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We can turn with me in your Bibles 
to Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10, we'll return 
to our exposition of the book of Acts, God willing, next Sunday 
morning. But this morning I want to preach 
from Hebrews 10, specifically verses 26 to 31, which is a warning 
against apostasy, a warning against apostasy. But I want to read 
beginning in chapter 10 at 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 
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 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. Well, let us pray. Father, 
thank you for the written word of the living and true God. Thank 
you for its profitability in our hearts and lives. And even 
now we pray for the ministry of the Holy Spirit to take that 
word and make it effectual in each one of our hearts. May we 
receive the warning, but as well, may we see the encouragement 
that the text holds out to those who do believe the gospel, to 
those who do walk by faith in the Son of God who loved us and 
who gave himself for us. And God, we pray that the Spirit 
would be at work in those who are dead in trespasses and sins. 
awaken them to their state before a holy God, cause them to ponder 
the verse that says it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands 
of the living God, obviously apart from that righteousness 
of Jesus Christ. We pray that they would take 
heed, that they would listen and by grace would believe on 
that one that is altogether lovely, that one that is chief among 
10,000. Again, do forgive us for our sins and unrighteousness 
and we pray through Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen. Well, as we come 
to this particular section in chapter 10 at verse 19, the apostle 
shifts direction and he begins to get real practical. Up until 
this point, he has set forth the superiority of Jesus Christ. He has highlighted the priestly 
office of the Lord Jesus Christ specifically as the priest and 
as the victim, as the sacrifice himself, as the one in whom there 
is forgiveness of sins. Well, here specifically in chapter 
10 at verse 19, he gives some encouragement, and then he gives 
some exhortations. And those exhortations are found 
in verses 22 to 24. Notice he says, let us draw near. Verse 23, let us hold fast. And 
then verse 24, let us consider one another. And then in verses 
26 to 31, he gives a bit of a diversion or a bit of a digression. It 
is intimately connected to verses 19 to 25, but he deals with apostasy. And apostasy means basically 
to fall away from, to defect from. He's already dealt with 
this in Hebrews chapter 6, and we will have cause perhaps to 
refer to that passage as well. So on one hand, this is a warning 
passage, and we need to take it as such. But on the other 
hand, I don't know that we always appreciate who the apostle is 
identifying in verses 26 to 31. The typical believer comes to 
verse 26, and he reads about this willful sin. And he realizes, 
or she realizes, that when I sin, I do it willfully. When I sin, 
I choose to do it. When I raise my voice, or when 
I'm unkind, or when I get upset, or when I... whatever it is, 
I do that willfully. And so therefore, with reference 
to verse 26, good... Christian people at times begin to suspect 
that they're the ones in verses 26 to 31. So while I want to 
deal with the warning that the passage affords, I want us to 
be encouraged because it's not condemning weak believers. It's 
not condemning believers. It is condemning those who fall 
away, those who are obstinate, those who are incorrigible. In 
fact, I'd go so far as to say the persons pictured in verses 
26 to 31 are most likely not in churches on Sunday morning. They repudiate the very gospel 
of Jesus Christ the Lord. Now, if you understand the context 
of the book of Hebrews, it's helpful to understand the specific 
application that Paul is making. I take it that Hebrews was written 
before AD 70. It was written before the destruction 
of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple. That means the 
temple was still standing. That means the sacrificial system 
was still being engaged in. That means that there was a real 
temptation for Jewish believers to leave Christ and go back to 
Moses. And one of the purposes of this 
particular letter is to exhort those who have started with Christ 
to persevere with Christ. Do not submit to the pressures 
around you. Do not fall back into this pattern 
of old covenant worship, but rather go forward, serve the 
Lord God most high, through Jesus Christ. I want to look at three 
things in verses 26 to 31 this morning. First, the particular 
sin in view. And we're going to look at verses 
26, 27, and then 29b here. And then secondly, we'll look 
at the covenantal comparison made in verses 28 and 29. And 
then finally, the terrifying punishment proposed in verses 
30 and 31. But note in the first place, 
and this is where we're going to spend the bulk of our time 
so that we really know what Paul is saying here, with reference 
to this situation. Now, some will obviously hear 
that I affirm Pauline authorship. Notice the triad in verses 22 
to 24. Faith, hope, and love. It's another 
evidence that the Apostle Paul actually wrote the book of Hebrews. 
And I take it that way, and I want to preach it that way, and if 
that makes you uncomfortable, I'm very sorry. Actually, I'm 
not very sorry. You just have to deal with it. 
Pauline authorship of Hebrews is a is a good thing, and I think 
that's what's happening here. But I want to identify, first, 
the willfulness involved with the sin. Secondly, this is under 
the particular sin in view. Secondly, the identification 
of the sin, and then the certain expectation associated with the 
sin. Notice the sin in view. For if we sin willfully, after 
we have received, verse 26, the knowledge of the truth, there 
no longer remains a sacrifice for sins. Now, we have to absent 
certain things when we come to this particular passage. In Hebrews 
2.17, we learn that Christ makes atonement for the sins of his 
people. So those sins cannot be numbered 
here in verse 26. We know from 1 John 1.9 that 
if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive 
us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 
We know that it can't be the sorts of sins that erupt upon 
a man with some sudden vehemence. And we see that in the life of 
Peter. Peter in Matthew 26 denies Jesus Christ on three occasions, 
or three times, to a slave girl. That wasn't the willful sin that 
the Apostle is dealing with in verse 26. Nor can it be the enormous, 
vile, horrific sins that even the people of God at times commit. 
David is in heaven. David is not an apostate according 
to Hebrews 10, 26 to 31. David committed adultery and 
murder and nevertheless he found forgiveness with God that God 
may be feared. So whatever the sin in verse 
26 is, it isn't those that are dealt with by Christ, it isn't 
those that we confess and find forgiveness with by God, it isn't 
those that are sudden surprising sins that oftentimes befall the 
children of God, and the sin in view cannot be even large 
and vile sins. In fact, when you consider 1 
John 1.9, how do you ponder that text? If we confess our sins, 
He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all 
unrighteousness. Are you the kind of person that 
sort of has the big sins and then the not-so-big sins? We 
can confess the not-so-big sins, but the big sins, that just disqualifies 
us. David's in heaven, Peter's in 
heaven. Big sins aren't necessarily disqualifying 
sins. Now I'm not advocating go out 
and sin big, but I am suggesting that we have a bigger savior 
than we have big sins. As Newton said, I am a great 
sinner, but Christ is a great savior. And we mustn't ever forget 
that. Notice as well the occasion of 
this particular sin. For if we sin willfully after 
we have received the knowledge of the truth. The one guilty 
of this sin makes an outward profession of the faith. They 
have received the knowledge of the truth and they have accordingly 
acted upon it. John 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 themselves 
the public profession of it. So this isn't necessarily describing 
the heathen, the pagan, the person that has never heard the gospel. 
Rather, it is specifically attributable to those who had received the 
knowledge of the truth. As well, we see the finality 
of this particular sin. Notice in verse 26 at the end, 
there no longer remains a sacrifice for sin. That is a very final 
statement and one that echoes what he says in Hebrews chapter 
6. You can turn there. Hebrews chapter 6. He speaks 
in verse 4 to apostasy. He says, "...for it is impossible 
for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly 
gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have 
tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come." 
Got to remember, these are not believers. Because if you actually 
believe, if you are saved by grace through faith in Christ 
Jesus, you will never fall away. We have the promise of God that 
there is nothing that shall separate us from the love of God which 
is in Christ Jesus our Lord. We have Philippians 1.6 that 
says and assures us that he who began this good work in you will 
complete it unto the day of Christ. These persons tasted but they 
hadn't These persons became partakers of the Holy Spirit, not in terms 
of the internalization of the Spirit of God, but they were 
in churches, the Holy Spirit was active, and they got to benefit 
from it to some degree or others. They tasted the good word of 
God through the preaching of the gospel and the powers of 
the age to come. We ponder heaven, we ponder the 
inheritance of the saints, and those among the people of God 
get some of that at least externally. But notice what he goes on to 
say. He says, 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 both in chapter 6 and 10, 
the apostle underscores the impossibility for the sinner of this particular 
sin to be saved. Again, that cannot apply to every 
other sin, because we know that Christ came to die for our sins 
and to be raised again. The sin in view cannot be attuned 
for by the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ, because it's Christ's 
sacrifice that's utterly repudiated. It's Christ's sacrifice that 
is mocked. It's Christ's sacrifice that 
is ultimately trampled underfoot. And in the context, you need 
to appreciate the specificity. If as we understand the book 
of Hebrews, it comes to Jews, and some of these Jews make this 
external profession of faith. Some of these Jews say, yes, 
Jesus is Messiah. They confess him as Lord and 
Savior, but then they turn from Jesus and they go back to the 
Levitical system. What is that but to trample underfoot 
the Son of God? To take that sacrifice that was 
once for all and to repudiate it, to reject it, to despise 
it, to forsake it. That's what's in view with reference 
to these particular persons. They are apostates. John Calvin 
mentions or makes a comment concerning Christ's sacrifice for his people. He says, Christ's sacrifice is 
efficacious to the godly, even to the death. though they often 
sin. Now, brethren, I don't read this 
and I don't bring this to encourage sin. John 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. My purpose is to encourage you 
that we have an advocate, we have a Redeemer, we have a Savior, 
that when we sin and confess that sin, there is forgiveness 
with Him that He may be feared. Calvin goes on to say, nay, it 
retains ever its efficacy, the sacrifice of Jesus, for this 
very reason, because they cannot be free from sin as long as they 
dwell in the flesh. Right? We need an efficacious 
sacrifice based on the fact that we are who we are. We every day 
need the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We every day depend on blood. We every day need that Savior 
interceding on our behalf and being our advocate with the Father 
every single day. If anybody here says, well, I 
didn't need him on Thursday because I had a pretty good day. You 
don't understand sin, you don't understand law, and you certainly 
don't understand the gospel. You need him constantly because 
you're not obeying. You're not glorifying. You're 
not loving God and loving neighbor as yourself. He goes on to say, 
the apostle then refers to those who alone, to those alone who 
wickedly forsake Christ and thus deprive themselves of the benefit 
of his death. See, when you or I sin, what 
do we do? We feel bad about it. I'm just 
generalizing here. And then we confess it, don't 
we? That's not what these people do. These people aren't weak 
saints. These people aren't struggling 
believers. These people are people who are 
openly mocking the very crossword of the Son of God. That's why 
there no longer remains a sacrifice for that sin, because they repudiate 
the very sacrifice for sin. That's who's in view. It's apostates. Now notice specifically the identification 
of the sin in verses 27 and 29. Look at verse 27. But a certain 
fearful expectation of judgment and fire indignation will devour 
the adversaries. Believer, when you sin against 
God and you confess that sin to God, you're not his adversary. Can I just encourage you with 
that? You're not His adversary when you do what He calls you 
to do. If we confess our sins, He's faithful and just to forgive 
us. If we confess our sins, He's faithful and just to condemn 
us as adversaries. No! It's not the adversary who 
struggles over his sin. It's not the adversary who's 
convicted of his sin. It's not the adversary who says, 
the good that I wish to do, I don't do, and the evil I don't want 
to do, I find myself doing. The adversary is an adversary. 
He is opposed to God. He is hostile to God. He is contrary 
to God. And that's what the word used 
here means. Opposed, contrary, and hostile. The persons in view 
heard the word of God, they make some sort of external profession 
of faith with reference to the word of God, and then they repudiate 
and reject that word of God, and thus make themselves adversaries 
of the living and true God. Now, the apostate is described 
in detail in verse 29. We'll get to that in more detail 
later in terms of the punishment, but notice how the apostate is 
described in verse 29. Of how much worse punishment 
do you suppose will he be thought worthy? Now notice the three 
things. Who has, first of all, trampled the Son of God underfoot. 
Secondly, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was 
sanctified a common thing. And then thirdly, and insulted 
the Spirit of grace. Again, your sin against God doesn't 
necessarily do that. Your sin against God is an offense, 
it is a transgression, it is a lack of conformity unto that 
law, it is bad, and it is to be confessed and forsaken, but 
you will find mercy. That's not so with this particular 
person. It's impossible to renew them 
to repentance according to Hebrews 6. And here there's no sacrifice 
that remains for the person guilty of these three things. Now, what 
does it mean to trample underfoot the Son of God? It means what 
I've already stipulated, to reject the sacrifice of the Son of God. The Apostle says earlier in this 
chapter, the blood of bulls and goats can never take away sin. 
So the idea is that you've heard of the one who the bulls and 
goats pointed to. Remember the lamb of God who 
takes away the sin of the world is how the Baptist identifies 
Jesus Christ. So you've heard of Christ. You've 
heard that those animals in the old covenant simply typified. 
They were shadows. They pointed forward to that 
one who would come and fulfill all that the father had laid 
upon him. And so then you hear that word, you hear the gospel, 
you make this external profession of faith, and then you say, forget 
it. I want the bulls and the goats. I'm gonna reject Jesus, 
I'm gonna repudiate Jesus, I'm gonna despise Jesus, and I'm 
gonna go back to the temple, I'm gonna take the bull out of 
my flock, I'm gonna cut its throat, I'm gonna hand it to the priest, 
and then he's gonna do his thing with it. You see, that is to 
trample underfoot the Son of God. Again, I'm not saying every 
sin doesn't to some degree bring despite upon the name of the 
Lord Jesus, but not like this. These are apostates. These are 
the ones hostile. These are the ones opposed. These 
are adversaries of the living and true God. Brethren, if your 
doctrine of salvation yields the idea that as believers we're 
adversaries, you need to reform your doctrine of salvation. It's 
the blessing of the gospel. God takes adversaries and through 
the blood of Jesus Christ, makes them his sons, makes them his 
blood bots, makes them participants in his own family. John Gill 
says this with reference to this trampling underfoot the Son of 
God. He says, could they have 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. And I'm not saying go 
out and sin, brethren, but I am saying that when you do sin, 
you have an advocate with the Father, even Jesus Christ, the 
righteous. These persons don't come and say, oh Lord, in heaven, 
please forgive me. That doesn't even come up. And 
don't get it in your head that the 26 to 31 or the Hebrew six 
people, you know, those poor innocent people, you know, they 
are actively at enmity with God. They are opposed to God. I don't 
know if you saw this week, but in Chile, I think it was in the 
country of Chile, there were pro-abortionists that were burning 
effigies of babies to evidence and to indicate how much they 
support abortion. That is sick beyond all possible 
comprehension. To burn effigies of babies to 
celebrate abortion? I'm not suggesting all apostates 
will necessarily do that, but it's that kind of stuff. It's 
that open disavowal of the gospel of free grace. It is profligate, 
it is wicked, it is incorrigible. It's not this poor innocent person 
wants to repent, but God won't let him. That's not it at all. 
He is not a poor innocent person. He has heard the word of the 
gospel. He's made a public affirmation of that word of the gospel. And 
then he has reputed it. He has trampled underfoot the 
son of God. He says, no, I'd rather have 
the blood of bulls and goats. No, I'd rather have my own works. 
No, I'd rather have my own free will. No, I'd rather do it on 
my own. I'd rather go it without the 
Christ. That's the mindset of the 26 to 31 person, and you 
need to keep that in mind. He goes on to say, it is a phrase, 
or says, 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 sonship, 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." 
Now, for those of you here that may not be believers, don't immediately 
conclude that you're an apostate. Not all unbelievers are apostates. All unbelievers are sort of in 
the same boat with the apostates, but there is nothing precluding 
you from here and now believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. See, 
we don't ultimately know who an apostate is until they're 
dead and in hell. That's why it's very ill-advised to bandy 
this term around without knowing the hearts of men. We don't ultimately 
know who's an apostate in this life. We may see some open, profligate, 
wretched sinners that deny Christ and that openly trash His name 
and whatnot, but you see that even in the pages of the New 
Testament. The apostle Paul was a blasphemer. He was a persecutor. 
He was an insolent man, and yet Christ saved him. So if you're 
an unbeliever this morning, don't immediately conclude that you're 
an apostate. The fact that you are here is 
a good indicator that perhaps you're not. Now, if you are an 
unbeliever, though, believe. Look to Christ. Do not trample 
underfoot the sacrifice. Do not trample underfoot Christ 
himself, but rather believe on him. Look to him in his grace, 
his offices, his righteousness, all that John Gill has mentioned 
here. So the apostate has trampled the Son of God underfoot. Secondly, 
notice that the apostate has counted the blood of the covenant 
as a common thing. Notice in verse 29, counted the 
blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing. 
Now, a lot of people think, well, this is it. This is the indicator. 
This shows that you can be saved and then lose your salvation. 
Because after all, this person was sanctified by the blood of 
the covenant and then lost it. The he there is Christ. The he 
there isn't the apostate. Christ is sanctified by the blood 
of the covenant. Christ is set apart for the high 
priestly office. It is to do despite to Christ 
in terms of the sacrifice and in terms of his office as the 
specific emphasis, he has counted the blood of the covenant by 
which Christ was sanctified a common thing. Owing again says, it is 
Christ himself that is spoken of who was sanctified and dedicated 
unto God to be an eternal high priest by the blood of the covenant, 
which he offered unto God. So it's not teaching that the 
apostate was sanctified by the blood of the covenant and then 
lost it. No, it's more despite done to 
the name of Jesus. See, who's the target in the 
apostate's hostility? It's Jesus and it's the Spirit. 
Look at the last or the third identifier of the apostate there. 
The apostate has insulted the Spirit of grace. So we've got 
Him trampling underfoot the Son of God, counting the blood of 
the covenant by which Christ was sanctified, a common thing, 
and insulting the Spirit of grace. Now remember that Jesus in His 
earthly ministry taught about an unpardonable sin. It was the 
sin against the Holy Spirit. That's probably what's happening 
in this particular passage. Hebrews 6, Hebrews 10, and that 
unpardonable sin, that sin against the Holy Ghost, is what's in 
view. It is apostasy. Birkhoff helpfully 
explains what the sin against the Holy Ghost means. He says 
it is not so much a sin against the person of the Holy Spirit, 
against the person of the Holy Spirit as a sin against His official 
work in revealing, both objectively and subjectively, the grace and 
glory of God in Christ. It's not just the person of the 
Spirit, but the Spirit is the authorized representative of 
the glory of God in Christ. That's what's being blasphemed. 
That's what's being repudiated. That's what's being rejected. 
So the counting or the trampling of the Son of God underfoot, 
the counting of the blood of the covenant is a common thing, 
and then insulting the Spirit of grace. Again, your garden 
variety sins, brethren, that you commit on a daily basis, 
ain't that. So please don't go home and say, 
well, I can go sin now because Butler said I'm not an apostate. 
Please don't take the sermon that way. My little children, 
I write these things to you so that you may not sin, but If 
anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, even Jesus Christ 
the righteous. If there's one thing I could 
pass on as a legacy to all of you, it's that. Luther said, 
I preach justification by faith every week because my people 
forget it every week. So many believers, weak believers, 
are brought into such consternation over passages like these, and 
it's not to be the case. Apostasy is not your garden variety 
sin. Apostasy is a willful rejection 
after having heard it of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
It is an open, vile repudiation of who Jesus is. It is to trample 
him underfoot. It is to insult the spirit of 
grace. And it is to count a common thing, 
the very blood of the covenant by which Jesus was sanctified. Now again, in the context, as 
Owen rightly points out, such were they who fell off from the 
gospel onto Judaism in those days. Don't forget the context. You've got a group of people 
that have heard the truth, a group of people that have confessed 
the truth, and a group of people have repudiated the truth by 
going back to the bulls and goats of old covenant worship. For 
us, it may not be that, but it may be this open avowal that 
we no longer want Christ. this open repudiation of the 
gospel and all things concerning the righteousness of Jesus, this 
trampling underfoot the Son of God, or insulting the Spirit 
of grace, or counting as a common thing the blood of the eternal 
covenant, is done by those who openly say, absolutely, positively, 
no, to the Lord Christ. It's not the reality that they 
are innocent people that are struggling with a particular 
sin, and the Lord God has shut them out or banished them. No, 
God invites those who are struggling with sin to come to him. Doesn't 
he? Doesn't Jesus say, come to me, 
all you who are weary and heavy laden, I will give you rest. 
Doesn't the Lord God give us those blessed privileges and 
promises in the scripture? I think all Christians should 
have those passages in their minds, in their hearts. You know, 
before the internet, before the internet, I'm not that old. I 
guess the internet was around in the nineties, but you know, 
some of us had to write, you know, like I was be looking for 
books and I'd have to write it all down on a piece of paper 
and put it in my wallet. There was no Amazon wishlist, 
right? That's a really good thing. But back in the day, it taught 
you to do certain disciplines like that. You write down some 
important things and put it in your wallet. I think there's 
texts that Christians ought to put in their wallets. Psalm 25, 
11 is one of them. Psalm 130, 3 and 4 is one of 
them. Matthew 11, 28 to 30 is one of 
them. And 1 John 1, 9 is certainly 
one of them. If we confess our sins, He is 
faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all 
unrighteousness. Brethren, the believer, the Christian, 
the one struggling with remaining corruption, is not an adversary 
of the Most High. It is the person described in 
Hebrews 10, verses 26 to 31. Now notice, the certain expectation 
associated with this sin in verse 27, but a certain fearful expectation 
of judgment and fiery indignation, which will devour the adversaries. I think this echoes or is an 
allusion to the prophet Isaiah chapter 26, 11. But again, it 
confirms the identity of apostasy as the sin in view. This adversarial 
language, you've got to get it out of your head, that if you 
are a believer struggling with remaining corruption, you're 
an adversary of God. The passage is not intended to 
condemn weak believers. The passage is intended to condemn 
apostates and warn weak believers from becoming such. The Geneva 
Bible, I think, is very helpful at this point. It says, For it 
is another matter to sin through the frailty of man's nature, 
and another thing to proclaim war, as it were, to God as an 
enemy. Doesn't Jesus deal that way in 
the garden of Gethsemane? I want you men, Peter, James, 
and John, to watch with me and pray. And what do they do? They 
sack out, they fall asleep, they saw logs. What's Jesus say to 
them? The spirit is willing, but the 
flesh is weak. He doesn't say, you adversaries, 
you wretches, you terrible people, I cannot believe it. He chides 
them to be sure, he wants them to stay awake to be sure, but 
he is akin to the father in Psalm 103.13. He pities us. He knows our frame. He knows 
that we're but dust. Weak believers are not condemned 
in Hebrews 10, 26 to 31. Open apostates are. Defectors 
are. Tramplers underfoot of the Son 
of God are. Those who count as common the 
blood of the eternal covenant are. Those who insult the spirit 
of grace, they're the ones condemned in this passage. Not you or I 
who are trying to confess our sins, forsake our sins, and find 
mercy from God. These people don't do that. They 
don't rejoice in Psalm 133 and 4, which says, If thou, O Lord, 
shouldst mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is 
forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared. They're not 
the Psalm 2511 man who says, Pardon my iniquities for your 
name's sake, O Lord, for they are great. The greatness of your 
sin ought to promote frequent access to the throne of grace. What an argument! Pardon my sin, 
for it is great. Don't we typically think, pardon 
my sin because I'm a good guy otherwise, pardon my sin because 
I'm really trying, pardon my sin because I don't know what 
else. All these reasons we proffer. 
For David, the issue is pardon my sins because they're great. If I don't have God to pardon 
my sin, I got nothing. In Psalm 116 or one of the 100s, 
it's escaped me now. What does the psalmist say? I 
love the Lord. Why? Because he's heard the voice 
of my supplications. Brethren, God does not treat 
us as adversaries when we come to him in faith. So that's the 
particular sin. It's willful, it's apostasy, 
and there is a certain expectation associated with it. And now notice 
the covenantal comparison made in verses 28 and 29. Verse 28, 
anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the 
testimony of two or three witnesses. I think the specific passage 
in view here is Deuteronomy 17, 2-7. And in Deuteronomy 17, 2-7, 
it's not a sin here or there that the person is guilty of. 
The language is conspicuous, and it says, transgression of 
the covenant. going after other gods. See, all throughout the Mosaic 
law, there is a place for sinners. All through the Mosaic law, there 
is a place for sin. The sacrificial system as a whole 
existed, why? So that sinful man could draw 
near to a holy God. It's built in the five books 
of Moses that men will sin, but God has provided a means for 
men who do sin and it's the sacrificial system, tabernacle, temple. But 
in Deuteronomy 17, 2-7, it is a transgression of the covenant, 
a repudiation of all that is God, and it's demonstrated in 
the fact that this person now goes after other gods. So you 
see, it's not the suffering, struggling saint in Leviticus 
that ate jackdaw. or ate something that he was 
forbidden. He had a shrimp. Well, you're 
done. It's out. You're over. You can't 
be in the covenant. You've eaten shellfish and you're 
now damned to hell. That's not the way the old covenant 
read. That's not the way the old covenant is structured. But 
a repudiation of the covenant, the transgression of the covenant, 
going after other gods, you have to see that that's a bit of a 
different thing than eating shrimp. Now, I'm not suggesting it was 
okay to eat shrimp. God said, don't eat shrimp. When 
God says, don't eat shrimp, don't eat shrimp. But it's not the 
same. There was atonement for the shrimp 
eater in the old covenant, but not for the one who transgressed 
the very covenant itself and the one who went a whoring after 
other gods. And that's what the author invokes 
here, Deuteronomy 17, 2-7. The issue is not breaking a specific 
command, but a rejection of the law as a whole. And then notice 
the greater penalty involved. Verse 29, he says, of how much 
worse punishment do you suppose will he be thought worthy of 
who has? And then it's trampled the Son 
of God underfoot. counted the blood of the covenant by which 
he was sanctified as a common thing, and insulted the spirit 
of grace. What's one of the main emphases 
in the book of Hebrews? It's to emphasize the superiority 
of Jesus. So what's the argument? You sin 
against Jesus, and the punishment that you will receive is far 
worse than what you would have received under Moses. Not that 
it was okay under Moses, but there's a worse punishment involved 
in having heard the word of the gospel and then openly renouncing 
and disavowing any connection to the Lord Jesus Christ whatsoever. 
There is greater punishment associated with rejecting greater light. And this is where we all ought 
to stand a bit afraid in light of this reality. We have a lot. That poor guy during the times 
of Moses that ate a shrimp didn't have the same light that we have. We have an abundance. Everybody 
here has a Bible, probably has two, three, four, five at home. We have sermon audio. I'm sure 
somebody out there knows how many sermons are actually posted. 
I mean, it's overwhelming to go to sermon audio, isn't it? 
Unless you know who you're looking for. It's one of those things, 
it's like, it's just too much. Like the cereal aisle at the 
grocery store, it's too much. I don't know what to pick. There's 
too many choices. There's too much good stuff in 
this aisle. The same thing with sermon audio. There's just a 
glut of information. We've got book publishers. We've 
got it now so that if you're too lazy to actually pick up 
a book and put it in your lap and read it, you've got a device 
that will read it to you. Come on, there is no excuse for 
biblical illiteracy in the 21st century. When we can put the 
earphones in and hear a man read to us the book of Romans. I still 
like picking up the Bible, I mean, it's so heavy. I'm just such 
a slugger and I can't move off my bed to be bothered. Can you 
reach over and grab your iPhone and plug it in your head? Well, 
that might be a stretch in the 21st century, I'm sure, but you 
get my point. We are the benefactors of great 
light. And in our particular tradition, 
the Reformed tradition, with our creeds and our confessions, 
there really is no excuse whatsoever to be illiterate with reference 
to the doctrine of justification, with reference to the identification 
of the sin of chapter 10, 26 to 31. So you see what the apostle's 
point is. If you did this in that society, 
you were put to death. There wasn't mercy. But how much 
worse punishment do you suppose there is for those who've heard 
the gospel, who make an open profession of the gospel, and 
then openly repudiate that gospel? Of course, there is a greater 
degree of punishment that will come upon that particular person. And then notice finally, the 
terrifying punishment proposed, verses 30 and 31. He says, 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. The vengeance 
of God. It's a terrifying concept, isn't 
it? It's terrifying. See, the adversaries 
will reap the vengeance of God. The weak believer won't. Why 
do you think God and his vengeance is gonna come out and get you 
if you confess your sin and you seek mercy from Christ? That's 
not an adversary, brethren. Adversaries don't pray. Adversaries 
don't read the Bible. Adversaries don't bemoan their 
sin. Adversaries don't recognize the 
conflict that exists vis-a-vis Galatians 5. The flesh lusts 
against the spirit, the spirit against the flesh. These are 
contrary to one another so that you don't do the things that 
you wish. The adversary doesn't care. The adversary lives as 
if there is no God. The adversary's already openly 
pronounced there is no God as far as he is concerned. But with 
reference to the people of God, we will not be subject to the 
vengeance of God. And you can thank the Lord Jesus 
Christ for that, because he took the vengeance of God that was 
due for us. He took the wrath and fury and 
the punishment of God that was due for us. He cried, my God, 
my God, why hast thou forsaken me so that you and I will never 
have to? We will not fall prey to the 
vengeance of God because God has expressed his vengeance in 
the person of his son. When the son went to the cross, 
bearing our sin, carrying our sin, the Lord God most high was 
pleased to bruise him. was pleased to crush him, according 
to the prophet Isaiah. But for the apostate, for the 
one who rejects, for the one who is identified in verses 26 
to 31, it is a terrifying judgment that awaits you. Notice, the 
backdrop is Deuteronomy chapter 32, 35 to 36. Now, if you're 
familiar with Deuteronomy 32, it's in the context of the covenant 
community. See, this sin isn't the sin of 
the pagan. Not to say the pagan isn't going to meet the vengeance 
of God. Not to say that the pagan isn't going to meet the terrifying 
judgment of God. He has to be sure. But this language, 
initially it was spoken to Israel in Deuteronomy 32. Those who 
have come close those who've made an outward profession, and 
then those who openly repudiate, those who openly reject. It's 
a sin that takes place among the professing people of God, 
both in the old covenant setting and here in the new covenant 
setting. But the apostle says, vengeance is mine, I will repay, 
says the Lord. And again, the Lord will judge 
his people. And then that final statement 
in verse 31, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands 
of the living God. Consider the contrast in the chapter. Go back 
to verse 19 in chapter 10. 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. Draw near to what? God. It's God. Who are we drawing 
near to? It's not nebulous and undefined. 
We're just gonna draw near. I mean, that's probably a post-modern 
thing now. We're just drawing near to what? 
Doesn't matter, we're drawing near. Kind of meet with this 
in the life of faith. Well, it doesn't matter what 
you believe in as long as you have faith. It absolutely positively 
does matter what you believe in. You can believe in that piano 
until the cows come home, but it ain't gonna save you. You 
need to believe the truth as it is in Jesus Christ. This drawing 
near is a blessed provision for the people of God because of 
this new and living way that has been inaugurated by the blood 
of Jesus Christ. We have access. Back to Hebrews 
4, we considered some of these passages earlier in the confession 
study, but in Hebrews chapter 4, notice what the apostle does 
there. Verse... 14, seeing then that 
we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, 
Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For 
we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize, notice, 
with our weaknesses. That doesn't just mean your physical 
inability to bench press 250. The weaknesses there are your 
sins, your remaining corruption, the reality that you are weak. He sympathizes with us. Do you 
understand that? He's omnipotent. He has compassion. 
He's a sympathetic Savior. He actually cares for us. Again, 
the echoes of Psalm 103 ought to ring in our ears. The Father 
pities us. He knows our frame. He knows 
that we're but dust, and therefore it evokes from the Father's heart 
pity towards His children. Well, here we have it in verse 
15. We do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our 
weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are yet without 
sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that 
we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. 
Brethren, our time of need is all the time. Our time of need 
is oftentimes instigated by the presence of sin. And so what 
the author is saying is in that time of need, when we've either, 
A, sinned, or we're about to sin, or we're tempted to sin, 
what are we supposed to do? I gotta go clean myself up from 
my sin, and then I can draw near to God? No, that's the devil's 
logic. Draw near to God, and He may 
give you the power to resist that sin. It's the interesting 
thing about the supper. You know, we have the Lord's 
Supper once a month, and sometimes I think people don't come to 
the service because they've sinned. It's especially designed for 
those who sin. Would we ever conclude this, 
I'm not gonna go see that hip surgeon, because he'll fix my 
hip. I'm not gonna go get that shot of penicillin because it'll 
cure my mallet. No, we don't do that. The supper 
isn't designed to be a reward for your good works. It's a reminder 
for the glorious works of our Lord Jesus Christ. Do this in 
remembrance of me. Now, if you are not dealing with 
your sin, you are openly profligate, you are not living with a conscience 
void of offense toward God and men, then obviously the warnings 
in 1 Corinthians 11 obtained, don't take. But if you're struggling, 
you're weak, you're agonizing, you're confessing, you're forsaking, 
you're saying with the apostle, the good that I wish to do, I 
don't do, the evil I don't wish to do, I find myself doing, the 
supper is for you. We don't pray because we've sinned. The emphasis of the scripture 
is you better pray because you've sinned. Go back to the father. Remember that bit in Jeremiah 
the prophet in chapters two and three, read that sometime in 
light of your own position before God. In Jeremiah chapter two, 
God, through the prophet, indicts the people. Why? Because they 
were wicked. They were terrible. They did 
horrible things. In fact, God is able to say to 
them, has a nation exchanged its gods for another? And yet 
my people do that. And then he says five times in 
chapter three, yet return to me, says the Lord. Yet return 
to me, says the Lord. Yet return to me, says the Lord. 
Do you know what the answer is when you sin against God? It's 
not to live at a distance from him. It's not to avoid him. It's 
not to say, well, you know, I've got to clean up. It's to go to 
Him. Isn't that the emphasis in our 
text, or here in 4.10? 4.16, let us therefore come boldly 
to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace 
to help in time of need. So that is the blessing of falling 
into the hands of the living God for the believer. There's 
no place we'd rather be, isn't there? Oh, that we could fall 
into the hands of the living God even more and more because 
he's so gracious, he's so glorious, he's so wonderful. In the language 
of the bride, with reference to the bridegroom in the Song 
of Solomon, he's what? He's altogether lovely and chief 
among 10,000. Who doesn't want to fall into his hands? But in 
terms of the apostate, it is a fearful thing to fall into 
the hands of the living God. That living God is going to send 
forth his vengeance, his judgment, and a worse punishment than that 
which was associated under the old covenant to those who have 
heard, those who've made an open profession of faith, and then 
those who have taken the apostates route and openly disavowed any 
interest in our Lord. Well, brethren, I want to make 
a few final thoughts and then we'll close. First, the connection 
the text assumes. There is no... haphazardness 
in the way that Paul has put this chapter together. In fact, 
if you look at verse 26, it starts with four. Four, if we sin willfully. That expresses a connection to 
what has preceded. And the connection is simply 
this. If you do not do what Paul says 
in verses 19 to 25, especially 22 to 24, this drawing near, 
this holding fast, this considering one another, that is the high 
road to the apostasy that is described in verses 26 to 31. 
In other words, it's God who keeps us, and God uses means 
by which He keeps us. And the means that God uses to 
keep us are the sorts of things that are indicated in verses 
22 to 24. Let us draw near. If we're not, we run the risk 
of apostasy. Let us hold fast. If we're not, 
we run the risk of apostasy. Let us consider one another in 
order to stir up love and good works. If we're not, we run the 
risk of apostasy. Does everybody see that connection? 
Because you have to. Because that's how verse 26 starts. For we willfully sin against 
God by reputing the sacrifice of Christ. That is demonstrated 
and manifested in the way that we despise the means that God 
has given. We're not saved because we draw 
near, we're not saved because we hold fast, and we're not saved 
because we consider one another, but these are the fruits of the 
consequences of us having been justified by faith. So if we 
are not engaged in these particular things, we run the risk of apostasy. In other words, brethren, come 
to church. In other words, brethren, stir one another up. In other 
words, brethren, be right with reference to sound doctrine and 
hold it fast. And in other words, brethren, 
draw near to God. He has bought this privilege 
for you through the blood of His own dear Son. Are we not 
going to use it? Are we not going to pray? We're 
not going to read? We're not going to come to the supper? 
We're not going to avail ourselves of the things that God has given 
to keep us from this sin of apostasy? See, apostasy doesn't just happen 
either. I doubt anybody wakes up on a 
Sunday morning and says, that's it, I'm done, it's over. No more 
for me. I'm not going to serve Jesus 
any longer. Now, that may happen, but typically 
it's persons that compromise. It's persons that don't draw 
near. It's persons that don't hold 
fast. It's persons that don't consider one another. It's persons 
who throw off the things that God has given that run the risk 
of apostasy. And this is the connection that 
the text assumes. Secondly, the warning the text 
communicates, the apostate willfully rejects the gospel. He's heard 
it. He's understood it. He's made 
a profession of it. but then he tramples underfoot 
the Son of God. The apostate places himself in 
a position that is beyond hope with reference to repentance. 
That's Hebrews chapter 6. It is impossible to renew them. 
The apostate ultimately makes God his enemy. The apostate ultimately 
makes himself the adversary of the living and true God and is 
therefore susceptible to the vengeance and the fury and the 
wrath of God Almighty. And the apostate is not only 
one who publicly repudiates Christ, which we might assume is always 
the case, the apostate's gonna stand up at a prayer meeting 
or on a Sunday and say, that's it, I'm done, it's over, I'm 
out. It could be sort of that open vociferous profession, but 
it could be a self-righteousness, it could be quieter, it could 
be a defection or a departure from the gospel that isn't necessarily 
visible to everyone around us. So we need to be aware that this 
text does communicate a very stern warning to the professing 
people of God. But I do want to highlight the 
comfort the text affords. I mentioned to the brethren in 
the last hour that I wanted to preach this tonight with reference 
to our Lord's Supper service, but I thought it'd be a bit of 
a hard sell to preach on apostasy for the Lord's Supper. I actually 
think if you follow the apostles' logic, If you connect the dots 
as to what he is saying, there's a great deal of comfort in this 
passage, isn't there? There's a great deal of encouragement 
in this passage. If you are not the person that 
is here in described, you ought to stand up and kick your heels 
together and say, praise Jehovah, from whom all good things flow. 
The lexical argument, that means the language of the text, adversaries. Christians are not adversaries 
against the living and true God. the contextual argument, the 
description of apostates in verse 29, those three particulars that 
are involved in apostasy, and the larger context of the book 
of Hebrews. The apostle is saying to those 
Jews who had professed faith in Jesus Christ, keep going forward 
to Zion. Keep going forward with Jesus. 
Don't go back to Levitical priesthood. Christ is superior to Moses. 
Christ is superior to Aaron. Christ is superior to that sacrificial 
system. Christ is the one to whom all 
those things pointed. So stay with Christ. Do not reject 
Christ. Do not repudiate Christ. And 
then of course, the larger biblical theological argument, David and 
Peter are in heaven. That ought to encourage us not 
to go out and commit adultery, not to go out and commit murder, 
and not to go and deny our Lord, but to realize that God's grace 
is powerful enough to even forgive that. See, we need to be reminded 
of that. And then there's a historical 
argument. You know, there are times when You know, a kid on 
the playground isn't taken seriously, so he brings his big brother. 
Well, I'm gonna bring my big brothers to bear on this particular 
subject of apostasy so that you'll understand this isn't an invention 
in my own head. John Owen says 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 power and excellency. You hear? That's what's in view. Not the 
person who sins tomorrow, goes to God, confesses, and forsakes 
it. Hebrews 6, John Owen again says, it must consist in a total 
renunciation of all the principles and doctrines of Christianity 
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 manifest a discourse 
concerning." In other words, it's not particular sins that 
God has afforded forgiveness for in and through the gospel 
of Jesus. And then John Calvin on Hebrews 
6, there is a twofold falling away, one particular and the 
other general. He who has in anything or in 
any ways offended has fallen away from his state as a Christian. 
Therefore all sins are so many fallings. Right? There is that 
general sense. He says, but 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. I mentioned to the brethren in 
Surrey last week that we live in a time where in our discourse, 
in popular discourse, if I were to say, I love apples, somebody 
today might say, well, why do you hate oranges? I don't hate 
oranges, I just love apples. So when Calvin mentions theft 
and perjury and drunkenness and murder, he's not saying go out 
and do those things, but what he is saying is that there is 
forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared. It's not the 
particular sins, but it is rather a renunciation of the gospel 
and the very sacrifice of Christ that that gospel communicates. Calvin on Hebrews 10, but Christ's 
sacrifice is efficacious to the godly even to death. I've already 
read this, though they often sin. John Gill on Hebrews 10 
says it intends a total apostasy from the truth against light 
and evidence joined with obstinacy. And then in his excellent commentary 
on the Heidelberg Catechism, Zacharias Ursinus. In his discussion 
of church discipline, he says, an apostate is not one who occasionally 
or even often offends in doctrine in life and repents again of 
his sin, but is such and one who, being convicted of error 
and open wickedness, is still unwilling to abandon his sins 
and to renounce his errors. There is an obstinacy involved 
in apostasy that the garden variety saint, who is seeking to deal 
with his or her sin each and every day, doesn't have. If you 
don't see that, we can talk later. I can try to convince you more, 
because you need to understand the blood of Jesus Christ, His 
Son, does cleanse us from all sin. The gospel speaks to believers 
even in their remaining corruption. The gospel speaks to believers 
in the real language of the Apostle Paul in Romans 7 and Galatians 
5. In the real language of our confession 
of faith. In chapter 17 at paragraph 3. 
And though they may, 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 grievous spirit, come to have their graces 
and comforts impaired, have their hearts hardened, and their consciences 
wounded, hurt, and scandalize others, and bring temporal judgments 
upon themselves, yet they shall renew their repentance and be 
preserved through faith in Christ Jesus to the end. Brethren and 
son, please recognize the difference between a weak saint and an open 
enemy of the gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If 
you are in the former category, then do not let 10, 26 to 31, 
nor Hebrews 6, cause you to fall to pieces. Understand that there are persons 
running the risk of these things, and certainly pray for them. 
But as one who is seeking, by God's grace, each and every day, 
to maintain a conscience void of offense toward God and man, 
be encouraged, be helped, be blessed, and be strengthened. 
And if you are not a believer here this morning, again, doesn't 
necessarily mean you're an apostate. But do not continue in this trajectory. Do not continue living at a distance 
from the prophet of mercy. Do not continue to live at arm's 
length from the living and true God. He bids men come all over 
scripture. It's not one place here or there 
where the God of heaven and earth. says to sinners to come. It's 
all throughout. In fact, God comes to sinners 
beginning in Genesis chapter three. God comes to sinners in 
Genesis chapter 12. God comes to sinners all throughout 
the Psalter and the prophets. God comes to sinners in the person 
and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. That one said, my mission, 
my purpose, my meat is to do the will of Him who sent me in 
terms of His obedience to the Father. He says on the occasion 
of Zacchaeus' salvation, He has come to seek and to save that 
which was lost. Do not reject it, do not repudiate 
it, but rather believe on Him in whom there is salvation. Well, 
let us pray. Our Father, we thank You for 
Your Word. We thank You for this passage of Holy Scripture. And 
while on the one hand it is