Hello and welcome to the Middletown Baptist Church podcast
where we are proclaiming the truth to the world.
My name is Pastor Josh and I want to thank you for listening to
this podcast.
I hope that this podcast can be a blessing to you and strengthen
you in the word of God.
Now come along, let's look into the Bible and see what God has
for us here today.
We'll take your Bibles and we'll be in Hebrews chapter 10 tonight.
Hebrews chapter 10.
Tonight we're going to talk about Jesus.
We're going to talk about his blood, talk about how we are bought,
how we are cleansed, and how we are called with a special calling
according to his purpose for us.
In Hebrews chapter one, it gives a really.
A really neat picture.
It describes Jesus Christ.
Hebrews chapter one and verse one, it says, God, who at sundry
times and in diverse manner spake in time passed unto the fathers
by the prophets, and hath in these last days spoken unto us by
his son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by
whom also he made the worlds, who being the brightness of his glory
and the express image of his person, upholding all things by the
word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down
on the right hand of the majesty on high.
And so we see Jesus Christ the Son is the express image, the brightness
of God's glory.
Just a wonderful picture we see of how Jesus Christ is so much
better than anything else.
He's better than the angels.
He's better than the prophet Moses in the Old Testament.
He's better than any other man, any other person, any angelic
being.
And tonight we're going to see that this big idea that because Christ
shed his blood to redeem us fully and finally we must respond
with a life of total surrender, continual cleansing and
active service to the living God.
Now, I'm not sure if you guys ever heard that story before where
there was this deadly disease going around the world.
Not Covid, there's Delhi.
This is going around the world.
And people are.
It was almost like the black, Black death, black plague, where
people are just dying all around the world.
And they're going all through different countries, around the world,
different continents, different people groups trying to
find this cure.
And.
And there was one antidote, but it was with this one family that
had one boy.
And part of this antidote was that required this family to give
their only son take the entirety of the blood of his body
to be able to make this vaccine, to save a bunch of a bunch
of lives around the world.
This family was a small village in Africa, remote village,
and in this family said, you know what?
We're going to give our son to make this antidote.
And he sacrifices their son's life to make this antidote.
And it rescued a lot of lives from this deadly disease.
And as these weeks go on, these months went on, the years went
on, everyone might have forgot about the sacrifice of this boy.
But I guarantee you, the two people who never forgot about that
sacrifice was his two parents that gave their only son to be able
to rescue lives all around the world.
So we take that example to see what Christ has done for us.
Have you remembered or have you forgotten the significance and
the power of what Christ has done for you by his blood, by his
sacrifice for us?
Well, here in the book of Hebrews, it doesn't specify a clear
geographical audience, but the early church tradition and some clues
you see in the book suggest that it was likely written to Jewish
Christians in Rome, who or some other urban center within the
Roman Empire.
Hebrews 13:24 states, they of Italy salute you.
Possibly indicating that the author was in Italy writing outward,
or that there were Italian believers that were sending greetings
from outside of Rome.
But regardless, the recipients who are part of a church that are
facing pressure, they were facing this pressure in or near the
heart of the Roman power during this time.
The day of the writing of this book was before AD 70, as the destruction
of the Jerusalem temple was never mentioned.
Now, once again, the primary audience is the Jewish Christians
who are familiar with the Old Testament sacrificial system, priesthood
and covenants.
So this ties in with what Pastor Josh is preaching about from
the book of Romans, talking about Abraham, how he believed God
and accounted him for righteousness.
The same kind of ideas you find through the book of Hebrews
and Abraham's actually mentioned in chapter 11 with the
hall of faith of the chapter of faith.
These believers that are being written to here, they were facing
persecution and they were also facing discouragement.
They were going through hardships in their life.
Some were tempted to return back to Judaism to forsake their
identity with Christ, to go back to where they were comfortable,
where they had come from.
This letter was also both a pastoral encouragement, but also
a theological warning.
Do not turn back.
Don't forsake the sacrifice of what Jesus Christ has done.
As far as the author for Hebrews, church tradition says, and
apparently with church history, the old church history documents
said it was the Apostle Paul, but then those documents got misplaced.
So today we officially say we don't know who the official author
is, but that's the rumor is he said that people believe it's the
Apostle Paul, but today we don't know who that exact author
is.
Now, some of the theology you kind of find through Hebrews, it
presents Jesus as a final fulfillment of a bunch of different
shadows and types.
Some themes we see is the superiority of Christ right over
angels, Moses and the priests.
He is the once for all sufficiency, sufficient sacrifice
for us, He's a better and new covenant.
There's perseverance and faith under trial.
And then we see towards the end that God's discipline is as an
evidence of sonship, right?
As a father chastens his son, he loves his son to bring him back,
right?
And so you can kind of see that towards the end.
Now, the key verse in the book of Hebrews is Hebrews 12:2, where
it says, looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our
faith.
So why is this book written?
It is written to warn Jewish believers against drifting from the
faith and encouraging them to endure by showing that Jesus Christ
is superior in every way as prophet, priest and king, and that
faith in him is worth every cost of your life.
The book of Hebrews is broken down in chapters one through four
talk about the supremacy of Christ's person.
Chapters five through seven to talk about the superiority of Christ's
priesthood.
Chapters eight through ten will be there tonight.
In chapter ten is how Christ is superior in his covenant and sacrifice.
And then chapters 11 through 13 is the call to live by faith.
And so we're coming here in chapter 10 where it's kind of summarizing
Christ's covenant and sacrifice.
And it goes into chapter 11 talking about how there are different
portraits of faith that people who trusted in God and literally
lived out faith before God.
And so we're here tonight right in this chapter, this niche,
where it's talking about us remembering Christ's sacrifice for
us.
And so our first point tonight we're going to see is that you must
be bold in Christ.
We're here in Hebrews, chapter 10 and we're going to start, just
give you some context, we're going to start in verse 14.
It says, for by one offering he hath perfected forever them that
are sanctified whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us.
For after that he had said before, this is a covenant that I
will make with him after those days, saith the Lord, I will put
my laws into their hearts and their minds.
Will I write them and their sins and iniquities.
I remember no more.
Now the remission of these is there is no more offering for sin.
So a couple of explanations there you go back to verse 14.
It talks about how there was one offering, there was one sacrifice
that Jesus Christ made for you, that he made for me.
A once and done sacrifice.
As you're going throughout your life, you may have a sin, you
may.
You may mess up.
But what does 1 John 1:9 say if we confess our sins, which means
to say the same thing as he is faithful and just, to forgive us
our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness?
He is a faithful high priest.
He is one who has passed in the heavens.
Hebrews chapter four talks about that.
Let us come before the throne of grace, that we can attain mercy
and find grace to help in time of need.
Tonight, the beginning of August, towards the end of the summer,
do you find yourself in a time of need?
The people here, who this author is writing to, they were in
a time of need, they were struggling.
So maybe you find yourself here, but when you are struggling,
when you are going through a difficulty or whatever it is, maybe
you're like, yeah, I'm doing great here.
In verse 19, do not forget to be bold in Christ.
Verse 19 it says, Having therefore brethren boldness to enter
into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way,
which he hath consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say,
his flesh, and having an high priest over the house of God, let
us draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith, having
our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed
with pure water, let us hold fast the profession of our faith
without wavering, for he is faithful that promise.
And let us consider one another.
To provoke unto love and to good works, not forsaking the assembling
of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting
one another, and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Verse 26.
For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge
of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for our sins, but
a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation,
which shall devour the adversaries.
He that despised Moses law died without mercy under two or three
witnesses of how much sure punishment, Suppose ye shall he be
thought worthy, who hath trodden underfoot the Son of God,
and hath counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified.
An unholy thing hath done despite unto the spirit of grace.
For we know him that hath said, vengeance belongeth unto me.
I'll recompense, saith the Lord.
And again the Lord shall judge his people.
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Tonight we're going to see this first point is that you must
be bold in Christ.
Being bold in Christ.
What does this word boldness here mean?
It means to have a freedom of speech, to have a confidence.
Does it mean having, having an arrogance?
No, it means to have a confidence, knowing the promises
of God, knowing who Christ is, knowing that his one and done sacrifice.
I can come back to him every single day, every single moment.
I'm going through a struggle, I'm going through a trial, I'm going
through a mistake that I've made in my life.
I'm able to come before him.
Even chapter four talks about that we can come before his throne
of grace to find that help in time of need.
And so we see there's this freedom of speech, a confidence,
a courage.
We are encouraged to come into God's prayer, to be able to intentionally
take that time with God.
They come before him and just say, lord, I need you.
Whether you're going through a, maybe you're in a mountaintop
experience right now, tomorrow going to Six Flags on top of roller
coaster, or maybe you're down in the pits wherever you are.
Being bold and coming before God.
This implies a fearless confidence.
Originally it was used for free citizens who could speak openly
in public assemblies.
Back in the Roman time, there were citizens who were able to come
out to bring their petitions before the leadership of the Roman
Empire.
Being able to say, oh, you know, ruler, I have this request,
I have this need that openness is made available by Christ to every
single one of us.
We have that open accessibility because of Christ.
In the Old Testament, only the high priest entered the most holy
place once a year with blood.
Leviticus 16, 14, 15 in Christ's blood grants all believers
direct access to God's presence.
Have you ever had children or ever been watching some children
before?
And you're sleeping, maybe it's like a stormy night, it's thundering
outside and a little child come and just.
You hear a soft knock, or maybe you wake up in the morning,
your child is sleeping on the outside of the door because they
were scared, you know, whatever the case is, right?
That little child that's coming in, why is that child coming
into your bedroom?
Well, that child is coming into your room because they know
they can Trust you, they know they can come before you.
When they're fearful, when they're, when they're struggling,
they don't know what's going on, they're scared.
They can come before their parents, right?
And be able to come get mommy with mommy or Daddy, right?
Be able to snuggle with them.
But that's kind of the idea here, is that we have this open access,
right, where we can come before him, we can bring our petitions,
bring our requests before Him.
And being able to bring this before, I mean, is he going to turn
us away?
No psalm says, but a broken and a contrite heart he will not
despise.
If you're discouraged, if you have a broken heart, you're going
through something, God's not going to push you, right?
If you're coming with a humble heart, you're coming with that.
If it's a repentant heart from sin, or maybe it's a broken heart
over something in your life.
Being able to come before him, he's not going to despise you.
He's not going to tear you down and say, how dare you come and
how dare you come and talk to me?
No.
He's the kind of God who wants that open relationship with him,
us.
And so we see that we can approach God daily with confidence
in prayer and worship, knowing that Jesus's blood has removed all
the barriers.
Don't let guilt or fear keep you away.
His blood covers a multitude of sins.
And so we take that to look into verse 20.
Verse 20, it says, this is by a new and a living way which he hath
consecrated for us in the veil, that is to say, his flesh.
And so we see this is a new way, meaning that the sacrifice of
Christ is active today.
The blood of Christ covers sins today.
It's not something that just happened 2,000 years ago.
And that's is something that is active and is alive today.
The veil of the temple, it was torn at Christ's death, Matthew 27:51.
It symbolizes his body which was broken for us.
We had the Lord's Supper this morning remembering how he.
How he was torn for us, how he was scourged for our sins.
Isaiah talks about that the chastisement of our peace is upon
him, and by his stripes we are healed.
The stripes of Christ, we are healed presently, today.
And maybe you say, well, Pastor John, you have no idea.
I've been having this one struggle for 20 or 30 or 40 or 50
years.
Well, I can tell you today, before the eyes of God, he knows
exactly where that struggle is and you can confess that sin tonight.
That's the power of the forgiveness of God.
His blood cleanses all sins.
The question is, are you willing to give that up?
Are you willing to remove that idol of your heart to confess that
sin to him?
Which means to say the same thing as saying, lord, I acknowledge
this.
Maybe it's an idol, maybe it's a struggle, maybe it's a sin.
And rather than keeping that in keeping it close to you, saying,
you know what, I want no part of it.
What does the Bible say about that?
We are to put to death, we are to mortify the deeds of our bodies,
the flesh, sin, things that are going on in our lives, the mind
putting to death the desires of the flesh by walking in the spirit.
And here tonight specifically, we see that this is all done through
a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us.
And so we see that we are called to live as if the way, as
if the way to God is always open.
Don't treat Jesus sacrifice as a one time event, but it should be
a living path to intimacy with God.
It should be a continual relationship.
It should be a continual walk, right?
It wasn't just the great high priest going in once a year now.
No, that curtain was torn in two.
And we have accessibility to God every single day, every single
moment, all throughout your life.
If you feel discouraged, if you feel like nobody else understands,
if you feel like nobody knows what you're going through.
Hebrews 4 says that we have a high priest who is touched with the
filling of our infirmities because he knows he was tempted like
as we are, yet without sin.
He was tempted, guys, just like you, just like me.
But he was able to overcome them.
He was able to overcome that by his power.
And if he was able to overcome that, can we overcome that in our
life?
We certainly can.
And here we see that that's the same.
That's simply the truth.
So let's live like it.
Look at verse 21.
It says, Having a high priest over the house of God, Let us draw
near with the true heart and full assurance of faith.
Having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies
washed with pure water.
Draw near here.
This is the idea of approaching with purpose and reverence,
right?
We're not just, we're not just half heartedly you know, looking
over here as we're coming over here, right?
We're not keeping our distraction, no, we're having our
full focus on God.
Jesus, our high priest, he intercedes for us.
His blood cleanses our conscience.
This enables us to be able to approach God with that sincerity
and faith, a true heart and full assurance of faith.
This is a heart of truthfulness.
With the fullness of persuasion, I have been persuaded
that he is able to keep that which I've committed unto him against
that day.
I know that God's a faithful God.
He remembers his promises, he remembers his mercies towards them,
that walk with him, mercies that you were sharing tonight, Mr.
Risa, about being able to testify and to saying, lord, you're
a good God, you're a faithful God, you're watching over me.
And even though I might, the situations, it may be as difficult
that I'm dealing with right now.
But in my heart of hearts, I'm trusting you.
I know that you're a faithful God.
I know that I'm going to keep, as I keep my heart and my mind focused
on you and that cleansing through his blood, our hearts are
sprinkled from that evil conscience.
Why?
How is it done?
Is it just a one time event that our hearts are cleansed?
No, it's every single moment, every single day, right?
It is a continual thing that we are abiding in the truth of God's
word.
They were abiding with God.
We are spending time with him.
2 Timothy 1:12.
Paul was telling Timothy, he said, for the which cause I also
suffer these things, right?
Paul endured for the Gospel.
Paul endured for the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus
Christ.
He was declaring that message and he was shipwrecked, he was beaten,
he was thrown in prison.
He went through a lot of hardships in his life.
And he says, nevertheless, I am not ashamed.
He was never ashamed.
He even asked believers in this day, he said, pray that I would
have all boldness that I can just magnify Christ.
He told the Philippians, he said, whether, whether I be, whether
Christ is magnified by my death or by my life, may you be magnified
Christ in and through my life.
But he goes on and he says, for I know whom I have believeth,
who have you believed?
Romans 3 talks about that right to the Jews.
To whom do we believe?
Who is our report about?
We get to believe on Christ.
But here he says, I know who I believe, right?
He's our faithful high priest, our great high priest and am persuaded
that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against
that day.
Like Pastor Josh talking this morning about that eternal focus,
that hope in Christ.
It's not here and now, just the here and now, right, it is a
continual thing until the day of Jesus Christ.
But here he says that I know whom I believe it and am persuaded
that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against
that day.
You know what Paul was saying?
Paul was saying that no matter what I'm going through, I had that
thorn in the flesh.
I asked God to remove that physical difficulty.
I asked God to remove, to be going through things.
But Paul said, I am persuaded that God is able to keep that which
I've committed the Lord.
I'm committing this to you.
I'm committing my life to you.
I'm committing everything to you.
Don't hesitate to pray.
Don't be fearful about worshiping God.
Don't fear that you're not good enough.
Because the truth is that we'll never be good enough in of
ourselves.
We must rest and trust in Christ's cleansing and his approach
to God with that sincere heart.
So where is that object of faith for us as we're struggling,
as we're going through our life?
Where is the object of faith?
It is in God himself.
So first, tonight you must be bold, but secondly, you must embrace
an accountable community.
Look down at verse 23.
It says, Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering,
for he is faithful.
That promise.
Let us consider one another to provoke into love and to good works,
not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner
of some is, but exhorting one another.
And so much the more, as you see the day approaching.
Here we see in verse 23, let us hold fast the profession.
That profession there means an open confession, an agreement before
God, a public acknowledgment of faith.
Right?
We're gathered together, Ecclesia.
We are the church.
We are gathered together to proclaim Christ, to proclaim that
he is the high priest, that he is a faithful God.
We are acknowledging Christ together.
And there it says in verse 23, he's telling the audience, he's saying,
let us hold fast the profession of our faith together.
And it says, without wavering, holding fast means to grip tightly
or retain firmly, implying active effort against the opposition,
right?
Without wavering, the Hebrew Christians, they face pressure to
abandon their faith.
But this verse here urges steadfastness.
And where is their steadfastness rooted in?
It's rooted in God's unwavering faithfulness for us.
Now, James chapter one talks about when those scattered Christians,
the Jewish Christians, they were scattered amongst the known
world during that time.
He told them in chapter One he said, as you're going through difficulties,
you're going through trials later on.
In that context it says to ask God for wisdom who gives to all men
liberally.
He breatheth not and it shall be given him.
But as James talks about this and telling believers to ask in faith,
he says to ask in faith without wavering.
And who is the one that wavers?
The one who wavers, he says the one who wavers should not expect
to receive any, anything from the Lord.
That's a very, that's a very stern rebuke.
If we come to God, right, that half hearted approach where we're
like, okay, God, I want your help.
And I also want, I also want something from my own understanding.
I want, you know, maybe it's rich, maybe it's money, maybe it's
fame, maybe it's relationships, it's something that
you know is not Christ.
And maybe you've embracing that and God's tonight, he's telling
you, no, I want you to fully embrace me tonight.
I want you to embrace your calling entirely in Me tonight.
And so we're called to hold fast without wavering.
When life's trials tempt you to doubt or drift, cling to Christ's
promises, your trust in God's faithfulness, it will reflect endurance
in your life.
So maybe think to yourself, right, Monday morning, work man.
My co workers have no idea what I was going through this last
weekend.
Nobody else understands.
And, but, but if you're truly trusting in God, if you're truly
allowing yourself to rest in his faithfulness, to rest in his
power, to rest in his one and done sacrifice for you as you rest
upon him, as, as you yield to him, he gives you that strength to
be able to endure.
Because now you're not relying on yourself, you're relying on Him.
Does that make sense?
And so you rely on him and you say, lord, I truly rely upon you.
And so when you're at work on Monday morning, everyone else is
bringing a cup of coffee and you're bringing out Jesus and you're
able to say, lord, I'm just trusting you this morning and I'm
resting in your grace and resting in your strength today to
help me to get through this.
And so you're trusting God's faithfulness, it will reflect endurance,
but it's not going to be for your ownership.
People are going to look at your hand and say, how is that person
so strong?
And in doing what they're going through right now, and you're
able to say, it's all God.
Has nothing to do with.
And you're able to point them to Christ through that trust in him.
And that's where you see the last part of verse 23, where it says,
for he is faithful, that promise, the one who made the promises
of the one who's a faithful God.
He is the one who is faithful and will always be with you, even
at the very end.
Let me go on to verse 24.
First 24 says, Let us consider one another to provoke unto love
and to good works.
This means to stir up, to strongly encourage, often with urgency,
right?
And so with this word here, considering means to observe carefully,
like you're looking at others needs, right?
And as you're looking at others needs, you see what they're
going through.
Believers are called to.
They're called to intentionally spur each other toward
love and good deeds, not just passively listening or negatively
engaging in conversation.
That's not going to be supportive for that situation.
And so we as believers, right, if we have a problem with somebody,
we go and we talk to them about it.
We go and we address that issue with them.
And we say here, this is what's going on.
Galatians 6:2 says, Bring one of those burdens and so fulfill the
law of Christ.
Like teammates are together in a team, right?
Man, maybe it's a football team.
Man, that quarterback, you did a horrible job tonight.
No, right.
Hey, teammate, can I get with you?
Let's practice your runs, let's practice your throws, right?
Let's practice.
Let's work together.
Can I pray with you?
Can I encourage you?
How can I come alongside you to help you be a better quarterback?
Right?
But fill in the blank, right, with whatever you're seeing within
the church, man, I'm seeing a need over here.
Well, I'm going to go over there and I'm going to step in.
And a lot of you guys do a great job with this of being able
to step in and encourage other people within the congregation here.
But it says there is considering what another to provoke
unto love and to good works.
And so we see that focus there is on love, God's love, right?
Pastor Josh talked about this morning, right?
The love of God, of giving his only begotten Son.
For us, we abide in God's love, and we're able to abide in
the love that we get from the Holy Spirit and being able to look
forward to that hope of eternal life that we have through
Christ.
Look at verse 25.
It says, not forsaken the assembling of ourselves together
as the manner of some is.
And so I've seen this verse before.
And forsaking here means abandoning, right?
Or deserting.
And so there's a deliberate choice to disconnect.
Like, I am not going to be taking an active part within the
local congregation there.
And I personally, I used to be more like legalistic, where I'm like,
all right, we got to be in church every single time the doors
are open, right?
But then the other end too is, well, you know, where are you, right?
Are you here?
Are you present?
But I believe the intentionality behind this verse
is that there should be that continuing.
There should be that continuing relationships in the body
of Christ being present here, right?
If you're missing here and there, you know there's going to
be like a extending many circumstance or whatever, but you're
being intentional on connecting within the body of Christ.
And so what if someone's missing?
Well, if you have a connection with that person.
Hey, I missed you.
You know, I missed you on Sunday.
Is there anything I can do for you?
Right.
Maybe they were sick.
Can I bring a meal by for you?
Right.
Can I encourage you?
Right.
Can I come alongside and pray with you?
Right.
That's the idea.
Just as a ritual, right?
As this a meaningful, meaningless thing.
Not just as a ritual, right?
As this a meaningful, meaningless thing, but something
that I'm intentionally engaging within, having a spiritually
vibrant and accountable life with other believers in the church.
And so we take that to go to our next point here, which means
this, which says, you must beware of judgment lest you forget.
You must beware of judgment lest you forget.
Look at verse 26.
It says, for if we sin willfully, after that we have received
the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice
for sins.
And so we see this word here, knowledge means it is a full experiential
knowledge, not just mere head knowledge, but you've actually received
Christ as your Savior.
And now that you've received Christ as your Savior, you're saying,
all right, thanks, Lord, for saving me.
Now I'm going to go live how I want to live.
I'm going to go to sin against you, and I'm going to take that sacrifice
that you made for me.
I'm going to neglect it.
I'm going to live as I want to live.
This warns against apostasy, deliberately rejecting Christ.
You know, you've experienced the salvation in Christ, you've experienced
that new life in him, but you're actively choosing to live
in rebellion against him, even though you receive Christ as your
Savior, you have neglected him.
And we are called to be remembering, to be engaging right
within our community.
Not forsaking, not neglecting and not forsaking the knowledge of
Christ.
We should be intentionally connecting, like spinning in a lifeboat,
right?
You're, you're trying to preserve this lifeboat.
But, but as you're, as you're trying to, as you're trying to, to
get this lifeboat after being rescued from a sinking ship, right?
You're trying to, you're trying to spit, spit water in this
little, this little lifeboat.
Rejecting Christ.
It leads no other way.
You have to continue living in Him.
He is your anchor.
He is your steadfast hope.
He is the one that is taking you to the finish line.
So examine your heart.
Where are you?
Where are we tonight?
Don't flirt with sin and don't take, don't treat Christ's sacrifice
casually.
But we also see for the but we also see that there is a fearful
judgment reserved for the adversaries of God.
James 4:4.
James condemns the believers who are, who are drifting from God.
He says, ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not if the
friendship of the world is enmity with God.
Whosoever therefore be a friend of the world is the enemy
of God.
Do you realize that tonight, guys, that when you choose to be
living in sin, that you are literally on the enemy lines behind
enemy lines?
And if you're on, if you're on the enemy side, when, when, when
God is sending his firepower against the evil one, who's getting
hit?
We're getting hit, right?
Because we're on the wrong side of the field.
We're supposed to be on God's side, living in obedience to him.
But let's go on to verse 28.
It says, he that despised Moses law died without mercy under
two or three witnesses of how much shorter punishment?
Suppose ye shall he be thou worthy, who hath trodden under foot
the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant
wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing, and hath hath done
despite unto the Spirit of grace.
And the context here, this phrase here, he that despised Moses
law died without mercy under two or three witnesses primarily
refers to Deuteronomy 17:2 through seven and related passages
in the Mosaic law, which outlines the punishment for certain
serious sins, particularly idolatry and blatant rebellion against
God's covenant.
The accusation was brought and it was required to be confirmed by
two or three witnesses, and this would help to ensure justice.
It wasn't just one person coming and just saying, all right,
this person's doing a sin.
No, it had me two or three witnesses.
But then, if this person was found guilty, the offender then was
to be stoned to death.
Stoned to death for this.
This serious sin against God.
A punishment carried out without mercy.
Because such scenes were.
Such sins were seen as a deliberate rejection of God's covenant
and authority.
This community was involved in the execution to show collective
agreement with God's judgment and to purge the evil from Israel.
And so this wording here we're seeing of trotting underfoot means
to trample with contempt, showing utter disrespect for Christ's
sacrifice.
Now, rejecting Christ's blood is far worse than breaking the Mosaic
Law, right?
You're rejecting his blood, you're rejecting his sacrifice, and
it insults God's Son and his grace.
It's like taking.
Okay, like, let's say.
Let's say, you know, you got your wife this beautiful.
This beautiful necklace or beautiful jewelry, and she just takes
and she says, thanks, honey.
Goes outside in the backyard in the mud, just throws in the mud
and just tramples on it.
And you're like, I just spent, you know, thousands of dollars or
whatever on this nice piece of jewelry for you.
And you're going back there and you're trampling it, right?
This priceless, this very nice gift I got for you, you're just completely
rejecting it.
Here it says, of how much sorer punishment shall it be?
Verse 30.
For we know him that hath said, vengeance belongeth unto me,
I will recompense, saith the Lord.
And again the Lord shall judge his people.
And so God's justice is certain for those who reject him.
His judgment is not a light matter, but it's a sober reality.
It's like standing before a judge with undeniable evidence of
guilt.
Facing God and him being in this judgment is terrifying.
It's a scary situation, right?
Somebody who.
You violated the law, and now it's like, that's it.
Live with holy fear, knowing that God sees who you are, knowing
that God knows everything.
Let his love drive obedience, not just.
Not his punishment, right?
Oh, I have to.
I have to be able to dodge the.
Trying to dodge the judgment or the punishment of God.
No, But I'm called to live in obedience to him.
And Jesus's blood has opened the way.
So let's draw near with boldness.
Hold fast your faith and stir others up to obedience and walk in
holy fear of God.
Don't shrink back.
Christ died not Just to save you, but to claim you completely.
So is there an area in your life tonight that you would say,
lord, I need to.
I need to turn this over to you.
I need to confess this to you.
Has your faith been bold or has your faith been cold?
Has your faith before God, has it been consistent before everyone
around you?
Right?
Whether it's with our spouse at home, with our children, whether
it's with our co workers, people here at church, are you the
same you no matter where you are, right?
If anybody, if anybody knew you from work, could this is the
same about you here at church?
And ultimately, before the eyes of God, could God say that you're
being consistent in your walk with him?
Secondly, are you stirring others up?
Right?
Are you intentionally engaging with the community here at the Middletown
Baptist Church?
Are you isolating yourself?
You're just pulling back and you're like, oh, I have.
I have my own life.
I have my own secret things I like to do.
I don't like to be held accountable.
We're called to be held accountable.
And lastly, are you honoring Christ's blood or are you treating
it and despising it and saying, I'm going to do what I want
to do?
Verse 30 and 31.
Sorry, verse 31, it says, it is a fierce thing to fall under the
hands of the living God.
Ultimately, we are held accountable before God, right?
So my question for you tonight is this.
Are you going to continue living in your life with sin or living
in your life of rejecting of what Christ has done?
Or will you confess that struggle that you're dealing with
tonight?
Will you confess that sin?
Will you turn to him and to say, lord, I'm done trying to do
this myself.
I need your help.
I'm going to yield this trial of this situation to you.
Thank you again for listening to the Middletown Baptist Church
podcast.
I hope that this sermon has been a blessing for you.
If you would like to find out more information about our church
or this sermon, you can find us at middletownbaptistchurch.org
or find us on Facebook or YouTube.
You could also email me directly at Josh Massaro at middletownbaptistchurch.
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Thank you so much.
God bless.
Have a wonderful day.