Don’t Cast Away Your Confidence Hebrews 10:35

“Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.”
In this particular chapter, Paul encourages this group of believers not to let go of their confidence.  The word, cast, means:  “to throw off; to lose.”  The word, confidence, means: “all out-spokenness, frankness, bluntness, assurance.”  These believers were being persecuted because of their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and were probably tempted to give up.  The man of God spoke this command with all authority and said, “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.”  Do you see the reason not to quit and let go of your faith?  The answer is, it has a “…great recompense of reward.”  The amplified version says, “Do not, therefore, fling away your fearless confidence, for it carries a great and glorious compensation of reward.”  God is going to reward you after the test.  Paul, in verse 34, says “…ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.”

My wife and I are passionate about God’s Word and have a deep love for it.  The reason is simple. God talks to us through His Word.  In verse 32, “But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions…”  Let us look into the lives of these believers and see why they were persecuted.  Paul said, “…after you were illuminated…”  The word, illuminated, means to be enlightened, to be able to see clearly.  They were persecuted because God’s Word and salvation had come to them.  They were no longer a part of Satan’s kingdom.  They were free from his grip and bondage.  Some of you, like these believers, are also enduring a great fight.  Hang in there and allow the Holy Ghost to give you the strength to endure.  The Word of God says in 2 Timothy 3:12, “And all that will live godly in Christ Jesus SHALL SUFFER PERSECUTION.” The ability to see and hear God clearly causes you to become a target for the enemy.  The Word of God says in Mark 4:17, “…afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth FOR THE WORD'S SAKE, immediately they are offended.”  Affliction and persecution comes because you are carrying the Word of God; the exact weapon Christ used to defeat Satan in Matthew 4.  He constantly said, “…it is written.”

In verse 33 it says, “…ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions…”  People are watching you closely because of what you are going through.  I want to bring your attention to the words, reproaches and afflictions.  It is eye opening to look at the meaning of these two words.  These words reveal the exact type of struggles the Hebrew believers faced.  The word, reproach, means to defame, rail at, chide, taunt, reproach, revile, upbraid.  I will take time explaining the meaning of only two of these words to help drive the point home.  First, the word, defame, means to be charged falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone.  Did you get that?  Now, let us look at the word, upbraid, which means to express criticism towards.  The attack on God’s people where ferocious.  It was straight from Satan to destroy the reputation against God’s people and they were also criticized.  Are you relating to what the Word of God is saying?  When the Holy Ghost helped us to understand what these verses meant, we instantly got a breakthrough.  I want to look at the other word, afflictions, in verse 33 which means pressure, anguish, burdened, persecution, tribulation, trouble.

Does this describe your situation?  If it does, then like any true believer, these types of attacks tend to leave you weakened and vulnerable.  It drains your strength physically, spiritually, and emotionally.  I know I am writing to people whose attacks left them drained.  Can I just preach to you a little?  Be of good courage and take heart, because your God will not place more on you than you can bear.  The Word of God says in 2 Corinthians 4:17, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory…”  Paul said our affliction “…WORKETH FOR US…”  Whatever you are faced with and are going through, it is working together for your good because you love God.  Keep in mind, this attack is meant to tear you down but in the end God will lift you up.  They threw Daniel way down into the den of lions, but in the end, Daniel was promoted.  You may be in the lion’s den now, but take courage my friend.  When God brings you out, you will be promoted far above the circumstances that presently surround you.  Joseph’s brothers threw him in a pit, thinking they would destroy him.  It did not work.  All it did was position him to be placed directly in the will of God.  What the enemy means for evil, God is turning it around for your good.  I am not exalting the enemy, but just dealing with the reality of God’s Word.  You are more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus.  You are coming out.  You will survive.  Do not throw the towel in.  God has invested too much in you.  In Psalms 34:6 David says, “This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.”  God has heard your heart’s cry and He is about to bring you out of all your troubles.