Careful with Being Lukewarm, Because You Know

FROM: DECEMBER 11 @ 17, 2018

TOPIC: “Careful with Being Lukewarm, Because You Know” Hebrews 10:26–31 My beloved brothers, the love and zeal for God and His great power leads me to tell you how much it concerns me that I would fail Him, since He is the Almighty God and owner of the Universe and of everything created. The apostates will be punished terribly by the Lord, Just Judge. Let's not neglect the faith.

I. We are given a warning against apostasy.

A. Apostasy = a defiance to an established system or authority.

1. It is a rebellion.

2. An abandonment or abuse of the Christian faith.

3. Today apostasy disguises itself in this way: I go to another Church because I do not agree with mine; when God sows someone in a certain place his fruit will be in that place.

4. (Vs. 26) Apostasy is also defined as deliberately sinning after having received the knowledge of the truth.

5. Like Judas, the person has heard the Gospel of Christ and later becomes a traitor of the faith.

6. The apostate knows the path of salvation; has even pretended to receive it; but then repudiates, rejects Christ deliberately.

7. For such a person there is no longer any sacrifice for the sins!

8. He has decisively and conclusively rejected the sacrifice of Christ made once for forever.

9. Therefore, God has no other path of salvation to offer him.

10. Apostasy is a voluntary sin of extraordinary gravity!

11. Here, in these verses, it is warned that IF THERE IS LUKEWARMNESS in Christian fellowship, that CAN MOTIVATE APOSTASY!

12. It is warned that if there is no diligence and exertion in the PROGRESS OF FAITH then there will be lukewarmness, a RELAXATION (taking it easy, backdown) will occur followed by a POSSIBLE APOSTASY.

13. (Vs. 26) "If we sinned..." It refers to "if we are seen sinning", that is, not in an isolated event, but in a sinful state, practicing sin.

14. "...deliberately after we have received the knowledge of the truth..." of the Holy Spirit. "...the Spirit of truth..." (John 14:17); "...Spirit of grace..." (Hebrews 10:29) It is to relapse, sin and apostatize in a challenge, rebellion and abuse of faith, in abandonment. That is not a sin of ignorance or error, IT IS A DELIBERATE SIN AGAINST THE SPIRIT! It is to sin where there was knowledge of the evangelical obligations such as: congregate, sanctify, pray, fast, read and love the Word, offerings, love the brothers, fidelity, give themselves, etc.

15. It is to sin presumptuously (presuming to do so) and with perseverance (with firmness and constancy) against the redemption of Christ which was done for us.

16. It is said that: Only the one who is high can fall low!

17. There has to be in the soul of the apostate a living reference to what is good to later become completely evil: There is no ignorance for the apostasy (the apostate challenges, rebels, abandons the faith)!

18. Therefore, man can be more reprobated (not approved) than the beasts and apostate angels more than the apostate man!

19. "...no sacrifice for sins is left..." It is that there is ONLY ONE SACRIFICE that can atone for sin, and they, having had full knowledge of such sacrifice, deliberately reject it.

B. (Vs. 27) Nothing remains "...but a horrendous expectation (anxiety that is produced when waiting for something) of judgment" There is no hope of escape!

1. "...a horrendous expectation..." Certain horrifying expectation, extraordinary, indescribable.

2. It is almost impossible to renew the apostate for repentance (Hebrews 6:4-6).

3. He (or she) has consciously and voluntarily cut himself off from the grace of God in Christ.

4. His portion is an ANGRY FIRE THAT IS ABOUT TO CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES!

5. This language is evidently intended to express a terribly severe punishment!

6. Observe that GOD CLASSIFIES APOSTATES AS ADVERSARIES!

7. The apostate lives consciously or not to the expectation of his condemnation, a boiling fire that is going to devour him! Amen.