Sermon Tone Analysis

One of the primary concerns of this letter to the Hebrews is apostasy.

It is a stark warning against apostasy.

What is apostasy?

It’s a term seldom used nowadays but is simply means one who renounces their faith.

We all know of people like this.

they have at some point heard the gospel, maybe even made a profession of faith, perhaps they even were baptised and became a member of a church.

But for what ever reason they drifted away, they forsook the assembly they became entangled with the cares of this world.

They no longer appeared to be a Christian.

Then they decided that they were not a Christian.

If you were to ask them about their faith, they would say they they do not believe in that anymore.

This is apostasy.

We have all seen it, but what actually happened to these people remains a mystery.

But this is the warning given in these verses and for us to have any hope of understanding these verses we must first understand who this passage is describing.

Their Present

They sin wilfully

Not just any sin Means to continually pursue sin and unrighteousness

They have trodden under foot the Son of God

Heb

To treat with rudeness or insult.

To insult through neglect

They count the blood of Christ as an unholy thing

They count the blood of Christ as an unholy thing

Means literally a common thing, that is nothing special not sanctified or holy.

But to us who believe the blood of Christ is a precious and holy thing because without the shedding of there is no remission of sins and it is by the blood of Christ that we may enter boldly into the presence of almighty God.

Heb

They have done despite unto the Spirit of grace

The Spirit here referred to as the Spirit of grace because it is the spirit that draws us to the grace of God reveals the grace of God through the person of Jesus Christ.

To do despite unto is to insult and disregard the Spirit of Grace and so to insult the grace of God and to through it back in His face.

or to turn your back on the grace of God and the Spirit’s prompting, to grieve the Spirit.

This is their present condition, and I think that we could all agree that this person described here is a lost person.

They have rejected Christ.

This is not what makes this a challenging passage.

What makes this passage challenging for us is not their present condition but rather their history.

Their Past

Where did this person begin and how did they get to where they are now?

They have received the knowledge of truth

Vs 13 said that they received the word with joy and for a while believed.

There is belief that is genuine and lasting there is temporary belief.

They Were Sanctified

The word sanctified means separated from profane things and to be dedicated to God.

The Israelites were set apart or sanctified through circumcision but as Paul pointed out in

There is an outward sanctification and an inward sanctification.

They are sanctified outwardly but unless they accept Christ as their saviour they will not be sanctified inwardly.

So I believe that the person described in our text is sanctified outwardly in that they have associated themselves with the church, purhaps they have even made a profession of faith and have been baptised joining themselves to the church, in this they are sanctified outwardly but not inwardly.

They are included with the people of God

Here I believe that it is referring to the visible church as the people of God.

But as Jesus taught and as the writers of the New Testament have taught us the visible church is not the same as the true elect church of God.

Jesus said that there are tares among the wheat and that on the day of judgement God will separate the tares from the wheat.

God will judge His church and He will purge it.

So now we have looked at the present and the past of these individuals what does the future hold for them.

Their Future

There remains no more sacrifice for sin.

Heb

Christ died once and for all.

you cannot crucify Him again to put Him to an open shame.

And there is no other sacrifice for your sins.

There is no other name by which you must be save.

If you reject the sacrifice of Christ you will stand alone on the day of judgement there is no more sacrifice for your sins.

There will be a fearful Judgement

Heb 10:

This world has seen some terrible things we hear of terrible things happened to people all over the world but this world have never seen the wrath of God pour out as it will be on that day of judgement on those who have rejected His son.

People make light of God’s judgement.

Our God is a consuming fire.

There will be a terrible punishment

It will be a fate worst than death

Heb 10:

This passage this morning comes to us as a stark warning.

Place you faith in Jesus while you still can believe in Him with a true faith.

You say, “how do I know my faith is true faith?

Because true faith endures to the end.

From faith to faith.