Fear. Strive. Believe.

February 20, 2023

Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, February 19, 2023.

Sermon text: Hebrews 4:1-11


Let us fear.

  1. These warning passages are not there so that we can confidently brush past them.
  2. Many of us come from backgrounds where once saved always saved was taught and emphasized. The more traditional term for that doctrine is the perseverance of the saints. That is a great thing. It’s a reminder we all need, even if we have heard it our whole lives. We often want to base our approval on works, rather than embracing God’s grace. The doctrine of perseverance of the saints help us with that because it reminds us that we are grounded and safe not because of our performance but because of God’s mercy.
  3. Many of us also came from backgrounds where passages like this were avoided for confusion that they might cause, rather than embraced for the warning that they are. There’s a temptation to spend so much time explaining what these texts are not saying, that we completely miss what they are saying.
  4. What this fear produces is not a lack of confidence, but a lack of complacency.
  5. “The fear which is here recommended is not that which shakes the confidence of faith, but such as fills us with such concern that we grow not torpid with indifference.” -John Calvin
  6. Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind…
  7. If we are not actively transformed, we will be passively conformed -Scott Sutton
  8. Falling away from the faith is a very real possibility.
  9. Turning my ankle.
  10. “What happened to them could happen to you..”
  11. They were among God’s people. We are among God’s people.
  12. They were doing a lot of the right things. You may doing a lot of the right things.
  13. Many of us have known folks who were solid in the faith, confessing Jesus as Lord and seeking to follow him who later abandoned their faith. He’s saying that we should fear that happening to us.
  14. Does that mean we can lose our salvation? No. John makes it clear. 
  15. 1 John 2:19 [19] They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.
  16. A friend in college who taught this idea that the bridge of faith could be destroyed.
  17. Systematic Theology. It’s helpful, but any system that allows or encourages us to dismiss warnings like this is not a biblical belief system. 
  18. It is God’s intent that we would walk with an awareness of the very real danger and very real possibility that we could walk away from God.


Let us strive.

  1. The posture of the Christian should not be such that we are so confident in our final salvation, that we see no need to strive in order to reach it. The posture should not be, because I believe ABC, I’m good to go. It should be, I am trusting in Jesus, believing the Gospel, and I must continue on in that faith, lest I fall away. We are not instructed to view falling away as an impossibility; rather we are called to strive and hold fast to our faith.
  2. Paul’s posture:
  3. 1 Corinthians 9:27 “But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” He is confident, but striving because there is some fear of falling away.
  4. 2 Timothy 4:6–7 [6] For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. [7] I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
  5. This is what we all should strive and hope for. Lying in our death bed with the confidence that we have held fast, fought the fight, and won the race.
  6. Indeed, running the race to the end is the hallmark of genuine, saving faith, while falling away is the mark of a spurious faith that does not lead to salvation. - Richard D. Phillips,
  7. We have confidence that if are indeed in the faith, God will keep us to the end. But we move forward with the awareness that we must strive to not fall away.
  8. Striving for what? To enter His rest. Striving to embrace the idea that I can do nothing to earn God’s favor.
  9. Hebrews 4:9–10 [9] So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, [10] for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.
  10. Similar to Israelites who reached the promised land. They were no longer wandering pilgrims with no sense of security. But there was still work to do, and danger to address. It’s the already / not yet.
  11. Our works do not merit our salvation. But we do strive to follow Jesus in order that we might persevere in our faith and thus be saved. 


Let us believe.

  1. Hebrews 3:19 [19] So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.
  2. Hebrews 4:2–3a For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. [3] For we who have believed enter that rest,…
  3. Hebrews 4:6 “…failed to enter because of disobedience”
  4. Their disobedience that disqualified them was just nothing more than the fruit of their unbelief. 
  5. Hebrews 4;7 “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts” Today is the day of salvation.
  6. It was today for Joshua’s generation, for David’s, and for us.
  7. While the promise still stand. Today.
  8. Can be compared to a harvest. One the day the harvest is gathered, you’re either in or out. Up until then, you have the opportunity to be in.
  9. If you have been attending church, listening to the gospel as it is preached, perhaps enjoying the music and the lovely setting, but have not personally put your trust in Christ, you are in great peril. Do not delude yourself by thinking you are in a neutral or even a promising situation, for you are not. Until you receive Christ as your Savior, you are a rebel against the gospel you have heard, you are excluded from God’s rest, and are under his wrath. You must believe the gospel and rest upon Christ’s saving work for you. -Richard D. Phillips



Discussion Questions

  1. Hebrews 4:1 begins with, “Let us fear.” What should we fear?
  2. What is the difference between a healthy fear (described here) and an unhealthy fear of falling away from God?
  3. Which of the following describes you:
  4. I have a healthy fear of falling away from God
  5. I have an unhealthy fear of falling away from God
  6. I have zero fear of falling away from God
  7. Read Hebrews 4:11. What do you think the “rest” we are called to strive for is? 

Arm Yourselves

June 11, 2025
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, June 8, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 4:1-6 Prepare to suffer Is. 50:6-8a I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. 7 But the Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. 8 He who vindicates me is near. The martial language indicates that discipline and grit are needed to live the Christian life, particularly in view of the suffering believers encounter. -Thomas R. Schreiner Some people won’t like you if you follow Jesus When a culture abandons biblical standards, when extramarital sex, cohabitation, and birth outside of marriage become normal, people attack the church for its moral snobbery and judgmentalism. Peter warns us that if we do take a stand, we need to expect slander, not applause. -Daniel M. Dorian This is one of the hardest things a new Christian has to face. Your friends liked you because you shared in “the same flood of debauchery.” It seemed great fun at times, but then you came to embrace Christ… But your friends have not… They will be surprised when you say “No.” -Juan Sanchez. Keep an eternal perspective Our outcome is glorious Suffering is good for us Let’s remember that suffering accomplishes God’s purposes. It exposes what or whom we are trusting (1 Peter 1:6–7). - Juan Sanchez Ecc. 7:2 It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. Discipleship Questions: Verse 1 tell us to arm ourselves by thinking as Christ did about suffering. How did Christ arm himself for and against sufferings? What does it look like for us to do that? Have you ever lost friendships (or had them change) because you were following Jesus? Do you fear that we (or our kids) will experience greater persecution in the future? If yes, how should we handle that fear?

I Believe That We Will Win

June 3, 2025
Notes from Lance Shumake's sermon on Sunday, June 1, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 3:18-22 Jesus suffered and died in order to bring us to God Jesus conquered death by his resurrection “A wonderful text is this, and a more obscure passage perhaps than any other in the New Testament, so that I do not know for a certainty just what Peter means.” —Martin Luther Problem #1 - he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison —Jesus preached through Noah to those who lived at that time (1 Peter 1:10–12) —Jesus proclaimed His victory to evil angels (see Genesis 6:1-4) Problem #2 - baptism now saves you —Scripture is clear - we are saved by grace not works —baptism pictures our salvation from God’s judgment through the resurrection of Christ “The waters of baptism, like the waters of the flood, demonstrate that destruction is at hand, but believers are rescued from these waters in that they are baptized with Christ, who has also emerged from the waters of death through his resurrection. Just as Noah was delivered through the stormy waters of the flood, believers have been saved through the stormy waters of baptism by virtue of Christ’s triumph over death.” —Thomas R. Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude —in baptism we are appealing to God for a good conscience "This appeal is an act of the heart looking away from itself and from all human instruments and calling on God, appealing to God, for grace to save.” —John Piper —in baptism we are pledging to God to live in a manner worthy of the gospel Jesus ascended to heaven and now reigns over everything “We can face suffering as Christians with confidence rather than panic, and hope rather than despair, because the road marked with Christian suffering is, no matter what its twists and turns are, the road to vindication and glory. The God who vindicated Jesus will vindicate you, and he will sustain your faith until that day.” –Juan R. Sanchez, 1 Peter For You Discipleship Questions: How does Jesus’ death and resurrection encourage us when we suffer? Why did we need Jesus to suffer and die to bring us to God? How does Jesus’ victory over death give us eternal hope? What are your thoughts regarding some of the problems in this passage? How does what Peter says about baptism elevate the importance of baptism? When were you baptized and how does this passage inform your understanding of baptism? How does knowing our victory is secured help us with all the things this life throws at us?

Who Can Be Against Us?

May 27, 2025
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, May 25, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 3:13-17 Nobody can (truly) hurt Christians Psalm 118:6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? Rom. 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? The train of thought is as follows: “No one will be able to harm believers on the future day if they are zealous for good” (v. 13). Indeed, even present suffering is not a sign of punishment but of blessing both now and especially in the future, on the day when God rewards his people with eternal life. -Thomas R. Schreiner Honoring Christ Erases Fear Share your faith with strength and gentleness Embrace balance Be prepared to share The truth of the gospel is a public truth that can be defended in the public arena. This does not mean, of course, that every Christian is to be a highly skilled apologist for the faith. It does mean that every believer should grasp the essentials of the faith and should have the ability to explain to others why they think the Christian faith is true. -Thomas R. Schreiner Be prepared to suffer “I’ve spent a number of years in India and Africa where I found much righteous endeavor undertaken by Christians of all denominations; but I never, as it happens, came across a hospital or orphanage run by the Fabian Society [a British socialist organization], or a humanist leper colony.” -Malcolm Muggeridge Be bold! We will likely suffer as Christians in this world, but that suffering is slight and temporary compared to the eternal inheritance that awaits us. The worst thing that can happen to us is that we die and receive our promised inheritance. Can you imagine how emboldened Christians would be if we only believed what Peter is saying? -Juan R. Sanchez Discipleship Questions: Does the fact that nobody can (truly) harm us comfort you? What would change if we lived like we really believe that? Are you a more confident person as someone who knows Christ? Does your security in Christ embolden you to take some risks in life, knowing that the worst that could happen is death? How equipped / prepared are you to give a reason for the hope that you have? What would grow your confidence and competence in that? Have you considered joining Michael Clark one day for evangelism at the harbor? Well….you should….
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