The Call to Persevere in the Fatih - Deterrents to Falling Away

You would go ahead and take your Bible turn back to Hebrews 10 verses 32 to 39. Notice that I have my old and torn tattered copy of our church statement of faith that lets you know I'm going to reference that a little later on. So just get ready for that at the end of the message, the conclusion of the message, but we'll get to verses 32 to 39 here in a minute. Now this morning we will finish up verses 19 to 32, which is a section of teaching that is meant to be taken together. Now I know I mentioned that in our scripture reading, but let me explain this. Let me show this to you.

This is big picture and this really will help us in our message this morning. But basically from chapter 1 all the way to chapter 10 verse 18, the author explains how Jesus was God's Messiah, who was promised and pictured all throughout the Old Testament. He explains how Jesus was the complete fulfillment of everything in the Old Covenant and especially the Old Covenant sacrificial system, and that Jesus' death on the cross was the once and for all single sacrifice for sin, which provided salvation for man.

But the author knew that those receiving this letter could not think that after they came to possess this new life in Christ under the New Covenant, that really nothing else needed to be done. He couldn't leave them there. The opposite is true, so he explained to them how they were to live out this new life in Christ. He called them to see the privileges that were theirs in Christ under the New Covenant. They had the privilege of confidently entering into the presence of God, verse 19, the privilege of this new and living way, verse 20, the privilege of possessing a great high priest Jesus who rules over his people, verse 21.

And then he called them to see their great responsibilities in Christ under the New Covenant. They had the responsibility to draw near to God, verse 22, the responsibility to hold tightly to their confession and hope in Christ Jesus, verse 23, and the responsibility to consider one another, which turned into quite a few responsibilities, one to another, verses 24 to 25. And notice these privileges and these responsibilities are all positive. They're positive responses to the new life in Christ to life in the New Covenant. But the author made a hard pivot, starting in verse 26.

He pointed out a potential negative response to the new life in Christ, a negative response to the New Covenant. He warned this congregation of the great sin of apostasy, which is receiving Jesus, but then purposefully walking away, falling away. So he gave them the description of apostasy in verse 26. He explained the many catastrophic results that come from apostasy in verses 26 to 31. And then he explained the horrific sins the apostate commits. That was in verse 29. But then the author makes another pivot. He moves from this warning against the great sin of apostasy to a call to persevere in the faith, a call to persevere in the faith.

And this call to persevere was meant to be a deterrent to the great sin of apostasy. And this call was meant to be a great encouragement to this congregation. So look at how all this comes together. This is a much shorter version of what I've just said. After the author thoroughly explained that Jesus was and is the fulfillment of everything in the Old Covenant, and he explained this new life that is found in Christ Jesus in the New Covenant, first he called them to live according to their privileges, then he called them to fulfill their responsibilities, third he warned them against the great sin of apostasy, and last he called them to persevere in the faith.

And that's what verses 32 to 39 are all about. I call this the call to persevere, deterrence to falling away. The call to persevere, deterrence to falling away. Now let's go back and read our verses again. And then I will explain to you how we will divide the verses, how we'll get into the message. Verse 32, "But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with suffering, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated.

For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourself had a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore do not throw away your confidence which has a great reward, for you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised for. Yet a little while and the coming one will come and will not delay. But my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back my soul has no pleasure in him.

But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and perseverance and persevere their souls." Now here we will see that the author calls them to three things. He calls them to remember three things, their suffering in two different ways and their service to those who suffer. We see this in verses 32 to 34. And then he makes a change. He called them to look forward to two things, their reward and their responsibility to persevere. And we see that in the rest of the verses 35 to 39. So I will make five points of teaching or five observations out of these verses. So let's get started.

Number one, I want us to see the call to remember their past suffering. The author gives them this call to remember their past suffering. We see this in verse 32 and the beginning of verse 33. Look back at the verse. "But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction." Now before we get into what the author is doing here and saying here, we need to make sure we remember the context, the background of this original audience.

When the ones in this congregation professed belief in Jesus as the promised Messiah of God, they immediately had targets on their backs. And this day, any Jew who professed to have been converted to Christ in this newfound religion Christianity, they would have been disowned by their Jewish family and they certainly would have been banished socially and religiously. They would have suffered economically and that they could have lost their jobs, lost their businesses, and many Jews would have refused to trade with them. It is safe to say that they were definitely shunned and forsaken at best and hounded and persecuted at worst.

And here we will see just how they were hounded, just how they were actually persecuted. But notice what he called them to remember here. "First the great struggles and sufferings they endured." In the English Standard, we see that they endured a hard struggle. The New American says they endured a great conflict. And this struggle or conflict, it means to contest, it means to combat, it even means to strive to struggle. The author was saying their great combative struggle or contest came along with sufferings. And this would have been both internal sufferings and external sufferings. And then second, the public persecution they endured.

We see that in the first part of verse 33. Here the author is explaining what their hard struggle and suffering was like. The English Standard says they were sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction. The New American says they were partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations. And this term here, "being made a public spectacle," it comes from a word in the original which literally means to bring upon a stage like in a theater. That's what it means. It means to set forward as a spectacle. And this is the exact word where we get our word theater in our English language.

And this word affliction here, the New American uses the word tribulations. It means pressing, it means pressing together. So notice how this comes together. The author was calling these in this congregation to remember. But this was not a passing remembrance or a casual remembrance. This means to remember even the specifics and to always remember. He was calling them to always remember that they had endured great combative struggles which led to both internal and external struggles. And sometimes this was from being made a public spectacle in their trials and their afflictions. Simply this was persecution. Persecution.

The author was calling them to always remember the specifics of their persecution which at times was a very public persecution. One layer here that adds to our understanding of this persecution. The author calls them to remember their hard struggle or conflict. This means to contest. This means to combat. This means to strive and to struggle. And this conflict or struggle was used by the Greeks in their day to speak of athletics and the athletic contests. Many of you know that all through scripture we see references to athletic contests. And they had athletic gains in their day.

And this word for conflict and struggle and combative contests, it was used of the next generation of Christians to speak of martyrdom and death. One commentator, Kenneth Woo said the athletic language of conflict or struggle combined with this being made a public spectacle. This could mean that the recipients of this letter were subjected to the gladiatorial gains which would have spoken of being thrown into the arena. Being thrown into the arena to be killed. But that's really not the case because they were still alive. But we know that later Christians were thrown into the conflict.

We know later that there were Christians who were thrown into the struggle of the arena and they were slaughtered in the games. But my point here is this. This helps us see the intensity and the difficulty of their struggle. These believers were not thrown into the arena and into that particular struggle or conflict yet. But believers would soon be thrown into that conflict. But a question. Were these true believers? Remember we've been addressing the true believers and the false believers all along here. Were these true believers or were these those who only professed Christ?

Some commentators say that the author was writing specifically to non-believers because they were the ones who could truly and actually apostatize. But I disagree. As a matter of fact John MacArthur takes that position. But I don't agree. We know that this congregation was made up of true believers and some who professed believe they were not truly born again. So to me this was meant to apply to both, to all. Look at the language here. The author says, and I'm quoting the verse, "But recall the former days when after you were enlightened," and this word "enlightened" it simply means to give light. The Bible scholar A.T.

Robertson says this "enlightened" speaks to regeneration. Leon Morris says this "enlightened" means they received light, which means that they had emerged from their previous darkness into the light that Christ brings. In Morris' Acts, John 1812, this says, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of length." So for the true believer in this congregation, the author was writing the call and to encourage them to persevere in the faith. And a part of their persevering was always remembering how, when, and where they faced difficulty, great conflict, and even great suffering.

And he was even calling them to remember the how, the when, and the where of public persecution that they endured. They were put on public display in their great conflict and suffering and persecution. Now there's a lesson here. As believers, we must always remember, even in great detail, the difficulties, trials, and struggles that we face in our want with God. Let me repeat that. As believers, we must always remember, even in great detail, the difficulties, the trials, the struggles that we face in our Christian journey. Now we do not live in the past, no. But the past difficulties, the past trials, the past struggles are meant to shape us.

They are meant to form us. They are meant to mold us. Those things are a part of our sanctification. And Luke Church remembering these things helps us persevere in the faith. Those things are actually fuel motivation in our perseverance. But for the ones in this congregation who were not believers, this was a part of the call to come to true saving faith. Yes, this was meant to be a deterrent to apostasy. Remember? He is trying to keep them from going back into apostasy. But this was a call to persevere all the way to true saving faith.

So the author called them to always remember, even in great detail, the former days after they came to saving faith, when they endured great conflicts and sufferings just like an athlete in a great athletic contest. Sometimes even being put on public display, being exposed to public insults and reproaches and sufferings. But one more thing. At the end of verse 33, the author says, "Sometimes being partners with those so treated," notice that. Now this is simple. This partners simply means partner, companion, or sharer. In other words, the author was pointing out that they were not alone in their persecution.

But as believers in Christ, in this local church, they were at times together with one another in this persecution, in this conflict. Now there's a lesson here, folks. Listen, church. Guard against, fight against, never fall into the trap and into the temptation of Christian isolationism. The born again believer is never meant to be isolated and segregated away from one another in their local church, no matter the reason, no matter the reason. It is wrong, it is unhealthy, it is unbiblical, and it can be sin. So the call to remember their past suffering and even persecution together.

And then number two, notice the call to remember their ministry to others in their suffering. The author calls them to remember their ministry to others in their suffering. Now before we see how they ministered to one another, we really need to understand that at times they suffered together in their persecution. I've gone over that. But listen to verse 33 in the Amplified. Sometimes being made a spectacle, publicly exposed to insults and distress, and sometimes by becoming companions with those who were so treated. See the togetherness?

But here the author shows us that they took their togetherness, their body life here, further, in that they took the risk of ministering to brothers and sisters when they were in prison. Look at verse 34, "For you had compassion on those in prison." Now simply this is what took place. In those days when someone was put in prison, they would have had a very tough time, even life and death, because very little was done for prisoners by those in authority. Most of the time prisoners like proper food and clothing, really the basics. So prisoners were dependent on family and friends for their basic needs for survival.

But there was a great risk in helping one in prison. By helping someone in prison, the governing authorities could have been led to associate the ones helping with the prisoner. So if family and friends were helping, say, an insurrectionist in prison, then the governing authorities would assume that they were insurrectionists too. But these believers did not shirk the risk. They had compassion for their brothers and sisters who had been thrown into prison. So they ministered to them. They assumed this risk. Now there is a very simple lesson here. We should have compassion with one another as brothers and sisters in the local church.

To the point where we would make sacrifices where we would even take risks to minister to one another. Let me repeat that. Within the local church that God has given us, we should have compassion with one another to the point where we would make sacrifices for one another. And if need be, we would even take risks for one another. You may say, Pastor, we don't live like that. A couple of questions. Think about it now. Would you get on an airplane and go minister to and love on an anchored in truth pastor and anchored in truth church in a body of believers? Would you? You may say, Pastor, I can't afford that ticket.

There's always someone who will meet that need. But I repeat the question. Would you get on an airplane and go minister to and love on and bless an anchored in truth pastor and anchored in truth church in believers in that local fellowship? You may say, Pastor Chris, isn't that a big risk? Well, is it? Compared to what we see here with this church and these believers? Think about that now. Contrast that ideology with what we see here in the scriptures with these believers. So we call them to remember their ministry one to another. And then number three, we see the call to remember their loss in suffering.

The author calls them to remember their and I'm going to add to here. I'm going to add here their personal loss in suffering. Look back at verse 34 and notice how the author goes back to their personal suffering. For you had compassion on those in prison and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Here the author called them to remember how they suffered in another way. The plundering of their own property and this plundering here, this speaks of robbery or the literal act of plundering unjustly.

That is why the amplified says the unjust seizure of your belongings and the confiscation of your property. And this is where understanding the context and the background, what was common and acceptable in their day really helps us here. In this day, Jews were often persecuted and plundered by the Romans and other non Jewish people. Give you one example, history and church history tells us that in the first century, the Jews were expelled from Rome under Tiberius and Claudius and under this expulsion, their property and their possessions were plundered. They were taken. They were stolen.

Now my point here is this most often than not, Jews were persecuted by non Jews and their property and possessions were often plundered in confiscated unjustly. The Jews were just an easy target and this was acceptable in their day and time. So this small ostracized group of Jews who had converted to this new all shoot religion called Christianity, these outcasts certainly would have been easy prey for persecution and plunder from the authorities. But notice how they dealt with this persecution and notice why. First, they accepted this with joy.

The author reminded them that joyfully see that in the text joyfully or with gladness and joy, they accepted the plundering and confiscation of their property. Second, they accepted this because they had a better possession waiting. The author reminded them that they accepted this because they knew that they had a heavenly possession which is better than any earthly possession or possessions. Listen to the amplified. It really helps us here.

It says, "And you joyfully accepted the unjust seizure of your belongings and the confiscation of your property, conscious of the fact that you have a better position and a lasting one prepared for you in heaven." A couple of questions here. If we lost our possessions unjustly from persecution, would we react the same? If we lost our possessions unjustly now from persecution, would we react the same? Let me get a little closer to home. If our government acted out against all Christians by saying that no Christians may own a gun and they came to confiscate our guns, would we be joyful?

You may say, "Pastor, you're meddling." There's a lot of talk about digital currency and such. If all of our currency was digitized and our government seized our money just because we were Christian, would we be joyful? You may say, "Pastor, I wouldn't mind the money, but I wouldn't let them take my guns." What about if our government seized all of the houses and properties of just the Christians now and gave those things to the poor? You know, this redistribution of wealth, would we be joyful? Look, church, these believers in this church live joyfully. Gladly.

When their property and their possessions were plundered unjustly, let that sink in. But we complain about our taxes being too high and we get all political. If we really look at and pay attention, we can see that we have a giant portion of the American church that is nothing but a bunch of complainers. Because their American dream is not just what it used to be. Am I right? But contrast that with these believers who joyfully accepted the unjust seizure of their belongings and the confiscation of their property, conscious of the fact that they had a better possession and a lasting one prepared in heaven.

So the call to remember their loss and their suffering. Now, let me give you a pastoral charge here. Go home and talk with your spouse and evaluate in your life this week what you're complaining about. Go home and talk about and examine and write down what you're fretting about. What you're complaining and fretting about, what you're struggling with, what's burdening you. Are you joyful and are you glad? Some of you are complaining because work is not quite what it needs to be. Yet these brothers and sisters were joyful when they lost it all. So the call to remember their loss and their suffering.

But at this point, the author makes a shift from calling them to remember to calling them to look and to look at two particular things. So number four, notice a call to look forward to their eternal reward. The author calls them to look forward to their eternal reward. Look at verse 35 to 38. "Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward, for you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised for." This is an Old Testament quotation. "Yet a little while in the coming one will come and will not delay.

But my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back my soul has no pleasure in him." Now in calling these believers now to look forward to their eternal reward, the author gives them two points of instruction. First he called them not to forget their spiritual confidence. Look at verse 35, "Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward." This word confidence here, it speaks of a freedom in speaking. It speaks of having a great confidence, a fearlessness even in speaking. So what the author was doing here was this.

He was calling them not to walk away from their great courage and their boldness and their fearlessness in speaking out even in the face of persecution. The Bible scholar Kenneth Woo says he was calling them not to throw away their courage and boldness, not to throw away their courage and boldness. But then second he called them to endure. Verse 36, "For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised to you." Here the author is calling out their need. The New American, the English standard used the word endurance. The King James uses the word patience.

But this speaks of a steadfastness, a constancy, an endurance, a patient endurance. So what the author is saying here is this. In the face of their suffering and persecution, he was calling them to their need. More endurance, more patient endurance. On top of the endurance they already had. And get this, as good as they had been doing, this was a very serious need. Listen to verse 36 in the Amplified, "For you have need of patient endurance to bear up under difficult circumstances without compromising." But look at how the author was calling them to look forward or to look up.

He says that when they had done the will of God they may receive what is promised. And this is none other than their heavenly reward. But a question. What are these verses, verses 37 to 38? Your English translation may have them italicized or noted. Showing you these are quotations. But these are clearly quotations from the Old Testament. A small portion from Isaiah 26 and Habakkuk 2, 3 to 4. And basically what is said here is two things. First, this is a reference to the certain return of God's Messiah, that's Jesus. Habakkuk saw and spoke of God's return.

And the author of Hebrew saw this Old Testament prophecy being fulfilled in the return of Christ. And then second, this is a reminder that the righteous live by faith and the righteous do not shrink back. Simply Christ's return is soon and upon His return if He finds any who are shrinking back from the life of faith, He will take no pleasure in them. So look at this call to look to their eternal reward. These believers did possess spiritual courage. We have seen that. But the author was calling them to endure with a greater level of patient endurance. All while keeping their hearts fixed on Christ's return for their eternal reward.

And look at how this related to the true believers in this congregation. This was the spiritual encouragement they all needed. You see? This was the spiritual encouragement these true believers needed. Maybe, certainly some of them were losing strength. Maybe, certainly some of them were wavering and the author was writing to correct them, to call them and to encourage them all the more. But for those who are not truly born again, this was another call to come to true saving faith. What's some questions for us? How are we in our spiritual endurance? How are we in our spiritual endurance? Are we weak in our spiritual patient endurance?

How are you at your scripture reading? Daily. Weekly. You see, if we are weak in our Bible reading, then we are weak in our spiritual patient endurance. Now, if we lapse in our Bible reading, we may not see that weakness in the first day, the first week. But if we lapse in our Bible reading and we remain that way, then we will become spiritually weak. We will lose our spiritual patient endurance. How are we in our prayer life? If we are weak in our prayer life, well, we will become weak in our spiritual patient endurance.

Again, it may not show up in the first day, it may not show up in the first week, but if we persist in prayerlessness, then we will turn into a believer who was weak in our spiritual endurance and in our patient endurance. How are we in our responsibilities one to another as believers? Like we learned in verses 24 to 25. Look back up with me to verses 24 to 25. The author says, "Let us consider how to stir up one another." That means to provoke even to agitate one another, to love into good works. That would be to love God more and to love one another better into good works within the local church.

Not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another in all the more. In other words, all the more doing these things as you see the day drawing near. What I'm trying to show you is this. Brother, sister, if you are weak, if you are inconsistent, and if you were easily distracted from faithfully attending the local church, if you were weak and you were distracted from your responsibilities to one another, then you're not spiritually strong. You lack spiritual endurance. And I've seen so many brothers and sisters allow work, entertainment, recreation, family, all kinds of things in life.

And many times these are good things now. I've seen so many brothers and sisters just allow things in their life to pull them back from being consistent, faithful in the life of the local church, in ministering one to another, and it turns into a spiritual weakness. How are we in our trials and difficulties? Look, folks, if we are weak spiritually, a trial comes along, we will become more weak. If we don't have the spiritual endurance that we are supposed to have, well, when the difficulty comes, it produces more weakness.

But if we tackle that trial, if we tackle that difficulty with the lordship of Christ, finding all that he wants in that, well, guess what? That will turn into a greater level of spiritual endurance and strength. I could keep going on. So a call to look forward to our eternal reward. And then number five, we see a call to look to the call to persevere. The author gives them this call to look to the call to persevere. Look at verse 39. "But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith persevere their souls." Here we can really see the author's great expectation for these believers.

Now, this is a warning as well. This is a call to those who have not been truly born again now, but we will see that he was confident that these believers would respond positively and that they would persevere. But here he makes a contrast between those who persevere and those who deny. Notice the call to persevere. All the English translations say the same.

If we are not of those who shrink back, and this personal pronoun "we" here is in the emphatic, which means that the author was really emphasizing that he was right there with him, and he says, "We are not of those who shrink back," and this phrase "shrink back," it speaks of one who stealthily, in a cowardly manner, they retreat. Simply the author was telling these believers, "We are not of those who shrink back from the faith as cowards, and we are those who persevere." Well, how was that the case? How? Because they were truly born again. And they were the truly born again believers who had the Spirit of God, so they persevered.

And then notice the warning to those who were not truly born again. Now, he does not address those who do not believe directly, but he does so indirectly. He points out that those who do not savingly believe, those are the ones who shrink back. And notice to where they shrink back. Yes, to the life of sin and unbelief. We learned all about that last week, in the week before. But he shows us that they shrink back even further. Notice, the New American says, "They shrink back to destruction," and this destruction speaks of an utter destruction, a total ruin. So notice the contrast the author was making here.

And notice how he was calling out two different peoples in this congregation. William McDonald says, "The writer quickly disassociates himself with his fellow believers from those who draw back." This separates the apostates from the genuine Christians. He goes on to say, "The apostates draw back and are lost. True believers believe and thus persevere their souls from the doom of the renegade." And yes, this was a warning and a call to those who were not true believers. But most importantly, this was and is a call of encouragement to those true believers to persevere.

Listen to Kenneth Woost's translation and see if you can hear the encouragement. Woost says, "But as for us, we are not of the shrinking back kind who draw back into perdition." That would be destruction. "But of the believing kind who believe to the end of the saving of the soul." Now look at how this applies to us on our day. Yes, there are those who do and will shrink back away from the faith into sin and into unbelief. And ultimately, this will lead to their utter destruction. Those of us who were born again, we? We are not of the shrinking back kind, but we cannot take for granted our great responsibility to persevere here. You see?

We are not of the shrinking back kind as born-again believers, but we cannot take for granted our great responsibility to persevere here. Yes, Christ Jesus perseveres in us, but we are responsible to persevere in Christ, and the only way we can do that is because Christ is in us, working these things out in us. So look at the call to persevere. Now as I close, it is obvious this is all about the call to perseverance. For us, this is all about the call to persevere together in the local church. And get this, the negative, the reality of apostasy is a good deterrent.

It is a negative encouragement for us to work hard here, because we don't want to be like those who fought back. But let me close with referencing our statement of faith. Remember, this is what we teach, and this is what we work to believe, because some of these things are difficult, some of these things are easy to believe, but some of them are hard. But I want to point out section five, which is called the way of salvation. Notice how this all fits together. We teach on A, grace and regeneration, B, repentance and faith, C, justification, D, sanctification, and E, the perseverance of the saints.

Some people call that "want saved, always saved." That's not a bad term, but the perseverance of the saints is a little better. Listen to what we teach here concerning the perseverance of the saints. We believe that God will preserve His redeemed throughout life and to the end. There's a notation here for John 8.31, 1 John 2, 27-28, 1 John 3.9, and 1 John 5.18. What am I trying to show you? This comes right out of the Scripture. So that none who have been born again can ever be lost, that their preserving relationship to Christ is the supreme characteristic which distinguishes them as true believers from those who merely profess to believe.

Again, 1 John 2.19, John 13.18, Matthew 13.20-21, John 6.66-69, and Job 17 verse 9. What am I showing you? It comes right out of the Scripture. That a special providence of God watches over the welfare of their souls, again, Scripture references, and that they are kept by the power of God through faith of the salvation from regeneration and justification, through sanctification until final glorification. What am I trying to show you? We believe in the perseverance of the saints. And what we have here is our responsibility and our call to this work.

So this is all about, again, the call to persevere in the faith and the deterrent of apostasy right in front of us. So let's pray.