Don't Giving On God (Part Two)

Conclusion of my sermon on Hebrews 12:18-29

2) DON’T GIVE UP - THE CONSEQUENCES ARE DIRE

Earlier I asked what, if not persecution, might cause Westerners to abandon Christ? There’s a website dedicated to “ex Christians” and quite a lot of testimonies of “Deconversion”. 

Here are quotes from different stories:

“I would try to pray in my room at night, but after hearing no response from God, I would feel like maybe he didn't love me, or looked down on me so much because of my sins that he couldn't even talk to me.” “Finally I was able to admit to myself that god had never been there for me, had never showed himself to me or talked to me, and any emotional response I had from praying had been self induced.” “Xtianity is a vile pestilence bent on propagating itself while destroying all forms of unbelief.” “In addition to the ugliness of Christians, I also saw how horrible Christianity is. Too many things didn't add up. The "loving" god increasingly looked to me like an abusive, sadistic, megalomaniacal, and above all, evil creature.” “The Catholic Church has been exposed as a home for pedophile priests. The Protestant Church has more than its share of sexual predators and deviants.” “About 5 years ago I developed a physical problem which caused me tremendous angst and stress. I believed in healing miracles and prayed to Jesus frequently, sometimes 10 times a day. The result: Nothing. Jesus would not heal me in the slightest. After praying for a year with no results I began getting frustrated with God and wondering after all I have done for him these past 20 years why he was ignoring me.” “I  realized that the Creation, original sin, crucifixion, salvation chain of events wouldn't work anyway I tried to comprehend it and I saw more and more examples of Christianity proudly standing up for things that were not what I was about.”

This is nothing new. If you read the Psalms, you see similar things. Psalmists asking why God has abandoned them, why the wicked prosper, why God doesn’t just show up and do something! These Psalms are real life. 

Does it matter that those people abandoned God? After all, we often chop and change our allegiances these days. Is your insurance, your broadband, utilities, supermarket, too expensive? Switch and save money! Is Christianity making you miserable, guilty, unsure, outraged? Become an atheist and enjoy life! 

Do we find this lax attitude in Hebrews? Far from it! Abandoning God is not a light thing. And maybe for those ex-Christians it wasn’t easy. But it was the wrong decision. 

Hebrews 3:12 warns: “...be careful that no one among you has a heart so evil and unbelieving as to turn away from the living God.”

Hebrews 6:4-6 is very blunt indeed: “For how can those who abandon their faith be brought back to repent again? They were once in God's light; they tasted heaven's gift and received their share of the Holy Spirit; they knew from experience that God's word is good, and they had felt the powers of the coming age. And then they abandoned their faith! It is impossible to bring them back to repent again, because they are again crucifying the Son of God and exposing him to public shame.”

Hebrews 12:25: “Be careful, then, and do not refuse to hear him who speaks. Those who refused to hear the one who gave the divine message on earth did not escape. How much less shall we escape, then, if we turn away from the one who speaks from heaven!”

See also Hebrews 2:1-3, 4:1

These warnings are strong. Some would say this is manipulation and spiritual abuse. Actually, it is love and concern. He doesn’t want them to fall under judgement. I’m closing this point with Hebrews 10:26-31. “For there is no longer any sacrifice that will take away sins if we purposely go on sinning after the truth has been made known to us. Instead, all that is left is to wait in fear for the coming Judgment and the fierce fire which will destroy those who oppose God! Anyone who disobeys the Law of Moses is put to death without any mercy when judged guilty from the evidence of two or more witnesses. What, then, of those who despise the Son of God? who treat as a cheap thing the blood of God's covenant which purified them from sin? who insult the Spirit of grace? Just think how much worse is the punishment they will deserve! For we know who said, “I will take revenge, I will repay”; and who also said, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God!”

These ex-Christians are truly to be pitied. Let’s do all we can to avoid becoming like them.

CONCLUSION

Hebrews contains encouragements and warnings. This good things/bad things approach is totally biblical. Deuteronomy 28 is a list of blessings for obeying God and curses for disobeying Him. Two chapters later, Moses tells the Israelites: “I am now giving you the choice between life and death, between God's blessing and God's curse, and I call heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Choose life.” God told Adam, “You may eat the fruit of any tree in the garden, except the tree that gives knowledge of what is good and what is bad. You must not eat the fruit of that tree; if you do, you will die the same day.” Jesus stated, “So then, anyone who hears these words of mine and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain poured down, the rivers flooded over, and the wind blew hard against that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on rock. But anyone who hears these words of mine and does not obey them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain poured down, the rivers flooded over, the wind blew hard against that house, and it fell. And what a terrible fall that was!”

The choice of the Hebrews, the choice of Israel, the choice of Adam - this is our choice. In the words of John 3:36, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not have life, but will remain under God's punishment.” Is God a tyrant? No. “He is patient with you, because he does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants all to turn away from their sins.” (2 Peter 3:9) “I, the Sovereign Lord, am the living God, I do not enjoy seeing sinners die. I would rather see them stop sinning and live.” (Ezekiel 33:11)

Hebrews 11 recalls Old Testament men and women of faith to whom God had made great promises. The writer concludes with truly shocking words: “What a record all of these have won by their faith! Yet they did not receive what God had promised…” Wait! What! God made promises to these people and they didn’t get what He promised them! Maybe the atheists are right? Can you trust this God? Well, the writer continues, “because God had decided on an even better plan for us. His purpose was that only in company with us would they be made perfect.” God delayed fulfilling His promises because of the better, New Covenant plan. We are one people with Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and so on. As you and I are brothers and sisters in Christ, so you and Moses and all the other Old Testament believers are brothers and sisters in Christ.

What does God have in store for us all? A Ford Fiesta, or a Porsche (metaphorically speaking)? God made promises of earthly land to Old Testament believers (the Ford Fiesta), all the time intending to give them a heavenly city (the Porsche). It’s not a case of Earth for the Old Testament Jews, Heaven for the Christians. It’s a new Heaven and a new Earth for both. We enter the ultimate promise together, hand in hand, one people in Christ. The Bible gives us glimpses of this new world. Past events will be completely forgotten. It is a place of righteousness. A place of God’s presence, with no more death, grief, crying or pain. We will see Jesus. This is our home. Choose life.

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Don't Give Up On God (Part One)

This is a sermon I preached on 25th August, 2019
It is based on Hebrews 12:18-29

INTRO 1

Imagine you’re 16 years old. Your parents sit you down and you think, “what have I done now!” But, no. They tell you that, on your 18th birthday, they’re going to buy you a car - a second hand Ford Fiesta. You are shocked. You can’t wait to get a car! So you try being extra-good. You do the chores you’ve been asked to, and some others besides. You devour the Highway Code. You take lessons and you love it. Your 18th birthday creeps closer and you’re getting excited. You read lots of articles on the Internet about Ford Fiestas. You feel like an expert. Then it comes - the night before! You are so pumped up you can hardly sleep! Your parents call you. They drive you to the car lot. They tell you to close your eyes. They guide you along and tell you to open them. You are standing next to a Porsche! You don’t understand. “Where’s my Ford Fiesta?” you ask, puzzled. Your parents tell you they love you so much they’ve bought you this Porsche. This was always their plan. But your heart was set on the Ford.

INTRO 2

There was a problem amongst the original recipients of the letter to the “Hebrews”. Some were close to giving up their Christian faith. They had turned to Jesus as Messiah - and were getting trouble in return. Being disowned by family; having the authorities on their backs; having their goods confiscated; being thrown out of their homes. Was faith in Jesus worth it?

The writer encourages them repeatedly not to give up. 

Let us, then, hold firmly to the faith we profess. Hebrews 4:14 GNB and 10:23

Our great desire is that each of you keep up your eagerness to the end. Hebrews 6:11 GNB

Let us not give up the habit of meeting together, as some are doing. Hebrews 10:25 GNB

Do not lose your courage. Hebrews 10:35 GNB

We are not people who turn back and are lost. Hebrews 10:39 GNB

(Jesus) did not give up because of the cross! Hebrews 12:2 GNB

Guard against turning back from the grace of God… Let no one become immoral or unspiritual. Hebrews 12:15-16 GNB

See also Hebrews 3:6, 13:9

And here are the reasons the writer gives:

Don’t give up - Christ is faithful and is in charge of us. Christ is our High Priest who is in God’s presence.

Don’t give up - because what we hope for in Christ WILL happen; we can trust God to keep His promises.

Don’t give up - there is a great reward waiting for us.

Don’t give up - we have faith and we are saved. Look to Jesus as our example. He went to the cross and now He’s seated at God’s right hand. Keep trusting in God’s grace.

Some of you here have experienced the kind of persecution which puts your life or livelihood at risk. I haven’t. I can’t imagine how awful it must be, living with the possibility of being imprisoned, assaulted, killed, just because I’m a Christian. The worst that has happened to me is being laughed at or disagreed with or blocked on Twitter. Most Westerners won’t have suffered such persecution. In my second point I’ll consider what might cause Westerners to abandon Christ. 

1) DON’T GIVE UP - WHAT WE HAVE IN CHRIST IS BETTER

Here’s another set of reasons why the writer says not to abandon the faith. What they have now in Christ is far better than what they had before. Here’s a summary of the relevant verses:

Christ is greater than the angels.

Christ is better than Moses, the Law of Moses and guarantees a better covenant.

Christ is a better priest than the old covenant priests; a High Priest serving in the better, heavenly temple, of which the earthly temple was a copy.

Christ’s sacrifice is better than animal sacrifices.

In Christ, we possess heavenly things, which are better than earthly things.

In Christ, we inherit something better than the old covenant promised.

Christ’s blood provides for God’s mercy.

Hebrews 1:4,Hebrews 3:3,Hebrews 7:19,22,Hebrews 8:6,Hebrews 9:11,14,23,Hebrews 10:34,Hebrews 11:40,Hebrews 12:24

For a Jewish Christian, it was crystal clear - it would be crazy to turn your back on Jesus. You would be losing out big time. It’s like what the apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 3:5-8: “I was circumcised when I was a week old. I am an Israelite by birth, of the tribe of Benjamin, a pure-blooded Hebrew. As far as keeping the Jewish Law is concerned, I was a Pharisee, and I was so zealous that I persecuted the church. As far as a person can be righteous by obeying the commands of the Law, I was without fault. But all those things that I might count as profit I now reckon as loss for Christ's sake. Not only those things; I reckon everything as complete loss for the sake of what is so much more valuable, the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have thrown everything away; I consider it all as mere garbage, so that I may gain Christ”. This is what the writer of Hebrews is trying to get across.

Our reading from Hebrews 12 showcases a stark contrast between the Old Covenant and the New:

“You have not come, as the people of Israel came, to what you can feel, to Mount Sinai with its blazing fire, the darkness and the gloom, the storm, the blast of a trumpet, and the sound of a voice. When the people heard the voice, they begged not to hear another word, because they could not bear the order which said, “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.” The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling and afraid!”

Instead, you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, with its thousands of angels. You have come to the joyful gathering of God's first-born, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, who is the judge of all people, and to the spirits of good people made perfect. You have come to Jesus, who arranged the new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that promises much better things than does the blood of Abel.”

To abandon Christ is to abandon what is better. Do you ever wonder if Christianity is worth it? The Israelites in the desert wondered whether following God was worth it. They grumbled and moaned that they would have been better off in Egypt. How quickly had they forgotten the slavery they underwent there. Remember what they had witnessed. Ten plagues which God sent on Egypt. The miraculous parting of the Red Sea. The miraculous provision of manna and quails in the desert. God leading them in a pillar of cloud and of fire. If we had seen such miracles, would we have trusted God? We have a better covenant. And don’t we still moan and complain? At least a little bit? Sometimes? Does anyone look back to the time before they became Christians and think, “ah, the good old days. It was easier then”? If the answer is “no, we don’t”, that is great. But it may be a temptation now, as it was back then. Think of what you have now and where you are heading. We can’t see the heavenly Jerusalem, and angels, the faithful departed rejoicing in God’s presence. We can’t see Jesus standing before the Father, interceding on our behalf. But we live this Christian life by faith. We need to keep encouraging one another to look to Jesus, because life on Earth can be grim, tough and nasty, and can drag you into a downward spiral of misery and doubt. 

In our Psalm reading (103:1-8), we see King David encouraging himself. Maybe there was nobody around to help him? “Praise the Lord, oh my soul! All my being, praise His holy name!” David has a chat with himself, reminding himself of all God had done for him. Forgiveness, healing, protection, blessing, all manner of good things. If we feel like giving up, or that God doesn’t love us, or we feel like throwing a tantrum at God, or we start moaning, we could sit ourselves down, praise God, and recall what He has done for us.

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