Cast not away your confidence (Quality: Good)

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[1:56] As a Lord may be pleased to help me this evening our direct total word in the chapter which we read Hebrews chapter 10 we read verses 35 and 36 Cast not away therefore your confidence which hath great recompense of reward for ye have need of patience that after ye have done the will of God ye might receive the promise verses 35 and 36 chapter 10 the book of the Hebrews the epistle to the Hebrews Cast not away therefore your confidence which hath great recompense of reward for ye have need of patience that after ye have done the will of God ye might receive the promise this is one of those gracious exhortations which are found in the word of God and what needful exhortations they are and while this word was given through the apostle to the believing Jews these Hebrews as a word in season for them surely we have to consider such words as these as often being a word in season these people to whom the apostles writing had to endure much for their profession of religion in the faith which they professed in the Lord Jesus Christ they suffered much from their own people the Jews themselves with such a spirit of enmity manifest amongst the Jews those who were still in blindness and who were not called by grace they did evidence such enmity to the Lord Jesus Christ and those who professed his name and this being so these dear people who were were blessed with faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and true repentance precious gifts that the God is pleased to bestow to poor sinners and that they were the subjects of these gifts yet they had to endure much they often proved that the pathway was through much tribulation we've been reminded somewhat of this in the chapter where the apostle brings us to consider something of these things and he puts it like this he says but called for remembrance of the former days in which after you were illuminated you endured a great fight of afflictions and it was a great fight of afflictions and they were made a gazing stock partly while she was made a gazing stock both by reproaches and afflictions and partly while she became companions of them that were so used and the apostle realised that it meant much to them to continue in their profession of their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ there were many obstacles many difficulties and indeed fierce temptations at times and they were called upon to endure these things and there is some evidence that there were some who did fall away as it were proved to be apostates a solemn consideration that is but here the apostle is by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit given this word of gracious exhortation to the people of God first of course to these persecuted

[6:19] Hebrews and indeed a word to all God's dear people down for the generations and I do hope that one might be helpful a little while this evening just to consider this word and one can only do so in a simple way but hoping perhaps it might be a word profitable to consider and the Lord would make his word profitable to us how vital how important that is we do become accustomed to hearing the word preached it may well be often times but how much do you and I know of the word being made effectually in our hearts and to have that gracious effect upon our spirit and for it to be indeed like as the Lord Jesus Christ described in the parable of the sower sowing the seed and the different places where the seed fell what a mercy to be as it were a good ground hero and if you and I through God's great mercy are made to be good ground heroes then there will be a reception of God's truth and not always will it be a word of promise or comfort but sometimes a word of instruction perhaps a word of exhortation it may be sometimes a word of reproof but what a mercy when the word finds an entrance and this is by the power of

[8:00] God his sovereign power alone can apply the word make it profitable in the hearts of his dear people so may we be helpful this evening just to consider this word and first of all we are reminded of a confidence cast away therefore your confidence which is great recompense of reward there is a confidence that the Lord is pleased to graciously work in the hearts of his dear people there may be varying degrees of confidence but the great point is this isn't it this confidence that the text speaks of is a well grounded confidence it's not a false confidence not a false zeal not a self confidence either but what is it then well it is a confidence in the

[9:00] Lord Jesus Christ himself and all that he is and all he has been and what he has done for his dear people a confidence in him and that confidence also is set before us in the word of God as one of those things to do with a godly fear in the heart where the Lord is pleased to implant that principle of holy fiddle fear in the heart the word of God tells us that the fear of the Lord is a strong confidence the apostle Paul as the Lord is pleased to deal with him and call him by grace he began to learn something of this confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ and he knew what it was to have to cast away all his former confidences which were false confidences you see there is a false confidence

[10:05] Saul of Tarsus as he was then he had much confidence in his zealous religion but it was false he was not a God given confidence and the time came when the Lord dealt with him and cut him down on the road to Damascus he had to begin to learn what it was to cast away that confidence and so then any confidence in the flesh needs to be cast away so then the confidence in the text is something quite different but it's something as it were if I can put it this way for better language something which it's held on to something held on to and the implication of the text surely is this that there are those things which may tend for God's dear people at times to as it were lose a measure of confidence that is in their realisation of their interest in God's great salvation may be tempted and tried and Satan is a master handed this and he will attack this confidence he will attack those in whom this confidence is wrought and he would to this end if possible to cause them to cast it away although he will not be permitted to do that but you see

[11:41] God's dear people sometimes under the powerful temptation of the enemy may tend sometimes to lose the comfort and lose the strength that God is pleased to give to his dear people with respect to this confidence it may be attacked it's tried but you see the exhortation is this cast not away therefore your confidence and whenever we come to consider words of exhortation we do need to remember that such is the suffrage of God's grace whereby they're enabled to rightly heed the exhortations that the word of God gives you see a poor sinner taught of God is made to realise that he has no strength in himself and one has to learn that there's no confidence in the flesh and he cannot put his confidence in those things which are just as it were like the shall yet often it felt weakness and in the face of temptations and as it was with these believing

[13:10] Jews fear with the persecutions they were called upon to endure their religion was put to the test wasn't it yes it was put to the test but what a mercy dear friends that God's grace is sufficient and is sufficient to supply every need in the light of these gracious exhortations and so then the apostle gives this word and maybe not do it as a word of encouragement to pilgrims journeying on in the way and like these Hebrews having to realise there are the difficulties there are the oppositions there are the fierce temptations there is a spirit of the world and indeed what there is in our own hearts by nature but there is this blessed confidence yes which is not to be cast away but we do well do we not to examine ourselves as it were with regard to this what is our confidence you find there's a question in one of the parts of the

[14:31] Old Testament where is thy confidence he was spoken by some enemies but there's a great point in that word isn't that question where is thy confidence is it centred in what you may feel your feelings indeed that's no foundation for a good confidence is it but is it in the Lord Jesus Christ who he is and what he has done his atoning sacrifice you will notice that the apostle in this epistle for Hebrews often directs their dear people to the Lord Jesus Christ his atoning sacrifice mentioned in this chapter which we have read and that's one aspect of the confidence that the

[15:34] Lord is pleased to work in the hearts of his dear people it is in the Lord Jesus Christ and what he has done in that one great sacrifice for sins and when perhaps sometimes you're made to realise something of your weakness your guiltiness and sometimes it may be perhaps tried as to whether you know anything saving the God's truth and there may be the temptations the evil insinuations of the enemy as it were to shake your confidence and to shake your faith how good it is if you are graciously directed and we do need the Holy Spirit to do this the apostles sought to bring these dear Hebrews to consider these things as they were helped to do so things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ and here is the great remedy isn't there and whatever there may be that comes into your experience which may perhaps sometimes seem to shake you and shake your confidence all to be directed graciously to the

[16:49] Lord Jesus Christ and miss all your weakness and the temptation of the enemy to be led to consider him notice the apostle how he directs these Hebrews in this way we have those precious words in the 12th chapter of this same epistle and he seeks to encourage the dear people in that journey to heaven though it was a painful journey a path of affliction and adversity he directs them to the Lord Jesus Christ and really surely that is one aspect one function of the gospel doesn't it the gospel of Jesus Christ you know and for both sinners to be directed to it and good it is if through the preaching of the gospel sometimes you may be graciously directed to him whose gospel it is well what said the apostle he says this we are foreseen we also encompassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily beset us and let's run with patience the race is set before us and how is this race to be run then how can it be run not in creature strength no not in and by false confidence no but faith in the

[18:33] Lord Jesus Christ looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God you see to consider Jesus to look to him and he says this for consider him that endured such contradictions of sinners against himself yes ye be wearied and faint in your minds or to consider the Lord Jesus Christ and what he endured and hand of sinners yes the contradiction of sinners against himself all those things the dear Saviour suffered for his dear people yes there were contradicting statements concerning the Lord Jesus Christ utter falsehoods but the

[19:36] Lord Jesus Christ endured those things and now the apostle then in the word of God directs these people to the Lord Jesus Christ and his sufferings and his final victory over sin and death and hell well he was the ground of a poor sinner's confidence and a great mercy dear friends if at times you're made to realise that here and here alone is your confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ and though perhaps you may feel and we do to know so little of him we would know more but he is the foundation of all true confidence and he will become the foundation the true confidence of all his dear people and though this confidence may be shaken sometimes through the temptation of the enemy yet you see it will abide yes and there's something about this text to bring us to consider there are those ways in which those who are blessed in this way should we help to hold on as it were yes to hold on prayerfully and to hold on hopefully and it was related to his confidence in one of the earlier chapters the apostle reminds us of these things in one or two ways he puts it like this but

[21:34] Christ is a son over his own house whose house are we if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end notice those words that scripture Christ the son over his own house and his people are that house as it were whose house are we and he goes on to speak of this confidence and this confidence has been held fast firm unto the end only by God's grace and yet surely to something to lay the heart and when perhaps you may feel in your own soul very tempted and tried may the Lord graciously help you and direct you to him yes who really is your confidence and your hope of salvation cast not away therefore your confidence which hath great recompense of reward oh here the word of

[22:43] God reminds us that there is recompense there is reward yes not by way of merit but in that which the Lord has decreed and purposed for the eternal good of his dear people for time and eternity yes a great recompense of reward and then there's this word that follows which was really a word that seemed to lay hold upon me more particularly and it is this he says for you have need of patience that after you've done the will of God you might receive the promise for you have need of patience you said there's this confidence which is graciously wrought in the bull sinner's heart being made to know something of his fallen and lost condition himself his only hope in the finished work of the

[23:45] Lord Jesus Christ and God's sovereign grace and mercy to be made known to him but there's this patience the need of it then we can put it the other way as you may feel sometimes the lack of it for you have need of patience and there's a I believe a meaning in this word patience of continuing enduring enduring oh what a great mercy it is to be enabled to continue and to endure and we have need of this grace we need this patience which God alone can give and yet as the Lord was pleased to remind the Apostle

[24:45] Paul in his difficulty in his trials and with regard to the thorn in the flesh what a precious word came from heaven to the Apostle born in the midst of these things my grace is sufficient for thee and in the light of this word here get me to patience God has grace to give yes grace to enable a poor sinner to continue in spite of all his weakness in spite of all his sin his many failings there is this grace yes he is able to abound this grace which is sufficient my grace said the Lord to the Apostle my grace is sufficient for thee no doubt the Apostle

[25:45] Paul himself his confidence was somewhat shaken as he had to realise there was this thorn in the flesh and how he described it in one way like this a message of Satan to buffet him the dear man had these buffetings of Satan and it must have shaken his confidence sometimes so that he could speak very feelingly with regard this exhortation inspired by the Holy Spirit as he was to write it and that need of patience of course as we know Paul prayed didn't he he prayed three times that that thorn might be removed for the Lord made it very plain to the Apostle that this was not the will of God not the will of God it was God's will that that thorn should remain that the Lord granted to

[26:48] Paul his sanctifying grace and Paul had to learn what it was to feel his own weakness and infirmity in order that he might glory in the Lord Jesus Christ and to realise that there and there alone was his confidence but this patience there again the Apostle had to learn this didn't he he had to journey on labour on with this thorn in the flesh although it must have been sometimes a soul humbling experience he's made to realise these infirmities and the bufferties of Satan and yet to endure these things and to continue in the face of these things oh it is a great mercy dear friends if we're unable to continue yes we may as it were run with tidy steps sometimes what a mercy to continue what a striking word it is in the closing verse of this chapter where the

[28:10] Apostle says this he says we're not of them who draw back unto perdition but of them that believe to the saving the soul had no pleasure in those that drew back evidently there were some who did draw back there were those disciples those who seemed to be disciples when the Lord Jesus Christ here upon earth they drew back they went back yes the word was too searching for them and they were offended at it and they turned their backs upon the Lord Jesus Christ and his precious truth walked no more with him but you see there were those who did continue when the Lord Jesus Christ put the question to his disciples would he also go away Peter speaks for himself and ten of the others when he said this

[29:19] Lord to whom shall we go now that's the words of eternal life now notice there was a confidence that was wrought in Peter's heart there and one of those the word doesn't tell us how many but there were those who went back and walked no more with him Peter felt in his heart such a persuasion in the light of these things that here alone was his confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ and God given faith enabled him to realise who the Lord Jesus Christ was and he knew something of the secret of the power of his word what did Peter say he said Lord to whom shall we go thou hast the words of eternal life and we believe and are sure and that was a humble confidence in the

[30:21] Lord Jesus Christ it was not a not a boasting manner no but really some blessed confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ he not spoken presumptuously you know of course dear Peter had yet some solemn lessons to learn with regard to himself and his own weakness but there was the root of the matter yes there was this confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ and especially in the light of what the Lord Jesus Christ proclaimed his precious truth and you know there's a sense in which under the gospel the gospel of Jesus Christ as it is proclaimed when it reaches the heart and is made profitable to the soul there's a sense in which there's a confidence rote yes in what the gospel proclaims and that will not be anything to emulate the creature no but rather to exalt the

[31:36] Lord Jesus Christ and as Peter expressed himself in that way thou hast the words of eternal life what a description is it of the gospel thou hast the words of eternal life the words of the Lord Jesus Christ and thou words of life words of eternal life and at that time the apostle Peter felt fully persuaded that the mercy was to cleave to the Lord Jesus Christ where else could he go nowhere else to whom could he turn to nobody else Lord to whom shall we go thou hast the words of eternal life we believe and are sure thou art the Christ the son of the living God what a confession of faith wasn't it you see there was something about the teaching the preaching of the

[32:36] Lord Jesus Christ that so wrought in Peter's soul caused him to make that confession there is that precious secret then with regard to the gospel which is the word of the Lord Jesus Christ the word of grace the word of salvation through grace yes by faith the ground and foundation of a poor sinner's confidence but then this calls for patience there is this enduring this going on this continuing this as it were in a sense this running of the race this not giving up but continuing although it may well be sometimes like you read concerning Gideon's army you know God what a great victory over the

[33:40] Midianites through Gideon's army but you go on you read a little further as they pursued the enemy there was this word concerning them faint yet pursuing faint yet pursuing how descriptive that is isn't it of the experience of God's dear people oftentimes faint yes that they feel their weakness they realise that they have no strength in themselves but pursuing indicates that a continuing of going on and so Paul said we have no but if any man draw back my soul shall have no pleasure in him but we are not of them who draw back into perdition for them that believe to the saving the soul may not be able to boast of great faith but what a mercy to have a grain of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and therefore for there be that measure of confidence in him you see to know something of this we have to realise that we have no confidence in the flesh we do not have any confidence in that which is just outward be it outward religion but you want something real yes you want something which is which is solid that which is lasting

[35:12] I sometimes thought that word in the book of the Proverbs when we read this that the Lord loves those that I haven't got the text quoted right now but it is this he will fill their treasures he will cause those that love the Lord says I will cause those that love me to inherit substance no they inherit substance as that is granted to them they come into the inheritance as it were there is that substance to put it very simply real religion yes life in the soul grace that is substance not empty shell but substance that which will stand every test but you see there will be the tests there is a testing time and therefore how needful is this word of exhortation for you have need of patience how often we feel to lack it don't we yes patience in the light of the

[36:35] Lord's dealings patience with regard to the working out of his purposes that is as far as the poor sinner is concerned God will work out his purposes and nothing can frustrate that but there is an unfolding you see of his purposes and what a mercy to be found in a in a waiting attitude and for this a poor sinner needs patience yes that patient waiting as a word the apostles expressed desire to the church at Thessalonica it is this a prayer he says the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and is the patient waiting for Christ and the margin is the patience of Christ now the Lord Jesus Christ how he patiently endured the tremendous weight which was laid upon him as he suffered the sinners how he patiently bore all this and the scoffing of his enemies the cruel death he patiently endured and now in a very small measure his people are called upon to follow in his steps yes and how needful is faith and patience faith and patience you have need of patience that after you've done the will of

[38:19] God you might receive the promise there is the will of God and there is the exercise of patience with respect to the will of God there are those things with respect to the will of God revealed in God's word and his will concerning his dear people his revealed will and good it is to be exercised in the light of God's truth which reveals his will but then there are his secret purposes that which would be unfolded with respect to his dear people as they journey on in this pathway of life here below for you have need of patience that after you've done the will of God you see that there's a going on yes as it were in his will and we might look at it like this with regard to the will of

[39:20] God surely it is his will it is revealed in the scripture isn't it that his dear people shall wait upon him that they shall call upon him that they shall look to him yes to learn dependence upon him this is the will of God and with regard to the way of life says the process the will of God even your sanctification all to know God separating and sanctifying grace this is the will of God and so there's the will of God and as it were to be enabled by his grace to walk within that will even though it may be sometimes it is like this your own will has to be crossed doesn't it it needs grace to say thy will be done after you've done the will of

[40:24] God you might receive the promise there is this message and precious expectation and as it were that which holds out hope and comfort and encouragement for God to your people there there's a promise and what is this promise you might receive the promise well it could be summed up in this couldn't it eternal life eternal life yes spiritual life implanted here for the pilgrim as he journeys on but they prosper to be eternal life oh that is a prostate before these dear people yes having to journey on through much tribulation amidst many temptations yes many besetments it may be many discouragements yet there is the purpose of God fulfilled in this there is the promise of eternal life the Lord

[41:59] Jesus Christ has procured this for all his dear people and through his atoning sacrifice his meritorious death there is a certainty of that eternal life to come to all his dear people and meanwhile how we do need grace do we not to be found within the compass of such a word as this and to give heed to the exhortation cast not away therefore Satan may suggest yes to cast away your little hope but that Satan's suggestion what a mercy that grace shall reign and that strength is sufficient because it comes from a wonderful source in the Lord Jesus Christ cast not away therefore your confidence which that's great recompense of reward for you have need of patience that after you have done the will of

[43:08] God you might receive the promise there is this waiting you see until that appointed time and so in the following verse for yet is a while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry or there may be things when it seems as though the Lord tarries but the promise is sure the promise is certain God is faithful was promised he's able to do that which he has promised and he will perform his promise and his word his purpose toward his dear people yes each one of them all that the Lord will grant us raise how we need this patience the word reminds us doesn't it for we have need of patience that after you've done the will of God you might receive the promise yes and it is in this way isn't it all of grace yes grace here and glory hereafter amen amen amen let's to

[44:38] We will conclude this evening by singing hymn number 628 the tune is Moxon 757 hymn number 628 my soul shall with wonder proclaim the love of my Father and God whose promises ever remain and each in its course is made good they're great and exceeding great too more precious than rubies by far like streams from the fountain they flow and Zion preserve from despair like Abraham and Sarah have I endeavoured with reason and wit some blessing to get and enjoy much sooner than God promised it like them too I've proved in the end my labour brought bondage and pain and yet oh how faithful's my friend in due time the true blessing came hymn number 628

[46:29] I'm going to be out of use I'm going to be out of use I'm going to be out of use I'm going to be out of use I'm going to be out of use I'm going to be out of use Thank you.

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