There was a missionary couple who spent their life serving in Africa. They were returning to New York to retire from their life-long mission. They had no pension. Their health was poor. They were tired, and returned with the little funds. Ironically, they were booked on the same ship as President Teddy Roosevelt as he was returning from a big-game hunting expedition.
The missionary couple boarded the ship and was given very little attention. However, there was a great fanfare that accompanied the president’s entourage. Even most of the other passengers tried to catch a glimpse of President Roosevelt.
As the ship moved across the ocean, the missionary said to his wife, “Something is wrong. We have given our lives in faithful service to God in Africa all these years and yet no one even cares. Here, the president comes back from a hunting trip and he gets this attention. There isn’t anybody who gives “two hoots” about us.”
“Dear,” his wife said. “You shouldn’t feel that way.”
“I can’t help it,” her husband replied. “It’s discouraging.”
It worsened, because when the ship docked in New York, there was a band waiting to greet the president. The mayor and other dignitaries were there. The journalists were in number recording the story about the president’s arrival. Yet, no one was waiting for the missionary couple. They slipped off the ship and found a budget apartment on the East Side, with the hope to make a living.
That night, the man’s spirit broke. He said to his wife, “I can’t take this. God is not treating us fairly.”
His wife replied, “Why don’t you go and tell that to the Lord.” So that’s what the man did. Then a short time later, he came out of the bedroom with a completely different demeanor. His wife asked him, “Dear, how are you feeling now?”
“The Lord settled it with me,” the missionary said. “I told Him how discouraged I was, that the president received this grand homecoming when not a single person welcomed us as we returned home. And just as I finished, it seemed as though the Lord put His hand on my shoulder and said…, ‘But you’re not home yet!’” (Ray Stedman, Talking to My Father)
In Hebrews 10, the Holy Spirit, through our author, addressed a group of people getting ready to give up on following Christ and gave them reasons not to forsake their faith.
Hebrews chapter 10:26-34 records what will happen if believers fail in our profession of hope in Christ by neglecting the commands in Hebrews 10:22-25;
- Failing to draw near to Christ by living for Him.
- Failing to hold forth our confession of Christ and our witness.
- Failing to consider one another and assemble together.
A believer should never shrink back from their confession in Christ, hide the light of the gospel, or forsake fellowship with others. This passage has the reason why? It is summed up in 10:39; God will have no pleasure in anyone who turns away.”
We were created to bring God pleasure as we enjoy our relationship to Him. I enjoyed this translation of Galatians 1:10 “Then you will be able to live as the Lord wants and will always do what pleases him. Your lives will produce all kinds of good deeds, and you will grow in your knowledge of God.” So obviously, our rejection of Him in any way grieves the Holy Spirit.
Hebrews 10:26-27 “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.”
Take notice of the word “we” and the phrase “sin willfully.” This is a warning for those of us that know the hope found in Jesus Christ. These words and warning apply to those who have genuinely received eternal salvation by grace through faith. Of course, all sin is covered under the blood! Yet, those who rebel will not live enjoying God’s pleasure!
These verses are to people who are living a life that is contrary to a life of faith and obedience to Christ. A believer has a responsibility to be visibly distinguishable from unbelievers. God expects believers to live among unbelievers and to participate in God’s work. (This is the same logic as the parable of coins in Luke 19:11-28 where God rewarded the person who invested their talents.)
The question: Can a believer back away from God and His work on earth? Many of us know people who are living this way. The warning isn’t for just stumbling, a season of rebellion, or a constant struggle against temptation. This is talking about opposition against God’s work in you and through the body of Christ on earth. This type of sin is about being in opposition to God’s work of grace, love and mercy through us.
Employing an argument from the lesser to the greater, the author of Hebrews notes that under the Old Testament those who rebelled against the Law received harsh treatment.
Hebrews 10:28 “Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses”
The Old Testament sacrifices covered only unintentional sins, those sins committed by accident or in ignorance (Numbers 15:22-29). The point is that those who sinned intentionally, or deliberately, were “cut off”, or put to death, usually by stoning (Numbers 15:29-36). Deliberate unrepentant disobedience was a capital offense under the Old Testament Law.
However, we are under grace, Christ’s sacrifice on the cross covers deliberate and unintentional sin. Yet, while Jesus is merciful to our disobedience, this passage is referring to rebellion. It means to blatantly rebel against the grace of God while under His superior covenant established by Christ’s death and resurrection. A person involved in such activity shouldn’t consider it worship, it is wickedness.
Only in Christ do you find full and complete forgiveness, because He paid the price for your sins, a price you and I could never pay. Yet, to then deliberately turn away invites God’s discipline. God promises to chastise those who knowingly and willfully and deliberately reject His work on earth. Notice the next verse…
Hebrews 10:29 “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?”
In our timeline of the book of Hebrews; there was a need to address the former group of believers to repentance and the need of the latter group to endurance. (With great knowledge comes great responsibility).
This point of this passage states that God disciplines His children when they cross the line – when they continue in willful defiance of His purpose in saving us. Later, in Hebrews chapter 12:5-6 we read “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, Nor faint when you are reproved by Him; For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives.” It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons;”
How does God practice this type of discipline?
- He might deprive them of their physical life (Acts 5:1-10, 1Cor 11:27-30; I John 5:16).
- I’m not sure what He will do, but He will enforce His Word!
- In any case the Bible infers that they will lose reward in Heaven (I Cor. 3:15, 2Cor. 5:10).
- For sure they wouldn’t hear “well done my faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21.23).
- If we grieve the Holy Spirit we don’t enjoy the fruit of the Spirit. “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;” Just losing “peace” is punishment enough yet alone the other benefits. Oh! How we value peace! I’ve heard many people say at times “I don’t have peace about it.”
Back in Hebrews 10:30-31 records: “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.”
It is expected that a weary believer would want some rest when things are tough, to retreat when the obstacles seem insurmountable. But notice, verse 26 describes a continued pattern in life. Some of these believers are “willfully” living opposite of God’s grace.
The audience of the Hebrews faced severe opposition that caused some of them to turn around and head back to the old religious system they had come from. But we all need to be reminded that we should fear God more than we should fear man.
These Hebrew readers had endured great suffering, public reproaches, tribulations and persecutions. Notice this in 10:32 But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings:
In the midst of these trials many had remained steadfast in their confession of Christ. They did not shy away from suffering for Christ.
In Hebrews 10:33 “Partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you became companions of those who were so treated;”
We are told that many of them continued to show love and concern for others in Hebrews 10:34 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.
These 1st century believers suffered a lot! They were publicly ridiculed, and their property was plundered.
Initially, they rejoiced in their sufferings, because they knew better days were ahead. They faced their persecutors with great courage. But after a while, some of them began to lose that courage and lost hope; they began to wonder if following Christ was worth the pain; and they were tempted to give up their faith in Christ. So the author encourages them.
The message is clear;
- On the one hand the writer encourages believers to hang in there. The hard journey is worth it. The reward is worth it.
- On the other hand there is a warning about the consequences of forsaking Christ on earth. It’s an experience to avoid. God’s discipline is hard; In heaven, you’ll wish you would have been more faithful to Christ.
Many of these believers had already demonstrated their ability to endure through hardship. Nothing could stand in their way of moving forward in confident commitment to each other and their faith in Christ.
Hebrews 10:35 “Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.”
Some of us might need encouragement, whatever you do, don’t give up on God. Don’t forsake your confession and confidence in the Lord.
In 1975, Salvatore Maddi, a psychologist at the University of Chicago, began to study the long-term impact of stress on employees at the Illinois Bell Telephone Company. It was supposed to be a simple longitudinal study. But in 1981, Congress passed the Telecommunications Competition and Deregulation Act, and the entire industry was disrupted. Within one year, Bell Telephone laid off half its workforce. The remaining people left faced uncertainty, changing roles, and increased demands. As Maddi recalls, “One manager told me he had ten different supervisors in one year, and neither he nor they knew what they were supposed to do.”
Some employees were overcome under the pressure, and developed health problems and depression. Yet, other employees thrived, trying to find purpose and enhanced well-being. Because Maddi had been studying these employees for years, he began to search for clues in how they had responded to the stress.
A few things stood out about people who thrived under stress. First, they thought about stress differently. They saw it as a common aspect of life, and they didn’t believe that it was possible or even desirable to have an entirely comfortable, safe life. Instead, they viewed stress as an opportunity to grow. They also believed that in difficult times they could not isolate oneself. Finally, no matter what the circumstances, these “thrivers” believed we must continue making good choices—ones that they knew would eventually change the situation or, if that wasn’t possible, that could change how the situation affected them. People who held these attitudes were more likely to take action and to connect with others during stress.
Maddi named this collection of attitudes and coping strategies “hardiness,” which he defined as the courage to grow from stress. (Kelly McGonigal, The Upside of Stress, Avery, 2016, pages 91-92; www.PreachingToday.com)
A believer must never lose “hardiness and confidence.” Don’t cast off your confession to be relieved from stress or persecution. Lean on Jesus to press on.
Hebrews 10:36 “For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:”
And what has God promised? In the book of Hebrews, God has promised perfection in Christ, i.e., wholeness and completeness in Him (6:1; 7:11,19; 9:9,14; 10:1,14). God has also promised an eternal inheritance in His Kingdom (4:1; 6:12,15,17; 7:6; 8:6; 9:15), They were told of having a great High Priest who will intercede (4:14-16 all the way to chapter 10:22).
And he reminds them Jesus is coming soon!
Hebrews 10:37 “For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay.”
Jesus is coming soon when all of God’s promises will be fully realized. But until then, don’t give up your faith; don’t shrink back from believing in Christ. We are required to worship and walk worthy of our confession in Christ! Notice this in the last two verses of this chapter.
Hebrews 10:38-39 “Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.”
Christian, I know there will be times when life is unfair. The righteous suffer and the wicked prosper. The Bible reminds us of those realities. The faithful are ignored and the famous admired. We need to remember we’re not home yet! This place is not our home! We can never lose sight of that fact. We’re on a journey and we haven’t arrived at home where we will experience the realization of all of God’s promises.
A father named Mark loved to hike, and he wanted to pass that love on to his son, Peter. So, when Peter was only 5 years old, Peter and his father planned an easy hike on the northern part of the Appalachian Trail. The plan was to walk around a mountain to a lake in Vermont where they would spend the night. Mark made thorough preparations for the trip, which included coaching his son. Over and over Mark told his son that it would be tough, and it was okay to be tired, but they had to keep on walking. They had to keep on walking.
Unfortunately, the walking was longer and tougher than expected, because they went OVER the mountain, not AROUND the base of the mountain. The trail was steep and broken. Little Peter stumbled time after time on loose rocks, but they kept on walking. The hike was a heavy burden, and unpleasant. But they kept on walking, little Peter fell so many times that he ripped the knees of his jeans, but he kept on walking. Finally, after one fall too many, he sat and cried.
As his dad approached him and began to speak, Peter cut him off: “I know, Dad. It’s okay to cry, as long as I keep on walking.” (From a sermon by Mark Coleman, 3-16-03; www.PreachingToday.com)
The Bible says Jesus shed tears, are we better than He? What kept Jesus going forward was the fact that the promise of God was worth the pain for Him and others to enjoy eternity!
Here are some probing questions…
- What am I doing with my spiritual life?
- Am I drawing near or drifting away?
- Am I standing firm in my confession or shrinking back?
- Am I gathering frequently with other believers to stimulate my love for God and others?
Because Jesus Christ is the only hope in this life and the next, don’t risk God’s discipline by not serving Him and His work. Don’t focus on non-eternal matters. And keep walking with Christ and your life will be rewarding today and forever.