OUR ENDURING CONFIDENCE—Hebrews 10:32-39
Attention:
Gators!
While sports fishing off the Florida coast, a tourist capsized his boat. He could swim, but his fear of alligators kept him clinging to the overturned craft.
Spotting an old beachcomber standing on the shore, the tourist shouted, "Are there any gators around here?"
"Naw," the man hollered back, "They ain't been around for years!"
Feeling safe, the tourist started swimming leisurely toward the shore. When he was almost there, he asked the guy, "How'd you get rid of the gators?"
"Oh, its nothin’ we did," the beachcomber said....."The sharks got 'em."
The man had an enduring confidence that the gators were gone!
Likewise we can have confidence in Christ that endures to the end!
Need:
The writer exhorted his audience to recapture & retain their initial confidence.
Effective Christians must recapture & retain their initial confidence in Christ.
How do/can Christians recapture & retain their initial confidence in Christ?
3 means of recapturing & retaining your confidence in Christ.
1—Recapturing & Retaining confidence in Christ comes thru....
COLLECTIVE & PERSONAL RECOLLECTION(:32-34)
Explanation: (:32-34)
:32—“But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings:”
“But”=Contrast to previous section(:26-31), which highlights the consuming fear experienced by those of religious unbelief as they fall into the hands of the Living God their final/eternal judge. In order to not have such judgments & reproofs apply to them, the readers are encouraged to remember their “former days.”
Our memories, when jogged are of great help for us in our walk with Jesus. Memory is a tremendous asset/weapon in our arsenal against evil & for Christ’s Kingdom!
When a Christian is asked to remember his/her salvation, they are in actuality asked to recall everything which led to their trust in Christ—particularly inclusive of their formerly frustrated life which led them to the desperate decision to let go of themselves & admit their need for Christ. Thereby this is meant to bring to their remembrance the change Jesus wrought in their life. Such memories are meant to bring us to the place where we will return to the commitment of Jesus as our ‘first love’(Rev. 2:4-5).
“The former days” highlighted were those following their “illumination” or enlightenment.” They had been made plainly aware of God’s truth in the Gospel & they had accepted it or they would not have been the target of such an exhortation. These had obviously faced the sobering & soul-searching reality of physical persecution(See :33-34).
In the “former days”(days past in Christ), the readers/audience had “endured a great struggle with sufferings.” Physical sufferings cause the Christian to “struggle” with their reliance upon God. In such “struggles,” their faith is rigorously or exhaustively tested for its purity & truth.
“Recall”—anamimnhskw—1) To call to remembrance, to remind, to admonish; 2) To remember, to remember & weigh well & consider. Strong—To remind; (reflexively) To recollect. Used 6X.
“Former”—proteron—Adj.—1) Before, prior—1a) of time, Former. Strong—Previously. Used 10X.
“Illuminated/Enlightened/Received the light”—fwtizw—V.—1) To give light, to shine; 2) To enlighten, light up, illumine; 3) To bring to light, render evident; 4) To enlighten, spiritually, imbue with saving knowledge. Strong—To shed rays, i.e. To shine or (transitively) To brighten up (literally or figuratively). Used 11X.
Heb. 6:4—“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened(fwtizw), & have tasted the heavenly gift, & have become partakers of the Holy Spirit,”
“Endured”—upomenw—1) To remain—1a) To tarry behind; 2) To remain i.e. abide, not recede or flee—2a) To preserve: under misfortunes & trials to hold fast to one's faith in Christ, 2b) To endure, bear bravely & calmly: ill treatments. Strong—To stay under (behind), i.e. Remain; figuratively, To undergo, i.e. Bear (trials), have fortitude, persevere.
“Struggle/Fight/Conflict/Contest”—aylhsiv—1) To contest, to combat, to strive, struggle, hard trial. Used 1X.
“Sufferings/Afflictions”—payhma—1) That which one suffers or has suffered—1a) Externally, a suffering, misfortune, calamity, evil, affliction—1a1) Of the sufferings of Christ, 1a2) Also the afflictions which Christians must undergo in behalf of the same cause which Christ patiently endured, 1b) Of an inward state, an affliction, passion. 2) An enduring, undergoing, suffering. Strong—Something undergone, i.e. Hardship or pain; subjectively, An emotion or influence.
:33—“partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches & tribulations, & partly while you became companions of those who were so treated;”
Such “sufferings” specifically involved 2 major areas:
1)Public humiliation:
This humiliation came thru “reproaches” & “tribulations”(pressures) which they experienced solely because of their personal faith. These were brought upon the believers by other people who disdained & scoffed at the Christian faith.
Such trials of these Christians were not hidden struggles but they were openly theatricalized because of their adherence to the faith of Christ.
2)Becoming “companions”/partners/partakers:
with other Christians who were themselves experiencing similar persecutions as they had.
“Partly”2X—touto men & touto de—touto men—1) Truly, certainly, surely, indeed.
“Made a spectacle/Made a Gazingstock/Made a Public spectacle/Publicly exposed”—yeatrizw—V.—1) To bring upon the stage; 2) To set forth as a spectacle, expose to contempt. Strong—To expose as a spectacle. Used 1X.
Eng.— ‘Theatricalize’ See 1Cor. 4:9.
“Reproaches/Insult/”—oneidismov—1) A reproach—1a) Such as Christ suffered, for the cause of God, from his enemies. Strong—Contumely. Used 5X.
“Tribulations/Afflictions/Persecution”—yliqiv—1) A pressing, pressing together, pressure—2) metaph. Oppression, affliction, tribulation, distress, straits. According to its derivation means pressure. In its figurative sense it is that which presses upon the spirit, affliction.
“Companions”—koinwnov—1) A partner, associate, comrade, companion; 2) A partner, sharer, in anything. Strong—A sharer, i.e. Associate. used 10X.
“so Treated/so Used”—anastrefw—1) To turn upside down, overturn; 2) To turn back; 3) To turn hither & thither, to turn one's self about, sojourn dwell in a place; 4) metaph.—To conduct one's self, behave one's self, live. Strong—To overturn; also To return; by implication, To busy oneself, i.e. Remain, live. Used 11X.
:34—“for you had compassion on me in my chains, & joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better & an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven.”
These formerly openly devout ‘Christians’ exemplified such humiliation & partnership in two particular ways:
a.)Expressing sympathy in the author’s imprisonment.
This extrapolates to any & all imprisoned for their unashamed Christian faith.
b.)Seizure of personal property.
Those who are not sympathetic to the Christian faith may be threatened & offended by it. Such offense may personally press them the point that they feel justified & emboldened to take advantage of the Christian civilly.
Jn. 16:2-3—““They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. “And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.”
The seizure of their personal property, which had been obtained thru their own hard work & diligence(as does everyone else), was accepted as a joyous occasion rather than an occasion for vengeance. This is a sign of true Christian integrity. It is also a testimony to a strong & unwavering faith.
The audience partook of these tribulations because they knew that they had a “better possession” that is an eternally abiding one. This implies that property & personal rights are temporal, & thereby are of vastly less importance than one’s love for God in Christ, which secures the believer a “possession” “in heaven” that is permanent.
It is easy to exchange/give up something of less value for a more valuable one. But does our faith bring us to realize the comparative value?
“Compassion”—sumpayew—V.—1) To be affected with the same feeling as another, to sympathize with; 2) To feel for, have compassion on. Strong—To feel "sympathy" with, i.e. (by implication) To commiserate. Used 2X.
“Chains”—desmon—N. m.—1) A band or bond. Strong—A band, i.e. Ligament (of the body) or Shackle (of a prisoner); figuratively, An impediment or disability. Used 20X.
“Joyfully”—cara—1) Joy, gladness—1a) The joy received from you, 1b) The cause or occasion of joy—1b1) Of persons who are one's joy. Strong—Cheerfulness, i.e. Calm delight.
“Accepted”—prosdecomai—1) To receive to one's self, to admit, to give access to one's self—1a) To admit one, receive one into intercourse & companionship, 1b) To receive one (coming from some place), 1c) To accept (not to reject) a thing offered; 2) To expect: the fulfillment of promises. Strong—To admit (to intercourse, hospitality, credence, or [figuratively] Endurance); by implication, To await (with confidence or patience). Used 14X.
“Plundering”—arpagh—N. f.—1) The act of plundering, robbery; 2) Plunder spoil. Strong—Pillage (properly abstract).
“Goods”—uparconta—V. Participle—1) Possessions, goods, wealth, property. Strong—Things extant or in hand, i.e. Property or possessions.
“Knowing”—ginwskw—1) To learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel; 2) To know, understand, perceive, have knowledge of; 3) Jewish idiom for sexual intercourse between a man & a woman; 4) To become acquainted with, to know. Strong—To "know" (absolutely) in a great variety of applications & with many implications.
“Better”—kreittwn—Adj.—1) More useful, more serviceable, more advantageous; 2) More excellent. Strong—Stronger, i.e. (figuratively) Better, i.e. Nobler.
“Enduring”—menw—V.—1) To remain, abide; 2) To wait for, await one. Strong—a primary verb; to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy).
“Possession”—ecw—V.—1) To have, i.e. to hold; 2) To have i.e. own, possess; 3) To hold one's self or find one's self so & so, to be in such or such a condition; 4) To hold one's self to a thing, to lay hold of a thing, to adhere or cling to.
Argumentation:
Gal. 3:1-5—“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Have you suffered so many things in vain--if indeed it was in vain? Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you & works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?--”
2Jn. 8-11—“Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward. Whoever transgresses & does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father & the Son. If anyone comes to you & does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.”
Rev. 2:1-5—““To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, ‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: “I know your works, your labor, your patience, & that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles & are not, & have found them liars; & you have persevered & have patience, & have labored for My name’s sake & have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent & do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly & remove your lampstand from its place--unless you repent.”
Rev. 3:1-3—““And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, ‘These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God & the seven stars: “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Be watchful, & strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. Remember therefore how you have received & heard; hold fast & repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, & you will not know what hour I will come upon you.”
2Pet. 1:12-15—“For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know & are established in the present truth. Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you, knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease.”
Js. 5:19-20—“Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, & someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death & cover a multitude of sins.”
Lk. 16:19-25—““There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple & fine linen & fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came & licked his sores. So it was that the beggar died, & was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died & was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes & saw Abraham afar off, & Lazarus in his bosom. Then he cried & said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, & send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water & cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ “But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, & likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted & you are tormented.”
Mk. 8:15-21—“Then He charged them, saying, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees & the leaven of Herod.” And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have no bread.” But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? “Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? “When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?” They said to Him, “Twelve.” “Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?” And they said, “Seven.” So He said to them, “How is it you do not understand?””
Jesus is causing his disciples to remember past proofs & to apply that remembrance to their present lives.
Jn. 12:16—“His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him & that they had done these things to Him.”
*Jn. 14:25-27—““These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, & bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
If you don’t have the Holy Spirit then you’re just playing church!
1Jn. 2:20—“But you have an anointing from the Holy One, & you know all things.”
Illustration:
Always enlightening to look at old family pictures with the family/Teaches them of their past/Reminds us of what we’ve been thru...how we’ve progressed...dumb things we did/Reminds us of who we are/COLLECTIVE & PERSONAL RECOLLECTION
Application:
?You Recapturing & Retaining confidence in Christ thru COLLECTIVE & PERSONAL RECOLLECTION?
?You recapturing initial confidence in Christ?
2—Recapturing & Retaining confidence in Christ comes thru....
LIFELONG ENDURANCE(:35-38)
Explanation: (:35-38)
“35—“Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.”
“Therefore”= ‘Since the above is true’
Since the readers had shown their “confidence” in Christ in the past, to the exclusion of themselves, then they are now encouraged not to throw away that “confidence.” Such public openness in Christ has a “great reward.”
“Cast away”2X—apoballw—1) To throw off, cast away. Strong—To throw off; figuratively, To lose.
From—apo apo apo'; a primary particle; "off," i.e. away (from something near)—&—ballw bal'-lo; a primary verb; To throw (in various applications, more or less violent or intense).
“Confidence”—parrhsia—1) Freedom in speaking, unreservedness in speech—1a) Openly, frankly, i.e without concealment, 1b) Without ambiguity or circumlocution, 1c) Without the use of figures & comparisons; 2) Free & fearless confidence, cheerful courage, boldness, assurance; 3) The deportment by which one becomes conspicuous or secures publicity. Strong—All out-spokenness, i.e. Frankness, bluntness, publicity; by implication, assurance.
“Great”—megav—1) Great; 2) Predicated of rank, as belonging to; 3) Splendid, prepared on a grand scale, stately; 4) Great things. Strong—Big (literally or figuratively, in a very wide application).
“Reward”—misyapodosia—1) Payment of wages due, recompense. Strong—Requital (good or bad) Used 3X.
:36—“For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:”
The readers/audience had need of “endurance.”
Such constancy in the face of danger is necessary for the Christian.
*Without endurance we can neither complete the will of God nor can we receive what was promised, nor can we reach the lost.
“Need of”—creia—N. f.—1) Necessity, need; 2) Duty, business. Strong—Employment, i.e. An affair; also (by implication) Occasion, demand, requirement or destitution.
“Endurance”—upomonh—1) Steadfastness, constancy, endurance—1a) in the NT The characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose & his loyalty to faith & piety by even the greatest trials & sufferings, 1b) Patiently, & steadfastly; 2) A patient, steadfast waiting for; 3) A patient enduring, sustaining, perseverance. Strong—Cheerful (or hopeful) endurance, constancy.
“after having Done”—poiew—V-Aorist Active Participle-Nominative Plural Masculine—1) To make; 2)To do. Points to the result of an action. Strong—apparently a prolonged form of an obsolete primary; To make or do (in a very wide application, more or less direct).
“Will”—yelhma—1) What one wishes or has determined shall be done—1a) of the purpose of God to bless mankind through Christ, 1b) of what God wishes to be done by us—1b1) Commands, precepts; 2) Will, choice, inclination, desire, pleasure. Strong—A determination (properly, the thing), i.e. (actively) Choice (specially, purpose, decree; abstractly, volition) or (passively) inclination.
“Receive”—komizw—V.—1) to care for, take care of, provide for; 2) To take up or carry away in order to care for & preserve; 3) To carry away, bear off; 4) To carry, bear, bring to, to carry away for one's self, to carry off what is one's own, to bring back. Strong—properly, to provide for, i.e. (by implication) To carry off (as if from harm; genitive case obtain).
:37— “ “For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come & will not tarry.
The readers are assured that in a short “while,” Jesus will come & He won’t delay. Now we know that even though this was written, by Paul, at least 1900 years ago, God is not “tarrying.”
We cannot give up on God simply because he doesn’t appear even in our lifetime &/or on our schedule.
“The quotation[37-38] conflates Isa. 26:20 LXX, a passage counseling withdrawal & concealment,.....until the wrath of God had passed, & Hab. 2:3b-4, a passage that contrasts faithfulness with withdrawal.”—William Lane
This particular thought is taken from Hab. 2:3, where it seems the focus is more upon assurance that Habbakuk’s vision will occur at some point in the future, rather than upon its urgency.
Hab. 2:3—“For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, & it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry.”
“Very Little While”—mikron oson oson—Adj.— mikron—1) Small, little. “When translated "a little while", the Greek emphasizes the shortness of the time interval, "oh how little". This phrase used often in the NT of the return of Christ.” Strong— A small space of time or degree. 1) As great as, as far as, how much, how many, whoever.
“Coming”—ercomai—1) To come; 2) metaph.—2a) To come into being, arise, come forth, show itself, find place or influence, 2b) be established, become known, to come (fall) into or unto; 3) To go, to follow one. Denotes motion or progress generally, & of any sort, hence to "come" & arrive at, as well as "to go". Strong—middle voice of a primary verb (used only in the present & imperfect tenses, the others being supplied by a kindred [middle voice] eleuyomai; or [active] elyw; which do not otherwise occur); To come or go (in a great variety of applications, literally & figuratively).
“Tarry”—cronizw—V.—1) To linger, delay, tarry. Strong—To take time, i.e. Linger. Used 5X. :38—“Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.””
This verse is from Habbakuk 2:4(See Hab. 2:3 above).
Hab. 2:4—““Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.”
The OT states that the faithful(TR—saints in general) &/or God’s righteous one(MT—Jesus Himself “My righteous One”) will indeed “live by faith.” Faith & righteousness obviously characterize Jesus & thus they should also distinguish those who are His.
Living by faith requires that one not “draw back/shrink away” from that faith. If it is the case that a person shrinks back or is offended by that ‘faith’ then God takes “no pleasure in” that person at all(LXX). God is offended in His soul(that part of Him that is the very essence of His being).
“The writer’s concern was to correct a faulty understanding on the part of the community by providing...a clarification of what is required of faith.”.... “What is in view is not irremediable apostasy, an intentional break, but “conditions that would lead to defection if not repaired.””—William Lane
Gal. 2:11-12—“Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew[upostellw] & separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision.”
“Just”—dikaiov—Adj.—1) Righteous, observing divine laws. Strong—Equitable (in character or act); By implication, innocent, holy (absolutely or relatively).
“Live”—zaw—V.—1) To live, breathe, be among the living (not lifeless, not dead); 2) To enjoy real life; 3) To live i.e. pass life, in the manner of the living & acting; 4) Living water, having vital power in itself & exerting the same upon the soul.; 5) metaph. To be in full vigor. Strong—To live (literally or figuratively).
“Draws back”—upostellw—V.—1) To draw back, let down, lower—1a) To withdraw: of a timid person; 2) To withdraw one's self, i.e. to be timid, to cover, shrink. Strong—To withhold under (out of sight), i.e. (reflexively) To cower or shrink, (figuratively) To conceal (reserve). Used 4X.
“Has Pleasure in/Have Pleasure in/Be Pleased with”—eudokew—V.—1) It seems good to one, is one's good pleasure—1a) Think it good, choose, determine, decide, 1b) To do willingly, 1c) To be ready to, to prefer, choose rather; 2) To be well pleased with, take pleasure in, to be favorably inclined towards one. Strong—To think well of, i.e. Approve (an act); specially, To approbate (a person or thing)
Argumentation:
2Tim. 2:1-6—“You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. The hard-working farmer must be first to partake of the crops.”
2Tim. 2:11-13—“This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.”
2Tim. 4:5-8—“But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, & the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, & not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
2Pet. 3:8-10—“But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, & a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, & the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth & the works that are in it will be burned up.”
Lu 8:12-15—““Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes & takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe & be saved. But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; & these have no root, who believe for a while & in time of temptation fall away. Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out & are choked with cares, riches, & pleasures of life, & bring no fruit to maturity. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble & good heart, keep it & bear fruit with patience.”
Rom. 8:22-25—“For we know that the whole creation groans & labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.”
Js. 1:2-4—“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect & complete, lacking nothing.”
2Pet. 1:5-9—“But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, & to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours & abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, & has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.”
Rev. 14:9-12—“Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast & his image, & receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire & brimstone in the presence of the holy angels & in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever & ever; & they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast & his image, & whoever receives the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God & the faith of Jesus.”
Illustration:
James McDonald tells the story of Brent Stookey?(Edmonton Eskimos Canadian league football player)/As a child he even got kicked out of Sunday School!/Drug possession at 11/He was a world class athlete/His grandmother literally prayed for him all her life...but never saw him saved/Yet she maintained trust in Christ so much so that Brent always inhabited her prayers/LIFELONG ENDURANCE
Application:
?You Recapturing & Retaining confidence in Christ thru LIFELONG ENDURANCE?
?You recapturing initial confidence in Christ?
3—Recapturing & Retaining confidence in Christ comes thru....
BROTHERLY CAMARADERIE(:39)
Explanation: (:39)
:39—“But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.”
“But”(rather)=In contrast to previous statement(:38) of those who draw back.
“We”= The writer includes himself with his readers.
The writer ensures his audience that he & they are “of those” who do not “draw”/shrink back. To “draw back” now is to undergo certain “perdition”/destruction eternally.
The writer(at least) is of the same ilk as others—with a peculiar quality to their faith—resulting in the preservation of the soul instead of its destruction.
*A sharp contrast is drawn between “Drawing back” & “Believing.”
This tells us that there exists a faith which does NOT have the same result! It instead brings one to “perdition.”
There are two kinds of faith which have very different results!
1)There is a saving faith in Christ alone for salvation.
2)There is a non-saving faith which causes one to “draw back” from Christ...so that ‘salvation’ is found in any & everything else.
The “soul” is the very essence of who you are. This is why your soul can be separated from your flesh(clothing) at death, yet you are still you in heaven!
“Draw back”—upostolh—N. f.—1) The timidity of one stealthily retreating. Strong—Shrinkage (timidity), i.e. (by implication) Apostasy. Used 1X.
“Perdition”—apwleia—N. f.—1) Destroying, utter destruction—1a) Of vessels; 2) A perishing, ruin, destruction. Strong—from a presumed derivative of apollumi(to destroy fully (reflexively, to perish, or lose)); Ruin or loss (physical, spiritual or eternal).
“Believe” (See :38—“Faith”)—pistiv—N. f.—BAGD—1)As a characteristic or quality—Faithfulness, reliability, loyalty or commitment; 2)That which evokes confidence—Solemn promise, oath, proof, pledge; 3) Trust, confidence, faith in the active sense= ‘believing’; 4) That which is believed, body of faith or belief, doctrine. Thayer—1) Conviction of the truth of anything, belief; in the NT of a conviction or belief respecting man's relationship to God & divine things, generally with the included idea of trust & holy fervor born of faith & joined with it; 2) Fidelity, faithfulness. Strong—Persuasion, i.e. Credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstractly, Constancy in such profession; by extension, The system of religious (Gospel) truth itself.
“Saving”—peripoihsiv—N. f.—1) A preserving, a preservation; 2) Possession, one's own property; 3) An obtaining. Strong—Acquisition (the act or the thing); by extension, Preservation. used 5X.
“Soul”(See :39)—quch—1) Breath—1a) The breath of life—1a1) The vital force which animates the body & shows itself in breathing—1a1a) Of animals, 1a1b) Of men, 1b) Life, 1c) That in which there is life—1c1) A living being, a living soul; 2) The soul—2a) the seat of the feelings, desires, affections, aversions (our heart, soul etc.), 2b) The (human) soul in so far as it is constituted that by the right use of the aids offered it by God it can attain its highest end & secure eternal blessedness, the soul regarded as a moral being designed for everlasting life, 2c) The soul as an essence which differs from the body (distinguished from other parts of the body). Strong— Breath, i.e. (by implication) Spirit, abstractly or concretely (the animal sentient principle only; thus distinguished on the one hand from pneuma, which is the rational & immortal soul; & on the other from zwh, which is mere vitality, even of plants: these terms thus exactly correspond respectively to the Hebrew vpn neh'-fesh, xwr roo'-akh & yx khah'-ee).
Argumentation:
Mat. 12:49-50—“And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples & said, “Here are My mother & My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother & sister & mother.””
1Pet. 2:7-10—“Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,” & “A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.” They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.”
1Jn. 3:16-21—“By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, & sees his brother in need, & shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed & in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, & shall assure our hearts before Him. For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, & knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.”
1Thes. 5:5-11—“You are all sons of light & sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch & be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, & those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who a&re of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith & love, & as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. Therefore comfort each other & edify one another, just as you also are doing.”
Eph. 4:11-16—“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, & some pastors & teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith & of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to & fro & carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ-- from whom the whole body, joined & knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”
Eph. 2:17-22—“And He came & preached peace to you who were afar off & to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers & foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints & members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles & prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”
Rom. 15:5-6—“Now may the God of patience & comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind & one mouth glorify the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
We are of the household of faith!
Illustration:
My brother & I are 8 yrs. apart/When I was starting 7th grade, he was almost graduating college!/Though we are brothers we don’t have much in common/However, if Mike were to accept Jesus as his Savior, then we would have much in common!/BROTHERLY CAMARADERIE
You will find family anywhere on the globe that there are Christians!
Application:
?You Recapturing & Retaining confidence in Christ thru BROTHERLY CAMARADERIE?
?You Recapturing & Retaining initial confidence in Christ?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
"How'd you get rid of the gators?" "Oh, its nothin’ we did," the beachcomber said....."The sharks got 'em."
We can have confidence in Christ that endures to the end!
Action:
Recapturing & Retaining confidence in Christ comes thru....
1. COLLECTIVE & PERSONAL RECOLLECTION(:32-34)
2. LIFELONG ENDURANCE(:35-38)
3. BROTHERLY CAMARADERIE(:39)
**Apropos— Well received**
Presented 03/18/2012am to:
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
