How To Avoid Scary Ending And Embrace Better Ending

CrossWay Church – Macky Shedd – March 8th, 2026

1.  I Must Take The ______________ Of Falling Away _________________.

It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, ⁵ who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age ⁶ and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. Hebrews 6:4–6 (NIV)

If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. ²¹ It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. ²² Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.” 2 Peter 2:20-22 (NIV)

• God’s warning is not about _____________; It is about __________.

See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. ¹³ But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. Hebrews 3:12-13 (NIV)

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 1 Corinthians 10:12 (NIV)

2.  I Must ______________ When God __________ In My Life.

Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. Hebrews 6:7 (NIV)

I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense; ³¹ thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. ³² I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: ³³ A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—³⁴ and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man. Proverbs 24:30-34 (NIV)

• The problem is not the ________, but the ________. (_____ _______)

“Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁴ As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” ⁹ Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” Mark 4:3-9 (NIV)

Soil Analysis – Which Soil Represents My Heart?

• ________ Soil – Life has calloused my heart. Pride makes me hard-headed.
• __________ Soil – I am shallow & lack depth. The seed can’t really take root.
• ____________ Soil – I allow my desires & worries to choke out the seed.
• ________ Soil – I humbly accept God’s word. The seed can grow & reproduce!

3.  I Must ________ The Consequences Of ______________ Sin.

But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned. Hebrews 6:8 (NIV)

But they refused to pay attention to the Lord. They were stubborn. They turned their backs and covered their ears. ¹² They made their hearts as hard as the hardest stone. They wouldn’t listen to the law. They wouldn’t pay attention to the Lord’s messages. So the Lord who rules over all was very angry. After all, his Spirit had spoken to his people through the earlier prophets. ¹³ “When I called, they did not listen,” says the Lord. “So when they called, I would not listen. Zechariah 7:11-13 (NIRV)

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, ²⁷ but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God…³¹ It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Hebrews 10:26-27, 31 (NIV)

4. I Must __________ To The ________ Found In God’s Promises.

Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation. ¹⁰ God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. Hebrews 6:9-10 (NIV)

• Jesus wore the ____________ so my life could _______ _________.

5.  I Must ____________ My Faith & Salvation With __________________.

We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. ¹² We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. Hebrews 6:11-12 (NIV)

It is better to finish something than to begin something… Ecclesiastes 7:8a (EHV)

• Nobody ____________ toward ________________________.

Make every effort to confirm your calling and election… 2 Peter 1:10b (NIV)

Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling… Philippians 2:12c (NIV)

I MUST DECIDE THAT…

I will stay __________. I will stay ____________. I will stay ____________.

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. ³⁶ You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. ³⁷ For, “In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay.” ³⁸ And, “But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.” ³⁹ But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved. Hebrews 10:35-39 (NIV)