Hebrews 3:7-19 | Resting in Canaan Pt. 2 | Can Christians lose their salvation?

Hebrews 3 and the Question of Whether Christians Can Lose Salvation

If you will take your Bible and turn it to Hebrews chapter 3, verses 17 through 19. Hebrews 3, 17 through 19. Please pray with me. Oh God, I thank you for this day where we gather together to worship you.

And we come to this part of the service where we seek to understand your word. So God, I pray that you in this moment speak through me to your people. Lord Christ said, if he'd be lifted up, he would draw all men to himself.

And we know this is true, for he was speaking about the death that he was to die. And we see in history that he has, that the gospel has went out to the world. And God, I pray that you will use our church, this message and the things that we are doing to reach our community, to draw men to yourself.

Be with us, we pray in Christ's holy name. Amen. So the question arises is, can a Christian lose their salvation? We kind of went through this last week. And when it comes to the book of Hebrews, people point to this book more than any other book and say, yes, Christians, those who have received Christ by faith, those who have been born again, those who have been given eternal life, think about that, eternal life, can somehow lose it.

Kind of seems to be a contradiction. But the book of Hebrews, in this one portion, there's three or four problem texts, as they say, but it has split the church in many directions over this one question, can a blood-bought sinner, someone who has been born again, received Christ, has been given eternal life, lose that eternal life?

Is it something like something you put in your pocket and you reach for something else and then it just falls out? And is it that easy to lose? Is it like car keys? You don't put it in a certain place each time like I do.

I always put it in the same place. So if it's moved, I know. Who messes with my car keys, right? Because I put them in the same place every time. Are we supposed to position our salvation in such a way so we don't lose it?

Are we not looking to Christ? Is he not the founder of our salvation, right? I mean, is he not the apostle and high priest of our confession? Can a Christian, oh, sorry, can a Christian lose their salvation?

In short, the answer is no. Even think it, if you're truly in Christ, there's no way. It's eternal life, eternal life, not life until you screw up. It's eternal life. And I mentioned, I have been mentioning since we started this book that I believe that this is a book written to a church, a Jewish community church.

Every letter is addressed in that way. If it's not addressed to a church, it's addressed to a man that's in leadership over a church. Why would this book be any different? And I pointed out that in the church, there's three different types of people, and all of which have been baptized.

We recognize that. We have unbelievers that's been baptized. We have, you know, people that intellectuals, you know, intellectual believers, they have been won over by an apologetic, by an argument. And we have true believers.

It was then, and it's now. This is what we have in the visible church. The invisible church, those who are the elect of God, are all true believers. But in the visible church, the gathering, there is unbelievers that's been baptized, and there is those who have been won over by an argument only that's been baptized, the intellectual believer.

And so last week, we looked at the parable of the sower, Matthew 13, dealing with the rocky grounds, the thorns, and the good soil. And I misspoke, and I want to apologize. Last week, I had a very hard time, because the week before that, we tore everything down.

And last week, I got here early, wanted to get everything done by myself. And by the time I got to this pulpit, I couldn't even hardly stand up. Like, I was tired. Like, I had done, wore myself out. And I suffered for it the whole day.

And when I was in this pulpit, I misspoke. And I want to address it real quick. Now, I won't read everything, because I don't think everything's needed, but I want to read chapter 13, dealing with verses five through seven, and verses 20 through 23.

And I want to make what I said last week correct. It says, other seed fell on rocky ground, where they had, I mean, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they did not have the depth of soil.

But when the sun rose, they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. And other seed fell on good soil and produced grain.

Some 100 fowed, some 60, some 30. He who has an ear, let him hear. Verse 20. As far as the, as for what is sown on the rocky ground, this is the one that hears and immediately receives with joy. Last week, I said that this was the baptized unbeliever.

But that's not what was in my notes. This is the baptized intellectual. Listen to it. As for what was sown on the rocky ground, this is the one that hears the word and immediately receives it with joy.

And yet he has no root in himself, but he endures for a while. And when tribulation and persecution arises on the count of the word, immediately he falls away. And you go and you look at verse five, where it talks about this is the seed that has fallen on rocky ground.

And so they have received Christ, not in a salvific way, but just intellectually. They believed the arguments. They professed with their mouth, but it says that they had no depth in soil. They have not believed in their heart.

They received it with joy,.

But they did not believe in their heart. And last week I misspoke and I got these two backwards. As for the baptized unbelievers, we see that in verse 22. As for what is sown among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness and the riches choke the word and it proves unfaithful.

But then you have the true believers. As for what is sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word, understands it, and he indeed bears fruit. And it yields in one case, 100 fold, 60 fold, and 30 fold.

This is the true believer. So I wanted to correct what I said last week. So please forgive me. This letter is written to the Hebrew Christian church, telling them the only way that they can be a part of that, a part of God's house is if they, notice the, if they are in Christ.

And it points us to verse six. It says, but Christ is faithful over God's house as a son. And we have Moses being faithful over God's house as a servant. But Christ is faithful over God's house as a son.

And it says, and if we, you and I, but in the text, them, if we are God's house, if indeed we hofest to the confidence and are boasted in hope. Speaking to Hebrews, who are part of the Mosaic covenant.

He said, look, man, I don't care if you are descendants by flesh. Unless you're in Christ, you're not a part of God's house. So we need to understand that the church is the eschatological Israel, okay?

We need to understand that. There's no different, the same house. There's not two houses. There's not two women that God's messing with. He doesn't have a wife and then he's fooling around over here on the side.

He's not committed an adultery. He has one bride. And those that are in Christ are the bride of Christ. If indeed they hold fast to their confidence. So our theme is resting in Canaan. And this is our second message dealing with this particular verses.

Our timeless truth is this, everyone needs rest. There's only one who can provide rest. And yet, just as in all of history, most everyone seems restless. And if you've ever worked seven days a week, you know how much you need a day off.

Your body needs to rest. But we also look at this day, the Lord's day, as a day that we gather together as a Sabbath, where we gather together and rest from our other days that we live in our life, our work period.

And we set this day aside to worship God, the Christian Sabbath. But ultimately, our rest is found in Christ. Only Christ can give us rest. Only, it's his yoke that's not burdensome. And so the question is, what is it that you find your rest in?

In our text today, Hebrews 3, 17 through 19, please read that with me. Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, today, immediately, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for 40 years.

Therefore, I was provoked with that generation and said, they always go astray in their hearts. They have not known my ways. As I have sworn in my wrath, they shall not enter my rest. Speaking of Canaan.

Take care, brothers, least there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called today, that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

For if we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold to our original confidence, firm to the end. As it is said today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion. For who were those who heard and yet rebelled?

Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for 40 years? Was it not with those who sinned and whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did the Lord swear that they would not enter his rest?

But to those who were disobedient. So we see that they were unable to enter, listen, because of unbelief. Why wasn't they able to enter?

Unbelief.

The Means of Grace, Perseverance, and the Visible Church

In our outline today, it seems to be led by the Holy Spirit in three directions. We looked at the first one last week, the illustration of the Holy Spirit. The two we will look at this week is the warning from the Holy Spirit and the call of the Holy Spirit.

Now, as we transition, if you're only a baptized member of the church, yes, you can fall away. And if you're only a baptized member, I'd say you will fall away. But if you have entered the new covenant by faith alone and have been added to the church by baptism, you will not fall away.

You will not. You can, however, fall into grievous sins and continue in them for a time. And last week I read from the London Baptist Confession of Faith, chapter 17, paragraph three, and I'd like to do so again today, just so we have it in our mind.

Paragraph three of chapter 17. This is dealing with the perseverance of the saints. This is not, in this, it's not dealing with the sin of unbelief. This is just with sins. They may, excuse me, they may fall into grievous sins and continue in them for a time due to the temptation of Satan and the world, the strength of corruption remaining in them, and neglect the means of preservation.

And in doing so, they incur God's displeasure and grieve His Holy Spirit. Their graces and comforts become impaired, their hearts are hardened, and their consciences wounded. They hurt and scandalize others.

They bring temporal judgments on themselves. Nevertheless, they will renew their repentance and be preserved through faith in Jesus Christ. I want to go back to where it says, and they neglect the means of their preservations.

What does this mean? What is, how do we persevere? What is God giving us so that we who believe can persevere? The means of grace. The ordinary means of grace. Let me tell you something. What's more important, your personal Bible reading or being under the teachings of the apostle by a man behind a pulpit teaching you what it says?

Let me tell you. If you had one or the other to do, it's this one. It's listening to the word explained. I know that sounds counter to what we've been taught.

Read your Bibles.

And yes, please, read your Bibles. But listen, this is the means of grace. The teachings of the apostle. Someone standing in front of you, teaching you what the Bible has to say. And by that, God uses it to grow in holiness.

The Lord's Supper. The Lord's Supper is for baptized believers. It seems ordinary, but God uses that to grow us in holiness. And listen what it says. Also, the fellowship that we have. We gather together.

We are a family. We love one another. It says, and they neglect the means of their preservation. And in doing so, they incur God's displeasure and grieve his Holy Spirit. Willfully neglecting to be at the gathering.

Not under the teachings of the apostles and partaking in the Lord's Supper around the fellowship of the community and praying. You are displeasing to God and you are grieving the Holy Spirit. That's not me.

It's how serious we are to take what God has given us. He has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness.

And it's in his church.

It's when we gather together and we study this book and we do what he has called us to do. The means of grace. So in our second point, the warning from the Holy Spirit. Verses 13 through 14. Let's read that again.

It says, but exhort one another every day as long as it is called today. That none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ if indeed we hold to our original confidence firm to the end.

It says these words, but exhort one another. Last week, we saw that as long as it was called today, as long as time and space is here and we have a today that the man of God, the preacher, the pastor is to always, always warn people from falling away.

Why?

You say Christians can't fall away. But the church is filled with unbelievers, intellectual believers, and true believers. True believers just gonna have to put up with it, right? We gotta put up with it.

We are always to give that warning.

Why?

Because as Baptists, we see and we know that I can only take you on your profession. You're not added to the new covenant through baptism. You're added by faith. So you are being added to the new covenant is the same thing as being counted righteousness.

We're counted righteousness by believing in God. You're added to the new covenant by believing God. And someone could come here, especially the intellectual, right? He knows the word, he has arguments.

He can convince me that he knows the Bible and he's probably bearing some fruit. And I baptize him. But he can fall away because he's only believes intellectually. He does not truly believe in his heart.

It's not rooted in his heart. We can only take people on their profession. So as long as it is called a day, the man who is distributing the means of grace to the teachers of the apostle is always to warn from the falling away, from unbelief in God.

But here in verse 13, the writer is telling you, them, the congregation that he's writing to, but also to you, the congregation, to exhort one another every day as long as it is called today.

Every day.

Now, of course, we're not living in a community like they were. I mean, we all, you know, we have family back there drives 45, 50 minutes. And what'd you say? 25, 30, another 45, 50 minutes. We're not housed up, you know?

We're not in the same neighborhood. We are to exhort one another every day as long as it is called today. A good thing, excuse me, a good thing is, is we do have social media. We do have ways to connect and to conversate, to pray for one another.

We are to exhort one another every day as long as it is called today.

Why?

Because church is a family. We are a family. We are one another's close proximity. Bible says to love everyone, but especially to those who are in the household of God, especially to your neighbor, who's your closest neighbor?

Well, if you're a married couple, it's the husband and wife, the kids, but then it extends out to your church family. I don't care who's actually next door to you. Your closest real neighbor, outside of your wife, husband, kids maybe, it's church family.

I don't care how far away they are. We're to love one another, to exhort one another every day as long as it is called today. And why do we do this? Answer, so that none of us may be hindered, may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

We're to keep each other accountable. Now, what was the sin that caused them to fall away? If you know it, say it. I've been screaming it. What is it?

Unbelief.

Was it adultery?

No.

Was it lying?

No.

Are they bad?

Yes.

Don't do those things.

But it was unbelief.

They did not trust what God said. They did not believe what God had told them. And because they did not, they fell away. This is pointed to us to verse 12. It says, take care, brothers, least there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart leading you to fall away from the living God, from the triune God and its unbelief.

There's so many things taking place now in our time. They're talking about aliens are gonna be brought to us. Listen, if you buy or if aliens is what it's gonna take for you to deny God, you are just an intellectual.

I say that with tears.

When you truly believe nothing else matters.

Until all you have is Christ, you have nothing. They didn't believe in one case, going back to the scriptures real quick, I'm sorry. They didn't believe in one case, the promise of the land of Canaan.

God promised them a land flowing with milk and honey. We're speaking about the Jews that were taken out of slavery. They were taken out of the land of Egypt. They were promised the land, the land of Canaan, flowing with milk and honey.

They were promised this land. They didn't believe God. And in the other case, the Jews that we're looking at now, during the time of the book of Hebrews that were written, when the book of Hebrews was written, in this case, they were giving the promise of the Messiah and the person of Jesus Christ.

We look today in our, as Josh beautifully walked through the 1689, he touched on chapter seven. And in the covenant of grace, we see that Jesus, we look back to that promise of Jesus being revealed in Genesis chapter 315.

And he slowly revealed more and more as you get through. So you see that this offspring of the woman is the same offspring that would come from Abraham and through him, all of his descendants would be blessed.

And it's the same offspring that we find in Judah that to him, the obedience of the people belongs to. And that's the same offspring that would come from the line of David that would sit on the throne of David.

And we know that Jesus, known as the son of David, came. And he came at this time and he was revealed, the promised one, the promised Messiah and the person of Jesus Christ was given to them. And they did not believe.

You and I also are to believe in this way that Jesus is the promised Messiah. They were looking forward, we are looking back to the same event that Jesus was the promised Messiah that was foretold. Look at verse 14.

For we have come to share in Christ if, there it is again, if indeed we hold to our original confidence, firm to the end. It says, have come to share in Christ. What does it mean to share in Christ? I think it's pointing us back to over here in chapter three, verse one.

It says, therefore, holy brothers, you who share in the heavenly calling consider Jesus the apostle and high priest of our confession. What was our confession? Baptism. Those who share in the heavenly calling, those who, verse 14, those, if you have come to share in Christ, those who have come to share in Christ are the same as those who share in the heavenly calling.

And so who is it that shares in the heavenly calling? The baptized members of the church. And it goes back to even the unbeliever, the seed among the thorns, the seed among the rocks, and the seed among the soils.

It's speaking of church membership. If indeed, if indeed you hold to your original confidence to the end. Now is this saying that you yourself have to keep this? Like you have to walk? You know, you hear that saying you have to pull yourself up by your bootstraps.

Is our sanctification us holding ourself up by our bootstraps?

No, no.

It's grace.

If you're truly in Christ, it's grace. He has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness. But it is, however, found in looking to Christ and being a part of his body. I think we lose sight whenever we look at church as not a part of the body of Christ or not being his bride.

I think we do injustice on ourselves when we don't consider ourselves to be the bride of Christ. And let me tell you something, our bridegroom is faithful. We don't have to worry about him cheating, right?

I think we do ourself injustice when we don't consider ourselves his bride. But I think we do the church injustice as well as ourself if we don't consider ourselves the body. Jesus is the head of the church.

We are the body. And these ordinary means of grace that causes us, by his grace, to be holy is not us holding ourself up by our bootstraps. It's us looking to Christ and trusting in him for all things.

As reformed, we hold to the ordinary means of grace. Now, I wanna look one more time before we get past this idea of baptism to Romans chapter six, our confession. I'm really big, I don't know if y 'all have noticed, I'm really big in repetitiveness.

Like, if you wanna be able to throw a good punch, you need to practice your punches, right? Like, you see a lot of people that throw a punch and it's kinda like this hammer looking. But you wanna, when you throw a punch, you wanna visualize like a tunnel.

And you want your punch, that fist, to go into that tunnel, right? In order to do that, you have to throw a lot of punches. Or else, whenever you're playing around, you just look all, your arms look flimsy.

And it's like, what are you gonna do with those noodles? You ain't gonna hurt nobody. Growing up as a fighter, as someone that trained in martial arts, everything was repetitive. In order to throw a good punch, I needed to throw 1 ,000 a day.

I needed to be shadowboxing. There's an old saying in jujitsu, don't fear the person who knows 1 ,000 moves. Fear the person that's done one move 1 ,000 times. And so I'm real big on repetitiveness because I want you to get it in your mind.

That whenever you're questioned about it, it just naturally comes out. You're able to defend it. You're able to just bring it forth. And so I wanna look one more time today at Romans chapter six, verse three.

Do, this is verse three. Do you not know that all of us have been baptized into Christ Jesus, were baptized into his death? We were buried with him, therefore, we were buried therefore with him by baptism into his death in order that Jesus Christ, just as Jesus Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in the newness of life.

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing so that we will no longer be enslaved to sin.

And as we transition, you and I are to look to our baptism. This is whenever we confess that we are believers. This is the sign of the covenant that we say that we had by faith. We are to look to our baptism and ask ourself, does our belief match our confession?

We confess that we have been buried. We have been crucified with Christ. I have been buried with him. When he died, I died. That's what we're saying.

And when he rose, I rose.

That's what we're saying in our baptism. And do we truly believe that this belief that we have in us, does it match that confession, that proclamation that we had on that day? Or are you trusting in someone else or something else besides Christ?

The Warning from the Holy Spirit: Do Not Harden Your Hearts

Third point, the call of the Holy Spirit, Hebrews 3, 15, this one will go a little quicker. The call of the Holy Spirit is found in verse 15, and it is pointing us to verses, well, let's read 15 real quick.

So the call of the Holy Spirit is found in verse 15. Read with me just 15. As it is said, today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion. So that's the call of the Holy Spirit.

He's saying today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts like the people did in the rebellion. Don't be like them. This is pointing us to verses 16 and 18. The writer of the book of Hebrews is telling the Hebrew Christians, the Hebrew Christian church, not to be like their forefathers, not to be like those in the wilderness.

They were promised the land of Canaan, but instead they wanted Egypt. These first century Christian Hebrews were given Christ, but instead they wanted Moses. This was the fullness of time. The fullness of time had come.

The Messiah is here. They are to leave the old covenant system, its laws, and they are to cling to Christ. And as we see with the church in the wilderness, they complain when they did not have water. They were given water and they still complain.

They were given water from a rock. They rejected the land. They were taken to the land of Canaan. God said, I'm going to give you the land, but you gotta go and take it. And they saw how big these giants were.

They said, man, we look like grasshoppers to them. And they perceived us to be grasshoppers. There's no way we can take this land. But God said he was going to give it to them. They did not believe God.

And in the case of the first century,.

The Messiah comes.

And what did the religious leaders say? We have no king but Caesar. No king but Caesar. They rejected their Messiah. And it's found in verse 15. As it is said, today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.

Verse 16, for who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? Who was given the water from the rock? Who was brought over to Canaan but rejected the promised lands?

And with whom was he provoked for 40 years? Was it not those whose sin and whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest but those who were disobedient?

And the rest at this time was Canaan. And yet they wanted Egypt. The rest at the time during this book of Hebrews was given was Christ. So we have them given rest. Canaan was gonna be their rest, but they wanted Egypt.

Canaan ended up being their enslavement because of the law. They were given rest by the promised Messiah who's come. But instead of receiving Christ, they wanted Canaan. Verse 19, so we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

So when we say salvation is by faith alone, what do we mean? Look at Ephesians chapter two. Ephesians two, verses eight and nine. It says this, for by grace you have been saved through faith and this is not of your own doing.

It is the gift of God, not a result of works so that no one may boast. So the question is, is what is the antecedent to the this? Look at it. Verse nine, verse eight. For by grace you have been saved through faith and this, the this here is not of your own doing but the gift of God.

But what is the antecedent to the this? Is it grace or is it faith?

It's faith.

The antecedent is faith. The gift of God is faith. The gift of faith is the grace of God. So when it says you have been saved by grace, it's because God has given you faith. Now go back to Hebrews 3 .19.

You might wanna keep your finger there. So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief. Go to Romans 5 .1. Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

How are we justified?

By faith. How do we have peace with God? By faith.

Go to Hebrews 3 .19. So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief. Go to Galatians. Galatians 3 .25 -26. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. The guardian here is the old covenant system.

For in Christ Jesus, you are all sons of God through faith. How are we sons of God through Christ Jesus?

Faith.

He came to his own and his own did not receive him, but those who did receive them, to them, he gave the right to become children of God. How do you receive Christ? By faith. Through faith. Go back to Hebrews 3 .19.

So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief. The Lord's Supper is for Christians, those who have entered the new covenant by faith alone and have received the new covenant sign baptism.

The new covenant is through the broken body and the shed blood of Jesus Christ, right? It says, this is my body, which is broken for you. This is my blood, which is shed for you. The Lord's Supper is for those who have entered the new covenant by faith and have received the new covenant sign baptism.

But we can only take people on their profession. They were called to leave the old covenant, Moses, and they were to enter into the new covenant, which is Christ. The fullness of time had come. And the only way that this can be done is by faith.

Belief.

Believing. Listen to this. If you don't get anything else from this message,.

Remember this.

If you are not in the new covenant, it's because you don't believe. That's the truth. If you're not in the new covenant, it's because you don't believe. They did not enter because of unbelief. Jesus is our rest, not Canaan.

I am available to anyone that needs to talk. If you're sick and bodied, whatever it may be, I'd love to pray for you. Join me as I pray. Father, thank you. Lord, we thank you for this Lord's Day, Lord, that we get to gather together as a body of Jesus Christ, as your bride.

Lord, we long to be with our bridegroom. We know that you have tabernacled in us and that when we gather, Lord, as a body, as your bride, we are in fellowship with our groom. Lord, help us to not forsake the gathering, to not grieve the Holy Spirit or to incur displeasure by not partaking in the means of preservation, the means of grace.

Help us to grow holy. Help us to live for you, not of our own doing, Lord, but by looking to the author and finisher of our faith, the apostle and high priest of our confession. Lord, as we prepare ourselves to take part in the Lord's Supper, we ask that you, Lord, bless these elements, the representation of the body and blood of Christ.

Lord, we pray that you bless them and that you will unite us to him.

We love you.

Please give us grace and mercy. In his name, amen.