Well, saying Christ died
for everybody to give everybody a chance to be saved, that means
it's a common thing for all men, not just God's elect. Well, then
the blood of Christ can't save everybody for whom it was shed.
We know people are in hell. Christ died for everybody, died
for people in hell. Then the blood of Christ is useless. That's treading God's Son under
our foot. It's counting His blood to be
an unholy thing. The apostate makes the blood
of Christ and the blood of bulls and goats to be the same. It's
a common thing, unholy thing. And to say that salvation is
a shared work, God does His part and then man does his part to
make it whole. That's to count the blood of
Christ as an unholy And if we think that somebody can be saved
under that message, that salvation is completed by our works, anything
we do, then I don't think much of the blood, do I? I've counted
it an unholy thing. Now, the writer says that these
folks, these apostates, they have been sanctified. Now, he's
not saying they've been sanctified by the Holy Spirit. And we'll
see this at the end of the message. If the Spirit sanctified you,
You're not going to commit to sin. But it seemed like it for
a time. They gave a good profession,
a good show of it for a time. At one time, this apostate, he
claimed to be sanctified by Christ alone. But now he thinks he can
do something to contribute to his holiness. What's obvious,
God's wrath is going to come upon that person. Our so-called
righteousnesses are not holy. They're filthy rags. They're
rags defiled with sin. And that person who thinks that
he can do something to add to Christ's holiness is despising
God's Son. Well, of course, God's wrath
is going to come upon that person. So, so far we've seen this apostasy. It's a sin against God the Father.
It's a sin against God the Son. And thirdly, apostasy is so serious,
it does despite to the work of God the Holy Spirit. The end
of verse 29 says, and have done despite under the spirit of grace. That word despite means to insult.
The work of the Holy Spirit is to reveal Christ to God's people. I know that's not what the flesh
wants to say, but find out what God's word says. I promise you
that's what you'll find out. The work of the Holy Spirit is
to reveal Christ to the hearts of God's people. Well, for then,
for me to hear the gospel of Christ and to refuse to believe
on Christ is to insult God, the Holy Spirit. It's refusing to
believe the message of the Spirit. To say, I'm not saved by grace
alone. I know what that preacher says.
I know he read that from that book, but I'm not saved by grace
alone. I'm saved by grace that makes
up for what I can't do. I'll fill the glass up this far
and then grace will fill it up the rest of the way. That's doing
despite. That's insulting God the Holy
Spirit. To think that I could contribute
something that God's grace cannot? That I could contribute something
that Christ didn't already do? That's to insult God the Holy
Spirit. The Holy Spirit teaches this.
If the Spirit teaches you, this is what He's going to teach you.
Salvation is in Christ alone. Salvation is by God's grace alone. It's by God's grace alone. It's
received through faith in Christ alone, plus nothing. If that's what you believe, the
Holy Spirit taught you that. And to say otherwise is to insult
the Holy Spirit. You know, to say that the evidence,
people want to look for evidence of the Holy Spirit. Well, to
say that the evidence of the Holy Spirit is signs and miracles
and wonders, that's to insult the Holy Spirit. Because that's
not the evidence. His work is to reveal Christ.
Somebody who needs signs and wonders and miracles, they're
looking for something other than Christ alone. Now you're on dangerous
ground there if you're looking for something other than Christ
alone. That person is insulting the Holy Spirit. The evidence
of the Holy Spirit. People want evidence of the Spirit.
You and I do too. Do you want me to tell you what
the evidence of the Spirit is? It's not coming and making us talk
in tongues and doing miracles and those things. It's not it
at all. The evidence of the Holy Spirit is faith in Christ. The Spirit is the only one who
gives faith. He grants faith in the heart.
The evidence that the Holy Spirit has done a work in you, that
He dwells in your heart is one thing. You believe properly. If you do, That's the evidence
the Spirit has been working with. It's so simple. I wish people
would quit overcomplicating things. Just take what the Bible says
and preach it. Just take what the Bible says and believe it.
Isn't that simple? That's a wonderful story of God's
grace, of salvation in Christ. It thrills my heart with my hair
on the back of my neck standing up. It's so thrilling. But if
a person can leave that gospel, Turn back to something that the
flesh loves. It turns back to something that
the world has that's appealing to them. They're apostate. They turn from the only Savior.
And God's wrath will surely come upon them. 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. God, you know, is going to punish
anyone who turns away from Christ with a vengeance. And it won't
be too much. It'll be exactly what they deserve.
It'll be eternal damnation. Now, the Lord will correct His
people. He's going to try. He's talking
about His people. He'll try His people. But God
will never punish His people. because he punished their sin
in the person of their substitute. And justice is satisfied for
all of God's people. God has no reason to punish them.
But God will damn everyone outside of Christ because they have no
sacrifice. They got no substitute. They
have no substitute to bear their punishment. Then they must bear
it. And that punishment will be worse for those who have claimed
to believe Christ. Now, you know, there'll be no
degrees of heaven. Everybody in heaven is going to have the
exact same glory. Christ will all be made like
him. We'll all be able to see him
face to face, worship him for eternity. What more glory could
you want than that? Everybody in glory has the same
glory. But there will be degrees of
hell. It will be worse for those who have learned something of
Christ and rejected him. Verse 31, it is a fearful thing
to fall into the hands of the living God. It is a fearful thing. I'm getting to some comfort.
I'm getting some good news here, but I want to see this, how sobering
this is. I'm not trying to scare anybody here, but let's be honest. It's a fearful thing to fall
into the hands of God's justice. It's a fearful thing for a guilty
sinner to fall into the hands of justice. Because justice can
only damn. It ought to be a fearful thing
for us to think about standing before the bar of God's justice
naked. Without a covering, without a
robe of righteousness. Before the bar of God's justice,
there are no second chances. There's no parole. There's no
early release. Only absolute justice. That's
all you can expect from God. Absolute justice. And that justice
demands eternal death. It's a fearful thing to fall
into the hands of God's justice. But I want you to look back at
2 Samuel chapter 24. It is a glorious thing to fall
into the hand of God, into the hand of His grace. 2 Samuel chapter
24. This is when the Lord moved David
to number the people in which the Lord told him never to do.
In 2 Samuel 24, verse 11. For when David was up in the
morning, the word of the Lord came unto the prophet Gad, David's
seer, saying, Go and say unto David, Thus saith the Lord. I
offer thee three things. Choose thee one of them that
I may do it unto thee. So Gad came to David and told
him and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto
thee and thy land? Or wilt thou flee three months
before thine enemies while they pursue thee? Or that there be
three days' pestilence in thy land? Now advise, and see what
answer I shall return to him that sent me. David said unto
Gad, I am in a great strain. Which of those three would you
choose? David didn't choose any of those
three. He said, let us fall now into the hand the Lord. Let's not fall into the hands
of his justice. Let's fall into the hand of the
Lord, for his mercies are great. And let me not fall into the
hand of man. And if you read the rest of that
chapter, this is what you'll find. God sent a plague and the
plague stopped for the sacrifice. There's mercy in the hand of
the Lord. There's great mercy there. There's
salvation in the hand of the Lord. that let's fall into the
hand of his grace. Let's fall down before him and
beg him. Lord, be merciful to me. Lord,
see me in the sacrifice. Punish my sin in the sacrifice.
God, be merciful to me, the sinner. Now, apostasy can be very frightening. It can be. It is very frightening.
It frightens me to death. And here's why it frightens us.
Every person in this room knows this. I'd leave God if I could. I'd leave him right now. I mean,
I'd walk out of this pulpit before I finish the message and leave
him forever if I could. Preacher, is there any comfort?
Can you give me any comfort? My heart's crushed right now.
Can you give me any comfort from God's word for a sinner like
me in this matter of apostasy? I'm so weak. Can you give me
any comfort? God's given us comfort in his
word. And this is the comfort. God's elect will not commit this
sin of apostasy. It's impossible. Verse 39 says,
but we are not of them who draw back unto perdition, but of them
that believe to the saving of the soul. An apostate leaves
the gospel because they really never believed it. They left
the gospel because they didn't belong to God in the first place.
The only reason they left the message of salvation is God hadn't
saved them in the first place. But anyone who God saves, they'll
be saved eternally. Nothing shall separate us. Nothing
shall separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus
our Lord. Nothing, God's people, Well,
nothing they can do will ever cause them to lose their salvation
because of who saved them. See, they didn't do anything
to earn their salvation in the first place, and they can't do
anything to lose it. God saved them in the person
and work of Christ. Nothing they do can cause them
to lose that salvation. And the writer here gives us
four words of comfort, four words that encourage us to continue
in the faith. Number one is this. Remember
the former days. Verse 32, he says, but call to
remembrance the former days in which after you were illuminated,
you endured a great fight of afflictions. Now, remember how
it is that God saved you. God saved you. You know what
he did? He illuminated you. He gave you spiritual light.
Christ, the light of the world, was formed in your heart. And
God gave you light. And you saw by that light. You
saw Christ. You saw how God could be just
and justifier. How God could save you and still
punish your sin in the person of your substitute. Now you see. Because God gave you light. You
were saved when God revealed Christ to you and in you. God gave you eyes to see His
Son. and you'd never seen anything
more glorious in all your days, had you? Now, continue just like
you started. How'd you start? Looking unto
Jesus. Now continue looking unto Jesus,
the author and finisher of our faith. Don't be like Peter who's
out there walking on the water and take your eyes off Christ
and start looking at the storm. You'll sink just as surely as
Peter did. Continue just like you began, trusting Christ alone. with faith alone. And remember
the former days of trial. Remember how God's always delivered
you in the past. He says here in verse 32, 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. For you had compassion of me
and my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing
in yourselves that you have in heaven a better and an enduring
substance. Remember those former days. God
sent you trials, but he always delivered. He always provided. You know, many people leave the
gospel because of difficulty in this world, trial, trouble,
resistance in this world. In Matthew 13, the Lord told
us about the parable of the sower, the stony ground hearer. Tribulation
in the world, the heat of the day came upon him. The love of
the world, the love of the flesh caused that stony ground here
to become apostate, to dry up and leave Christ because he didn't
have a root down deep in Christ. But those trials will draw the
believer even closer to God. God's trials will never drive
God's people away from Him. It will always drive them to
Him. And I know for the believer, the way seems long and it seems
so hard. And we need patience to endure
it, don't we? We need patience to keep going,
to keep pressing toward the mark. Well, you know how God gives
patience to his children? He tries. Verse 36. For you have
need of patience, that after you've done the will of God,
you might receive the promise. See, trials, none of us want
trials, but trials teach God's children patience. They teach
us to wait on the Lord. To wait on Him to supply our
need. To wait on Him to comfort our
heart. Trials teach us to wait on God. He's going to deliver. He's going
to fulfill His purpose in this trial. But He's going to do it
in His time, not mine. And this is what trials teach
me. His time was best all along. He taught me something. He taught
me something I couldn't have learned any other way. Now remember
the former days of old. How you were in severe trial.
Maybe if you're young, you haven't been in severe trial. Remember
the former days. Go back and read about them.
Go back and read about them. Those who were in severe trial.
Even though they were in severe trial. They made a gazing stock
in the world. A laughing stock. Even then. You didn't turn your
back on God. You didn't turn your back on
his gospel or his people. Paul said, you had compassion
of me and my bonds. And even though you're already
in trial, you opened yourself up to more to it by identifying
with me, identifying with the gospel. Remember how you had
compassion on others and others had compassion on you. Remember
how God delivered you, how God comforted you. Well, God hadn't
changed. You and I haven't changed, and
God ain't either. But don't quit now. Trust God to deliver you
now. Trust God to comfort you now.
Trust God's promise. We're going to have trials, but
He said, I'll be with you to the end. I'll never, no never,
no never leave you, nor forsake you. Now trust Him. Has He ever
forsook you before? Remember the former days. Trust
Him now. Don't quit. And whatever you
do, Don't leave Christ for this world. I was telling somebody recently
that one of the things that just weighs so heavily on me, for
all of us, but I suppose especially for our young people, the sweetness
of this world has drawn us away. This world is so sweet to the
flesh, isn't it? Oh, it's so sweet. You listen to me. This world
doesn't have anything you want. It's got nothing you want. You
who believe have something better than anything this world could
ever have to offer you. You've got a heavenly substance.
Look back at Mark chapter 10. Remember Peter told the Lord,
Lord, we followed you. We left everything and followed
you. The Lord said, did you now, Peter? He said, well, it didn't
hurt you none. You're no worse for wear, are
you? Mark chapter 10. Verse 28, then Peter began to
say unto him, Lo, we've left all and followed thee. And Jesus
answered and said, Verily I say unto you, there's no man that
left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife,
or children, or lands for my sake in the gospel. but he shall
receive a hundredfold. Now in this time, houses and
brethren and sisters and mothers and children and lands with persecutions
in the world to come and in the world to come eternal life. Now, Peter, what did you lose?
What did you give up and lose for following me? Did you lose
your house for the gospel sake? Peter, that's all right. You've
got a house, a building of God, Not made with hands. It's eternal
in the heaven. And in this life, you've got
houses. Houses of your brethren. I was
talking to a man recently, his brethren, coming to his town.
Told him I was going to get a motel room. And he said, you'd make
me so mad. You'd hurt my feelings. He said,
you come stay at my house. Don't you get expelled. You come
stay at my house. We'll give you a place, we'll
cook for you. Remember Don Fortner came into town late one night
and Charlie Payne told him, come over to my house. Phil's got
a cookie and cheese burger. Glad to. Sure she will. Peter, what'd you lose? Not a
thing. By the way, Phil's got a cookie
and cheese burger. Didn't lose a thing. So what if your family
disowns you? I know it broke your heart. So
what if they won't have anything to do with you? I know it's sorrowful.
But you remember this, you haven't lost nothing. God's given you
a family. A family of God. So many brothers
and sisters, you can't count them all. So what if you've given
up what you've got in this life? The reward that waits for the
believer at the end of this life, you're going to suffer for a
while. But the reward that waits at the end of this life of suffering
is Christ. Can this boy give you a name
compared to him? This reward is a reward of grace. It's a
glorious reward. Don't throw it away to get a
hold of some dung. Look at verse 35 in our text.
Cast not away, therefore, your confidence, which hath great
recompense of reward. There's nothing in this world
that can compare to Christ. What if you do suffer persecutions
in this life? You will. But in the world to
come, you have eternal life. This world, the only thing it
can give you is sin. Christ gives you His righteousness.
This world can only give you tribulation. Christ gives you
peace. This world can only give you
death. Christ gives life. Now continue in that confidence.
You have confidence that Christ is all you need? Now continue
in that confidence and just utterly refuse to turn away from Him
to be the children of a lesser God. All right, number two, don't
quit now. Don't quit. Your suffering here
below is real and it's hard, but it's not going to last long.
Verse 37, for yet a little while, and he that shall come will come
and will not tarry. Now the believers race is not
a sprint. It's a marathon. I've run a couple
of marathons and somebody said 26 miles and I said, 26.2. Don't
forget that .2. Woo! A marathon's 26.2 miles. Don't quit at 26.1. Don't quit. They don't give finishers medals
to 26.1ers. It's those who cross the finish
line. Now believer, God's giving you
a course. He's giving you a race. Now finish
it. Finish it. Press all the way. to Christ. And it seems like
the finish line is never going to get there. But it will. The Lord's coming back and He'll
come back right soon. He's not going to tarry. He's
not even going to be one second late. I've used this illustration before
the first day we sent our daughter Holly to kindergarten. And she
was glad to go, buddy. I mean, we took her there. The
teacher, she took all that teacher's hand. She didn't look back at
me and Janet one time. Janet just cried. She didn't
even look back. But during the day, then a little girl started
crying in the class. And then another little boy started
crying. And she thought, oh, maybe I should cry. And she remembered. She remembered the former day.
She remembered what her mama told you. Mama's coming back. I won't be late. I'll be there
to get you. God says, I'm coming back. I
won't be late. He's coming back soon. And when
He comes, believers suffering in this life instantly is going
to be hopeful. He shall appear, we'll be like
Him. But we shall see Him as He is. And the weight of that
eternal glory just can't be compared with our temporary sufferings
right now. Our temporary light afflictions,
Paul called it. All right, thirdly, don't quit
now because the just shall live by faith, not by sight. Verse
38, now the just shall live by faith, but if any man draw back,
my soul shall have no pleasure in him. Now, when you look around
you, I know it looks bad right now. You're not mistaken. It looks bad, but don't quit. Because the just don't live by
sight. The just don't live by what we see in this world. The
evidence that we see in this world is not what causes us to
believe Christ. The just shall live by faith. They live by looking
past this so-called life, seeing Christ. God has no pleasure in
them that draw back away from Christ. Who is God pleased with? He's pleased with his son. He
spoke audibly from heaven to say so. This is my beloved Son
in whom I'm well pleased. God's pleased with His Son and
His people and folks are in His Son. He's pleased with those
who have faith in His Son. And this I know about God-given
faith. God-given faith can be difficult to define. Lord willing,
we'll give that a shot next Sunday. But I do know this about God-given
faith. He'll never quit. God-given faith
will never quit. You believe Christ? Has God given
you faith in Christ? If He has, you'll never be apostate. You'll never turn from Christ.
You'll never quit looking to Him because God's given you faith. You keep looking to Him. You
keep trusting. Don't quit now. He'll never disappoint
you. This world will. Don't quit. Don't quit looking to Him. And
then fourthly, God's people won't quit. God won't let them quit. Verse 39, but we're not of them
who draw back unto perdition, but of them that believe to the
saving of the soul. How can we be so sure we won't
draw back into perdition? The word is damnation. Because
God will never let his people leave. He holds them in his hand
and he'll never let them leave. I've said this before. He said,
no man can pluck them out of my hand. If I tell you the other
fellow I'm concerned with is myself, he won't let him jump
out either. He holds them safe in his hands. Now, that's true. Salvation is
God's grip on me. But I'll tell you this, I still
intend to cling to Christ for all I'm worth. I intend to cling
to Him like a drowning man clings to that life preserved. I know
my security does not depend on my hold on Him. It depends on
His hold on me. But I still intend to cling to Him for all I'm worth. Don't you? Well, you do and you
will if God saves you. Because He'll never let you go.
And that's our comfort. Our comfort is never in looking
to myself and saying, now am I sure about this? Am I strong
enough? No. It's in Him. Look to Him. God gives you a
sign that you're not turning away. All right, let's bow together.
Our Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for the
clear instruction in your word and the comfort that you've given
in believing Christ. Father, I pray that you would
grant faith to each heart, each soul that's here this morning.
God save us by your grace. God be merciful to us, these
sinners. Grab hold upon us in your mighty
hand of grace. Let us fall into the hand of
the Lord, for his mercies are great. Father, never let us go. This is our comfort, our hope,
and our confidence that you'll never let your people go, that
you'll never leave them or forsake them, and you won't allow us
to leave or forsake you. Father, use this message for
your glory, we pray.