We've been talking over the last several weeks about the theme of apostasy. And it is an ominous theme, isn't it? If you've been with us here over the last several weeks, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Apostasy is not a subject for discussion at a church potlock, most occasions. You've probably noticed that Christian bookstores do not sell books with the word apostasy in the title. And itinerant preachers do not build conference ministries speaking on themes related to apostasy. It is an ominous theme, a theme that is dark and shadowy and fearful and perplexing. To think about a friend, for example, who is known all too well, the message of the gospel. Or a loved one who has enjoyed in a first hand way some of the benefits that accompany the gospel. Some of the blessings that are part and parcel of gospel fellowship, but then to come do with a place of willfully and consciously and definitively renouncing the gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ so as to place him or herself beyond the reaches of divine grace. Apostasy is an ominous theme. To be honest, I don't know beloved that I would have myself chosen this theme had it not been woven throughout the fabric of the book of Hebrews. But inner spurs throughout this particular letter, what the author refers to himself as this word of encouragement, are five warnings that take up the theme of apostasy. The first appears in chapter 2, the second in chapters 3 and 4, the third right here in chapters 5 and 6, the fourth in chapter 10, the final in chapter 12, but what is very interesting is that each warning progressively intensifies in severity. If you think chapter 6 has been strong, when we get to chapter 10 and chapter 12, you'll see the intensity turned up even to a greater degree. But what is so wonderful, you see? And as it were, speaks of the genius and the heart of the pastor who under the inspiration of the spirit writes these words, is that each one of these warnings are directly followed by passages that take up the theme of the mercy and compassion of Jesus Christ. As a faithful pastor, he takes up this subject of apostasy because as people need to be taught about this subject, they need to be addressed on this vital concern. But in so doing, beloved, and we have to remember that when we study these passages, when we teach and preach these passages, perhaps when you talk to your children about these passages. The ultimate purpose of these texts is not to drive believers into grave doubt concerning their salvation. The purpose of the author is much more positive than that. If you would allow me to say it in this sense, his purpose is more redemptive than that. He takes up the subject of apostasy to arouse slumbering believers out of their spiritual complacence. And he does this, you see, by the means of a pastoral methodology that is both negative and positive. Negative in the sense, he wants them to see what complacency can ultimately lead to if it's left unchecked. On the other hand, he attacks this issue by setting forth the beauty of Jesus Christ in his role as compassionate high priest to show you and to show me that he is ready to give to us everything we need to successfully complete the Christian life because as a man, he is perfectly aware of all our weaknesses and all our temptations. And so the purpose of these kinds of passages never forget is to arouse Christians who become lethargic in their devotion to Jesus Christ. And this is where the value of speaking about apostasy becomes apparent. You see, some of these Hebrew Christians were becoming complacent about their devotion, their commitment to Jesus Christ. There was, I'll tell you at the end of the sermon this morning, there were certain external forces that were bearing down upon them. They were feeling intense opposition from Rome. They were feeling great hostility from their own Jewish family and friends. And so consequently they were scratching their heads and wondering to themselves, is it really necessary for my commitment to Jesus Christ to be this fanatical? Is it really essential that I be so unbending, so uncompromising in my commitment to Jesus Christ? Perhaps a return to Judaism would be a convenient alternative. That would put an end to all of the difficulties. Now it's not apostasy yet. But it is a growing complacency you see toward the things of Jesus Christ. And that's what concerns this pastor so deeply. In fact, he takes up this very concern, if you'll notice, at the very beginning and end of this section. In chapter 5, where this section begins in verse 11, he says, we have much to say about this. We've got a great deal we want to tell you about with regard to the high priestly ministry of Jesus. But the fact of the matter is, it's hard to explain because you are slow to learn, remember, the original here, you have become sluggish in the ears. You know what, brothers and sisters, you're not as responsive as you used to be. You're not as delicate, you're not as tender to the things of God. You've become complacent. You've become sluggish and lazy. And he ends this section, he rounds it all very nicely for us by coming back to the same theme in chapter 6, verse 12, when he says, we do not want you to become, and the same word is used in the original text, we don't want you to become sluggish. We don't want you to become complacent. We don't want you to be apathetic. We don't want you to continue in this condition any longer. Now admittedly, it's not apostasy. But my friends, it merits great concern on the heart of this pastor because complacency left unchecked can easily lead to apostasy. I don't know about you, but I've never known a church attender who suddenly, out of the blue, wakes up one particular morning and says, today, I think I'll become an apostate. Today I will suddenly renounce my faith in Jesus Christ. Now my friends have experienced, teaches us anything. It's that apostasy is rarely, if ever, a sudden or instantaneous decision. Rather, it is the culmination of a process that begins with spiritual complacency. I told you a couple of weeks ago in this passage bears it out, that the status quo where Christianity is concerned is a myth, one either advances or one recedes. Now biblically speaking, and we've been very clear, I think, with you about this beloved, we understand that no genuine Christian will ever become an apostate. But what we've also labored to make clear to you is that the ranks of the apostates are made up of people who once walked with the people of God. It is the unique susceptibility you see of people who are in churches very much like this one, people who come, people for a while show initial excitement, perhaps they make even some kind of external profession of faith, but people who over time grow weary of the consequences that are associated with naming the name of Christ. They in turn become rather complacent in their devotion to Him, progressively sluggish in their responsiveness to His commands and soon, and beloved I've seen this dozens of times, Christianity becomes a nuisance of which they long to be freed, in other words they can't get out fast enough. And by and by, Jesus is abandoned altogether. That is the anatomy of apostasy. And an autopsy of an apostate will show that it was the infection of complacency that began the process of leading to their fatal condition. And you ask, Art, what is the value of speaking about apostasy with us? I mean, you've addressed this issue over three Sundays. What purpose does all of this talk about apostasy serve? Well, my friends, as the writer draws this section to a close, we can discern two vital reasons which establish the value of speaking about apostasy. The first, I think, is very encouraging the second singularly motivating. Now, what is the value of speaking to Christians about the subject of apostasy? Reason number one, speaking about apostasy exposes the authenticity of true Christianity. It's very much like setting a beautiful diamond against a black piece of velvet. The stark contrast of the black magnifies the distinctive beauties that are in the diamond. Well, beloved, when we talk about apostasy carefully and properly and biblically, a similar phenomenon occurs. The second priority is we become more able to distinguish the nature of true conversion. We understand it with greater clarity. The disparity that exists between an authentic Christian and a spurious Christian becomes more clearly evident. And it ought to be this way because, first John says, the children of God and the children of the evil one are obvious. We really ought to be perplexed, at least as perplexed as we sometimes get. And that's the value of studying this theme, you see. And in particular, this author wants his readers to know that all of this talk of apostasy has no immediate bearing on them. He's not speaking about them. We've told you in the past. In fact, he says, your lives speak loudly to the contrary. He says in verse 9, even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are confident. We are certain. We are sure of better things in your case. Now what better things is he talking about? Well, he's referring to the agricultural illustration that he's used in the previous two verses, where he contrasts the destiny of the true Christian with the apostate. And in greater specificity, he's referring to what he says in verse 8 when he says, but it land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed in the end, it will be burned. Now, that is obviously as we saw a couple of weeks ago, a very strong statement about eternal judgment, the eternal destiny of apostates. But in contrast to that, you see, he says to his readers, even though we speak like this dear friends in such stark and strong terms. Better confident of better things in your case, things he says that accompany salvation. Well, what are the things that accompany salvation? Go back and look at that previous illustration again, only now look at the first half of it, verse 7. Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is far and receives the blessing of God, things that accompany salvation. Now, my friends, you understand that the author here is not giving us a lesson on agriculture. He's using this to illustrate something that the Bible illustrates from beginning to end, namely that you can tell the true nature of a tree by what? The fruit it bears. In other words, the point he's trying to make is this, authentic Christianity will make itself evident. It will make itself obvious in a crop of spiritual fruit that will be useful. Consequently, he says, such Christians will receive the blessing of God. Now, we'll speak about that in a bit more detail in a moment. But for the time, remember that the author is drawing a distinction between apostates and genuine believers. And notice in verse 9, he refers to these genuine believers as dear friends. It's the term beloved, a term that in the New Testament is used of one of two people or groups of people. One, it's used to refer to Jesus Christ. This is my beloved son with whom I'm well pleased. The other time this term is used, it's used to refer to. Believers and only believers. So he recognizes when he gets to verse 9, we're shifting gears, I'm talking to believers here. But how does he know their believers? How can he be sure? According to verse 7, no belt, they will bear fruit. And what is said there in general principle now becomes stated more explicitly in verse 10. In fact, let me read it to you again, even though we speak like this dear friends, beloved, we are sure of better things in your case, things that accompany salvation. And how can we be so sure, verse 10 in the original language actually begins with the word 4 or because God is not unjust, he will not forget, watch this now. Your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help him, unconvinced that you're going to know the blessing of God. Why? Because they're among you are the evidences of real salvation. The fruit is there, a crop has been born, it's evident among you. Now, beloved, we have to be very careful at this point to walk a delicate tightrope. However, does God give to any of us the authority to become self-proclaimed fruit inspectors? We have to be very careful that we do not determine the legitimacy of a profession of faith in Jesus Christ by using our own preset standard to which all professors must comply. Because Christians grow in different ways, they grow at different times, they grow at different rates, and as wise Christians, we have to be careful to allow for the unique and individual application of sanctifying grace by the Holy Spirit. But that's not all there is to the story, you see, I talked about this being a tightrope. On the other side, we always have to remember that when a person has been genuinely converted, God's regenerating grace, that which is brought about the new birth, will always prove to be a factual. What is to say? It will work itself out in the life of this new Christian, and it can't be stopped. It is an indefectible work. This is a part of what regeneration is. This is Paul saying in Ephesians chapter 2, you know, the text for my grace, you can say through faith, and that amount of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, less than he mentioned, boast for, we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. In other words, the Christian is the Masterpiece of God. He has been recreated in the new birth to do good works. It's a part of that recreated package that has been produced by the Holy Spirit in his life. It will come, otherwise that work hasn't occurred. Let me get the same thing in Philippians chapter 2. Paul says, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. In other words, the Christian works, but the reason he works is because God is at work inside of him. We work in God works, but we work because God works, you see. One is always the consequence of the other. This is what sanctification is, beloved. And you see, this is why the author of Hebrews is convinced that authentic salvation is possessed by his readers because as a group of Christians, they have become notorious for the expression of ministry and love toward one another. In fact, I don't know if you've ever read any church history from the first century, but one of the things that you steadily come across is the congregation of Roman Christians always being exalted for their love as a church body. Over and over, had me the time I can read you three or four, five quotes that are so astoundingly clear about the kind of love that the church in Rome was notorious for, and about which they were so clearly known. But all of this, you see, this love, this ministry that they showed to one another came to an apex at a particular moment in time, and that's what the author is referring to here. Let me see if I can explain. In AB 49, a great number of Jewish Christians were expelled from Rome by the Emperor Claudius. Why was this brought about? Because in the Jewish quarter of the city of Rome, Jewish Christians were sharing the Gospel with fellow Jews. And everything was fine until these Jewish Christians got to the point of Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah being crucified on a Roman cross, and the moment that was declared an incredible dispute broke out. The dispute turned into a riot, ultimately a police action was ensued, and the Emperor Claudius banished from Rome all of the synagogue officials and the church leaders. You read Acts chapter 18, verses 1 and 2, and you read about a man and a woman, Aquila and Priscilla, who were banished from Rome. It was because of this event that took place. Under this decree of expulsion, the Christians who remained in Rome, remember their leaders were gone, the Christians who remained in Rome were hounded and persecuted and insulted and ridiculed and attacked. Some of them actually had their property seized by the government. I keep your finger here and turn to chapters 234, chapters to the right, as it were chapter 10. And you'll see that the author mentions this very experience. Hebrews chapter 10 verse 32, remember those earlier days after you had received the light. Remember those days when you just come to faith in Christ, he's talking about that. When you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering, sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution. Now watch this beloved. At other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. Not only did this take great compassion on the part of these Christians to stand by their brothers and sisters who were being persecuted by the Roman Empire and involved an amount of daring courage. Now you see beloved, it is that event and that loyalty of those believers to one another that the author has in view when he says God's never forgotten that. He's never forgotten the love that you have showed to him by helping ministering is the word that's used here ministering to one another ministering to his people. They were notorious for this incredible love. Not only at that one moment in time, that was the defining moment as it were, that was the moment in the providence of God that developed this kind of love among them in a definitive way, but it became the ongoing practice of their fellowship. What a wonderful thing to be known for as we look at these couple of verses. There are three observations I think that we can quickly make. Number one, serving the brethren is an evidence of authentic salvation. I mean, that's his point beloved. That's why he's confident of better things in their case. That's why he knows that they're not apostates because of what he sees among them. This mutual love that they share for one another, it is an evidence beloved of authentic salvation. It really is. These were Christians who were living in light of the new commandment given by Jesus Christ on the night before his death. A new command I give to you, he says, John 13, love one another. As I have loved you so you must love one another, by this all men will know that you are my disciples. According to Jesus Christ at least, the distinguishing feature of his disciples will be that they love one another in a way that emulates his love for them in a way that is highly selfless and sacrificial. First John chapter 4 verse 7 says dear friends, let us love one another for love comes from God. Now listen, everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. So we ask the question, who knows God really, who has been born of God, born again, born from above, regenerated, whatever term you want to use, who has been born of God, the person who loves the brethren, to the contrary, whoever does not love does not know God because God is love, serving the brethren is an evidence of authentic salvation. Secondly, serving the brethren is a manifestation of love for Jesus Christ. Did you see that in verse 10? Serving the brethren is a manifestation of love for Jesus Christ. God is not unjust. He will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people. In fact, you want to know how this reads in the original, it's like this. He will not forget your work and the love you have shown to the name. Isn't that interesting? And ministering to one another in a sacrificial way, a great personal expense, you've displayed your love to the name. Now what is this he's referring to? Well, the idea, beloved, is that when these Hebrew Christians came to the aid of their brothers and sisters who were experiencing Roman persecution, they came to the aid of their brothers and sisters in this public and outward way, it showed beyond any shadow of doubt that they were willing to identify themselves with the stigma that was attached to the name of Jesus Christ. And they're in by loving their brothers and sisters in this great and public way and revealed their devotion to Jesus. Now, this is an incredible thing by way of application for us, you understand. Do you realize brothers and sisters that when we serve one another in a sacrificial way that the Lord Jesus Christ himself regards this as an expression of our love for him? I mean, talk about lending dignity to ministry, typing the bulletin, watching the babies in the nursery, scrubbing the toilets, making a meal, helping one another move, going to the prison, repairing the car. Do you realize that Jesus himself regards this kind of ministry in an extremely personal way that we would sacrificially serve one another has implications on our love toward him? He takes it extremely personally. In fact, do you remember that scene at the judgment that Jesus cites to his disciples? I love this. Then the King will say, speaking of himself, then the King will say to those on his right, come, you who are blessed by my Father, take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you invited me in. I needed clothes and you clothed me. I was sick and you looked after me. I was in prison and you came to visit me. Then the righteous will answer him, Lord, when did we see you hungry or feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in or needing clothes and clothed you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? The King will reply, I tell you the truth. Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine you did for me. The King of the Brethren is a manifestation of love for Jesus Christ. Third, serving the brethren will result in the blessing of God. Do you remember what he says in verse 7? Don't forget. Land the drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed? Receives the blessing of God. He says in verse 9, I'm confident of better things in your case, these things that accompany salvation, these blessings from God. I'm convinced that God is going to bless you for what you are doing. Now the question then comes when do these blessings occur? I don't know, beloved, the text doesn't say. But whether they occur in this life or whether they occur in the life to come, does it really matter? That's not the point here at all. The point is these blessings will come to us and they're coming to us as a secure as the unchanging character of God Himself. The whole thing is rooted in what? For God is not unjust, He will not forget. Now beloved, this is an amazing thing. We have to play with this for a minute. Do you realize that the Bible says in a manner of speaking that there are certain things that God does forget? In the promise of the new covenant, God says, I will remember their sins no more. God says on Isaiah 44, 25, I, even I am He who boats out your transgressions for my own sake and remembers your sins no more. Now this is utterly amazing to me, beloved. How is it that the omniscient God, the God who knows all there is to know, both actual and possible, at the very same moment in time, can somehow manage to forget our sin? Listen to what the author of Hebrews says later. Day after day, every priest stands and performs his religious duties. Again and again, he offers the same sacrifices which can never take away sins. But when this priest, Jesus Christ, had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. He was finished. And once the result of this sacrificial work of Jesus Christ, then he adds their sins and lawless acts, I will remember no more. Now beloved, pull this all together in your mind because of the satisfactory death of Jesus Christ for believers, God will never again allow the knowledge of those sins to play any part in how He relates to us. Isn't that a wonderful thing? Beloved, bask in that. If you have turned to Jesus Christ, if you have trusted in Him and is all sufficient work on the cross, allow yourself, even this morning for the very first time, to be expunged from all of the feelings of guilt from past sin because never again will God Himself use them against you. He never will. In that sense, He has forgotten them. On the contrary, there is something that God never forgets where you were involved. God is not unjust. He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people. The point He will bless you for every expression of sacrificial ministry you exercise on behalf of the people that belong to Him. It's funny. From time to time, I run into people who get very upset with me when you use this kind of language. God will reward. Those are terms that are used all over the Bible. They somehow think of what we're saying is salvation really isn't enough and isn't it neat that really on the great and final day, God is so wonderful to give us rewards in addition to salvation. Often they'll say, you just don't appreciate salvation. It's not enough for you. The fact of the matter is, beloved, it has nothing to do with how I feel with it or feel about it or not. The fact is, the Bible says that God is going to bless and God is going to reward. If He wants to give us more than salvation, who are we to beg to differ with Him at that point? It's just like Him to heap His grace upon us. Our problem is we don't understand that as clearly as we should. He's going to bless you for your kindness to other people in the body. Let me illustrate this in a crude but related way and it has theological problems but for the sake of illustration, hang with me here. The fastest way for me to win your favor, is this not right? The fastest way for me to win your favor is to love your children. Is that not true? And the fastest way for you to win my favor is to love Catherine and Jeannie. And why is that so? Because of how deeply I love them. Because of how deeply you love your children. Well my point, God loves His people. The Psalmist says that His people are the apple of His eye. And when God's people are served and loved and encouraged and taught and ministered to and even supported in times of trial, God takes it exceedingly personal and as it were up, you would allow me to say this for the sake of illustration, He wants to return the favor, serving the brethren will result in the blessing of God. Well you see beloved all of this isn't start contrast to the character of apostasy. You lay this up against the black drop cloth of apostasy and suddenly what real salvation is becomes exceedingly clear. The evidence has become all the more distinguishable. Because the value of speaking to Christians about apostasy, speaking about apostasy exposes the authenticity of the real thing, of true Christianity. And now reason two and we'll be brief here. The second reason for speaking about apostasy is that speaking about apostasy stirs the sluggish Christian to persevering faith. Isn't this the truth? Have you felt this? We had a dozen people in the last couple of weeks say this very thing to me and that's his point right here in this passage. Speaking about apostasy stirs the sluggish Christian to persevering faith. See here's now where the author finally tips his hand. Why has he written all this stuff? Because he's got something at the end of this business that he wants to press upon the minds of his ears. You see beloved has all explained you in just a moment. He knows what is coming down upon these believers. He's aware of the incredible persecution that they are about ready to meet up with. And he understands that if they are going to endure this persecution in any kind of successful way, there is need, needful for them the development of another Christian virtue besides love. He doesn't want them to pull back on love at all. He wants them to develop that one virtue that is vitally essential to the endurance of persecution. And that is the virtue of hope, verse 11. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, and let me read it now as it appears in the original, to the full assurance of the hope. You've worked hard to develop true Christian love. Now I want you to harness all of those same kind of efforts and direct them in a second area to the development of your own experience of the benefits of hope. Now beloved, we don't understand this at all, and I'll tell you why it's because we're Americans. I'll explain that to you in a minute. What is this hope? Hope is a very important word in the New Testament Scriptures. But it has very little to do with the way we use the word hope. And we use the word hope we mean to want something to happen, to wish for something to occur. I hope I get the new job. I hope it's a boy. I hope the giants win the pennant. I hope we have pancakes for breakfast. It means to wish something to happen. Oh, my friends, but the way this term is used in the New Testament is all together different. It is the Greek term al pieced that when it's translated into English hope, it means to possess a confident expectation, a confident expectation in what the return of Jesus Christ and the completion of the saving plan of God. It refers to that time when all things will be brought to their glorious conclusion. Evil will be judged for eternity and good will be vindicated once and for all. That's what hope is. Looking forward to that and being so engrossed with that that it provides you with the strength you need to endure whatever's going on around you. And without that focus, you won't be able to endure when the pressure mounds. Before I explain this any further, please notice three brief items worthy of your attention. First, notice how comprehensive this is. We want each of you. He's been talking to the group as a whole. Now as a pastor, he gets very individualistic. I'm talking to every one of you now. Secondly, notice how wholehearted this pursuit is to be. We want each of you to show this same diligence. It means to strive after something with intense effort, with great energy. Third, notice the perseverance that's demanded. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end. Then can you stop cultivating hope when hope is no longer necessary because that which is hoped for has come. This is for all of you. You're to make effort in doing this and you're not to stop until salvation has been completed. Why is this so important to the writer? Let me read verse 12 and then I'll explain. We want you to show this same diligence to the very end to the full assurance of the hope. Literally now in order that you do not become lazy, negative, but positive that you imitate or mimic is the word. Those who through faith and patience or literally faithful patience or patient faithfulness inherit what has been promised, namely the ultimate experience of eternal life. Now beloved, be patient with me. I give you one historical illustration and suddenly I believe all of this will make sense. In A.D. 64 what came to be known as the Great Fire broke out in the Imperial City of Rome. It broke out first in the area near the Great Circus which was cluttered with shops and slums that was kind of a low rent district as it were. But a shift in the wind lifted the ravaging flames and sent them to the adjacent Palatine hill, the site of the oldest settlement in Rome where many of the Roman senators have built their homes among the giant monuments to past Roman conquests and victories. After six days the fire was thought to be under control. And it broke out again and raged unchecked for two more weeks of the 14 districts in the city for only escaped flames, three were leveled to the ground. Nero had been absent from the city and returned only when his own palace was threatened. He responded to the disaster by providing emergency accommodations for the homeless by lowering the price of grain so that people could acquire food more easily. Sacrifices were offered to appease the gods. In the following months he began an urban renewal program cleaning up the debris and erecting new buildings and new parks and all of those kinds of things. But beloved if you know anything about Roman history in the first century you'll know that for Nero to act in that way, suspicion ought to be aroused. He was a maniac of the first order. For all of his efforts nothing could win back the support of his people. He tried but they were seething with resentment. Why word leaked out that Nero himself had started to fire? And while Rome burned he went up on his private stage and celebrated singing about the burning of the ancient city of Troy. And so how is it that Nero is to silence the accusations and deflect all of this attention and anger directed toward himself? He ordered the imperial police to move against the Christians. The Roman historian Tacitus wrote to suppress this rumor, Nero fabricated scapegoats and punished with every refinement the notoriously depraved Christians. Known believers were arrested, they were tortured. On the basis of information they gave under torture many others were arrested and paraded before Roman magistrates and condemned to death. Not for the crime of arson mind you but simply because popular prejudice permitted the humiliation of Christians. Now imagine beloved, being the Christian in Rome in AD 64, 65, 66. Confessing Jesus Christ as Lord was a prelude to violence, an invitation to martyrdom. This is what he means. You see at the end of verse 12 when he says don't become lazy but to the contrary mimic those. Let me read it to you as it appears in the original. Make those who through patient faithfulness are inheriting what has been promised. Mimic those who before your very eyes are giving up their lives right now for the name of Jesus Christ. Now beloved imagine belonging to a small house church that few people know anything about. The Roman police have not found you out yet but you hold your breath every time you hear the sound of Roman soldiers marching down your street. Names and faces of brothers and sisters in Christ are taken away one by one. Each week, each Lord's day the meaning of believers in your home gets noticeably smaller and smaller. You see you understand this and you can now begin to appreciate with a bit more sensitivity what the author means when he says in chapter 10 don't forsake the assembling of yourselves together as is the habit of some. He's not suggesting that some of the Christians have gotten lazy about showing up the church. It was because they knew what would happen if they were found meeting on the Lord's day. It certainly makes not showing up for church on the Lord's day because of laziness a pretty poor excuse, doesn't it? This is why he says to them in Hebrews chapter 12 you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in going what? Not yet anyway but it will come maybe Judaism isn't quite so bad. Maybe I don't need to be quite so fanatical about this Jesus business. Maybe I just got caught up with the elation of the moment. It wasn't apostasy yet but the more and more they talk that way apostasy becomes less and less of a dream and more and more of a reality. So how do you endure? How do you mimic those who by faithful endurance, faithful perseverance are inheriting the promises by developing your hope, by strengthening your understanding and appreciation for the great and final day? When the Lord of glory will come and write all wrongs, He says, you've excelled in love, now develop hope. You know why we know so little about hope because we've never been persecuted. But when the loss of your life is lingering over your head, suddenly the return of Jesus Christ and the consummation of this saving plan becomes the thing that's sustained. And so that begs the question, how then do I cultivate hope back next week to find out by reminding yourself of who it is that has made His promises to you, the God who cannot lie. That's enough. Let's pray together. For Father, we thank You so much for Your Word. It speaks to us with such incredible relevance. We don't have to make this book relevant. It is relevant. We just have to see it for what it is. Father, we would have not picked apostasy as a theme to direct our attention toward, but it is come our way and our study of this book and I thank You for it. It helps us to see with greater clarity. What real Christianity looks like over against the Spirit, the faith, the phony, the temporal. It shows us what real Christianity is, what real Christianity is. It helps us to see that the true Christian is one who gives evidence of it in his or her life. There are signs, fruit that's useful to others. What that bears with it, the blessing of God, but Father, even more than that, the value of studying this subject is that it stirs us out of our sluggishness. It reminds us of the dangers of complacency and apathy. It reminds us of the dangers of lukewarmness, our Father, fill us, I pray, with fresh zeal, with fresh hope so that at the moment of truth we would not turn away, but speak for Jesus Christ. We pray that you would do that for us, Father, that we might be eager and ready to speak of your Son. In whose name we pray? Amen.