Unit: Hebrews (Part 3)
Theme: Faith
Lesson Text: Hebrews 10:19-39
Supplemental Text: Isaiah 55:6-7; 1 Timothy 6:11-16
Aim: Be careful not to “shrink back” in your faith but to persevere.
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Download a PDF of this week’s lesson material (the Study by Mark Scott, Application by David Faust, and Discovery Questions by Michael C. Mack): LOOKOUT_Nov21_2021.
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By Mark Scott
On July 30, 2020, NASA launched a land rover to Mars. They rightly named it Perseverance. After all, it was a long journey. Perseverance always takes “the long cut,” and sometimes that journey is hard. That is why perseverance is defined as “doing something despite difficulty.” People of faith know it is always too soon to quit.
After spending significant time and space describing why the New Covenant is superior to the Old Covenant—particularly how the New Covenant works (Hebrews 8:1–10:18), the writer gives what some call the fourth major exhortation of the Epistle. It is clearly a call to never give up.
The Impetus for Perseverance
Hebrews 10:19-25
In this paragraph the writer reviews the basis for perseverance and announces the “superior realities” of the New Covenant that make perseverance possible. Confidence (boldness) to enter salvation is not based on anything we have done, but on what Christ has done through his blood. Verse 20 functions as an appositional phrase (i.e., it further describes what is meant by Jesus entering the Most Holy Place). The curtain (veil) in the New Covenant is not a literal veil in the temple (cf. Mark 15:38). It stands for access to God and is described as a new and living way. This is something for which to give thanks this week.
Based on God’s activity in Christ, we enter the “let us” patch of Hebrews. Three imperatives come out of this impetus. Believers are commanded to draw near to God, hold unswervingly to hope, and consider how to spur on one another in love and good deeds. Drawing near is possible due to the salvific work of Christ which is embraced through having our hearts cleansed in baptism (i.e., having bodies washed with pure water). Holding unswervingly to hope is possible through our confession of faith and God’s faithfulness. Considering how to spur (poke or prod) others on toward love and good deeds is possible because we have the motivation of the Day (judgment) approaching. And the best way to spur others on is not to neglect the church assembly.
A Caution Against Not Persevering
Hebrews 10:26-31
This paragraph contains one of the sharpest rebukes in the Epistle. Not to grow is to regress. Not to persevere is something on the order of high treason. Deliberate sin after receiving knowledge of the truth negates the power of the cross. The only thing that remains then is judgment from God that his enemies will receive.
The writer uses the common “how much more” argument. If the people in Moses’ day did not persevere and therefore received God’s judgment (based on the typical two or three witness protocol), how much more will people who have embraced Christ and turned back be judged. They essentially have trampled the Son of God underfoot. It is as if they have crucified Jesus again. They have regarded the blood of Christ as something common, and they have insulted the Spirit of grace (i.e., taken undue advantage of grace and presumed on God; cf. Romans 2:4). Judgment should be left in God’s hands, and believers should be careful of falling into these forms of ungodliness.
A Challenge to Persevering
Hebrews 10:32-35
There are many challenges to persevering, but this paragraph focuses on the external challenge of persecution. These Hebrew Christians had endured much. If they turned back (spoken of as “throwing away their confidence”) it would negate why they had endured persecution in the past.
This suffering showed up in four ways. They were verbally insulted (reviled or upbraided). They were “persecuted” (pressed down). They were put in prison (cf. Hebrews 13:3). Finally, they had their property confiscated (seized with force). This last challenge could be laughed at by the believers. They understood that all property belonged to God anyway and that they had lasting possessions in heaven. They might have items taken in this world but they would be richly rewarded in the next world (cf. Mark 10:29-31).
The Promise to Those Who Persevered
Hebrews 10:36-39
The promise was already more than hinted at in the previous paragraph. In these verses the believers’ vindication and reward were undergirded by Old Testament texts. To persevere (faithfully “remain under”) by habitually doing the will of God guaranteed receiving God’s promises.
The writer used a cluster of Old Testament passages (i.e., he used lines from them to frame up his argument but did not quote them exactly). They were Isaiah 26:21; Haggai 2:6; and Habakkuk 2:3-4. The argument: God’s judgment will come, God’s people must walk by faith (illustrated in the following chapter), and God delights in people who hang in there. “Shrinking back” is to draw back or defect. It is the opposite of perseverance. It is apostasy.
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