Hebrews #23: an exposition of Hebrews 10:19-25. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, September 21, 2014.
Intro:
It is a cardinal doctrine for us. It is central to our understanding of salvation. We Baptist are known for our doctrine of eternal security or as it is popularly known, “Once saved, always saved.” That once you come to saving faith you are forever saved. You cannot lose your salvation. It cannot be taken from you. You are in Christ, Christ is in God the Father and no one can take you out of the Father’s hand – including you! Jesus said, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” In John 10 he said, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who had given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” That is secure. Yet we all know people who were once committed to the church, seemed to have genuine faith, who have left the faith. These folks seem to have no interest in the things of God. Some have gone so far as to denounce the faith. How is that possible? On the one hand our doctrine, our theology says that once God begins a work in us He completes it. Having redeemed us and justified us, His spirit is placed within us and begins a sanctification process that will carry us to glory – yet some seem to fall out along the way.
This is not an easy question. I will admit my struggle to understand. However I do know that I must not allow my experience or my perceptions interpret the Word of God. The Word of God must always interpret my experience. I begin with the understand that the Word of God is true and from there make sense of my experience. I also must allow the whole counsel of God inform my understanding. Scripture admonishes us to test the fruit of a person’s life in discerning their convictions. Scripture also warns against placing new believers in leadership roles. There is much to be said for the test of time. The apostle John when speaking of some who had abandoned the faith says in 1 John 2:19, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us” I am thoroughly convinced that the grace that saves us is the grace that keeps us. Our salvation is of grace from beginning to end. That does not mean it is easy. That does not mean that there are no difficult days. It does not mean there will not be times of backsliding and failing. It does mean that ultimately we make it home to glory by God’s grace!
They were discouraged and struggling to believe. Rejected by family and targeted by the government it was all they could do to just hang on. The biblical writer pleads with them to continue in belief. He speaks of the glory of Christ as God’s ultimate revelation of himself. He is the effulgence, the shining forth of God’s glory. The exact imprint of his divine nature. He is our glorious, eternal high priest – seated at the right hand of God pleading our cause night and day without end. Having laid the doctrinal foundation the writer now turns to application. Our text this morning is found in Hebrews chapter 10 beginning with verse 19.
Text: Hebrews 10:19-25
I’m convinced this text helps us understand perseverance.
How do we stay faithful?
What can we do to ensure we continue in belief?
As we work our way through these few verses we discover that…
Thesis: Perseverance demands focus, determination and community.
I want to point to three demands of perseverance from this text.
- Perseverance demands a single-hearted devotion. (10:22)
- Perseverance demands that we cling tenaciously to our blessed hope. (10:23)
- Perseverance demands that we commit passionately to our life together. (10:24-25)