In a sermon drawn from Hebrews 10:32-39, David Doster opens with a powerful call to remembrance — the kind of deep, deliberate recollection that Moses urged upon Israel in Deuteronomy 6, and the same kind the writer of Hebrews urges upon weary Jewish Christians living under the shadow of Nero's persecution. Just as God's people were warned not to forget the Lord after entering a land of full cisterns and stocked houses they did not build, these early believers were in danger of taking for granted what Christ had done and shrinking back from the faith under mounting public pressure, humiliation, and loss. David draws vivid parallels between their struggle and our own, noting that while most of us are not facing imprisonment or death for our faith, the comforts and consumerism of modern life can quietly inoculate us against the very gospel we profess.

From there, David moves through three anchoring truths for the path of perseverance: recalling with gratitude how God met His people in former days of suffering, continuing with bold confidence rooted in Christ's thorough and once-for-all sacrifice, and living with an enduring hope fixed on the eternal reward that awaits. He leans on passages like Romans 5:3-5, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, and Romans 8:18 to remind us that present suffering is not without purpose — it is producing endurance, character, and hope. The sermon closes with Paul's final words to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:3-10, a portrait of a man near the finish line who is still fanning the flame, still pressing through the tape, still declaring that it is Christ who "abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" (2 Tim. 1:10).

If you haven't already, turn to Hebrews chapter 10 and we're diving into the last verses of Hebrews, chapter 10, verses 32 through 39.

Let's pray.

Lord, we thank you for everyone that's here this morning. We do delight to see Frank and Kate with us. Lord, pray your encouragement for them and for all who are here today. Think of Taryn and Steve and their. Their upcoming travels, Lord Romanian, for a sweet reunion, encouragement and refreshment as well.

And just thinking, Lord, again, even as, as we're we're singing, were remembering here today that our salvation is our firm foundation and nothing else. No one else. So even in these moments, in your word, reinforce and fortify that precious and powerful truth. Let me just read through these verses for us and you can follow along.

"But recall the former days when after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward, for you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what is promised for yet a little while. And the coming one will come and will not delay. But my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls." - Hebrews 10:32-39

I want to begin this morning, even as you can see in the outline, the whole notion of the path of perseverance, there are many subjects, topics that are appropriate for our day. But I would say in this particular culture, the notion of persevering and enduring by faith is probably a very important, important one and a very timely one because there's so many things that come at that seek to undermine, diminish and even assault our faith. So I want to begin this morning by considering the whole notion of the power of remembrance. Do you live with remembrance? Of course you do.

Here's just a sampling from history. And as you see, each Image, what does it stir down deep down inside? The first, we just commemorated 25 years ago. And even as I think of that, I feel things stirring inside of me because we were living 30 miles or so outside of Washington D.C. and this was the third of the three planes that had found their targets. And the first person I called was my sister working in Crystal City, one mile from the Pentagon.

And when I called and her voice answered on the other phone, boy did that, there was a heart of gratitude. Everyone here, I'm sure, at least if you have enough age on you can remember where you were as those events unfolded that day. Some of us have to go way back, even further for the next slide. Do you remember that 1963 in November, two other interesting figures of history, C.S. lewis and Bertrand Russell, also died on that same day.

But this was the funeral service for President John F. Kennedy. And that is his son John John, standing there saluting as the horseless caisson paraded past as a part of his processional. This next one, you'll remember that one. Not that you were necessarily there, but it's one of those iconic images that goes back to the end of World War II. And I guess you were just supposed to find the closest girl you could and give her a big kiss, just but to let her know it was a form of celebration.

You weren't making a move or anything more personal. Closer to home is that one. Go back and think through as those little ones came into the world and do you remember those initial moments and what it was like to hold that precious one there as. As well. Or here's another one.

And that is you can see this, this joyful couple as they've just been married and all the exhilaration that feels. Can you go back to that and remember that as well? And then one more, and that is when someone that you know and love celebrates their declaration of their faith and allegiance in the Lord Jesus Christ when they've been immersed in the waters of baptism. Remembrance. That's part of how God made us.

Isn't it interesting just the ton of times that we read about the Exodus as a Marker of what God had done in the course of the history of his people, again and again reflecting back on him as well. Now we look at our Bibles here and I dare say that you have a chapter 10 and then you can see that as we come to the end, chapter 11. But again, as we've said before, there weren't any, any of these Markers and this was given as a sermon. Now if you Were to read through the, let's say, the ESV, a deliberate reading of the ESV would probably stretch out about 52 minutes. So here we are at the end of chapter 10.

So maybe not, we don't know this officially, but maybe at the 37, 38 minute Mark. Again, a deliberate delivery. But one thing I thought about is how many times in that initial delivery did the preacher pause for certain aspects of truth to sink in. And was there as he gave that any opportunity? Because sometimes in the synagogue engagement there could be some back and forth, but we won't know that for all certainty here.

But as we think about the whole path of perseverance and we come to the end of chapter 10 and we think of what has already been covered up to this point, what we realize is how the Lord has worked in the spirit through this individual to what? To give the foundation, to show the path, to fortify these believers, these Jewish believers there in that Greco Roman culture, living up under the shadow of a dictator by the name of, of Nero, who is exceedingly oppressive over the course of those believers. And as the persecution begins to arise, there's temptation to retreat, to return, as we read there, even at the end, to shrink back from faith, to turn away. They needed it then and we need it today. So when we think of what's unfolding here, one of the things that he's wanting them to do, as we saw in the initial verses, kind of as we're about to dive in, is to recall in those early persecutions, how the Lord met you, you, the believers reading this and sustained you even while going through that.

In addition, secondly, continuing with confidence, and your confidence is what rooted and grounded in Christ's sacrifice alone. And then third, to live with an enduring hope in the Lord's promised reward. So think for a moment in a very real and practical way, that truly our daily, what life of faith, faith entails the Lord's faithfulness from the past in the present. And even as we look ahead into the future and the finish line, he was there at the beginning, he's present now, and he will be there. Even as we sang a moment ago, we don't stay in the grave, no, we.

We're lifted up into the glories of heaven. So as we think of these verses, let's boil it down and let's ask if you're the preacher addressing an audience of weary, worn Jewish Christian Christ followers living in a foreign land and a culture, we're increasing public pressure, persecution, humiliation and all manner of challenge. And you Are tempted to retreat, to back away, to shrink back from Jesus and the gospel. Well, what does he provide us? What do we have?

Strip it all away. And what undergirds us to press ahead? We can. Can look at it at arm's length and say, well, those Jewish Christian believers in that culture. But how many times even now, whether it's here or we're hearing multiple reports all around the world of Christians that are facing even death.

Look at the magazines out there, the voice of the martyrs. And there's ongoing recounting of the sacrifices we've heard from brothers and sisters in Ukraine and many other settings as well. So here, here, just as we think of the battle for these folks, but whatever may unfold for us here, just some things for us to consider. If you'll pull that one up. First of all, that we need to live as they did, convinced everything that has come before in the old covenant was pointing forward to Jesus.

Boy, has that not been hammered home in some remarkable ways, almost comprehensive ways over the course of these 10 chapters. Secondly, again, Jesus's sacrifice was thorough, total, comprehensive. And once for all, what would we add to the sacrifice of Christ? Look to your left and to your right. And we are in this together.

Did Rick not do an incredible job just two weeks ago, challenging us to let us consider how to. What? Stimulate, irritate, provoke, encourage, build up. And then he enumerated all manner of things. I came up out of my chair, and then we had to try to figure out how to move into communion after that.

So convicting and then remember your history. This is important. This is where remembrance is one of those things that's cultivated over the course of our journey, from the moment we come to faith to the very present and moving forward. Because with remembrance, what are we able to do? We're able to remember and give an accounting of how God met us in those places along the way.

And we build. He builds a legacy of faith which, oh, by the way, we had the privilege to pass on to others and then. So endure with confidence as you look forward to your eternal reward. Is that a reality? You alluded to that.

Brian, your mom just turned 92. She's looking forward. That should be a reality, a Marker. Because even as Moses said, if we live 70 or if due to strength, 80, our days are numbered. So teach us how to live what?

With a heart of wisdom. Help us, Lord, to live in a way that honors you. And then keep in mind that you stand on the shoulders of those who came before. We're coming to at Least as they had designated chapter 10. But what's coming?

Oh my beats. Canton, Ohio Football hall of Fame or, or up in Massachusetts. No, this is an eternal hall of fame. And God's people that have gone before us have provided examples, have demonstrated the reality of living out faith in conditions that would even that sometimes be hard for us to comprehend. I still remember grand going to Romania and with the nurse that was working with Dwight.

And we go into this massive. Because at least for those periods of years of communism, mostly high rise dormitories, almost like going into the inner city in some parts of the United States. And we go down this hall and there's no light. So when we get to the place where you turn right to go down the next hall, it's even darker. You remember that.

And we knock on the door and this precious older lady all alone with only a single wire and single light bulb hanging down. And I just simply watched as Carrie just provided kind of just the most basic care. But what it was, it was touching. It was saying that you value and we're willing to come to where you are. And of course Dwight was remarkable in the way in which he modeled that.

But that's still to come. The shoulders. So as we think of these, these verses here, beginning in verse 32 through 34 under the heading a call to remember, notice what he says here. Verse 32 said, but recall. And in this, it's the only place where actually this verb appears in Hebrews.

And what he's saying, and MacArthur puts it this way, says carefully thinking back and reconstructing in what your minds as to what happened. Go back to those early days, it says former day. So the, the sense is that there's been a portion of time that has passed. It wasn't just the day before, maybe even years, maybe some decades since they faced this initially. Now this is important and it's not a unique concept.

In fact it permeates the scripture. Here's a passage from Deuteronomy, chapter six. And this is, you know, in the second Law. And this is as they're getting ready to move into the promised land.

"And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob to give you with great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant, and when you eat and are full, then take care, lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. It is the Lord your God you shall fear, him you shall serve. And by his name you shall swear you shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you. For the Lord your God is in your midst as a jealous God, lest the anger of the Lord your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth." - Deuteronomy 6

And then again, it's never just about us. Verse 20.

"And when your son asks you in time to come, in other words, looking ahead, what is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the Lord our God has commanded you?" - Deuteronomy 6:20

In other words, in the moment. But God's always prompting us, while we live in the moment, to look out to the horizon. And especially as we think of what, what it is we're actually going to pass on, I thought of the. The fact that what if you just were given a home, brand new home, and you walk in and man, it's got plumbing and it's got electricity and it's got a fireplace and it even has a brand new refrigerator, and that rascal is already stocked with all kinds of stuff in there.

But what is he saying? What is Moses pointing out to these believers? The same thing that's endemic to all of us from that moment to this. And we can fall asleep, we can take for granted, we can lose sight of, and our sense of appreciation and gratitude begins to diminish and in a sense dissipate, where we're just again taking things and taking others for granted. But here he's saying, remember?

And these folks, as they think of that again in that culture, in that context, especially if they had come out of Jewish homes, which most of them had, what would have been the response of their families? You're dead to me. Imagine that. When we think of counting the cost. I think we're mostly Gentiles here this morning.

But when you've come out of that, or think of today as the gospel is going forth into Muslim places and you turn away from that, if they don't kill you or marginalize you, that you're dead to them. It's as if you no longer exist. Imagine the cost in that. If you were a business person and you were part of a guild, which often were, and then they had individual gods that they worshiped as an expression within those, sort of in a superstitious way, asking for blessing over their businesses, but you're not worshiping their God, you're now worshiping Jesus, well, you're no longer part of us. That's going to probably hit your bottom line.

Hey, don't do business with them. The costs, public policy, all kinds of struggle as well.

Then verse, verse 33 impacts the details. He gives kind of a general statement. And then in verse 20, verse 33, he goes into some more of the specifics. Sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your own property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession, an abiding one as well.

Here he delves down into some of the details, the painfulness, even humiliation. How many of us in the course of our journey have truly found ourselves humiliated for our faith just simply because you claim the name of Jesus Christ?

Now we're here rejoicing. We have this incredible privilege to gather in this place to worship. But the reality is our worship can continue to manifest itself as we go out. And in that regard we. The Bible describes us as an aroma, at least to some, but to those who are perishing, as Paul writes in Corinthians, that may stir up opposition.

What is the nature, the depth and the breadth and the fortification of our faith in such a way that we're equipped to engage even to receive what that looks like? The struggle that he talks about here, it's interesting, it's kind of from an athletic expression. Clark goes back and he points in his his study as well. He talks about the Grecian games, but also even beyond that into the gladiatorial arena which we know about in the Coliseum and other settings as well. In this term here it says abuse or reproach.

We're reminded of what would take place the term here for publicly exposed is where we derive our word theater. And the notion here is that the humiliation is not confined in or isolated in just to a one on one. The idea here is that the humiliation for those who would claim the name of Christ and seek to live out their faith, what to be brought to the public arena, to be made a spectacle, and in that to receive every bit of derision that they possibly could. Again, we noted a moment ago, Nero is the emperor in this period of the 60s AD and it's been documented that even at times, as a part of public gatherings, that Christians would be placed in pitch and let the serve as torches. Think of Polycarp at the turn of the first century.

He died for his faith in Fire Thomas Cranmer, Hugh Latimer, Jan Hus, Tyndale we can go on and on and on, but the cost that was count counted. It's in a willingness here, it says, not only to receive it, but what if we came to a place not presuming anything, not presuming anything, but if secular, secularization took such hold in American culture and in that it marginalized our faith out to the periphery, which there's some elements that are seeking to do that. So even navigating in the public square would take some careful thought and consideration. Again, to what degree are we prepared to. To, in a sense to stand, to continue to cling to our faith in all of that?

These early believers were close knit family. That was the term that was suggested. And when you think of close net, you obviously think of threads, and threads are what woven together. So we think of the early church. And so here that here they are in this Greco Roman culture, which would have had an incredible mix and diversity of folks.

Obviously there was a substantial Jewish component, but we know going all the way back what to Pentecost in Acts chapter 2, where it lists all of the different people groups from North Africa to Asia Minor parts of Europe. And then at the end it says Rome. So there are those who from Pentecost, at some point subsequent to that, had made their way back to Rome and the church had begun to grow and penetrate. And yet despite all the differences that those threads, those individual lives through faith in Christ were woven together. Now we live at a different time.

But we've said this before, probably half, 50% or more of our church family are from out of state. But somehow in the sovereignty of God, the Lord has brought us together. And what, through faith in Christ, woven our lives together to encourage one another, to build one another up in the faith. So the compassion that we show one another is not just when it's convenient or comfortable, but at times even when it's uncomfortable. In this case, it talks about those who are seeking to live out their faith, who've been incarcerated.

So if you're more concerned about your reputation and your status and your business interests in the community, you might be reluctant even as a believer to go see Cicero or Lucius or whoever in the prison. But this is here the writer is, is saying no. It is a willingness. The term that's used here is the word partners. It, it speaks, is where we get our word coin and our fellowship.

And it's the idea, the concept of sharing life and faith, blessing and struggle together. Should that, I mean, I don't even ask the question, but we see it Marked out here, the reality of that over the course of the history of God's people, whether you're. You're down in Cuba, which again, they're going through ever greater challenge there. But when you go into those places, you go to Ukraine, you go to Romania, even with all the different languages and culture distinctives, what are you not. You're not.

Are you not warmly reminded that we're part of something that's so much bigger than myself or my nationality or any of those other other things as well here? Ephesians, chapter 3, verse 1. And then 2nd Timothy 1:8. Paul says,

"for this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, on behalf of the Gentiles, therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me, his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God." - Ephesians 3:1 / 2 Timothy 1:8

What does it look like to endure with and for Jesus?

Endurance includes courage to face withering opposition in a soul. It also, according to what we're seeing here, compassion for one another in the household of faith, and thirdly, conviction for what they have in Christ today and on the horizon, even in the face of hardship, of challenge. In Acts, chapter 5, verses 40 and 42, they've been beaten for their faith. And it says

"when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and they let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy of to suffer dishonor for the name. And every day in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching the Christ is Jesus." - Acts 5:40-42

So even with that, they continued to press ahead in faith. Other portions from from Acts as well, chapter 16.

"And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely." - Acts 16

This is in Philippi.

"Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them" - Acts 16

And we've heard countless stories Again read voice of the martyrs. As believers, when we face persecution and and continue to stand in faith, that serves as remarkable witness not only to encourage other believers, but sometimes to provoke non believers. I think of Peter Warmbrand, even to the point of his incarceration, where they beat his feet relentlessly. And he what he continued to show them the compassion of Christ, continued to pray for them to the point that the guard said what Is it.

What is it inside of you? The same thing that was inside of them as well. And then we're reminded. Romans, chapter 5, verse 3.

"Through him we also have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand. And we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. And hope does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." - Romans 5

You know, one, as I was just going over, back over my notes this morning, you know who came to mind? Ricky and Aiden DiMartino and their family. And Ricky has. The story is well documented. Meeting Aiden there at Asbury's undergraduate students, and already her condition was such that she was bound in a wheelchair.

And that has been the reality from those high school days up to the very present. I'm going to say maybe they're in their 40s, so they've been, they walked in this a long time. But as we know, Ricky and Aiden, and we've been with them as we've seen them, even as we did recently as Don was sharing. Think about it, here they are in the middle of the South Pacific, undeterred by wheelchair or other, whatever challenges continue to persist in faith. And I just think, wow, what an example to us it seems, when as human beings, when we face hardship and difficulty just at a fleshly level, how is it that we can rejoice?

How is it that we can experience the joy of the Lord? How is it that we can manifest that only because of the reality of Jesus Christ? You cannot manufacture that on your own. You can watch all the TED talks in the world, but they're not going to give you what you need down here in the core.

In her book on hospitality, Rosaria Butterfield tells a story that their home there in Durham, they live up a few streets over from Duke's campus, and someone broke into their home. Well, if that's ever happened or anything remotely like that, it your first impulse is, is to retreat in some way, to feel a sense of violation. So at that point they could have put more locks on the door and retreated back. But she and her husband Kent, who's the pastor at their church there in Durham, decided that they would go on the offensive. What did they do?

They hosted a block party and invited all of their neighbors, perhaps even the one that broke into their home, to say, we're not going to retreat. But in boldness of faith, with the joy of the Lord, we're going to step back into our neighborhood. That is powerful. That's the reality of the gospel. So with those kinds of remembrances, then he.

In these verses 35 to 39, then he moves to charge them, to persevere. Now, when we hear these things and we think about these kinds of losses and assault, it stretches us. I mean, let's be honest here. We live enamored in what this consumeristic, exceedingly material, comfortable age. And all of those things together almost inoculate us in some ways to build up a resistance to the gospel virus.

It's as if. Let's think about it. From, from the time we get up, I. I check the thermostat and. And if the power goes out and I lose air conditioning like I did coming in from wrestling with that plugger the other day, my first thought is, I'm going to call the. Call the H Vac guy or find out what's going on with the power.

I'm not necessarily going to say, thank you, Lord, for this heat and humidity and all of that. It. For us to be able to respond and navigate through, there has to be something greater down inside of us. And so he says here, therefore, in light of all that has come before, all that has come before, in declaring the supremacy of Christ, his sacrifice and all of that, now he's saying what verse 35, he says, do not, therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which is a great reward. Think about it.

The whole aspect of that is just as if you were to throw it in the trash, as if it was nothing more than rubbish. Here's a quote by Adam Clark from his commentary says,

"neither men nor devils can take your confidence from you and God will never deprive you as you continue in faithfulness. There is a reference here to cowardly soldiers who throw away their shields and run away from the battle. This is your shield, your faith in Christ, which gives you knowledge of salvation. Keep it and it will keep you." - Adam Clark

Keep it and it will keep you. Here he's calling them what to endure even in the face of adversity, persecution and suffering, for it to go deeper, for it to grow. The whole notion of confidence is. Is a term that means boldness. It means assurance.

You don't know what is pressing on in on me. Some here this morning very much feel the weight of circumstances that may just feel as if they want to consume them. They're squeezing in on your heart. The testing and the trials at times almost seem more than you can bear. Paul writes in the midst of struggle from 2nd Corinthians 4:16,18

"so do we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day." - 2 Corinthians 4:16

Let that just that verse. Many of us have matriculated far enough along that we see the reality of this decay within our own bodies. So if my hope is in my body, well, there's going to be a lot of disappointment. But then he says,

"for this light, momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. All of a sudden he it's as if he puts his hand up on our, up on our chin and says, I want you to see the bigger picture. I want you to see the fact that you live not only in the moment, but as a part of my eternal purposes. For this light, momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." - 2 Corinthians 4:17-18

And then Romans 8:18.

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." - Romans 8:18

And what flashed through my mind as I read that was that day in October 1929 when, when the stock Market crashed and some that had incredible amounts of wealth and possessions could not face that reality. And so what did they do? They jumped to their death.

They jump to their death. But we have this eternal hope that calls us what to endure. Sometimes in that enduring, we almost feel like we're the hot piece of iron on top of the anvil. And the realities, even covered with God's sovereign grace, are pounding away almost to the point where we felt like it would be smashed into oblivion. Verse 36.

You have need of endurance to stay on the path of endurance, to do his will, to live in a manner worthy in the face of mocking, scourging, loss of possessions, raw deprivation, humiliation. What are we to do? The preacher is reaching out, fully aware of their realities, almost as if he's putting his arm around them and calling them earnestly to stay the course. In these last verses, here again he reaches back into two significant portions of the Scriptures. In Isaiah 26 and also in Habakkuk as well.

Isaiah would have been in writing in that time as the what the Assyrians were preparing to come down and devour God's people. Secondly, Habakkuk is during that portion where the Babylonians are preparing so he's saying, look back, persevere. And then he says with these, verse 37, yet in a little while, in a little while, the. Whatever it is you're facing does may not seem light and momentary. And so that might be part of where the struggle is.

And what he's saying in this, whether those passages from Romans or Second Corinthians or even here, persist, take one more step of faith. Go. Just one more. Tomorrow when you wake up, I'm with you. As you press further into that, knowing that there is this great reward that awaits you, whether it be old or New Testament.

Throughout church history or even today, it has been both a privilege and the challenge for God's people to endure. And the only way that we can endure is what is said there in Habakkuk when it says in verse 38, but my righteous one shall live by faith. Faith. And not so long ago we were in Romans. And there in chapter one, verse 17, it says,

"for in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith. For faith, faith, as is written, the righteous shall live by faith." - Romans 1:17

That goes back to Habakkuk, that even goes back to what we saw in Genesis. And then again in Galatians, chapter 3, verse 11.

"Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for the righteous shall live by faith." - Galatians 3:11

And then again here in Hebrews 11:38, as well, Moses, Abraham, Joshua, Ruth, Nehemiah, Ezra, Esther, the prophets, the apostles, even Paul, we don't have time.

But go back to those latter portions and Acts there especially, like in chapters 25 and 26, as Paul finds himself standing before Felix and Agrippa and the others without any kind of political power per se. And yet the reality of the Gospel was such in him that he realized who these people were and who they weren't. So as a result, and even says at one point, as he makes the case for the Gospel, and I think it's Felix says, if I were to listen to you even more, is it that you would win me to Christ? And Paul's sitting there with a big smile on his face, of course, you and everybody else that's in here in the sound of my voice. So with that in mind, what are we called to here this morning?

What? What is it? The. Perhaps the one thing that you need to take with you from here, and that is by the grace of God, for us to stay faithful all the way to the finish. Verse 39, he says, but we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of Those who have faith and preserve their souls.

The term shrink back, which is used ultimately, are those who what, become apostates. They turn away from their faith in Christ, and they do not persist and persevere in faith all the way. And so here he's saying, notice the way he even frames it. But we are not. We are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

We've already seen that Jesus is the object of our faith, of our devotion. He's the one that is the fulfillment that all the promises of God are. Yes, in Jesus. He's the one that called you to Himself. He's the one that regenerated life and faith in you.

He's the one that has placed you in the midst of other believers, even within the context of this body as well. And so our daily life of faith is what is recognizing his presence, his faithfulness, past, present, in future. It is the very faith that what now ushers us toward and into Hebrews 11, which you'll launch us next Sunday.

Let's close with this. What does it look like? And as you think of running this race and moving closer and closer to the finish line, what is it that will be manifest in and through your life? And so what comes to my mind, even in. In working through this is at the end of Paul's life.

And so his last letter, as we know, is there in second Timothy. And at this point, he realizes his days are numbered. This is unlike his first imprisonment earlier, around 6162 A.D. where he was, what, in house arrest and people could come and go. Now, with this second imprisonment, with death being on the horizon, he's isolated. It's interesting even to read just some of the expressions that he offers.

So here he writes to Timothy, this young man, or younger in the faith, so to speak, that he's had the privilege to mentor in the faith. And here in chapter one, beginning in verse three, just two portions as we come to the end. And so he says, he writes to Timothy, says,

"I thank my God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience. As I remember, you're constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, and I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice. And now, I am sure I remind you, dwells in you as well. For this reason, I remind you to fan into the flame the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands," - 2 Timothy 1:3-6

I just hold that. Put yourself. All of us are drawn closer to the finish line and hopefully we have that same spirit that that Brian's mom indicated.

There's a sense we may be moving slower but there's a sense if you watch track we where they are running all the way through the tape. It's a glorious thing to see at the end of a race just how hard, how much they're putting into it. Here Paul's now looking back over decades and he's remembering and he's also what calling Timothy up to realize what the Lord has already done. Remember, remember even to the point where that, that gift, that flame of God was set. Many believe it's the notion of preaching and the laying on of my hands.

Remember when we were there and I put my hands on you and asked for God's anointing over you as well. And then verse 7.

"For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self control." - 2 Timothy 1:7

What if that's how we lived out our faith? But then verses 8 through 10.

"Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord." - 2 Timothy 1:8

You may be tested this week. You may be in a setting where something transpires and the Spirit of God prompts you maybe obviously to listen, to discern, but somehow represent the Lord in that setting. But there will be struggles. Sometimes it's the tug of war in your soul.

Lord, do I step out here? Do I step back here? Do I step out here? Do I step back? He's saying as he writes to Timothy again in these challenging days.

"nor of me as prisoner again, that association that close knit, those threads woven together. But share in the suffering for the gospel and the way to do it is by the power of God who saved us and called us to a holy calling not because of our works, but because of his own purpose and grace which he gave us in Christ Jesus." - 2 Timothy 1:8-9

Before the ages began it was already in the works. Verse 10.

"And now which has been manifest through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." - 2 Timothy 1:10

That's our hope, that's our strength, that's what goes with us when we leave here, that whatever we're going to face. So Lord, I pray over my brothers and sisters here as well as for myself, that as you live in us and through us, that you grant us all that we need as we continue to persevere, sometimes endure. Help us to stay, Lord, on that path of perseverance as we seek to manifest the hope of the gospel in this day. Thank you, Lord, that we have the privilege as the body of Christ, even here, to build each other up towards that end. Thank you, Lord, that you have done it from the beginning.

You're with us even now. And you're with us all the way through the finish line. For it's in Christ's name we pray. Amen.

Sermons

Path of Perseverance - Hebrews 10:32-39 - September 20, 2026 - David Doster