If it were up to us as men and women, when it
came to the preaching of the Scriptures, most
likely we would focus on Scriptures which are
fairly pleasant, Scriptures which seemingly are
positive and encouraging, uplifting, at least
according to... how we think about those things.
But praise be to God that we don't have to wonder
what God wants us to preach on. Praise be to
God that we don't have to wonder what God wants
us to exposit. He's given it to us in the Word
of God. All the Word of God. It is God's will
that men preach and declare His judgment, His
wrath, and His punishment against sin. It is
the will of God that men and women and that sinners
hear about God's hatred. God's disdain, his contempt
for sin and rebellion against his own being,
his own character. Today, as we consider this
topic in Hebrews chapter 10, verses 25 through
31, we're going to consider the terrifying expectation
of judgment for those who forsake Christ. We're
going to consider the severity of the judgment
for those who forsake Christ. And we're going
to consider the one who judges those who forsake
Jesus Christ and the gospel. Beginning with the
terrifying expectation of judgment for those
who forsake Christ. Notice in verse 26, the very
first word in the Nazby is the word for. The
author is connecting this section with the prior
section of Scripture. Most likely, he's connecting
it with verses 22 through 25, where we find these
exhortations that we've been considering for
the last... several weeks. For if we go on sinning
willfully after receiving the knowledge of the
truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for
sins. The author is dealing with those who have
forsaken the assembly. The author is dealing
with those who have not held fast the confession
of their hope. The author is addressing and dealing
with those who have forsaken the community of
new covenant believers. The author is addressing
those that he was addressing in verses 22 through
25, where he was exhorting and warning, where
he was writing to them. Now, there's an assumption
in this text. with regards to those being warned.
The assumption is that those being warned have
been professing believers or professing Christians
at some point in time. They have publicly identified
with the church of the living God at some point
in time. We know that because it says, after
receiving, The knowledge of the truth. Those
that are being warned have a knowledge of God.
They know about Christ's once for all sacrifice.
They know about the new covenant and the forgiveness
of sins. They've heard the truth of the gospel
and what Jesus Christ has done for them. There
are those who are previously associated. with
the new covenant community. Those who previously
appeared to hold fast the confession of their
hope. Those who once were among the faithful.
These are religious individuals that know the
scriptures and know Christian tradition as it
was put forth for... at that time. It assumes
that those being warned have a knowledge of God
and a knowledge of the Scriptures. But then we
also see the reality of ongoing deliberate sin
in these individuals' lives that are being warned
despite this knowledge that they possess. despite
this knowledge that they have supposedly received
at some point in time. This word deliberate carries
the idea of willful, volitional, conscious choice
to reject, to forsake, to oppose, or to give
up. It has the idea of intentionality behind
it. The author is writing to those who are choosing
to sin against the living God. And nobody is
forcing them to do so. Now isn't that interesting
because last week we discussed the reality that
individuals were being pressured by the Jewish
community to forsake. the people of God. Yet
here we find that those same individuals are
doing so, and they're forsaking their confession
and Christ and the community willingly, deliberately,
consciously, and volitionally. Ultimately, no
matter the pressure, ultimately, no matter the...
or the trial or the struggle that comes upon
a person, when they forsake the gospel and choose
to sin against the living God, do you know whose
head that falls upon? The individual. The person
that willingly chooses to sin against God. Now,
what's the nature? of this deliberate sin. It's
elaborated on in verses 28 through 29, I believe.
Now he alludes to it in verse 28. And we read
this. As he's speaking about the law of Moses,
this is what he says. Anyone who has set aside
the law of Moses. He's correlating that in some
way with what's going on with these individuals.
There's a setting aside. There's a disregard.
There's a disassociation. There's a forsaking
that is taking place. But we also see in verse
29 very clearly the nature and character of the
sin that is being addressed in this. Section
of scripture. In verse 29. We read these words.
That he's addressing individuals. Who have trampled
underfoot. The son of God. They've walked upon
Christ. And they've put him under their feet.
They've regarded as unclean. The blood of the
covenant. By which that he was sanctified. They've
spurned the means by which the new covenant is
consecrated and brought about by which they are
enabled to worship or participate and identify
with the new covenant people of God and the worship
of that people. And it's those who have insulted
the spirit of grace. The one who effectually
applies all the work of Christ. The one who effectually
transforms and changes and calls and regenerates
the lost sinner. So this sin is not besetting
sin in the life of a believer. The sin that is
being addressed is something much more severe.
something much more detrimental, something much
more dangerous. It's full -blown apostasy from
the Christian religion where there is contempt
and reviling for Christ and his sacrifice. That's
the nature of this sin. For true believers, there's
always reconciliation in their life. For true
believers, there's always forgiveness of sins
with Christ. For true, genuine believers who
are engrafted into the body of Christ spiritually,
for true believers who are filled with the Spirit
of God, brothers and sisters, There is always
pardon to be had with the living God. There's
always a sacrifice that remains for those truly,
genuinely in Christ. There's always repentance
to be enjoyed for those individuals in Christ.
There's perseverance. There's always comfort
and strength by the Spirit of God and from Christ
and His throne. There's always help and aid from
the throne of grace for those individuals genuinely
and truly in Christ. But these individuals have
apostatized from the Christian religion. These
individuals have deserted Christianity. These
individuals have forsaken the living God. They've
forsaken their confession. There are certain
inevitable consequences that come with forsaking
Jesus Christ and his once for all sacrifice on
the cross. The first inevitable consequence of
forsaking Christ is that there no longer remains
a sacrifice for sin. Now when we consider what
a person forsakes when they renounce the gospel,
when they reject Jesus Christ and the gospel
which he has accomplished, what is it that they
are forsaking? What is it that they are setting
themselves in opposition to? They are forsaking
atonement of sin. They are forsaking forgiveness
and pardon. Brothers and sisters, they are forsaking
the only ordained means of God by which a man,
woman, or child can be reconciled to the living
God. So when an individual does this, when they
reject Christ and the gospel, they are rejecting
their only hope for salvation. They are rejecting
the singular means by which God has ordained
that a person be saved. There's no other path.
There's no other way. Except through the gospel
of Jesus Christ. His life, his death, his resurrection,
and in particular in the book of Hebrews, his
once for all effective sacrifice. which covers
all the sins of all God's people. So when an
individual rejects that, there no longer remains
a sacrifice for sins. There's nothing else that
can save them, brothers and sisters. There is
no other hope of salvation. There's no other
means that God has appointed by which their sin
can be atoned for. It's almost as though the
author is saying this. If you give up Christ,
don't expect the Jewish sacrifices of the ceremonial
law to cleanse you from your sin. There are no
other sacrifices that save. It's only the sacrifice
of Christ and the gospel. They forsake their
hope. They forsake deliverance and freedom. They
forsake the hope of glory, the blessings of salvation.
When they forsake the Lord Jesus Christ. There's
another inevitable consequence. To forsaking
the gospel. And denying the once for all. Sacrifice
of Christ. Which atones for one's sins. And that
consequence. And all that remains for that individual.
is the fearful expectation of judgment. Divine,
holy, eternal, just, equitable judgment from
the living God. That's a logical expectation,
isn't it? That the author of Hebrews is putting
forward? God says, if you want to be saved, you
go through Christ, my son, and his sacrifice.
If you want to have eternal life, if you want
to be reconciled to me, if you want to be pardoned,
if you want to be free from condemnation and
wrath, then this is how you do it. You turn from
your sin and you trust in Christ and his word.
Now if you reject that, what's the logical thing
that follows? What remains? What's left? The
wrath of God. The judgment of the living God.
That's all that remains because you've cast off
and you've denied and you've rejected what he
has given to you to be saved through and by.
The author tells us that when such an individual
does this, That they're awaiting judgment that's
like a consuming fire. Fire is oftentimes used
in the Bible to represent judgment. There's many
reasons for that. But if we just think about
fire and its power, its force, its dread. The
consuming nature of it. That gives us a good
idea of what the wrath of God is like. It's consuming.
It's dreadful. It's fearful. And why is that?
Because God is perfectly holy. God is perfectly
just. God is omniscient. He knows everything.
God is everywhere all the time. God knows our
hearts. He knows our motives. He knows our thoughts.
He knows our longings. He knows events. He knows
circumstances. He knows everything, brothers
and sisters. Nothing is hidden from His sight.
And His judgment is perfectly equitable. with
regards to repayment and retribution for sins
and transgressions, whether they be in heart,
thought, word, deed, or action. Nothing will
escape him. Nothing will be overlooked, and nothing
will be left out. When a person rejects the gospel
in Christ, they are making themselves an enemy
of the living God who will consume all his enemies
with eternal wrath and judgment. He will bring
inevitable punishment upon every single enemy
that stands against him when he returns. or when
they die. So there's a terrifying expectation
of judgment for all those who forsake Christ.
But we also have to consider the severity of
the judgment for those who forsake Christ and
the Gospel. We see this in verses 28 through
29. In verses 28 -29, the author uses a distinct
argument. A lesser to greater argument. And we've
seen this already throughout the book of Hebrews.
But I want to illustrate this, this argument,
in Hebrews chapter 2. Where the author does the
same thing. In Hebrews chapter 2, verses 1 -4,
for this reason we must pay much closer attention
to what we have heard, so that we do not drift
away from it. For if the word spoken through
angels proved unalterable, and every transgression
and disobedience received a just penalty, How
will we, meaning New Covenant believers or New
Covenant professing believers, escape if we neglect
so great a salvation? After it was at first spoken
through the Lord and it was confirmed to us by
those who heard, God also testifying with them
both by signs and wonders and by various miracles
and by gifts. and the Holy Spirit according to
His own will. The author is saying this, if there
was just penalty received and given out by God
for a word that came through angels, how much
more severe and how much stronger and how much
more will it be a reality for those who have
heard the gospel as witnessed by the apostles
and miracles. As the revelation is revealed and
made known in the Son of God, the full and final
revelation, how much more severe, how much more
great will that be than the lesser reality in
that argument? The author uses the same kind
of reality, the same kind of argument, I apologize,
Hebrews chapter 10, verses 28 through 29. The
lesser part of the argument, he's referring to
the Old Testament law. Specifically, Deuteronomy
chapter 17, verses 2 through 6. Where an Israelite
would disregard the law of God. And if they intentionally
did so, that Israelite would be taken outside
the camp and stoned to death without mercy whatsoever.
Because they intentionally set aside the law
of God. They proved they were an apostate among
the people. The author says that this is the
lesser part of this argument. The greater part...
Of this argument. Is the new covenant realities
in Christ. That are listed. In verse 29. Those
realities where the individual tramples underfoot
the son of God. Where they regard as unclean
or common or ordinary. The blood of Christ that
consecrates the new covenant. And the insulting
of the spirit. of grace. Now think about the
two elements, the two parts of that argument.
There's transgression in the old covenant law
of the civil law, ceremonial law in particular.
And it deserves just penalty, death without mercy
for breaking God's law. Physical capital punishment,
death. How much more severe and how much greater
The severity and the judgment and the punishment
for those who sin against the Son of God Himself.
Who trample underfoot Christ, who took on flesh
and dwelt among us. How much greater the punishment
and the judgment, how much greater severity is
there for those who insult the Spirit of Grace.
Who have claimed to be a part of the community.
Who have claimed to worship God. Who have claimed
to know God Himself. And then they spit in His
face. And they renounce it and they reject it
and they deny it all. How much greater is what
the author goes on to ask. He's implying clearly
that those individuals deserve a far greater,
and they will receive a far greater judgment
than capital punishment without mercy by stoning.
Think about all the judgments of physical nature
in the Old Covenant. We can think about God bringing
the waters down on the heads of the Egyptian
soldiers who were pursuing the Israelites. That
terrible experience of suffocation and death
by the pressure and weight of the waves and drowning.
Those who are pursuing the people of God. And
the judgment of God consumes them physically.
How much greater. The one who forsakes Christ.
We could think about in the Old Covenant where
the ground opens up and swallows the rebellion
that the sons of Korah or the followers of Korah
were leading against Moses and Aaron because
of a haughty and arrogant and a prideful spirit
where they despised the authority of God. And
it swallows them up and all of their belongings
and all of their household and all of their followers.
How much greater. How much more severe. Those
who spit in the face of Christ and reject the
beauty of the gospel and the dignity of the work
that he has accomplished. We could think of so
many more. But we understand what the author.
is conveying. We understand what the author is
saying, don't we brothers and sisters? That new
covenant realities have a greater dignity to
them. So rejecting those realities brings with
it greater, more severe culpability and accountability
for that rejection and for sinning against those
things. That's the principle that we see present
in this text. We see this principle of greater
realities which have greater dignity. Christ,
the Spirit, the blood of Christ, the incarnate
Son of God, the new covenant sacrifice. the new
covenant realities, and thus we see greater transgression.
With greater light and knowledge comes greater
condemnation and judgment for those who despise
those realities. This judgment, which will be
more severe, will be perfectly equitable and
just and righteous because God is the one who
administers it. There are some similarities and
some dissimilarities between the lesser part
of that argument and the greater part of that
argument. The similarity is this, and this is
something that John Calvin points out, the similarity
is this, that in both those realities, the capital
punishment by stoning for intentionally breaking
God's law and trampling underfoot Christ and
new covenant realities, the similarity is this,
both will be without mercy. Both will be without
pity on the sake of the living God. Meaning when
God brings judgment upon sinners, when He either
brings them down to the grave and brings them
into judgment, or when He returns and He judges
those who are in rebellion against Him. Brothers
and sisters, When he administers that judgment
upon his enemies, his adversaries, he will do
so completely without mercy or pity. Meaning
he will never lift his hand because of your discomfort,
because of your pain, your anguish. He will never
give you relief. Because judgment is based on
justice. Judgment is based on His holy character.
It doesn't have to do with His mercy, which is
only in Christ. And when an individual rejects
that, they reject the mercy that is found only
in the Lord Jesus Christ. So there's this terrifying
expectation of judgment. And the judgment is
far more severe than the judgment of apostates
in the old covenant. But we also have to consider
the one who judges those who forsake Christ.
We see this in the last two verses, 30 through
31. For we know him who said, Vengeance is mine.
I will repay. And again, the Lord will judge
his people. It is a terrifying thing to fall
into the hands of the living God. Judgment and
punishment is carried out by God himself. It's
not some existential principle that exists in
the universe and somehow makes its way back to
the head of those who were bad and did bad things
in this life. Judgment is the punishment of the
living God for transgressing His character, for
profaning His Son, and for profaning and mocking
his people. This is something that the Lord alone
claims responsibility for. God says, I am the
judge. God says, I will bring about vengeance.
I will repay. Paul actually uses this same quotation
here in this text he's quoting from Deuteronomy
32, 35. And Paul uses that same reference in
Romans chapter 12. And he says, leave vengeance
to God. Give room for the vengeance of God, the
retribution of God. Do you know why? Because
he can judge better than any of us ever can.
Because he has claimed that office and that function
solely and singularly for himself. He will bring
full and final, perfect, holy, righteous retribution
to all his enemies and all his adversaries as
he pleases. And he Alone will do this brothers
and sisters. I'm reminded of Hebrews chapter
4. Verse 13. Or verses 12 through 13. Where the
author says this. For the word of God is living.
And active. And sharper than any two edged sword.
And piercing as far as the division of soul and
spirit. Of both joints and marrow. and able to
judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
And listen to verse 13. And there is no creature
hidden from his sight, but all things are open
and laid bare to the eyes of him with whom we
have to do. God will bring retribution. and justice
to every enemy that is against him. To everyone
who has blasphemed his name and brought disrepute
to his character. And he will do so perfectly.
This judgment of God has to do with vindication,
brothers and sisters. repay. The Lord will judge
his people. What does God vindicate in judgment?
He vindicates his holy character. He vindicates
his word. He vindicates his son. He vindicates
his people. And he will do so fully and finally.
One day. Because God and God alone is judge.
Judgment is an inescapable reality for those
who are outside of Christ. The text says it is
a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of
the living God. Every single individual who falls
away from God, every single individual who forsakes
the living God, every single individual who rejects
the Son of God, every individual who denies the
gospel will fall into the hands of the living
God one day. either in their death or at His
return. It's inescapable. How can you avoid that
reality without Jesus Christ? How can you avoid
judgment and death without Jesus Christ and the
cross and His once for all sacrifice? You can't,
brothers and sisters. There's only one way. Through
the Lord Jesus Christ. The God who judges is
not some little idol. Like the idol worshippers
and the pagans and the Old Testament that we
see so often. When the Bible uses the terminology
the living God. It's speaking of Yahweh in distinction
from the idol worshippers and the idols of the
Old Covenant and the New Covenant where the people
are worshipping false gods and demons. People
can escape the judgment of their idol because
it's an idol and a piece of wood. It has no power.
It has no authority. It has no sovereignty. But
the God we have to do with is the creator of
the world, brothers and sisters. The reason that
we breathe and the reason that we exist, the
reason the world functions and the reason the
earth spins is because there's a maker in heaven
who created everything and he sustains everything
by the word of his power. And that same God who
is maker and creator Demands an answer for his
moral creatures. And he will have it. Every one
of his image bearers. Will give an account. They
will fall into his hands. Either his gracious
hands because they are in Christ. Or into his
hand of judgment. Because they've forsaken the
gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. I wonder if
there's any among us who have a knowledge of
God, yet they have contempt in their heart for
the living God and the gospel which He has accomplished
in the Lord Jesus. I wonder if there's any in
this room. Who have professed to know the Lord
Jesus Christ by faith and repentance. Yet they
deny Him in their hearts with their lives. And
ultimately they hate Him in their hearts. Their
minds are darkened. I wonder if there's any here
now. Any present among us now. For that. Is the
case. If so. According to this text. It is explicitly
clear. What God's attitude. Towards you. And
towards your sin. Is. It's an attitude of judgment.
And hatred. Of that wicked evil. That's in rebellion.
Against him. Don't buy the lies of the world.
of the culture, of the flesh, or liberal Christianity,
brothers and sisters, that says that's only the
God of the Old Testament, God of the New Covenant,
He's loving, He's accepting. We're talking about
New Covenant realities. There's greater severity.
It's stronger. It's more dangerous. Don't believe
those lies. God is opposed to those outside of
Christ. He is against you. You are an enemy of
the living God who sustains the world. Without
Jesus Christ, you have a terrible fate ahead
of you. Without Jesus Christ, you have an eternal
future of suffering and torment under the wrath
of the living God. These are not metaphorical
realities. These are true realities according
to the Word of God. Without Christ, hell awaits
every single sinner. It will not be a place of
pleasantries. It will not be a place of enjoyment.
Brothers and sisters, it will be a place of terrible,
conscious, eternal torment. Don't think lightly
of the riches of His kindness, His tolerance,
and His patience in Christ. The gospel is still
being preached. Today is the day of salvation.
There is still opportunity for you to believe
upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. There
is still opportunity for you to forsake your
sins and not forsake the living God. There is
still time for you to believe. There is still
time for you to humble yourself. there is still
time for you to run for the refuge that is in
Jesus Christ. You can still avoid His wrath.
You can still avoid the consuming fire that will
drink you down and consume you and swallow you
up in His holy wrath. But it's only found in
Christ. And Christ is extending His arms to you,
brothers and sisters. Friends, He is here right
now through His Spirit pleading with you. The
Word of God commands you to repent of your sins
and to trust in Jesus Christ for eternal salvation.
Don't think lightly of His kindness and His tolerance
and His patience. You may not have tomorrow.
You may not be able to wait until you're a teenager.
You may not be able to wait until you're in college.
His judgment and His wrath is upon you and He
is free to bring you into hell anytime He pleases.
Don't think lightly of the time that He has given
to you to repent of your sins. Consider your
life. Consider your heart. Consider whether you,
are rejecting the gospel. Don't think lightly
of the time that He has given to you to hear
the gospel preached that you might repent and
believe on Christ. Now is the time to believe
the reality and the truth that the Son of God
took on flesh and dwelt among us. Now is the
time to believe the reality that the Son of God
took on flesh and dwelt among us and lived a
perfect life unto the law of God, obtaining righteousness
for His people. Now is the time to believe the
reality that Jesus Christ went to the cross to
suffer in the place of sinners who deserved that
wrath. He went as a substitute. Believe the reality
that He rose again, that He ascended to the Father,
and that one day He's returning. Believe the
Gospel and turn from your sins today. Now, don't
think lightly of the fact that you have tomorrow.
Run to Christ now. Run to Christ. Today. Don't
put it off. Believer, true believer, regenerate
believer, praise God. Praise the living God because
of His grace and His mercy and the Lord Jesus
Christ. Do you know, believer, that you will
never, ever spend one second in hell? You will
never spend one moment under the wrath of God.
Because you are in Christ. One more moment in
Christ. You will never be subject to God as judge
again. He is your Father. There will be times
when He disciplines you. When He corrects you
as a loving, legitimate son or daughter. But
brothers and sisters, that's from His love. That's
not from His wrath. The believer is safe and
secure. They have eternal life. Heaven, the new
heavens and the new earth, and all their eternal
future ahead of them. Praise God. Continue to
put your trust in Christ over and over and over.
Continue to repent of your sin over and over
and over. And praise Him for His mercy and His
grace which is only found in the Gospel of Jesus
Christ.