Repent and Endure to the End (Hebrews 10:26-39)
The sermon outline can be found here in the ministry guide.
Some of us here this morning, drive or take the public transport to church for service. Along the way here, you may see some signs that say “Danger, Road Works Ahead”. Or if you go on a self drive vacation overseas in Australia, it is common to see signs like “Danger, Kangaroos Crossing”. Also commonly spotted in HDB lifts, “Beware of Scam”. Often, we receive messages warning us “Do not open this message”. The list can go on and on. What then, is the purpose of all these warnings? Clearly, these warnings are not meant to harm or scare us but to inform us of the potential serious dangers and consequences, so that we could avoid it, provided, you take heed of these warnings seriously. The problem is, we, being prideful, tend to think that these warnings are not for me, or I will never fall into such a situation, or such dangers will never happen to me. My Warning to you: “Beware! Lest you suffer” because of your foolishness in ignoring these warnings!
Similarly, in today’s sermon, the passage on Hebrews 10:26-39, the author gave a warning to Christians of the real danger of falling into apostasy.
Apostasy can be defined as Christians having at one time professed the Christian faith, but have now rejected it for whatever reason, thus rejecting Christ. The passage contains one of the most serious warnings against apostasy in the Book of Hebrews, pointing us to the danger of falling into a state of faithlessness and disbelief. The danger of apostasy, confronts every believer, is real and can happen to any one of us, as much as the warning signs that we see in our everyday life. The dire consequences await those who are turning their back on Christ by abandoning their profession of faith, walking away from the only way of salvation that God has provided through His Son, Jesus. The writer encouraged the Christians, not to walk away from God but to have faith and endure till the end.
Do not be unrepentant but hold fast our confidence in Christ to the end
The passage has a big idea of “Do not be unrepentant but hold fast our confidence in Christ to the end”.
Heed God’s warning and repent (Heb 10:26-31)
Let me read Hebrews 10:26-31.
If you have been following the sermon series on Hebrews, you would have known by now that the Book of Hebrews is written to believers who are going through a time of trial and persecution. Our text opens with a grave warning in Hebrews 10:26 — “For if we go on sinning deliberately.” Realise that it does not say “if you go on sinning”. The writer says “we”, as he identifies himself with the Christians who were facing severe persecution and hard times. It highlights the danger of all Christians, falling into the state of continually sinning deliberately, the sin of apostasy.
Let me ask you 3 questions: Who among us sinned? Who among us struggles with sin? Who among us struggles with repeated sin? If you’re honest, you will answer yes to all these 3 questions. Here, we’re not talking about the frequency of sinning, nor the number of repeated sins we have committed against our Holy God. It is about our heart’s response and our attitude when we sin against God. What does it look like?
Christians falling into apostasy doesn’t happen overnight. It is a slow and gradual drifting away from the Lord.
Hebrews 10:26 warns us of the danger of sinning deliberately or “wilfully”. Christians falling into apostasy doesn’t happen overnight. It is a slow and gradual drifting away from the Lord. It begins when this person no longer acknowledges sin as sin, and sinning doesn’t matter to him or her anymore. The heart becomes hardened against the Spirit’s conviction of sin. Literally, they do what they want to do, without any regard for God. Then, comes the choice that they make deliberately, conscientiously, knowingly turning back on Christ and returning to their former life of rebellion, a life of rejecting Christ. 1 John 3:9 says, “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God”.
There are severe consequences for the person who goes on sinning deliberately:
(1) No more sacrifice for sins
(2) Fearful judgement
(3) Severity of the punishment
(4) God will judge and carry out the punishment
(5) Sins will not go unpunished and the days “it is a fearful thing to fall into the hand of God.
Hebrews 10:27 warns “but a fearful expectation of judgement, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries”. Anyone who is not a child of God is an enemy of God. For the person who turns their back on Christ, abandons the faith they once had in Christ, is rejecting and treating the death of Christ as nothing — rejects the only means that God has provided for dealing with sin. What other conclusion or future could this person expect, except a “fearful judgement to come and a fury of fire”, which is the same judgement and punishment for any other person who rejects the gospel of Christ .
What did the person who goes on sinning deliberately does? The person has trampled the Son of God underfoot, treading heavily and violently so as to bruise or crush Christ, an act of crucifying Him. This person has also profaned the blood of the covenant by which he/she was sanctified. They treated Jesus’ blood which cleanses sins as a cheap thing, ordinary, unholy. If then Christ’s blood is ordinary and unholy, it means that Christ, who is the Son of God, is not God at all as His blood is common and unholy like any other man on earth and insulted and disdained the Spirit of grace who brings God’s mercy to sinners.
Listen to Hebrews 10:29. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who goes on sinning deliberately? If physical death is already a worse punishment, how much worse punishment will be given to the one who set aside not just the law of Moses, a prophet, but one who was greater than Moses himself, indeed, One who was and is the very Son of God? Beloved, when you heard these, what were your thoughts? Scared? These warnings from God are not here to scare you off but are used by a loving God as a means to direct you back to Him in repentance of sins, to preserve you and cause you to endure. These warnings must be taken seriously lest we incurred His judgement and punishment and it will surely come to pass.
To my friends who are here this morning but have yet to accept the good news of Jesus Christ. This good news is not only about God’s grace but also His judgement. Hebrews 9:27 says, “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgement”. God is a just and righteous Judge but He is also a loving God, by sending His only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross. Jesus bore the wrath of God on our behalf, shed His precious blood for the forgiveness of sins. Therefore, whoever believes in Jesus, should not perish but have eternal life. Because of Christ’s work on the Cross, we can be reconciled to God, and be called children of God. Baptism is a beautiful imagery of one dying to our old self with Christ and being raised to a new life with Christ. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever rejects Christ, rejects the one and only sacrifice which can save them. There is not, and will never be, any other means to remove sin. Whether you have just heard the gospel of Christ or have heard it many times, I urge you not to delay for you do not know when your time is up on earth. “If you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.'“ Do not reject Jesus who has died for your sins.
If you are a believer and sitting there feeling a little uneasy about what God is warning you. I have two things to say to you. Firstly, it is good to feel this way. Secondly, don’t just feel uneasy, do something. Get up and seek help by approaching someone whom you can share your struggle and problem with or any members or elders here. God’s grace is here for you to repent of your sin, to receive forgiveness and to return back to Christ.
But you may be sitting there, with no feeling of discomfort for yourself but, instead, sadness and concern for a fellow believer, be it your loved ones, friend, colleague or schoolmate? You are wondering if they may be drifting away from the Lord. Prayerfully and courageously, you apply what you’ve learned from last week’s sermon on encouraging one another. Go to them and offer to walk alongside them in their struggle with sins. Pursue them to find out how they are doing in their spiritual life. Pray for and with them. Use God’s Word to correct and rebuke them in love, pointing them back to Christ. If you are a member of this body of Christ, it is your responsibility to seek them out to do spiritual good. Tell them lovingly but firmly that they may be in a dangerous spiritual state of sinning deliberately, falling into the sin of apostasy. This is why it is so important to be a member of a local church so that we can be accountable to one another and build up one another in the faith.
From a timely admonishment written with love for his fellow believers, the author now encourages them.
Hold fast to the confidence in Christ and endure (Heb 10:32-38)
In Hebrews 10:32-38, the author describes their former days when, after they were enlightened, referring to receiving the good news of Christ. He comforts and encourages the believers to look back to their former times. They suffered persecution and hard times, and endured and remained faithful to God. But more importantly, they experienced the faithfulness of God during those hard times.
Let’s look at what sufferings they were going through and how they responded. They were being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction. How difficult it was to receive such public humiliation and harsh treatment. Even though they themselves were suffering, they still helped other sufferers as well. They showed compassion to those in prison (likely due to their faith) because they love and care for the prisoners and are likely to do the same to the prisoners’ loved ones. These are wonderful good works. What does it look like in our present context and how do we apply this teaching within the church?
Let me share some thoughts on this. We can visit members who are sick or homebound. Few of us were visiting a family of 4-5 sisters, both of whom were suffering from serious dementia. We just spend some time with them, reading scripture with devotion, singing hymns, prayer and fellowship. By visiting them, we care and encourage their hearts to hold fast to Christ.
Another example is showing love and compassion to the beareaved family, suffering the loss of a loved one. Beside praying for the bereaved family, we should try to find time to show up at the wake. The appropriate word should be “to squeeze time out of our Singaporean schedule”. Our presence with the bereaved family means alot to them and brings comfort and support than just words of condolences.
These are a few ways we can intentionally live out our covenant with one another as a local body of Christ; to do the one anothering, such as “to weep with those who weep.” We need to make time to be with the sufferers, whether physically, emotionally or spiritually. This is exactly how we should do life together as a church.
Another good work was they joyfully accepted the plundering of their property. The motivation is in Hebrews 10:34 — “they knew they had a better possession and an abiding one”. They not only accepted but joyfully accepted their loss of assets (earthly treasures) in view of the better possession that they had. The word “had” refers to already secured, confirmed.
Similarly, Paul says this in Philippians 3:7-8 “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” They could count earthly treasures, property, as rubbish because they have found a better and greater treasure than this. Yes, they have found a better possession and, an abiding one which is of eternal value. This is also what is spoken of in Habbakuk 3:17-19.
When we are tested to give up what we hold dear to our hearts, may we be able to say the same even though I struggle to hold on to my job or have no job, even though I have no financial means to carry on, even though I’m poor in health, even though I have no children or can’t have any children, even though my spouse, children or loved ones are taken away from me, even though my life ahead is filled with uncertainties and I cannot see where my future will be. Can we wholeheartedly pray like Habakkuk “yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! the sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights”?
Whatever the circumstances might be for us right now, the admonition for God’s people remains the same: Endure and hold on to your confidence in Christ which has a great reward!
In Hebrews 10:35-36, the author urges the people not to give up when the going gets tough. The confidence they have in Christ, which has a great reward, will see them through just like before, so don’t give up but keep enduring, which is what they needed. They need endurance. Why? Didn’t they respond well? The context of this passage has a lot to do with their temptation to abandon the faith because of persecutions and trials. Though we do not face similar issues, in spite of that, people continue to drift away from the faith, people still abandon their professions, don’t they? Factors such as other priorities, other engagements, other pursuits of life are all at our doorstep. For others, there has been an overwhelming experience of the brokenness and despair in their life, a personal tragedy and hardship. But whether persecution or distraction or worldliness or idolatry or broken-heartedness — whatever the circumstances might be for us right now, the admonition for God’s people remains the same: Endure and hold on to your confidence in Christ which has a great reward!
What does endurance look like and how do we live it out in our everyday life? Is it to keep still (in Chinese, we say 忍), bite the bullet and go through the trials of life quietly by yourself? To endure is to go through difficult times with patience and with a heart trusting in God that He knows what we’re going through. He is with us in these trying moments and able to sympathise with us. But more importantly, He is a powerful and Living God, who will work all things for good to those who love Him according to His will and for the good of His children.
The encouragement and motivation to endure is found in Hebrews 10:37-38. The author is encouraging the believers, the suffering that they were enduring is temporal, a short time in comparison the time with Christ in eternity. We believe that the coming One, who is the Christ, will come. It is not maybe or would be, but surely Christ will come again. How sure are we? We as God’s children, the righteous one, who live by faith, the faith to believe that God is faithful to His promises and it will come to fulfilment. Do not shrink back which can mean taking a step back or holding back, but we are to continue to endure where God has placed us in. There is no room for believers to shrink back in following Christ. The reason is clear, God is not pleased with us living a non committed or half committed life for Him. Yes, as God’s righteous ones in Christ, we shall live by faith as we endure through.
Have faith till the end and preserve your soul (Heb 10:39)
It is so encouraging to hear the author saying ”we” together with the believers in Hebrews 10:39. The author too speaks of not shrinking back from following Christ, being those that have faith and preserve our souls. This preserving of the soul is not referring to eternal security, rather it is referencing a believer’s closeness with God. It is about our daily spiritual life, daily walk with God and how we live our life for Him.
When we have faith in God, we will not be disappointed because He is a trustworthy God, He will remain faithful to us despite our faithlessness.
To preserve our soul is to have a healthy spiritual life that reflects Christlikeness. We need to cultivate a life of spiritual discipline like reading the Bible, prayer, witnessing and fellowship with one another and there is no shortcut to it. We also need to have faith in God, our only means that will help us to preserve our healthy spiritual life. Faith in God that whatever life situations He places us into, we will endure and not to throw away our confidence in Christ. Faith in God, even times of needs and times of loss. This faith is not placed in ourselves or in our resources but fully anchored in Christ. When we have faith in God, we will not be disappointed because He is a trustworthy God, He will remain faithful to us despite our faithlessness.
We have many biblical examples from the saints of old which we will hear next Sunday, faithful men and women who endured and pressed on till the end. By God’s grace, we also have members among us who have not shrunk back and preserve their Christian testimony for the Lord, walking faithfully and enduring to this day. Praise God for men and women in GBC, of all ages in different seasons of life, with or without leadership positions. Though some were called home to glory, we have many that are still in our midst. Yes, they did face many temptations and hard times along the way, but they didn’t throw away the confidence in Christ, instead, they endure and hold fast to their confession of faith.
To encourage our hearts, let me share some examples:
I know of a senior, who has a short stay in a nursing home for recuperation and physiotherapy. Though he is not in the best of his health, he loves God and finds ways to serve God, such as distributing gospel tracts to the nursing staff there, caring for God’s people in practical ways, and getting connected with the church though he is not able to worship with us in person.
There are several men and women among us, young and old, who gave up their aspirations to succeed. They leave their well paid jobs with good career prospects, choosing not to pursue the corporate world. Instead they have chosen jobs that enable them to devote more time to God and family. Some have committed to full time service for the Lord. But there is alway a struggle within to give up their sacrifices and commitment to God and follow what their contemporaries are pursuing. But they continue to endure.
I know of many elderly couples who are in their 70s and 80s are walking with the Lord and doing His will. Particularly, one couple despite their old age and limitations, serve with me in visiting members in homes, hospitals and almost every funeral wake. At times, they are the ones who encourage me to press on and stir me on to good works.
These are truly living testimonies of how men and women remain faithful to God despite struggles, temptations and hard times. These are examples to encourage us and for us to imitate. They simply live out their faith in Christ as an obedient response to God’s amazing grace.
The Lord has spoken from His Word. What do you need to do now? To my dear brothers and sisters, heed God’s stern warning which is for our good: Do not go on sinning deliberately or wilfully, but come before His throne of grace, humbly in repentance of our sins and to seek forgiveness.
Together as a body of Christ, let us endure in doing the will of God to the end and we will receive what God has promised for each one of us! No shrinking back, only by faith following Christ till the day when God calls us home to glory or when Christ comes again as the Lord of our salvation.