← Back to sermon library

We could turn with me in your 
Bibles to Hebrews 10. Figured it would be a good idea to finish 
that chapter, Hebrews chapter 10. Our focus this evening will 
be verses 32 to 39, but I do want to begin reading in chapter 
10 at verse 19. Hebrews 10, beginning in verse 
19, 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 and 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 
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 
and 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 tarry. 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 perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of 
the soul. Amen. Let us pray. Father in heaven, 
we thank you again for the word of God. We thank you for this 
section in the book of Hebrews and the great encouragement and 
emphasis upon endurance and perseverance in the Christian faith. God, 
I pray that we as people, the people of God in this particular 
church would receive these things. We would take them to heart, 
that we would be challenged, that we would be exhorted, that 
we would be encouraged. God, we confess at times we grow 
weary and at times we have these need for reminders of what you've 
done in the past and our responsibility now in the present. And God, 
we just pray that your Holy Spirit would gird us up, would strengthen 
us in this way. For new believers, God, I pray 
that this would be an encouragement for them. And for older believers, 
those who have been at it for some time, I pray that it would 
just stir each one. up to love and good works and 
to faithfulness before our holy and our gracious God. Do forgive 
us now for our sins and please fill us with your Holy Spirit 
and guide us according to your blessed providence that we may 
glorify and honor you in this world and we pray through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. Remember that this section 
is the practical application of all that has gone before. 
The apostle here in verse 19 says, therefore, he starts to 
flesh out the life of the Christian, the way that they are to respond. 
And here specifically in chapter 10, there is this encouragement. 
and exhortation for the people of God to use the resources that 
they have been given. There's this warning concerning 
apostasy tucked in the middle in verses 26 to 31, and then 
he comes back to this emphasis on endurance and perseverance 
in verses 32 to 39. I just told my wife I need to beef these up that's not as strong 
and I don't see as clearly as I ought. So from 32 to 39, he 
re-exhorts, re-encourages to perseverance. And then in chapter 
11, the great hall of faith, he displays the persons that 
have gone before and shows that the things they did were by faith. Chapter 12, he then points the 
people of God to Jesus as a constant prod for us to go forward. If we are not going forward, 
if we are stagnant in our faith, likely we will be to fall back, 
to fall into the apostasy that we are warned about in verses 
26 to 31. So, a bulk of this practical section, beginning 
here in 1019 and continuing through chapter 12, or at least halfway 
into chapter 12, is all about the people of God persevering, 
enduring. Do not give up. Do not grow sluggish. Do not grow complacent. Do not 
be lazy. In this particular context, do 
not kowtow. to the pressures around you, 
but rather continue to run with endurance the race that is set 
before you, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of faith. 
As we look at this particular section, the basic theme is the 
past as a present reminder. The apostle points them back 
to their history and to the things that they had gone through not 
to show them initially how strong and mighty they were and how 
they need to get back to that point, but rather to highlight 
the faithfulness of God. This is not new ground for them 
to suffer these pressures, to suffer these issues, to engage 
with these hardships. They found this at the very beginning 
of their Christian faith, and God was there. God was faithful 
to sustain them and to give them the grace to persevere. And here 
now, that's the reminder. that same God that was present 
at the beginning is present with you now and has purpose to be 
so in the future. So let's look first at the reminder 
of former days in verses 32 to 34. And then secondly, the exhortation 
to persevere in verses 35 to 39. Notice what he says there 
in verse 32. This is unimperative, it is a 
command, it is something the people of God are supposed to 
do. Recall the former days. Recall the former days. Think 
back to God's faithfulness in your life. Think back to how 
God has sustained you in the past. Think back to his presence 
among you in the midst of trial and suffering and affliction. 
Do not forget the proven faithfulness of God for the present. He goes 
on to highlight these former days in which after you were 
illuminated. And this illumination or enlightenment 
recalls the reception of the Christian gospel, their conversion, 
their faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And it is intriguing 
that oftentimes when people come to the Savior, the immediate 
effect is some sort of trial in their lives. It is some sort 
of hardship or difficulty in their lives. That's not always 
the case. Certainly there have been those 
who have been born again, and it goes for a time until they 
hit some affliction or some difficult thing. But think back to King 
David. When David is anointed by Samuel in 1 Samuel 16, what 
immediately happens when the Spirit comes upon him? His life 
is changed and not for the better. David is then hunted by Saul. 
He is persecuted by Philistines. He has trouble all around. Think 
about our Lord Jesus Christ. He is baptized. The spirit of 
God comes upon him. And then in chapter four, verse 
one in Matthew's gospel, the spirit drives Jesus out into 
the wilderness to be tempted by the devil for 40 days. In 
Acts chapter 14, the apostle Paul is preaching and he says, 
we must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of heaven. 
This is the common lot of the people of God. If you are wondering 
why bad things are happening to you, That's really an inaccurate 
thing to wonder. The idea isn't that I can't believe 
that bad things are happening to such a great guy like me. 
The reality is, why do any good things happen to the sorts of 
people that we actually are? I've told you before. C.S. Lewis 
wrote that little booklet, The Problem of Pain. John Gerstner 
wrote The Problem of Pleasure. The issue isn't the problem of 
pain. In a world filled with sinners, 
pain is a legitimate sort of corollary. The problem is is 
that sinners actually get to enjoy good things. That is what 
is problematic. But in the Christian life, there 
will be tribulation. Our Lord promised that. Our Lord 
exhorted his disciples in the upper room concerning that. And 
here the apostle tells them, Recall the former days in which 
after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with 
sufferings. The apostle calls on them to 
remember their attitude when they were first converted and 
the perseverance that they engaged in at that particular time. Calvin 
says the remembrance then of past warfare, if it had been 
carried on faithfully and diligently under the banner of Christ, is 
at length useful to us. Not as a pretext for sloth, as 
though we had already served our time. In other words, it's 
not the case that, you know, Lord, I've already served. I've 
already had a hard duty. I've already had this suffering. 
I should be able to just skate now. I should be able to just 
soar into heaven or skip my way in. Calvin says, no, it's not 
supposed to be a pretext for sloth as though we had already 
served our time, but to render us more active in finishing the 
remaining part of our course. In other words, he wants them 
to remember the faithfulness of God that they knew at that 
time when they had been illuminated and when they had endured a great 
struggle with sufferings. He then indicates the sort of 
sufferings that they had suffered in the next phrase. Notice what 
he says, partly while you were made a spectacle, both by reproaches 
and tribulations, and partly while you became companions of 
those who were so treated. That's an amazing statement. 
These persons that had received the gospel had been made a spectacle 
both by reproaches and tribulations. It shouldn't take us much to 
consider in terms of what this means. It means what we see in 
the book of Acts. Remember, unbelieving Israel, 
the Jewish leadership, and the people of Israel that denied 
and rejected Jesus Christ made life difficult for the people 
of God. We saw that in the reading this 
morning. The apostles are arrested. The apostles are beaten. The 
apostles will ultimately be executed for the cause of God and truth. 
And the believers likewise suffered these sorts of things. And if 
we ask the question, why does God do this? That's a question 
that I don't doubt has arisen in the hearts, perhaps, of some 
here. Why does God do this? Why is it that we must, through 
many tribulations, enter the kingdom of heaven? Why was it 
necessary for these Hebrew Christians to have gone through the things 
that they go through? or the sorts of things that you 
and I have endured, or the things that you and I have persevered 
through. We ask the question, why? Well, I think the Bible 
affords us an excellent answer, and I think John Owen has sort 
of summarized it well. He says, it is usual with God 
thus to deal with his people in all ages. He knows sooner 
calls persons to himself, but he leads them into the wilderness. 
He knows sooner plants them, but he shakes them with storms 
that they may be more firmly rooted. He goes on to say he 
does it one utterly to take off their expectations from this 
world or anything they're in. In other words, we don't want 
to be too attached to this world, so God in his mercy and grace 
brings these afflictions so that we don't count this as our eternal 
home. He says, secondly, for the trial 
of their faith. Remember Abraham, take your son, 
your only son, the son that you love, take him up on Mount Moriah 
and sacrifice him. Three, for the glory and propagation 
of the gospel, such that when we are going through these sorts 
of things, we don't whine or grumble or complain. Persons 
around us say, how in the world can you maintain composure and 
stability in the midst of everything collapsing around you? Because 
it's for the glory of God. It's for the exaltation of Jesus 
Christ. It is to bring honor to his great 
name. He says, fourthly, for the exercise 
of all graces, if we were not tried or afflicted, all the graces 
God has supplied would not be exercised. He says, fifthly, 
to breed us up into the military discipline of Christ as He is 
the captain of our salvation. He finally says, they who pass 
through their first trials are Christ's veterans on new attempts. That's an excellent sort of compendium 
or summary statement as to why the people of God go through 
these sorts of things. Go to other portions of Scripture, 
2 Corinthians chapter 1. Why do you and I go through hardship 
and affliction? In that context, it's to encourage 
and to comfort other persons that go through those things 
as well. In other words, those veterans who've been tried and 
proven by God are able then to speak to the younger among us 
and to encourage them to faithfulness and diligence in the light of 
the various afflictions and trials that people suffer. So these 
Hebrew Christians had been made a spectacle both by reproaches 
and tribulations, and as well, they had partnered with those 
who were so persecuted, and partly while you became companions of 
those who were so treated. They didn't abandon them, they 
didn't jump ship from them. Go back to Philippians chapter 
1 for just a moment. Philippians chapter 1, I think 
there's an illustration of this in the life and ministry of the 
Apostle Paul. Philippians chapter 1 at verse 
12. He says, I want you to know, 
brethren, that the things which happen to me have actually turned 
out for the furtherance of the gospel. If I were to ask you, 
where was Paul when he wrote Philippians? You might say, well, 
he was in a hotel, and he was, you know, didn't have Wi-Fi, 
and he had some time on his hands, and he couldn't play Angry Birds, 
and he just thought he'd pen this epistle. Paul was in jail. This is one of the prison epistles. 
Philippians is a prison epistle. The apostle had been in jail 
on two occasions. But in this instance, the first 
time, he says, I want you to know, brethren, that the things 
which happen to me have actually turned out for the furtherance 
of the gospel. See why he says that. Persons would say, well, 
Paul's in prison. This must stop the kingdom of 
God. Paul, the great apostle to the Gentiles, is in prison. 
That means there's no more progress. See, we can do this or be tempted 
to do this when there is a man or men that we think are very 
successful in terms of gospel ministry, we begin to put them 
on pedestals and we begin to think that the kingdom of God 
depends upon that. Paul says that's not the way 
it is. Jesus is building his church. He says the things that 
have happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance 
of the gospel. Now, for Paul, concretely, it meant this. Verse 
13, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard and 
to all the rest that my chains are in Christ. So Paul is chained 
and the guards are asking him, what's he in for? He's not saying, 
well, you know, I've been framed. I was, you know, shortchanged 
in the courtroom. I have these people that just 
don't like me. I'm here because of Jesus. I'm here because of 
the Nazarene. I'm here because of the God man 
who took on our humanity, who lived and died and rose again 
on our behalf. So in terms of the palace guard, they've got 
the gospel. Verse 14, he says, And most of 
the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, 
are much more bold to speak the word without fear. A whiff of 
persecution is a good thing in the life and context of the church 
of Jesus Christ. That helps us to shake off slothfulness 
and to be diligent with reference to our service to God. Now notice 
in verse 15, Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, 
and some also from goodwill. The former preached Christ from 
selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to 
my chains." There were those who didn't like Paul. There were 
those who didn't respect Paul. There were those who held Paul 
in contempt, and Paul understood that and knew that. He was a 
spectacle as far as they were concerned. He was somebody that 
they had, in fact, abandoned, but there were those who supported 
him. He goes on in verse 17, but the latter out of love, knowing 
that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. And I love verse 
18, what then? Only that in every way, whether 
in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached, and in this I rejoice, 
yes, and will rejoice. Comparing this with Galatians 
1, Paul condemns anybody that twists or distorts the gospel. 
If anybody changes the gospel, if anybody twists it, if anybody 
adds a nuance or tries to supplement or try to take away from it, 
Paul says, may the wrath and fury and judgment of God be upon 
their heads. In this context, Paul knew there 
were people out there preaching that didn't like Paul. Perhaps 
they were doing it to spite Paul, but nevertheless, they were preaching 
the truth. And as far as Paul was concerned, 
he didn't care about their motivation if they were upset with Paul 
or they wanted to sort of needle Paul. Paul was concerned with 
the gospel being propagated, even if it was from men who had 
contempt for Paul. But this happens, brethren, it 
happened in 2 Timothy with reference to the apostle as well. Turn 
to 2 Timothy 1. Just making the point, there 
are those who suffer for the cause of Jesus Christ, and there 
are those who abandon those who suffer for the cause of Jesus 
Christ. These Hebrew Christians, recalling the days, the former 
days when they were illuminated, they endured reproach and tribulations 
on their own part, but they also partnered with others. They didn't 
abandon those who had need of them. Notice in 2 Timothy 1, 
at verse 13. Hold fast the pattern of sound 
words which you have heard from me in faith and love which are 
in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed 
to you keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. Here's an exhortation 
for Timothy to faithfulness and to perseverance. Now he gives 
examples of those who are ashamed of the gospel, who are ashamed 
of Paul. Look back for just a moment to 
verse 8. Paul says, therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony 
of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings 
for the gospel according to the power of God. He then exhorts 
Timothy to faithfulness and perseverance and to hold fast and to keep 
by the Holy Spirit that good thing which is committed to you 
keep. Now he gives these examples in a negative sense in verses 
15 and following. "'This you know, that all those 
in Asia "'have turned away from me, "'among whom are Phygelus 
and Hermogenes. "'The Lord grant mercy to the 
household of Onesiphorus, "'for he often refreshed me "'and was 
not ashamed of my chain. "'But when he arrived in Rome, 
"'he sought me out very zealously and found me. "'The Lord grant 
to him that he may find mercy "'from the Lord in that day. 
"'And you know very well how many ways "'he ministered to 
me at Ephesus.'" So these Hebrew Christians were like Onesiphorus. They were not like Phygelus and 
Hermogenes, but rather they stood by not only when they themselves 
suffered persecution, but they stood by others as they suffered 
persecution also. In other words, they remembered 
the prisoners. In other words, they had compassion 
on the prisoners. They were concerned for their 
fellow saints that were under pressure. And then he gives specific 
examples of that. Notice the manifestation of their 
conduct. Verse 33, partly while you were 
made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations, partly while 
you became companions of those who were so treated. And then 
he says, first, for you had compassion on me and my chains. Now there's 
a reading that says, on the prisoners. There's no fundamental difference. The idea is, whether it was Paul 
or whether it was Christian prisoners at large, they had compassion. 
Now, compassion doesn't simply mean a sympathy toward them, 
but a compassion that we find in the New Testament is a compassion 
that is filled with good works. It's not only to remember them, 
but it's also to pray for them. It's also to assist them and 
aid them and help them. Typically prison system back 
then wasn't three hots and a cot. If you were gonna eat, your friends 
brought you food. And so Christians demonstrated 
faithfulness to their brothers and sisters by bringing them 
food. If you continue on in the book 
of Philippians, Paul commends the church and specifically Epaphroditus 
for having brought gifts to Paul. Again, that wasn't a good wifi 
connection. It wasn't, you know, slippers 
for his feet in that cold cell, but it was rather food. It was 
the sort of thing that would have kept him alive. And so he 
commends the church in Philippi for having sent Epaphroditus 
to alleviate his need for food. So he says, you have had compassion 
on me in my chains, and then notice, joyfully accepting the 
plundering of your goods. They joyfully accepted the plundering 
of their goods. Now, that's a kind of an interesting 
statement. Does that mean that the feds 
come in and they start carting everything off and you got a 
big smile on your face and you say, take it, take it. I don't 
know that that's necessarily what it means. This could have 
been state sponsored, but it was most likely mob violence 
directed against the people of God. I think the joyfully accepted 
isn't praising and applauding while your stuff is heading out 
the door, but it's that resolute composure under these trials, 
knowing that God most high is over this, that God most high 
is sovereign, and that God most high has orchestrated even that 
for my good and for his glory. And then notice what he goes 
on to say, knowing that you have a better and enduring possession 
for yourselves in heaven. So all of this is recall the 
former days. All of this is how you lived 
in the past. This should serve to fortify 
you in the present and prepare you for the future. Dale Ralph 
Davis in his commentary, one of the commentaries on the former 
prophets says, we stand in the present but dwell on the past 
in order that we can be steadfast for the future. I think that's 
the thrust of many of the Psalms in the Psalter. It is to recall 
what God has done in the past, especially the Psalms ascribed 
to Asaph. Asaph was a sorrowful fellow. 
Asaph was a melancholic man. Asaph certainly knew suffering 
and hardship and pain. but Asaph continually rehearses 
the faithfulness of God. And oftentimes throughout the 
Psalter, the psalmist points back to the Exodus. While there 
may not be the sort of manifestation or demonstration of God's power 
in the present, we know the Exodus and we know what he did in terms 
of bringing out the children of Israel from that Egyptian 
bondage. That would stabilize and steady 
the soul in the present when those sorts of manifestations 
of God were not occurring. And that's the emphasis of the 
apostle in this instance. But one of the ways or one of 
the means by which they were able to enter into the lives 
of, to their own suffering, the way that they were entering into 
the suffering of others, the way that they could joyfully 
accept the plundering of their goods is because they had this 
heavenly orientation. Notice that that's exactly what 
he says at the end of verse 34, knowing that you have a better 
and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven. Turn to 
11, chapter 11. and verse 24. Chapter 11, verse 
24. Notice, esteeming the reproach of Christ, greater riches than 
the treasures in Egypt, for he looked to the reward. Such a recurring 
emphasis in this epistle. You need to consider heaven. You need to ponder glory. You 
need to realize that our citizenship is there. We're simply pilgrims 
in this particular land. Look at chapter 12 at verse one. Therefore we also, since we are 
surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside 
every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let 
us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking 
unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy 
that was set before him." See that future orientation? Same 
sort of thing in chapter 10. You joyfully accepted the plundering 
of your goods knowing that you have this eternal possession 
in your future. Moses was able to suffer reproach 
for Christ with the people of Christ. because He esteemed the 
greater riches in the future. Same with the Lord Jesus, who 
for the joy that was set before Him, the glory of God, and the 
salvation of manifold souls, who for the joy that was set 
before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has 
sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. So back in 
our text in chapter 10 verse 34, knowing that you have a better 
and enduring possession for yourselves in heaven. He's calling them 
to recover that. He's calling them to revive that. He's calling for them to stir 
that back up in their hearts. If when they were first illuminated 
or enlightened, if when they were first born again, they suffered 
these various hardships, they were able to do so by considering 
God, by considering that future inheritance, the emphasis of 
the apostle is to do that right now. Do not recant, do not go 
back, do not leave the Lord Jesus Christ. This passage is parallel 
with what we see in 2 Corinthians 4, 17 to 18. For our light affliction, 
which is but for a moment, that doesn't make sense to us when 
we're in it, does it? We walk by faith, brethren, not 
by sight. And I realized that some people 
go through years, seasons, extended, prolonged times of hardship, 
affliction, and suffering. It may not seem like a momentary 
light affliction. That's why Paul wrote it, because 
he wants us to ponder the specific issues that dot the map here 
versus eternity to come. When we've been there 10,000 
years bright shining as the sun, we've no less days to sing God's 
praise than when we first begun. And we're certainly not going 
to be thinking back to, you know, 1998 when somebody said such 
and such about me. That's not going to be on the 
horizon. Or we're not going to think back 
even to that season wherein we suffered great affliction except 
maybe to praise God for having brought us through it. So this 
momentary light affliction doesn't seem like it at the time, but 
that's why we need to come to texts like this to inform our 
minds and hearts. For our light affliction, which 
is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and 
eternal weight of glory. While we do not look at the things 
which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things 
which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not 
seen are eternal. So you see, we have these emphases 
in scripture because they're contrary to the way that we typically 
function. We get into a mess and that consumes 
us. We get into a trial and everything 
collapses around us. We have some hardship and we 
forget everything the Bible ever said. That's why in so many instances, 
this theme is replete. How many times in the Old Testament 
does God tell his people, do not fear? Is it just because 
God wants to tell them, do not fear? Or is it because the default 
mechanism in the heart of man is to fear? Why do you think 
we have to be reminded and encouraged to look beyond the affliction 
to that exceeding weight of glory? Because it is contrary to what 
we typically do. We need these emphases, we need 
to be preached to, we need to read, we need to listen to sermons 
on, we need to have this fortification in our hearts. And notice what 
he says, you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves 
in heaven. It endures. What we face now 
is momentary light afflictions. In the sovereign providence of 
God, it isn't typically the case that somebody is born again and 
then they face constant, nonstop misery until the day they die. 
Unless, you know, they die 15 minutes later and they, you know, 
have a rough spot there. But God in his grace, for the 
most part, the sun looks like it might be shining, right? My 
brother prayed that way. The rain comes and then the sun 
comes. That's pretty much the way the ebb and the flow of the 
Christian life is. I have yet to meet somebody that 
has said, ever since I confessed faith in Christ, my life has 
been a zero. It has been a goose egg. It has 
been nothing but hardship, trial, and affliction. Now, sometimes 
we say that in a hyperbolic manner, but then we need to recount that, 
yeah, we had a good steak last week, we got to smile or laugh 
at the grandkids. There's something, right? There's 
something that isn't affliction. With reference to the eternal 
weight of glory, it's enduring. So whatever we face now, it is 
a momentary light affliction. It is vanishing. It is going 
away. It's not going to be our lot 
in eternity to suffer reproach, to suffer tribulation, to be 
called upon to partner with those who do. No, it is going to give 
away to a place where there is enduring bliss, blessing, and 
the presence of God Almighty. to continually cheer the believer's 
soul. That's a reminder of former days. Now notice the exhortation to 
persevere in verses 35 to 39. Verse 35, therefore, do not cast 
away your confidence, which has great reward. See, he calls them 
to remember the past, and now he tells them to continue faithfully 
in the present. Brethren, this to me seems to 
be one of the areas that we need to visit a lot. I think that 
there is a tendency or a temptation in us to throw up our hands and 
say, I don't want to keep going forward because this is tough. 
You know, the idea of not sinning. How well does that work for us? 
We're called to be holy as God is holy. We're called in Matthew 
5.48 to be perfect as our heavenly father is perfect. So we wake 
up on Thursday morning, we say, we don't wanna sin, we wanna 
be holy, we wanna be perfect. That lasts how long in your experience? Not typically a long time. If 
you wake up at six and you make it to 6.01 in that frame, that's 
probably an accomplishment. That could be discouraging, can't 
it? We're told to put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no 
provision for the flesh to fulfill its lust. And yet we find this 
principle in us, vis-à-vis Romans 7, where we're not putting on 
the Lord Jesus as we ought, and we are not putting to death the 
deeds of the body as we ought. And it can be discouraging. Everybody's 
looking puzzled. That doesn't discourage you? 
You're called to be holy and you're not? That's a big fat 
discouragement in my life, but nevertheless, this is the sorts 
of things, or these are the sorts of things, we need constant reminder 
of. And he tells them, therefore, 
do not cast away your confidence. Do not cast away your hope. Do not cast away your soul ultimately, 
but rather you go forward because it has great reward. The book of Hebrews is punctuated 
throughout by reward. You've already seen it with Moses. 
You see it with Jesus. You see it encouraged upon or 
by the apostle encouraging the people of God. There is great 
reward. Just back to 11. Ponder the emphasis 
in the Moses section. Verse 23 of chapter 11, by faith 
Moses when he was born was hidden three months by his parents because 
they saw he was a beautiful child and they were not afraid of the 
king's command. By faith, Moses, when he became of age, refused 
to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to 
suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing 
pleasures of sin. Notice, brothers and sisters, 
I don't want to discourage you further, if you're already in 
that sort of morass, but there is an appeal to sin. When we 
sin, it's because there's something desirable in us. We don't sin 
because we hate it and we want nothing to do with it. There's 
something there, enticing, something there that sort of gets its hand 
around our throat and draws us in. And the text acknowledges 
that. There's a pleasure associated 
with sin, but we need to recall that it's a passing pleasure. 
And then Moses esteemed the reproach of Christ. Interesting choice 
of terms, the reproach of Christ. That's what Moses was enduring 
during that era, during that age. Christ, the reproach of 
Jesus Christ, greater riches. What God holds out is far more 
excellent than the treasures in Egypt, for he looked to the 
reward. Verse 27, by faith he forsook 
Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king, for he endured as 
seeing him who is invisible. You see, we walk by faith and 
not by sight. We have these momentary light 
afflictions, but there is this exceeding weight of glory in 
our future. We need to consider and ponder 
that reward. See, Christianity isn't monkery. It's not suffering for suffering's 
sake. You know, the monks did things like put ashes in their 
soup. Did you ever do that, kids? Mom serves you a nice, heaping, 
steaming hot bowl of good soup, and you put ashes in there, because 
you're not really supposed to enjoy it. My wife's probably 
saying, that's what you would do, Jim. You're not supposed 
to enjoy it. Or they'd wear hair shirts, because 
we shouldn't have any comfort. I mean, after all, we're sinners 
and hair shirts, you know, not cashmere, but hair that afflicts 
you. And then some would, you know, 
sit on these big tall poles. suffering for suffering's sake. 
That's not Christianity. That's not what Moses did. Moses 
was looking forward to the reward. It's more like this, suffer now 
with the people of God and enjoy the blessing of heaven, or have 
the passing pleasures of sin in Egypt and end up in hell. 
It seems a simple option, doesn't it? It seems a simple transaction, 
and it's something that the people of God need to ponder. We need 
to consider our heavenly state. We need to think through the 
implications of glory. We need to consider the reality 
that one day we shall see Him as He is. Notice in verse 36, 
after the exhortation given in verse 35, do not cast away your 
confidence, which has great reward. Verse 36 gives the reasons why. First of all, they need to endure. You have need of endurance. This 
is for every Christian. It's every Christian's need to 
endure or to persevere, to not give up, to not throw up their 
arms, to not act like a child having a tantrum at Walmart saying, 
no, I don't wanna do it. You've been called to do it. 
God graciously supplies the resources for you to do it. Now get up 
and do it. That is our mandate. And then 
he goes on to speak concerning the will of God. For you have 
need of endurance so that after you have done the will of God. 
It's not intriguing. The will of God includes suffering. The will of God includes trial. 
The will of God includes affliction. The will of God includes hardship. I've said it many times before, 
Romans 8, 28. We know that God causes all things 
to work for good to those who love him, to those who are the 
called according to his purpose. He wouldn't need to tell us that 
for good things, would he? We know that God causes job promotions 
to work for good. Of course, it's a no brainer. 
We know that God causes obedient children to work for good. Do 
you see the sign on the church on the corner? Children, I forget 
what it was. Something about children is the 
way of sanctification for people. It's actually a good. a good 
sign on that particular church. The bottom line is, with reference 
to this particular issue, we need to understand that with 
reference to the will of God, there is suffering, there is 
hardship, there is affliction, and He has purposed it, according 
to Paul in Romans 8.28, for our good. All things work for our 
good. Look at 1 Peter chapter 4 to 
see this very clearly by another apostle. 1 Peter chapter 4. Basically how to deal with persecution. how to engage when you are being 
persecuted. Verse 17, for the time has come 
for judgment to begin at the house of God. And if it begins 
with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey 
the gospel of God? Now, if the righteous one is 
scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear? 
Therefore, let those who suffer according to the will of God, 
commit their souls to him in doing good as to a faithful creator. Now, brethren, that's a tough 
statement in some sense. It's not tough if you're reformed. 
It's not tough if you're Calvinist. It's not tough if you understand 
theology and doctrine. It's not tough in that sort of 
a context. It is tough when you're laying 
on your sickbed. It is tough when you've been 
hit by a car. It is tough when you've contracted 
something. You know disease it is tough 
when your family collapses around you it is tough to remember this 
but we need to commit our souls to him in doing good as to a 
faithful creator because hardship and affliction and trial and 
car crashes and the dissolution of family and diseases and all 
those sorts of things are are under the sovereignty of God. 
It's one thing to acknowledge this as a five-point Calvinist. 
It's another thing to submit to that providence when it doesn't 
necessarily go our way. And that's the emphasis of the 
apostles in the New Testament in a context where the people 
of God were suffering in a way that you and I aren't. They had 
the unbelieving Jews initially persecuting the church. I've 
mentioned before that the Roman Empire didn't mess with the church 
at the first, because they saw the church as a subset of Judaism. 
Judaism was tolerated in the empire. For the most part, the 
empire left Judaism alone. Therefore, Christianity pretty 
much got a pass. But the unbelieving Jews certainly 
persecuted the Christians. And as time went on, specifically 
under Nero, we see more antipathy from the state against the people 
of God, against Christianity. And you see that throughout history. 
But in this New Testament context, much of the documentation is 
like orders for the battlefield, because it was precisely that. 
They were in a spiritual battle that had physical ramifications, 
and the apostles were their guides, encouragers, exhorters, and helpers 
to keep them going. Back to Hebrews chapter 10, for 
you have need of endurance so that after you've done the will 
of God, you may receive the promise. Again, he's interlacing that 
theme of reward and promise all along the way. It's not suffering 
for suffering's sake. There's no nobility or virtue 
in just suffering. That's not what scripture teaches. There is this mindset out there 
that if I suffer and I'm miserable, then that's true piety and true 
holiness and true godliness. No, it isn't. It's faithful steadfastness 
and perseverance in the midst of that with a disposition of 
joy, not because you're in the midst of suffering, but because 
of what God has for you in the future. And then notice finally 
in this section, he appeals to scripture. In verses 37 and 38, 
there is this appeal to scripture. Now the emphasis, we'll look 
at the particular text in just a moment, but the emphasis is 
on faith. It's on faith. Look at it. for yet a little 
while, and he who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now, 
the just shall live by faith, but if anyone draws back, my 
soul has no pleasure in him. Now, in terms of faith, we look 
at this context, and I've already mentioned on several occasions, 
perseverance, endurance, steadfastness, going forward. How do we do that? By faith in the Son of God who 
loved us and who gave himself for us. In other words, we don't 
just persevere and we don't just endure devoid from the Christian 
gospel. We don't do it apart from the 
death and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The life 
that I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of 
God who loved me and who gave himself for me. Brethren, Christian 
perseverance is Christian perseverance. There are Stoics and Spartans 
that can endure and persevere through a whole lot of misery. 
Look at the U.S. Navy SEALs. I mean, their training 
alone shows a degree of steadfastness and perseverance that I don't 
typically see in the church. But that doesn't mean they're 
godly. That doesn't mean they're righteous. That doesn't mean 
that some of them aren't, but you get the point. Christian 
perseverance is Christian perseverance. We draw strength by faith in 
the Son of God who loved us and who gave himself for us. John 
Owen makes the observation. Now, this is a bit of sort of 
Owen. The way that Owen writes is a bit difficult, I think, 
for modern readers. But if you get the content of 
what he is saying, it is profound. it is absolutely spot on. He 
says, unto this end, he commends unto them the necessary use of 
confidence and patience as those graces which would carry them 
through their difficulties and support them under them. But 
these graces are not the root whereon constancy and perseverance 
do grow. They are all branches of it. 
They do not give strength unto the soul to do and suffer according 
to the mind of God, but they are the way whereby it doth exercise 
its strength, which it hath from another grace. He says it is 
faith from whence alone all these things do spring. So what's the 
answer for Christian perseverance and Christian endurance? Read 
your Bible. attend church, pray to God Almighty, 
say with that man, Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief. The way of perseverance is not 
you're stronger and more powerful and more mighty than your fellows, 
but because you have faith in a God who is stronger and more 
powerful and mighty than any fellows there could ever be. 
It is faith in Christ that is the primary means by which we 
fulfill what God has given to us. And then the two texts, it's 
what's called a conflation. He takes two texts, brings them 
together to present one idea. It's Isaiah 26, 20 and 21 and 
Habakkuk 2, 3 and 4. And essentially what these two 
texts together does is it communicates a contrast between the righteous 
person who lives by faith, and the wicked person who shrinks 
back from doing the will of God. I think you'll appreciate the 
connection in light of the context. Notice what he says. For yet 
a little while, and he who is coming will come and will not 
tarry. Now the just shall live by faith, but if anyone draws 
back, my soul has no pleasure in him. The drawing back, conditioned 
by the context, means those who commit apostasy. The drawing 
back are those described in verses 26 to 31 who, when it gets tough, 
give in. Who, when it gets hard, give 
up. Who, when it becomes challenging, 
say, no more. And so the Apostle here collects 
these two verses and highlights or emphasizes this particular 
lesson. The just shall live by faith. Isn't that Habakkuk's passage? 
Isn't that invoked by the Apostle on several occasions in the New 
Testament? Typically in the context of justification. but it has its use in sanctification. Because we believe on the Lord 
Jesus Christ initially, we're justified freely by his grace, 
but it doesn't mean we stop believing. We continue to believe for the 
life of sanctification, and that's the emphasis of the apostle in 
this instance. Essentially, we could sort of 
translate Habakkuk 2 this way. The justified by faith shall 
live by his steadfast trust in the promises of God Almighty. So this is where he sort of brings 
this exhortation to bear, and then as I said, he amplifies 
it and displays it, or rather develops it, in Hebrews chapter 
11. There is the closest of connections 
between chapters 10 and 11. Sometimes that number 11 there 
throws us off. Sometimes we put a disjunctive 
sort of a break in between chapters that are supposed to go together. 
Sort of a salt and pepper thing. It just goes together. You don't 
use one without the other. You shouldn't read chapter 10 
without chapter 11. You should see them in their 
continuity and the emphasis of the apostle to underscore all 
that he has said in terms of the people of God enduring and 
persevering and not giving up their confidence based on what? Faith in the living Christ. And 
then he points back to all of the heroes of the faith and history 
and says, this is essentially how they lived. This is how the 
patriarchs did it. We've been going through Genesis 
in our Wednesday night studies. How does Abraham do the sorts 
of things that Abraham does? It's by faith. How does Isaac 
do the things that Isaac does? By faith. How does Jacob do the 
things that Jacob does? By faith. How does Moses do the 
things? You get the point? That's what 
he does. He goes from the patriarchs, 
he goes to Moses, he goes to the pre-monarchy, he goes to 
the monarchy, and he emphasizes the faith of God's people to 
endure. In fact, he sort of encapsulates 
it all at the end of chapter 11. Notice what he says in verse 
32. What more shall I say? For the 
time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and 
Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets, who through 
faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, 
stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, 
escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, 
became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 
Women received their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured, 
not accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection. 
Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains 
and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn 
in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered 
about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, 
of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and 
mountains and in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, 
having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive 
the promise. God, having provided something 
better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from 
us." You see the emphasis in the section. You're not going 
to persevere and endure because you're mighty. You're going to 
endure and persevere because Jesus is mighty. And you need 
to get your faith on Him. for the present battle. You need 
to recall what happened in the past when you had these sufferings, 
when you had these hardships. Who was there to deliver you? 
Who saw you through? As you look back at your life, 
let's say you've been a Christian for years, and you've gone through 
some difficulties and some hardships. How did you get to this point? 
Because of your grit and determination, most of you would say, well, 
I hope all of you would say, it wasn't my grit and determination. 
It certainly wasn't my grit and determination. If these walls 
could talk, Boy, they tell you this guy collapsed over in that 
corner one time and didn't think he was going to get up. How'd 
I get up? It wasn't my grit and determination. 
My wife will tell you, I didn't have that kind of grit and determination. 
It's God. It's Christ. It's the power of 
the Christian gospel. And then he applies this specifically 
to his hearers in verse 39. We are not of those who draw 
back to perdition. We are not the apostates of 26 
to 31. We are not those people. We may have remaining corruption, 
we may not live according to the light that we have, we may 
falter, we may fumble, we may sin, we may do this, that or 
the other, but we are not those persons, those apostasies that 
draw back unto perdition. He says, rather, we are those 
who believe to the saving of the soul. The saving of the soul 
is connected with the belief of the truth and not to our perseverance 
and endurance. So while he gives this warning, 
while he surrounds it with exhortation, he has confidence in his audience 
that they are not apostates, that they by grace will go forward, 
that they will evidence and demonstrate that they have in fact had faith 
in the Son of God who loved them and who gave himself for them. In terms of some concluding thoughts, 
the first thing is based on the first section in our passage, 
the necessity of remembering the past. The necessity of remembering 
the past. Now you might think that brings 
us into conflict with Philippians chapter 3. Paul says, I forget 
the things that are past and I reach forward to the things 
that are ahead. I don't think that's the way 
we ought to understand that. We forget the past in terms of 
our sin, in terms of our, you know, so-called religious accomplishments, 
whatever it was that kept us from Christ. Paul wouldn't say 
don't recall the past when God vindicated you, when God delivered 
you, when God brought victory to you in the midst of great 
suffering. So we need to recall where we've been in order to 
steady us in the present to equip us for the future. See, I really 
want to encourage all of us. I want to encourage the young 
people, the children. I love it when, you know, the 
young people, they want to get baptized. They want to make that 
confession of faith. I get to meet with somebody else, 
God willing, next Saturday to talk about baptism. That's a 
thrill and a joy to see kids that have grown up and then they 
own the Savior. You know, you hear this all over. 
All our kids are leaving the churches in mass. And I'm not 
saying no kids have ever left our church. But it is encouraging 
when kids don't leave, and when kids do confess, and when kids 
do get baptized. Kids means anybody under 53. 
And when they want to go forward with our Lord God Most High. 
So I want to encourage you that Christianity is everything. It's not a Sunday sort of thing. 
It's not, you know, just a few moments of each day. Christianity 
is all-encompassing. Christianity is an orientation. Christianity is all-consuming 
and it's glorious because Christ is glorious. He's altogether 
lovely and chief among 10,000. And God willing, you'll sign 
up by grace in your early days. And God willing, by grace, you 
will persevere to the very end. I think it was Wesley that said, 
our people die well. Now there are exceptions. Sometimes 
you have a Robert Robinson or you have a William Cooper, you 
have a Solomon, you have these guys that don't necessarily, 
I don't know, Cooper might have died well, but he certainly had 
some issues while he was alive. But for the most part, the people 
of God die well. That's because our God is faithful 
to see us to the very end. And that is the recurring emphasis 
of Holy Scripture. We need to recall how God has 
faithfully sustained us. John Owen again. But the apostle 
would have them so call to mind as to consider with all what 
supportment they had under their sufferings, what satisfaction 
in them, what deliverance from them, that they might not despond 
upon the approach of the like evils and trials on the same 
account. It makes sense, doesn't it? Something 
happens to you tomorrow, and I don't want this to be a self-fulfilling 
prophecy. Everybody goes out and has a 
miserable day tomorrow, but let's just say something happens like 
that. Again, I'm not a prophet of the Son of the Prophet. I 
have no ability for performative speech, but let's just say that. Do you lose it? Do you just freak 
out? Do you throw up your hands? Do 
you go, you know what? I had something happen like this similar 
back in the day, and you know, God was there, and He sustained 
me, and He upheld me, and He saw me through. not to promote 
or produce complacency or laziness or sloth, but to produce a resoluteness 
to persevere, knowing that it's God's fight. and He will keep 
you in it by His grace." That's what Owen is saying, if I could 
sort of read between the lines. He goes on to say, if we remember 
our sufferings only as unto what is evil and afflictive in them, 
what we lose, what we endure and undergo, such a remembrance 
will weaken and dispirit us as unto our future trials. In other 
words, if all we do is look back at the misery associated with 
it, we look back at the terribleness of it, it's not going to help 
us. But if we are at this state, 
if we have gone through those trials, it is because God is 
faithful, and that is what we are to ponder. And then finally, 
I would suggest all of us need to consider our future in heaven. 
I find this to be a challenge. I don't know if you're like me, 
but I find it to be a challenge. The Bible calls us to this. The Bible tells us to think about 
that reward, but we are here on earth, aren't we? We have 
the news. We have commitment. We have jobs. We have responsibilities. We 
have relationships. And they're not bad. It's good 
stuff. I mean, news typically is bad, but all that other stuff 
is good. But it's very easy to sort of 
be tied to the earth. And I'm not suggesting we shouldn't 
think about jobs. We shouldn't think about, you 
know, thinking about heaven while you've got your arm near machinery 
probably isn't wise. You should think about machinery 
and keeping your arm at a safe distance. You know, think about 
the glories of heaven. No, no, no. Maybe that's a time 
where you should really be tied to the earth at that particular 
moment. But it is a difficult challenge to consider and ponder 
how glorious it's going to be. And the Bible tells us that. 
We have no conception. We have sort of no framework 
to quantify what it's gonna be like. We can't begin to enter 
into the reality of a place where we will see him as he is. Our altogether lovely and chief 
among 10,000, we will see him with our eyes? We can't even 
begin to ponder a place where we won't sin. We'll stand before 
the throne of God day and night, worshiping and praising and glorifying, 
and that forever and ever? Brethren, that is hard to conceptualize 
on this side of it, but Scripture invites us to ponder and consider 
those things for the encouragement of our heart and for the perseverance 
in our lives. We need to think in terms of 
the great and glorious things that God has for his people. 
The presence of affliction oftentimes hinders the consideration of 
better times. We need to overrule that. The 
presence of affliction must be managed with a consideration 
that it's temporary and that heaven is eternal, 2 Corinthians. And the consideration of heaven 
is ultimately the believer's privileged duty and great joy. 
John Owen again says, in the times of suffering and in the 
approaches of them, it is the duty of believers to look on 
the glory of heaven under the notion of a refreshing, all-sufficient 
reward. He just says it so easily, and 
it's so easy to read, and it's so easy to exhort on. Man, I 
know when the afflictions and the trials come, it's so tough 
to gain that orientation. Perhaps we need to spend more 
time in Hebrews chapter 10. He goes on to say, the glory 
of heaven is an abundant recompense for all we shall undergo in our 
way towards it. In other words, whatever we suffer, 
whatever hardship we have, God is going to do exceedingly abundantly 
above all that we could ask or think when it comes to that future 
glory. Well, let us pray. Our Father 
in heaven, we thank you for your word. We thank you for this section 
in Hebrews 10 and for the emphasis on perseverance. And I pray for 
each and every one of us here that you would grant us growth 
in grace, growth in faith, help us to see Christ that great captain 
of our salvation as the one in whom we have everlasting life. 
And may that faith by grace cause us to press on, to endure, to 
go forward, I pray for the young people and the children here, 
God. It is a delight when they confess the Savior. It is a delight 
when they are baptized and added to the church. I pray that each 
of them would take seriously the demands of the discipleship 
and that by your grace they would go forward in the fear of God 
for the long haul. And for all of us older folks, 
I pray that we too would not lose heart. that we would not 
end like a Solomon, but we would be faithful to the end because 
you are faithful and you uphold and you sustain us. I pray that 
you would go with us now, watching over us in this week, granting 
us the grace to bring honor and praise unto you. And we ask through 
Jesus Christ, our Lord, amen.