Hebrews 10:35-39

Introduction:

1. Imagine the temptation to retreat from a battle when you’re vastly outnumbered.

2. Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés led his army against the Aztec empire in 1519, an empire with a much larger fighting force than the one Cortés led to their shores.

3. To maximize their intensity, he made them burn the boats, so they could not retreat.

Discussion:

I. Our Self-Preservation Instinct

A. Without this instinct, we would mindlessly wander into danger and cease to exist.

B. Sometimes, however, we must suppress this instinct to do what is right.

1. The Israelites refused to conquer Canaan for fear of harm (Numbers 13-14).

2. Later they cowed in the presence of Goliath (1 Samuel 17).

3. All the disciples abandoned Jesus in His time of need (Matthew 26:56).

4. What if Jesus had given in to this instinct? (Matthew 26:36-46)

II. Seemingly Outnumbered and Overmatched

A. Perception becomes reality for people, so we must see things clearly.

B. We may appear outnumbered and overmatched, but such is merely an illusion (2 Kings 6:15-16; 1 John 4:4; Revelation 1:7; 20:7-10).

III. Burn the Boats

A. Like the men Cortés led against the Aztecs, we face many and mighty foes.

B. Our self-preservation instinct may well cause us to want to retreat from the battles that lie ahead, but we must not shrink back (Hebrews 10:32-39).

1. They had already endured various attacks, but they were on the brink of collapse.

2. The writer reminded them that the reward outweighed the sacrifice and to retreat was more painful than the battle (cf. Matthew 10:39; Romans 8:18).

C. They needed to “burn the boats” that would take them back to their prior life if they would win the war with sin and receive the reward in the end.

Conclusion:

1. Human nature has not changed, so we face the same struggles as these examples.

2. We too are locked in a battle we must win, so let us burn the boats and remove any notion of retreating to whatever lost land we once occupied.

3. Our eternal destiny depends on defeating the enemy we face.

Further Food for Thought

1. How strong is your self-preservation instinct?

2. How might we develop our eternal self-preservation instinct to overcome our temporal, physical self-preservation instinct?