Six Warnings

Now, those of you who have been here have recognized a problem that I have to deal with. I find congregations to be magnetic, and I like to get down among the people. Now, sometimes that works all right, but sometimes it doesn't work at all, because often in the churches where I'm invited to speak, they have big galleries, sometimes two and three layers. And if I'm not careful, people can't see who are in those galleries. Now, I want to try to behave myself this morning and stay here, but I want to ask a few noble people here. And if you see me starting out, do this, and I'll try to stay here. Now, there are two things we know that God requires of us, two things that we have no possibility of doing on our own, two things that we must use that we don't even have. All of salvation is God's doing. And the two requirements that he places on us, the two things that we do not have, as most of us know, are repentance and faith. You cannot believe without repenting. Oh, many people think they can, but they just demonstrate their spiritual blindness, because you cannot go both the wrong direction and the right direction. You have to choose which direction to go. Every person is born on earth going in the wrong direction, and they cannot go in the right direction as long as they're going in the wrong direction. Repentance is turning about. It is ceasing to go the wrong way and commencing to go the right way. Now, there are some terribly unwise people who think repentance is something that happens in a moment of time. So let me simply put it in steps. I'll start over here. And again, simply to show what I mean, there are people going in the wrong direction, sashaying along, perhaps, not even thinking with any clarity of anything of consequence. But they hear the message of God's truth, and they say, oh, oh, oh my, I'm in trouble. And they stop. And then they make a turn, and they go for, perhaps, a few hours or a few days in a different direction. But then all the while, they're thinking about some of the things they really liked going the wrong way. And they begin looking over their shoulder. And then after a bit, they, oh well, it won't hurt. And they think they have repented because they stopped for a moment at least and changed direction temporarily. But repentance does not allow for a temporary turn. Repentance is a permanent turn when you cease forever going your way and start forever going God's way. Now, if you tried to believe, as I just said, without turning, it would be just simply false faith. And if you tried to repent without believing, what you would be plunged into would be an extraordinarily dangerous vacuum. Do you remember that little account Jesus gave of a man in whom a demon dwelt? And then that demon was thrown out. And likening it to a house, Jesus portrayed it this way. The house is now empty because the demon is put out. And the house is swept and garnished or cleaned up and made pretty and ready for the next inhabitant. But it stands vacant. And that demon who had been put out, passing by, sees that it's still vacant. And he goes and gathers some of his friends. And they come and take up their residence in this place. And Jesus makes it clear, the last condition is worse than the first. Now, that's a picture of what it might look like if a person tried to repent and they did not believe. So what is required of us is that we cease going our way. And we go God's way. And we never turn back to our own way. And we never cease going God's way. Now, there are an immense number of passages in Scripture that can help us wonderfully in these matters. But today, we're going to focus on the book of Hebrews. I want to give you two pictures from the book of Hebrews concerning true faith. The one this morning, picture number one, will deal with the construction of Hebrews and the vital content of Hebrews in terms of warnings. And this evening, I would like to come back to Hebrews and look at that portion of Hebrews that so eloquently and powerfully enables us to see what true faith is. That is, Hebrews chapter 11. Now, it will take me a few moments to lay this in front of you in general detail so that you will be able to relate to the specific passages I will draw to your attention. Now, listen carefully. Hebrews is a most unusual letter. No other portion of the New Testament is constructed like the book of Hebrews. Because the book of Hebrews has two parts that are interwoven. Now, as I said last night, many of the Pauline letters have two parts, but they're not interwoven. Most of the Pauline letters begin with doctrine. And usually the first half is doctrine. Then the second half is application, the practical ways in which that doctrine is to be lived out in the life. But that's not the way the book of Hebrews is constructed. Hebrews has two parts, but the parts are interwoven. And if you've never discovered how that interweaving takes place, you may read the book of Hebrews. You may ponder it with great seriousness and yet never really understand what is said. A lot of the false doctrine that is spewed out in the world of the church has been invented because the book of Hebrews has not been rightly interpreted. Now, the two main parts of Hebrews simply are, Christ is shown to be infinitely above all else. The superiority of the Lord Jesus Christ. We all need to understand that. There is nothing to be compared with Christ. He is infinitely wiser. He is infinitely more tender and sympathetic. He is infinitely more holy and good than anything else that ever was in all the world. And the book of Hebrews starts by showing how much higher than the angels the Lord Jesus Christ is. He is shown to be infinitely greater than Abraham, infinitely greater than Moses, infinitely greater than Aaron, infinitely greater than the sacrificial system of the Old Testament. Christ is shown to be the one and only living and true God that man can relate to and receive salvation from. But it has, as I've told you, another part. And that other part is interwoven with these glorious passages elevating Christ. The second part we call the warning passages. The passages that teach us that Christianity is not simply a good start. That Christianity is a glorious ending. It's not nearly as important how you begin as how you finish. And it is perfectly possible to have what looks like a good beginning and never, ever a saving ending. Jesus made it clear. You are my disciples if you do what I say. Well, you said I've been in conflict in my own mind about a statement like that. Out of one side your mouth, you say we're saved through repentance and faith. And then you say you're Christ's disciple if you do what he says. Well, you see some of us have been very stupid. We have taken that wonderful term faith and we have acted as if mental assent or agreeing with truth is faith. Well, if you think that way, let me tell you very plainly, you are completely in error. Faith is not agreement with fact. It is not mental assent. Now that would be the theme for tonight. But this morning, as I said, we're going to be looking at faith from the perspective of these warning passages. Faith is not something that starts and is interrupted. It's not a good beginning. Now there are six of these warning passages. Some of you are wise and you take notes and you keep track of things that God tells you. And for the sake of the wise here this morning, I'm going to give right now this perspective. I'm going to give you by reference the six warning passages. And I'm going to tell you what indeed is the central element in each of these six passages. Now I know that many of you like that group of 10 virgins where there were both the wise and the foolish. And I know some of you will sit here and yawn and leave and you'll be no different than if you hadn't come at all. And in fact, it's quite probable you would have been better off to have stayed home today than to have come and been told the truth and to pay no attention to it. The first of these six warning passages is found in chapter 2, verses 1 to 4. And this particular warning, this first warning, is against the danger of drifting. And when a person drifts, they are obviously negligent. So warning number 1, chapter 2, verses 1 to 4, drifting. And the negligence that accompanies that. Warning number 2, chapter 3, verse 5, running all the way through chapter 4, verse 16. And it is a warning against the hardening of the heart and a warning that tells us we must hold fast. We must not fall away. Now almost every week, I'm talking with people who think they're Christians and they report some time in the past when they made some decision for Christ. And they think that the decision they made is their salvation. No, salvation is not a decision. Salvation is a person. And if you haven't got that person constantly in your life, you don't have salvation. So warning number 2, a warning against hardening the heart. Chapter 3, verse 5 to chapter 4, verse 16. Then warning number 3, chapter 5, verse 11 through chapter 6, verse 12. And it's a warning against becoming dull of hearing. I dare to say some of you used to listen more carefully in church than you do now. There was a time when things were more gripping and urgent. But you'd become dull of hearing. You know, I'm quite blunt in my speech. One of the amazing things to me about this congregation is the perpetual movement throughout the service. I'm grateful to God to say most places where I go, the people are not wandering during the service. And I thought, well, maybe it's because you're such a dull, dumb, old man. And people are getting up and going out. So I deliberately sat through the German service. And I saw the same problem. I had the feeling there were many people were dull of hearing. How about you? Well, that's the heart of this third warning passages. When you become sluggish, and instead of listening intently and alertly, you yawn, you wiggle, and you wander in your mind. And then your feet shuffle in and out. Warning number four. And this is an incredibly urgent warning. Chapter 10, verses 19 to 39. A warning against sinning willfully. And indeed, this has become a stupendous problem in the churches in North America. People who say, now I'm safe and secure as a Christian, and they turn aside and they willfully sin. And they think that they're so secure in the grace of Christ that they are in no danger. And when you sin willfully, what that clearly says is that your repentance was not permanent. You turned from yourself and your sin for a season. And then you got what you thought you wanted, eternal life. And then you returned to your own sinful, willful way. And you have been led to believe, or you have obnoxiously thought that you could do as you please and still have eternal life. But it just demonstrates you don't know the Bible. And above all, you don't know the God of the Bible. Because the God of the Bible is never, ever willing to let His people sin willfully. And when you sin willfully, you demonstrate you don't know Him. You've just been confused. You've been misled. The devil has got hold of you. Now the devil doesn't mind people accepting Christ as long as they've never repented and believed. And he doesn't mind temporary repentance as long as it doesn't endure. And he doesn't mind if you make a false start in following Christ as long as you turn back to your own way. So the warning number four, a warning against sinning willfully. Then warning number five. You'll find this in chapter 12, verses 1 to 17. This fifth warning is a warning against misunderstanding the discipline of God. There are lots of people who think they're Christian until they get a few hard knocks. And then they begin to wonder, well, if God really loved me, would He let all this trouble afflict me? This is an immensely consequential thing at history at this juncture. Because all the sober-minded men I know say that the drift of Western culture is such as to make us know that it won't be long before, if you take a true stand for Christ, you'll end up in prison or you'll be murdered by society. And there are people who now think they're Christian who, the first time they come up against real conflict, they'll think God isn't real or that God has forgotten them. So understanding the discipline of God is immensely important. Finally, the sixth warning also found in chapter 12. It's a brief one. It covers verses 25 to 29. And this warning is a warning against refusing him who is speaking. Well, that's the outline. And I will not be able, of course, to deal adequately with these six passages. But if you have soberly made note of them, then at least you can go back in the days to come and read them afresh for yourself and explore them. And ask the Holy Spirit to give you insight concerning them. But I want to make now a recommendation to all of you who are sincere Christians. At some time in the near future, read Hebrews in three ways. First, read it true, exactly as it appears in your Bible. Second, just read by themselves, but all at once, these six warning passages. And then thirdly, read the passages that are elevating Christ as one. And you will see how absolutely wonderful is the Word of God and how truly helpful Hebrews is for establishing us firmly in the way of Jesus Christ. Well, as I said, I cannot in full give you these warning passages. But let's turn again to the first one. And let me read it. This is warning number 1, chapter 2, verses 1 to 4. For this reason, we must pay closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation after it was at the first spoken through the Lord? It was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will. Now, friends, if you know something about those persons to whom this letter was originally addressed, it will help you to get a hold of the message this morning. The book of Hebrews was written to Jewish people who had recently come to Christ. But the particular matter we need to realize is many of them were young people whose parents were rigidly fixed in Jewish custom. And their parents and their grandparents were saying to them, don't be silly. Don't follow that Jesus. Don't you remember Jesus was a heretic. He was put to death by our own leaders. He was a dangerous criminal. Nobody ought to pay any attention to him. So abandon that religious nonsense called Christianity and come home to safety. Stay in the synagogue. Forget those religious freaks that followed Jesus. The pressure of their own homes to return back to the religious security of a traditional system. And at the same time, the government was busy seeking to destroy Christianity. The ruler at the time, Nero, was holding big garden parties. And he would send his soldiers out to take captive a group of young Hebrew Christians. They would drag them into the palace. They would mount them on wooden crosses. They would cover them with some flammable substance perhaps tar or something like that. And then when the garden party was ready, these crosses would be erected around the garden and set on fire. And these burning young Christians provided the light for the garden party. Now don't be stupid, people were saying. You'll end up on one of those crosses. You'll burn to death, furnishing light for Nero's parties. Abandon that nonsense. Don't run such a risk. And at the same time, organized bands of looters were visiting the homes of Christians when they had gone off to services in the fellowship. And their goods were being plundered by these organized mobs. So the plea was coming from numerous directions. Abandon that and come back to the tradition of your family, Judaism. But the truth of the matter is, if they abandoned Christ and went back to Judaism, they would have abandoned everything and gone back to nothing. Because everything in the old covenant that they made a tradition of found its fulfillment in the Lord Jesus Christ. And it expired. It had served its purpose. It was like a pointer saying something better is coming. But when the better came, the pointer disappeared. It lost everything. Imagine the stupidity of leaving everything to return to nothing. And if you think that you can have a moment of repentance and a moment of faith and be all right, you'll be doing what those Jewish young people, by the grace of God, did not do. You will be abandoning everything to go back to nothing. Don't be foolish. And the tool that is so wisely and greatly used by the Holy Spirit to help these young Christians, the tool that is central to these warning passages, is Israel started well. Initially, they believed. And look again now at this first warning. For this reason, we must pay closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense. Now you see, when the law was given through Moses, it was given at the hands of angels. And the warning is, if God held fully accountable those Jews who received the law through Moses, from God, by the hands of angels, and every one of them received a just recompense for their reward, with less than a handful of exceptions, every person who fled from Egypt under the mighty, made bare arm of God, died in the wilderness because of unbelief. Their repentance didn't last. Their faith did not endure. They turned back. And if every one of them perished in the wilderness, having nothing more than the law, delivered at the hands of Moses, don't you dare for one silly moment think you can escape God's eternal wrath, God's fiery punishment, because you didn't get the law at the hand of Moses and angels. You got the Son, the very Son of God, who came here and died in your place. And it's not hearsay. It's not made-up nonsense. His words were verified. There were eyewitnesses who reported what they saw and heard. And God Himself confirmed the accuracy of everything that Jesus taught by allowing evil men to crucify Him and allowing Him to be buried and then bringing Him back from the dead. The resurrection of Jesus Christ speaks vastly louder than the giving of the law through the hands of angels. So if they didn't get away with their transgression, don't think for a moment that you can let these things slip and get away with it. The second warning, chapter 3. I'll not read it in its entirety, though it's magnificent. The warning against the hardening of the heart. Verse 5. Chapter 3, verse 5. Now Moses was faithful in all his house as a servant for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later. But Christ was faithful as a son over his house, whose house we are if. Don't miss that. Whose house we are if. If we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end. Oh, God, that would sink so deeply into your soul that you would never even for a moment lose sight of it. Whose house we are if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm until the end. Now that is speaking about our open, earnest proclamation, both by lip and by life, that Jesus Christ is Lord. Now I listen to many silly people who recite these words. If we confess with our mouth and we believe in our heart. And they think that because at one time they said Jesus was Lord. And then we're baptized, that they're saved. If there's anybody here that's silly, you ought to bow your head and ask God for forgiveness for sheer stupidity. A Christian is a person who makes a bold, outward proclamation, Jesus Christ is Lord. And then from then on, all through life, Jesus is Lord, Jesus is Lord, Jesus is Lord. And those are not empty, idle words, but they're backed up by a repentant life and a life of true faith. Let me pause and ask, are you among those who go right on making it clear Jesus is Lord, backing it up week after week, year after year with your life? But then notice what follows in verse 7. Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart as when they provoked me, as in the day of trial in the wilderness, where your fathers tried me by testing me, and they saw my works for 40 years. Therefore, I was angry with this generation, and I said, they always go astray in their hearts, and they did not know my ways. And I swore in my wrath, they shall not enter my wrath. In the course of life, I have encountered many truly grievous things. Many of you know that I have a single daughter, and she suffers from one of these grievous brain chemistry problems. She's a sweet Christian girl now. But I remember the day she went to a friend's home for dinner. Several of their friends were together. And in the midst of the meals, one of the boys excused himself from the table. And he said he had something very special to do. He left the house. In a few moments, they heard sirens, and they rushed out on the porch. And there were ambulances and fire trucks around the railroad tracks, and a big, long train stopped. And they found out that the extraordinary thing their friend was going to do was he threw himself in front of the railroad train and was crushed to death. One time when I was preaching in Texas, a man stepped up to me. He said, Mr. Roberts, I desperately need to hear your message. I hope to be present at every service, but I must tell you that I'm a physician, and I'm on call this week. I want you to know if I'm not here at any point, it will be because my duty was elsewhere. Well, to my grief, he was not present the next night. And I really felt deeply, because I believed him when he said he desperately needed to hear. But the following night, he rushed up to me before the service. He said, Mr. Roberts, I know I told you I was a physician. Did I tell you that I'm a plastic surgeon? No. No, I said, you didn't mention that. I was planning to be here, he said, last night. But after the school day, what was regarded as the best teacher in our school district gathered all of her things from her desk and carried them out in two grocery bags. The only one left at the school was the guard. He didn't say anything, but he thought it strange that she was carrying her things out. She went home. She took a pistol. She put it under her chin, intending to blow her brains out. But the angle was wrong, and she blew off her face. And he said, I had to try and save her. And he started to weep. And he said, I was successful in saving her life, but she had no reason to live so. She was our best teacher and one of the most attractive women in the city. But now she must live without a face. All of us have some exposure to tragedy, but I cannot think of anything more tragic than to stand in the final judgment and to hear the Lord say, I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of iniquity. That's what happened to Israel. That's what would have happened to these young Hebrew Christians if they had turned back. That's what happens to everyone who does not have ongoing repentance themselves. It's not a good beginning that matters. Look at verse 14. We have become partakers of Christ if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm until the end. Well, I've barely touched that second warning, but at least you have a taste of it. The third warning then, a warning against becoming dull of hearing. As I told you before, it begins at chapter 5 and verse 11. Runs through chapter 6 at verse 12. So 5.11, concerning Him, we have much to say. And it's hard to explain since you have become dull of hearing. Now maybe you don't ever feel that problem, but I want you to know, having traveled as a preacher for over 65 years, I'm often looking at the people who are demonstrating that they've become dull of hearing. And I will speak the most vital truth that can possibly be spoken, and somebody will pass by me and say, oh, that was interesting. Interesting. When your soul is at stake. When all of eternity lies before you. Yes, when you become dull of hearing. You can sit in the presence of the most consequential words that can be spoken. And they don't touch you. He goes on to explain that in their dullness of hearing, at the time they should be capable of teaching others, they're still being caught in that trap of acting like infants when they should long ago have become mature men and women. I don't know anything sadder than to be with someone who's been a professing Christian for 20 years, and they act like they're still nursing, as if they haven't grown a fraction of an inch. People who are utterly unreliable. People who base everything upon the silly notion that having said good morning, Lord, they're saved. Dull of hearing. This is a powerful passage, but I'm not going to expound it. But I've already urged you to read these warning passages for yourself. Let's turn to the fourth of these warnings. Chapter 10, starting at verse 19. A warning against sinning willfully. Sense, therefore, brethren. We have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus. By a new and a living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil that is His flesh. And since we have a great High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith. Having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water, let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering. For He who promised is faithful. Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds. Not forsaking our own assembling together as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another and all the more, as you see the day drawing near. For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sin. If you turn aside to willful sin, you have tossed aside the only thing that can save you, the atoning work of Jesus Christ. Now, the word willful sinning is here. Not just sinning, but willful sinning. Does that describe you? One who knew the way of righteousness. One who heard Jesus say, if you love Me, keep My commandments. But then, you became placid and careless. You lost serious interest in Christ. And you turned aside to willful sin. And then you foolishly said, oh, the grace of God covers that. No, if you turn aside to willful sinning, then you demonstrate that you're rejecting your only hope. And look at verse 27. There no longer remains a sacrifice for sins. Verse 26. But a certain terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. And He brings in Israel again. Anyone who sets aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer will be the punishment of those who have trampled underfoot the Son of God and have regarded the Son of God as unclean. For we know, vengeance is Mine. I will repay, says the Lord. Christianity is not a good start. It's an all-out surrender of the life to Jesus Christ and every day, every hour from then on until death itself. Following Jesus with all your heart. If you think Christianity is less than that, you are grievously mistaken. And although I cannot persuade you, the final fire of God's judgment will convince you when it's too late. Warning number five. Chapter 12. The first two verses of chapter 12 relate to chapter 11. We'll look at them tonight. But pick up a reading now at chapter 12, verse 3. Consider Him who has endured such hostilities of sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin. And you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons. My sons, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him. For those whom the Lord loves, He disciplines. And if you are without discipline, then you are not a son. Do you believe that? Discipline from the hand of God proves that we are His son. How do you handle the discipline of the Lord? I find many church prayer meetings disgusting. Because, as some say in the southern part of the United States, the church prayer meeting is an organ recital. What they mean by that is they're constantly talking about the organs of the body. Please pray for Tilly. Her fingers are swelling up. Oh, don't forget to pray for John. He's having exploratory surgery. Oh, please pray for my cousin. She's been diagnosed with cancer. But praise the Lord. She's suffering. She's disciplined. Why ask the Lord to deliver someone? Why pray for yourself that you will escape a difficulty? Why not say, Lord, please don't deliver me from this trouble until I've learned everything from it You intended? Have you learned to thank God for discipline? Honestly now, I was a little boy once. No surprise, is it? And there were times when my dad pulled my trousers down and gave me a good working over. I don't ever recall thanking him at the time. But if he were still alive, if he were here this morning, I'd step right up to him, kiss him on the cheek, and say, thank you, Dad. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. At the time of disciplined children, we sometimes think our parents are unfair and unkind. But gradually, we learn how wonderfully they loved us. And we're deeply grateful. Well, your Father in Heaven loves you a whole lot more than your Father on earth. And His discipline may be a whole lot more severe than the discipline of your Father on earth. But every discipline God sends is to enable us to become like the Son of God. And we ought to learn to rejoice in the difficulties and the ongoing evidence of both God's love and God's intention to conform us to the image of His Son. Instead, like Israel of old, there they were without anything much to eat. And God sent them manna. And they would practically choke to death, gouging themselves on it. And as soon as their throat was clear, they would complain. And God sent them meat. And again, they demonstrated their stupidity and complained. Everything they seemed to find grounds for complaint. And they all died in the wilderness. And now God has raised up another people. And He's given them a whole lot more than He gave Israel. And a lot of us are still muttering and complaining. And the time has come when we must lay aside the ways of children and begin to act like men and women who appreciate the discipline of God and see it as evidence of His love. Finally, number six. The last of these warnings. And indeed, one of immense consequence. The warning against refusing to listen to Him who is speaking. So chapter 12, verse 25. See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused Him who warned them on earth, much less shall we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven. And His voice shook the earth then. But now He has promised, saying, yet once more I shall shake not only the earth, but also the heavens. And this expression, yet once more, denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken. As of created things. In order that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude by which we may offer to God an acceptable servants with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. My word. Are you thinking soberly? Do you see what lies ahead of you? Do you realize that God is going to bring about a shaking greater than any shaking that ever before occurred? And He's going to shake out of existence everything that can be shaken out of existence, and all that will remain is that which is unshakeable. Your farm, if you own one, will be shaken out of existence. Your home, your vehicles, your bank account, your stocks, your bonds, whatever you've got of a physical nature will be shaken out of existence. And the only thing that will remain is the kingdom of God. Our God is a consuming fire. You'll shake it out of existence and destroy it in fire. Don't be the fool. Don't waste your time on that which is going to be shaken out of existence. Devote all your time, all your energy from now on to the things that endure. Israel did not. They foolishly wasted their lives on things that disappeared. And they themselves never entered God's rest. Repentance and faith. When we turn from sin, from self, from every silly thing that will be shaken out of existence, and when we devote ourselves to following the Lord Jesus Christ with all our hearts, with no deviance, no turning back, no losing time and opportunity.