The Reward of Faith (part 1) – Obtaining God’s Favor
Hebrews 11:1-7
November 22, 2015

When last we left the Hebrews we found that
These people were in the middle of a crisis of faith.

• They are those who had obviously made some sort or confession of Christ.
• They are even those who after that confession endured great suffering.

But now, either because the suffering has gotten worse
Or because the suffering has continued longer than expected,
These professing believers are considering throwing in the towel.

They are considering defecting from Jesus and returning to Judaism.

And the writer couldn’t have been clearer.
If you leave Jesus, you will prove that your faith was never genuine
And you will secure for yourself a certain judgment.

DON’T LEAVE

In fact, last week we heard the writer appeal for them to have courage.
Hebrews 10:35-39 “Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. 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. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.”

• The writer told them to hold on to that boldness they once exhibited.
• He told them to be sure and endure their difficulties.
• And he told them above all, not to shrink back.
• Those who shrink back will never please the Lord when He comes.

And then he closed with a great word of encouragement.
“But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.”

While it is true that those who shrink back from following Jesus
Face a sure and terrifying judgment,
That is not who the writer thinks these people are.

In fact, he thinks they are people of faith.

He thinks they are like so many who gone before them.
And it is those people that consume chapter 11 of the book of Hebrews.

Hebrews 11 is not the central theme to the book of Hebrews,
But it is easily the most popular chapter in the book.
It is often referred to as “The Faith Chapter” or “The Faith Hall of Fame”
Or “The Hall of Faith”
It is a rapid fire listing of the saints of old and the faith they exhibited.

And it is a chapter that serves a very specific purpose to our writer.
• These are his examples.
• These are his illustration.

He just talked about the importance of faith and now he will give
Some unmistakable examples of what he is talking about.

What I want to make sure of before we get into this chapter is that you recognize the OBVIOUS THEMES and POINTS of the chapter.

This is not just a random list of people of faith.
The writer is making a point.
In fact, he is making four points in this chapter about the importance of faith.

The first 7 verses deal with “The Reward of Faith”
You will notice all the references to how those listed here “gained approval” or “obtained the testimony” or “obtained the witness” or “became an heir of righteousness”
The opening theme is clear.
Faith brings with it the reward of God’s pleasure.

Verses 8-22 move on to the second point which is “The Focus of Faith”
Repeatedly you’ll see statements about how these men and women obeyed and endured solely because they were looking for the promise.

These people will endure through Ignorance, through Hardship,
Through Impossible circumstances, and even through Death.

Yet, they will never take their eyes of the prize.
It is the focus of faith.

Verses 23-31 deal with “The Courage of Faith”

Notice the references to courage or the absence of fear.
Moses’ parents “were not afraid”, Moses was “not fearing the wrath of the king”

These people purposely put themselves at odds with the world
And decisions like that require great amounts of courage.

And finally verses 32-40 deal with “The Endurance of Faith”

We have an even more abbreviated list of the saints of old.
And all of them faced horrific circumstances.
Wars, wild beasts, fire, the sword, armies, even death.

Some were victorious; some were not, but all endured regardless,
Even though they did not receive what was promised.

Their Faith Endured.
These are the four major points the writer is driving home.
Obviously he wants the same type of faith from those he is writing to.

Beyond that, I think it’s important that you pick out some of
THE MAJOR THEMES throughout the chapter.

One of the most obvious is the theme of “FAITH & WORKS”
Every single person listed in this chapter
Has works that validate their faith.

There is no doubting the validity of their faith
Because what they did clearly backs it up.

“Abel offered” “Noah built” “Abraham obeyed” “Jacob blessed” “Moses refused” and so on and so forth.

None of them try to show you faith without works.
Their faith is evident by their works
And that is an obvious theme throughout the chapter.

Another obvious theme is that of “SEEN VS. UNSEEN”

The writer will start by saying, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen”

So obviously believing without seeing is important.
And that’s good because most of the people in this chapter
Never saw what they believed.

• (7) Noah was warned “about things not yet seen”
• (8) Abraham was called to move “not knowing where he was going”

And yet while these people couldn’t see how it was going to work,
The writer always focuses on what they did see.

• (13) The saw the promises “having seen them and having welcomed them
from a distance”
• (23) Moses parents could see that Moses “was a beautiful child”
• (26) Moses was “looking to the reward”
• (27) Moses was “seeing Him who is unseen”

The contrast is obvious throughout the chapter.
These men didn’t see with human eyes, they saw with eyes of faith.

It is as 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.”

It is what Jesus said to Thomas:
John 20:29 “Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”

And it is as Peter requested of us:
1 Peter 1:8-9 “and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.”

And it is an obvious theme of faith that the writer continually highlights.

And the other major theme he continually brings up is “RECEIVED VS. NOT RECEIVED”

He continually makes the point that these people received the promises,
But they did not receive what was promised.

(13) “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.”

(39) “And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised,”

That means that these people believed,
Not based on God’s performance, but based on God’s promise.

That’s big.
Their faith endured even when things
Weren’t working out as they had hoped.

Now, they may not have received what was promised,
But because of their unwavering faith, they did receive God’s favor

• All throughout the first 7 verses we see those who “obtained” a good
testimony from God.
• We see Noah who “became an heir of the righteousness which is
according to faith”
• We see in (16) “But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a
heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their
God; for He has prepared a city for them.”

AND SO YOU GET THE POINT.

The faith of these people might not have changed their circumstances,
But it did change their lives & it changed the way God thought about them

And there is the power and purpose of faith.

Our faith is not for the purpose of making life better.
Our faith is for the purpose of pleasing God.

If the only reason you exercise faith is to change your circumstances, then what will you do if your circumstances don’t change?

• Abraham, will you stay in Canaan if you never own the land that was promised?
• Noah, will you continue to build a boat in year 82, when it still hasn’t rained?
• Jacob and Joseph, will you still teach your kids about the Promised Land while you are dying in Egypt?

Obviously their faith was about believing God, not manipulating Him

It’s a very important point about faith that the writer continually reveals.

Now that is obviously a crash course to this great chapter,
I just want to make sure that you understand this chapter is more
Than just some “Hall of Fame”.

This chapter comes with a point.

The writer just told us that we must be people of faith.

Specifically he wants faith that:
• Believes without seeing
• Endures without receiving
• Pursues the promise
• Overcomes Fear
• Remains Committed
• Evidences itself through Obedience
• AND ULTIMATELY THAT WHICH PLEASES GOD

That is what the saints of old offered,
And that is what the writer wants from his congregation as well.

In fact, after the chapter he will say:
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.”

In short, let us live like they did.
It’s your turn to run the race, they handed the baton to you, now run.

So there is a bird’s eye view of this great chapter,
And don’t worry if you aren’t yet grasping everything I just told you,
We’re going to cover it all in greater depth.

This morning I simply want to look at the writer’s first major point and that is: THE REWARD OF FAITH.

Specifically being that faith causes us to obtain God’s favor.
The writer told us back in chapter 10:39 that if we shrink back
Then Jesus will have no pleasure in us.

Certainly that is not what we want.
We want Christ to be pleased with us.
And that is the first point of the chapter.

So this morning we begin to examine these first 7 verses dealing with the reward of faith, and we can break them down into two main points.
#1 THE NATURE OF FAITH
Hebrews 11:1-5

What you will find here are two basic theological truths about faith
And then two basic illustrations to support each truth.

The first truth is very simply WHAT FAITH IS

(1) “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

This verse reveals both a CAUSE and an EFFECT of faith.

First, we recognize the constant in both statements
And that is that there is something that is only “hoped for”
And that is because it is “not seen”

I mean, if you had it, you wouldn’t be hoping for it.
Romans 8:24 “For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?”

So we are dealing with a person who has a hope,
But a hope that is thus far unrealized.

It would be like our hope of eternal life.
It would be like Abraham’s hope for the Promised Land.
It is hoped for, but not yet fully realized.

What the writer is telling us is that there is a certain way
God desires for us to respond to our unrealized hope.

THAT RESPONSE IS FAITH.
Why?

• Because faith “is the assurance of things hoped for”
• And faith is “the conviction of things not seen”

Now what you need to realize is that
The writer here speaks of these two realities,
But he does so in reverse order of the way they occur a person’s life.
Let me explain.
The obvious FIRST STEP is that man hopes for what he does not see.
At this point he has to make a decision in his heart.

He will either choose to believe that his hope will occur,
Or he will choose to believe that it will not.
Those are his only two options.

The person of faith obviously chooses to believe.

Now the Greek word for “conviction” is a word
That literally means “to prove with a test”

It carries the idea of a person testing something
In order to see if it will work or not.

And once the test is completed this person
Will be convinced one way or the other.

Obviously our person of faith has run his test
And is convinced that even though he can’t see something, it is still real.

He is convinced of things he can’t see.
He has “the conviction of things not seen.”

Paul said:
Romans 8:38-39 “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

That statement reflects a person convinced of what he can’t see.

The question is what did he test that caused him to be so convinced?

And there is only one thing he could have tested and that is God.
(when we’re dealing with a promise, all we can test is the one who gives it)

God made the promise that it’s real even though he couldn’t see it.
So a person has to test and see if they think God is believable.

They have to determine IF they believe God can do what He said.
And IF they believe that God does keep His word.
(Testing God’s ability & Testing God’s integrity)

Incidentally Paul believed the answer was “yes” on both counts,
And that explains Paul’s conviction of things that he can’t see.

He told Timothy:
2 Timothy 1:12 “For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.”
It is also the conviction of Abraham:
Romans 4:18-22 “In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, “SO SHALL YOUR DESCENDANTS BE.” Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform. Therefore IT WAS ALSO CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

It is the same thing we are dealing with here.

God has made promises.
• Promises of an eternal home
• Promises of forgiveness through Christ
• Promises of security in Jesus

But at the very core, they are still just promises from God.
You have to decide whether or not you find God to be dependable.

The men of faith said He was.
Paul said He was.
So they had “the conviction of things not seen.”

They believed God’s word and were convinced it was true,
Even though they couldn’t see it.

And the ILLUSTRATION that the writer would use is found in verse 3.
“By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.”

The Jews he was writing to certainly believed that
God created the heavens and the earth out of nothing.
They believed God spoke the world into creation.

Why would they believe that?
• Were they present at creation?
• Did they see nothing become something?

No, but God said that is what happened (Genesis 1)
And every Jew this writer was writing to fully believed it.

They had no visual proof they could see,
But simply because they had believed God’s word,
They had a “conviction of things not seen.”

(that’s a basic illustration of the faith the writer is talking about)

This conviction then led to “the assurance of things hoped for”

Conviction comes first and then assurance.
The word for “assurance” here literally means “a standing under”
It is a word used of a “support” or something “steady”
It would be like a beam or the trusses that hold up this roof.

Hence it is a word that spoke of assurance and ultimately security.

Because we are convinced that God does things;
(Even things that we can’t see,)
We have an assurance that He will also do the things we hope for.

So…
• A man hopes but does not see
• He chooses to believe anyway based upon God’s character and promises
• That conviction then becomes an assurance that steadies him and guides him
and protects him.

It is like the writer said at the end of chapter 10.
We are “those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.”

Our faith holds us and preserves us because it has given us assurance.

THAT IS WHAT FAITH IS.
It is choosing to believe what you can’t see
Simply because you trust the One who told you it’s there.
It is then having assurance that you will receive what you hope for
Regardless of how bleak the circumstances may appear.

John MacArthur described it like this, “Faith is living in a hope that is so real that it gives absolute assurance.” (Hebrews commentary, pg. 287)

SO FAITH STARTS AS CONVICTION AND ENDS UP AS ASSURANCE.
And honestly, that alone makes it a pretty good thing.
Assurance is a wonderful reality.

BUT THAT ISN’T EVEN THE MAIN BENEFIT OF FAITH.
You see what it is,
The writer also wants you to understand WHAT IT DOES

(2) “For by it the men of old gained approval”

“gained approval” translates MARTUREO
And it literally means “to be well testified of”

It’s a word the writer uses several times.

For Abel the same word is translated in verse 4 as, “obtained the testimony”
For Enoch the same word is translated in verse 5 as, “obtained the witness”
And the point the writer is making is that when men gave faith to God,
They received His approval.
It is that all important doctrine known as “Justification by Faith”

And I have to tell you church that this is one of those hills on which to die.
It is the truth regarding how sinful man becomes pleasing to Holy God.

We cannot be wrong on this.
Salvation literally hangs in the balance.

And fortunately for us, God has made it plain.
He has told us how man is made pleasing in His sight.

(2) “For by it the men of old gained approval.”
It was by faith that the men of old received a good testimony from God.

In short, man was and is and always will be justified by faith alone.
Romans 3:19-24 “Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;”

Romans 3:25 “whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed;”

Romans 4:1-5 “What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.” Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,”

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Galatians 3:6-9 “Even so Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS. Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.”

It is what the reformers referred to as SOLA FIDE – “faith alone”
It is what God desires
It is what God expects
It is the only currency God accepts

When man gives this faith described in verse 1 to God,
God responds by declaring that person righteous.

This reality has been a universal and timeless reality.
It is true of those who lived in the Old Testament
And it is certainly true of those who lived in New Testament times.

No one was ever declared righteous by reason of the things he did.

Abraham was the great example that Paul used.
God declared Abraham righteous before he was ever circumcised.
God declared Abraham righteous before the Law was ever revealed.

Circumcision and the Law each had an important role in the plan of God,
But neither of those things was for the purpose of making man righteous.

GOD DID THAT SOLELY IN RESPONSE TO FAITH.

And the writer makes that truth inescapably clear.
(2) “For by it the men of old gained approval.”

AND THEN THE WRITER GIVEs YOU A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES.
Interestingly enough he doesn’t use Abraham here,
Which was the favorite example of Paul.

The writer uses Abel and Enoch.
(4) “By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.”

Certainly you remember the story of Cain and Abel.
Adam and Eve had blown it in the garden and after being removed
The Bible says that they had two boys.

Cain was the oldest, Abel the second.

What is clear (though unexplained) is that Cain and Abel both realized
The need for acceptance from God.
So we find the boys doing is going before God with an offering.

Genesis 4:3-7 “So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the LORD of the fruit of the ground. Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? “If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”

I have no intention of preaching this text again, you can go back and look it up from our sermons on Genesis if you want that.

But the basics here are important.
• There was no Law yet
• There was no command yet

Neither of these boys could have possibly known that
God required blood or that God required a first fruit
(those are the common explanations as to why God accepted Abel, but not Cain)

No, the explanation is made in Hebrews 11.
Namely that Abel brought faith and Cain did not.

Abel’s offering was through faith
That made his offering better than Cain’s
Which was merely an attempt to appease God through his works.

• One boy came trusting God,
• The other came seeking to appease God through his works.
• God was pleased with the one who brought faith.
• God did not accept the one who brought works.

Perhaps that helps you understand then why Cain was so angry.
He had worked hard for that produce, he had battled the sin curse directly to bring fruit from the ground.

Imagine the time it took to break the soil, prepare the soil, plant the seed, care for the field, and harvest that crop.
When God said it wasn’t enough, Cain was livid.

The frustration of Cain is the frustration of every person in religion
Who works tirelessly and vigorously at some religious routine
In order to make God pleased.
How frustrated they will be when they find it is not enough.

Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’”

That was certainly the frustration of the Pharisees who tithe mint and dill and cumin; who broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments; who give and pray and fast like clockwork.

Imagine their frustration with Jesus, who told them that despite all their labor they weren’t good enough to inherit eternal life.

It’s no wonder they killed Jesus.

That is all the frustration of Cain.
He tried to bring works and God would not accept him.
But Abel brought faith.
And when he brought faith to God,
Scripture says, “he obtained the testimony that he was righteous”

Scripture says that God testified “about his gifts”

Which is what Genesis said, “the LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering.”

God didn’t just accept the gift, God accepted Abel.
Abel brought faith and God declared him righteous.

And then the writer says, “and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.”

In other words, we know what happened to Abel.
He brought faith, God declared him righteous
And that proved to be a death sentence for Abel.

Genesis 4:8 “Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.”

So Abel trusted God and it got him killed by those who did not.
(Can you feel the relevance to those the writer is presently addressing?)

But the question of the writer would be this:
• Abel brought faith to God by which he was declared righteous.
• Yes this reality ended up getting him killed.
• But now, many years later, what do you suppose Abel’s message to you would be?

You know the answer don’t you?
Abel would tell you, “IT’S TOTALLY WORTH IT!”

In fact though Abel is dead, his testimony lives on
And his message is the same.
TRUST GOD.

• Have the conviction that God can and will do what He has promised even when you don’t see how.

• Let that conviction produce in you an assurance which will protect you even when things get difficult.

And if you will bring that type of faith to God, you will gain His approval.
(For us – BELIEVE JESUS IS GOD’S ONLY MEANS OF SALVATION)

Obviously we are out of time and we’ll pick this back up in a couple of weeks, but the unmistakable message is clear.

• Regardless of what you are facing.
• Don’t shrink back from Jesus.
• You have need of endurance.
• Walk in the same type of faith that Abel had.

• Trust God, it is the only way to please God.

 

What Sufferers Expect
Job 16-17
November 15, 2015

If you’ve been following along with us in our study of the book of Job,
The main problems are becoming increasingly evident.

Job was suffering even though he was righteous.
And his friends were absolutely no help.

• They lacked compassion
• They condemned without evidence
• They misrepresented God

And we know at the end of this book
They are going to get a major rebuke from God.

In fact, God is going to make them humble themselves before Job
And ask for his intercession on their behalf.

Job 42:8 “Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, and go to My servant Job, and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves, and My servant Job will pray for you. For I will accept him so that I may not do with you according to your folly, because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.”

If you’re paying attention, you’ll realize that at the end of this book
They are going to find themselves needing from Job
What they weren’t willing to give to him.

How many times did Job ask them for mercy and they wouldn’t give it?
And they will have to ask Job for it.

Fortunately for them Job was merciful.
Job 42:9 “So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the LORD told them; and the LORD accepted Job.”

The fact that Scripture says, “the LORD accepted Job”
Implies that Job did not rebuke his friends or belittle them
Or tell them that they were getting what they deserved.
Job instead prayed for them and God answered Job’s prayer.

In an unmistakable turn of events Job gave his friends what they needed
When they continually refused to give Job what he had needed.

Now obviously we are not there yet,
But the passage we study today is one of those passages
That certainly helps set the stage for that day.

For in our text tonight we get a very clear and heart-felt appeal from Job.
Job actually reveals for us 5 things that he wanted from his friends.

I called this sermon “What Sufferers Expect”

It should really be called, “What Sufferers Have The Right To Expect”
Because those who are suffering not only need these 5 things,
But honestly, they have a right to them.

We saw last week how a failure to offer mercy
Is not at all acceptable behavior for a believer.

We are those who have petitioned God
For the greatest amount of mercy imaginable.

And God said, “Yes”

We are recipients of a tremendous amount of mercy.
And that means that no one should be more merciful than a believer.

• Christians should jump at the chance to forgive.
• Christians should jump at the chance to be merciful.

Tell me when in your life you can feel more like Christ
Than when you forgive someone else?

We should be merciful.

And that means that from a believer,
One who is suffering has every right to expect mercy.

• Because we all suffer at some point
• Because we all need forgiveness at some point
• Because we all reach points of despair at some point
• Because we are all looking for hope at some point

We should never be those who refuse to give it to someone else.

AND THIS IS PART OF JOB’S POINT TO HIS FRIENDS.
Tonight Job is still on a tirade.
He is still obviously upset.
His language is strong.

And the reason is because Job is not receiving from his friends
What he expected to receive.

Job had himself been very merciful to others:
Job 31:16-23 “If I have kept the poor from their desire, Or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail, Or have eaten my morsel alone, And the orphan has not shared it (But from my youth he grew up with me as with a father, And from infancy I guided her), If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing, Or that the needy had no covering, If his loins have not thanked me, And if he has not been warmed with the fleece of my sheep, If I have lifted up my hand against the orphan, Because I saw I had support in the gate, Let my shoulder fall from the socket, And my arm be broken off at the elbow. “For calamity from God is a terror to me, And because of His majesty I can do nothing.”

Job was a merciful person.
When he saw people in need he met that need.
And so he certainly expected mercy in his suffering.

And yet that is not what has been happening.
• Instead of comfort he has received condemnation
• Instead of encouragement he has received a rebuke
• Instead of prayer he has received scoffing
• Instead of a defense he has received insults

And tonight he is going to express that.

He will show you 5 things he wanted from his friends
That he did not receive.

(I’d write this list down in the front of your Bible)

5 things Job expected to receive from his friends, but did not.
#1 PROPER COMFORT
Job 16:1-5

It’s not hard to tell that Job and his friends are at odds with each other.

After Job responded to Eliphaz the first time, Bildad said:
Job 8:2 “How long will you say these things, And the words of your mouth be a mighty wind?”

After Job answered him, Zophar responded:
Job 11:2 “Shall a multitude of words go unanswered, And a talkative man be acquitted?”

Job responded to him in sarcasm:
Job 12:2 “Truly then you are the people, And with you wisdom will die!”

To which Eliphaz said:
Job 15:2 “Should a wise man answer with windy knowledge And fill himself with the east wind?”

And now Job responds again by saying:
(3) “Is there no limit to windy words?”

It’s been quite a cycle.
They are each taking their turn telling the other that they are full of hot air
And don’t know what they are talking about.

And Job’s point to his friends is a clear one.
YOUR WORDS AREN’T HELPING

(1-3) “Then Job answered, “I have heard many such things; Sorry comforters are you all. “Is there no limit to windy words? Or what plagues you that you answer?”
It’s easy to tell where Job is coming from isn’t it?
• You just keep on talking, “I have heard many such things”,
• But what you say doesn’t help.
• You are “sorry comforters”

Then he asks “Is there no limit to windy words?”
Which is to say, “Are you not finished yet?”

“Or what plagues you that you answer?”
Which is to say, “Why do you feel the need to keep on talking?”

You aren’t helping, but you don’t seem to let that stop you.

And then listen to Job’s rebuke:
(4-5) “I too could speak like you, If I were in your place. I could compose words against you And shake my head at you. “I could strengthen you with my mouth, And the solace of my lips could lessen your pain.”

If our roles were reversed I could kick you in the teeth too.
• I could do just like you’re doing.
• After all, who can’t kick a man when he is down?
• Who can’t rub salt in an open wound?

Anyone can spot the obvious short-comings or failures of another person
And tear them up with it.

Job says, “I could do that too”

But I’ll tell you what else I could do:
“I could strengthen you with my mouth, and the solace of my lips could lessen your pain.”

I could have made you feel better.
And that is what they have failed to do for Job.

We can all remember back to the day when this all occurred and Job sat down in the ash heap and began to scrape himself with a potsherd.

Job 2:11 “Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, they came each one from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and comfort him.”

And I can’t help but think their presence must have given Job a boost.

Think about the tough times in your life,
What it meant for you to have someone show up and show that they care.

And think how good it felt when they offered you words of comfort.

And I can’t help but think that
That was precisely what Job thought he was going to get from his friends.

But boy was he wrong.
He wanted comfort, he received condemnation.
He wanted his friends to say, “We love you”
Instead they said, “You made your bed, now lie in it.”

He wanted proper comfort but that is not what he received.

Friends when we see people who are suffering,
They have every right to expect that from us.

Galatians 5:14-15 “For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.”

Matthew 7:12 “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

Your suffering friend may not deserve mercy,
But they have every right to expect it from you
Because you expect it from them.

Proper Comfort
#2 POSITIVE ENCOURAGEMENT
Job 16:6-17

When you read those verses, it is obvious that
Job is still in a state of confusion regarding his circumstances.

• Remember he did not have the luxury of reading Job 1&2
• He doesn’t know anything about that conversation in the heavenlies.

And that is typically the way it is.
Most of the time people don’t know why these things happen.
And Job is smack dab in the middle of that confusion.

(6-9) “If I speak, my pain is not lessened, And if I hold back, what has left me? “But now He has exhausted me; You have laid waste all my company. “You have shriveled me up, It has become a witness; And my leanness rises up against me, It testifies to my face. “His anger has torn me and hunted me down, He has gnashed at me with His teeth; My adversary glares at me.”

Again we are allowed to see where Job is crossing the line a little.

Here he likens God to a wild beast that has
Hunted him down and gnashed his teeth at him.

Job seems to think that God is angry at him.
(Many think that during times of suffering)

Look down to verse 12
(12-14) “I was at ease, but He shattered me, And He has grasped me by the neck and shaken me to pieces; He has also set me up as His target. “His arrows surround me. Without mercy He splits my kidneys open; He pours out my gall on the ground. “He breaks through me with breach after breach; He runs at me like a warrior.”

Those are some harsh analogies aren’t they?
• God is like a giant who is wringing my neck.
• God is like an archer that keeps shooting at me.
• God is like a warrior that keeps charging at me.

Job thinks God is really angry at him.

And the confusion is that Job doesn’t know why.
(15-17) “I have sewed sackcloth over my skin And thrust my horn in the dust. “My face is flushed from weeping, And deep darkness is on my eyelids, Although there is no violence in my hands, And my prayer is pure.”

• Job knows there is no violence in his hands.
• Job knows that he isn’t praying in hypocrisy; his prayer is pure
• Beyond that, he has humbled himself before God.
• He’s wearing sackcloth, he’s sitting on the ashes.
• He’s weeping continually

I mean, it just doesn’t add up.
I didn’t do anything wrong, and even if I did, I’ve humbled myself.
I just don’t understand why God is so angry at me.

Now, obviously this is an area where Job is a little off.
• We’ve read the first two chapters.
• God is not angry at Job.
• If anything God is proud of Job.

Job is missing it here a little,
But as I said, that is not uncommon for people who suffer.

But in the middle of this confusion it is clear
What Job hoped to receive from his friends.

He wanted some POSITIVE ENCOURAGEMENT
He wanted them to come and tell him how this was going to be ok.
He wanted them to come and offer encouragement that this too would pass.

But that is NOT what he received.

(10-11) “They have gaped at me with their mouth, They have slapped me on the cheek with contempt; They have massed themselves against me. “God hands me over to ruffians And tosses me into the hands of the wicked.”

Instead of words of encouragement
“They have gaped at me with their mouth”

Instead of an understanding response
“They have slapped me on the cheek with contempt”

Instead of running to my aid
“They have massed themselves against me.”

Job summed it up like this:
“God hands me over to ruffians and tosses me into the hands of the wicked.”

Wouldn’t it have been nice is those friends
Would have come to Job and encouraged him in his pain.

• If they had assured him that God wasn’t angry at him…
• If they had encouraged him that God was accomplishing something great…
• If they helped him look at what is unseen, instead of what is seen…

But that is not what they did.
Instead of encouragement they gave him a rebuke.

Proper Comfort and Positive Encouragement
#3 PRODUCTIVE PRAYER
Job 16:18 – 17:5

You notice that Job begins by making a request of the earth.
“O earth, do not cover my blood, and let there be no resting place for my cry.”

• He’s actually appealing that the earth not cover up the evidence.
• He’s actually hoping that the earth can help him out.

Next he appeals to his heavenly help.
“Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and my advocate is on high.”
Now that is a great statement!
We’ve studied all about how Jesus is our advocate and great high priest.
Job seemed to understand that.

But the point here is that Job appeals
To the earth for help and to heaven for help.

WHY?
(20) “My friends are my scoffers;”

Job had to look at the earth for help…
Job had to look to the heavens for help…
BECAUSE HE RECEIVED NO HELP FROM HIS FRIENDS

What did he want from them?
(20b-22) “My eye weeps to God. “O that a man might plead with God As a man with his neighbor! “For when a few years are past, I shall go the way of no return.”

Pray
James 5:16 “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”

That is all Job was hoping for.
That is his friends would pray for him.

I promise we don’t have the time to take on this subject like it deserves,
But I assure you this is an area where God has burdened me.

Prayer is so vitally important.
That’s why we pass out those cards with the names of our young people on them.

I could not be prouder or more grateful
For those who faithfully gather with us on Wednesday nights to pray.

From the outer perspective it looks like nothing.
From the outer view it looks insignificant.
But I assure you there is not more intense battle field than this.

Paul said:
Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

Again he said:
2 Corinthians 10:3-4 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.”

I shared with some of you this past week, that when a hawk attacks a snake, the first thing it does is pick it up into the air.
There is no way the bird is going to fight the snake on its terms.

That is what prayer is. We take the battle to where the battle can be won.
If we do all our fighting on earth, we’ll never win the battle.

Job had every right to expect that his friends would pray for him.

But they didn’t pray, they mocked.

(17:1-2) “My spirit is broken, my days are extinguished, The grave is ready for me. “Surely mockers are with me, And my eye gazes on their provocation.”

Instead of interceding for Job, they mocked him.

That is why Job appealed directly to God.
(3-5) “Lay down, now, a pledge for me with Yourself; Who is there that will be my guarantor? “For You have kept their heart from understanding, Therefore You will not exalt them. “He who informs against friends for a share of the spoil, The eyes of his children also will languish.”

Did you catch that?
• Job’s friends are those who don’t understand.
• Job’s friends are those who are informants for the enemy so they can get a share of the spoil.

In short Job’s friends are friends.
They are traitors, they are back-stabbers, they are enemies.

Job can’t trust them to pray for him or to intercede on his behalf.

So, he appeals to God. Look at it again:
(3) “Lay down, now, a pledge for me with Yourself; Who is there that will be my guarantor?”

• There was no one who would stand in the gap with Job.
• There was no one who would take Job’s burdens upon themselves.
• There was none who would tell Job, I will fight this battle with you.

So Job asks God to do it instead.
“Lay down, now, a pledge for me with Yourself:”

That is to say, “God would you please give whatever it is you require?”
My friends won’t fight for me, would You?

How sad it is that Job suffered with the expectation that his friends would offer productive prayer on his behalf, but they would not.

Proper Comfort Positive Encouragement Productive Prayer
#4 PASSIONATE SUPPORT
Job 17:6-9

There again we are reminded of Job’s horrific condition.
“But He has made me a byword of the people, and I am one at whom men spit. My eye has grown dim because of grief, and all my members are as a shadow.”
Despite Job’s innocence and purity, he is suffering immensely.
This upright man has become a “byword”
This man of integrity is the object of scorn and spitting.

How should a righteous man respond to such injustice?
A righteous man…
A good friend…
WOULD BE INFURIATED AND WOULD RUSH TO HIS FRIENDS DEFENSE

That is what Job says:
(8) “The upright will be appalled at this, and the innocent will stir up himself against the godless.”

In short, the sufferer has every right to expect his friends
To come to his aid and to stand up for him.

But that isn’t what Job got.
Instead of his friends defending him, Job’s friends insulted him.
They joined forces with the wicked.

This should not be.
• Watch Jesus come to the aid of the woman caught in adultery…
• Watch Jesus come to the aid of the tax collectors and prostitutes and crippled and blind and lame…

Remember this story?
Luke 7:36-48 “Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to dine with him, and He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner.” And Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he replied, “Say it, Teacher.” “A moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. “When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?” Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have judged correctly.” Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. “You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. “You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. “For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.” Then He said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.””

The whole point is that this woman probably didn’t deserve mercy.
Everyone in the room knew what type of woman this was.

But she was broken and she was humble
And did you see how Jesus rushed to her defense?
He didn’t say, “Ooh, you’re right, get away from Me!”

Instead, in the presence of all these people, He came to her defense.

We’ve talked a lot about this with the youth.
They face bullies and mockers and people that make fun of you.

In short, they do like Job’s friends.
They take your obvious short-comings and use them to beat you over the head.

And we talk about the importance of
Coming to that person’s aid and defending them.

Now that will probably get you ridiculed too,
But that is what brothers and sisters in Christ do.

And that is what Job had every right to expect from his friends.
But instead they joined the side of the bullies.

And yet, even though they continued to wrong Job, he did not fold.
(9) “Nevertheless the righteous will hold to his way, and he who has clean hands will grow stronger and stronger.”

You won’t defend me, but I’m still not giving up.

Job expected:
• Proper Comfort
• Positive Encouragement
• Productive Prayer
• Passionate Support

And he received none of it.
#5 PRACTICAL HOPE
Job 17:10-16

He just rebuked his friends for failing to give the comfort, encouragement, prayer, and support he expected.

And now he says, “But come again all of you now…”

That is to say, “I know you’ve got nothing good to say, but go ahead, let’s hear it all again”

“For I do not find a wise man among you.”

And here is his point.
(11-12) “My days are past, my plans are torn apart, Even the wishes of my heart. “They make night into day, saying, ‘The light is near,’ in the presence of darkness.”

• Job says, for me life is over “My days are past”.
• I’m not looking for good in this life “my plans are torn apart”
• But these guys keep telling me “The light is near”

But Job had fixed his hope on the next life.
Job had fixed his hope beyond the grave.

And we talked about how that is part of the goal of suffering,
It teaches us to fix our hope on God who raises the dead.

But Job’s friends don’t want him hoping in eternity,
They want him to repent and have his problems fixed immediately.

IN SHORT, THEY WERE OFFERING A FALSE HOPE.
They could promise it, but they couldn’t deliver it.

Their hope wasn’t practical, it was fantasy.

So Job says:
(13-16) “If I look for Sheol as my home, I make my bed in the darkness; If I call to the pit, ‘You are my father’; To the worm, ‘my mother and my sister’; Where now is my hope? And who regards my hope? “Will it go down with me to Sheol? Shall we together go down into the dust?”

My hope is in eternity.
• I am actually looking towards “Sheol as my home”
• I tell the pit “You are my father”
• I tell the worm you are “my mother and my sister”
(those are all pictures of death)

The reason is because Job has lost things
That he cannot regain in this life.
God can certainly bless him again, but Job’s children aren’t coming back.

Job has no hope of restoration in this life.
Hence “Where now is my hope?”
“Where is the hope in that?”

Job could repent, but his children weren’t coming back.
There was no hope of that kind of restoration in their promises.

His hope is in death and resurrection and so he asks his friends, “Shall we together go down into the dust?”

In other words, can your promises transcend the grave?
No they couldn’t.

Job’s friends made all sorts of promises to Job
As to how if he would repent God would take it all away.
But none of their promises would bring Job’s children back.
None of their promises would bring his deceased servants back.
Their hope wasn’t practical.

Job says my hope is beyond the grave.
My hope is in eternity, and you have yet to encourage me there.

In fact, Job’s friends only discouraged him there,
Because they continued to tell Job that eternity
Wouldn’t be pleasant for him because he was such a sinner.

In short, they didn’t help.
They didn’t offer practical hope.

 

Now, obviously we could and probably should
Go deeper into each one of these areas,
But in one sense it is good to see them all at once
To give some closure to the entire thought.

People who are suffering have the right to expect:
• Proper Comfort
• Positive Encouragement
• Productive Prayer
• Passionate Support
• Practical Hope

Job’s friends would not give these things to him,
Even though he had many times given them to others.
Make sure you treat those who suffer as you would seek to be treated.

Matthew 7:12 “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

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.”

Judgment Without Mercy
Job 15
November 8, 2015

As you know we are working through the dialogue
Between Job and his friends.

It is important that you always remember the premise behind this book.

Job was a righteous man.
• God Himself said on two occasions that Job was “righteous and upright,
fearing God, and turning away from evil.”

We know without a doubt that Job did not suffer as a result of his sin.
Job’s suffering was for an entirely different purpose.

That is key because it helps us understand
The terrible error being made by Job’s friends.

Since they day they came to console Job, they have done anything but.
They have routinely gone on the offensive against Job
To make it their personal mission to find out what Job’s sin was.

They just knew Job must have done something to bring this on himself
And they wanted to know what that was.
And they would not accept anything from Job but a full confession.

The more Job defended himself the more upset his friends have become.
At this point in the book they have all three lashed out at him
And now we are about to cycle through it again.

In short they won’t quit until Job comes clean.
And the longer Job holds out the more severe their accusations become.

Now throughout their rantings against Job we have said they have three major problems.

1) Their Lack of Compassion
2) Their Unwarranted Condemnation
3) Their Blatant Misrepresentation of God

These three realities are seen
Every time these three friends open their mouth.

But having talked about these realities at least in a broad sense,
Tonight I wanted to push a little deeper in one of these areas.

Tonight I want to specifically focus on
The lack of compassion that these men reveal.

In short, they have no mercy.

Certainly this is a massive problem.
As God Himself is merciful and our calling is to be like Him.

What I want to do tonight is first work our way through this text and just examine what has really become familiar speech from Job’s friends.

We basically hear the same old thing.
You’ve probably figured out by now that
The conversations in Job are actually pretty redundant.

• You’re still going to hear how stupid Job is
• You’re still going to hear how sinful Job is
• You’re still going to hear how stubborn Job is

What they reveal however is that Job’s friends
Had a tremendous amount of judgment
And yet were totally void in the mercy department.

James 2:12-13 “So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.”

Job’s friends certainly did not heed such advice.

But let’s listen in on yet another accusation of Eliphaz
And then take a closer look
At what it means to have judgment without mercy.

We can break down this dissertation of Eliphaz into three main critiques of Job.
#1 WHAT YOU SAY ISN’T WISDOM
Job 15:1-6

It’s really not hard to understand what Eliphaz is saying here.

• Job has just finished his longest discourse thus far.
• Job defended his wisdom to his friends after Zophar blatantly called Job stupid.
• Job said:
Job 12:1-3 “Then Job responded, “Truly then you are the people, And with you wisdom will die! “But I have intelligence as well as you; I am not inferior to you. And who does not know such things as these?”

Job told Zophar that he wasn’t stupid,
But that he knew just as much as them.

And Job then commenced to explaining what he knew.
• He knew that sometimes the wicked sin and get away with it.
• He knew that sometimes the righteous suffer.
• He knew this was obvious even in creation.
• And He knew that God was sovereign over all of it.
Furthermore Job was a little frustrated with God because of it.
We actually heard Job air those frustrations through chapter 14.

In response to Job’s claims to be wise and his rant against God, Eliphaz speaks up to tell Job that he is not wise like he thinks.

In short, Zophar was correct, you really are stupid.

Listen to Eliphaz’s rhetorical questions to Job.
(2-3) “Should a wise man answer with windy knowledge and fill himself with the east wind? Should he argue with useless talk, or with words which are not profitable?”

In other words, “Job you claim to be wise
But your speech is not the speech of a wise man.”

You have “windy knowledge” and “useless talk” and “words which are not profitable”

Those are not the sayings of a wise man.

What you say is actually the sayings of an irreverent and sinful man.
(4-6) “Indeed, you do away with reverence And hinder meditation before God. “For your guilt teaches your mouth, And you choose the language of the crafty. “Your own mouth condemns you, and not I; And your own lips testify against you.”

Eliphaz is applying that basic and true principle:
“The mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart”

Since Eliphaz thinks Job’s speech to be useless and stupid,
He takes the next step and applies that foolishness to Job’s heart.

So now, not only has Eliphaz condemned Job’s speech, but also his heart
• You think you are wise like us.
• You think you know what you’re talking about.
• But what you say isn’t wisdom.

#2 WHAT YOU SUPPOSE ISN’T TRUE
Job 15:7-16

Now you remember Job’s point that
Sometimes the wicked do prosper and sometimes the righteous do suffer.

That was Job’s belief and he said that
even creation supported those claims.

Well Eliphaz tells Job here that he obviously doesn’t understand anything
(7-11) “Were you the first man to be born, Or were you brought forth before the hills? “Do you hear the secret counsel of God, And limit wisdom to yourself? “What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that we do not? “Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us, Older than your father. “Are the consolations of God too small for you, Even the word spoken gently with you?”

It’s not difficult to pick up on Eliphaz’s scorn.
“Boy Job you must think you’re really smart. You must think you really have God figured out. And you must think you’re the only one who knows anything about Him.”

But guess what Job:
• You weren’t the first to be born.
• We have men among us older than your father
• We know what we’re talking about

The problem isn’t that we are wrong, it’s that you don’t like the truth!

“Are the consolations of God too small for you, Even the word spoken gently with you?”

Job, you just don’t like the truth.

And that is evident in the way that you attack God.
(12-13) “Why does your heart carry you away? And why do your eyes flash, That you should turn your spirit against God And allow such words to go out of your mouth?”

According to Eliphaz the reason that Job is so upset with God
Is because he doesn’t like the truth of God regarding his judgment.

It is true that there are people today who just don’t want to hear the truth.
Paul spends much of Romans 1 talking about people
Who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.

They just don’t want to hear what God has to say.

The problem is that that isn’t Job.

The other problem is that
Eliphaz uses that as an excuse not to show mercy.
He is convinced that Job is getting what he deserves.

(14-16) “What is man, that he should be pure, Or he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous? “Behold, He puts no trust in His holy ones, And the heavens are not pure in His sight; How much less one who is detestable and corrupt, Man, who drinks iniquity like water!”

Does that argument sound familiar?
It should.

It’s the truth that the “angelic messenger” taught Eliphaz back in chapter 4.

Job 4:17-21 “Can mankind be just before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker? ‘He puts no trust even in His servants; And against His angels He charges error. ‘How much more those who dwell in houses of clay, Whose foundation is in the dust, Who are crushed before the moth! ‘Between morning and evening they are broken in pieces; Unobserved, they perish forever. ‘Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them? They die, yet without wisdom.”

That’s the same argument.
Even angels aren’t pleasing to God, so how could man possibly be?

And especially a man like you Job “who drinks iniquity like water”

And so the point of Eliphaz is that Job’s assumption that
He is suffering even though he is righteous just isn’t true.

Eliphaz would say “You aren’t righteous and you deserve what you’re receiving, you just don’t like it”

What you say isn’t wisdom What you suppose isn’t true
#3 WHAT YOU SUFFER ISN’T SURPRISING
Job 15:17-35

And in reading that section it’s easy to hear Eliphaz’s point.
The wicked suffer because they are wicked.

In fact Eliphaz lays out several specifics about the suffering of the wicked
And if you listen closely you can hear some
Very obvious links to the things Job has experienced.

• Things like writhing in pain
• Or living in terror
• Or a destroyer coming upon him while he is at peace

It’s obvious that Eliphaz is making a veiled accusation against Job here.

BUT HE OUTLINES THE LIFE OF THE WICKED.

We see the sufferings of the wicked:
(20-24) “The wicked man writhes in pain all his days, And numbered are the years stored up for the ruthless. “Sounds of terror are in his ears; While at peace the destroyer comes upon him. “He does not believe that he will return from darkness, And he is destined for the sword. “He wanders about for food, saying, ‘Where is it?’ He knows that a day of darkness is at hand. “Distress and anguish terrify him, They overpower him like a king ready for the attack,”
According to Eliphaz the wicked are in constant pain, full of terror, without hope, destined for the sword, and knowing that the worst is yet to come.

He even explains why the wicked have it so bad
(25-28) “Because he has stretched out his hand against God And conducts himself arrogantly against the Almighty. “He rushes headlong at Him With his massive shield. “For he has covered his face with his fat And made his thighs heavy with flesh. “He has lived in desolate cities, In houses no one would inhabit, Which are destined to become ruins.”

Eliphaz says the reason that the wicked are suffering is because they have acted arrogantly and defiantly against God.

But if you notice he is even specific as to how.
“For he covers his face with his fat and made his thighs heavy with flesh”

In other words, he has lived in gluttony and wanton pleasure.
(Fat = well fed)

In Job’s day there wasn’t a greater evil in the world than gluttony.
How could a person eat to such an extent when people starved all around him?

He is accusing Job of being such a person.
A person who lived in wanton pleasure and in defiance of God
And so God has attacked him for it.

And Eliphaz reminds Job that God will win this battle.
(29-30) “He will not become rich, nor will his wealth endure; And his grain will not bend down to the ground. “He will not escape from darkness; The flame will wither his shoots, And by the breath of His mouth he will go away.”

That is to say, the rich won’t survive.
God will judge them.

And so Eliphaz’s advice to rich and arrogant people like Job?
(31-35) “Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself; For emptiness will be his reward. “It will be accomplished before his time, And his palm branch will not be green. “He will drop off his unripe grape like the vine, And will cast off his flower like the olive tree. “For the company of the godless is barren, And fire consumes the tents of the corrupt. “They conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity, And their mind prepares deception.”

Eliphaz tells Job that he should not have trusted in his wealth,
Because now it has failed and all he can expect is judgment for it.

NOW, LET’S ANALYZE WHAT ELIPHAZ HAS SAID.
• He said God will judge those who seek only to get rich in this life.
• He said their riches will not save them.
• He said their punishment will be swift.

There is no way we can argue with that.

Psalms 49:10-20 “For he sees that even wise men die; The stupid and the senseless alike perish And leave their wealth to others. Their inner thought is that their houses are forever And their dwelling places to all generations; They have called their lands after their own names. But man in his pomp will not endure; He is like the beasts that perish. This is the way of those who are foolish, And of those after them who approve their words. Selah. As sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; And the upright shall rule over them in the morning, And their form shall be for Sheol to consume So that they have no habitation. But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, For He will receive me. Selah. Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich, When the glory of his house is increased; For when he dies he will carry nothing away; His glory will not descend after him. Though while he lives he congratulates himself – And though men praise you when you do well for yourself — He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They will never see the light. Man in his pomp, yet without understanding, Is like the beasts that perish.”

Or listen to Jesus:
Luke 12:13-21 “Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” But He said to him, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?” Then He said to them, ” Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.” And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. “And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”‘ “But God said to him, ‘ You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ “So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

Luke 16:13-15 “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were scoffing at Him. And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.”

I mean you get the point.
Eliphaz was right on here.
What he was speaking (at least in a generic sense) was the truth.

SO WHAT WAS THE PROBLEM?

Well obviously his assessment was misapplied to Job.
But beyond that, his problem was that his judgment lacked mercy.

Jesus spoke what was true about the rich in this world.
Luke spent a lot of time addressing it.

And yet Luke also reveals Jesus’ mercy to a rich man like Zacchaeus.
(Jesus choosing to eat with that man)

And it wasn’t just Zacchaeus,
It was all manner of tax collectors and sinners.

Jesus spoke the truth about the judgment of the wicked
But at the same time never failed to hold out His hand
In mercy to them as well.

THIS IS WHERE JOB’S FRIENDS WERE FAILING MISERABLY.
It was judgment with no mercy.

Do you want to know who else was just like Job’s friends?
The Pharisees
They also were filled with judgment and no mercy.

Remember the woman caught in adultery in John 8?
• They dragged that woman into the open court and arrogantly claimed,
“Moses commanded us to stone such a woman. What do
you say?”

Jesus said, “Good idea, in fact, let’s stone all the sinners!”

His point was made.
EVERYONE NEEDS MERCY

BUT WOE TO THE MAN WHO REFUSES TO GIVE IT.

In fact Jesus said:
Matthew 5:7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

In short the reason people don’t offer mercy
Is because they’ve never been given mercy.

Either that, or they never appreciated it.

Remember this person?
Matthew 18:23-35 “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. “When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. “But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. “So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’ “And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt. “But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ “So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’ “But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. “So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. “Then summoning him, his lord said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. ‘Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’ “And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. “My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”

And yet, that was the Pharisees.
That was Job’s friends

They either didn’t think they needed mercy,
Or didn’t value the mercy they had received.

Jesus told the Pharisees:
Matthew 12:7 “But if you had known what this means, ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT A SACRIFICE,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.”

He said the same after eating with Tax Collectors
Matthew 9:10-13 “Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?” But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. “But go and learn what this means: ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

You’re heavy on the judgement but light on compassion and mercy.

OR GO READ LUKE 15.
Three parables.

The lost sheep, the lost coin, the lost son

Do you know what sparked such direct and penetrating stories from Jesus?
Do you know the scene behind the parables?

Luke 15:1-3 “Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” So He told them this parable, saying,”

And then followed the lost coin, the lost sheep, and the lost son

Jesus was continually confronting the Pharisees
Because they were full of judgment and short on mercy.

Want another example?

Look at Jonah.
He was flat out angry that God had chosen to forgive the Ninevites.

Jonah 4 “But it greatly displeased Jonah and he became angry. He prayed to the LORD and said, “Please LORD, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity. “Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for death is better to me than life.” The LORD said, “Do you have good reason to be angry?” Then Jonah went out from the city and sat east of it. There he made a shelter for himself and sat under it in the shade until he could see what would happen in the city. So the LORD God appointed a plant and it grew up over Jonah to be a shade over his head to deliver him from his discomfort. And Jonah was extremely happy about the plant. But God appointed a worm when dawn came the next day and it attacked the plant and it withered. When the sun came up God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah’s head so that he became faint and begged with all his soul to die, saying, “Death is better to me than life.” Then God said to Jonah, “Do you have good reason to be angry about the plant?” And he said, “I have good reason to be angry, even to death.” Then the LORD said, “You had compassion on the plant for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which came up overnight and perished overnight. “Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?”

That is the only book in the Bible that ends with a question.
You are supposed to ponder it.
You are supposed to apply it.

• Do you suppose that you ought to have a little mercy in your judgment?
• Do you suppose that you ought to show compassion to those who may not deserve it?

AND THAT IS THE PROBLEM WITH JOB’S FRIENDS.
They have no interest in affording Job
A single drop of compassion or mercy.

They have actually reached the place
Where they are rooting for Job’s judgment.

In their mind Job is getting what he deserves and they couldn’t be happier
And that is a sad, sad, reality.

We live in a world where a church will protest the funeral of a military person and parade with signs that says “God Hates Fags”

We have people who actually delight in the message of judgment,
And talking about how angry God is at certain people.

And when you ask people about their eagerness to preach judgment they quickly respond, “You just don’t like the truth!”

THAT’S NOT TRUE.
• I just like the truth that God is merciful to sinners who don’t deserve it.
• I like the fact that Jesus ate with tax collectors
• I like the fact that Jesus associated with prostitutes
• I like the fact that Jesus mingled with fishermen, Gentiles and the lowly

And Jesus did it without ever condoning their sin.

• He told that woman caught in adultery, “Go and sin no more”
• Somehow Matthew knew he had to leave the tax booth behind.
• Somehow Zacchaeus knew he had to give up his possessions.
• Certainly Jesus told the Rich Young Ruler to sell his.

Jesus warned about the judgment
More than any preacher who has ever lived.

But Jesus never rooted for judgment.
Jesus never hoped for it.

His goal was always mercy and compassion.
His goal was always salvation.

John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”

Twice we heard Him say to the Pharisees, “Go and learn what this means, “I desire mercy and not a sacrifice.”

That is the problem with Job’s friends.

• All they can see is ways where Job must have obviously offended
God as though he didn’t do the right thing.

• And they fashion themselves to be on the side of God, having
done all that God required.

And God’s answer is, “I desire mercy and not a sacrifice”

WE CAN AND SHOULD LEARN FROM THIS.

James 2:12-13 “So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.”

When we confront this world, we know that judgment is real.
We preach the judgement and wrath of a holy God.
But that is not what we root for.

Heaven doesn’t rejoice when a sinner
Gets what they’ve got coming to them.
Heaven rejoices when a sinner repents.

Job’s friends had judgment without mercy
And we must make sure that this is not us.

Matthew 5:7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

What Will You Do With Jesus? – Part 2
Hebrews 10:26-31
November 8, 2015

If you were with us last week you know that we entered
A very important and also confrontational portion of the book of Hebrews.

After 9 ½ chapters of pure and amazing theology
The writer now demands that you make a decision.

As we said last week, the Bible is a unique book.
• In chapter 4 the writer said it is “active and living”.
• He said it pierces as far as “the division of soul and spirit of both joints
and marrow”
• He said it is “able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart”

In short the Bible is unlike any other book you will ever read.
That is because the author of this book is the God of the universe.

Simply ignoring what God says is not an option.
You either believe what He says and submit to it,
Or you choose not to listen to what He says and rebel.

And because your response is to the God of the universe,
There are consequences for your choice.

IN SHORT, THIS IS A BIG DEAL.
FOR 9 ½ CHAPTERS GOD HAS BEEN SPEAKING.

He has told us how Jesus is greater than any and everything else.
• Prophets
• Angels
• Moses
• Joshua
• Aaron
• Sacrifices

He has explained to us how Jesus accomplished what no priest nor sacrifice ever could.
• He actually entered God’s very presence
• He actually took an acceptable offering (His own blood)
• He actually atoned for the sin of God’s people
• He sat down when He was finished and now intercedes for us.

If you need tangible proof of what He did,
Look at the event that occurred on the day He was crucified.
The veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom.

Through Jesus access to God was granted.
Through Jesus forgiveness was purchased.
Through Jesus sinners can finally be saved.
It is the greatest truth to ever be revealed.

And now we come to the portion where
The writer forces us to do something with it.

Last week we saw the first half of his request.
He told us how we should respond. (3 things)

Because of what Jesus did, we should respond with:
1) SINCERE FAITH
(19-22) “Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”

The writer here is playing very heavily to the Jewish crowd.
Everyone who ever attended the Day of Atonement knew that the priest never entered behind the veil until he first sprinkled the blood of the bull for a sin offering and washed his body with pure water.

Here the writer says that Jesus has already done that for us.
He cleansed us. He sanctified us. He perfected us.

And so now the writer says, “Go ahead, enter the veil”
It is an absolutely remarkable statement.
It was literally unheard of to the Jews.
But the writer says, “Go ahead, Jesus made the way!”

Now there is no way any Jew is actually going to enter that veil
Unless he really believes Jesus has made him pleasing to God.

That is why the writer said we must have sincere faith.
You must believe that Jesus has in fact made you perfect.

So respond with sincere faith.
2) UNWAVERING HOPE
(23) “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;”

Since Jesus is the only way to make you pleasing to God, not only should you believe Him, but you should never waver in your belief.

In short, hold fast to Him.
Don’t retreat, don’t turn back.

I know the pressure is hot, and the persecution is real,
But don’t leave Jesus to return to Judaism.

He is faithful.

3) EVIDENT LOVE
(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.”

The writer reminds that not only should you believe and keep believing,
But make sure your brother holds on too.

Perhaps the most telling attribute of a truly redeemed person
Is that they love their brother.

And if you love your brother, prove it by encouraging him.

This is going to require you to be faithful to the assembly of the brethren,
Since it’s hard to encourage your brother from home.

So be faithful and help him endure.

And this was the response that the writer desired for each of us to have.

Because Jesus shed His blood to atone for sin and make us perfect
Then we should trust in Him, keep trusting in Him,
And make sure your brother keeps trusting too.

WELL TODAY WE LOOK AT THE “FLIP SIDE”
We saw what a positive response to Jesus was,
This morning we see the negative one.

This morning we get the “or else” portion of the passage.

And while this is not a pleasant topic
It is a very important topic because it is true.

Many today have tried to rob the gospel of this very important reality.

Today many invitations are given to people to follow Jesus
And only the positive is mentioned.

• They offer “eternal life” if you’ll just follow Jesus.
• They offer “abundant life” if you’ll just follow Jesus.
• And they say “Jesus is so good, don’t you want to follow Him?”

And the only recourse for not following Jesus is that
“you’ll be missing out if you don’t.”

But that is NOT the recourse for failing to trust Jesus.
FAILURE TO TRUST JESUS BRINGS CERTAIN JUDGMENT.

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death…”

The simple fact is that God judges sinners.
Jesus Himself 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.”

God can and God will.

I was doing some research recently regarding
The arguments of non-believers (even atheists) regarding God.

And it doesn’t take long until you run across some type of cynic
Who wants to point out how awful God is
Because of what He did in the Old Testament.

Have you ever read the book of Joshua?
We call it the conquest.

And God had the children of Israel literally annihilate people.
They destroyed entire populations young and old.

And people look at that and say, “I could never believe in a God like that”

First of all, God is not up for election.
He’s going to be God whether you believe or not.
And since He is God, you’d better figure out what He requires

Beyond that, do you know what those stories in the conquest teach us?

The unequivocally teach us that God will in fact destroy sinners.
He will in fact judge and destroy all who are not His children.

LOOK AT THE FLOOD IF YOU MUST.
People love to pain nurseries with the theme of Noah’s Ark.
But you realize the world has never known a greater judgment than the great flood.

I realize the doctrine of eternal punishment is a hard doctrine.
But that doesn’t change the fact that it is true.

There is coming a day when God will judge sinners
And send them to eternal hell.

BUT GOOD NEWS!
God has first offered forgiveness through the death of His Son Jesus!

And that is why the writer first said – BELIEVE IN JESUS!
• He is the means of forgiveness
• He is the means of salvation
• He is the means of perfection before God

You should believe in Jesus.

However, there are some who choose not to.
And now the writer deals with them.
It is the people who respond negatively to Jesus.

He introduces them in verse 26 “For if we go on sinning willfully…”

• Some are confronted with the truth of Jesus and they choose to repent of their
sin and trust in Christ.
• Some, however, are confronted with the truth of Jesus and they instead
choose to keep their sin and reject Christ.

It is those people the writer is dealing with
And the word of the day seems to be “terrifying”

• They receive (27) “a terrifying expectation of judgment”
• And in verse (31) “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

In short, all those who reject Jesus can expect is a terrifying judgment.

And the writer wants to show you why.

There are three reasons why the person who rejects Jesus
Should have “a terrifying expectation of judgment”

#1 THE REJECTED SACRIFICE
Hebrews 10:26-27

He is talking about a person here who had received
“the knowledge of the truth”

In short, this is not an ignorant person.
This is not someone who has never heard of Jesus.

In fact there are two Greek words that are commonly translated “knowledge”

One is GNOSIS which refers to “ordinary knowledge”
And then there is EPIGNOSOS which means “full knowledge, understanding, and discernment”

The writer here uses the word EPIGNOSIS

If I could bring a little closer to home,
This is a person who has studied the first 9 ½ chapters of this book.

After studying this book we now know all about why Jesus is greater.
• We know all about His role as our high priest.
• We know all about His effectiveness as our sacrifice.
• We know all about how He made us perfect before the Father.
Thanks to the detailed style of the writer of Hebrews
We know what Jesus did.

The writer is talking about a person who knows all that,
But still chooses not to respond to Jesus.

They have chosen to “go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth”

They know about Jesus, they just don’t want Him.

And the writer gives two realities to that person.
What they don’t have & what they do.

Look at what they don’t have.
“there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins”

WHAT DOES HE MEAN?

What did we learn about what God thinks of the sacrifice of goats and bulls?
They don’t work.

Hebrews 10:1-4 “For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins? But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”

God doesn’t accept goat’s blood as a payment for sin.

There is only one thing that God has ever accepted.
What was it? Christ’s blood.

Hebrews 9:24-26 “For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”

Christ was the only offering God has ever accepted.

That is why Jesus made statements like:
John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

JESUS IS THE ONLY SACRIFICE FOR SINS

But this person rejected that.
Therefore they no longer have a sacrifice for sins.
They will attempt to approach God empty handed,
And I promise you, it will not work.

They cannot possibly anticipate that God will accept them
Without a suitable offering.

WHAT CAN THEY EXPECT?
(27) “but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.”

God is a holy God who will judge sinners
By destroying them in hell for eternity.

BUT GOD, in His mercy first offered one way of forgiveness,
And that is Jesus.

If you reject the only way of forgiveness you will not escape the judgment.

And that is the first major problem for those who reject Jesus.

The Rejected Sacrifice
#2 THE RIDICULED WITNESSES
Hebrews 10:28-29

It becomes apparent that our writer
Is laying out for us a court-room analogy.

And why not, we are after all talking about judgment.

We discovered in verses 26-27 that the defendant (us) IS IN FACT GUILTY.
They chose sin

Let me lay it out like this.
• You go out this week and commit murder.
• You then get arrested and the prosecuting attorney comes to you and offers
you a deal.

It is a onetime offer that says, “If you will plead guilty, confess your crime, and renounce it, I’ll have the sentence waived”

But we already saw in the first two verses
That the defendant wouldn’t take the deal.

They didn’t want to give up murdering.
They decided to take their chances in court.

So now the trial has started and what the murderer didn’t realize
Is that there are some witnesses against him.

And Jews would understand how bad this is.

(28) “Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.”

Now Jews certainly understood this reality.
Deuteronomy 17:2-7 “If there is found in your midst, in any of your towns, which the LORD your God is giving you, a man or a woman who does what is evil in the sight of the LORD your God, by transgressing His covenant, and has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun or the moon or any of the heavenly host, which I have not commanded, and if it is told you and you have heard of it, then you shall inquire thoroughly. Behold, if it is true and the thing certain that this detestable thing has been done in Israel, then you shall bring out that man or that woman who has done this evil deed to your gates, that is, the man or the woman, and you shall stone them to death. “On the evidence of two witnesses or three witnesses, he who is to die shall be put to death; he shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness. “The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.”

That was a person who knew what God said, but just ignored it.
They knew the difference between right and wrong because of the Law of Moses.
They knew what was right, they just didn’t want to do it.

And the Law said if a person knows better but chooses to do it anyway
And there are two or three witnesses who see it,
That person shall be killed “without mercy.”

In short you could be killed for simply offending Moses.

Well, I’ve got some bad news for you.
It seems for those who hear the truth about Jesus and understand it,
But then choose to reject it.

Their crime didn’t go unnoticed.

There are in fact three witnesses who saw exactly what happened.
WHO ARE THESE WITNESSES?
• It is God the Father
• It is God the Son (Jesus)
• It is God the Holy Spirit

You see in verse 29
That this person “trampled under foot the Son of God”

That is to say he totally rejected what Jesus did.

I can give you an analogy.
Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.”

The only thing you ever “trampled under foot” was something
You deemed to have no value. (like tasteless salt)
And that is what the writer says this person did to Jesus.
They appraised Him as having no value.
(They actually chose to value the goat over Him)

They saw His sacrifice on the cross as unimportant and unnecessary.

But He isn’t the only witness they ridiculed.

He also “regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified” which was the covenant offered by God the Father.

• Remember the book of Jeremiah?
• Remember how God promised a new covenant?
• Remember how God said He would forgive our sins under that new covenant?

In short, the new covenant would offer full blow pardon and sanctification
Through the death of Jesus.

It was in the upper room where Jesus took the cup
And said, “this is My blood of the covenant”

God offered full blown sanctification and perfection
Through this new covenant.

But what did this person do?
He “regarded [it] as unclean”

That is to say, he also tossed it out.
He rejected it.

So not only has this person rejected the sacrifice of Jesus,
He has also rejected the new covenant of God.
But he’s not done.

And he “insulted the Spirit of grace”

How did he do that?

Who do you suppose it was that made the sacrifice of Christ known?
Who do you suppose it was that made the new covenant known?
Who do you suppose it was that inspired all these truths to be written?
Who do you suppose it was that convicted your heart and called you to trust in Jesus?

It was the Holy Spirit.

Remember what the writer said very early on?
Hebrews 3:7-8 “Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, “TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME, AS IN THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS,”

Remember when we looked at the parable of the Day of Atonement and talked about the veil and what it symbolized?

Who did the writer say was making that point?
Hebrews 9:8 “The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing,”

It has been the Holy Spirit who has been calling you to salvation.

But what did this person do?
“insulted the Spirit of grace”

They refused to listen to Him.
Told Him to get lost.
Ignored what He had to say.

Incidentally this is what your bulletin was referring to.
Your bulletin today said, “The Unpardonable Sin”

WHAT IS THAT?
Matthew 12:31-32 “Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. “Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.”

There is no sin you can commit too bad that God won’t forgive it.
However it is through the Holy Spirit that God offers this forgiveness.

If you reject the offer, there is nothing that can be done.
The unpardonable sin is to reject God’s offer of salvation.

It’s not that God WON’T forgive it, it’s that He CAN’T forgive it
Because forgiveness itself has been rejected.

And that is what this person has done.
• He has rejected and insulted the Son
• He has rejected and insulted the Father
• He has rejected and insulted the Spirit

All three are witnesses of this person’s rejection

NOW, AT THIS POINT THE WRITER APPEALS AGAIN TO LOGIC.
You’ll notice that he actually asks your opinion.

“Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment DO YOU THINK he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?

Did you catch the question?
If God would kill you for insulting Moses, how much more severe do you think it will be for insulting the Trinity?

The answer is obvious – WAY MORE SEVERE
(as in “a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries”)

All of a sudden our defendant isn’t looking too good.
• He has rejected the plea bargain
• Now he finds that there are in fact 3 iron clad witnesses (whom he has
insulted) who stand against him.

He’s in trouble.

I suppose his only hope now would be that somehow the judge
Would just overlook the fact of his sin,
Disregard the testimony of the witnesses and decide just to let him go.

That’s really his only hope.
(and people bank on this – “I don’t think a loving God would send anyone to hell”)

But for that person I have some bad news. It won’t happen.

Rejected Sacrifice, Ridiculed Witness
#3 RESOLUTE JUDGE
Hebrews 10:30-31

All our defendant has to do is take a look at the bench
And there he finds the most resolute, just, uncompromising Judge
There ever was.

“For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.”

• Our defendant is standing before the Judge who avenges.
• Our defendant is standing before the Judge who is not afraid to judge.

In fact the writer talks about what it is like to be a defendant
Whose only hope is this judge being lenient.

(31) “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

See, this Judge offered a pardon through the death of His Son.
But this man rejected that pardon.

Now he will face the Judge who has no problem judging.

Romans 2:5-6, 11 “But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS…For there is no partiality with God.”
Are you catching the writer’s point?
What you do with Jesus matters.
It has extreme eternal ramifications.

YOU DO NOT GET THE CHOICE OF REMAINING NEUTRAL.
Every one of us came into this thing as sinners who have already offended God.
Every one of us comes into this guilty deserving of judgment.

But that is where the good news of the gospel comes in.
God offers pardon, forgiveness, righteousness, sanctification
Through the sacrifice of Jesus.

And the Writer (who is the Holy Spirit) holds out His hand and says,
“Now please accept Jesus”

• Through Jesus draw near to God.
• Hold fast to Jesus no matter what.
• Encourage your brother to hold fast to Him too.

And then the writer says, “But if you don’t…”
• If you choose not to turn from your sin
• If you choose not to trust in Jesus
• If you choose not to hold fast to Him

Then all you have to look forward to is a terrifying judgment.

And it will happen.
“The Lord will judge His people”

Revelation 20:11-15 “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

That “book of life” is the registry of all who place their faith in Jesus.
And it is the only thing that allows a person to escape judgment.

If you reject Jesus, judgment is what you receive.

Now friends that puts every one of us on trial.
You will either accept Christ or reject Him.

In fact, to not accept is to reject.

So you only get two options.
You either come under the blood of Jesus for forgiveness
Or you reject Him and trample Him under foot
“Under the blood or on top of it”

That is your decision, but you will make the decision,
There is no way around it.

This morning, my invitation to you is for you to choose to trust Jesus.

HOW DO I DO THAT?

It’s real simple, you simply believe.
• You believe that you have sinned and offended God.
• You believe that what Jesus did is enough to forgive you.
• You believe that Jesus will forgive you.

And if that belief is real in your heart it will cause something.
(It’s a chain reaction)
• It will cause you to confess Him with your mouth. (because the mouth speaks what is in the heart)
• It will cause you to obey His commands (because true faith acts on what it believes)
• It will cause you to keep obeying (because true faith never stops)

Paul said it like this:
Romans 10:9-10 “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

So I’m asking you to believe.
And if you do believe, I ask you to confess it with your mouth.

For knowing the truth and then choosing not to respond to it
Only brings a terrifying expectation of judgment.