True Believers Stay the Course

Transcript

GR 1330
08-20-06
True Believers Stay the Course
I Corinthians 10:1-5
Gil Rugh

We're studying the book of I Corinthians together and we are in chapter 10. A very serious matter, a very important matter, something we all must understand. It's the matter of our salvation. I was watching a leading evangelical as he is known to be interviewed several times on television this week. Someone called me at noon when I was coming back from a lunch meeting to tell me I needed to turn on the program where this individual was being interviewed, and then later that night he was interviewed. Greatly saddened, in portions of the program that I was able to see not once did he mention salvation, not once did he mention Jesus Christ, not once did he mention sin. Do-goodism kind of message. I was saddened to think that those who bear the name evangelical speak in such a way that they don't speak the message of the good news of Jesus Christ, the message that indeed we are sinners, that Jesus Christ is the Savior from sin. He is the answer, the solution. He is the only Savior; there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. We need to be careful that we are clear on the biblical doctrine of salvation. And there are two dangers that we have referred to and I want to mention to you again. One is that we begin to corrupt the message of salvation by faith in Christ by saying it is a matter of believing in Christ plus doing our good works to save us. Salvation is a gift of God's grace, as such it cannot be earned or worked for or deserved. It is a gift; it is given by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

But the other error that I fear has taken hold of the church that stands firmly that we must believe in Christ is that you understand that salvation, biblical salvation, true salvation by faith in Christ changes a life completely and makes a person new. The change is so radical that the Bible compares it to death. The person you were dies and you are raised as a new creature in Jesus Christ. Romans 6 and II Corinthians 5 talk about these truths. Furthermore, the Bible is clear that that change and transformation controls your life until your life comes to an end, either at death or at the coming of Jesus Christ. The Bible knows nothing of a salvation that works part way, the idea that I trusted Christ but now I'm not walking with the Lord. How dare you cast such dispersions on the salvation that God talks about. The salvation that the Bible talks about gloriously changes your life and it is permanent. It's not a cure for a short time; it is a cure for a lifetime and then all eternity.

In I Corinthians 8-10 Paul is talking about living a Christian life. When you place your faith in Jesus Christ and you are born again you are set free, set free from the domination and control of Satan and of sin in your life. But you are not set free to do as you please and do what you want. You are now set free to serve the God who saved you. Look in I Corinthians 9:19. Paul in chapter 9 has been using himself as an example of how we are to use our liberty and freedom in Christ. He says in verse 19, though I am free from all men I have made myself a slave to all that I might win the more. Paul says, now I belong to Christ and my life is about telling others about Him, about serving Him, my whole life. At the end of chapter 9 he talked about the fact, I must continue faithful to the end. Life is like a race, the Christian life, and you must complete the race. I was watching golf this weekend for a little bit and watched as a golfer was being interviewed. I was interested in his comments; he is supposed to be the best golfer in the world. And they were asking him what it was like walking up to the 18th green, the last green and you have a significant lead and the crowd is cheering and you know it's all over. What are you doing? He says, well I can tell you what I am thinking; I'm thinking, finish the race. You haven't made the last putt, the race isn't over. Finish the race. He said it doesn't matter how far ahead I am, I'm not finished. So while they're cheering and I'm walking up and everybody thinks it's a done deal, I'm thinking, finish the race.

That's what Paul is talking about, that kind of attitude. Finish the race. And furthermore, Paul says, for those of us who profess to be believers, if we don't finish the race we will be found to be disqualified. And that's not so different than the athlete. If you take your ball and throw it in the lake and never finish the last hole, it doesn't matter that you were 10 strokes ahead, you didn't finish. There is nothing for you but the disgrace of having not finished. Paul concluded chapter 9 verse 27 by saying, I discipline my body, make it my slave so that after I have preached to others I myself will not be disqualified. We talked about that word translated disqualified. The Greek word adokimos, means rejected, found to be worthless, having failed the test. Paul says I must exercise discipline, show endurance, complete the race or I will be found to be worthless.

Turn over to Hebrews 6. We're going to be in Hebrews quite a bit later in our study, so you may want to leave something here. Very similar, the kind of instructions and warnings the writer to the Hebrews is giving. I just want you to note the picture given in verses 7-8, for the ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful for those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God. The picture is rain coming down from heaven and it waters the ground and the ground that's been prepared and receptive produces proper vegetation, useful vegetation. But if it yields thorns and thistles it is worthless. Remember that is our word translated disqualified in I Corinthians 9:27, it is adokimos. Close to be cursed and ends up being burned. So the picture here is God's blessing coming down on people and all these people receiving these blessings. But some produce thorns and thistles and they will be destroyed, others produce the proper fruit, the proper vegetation and they will be saved.
You cannot be saved by your works, but when you are truly saved your works will evidence the power of the living God at work in your life. That's why James wrote, faith without works is dead, and faith that does not change your life is not saving faith.

Come back to I Corinthians 10. Sometimes with our Bibles we come to chapters and we sit down and say I'll read a chapter and open up and read a chapter and we fail to appreciate the context. Behind all that he is saying in chapter 8-10 is the issue of becoming involved in one way or another in idol worship, idolatry. Down in verse 14 of chapter 10 he'll say, beloved, flee from idolatry. Well unless you started in chapter 8 verse 1 where he says, now concerning things sacrificed to idols, it's easy when you get into the middle of this to forget that behind all he is saying is this question, what about idols. This brings into a full discussion the area of our liberty and what the life of a true believer is like. And you'll note chapter 10 begins, for. And that builds on what he has just said. I want to be careful at the end of the race that I'm not disqualified, rejected, found to be worthless. For, and he's going to draw now on Israel's experience in the Old Testament as an example and an illustration. Through all of chapter 9 he used himself as an illustration of proper use of your liberty in Christ.

Now in chapter 10, the first part of the chapter, he is going to use Israel's actions in the Old Testament as a warning and example for us to learn from. In fact twice here, verse 6 he says, these things happened as examples for us. Down in verse 11, now these happened to them as an example, they were written for our instruction. We are to learn lessons from what happened to Israel, God's people in the Old Testament.

Back up to Romans 15. It's a very similar context because in Romans 14 Paul has been talking about how we are to use our liberty in Christ, the freedom we have in Christ. Chapter 15 opened up, now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength. We talked about this in chapter 8 of I Corinthians. Now look at verse 4, he makes a quote from the Old Testament regarding Christ and then he says in verse 4, for whatever was written in earlier times, referring to the Old Testament scriptures, was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. Now may the God who gives perseverance, we're talking about endurance, we're talking about discipline that keeps you to the end. But you'll note, it's God who gives perseverance. So we're not talking about something that you learn to conjure up and do in your own strength, we're talking about the work of God in the life of one who truly belongs to God. And by God's grace who has worked in our lives, we draw upon the power and strength that He gives and persevere, endure. Hupomanace is the word; it means to live under pressure. We continue on faithfully, persevering, under the trials, the pressure. Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind so that you may glorify God and so on. Through perseverance and encouragement of scriptures we might have hope. It is God who gives perseverance and encouragement. We are to learn from the Old Testament scriptures and God uses that to strengthen us as His people that we might persevere and be encouraged.

Come back to I Corinthians 10. The word for connects it, as I mentioned, to what has just gone one. And now he is going to give some illustrations from the Old Testament using the nation Israel and their experiences, through their deliverance out of Egypt, through their 40 years of wilderness wanderings, and then the example of people who experienced the multitude of blessings from God and yet for the most part failed to arrive at the goal. They were found to be adokimos, disqualified, worthless, and did not enter the Promised Land. You'll note the word all; it appears five times in the first four verses. I don't want you to be unaware brethren that our fathers were all under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized, all ate, and all drank. There are spiritual blessings that every Jew coming out of Egypt experienced, yet when all was said and done, verse 5, with most of them God was not well pleased. This is a serious matter because those whom God was not well pleased will end up experiencing destruction.

Paul is aware that they know the account, the Old Testament account. You know I am impressed as I read the New Testament, particularly in letters written to Gentile churches as the church as Corinth, which is a Greek city. It's been about five years since Paul established the church at Corinth. Now he's going to refer back to an incident of sin in Israel's history without any elaboration, assuming that they know what he's talking about. And he's going to use that to make a point. You have to think that these five years when the truth of the Old Testament has been packed into their hearts and minds, along with the new truth God has given. And keep in mind, the people in Corinth didn't each have their own Bible to take home and start reading and learn this. Think about it. You have your own Bible, how familiar are we with the Old Testament. We think, well I know. Here Paul is going to drive a point home regarding their salvation; this is based upon the fact that you know these things. And these aren't people of Jewish background, these are people coming out of Gentile paganism which has to do with why they are drawn back to idolatry and wondering whether they are free to get involved in certain activities that are associated with idol worship. But they know the Old Testament. He says, I do not want you to be unaware, brethren. I don't want you to miss the point that you need to learn. You know the history, but you understand that's just not history, you are to learn something from that for you today, as the church.

He goes on to tell them what he want them to be aware of. That our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea. That doesn't mean that the church has become Israel. One writer said on this verse, since he used the expression our fathers it means God's new people are the true Israel of God who fulfill His promises made to the fathers. Then he has a footnote, this is taught throughout the New Testament and he has a list of scriptures. I went through them all, and none of them taught that. I mean, it's true the Jews would refer to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and the 12 patriarchs as their fathers, but you understand the Gentiles have been grafted in according to Romans 11. And the Abrahamic Covenant made provision for the salvation of Gentiles, for in Abraham's seed all nations would be blessed. But that provision in the Abrahamic Covenant wasn't given to nullify the other provisions of the Abrahamic Covenant for physical Israel. So when he says our fathers he's just talking about the fact that spiritually we have been grafted in to the Abrahamic Covenant, the provision made for us in the Abrahamic Covenant and the blessings of salvation as promised to the Gentiles in the Abrahamic Covenant.

So we identify with these that are in the wilderness and being brought out of Egypt. They were all, so these now are going to tie it to Israel in the Old Testament, all were under the cloud, all passed through the sea. Now the Old Testament talked about the cloud that was behind them or went before them, but here it says they were all under the cloud. It may simply mean they were under the protection of the cloud, the cloud manifesting God's presence with them to lead them, to guard them and so on. It may be an indication that the cloud also was over them at times as a protection and a covering. In Psalm 105:39 we are told regarding the cloud that was with Israel in the Old Testament wanderings, it was spread as a covering that protected and directed the people. And listen to Numbers 14:14, you, oh Lord, are in the midst of this people, for you, oh Lord, are seen eye to eye while your cloud stands over them, and you go before them in a pillar or cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Numbers 14:14 does speak of the cloud being over them as well as going before them. And that's what Paul picks up here. They were all under the cloud; they all passed through the sea. We're talking about how all the Jews experienced this deliverance from Egypt. They came out under God's protection and provision, walked through the Red Sea on dry land with the sea on each side, the cloud over them as they go through. All the Jews experienced that in the exodus, it was a universal experience. Exodus 14 records that passing through the Red Sea. We're not going to go back to these accounts because we're going to assume like Paul does with the Corinthians that you know the account. We're just going to refresh our minds quickly and look at the application of it.

All were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. Now that's an unusual expression, not used anywhere else. The Old Testament Jews were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. In other words they were under the cloud and they were walking with the sea up on both sides so they were enclosed in this, immersed in this. So they were being baptized into Moses. Obviously Paul is using terminology under the direction of the Spirit that will show a connection between what happens to Israel and the spiritual condition of the church at Corinth. This is not Christian baptism, but what was happening is this baptism identifies them with Moses as their deliverer and as their leader as they came out of Egypt. We see the parallel as believers are delivered from the bondage of sin; they become identified with Christ as their deliverer and as their Lord, their leader, their sovereign. So Israel was baptized into Moses. This has nothing to do with reading Christian baptism into the Old Testament, but he is using them as an example so that we could learn and be taught from these situations. They all experienced this as they went through the Red Sea under the cloud. They were following Moses and being identified with him as their leader and deliverer.

All ate the same spiritual food. Now the word spiritual becomes important here, it's used three times in verses 3-4—spiritual food, spiritual drink and spiritual rock. And the idea is the food not in and of itself was spiritual, because we have a physical description of it, like a wafer and coriander seed and flaky. But it had a spiritual source; it's not natural food, its supernatural food. It's called bread from heaven. Moses said in Exodus 16:15, it's the bread which the Lord has given you to eat. So it's spiritual food, it has a spiritual source, it's supernatural. God began giving them the manna after they came through their Red Sea experiences and so on, and He ends it at the conclusion of the wilderness wandering. It was a supernatural provision for a given period of time. You can't go to Israel to day and find a manna tree because that was a supernatural provision from God for a time. So they all ate spiritual food, what God provided for them spiritually. And they all drank the same spiritual drink. In other words, the water from the rock, as the context makes clear here. For they were drinking from a spiritual rock which follows them. So supernatural provision, not only for their food but for their drink.

Now it says the rock followed them. In the Old Testament account, the rock that produces water for Israel to drink appears on two occasions. It appears in Exodus 17 at the beginning of the wilderness wandering, it provides water for Israel. And then it appears 40 years later at the end of the wilderness wandering in Numbers 20. Those are the two times in the Old Testament that Israel is said to have gotten water from the rock. Now it may be since it happened at the beginning of their wilderness experience and at the end of it, that Paul refers to the fact the rock followed them, because it was there at the beginning and it was there at the end. It also may be that the Spirit of God is indicating here, even though the Old Testament doesn't talk about it, that the rock was present through their wilderness wandering, just like them manna was. Because where did they get water for 2 million people in the wilderness for 40 years? So it could be the rock became a source of water on other than those two occasions. Those two occasions are selected for specific reasons, one at the beginning and one at the end of that 40-year experience. But it may well have been the rock was there and provided the water for them on a regular basis. And that would be why he says the rock followed them. Either way would fit.

The point is, everyone experienced this spiritual provision. There may be a connection. In chapter 11 Paul is going to talk about the Lord's Supper and there we partake of the bread and the cup and it's something the Lord has provided for us. The elements are just physical, but it has a spiritual source in the provision from the Lord, and so showing Israel's spiritual provisions by God are similar in some ways to our spiritual experiences. It says the rock that followed them was Christ. It's a spiritual rock because it was a spiritual source; it's not a natural rock. On our travels this summer we looked at a lot of rocks, a lot of mountains, just sheer granite. But that's not where you go for water. Water may come over a rock or around a rock but here water for 2 million people was coming out of a rock. It was a spiritual rock, supernatural rock. And then we're told the rock was Christ. The connection being Christ was the one providing for Israel during this time, the second person in the trinity, the pre-incarnate Christ was the one providing for Israel's needs, bringing all these blessings to Israel that all of the Jews enjoyed during this period of some 40 years.

Now you see the connection. Where do we get all our spiritual blessings? From Christ, all He has done and all He is doing. Where did Israel get all their blessings? From Christ and His work through Moses in delivering them; His work in providing for their nourishment. All Israel enjoyed all of that.

Verse 5, nevertheless, the conjunction, but, nevertheless, but, the contrast here. They all enjoyed these spiritual provisions but with most of them God was not well pleased. And you want the proof? They were laid low in the wilderness. That word translated laid low literally means to be spread out, to be scattered. And most of them, really only two of them made it, two of them that were over 20 when the rebellion occurred. And as we have noted in our studies in the Old Testament, the 40 years of wilderness wanderings are a death march. You know from where Israel was when they rebelled against God and are consigned to 40 years of wilderness wandering is only an 11-day trip to where they will cross under Joshua into the Promised Land? Eleven days they could have made the trip, it took them 40 years. Why? They were waiting for people to die. It was a death march. The purpose of the 40 years' wilderness wandering is to wait for everybody 20 years and older to die. Only two, Joshua and Caleb, are going to go into the land. That doesn't mean there were no other believers, Moses was a believer and he didn't go into the land. But with most of them God was not well pleased. The important word. If God is not well pleased with you, you are doomed to destruction. It's a word used in the context of God's sovereignty. For example, several times in the Bible when a voice comes from heaven concerning Jesus Christ, God the Father says, this is My Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. That's the word that is used here, dokane, a Greek word, for those of you who use some Greek. God's sovereign pleasure. It's used in the context of the salvation of those that God chooses.

Turn over to Ephesians 1:4. He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world. So here is God's sovereign work of election, choosing. Note verse 5, He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself according to the kind intention, and that word translated kind intention is the same word we have translated pleased, or not pleased, the negative of it in I Corinthians 10:5, udokane. According to His good pleasure, the good pleasure of His will, according to what pleased His will, how He acted in choosing and predestining us. Look at Ephesians 1:9, also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose, who works all things after the counsel of His will. He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His kind intention, according to His good pleasure, according to what pleased Him. And He is the one who works all things after the counsel of His will and He works in His will according to what pleases Him. And so His sovereign selection before the foundation of the world and some fallen, hell-deserving sinners to come to salvation was according to what pleased Him. You see that word used in the context of what pleased Him, His beloved Son, those He has chosen. Look at Philippians 2, one more passage on the positive side of what is pleasing to God. In Philippians 2, look at the last statement of verse 12, work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. There is our word again, according to what pleases Him, His working according to what pleases Him in the lives of those He has saved.

Now in I Corinthians 10 regarding the Israelites who died in the wilderness, we are told with most of them God was not well pleased. Turn over to Hebrews 10 to see what God says about those with whom He is not well pleased. The context here, verse 36, you have need of endurance. This whole issue of the fact if you are truly believers you will persevere to the end, you need to understand that. The writer to the Hebrews will talk about the good things they have done in the past, verse 32, remember the former days after being enlightened you endured a great conflict of suffering and all the things they went through. Now verse 35, don't throw that all away in the confidence you have in Him. You have need of endurance so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what was promised. If you don't do the will of God you won't receive what was promised. For yet in a very little while He who is coming will come and will not delay. You understand, Jesus Christ is coming again, but my righteous one shall live by faith. That great quote from Habakkuk 2:4 that we've looked at before.

Now note the balance of that, my righteous one shall live by faith and if he shrinks back my soul has no pleasure in him. I Corinthians 10:5, with most of them God was not well pleased, with most of them God had no pleasure in them. Same word here, no pleasure, not pleased. What does that mean? Hebrews 10:39, we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but those who have faith to the preserving of the soul. You see the contrast. The righteous live by faith, you enter into that righteousness in Christ through faith in Him and that brings you into, through the narrow gate, a road of faith. And anyone who shrinks out, bails out, God has no pleasure in Him, and they go back to destruction. And the writer to the Hebrews says, but we're not of those who would turn back, we are not of those who would bail out. They go to destruction, but we have faith to the preserving of the soul. So stay the course, finish the race.

You say, “I am confused, what are you saying?” Sounds like you are saying you get saved but you can lose it. No. The writer is saying those who are truly saved will stay the course. Now we all need to be encouraged, we need to be challenged, we need to be reminded, but true believers will stay the course. And those who profess to be believers and those who have experienced a lot of spiritual experiences and can give a lot of great testimonies like the children of Israel could. I was one of those who came out of Egypt, I was one of those who went through the Red Sea, I was one of those who ate manna that God sent from heaven, and I was one of those who drank water from the rock.

Turn back to Hebrews 3 to see what the writer to the Hebrews says about them. And you'll note, the writer to the Hebrews uses the same kinds of examples that Paul uses in writing to the Corinthians to make the very same point. If we don't understand what biblical salvation is, then we are in a miserable condition. Look at what he says in Hebrews 3. He is talking about Moses and Christ, similar to what he said about the superiority of Christ to Moses, but he compares the two of them in the first part of chapter 3. Verse 2, He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses was in his house, but He has more glory than Moses. Moses was faithful, verse 5, as a servant; Christ was faithful as a Son, verse 6. Now note this, Christ was faithful as a Son over His house, whose house we are. We belong to the household of God through faith in Christ. Note the condition, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end. I don't want to hear, I'm almost sick of hearing of people who come in and say, I know I'm saved, I trusted Christ when I was 4, I was trusted Christ when I was 8, I trusted Christ when I was 20, but I'm just not living for Him. How can you attack God so head on? We are part of His house, His family, if we hold fast our confidence and boast of our hope firm to the end, just as the Spirit says. Now we're going to quote from the Old Testament and use Israel in their 40 years' wilderness wanderings as the example. 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, where your fathers tried Me by testing Me and saw My works for 40 years. I was angry with this generation, they always go astray in their heart, they did not know my ways, and I swore in my wrath they will not enter My rest. Same thing Paul said, they're scattered about, the 40 years' wilderness wandering, that wilderness was just a large graveyard where hundreds of thousands of people perished because of their unbelief.

Look at verse 12, take care, brethren, that there not be any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. You know who falls away from the living God? Those who made a profession; those who have an evil, unbelieving heart. So, I know they believed, I remember when they made a decision. Well that's like saying, I remember when they passed through the Red Sea, I remember when they ate the manna. So what? Those who are truly saved, have truly believed savingly have been made new in Christ, they don't fall away. You say, how can you say that? I don't have to say it; I just read what the Bible says. An evil, unbelieving heart is one that falls away from the living God. Encourage one another so that you will not be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ, verse 14. Do you have the last part of that underlined? Some people just want to run around and say, I know I'm a Christian, I know I'm saved, I know I trusted Christ. Read the last part of the verse, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end.

I'm not a great golfer, I don't watch a lot of golf, but I know if you quit after the 16th hole you don't win. There is no prize, you are disqualified. You've proved yourself worthless. Firm until the end, and then quoting with Israel's experience, today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me. Who provoked Him when they had heard? They had heard the word of God. Did not all those who came out of Egypt and were led by Moses? You see we have the same kind of example used in the same way as Paul was using in Corinthians, by the writer to the Hebrews. With whom was He angry for 40 years? Was it not with those who sinned whose bodies fell in the wilderness? Now remember they were scattered in the wilderness. To whom did he sware they would not enter His rest but to those who were disobedient? So we see they were not able to enter because of unbelief. You see being disobedient is a manifestation of unbelief, and they're used parallel. The end of verse 18, it was those who were disobedient; verse 20, it's unbelief. So an evil unbelieving heart falls away from the living God. I used to scratch my head and I've commented to you, I don't know what to make of some people that seem to have had such a strong testimony for Jesus Christ and seem to maintain that strong testimony for some time. But it's not enough to maintain that testimony for some time, you have to be there at the end.

That's like John can write in I John 2, they went out from us because they were not of us. Because if they had been part of us, they would have remained with us. They went out from us so it would be demonstrated they were not part of us. That failure to persevere to the end indicates they were not genuine. Doesn't mean they lost their salvation, it means they were not genuine.

Turn over to Hebrews 5 and we conclude with this section. The same kind of section. Five times through the book of Hebrews the writer to the Hebrews breaks in with this strong warning. If you don't persevere to the end you will be lost. Now you're not saved by persevering, but you persevere because you are saved. The God who gives perseverance is at work in your life, so you persevere. In Hebrews 5, talking about Christ, verse 8, although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. Now note that word obedience, talking about Christ's life. He learned obedience through the things He suffered as the Son of God, His sufferings in this life. Verse 9, and having been made perfect He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation. That obedience begins when you place your faith in Him. God is commanding all everywhere to repent. My initial act of obedience to God by His grace was to believe in His Son. That was not a single act of obedience that I got out of the way, now I know I'm not going to hell and hopefully I'll live for Him. But if I don't, at least I know I'm going to heaven. No, that's the beginning of a life of obedience. So He became to all those who obey Him, the source of eternal salvation. This whole context from verse 11 down through chapter 6 verse 12 is talking about the contrast between those experiencing blessings, but some have not genuinely believed and thus continue to the end.

I want you to note a word and then we'll look at some of the details. Look at verse 11, concerning Him, Jesus Christ, the Melchizedekian priest, we have much to say and it is hard to explain since you have become dull of hearing. That word dull, mark it, it's the word nothroi, and we bring it over into English as nothroi. Now come over to verse 12 of chapter 6, so that you will not be sluggish, mark that word, and write beside it nothroi. Same word translated dull in 5:11 is translated sluggish in 6:12. Note the context in 6:12, verse 11, we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you will not be sluggish, dull, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promise. The contrast is those who are dull and sluggish aren't going to inherit the promises. We don't want you to be dull and sluggish, but rather be imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promise. But they've all experienced great spiritual blessings.

Look at 6:4, for in the case of those who have been once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift and been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, have tasted the good Word of God, the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away. Those are all things that are true of Israel in their experience in the Old Testament. They were enlightened by God, they had the Word of God, they heard the Word, they had the Word preached to them, but it didn't profit them. The powers of the age to come, they had the supernatural provision of food provided by their Messiah in His pre-incarnate state, water from the rock. They have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, they were part of the ministry of the Holy Spirit through that time in accomplishing God's work in their midst. They had a sampling of the good word of God and the powers of the age to come. Then they fall away, there is no place of salvation for them. If you turn away from Christ, what is there? People think, well, I'm searching. Well every place you search but Christ is a dead end.

And then you have the example of the ground that receives the blessings from God, verses 7-8, where we started. But some of the ground produces good vegetation, some of it produces thorns and thistles, it's worthless, it's adokimos, it will be burned. But beloved, verse 9, we are convinced of better things concerning you, things that accompany salvation. This is the contrast between those who truly believe and those who do not.

Back in Hebrews 4:1, therefore let us fear, if while a promise remains of entering His rest any one of you may seem to come short of it. For indeed we have had the good news preached to us, just as they also. So you see the comparison. But the word they heard did not profit them because it was not united by faith in those who heard. For we who have believed enter that rest. That's where it comes to. We receive a lot of blessings. You can come and hear the Word of God, you can fellowship with believers, you can partake of communion, and you can get baptized and not truly be saved. Go through all these things and look like I'm just like they, and have an evil, unbelieving heart. You say, that scares me, how will I know? It scared Paul. Why did he say in I Corinthians 9:27 that he disciplined his body and made it his slave, lest when I preach to others I myself should be found to be worthless, disqualified, and rejected. The true believer can't bail out, can't turn back, can't quit. I'm not saying we never feel like it, I'm not saying there aren't times we want to, I'm not saying there aren't times we stumble. But you know what? I just can't go back. I may sit down and say, I'm done. I'm tired, I'm worn out, and I’m just not going to go on. I'm just going to do something else. I'm sure I'm saved because I did trust Christ, but I'm done, the race is over for me. But I can't do it because the God who dwells in me gives perseverance and so after I sit in my puddle for a little bit I realize I can't stay here. I have to go on. So be careful, I'm not saying just because you experience times of doubt and times of despair, but true believers don't quit, because the God who gives perseverance is at work in their lives. We need to come to more of this as Paul continues through chapter 10.

The purpose is not to have everybody go home and doubt their salvation, the purpose is that all will go home and realize we have no choice if we are truly God's children. We will persevere. That encourages me, I'm glad that God's salvation includes the whole package, that as Philippians 1:6 says, He who has begun a good work in you will continue to bring it to perfection until the day of Christ Jesus. You see the end as continually pointed out in the Bible. I'm glad my salvation is complete to the end. We need to look at ourselves. We have people who just go through the motions. I know I'm saved, I remember I prayed with so-and-so, and I even got baptized. Well, tell me about your life. Is it the passion of your life to serve Jesus Christ? Is it the passion of your life to honor Him? Is it the passion of your life to do what He has called you to do as His child, His servant? But you don't know, I'm tired. That's fine, that's one of the evidences, hupomonae, God of perseverance. Doesn't remove the trial, we're going to get to that in chapter 10, but He is the One who gives the grace that provides the strength and enablement to continue under the pressure so that you will finish well.

You can't finish well if you haven't started well. You don't say, well I'm going to get it right. You have to get on the road; you have to enter through the narrow gate to travel the narrow road. And that is you have to come to really understand that you are a sinner and there is no salvation for you apart form Jesus Christ. You're not a pretty bad sinner, you are the worst. I don't know you, but I know what the Bible says about you. There is none righteous; there is none that does well. All have sinned; all have turned out of the way, so that includes you as well as me. One of those things the Spirit of God does when He brings you to salvation - He convicts you of sin, righteousness and judgment. I can't do that, the Spirit of God does that to a heart. And because of that awareness of sin and the need of God's righteousness and coming judgment, you will turn from your sin and place your faith in Jesus Christ as the One who died for you and was raised in victory. God will save you. That means He makes you new and now you can live a new life. Don't try to live a new life if you haven't been born again. The old you can't live the new life. So the beginning point is come to faith in Christ, and now we encourage one another to persevere, we help one another to persevere, we help carry one another through the difficult times, to strengthen one another because we are instruments that God uses in one another's lives as His people.

Let's pray together. Thank you, Lord, for so great salvation, a salvation that is complete. Lord, thank you that we are not left on our own as your children, but by your grace you provide a new life and a new source of strength, that you are the God who gives perseverance so that we might endure to the end. Lord, we wouldn't need endurance; we wouldn't need perseverance, if the race didn't make us weary, if we didn't despair in our own strength. But Lord, you are our sufficiency, you are our strength, you are our power. Lord, I pray for any who are here who have been going through the motions, they've experienced and partaken of many blessings, but they have never entered into the fullness of the blessing of your salvation. Lord, open their blind eyes to see that they might believe today. We pray in Christ's name, amen.