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welcome to everyone it's good to be back in the house of God on this Lord's Day evening just a reminder about that service on April 30th so that will be here it'll be at 4 P.M it'll be similar to when we ordained Ryan maljar so the people from Surrey will come here Pastor Kirkpatrick will be preaching that evening and then afterwards there'll be a time of food and fellowships so you'll be hopefully notified about what to bring and then the people from Surrey will bring food as well so mark that on your calendar should be a good time to continue to encourage that relationship that we have with our church plant well for our call to worship this evening you can turn to the prophet Isaiah Isaiah chapter 53. ah Isaiah 53 there are four servant songs of the Lord in the prophet Isaiah this is the last one this deals with the substitutionary atoning death of our Lord Jesus Christ on behalf of his people so beginning in Isaiah 53 at verse 1 who has believed our report and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed for he shall grow up before him as a tender plant and as a root out of dry ground he has no form or comeliness and when we see him there is no beauty that we should desire him he is despised and rejected by Men A Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief and we hid as it were our faces from him he was despised and we did not esteem him surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows yet we esteemed him stricken Smitten by God and Afflicted but he was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement for our peace was upon him and by his stripes we are healed all we like sheep have gone astray we have turned everyone to his own way and the lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all he was oppressed and he was afflicted yet he opened not his mouth he was led as a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheet before it shearers is silent so he opened not his mouth he was taken from prison and from judgment and who will declare his generation for he was cut off from the land of the living for the transgressions of my people he was stricken and they made his grave with the wicked but with the rich at his death because he had done no violence nor was any deceit in his mouth yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him he has put him to grief when you make his soul an offering for sin he shall see his seed he shall prolong his days and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand he shall see the labor of his soul and be satisfied by his knowledge my righteous servant shall justify many for he shall bear their iniquities therefore I will divide him a portion with the great and he shall divide the spoil with the strong because he poured out his soul unto death and was numb and he was numbered with the transgressors and he bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors amen well please turn with me in your hymn books to number 166 hymn number 166 will stand as we sing together [Music] [Applause] [Music] Jesus Christ [Music] [Applause] Glory my life before [Music] let us pray our blessed God and Father we thank you for this day we thank you for the privilege to gather in the house of God to worship the most high we praise you father Son and Holy Spirit For Your Glory and your majesty and your power we thank you for the works of creation and Providence that demonstrate your wisdom and your power and your goodness we praise you for your work of redemption that displays that goodness particularly in your grace and in your mercy we thank you for the life and the death and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ we thank you that he came so that we might have everlasting life and have it abundantly we thank you so very much that you have blessed us richly with every spiritual blessing in the Heavenly places in Christ and we give all glory and honor unto you we acknowledge as well most high that you are from Everlasting to Everlasting there is no shadow of turning there's no variation with you you are glorious and wondrous and worthy to be great praised as the prophet and as the Apostle asked who would not fear theeel King of the Nations for indeed it is thy do we know as a result of sin our fallen Adam man doesn't seek you there is no fear of God before their eyes so we thank you for your grace that taught our heart to fear we thank you for your grace that brought us out of Darkness into marvelous light that conveyed upon us everlasting life and even now as we consider these truths as we think in a few moments concerning the word of God and the the the blessedness of our blood of our savior and the ordinance of the supper May our hearts be drawn out into into worship we ask that you would forgive us for all of our sin and unrighteousness we pray that you would cleanse Us in that precious blood as John says you your blood the blood of Jesus Christ your son purifies us from all sin and we rejoice in that as well God we pray for those who are dead in their trespasses and sins here and elsewhere unto the sound of the Gospel may they by the power of the Holy Spirit hear the voice of the Son of God may they hear the voice of the Good Shepherd and may they by Grace be leave on hand for salvation we thank you for our local church here we thank you for all of the brothers and the sisters we pray that your name would be hallowed amongst us we pray that your kingdom of Grace and Glory would come upon us and we pray that you would help us to do your will to glorify your name and to let our conduct be worthy of your gospel as well God we pray for those who are unable to be with us we pray for those who have ongoing physical challenges and hardships and difficulties we know that you not only tend to the Inner Man you tend to the outer man as well and God I pray that they would be encouraged at this momentary light Affliction will give way to an eternal weight of Glory that they would Ponder and consider the blessedness of Emmanuel's land when these self-sane bodies arise from the grave but with different qualities fitted and able to to worship and serve you World Without End Amen and God made us encourage all of us may build us all up spiritually we may not have the physical chronic pain but we've got the the challenges associated with life in a fallen World there are many Temptations and many sins that that confront us and that we unfortunately pursue so God help us by your grace and by the power of your spirit and keep us and cause us to be faithful and to persevere and to be steadfast to hold fast our confession of faith we pray for the churches here in Chilliwack we thank you that we're not alone we thank you for those men that are proclaiming the truth as it is in Jesus we pray that you would bless these brothers and use them for your glory and the extension of Christ's kingdom here in this part of the world we pray throughout this nation we pray that gospel preaching would go forth and that you would be merciful to sinners in Canada that you would call Sinners unto yourself through the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ we pray for the persecuted Church church we know there are many countries many peoples that are that are are plagued by Godless governments and Godless men in other religions and we read about them and our hearts go out to them but we are nevertheless thankful that they continue to shine as lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation and that they have that boldness and courage to hold forth your word of Truth we pray for those Brothers in Bangladesh that you would uphold them give Grace to them cause them to be able to handle the word of God accurately and to bring glory to you we pray for our brother naphtally and in eldoret Kenya we thank you for his faithfulness and his ministry there pray God that you would continue to bless him and bless him as he seeks to train other Faithful Men that they may be able to hold forth the word of Truth as well we pray for Peter and Myanmar we know this brother has much work upon his shoulders many difficulties that he has to face and we pray that you would continue to enable him and Empower him to go forward in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit we thank you for our sister Church in Surrey and in Armstrong and in Dryden we thank you for the brethren in Honduras and we just pray that wherever your people gather together you would be there in the midst of them encouraging their hearts bringing grace and mercy to Bear upon each one and be glorified in the congregations and we ask this through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen well you can turn with me again in your hymn books to 202 -202 will stand as we sing together [Music] [Applause] foreign [Music] yeah baby eyes [Music] please please [Applause] oh now we're not ready [Music] foreign [Music] well you can turn with me in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews chapter 10 for our meditation tonight before the supper Hebrews chapter 10 our Focus will be on verses 26 to 31 it's a warning against apostasy at first glance it might seem an odd choice of a passage relative to our Lord's Supper but I think if the believer understands what the Apostle is saying here affords great comfort there is that tendency in the people of God to fear that they've committed the unpardonable sin or they've engaged in uh sort of a sin or practice in which there is no recovery again when you look at this passage or when we unfold this passage I think you'll conclude that the people guilty aren't afraid that they've committed the unpardonable set they're not the sorts of people that have sensitive consciences and who oftentimes bemoan their sin they're the sort of people that have repudiated outright the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ so there is a a wonderful encouragement in a proper understanding of verses 26 to 31 but I do want to read beginning in verse 19 and read to the end of the chapter 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 as 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 hits that page just particularly beginning in verse 26 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 or 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 enduring possession and rather 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've 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 will let us pray Our Father we thank you for your word we thank you for the fact that you have given it to us that it is truth that it abides forever we thank you that the spirit has called us not only to read and study but to preach that word so give us ears to hear and hearts to receive it even now and may it afford great encouragement to your people and may you build us up in our Most Holy Faith as well may we glean the warning and may we take from it that that which the Apostle intends in terms of those who are perhaps are are tempted to to go back in terms of Redemptive history we just pray now for your blessing we pray again for the Forgiveness of our sin and we ask now that you would be glorified and we pray through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen now this message was supposed to be connected to this morning's message so if you go back to just a moment to John chapter 10. John chapter 10 in our study in the Good Shepherd discourse we stopped at verse 18. but in verse 19 we find that there was a division based on the sayings of Our Lord his teaching concerning being the Good Shepherd promoted that Schism or division that we've seen in John's gospel and notice what one group responded with verse 20. many of them said he has a demon and is mad why do you listen to him again this is the religious leadership the same religious leadership that Jesus condemns in Matthew's gospel you can turn there Matthew chapter 12 specifically at verses 31 and 32 the sin against the Holy Ghost so in Matthew chapter 12 verses 31 and 32 the Lord Christ says therefore I say to you every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven man but the blasphemy against the spirit will not be forgiven men anyone who speaks a word against the son of man it will be forgiven him but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit it will not be forgiven him either in this age or in the age to come so my intent this morning and God willing when we come back to John's gospel is to see that in chapter 10 verse 20 they were guilty they had committed the unpardonable said they had seen the power of Jesus Christ in their midst they had seen the glory of Jesus Christ in their midst and they reject it they despise it they repudiate it and then they blaspheme him and say that he has a demon and that he's mad again when it comes to this sin against the Holy Ghost the people who have committed it don't care they don't ask the question have I committed it they don't weep over it they don't concern themselves about it and when we come to the book of Hebrews specifically here in chapter 10 verses 26 to 31 and then again in Hebrews chapter 6 we see the sin of apostasy and it's just like it the sin against the Holy Spirit the sin against the glory of God a repudiation of the truth as it is in Jesus when we look at verses 26 to 31 we ought to appreciate two things first the nature of the sin of apostasy we'll see that in verses 26 and 27 and then in verse 29 B and then secondly the Judgment of God against the sin of apostasy in verses 28 to 30. so let's look first at the nature of the sin of apostasy and notice the willfulness of it verse 26 for if we sin willfully now every sin that we engage in is willful to one degree or another it's not that anybody puts a gun to our head and calls us to engage in a lustful thought it's not like there's some Divine coercion that comes upon us that makes us go into a bank and Rob it it's not like there's something outside of ourselves that that forces us to engage in fraud on our tax returns so there is a willfulness to be sure about the sins that the people of God commit we see that treated in Romans 7 and in Galatians chapter 5. it is the doctrine of remaining corruption in other words when a man is Born Again by the power of the Holy Spirit he's a new creature all things are new there is nevertheless remaining corruption in him there will never be a time on this side of Heaven in which we achieve Perfection there'll always be a degree of remaining sin again the Apostle treats that and we could argue that when we engage in that remaining corruption again we do so willfully but this willfulness needs to be conditioned by the context in which we find it so this particular sin cannot be those sins that are dealt with by our Lord Jesus Christ look back to Hebrews chapter 2 Hebrews chapter 2 to see what Christ does in terms of our said so in Hebrews 2 17 therefore in all things he had to be made like his Brethren that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God to make propitiation for the sins of the people Christ makes propitiation for the sins of the people look at Hebrews chapter 7 Hebrews chapter 7 specifically at verse 25 therefore he is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through him since he always lives to make intercession for that so whatever the sin is in view in chapter 10 verse 26 it cannot be those sins that are dealt with by Christ neither can it be those sins by which or of which we confess to God and find forgiveness first John 1 9 if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness my little children I write these things so that you may not said but if anyone does sin we have an advocate with the father even Jesus Christ the righteous so whatever the sin and view in chapter 10 verse 26 is it cannot be those things that Christ dealt with cannot be those sins that we have confessed and found forgiveness with God from as while it cannot be those sudden and surprising sins that God's children sometimes commit Saint Peter think denial of his savior think denial of his master Brethren Peter is in heaven his sin was not unto death his sin was not to the place where he was rejected ultimately by the Savior as well it cannot be large and vile sense think of David David According to second Samuel chapter 11 and 12 committed the sin of adultery and he covered that sin by conspiracy to murder which made him guilty of the sin or crime of murder David himself is in heaven he rejoices in the Forgiveness of sins in Psalm 32. he rejoices in the Forgiveness of sins in Psalm 130 verses 3 and 4 4 if thou Lord should Mark iniquity O Lord who could stand but there is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be fear so when it comes to this Hebrews 10 26 to 31 sin this willful sin it cannot be those things dealt with by Christ it cannot be those sins forgiven by God it cannot be those sudden things that come upon Believers in certain times like Peter and it can't even be the great big benchmarks Benchmark sins that that David committed now notice as you move through verse 26 the person's involved after we have received the knowledge of the truth for if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth so whatever's in view here can't be symptomatic of the Pagan or the Heathen the person in the bush that never heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ Our Lord so not everybody out there who's not a believer in Christ is necessarily an apostate the apostate Must Fall prey or must uh fall into this particular description so what this is predicated of is that the one guilty of this sin makes an outward profession of faith in the gospel they've heard the truth they've looked like they've received the truth they look like they've confessed the truth 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 them the public profession of it so again not your garden variety unbeliever or the Heathen that hasn't received the knowledge of the truth this is case specific this is persons within the context of the professing church they receive the knowledge of the truth they look like they embrace the knowledge of the truth but then they go on to repudiate or reject that knowledge of the truth the one guilty of this sin is identified in Hebrews 6. you can go back there for just a moment let's read Verses 4 and 5. 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 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 it's a particular class of persons that are in view in this Sac shed notice back in Hebrews 10 26 the finality involved so you see that willfulness involved you see the persons involved but then the finality involved in verse 26 see there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins so for the person guilty of this particular sin or this apostasy there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins in other words there's no hope for him it is impossible to renew him unto repentance now again before you say well that doesn't sound fair that seems pretty pretty unjust I mean this man is is weeping he's sad he's he's hurting and he wants nothing more than repentance no the man who is guilty of this sin does not have that he does not have sorrow he does not have repentance he does not have a sensitive conscience he has no desire whatsoever for the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ this isn't the sensitive Saint who's having trouble with remaining corruption during the week and cries out to God for forgiveness and who cries out to God for strength to resist that Temptation that's simply not the sinner in view in Hebrews 10. it is an apostate the sin in view has specific reference to Christ and his sacrifice the sin and view cannot be atoned for by the once for all sacrifice of Christ because the sin and view is an utter rejection of that once for all sacrifice it is a repudiation dropping down it is a trampling of the Son of God Under Foot it is crucifying a new you the Son of God according to Hebrews chapter 6 listen to John Calvin and later on in the sermon at the time of application there's going to be a historical argument and basically I'm just going to suggest we listen to the brothers that have gone before us and who have commented on scripture and men who have thought through scripture theologically exegetically it is good to reflect upon the gifts given by Christ to his church and I want to cite Calvin I want to cite Owen or sinus and Gill concerning this particular set but for right now listen to John Calvin in his comment on this he says Christ's sacrifice is efficacious to The Godly even to death though they often sin nay it retains ever its efficacy for this very reason because they cannot be free from sin as long as they dwell in the flesh the Apostle then refers to those alone who wickedly forsake Christ and thus destroy themselves of the benefit of his death so this is the people this is the person in view now the identification of the sin comes out in verses 27 and 29. look at verse 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment and fiery indignation which will devour notice the adversaries the believer in Jesus Christ is not an adversary of God the unconverted there's a sense where God has enmity or wrath toward the unconverted in general but this particular individual has heard the word he's made some external profession of that word and then he has repudiated that word to the point where he has set himself against the god of Heaven and Earth now brethren in the scriptures you will see that Christians are referred to in ways like like sheep and again that's not uh accommodation sheep aren't brilliant she sheep are pretty ignorant so we're likened unto sheep we are called dinners in James 4 I know MacArthur thinks that the New Testament doesn't call Christian Sinners I think he's wrong I think it does call us that this idea of remaining corruption there is the reality that we're prone to wander and prone to leave the god that we love but we're not adversaries we are not enemies of God most high and he is not our enemy when you go out and sin this week and I'm not saying this to encourage you to go out and sin this week but realize that there is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared if we confess our sins he's faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness we don't put ourselves in the camp of the adversary of God most high for the remaining corruption that is in us that is simply untenable in light of the entirety of God's holy word so the particular sins or Sinners here are adversaries they are opposed they are contrary they are hostile well to the word of God to the gospel of our salvation and then notice he gives a three-fold description of these apostates in verse 29. he tells us three things that they do notice the apostate tramples the Son of God underfoot the apostate has counted the blood of the of the Covenant as a common thing and the apostate has insulted the spirit of Grace so those are three things that describe the apostate again this isn't you on Wednesday bemoaning the reality that you've got remaining corruption this man doesn't bemoan that this man doesn't not just men women can commit this sin as well but they don't have this sorrow their conscience is not penetrated they don't have any concern whatsoever they are open rejecters and despisers of the crossword of our Lord Jesus Christ so let's look at those the apostate has trampled the Son of God Under Foot turn back to Hebrews chapter 6. you see the same language employed by the Apostle there in a similar context Hebrews 6 6 if they fall away to renew them again to repentance since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God and put him to an open shame same idea in Hebrews 10 29 of how much worse punishment do you suppose will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot so you see where this particular sin this particular apostasy has sort of its focal point it is a rejection of the cross of Jesus it is a repudiation of the means by which God has purpose to save his people from their sins it is to understand it it is to not along with it at least for a time and then to come to the place where no more I'm done I want nothing to do with this Jesus I want nothing to do with his sacrifice now Brethren if you're thinking in terms of the contacts what particular Temptation might have been facing the original audience when the Apostle writes this concerning apostasy well it's the levitical sister it's the temple that's still standing it's the sacrificial system that's still in play so what is it for someone to to confess faith in Jesus Christ and then come to a place because of societal pressure familial pressure job threat or the threat of of a job loss you need to come back to Moses you need to come back to the temple you need to go back with your sacrifice to the priest it is a rejection of the once for all sacrifice of our blessed savior in fact Owen notes that the two things primarily renounced here are the blood of Christ and the spirit of Grace he goes on to say such were they who fell off from the gospel unto Judaism in those days it's very important that you keep that in your mind Hebrews is written at a time prior to the destruction of the temple the temple is standing the temple is still engaging with the pre priesthood in the sacrificial system and all that stuff so a first century Jew that confessed Jesus as Lord and Savior no doubt came under pressure no doubt came under some some degree of coercion some degree of uh of of badgering you need to forsake this Jesus of Nazareth and you need to come back with us to the temple collect your bull bring it to the temple and offer it up through the priest to Yahweh that would be to repudiate what Christ has done and it would be to crucify Anew or afresh the Lord Of Glory or to trample Under Foot the Son of God now notice secondly the apostate has counted the blood of the Covenant as a common thing now notice in that next clause so it says who has trampled the Son of God underfoot counted the blood of the Covenant by which he was Sanctified a common thing now the typical interpretation is is that the he here it's not a capital H so that refers to the person in other words the person was Sanctified by the blood of the Covenant sounds like he's saved sounds like the real deal sounds like he had it but then he lost it I want to suggest that the he here is Jesus it's not the person notice again count at the blood of the Covenant by which he Jesus was Sanctified a common thing Jesus was set apart or Sanctified to function as a priest and as a priest who is not only the offerer but the offering Jesus functions in that particular capacity John 17 in verse 19 in the high Priestly prayer of Our Lord amen tensions or he references this reality 1719 and for their sakes I sanctify myself that they also might may be Sanctified by the truth and then in Hebrews chapter 9 specifically at verses 11 and 12. Hebrews chapter 9 verses 11 and 12 that Christ came as high priest of the good things to come with the greater and more perfect Tabernacle not made with hands that is not of this creation not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own blood he entered the most holy Place once for all having obtained Eternal Redemption the he in our passage is Jesus it is a repudiation he tramples the Son of God underfoot he counts the blood of the Covenant by which Jesus was Sanctified as a common thing that doesn't deserve or demand my attention and then thirdly notice he insults the spirit of Grace so you see there is this opposition to the second and third person of the Triune in God there is this blasphemy against the Holy Ghost there is this forsaking and rejecting of the Lord Christ in his person and in his offices it is a repudiation it's not remaining corruption over which a sensitive Saint or any saint is sorrowful and repentant this is the kind of sin that says I see what God has provided but I also feel the pressure that family is placing upon me so I'm going to reject Jesus I'm going to go back to Moses and I'm going to do my thing that is to defect that is to fall away that is to apostatize and that is what happens in this particular instance Owen says it is Christ himself that is spoken of who is Sanctified and dedicated unto God to be an eternal high priest by the blood of the Covenant which he offered unto God as well with reference to this insult of the spirit of Grace the holy spirit is referred to in other warnings there's several warning passages in the book of Hebrews and in a few of them the spirit is specifically dementia so again when we compare this with Matthew 12 31 and 32 the sin against the Holy Ghost the unpardonable said it is to reject our blessed God it is to repudiate the means by which he has purpose to save his people from their sins I like what burkhoff says he says it is not so much a sin 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 so it's not just one comment here or there but as I said it is a rejection of the office of the Holy Spirit whose purpose it is to shine the light upon the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ so the sin in 10 26 to 31 the sin in six four to six the sin in Matthew 12 31-32 is not the saint who's struggling with remaining corruption but typically those are the persons who get affected when sermons like these are preached now I don't want to tell you when and when not to be affected under preaching but I do want to suggest that the person guilty of this is probably not here the person that is guilty of this probably has no desire whatsoever to be in a church to be in a place that celebrates the once for all offering of our blessed savior that person is gone that person is an adversary that person has consigned himself as it were in opposition to God most high now Brethren I should say we don't know who apostates are we don't know as long as there is breath in a person's lungs as far as we can tell there is hope for them they don't wear an a they don't have some you know Pitchfork and horns sticking out of their head to sort of identify themselves as apostates we don't know but God knows but as far as we're concerned we preach the gospel indiscriminately to every creature and call upon them to believe the gospel and promise with absolute certainty that those who believe will be saved it is a Most Blessed blessed emphasis Our God tells us to be faithful in proclaiming the truth in calling Sinners to believe that truth and we trust in God to deal with the application we trust in God to deal with the Salvation or the rejection as he deems fit so we don't know who the apostate all is we we use that word sort of casually from time to time we use it like we do heretic well heretic is a very strong powerful work and heresy is not a heretic is not something that an individual should should you know label should be a an ecclesiastical sort of deliberation but with reference to apostate it's the same sort of a thing just because somebody's not a Believer or somebody's a heathen that hasn't heard the knowledge of the truth doesn't necessarily include them in this unpardonable sin or make them an adversary in this particular way and then notice as well what he says in verse 27 we bypass much of it just to deal with the word adversaries but notice but a certain fearful expectation of judgment and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries so with the believer there is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be fear it's not the case with the believer that you are an adversary of God most high and he is going to destroy you that's the way we typically respond to passages like these the Geneva Bible makes this observation they say 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 that makes sense doesn't it it's one thing to send through the Frailty of man's nature it's another thing to Proclaim War as it were to God as an enemy guess which one the Apostle is dealing with he's not dealing with the Frailty of our nature he's not dealing with those sins propitiated by the blood of Jesus in Hebrews 2 17. he's not dealing with that salvation to the uttermost of Hebrews 7 25. he is dealing with the person who at least looks like they've received the word of Truth they've confessed the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior but they have gotten to the point where they have made themselves adversaries against the true and the Living God they don't sing prone to wander prone to leave the God I love with a tear streaming down their face they don't think about those things they despise those things they reject those things and in the language of the Apostle Paul In this passage they uh trample the son of God Under Foot so that's the nature of the sin of apostasy notice quickly secondly the Judgment of God against the sin of apostasy note this covenantal comparison the punishment in the old Covenant verse 28 anyone who has rejected Moses law dies without Mercy on the testimony of two or three Witnesses I think the backdrop here is Deuteronomy 17 verses 2 to 7. again there in context it's a repudiation a rejection of Yahweh it was an act of treason in the old uh old Covenant Covenant Commonwealth of Israel to repudiate Yahweh was religious in nature but it was also civil in terms of its application to repudiate Yahweh was to engage in treachery and treason against the Civil State well of course on the basis of two or three Witnesses they would be executed they would be punished with death because that was in fact a capital offense but then notice the penalty in the New Covenant of how much worse punishment you think that old Covenant Israel was was tough It's a walk in the park compared to the New Covenant in terms of a repudiation and a rejection of our Lord Jesus Christ so I don't want to minimize the warning aspect either I want the saint of Christ to be encouraged to identify that no I haven't engaged in making myself an adversary of the living and true God but also we ought to take notice that this was happening in the first century it's happened in centuries since then and it will probably continue to happen in perpetuity there is that reality where persons come under the sound of the gospel for a time they make a profession and then they fall away now hopefully passages like this will promote fear in the hearts of God's people so that they will not do that so that they will not depart so that they will not defect so that they will not let go of their faith or let go of their hold on our Lord Jesus Christ so now notice in verse 29 of how much worse punishment do you suppose will he be thought worthy of worthy and then he mentions those three things and then notice dropping down to that reality of the justice of God in both covenants in verses 30 and 31 for we know him who said vengeance is mine I will repay says the Lord we know this right the person that commits this particular sin again he's not ignorant he's not some root that just fell off the turnip boat and said wow what's what's this religion of Jesus he knows who the god of Israel is he knows God as he's revealed in the New Testament he knows that it's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a living God and yet in light of all that in spite of all that he counts himself or remakes himself an adversary of that particular God now this act of Vengeance I think Gil gets it right Vengeance belongs to God not as to the affection as if there was any such passion in him but as to the effect there being that produced by him which answers to the effect of such a passion among men namely punishment so he cites or invokes this statement we know him who said vengeance is mine I will repay says the Lord and again the Lord will judge his people and then the consideration of his judgment in verse 31 it is a fearful thing to fall under the hands of the Living God look at the way that this is sort of a book and to what was said positively in verses 19 to 22 20 19 to 25. notice in 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 in full Assurance of Faith so in verses 19 to 22 we see the blessedness of the people of God in terms of the presence of God we can draw an eye we can enter in we have access we have boldness to access his presence through the blood of the Covenant of our Lord Jesus Christ that's a good thing but then notice in verse 31 it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God the curse of the presence of God for the apostate when it comes to hell when it comes to destruction it's not as if God is not present we saw that this morning we touched on that a little bit in our study in the confession chapter 31. it's not that hell has no presence of of God it just has no presence of the goodness of God God is present God is the one who sustains it God is the one who punishes people there so it's a blessed day for the people of God to fall into the hands of the Living God it is a most horrific thing for the apostate to fall into the hand of the Living God there is blessing and benefit and and joy for the believer and there is curse and and and and punishment for the unbeliever so hopefully as we move our way through this text you get the jest or you get the drift that he's not dealing with the remaining corruption in the hearts of God's people I take it that Paul wrote Hebrews so Paul wrote Romans 7 Paul writes or wrote Galatians 5. he understands remaining corruption he understands it in his own heart he understands it in his own experience he understands it in his own life and as well he understands stands that that's not what's in view in Hebrews 6 and in Hebrews 10. so in conclusions a couple of things first the connection the text assumes notice how verse 26 starts four that's an argument or a a reason or some sort of a proof or inference or or implication well it's an implication or an inference from what precedes it in the preceding section so there is this close connection between verses 19 to 25 to verses 26 to 31. there are three exhortations given in verses 19 to 25. notice draw near verse 22 hold fast verse 23 and consider one another verse 24. now he's not saying this is what you must do in order to be saved no he's come to deal practically with what God's people now have in and through our Lord Jesus Christ notice that verse 19. that's a therefore it comes on the heels of a long discussion of the Priestly office of our Lord Jesus Christ based on what he's done based on the giving of his own life based on his resurrection from the dead based on the superiority of the New Covenant based on the Promises involved in the New Covenant based on the better hope afforded by the New Covenant you are saved by grace through faith in Jesus therefore therefore just like he does in Romans chapter 12 after explaining the gospel in chapters 1 to 11 he comes with a therefore in he uh Romans 12 1 and following this is practical application so the justified by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone believer now has the ability now has the power because God has granted it to him to draw near to hold fast and to consider one another this is not how we are saved this is a result of us having been saved now to reject those the Drawing Near The holding fast and the considering one another is to give evidence that there's no justifying faith in your heart if there is justifying faith in your heart you'll do these things these are exhortations you'll embrace you won't whine you won't cry you won't say I don't want to assemble with the people of God even as as the day is approached no you want to go to the house of the Lord you want to draw near into the presence of God you want to hold fast that confession of Faith you want to do this because you've been Justified freely by God's grace now I think the implication that we ought to derive is that if you are justified by faith and you are not doing these exhortations you put yourself in a precarious position in other words it may demonstrate or indicate that there is no justifying faith we know the tree by the fruit that it produces we know the uh saved sinner because he draws near he holds fast he considers one another he attends the means of Grace as God's ordained for his benefit and blessing so if these things are lacking or these things are wanting or these things are absent guess what might be the inevitable outcome apostasy declension of Falling Away okay I'm making yourself an adversary and I don't think Paul's doing this in a manipulative or a passive aggressive way there is just this connection if you don't live according to your confession of faith it may ultimately betray your confession of faith is spurious it's false it's not the real deal so there is this close connection assumed by the Apostle between verses 19 and 20 to 25 and 20 to uh I'm sorry in 26 to 31. in short if you don't fulfill or you don't carry out or you don't engage in these exhortations it might indicate you don't have justifying faith and if you don't have justifying faith you're an unbeliever but you may set yourself up to become an apostate to engage in that sort of adversarial conduct wherein you see God as an enemy secondly the warning the tax communicates the apostate willfully rejects the truth of the Gospel the Apostle apostate willfully rejects the truth of the Gospel again there's no gun to his head there's no coercion but he willfully does that there might be some external pressure there might be friends and family there might be the threat of job loss there might be the threat of imprisonment there might be the threat of martyrdom there might be those things the apostate and the final analysis willfully chooses to side against Jesus now the he he doesn't fear that he has committed this sin like believers do as well the apostate places himself in a position where repentance is impossible again he has no desire for it he doesn't want to repent every believer I've ever talked to that is sorrowful over his or her sin they want to repent they want to forsake they want to be holy they want to glorify God now that's abs and flows too there's no formula in the Christian life where we're all you know operating on on the cylinders all the you know all eight cylinders all the time no we've got the ebb and flow of the Christian life but the true child of God's Sorrows over their sin against the Lord most high the apostate doesn't there's no desire for repentance as well the apostate makes God his enemy and will be dealt with according to Justice by the almighty Believers can't I mentioned Romans 8 39 this morning there is nothing that shall separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our lord and then I would suggest the apostate as not only one who publicly repudiates Christ there's this sort of open rejection of the Cross but also one who privately repudiates Christ in his self-righteousness isn't self-righteousness if not a apostasy dangerously close on the precipice dancing around it self-righteousness when I think that I'm good I'm okay never done anything really bad I have every hope in myself that I'm going to enter into heaven isn't that to repudiate the very cross work of our Lord Jesus Christ Paul says in Galatians 2 21 I I do not know if I do not set apart the grace of God for if righteousness comes to the law then Christ died in vain I think Paul makes that close connection between a self-righteousness and a repudiation of the crosswork of our blessed savior so it's not just the guy standing out on the street corner with a sign that says Christianity is bad Christianity is wrong I want to trample the son of God underfoot it could be the person percent that has heard it made a profession but then turned back to their own Works their own law keeping their own righteousness in a repudiation of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus thirdly the Comfort the tax defords the text speaks specifically to apostasy several arguments here first the lexical the word adversaries again you've got to get around verse 27 to try and explain how this is true of the people of God they are adversaries they are in opposition to they are hostile toward God secondly the contextual argument the description of apostates in verse 29 and the larger concern of the book itself Hebrew Christians tempted to renounce Christ and go back to the old Covenant to go backwards in Redemptive history we have the once for all sacrifice we have everything that God has provided in and through our lord Jesus but uh we're not going to do that we're going to go back to the the temple we're going to bring our goat we're going to hand it cut its throat hand it to the priest and let him do his thing as well the biblical argument brethren in terms of persons that have entered into Heaven by the redeeming power and work of our Lord Jesus Christ we've got three pretty solid evidences that there is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be fear I mentioned David David sinned horrifically against God David did horrible things against God typically if you ever evangelize you ever ask somebody do you think you're going to go to heaven if they're not you know Christians or they're you know have some semblance of you know normalcy they say yeah I think I'm going to go most people you know at least outside you know certain denominations of Christianity think they're they're okay I'm okay I'm gonna go to heaven and they typically cite benchmarks since I've never killed anyone and I've never committed adultery I used to say this as a young papist I thought everything was cool because I never killed anybody and I'd never committed adultery those are the Benchmark sins you you can't go to heaven if you've killed somebody or committed adultery David is in heaven because of the virtue of the Son of God Jesus Christ atoned for the sin of David but then you've got Peter Peter says that he will follow Jesus unto death Jesus says no you're going to deny me oh no everybody else may deny you Lord but but not me what happens he denies the master to not the police not to the emperor not to the you know the SS he denies Jesus to a slave girl but I want to add a third my brother reminded me of this this morning I cited the the thief on the cross as one who departed and went to be with Jesus the spirit departs and is present with the Lord while the body goes into the ground in terms of the intermediate State what happened just a few minutes before he said Lord remember me when you come in your kingdom he was blaspheming Christ right alongside of the other Thief now if that's not a display of Mercy if that is not the communication of Grace if that does not underscore what God reveals at Sinai to Moses and the children of Israel after they transgress after they break the Covenant after Moses says Show Me Your Glory how does God show him his glory god is gracious he abounds in Mercy he abounds in long-suffering he has uh forgiveness for sin and transgression and iniquity just in case you think there's any difference or shade of of variation in those things whatever you've done that is against Yahweh there is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared now listen to The Brothers Listen to The Brothers in the church commenting on these apostasy passages Calvin on Hebrews 6 there is a two-fold falling away one particular and the other General he who has in anything or in any way is offended has fallen away from his State as a Christian that's what I said at the outset every sin we engage in is a willful sin and this is what he says he says therefore all sins are so many failings 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 God not God in some one thing but entirely renounces his grace I think there's a fear in the heart of the modern preacher to say such things for the thought that persons might go out and steal they might go out and murder they might go out and get hammered well if that's true then I can go do whatever it is I want know the gospel counters that devil logic what shall we say shall we continue in sin that Grace May abound may it never be oh and on Hebrews 10 wherefore the sin here intended is plainly a relinquishment and renunciation of the truth of the gospel and the promises thereof with all duties there unto belonging after we have been convinced of its truth and avowed its Excellency and Power Owen on Hebrews 6 it must consist in a total renunciation of all the constituent principles and doctrines of Christianity once it is denominated such was the sin of them who relinquished the gospel to return unto Judaism as it was then stated in opposition unto it and hatred of it this it was and not any kind of actual sins that the Apostle manifestly discourse is concerning again he's not talking about the sins that we commit with which there is forgiveness with thee guilt on Hebrews 10. it intends a total apostasy from the truth against light and evidence joined with obstinacy and then her sinus in his discussion of church discipline on the Heidelberg Catechism an apostate is not one who occasionally or even often offends in Doctrine and life and repents again of his sin but is such an one who being convicted of error and open wickedness is still still unwilling to abandon his sins and to renounce his errors this is not the saint who has a tear rolled down his face when they sang prone to wander prone to leave the God I love this is not the saint Who Says with Paul the good that I wish to do I don't do the evil I don't want to do I find myself doing crying out a Wretched Man that I am who will deliver me from this body of death this is to renounce this is to reject this is to repudiate this is to crucify Anew the Son of God or trample him under foot the gospel speaks to Believers there is remaining corruption as I said Galatians 5 and Romans 7. our confession speaks to this 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 pleasure and grieve His Holy 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 that's a horrific laundry list of things that our remaining corruption can do but it goes on to say yet they shall renew their repentance and be preserved through faith in Christ Jesus to the end there is a difference between the remaining corruption in a Believer and that one who is now the avowed enemy of God most high as specifically seen in his rejection of and the repudiation of the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ so believer be encouraged be warned guard the heart engage in the exhortations draw near hold fast consider one another do the things consistent with sanctification which is yielded by justification but be encouraged that there is forgiveness with God that he may be feared unbeliever the fact that you're here tonight argues that most likely you haven't committed the unpardonable sin there is hope in Jesus there is forgiveness with him that he may be feared ask anybody in this room what it's like we weren't born coming out of the womb as little reformed Baptists we weren't you know cutting our teeth on the catechism and and declaring the chief end of of man when we were you know in our cribs it's a blessed thing to see the families in the church catechizing their children to be sure but some of us didn't have that some of us were not only prone to wander we had wandered we were in the far country we were way gone way far off way distant and it was God who sought us it was God who found us it was God who blessed us and it was God who brought us an eye so we can testify there is forgiveness with him that he may be fearing we have tried and proven Our God and we know for a fact that he does abound in Grace he does abound in Mercy he does abound in long-suffering and he does forgive sin iniquity and transgression so believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved he saves to the uttermost all who draw nigh unto him unto God through him well let us pray Our Father in heaven we thank you for this your word and on the one hand it is a scary passage in terms of warning on the other hand it's a it's an encouraging passage in terms of identification who the particular adversaries are give us Grace Lord God Almighty to walk in in righteousness and Holiness not so that we will be saved but because we have been saved and help us to draw an eye help us as well to hold fast and to consider one another and to glorify you protect us preserve us why watch over us we pray and we ask in Jesus name amen well you can turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 26 as we rehearse the supper as we reveal what our Lord instituted on the night that he was betrayed and just a couple of reminders as we go to the particular passage Matthew 26 specifically at verse 26. remember that the ordinance of the Lord's Supper is for believers only that's not for unbelievers we just ask that you don't take if you're not a a Christian if you're not a believer in Jesus Christ there's no efficacy in the in the bread and the wine to make you a Believer it is something that Believers take in remembrance of our blessed savior the ordinances as well for believers who are dealing with their sin we see that emphasis in First Corinthians chapter 11 there was sin in the church at Corinth which shouldn't surprise any of us by the time we get to chapter 11 in First Corinthians we've already seen a lot of sin along the way there was particular sin connected to the Lord's table so the apostle admonishes that the Apostle tells them to examine themselves and when you examine yourselves it's not sinless Perfection that fits you for participation in the ordinance it's not hey I read my Bible eight times this past week I I prayed for a total of about 48 minutes and and as a result now I'm I'm fit and ready that's not the examination are there sins we're holding on to are there sins against God or their sin against one another that we're not going to relinquish that we're not going to deal with that's the examination that the Apostle calls us unto and then the ordinance is a means of Grace but ultimately the elements are not changed the bread remains bread bread it symbolizes or represents the broken body of Our Lord the the wine remains wine or juice and it symbolizes or represents the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ and remember that the ordinance points us to him do this in remembrance of me not me Jim But Me Jesus as he declares in this ordinance it's good to focus on ourselves a bit confess our sin repent of our sin but be consumed and occupied with our Lord Jesus Christ it's about him do this in remembrance of me Christ says well if the brothers will come and pass out the bread while they do that we will sing A Hymn and then after the hymn is concluded I will read the appropriate section in Matthew 26 and then we'll pray and eat the bread together but for now please remain seated and you can turn to Psalm 130 Psalm 130 a uh a as in Alpha and we'll sing what I've alluded to in this message [Music] good morning foreign foreign foreign thank you [Music] in Matthew 26 verse 26 we read and as they were eating Jesus Took bread blessed and broke it and gave it to the disciples and said take eat this is my body well let us pray Our God and Father we thank you for so great a Salvation we thank you for the work of the Redeemer on behalf of his people we see it in the life of obedience unto the father we see it at the death to death on the cross we see it in the resurrection and we give praise to you that you have given us eyes to see and hearts to receive these things and we bless you for inclusion in the Covenant Promises of God Almighty we just pray that you would be glorified as we eat this bread and that we would do so in remembrance of him who gave himself for us and we pray through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen take together we can turn again in your hymn books to 458 458 will remain seated and remember if you'd prefer juice over wine the juice is in the outer ring the wine is in the inside we will sing 458 while the brothers pass out the fruit of the Vine [Music] oh my God [Music] three last year us ually [Music] Our Lives [Applause] forever another friend [Music] that's wrong [Music] foreign [Music] verse 27 we continue to read then he took the cup and gave thanks and gave it to them saying drink from it all of you for this is my blood of the New Covenant which is shed for many for the remission of sins but I say to you I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drank it new with you in my father's Kingdom and when they had sung A Hymn they went out to the Mount of Olives well let us pray but God we know that first Covenant was ratified with blood the blood of bulls and goats but as Paul tells us that could never take away sin but it pointed forward typologically to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world we thank you for these blessed words of the Savior that his blood is shed for the remission of sins may this speak a multitude of comfort to our hearts and encourage us not to go out and sin but when we do sin to remember that we have an advocate with the father we thank you for this supper we thank you for the bread and the wine and how it causes us to reflect upon our lord Jesus and to do this in remembrance of him as well that is a great privilege as the church to Proclaim his death until he comes again in glory and we bless you through Christ Our Lord amen we'll take together well you can turn to Psalm 134 Psalm 134 will stand as we sing together [Music] what's up [Music] Heaven is free bad words [Music] o Israel hope in the Lord for with the Lord there is Mercy and with him is abundant Redemption and he shalt redeem Israel from all his iniquities well God in heaven we thank you for this Lord's day we thank you that we've been able to reflect upon your boundless love we see it in the Good Shepherd passage in John 10. we see it all throughout scripture this emphasis on your loving kindness to your people that Grace and that Mercy with which you've blessed us we pray now that you would go with us in this coming week help us to live in a manner that is consistent with our our high calling in Christ Jesus the Lord may you grant us Grace and strength and help and may you keep us by your power and we pray this through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen well please be seated for a brief time of meditation