You Must Have Courage
Hebrews 10:32-39
November 15, 2015
As you know we are working through
This absolutely amazing book called “Hebrews”
THE BASIC CONTEXT IS FAIRLY EASY TO DISCERN.
These are men and women who have come out of a Jewish background
And have been confronted with Christ.
And they have found that following Jesus can be difficult.
• Some are rejecting Him
• Some are open to Him, but have yet to respond
• Some have responded, but are considering returning to Judaism
In short, THE CONGREGATION WAS A FRAGILE ONE.
That reality is one of the things that has caused confusion
For many people over the years.
You read one commentary and the writer says “They are Christians”,
• See the references to “brethren” and “brothers” and “we” and “us”.
• And so the warning is that these Christians might lose their salvation.
You read another and the commentator says, “They aren’t Christians”,
• See the calls to faith and the invitations to trust and to believe.
• The writer merely wants them to be saved.
I think both are missing the point.
In fact, I’m not sure if the human author knows
If these people are genuinely saved or not.
(and that is true of any congregation –
it’s hard to know where every individual is in their faith.)
• He knows they have made a public profession of faith in Christ.
• He knows they have suffered for Jesus (as you’ll see in a minute)
But he also knows they are struggling and if they fall away,
Then he’ll know that their profession was not a genuine one.
In short, their endurance will be the defining characteristic
To determine whether or not their professed faith is genuine.
If they confess Christ and remain with Him, they are real.
If they reject Christ or fall away, then they were not.
And so you can see why the writer is so concerned that
They both confess Christ and remain true to Him.
In order to strengthen the faith of this curious congregation
The writer started exactly where he should have – with theology.
Our faith rests on our doctrine.
You have to know what you believe.
People who want to throw out doctrine as boring or divisive are frankly stupid.
If you throw out doctrine your faith won’t be worth anything.
There has to be a foundation.
And that is what this writer has given us.
For 9 ½ chapters he carefully walked us through
The truth about who Jesus is and what He did.
We saw His greatness (greater than everything)
We saw His salvation.
• Only Jesus entered the very presence of God with an acceptable sacrifice and
atoned for His people.
• Only Jesus so successfully appeased the wrath of God that He was actually
able to sit down at God’s right hand.
This writer thoroughly told us what to believe.
And now, for the past couple of weeks
HE’S BEEN ASKING US TO SIMPLY BELIEVE IT.
In verses 19-25 he called us to:
• Draw Near in sincere faith
• Hold Fast in unwavering hope
• Encourage One Another in evident love
In short, we should be believe, keep believing,
And make sure our brothers and sisters in Christ do too.
And he followed that desire in verses 26-31 with a warning for those who don’t.
There are some who have heard the truth of Jesus, maybe even claimed to believe it for a while, but then for whatever reason rejected it.
All that remains for that person is a terrifying expectation of judgment.
If you reject the only available sacrifice for sins,
There is no longer a means for forgiveness,
And judgment is then certain.
So the writer has been very direct and bold and honest.
• Jesus is the only Savior
• You must trust in Jesus
• You will be judged if you don’t.
This morning he begins his DELICATE APPEAL.
And he begins to ADDRESS THE SPECIFIC PROBLEMS
This congregation is facing.
This congregation has been suffering,
And by all accounts that suffering is going to continue.
This writer is not unconcerned about that.
But there is a definite way they are to respond to that pain.
And the word is ENDURANCE
Now before we get into this text let me be extremely clear here.
• I realize in this room that most of the people in here have already made
some sort of confession of Christ.
• I realize that at the very least, those who have not are at least open to
the idea, or they wouldn’t be here.
THAT MAKES YOU VERY SIMILAR TO THEM,
With one major exception.
They were suffering greatly for their faith.
What is my point?
There is quite possibly coming a day when our faith will be tested.
True faith is proved by suffering.
And it is on that day that we will know whether or not our faith is genuine.
• I’m glad you’ve made a confession of Christ.
• I’m glad you are in attendance.
• I’m glad you are interested in Jesus.
But please understand there is coming a day
When you very well may have to put your money where your mouth is.
• The Hebrews are already there.
• We have brothers and sisters in Christ across the world who are there.
• We may be before too long.
And our response is critical.
This message is so relevant to each one us.
ENDURANCE IS NOT OPTIONAL
If you don’t have it, you aren’t real
It doesn’t matter what you’ve done
It doesn’t matter where you’ve been
Jesus was crystal clear:
Matthew 10:22 “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.”
Matthew 24:13 “But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.”
So are you with me here?
WE MUST HAVE ENDURANCE.
The writer is here pleading with you and with me,
That when that day comes,
May we have courage and may we endure.
So let’s work our way through this text this morning
And grasp the plea of the writer.
There are three requests the writer makes here of these Hebrews.
#1 REMEMBER YOUR CONFIDENCE
Hebrews 10:32-36
“But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings,”
The writer is calling them back to a previous time.
It was the time when they were first “enlightened”
What does that mean?
He is referring to the time when they first learned of Christ.
(THAT DOESN’T MEAN THEY WERE SAVED)
It’s just like we saw last week in verse 26,
They received “the knowledge of the truth”
They were “enlightened”
Incidentally the writer already warned back in chapter 6
About the danger of people just like them choosing to fall away.
Hebrews 6:4-6 “For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.”
In short, these are people who know the truth,
But we don’t know if they are genuinely saved or not.
And we won’t know that until we see whether or not they hold fast.
But there was a time when they were “enlightened”
And immediately following this enlightenment they “endured a great conflict of sufferings,”
So there is no doubt they at least started the right way.
They associated with Christ even though persecution was involved.
3 things about their suffering
1) THEY SUFFERED PUBLICLY (33a)
“partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations”
• Anyone like to be singled out and publicly humiliated?
• Anyone like to be called out and made fun of on Facebook?
• Anyone like to be the “butt” of everyone else’s joke?
These people were.
When they decided to draw closer to Jesus, their entire community labeled them the biggest fools alive and publicly sought to humiliate them.
In short, the first thing they lost was their reputation.
2) THEY SUFFERED DELIBERATELY (33b)
“and partly by become sharers with those who were so treated.”
That shows that they weren’t just
People who got caught at the wrong place at the wrong time.
These people signed up for scorn and persecution.
When their brothers and sisters in Christ suffered,
They outed themselves and joined in the suffering.
They were sharers.
They chose to suffer…on purpose.
3) THEY SUFFERED JOYFULLY (34)
“For you showed sympathy to prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property,”
WOW!
• How joyful would you be if the cops raided your house tonight and stole all you
had?
• How joyful would you be if a group of Isalmic radicals came with weapons to
your homestead tonight and said, “This place is now ours…get out”
The Bible said these people accepted it “joyfully”
HOW? WHY?
“knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one.”
They could sign up for suffering and rejoice when it happened BECAUSE THEY HAD CONFIDENCE.
They believed what Jesus had said:
Matthew 19:27-29 “Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?” And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.”
They knew their loss of things on earth
Only signified the gain of those things in heaven,
And they were able to rejoice in that!
And incidentally, this is the secret to enduring suffering well.
Paul said:
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
THAT WAS THESE PEOPLE.
And the writer clearly says “Remember the former days”
In short, remember what you did and why you did it.
Ponder on that.
• You didn’t just suffer because you couldn’t get away.
• You signed up for it.
• And when it happened you weren’t distraught
• You rejoiced.
You knew…you believed…you were confident.
Remember that?
WELL NOW COMES THE POINT
(35) “Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.”
And let me clarify this statement a little better for you.
“confidence” there translates PARESIA
It literally means “all – speech”
It spoke of a person who “spoke freely” or “spoke boldly”
It spoke of a courageous person who had problem speaking up.
In fact most of the time the word is translated “boldness”
Acts 4:31 “And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.”
Ephesians 6:19 “and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,”
1 Thessalonians 2:2 “but after we had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition.”
See, he’s not just talking about some sort of “quiet assurance”.
He’s talking about standing up and speaking out and being bold.
That is what these Hebrews had when they began.
• They were bold, they were courageous, they spoke out for Jesus.
• They spoke up amidst opposition.
• They didn’t sit idly by and watch their brothers suffer.
• They raised their hands and joined in.
• They weren’t ashamed
And the writer says “do not throw away” that boldness.
(don’t trash it)
Why?
It “has a great reward”
God rewards that type of conviction and boldness and confidence.
Matthew 5:11-12 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
God rewards that type of boldness and confidence, don’t throw it away!
(36) “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.”
The Greek word here for “endurance”
Means to “bear up under courageously”
Hebrews 12:2 “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
It’s what Jesus did in regard to the cross.
He bore up under it courageously.
And the writer says you need that type of courage now.
• The courage that will allow you to continue to do “the will of God.”
• The courage that will allow you to “receive what was promised”
You’ve got to hold on to your boldness and be courageous.
It’s the same type of encouragement that was given to Joshua
Before he was to lead the children of Israel against the Canaanites.
Joshua 1:6 “Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.”
Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:18 “Anyone who rebels against your command and does not obey your words in all that you command him, shall be put to death; only be strong and courageous.”
A military general must be bold and must have courage.
The writer of Hebrews says you have to have it too.
You had it before, don’t throw it away now.
And what a great encouragement even to us.
• Remember the boldness you had when you first confessed Christ?
• How you stepped out in front of your friends and family?
• How you didn’t care what people thought because you had Jesus?
WELL DON’T LET IT GO NOW
Stand up and be bold and courageous for Christ.
This appeal is like a general talking to his troops before they face battle.
Be strong.
Remember Your Confidence
#2 REMEMBER HIS COMING
Hebrews 10:37-38
Here the writer gives you a little help in mustering up your courage.
He reminds you of the alternative.
You may be familiar with the infamous 10th chapter of Matthew.
Jesus promises extreme persecution for His followers.
• He says we are like sheep in the midst of wolves.
• He’s says betrayal may even come from you family
• And if they persecuted Him, they certainly will us.
And just at the moment when Jesus could see His followers grown pale and wondering if they wanted to continue He said:
Matthew 10:28 “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
In short, consider the alternative.
Yes, it’s true you could run in fear today…and live.
BUT THERE IS ANOTHER DAY COMING.
It is the day of the return of the Lord.
Remember a couple of weeks ago when the writer told us to encourage our brothers to stand strong?
Hebrews 10:24-25 “and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”
This is that day he was talking about.
(37-38) FOR YET IN A VERY LITTLE WHILE, HE WHO IS COMING WILL COME, AND WILL NOT DELAY. BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH; AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM.”
The writer is quoting Habakkuk 2:3-4.
God had told Habakkuk that the blood-thirsty Chaldeans were coming
And would judge Israel for their iniquity.
The man of faith was to stand strong and trust in God.
Pulling from that analogy of judgment the writer of Hebrews says, “Judgment is once again coming”.
Only this time it is not the Chaldeans, it is King Jesus.
Now we are coming upon the Christmas season where we celebrate the coming of Jesus into the world.
He came as an infant in humility and meekness and grace.
That is not how He’s coming back.
He ain’t coming back to preach.
Jude 14-15 “It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”
2 Peter 3:9-10 “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.”
In short Christ will return to judge all those who have rejected Him.
And I might also add that the severity of that judgment
Depends upon how much you know about Him.
TURN TO: LUKE 12:35-48
Now you see why the writer is so concerned about those
“who have been enlightened.”
They know the truth, they know better.
And when Jesus returns they do not want to be one who has fallen away.
In fact: “But my righteous one shall live by faith; and if he shrinks back, my soul, has no pleasure in him.”
There is another important word.
“shrinks back” translates HOO-POS-TOO-LAY
And it does mean “to turn back”
But the prefix HUPO is interesting.
It means “underneath”
So it literally means
“to turn underneath” or “to slip away secretly”
So we are not just talking about one who boldly rejected Christ,
But one who stealthily tried to slip away.
It is not the rejection of a rebel, it is the rejection of a coward.
It was the same type of word used of Peter
When he was pulling away from the Gentiles.
Galatians 2:11-13 “But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy.”
Peter didn’t just jump up from the table and abandon the Gentiles, he just sort of gradually and carefully and stealthily started avoiding them.
The idea was he knew it was wrong to leave,
But he was afraid of how it might look if he stayed.
THAT IS WHAT THE WRITER IS TALKING ABOUT HERE.
It is a person who knows it is right to stay with Jesus, but they are afraid,
And so they just sort of stealthily and casually pull away from Jesus.
They may not outright deny Him,
But they most certainly have stopped boldly proclaiming Him.
DO YOU SEE THE PROBLEM?
Sometimes we see that today don’t we?
Do you realize that a lack of boldness for Jesus
Is the first step in denying Him?
God is not pleased with people who “shrink back”
Who just keep it quiet out of fear.
The writer is calling for much, much more!
• Be bold
• Be courageous
• Stand up for Jesus!
Because those who don’t are not pleasing to the Lord, and He is coming.
Remember Your Confidence, Remember His Coming
#3 REMEMBER OUR COMPANY
Hebrews 10:39
I absolutely love this statement!
The writer actually softens the blow just a little.
Those first verses are harsh and brass and bold statements.
• They almost sound accusatory.
• They almost sound like condemnation.
It almost sounds like the writer is saying, “Get up you cowards, I’m disgusted with you and Jesus is gonna judge you”
But that is not what he is saying.
• Yes courage is required
• Yes you must be bold
• Yes those who shrink back are in danger
But look at what he says here.
“But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.”
In short, those who shrink back are in danger,
But I don’t think that’s who you are.
I don’t think you are quitters.
I don’t think you are cowards.
I think you are people of faith.
• It is true that he is concerned that the present persecution might cause them to fall away from Jesus.
• It is true that if they do fall away they will be judged.
• It is true that they need encouragement to stand strong.
But it is also true that this writer thinks they will.
We are “those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.”
He says we are in good company.
We are with those faithful believers who did stand strong.
In fact, he’s about to give a list of those faithful believers in chapter 11.
You know it as the “Faith Chapter”
In rapid fire fashion the writer is just going to list one right after another of “those who have faith”
Abel to Enoch to Noah to Abraham to Moses and right on down the list.
Those were the type of people who had faith.
And their faith is seen in their endurance.
Every time those people might have been tempted to quit, they didn’t.
And the writer says, that’s who I think you are, now prove me right!
In fact, he is driving towards that great request:
Hebrews 12:1-2 “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
So you can see his point can’t you?
• You know who Jesus is.
• You know what Jesus did.
• You know what Jesus expects.
Well since He will return to judge those who turn away from Him,
Please make sure you don’t turn away
And please don’t let any of your brothers turn away either.
Have courage, Be strong, Be bold.
And don’t let the present opposition cause you to silently step aside.
It’s a good reminder isn’t it?
See, the fact of the matter is, it takes courage to be a Christian.
• It takes courage to step out and confess Christ.
• It takes courage to live for Christ.
• It takes courage to endure for Christ.
In fact:
Revelation 21:7-8 “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
The Bible says that it is the cowardly who partake in the lake of fire.
So this morning, let me encourage you.
Maybe you are one who has already stepped out and confessed Christ.
Let me encourage you to continue with that courage
And not throw away that boldness. Live publicly and openly for Jesus.
Maybe you are one who is contemplating the decision.
You’ve heard about who Jesus is and you see what He wants.
Let me encourage you to have courage and step out for Christ.
“For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay. But My righteous one shall live by faith; and if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him.”
