Purpose: To show the importance of following the Lord wholeheartedly.
Aim: I want the listener to determine to follow Christ regardless of the cost.
INTRODUCTION: God expects His followers to live confidently for Him. This has nothing to do with self-confidence, but it has everything to do with God-confidence. Christians should not be wimps because it takes real courage to follow Jesus Christ.
Confidence in Christ is a major theme of the book of Hebrews. (Hebrews 3:6 NAU) "but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house--whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end. " (Hebrews 3:14 NAU) "For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end". (Hebrews 4:16 NAU) "Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 6:11 NAU) "And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end." (Hebrews 11:1 NAU) "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." (Hebrews 13:6 NAU) "so that we confidently say, "THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?"
This confidence is needed because God is holy and the world system hates Jesus Christ, our natural inclination (our old nature) is to hate Jesus Christ, Satan hates Jesus Christ.
How can we have a deep and abiding confidence in a God we have never seen?
The first step in having this confidence is in Hebrews chapter 10 verses 1- 18. Here we see that Christ's sacrifice on the Cross is the only way we can have our sins forgiven. For example verse 10 says: "By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."
Then in verses 19-23 we learn that Christ's death on the Cross also allows us to confidently claim an intimate relationship with the God of the universe. "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. " (Hebrews 10:19--22 NAU). This passage is referring to the Holy of Holiness where the presence of God dwelt over the Ark of the Covenant. It was a frightening place because casual contact with this place could cause instant death. Once, when the Ark was being moved, a group of men decided to look inside the ark. Listen to what happened: (1 Samuel 6:19, NAS) "He struck down some of the men of Beth-shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the LORD. He struck down of all the people, 50,070 men, and the people mourned because the LORD had struck the people with a great slaughter. " At another time the Ark was being moved on a cart. When the cart tilted a man names Uzza put out his hand to steady the Ark and God struck him dead. So, approaching the presence of a holy God is dangerous, but because of the work of Christ on the Cross we can (Hebrews 10:22--23, NAS) "...draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, ...Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; "
In the next two verses (24-25) Christians are told to confidently pursue a relationship with other believers. "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" (Hebrews 10:24--25 NAU).
Then we encounter some frightening truth in verses 26-31. If we say that we have God's forgiveness, but we continue to pursue sin we will experience God's judgment. (Hebrews 10:26--27 NAU) "For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES". "[SINNING WILLFULLY is directed to those who deliberately keep on sinning after they fully understand the way of escape in Jesus." (Ray Stedman)
If denying or ignoring the Law that God gave to Moses brought God's judgment we can only imagine how much more God will judge those who disrespect Christ's work of grace on the Cross. (Hebrews 10:28--29, NAS) "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? "
God does not look lightly on those who live as if Christ's death on the Cross is unimportant. (Hebrews 10:30--31, NAS) "For we know Him who said, 'VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.' And again, 'THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.' It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God."
So, we CANNOT just claim to love Christ. If we turn away from pursuing Jesus Christ we are proving that we don't really love Christ, and that we don't belong to Christ, nor will we wind up living with Christ someday. Jesus said, "Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 10:32--33 NAU).
This is important because there are many who claim to be saved who ultimately will wind up in hell. Remember that Jesus said, (Matthew 7:21--23, NAS) "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.' "
We need to know for sure that we belong to the Lord! We will never be very effective followers of Jesus Christ until we have a deep seated confidence in Christ's work on the Cross and that we belong to Him.
How can we develop that confidence?
Vs.32-35 I. Remember What Your Faith in Christ has Cost You
REMEMBER 363 anamimnesko 1) to call to remembrance, to remind, to admonish 2) to remember, to remember and weigh well and consider. [1]
Vs.32-33a A. Remember what you have suffered for Christ
"you endured a great conflict of sufferings"
Heb 10:32 33a 32 But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, 33 partly, by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations . . . (NAS)
If you have come through times when others rejected you because you love the Lord then you can remember God's faithfulness to you.
The godly will suffer just because they are godly! This includes suffering physical abuse and verbal abuse.
"Here we have an allusion to the combats at the Grecian games, or to exhibitions of gladiators at the public spectacles; and an intimation how honorable it was to contend for the faith once delivered to the saints, and to overcome through the blood of the Lamb, and their own testimony." [2]
Our real problem is when we can't remember much of anything we have suffered since we became followers of Christ. What have you given up in order to follow Christ? Suffering for Christ is a privilege.
Vs.33b-34 B. Remember how you helped others who suffered for Christ
"sharers with those who were so treated"
Remember the closeness, the comradery you had when you helped others who were suffering for being a Christian.
Paul thanked those who encouraged him in his sufferings. "Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction. You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone" (Philippians 4:14--15 NAU).
Paul congratulated the Christians in Thessalonica for their willingness to suffer. "For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews, who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out. They are not pleasing to God, but hostile to all men, hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved; with the result that they always fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them to the utmost" (1 Thessalonians 2:14--16 NAU).
Can you remember sacrifices you personally made in order to help another Christian who was suffering for Christ? We should be looking for others who are suffering because they love the Lord and come along side and encourage them.
We tend to do more for those who are serving the Lord if we are serving the Lord too. We then tend to be less critical, by the way.
"Never criticize a job you could have done yourself"
This is the essence of real religion: James 1:27 This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of {our} God and Father, to visit orphans and widows in their distress, {and} to keep oneself unstained by the world.(NAS)
Notice how the Living Bible paraphrases this verse: Heb 10:34 You suffered with those thrown into jail, and you were actually joyful when all you owned was taken from you, knowing that better things were awaiting you in heaven, things that would be yours forever.(TLB)
The Christian's gifts to God should not be bribes to obtain His favor, but grateful responses to what He has done in our lives.
"We are to give
We shouldn't only give up money; we should also be willing to give up our reputations because there is an inner joy when you know what you are doing pleases the Lord. Matthew 5:11-12 11 Blessed are you when {men} cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. 12 Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (NAS)
We can cheerfully give up something if we know that what we have coming is better. The Lord ought to be better to us than anything else in the world.
Ps 113:4 The LORD is high above all nations; His glory is above the heavens. (NAS)
Rev 21:23 And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp {is} the Lamb. (NAS)
Ps 63:3 5 3 Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. 4 I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.(NIV)
Vs.35 C. Value your faith in God's rewards "your confidence"
If you ever go to a yard sale you understand the phrase "What is one's man trash is another man's treasure." We only throw away things that have no value to us. If you love Christ then you will value having a confidence that He loves you.
Paul's soul must have risen with a feeling of grand praise to God when he said, Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (NAS)
Psalm 23:3 He restores my soul. . . (NAS)
Psalm 23:6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. (NAS)
Mark 10:28-30 28 Peter began to say to Him, "Behold, we have left everything and followed You." 29 Jesus said, "Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel's sake, 30 but that he shall receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life. (NAS)
CONCLUSION: The amount you are willing to suffer for Jesus Christ reveals how much you love Jesus Christ.
[1] Thayer's Definitions
[2] From Adam Clarke Commentary
[3] From Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary)(Copyright (C) 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers
