"How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, 'It is Mine to avenge; I will repay,' and again, 'The Lord will judge His people.' It is a dreadful ('frightful, terrible') thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Hebrews 10:29-31, NIV)
Our text is a further warning of the passage in chapter 2, "How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?" Such "preaching" was quite common during the "Great Awakening" of the 18th Century, preaching of men such as Jonathan Edwards, John Wesley, and George Whitefield. And that "The Great Awakening" was a foundation stone of what was to become the United States of America.
Our text, along with many other New Testament passages, confirms that judgment on sin at the Cross of Jesus Christ did not end judgment. It only ended judgement for those who do not, "trample[] the Son of God underfoot," and for those who have not, "treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them," and those who do not insult, "the Spirit of grace." We could accurately say, "It is a fearful thing to,"---------- get "mad at God," to backslide, to treat, "as unholy," to, "insult[] the Spirit of grace," by giving up on what the Bible refers to as, "the faith of Jesus." Nothing which may come upon anyone is worth such a fatal decision.
Father loves Son Jesus; and Father does not take lightly the rejection of the Son. The Son Jesus, all He has done and is doing, is not an option for humanity. Someone once said, "If there is no Hell, then the Cross is the greatest miscarriage of justice the world has ever known." Son Jesus is Father's, "I am the way and the truth and the life." Son Jesus is, "[Father's] Son, Whom I love; with You I am well pleased." The Son Jesus is The One of Whom Father has spoken, "This is My Son (literally, "the Son of Me") Whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him!" No one, "trample[s] the Son of God under foot," and escapes judgment, no matter who or "when" they are. "It is a fearful thing to fall in the hands of the Living God."
So, I pray,
Our text is a further warning of the passage in chapter 2, "How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?" Such "preaching" was quite common during the "Great Awakening" of the 18th Century, preaching of men such as Jonathan Edwards, John Wesley, and George Whitefield. And that "The Great Awakening" was a foundation stone of what was to become the United States of America.
Our text, along with many other New Testament passages, confirms that judgment on sin at the Cross of Jesus Christ did not end judgment. It only ended judgement for those who do not, "trample[] the Son of God underfoot," and for those who have not, "treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them," and those who do not insult, "the Spirit of grace." We could accurately say, "It is a fearful thing to,"---------- get "mad at God," to backslide, to treat, "as unholy," to, "insult[] the Spirit of grace," by giving up on what the Bible refers to as, "the faith of Jesus." Nothing which may come upon anyone is worth such a fatal decision.
Father loves Son Jesus; and Father does not take lightly the rejection of the Son. The Son Jesus, all He has done and is doing, is not an option for humanity. Someone once said, "If there is no Hell, then the Cross is the greatest miscarriage of justice the world has ever known." Son Jesus is Father's, "I am the way and the truth and the life." Son Jesus is, "[Father's] Son, Whom I love; with You I am well pleased." The Son Jesus is The One of Whom Father has spoken, "This is My Son (literally, "the Son of Me") Whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him!" No one, "trample[s] the Son of God under foot," and escapes judgment, no matter who or "when" they are. "It is a fearful thing to fall in the hands of the Living God."
So, I pray,
"Jesus keep me near the cross;
There a precious fountain,
Free to all a healing stream,
Flows from Calvary's mountain.
"In the cross, in the cross,
Be my glory ever,
Til my raptured soul shall find
Rest beyond the river." Amen.
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Please remember in prayer the mission to Israel, December 1-9, 2011
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News, Commentary: www.apf327.blogspot.com
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
