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Well, a very good morning to all of you and welcome to Gospel Light Christian church. This is our second English service this morning and we are glad you're able to join us. As a church we want to bring our people through the Bible and so we are in the book of Hebrews, and in particular, we are looking at Hebrews chapter 10. So, if you're new here with us, you can turn your Bibles to Hebrews chapter 10; we continue our journey in the book of this New Testament, the book of Hebrews, a journey about greater, Jesus Christ. Well, today is the seventh day of the lunar new year, and so once again I'd like to wish all of you a very blessed Chinese new year, once more, and because it's Chinese new year, I thought I'll start with something Chinese.

For all our friends who are not Chinese, I will give you a translation of what is going to be shared, I'm going to give you three Chinese sayings or Proverbs and the first one is 'Ren xin nan ce'. I know this is not very festive; this is not so much a blessing, but this is a statement: 'Ren xin nan ce'. You say what is this all about? What it means, it is hard to discern the heart of a man. 'Ren Xin' is the heart of a man. 'Nan ce' means it's hard to measure. So it is hard to discern the heart of a man, proverb number one or saying number one.

Chinese saying number 2: Huan nan jian zhen qing. Well, what does this mean again in English? It means real love is seen through trials, 'Huan nan' is adversity or trials, 'Jian' means to see and 'Zhen qing' means the real intentions and motivations and desires of the heart.

Thirdly, it's a bit longer, 'Lu yao zhi ma li, Ri jiu jian ren xin'. This is a Chinese saying- a proverb. What this simply means, is: The strength or the stamina of the horse is seen in the distance it can travel and the heart of a man is known with the passage of time.  'Lu yao zhi ma li, Ri jiu jian ren xin'. What am I trying to say? Well, I want to put all these three together: 'Ren xin nan ce', it is hard to discern the heart of a man, 'Huan nan jian zhen qing', real love is seen through trials, 'Lu Yao Zhi Ma li, Ri jiu jian Ren Xin', time will tell the heart, the true heart of a person. So, if we were to combine all this, then this is a very simple logic which goes: A man's heart is really known through trials and time.

We all understand this, in friendship, in courtship, in partnership. Who are your, some of your best friends today- who are some of the people you can really talk with? Well, probably friends of old, friends you have known for a long time because you know that the relationship and the heart of a man is seen through trials, the ups and downs and also with the passage of time. Why do you young men, young women go on courtship, because you know that if you meet someone for the first time, he may not be what he appears to be. He looks like a gentleman, he looks nice, but aah, with time, you realize he has a lot of problems, that's not really who he portrays himself to be, that's why you need courtship. Business partnerships- the same, how do you have a good business partner, only with time and with trials.

So we know this is true for a lot of relationships we have. And I think this is also true with regards to our relationship with God. Who is a true follower of Jesus Christ? Well, you will know if his heart is really one that loves God, through trials and time. And that's what the Lord Jesus Christ teaches us as well.  Remember how he said there are people who fall away with time and difficulty? In the parable of the sower, He says there are those who are like this seed that is sown on rocky ground, and this is the one who hears the Word and immediately receives it with joy; yet, he has no root in himself and so he endures but for a while and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the Word, immediately he falls away.

So there are people who come to church, they look really excited, say 'Wow, I love to be in the church, I love to hear the Bible preached, I'm excited about being a Christian' and they look so promising for a while. But when difficulties come, disasters come, challenges come, persecution comes, the Bible says, because they have no root in and of themselves, because of these difficulties, immediately they fall away, you don't see them anymore. They deny the faith. They stop following after Jesus. Well,  Ren xin nan ce, Huan nan jian zhen qing, Lu yao zhi ma li, Ri jiu jian ren xin- it's true in the Christian life too.

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Now, some people leave the faith because of adversity. But there are others who leave the faith for the opposite reason: They leave the faith because of prosperity or the love for prosperity. Jesus himself continues to say: And what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the Word of God or the Word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the Word and it proves unfruitful. Again, there's a little bit of growth on the ground, it looks really promising, ooh, there's life, it's exciting, it endures for a while. But then there are weeds that choke it up and soon it proves to be unfruitful as well. So, there are people who don't last the distance, they are not those who really believe and follow the Lord Jesus Christ. A true friend lasts, a true partner lasts, and a true believer of the Lord Jesus Christ will keep the faith and that's what Hebrews really is telling us. A man is known in his faith by whether he keeps believing or not.

Now, I would say this is nothing new to you if you have been in Gospel Light for the past few months, because this is the repeated urge and refrain of the writer of Hebrews. He begins in chapter 3 that says, 'You need to hold fast, hold tight your confidence'. He says this again in verse 14 of the same chapter, 'Hold fast, or hold your original confidence firm to the end'. In chapter 4, he repeats the same thing, 'Let us hold fast that confession'. In chapter 6, in verses 11 and 12, he says 'By faith and patience keep on believing, you will inherit the promises'. Chapter 10, he says again, 'Hold fast the confession'. So what we're reading today is nothing new. He is very consistent that this is his desire, this is his burden and concern for the people who are gathering as Hebrew Christians, that because of the trials, because of the persecutions they face they are tempted to leave the faith, turn away from Jesus and go back to Judaism.

He says, 'Don't do that, hold tight' because a real believer is known through trials and time. He cranks the pressure up a few notches last week when he gives a very severe and serious warning, 'If we go on sinning deliberately, if we continue to reject the Lord Jesus Christ, the gospel in Him, after receiving the knowledge of truth, after knowing the full teaching of the gospel then there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, then there is no hope for this man, if he has known all these things, he comes so close to Christ and yet he rejects Christ. What other sacrifice is there for him? But now a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries'. So the author says: Keep on believing, don't give up, hold tight, keep on believing, don't give up, hold tight. And then he says: If you do give up, disaster, scary, no more salvation, but a fearful expectation of judgment, a severe warning. But after the warning, he now gives an encouragement. So the author here is giving them a very severe one, a hard blow, and now he seeks to build them up. He seeks to encourage them. Maybe a little bit like Hebrews 6 where, after a warning, he also says, 'I'm persuaded of better things of you' in verse 9.

So what is his encouragement? His encouragement, is found in verses 32 to 34 where he says: Hey, I have given you a very strong and stern warning, but I want you to know, I do see good stuff in your life. I do see the marks of faith and grace in you. So please hang on, and don't give up. The encouragement goes this way. Now recall, remember the former days, the old days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partakers with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.

0:10:51.6

Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which is a great reward. So, notice the warm, encouraging things he is saying about the Hebrew believers: I know that if you give up, it's going to be a terrible consequence of judgment, but I want to encourage you, I see good things in you, I see, number one, that you had this patience in suffering, you were able to go through all this hardship for the sake of Christ, you were put up as a shame and you were subjected to public exposure of reproach and affliction. It's amazing. You guys, I saw that patience, that fortitude in times of hardship. You know, this is a mark of faith. Today, there is this confusion and deception about faith.

People think faith is saying, 'God I have faith in you, please don't let me go through sufferings', they think faith is like a protection amulet that you can wave and say, 'No sufferings, I do not want trials'. The person who trust God will be spared from all these pains and hurts and difficulties, and I want health and I want wealth. No, the Bible tells us the mark of real faith often times (not all the time of course), is that strength as you go through these trials. The Bible says it has been granted to you, it is given to you, for the sake of Christ that you should not only believe in Him but also suffer for His sake. Two things given to the believer: The privilege to believe, and number two, The privilege to suffer- It's given by God, for the sake of Christ.

I was reading the Bible with my son Shawn, and what we usually do is, I let him choose whichever passage or Bible book he wants, and he chose Job. That's the thing, they generally don't flip to the New Testament, it's too small a portion. They choose what is in the middle, so middle is Jeremiah, Job that kind lah. So he chose Job. He read it and he doesn't quite understand chapter 1, so I told him Job is a book about sufferings. Then I asked, Shawn, 'Shawn, do you think Christians suffer more, or suffer less'. Without beating- without waiting a beat, he says, 'Christians suffer less'. I say, 'Shawn, that's why Job is written. Job is a great guy, but he suffered a lot'.

This misconception is very common today. We think that by following Jesus- Actually, people go to religion because they want to suffer less, right? They go to religion because they want to be protected and blessed and so on and so forth. But do you know that following Jesus is the opposite, at least for now? You are given the privilege to believe, you're also given the privilege to suffer for His sake. Now, if you today have some illusion that coming to church is a wonderful thing, becoming a Christian is great and I will have a bed of roses from now onwards, I must say to you, God doesn't give you such an illusion, Bible is clear. In fact, it is so extreme when you look at Revelation 2:10: 'Do not fear what you're about to suffer, behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for 10 days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life'.

Now, this obviously is not universally applied to all of us; not all of us are going to prison, not all of us will suffer the same way, in 10 days, but the principle of the race is this: There are those who for the sake of Christ would be suffering even unto death; suffering till they die. But the Bible is saying, you keep believing through that, be faithful through that and you know what? 'I will give you the crown of life'. See the great thing about the faith is we know not everything is measured by the here and now, that's what faith is and that is what allows you to go through the sufferings in this present time. So, the author is encouraging them, 'Hey, I know you guys are in extreme difficulty, you're very tempted to give up. But remember, you did suffer and you did have that patience, don't give up on that'.

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I see marks of grace in you. Not only did you have this patience, you have this amazing compassion. You were, I'm sure like in the book of acts, willing to sell your goods and share with those in need, even those in prison, because you really put others before yourself; you really recognize that we are one in the church, one in Christ; amazing compassion and look at their peace and assurance when they joyfully accepted the plundering of their property. So, this is big time, because the property might be their savings, might be their way to ensure a good inheritance for their children, I don't know, but it's plundered, it's wrongfully taken from them. Because they believe in Jesus the Jewish authorities, they say, 'This now belongs to us'.

Maybe they have gone for legal recourse, I do not know, but at the end of the day, it's not successful, it's taken, but look at their attitude: They joyfully accepted. Anyone of you would joyfully accept the fact that someone would take away your property forcefully, unfairly? Probably not. But they did. You say, why is this people so weird? How come they can have patience when they go through extreme suffering and shame? How come they would voluntarily give of their goods to help others? How come they have this acceptance in joy, even when unfairly treated? The reason? Because they know something, they know something. What do they know? They know that they have a better possession and an abiding one.

See, this is the power of faith. Faith allows you to see further. Yes, it looks devastating for the here and now. But there's something amazing at the end of the here and now, that you'll have a better possession. This speaks not just about the faith, but it talks about the hope of eternal glory of being with God, of having communion with Him, of being heirs and co-heirs with Christ, and you know that this is what lasts forever; not your house, not your goods, not your stripes, not the whips, not the sufferings. They know that this temporary, momentary, light affliction is working out for them an exceeding eternal weight of glory. So, because of this faith, because of this belief, because of this conviction, because of what they know, their lives are radically different.

So I spoke with my son, 'Shawn, you know, Christians suffer more'- A little taken aback. And I asked him, 'Do you still want to believe and follow Jesus?' He said 'Yes'. I asked him 'Why?' He says, 'Because of heaven'. It's a very simple answer, but that's what he's saying here, the author: You're willing to go through all this, even in joy because you know there's something coming soon.

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This is exactly what Moses felt. You know Moses had a big choice to make. Huh, he could become the most powerful man on planet earth, or he could be someone who is laughed at, all his life, by his fellow Egyptians. But the Bible tells us, Moses considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. What enabled Moses to go through all this hardship, all the complaints of the people? I mean, not an easy job to lead two million grumbling, complaining people for 40 years, but he signed up willingly for it, because he was looking to the reward. And the people could live in such radical lives of endurance and compassion and joy, because of faith. Now, they don't have to live like the average Singaporean; living for comfort and ease. The power of faith releases us to live for the glory of God, to take radical, risk-taking, sacrificial steps in order to honor Him. The author here says, 'I see this in you guys, amazing life, don't give it up'.

Time stamp in audio 0:21:12.6.

Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, don't come so far and yet so short because you may just fail to arrive at a great reward at the end of it all. So, he says to them, you need patience, you need endurance, keep on believing. You know I want to say, it is very comforting to see these marks of grace in any man's life. It is very comforting when you see in your own life, the ability to go through difficulties, in faith and poise and composure. It's amazing when you see that you are willing to share, when previously, you are absolutely selfish and will not share. It's amazing when you see that when disasters strike, and when things are dealt harshly with you, you still maintain that assurance and joy, it's amazing. It's a work of grace, it's very comforting.

But whilst it is comforting, you must not be complacent, because the point here is this, I have seen these things in your life. But that's not good enough. You need to keep on enduring. So it allows for comfort, but it does not allow for complacency. You've got to keep on believing. I want to say, that believing is not just saying or thinking, believing is actual doing. That's what he says, you have need of endurance: what do you mean by endurance? That you keep doing the will of God.

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We are coming to Hebrews 11 soon, The Hall of faith. And one thing I want you to note about faith, is that faith is very, very obvious in its practice. It will result in a changed life, it will result in works. Because, faith without works is dead, so it's very clear that if you say you believe, it will be backed up by obedience, you will do the will of God. Jesus Himself says, 'Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord" will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who-' (I could say believe, same, but Jesus wants to make it clear that there are people who profess to believe, but don't actually do so. Those who really believe are those who would do the will of the Father. Now of course we are not saying, this is the means by which you earn your salvation. No, no, no, this is the manifestation, or the evidence of salvation. No one is saved by works, all are saved by faith, but our faith will work, our faith will manifest itself, will evidence itself.

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So when you come back to Hebrews 11 or 10, the author is saying: I see these marks, it's very encouraging. Keep believing, keep obeying, because then you will receive what is promised when you have kept the faith right up to the end. This is a reality and this is also a responsibility. Each one of us, are responsible to keep believing and keep obeying, and the author says 'For yet a little while. I know it's difficult. I know it's hard to keep obeying, believing, when hardships come, difficulties come, you're tempted to sin, you're tempted to be discouraged', but he says, 'Don't be discouraged, don't give up, because, just a little while more and the Coming One will come and will not delay, Jesus will come'. He is saying, 'Don't give up because your Savior is returning'.

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I saw this cartoon not long ago, I thought is very appropriate for us. One look and you see, what a sad state this man is in. I mean- Dig, dig, dig, dig, dig, dig. He has dug for, for a long time and now just a few more centimeters and he gives up. Just a little while more, aiyoh! And that's exactly the idea here, a little while. Tempted to give it up, tempted to throw in the towel, tempted to say, 'I don't want to believe anymore'. He says, 'Keep on believing, would you?' The true believer keeps on believing.

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This is a picture of Florence Chadwick, she is most well-known for being the first female endurance swimmer to cross the English Channels. You say, what's the English Channel, well, it's the waters between England and France, some 40 km or so. Well, she, in 1952 decided to challenge another body of water, the ocean between the South Catalina Islands and the Californian shoreline. So it's also about 40+ kilometers and well, she decided to challenge that, even though it's very difficult because it's icy cold and there are sharks all around. In fact during her swim, they needed people who will stay with her armed with rifles to chase the sharks away, but she wanted to try it and so she sets off from the Catalina Islands towards the Californian shoreline.

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It was a particularly difficult day, because it was cold, and there was a dense thick fog. She swam for a long time, for 15 hours or so. It's hard to run 15 hours or walk 15 hours, she's swimming 15 hours in the cold waters and the fog was so thick and she could not see the end in sight. She doesn't know where she is, that she felt so discouraged, she threw in the towel, she raised her hand and the crew pulled her up and the swim was over, it was too difficult for her. But once she got up, and she got to shore, she realized she was only 1 to 2 km away from the shoreline, she had swum 40 kilometers; she's one to two kilometers away. She didn't realize it  because the fog just wouldn't allow her to see further and when she was asked by a reporter, she said 'Yes, if I had just seen the shoreline, I would have no doubt completed the swim'. If she had just kept the end in sight.

Well, the good news is, sometime later, she went back to swim. It was similarly clouded with a thick fog, but she swam with the shoreline in mind and she made it the second time around. The point of the story is the point the author is saying: When we keep our focus on the returning Lord, we realize what we suffer today is for a little while, we can make it. Keep your focus on the coming of the Saviour.

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Now some of you may say, 'But, it's so confusing. I mean, I'm going through an extreme difficulty today, wave after wave, blow after blow of trials, is coming into my life and I do not understand why. Should I keep believing or should I quit?' The author in verse 38 says, 'But my righteous one shall live by faith'. More familiar to us who read the King James is this, 'The just shall live by faith'. This is a quote taken from Habakkuk chapter 2, it is quoted in many other passages in the New Testament. It is a key phrase in the Bible, 'The just shall live by faith'. But what is the context of Habakkuk? Well, Habakkuk is writing of the time when Israel, the nation, was in tremendous turmoil, there is a lot of violence, a lot of injustice, a lot of sin and added to that, the Babylonians are coming to capture Israel.

So the prophet Habakkuk is very disturbed, he is very troubled, he asked, 'God what are you doing, why are you silent in the midst of all this injustice and sin and violence and the people will plunder our land? What are you going to do?' And God says, 'You don't always have to figure out all that I'm going to do, but the just shall live by faith'. In other words, God is not giving him a full explanation of all the reasons why the sufferings are taking place, but He is saying, 'As my children, you just keep believing in Me'.

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The Hebrew Christians may not understand why all the persecutions are coming into their lives, but the author is saying, 'The just shall keep believing'. You may not understand all the difficulties and trials that come into your life, but the Bible is saying to you, God is saying to you, 'The just shall keep believing' and he says, 'We are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed'. You know, this is not about a different levels of reward, this is very extreme. Those who believe: wonderfully rewarded, those who draw back are destroyed. There is no in between, and therein when once again is the severity of the warning.

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Jim Cymbala says the battle of the Christian life has always been not just to believe, but to keep on believing, keeping on believing. How about you, would you keep your faith?

I end with one final story. There is this young man who looked for an elderly Christian because he heard about this elderly Christian's life and faith. But this elderly Christian, for so many years, has never denied the Lord, has kept the faith and is still passionate for Jesus Christ. So he went to ask him, 'Sir, what makes you so different? I've known so many people who are so enthusiastic in the beginning, when they come to church, they read the Bible, they do many things, but after a while, a few years they fall away. They stop coming to church, they stop reading the Bible and in fact, their lives are no different from those who don't go to church at all. But what is it that enables you to keep believing and keep your first love for Jesus?' The elderly man says, 'Son, let me tell you a story. Some time ago, in the evening, I was here with my dog sitting here. We are enjoying the sunset when suddenly a white rabbit dashes across us. My dog immediately jumped up and took off after the rabbit. He ran and chased the rabbit all around the neighborhood. He began to bark and other dogs in the neighborhood heard the barking and also joined in the chase. What a sight it was to see a pack of dogs chasing one white rabbit. They went up and down, up and down, round and round and gradually one by one, the other dogs began to be frustrated, tired and they dropped out of the chase, until, my dog is the only one that kept chasing the rabbit. Herein son, is the answer to your question'.

The young man says, 'I don't understand Sir. What has the chasing of the rabbit got to do with my pursuit of God? The elderly man says, 'You failed to see the link because you failed to ask the most important question. And the question is, Why did the dogs, other dogs give up? and the answer to the question is, the other dogs didn't see the rabbit.

There are many people who come to church, but actually do not know God. They are satisfied with following the barkings of those who have seen God. My question to you, Have you seen God? I'm not talking about a mystical seeing but have you really known the God of the Bible? Have you really come to know Him through His Son Jesus Christ? If there is genuine faith, genuine knowledge of God, Huan nan jian zhen qing, Lu Yao Zhi Ma li, Ri jiu jian Ren Xin, this man will keep following God. Keep the faith, folks, because that's what it is all about.

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Let's bow for a word of prayer together. Some people say the Christian life is not a 100 m dash, but a long marathon. A true believer doesn't stop believing in Jesus. Oh yes, he may be distracted at times. Oh yes, he may stumble in sin at times, but ultimately, he will keep believing in Jesus, he will keep believing the gospel. My friends, this is a message that again is not popular, but I hope it will be soul-saving for you today, because you might be on the brink today of giving up. But I want to say like the author, Do not shrink back, just a little while, keep on believing. You have need of endurance and when you have done the will of God, you will receive the reward. But it's a terrible reality and a terrible fate if you should back off, you should shrink back- then there remains no sacrifice for your sins and you have a fearful expectation of the judgment to come.

It is a terrible fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God that way. So, this morning, I pray you will keep hanging and pressing on. We don't always know why God gives us trials, we can have many theoretical answers to that, but for every one of us, for every circumstance, it is not always obvious to us. But the just shall live by faith. The just will keep trusting in the sovereignty and the goodness and the wisdom of his God. So if you are going through hardships today, like Habakkuk, you are tempted to question. But God says, The just shall live by faith. Do you have cancer? Do you face the prospect of losing a loved one? Are you going to lose your job? Are you having a family breakup? Is a son rebellious and going the wrong way? Why is the world crashing around me? I don't know. But I'll believe. I'll trust my Jesus.

My friends, if adversity is not calling you away, maybe prosperity like the song of sirens is wooing you aside. Maybe you have been living for the deceitfulness of the riches of this world. Well, be careful, for the hardening of sin- that can grip your heart. As we have begun by singing 'Make me a stranger', would you say that in your heart today? Keep your eyes focused on heavenly treasures.

Or maybe you're here today for the first time, I want to say to you, Jesus is the only One who saves. Please don't imagine, don't think to yourself that salvation is achieved by my works. No. No one can work for salvation because we are all sinners. Salvation is received, not achieved; it's received by faith in Jesus Christ. Let me tell you the amazing thing about this faith. When you truly believe and when God works in your heart, you have a new heart and you'll not only believe, but your faith will evidence itself in obedience. That's how you know: There's a divine operation that has taken place in you. May we all look to Jesus.

0:39:51.1

Father, we thank you for this time and we pray that you will bless Your word, Your will to all our hearts. I pray that there will be no false ideas or false illusions in the people who are gathered here this morning, that we would for sure understand what real faith is all about  and each one would keep believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. So, bless each heart today. Bless each one here. Grant true salvation for all that are gathered. We believe this is Your will, and we ask this now in Jesus' Name, Amen.

 

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