Don’t Do It! (Part C)

I don't agree with a lot of what the reformers their opinions, but I understand the struggles of many of some of them I flat on the light blue that was a manly man.

You have to admire things about them.

Though there are things about him that was very troubling also. Anyway, fear of trusting for nothing must be overcome by courage of trusting the truth.

It takes courage to have faith, you gotta get that things are going to go with or without us. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Hebrews. Please stay with us after today's message here. More information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching today. Pastor Rick will conclude his study called don't do it in Hebrews chapter 10. Ask anybody what is your solution for sin.

What is your solution for it has to be dealt with and is the cause of every piece of suffering ever known to humanity. Is there a solution for this is that one after this life and in this life. I have looked at everyone else's position that I will not everyone I'm sure miss you, but I looked it Islam solution Buddhism solution Hinduism so that I find them not reasonable irrational. I don't find a solution. They talk about it, but it it goes again in the end it goes against the sense of justice, but a look at Christianity, and I see God saying it's not justice you want because you can't handle them my justice.

You need grace you need mercy. You cannot earn it. You have to receive it. Okay I receive it.

But how do I get it. God suffered for me Zach and said I didn't ask to be born then asked to step into this world and then have to deal with the judgment of God yet went on here. God says will let me help you with that a little bit. I'm going to ask to be born, and step into this world and I'm going to take punishment for you that you deserve and if you believe it and receive it. Based on all the little pieces of evidence. I leave that lead to this trail that I'm going to give you an everlasting glory that defies description. But you have to examine the evidence. Make your move and stick to it by faith. That's what I want, we will believe that's what we have done what irritates us is when we hear blasphemy against Christ. We want to answer it. Sometimes the answer is not there when answer that. Sometimes this is the answer to answer that.

That's nothing but scramble day. Not that no one can on ties, not even the point is a distraction is sound so intelligent but actually it's just simply wrong, because sin still has to be dealt with. Go online and you watch you watch some men deal with questions you say boy that's pretty intelligent.

I wish I had that intelligence. I wish I could give that answer. Jesus said when they bring you in before the magistrate's and they're going to put you under the pressure of giving them answers, don't think about what you going to say bless you all give you the answers. My point in that is trust the Lord that you know to be your Savior all the time as best you can with everything you have, so reread Hebrews 23 how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation. This is one of the was the first morning verse in Hebrews, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was committed to those who heard him.

That's the process that was cast into motion.

Those who heard him were we still hearing Christ. Verse 30 all pause here. Don't let your weaknesses undo your strengths just because you struggle with this so that you fail. Here, there, that doesn't define who you are your defines the Christian Christ, your strength, that's what decides who you are.

Stick to that be defiant with that cop a little attitude with that against those things that come against. Otherwise you going to be on you going to get slapped around and don't take any mess from yourself either yourself is one of the most busy guilt bear is there is a bucket guilt for you. How do you feel about this.

You been doing that. I commuted should know better in school should have more devotion time.

Let the spirit of the Lord be the spirit of the Lord in your heart in spite of your sin he is able to overcome those things that you cannot he does it in some ways are very visible to us, and then he does in ways that defy our understanding.

But not our faith to faith goes beyond understanding, but not without a good uses understanding to get right there and then it blows past it and I'll get to that. Another illustration of that moment. Verse 30 for we know him who said, vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. And again, the Lord will judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. What is the payback vengeance is mine.

God is not going to just let us just ignore it, you didn't mean it is going to be dealt with. This is for those who rejected him. He's talking that's the application. Galatians 6 again Galatian dealing with Paul dealing with the same thing that is being dealt with in Hebrews. I believe Paul is likely the writer of Hebrews says do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will reap.

Also, if you've ever watched any of the intelligent atheists who devoted their lives to proving that something doesn't exist, which in itself is not intelligent.

I mean, again I are used as I don't how not very creative, but I have not devoted my life to proving tooth fairies don't exist. If you believe them. I that's fine you your your all and you better hope that the tooth fairy is not greedy as he could take all your teeth.

But anyway and so II think it's an irrational thing if others don't believe it. Find this age of atheism that we are facing is unlike atheism in the past. This ADM atheism is militant is aggressive is not satisfied with live and let live.

It wants to stop you from believing what you believe because it is held driven and when Paul says don't be deceived, God is not mocked or will they mock him yes but they are sowing in their marketing and they will reap what they have sown.

If they do not repent. So were facing serious issues when faced with God the son God's salvation and the Holy Spirit. Luke's gospel there will be Luke 1328 Jesus speaking, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth and gnashing of teeth. The weeping is the sorrow, the gnashing is the anger this sorry that the going to be judge and the angry for being judged at the same time he says when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom and you yourself stressed out you think that only applies in the Jews. The Jewish Pharisees that applies to the human beings who mock God and go to their grave like that. I have people I love not accepted Christ.

I still love them.

I'm still trying to reach him, but I do not love them more than I love my Jesus, I won't allow myself to do that and so he said that Luke's gospel to humanly intelligent reject is verse 32 but recall the former days in which after you were illuminated.

You endured a great struggle with sufferings to see that Christians, they were persecuted for Christ clearly addressing veteran believers and he says remember we read that we have to say if it can happen to them on the letting my God, I'm going to post another guard Scripture never makes room for other religions.

It is Christ, but is nothing that is, the ultimatum is a prerogative of God. He exercises it in an age we live in an age of fake tolerance.

They like to throw that word around. We stand in defiance against it. We say God is intolerant of Christ. Looseness at death. That said, in the Old Testament it's illustrated for us. Samuel was intolerant of a gag, took out his sword and hacked them to death. Elijah was intolerant of the profits of bowel on Mount Carmel.

Those prophets did not survive the day. Christ was vehemently intolerant of fake believers in his day beware the Pharisee drew where the Sadducees and the scribes be rare beware beware these were the religious people that were acting like believers yet rejecting the proof that was right in front of them according to their own Scripture. We are not at all interested in doing physical violence to infidels as cute as you might want to use. We don't hear that word coming out of the church often, but instead were the floor unbelievers when I looking to harm them physically, but their opinions, we are not looking to merge with ours. You endured a great struggle with sufferings.

He says their fight were neither minor nor were they brief whatever that word endure shows up. That means this time involved. Stephen was murdered. The first one in the church to be murdered for Christ. Paul, who hunted Christians found himself hunted. Paul wreaked havoc on the church acts chapter 8. His name was first Saul for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house and dragging off men and women committing them to prison.

Acts 26, he's giving his testimony and I punish them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities, you see why they were under pressure to go back to Judaism, and the writer is saying don't do it. Galatians 134 you've heard of my former conduct Paul speaking again in Judaism how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it." So what he says you endured great struggle and suffering. Don't make it for nothing. Verse 33, partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you became companions of those who were so treated they were publicly humiliated and humiliated that word for spectacle in the Greek is where we get our English word theater from they were made laughingstock entertainment. Their persecution they were hated they were Scal that harassed, threatened and harmed, and yet they were still thinking about leaving the faith, he says, both by reproaches and tribulation. They were held in contempt and partly while you became companions coin and Nina in fellowship of those who were threatened that satellite were we says you are partly while you became coin Anita in fellowship.

That's our word.

We've embraced that words Christians, our fellowship is based on acts 242 for exam 11 verse that teaches that to us that were fellowship again coin in the in the Greek these were bona fide believers in public opinion intensified against them and when they ran to the defense of other believers.

They just drew fire to themselves. Unwelcome fire.

Their families also are subject to persecution. Verse 34 for you had compassion on me and my chains and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods. Knowing that you have a better and enduring possession for yourselves in heaven. Well your support for the authorship of Paul in chapter 13.

Timothy will be said to have been released from prison that indicates that the timestamp that indicates that this was late into Paul's ministry. Even who wasn't Paul writing this I believe it was because you have to account for the time after the resurrection of Christ, the birth of the church. The time Paul gets saved after his persecution of the church and then his finally getting Timothy one and then getting Timothy develop to the point where he can actually be arrested for his faith and then released him a lot of time there. This makes the Hebrew document late into the Jewish history in relation to the fall of the Jewish tabernacle which I mentioned earlier, you can go to the Rhodian St. in Israel to this very day you go online and look at pictures of it.

If you'd like, and there the stones right there just-temple ruins you'll get it. So he says and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods.

They didn't claim to the possessions of their life. This is this is a wake-up call to us that I can get it right. 10 years ago and become week. 10 years later.

If I'm not careful. That order be a concern. So the loss of safety and possessions life, liberty and the pursuit pursuit of happiness, all being taken away physical harm.

With this persecution again is no wonder why some of them were thinking you know what I can't take this anymore. Galatians 612 as many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh. These who compel you to be circumcised, only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. Paul was saying in Galatia. There were those that wanted to mingle the faith, half Jewish, half Christian, so that they could check the Jewish box and check the Messiah box in Christ. At the same time and their countrymen would no longer persecute them say well okay that one of us to little off, but that one of us and he's been telling them don't do that, you know that over little things such as circumcision.

Paul said I didn't given it not for one hour.

I not for a moment that I give in to Peter a Barnabas or anybody else that is a defiant attitude that we want is is knowing that you have a better and enduring possession in a for yourselves in heaven.

That's faith. We have a destination to what we believe all of this verse by verse stuff is going somewhere in us and through us because of the Holy Spirit verse 35 therefore do not cast away your confidence, which is which has great reward word confidences the faith cling to Christ. Galatians 34 again. Have you suffered so many things for nothing. If, indeed, for nothing. Most of our early memories as born-again Christians involves delight relief joy there's had delight and persecution and suffering, but being persecuted. This teaches us that just because a Christian is persecuted, is no guarantee that the doctrine is going to be sound alarming, is it not because here there doctrine was faltering and we see this today we see if a Christian is suffer persecution. He's given a pulpit or she is given a pulpit, and sometimes it's good Richard Wong Brent of course and his wife Sabrina Corrie 10 boom, the been others but not all of them need need to be put in a pulpit still there doctrine is not develop your doctrine doesn't get develop your Bible knowledge by simply enduring the suffering is not to be little or not at all is just to look at what the Scripture is teaching us in these Christians suffered persecution and were now struggling in their doctrine and you would not want one of them to come and speak at your church. At this point in their wall and nothing is automatic. Everything's hard work. First Corinthians 13. Paul talked about it. He says though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profits me nothing will. For the Christian to have love, there is an army of faith in back of it. It's connected to something. It's not disconnected it's not I just love the humanitarian causes. This all goes to the cross of Christ. Galatians 415. But then I hope the verses I hope the verses are not boring you. I hope you understand this is our authority and you start your foot down with all your weight and say this is our authority the pastor to say anything he wants of it doesn't have Scripture to back it up and is not worth hearing their son Jones and every human you need Scripture for humor to scan violated, but we're running out of time clock will not slow down.

Galatians 415.

What then was the blessings you enjoyed for I bear you witness that, if possible, you would've plucked out your own eyes and given them to me. But at the time he is writing them.

He was saying. But you leaving the faith the same problem and got in Galatians that were confronting and in Hebrews. Galatia was shaken in her doctrine shaken in her faith.

So again, be careful and discerning suffering for Christ is no guarantee of being solid. It's is not trivial either.

Verse 36 for you have need of endurance, so that you after you have done the will of God.

You may receive the promise was nowhere around. Take the pain deal with it to me what you gonna do you ever get, you know you get sick. There you get sick is nothing to do was to be sick sometime sometime you you can take 10 to 20 Tylenol no you can't not good for your liver and other things you can take a couple who chase that headache away within her other times to go to food poisoning. For this one is just in the so life is got these things that we face them in crisis of verse 37 for yet a little while he was coming will come will not tarry. The early church always expected to see Christ in any time we should have the same expectation because it's intentional. God wants us looking out the window up for him should he say don't worry about it though be excited about the thought of my return. Verse 38 now the just shall live by faith. But if anyone draws that my soul has no pleasure in him we meet this verse in Romans and Galatians and Hebrews is out of Habakkuk the prophet that great man of God who didn't like what God was doing, is that I will stand my watch and I will see how you will answer me and how I respond when he answers me was a man totally committed to what God wanted. In spite of what he liked or disliked. Galatians a Romans is the just the just shall live by faith and Paul takes the time to lay that out for them in Galatians is how we shall live.

I'll take one part from Galatians 220 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. The just shall live by faith. Here in Hebrews. It is full out faith is tell it going to take the entire 11 chapters visit.

This is what it looks like we have this illustrated in the lives of our ancestors beyond Hebrews 2, four, and I might run a little bit over about 50 or 60 minutes beyond Hebrews heat Habakkuk 24 there's history. Martin Luther was converted because of the verse and Habakkuk through Romans. Martin Luther was a Catholic monk Roman Catholic monk and is seeking forgiveness for sins the Wrong Way, Roman Catholic way to penance is on his knees.

He would go up a step at the pilot staircase and only take a step he say prayers to Mary. Even though the Bible says is one intercessor between God and man, the man Jesus Christ and while he was doing this. This verse rang out in his head. The just shall live by faith, not penance, not hard not flogging yourself, trusting you would God says, and he got up and he walked out of he walked out of the Roman church and he took half a euro with them. It was an immediate but it happened just that way.

He marched out of the church at Rome, and that was the beginning of the Reformation and thank God for. I don't agree with a lot of what the reformers of their opinions, but I understand the struggles of of many of them some of them I flat out the light but Luther was a manly man you you have to admire things about him. Though there are things about him that were very troubling also. Anyway, the fear of trusting for nothing must be overcome by courage of trusting the truth. It takes courage to have faith you cannot get that things are going to go with or without us. Make sure where we're going with the ones that are going to the straight and narrow. It did starts with commitment, so God says to the writer. If anyone draws back the means to pull away from Christ.

My soul has no pleasure in him like Judas Iscariot brings only death verse 39 we are not those who draw back to perdition, but to those who believe to the saving of the soul apostates have their reasons for leaving the faith we have hours for staying in.

Let it be that way is nothing wrong with that.

This word perdition. It is hell it is when Jesus said the Son of Man indeed goes just it is written of him, but woe to the man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed, it would be good for that man if he had not been born while he then later identifies that man John 17 nieces while I was with them in the world. I kept them in your name those whom you gave me.

I have, and none of them is lost except the son of perdition same Greek word that the scripture might be fulfilled. So when he uses this word in verse 39 we are not those who draw back to perdition with not going back to hell were not going to the life we had before we were saved and then the Thessalonians. Paul says Amanda Christ, let no one deceive you by any means for that day will not come unless the falling away come first in the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition. I can go on and on and I'm ready to but will close up with this, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. That's who we are. We are not those who draw back will those who believe the saving of the soul that is to death. Love God hates sin serve people use things simplifies out our target for us in this life because under that umbrella of love God, we have first Corinthians 13. I give my body to be burned.

I can suffer persecution. But I'm not Christlike. It doesn't accomplish anything for me to move you've been listening to cross reference radio the daily radio ministry of Pastor Rick asked Calvary Chapel in Mechanicsville, Virginia. As we mentioned at the beginning of today's broadcast. Today's teaching is available free of charge at our website. Simply log on to cross reference radio.com that's cross reference radio.com would also like to encourage you to subscribe to the cross reference radio podcast subscribing ensures that you stay current with all the latest teachings from Pastor Rick, you can subscribe cross reference radio.com or simply search for cross reference radio your favorite podcast to the next time as Pastor Rick continues teaching through the book of Hebrews right here on cross reference radio