Hebrews #25: an exposition of Hebrews 10:32-39. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, October 5, 2014.
Intro:
Often our view of the Christian life is shallow. By that I mean we think faith in Christ solves everything. Some are guilty of implying if not declaring, “If you just trust in Jesus you will not have any problems.” You’ll not find chapter and verse on that because it is not a biblical teaching. Faith in Christ certainly solves your greatest problem in that your sins are forgiven and you have passed from death to life but that does not ensure smooth sailing through the rest of your journey. Life in this sinful, fallen world is filled with heartache and trouble. Life is a mixture of joy and sorrow of victory and defeat. The promise of God is not that we will not encounter trials and tribulations but that we will not face them alone. We are not left to fend for ourselves and ultimately we will prevail by the grace of God. Along the way we will struggle. We will be hurt and we may very well suffer. Truthfully we, in the American church, know very little about that. While our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world face hardship, persecution and even death we’ve enjoyed a life of ease. That’s beginning to change. Our views are no longer dominant. The teaching of the church is questioned with a greater degree of skepticism and unbelief the result is we are losing our cultural standing. In some areas our views are not just considered wrong or outdate they are considered dangerous. The day is approaching when some of what we’ve have always taught will be consider a crime. I’m not an alarmist. I’m not a conspiracy theorist. I’m not a prophet nor the son of a prophet but I know dark days are ahead. How do we continue on when the tide turns? How do we remain faithful when faithfulness becomes costly? How do we maintain our Christian hope when the outlook is not so hopeful? For some help we turn again to the book of Hebrews.
Text: Hebrews 10:32-39
The writer has just spoken clearly about the consequences of unbelief.
Hebrews 10:26-31 is a hard passage.
Hard because it deals with a hard truth.
He pulls no punches – abandon the Gospel and you abandon all hope.
He ends on an ominous note, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
But of course that was not the “end” of it.
He goes on to say, “But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls” (10:39).
It is here in verses 32-39 we are given insight into how we maintain hope in the face of dark and difficult days. These verses serve to remind us that…
Thesis: Genuine Christian Hope is anchored by the past experience of God’s grace and fueled by faith-filled confidence in future glory.
Two keys are given to us: We are to remember the past and we are to respond in faith.
- The past experience of God’s grace inspires future hope. (10:32-34)
- Faith in God’s sovereign promise fuels perseverance. (10:35-39)
Conclusion:
It is interesting Paul quotes this same passage in Romans 1:17 to say salvation is by faith.
Now the writer of Hebrews quotes it to say the whole of the Christian life is by faith.
Genuine Christian Hope is anchored by the past experience of God’s grace and fueled by faith-filled confidence in future glory.