This week, Pastor Chris about persevering in faith by continually drawing near to God with sincere hearts, holding fast to their hope, and encouraging one another in love and good works. Scripture warns of the danger of willfully rejecting the truth after receiving it, reminding us of the reality of God’s judgment for those who turn away. Yet through trials and suffering, we are invited to trust in God’s faithfulness, endure with confidence, and live by faith—knowing that His promises are sure and our reward is eternal.
1. Approach and Advance: Let us…draw near, hold fast, and stir up.
Hebrews 10:19–22 (ESV)
19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
James 4:8 (ESV)
8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Psalm 73:28 (ESV)
28 But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.
Hebrews 10:22–25 (ESV)
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
2. Avoid Judgement
Hebrews 10:26–27 (ESV)
26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.
Why people deliberately reject God.
- Persecution (Matt. 24:9-10).
- False Teaching (Matt. 24:11).
- Temptation (Luke 8:13).
- Neglect (Hebrews 2:3).
- Religion (Mark 7:8-9).
- Forsaking Christian Fellowship (Hebrews 10:25).
Hebrews 10:28–31 (ESV)
28 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
“There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, in the end, ‘Thy will be done.’ All that are in Hell, choose it.” C.S. Lewis
“If you reject Him, He answers you with tears; if you wound Him, He bleeds out cleansing; if you kill Him, He dies to redeem; if you bury Him, He rises again to bring resurrection. Jesus is love made manifest. Reject Him at your peril.” Charles Spurgeon
3. Acknowledge the Faithfulness of God
Hebrews 10:32–34 (ESV)
32 But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, 33 sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. 34 For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.
Hebrews 10:35–39 (ESV)
35 Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. 37 For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; 38 but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” 39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.
“Trials teach us what we are; they dig up the soil, and let us see what we are made of.” Charles Spurgeon
“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” Corrie Ten Boom
“Suffering is never for nothing. God never wastes our pain, but uses it to refine us.” Elisabeth Elliot
“A cross-centered, cross-exalting, cross-saturated life is a God-glorifying life – the only God-glorifying life. All others are wasted.” John Piper
Discussion Questions:
- In what ways can we “hold fast” to our confession of hope when life becomes overwhelming or uncertain?
- Hebrews 10:24 challenges us to “stir up one another to love and good works.” How can we do this authentically and consistently in community?
- Hebrews 10:31 says, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” How should this shape our view of God’s holiness and justice?
- Hebrews 10:32 encourages believers to “recall the former days.” How can remembering past trials and God’s faithfulness help you persevere today?
Application Question:
- What is one practical step you can take this week to persevere in your faith?