True Faith Increases

Take your Bibles, if you would, please, and turn to the book of Hebrews. Hebrews chapter 10, verse 35 is where we'll start. I'll read verses 35 through 39 and perhaps finish the chapter today. Hebrews 10:35, and if you're taking notes, the title of today's message is "True Faith Increases." True faith increases.

And so your faith is going to be increasing as you continue to mature. We've already discovered through the book of Hebrews that your faith starts out with needing milk, and then it desires meat as you grow. And then as well, you see the concept true as well through the Apostle John and how he teaches that people are born again in 1 John 2:12, and then they become children of God, and then they progress in their faith, becoming youth in the faith, which are overcomers, and then they continue to progress in their faith to becoming fathers in the faith, who are reproducers and leaders. So your faith is going to increase. And true faith does increase. It doesn't stalemate. And we'll talk about that through the text today and see that.

The Hebrew preacher of the book of Hebrews is prodding his audience to continue in the faith. And so true faith does not shrink back. And in our particular case here as a family discipleship church, I truly enjoy seeing our ones who are mature in the faith pouring into the next generation. You know, we see the Apostle Paul pouring into young Timothy and pouring into Titus and raising these men up for ministry. But we also see mothers in the faith pouring into the littlest ones. Here we have had our oldest, perhaps Sarah, also pouring into the youngest and how to make care cards to share in ministering to the needs of others. Such a beautiful thing.

And so when you come and you are truly saved, here's how discipleship works. First you come and you're receiving the milk and the meat of the Word. And then sooner or later you make an about-face and you start pouring into others. And so you're no longer dependent upon someone else for your faith and the nurturance. You continue to grow when you need those things. But you grow to the point to where you're now discipling or demonstrating or investing in others. And I'll be honest with you, that's where the true joy really is.

Most of you parents know that some of the highest climaxes in life are with your children. And same true with the valleys as well. And so true is with discipleship. Whether you have biological children or not makes no difference biblically speaking, because Paul didn't have biological sons. But he had sons in the faith in whom he drew much joy and anguish. So did Jesus. Much joy and anguish with His disciples as part of it. But true faith continues to increase, whether you are a father in the faith or you are a youth in the faith or you're a child in the faith. It's going to be progressing as you move through.

So I intend to prove to you today the statement that true faith increases under pressure, not remaining fractured if it does become fractured, nor completely falling away, but becomes stronger and more resolved. And this ultimately glorifies the Lord.

Let's read the text today in Hebrews chapter 10, verse 35 through the following. And we'll see this. It says, "Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward." This word confidence is synonymous with faith, by the way. And this is a command that you would not lose your reward. Verse 36, "For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what is promised." So the antidote for falling away in your faith or slipping away from those things that are essential is just to be told, or self-tell yourself, or tell one another, you need endurance. You just need to put in first gear and keep working hard. Keep doing the will of God. We've got so much to do and to be a part of.

In verse 37 it says, "For yet in a little while He who is coming will come." This is great assurance of Christ's coming again. "And He won't delay," verse 38, "but My righteous one shall live by faith; and if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul."

Let's pray together. Lord, thank You for this text. And may the truths in this text come shining forth, convict us and guide us, we pray, encourage us, edify us, we ask. In Christ's name, amen.

And so you see in verse 35 this word, confidence, and this is synonymous for the word faith. You also see this in chapter 10 and verse 19. So if you back up just a little bit, you see, "Therefore, brethren," in verse 19, "since we have this confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus." And so this is confident faith. And then in verse 38 in our text, it says, "But My righteous one shall live by faith." And then in verse 39 it says it again, "But of those who have faith."

This word faith in the Greek is pistos, and it means to be persuaded of, to be completely persuaded of, to have confidence in what you know. This is not only to be persuaded of, it is also to have reliance upon. And so you actually depend upon the faith that you have. And then also you trust your faith, the content of your faith. You trust it. You trust that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. You trust Him and His Word, and you have assurance in this.

But as your faith continues to increase, you'll not only be persuaded of what you know, and persuaded that Jesus Christ is the only way, the only truth, and the only life—John 14:6 here. You know this. You're persuaded of it. But then you will grow in your faith as it increases to persuade others. You will be persuading others. It is true. Our faith increases from being persuaded to persuading men. 2 Corinthians 5:11 says this, "Knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men." So 2 Corinthians 5:11 helps you to see that you have the obligation as a persuaded Christian to persuade others to be Christian. And as you persuade men, you convince them, you give them, like a good Berean is able to, the facts of our faith, the substance of our faith. And you're giving them Christ. You're giving them Him. You're giving them a person. And this is to persuade them of what you have assurance in, what you have belief in.

This is true fidelity, your life on display in Christ. And so the things that you trust, the Word of God, the knowledge that you have of Christ, and the faithfulness that you have in Him is to be on display, and that you display this so that others can see exactly what you are persuading them of, and then you call them to come to Christ. So pistos in the Greek is translated as assurance, belief, and fidelity. These things that we trust, know, and that we're faithful to.

Interestingly, in Hebrew thought, faith is rooted in action. It is not an emptiness. It is not proclaiming something without actually pursuing it. Words are cheap, but actions will cost you, right? And so in Hebrew thought, it goes without being said that if you believe something, if you have faith in something, then you're actually pursuing it and actively engaged in it. And so your life matches your lips. There's no hypocrisy there. You're steady in your faith. You're reliable.

True faith is steadfast under pressure. True faith is reliable, not flippant. True faith is based upon the firm foundation of God in His Word. True faith fosters firmness in others as well, not flippantness. And so it's not a blind faith. It's not an intellectual faith. And it's not guessing as to what we're going to do.

In fact, Hebrews 10:38 says righteous ones shall live by faith. This is not a suggestion. This is a command. So shall means you will do this, just like in the Ten Commandments. It's not you should live according to the Ten Commandments. You shall, but you shall not blaspheme. You shall honor your father and your mother. And you shall not murder, and you shall not commit adultery. And you shall not steal. You shall not lie. You shall not covet. These are not suggestions. These are commands. And so you shall live by faith. Exodus 20:1–17 uses the word shall. Let's see this.

So our faith is both initially and then continually. And it increases. And it only becomes better through trials, by the way. In James 1:3, it says "the testing of your faith produces endurance." And so the endurance that you're commanded in the text here to take on—you need endurance. This thing that's this antidote to the flippantness or whatnot or the shrinking back, you need endurance.

This command then, in regards to the word endurance in the Greek, has two underlying meanings. So the hypomone: under remain, under remain. To have endurance is to remain under, to remain under. If you were to have endurance and to, by faith, actively live out what you know and believe, then you will remain under. To have endurance is to remain under pressure faithfully. That's what endurance is. And if you're going to have enduring faith, like the Hebrew preacher here is saying for them to do, you will remain under pressure and not falter. You will continue in the faith with a steadfastness. You'll be reliable to others in your faith. You will not recant. The idea here is remaining under pressure without breaking and not flipping out and not being flippant. The etymology here is to carry a heavy load under trial and to be patient and steadfast in fortitude.

It requires guts to be a Christian. This is not for weaklings. Weaklings get picked off all the time by the evil when they fall behind, and Satan just pounces on them like a roaring lion. True faith requires strength and fortitude to be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. And you have to resist him. And guess what? You have the promise that he'll flee from you. And so true faith is internal strength as well. Your part is bearing up without giving up. Your part of being one who endures faithfully is bearing the load, carrying the load, and working out your faith. So trials are custom-designed to develop your strength in Christ. Trials are for strength training, not retreating. And so continue in the faith. John 8:31 says to continue in the Word, and so prove that you're disciples of Mine. And this is things that you shall do.

So what has Hebrews said about faith thus far? Well, let me just give you a running ramp as I go back just a little bit in the book of Hebrews and extract what has been said about faith. If we back up to chapter 10, verse 16, true faith is in covenant. Okay. And then as well, true faith knows it is sin-debt free. Isn't that incredible? Your sin-debt-free state means that you have an understanding of the content of your faith. Faith is not some invisible, mystical thing. It is actual content. It is a person that we're putting our faith in. And in that you humbly recognize and appreciate that you are sin-debt free because the price has been paid for your sins. Isn't that incredible? That is in 10:17.

In Hebrews 10:18, we see that true faith isn't maintained by offerings. In 10:19, we see that true faith is confidently drawing near to Christ. In 10:23, we see that true faith holds fast without wavering. And then in 10:24, we see that true faith stimulates service unto Christ. And so you are really, truly encouraging and attaboying one another as they are utilizing their gifts for Christ. It stimulates one another. You're telling one another, "Man, that was a great job in what you did for Christ and serving the church and serving one another." You're building one another up, and you're encouraging one. You're adding logs to the fire. You're fanning the right flame.

And then as well, true faith is faithfulness to a local flock and not forsaking the assembly, 10:25. And then as well, true faith doesn't go on sinning in 10:26. And true faith has a healthy fear of God in 10:27. And true faith doesn't trample or insult Christ in His cross, 10:29. True faith lives with the end in mind, 10:30–31. True faith endures, 10:32. True faith shares joyfully, 10:34.

And in today's text, we see that true faith is rewarded in 10:35. Read 35 with me. "Therefore, do not throw away your confidence," or your faith, "which has a great reward." So true faith is rewarded. True faith as well endures in verse 36. In 10:36, you see that it truly endures because you're called to have endurance, and then you live that out. And then as well in 36b, true faith works. It actually does the will of God. So we have a working faith, an active faith. And then as well, not only does it work, true faith has promised rewards, another repeated concept. And then in 10:37, it says that true faith anticipates Christ's return. That's having true faith. And then true faith also is a lifestyle. It's not a Sunday game. It's not pretending. It's a lifestyle in 10:38a. And then as well, we see that true faith does not shrink back in 10:38b. And then true faith aims to please God, 10:38c. And then true faith is completely convinced of who they are not. You know who you are, but you also know who you are not, according to 10:39.

And this is all a ramp or an introduction to Hebrews chapter 11, the great Hall of Fame chapter of faith, where we see Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, the prophets, and others who all gained, or had gained, approval through their faith, 11:39. And so this is all today leading up to this wonderful chapter in chapter 11.

And so let's continue in the Word. According to Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 1—look there with me, 12:1—we are to run the race of faith with endurance. Again, this subject is called to the forefront of the hearers' minds, and they are called to endure in light of these examples and witnesses. And this word witness in the original Greek is actually martyr. And so these who have been martyred for the faith are your examples, and you have not resisted or endured to the point of bloodshed yet, the writer of Hebrews, or the preacher, says. And so continue in the faith and be strong in the faith.

Chapter 12, verse 1 says, "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and the perfecter of our faith." If you set your eyes and aim your heart at Jesus, everything else in this world becomes dim, no longer so important. The color of your car, so what? How much you make, big deal. Christ is coming soon. Where you live, whatever. I get to go to church on Sunday. Somebody doesn't like you, big deal. Read Hebrews chapter 11. If someone does not like you, we're not subject to other people's feelings. We serve Christ, and our faith is firm in Him. He is the perfecter of our faith, according to verse 2.

Point number one, if you're taking notes, is that shrinking is very costly. Shrinking is very costly. And back to chapter 10, verse 35, as we go through the verses together, "Therefore, do not throw away your confidence," or your faith, "which has a great reward." And so shrinking back will cause you to lose rewards. This is what the text is saying. In chapter 11, verse 26, Moses refused to shrink back based upon his thinking of the rewards to come. And so this is a very, very, very good thing to keep in the forefront of your mind. Christ is coming soon. He's coming again. And when He comes, not only will you be transformed and get a glorified body, but you will also receive the rewards for what you have done in the body. And so keep the fact that you have the rewards as a reward in front of you, and allow that to truly motivate you in having what is needed to endure and to persevere. And so praise God for that.

Don't shrink back. It is costly. Not only is it costly in these areas of losing reward, but it is also costly in the fact that you'll lose confidence in God. If you shrink back and abandon the faith, then confidence in God shrinks. And then ultimately, that is a demonstration of having more confidence in the flesh. You're thinking you know how to do it better than what God has ordained for you to do. And so you are lifting up the self and reducing God, and that is the ploy of the devil.

Not only will you lose rewards and confidence in God, but it also forfeits a lot of respect for those around you if you shrink back. Being ones who abandon everything or throw their faith away or just flippantly, you know, toss their faith to the side and stop doing what is right—then others around you take notice, and you lose the respect that you've earned. And that is not the idea of faithful discipleship, because our influence should be gaining influence and gaining momentum in people's hearts and lives.

One of the things that I mentioned to our PTI men, our pastoral training and implementation group, is that it is something that you have to really, really watch as you grow in the faith. Your integrity and your reliability is very crucial, and it becomes more in the spotlight as you gain influence with people. And it's easy to gain influence quickly, but it's harder to keep it over time. And so we need to continue to mature in our faith and grow in our dignity and our integrity. Don't throw it away.

In the text in verse 35, this is an idea of throwing away what is priceless. Therefore, don't throw away your faith or your confidence, which is of a great reward. And so don't abandon Christ or Christianity or His church. This means to discard or to descend downward, to throw it away, to start heading away from what is safe and right and holy and true.

Scholar Thomas Schreiner says that the Hebrews have not yet apostatized, but yet they're being tempted to. At this particular point in the text, in their life, which is being addressed, they haven't gone into absolute apostasy. They haven't abandoned totally. But boy, they sure are acting like it, and they're heading in the wrong direction, and they're shrinking back, and they're going back into their old ways, and all these types of things. It's sad to see someone who would taste the goodness of God and then go back into, perhaps, old covenant or old sacrificial ways, or worshiping angels, or adhering to the law and trying to achieve righteousness. And we're guilty of the same things. As soon as we get flustered, sometimes we are guilty of shrinking back and throwing our faith away, and we need not to do that.

It's almost like the adage that was said of this. You've heard this before. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater, right? Well, don't throw away everything when you're in pain. Don't throw everything that is valuable away just because something is not pleasing you. Don't toss your confidence in God and in the church and in your spouse and in your future and in your job. Don't toss things away that are valuable when something is not meeting your expectations.

The German theologian Thomas Murner first wrote of this adage, "Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater," as a satirical appeal to fools in 1512. Martin Luther picked up this "Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater" adage and used it as a proverb in 1526, warning people not to throw away your faith while you are ridding yourselves of Catholicism. And so as you are refining your faith, you're going to run across things that trouble you and that disturb you. Don't throw everything away as you're refining your faith, Martin Luther was saying. So essentially, this satirical appeal exposes the foolish tendency to throw everything valuable away when one part does not meet your expectations. And this is costly because it hurts you and others. And we should continue to lean upon the grace of God. Remember, God's grace is there for every mistake that we've made. Thank the Lord for His mercy, and we can repent and rebound from anything.

Point number two, if you're taking notes, is that enduring increases faith. Enduring increases faith. Remember that enduring is remaining faithful under pressure. Okay. In verse 36, you see this, "For you have need of endurance." And so when you are doing the will of God and enduring difficulties, you then are rewarded, according to verse 35. But also you bring God pleasure in verse 38. "But My righteous one shall live by faith; and if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him." If shrinking back displeases God, then not shrinking back pleases God. And so those of us who remain faithful under pressure, this pleases the Lord.

This is a very interesting concept, because as your faith increases, you're also preserved. In verse 39, notice with me, "But we are not of those who shrink back to the destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul." So this idea of preservation of the soul—let me tell you what that means. This is interesting. And so you are kept from spiritual ruin. The soul on the inside is something that can truly agonize and be fractured. Your soul can have an agony and conviction. Perhaps if Christians descend, they will experience severe conviction that actually makes them unstable. They're like trembling on the inside. And so when you violate your conscience or you go against the Lord, inwardly you are not being preserved by the power of God through the faith that you have. You're abandoning your faith, and now you become unstable, and you're grieving the Holy Spirit. This is really, truly agonizing on the inside. When you're in the wrong direction, there's true agony on the inside. Now non-Christians ultimately experience eternal condemnation of the soul when they descend. But this idea of being preserved—your soul being kept at peace, your soul being kept in the joy of the Lord, your soul remaining steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord—is the idea of being preserved.

And so truly, Christians bounce back better from battles because they've been battle-tested, because they are able to overcome. 1 John 2:12 demonstrates this, "Because you are strong, and the Word of God abides in you, and you have then overcome the evil one." So believers are truly made better by the battles, not bitter. And I want to prove that to you.

Turn to Romans chapter 5 with me, verses 3 and 4 together. Romans 5:3–4 is a very clear text that believers are made better by the battles and not bitter. And we need to press on to the rewards and the promises that we have. Romans 5:3–4, "And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance." Some of your translations may say endurance. And so it's only by the tribulations in your life does your faith actually really, truly grow. It's got to be torn, stretched, and worked so that it can recover and be built back. And then in verse 4, the perseverance then is proven character and proven hope. Perseverance, proven character, and proven hope—this is what the trials produce.

You see how your faith then is increasing? It's increasing in doing God's will, receiving the rewards, pleasing God, godly character, and godly hope. When hope increases and your faith increases, well, this is just such a wonderful place to walk. But when you're in the wrong, you know it, because faith is low, hope is low, peace is low; all these things are truly disturbed. And so continue in the Word, and allow your faith to be increased by faithfulness.

Point number three, if you're taking notes, is that suffering ends at the Second Coming. Suffering ends at the Second Coming. Thank the Lord for that. In verse 37, "For yet in a little while He who is coming will come, and will not delay." And this, the author or preacher here is quoting from Habakkuk 2:3, and the preacher encourages the Hebrews who are drifting due to suffering that Christ is coming again in just a very little while. And when He comes, all suffering stops and glorification starts. Isn't that encouraging? So think about the fact that Christ is coming again, and live with that in mind. And know that suffering ends at the Second Coming of Christ. This is important.

These references to Habakkuk are comparing the Old Testament unfaithfulness of Israel to their current rebelliousness. And so the author is pretty much saying, "Listen to me. If you repeat the same mistakes and expect different rewards, it's futile, it's wrong. Your ancestors have already messed up as an example in the past. Don't make their mistakes and endure their same disciplines." And so Habakkuk's message is that judgment is coming for Judah for refusing to obey God. And the value in this quote, if you research the context for which Habakkuk is preaching in, and you compare the context here in Hebrews, it is this. It's a sharp contrast to be comprehended between the fact that righteous ones are steadfast and that unrighteous ones shrink back. That's all it is. The author of Hebrews is putting this before the people, and he is utilizing the context for which he's getting from Habakkuk to state and to quote this: righteous ones are steadfast; unrighteous ones shrink back. That's all it is. And so now we deal with that. Now the righteous convictions will be lived out and put into action.

Point number four, if you're taking notes, is that covenant Christians are battle-tested, tried and true. Covenant Christians. And when you see in verse 38, "But My righteous one shall live by faith; and if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him," this is the ones who are actually belonging to God. When the Scriptures say "My," it indicates that a soul belongs to the Lord. And then the righteous ones indicates that Christ's righteousness has been imputed to the sinner, making them clean. So they actually are saved Christians. These are covenant Christians. They've been brought into the new covenant, and that they will live. This indicates a present reality and an eternal reality as well. So this is important in verse 38. "My righteous one shall live by faith." And so as the Hebrews are going through trials, they shall live by faith. By faith, you persevere through the tribulations. This means that true Christians are tried. They are tested, but they're found true at the end.

Peter said that distress by various trials is precious. Isn't that a different view of trials than we have grown up with? Trials are precious. Say what, Peter? Yes, because it yields praise and glory and honor. Turn to 1 Peter 1. I want you to see this for yourself. A biblical worldview of suffering and trials is so important. Because of the yield, and because of how precious it refines and increases our faith, we end up with great rejoicing, and joy inexpressible, and fullness of glory as an outcome of our faith. 1 Peter 1, verse 3, and I'll read to verse 9. This is a result of your perseverance in the faith.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again"—there's sovereign salvation—verse 3, "to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." Verse 4, "to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." Verse 6, "In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary," manifold trials, the King James says—all kinds of different trials.

You've got all kinds of different things that are seemingly against you in your life, various trials, all kinds of different things pulling on you, nagging on you, working hard against you, whether it's health, whether it's a job, whether it's your family, whether it's your neighbors, whatever the case might be—all kinds of things doing this. But in this, according to verse 6, you greatly rejoice, because you understand that God is sovereign. He's working your faith. He's testing you. He's trying you. He's going to see you through this.

And verse 7, "so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold"—the proving of your faith is precious. When you get through the trial, you're more stable because you've been strengthened. When you look back on the fact that you've endured a trial or a season of trials, you've been made better; you've been made stronger. "The proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls." And so true Christians then are tested, tried, and true.

This has been on display for hundreds of years, thousands of years. If I could illustrate it through the Puritans and the Protestant Reformation, what weekend we are celebrating, that they too were tested, tried, and true. And so the Protestant Reformation was about faith, faith alone. And Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses, critiquing Catholicism and proclaiming sola fide, a faith alone, in 1517.

Many endured at that time England's spiritual pendulum, going back and forth and back and forth. From one king to another, they'd swing back and forth between Catholicism and Protestantism and whatnot. In 1509, King Henry VIII broke away from Catholicism and started the Church of England, which ended up being semi-Protestant. And then in 1547, his son, King Edward VI, brought them to be fully Protestant. So true Christians are enduring this pendulum swing. And then it continues. In 1553, the evil queen, Bloody Mary, made them all Catholic. And then in 1558, Queen Elizabeth made them all Protestant. And then in 1603, King James, who was raised a Calvinist Presbyterian, ended up being a disappointment to the Puritans and Christians in England. And as on page 13, Beeke and Reeves write in their introduction to the Puritans that King James, though presiding over the King James translation in 1611, was a disappointment to Christianity.

In 1625, King Charles I pushed a distinctly anti-Puritan agenda. And the reason why I've said what I've said is to get to this point this far. And now the Puritans, who wanted to see the Reformation go a little bit farther, to continue to be refined, that their faith would continue to increase and become better and better and stronger and stronger. Now over 100 Puritan pastors responded to this anti-Puritan agenda with religious convictions. A draft was made, and the assembly at Westminster Abbey—there they drafted a confession, the Westminster Confession of Faith, which became the doctrinal standard for millions to come. And so through the trials came an amazing confession of faith that they all rallied around.

And so then they had a decade of what could be dubbed as Puritan progress. The Puritans thrived with freedom there. In 1649, the Cromwells ruled England. They didn't have a king; they had a family rule, and they gave unprecedented freedom to the Puritans and the Protestants. But then in 1660, the people of England chose to have Charles II reign, and he was anti-Puritan. And with fierceness, he forced the Book of Common Prayer in 1662, and 20,000 Puritans over 20 years were imprisoned. One of them was John Bunyan. And he used his prison time then to write the most prominent and most well-known book from the Puritans, Pilgrim's Progress.

And so you can look back at history and see the different trials and tribulations of many kinds, and say, "Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. It only makes us better." We get better through the battles, not bitter. So do you see how our faith increases? Even with a broad stroke, you see over centuries that Christians are made better. So Pilgrim's Progress is the most famous Puritan publication, and it was penned under persecution. Tried, tested, found true.

Just as a snippet, if you're interested, the Puritans recognized three great needs, and we focus on these needs at Beulah Baptist Church as well. Number one, purity in preaching. Number two, purity in piety. Number three, purity in ecclesiology. The answer to, you could say, those who were evangelical jellyfish, without a spine to stand strong in the faith, without muscles to stand strong in the faith—and the antidote to that, or to false doctrine like in Catholicism—is first of all, the purity of the Word to be preached and taught. And then the second aim that they wrote towards was personal piety, or your fidelity, or your authenticity as a Christian. In all areas of life, you're giving God glory. And then the third thing that they valued, and they saw as an essential need to write towards and to be true about, was ecclesiology, a true church, a biblical church. And get away from all the traditions. And so they worked hard in this, and I'm appreciative of their legacy.

Point five, if you're taking notes, as we start to wrap up, is that shrinking back saddens God. Shrinking back saddens God. If you have a biblical worldview on difficulties, then you will remain steadfast under pressure. You'll endure, and you'll hold on to your faith, and you recognize that shrinking back saddens God. In verse 38b, it says, "And if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him." And so this saddens the Lord. We don't want to grieve the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 4:30 says not to do that. Don't grieve the Holy Spirit.

And so don't harden your heart. Don't become dull of hearing. Don't stay on milk. Move to solid food. Meditate on Christ. Dwell with the Lord like He is your true tabernacle. Continue being cleansed by the blood of the Lamb. Be grateful for the once-and-for-all sacrifice. All these points to prod and encourage us while we get spiritually laid down are what the Hebrew author has said as he goes through these points to try and keep them from hardening their hearts and shrinking back.

And now, three take-home truths for you today. Take-home truth number one: remember your past so that you live right in the future. This is a point for which the Hebrew preacher was drawing the Hebrews' minds to. Remember how you have endured trials in the past and all the rewards that you got and how you were victorious in this. Remember that, remember that. Remember your past. Remember how you've been victorious in the past. Remember how Christ was everything to you. Remember these victories in Jesus. Maybe you need to reread your journals in the past and see and say, "I can do this in Christ. I can be strong in the Lord." Remember your past so that you can live right in the future.

In verse 32, the word "therefore" is mentioned. "Therefore." And this "therefore" is pointing back to all of the things that they have looked back and seen, that the prior generation insulted the grace of God. They trampled on the cross of Christ. They did all of these things. They regarded unclean which was clean, in verse 29. All of these things were done in the past. And "it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God," in verse 31. So remember the former days in verse 32. 10:32, "Remember the former days, when you have been enlightened, and you endured a great conflict of sufferings." You have already endured and allowed it to be momentum to get through prior tribulations.

Point number two in your take-home truth section is that wisdom embraces reproof. Wisdom embraces the correction, the reproof. It is a fool who would hear this Hebrew preacher encouraging them not to shrink back and yet continue to shrink back. Those are foolish moves. The preacher to the Hebrews is encouraging them by correcting them. He's both encouraging and correcting. And that's what the Word of God does, according to 2 Timothy 3:16. Proverbs 9:8 says this, "Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you." And so a wise person embraces reproof. It's wise to ask for correction. Where do you see that I need to do better? It's a wise person to be able to say, "What do you see in my life that could be being done better?"

Point number three—and this is kind of a statement to just get to the heart, and you can take this home, and you can repeat it over and over and over again—don't disappoint God. If you are perhaps a daddy's girl, or one whom absolutely loved his father, or one who was attached to their mother, you know how it just crushes you to feel like perhaps you have disappointed your father or your mother. And so utilize that as momentum in your own life not to disappoint God. I'd rather tame my tongue than to disappoint my father. I'd rather be one who muzzles my mouth before I say something that would disappoint my mother or my father, especially my Heavenly Father. I'd rather adjust my actions before I bring my Heavenly Father to a state of disappointment.

And if you shrink back, just know that the text says that God says, "My soul has no pleasure in him." And so we're not then of those who shrink back. We are of those who continue in the faith. And we are those who collectively commit to one another and remain steadfast, immovable, and abounding in the work of the Lord. And so be biblically behaved, okay?

Govern yourself so that you behave accordingly, so that you don't bring disappointment to the Father. There's nothing worse than having to live with that agony in your heart that you have let someone down. And that regret is something that you can stave off. You can prevent having to go through that type of season if you'll walk circumspectly, if you walk carefully, if you would truly order your steps prayerfully and plan them out and walk slowly with Christ. And so standing strong in the faith requires us to be very strategic in what we do. And that is to abide in the Vine, to be obedient, to continue in the Word, not let your feelings get the best of you.

And many of you know this illustration—I absolutely love it—that the facts are first, before our faith, and our feelings are last. Think of a train in different cars. And if you have your facts up front—God and His Word are authoritative, and they're real. God is real. His Word is real. That's the facts. And I'm going to put my faith, my belief, my trust, my assurance, my reliance in the facts. That's a train going in the right direction. And I'm going to let my feelings be pulled around through this life. But if feelings get in front of the facts, you have a train wreck, right? And so we have to be careful to make sure that we're governing our emotions according to the Word of God. And we're submitting our thoughts to the Word of God, and we are acting accordingly. This will keep you from shrinking back from Christ and causing all kinds of regret, losing rewards, disappointing those around you.

And there's all kinds of different ways that Satan wants to attack and pounce on you when you're at your weakest moment. And so this requires for us to be ones who are training ourselves in righteousness. 1 Timothy 4:7b says to train yourselves in righteousness. It's not just a personal training, like, I am going to revamp my mental being; I'm going to retrain my thinking so that I respond scripturally in the moment. It's not just me training myself in my personal devotion time, in my Bible study time. This is train yourselves. Yourselves. Train each other. Catechize each other in the Scriptures. Test each other in the Scriptures. Build one another up in the Scriptures. Show and encourage one another in the ways that you have overcome the obstacles in life. Train yourselves. Work your way into this way of life. And this requires a local church that loves one another, that cares for one another, is transparent, and is willing to forgive and forget, move on and continue on with one another, because none of us are perfect. And thank the Lord that His grace covers all these wonderful different areas for our failures. Praise God for a good local church.

Let's pray together.

Lord, thank You so much for this text and its helping us to endure in the faith. I pray that each one of us then would not have faith that shrinks, but has true faith that increases gradually over time. Thank You for a faithful church that teaches expositionally, verse by verse, in both the Bible study groups and theology and preaching, and sees that we all are simply growing into faith from the youngest to the oldest. Lord, we absolutely love You, and will continue in the Word and prove ourselves disciples of Yours.

Father, some may not be saved yet by Your grace. I pray, Lord, that You would cause the unsaved soul right now to fall under deep conviction and recognition of the fact that they have sinned against You, a holy God. Help them to see, dear God, and to perceive and to believe that their sin has consequences, eternal damnation. I pray, Lord, that You would help them to fall under conviction, and their heart would experience sorrow for offending You and being a cause to put You on the cross. And in that sorrow, Lord, it would cause them to repent. And as they repent of their sin and they place their faith and trust in Your substitutionary death and resurrection on the cross in their place, that they would rejoice in their salvation, that they would be saved, gloriously saved, and that they would continue in the faith and be biblically baptized, join the local church and be a dynamic member, learn how to study their Bible for themselves, and to go forth and make disciples. God, we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.