Religious and Lost - 11

Well, back to Hebrews.

Having been away from it now for a few weeks, we come back to it and pick up where we left off. The gap hasn't been quite as large as that in the days of John Calvin. I don't know how much you know of his life, but he was preaching in Geneva regularly and he fell out of favor with the town council and they dismissed him summarily, you might say. And he went off, I think, to Germany for several years and then they wanted him back.

They begged him to come back. And so after three years' absence, he came back and he stood up in his former pulpit on the first Sunday and said, now as I was saying before, and he plunged right back, continuing his consecutive exposition of whatever passage he was in at the time. So as I was saying before in Hebrews, here we are back into chapter three. What the writer of Hebrews is warning his readers about is making a profession of faith that they do not continue to hold onto and to exercise right to the end of life. He shows that it is possible to profess faith in Christ but not to go to heaven because it is possible to have a profession of faith which is not the same as genuine, regenerating, saving faith.

And it is difficult many times to tell the difference, at least at the beginning of life's journey, life's Christian journey. And so this book, as much as any other book in the Bible, shows us how we can distinguish between true saving faith and a superficial profession of faith which will not save. Twice in this chapter, before we get to our text for today in verses 16 through 19, the writer of Hebrews has said, you will go to heaven. You will, like the Israelites of old, you will be able to enter the promised land. To them it was the land of Canaan, to us it is the land of heaven. You will do that if you hold fast your profession of faith to the end. And then he gives that illustration about Old Testament Israel that started out with such great privileges in their release from Egyptian bondage, but the majority, the vast majority of them failed to believe God and did not receive the promises which God has given.

They had every religious advantage but failed to obtain the goal. And that is a warning for the Hebrews in the first century that had professed faith in Christ and that is a warning for any in our day who may profess themselves to be Christians. Now our text today in verses 16 through 19 is a series of questions designed to make us think.

There are several questions because some of the questions are answered with a question so there are various ways to count the questions but as I count them I find four primary questions plus their answer and then one concluding answer with an implied question. So we have question number one verse 16. For who having heard rebelled? And the answer to that question also in verse 16 says and it's also in the form of a question indeed was it not all who came out of Egypt led by Moses? Question number one who having heard rebelled or provoked God depending on what particular version you are looking at at this time. Who having heard? Heard what?

That's a good question for us to ask of the question. Who having heard what? And the answer is who having heard the word of God. The writer is reminding them that the Israelites in Egyptian bondage had the wonderful privilege of hearing the voice of Almighty God. They heard the word of God spoken through Moses the appointed messenger of God who was raised up to represent God and to speak the word of God to the people of God because God in that day as in our day uses human instruments in order to communicate his word and we therefore must recognize the voice of God through the voice within the voice of man and be able to tell not every man who claims to be speaking for God is in fact speaking for God.

Not everyone who claims to be properly teaching the word of God is accurately teaching the word of God and so we have a responsibility to listen to what is proclaimed to us and to distinguish what is truly the word of God from what may not be but we are responsible for what we hear from men who are proclaiming the word of God to us to receive it as it is indeed not only the word of men but in fact the word of the living God. The word of God came to these Israelites through the human instrumentality of Moses. A man that all of us would agree was a great man greatly used of God but also all of us would agree was simply a human being like ourselves sinful weak fallible he wasn't perfect he stumbled in several ways and yet God raised him up to speak the word of God to them and they heard the word of the living God spoken to them by this man Moses but they not only had the privilege of hearing the word of God spoken to them by Moses but they had the privilege of hearing at least a few times the word of God spoken to them directly. They heard the voice of God from Mount Sinai gathered around the base of the mountain as Moses was up on the mountain and as the fire and the lightning and the other representations of God Almighty were seen by them at that time they also heard the voice of God to speak and so they heard the voice of God primarily through the lips of Moses or in many cases through the lips of Aaron who was Moses spokesman that's interesting God spoke to Moses Moses spoke to Aaron Aaron spoke to the people and it was still God's word even though it passed through two human instruments before it came to them but they even heard the word of God spoken to them directly from the mountain that's what they heard who having heard who having heard causes us to ask the question who is the writer talking about here and of course the context clearly supplies the answer and he means by that those who were alive in the days of Moses and started out in Egyptian bondage and then by the miraculous power of God and by the wonderful grace of God were freed from Egyptian bondage those who began their journey out of Egypt into the wilderness and on the way to the promised land those who were and we use this language redeemed out of Egypt and yet that redemption is not the same as eternal redemption is it because most of those who were redeemed out of Egypt died without entering the promised land but he's talking about those who began their journey from Egypt to Canaan as many of you Hebrews that I'm writing to have begun your journey as a follower of Jesus Christ but if you don't continue trusting him to the end you like them will fall short of the promise he's talking to those who began well but for the most part did not continue to the end that's who who having heard and even tells us in verse 16 of this privileged people what was their response they rebelled they didn't like God's word when it came to them they said I don't like what God has spoken to us I don't believe what God has spoken to us and so they rebelled against the word of the living God let me read from Numbers chapter 14 verse 29 one of so many passages this book of Hebrews drives us back to the Old Testament again and again and again nearly half of Hebrews chapter 3 our quotations from the Old Testament and so we read in Numbers 14 verse 29 but the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left so the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore thus Israel saw the great work which God had done in Egypt so the people feared the Lord and believed the Lord and his servant Moses that sure sounds good doesn't it but then we come on to read in verse 17 or chapter 17 of Exodus then all the children with all the congregation of the children of Israel set out on their journey from the wilderness of sin according to the commandment of the Lord encamped in Rephidim but there was no water for the people to drink therefore the people contended with Moses and said give us water that we may drink so Moses said to them why do you contend with me why do you tempt or test or provoke the Lord and the people thirsted there for water and the people complained against Moses and said why have you brought us up out of Egypt to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst so Moses cried out to the Lord saying what shall I do with his people they are almost ready to stone me they rebelled first they believed the word of God and believed Moses God's spokesman and just a few chapters later they are rebelling against God they are vehemently declaring their disbelief in him they don't believe that he's going to keep his promises they don't believe that he can or will sustain them in the wilderness they don't believe that he will supply what is needed in spite of all of the evidences of God's power and grace that they have already seen and so we find a privileged people in verse 16 who having heard rebelled and so the first answer to the first question is was it not all who came out of Egypt led by Moses question number one for who having heard rebelled answer indeed was it not all who came out of Egypt led by Moses was it not all who were delivered from Egypt who rebelled was it not all who were led by Moses out of Egypt pointing to the man Moses and the wonderful miracles which he did by the power of God in their midst those who were delivered from Egypt by Moses are they not the ones who having heard rebelled now a little side note here but helpful one it says all all who came out of Egypt all who were led by Moses who rebelled and this is another one of those cases where we find the word all in the scripture and yet it's clear that it doesn't mean absolutely all every person without exception because we do know a few exceptions to this statement did everyone who came out of Egypt rebel against God rebel against Moses and die in the wilderness well not Joshua not Caleb and not all of those who were under the age of 20 but all the rest did so all here doesn't mean every one without exception and God expects us to know the scriptures well enough to know what the exceptions are he doesn't have to spell them out but he's using the word all to mean a great many he's using the word all evidently to mean the great majority he's using the word all here to mean a vast number it's unbelievable that so many of those who saw such great miracles and heard the word of God in such great measure and had such great privileges that so many of them rebelled and died in the wilderness how tragic that is how instructive that is who heard the word of God and rebelled was it not all who came out of out of Egypt led by Moses those who saw the miracles of God performed through Moses those who crossed the Red Sea on dry ground in a great display of God's power those who saw the presence of God on a daily basis in the daytime in the cloud in the nighttime in the pillar of fire every single day of their lives they saw evidence of the presence of God with them was it not those who daily ate manna in the wilderness and were fed by God miraculously with bread from Kevin without fail it was there every single day as appointed by God was it not those who in the wilderness walked on on sandals on rough ground and yet their sandals did not wear out year after year who wore clothes in difficult circumstances and yet their clothes did not wear out year after year again daily evidence of the power and loving care of God for them who was it having heard rebelled it is people who had more divine revelation than anyone who went before them I cannot point to anyone in the Bible before this time who had anywhere near the revelation of God in his word the manifestations of God's power in the miracles that were performed the evidences of God's loving care in the way that he provided everything they needed and yet they doubted God they questioned God they disbelieved God they provoked God they rebelled against God they privileged people who stubbornly refused to believe God to honor God to trust him with their lives that's who who having heard rebelled and who today would this apply to well it would apply to many people who also have heard God's word how many professing Christians how many millions of professing Christians across the world today how many millions of professing Christians in the United States of America today have heard the word of God some all of their lives having grown up in church and yet still do not trust God do not believe God do not obey God rebel against his word pick and choose what they are going to believe in what they're not pick and choose what they're going to obey and what they are not in other words just as rebellious against God as these in the wilderness in the days of Moses the privileged people verse 16 a stubborn people verse 17 now with whom was he angry 40 years was it would not with those who sinned whose corpses fell in the wilderness question number two with whom was he angry 40 years with who was he angry 40 years the people described in verse 16 who having heard rebelled who came out of Egypt led by Moses those people and what happened to them they incurred God's anger God's wrath now with whom was he angry again a subject which is often avoided in our day but you cannot preach the whole counsel of God without reminding people that God is a God of holy anger of holy wrath that will eventually call unbelieving rebels to judgment if they will not hear his voice if they will not heed his voice if they will not believe him if they will not humble themselves before him if they will not repent of their sins then eventually they are going to experience the wrath of almighty God it's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God the Bible tells us with whom was he angry 40 years 40 years the emphasis there upon the length of time they spent in the wilderness the fact that they were in the wilderness 40 years is itself a testimony to their unbelief and stubbornness that journey even with a huge group of people and it could have been as many as 2 million people involved here even with that many people and all of the logistics of trying to organize and move that many people over a number of miles but even a company of people that size could have made that journey from point A to point B from Egypt into Canaan in a matter of a couple of three weeks at the most but they were the wilderness 40 years because of unbelief you remember they came right up to the edge of Canaan very quickly and spies were sent in and they refused to report and did not believe and so God said okay round and round and round you go giving time for all of those unbelievers to die in the wilderness and not go into the promised land except for Joshua and Caleb who believed God so with whom was he angry 40 years these people who had such great privileges freed from Egypt given much revelation about God they are the ones the stubborn people who for 40 years had time to learn of God time to grow time to believe time to improve to repent of their former unbelief and antagonism against God and to submit themselves to the hand of God but they over 40 years they refused to learn they refused to grow they refused to believe they became worse not better it's interesting in Psalm 95 the psalmist points to the beginning and to the end of their 40-year journey he points to one particular rebellion at the beginning the one I just read about in the book of Exodus where they didn't have water and so they cried out in unbelief to Moses and demanded that he do something about it and indicated that they didn't believe God and they weren't happy with their circumstances so they rebelled at the beginning of their journey and then almost a repeat of the same thing at the end in Numbers chapter 20 now at the end of their wilderness journey now there was no water for the congregation so they gathered together against Moses and Aaron and the people contended with Moses and spoke saying if only we had died when our brethren died before the Lord why have you brought up the assembly of the Lord into the wilderness that we and our animals should die here and why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place it is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates nor is there any water to drink and on it goes the same complaint the same rebellion the same unbelief the same contending with God 40 years after the first one and of course in between are a whole lot of other examples of unbelief and disobedience and rebellion but here at the beginning rebelled disbelieving that God would supply water at the end 40 years rebelled still not believing that God would supply water after he had sustained them for 40 years in a place where nobody could find sustenance 40 years to see the sustaining mercy of God in their lives how God fed them in the wilderness and so forth and yet after 40 years no better no more believing no more obedient no more humble no more appreciative no more thankful for what God has done in bringing them out of Egyptian slavery nothing but carp carp carp complain complain complain criticize criticize criticize doubt doubt doubt unbelief unbelief unbelief it really is amazing that God didn't just kill them right there in the wilderness he he's declared that he would do that one time he said I'm going to kill them all Moses and I'll raise up a nation out of your children start all over again and Moses became the great interceder and pled with God not to do that and he reminded God if you do that then the nations around will know that the people you brought out of Egypt you weren't able to deliver and it will bring dishonor to you that's a good way to pray that's a good way to pray not Lord do what I want you to do but Lord honor your name Lord glorify yourself Lord work in such a way that your love your grace your power your wisdom is displayed powerful way to pray when Moses prayed that way God said okay I won't destroy them all but he should have if they received the justice which they deserved he should have and would have so the second question with whom was he angry 40 years the second answer was it not those who sinned whose corpses fell in the wilderness it was a sinning people it was a judged people who were denied entrance into the promised land and died as a result of their unbelief because refusal to receive God's word is a dangerous thing refusal to receive God receive God's word is a fatal matter I'm going to say some things carefully and I hope you will listen to everything I'm going to say now because I am going to say it carefully and I preface some applications of this last statement with this this declaration that only God knows the heart and so only God knows when legitimate searching for truth crosses the line into stubborn rejection of truth but I wonder how many people who have been shown the doctrines of grace the sovereignty of God the doctrine of election in the Bible sufficiently enough to know that it's there and yet are unwilling to believe it and stubbornly refuse it I wonder how many of those are honest seekers who really want to know and understand and obey the revelation of God and they're struggling with what appears to them to be contradictions which they haven't worked out yet and how many of them are just simply manifesting an unbelieving heart and if they continue in that vein they will not go to heaven only God knows the condition of the heart but I'm telling you it's a dangerous thing to refuse the truth that God gives to us it's a dangerous thing I'm wondering how many I'm speaking to who have up to until now refused God's commandment for believers to identify themselves with him and believers baptism again only God knows the heart I'm not making any judgment I don't know among those who profess to be saved and haven't been baptized I don't know how many were genuinely born again some of them may truly not be regenerated and it would be better that they not be baptized but God who knows the heart knows that if you are rejecting this for any reason other than you don't know you're saved that would be a good reason are living in dangerous territory rejecting the word of God treating it lightly treating it as if it doesn't matter treating it with a cavalier attitude doesn't really matter you're saved by faith not by baptism of course nobody said otherwise so I don't need to be baptized no that's not obeying the truth of the Bible is it the Bible doesn't say you're saved by baptism but the Bible says safe people are commanded to be baptized now what's your problem and I'm saying to you this is a dangerous thing to reject truth see the illustration of it in the people of Israel in Hebrews 3 and in Psalm 95 and in the books of Exodus and Numbers shall I go on I'll stop there well I'll mention one more when it comes to the matter of church relationship church membership if you please I recognize that there's some people who have honest wrestlings with exactly what the Bible teaches and requires in that area but God knows the heart and if it comes to the place known to God in your heart that you know what the Bible requires but for whatever reason prideful reason fleshly reason you're unwilling to obey you're in dangerous territory I don't know only God knows but as a faithful representative of God speaking God's Word to you I'm telling you whenever you reject the truth of God that comes to you that you know to be true but you will not obey it you are putting yourselves perilously close to the category of the Israelites who died in the wilderness and were not allowed to enter into the promised land so we have a privileged people verse 16 a stubborn people verse 17 a disobedient people verse 18 third question and to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest but to those who did not obey third question to whom did he swear they would not enter his rest to those God swore something and when God swears something by an oath you can be certain that it will take place it is certain it is irrevocable God said you people that I'm that are in this category who are stubborn and unbelieving and and will not yield to me you people will not enter my rest period no changing that because now God has sworn it by an oath you're dead men walking there comes a time even when people are alive when you cross the line too much disobedience too much unbelief too much rejection too much hardness of heart too much stubbornness until finally God says that's all your day of grace your day of opportunity is over and again only God knows only God knows the heart I can't tell you when that time comes I always hope and pray for every living soul outside of Christ that he will yet repent and believe I pray that way I urge God to save people that way but I'm also aware that it's possible that some people have gone beyond the place where they may yet be saved I don't know who they may be to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest these people described here prohibited from the Promised Land they will not enter his rest Canaan a place where they will rest from their wanderings they will not rent or enter his rest Canaan a place where they will rest from the destruction of their enemies but no doubt phrased this way they will not enter his rest because they could have just as easily said they will not enter Canaan they will not enter the Promised land but they will not enter his rest because we are to think of a relationship between the promised land that they could not enter and the heavenly rest that all who profess faith in Christ hope to enter expect to enter and yet there's this danger of professing faith in Christ but not entering his rest.

To whom did he swear they would not enter his rest? Answer verse 18 to those who did not obey those who were persistently disobedient without heart repentance because you see disobedience manifests unbelief. Sometimes in understanding and believing and contending for the truth that salvation is by grace through faith it's not by works. Sometimes we drive such a wedge between faith and works that we don't give them their proper biblical relationship and though it's true we're saved by faith not by works yet the Bible also teaches that saving faith always produces works not perfect works but it always produces works it always produces obedience it always produces a desire to live for the Lord if it doesn't produce that then it wasn't saving faith whatever it was it wasn't saving faith because saving faith always produces that. Likewise unbelief always produces disobedience. There's a relationship between faith producing works and unbelief producing disobedience. To whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest? To those who did not obey.

And you can look at this on several levels. God commands us to believe. Failure to obey that command is sin it's disobedience. God tells us to believe him and if we don't believe him we have disobeyed. Our unbelief ushers in disobedience and of course many other disobedience is to follow other commands of his word that we cast aside. So that's question number three and answer number three and that brings us therefore to the fourth one in verse 19. So we see that here's a summary they could not enter in because of unbelief. Now we come to the fourth answer that doesn't have a spoken question but I think I see an implied question. We have three stated questions for who having heard rebelled in verse 16 now with whom was he angry 40 years verse 17 and to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest verse 18 and verse 19 the implied question is so who didn't enter in who could not enter in because of unbelief the question is implied not stated the question is why could they not enter in I'm getting ahead of myself here the pre implied question is why could they not enter in and verse 18 says because they did not obey verse 19 says because they did not believe see how close these two things are joined together I'm not saying anything that God's Word doesn't say what I remind you of the close connection between faith and obedience on the one hand and unbelief and disobedience on the other hand why could they not enter in verse 18 says because they did not obey why could they not enter in verse 19 says because they did not believe so we see they could not enter in because of unbelief the absence of faith God requires faith without faith it's impossible to police please him the absence of faith which God requires rendered them unable to enter in they evidenced their unbelief by their continued unrepentant disobedience and we learn therefore what is the root of disobedience it's unbelief when you and I sin as we do even as Christians there are no perfect Christians and we do sin and that's why the Bible makes provision for us if we confess our sins he's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness but in that moment that we sinned we were not believing as we should if we believed God if we believe the promises of his word if we believed that he ought to be honored by our lives and not not to be dishonored by our disobedience if we believed all these things and many other things that are revealed to us in Scripture we would not have entertained and participated in that sin but we did because at that moment we were not believing what the Bible teaches us and what we said we believed the root of disobedience is unbelief so to broaden the question let's consider this question what sends people to hell what sends people to hell is it unbelief or is it disobedience both what sends people to hell unbelief because they would not believe the gospel they would not believe that they are sinners who need to be saved and that Christ died for sinners and they will not embrace Christ as their only way of salvation and trust him completely so people who don't do that who don't believe go to hell that what sends people to hell unbelief but the same question could be answered correctly in other way what sends people to hell disobedience those who go to hell are being judged for what their sins those who go to heaven have their sins removed so there's no sin to bar them entrance from heaven for trust in Christ removes our sin debt trust in Christ removes our sin record trust in Christ gives us an imputed righteousness which is required by God a perfect righteousness and so those who go to heaven go by faith not by works if we were depending upon our works we could never get there but trusting in Christ we do go there but those who go to hell go there because they are experiencing the just judgment for their sins sin upon sin upon sin upon sin upon sin upon sin upon sin upon sin upon sin that has not been repented of that has not been confessed that has not been acknowledged that has not been committed to the Lord Jesus Christ so what sends people to hell and disobedience sinfulness God's judgment for sin no unbeliever shall enter God's rest faith produces a life of humble obedience unbelief produces a life of proud disobedience on repenting sinfulness that's the difference it's not the difference between the believer and the unbeliever is not that the unbeliever sins and the believer doesn't the difference is the unbeliever sins without repentance without acknowledgement of their sin without going to Christ as as their Savior without submitting to Christ in his authority in their lives his lordship without acknowledging that he has every right to command us and that we have no right to disobey him it's a repenting attitude towards sin that distinguishes the sinning but trusting repenting and trusting believer who goes to heaven and the sinning but unrepentant untrusting unbeliever who goes to hell faith produces a life of humble obedience unbelief produces a life of proud disobedience on repenting sinfulness sin that is ignored sin that is denied we won't acknowledge it sin that is justified we excuse it make excuses for it well yeah I did that but I was justified in doing it because don't go down that road just say I sinned I repent I plead your mercy I beg your forgiveness I claim the blood of Jesus Christ God's Son whose death on the cross forgives us cleanses us from all sin that's the road you want to go down you don't want to be cavalier you don't want to be careless you don't want to can treat it as nothing you don't want to ignore it you don't want to justify it I did that because she some husband say of their wives and their wives turn around and say I did that because he stop it stop it stop it go to the Lord and say I sinned against you forgive me for Christ's sake repent acknowledge your sin manifest your faith in Christ your faith in the Word of God now in closing let me give you some lessons there's so many lessons that come out of this passage I hardly knew where to begin so I'll start with this one you might not have thought I would draw this one out of this passage but let me give it to you anyway a lesson in divine sovereignty and human responsibility you see when it comes to the Israelites God promised that they would enter Canaan that was God's sovereign promise to them but the unbelievers did not enter Canaan what happened well they didn't exercise the command to believe that's human responsibility the blessings of Canaan were promised God's sovereignty but they required faith man's responsibility and they required warfare labor in order to conquer the land of Canaan for them to be able to enjoy it that's human responsibility and likewise we must believe God we must believe that he keeps his promises we must and they must believe God and believe that God would do whatever was necessary to get them into the land of Canaan that if God promised they were going there he couldn't and wouldn't fail to sustain them in the wilderness so why are they complaining about not having water won't the God who promised them Canaan supply the water they need to keep them alive until they get there come on now right you see God's sovereignty doesn't mean that he's going to pick them up on a cloud and transport them over the land of Canaan and drop them in the land God's promise of Canaan means he's going to take them to the wilderness and all of the hardships and trials and difficulties but he will sustain them he will provide what they need he will bring them through do you believe that amen you're going into Canaan will you not believe that you can't go in only those who believe you see but on to a main application from this passage is a lesson about saving faith and think about some things here association with impressive leaders will not save you there's hardly been a more impressive leader than Moses all of these people knew him personally they had personal interactions with Moses over the course of 40 years if anyone could say I had a relationship with so-and-so I had relationship with Moses they could say it and yet the majority of them died under the judging hand of God again only God knows your heart but I've known people when you ask them about the relationship with Christ they say well I was saved under the ministry of so-and-so and they put all their faith in that I can remember a man who was so proud of the fact that he was saved in a revival by it but it was that was conducted by Mordecai Ham I've heard that name I have no idea don't know much about Mordecai Ham but he was a famous man in his day I went forward in a meeting by Mordecai Ham of course I'm going to heaven that won't take you to heaven the question is have you been born again have do you have saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ are you believing Christ now not did you go forward empty number of years ago in association with a famous person associations with impressive leaders will not save you religious associations will not save you we're all people of the of the of the nation of Israel the seed of Abraham the people who have received God's covenant promises of course we're going to heaven no you're going to die in the wilderness and not enter God's rest and many people like that I grew up in the church I've done this I've done that no religious associations will not save you only Christ faith in Christ will save you religious experiences will not save you I've seen this I've experienced that I've spoken in tongues I've done this that the other yeah these people had more religious experiences than you could count and died in the wilderness and did not enter in religious experiences will not save you nor will professed faith coupled with persistent disobedience professed faith with a persistently disobedient attitude people who profess faith in Christ but they're negative about this they're negative about that they're negative about the preacher they're negative about the church they're negative about the Bible they're negative professed faith with persistently disobedient attitude will not save you that's not saving faith unbelief dishonors God unbelief forfeits God's blessings so how do we identify saving faith saving faith is persevering faith that's the picture of this whole chapter those who begin in faith and continue in faith and end in faith are saved if a true believer falls away for a time and it does happen sometimes he will return if he's a true believer if a defector from the faith does not return he will be lost and that's evidence he never truly was saved now we have no way of knowing his true spiritual standing during that period of departure we have people sitting on pews in this auditorium right now who grew up in this church and then departed for a while and then God brought them back how wonderful what was your standing before God when you were away out of the out of the far country well probably unconverted but only God knows I can't say that but I do know this if you are a true child of God he's going to bring you back into a fruitful productive humble believing saving relationship with Christ that I know for sure I don't know whether that's going to apply to you or whether your waywardness as it continues and we don't see you coming back is going to be evidence of your apostasy and your eventual eternal condemnation I can't tell only God knows but I can tell you this if you're a true child of God you're coming back if you're an apostate you may not come back but if you are a defector God may still save you and bring you back he may not bring you back because you are a true child of God who is brought back to where you truly believed before it may be that you were a counterfeit Christian before but God in his mercy is now going to save you and make you a true follower of Christ so in regard to our loved ones we should hope and pray for their return when they're out in the far country we should not presume that they are saved but we should not presume that they are lost only God knows and we can always hope and pray that God will truly save them but in regard to ourselves and we conclude with this we should not presume that we cannot fall away that's what this passage is all about but don't you believe in eternal security yes true believers never fall from God never fall from grace but sometimes we can't tell between a professing believer that's a counterfeit empty profession and a true believer who's truly being regenerated so we should not presume that we cannot fall away some have fallen away that we were confident we're saved but evidently we're not and therefore we should take the warnings of scripture serious like like the ones in this passage we should attend daily to our spiritual well-being we should pray keep me Lord oh keep me cleaving to thyself and still believing till the hour of my receiving promise joys with thee shall we pray father apply these truths to our souls today we ask in Jesus name amen