Hebrews - Hang Tough and Hold On

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Hang Tough and Hold On!

19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus…

22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

Hebrews 10:19, 22

We’re beginning the final part of our series in Hebrews with the “Great Hope” we have in Jesus.  It is this hope that gives us what we need to survive this life – but not only to survive – but to survive with joy and indescribable peace that can come only from faith in God.

With this great hope comes the strength to persevere.  Now, this perseverance is not dogged stubborn pride.  This is not a matter of grimly hanging on no matter what the odds.  This is not the perseverance of battered Rocky Balboa tenaciously fighting back against an overwhelming opponent. 

No, this is the confident anticipation that we know that we will ultimately and certainly prevail – all we have to do is hang in there a little longer.  How long? – Just a few minutes after the heart stops beating.

This next few weeks we’ll hear the testimonies of some of our own people as they share how the hope of God has changed their lives.  Most of you have probably noticed Don Flintoff here at MCC.  He’s the fellow that looks a lot like grizzly Adams and carries a mean looking walking stick.  Listen now to his story of transformation and hope.

Hope Video – Don Flintoff

Hang Tough and Hold On!

19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus…

22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

Hebrews 10:19, 22

Life is serious business.  How we do here makes all the difference in the world – no! – strike that!  It makes all the difference in eternity. 

There is a reality TV show that’s been on the last couple of seasons called “Super Nanny”.  Jo Frost is the British nanny and basically she enters a home where the children are out of control and the parents don’t have a clue. Then she teaches the parents how to discipline their children and how to restore harmony to the home.

I’ve watched the show a few times. One of the principles that the Supernanny stresses in child discipline is encouragement. After you discipline a child, you need to encourage him—encourage him with the fact that you love him and believe that he will do better. And that, in essence, is what the writer of Hebrews does in Hebrews chapter 10.

Certainly this is what we tried to do raising our kids.  With discipline there needs to be some hugging and reassurance of love.

Let’s read what the author of Hebrews says about encouragement in Hebrews 10 beginning in verse 19.  If you have your Bibles you can follow along.  You may want to even underline or mark these verses…

19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hold On to Your Faith

Let us draw near to God – V. 22

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess – V. 23

Let us consider how we may spur one another on – V. 24

Let us not give up meeting together – V. 25

Let us encourage one another – V. 25

Here he gives us several clear and critical steps for encouragement.  In these verses the author of Hebrews gives us five powerful words of encouragement. 

He says, draw near, hold on, spur (the literal word is provoke) one another, meet together (like we are doing), and encourage one another.

Let’s do the last one right now.  Turn to someone near you and give them a word of encouragement.  Just tell them to hold on and hang in there.  Do that right now!

Great job!  Now don’t quit.  Keep on being an encourager. 

But the writer of Hebrews doesn’t stop there.  After he tells us to hold on to our faith then he goes one step more and gives a powerful word of warning. 

A Severe Warning

26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.

Hebrews 10:26

26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

This is serious stuff.  This is heavy duty.  This is the passage hearkens back to July 8, 1741 when Jonathan Edwards preached to his congregation his message titled, sinners in the hands of an angry God.  That message sparked a great spiritual awakening – the likes of which we need today in our world.

So how do we hang on to the hope that we have?  How do we avoid the dangerous loss of our faith in times of stress and strife?  In the next few verses the author gives us some clear direction.

Remember those earlier days

32 Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. 33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated.

Hebrews 10:32-33

These Hebrew Christians had suffered persecution for their faith in Christ.   The initial persecution came from the Jewish leaders and resulted in the spread of Christianity to the rest of the world.

Now they were being threatened again with persecution. This time the persecution was coming from Rome.  The time of the writing of the letter to the Hebrews points to the persecution that was launched by Emperor Nero in Rome in 64 AD.

Most scholars report that Nero had a new urban development plan for Rome. So he sent out accomplices to set fire to the city. When fingers began to point toward Nero as the culprit, he needed a scapegoat. And so he blamed the Christians.

Now, the persecution that the writer of Hebrews refers to in this passage was an earlier persecution. Most likely, it was the persecution launched in Rome by Emperor Claudius 15 years earlier in AD 49. Claudius had issued an edict expelling all Jews from the city. Rome considered Christianity a sect of Judaism so these Hebrew Christians suffered persecution as well.

They were publicly humiliated, they identified with fellow believers who were imprisoned, and they were expelled from Rome and had their property and possessions taken from them. But through all of this, they maintained their stand for Christ. They didn’t abandon the faith. As a matter of fact, after Emperor Claudius died five years later in AD 54, they returned to Rome and continued their testimony for Christ in that city.

And so the writer of Hebrews encourages them to look back and recall their past spiritual journey. And we need to do the same. It’s a healthy spiritual practice to take time to look back—to remind yourself of how God has worked in your life.

Memorial Stones

2 “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, 3 and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan from right where the priests stood and to carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.”

Joshua 4:2-3

In Joshua chapter 4, we read of the children of Israel crossing the Jordan River. And God commanded them to take 12 stones from the river and to set them on dry ground. So whenever they saw those stones, it would remind them of God’s faithfulness in parting the waters of the Jordan and bringing them into the Promised Land.

Memorial stones are significant and powerful reminders of God’s faithfulness in our spiritual journey. Do you have any memorial stones?

Let me share with you one of mine.  (Hold up Bible)  I was given this Bible by my Grandpa and Grandma Grubbs.  They gave it to me at my graduation from HS as an encouragement to me as I began my college years.  It is not a book I’ve ever used very much because it’s so bulky but it is a memorial stone in my life.  I cannot look at it without remembering my Grandparents and their encouragement to me to remain faithful to God.  It reminds me of my earlier days – learning and growing in my faith.

I want to encourage you to collect some memorial stones—objects that will remind you of your spiritual past. But regardless as to whether or not you have tangible memorial stones around you, it’s important to look back over your life from time to time and to recall your past spiritual journey with the Lord. It will strengthen you; invigorate you; inspire you. But most of all, it will encourage you. It will encourage you not to abandon the faith. It will encourage you to hang in there and stay true to Christ during the tough times of life.

And so the writer of Hebrews tells you to look back. But he also encourages you to look in another direction. Not only should you look back, but you should also …

Do not throw away  your confidence

35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

Hebrews 10:34b-36

The writer of Hebrews wrote to believers who were about to suffer for their faith in Christ. During past persecution, they rejoiced when they were expelled from their homes and their property was confiscated. Why? Because they knew that God would reward them. And they knew that those future rewards would be far greater than the present possessions that were taken from them.

Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” – Matthew 5:10-12

And what was true of those first-century believers is true of us today as well. Christ promises to reward us for faithfully following Him, especially through the difficult times of life.

Shun Fujimoto was a Japanese gymnast who competed in the 1976 Olympic games in Montreal. Somehow during his floor exercises, he broke his right knee. It seemed obvious to everyone that he would have to withdraw from any further competition. But on the following day, Fujimoto showed up and competed in his strongest event—the rings. His routine was excellent, but then came the critical point—his dismount. Without hesitation, Fujimoto ended his routine with a twisting, triple somersault. He landed with tremendous impact on his broken knee. But he stuck it. He stood his ground. He didn’t move an inch. Then came thundering applause. Later, reporters asked him about that moment. He replied, “The pain shot through me like a knife. It brought tears to my eyes. But my desire to win was greater than my moment of pain. Now I have a gold medal and the pain is gone.”

You know, the Christian life isn’t easy. We do encounter painful experiences as we faithfully follow Christ. But it is worth it. Jesus promises to reward us greatly.

Do the will of God

36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

37 For in just a very little while, “He who is coming will come and will not delay. 38 But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.”39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.

Hebrews 10:36-39

That quote is found two other times in the New Testament—in Romans 1:17 and Galatians 3:11.   It is a quote from the prophet Habakkuk.  In Habakkuk 2:4 to the emphasis is on a faith that results in the action of obedience. 

It is the life of faith—trusting God and obeying Him—that is pleasing to the Lord. The opposite of living a life of faith is “shrinking back”.   I get the idea of someone who grows small as their faith becomes insignificant.  And if we do that, God won’t be pleased with us.

That word “destroyed” has the idea of “waste.” The person who shrinks from the faith wastes his life.  But those who “believe”—those who remain steadfast in their walk of faith—will be saved.   

Significance in this life comes from our faith in God – it is that simple.

And so the writer of Hebrews encourages you to look inward and resolve to live faithfully for Christ today.

Charles Templeton

Back in the 1940s, Templeton was a good friend of Billy Graham and a fellow evangelist. But Templeton later renounced the faith and became an agnostic.  Author Lee Strobel conducted with Templeton and he told Strobel that Jesus was a great man. And when Templeton admitted that he missed Jesus, he began to weep uncontrollably.

Strobel writes this: “What was going on? Was this an unguarded glimpse into [Templeton’s] soul? I felt drawn to him and wanted to comfort him; at the same time, the journalist in me wanted to dig to the core of what was prompting this reaction. Missed him why? Missed him how?

In a gentle voice, I asked, ‘In what way?’  Templeton fought to compose himself. I could tell it wasn’t like him to lose control in front of a stranger. He sighed deeply and wiped away a tear. After a few more awkward moments, he waved his hand dismissively. Finally, quietly but adamantly, he insisted: ‘Enough of that.’

He leaned forward to pick up his coffee. He took a sip, holding the cup tightly in both hands as if drawing warmth from it. It was obvious that he wanted to pretend this unvarnished look into his soul had never happened.”

Charles Bradley Templeton died on June 7th, 2001. When I read Hebrews 10, I am reminded of Templeton and the terrible cost of abandoning the faith.

In the Christian life, it’s important to start right, but it is imperative to end well.

So, how do you end well? How do you make sure that you don’t travel the same road of apostasy that Charles Templeton followed?

The answer is to Remember the earlier days, Walk Confidently, and Obey Vigorously

Let’s pray

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