A Call to Persevere in the Faith

Music

Alright, it is now time for children's church.

Thank you Jennings and Macy and Choir for those songs this morning.

Hebrews chapter 6, verses 4 through 12.

Hebrews 6:4–12

We have been going through the book of Hebrews for the last several months.

We take a little break here and there. We've been taking a break for the last few weeks.

We are back this morning.

Hebrews chapter 6, verses 4 through 12.

Hebrews 6:4–12

We have before us this morning a very heavy passage.

I have stated before on several occasions throughout my years here that the book of Hebrews is my favorite book.

And you may have wondered why it took me nine years to preach through the book of Hebrews.

Well, I'll be honest with you. There were two reasons why.

And this passage is one of them.

This is a very difficult passage. It's very heavy. You may be familiar with this passage.

You may not be familiar with it, but today we are going to be familiar with it.

And as we read through the text this morning, if you listen closely to the Word of God

and follow along in the Word of God, you will perhaps understand why this passage is so heavy

and so difficult for us to understand.

So we will do the best we can this morning with the help of the Holy Spirit

to understand God's Word and to grow in God's Word today.

Hebrews chapter 6, verses 4 through 12.

Hebrews 6:4–12

For it is impossible to renew to repentance those who were once enlightened,

who tasted the heavenly gift, became companions with the Holy Spirit,

tasted God's good Word and the powers of the coming age, and who have fallen away,

because to their own harm they are re-crucifying the Son of God and holding Him up to contempt.

For ground that has drunk the rain that has often fallen on it,

and that produces vegetation useful to those it is cultivated for, receives a blessing from God.

But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is worthless and about to be cursed and will be burned at the end.

Even though we are speaking this way, dear friends,

in your case we are confident of better things connected with salvation.

For God is not unjust.

He will not forget your work and the love you showed for His name

when you served the saints and you continue to serve them.

Now we want each of you to demonstrate the same diligence for the final realization of your hope

so that you won't become lazy,

but will be imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and perseverance.

Let's pray.

Father God, we come to you this morning and we need you.

Dear Lord, I need you to be able to preach and teach in a way that is going to bring glory to you

and help us this morning.

God, this passage is big and it is heavy and its interpretation is not agreed upon, dear Lord,

even among Christians.

It is difficult, dear Lord.

So I pray, God, that you would be with me today,

that I would speak in the way that you would desire for me to speak, dear Lord,

that any fear that we may find in this passage today, dear Lord,

will be fear that leads to wisdom, dear Lord,

because God's fear of you is, in fact, the beginning of wisdom.

So I pray, God, that this text this morning, that as we read it and maybe even wrestle with it, dear Lord,

that maybe it'll get our attention.

God, that was the point, dear Lord.

The original author is trying to get the attention of its hearer, dear Lord.

And so it is for us today.

So God, I pray that you would hide me behind the cross,

that you would help me to preach and teach, dear Lord, as you would desire,

that your Holy Spirit would speak when my mouth opens, dear Lord,

that you would allow our ears to listen, God,

that you would allow us not to be distracted, dear Lord,

that we would listen closely to your Word and that we would grow in your Word today.

We need you this morning, God, and I pray that you be with us.

And I ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen.

Throughout the book of Hebrews, the author of Hebrews gives his audience several warnings.

Now, a few verses back in the last chapter,

the author is really wanting to get on to the topic of Melchizedek and the priesthood

and Jesus being a better high priest, but he has had to stop for a moment.

And he stopped at the end of chapter 5, and he said, there's a problem.

I need to be able to teach you guys things.

You need to be able to grow in Christ,

even though you're regressing in Christ at the moment.

I'm writing this book so that you can refocus on Jesus

and realize he's better than everything else,

but you're immature, he tells them at the end of chapter 5.

He says, you've become lazy. You're immature. You ought to be able to teach.

You ought to have a proper understanding of the Word of God, of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,

but yet you have become lazy,

and you are beginning to turn from Jesus Christ in the midst of your persecution,

and you're being tempted to go back to your old way.

You are being tempted to try to find righteousness in the Old Testament law,

in the old sacrificial system, in the old priesthood,

and he is telling them, you need to wake up.

You need to wake up and not turn from Jesus Christ,

because there is not hope in anyone but Jesus Christ.

And so he's giving them this warning.

He's telling them not to become lazy, but to keep focused on Jesus.

And with that in mind, we see the words that we just read.

He said, you are in danger of falling away.

You're in danger of falling away from Jesus Christ and who he is.

And the most scary part of this passage is he says

that it is impossible to renew these people to repentance

once they have turned from Jesus Christ.

Now, what are we to make of this passage?

This is a heavy passage.

Are we in danger of falling away?

Who are the people that he is speaking of here?

Well, I wish we had about four hours today to discuss this topic,

because I have studied this scripture,

probably more than any scripture in all of the Bible,

for 15 years I have studied this scripture,

and from time to time I go back and continue to study this scripture.

And it is a difficult and it is a heavy and it is a scary scripture.

Now, for centuries this passage has been debated among Christians

as to how are we to interpret this?

Is this as heavy and as disheartening as it seems?

Is there something we're missing?

Is there another way that we can look at this passage?

Well, we will briefly this morning,

we will briefly look at the three main interpretations of this passage.

Now, some of these splinter off into different ways.

I wish we could talk about all the ins and outs,

and you may say, but this or but that,

and I wish we could talk about all the buts this morning.

And I'll be glad to visit with you this week and talk about this passage,

and we can sit down and have a cup of coffee

and have a good time talking about it.

I know there's a lot here that we do not have time to discuss,

but there are three main views that have arisen through the years

of how this passage could be interpreted.

One of those views is that this passage is not speaking about Christians at all.

That it's speaking about those who were close to coming to Christianity.

They knew the Word of God, but they never actually came to faith in Jesus Christ.

Now, part of that view and many who hold that view

would hold to a doctrine that's often referred to as once saved, always saved.

Perhaps you've heard that phrase before.

This view was really popularized by a theologian back in the 1500s.

His name was John Calvin.

You may have heard of the term Calvinism before.

Now, we're not going to get too much into Calvinism today,

but one of those things that he taught was the perseverance of the saints,

or once saved, always saved.

And with that teaching, it is taught that once you come to faith in Jesus Christ,

your salvation can never be lost.

That you are in the hand of God, that God is holding on to you.

And so many who hold to that teaching of once saved, always saved,

would view this verse in a different way than some others.

They would say, well, based on Scripture, and based on the fact that it is impossible for us to lose our salvation,

then this passage cannot be speaking about Christians.

It's no way it can be speaking about Christians.

So some passages to support that view that once we are saved,

that there is nothing at all that can separate us from the love of God,

from our salvation in Jesus Christ,

there are several Scriptures that help support that view.

And these are good passages. We'll look at these today.

We're looking at a lot of Scriptures today, by the way, but it's okay.

It's a difficult passage. We need to.

One of those passages is Jude chapter 1 verse 24.

Jude 1:24

I'll go through these quickly for time's sake.

If you don't have time to find them, ask me afterwards.

I'll be glad to tell you where these passages are, and you can look them up yourself.

Jude chapter 1 verse 24.

Jude 1:24

Now to him who is able to protect you from stumbling

and to make you stand in the presence of his glory blameless and with great joy.

Okay, this is a real short and simple passage,

but the assurance there that many would see in this passage is that,

hey, God will not allow you to stumble, that once you have put your faith in God,

God will hold on to you.

So even if you get into a place where you may be even tempted to deny your faith in Jesus Christ,

God will not allow you to stumble in such a way.

The next passage, John chapter 10 verses 27 through 29.

John 10:27–29

This is Jesus speaking here.

He says, My sheep hear my voice. I know them and they follow me.

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, ever.

No one will snatch them out of my hand.

My Father who has given them to me is greater than all.

No one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.

Okay, that's a pretty reassuring verse.

Jesus says, Once I've got you, there is nothing that can take you out of my hand.

Okay, that is a good verse.

If we're looking into this view, once saved, always saved,

if we hold this view and we believe the Word of God, this is a powerful verse to back that viewpoint up.

Ephesians chapter 1 verses 13 and 14.

Ephesians 1:13

When you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation,

and when you believed in him, you are also sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.

He is the down payment of our inheritance,

for the redemption of the possession to the praise of his glory.

Alright, another beautiful verse that we are sealed with the Holy Spirit,

that we are sealed with the Holy Spirit.

That's reassuring. The Holy Spirit has sealed us.

The Holy Spirit is our down payment,

and if God has given the down payment in Jesus Christ and by sending the Holy Spirit to indwell in us,

can God not afford to pay the rest of the payment?

Certainly, God can. God has sealed us with the Holy Spirit,

and he has given us the Holy Spirit as a down payment until the day that our salvation is complete,

and we are with God for all of eternity.

A beautiful passage there. Romans chapter 8, Romans chapter 8 verses 38 and 39.

Romans 8 · chapter mention Romans 8:38

For I am persuaded that not even death or life, angels or rulers,

things present are things to come, hostile powers, height or depth,

or any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Again, similar to the passage we just saw in John chapter 10,

John 10 · chapter mention

that there is nothing in all of creation that can separate us from the love of God.

And so many who hold the once saved always saved view will use these passages

and certainly probably some others, but these get the point across.

And so there is one viewpoint that says we can never in any way lose our salvation,

and so this passage cannot be talking about Christians.

It in no way can be speaking of Christians.

These people came very close to the kingdom of God.

They knew of Jesus Christ, but they never put their faith in Jesus Christ.

And so this is one of the viewpoints, a very popular viewpoint,

both among those who are Calvinists and others who would not even claim to be Calvinists,

but would hold to the once saved always saved doctrine.

Okay, so some would say this passage is not speaking of Christians.

Well, perhaps this is good news for us as Christians, but what about those who are unsaved?

There's a certain fear that comes from this passage,

because once you reject Jesus Christ and give up on Jesus Christ,

is this passage saying it is impossible to ever come to faith in Jesus Christ?

This is a heavy thing.

These types of things are scary as we read these things today,

and they should be, I believe.

I believe that the author of the book of Hebrews is trying to get his audience's attention.

Whether they are saved or unsaved, this is a scary verse.

It should be scary for us today as we consider this verse and think about these things,

and maybe God is trying to get our attention today, so we need to listen to the Word of God.

We need to listen to the Holy Spirit today.

So that's the first main viewpoint.

This passage is not speaking of Christians, so sigh of relief if we're Christians.

The second viewpoint is that it is certainly possible for a Christian to lose their salvation.

Now that viewpoint would argue that the things that are being said here are things that apply to Christians,

and throughout the whole book of Hebrews, it seems very clear that he's speaking to Christians.

He's giving these people warnings, and he's speaking to them,

and he refers to himself and the audience as we, that is, Christians, numerous times throughout the book.

It seems at first glance, apart from this verse,

we would probably have no problem saying this book was written to Christians.

But then we read this passage and one other that we'll get to later, and we say,

well, wait a minute. It can't be talking about Christians.

Christians can't lose their salvation, so maybe these people aren't.

But it appears that as we read this book, that his audience is Christian.

Now listen to the words that we saw to describe this audience when we read through the passage.

It says of this audience that they were, in verse four, that they were once enlightened.

They tasted the heavenly gift, became companions with the Holy Spirit,

tasted God's good word and the powers of the coming age.

Now some would say, yeah, they were close. They tasted these things.

They almost bit them off. They almost chewed them, but not quite.

But we have to assume here that tasted means fully consumed, fully experienced.

And we can know that because in Hebrews chapter two,

the author of Hebrews tells us that Jesus tasted death.

Now Jesus didn't just nibble on death. Jesus died. He completely died in every way.

This is crucial to our salvation that Jesus Christ died for our sins.

He didn't just dabble with death. He didn't just almost die and lay in the grave for three days.

No, he died. He tasted death. That is, he died.

What does it say here about the Holy Spirit?

It says that they have become companions with the Holy Spirit.

Who becomes companions with the Holy Spirit?

If not those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ.

Does the Holy Spirit dwell in those who are not Christian?

So one viewpoint, the second viewpoint here is that these people certainly are Christians.

These people are certainly Christians and it is possible for a Christian

who has genuinely come to faith in Jesus Christ to turn from Jesus Christ,

to renounce him as Lord and Savior, to turn to something else, to say,

I'm no longer trusting Jesus. I no longer believe that he is the Savior.

I am done with Jesus.

And some would say that it is certainly possible for a Christian to lose their salvation.

That once we come to faith in Christ, we must remain in faith in Christ.

There is obligation for us to continue to live in obedience to Jesus Christ.

Now, here are a few scriptures that we can look at to support that view.

Hebrews chapter 3, verses 5 and 6, we covered these a couple of months ago.

Hebrews 3:5

Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's household,

as a testimony to what would be said in the future.

But Christ was faithful as a son over his household.

And we are that household if we hold on to the courage and the confidence of our hope.

What does the author of Hebrews tell him in that warning?

He says, we are the household of God through Jesus Christ.

If we hold on to Jesus Christ, if we hold on to that hope, you're going to see that word if

in all of these passages that we're about to read.

Hebrews chapter 3, verse 14, for we have become companions of the Messiah.

Hebrews 3:14

Same word we saw there, companions of the Holy Spirit.

We, Paul included, or excuse me, the author of Hebrews included in that.

For we have become companions of the Messiah if we hold firmly until the end

the reality that we had at the start.

1 John chapter 2, verse 24.

1 John 2:24

What you have heard from the beginning must remain in you.

If what you heard from the beginning remains in you,

then you will remain in the Son and in the Father.

1 Corinthians chapter 15, verses 1 and 2.

1 Corinthians 15:1

Now, brothers, I want to clarify for you the gospel I proclaim to you.

You received it and have taken your stand on it.

You are also saved by it if you hold to the message I proclaim to you,

unless you believed for no purpose.

Colossians chapter 1, verses 22 and 23.

Colossians 1:22

But now he has reconciled you by his physical body through his death

to present you holy, faultless, and blameless before him.

If indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith

and are not shifted away from the hope of the gospel that you heard.

Well, those are pretty strong passages.

And it seems pretty clear in those passages that he's speaking to Christians here.

Now, we have too many of these passages, including the one we're looking at,

that it's hard for us to deny that he's speaking to Christians.

And yet in each of these passages, even though he seems to establish

that they are companions with the Messiah, and they have hope in the Messiah,

and they have received salvation in the Messiah,

that there is some responsibility to them to keep the faith.

You remain in Jesus if you keep the faith.

What if you don't keep the faith?

Well, therefore, you do not remain in Jesus.

And so some would say this passage is certainly speaking of a possibility

that Christians can, in fact, lose their salvation.

Now, what about this loss of salvation?

How does this happen? Is it because we sin too much?

Well, it's not because we sin too much.

If in fact it's possible for a Christian to lose their salvation,

the loss of salvation comes because we have denied Jesus Christ

and have turned from Jesus Christ.

We have known fully who he is.

We have trusted in him, and we have decided that Jesus is no longer

good enough to be our Savior.

And that seems to be what the audience of the book of Hebrews is struggling with.

And so he uses these strong words to get their attention.

You have become lazy, and you are in danger.

You are in danger of falling away.

This is a heavy passage, and there's no one or two scriptures for any

of these arguments that we can turn to that make it really easier,

at least not for me.

Maybe it is for you to say this is for sure what this passage means

because God's Word is right and is true in every way,

but it's sometimes difficult for us to understand not because God's Word

is difficult but because we have a hard time sometimes.

Now, I'm going to go back to the beginning of the book of Hebrews.

Now, within the view that it is possible for a Christian to lose their salvation,

there's splinters off into a couple of views there.

One group would say once someone has come to Christ and renounced their faith in Christ,

they can no longer be saved again.

It's impossible to renew them to repentance, as the passage said.

That's one view.

That once you've given up on Christ, your opportunity is done.

And that's a very scary thing.

The other view is that for those who turn away from Christ,

they can come back to Christ.

That view would argue that it is impossible to renew to repentance

those in this passage because what does it say of them?

It says that they are re-crucifying Jesus.

So what it's saying in some interpretation is that, look,

these people are not going to be saved because they are just as bad as the crowd

who nailed Jesus to the cross and who crucified Him.

They are denying Jesus in the same way.

And so long as they continue to deny Jesus and continue to re-crucify Him,

that is to reject Him and deny that He is the Son of God,

so long as that is their heart and their attitude,

they cannot repent and come back to Jesus Christ until they change,

until they realize, wait a minute, Jesus is the Son of God, I was wrong,

and then they can come to repentance.

And so some would say it's impossible to lose your salvation,

but it's possible to get it back.

Now, that view was popularized by Jacobus Arminius,

who oftentimes had an opposing view to that of John Calvin.

These are things you can study if you care about them this week.

But this is the second viewpoint, that it is possible.

Some would say you cannot ever come back once you've lost your salvation.

Some would say you can once you turn around and repent of your sins

and trust in Jesus Christ.

Those are the first two main views that we are going to look at this morning.

The third view is that this is a hypothetical,

that He's not really saying that they can lose their salvation.

He's just using this language to shock them.

He's looking for the shock factor, that He's saying, hey, wait a minute,

this is a really serious thing, you guys have become lazy,

and it's going to be impossible to renew you to repentance,

because you know of Jesus Christ and you are re-crucifying Him.

But as we read through the passage, He kind of softens the blow.

So some would say, well, this is just a hypothetical.

He's not saying that they can lose their salvation.

Now, one argument for that would be in chapter 6, verse 6.

Some of your translations, if you're reading the King James or a New King James,

it says, and if they shall fall away.

And some would say, there you go, it says if.

He's not saying that they have or that they will.

He's saying that if they did, not that it's possible to,

but if they did, they couldn't come to repentance.

Well, there's one problem with that,

and that is the word if is not there in the original language.

Now, I don't know why the King James and New King James

and possibly other translations put that word in there,

but it doesn't say if they shall fall away.

It says who have fallen away is what the text actually says.

So that blows that argument out of the water.

However, if we are going to look at the hypothetical view

in Hebrews chapter 6, verse 9, it said,

Hebrews 6:9

even though we are speaking this way, dear friends,

in your case we are confident of better things connected with salvation.

Okay, so he's softening the blow here.

He's saying, look, you guys are so bad

that if it were possible for you to lose your salvation,

you could do it and you'd be lost forever.

But, but you can't really lose your salvation.

I know you're better than that. I know you're not going to do that.

If it was possible, you'd be in bad shape, but it's not possible.

I'm just trying to get your attention.

Now, that doesn't really make much sense to me.

That doesn't seem like much of a warning.

That doesn't seem to carry much weight.

A warning like that doesn't seem to fit the passage at all, in my opinion.

However, there are certainly Christians who would hold to that interpretation.

It seems as though this is a serious warning.

He's not just trying to get their attention.

He's trying to warn them of something that could really happen to them.

Now, whether you decide that these were not Christians

who were in danger of losing any opportunity to come to Christ,

or whether you decide that these were Christians

and it was possible for them to lose their salvation,

I believe that the author of Hebrews is giving a strong warning here.

He's given a strong warning.

And so for those who hold the once saved, always saved teaching here

and believe that that is true in Scripture,

then oftentimes it is said that, well, these people might have been close,

but they were never really saved.

They couldn't fall away from the faith.

And the view of eternal security or once saved, always saved, is just that,

that we cannot fall away.

And so oftentimes people who hold that view say,

boy, there's a lot of peace and there's a lot of strength

and there's a lot of comfort because I know that I can never fall away.

And you may say, to counterpoint that view,

well, what about people who have walked with Jesus Christ

or presumed to have walked with Jesus Christ and professed to Him

and even produced good fruit for 30, 40, 50 years of their life,

and then at some point something changes and they denounce Jesus Christ

and decide, you know what, I don't believe in any of this.

Well, the response to that would be, well,

they were never really saved to begin with.

And so is there really any security in that view?

Because perhaps I could say to you, well, how do you know that you're really saved?

Because if you had asked those people who walked with Jesus for 30, 40, 50 years,

if they were genuinely saved, if Jesus was the Son of God,

if they had put their faith in Him, they would have said absolutely.

And I could say, would you ever turn on Him?

They would say absolutely not, yet there are some who have.

And you could say, well, they weren't really saved to begin with.

That's why they presumably fell away.

It's interesting you use this word there, have fallen away.

Have fallen away from what?

Have fallen away from not being a Christian?

Have fallen away from being close to Jesus Christ?

That type of language implies that there's something they are falling away from,

that they have fallen away from Jesus Christ.

So how can we be sure?

How can we be sure that we'll never lose our salvation,

whether we are walking Christ for 30 or 40, 50 years,

whether we believe in once saved, always saved,

or whether we believe it's possible for us to lose our salvation?

How can we be sure without a shadow of a doubt

that in all ways and everything that we will not lose our salvation?

The only way is if we remain in Jesus Christ,

if we keep faith in Jesus Christ, if we come to faith in Jesus Christ.

Praise God, if the Holy Spirit is speaking to you

and has been wrestling with you today,

then do not turn away from Jesus Christ.

The only way that we can be assured of our salvation

is through faith in Jesus Christ.

That's where our salvation comes from.

That's where our security is today.

Do you have faith in Jesus Christ today?

And if you've got faith in Jesus Christ, then praise God.

You've got security.

Your salvation is secure in Jesus Christ,

who died and was crucified and was resurrected for your sins.

That is where our assurance comes from.

People will often say,

well, I didn't do anything to earn my salvation,

and I can't do anything to lose it.

Well, that's not entirely true.

You certainly didn't do anything to earn your salvation,

but you did do something to obtain it,

and that is you put faith in Jesus Christ.

That's the determining factor.

That's what determines whether we are a Christian or not,

whether we are God's child or not,

is whether or not we have come to faith in Jesus Christ.

And if we have not come to faith in Jesus Christ,

then we are not a child of God.

And if we have come to faith in Jesus Christ,

then we need to remain in that faith.

We need to wake up.

Perhaps there are times that we are lazy.

Perhaps there are times that we begin to get into sin,

and that begins to draw us away from God.

And the author of Hebrews says, wake up!

He stresses the importance of faith throughout the book,

and as we get to the end of the book,

he stresses the importance of faith,

and that's where our assurance of salvation comes from today.

For those of you who have never put your faith in Christ,

that's where your salvation will come from.

For those who have put your faith in Christ,

that's where your salvation rests in Jesus Christ

and Christ alone this morning.

Let's look at a few passages.

Matthew chapter 19, verses 24 through 26.

Matthew 19:24–26

We see the word at the beginning of this passage that it is impossible.

What are we to make of this passage?

Can a Christian lose their salvation or not?

Well, I can't stand here this morning and tell you with 100% certainty

one way or another.

I believe God's word is very difficult in this particular instance.

I told you I have studied this passage in great detail for 15 years.

Now, you may have studied it for 10 minutes and came to a conclusion,

and you know your conclusion is right, and if so, so be it.

I can't tell you this morning, though, as I stand here before you

to preach the word of God, that I can say with 100% certainty

one way or another on this passage.

Perhaps there is some fear that has come on us today

when you read this passage about the impossibility

of being renewed to repentance.

Well, I'll read this passage to you from Matthew chapter 19, verses 24 through 26.

Matthew 19:24–26

There was a rich man who had came to Jesus,

and he didn't want to give up his possessions, and Jesus says this.

Again, I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle

than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.

When the disciples heard this, they were utterly astonished

and asked, Then who can be saved?

But Jesus looked at them and said, With men this is impossible,

but with God all things are possible.

We serve a God that can do impossible things.

Perhaps the impossibility rested in some way on the audience.

Perhaps it was an impossibility for those who were hearing the book

to bring people back to repentance, but for God he is very patient,

he is very powerful, and God can do things that are impossible.

Continuing on, Ephesians chapter 2, verse 8.

Ephesians 2:8

For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves.

It is God's gift.

Hebrews chapter 11, verses 1 and 2.

Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for,

the proof of what is not seen, for our ancestors won approval by it.

And so will you and I today.

We will win approval by our faith in Jesus Christ.

Hebrews chapter 11, verse 6.

Hebrews 11:6

Now without faith it is impossible to please God,

for the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists

and rewards those who seek him.

Hebrews chapter 6, verse 12. Be imitators of those who inherit the promise

Hebrews 6:12

through faith and perseverance.

Romans chapter 5, verse 1.

Romans 5:1

Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith,

we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

We have peace this morning.

If you read this passage or read passages like this,

it can certainly bring about some fear.

And praise God, I think on some level it should.

It should stir us.

It should get our attention when we read passages like this.

It should shake us up.

But we do not need to be those this morning that walk and live

in fear of passages like these,

because there is peace through faith in Jesus Christ.

There is peace in Jesus Christ for you this morning.

Maybe the Holy Spirit is convicting you today.

Maybe the Holy Spirit has really spoken heavy to you.

Maybe hearing these words today has gotten your attention.

If the Holy Spirit has spoken to you in some way

and grabbed your attention today,

then do not leave this place without responding to God.

Do not leave this place without repenting of your sin.

Perhaps you are in the same danger as the people of the book of Hebrews,

and you are being tempted to turn from Jesus to other things of the world.

And maybe this passage today, God is saying you need to wake up.

You need to stop being lazy in your walk with me.

You need to listen to me.

And for some of you today that has never put your faith in Jesus Christ,

the same message is true for you.

That we need to wake up this morning.

That we need to be people who hear the Word of God.

And even though there is fear sometimes in the Word of God,

the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.

And true wisdom is Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected.

And salvation comes through Him alone when we put our faith in Jesus Christ.

And so today we can be those, even when we read a tough passage,

that can leave here with peace and strength and comfort

if we have put our faith in Jesus Christ.

Let us today be those who put faith in Jesus Christ,

and let us be those who live in that faith this morning.

Let's pray.

Father God, this is such a heavy passage.

I pray, dear Lord, that your Holy Spirit would do the work.

God, I know that my words probably were insufficient.

But God, I pray that your Holy Spirit through your work would lead and guide us

and to understand as best we can, dear Lord.

We can't answer all the questions of difficulties with this passage.

God, people have debated this for hundreds and hundreds of years.

So we're not going to solve the question today in 30 minutes.

But dear Lord, I pray today that we would trust in your goodness.

That if the difficulty of the passage has rattled us, dear Lord,

that in that rattling, God, that we would seek you today.

That if any have been rattled this morning, dear Lord,

by the heaviness of your Word,

that your Holy Spirit would work in their heart today.

God, maybe there are some here today, and they have never put their faith in Jesus Christ.

Maybe there are some who have come really close to your kingdom.

They have come really close to putting faith in you.

They know your Word. They know all about you.

And maybe they come to church, and maybe they even do some good works here and there, dear Lord,

but they've never put their faith in you.

God, I pray today that there is one in this room that has been fighting you, God,

that today, that if there is any feeling of repentance in their heart, God,

that they would not turn that away, that they would repent of their sins

and trust in Jesus Christ, God, that they would come to faith in Jesus Christ, dear Lord.

That is our strength. That is our comfort. That is our peace today.

It's faith in Jesus Christ.

God, maybe there are some here today, and they are yours.

And as yours, dear Lord, maybe they too have been rattled by your Word.

God, maybe we look at our own lives and we realize that we have become somewhat lazy.

Perhaps we ourselves have become in danger to turning to things of the world,

to turning from you, dear Lord.

But I pray, God, that for those who are yours today, that they would come to you,

that they would seek you, that they would hold strong in the faith, God,

that they would repent of their sins, that they would know without a shadow of a doubt

that there is salvation in none other, dear Lord.

There is no one from us to turn to other than Jesus Christ.

God, I pray that as we leave this place today that we can leave in peace.

I pray that as we leave this place today that we can leave in faith to you, dear Lord.

I pray, God, that if you spoke into somebody today that now, God,

as we get ready to have this invitation, that they would come,

that they would kneel down and pray before you, God, if they need to.

God, I'll be glad to pray for them, dear Lord, if they need to come.

Dear Lord, maybe there are some today who have said,

I'm putting my faith in Jesus Christ. This morning they've done it.

God, I pray that as we get ready to close, that, dear Lord, they'd come down,

that they would announce it to us in the world that they have put their faith in Jesus Christ

and that the love and that the peace of Jesus Christ will fill this place today.

And I ask these things in Jesus' name, Amen.

As we stand and sing, if God has spoken to you today, now is your chance to respond.

Jesus, be with me in the house.

Jesus, be with me in the house.

In the precious fountain,

free to all the healing stream,

through some cowrie's mountain.

In the cross, in the cross,

be my glory ever,

till my place of song shall find

rest beyond the rift.

Near the cross, a trembling song,

of emersing power wept,

where the wide and rolling star

sheds its green so proudly.

In the cross, in the cross,

be my glory ever,

till my place of song shall find

rest beyond the rift.

Amen. Thank you all for coming today. I hope you were blessed by being in God's house this morning.

I hope you'll come back and see us next week. Dan, would you close us with a prayer, please?

Sure, we thank you for a beautiful day.