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welcome back to free Grace Baptist Church uh a fresh welcome for any visitors out there this morning if you're out there and you're a visitor we do welcome you to our church it is uh always a joy to have new faces in the pews any any questions after the service please feel free uh to approach us um no real announcements except maybe just a reminder that uh the the next Fellowship lunch and meal will be in September I believe so uh there is uh not there there is no Fellowship lunch in a but there will be one um in September I would imagine so we'll announce that date um in the future well let's move on then to the worship of our blessed God by a reading of the Holy scriptures our call to worship this morning will be a reading of Psalm 107 veres 1-9 Psalm 107 verse 1 to verse 9 this is the word of the living and true God oh give thanks to the Lord for he is good for his Mercy endures forever let the redeemed of the Lord say so whom he has redeemed from the hand of the enemy and gathered out of the lands from the East and from the west from the north and from the south they wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way they found no City to dwell in hungry and thirsty their soul fainted in them then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble and he delivered them out of their distresses and he led them forth by the right way that they might go to a city for a dwelling place oh that men would give thanks to the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful Works to the children of men for he satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with goodness amen amen let's stand and sing together our first hym if you can turn in your red Trinity Suter the red thinner Trinity alter we're going to sing Psalm 93 to a familiar tune that's Psalm 93 standest is himself with est to and up up mighty on high for Mighty is is the of the W for Breer of faithful and Hol seated let's go to our God In Prayer let us pray our righteous and our Holy Father we do gather together in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ rejoice in the fact that we can gather we thank you that we have now this Liberty and this freedom to gather as the Saints of Christ in this place to sing the Praises and to worship our triun god father Son and Holy Spirit we do pray God God that your name would be hallowed in this place this morning we again pray that you would be honored that you would be praised that you would be worship that you would be the recipient of high and proper worship of the living and true God we pray that you would impress upon us your glory you would cause our hearts to rejoice in you that you would by your spirit stir our souls onto high and heavy thoughts of our blessed God we do pray that this would likewise be the case around the world in your churches we we would pray that you would give that measure of your spirit to your gathered assemblies that they would lift Praises unto you that they would rightly and properly worship you that the Lord Jesus Christ Our blessed redeeming king would be exalted upon the Praises of a multitude of gathered assemblies we do thank you Lord that we can gather in the Name of Christ we know that we are saved not by Deeds of righteousness which we have done but according to your mercy through the perfect work of our savior the Lord Jesus Christ we thank you that you did send him in the fullness of the times born of a woman and born under the law that he might redeem those who were under the law that we might receive the adoption as Sons we Rejoice again in that blessed biblical truth that is a faithful saying worthy of all acceptation Christ Jesus came into this world Sinners to save we sing the Praises of our Christ we thank you knowing that we've been brought forth from deadness to life not by virtue of anything that we have done but rather solely and alone by virtue of the perfect work of our Lord Jesus our lord Jesus Christ we rejoice in his perfect life of obedience unto your law in the stad of all who believe we rejoice in that perfect substitutionary sacrifice upon calvary's tree that crosswork of Our Lord we thank you that there we have not a Salvation not an atonement of maybe or perhaps but there we have Christ perfectly securing the salvation of a multitude that no can number truly re we rejoice in that work of Salvation we rejoice in that the shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ for the Forgiveness of sins knowing that without the shedding of blood there is no remission our minds are drawn back with great joy reflecting upon the fact that Jesus Christ shed his blood that we might have that his people might have the Forgiveness of sins we rejoice in the Resurrection on the third day where our savior arose Victorious with great power we thank you that he has ascended unto your right hand where he ever lives to intercede for his people where he rules over his enemies where he sdu the hearts of his elect where he is the head and savior of the church and the judge of the world we do pray that you would cause us this day to rejoice in our savior to sing his Praises knowing that from first to last midst and throughout salvation is of a trying God who saves without a helper we do pray God that you would help help us uh to be mindful of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ around the world who suffer under the heavy and wicked hands of persecution and tyranny we do pray for all of our brothers and sisters in these countries Lord in in in these nations where there is such anger and opposition and active persecution even unto death we do pray that you would gird up and strengthen each and every one of our your precious saints that you would be to them their God of All Comfort that they would know the grace of God the strength of God the endurance afforded by your spirit we do pray that in the midst of opposition in the midst of enemies they would lay hold of the hope of their calling without wavering knowing that you are faithful Lord we do pray that you would just strengthen our Brothers and Sisters in Christ we do a ask again and Pray Again Lord that you would deal with those who persecute them we pray God they would know the sweetness of the Gospel like Saul so many hundreds of years ago who was a violent opposer of the church seeking to destroy it you came by amazing and Victorious Grace and brought him forth from Darkness to light we pray this for those who persecute your people that they would hear the gospel that by your attending Spirit they would be brought from deadness to life in Christ that they would turn from The Madness of their idolatry and embrace the king of kings and Lord of lords and know and have salvation in our blessed Christ we do pray yet again for those who OPP you will remain in opposition who will not bend a neede to the King of Kings but will remain in opposition and continue their persecutions we would take we pray that you would take them out of the way that you would cause them to wither away as the snail that you would rip out their fangs as it were and cause them to stumble like drunken men that they may no longer bring violence against the people of Christ we do pray for those who govern over us we pray for the governments of the United States and Canada those Nations near to us we we pray Lord that you would deal with those who rule over the people we pray that you would cause them to rule in righteousness and inequity we pray that you would cast down leaders who propagate wickedness and who seek to advance Abominations in the land we do pray that you would raise up those who would be in obedience to you those who would rule over the people in righteousness and Justice and Equity we pray this for the nations of the world knowing Lord God that the nations of this world are the nations of our God and of his Christ we do pray that you would cause your people to raise their voices unto their God to pray for those who rule over them for kings and all who are in Authority that we may live Peaceable lives and that we may with great Freedom Advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ we pray Lord for those in our midst suffering physically we would ask that you would strengthen and bless those who are diseased those who are ill those who are injured in our midst lift up each and every one heal them Lord and we do pray that in the midst of Affliction they would lust the name of their God and that they would be wholly resigned unto your will in all things amen we do pray Lord for those who are pregnant that we would watch over them strengthen mother and child we do look forward in due time for these young ones to be brought forth with the rejoicing of the Saints and that mother and father would rejoice in these gifts from on high Lord God that you would watch over these young ones that they along with any that are here this morning would In Due Time by your grace name the name of our savior and rejoice in you our creator we would ask Lord that the preaching of the Gospel this morning that as we engage in that act of worship the preaching of the word that you would help the preacher in the Pulpit we do know that ministers come up and they do not proclaim the word of God leaning upon their own strength they do lean upon the strength that the Triune God of four as Ministers of the Gospel we do pray for pastor B that you would strengthen him as he proclaims your word give him much Aid and much grace to Proclaim with great fluidity and accuracy and great Glory things of the Lord Jesus Christ and your Revelation to men we do pray that you would give him much and that the preaching of the word would be attended by the Holy Spirit we would ask that your gathered Saints here this morning would know the presence of their God and the ministry of the spirit that we would be encouraged in the word that we would be fed by the word that we would be built up by it and that we would leave this place seeking to conduct ourselves in a man worthy to God gopel of Jesus Christ we do ask Lord God that you would be active as well this morning by amazing and Victorious Grace that you would bring forth dead Sinners to life we pray young and old any who entered in these doors this morning outside of Christ that you would come upon the wings of Victorious Grace and cause them to be brought forth from deadness to life in Christ that they would be saved by Amazing Grace and that they would leave this place singing hallelujah what a save amen we do pray that now Lord we would engage in worship after righteousness and truth that we would be marked as those worshippers who worship you in spirit and in truth we pray Lord God that we would not have brought any of our blind and lame sacrifices as it were but that we would worship you a right that we would worship you with great joy genuinely and biblically that you might be the recipient of all honor and praise we do pray that you would be glorified now in our midst and we pray these things in the name of our savior the Lord Jesus Christ amen amen let's stand and sing our next hymn then as a church let's stand and sing together 437 hym number 437 my ground Christ the spring of all my joy still found still my heart for my th Praise My my highest Grace Till iose My Earth may I Pro in Christ to live may I Pro Christ live in nothing shall saely reaching Manel ground to Christ live to with seated you can turn in your Bibles to Matthew 15 Matthew chapter 15 our New Testament scripture reading we'll read from verse 1 to verse 20 Matthew 15 beginning in verse one just as Psalm 107 was this is the word of the living and true God then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus saying why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders for they do not wash their hands when they eat bread he answered and said to them why do you also transgress the Commandment of God because of your tradition for God commanded saying honor your father and your mother and he who curses father or mother let him be put to death but you say whoever says to his father or mother whatever Prophet you might have received from me as a gift to God then he need not honor his father or mother thus you have made the Commandment of God of no effect by your tradition Hypocrites well did Isaiah prophesy about you saying these people draw near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips but their heart is far from me and in vain they worship worship me teaching as doctrines the Commandments of man when he had called the multitude to himself he said to them hear and understand not what goes into the mouth defiles a man but what comes out of the mouth this defiles a man then his disciples came and said to him do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying but he answered and said every plant which my heavenly father has not planted will be uprooted let them alone they are blind leaders of the Blind and if the blind leads the blind both will fall into a ditch then Peter answered and said to him explain this Parable to us so Jesus said are you also still without understanding do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated but those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart and they defile a man for out of the heart proceed evil thoughts murders adulteries fornications thefts false witness blasphemies these are the things which defile a man but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man amen let us pray Heavenly Father we thank you for this passage in the gospel of Matthew we rejoice in our savior the Lord Jesus Christ we thank you for this our champion who railed against the pharisaical perversions of his day who upheld rightness and truth we thank you for Jesus and his strong and wholesome severity against those opposers of all things God and truth and we do pray that you would cause us to be marked uh by such religion as Christ that we would not be carried off by the traditions of men but rather that we would be aligned unto solely and alone your holy scriptures the truth of your holy word in all things we thank you for our savior and we pray as we continue in worship that he would be exalted upon the gathered assembly the praise of this gathered assembly that we would rejoice in him our Lord Jesus Christ who came into this world Sinners to save we do pray that you would continue to be with us we also pray Lord God we thank you for the marriage yesterday of Jonathan and Elise we do pray that you would bless this new couple Lord we pray that you would knit their hearts further and further together that you would cause them to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of Christ as a married couple we do pray now then that you would again be with us help us to worship you in spirit and in truth Lord God we would ask again that you would give us that measure of your spirit to engage in that proper worship that you might be honored and glorified we do pray in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ amen our last hymn then before the preaching we can stand again and sing again as a church 582 that's 582 let's Stand Together Jesus and dare on Jesus name on Christ changing Gra every and my hold Christ stand all ground sing hisort the all he is All My Hope and on Christ the all ground is sing his right Al bless you stand before the thr on Christ the all turn with me in your Bibles to Hebrews chapter 10 we will return God willing to our study in Matthew's gospel in September last week we considered Hebrews 10: 19-25 we're going to continue that consideration vers 26 to 31 but I do want to read the section beginning in chapter 10 of Hebrews at verse vers 19 the Apostle writes therefore Brethren having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus by a New and Living Way which he consecrated for us through the veil that is his flesh and having a high priest over the house of God let us draw near with a True Heart in full Assurance of Faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water let us hold fast the confession of Our Hope without wavering for he who promised is faithful and let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as is the manner of some but exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the day approaching for if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins but a certain fearful expectation of judgment and fiery IND indignation which will devour the adversaries anyone who has rejected moses' law dies without Mercy on the testimony of two or three Witnesses of how much worse punishment do you suppose will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot counted the blood of the Covenant by which he was Sanctified a common thing and insulted the spirit of Grace for we know him who said vengeance is mine I will repay says the Lord and again the Lord will judge his people it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God but recall the former days in which after you were illuminated you endured a great struggle with sufferings partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations and partly while you became Companions of those who were so treated for you had compassion on Me In my chains and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven therefore do not cast away your confidence which has great reward for you have need of endurance so that after you have done the will of God you may receive the promise for yet a little while and he who is coming will come and will not t now the just shall live by faith but if anyone draws back my soul has no pleasure in him but we are not of those who draw back to predition but of those who believe to the saving of the Soul amen well let us pray God most high we thank you for this Lord's day we thank you for this house that we can gather in we pray to you father through the mediation of our Lord Jesus Christ by the spirit that God would be all in all in this place that you would be glorified and exalted and praised and worshiped and that in your mercy and in your kindness and in your grace you would send forth the holy spirit that we may receive with Thanksgiving your word we pray that he would guide us and illumin our minds and our hearts that he would show us the things of Christ and may we indeed uh praise and honor you as a result of these this study we also ask that you would forgive us for our sin and our transgression whenever we consider the Holiness of our God the Majesty of our God we see our own sinfulness and our own waywardness so we confess our iniquities now thanking you that we have an advocate at the right hand of the father even Jesus Christ Our Lord and for any and all who have come here this morning outside of Christ those who are in unbelief we pray that you would do what is impossible with men we pray that you would bring the conviction of sin and show Sinners the glory of Christ and the fact that he alone saves to the uttermost all who draw nigh unto God through him do this for your honor for your praise and for the good of men and women in boys and girls and we ask these things through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen well as we considered last week specifically in verses 19 to 25 we made the observation that the largest block of doctrinal teaching is from 51 to 10:18 and that section deals with the high Priestly office of our Lord Jesus Christ and that section 51 to 4 uh uh 51 to 1018 is bookended both in Chap 4: 14-6 and then the section we looked at last Sunday morning chapter 10: 19- 25 and essentially what the author does is he provides encouragements to the people of God and then he sets forth exhortations look at verse 19 again parallel to what we see in Hebrews 4:14 to6 notice in verse 19 of chapter 10 having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus by a New and Living Way which he consecrated for us through the veil that is his flesh this is an encouragement for the people of God we have access to the presence of the father we now can enter into the holiest the holy of holies that place reserved for the high priest in Israel alone one day out of the calendar year and then the second encouragement is found in verse 21 and having a high priest over the house of God so those two encouragements access into the presence of the father and the fact that we have the priest Christ and then he gives us these three exhortations let us draw near other words you've been given this privilege you've been given this benefit use it draw near unto God he then says in verse 23 let us hold fast the confession of Our Hope and then in verse 24 let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works so encouragement exhortation and now in verses 26-31 we find warning and there are several warnings in the book of Hebrews in many respects verses 26-31 here parallels what we find in Hebrews chapter 6 and we'll identify that as we move along so we'll take up 26 to 31 this morning under three observations first the particular sin in view verses 26 27 and then we'll pull from verse 29 as well so the particular sin in view secondly the covenantal comparison made in verses 28 and 29 and then the terrifying punishment proposed in verses 30 and 31 now if I were to ask you as Believers in Jesus Christ if youve ever read Hebrews 10: 26-31 and been stricken with fear I suspect many of you would raise your hand in fact often times persons read Hebrews 6 and Hebrews 10 and their weak Saints or they're struggling Saints or they're agonizing Saints and they see themselves in these particular passages believe it or not this Exposition is born out of a desire to encourage the people of God doesn't sound like it on the the front or the face of it but that's the purpose this morning I think that if we understand what the Apostle Paul as I understand is dealing with in Hebrews 6 and Hebrews 10 then it ought to produce comfort for The Souls of God's people as well it does issue a warning for those who are in unbelief those who persist in their rejection of our Lord Jesus Christ but let's look at the particular sin in view notice the willful sin in verse 26 for if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth again persons stumble here because they reckon or they conclude or they think well what I did yesterday when I raised my voice at my little my little baby or I raised my voice hopefully not at a baby at the at the 2-year-old that was willful nobody put a gun to my head nobody put my arm behind my back no one told me to shout at that that that that blessed wonderful gift from God it was a willful sin and so persons see this particular statement and they conclude this is me I'm the man I'm the woman I'm the boy I'm the girl in verses 26-31 well whatever this particular sin is we have to realize the sin in view is not or cannot be those dealt with by Christ look at Hebrews 2:17 for just a moment think we're going to look first at what it isn't what it doesn't mean before we Define what it is notice in Hebrews 2:17 the glory of the Gospel is that we have a great high priest the glory of the Gospel is that that great high priest deals with our sin not just our present sin but our past sin and our future sin 27 therefore in all things he had to be made like his Brethren that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God to make propitiation for the sins of the people so if Christ accomplishes that then whatever verse 26 means it does not fall under that particular application as well the sin in view cannot be those which we by God's grace confess and forsake and find Mercy for he uh 1 John chap 1 what does the Apostle tell us if we confess confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from All unrighteousness In 1 John 2 he says my little children I write these things so that you may not sin but if anyone does sin we have an advocate with the father even Jesus Christ the righteous what does John assume he assumes that the believing people of God will continue to sin and when those believing people of God plead the advocacy and the Merit and the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ they are forgiven so verse 26 in Hebrews 10 cannot invalidate that reality it cannot invalidate Psalm 130: 3 and 4 if thou Lord sh Mark iniquities oh Lord who could stand but there is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared certain Psalms just sound better in the King James version as well the sin identified in verse 26 cannot be those sudden surprising sins Owen's language such as befell Peter Peter denied his Lord didn't he Peter denied Jesus Christ Peter denied Jesus to a servant girl and yet by the grace of God he found repentance by the grace of God he found forgiveness so whatever we say about Hebrews 10:26 we must conclude that it didn't apply to Peter and as well the sin in view cannot be uh to the large and vile sins now I'm not justifying any sin I don't want you to conclude that from our study this morning don't sin be holy pursue those things which are pleasing in God's sight but don't necessarily conclude you're outside the grace of God because there's remaining corruption in your life Paul says such in Romans 7 and Galatians 5 the spirit lusts against the flesh the flesh lusts against the spirit these two are contrary to one another so that you do not do the things that you want there is the doctrine of remaining corruption so chapter 10 of Hebrews verse 26 does not invalidate that but when we think of large sins when we think of Benchmark sins have you ever asked anybody or have you ever talked to anybody or shared the gospel and you say you know I want to try and tell you that you're a sinner people love that don't they oh yeah just tell me how bad I am I want to try and convince you that you're a sinner or do you think that you're a sinner well no I've never committed murder and I've never committed adultery raised as a pap that was my go-to line whenever anybody tried to evangelize me with the truth of the Gospel I concluded and I told them well I've never killed anyone and I've never committed adultery so therefore I have no concept whatsoever of Perpetual exact entire and personal obedience to the law of God had no concept of that but ask people tell them you're a sinner ask them if they believe you and then they'll say stuff like well I've never done those big things it's always intrigued me that those big things were atone for by God with the case of David of Israel David committed adultery with ba Sheba and in order to cover it he murdered UAH and yet he's in heaven Brethren so whatever 10:26 means it does not mean that David and Peter are excluded note he says the occasion the sin's occasion if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth after we have received the knowledge of the truth that's the occasion wherein this sin is committed and he highlights this in Hebrews 2 1:4 if we take Paul in authorship 1 Timothy 24 2 Timothy 2:25 2 Timothy 3:7 this whole idea of the word of Truth the knowledge of the truth the truth of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ the truth that God is Holy we are sinful and that Christ is the only mediator between God and man if we receive that truth and then we engage in this willful sin described herein then we are in a bad condition Owen says they were such as unto Whom The Gospel had been preached who upon conviction of its truth and sense of its power had taken upon them the public profession of it you go back to Hebrews 6 for just a moment to flush this out in a little bit more detail Hebrews chap 6 again the language here causes the same to stumble at times but we need to realize that in Hebrews 6 4-6 he's not describing genuine Believers we're going to get to the sin in just a moment as to what it is but notice what he says in Hebrews 6:4 for it is impossible for those who were once enlightened they had come under the power of the Gospel not savingly but perhaps in a church context in a church setting they have tasted the Heavenly gift they haven't eaten it they haven't swallowed it they haven't devoured it they haven't Pro uh been sustained by or provided the nourishment of it they taste it they have become partakers of the Holy Spirit again not savingly it's not as if they are born again Believers in Jesus Christ they come into the church the gospel is preached the spirit is at work and they are somewhat brought nigh and then he goes on to say and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come they come close they make a profession they hear the word of Truth and they affirm it at least to some degree and then he goes on to describe in verse 6 if they fall away to renew them again to repentance since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God and put him to an open shame so you see there is this category of sin not like what we've already described David Peter those things we can confess and forsake and find Mercy from God through Christ for but there is those sins or there is this category of sin persons hear the gospel they make a profession of Faith they continue for a time they look like the genuine article they look like the real deal but they turn away note the sin's finality he says if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins I'll argue in just a moment the particular sin in view is apostasy it is a repudiation of the sacrifice of Christ so you see the apostles argument if the sacrifice of Christ is that once for all offering for sin and we repudiate it and we reject it and we uh uh uh just disdain it and we continue in obstinacy there's no other sacrifice that exists out there there's no bull or bulock or lamb or goat or bird or anything that we can bring that can indeed atone for our sins when we have taken our stand against Yahweh and against his Christ specifically at the cross he says there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins the sin in view cannot be atoned for by the once forall sacrifice of Christ because the sin in view is an utter rejection of that once for all sacrifice of Christ therefore there's not another sacrifice out there this is it you've got a sin problem this morning if you're not a Believer you youve got a sin problem even if you are a Believer your problem is real you turn on the television and you flip on the Internet or you look at the papers and they're going to tell you what your problem is you don't have enough money you don't have enough good looks you don't have enough wisdom you don't have enough skills to compete in the marketplace all those may be issues but your problem is alienation from God your problem is is that God counts you an enemy and you count him an enemy and if you reject the one sacrifice for all offered by Jesus Christ if you continue in unbelief and continue to repudiate that there's no hope for you elsewhere you can't go down to the you know Buddhist wherever or to the Shinto Temple or you can't go to the you know the the the Muslim Imam and find another Pathway to Avail with God you see if you reject the once forall sacrifice of Christ there no longer remains a sacrifice for sin it's a terrifying thing and that's why the passage speaks in such Stark warning Calvin says but Christ's sacrifice is efficacious to The Godly even to death see Calvin knows that he's not dealing with genuine Believers here he says Christ sacrifice is efficacious to The Godly even to death though they often sin n it retains ever its efficacy for this very reason because we continue to sin because they cannot be free from sin as as long as they dwell in the flesh the Apostle then refers to those alone who wickedly forsake Christ and thus deprive themselves of the benefit of his death in other words what the Apostle is dealing with is apostasy that is a defection from that is a rejection of that is an obstinate repudiation of the Christian Gospel of the truth as it is in Jesus now note how he goes on to describe the apostate in verse 29 he gives us three particulars concerning this particular category of sin he says in the first place the Apostle uh I'm sorry the apostate has trampled underfoot or the Son of God underfoot notice verse 29 of how much more uh how much worse punishment do you suppose will he be thought worthy who is trampled the Son of God underfoot that's powerful language isn't it it's very power powerful notice what he says in Hebrews 6 we already read it in verse 6 if they fall away to renew them again to repentance since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God and put him to an open shame here he describes it as trampling underfoot the Son of God now it doesn't speak to the fact that they genuinely do this it's not the case that a sinner can actually pull Christ off of his throne and trample him underfoot Gil explains could they the apostate have had their own will or had their will of him they would have pulled him from his throne and trampled upon him it is a phrase expressive of the utmost scorn contempt and Ill usage and which such are guilty of who deny his deity and eternal sunship who render him useless in his offices undervalue his sacrifice despise his righteousness and strip him of the glory of his person office and Grace they trample him under foot in their rejection of in the repudiation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ when they obstinately deny when they turn to some other path when they go after some other means they are as it were trampling Christ underfoot notice the second description that he gives us of this apostate in verse 29 just before we move on I I I want to encourage the Saints of God that often times strugg it's interesting the comment commentators when they come to this passage acknowledge the people that are most affected by Hebrews 10 26 to 31 are weak Saints it's not the apostates apostates aren't in churches right now concerned for their souls apostates don't go to Bible studies learning about the crucifixion so they can by God's grace come to Christ Brethren there's a a huge difference between spitting in the face of the high priest and agonizing ing over your sin confessing them to God and pleading the advocacy of the high priest do you see that we're not dealing with the former we're not dealing with the saint who is exercising first John 1:9 who is confessing his sins and asking for forgiveness we're dealing with somebody who tramples underfoot the Son of God notice what else he does according to verse 29 he counts the blood of the Covenant by which he was Sanctified a common thing now there's a false idea here that the he involved is himself the idea mean seems to be that well he's Sanctified me the believer or me the professing believer is is Sanctified by the blood of the Covenant really sounds like somebody can lose their salvation the he in this particular statement is Christ he is Sanctified he is set apart he is the high priest of God for service unto God so what the apostate is doing according to verse 29 he counts the blood of the Covenant by which Christ was Sanctified a common thing it's nothing that demands my attention it's nothing that deserves my focus it's not something that concerns me whatsoever it's not the idea that the sinner himself was Sanctified and somehow lost that sanctification it's that Christ was Sanctified for performance as priests before the Living God according to the Eternal Covenant and it's in that light that this apostate counts it as an unclean thing and and then notice the third thing the apostate does and he insults the spirit of Grace he insults the spirit of Grace the spirit is referred to in the other warnings contained in the book of Hebrews the spirit according to 9:14 is the one through whom Christ offered up his sacrifice and the spirit is active in the proclamation of the Gospel Owen notes the two particulars characteristic of these men these women these boys and girls these apostates is that they deny and reject and repudiate the blood of Jesus Christ and they deny and reject and even in uh reject and insult the spirit of Grace he makes the sideline application such were they who fell off from the gospel unto Judaism in those days remember we have argued at least last week and several times at least that I remember that the Apostle Paul is most likely the author of the book of Hebrews that it was written prior to the destruction of Jerusalem in ad70 and that it's specifically directed to Hebrew Christians that's why it's got the name Hebrews those of the Jews who professed faith in Christ those who of the Jews made this profession and now we're being tempted to turn back leave off this Nazarene and come back to Moses leave off this spiritual sacrifice and come back to the levitical system that's why the auth author takes pains to highlight the superiority of Jesus Christ to exhort to encourage to challenge the people that have made this profession to endure to hold fast the confession of their hope to not let go much of this epistle is written in that particular context doesn't mean it doesn't apply now to those who apostatize from profession of faith and you know join Islam or join Hinduism or just become an atheist or whatever certainly applies to that category as well but as Owen notes it did have relevance in the first century such were they who fell off from the gospel into Judaism in those days so he deals with the particular sin it's a willful sin but before we move on Note the certain expectation of verse 27 if you do this then this is essentially his argument if we willfully sin after we have received the knowledge of the truth there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins but notice but a certain fearful expectation of judgment and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries there's a fearful expectation of judgment for those who reject Christ if as I've said your problem isn't that you're not handsome enough or your problem isn't that you're not rich enough or you're not well educated enough your problem is sin you know what the end of sin is wages of sin is death God most high cuts off Sinners on that day of judgment and he sends them to Hell the Apostle alludes to this reality may also allude to the destruction of Jerusalem which came via burning fiery IND indignation from God but note as well what verse 27 indicates about our interpretation concerning apostasy it confirms it look how he addresses the people in view but a certain fearful expectation of judgment and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries now certainly every sin you commit is adversarial in the sight of God but if we confess our sins we forsake our sins we plead the Merit of Christ Vis first John 1:9 we're not adversaries you're not an adversary if you don't spit in the face of the high priest but you you plead with him to to point you to the sacrifice or to point you to the merits and the mercies see I was thinking about this I don't know that high priest did this in Old Covenant Israel they meet you know people for coffee at the local Jerusalem Starbucks did they you know hang out and you know talk about solish matters if they did that man that woman who comes to meet with the high priest and says I'm struggling with sin I've got these issues I got this remaining corruption I've got this good in me that I evil in me that I don't want to do and the good I want to do I don't find myself doing that's a different scenario for him to go to the high priest seeking out help help and and therapy and some sort sort of treatment rather than him spitting in the face of the high priest God doesn't count us as adversaries in Christ we've got issues we've got challenges we've got problems but we are not opposers of the Living God we are in Christ the Geneva Bible makes this comment in this place for it is another matter to sin through the Frailty of man's nature and another thing to Pro claim War as it were to God as an enemy the Apostle isn't dealing with us in our Frailty he's not dealing with us in our remaining corruption he's dealing with the adversaries who have raised their fist at God most high who have trampled underfoot the Son of God who have counted the the blood of the Covenant and an an unclean thing and who have exulted the spirit of Grace those are the adversaries of Jehovah not the saint of Christ who goes before God and says be merciful to me The Sinner you see how many times have you read this passage or Hebrews 6 and found yourself here and described and gotten shaken again I don't want you to be comfortable with sin I can go home and sin now because Butler said that doesn't apply to me you continue in unbell in rebellion and and and wickedness against God that's not good for your soul but Brethren one of the Glorious aspects of the Glorious gospel is the Priestly office of Christ the first John 21 reality and if anyone does sin we have an advocate with the father or this Hebrews 10:21 reality and having a high priest over the house of God five bleeding wounds he pleads received on calvary's tree this is a blessed reality so the passage does not speak concerning David Peter or those who confess their sins and seek Mercy from God on the Bas bis of the Priestly office of Christ don't believe God will ever sing A send a sinner to Hell who actually sings and means it from the heart my hope is built on nothing less than jesus' blood and righteousness I dare not trust the sweetest frame Mo knew us didn't he when he wrote that hymn aren't we inclined to trust sweet frames well I feel especially good today so I'm happy in my relationship ship with the Lord I feel especially accomplished this week so I'll participate in the supper I dare not trust the sweetest frame because when that sweet frame ends when that sweet frame vanishes what will be of my soul I'll be in panic I'll be in confusion I'll be perplexed I dare not trust the sweetest frame but holy lean on Jesus name you see Brethren if by the grace of of God that's you you're not the apostate in Hebrews 6 or Hebrews 10 now note secondly by way of a larger concern and we're going to not spend so much time in this section so I wanted to hopefully identify who's in view here note the covenantal comparison made verses 28 and 29 now this isn't a detailed systematic you know comparison and contrast of the two covenants he's giving us a specific understanding in terms of the crime or the sin of rejecting the offer of Grace in Christ notice the penalty in the old Covenant anyone who has rejected moses' law dies without Mercy on the testimony of two or three Witnesses you've all read the Old Testament you've participated in our studies and Wednesday night when we went through in detail the book of Deuteronomy probably behind the apostles words here is Deuteronomy 17 where in a transgression of the Covenant as a whole was in view the comparison seems to be that if you reject the offer of God in Christ in the New Covenant that is akin to engaging in idolatry to transgressing or violating the entirety of the Covenant in the Old Testament and he says specifically you understand this and he's writing again to Hebrew Christians or those who professed Faith who were Jewish they would understand what he's talking about anyone who has rejected moses' law dies without Mercy on the testimony of two or three Witnesses now note he speaks of a greater penalty in the New Covenant of how much worse punishment do you suppose I mentioned just a little while ago what one of the concerns of the author is in the book of Hebrews it is to demonstrate the superiority of Christ it is to demonstrate the supremacy of Jesus he is is over the angels He is the the definitive word God spoke to us by the prophets but now he has spoken to us in a son he's over the prophets he's over the Angels he's he's better than Moses he's better than Joshua he offers up these several lines of evidence to confirm the reality that Christ is superior what's the implication according to verse 29 if he is superior and you reject him how much worse punishment the specific punishment in Deuteronomy 17 was to take them out and to Stone them to death there's a worse punishment for trampling underfoot the Son of God for counting the blood of the Covenant by which he was Sanctified as an unclean thing and by insulting the spirit of Grace there's a worse thing than being taken out today and stoned in the parking lot at the free Grace Baptist Church he will develop this in just a moment it is to fall into the hands of the Living God of how much worse punishment do you suppose will he be thought worthy of or be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot counted the blood of the Covenant by which he was Sanctified a common thing and insulted the spirit of Grace now before we move on I want us to consider that not every unbeliever is an apostate every unbeliever and an apostate share a common Bond they do not believe the gospel these apost States had come under the word it looked as if they were the real deal they had made a profession of Faith they had made some sort of a confession or self-identification that they W were one of God's people and then they sin willfully they deny the sufficiency of Jesus Christ they repudiate the work of Christ on behalf of Sinners so again all unbelievers have that in them that they are like the apostate and that they do not believe the gospel but not all unbelievers have reached that particular point where there's this obstinacy and where there's this rejection fact in his comments on Hebrews chapter 6 Owen makes this very valid observation he says nor does he the Apostle teach anything whereby the conscience of any sinner who desires to return to God and to find acceptance with him should be discouraged or disheartened so before we move on if you're an unbeliever here this morning do not necessarily conclude that you're an apostate but if you continue in your unbelief you get closer and closer to that precipice you get closer and closer to that edge you get closer and closer to that hardened heart and that state of Soul wherein you cross over and you can be considered as one who tramples underfoot the Son of God you can be considered as one who has rejected all things Christ but if you're not that apostate you're still on under the sound of the Gospel you're still under the preaching of the word you still have con that concept of God and Christ and man his sin in particular and the need for atonement the need for Redemption take Owen's encouragement to Heart there ought not to be anything whereby the conscience of any sinner who desires to return to God and to find acceptance with him should be discouraged or disheartened believe believe on the Lord Jesus Christ you see that's always the answer for us isn't it it's what you hear I hope every Sunday when we gather together here in the morning and the evening at least in one form or another that's what we exhort that's what we call that's what we encourage believe on the Lord Jesus Christ instead of saying this morning am I that guy look and live am I that girl look and live believe on him turn from your sins by the grace of God and know the joy of being found in him not having your own righteousness which is from the law because you ain't got none but that righteousness which is from God through faith in Jesus Christ the lord believe just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness so must the son of man be lifted up we've gone through this many times when that serpent was lifted up and that bit Jew was you know struggling in his pain the call wasn't drag yourself over and kiss that Brazen serpent drag yourself over after having sucked out the poison it was look and live what God's word to you today is if you are in your sins look and live believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved is the testimony of Holy Scripture notice in the third place the terrifying punishment proposed verses 30 and 31 the Vengeance of God he says for we know him verse 30 who said vengeance is mine I will repay says the Lord now that word Vengeance causes us to suspect that God is sort of like us we you know stub our toe on the coffee table and then we give it a kick with our our other foot there's a vengeful spirit in us we want to exact punishment and we want to bring you know our our our mind and our hearts to bear on a situation so we hear that word applied to God we start to suppose that perhaps he's like us is he lashing out in this fiery Vengeance wherein he you know he he cannot contain himself or control himself Gil explains this well he says vengeance belongs to God not as to the affection as if there were any such passion in him but as to the effect they're being that produced by him which answers to the effect of such passion among men namely punishment by this phrase wherein God says vengeance is mine I will repay we are to understand properly concerning God his Holiness his righteousness his Justice in other words when you continually reject the offers of Grace proposed to you in the gospel there is proposed to you a terrifying judgment from God most high and then notice before we move actually your problem this morning if you are in sin and by that I mean you're not a Christian you haven't believed your problem isn't with your converted spouse I mean that may cause some friction and tension when light and dark try to dwell in the same you know habitation together same house together there may be some friction and difficulty if you're unconverted as a child this morning your main issue isn't your parents they're going to be so upset when they find out out that I've been living this life of Lies they're going to be so upset when they find out if they you know look at my search history on my computer or they they seize my phone and and they go through they're going to be so upset your problem is the Living God it's what the apostles says here again not to minimize parental Authority and those sorts of social relationships that we thrive on and flourish in and hopefully will try and maintain with all our heart soul mind and strength but note what he says your problem is with God for we know him who said vengeance is mine I will repay says the Lord and again the Lord will judge his people and he summarizes he concludes with this statement in verse 31 it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God the absolute Ro uh uh the absolute contrast with the believer right did the believer say it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God no that's exactly where Believers want to be isn't it don't you want to be in the hands of the Living God Don't You Want To Know The Nearness of God is my good and considered Psalm 67 last week how does the psalmist pray God be merciful to us and bless us and cause his face to shine upon us echoing that ironic blessing in number six this is the apex of the Christian faith we have access to the holiest the believer loves to fall into the hands of the Living God but remember we're not dealing with the belie belever In this passage we're dealing with the adversary of God we're dealing with the enemy of God we're dealing with the one who has squared himself against God and this is the apostles word of absolute terrifying warning that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God you will indeed be punished you will indeed be cut off you will indeed be cast into the fire that burns forever that place that Jesus spoke of many many times in his Earthly Ministry you got to take these things seriously again I think this transcends anything that's important in our lives I got a good good grades at school I got to maintain a good relationship with my employer all that stuff's important where do you stand today before this living God he's not a dead God he's not the gods of the the the Heathen how's a psalmist describe him he doesn't have ears or or or he says concerning the idols they have ears but they don't hear they have eyes but they don't see they have nose but they don't smell they have mouths but they don't speak God is Spirit he doesn't need ears he doesn't need eyes he doesn't need a mouth in order to do all those things because he's most pure Spirit you see the Living God in contrast to the dead Idols of heathen man that's who you will fall into or whose hands you will fall into ultimately on the day of judgment well I want to conclude with three observations here the first the connection the text assumes the connection the text assumes we ought not to read 26-31 apart from 19 to 25 I think the flow goes something like this the Apostle gives us our encouragement in 19 to 21 you have access you have a high priest and then he gives us encouragement let us draw near let us hold fast and let us consider one another what's the emphasis now if you reject these things if you do not do these things if you are not drawing nigh unto God if you are not holding fast the confession of your hope if you are not stirring one another up to love and Good Deeds then you're in a perilous position position you on that precipice you're looking over as it were into apostasy Owen sees this with reference to the connection in those verses the Apostle gives veh enforcement of his preceding exhortation in those verses 26-31 he gives a vehement enforcement of his preceding exhortation let us draw near let us hold fast let us consider one another Owen says from the Dreadful consequences of the total neglect of it or uncompliant with it in other words you're not saved because you draw near you're not saved because you hold fast you're not saved because you consider one another those are consequences of justification by faith when by the grace of God we believe the gospel of God we are now enabled to draw near we are now enabled to hold fast the confession of our hope we are now enable to consider one another to stir them up to love and Good Deeds these things flow from us having been saved so what ought we to conclude if those things are absent then it's questionable whether faith is there you should appreciate the close connection between these two sections if you continue to not draw near you continue to not hold fast you continue to not consider one another you are edging closer to this 2630 uh 26 to 31 eventuality please please appreciate that and please see how important it is by the grace of God to draw near to hold fast to consider one another in many way in many ways this encompasses the Christian faith doesn't it I mean he's going to go on and give us several exhortations later in Hebrews uh Hebrews 13 you know uh the we are not to be discontent with the things we have or to or not to be covetousness we we're not to defile the marriage but all those are several applications of what it is to live as men and women in Christ but if we consider these three Drawing Near to God holding fast the confession of Our Hope considering one another in many respects this compasses encompasses the entirety so if those things are absent in our lives then we might conclude the absence of justifying faith there is a close connection between the two sections that you ought not to neglect in the second place I want to bring out the warning the text communicates so we got the connection the text assumes the warning the text communicates the apostate willfully rejects the truth of the Gospel he's heard it he's perhaps made a confession or profession of Faith now he willfully rejects it he repudiates the sacrifice of Jesus Christ the apostate places himself in a position where repentance is impossible Hebrews 6 again I don't think think the idea is a poor agonizing sinner saying I want to repent I want to trust I want he doesn't want to he's thrown it all off he's trampled underfoot the Son of God he's put him to open shame according to Hebrews 66 he has no interest he has no desire there's no no no longing for repentance but if you get to this place in apostasy it is a dreadful position to be in the apostate makes God his enemy and will ultimately be dealt with according to strict Justice by God Almighty it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God just read the Old Testament see how the comparison is made they died when they broke moses' law they were taken outside the camp and they were executed I don't want to you know get too New Living Translation is with the interpretation but essentially what the author is saying in how much worse he's saying that's a walk in the park to what's going to happen when when you have willfully rejected the once for all sacrifice of Jesus Christ it's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God the apostate as well we need to understand isn't just the crack dealer that lives down the street think we get this conception and they're really bad people out there they wear you know t-shirts that say I hate God or I'm the Antichrist or something like that do you realize in this given context if someone made the profession of faith in Christ and then they went back to Judea M how would those people have looked there would have been an appearance of piety they went to the synagogue they went through the uh the sacrificial system there would have been an appearance of piety so the apostate can't be seen because he's got horns and he carries a pitch fork and he's got you know this long tail and he wears a robe and you know he declares himself an a vowed enemy of God to repudiate the the the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for another religion to reject the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for for our self-righteousness if you are trusting in your ability or in your works or in your goodness or whatever the supposed cause you may think will commend you to God there's much in aate there's not just the guys out there that that that look Shady they can look Pious they can look holy they can make long prayers for pretense what does Jesus say in his given context the the harlots and the the publicans they enter the kingdom of heaven and you are cast out the religious ones who's the apostate in that particular scheme or those two men who go to pray and the public or the the Pharisee stands there and basically in prayer congratulates himself don't pray like the Pharisee nobody at prayer meeting wants to hear how great you are we want to hear how great God is thank you God that I'm not like other men thank you that I'm not an extortioner thank you that I'm not an adulterer thank you that I'm not like this wretch standing over here I'm quite the polished accomplished person I fast twice a week I I tithe of all that we don't want to hear that in prayer what happens with the Publican he can't even look up to heaven he beats his breast and he says God be merciful to me The Sinner Jesus says this one goes to his house Justified who's the apostate in that scenario it's the man who looked polished it's the man who looked Pious it's the man who looked good you see I think there is that in the minds and hearts of people they think well I'm not a crack dealer I'm not a a prostitute I'm not engaged in Internet pornography I don't do all those horrific things but you repudiate the offer of Mercy you reject the Gospel of Jesus Christ you as it were trample underfoot the Son of God you put him to open shame you're not in a good position there you need to lay down your opposition and Believe on the Lord Jesus and in the third and final place I want to look at the Comfort the text affords this may be a bit of a harder sale I think the warning is obvious I think it's evident I think as we read through this passage we are sufficiently warned but how does it provide Comfort well the text speaks specifically to apostasy a defection from a falling away from God we see it in the context verse 27 they're identified as adversaries we see it in the larger context the description of apostates in verse 29 VV trampling underfoot uh cting the blood of the Covenant and an unclean thing and insulting the spirit of Grace we see it in a larger concern of the book of Hebrews Don't Turn back from Christ don't go back to the sacrificial system Christ is superior to Aaron Christ is the allog together lovely and chief among 10,000 Christ is the one whom you should have Allegiance toward as well the biblical theological argument David and Peter are in heaven Brethren David when found out after a while Nathan comes Nathan tells him the story David gets upset he's upset about the story about the man who had the little UL Lam and that big bully came and took it away to make dinner for his visiting friend David's incensed and he's outraged and Nathan says Thou Art the man then God uses Nathan to say I gave you houses I gave you wives I gave you gave you gave you and if this would have been if this was enough I would have given you much more God through Nathan pronounces the Judgment that is going to befall David the sword will never depart from your house I will raise up from your own house adversity and your wise will be publicly violated in the sight of all Israel David does confess I have sinned against Yahweh and what happens God atone for his sin David's in heaven Brethren so is Peter see the biblical theological argument taking scripture as a whole will tell us that 10:26 cannot refer to those two particular men I was well I've got a historical argument here I'm going to lean on some of the Giants of the faith that we respect and we love and we know I think I've shared with you before I don't like that not that I don't like it but I'm really uncomfortable with whiny pastors who think that theirs is the hardest job in the world it's not brain surgery you Brethren here work hard I hear about some of your days 19 hours 20 hours you guys work hard pastors should work hard but you know they ought not to whine and think they're in this class or category all by themselves that nobody knows about and isn't it uh rough to be us but there is one thing that is difficult as a pastor that I will concede it's giving counsel to needy Souls because I imagine if I was a brain surgeon and I had a shaky hand and I messed something up I i' really not like to deal with the consequences of you know either a killing that person or B rendering you know rendering an handicap for the rest of his life there's a certain risk involved in brain surgery there's a certain risk involved in giving spiritual counsel to needy Souls so if I can lean upon these brothers to hopefully help you to see that I'm not being novel here I didn't just pull this rabbit out of the Hat this morning listen to some of these other men concerning the sin of apostasy or a falling away from or defection from the gospel of Christ Owen on Hebrews 10 wherefore the sin here intended is plainly a relinquishment and renunciation of the truth of the gospel and the promises thereof with all duties there unto belonging after we have been convinced of its truth and avowed its Excellency and power all the puritanical language notwithstanding you ought to understand it is a relinquishment and renunciation of the truth Owen on Hebrews 6 it must consist in a total renunciation of all the constituent principles and doctrines of Christianity when it whence it is denominated such was the sin of them who relinquished the gospel to return unto Judaism as it was then stated in opposition unto it and hatred of it this it was and not any kind of actual sins that the Apostle manifestly discourses concerning you've got to understand what he says there not of actual sins what does that mean we have an advocate with the father when we sin we confess we forsake we find Mercy from God it's a different thing to spit in the face of the high priest than to plead his Merit and his Mercy oh and on Hebrews 6 this is the following uh Falling Away intended by the apostle a voluntary resolved relinquish of a relinquishment of an apostasy from the gospel the faith Rule and obedience thereof which cannot be without casting the highest reproach and Har harshest language imaginable upon the person of Christ himself Calvin on Hebrews 6 there is a two-fold falling away one particular and the other General he who hasn't anything or in any ways offended has fallen away from his State as a Christian therefore all there so many failings so what he says is that El sin in some sense is a falling away you go home today and you yell at your 2-year-old that's a falling away that's not the falling away that's in view in this particular passage he says but the Apostle here speaks and I I just don't think we would ever write this today I don't I don't think we're as honest as these brothers are listen to what Calvin says he says but the Apostle speaks not here of theft or or perjury or murder or drunkenness or adultery if we confess our sins those little bitty tiny ones then he is faithful and just to forgive us no if we confess our sins those big nasty wretched ones he is faithful and just to forgive us again do not go home and say wow I get to sin don't do that but you need to understand that we have forgiveness with God that he may be feared again back to Calvin he says the Apostle speaks not here of theft or perjury or murder or drunkenness or adultery but he refers to a total defection or falling away from the gospel when a sinner offends not God in some one thing but entirely renounces his grace again Calvin on Hebrews 10 I read this earlier but Christ's sacrifice is efficacious to The Godly even to death though they often sin n it retains ever its efficacy for this very reason because they cannot be free from sin as long as they dwell in the flesh the Apostle then refers to those alone who wickedly forsake Christ and thus deprive themselves of the benefit of his death gil on Hebrews 10 says it intends a total apostasy from the truth against light and evidence joined with obstinacy and then our sinus in his commentary on the heidleberg catechism in his discussion of church discipline he says an apostate is not one who occasionally or even often offends and Doctrine in life and repents again of his sin but is such an one who being convicted of error and open wickedness is still unwilling to abandon his sins and to renounce his errors so see what goes into this Hebrews 10:26 to 31 context is total apost or a total rejection a renunciation an obstinacy a Defiance one making themselves adversaries of the Living God that's not you this morning but you're not a Believer then believe you're inching closer and closer to that place think I've told you before when our kids were little we were reading through the the the book of Exodus and the 10 plagues you know talk about God hardening Pharaoh's heart and you know Pharaoh's heart got hard we took a piece of bread and put it on the counter during that time that we were reading that and we notice that that bread just got harder and harder and harder didn't get softer softer softer it got harder harder harder so every time you come under the gospel every time you reject every time you resist you're kind of like that bread just get harder and harder and harder come to the Savior believe on him you have warrant in scripture to look unto him and be ye saved all the ends of the Earth God says through the prophet for I am God and there is no other Brethren this text speaks to apostasy the gospel speaks to Believers there is remaining corruption in the heart of God's people again I don't want you to be free to go out and sin but I want you to find comfort in the Savior comfort in The Advocate Romans 7 and Galatians 5 indicate this remaining corruption our confession said this before if we understand Doctrine it provides Comfort if you understand the truth as it is in Jesus if you understand the truth as it's been articulated by the church there's great comfort I think for any believer that is struggling those who are frail which is all of us those who are weak those of us who have remaining corruption we do well to reflect upon the London Confession of Faith 173 again listen to the honesty and the realism that these brothers put forth in this paragraph there's not stuff written like this today and though they may talking about genuine Believers in Christ through the Temptation Of Satan and of the world the prevalency of corruption remaining in them and the neglect of the means of their preservation fall into Grievous sins and for a Time continue therein whereby they incur God's displeasure and grieve his holy spirit they come to have their Graces and Comforts impaired have their hearts hardened and their consciences wounded they hurt and scandalize others doesn't that sound like what we do isn't that a picture of each and every one of us at some point in our Christian life and they they uh bring temporal judgments upon themselves yet they shall renew their repentance and be preserved through faith in Christ Jesus to the end the author doesn't end here the author turns a corner he calls to their remembrance the past is a present reminder and then he describes genuine Christians in verses 38 and 39 now the just shall live by faith but if anyone draws back my soul has no pleasure in him but we are not of those who draw back to predition but of those who believe to the saving of the soul and that by the power and the goodness of our great and glorious is God so I'm not telling you to go out and sin but when you do sin we have an advocate with the father even Jesus Christ the righteous God is not going to upgrade you God is not going to reprove you God is not going to hold you in contempt and reproach for using the mediation of Christ that is precisely what we are supposed to do Vis 1 John 21 so be encouraged be be strengthened be helped and hopefully be comforted by this look at Hebrews 10: 26-31 well let us pray Our Father in heaven we thank you for the clarity of your word and the consistency of your word and the glory of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ what an amazing truth that God has sent the son into this world to live in obedience to the law to die as a sacrific at the cross and to be raised the third day and as Paul says so wonderfully we are was delivered up because of our offenses and raised up for our justification I pray that you would encourage your people here this morning that you would strengthen each and every one of us and cause us to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and for any and all here this morning that have not come to Christ we pray that today would be the day of salvation we pray that you'd open their hearts to hear the truth and by grace to believe that truth we praise you now we would ask that you would go with us and we ask through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen well we'll close by singing the doxology together to God it's in the hym book at page Roman numeral 16 and we'll Stand Together As we sing PR allures PR him praise father son and Holy Ghost Lord bless you and keep you the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace amen please be seated