Good morning. Good morning. It's great to be with you. I'm trying to get organized here as I talk.
So anyway my My beloved wife is obviously not here today and she's She's working this afternoon I think she had a late evening last night and so she's very busy as some of you know She works and is involved in caring for special needs people and it's some days. It's quite an adventure and but she's very good at it so thank the Lord for her faithfulness and as some of you know, we have two sons that grew up here and Our oldest son lives in Dallas and Wayne and he's busy there with his company and and Chris We're very thankful lives in Peterborough where we live and we're able to enjoy his family I was talking to several people about our grandchildren as you know, you can't speak without talking about your grandkids, right? and so we have eight I think in eight is great and and we have as just you know, we have four four boys and four girls and I have so enjoyed I was sharing this this morning I've been so enjoyed having little girls because when we when we were raising the boys It was just bats and hockey sticks and and now it's pink everything's pink, right? But it's a wonderful thing and we're thankful for each one of them When you pray for us one thing we obviously pray for on a regular basis is that each one of them might come to know the Lord Jesus as their Savior and Our oldest grandson.
I'm pretty sure I've had several visits with him and I'm pretty sure he knows the Lord Jesus as his Savior I think I've talked to his little his younger brother. I think he's he professed I'm not I think he knows the Lord Jesus, but you know We just we just pray that each one of them will come to faith in Christ in in his time And we pray for our sons and their wives and our all of our family so we appreciate your prayers for us We deeply do we always need your prayers and always in need as we all are right We just kind of go through life and it's not always smooth as we wanted it to be but we're very thankful I might I might say when I'm talking to you individually and I've said this to several people I've lost some hearing I had kind of amazing moment one night on a Wednesday night I was supposed to speak and one of my ears just blew out and then that night the other one did and I think I had this perpetual infection and so if I don't hear what you said, it's not because I didn't want to hear it and My wife is not sure about that, but anyway It's it's a funny thing getting older right Marty as you may know Marty already has a hearing aids And so when she takes them out and of course I can't hear much anyway It's a little interesting in our house, right? I'm getting more exercise because she'll say something. I don't have a clue what it was So I have to go find her right what what was that about right anyway, and then so if I miss something significant, you know I didn't hear you honey.
I didn't hear you anyway It was great when I when I landed and I got in the car and I started driving in It was just it just was home. I just thought to myself. It's so good to be home So this is really home for us in so many different ways. So we thank you.
Thank you for allowing us to Continue to call this home and it truly is that well I was saying if we just kept singing we wouldn't have to have any speaking and you know what I was thinking about half of you Let's do that right anyway, but I'd be in trouble if we didn't do something So let's let's just ask God to help us I need his help obviously to put the spirit of God to work in and through and and accomplish what it is he wants to do in your life In my life God we're here and we so thank you for who you are We're thankful that we have someone to sing about to praise because of all you've done for us that Christ has come to die for us And now he lives and if we trust in him we we have eternal life What an amazing thing and we pray that everyone here if they don't have that they will come to receive Christ as their Savior They'll trust him even this day and father for those of us who know him our desires will keep growing in him Protect us from stagnating protect us from being derailed and we just ask that you'll guide and guard my words May they really be to your pleasure accomplish your your purpose in each of our hearts and lives We just ask and we know we're dependent upon you to work So we we just plead for you for that in Jesus name amen I was driving down a little street and I don't usually go down the street It was it was nighttime and I noticed you know how sometimes you'll have some kind of plastic wrap railing around Something and it's in orange and so it's a station. It's saying caution right? It's caution. Don't don't run into this This is up here to protect you and and so I drove past it I thought well, I just you know, just obviously is right there and I look and I thought whoa that is a deep hole That was not just a little you know a little bump that it looks like a sinkhole.
I thought boy I sure don't want to run into that You know I have a friend and he's been a Christian for a number of years fine guy Used to minister various ways and you know what in this last year he ran into a major sinkhole. He's back home And I don't even want to go into the details of it, but a spiritual sinkhole the caught he knew the caution thing was up He knew the spiritual caution thing was there and I think this occurred over a period of time But he came to a point and he ignored the caution and today right now. He is in a spiritual sinkhole Now I'm not saying that with my finger pointing in him in a bony way and saying you know, I'm better than you That's not what I'm saying. I realized I could go into a spiritual sinkhole None of us are exempt.
I had the privilege and I and God has given me this privilege over the last I don't know how many years now, but I there's a Christian camp and It's close to where we live and so they've asked if I would come out I'm good good friends with the manager and we're good friends And he's asked if I've come out and just kind of minister to the counselors in the middle of the week And so I go out and just a great group of kids. These are just some of the classic kids I'm really great kids and and so one thing's a word later on my heart this year for them is that they'll not veer off the road Spiritually it just great kids, but I know they got a long ways to go right. They've got a long ways if life is normal They've got a lot of stuff to deal with you know a lot of them are going right back into school settings I'm up into high school. Someone going on into college.
I'm going to work I know though even though these are great kids and they're I think they're all probably Christian kids But they have got some sinkholes that are on their road and I just prayed oh God and then the ministry we we dealt with I want to go to a passage today in Hebrews chapter 10 God is warning us He's because he loves us and he's warning us watch out for the sinkholes, right now I want to go to this passage and we look at it and We'll talk about notice in Hebrews 10 verse 35 And so we're dropping way down therefore do not throw away your confidence which has a great reward now There's a lot of things that can cause us to crash into Christian life and even in the New Testament We see people who we understand were Christians who crashed member Demas member Demas now you may not I mean you know you probably didn't name your kid Demas, right? But he's mentioned several times and he's talked early on in when Paul first mentions him He's like a fellow worker guy, so he's like you know soon this guy's a Christian because he kind of has this little commendation Well then Paul mentions him again and then he mentions him again and then we come and I'll just refer this But he says in 2 Timothy Demas love the world and has deserted me now, you know what? We could put our name in that spot. I imagine all of us if we're honest with ourselves There's been times we veered in our spiritual off the road, right?
So we're not saying you know This is not a thing where we're trying to put up You want to guilt trip what we're trying to do is if we have veered off that we get back on the road if we're on the road that we not Drive off the road and so the Hebrews that the book is written to some Christians in the Hebrew Hebrews and these dear Christians Had already suffered they had already suffered for being just being a Christian and They had gone through it really well. They had done good. You know we would applaud them. We would applaud them.
Yes way to go But you know as time goes along Sometimes we just wear out don't we we just get weary and I think and they were getting they were getting a new wave of persecution And the first persecution some of them had lost stuff that you know people come in and take in their stuff And I'm sure some of them lost jobs some lost their homes I mean and how much more can you take and now they got this new wave of persecution and some of them are saying You know what beyond Christian But you know what if I would just go back to the good old days if I just go back and many of them came out of the Jewish connection They were Jewish by heritage and they've been in Judaism And they just said you know if we go back to Judaism if we just kind of go back then we won't have to suffer And so some of them were starting to think about seriously waving the white flag And we've all been there at times, you know, I think you know we may not suffer sick of persecution I'm reading a book right now. I just finished it last week I think on some of our dear brothers and sisters in Christ in Vietnam and over the for years and years and years our dear brothers and sisters in Christ Have suffered intensely But you know after a while you think I don't know if I can do this anymore And the Hebrews that's where the Hebrews were at those those those Christians that the authors writing to him We're not quite sure who the author was but he's writing to them because he cares about them He says don't go off the road don't wave the white flag don't give up And so he comes to this passage and he says as we look at this portion in the in the Hebrews thing it says As he's trying to encourage him therefore verse 35 again in 10 therefore do not throw away your confidence your faith We can say your assurance which has a great reward Now Don't throw it away That's interesting isn't it? You know, I think if we live in the Christian life, how many how many Christians? You know they had their Bible You know, they've I'm a power dude.
Okay, okay? Okay, did you want to stop early? Okay? How many have a Bible right and maybe they've had a long time maybe your name's in the front of it Maybe from your mom gave it to you I don't know but you have this Bible and you've read it But you know what you're going through and let's it this one of the things I was really concerned about these young people You're going off the university, right?
I mean, I'm thankful that I got my education and you know you don't have to go to university don't get me wrong But some got once some people go to university. You know what's awful tempting? Well, you know what? Nobody else has a Bible.
Nobody else goes to church. Nobody else is a Christian in my zone in my dorm And so it's kind of embarrassing to have a Bible and so the danger is that goes on Okay, I know it's time to quit now. Okay. I know okay.
That's a baseball. Okay. Okay The line is drawn. Okay, you can tell I haven't grown up at all yet Okay My concern is that we we throw away Our confidence in God and his work We and that's when we derail You know the God's word doesn't mean much to us anymore and we step back from it and a lot of times what happens is other people Don't know what's going on other people didn't see it that me, you know, we're one thing if you've been in the church for any Late at the time I was raised in church.
I know how to play the game I know the right words to say, you know, I know how to say I know how it goes down and how you can you know? You can look good on the outside of that not be doing so hard on here, so And it may be a number of things that derail us, but let us not throw away our confidence in God in his work Now notice don't throw it away As one says they must not throw their their way their confident faith which has expressed itself so admirably in the past days You know what you can do well in the past, but that is not guaranteed You're gonna do well in the future and then the same author writes to turn aside from Judaism would be to lose their great prospect of reward in the eternal future Not to lose their salvation, but notice what we will we have the danger of losing a reward Do you see that therefore do not throw away your confidence which has a great reward a great reward now Didn't talk about talk about grandkids. I have a I just went kind of cereal I really like and and you know how that when advertising they always have you got a one up the last product, right? You got to have so you have Like large extra large super duper large, right?
And then I have a minus is mega large right mega and my granddaughter loves my cereal I have to hide it, but anyway, it's a mega you know the we get the word mega from this word in this passage great It's mega. It's a mega reward now. Let me ask you What kind of reward you want? You know a lot of times we go through life and we get these little you know things and we have little metals let my son has these little metals and From from hockey days from you know You know you you won the whatever and you get them the ribbon and you have a metal and it's shiny and and when you're really You know you're looking at you really it's really cool You're really excited But you know what and you know this if your kids have left home they leave home and they leave all their stuff at your home Right yeah, and so I said to him I said do you want these metals?
Oh? Yeah, I don't know no big deal right he took maybe one or two and I'm stuck with all this other stuff, right? We don't want something that is absolutely it doesn't pay much. It doesn't have any value for the long run This is a great reward.
This is something you do not want to miss. This is something you don't want to run short on God has provided this So this opportunity for the Christians to have a great reward But notice this one says decisions will make today that we make today will determine the rewards tomorrow I think we lose sight of that now. We're talking about the Christian. We're talking about the person that's already come to faith in Christ They've trusted Christ a personal Savior.
They've trusted him They know he's the only way to heaven They've trusted him but now what God wants us to do is grow in such a way grow and mature and live in such a way that When this thing's all wrapped up in life's over and you know life is going pretty fast I mean I'm getting a little older all the time right and I'm realizing You know I got a lot less to go than I have gone right so it's it's on toward the end of things What do I want to get out of this thing? God wants to give us a great reward But don't throw away your confidence. Are you gonna miss out on that? Don't rip yourself off and he's right into the Hebrews says don't do it don't go there Remember Jim Elliot, I'm sure many of you have heard this quote He is no fool to give what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose We want to get God's reward and notice what he goes on to say Verse 36 where you have need of endurance How are we gonna get the reward?
Well if you trust a Christ your Savior you're growing in the Lord in order to get the reward It has to be endurance keep on keeping on doing what God wants you to do and notice he has put He says this in need of endurance so that when you have done the will of God now What does the will of God look like in your life? You know, I mean we're all in different zones different situations for some of you it's just being Think of marriage being what God wants you to be in your marriage for some It's it's you know when I'm in when I'm in my class at school. I'm living the Christian life You know I have a good testimony for some that work and I see a lot of this you know Hope Christians that work and and they don't do any work You know what it's God's will for you to do a good job where God places you that's that's a testimony and a lot of Christians rip their Testimony off by not being faithful in what God play where he places them. You know you think well This is just a little no end up dead end job You know what if you do whatever you do is under the Lord God's gonna reward that But you can rip yourself off I thought about some Christians and some of them and I don't know them receiving well But I know they profess faith in Christ they work and you can't count on them and you know what I'm thinking I'm thinking this person in one person.
I know for sure. I know he's a Christian But you can't really count on his work zone. So what's that gonna look like when you stand before the Lord? What can I what are you doing?
What were you thinking? God says we need endurance now endurance is that's what makes it tough because it's not fun. Sometimes endurance is not fun It's hard to stay steady, right? Remember when the good old days when you knew how to run right remember those good old days Anyway, you're running along you're on you know, and you can't well the older you get the shorter you go And the more your lungs talk to you what are you doing stupid, right?
Why are you trying to run? You're like I think I'm not to die You're right it's all let's quit it pops up all time, right? But God says keep on keeping on endure whatever wherever God places you do God's will right where you're at as long as he's got you there Do God's will because doing whatever God wants you to do where you are is going to resolve in a great reward If you live it out and you endure and do it, but we live in a sinful world We live in a broken world We all have situations that are broken and hard and frustrating and that's where endurance is required Because it's not easy and steady keep it going and these Christians were thinking about white waving the white flag I give up I give up and God through the authors is no no no endure endure endure. I got some great it's mega this big Don't miss out God loves us.
He doesn't want us to shortchange ourselves. He says you have need of endurance so that when you've done the will of God You may receive what was promised what was promised to break reward God has a reward for us. It's waiting and notice if if you take your eyes and you're in chapter 10 You go to verse 34 It says and this is talking about They're previous suffering or sir You showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property now that I'm finding that a little tougher I'll tell you But suffering the seizure of your property they ripped it away from you because you're a Christian knowing that you have for yourselves a better Possession and a what a lasting one. This is not only a mega reward.
This is a lasting eternal reward So you think think of the things we want to trade off for an eternal reward You know it's like playing with phony money play money. We sometimes we say well, you know, I'm just gonna live for the moment I'm gonna have fun for the day I'm gonna do this tonight and you're playing you're playing with phony money because it doesn't last doesn't count for anything And God said I want I want the best for you. I love you. I care for you I want to give you this great reward, but it's gonna take endurance You know what endurance requires faith It means that I believe that God's got something great ahead of head from even though I can't see it right now That's where faith comes in because faith requires us to believe what we can't see yet It's just like it's like trust in Christ You know Christ died on the cross you rose from the dead most of us haven't seen you know the the tomb and all of those things I haven't seen that stuff what we read it and we realize Christ did die he came he died he rose from the dead We believe that we trust Christ be our savior.
We haven't seen the person Christ. We weren't there But we trust him and now God wants us to grow in our trust in other realms to trust him for all of our life To keep keeping on in faith you know it says of those who suffer in Matthew 5 11. I read this to you blessed are you when people insult you well, you got to be kidding I Don't know to be insulted or people are you when people insult you in person? You and falsely say all kinds of people things against you and because of me because of me rejoice and be glad why this is silly This is silly.
This is all the wall. Why because the reward in heaven is great God got his something ahead for us. He wants the best for us, but notice He continues to instruct us as we think about this passage a little bit more verse 37 He was 10 for yet in a very little while he who is coming will come and will not delay you see now It's part of faith is waiting. He hasn't come yet.
He hasn't come but he says he will come and he's not gonna be late He's coming on his time table and he's not gonna miss up. He's not gonna be late not one second He's coming and what's gonna happen? Well part of his coming when he comes for his kids. He comes He's gonna reward his kids.
He wants to reward us and it's not worth. He's not late and we're not gonna miss the evaluation God wants the best for us. He's not gonna delay He will come I think of the passage in Revelations 22 12 be hold on coming quickly and my reward is with me to render to Every man that includes every one of us to render every man according to what he has done So we want to be we want to be prepared. We want to hang in there I notice he gives us more instructions to know how to do this in verse 38 He says but my righteous one shall live by faith now.
That's where endurance requires faith Now there's at least two rounds of righteousness one is pronounced righteousness when a person trusts Christ's or Savior God pronounces them righteous. They are declared righteous. They are justified But there's a practical righteousness as we as we live with the Lord for the Lord by faith We become practically more Righteous in our character so in its both of them are by faith. We start by faith.
We continue by faith One says not only the first step of faith, but he vital continuing on the path of faith is set before us as it as the way of life That's what God wants to the righteous one shall live by faith and if he shrinks back and that's our danger We swerve off the road. We hit the pothole. We go into the deep pit. He shrinks back.
My soul has no pleasure in him God wants us to live by faith and but when when We stay away from the word we stay away from God's people we move we veer off the road into the sinkhole Our faith gets it begins to shrivel It's riddles And God says I don't take pleasure when your faith is thrilling Remember what? The Lord said he says in Matthew and some of us looking at this in Luke yesterday, but she says don't worry about Don't worry about you know the stock right don't worry. Well, that's easy said right hard done Don't worry then you know what he says later on he says ye of little faith Now you didn't say you have no faith He says but you know what you got a wimpy faith here He says oh we need to grow on our faith. We need all of us.
You know we worry about stock We need to grow in faith remember when when Peter the Lord he was walking on the water and Peter's you know He's Lord over there. He says Lord just tell me to come and I'll just buzz right over there, right? So Lord says I don't know if Peter regret I think he did regret those words. He said and Lord said come Oops come okay.
Can you imagine? Oh? I don't know I see a fish there no, you know and oh He's not you look at the Lord look at the Lord and then his big wave comes along, you know and He starts thinking waves water sinking sharks. It's all over kiss her goodbye and he starts thinking help And the Lord grabs him Lord said he was little faith He doubted me.
Why did you doubt me? Yeah, we all doubt him at times. We all struggle, right? That's what God wants us to grow.
That's why we take in his word. We grow in the Lord So when our faith is wimpy it begins to grow we begin to build it back And so we have the more our faith increases are endurance increases and as our endurance increase our reward is even greater God's got God loves us. He's not trying to short change us, but he's saying yes. I know I know it's hard It's hard living a Christian life.
That's why endurance is central. Well, how do I endure? I I believe what God says in his word and I stay I stay in the race. I stay steady.
I keep going. I keep going when we when we think of I was a stand, you know, I was hanging in I know where the wall is so I will be coming there When when our faith Needs to grow we need to hang on to God's word. I'm sure I told this story years ago Martin I met At a Christian camp. We were juniors in high school and I was there.
I was supposed to be the wrangler right the cowboy dude with these horses and And so we had a bunch of farmers loaned the horses for the trail rides. The problem is they were not trail ride horses They weren't training for trail rides a trail ride horse just follows the horse in front of it, right? Farmer's horses don't know what to do and they think it's time to have fun, right? And so I remember we had and I took horses around and they're supposed to follow the leader right follow the leader anyway So we had a bunch of girls and they all knew everything about everything right and so I said has any of you written a horse the most?
Well wonder So I was trying to figure out who I put her on the most powerful horse because I thought if I don't have somebody control that horse everything's lost right and so I can't I can't I can't so she gets on this big black horse and And so in that big black horse it was actually my dad's horse and it was a powerful horse It's a good horse but powerful and so you know all these other girls all our other friends around horses And so the black horse I'm leading the way supposedly right I'm leading the way and she kicks that black horse and he takes off and And then all the other horses take off and I've got a bunch of screaming girls I'm hoping for the rapture but these screaming girls and none of them I realized none of them knew what they were doing All I could say is of course I was running to try to catch the black horse. I hope I catch the black horse I said hang on. Oh man. I could just see everything and coming into disaster right?
Hey, they did I tell you what I was never gonna let those girls on a horse again, right? You know what maybe you're right there. It's not hard. It's not easy right now.
You have an hard time And God says come to my word. I don't know what passage is unique. There's a certain passage We all need God brings him to our mind if we're in the word Yeah, I need that passage one of my favorite passage second just 12-9 he said to me my gracious of fishing for you for powers perfect in weakness I have to hold on to that passage to get through some days, right? But there are passages in God's word.
He wants to just he wants you to hang on to you want you to hold on to them So you don't fall off and crash He doesn't want you to veer off into disaster May God help us hold on to his truth that our faith will grow our endurance will keep on keeping on and we'll get a great reward Don't miss out. I don't want to miss out. We all have to hang on by God's grace by God's strength Let's pray God. We need your help Because we all sometimes run a wild a wild ride Help us hang on First to Christ as our Savior and into your word And matter how fast rough scary it is May we hang on So that our faith endures And our reward is mega we pray in Jesus name