Salvation is obtained by faith
in Christ, only by faith in Christ. Not by having trusted Christ,
but as we're just saying, by trusting Christ, there is a huge
difference. Most everybody in this part of
the country anyway has trusted Christ in some sense of the word. They've had some experience in
religion. They've had some experience in
faith, but it's a past tense thing. It is not having trusted
Christ, but trusting him. Do you, do I, right now, trust
Christ alone? Yesterday doesn't matter. Today,
do you trust Him? Do you trust His blood as your
only atonement before God? His righteousness as your only
righteousness with God? Do you trust Him as Lord and
Savior? Now, with that in mind, I want
you to turn with me, please, to Hebrews chapter three. Believers are sinners who trust
Christ. Trusting him, we continue to
trust him to the end. It is written, he that endureth
to the end, the same shall be saved. The prize goes not to
those who begin the race, but to those who finish the race,
looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. My
text this evening is Hebrews chapter 3, verses 7 through 19. Wherefore, as the Holy Ghost
saith, today, if you will hear his voice, today is the only
time we have. Yesterday is gone and we have
no promise of tomorrow. Therefore, the Holy Spirit calls
us now, today, to hear his voice. He urges us not to do what we
are naturally inclined to do. He says, harden not your heart. And then he gives us a glaring
example. There were thousands, multiplied
thousands, who left Egypt with Moses, saw God's mighty works
upon Pharaoh, crossed over the Red Sea, and they provoked God
for 40 years in the wilderness in unbelief. Though they had
seen his mighty works, though they were led by his faithful
servant, Though they professed to be his people, yet they knew
him not, and they perished in the wilderness. They perished
because they hardened their hearts against God himself. They would
not hear, though God spoke to them by his servant. They would
not hear though God spoke from the fiery mount. They would not
hear though God spoke by wonder after wonder after wonder of
miracle delivering them from enemy after enemy and keeping
them safe. They would not hear though God
fed them with manna every day from heaven. Though God healed
men by looking to the fiery serpent raised up on a pole, they still
would not hear. They would not hear because they
hardened their hearts in unbelief. and therefore they perished in
the wilderness. They could not enter into the
land of rest. Now hold your hands here in Hebrews
three and turn back to first Corinthians chapter 10. We'll
begin reading at verse six. I want you to see that these
things are not accidental. They happened by divine appointment
as examples to us, lest we should follow those unbelieving Jews
who perished in the wilderness to hell itself. 1 Corinthians
10 verse six. Now these things were our examples
to the intent. That is, this is the reason.
We should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. What evil things? Bread, garlic,
leeks. Well, what's evil about that?
They lusted after what God hadn't given them. They lusted after
that which took their hearts away from God. Verse seven, neither
be ye idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, the
people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. Multitudes
among the Israelites joined in the worship of Baal and the false
gods of the nations around them and perished in the wilderness.
Verse eight, neither let us commit fornication. They gave their
daughters or their sons to the daughters of Moab and took the
daughters of Moab to their sons and committed fornication. He
says, neither let us commit fornication as some of them committed and
fell in one day because of fornication, 23,000 people. Verse nine, neither let us tempt
Christ. as some of them also tempted
and were destroyed of the serpents. Tempted him in the wilderness,
murmuring against him. Neither murmur ye as some of
them also murmured and were destroyed of the destroyer. Verse 11. Now
all these things happened unto them for in samples, and they
are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world
are come. Everything that happened in the
Old Testament happened by divine appointment and by divine providence,
just as all things do now. But these things are recorded
in the scriptures that happened to Israel deliberately as examples
to you and I who believe, examples to you and I who now profess
faith in Jesus Christ. All right, read on. Verse 12,
wherefore, wherefore, in the light of these things, In the
light of these things, set up and pay attention. Let him that
thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall. You think your
faith is strong? Hang on. You think these things
can't happen to you? Pay attention. You think you
will not also be destroyed of the destroyer? You think you
will not also perish by the way? Then set up and pay attention.
Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall. Now,
read the next verse in this context. There hath no temptation taken
you. What temptation? To idolatry,
to fornication, to murmuring against God's providence. There
hath no temptation taken you, except that which is common to
men. You see it? That which is common
to man. But God is faithful. Oh, thank
God God is faithful. If we stand, it'll be not because
we're faithful, but because He is. If we endure, it'll not be
because of something in us, but because of everything in Him. God is faithful who will not
suffer, who will not allow you to be tempted, tried, tested,
proved. Above that, you're able. But
we're with the temptation. Now you're going to face the
temptation. You're going to have to deal with the temptation.
You're going to have to endure everything Israel endured in
the wilderness, that and more. You're going to face idolatry
every day. You're going to face discontent
every day. You're going to face and deal
with fornication every day. You're going to face the things
of this world that would draw your heart away from Christ every
day. But God will not allow you to
be tempted above that you're able to bear it. But we're with
the temptation. Make a way to escape that you
may be able to bear it. But what is that way? Christ
the Lord. Fix your eyes on him. Set your
heart on him. Set your affection on things
above, not on things on the earth. Where Christ sits on the right
hand of God, set your affection on him. All right, read on. Wherefore,
my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. Idolatry? Who's tempted to that? Bobby
Estes and Don Fortner. Whatever stands as a rival to
Jesus Christ before us is an idol we must destroy. An idol
we must put away from us. I speak as to wise men judge
what I say. All right, now let's turn back
to Hebrews 3. I want to talk to you tonight about the most
besetting of all sins. I want to talk to you about unbelief.
I want us to see that the issue between God and man is always
unbelief. The difference between those
who perish and those who are saved is unbelief. It was unbelief
that caused Israel to perish in the wilderness. And it is
unbelief that will drag men down to hell at last. If any of us
follow the example they gave, we, like them, shall perish in
this wilderness. I'm telling you, no one will
ever lift his finger in hell and shake his finger in God's
face and say, I'm here because you didn't choose me. I'm damned
because you didn't predestinate me to life. I'm lost because
of your decree. Oh no. But rather every sinner
in hell will forever stick his finger like a blazing dagger
in his own heart. And he will say, I'm here because
I hardened my heart and would not hear God. I would not believe. Now in this passage before us
this evening, I want you to see three things. First, we're given
an example and then a warning and finally a lesson. In verses
7 through 11, the Holy Spirit holds a lost nation before us
as an example of unbelief. Not an example of irreligion. These were religious folks. Not
an example of propagate gutter people. These were church-going
folks. But an example of unbelief. Look at verse 7. 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, proved me, and saw
my works for 40 years. Wherefore, I was grieved with
that generation, and I said, they do always err in their heart. That's the problem, in their
heart. and they have not known my ways. So I swear in my wrath, they
shall not enter into my rest. Now, if you care to at your leisure,
you can turn back to Psalm 95. This is a direct quote from that
Psalm. These Israelites were professed
to be God's people. They were the children of Abraham
physically. They were the descendants of
the patriarchs. They were the descendants of
those men who knew and walked with God. And they could point
back to their family tree and say, Abraham is our father. Isaac
and Jacob are our fathers. We're the sons of Abraham. We
walk after the course of Abraham. And yet these Israelites were
a nation of rebels, murmurers, unbelievers. They refused to
hear the voice of God as he spoke by his servant Moses. Now that's
a horrible crime laid against their charge. For that, they
perished in the wilderness. But how much greater shall the
punishment of hell be for those who have refused to hear God
speak by his son. God speaks to us by his son. He says, this is my beloved son. Hear ye him. And yet men refused
to hear those Jews who followed Moses out of Egypt. Rejoiced
as they followed him out. I've often sat back and watched
them in my mind's eye as they crossed over the Red Sea. They
stand here murmuring and complaining, unbelieving, and God opened the
sea before them and dried up the shores of the sea and they
walked through dry shod. How they must have rejoiced.
And they walked across the other side and looked back and watched
as God swept the whole army of Egypt and Pharaoh away in the
sea of his wrath. And they clapped their hands
and rejoiced and said, man, God's with us. God's with us. Oh, what
miracles they experienced. And yet they hardened their hearts. You see man's heart, is hardened
by sin, hardened by nature, hardened with blindness, hardened by the
care of this world, the deceitfulness of sin. But there's more than
a natural hardness spoken of here. Our text is talking about
an acquired voluntary hardness of heart, a hardness that comes
through the deliberate, willful rejection of God's word. The
willful, deliberate rejection of God's counsel, turning our
backs upon that which we know God has declared to be right
and true. The scriptures are very plain.
Listen to this. He that being often reproved,
hardeneth his neck. shall suddenly be destroyed.
And when this destruction comes, there's no remedy. No remedy. You see, there is such a thing
as men and women So hardening their hearts against Christ and
His gospel. So hardening their hearts and
stiffening their necks and raising their backs against God Almighty
and His ways that God says, all right, you can have your way.
And you're as good for hell as if you were already there. They
shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy. That
doesn't mean, that doesn't mean that you can find the text I'm
referring to in Proverbs 29.1, but this doesn't mean that God's
warned, and God's spoken, and God's pleaded, and God's called,
and now men have despised His word, and suddenly God's gonna
send them to hell. No, no, no, that's not it. That
may be included. This is what it means. God's
gonna leave you to yourself, just like that. and had no possibility
of everlasting salvation. There is such a thing as reprobation
taught in this book. And reprobation is God dealing
with men now in judgment. Judgment that shall last forever.
Listen to Matthew 11. No, turn there if you will. Matthew
11 verse 20. Then began the Lord Jesus to
abrade the cities where most of his mighty works were done,
because they repented not. Woe unto thee, Chorazin! Woe
unto thee, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which
were done in you 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 that day than
for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art
exalted to heaven, shall be brought down to hell. How come? For if
the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done in
Sodom, those Sodomites would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, it shall
be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment
than for you. and stubborn, insulting unbelief. The sons and daughters of Abraham
despised the goodness and mercy of the God of Abraham. They tempted
God to wrath, they provoked him to anger, they tried his patience,
they trampled under their feet his long suffering, his goodness
and his mercy by their constant complaints and murmuring and
rebellion. Even though they had seen his
goodness His mercy, His power in providing for them and protecting
them miraculously for 40 long years. And yet horrible as their
crimes were, how much greater is the guilt of sinners who this
day trod under their feet the blood of the Son of God and despised
the gospel of His grace, trampling under their feet the blood of
Jesus Christ. Turn to Hebrews chapter 10, Hebrews
10. Verse 26. If we sin willfully after we
have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no
more sacrifice for sins. Now what's that talking about?
What's that talking about? Sin willfully. Who ever sinned
unwillfully? He's not talking about just an
act of sin. That's not it. He's not talking about just an
act of adultery. He's not talking about just an
act of drunkenness. He's not talking about just an act of
murder. He's talking about willfully, deliberately turning your back
against God, turning your back on God's word and God's way and
God's glory and saying, I'll have my way. If it means everything,
I'll have my way. Sin willfully. So pastor, how
can you see that in the context? Look at it. If we sin willfully
after we've received in our heads the knowledge of the truth, there
remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking
for of judgment and a fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries.
He that despised Moses' law, Perished, died without mercy
under two or three witnesses? Of how much sorer punishment,
suppose you, 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? Not spiritually sanctified, but
sanctified in the sense that he was morally uplifted. He's
counted it now an unholy thing, and hath done despite to the
Spirit of grace. For we know him that saith, vengeance
belongeth to me. I will recompense saith the Lord.
And again, the Lord shall judge his people. It's a fearful thing
to fall into the hands of the living God. Turn to one more
text in this context. Proverbs chapter one. I don't need to pause and explain
to this congregation. God Almighty is absolutely sovereign. God has his will. God has his
way in all things. And yet at the same time, the
Lord God Almighty, by the word of his grace, calls sinners to
repentance and faith in Christ and puts the burden of responsibility
on the back of men who hear his word and will not believe. Look
in Proverbs 1 verse 23. The Lord Jesus Christ, wisdom. He who is the wisdom of God speaks. This is how God speaks to sinners,
by his son. He says in verse 23, Turn you
at my reproof. Turn you at my reproof. Behold,
I will pour out my spirit unto you. I'll make known my words
to you. If indeed you turn at his reproof,
it's because he's poured out his spirit to you. It's because
he's made known his words to you. Verse 24, because I've called
and you refused. I stretched out my hand and no
man regarded. But ye have said it not all my
counsel, and would none of my reproof. Oh, this is what God
says? So what? Oh, this is what God says? Who
cares? Who cares? Read on. I also will
laugh at your calamity. God says, I want to laugh when
judgment falls on you. You've laughed at my mercy. I'll
laugh while you go to hell. What a word, what a word. I will mock when your fear comes,
I'll tell you forever, I told you so. I told you so. You'll hear every word reverberating
in your soul to the damnation of your soul forever. When your
fear comes as a desolation and your destruction comes as a whirlwind,
when distress and anguish come upon you, then shall they call
on me. But I won't answer. They shall
seek me early, but they shall not find me. For that they hated
knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord. They would
none of my counsel. They despised all by reproof.
Therefore, what an awesome word. Oh my God, save you from this. Therefore, may God save me from
this. They shall eat of the fruit of
their own way. All right, bud, I'll let you
have what you want. You can have your will. You can have your
way. They shall be filled with their
own devices. For the turning away of the sinful
shall slay them. The prosperities of fools shall
destroy them. But whoso hearkeneth unto me,
whoso hears my word, whoso believes on me, shall dwell safely and
be quiet forever. from the fear of evil. Now look
at verse 10. God says in Hebrews 3.10, wherefore
I was grieved. Oh my, what a word from God. I know he speaks here as a man,
but he speaks here as a man to let us know something about himself.
I was grieved with that generation and said, they do always err
in their heart and they have not known my ways. unbelief,
what a horrible, horrible crime. Because of unbelief, men are
shut out from heaven. Because of unbelief, men are
shut out from mercy. Because of unbelief, many like
these Jews finally depart from Christ and walk no more with
him. Unbelief, someone said, is the mother of idolatry. It
sets up other gods, such as reason, human wisdom, and human philosophy,
and turns us from Christ. Because we're so naturally inclined
to unbelief, we're encouraged to encourage one another in steadfast
faith in Christ. Verses 12 and 13, we're to encourage
one another and exhort one another constantly, daily, while it's
called today. that we may persevere in the
faith. Now, the Lord willing, I'll come back to that again
next week. But for now, look down at verse 14. Here's a lesson. Only those who persevere in the
faith. Nobody pays any attention to
this. I know they don't. I don't know whether you'll pay
any attention or not. I sometimes wonder, Lindsey,
if I have to pay attention to it. Only those who persevere
in the faith. Only those who continue in the
gospel. Only those who begin with Christ
and walk with Christ and die with Christ. Only they who continue
to the end are true believers. Look at verse 14. For we are
made partakers of Christ if, if, if. If we hold the beginning of our
confidence steadfast to the end. If you read this book, you'll
find that throughout the New Testament, there are numerous
examples of temporary faith. Folks saw the Lord's miracle.
He turned water into wine. And man, they said, we believe
in Him. He took a few loaves and fishes and fed 20,000 people.
They said, wow, we want some of that. We believe in him. But
the scripture tells us that the Lord Jesus did not commit himself
to them because he knew what was in them. Just a temporary
faith. In John chapter six, We read
after our Lord proclaimed the glorious gospel of his grace,
declaring salvation to be only by eating his flesh and drinking
his blood only by faith in him. Declaring that this faith is
the gift of God by which men and women, a faith given to men
by the teaching of God by which men and women themselves come
to him. Declaring God's everlasting purpose of grace. From that time,
many of his disciples heard that and they said, this is a hard
say. And he said, we can go to church down the road. They don't
preach like that down there. They talk better about us down
there. And they left. And the Lord Jesus said, will
you go away too? Paul speaks of Demas. Demas. This weekend, Lord willing, Brother
Skip's going to accompany me to the other side of the country
to preach the gospel. Because he wants to. Because he wants
to. Demas went with Paul everywhere. Everywhere. You fellows drove
up Sunday night up in Newcastle. Demas went with Paul everywhere.
Until Paul was finally thrown in prison for preaching the gospel
of God's grace. And Paul said, Demas hath forsaken
me, having loved this present world. Multitudes have temporary faith. God's people have permanent faith. That's the difference. Believers
continue in the faith. Saving faith is a God-given faith,
and it continues and grows in strength and confidence. Look
at Hebrews 10 verse 38. Now the just shall live by faith. Four times we have that in New
Testament. The just live by faith. It doesn't mean the just begin
to live by faith. No, no. The just live by faith. We live by drawing breath in
our lungs, breathing. The just live by faith. We live
by eating bread. The just live by faith. We don't
live because we breathed yesterday or this morning. We don't live
because we had bread to eat yesterday or this morning. We live because
we breathe and we eat and we live spiritually by faith in
Christ, present tense. Look at this now. But if any
man draw back, I don't care what he experienced
this morning or yesterday. I don't care if he saw fire fall
out of heaven and he was one who had it in his hands. I don't
care if he crossed the Red Sea and laughed and sang while Pharaoh
drowned in the Red Sea. If any man draw back, my soul
shall have no pleasure in him. Oh, but I thank God for this
next word. But we, who? We who are born of God. We who
now continually look to Christ, we who are given faith by God's
own hand, we who are called of God, we who are redeemed by the
blood of Christ, we, we, we, we are not of them that draw
back to perdition, but of them which believe to the saving of
the soul. Verse 15, Hebrews 3. While it
is said today, if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts
as in the provocation. There's a deliberate inspired
repetition of exactly what it said in verses seven and eight.
It was given for a reason. We need to hear it again. Brethren,
I count not myself to have apprehended. But this one thing I do, forgetting
those things which are behind and reaching forth to those things
which are before, I press, I press, I press, I press toward the mark
for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. I've
got to have Him. I can't quit to look at Him.
I've got to have Him. Now look at verse 60. For some,
when they had heard, did provoke, How be it not all that came out
of Egypt by Moses? But with whom was God grieved
for 40 years? Why, it was with those who had
sinned, those who sinned, not believing God, whose carcasses
fell in the wilderness, and to whom he swear they should not
enter into his rest, but to them that believed not. So they could
not enter in for one simple reason. They believed not. They believed
not. They claimed Abraham for their
father, but they didn't have faith of Abraham because Abraham
staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but
rather was strong in faith, giving glory to God and being fully
persuaded. Oh, God make us fully persuaded. that what he had promised, he
was able also to perform. And therefore, because he believed
God, it was imputed to him for righteousness. And it was not
imputed or not written for his sake alone that it was imputed
to him, but for us also to whom it shall be imputed. What? The
righteousness of God in Christ. If we believe on him that raised
up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered for our offenses
and raised again for our justification. Therefore, being justified by
faith, we have peace with God. Our security is Christ. Our hope is Christ. Our Savior
is Christ, our peace is Christ. God give us eyes for Him, always
for Him, ever for Him, alone for Him. Amen. All right, Lindsay,
you come listen to him, please.