Endurance

Having suffered persecution, some of the readers of the letter to the Hebrews are having second thoughts. The writer reminds the readers that Jesus Christ is greater than their former lives, their positions and their possessions, and therefore asks the question "Why would you go back to the lesser things?" The lures to turn back in today's society are vastly different, but just as real as the temptations in N.T. days. Our text in Hebrews 10 speaks of the suffering experienced by these Jewish believers, the insults received as well as the persecution they experienced. Pastor Tony draws our attention to the benefits of looking back, remembering the joy experienced in those early days. Then, as we look ahead, we are not to shrink back, to not give up. We are to persevere.