We Don't Shrink Back

0:00You can go ahead and turn in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews, chapter 10, verse 32 through 39 is where we will be. Before, though, we get into that in light of this holiday that we just went through this past Friday, I want to begin this morning with a brief prepared statement on providence and independence. This is also very applicable providentially to this morning, so there is some tie-in as well. This is not just a random uh soapbox or an aside. Uh in set in May of 1776, just two months before the Declaration of Independence was signed, John Witherspoon, a Scottish-American Presbyterian minister, and in fact the only clergyman to sign the Declaration of Independence, delivered a sermon in Princeton, New Jersey, titled The Dominion of Providence Over the Passions of Men. His main point during that sermon was that even unruly people and their actions like anger and tyranny and oppression and evil still serve God's plan and purpose and are used by God for his divine purposes. Of course, the cross is the best and most complete example of that reality, and certainly he used that, but it was also through the tyranny of men. Religious oppression, hatred, and anger, that God was pleased to transplant a people to this land and to bless them and to prosper them. Witherspoon recounted instances in which the divine providence of God was so clearly visible to them, allowing victories that most certainly should have been defeats, thwarting British plans on many occasions, and despite what you hear today, those who were there and those who fought the war in the 18th century and bravely founded our country did so under a clear and firm conviction that it was only the grace of God, according to his divine plan and foreknowledge, that they were blessed with this land and with liberty. To that end, Witherspoon says this: quote, while we give praise to God, the supreme disposer of all events, for his interposition in our behalf, let us guard against the dangerous error of trusting in or boasting of an arm of flesh. I could earnestly wish that while our arms are crowned with successes, we might content ourselves with modest ascription of it to the power of the highest. It has given me a great uneasiness to read some ostentatious, vaunting expressions in our newspapers, though I happily think much restrained of late, let us not return to that again, he says. If I am not mistaken, not only the holy scriptures in general and the truths of the glorious gospel in particular, but the whole course of providence seem intended to abase the pride of man and lay the vein glorious in the dust. How many instances does history furnish us with of those who, after exulting over or despising their enemies, were signally and shamefully defeated? The truth is, I believe, the remark may be applied universally as we may say, that though the whole frame of nature and the whole system of human life, that which promises most, performs the least. The flowers of the finest color seldom have the sweetest fragrance. The trees of the quickest growth, fairest form, are seldom that of greatest value or duration. Deep waters move with the least noise. Men who think most are seldom talkative. And I think it holds as much in war as in anything that every boaster is a coward. My point this morning, for the sake of us and our text, is that being a proud American is a virtuous thing. So long as our boasting of this land and our liberty is instrumentally in the gracious God who so graciously gave us this thing and blesses us. As honest reflection upon history shows, the divine hand of God did give us this nation to a people by his grace and for his purpose, and what a purpose it has been. This country, despite its faults, has been a bulwark against the global advancement of sin, tyranny, terror. This country has been a beacon of hope, virtue, prosperity, a gospel light from which thousands upon thousands of missionaries have taken the gospel to the ends of the earth. Billions upon billions of dollars have been distributed to help the poor, disadvantaged. I shudder to think what the world would be like if not for this great country, given to the world by the gracious providence of God, spurred on by the tyranny and oppression of men. And God is so gracious to us, and so worthy to be praised, and if we would only open our eyes and look, not distracted from the sinful world and all its foolish stammering, we would see his hand, his mercy, his providence, and with steadfast love, we would see his final deliverance. So, I am unashamed to be an American, proud, in fact, to be an American, not because I boast in man or flesh, because I boast in the Lord. I boast in the Lord who is not done yet, who is still active in this world, and I pray that we all thank God for his providential blessing. And we trust that through us and through this great blessing that we call America, our God will continue to turn the sin of man into the salvation and blessing of his people. And to that end alone, may God bless us and bless America. So that's my uh little spiel on independence. So, sorry, that was an aside, but there you go. We do have to read Hebrews, though. Um you're already there in Hebrews 10. Uh again, I said we're covering verses 32 to 39. I'll be very brief in introduction because we are running behind. But I do want to note, uh, as we'll see this week, that this is a very pastoral letter. This is written by a pastor. As we know and as we've seen and will continue to see, uh, the author of the Hebrews knew the people in which he was writing to. He was familiar with them. He knew them well, he knew their struggles. Um, and he desired to cover all the aspects of good pastoral care in this letter. We read in uh 1 Thessalonians 5, 14. Apostle Paul says, We urge you, brothers, admonish the idol, encourage the faint-hearted, help the weak and be patient with them all. Admonish the idol, encourage the faint-hearted, help the weak and be patient with them all. These are the aspects, or at least many of the aspects, of good pastoral care. And all of that has been evident thus far in the book of Hebrews. Last week, he admonished the idol, didn't he? It's a little bit tough last week for those idol to hear. This week, though, he is going to encourage the faint-hearted. This week we will have encouragement for the faint-hearted. And this does send us on a bit of a roller coaster of emotions, right? In this short letter already, we've seen now in Hebrews 2, and then Hebrews 6, Hebrews 7, and now in Hebrews 10. There's just this roller coaster of encouragement and warning. And that will continue really through the rest of the book. But this week, again, please take from this encouragement for the faint-hearted. And certainly this morning we come here varying degrees of faint-heartedness. The theme this morning for those taking notes. The title is We Don's Shrink Back. We don't shrink back. The theme then is with wisdom from the past, hope from our promised future, we can find perseverance in the present. So that is where we're going, uh, and I will outline a little better as we go. So I'm going to read. You can stay in with me. Hebrews 10, starting in verse 32 through 39. But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which it 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 is promised for yet a little while, and the coming one 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 those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and persevere their souls. This is the word of the Lord. We pray and ask now. Please speak for Christ's sake. It is in his name that I pray. Amen. Well, that theme of recalling history, uh, recalling the past is one that we're going to talk about a little bit as we begin this section, and in connection with my intro this morning. Uh C.S. Lewis coined a term, I assume he coined it, uh, and that term is chronological snobbery. Uh basically meaning that current generations generally look back at the past with an unhealthy measure of contempt. This is chronological snobbery. Older generations tend to look back and think that they don't know, um, they didn't know you know what to do back then. They weren't as wise, they weren't as cultured, they weren't as sophisticated as we are now, certainly not as intelligent, and um we don't know much of history as a result, and we don't read much from people who are dead. This is factual. However, let us not be chronological snobs. Not because I'm telling you that, but because uh the word of God tells us that. Our text begins this morning in verse 32 with the word recall. Verse 32, but recall the former days. Begins with an encouragement by asking us to consider the past. Consider the past. Recall those former days. How often in the midst of a struggle do we fail to consider not where we are, but where we came from? How often in the midst of struggles do we fail to consider not where we are, but where we came from? And these people here that this letter is written to were struggling against temptation. They were struggling against persecution. But look where you came from, the author says. Look where you came from. Recall the zeal that you once had. We have all had those times of great strength, haven't we? Where we felt unstoppable. Times of great strength. Where we felt unstoppable. And the encouragement then is in this time, in this day, when we're going through various struggles, various trials, the positive aspect of it is that we can look back and see providentially how God has delivered us. How God has brought us through those times of struggle. We can draw encouragement now to say He is present even in this. He will get me through this. This is how we resist the temptation of what these people were inevitably going through. Why did we do this? Is this even the right decision? Should we even continue following Christ? Have I gone astray here? These are all things that they were thinking, and then inevitably all of us think at times and decisions that we made. Life choices and circumstances. What have I done here? The command then is to first recall those former days when you have seen God work, seen God move. Further to recall the strength of the saints of our past. None of us have been imprisoned for our faith, I don't think. None of us have our property plundered. None of us have been burned alive for translating God's word into a language or English. None of us have been put to death for protesting the Roman Catholic Church. Those who were, though, they endured by the grace of God. It did not shrink back. So we can then take inspiration from that in our lesser trials by God's grace, when we reflect on and we recall their strength, their perseverance. When we recall those former days, then those hard struggles of the past, the sufferings, being exposed to reproach and to affliction, we recall those who responded in faith. Let us draw encouragement from that. And even from our own lives, then let us recall, let us spend time recalling those days of our own personal strength and faith. That in the midst of difficulty, tribulation, persecution, trials, faint-heartedness, we can remember where God has brought us. We can remember where he has brought us. Because faith requires endurance. Faith requires endurance. Luke 9, 22 to 23 reads this: If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. But whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. Jeremiah Burroughs says, a man very familiar with persecution, says, When a Christian can walk in the midst of a fiery trial without his garments being singed, and has comfort and joy in the midst of everything, it will convince men when they see the power of grace in the midst of afflictions. It is a testimony. Faith requires then endurance. So that is the encouragement we get from the past. We now can also look to the future and grab motivation from the future. This is verse 34 through 36. Specifically, I'm going to hone in on verse 35. 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 is promised. Commentary I read this past week noted the reality of that we live in a buy now, pay later kind of world, don't we? Not just with monetary things, but it's true. We want it now, and we'll pay for it at some point in the future. But give it to me now. Get the payoff now and actually pay for it later. Christianity, though, as our text points out here this morning, is the opposite. It calls us to sacrifice now, to pay now, and to receive later. This would be a difficult ask, I contend it would be, if that future receipt weren't so great. And the reality of the fact that the future receipt is so great, we can endure the trial. We can pay now, we can sacrifice now because the promise is so great. The reward is so very worth it. This is the essence of faith, isn't it? I won't get too far ahead, but that's where we're going next week with Hebrews 11. The faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the convictions of things not seen. Essence of faith, then. At least in some respects, is looking forward to that hope, that promise. Sacrificing now in anticipation of that blessed promise. And Christians draw strength and wisdom from the past, as we just said. We hope from the future, because we are a future-oriented people, aren't we? We are always a future-oriented people. 1 Peter 1, 3 to 5. Blessed be the God of our Father and Lord Jesus Christ. According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, unfading, kept in heaven for you. Who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Further, Revelation 7, 16 to 17. They shall hunger no more. Neither thirst anymore. The sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Are you struggling? This morning. Are you facing temptation? Hardship. There is kept for you a salvation undefiled. Promise. A day in which all the tears will be wiped from our eyes and all the sin will be no more. That is the promise. But it's hard, isn't it? Our text says yet a little while. Yet a little while, just a little while longer, Church. We hold on. We hold on. Because the coming one will come and he will not delay. He is not delaying. He will deliver what he has promised. Just hold on. Just hold on a little while longer. Read a quote here from Donald Barnhouse. He says, There is no thought of I can stand it. The pagan in dull hopelessness bows to the inevitable. The Christian accepts the suffering, knowing that God is bringing him through to glory and from the hope of the past to the hope of the future, he sees the connection running through his suffering like a thread that binds all together. His life is like the turbulent rapids of a river. But he knows that the river comes from a still spring and is flowing to a calm ocean. In this knowledge, the Christian has settled peace. I know I've said it before, and I use the phrase many times, probably every day, even, with respect to our lives, but going off of what Barnhouse said, the idea of it is what it is should not be in our vocabulary. Why? Well, because what it is is nothing short of our path to glory. To the promise, to salvation, to deliverance. So it's not just what it is. We're not just content to throw our hands up and say, oh well. Everything is purposed because of the future deliverance and the future glory. It is not what it is. It is our path to glory. That's what it is. Finally, then, we've gotten encouragement from the past. We get motivation from our future. That allows us to have perseverance in the present. Perseverance in the present. Our call then is to not shrink back. Because of the past encouragement, because of the future hope. Now in the present, we do not shrink back. We press on to that upward call. Give me another quote from Thomas Watson. Christians do not arrive at perseverance while they sit still and do nothing. It is not with us as with passengers in a ship who are carried to the end of their voyage while they sit still in the ship, or as with noblemen who have their rents brought in without their toil and labor. But we arrive at salvation in the use of means. A man comes to the end of a race by running, to a victory, by fighting. Make no mistake, though, the victory has been won. We can confidently declare that this morning. The victory has been won. But the ordained means by which we get to that victory is running. It is fighting. Much the same way we think about prayer. We know that God has ordained all things, but yet we pray, effectually pray. We know that God has won the victory. We know that He has secured our salvation, our inheritance. But nevertheless, the means by which we get there is we run and we fight. This is why war movies, I think, are so powerful. Why epics and fairy tales are so captivating to us, why we're drawn to those things. Victory is won through perseverance, right? Through a struggle, through endurance. There is a conflict that has to be overcome. That must be overcome. And surely it would be nice, right? If we could just sit in the boat in perfect harmony, as we are carried blissfully into glory. And perhaps it's my toxic man energy. I want to fight my way there. I don't want to just sit in the boat and be carried there. And I think the church needs men who want to fight their way home. 1 Peter 4, I think I put it in my. Yes. Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking. For whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin so as to live for the rest of his time in the flesh, no longer for human passions, but for the will of God. Men, we arm ourselves with the same type of thinking. We sacrifice, we fight. And that looks differently for women, but nevertheless, the call to take up your cross, to persevere in hope, to contend and fight for the faith, this is the same for us all. We are to persevere. We have to persevere. So let us then recall the former days. Let us look to the past. Recall those former days of our former days, others, and be strengthened. Be strengthened by the zeal and the faith that our Lord has provided by his grace. The victories that he has granted and that he will continue to grant. Let us consider the hope of future glory, those blessed promises, that eternal, undefiled inheritance that awaits us, a final salvation from sin, from suffering, from mourning. Let us consider the hope of that future. And let us then persevere in the present, not shrinking back, but running and fighting. I'm going to close with this wonderful quote, James Montgomery Boyce. Victories in such sufferings are eternal. In the same way that the victory of our Lord upon the cross is eternal. Our sufferings endure for a moment, but they achieve an eternal victory. They point to the truth and grace of God forever. I am convinced that in the farthest reaches of heaven, in what we would call billions of years from now, there will be angels who look upon everyone who has been redeemed by Jesus Christ and thrust into spiritual warfare by him, and they will say, Look, there is another of God's servants, saints, one who triumphed over the evil by the Lord's power. Revelation 12, 11 to 12 describes how they will exclaim of our great victories over Satan. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. They did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore, rejoice, you heavens, and all you who dwell in them. And in achieving those eternal victories, we who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ will have indeed been more than conquerors. To that we can surely say amen. Let's pray. For reminding us of the past, Lord. As we look at that further in through the 11th chapter of Hebrews. Help us to recall the past, Lord, where we've come from, how you've delivered us, how you've blessed us. May we get encouragement from that. Help us to consider the future, those future promises, our future salvation. And by that, let us persevere in the present. Give us strength, Lord. Renew our faith again today. Let us press on to this upward call. Let us run the race to win, Lord. Thank you for Jesus. It's in his name that I pray. Amen.