Heb. 3:1-19 The Sin of Unbelief
INTRO:
On the day that Christ died & God
tore apart temple veil, it signified the
end of era lasted 1,500 years
A.)It is not Hard to
grasp the difficulty these Hebrew believers would have had accepting fact that God had written finished across their religion:
B) Hard for them to
understand how the traditions of 1,500 years
could be over in one single act!
1) These Jews needed to face the fact that
Christ fulfilled O.T. pictures and shadows;
( Calvary spelled the end of the law)
C) In the Book of
Hebrews we learn that Jesus established a New Covenant
1) The Writer contrast Christ w/ some of the Major
Aspects of Judaism to show that Christ is Superior – They Shadows He is REAL DEAL
D)Ch 1 saw Superior to the
angels;
1.) Chapter 2 - perfect
man - rescued fallen man - He did what
man and angels couldn't do
E)Author of Salvation; -
Sanctifier; Elder Brother; Merciful and Faithful
High Priest; Helper in temptation
In
This Current section – begins Contrast of Jesus w/ some of the Major People in
Judaism – Moses / Joshua & Aaron –
A)Reveals that as great as those men were – And wonderful as the Works they did –Jesus greater – worthy of more glory
B) Over and over again He will make
point - Christ is a better Savior and Priest! Better Sacrifice / Established a Better
Covenant.
1.) Starts w/ Moses – Read v.1-6
Moses
was esteemed by the Jews far above any other Jew who ever lived. Name is
mentioned 700 times in the Scriptures
A) God had miraculously
protected him as a baby and personally provided for his burial.
B)Between those 2 points
in his life are miracle after miracle after miracle.
Consider a few things about the Glory of Moses- note 6 things
1ST
HE WAS DIVINELY CHOSEN
A)Protected as a Baby –
raised by Pharaoh’s daughter / - 40 yrs somebody
Wilderness – 40 yrs nobody – shepherd – lowest class
B) God appears in
burning Bush – You are my Man !!! Go & tell Pharaoh let my people go !!!!
1)
Even when Moses was
reluctant – God was persistent
2nd He became Israel’s deliver –
A)Comes into Egypt –
Plagues - great demonstrations of the power of God upon his life
B) After 430 yrs in Egypt Israel was finally free / Red Sea –
3rd
Israel’s greatest Prophet – God communicated
to the prophets thru various means – but Moses directly
A)Numbers 12 – Aaron
& Miriam spoke against Moses because of his wife he married an Ethiopian
woman and God silences them when He
says
the LORD said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to
the tabernacle of meeting!” So the three came out. 5Then the LORD
came down in the pillar of cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and
called Aaron and Miriam. And they both went forward. 6Then He
said,“Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you,
I, the LORD, make Myself
known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream.
7 Not
so with My servant Moses; He is faithful in all My house.
8 I
speak with him face to face, Even plainly, and not in dark sayings;
And he sees the form of
the LORD. Why then were you not afraid
To speak against My
servant Moses?”
B)Some Jews believed that Moses was greater
than angels. God spoke to the prophets in visions, but to Moses He spoke face
to face.
1)
He spoke to him in a
burning bush. He spoke to him out of heaven. He spoke to him on MT. Sinai
4th
Moses was the great lawgiver – To the
Jew the Law was the greatest thing in the world and the fact that God gave it
to them- Great Pride
A) And since it came
Thru Moses –that made him extra special
in their eyes / to them Moses and the Law were
synonymous
5th
Moses was Israel’s great Historian –
Under Divine Inspiration He authored the Pentateuch
the first 5 books of the Bible/ The Patriarchs
A)Includes what is called the law of Moses – WHICH lays out the laws that Governed everything
that the Jews Did
6th Numbers 12:3 Moses was said to be the Meekest man alive –
A) This is what God said
at the end of Moses life – Duet. 34 10But since then there has not arisen
in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, 11in
all the signs and wonders which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt,
before Pharaoh, before all his servants, and in all his land, 12and
by all that mighty power and all the great terror which Moses performed in the
sight of all Israel.
B)These 6 statements present Moses as the great Apostle &
High Priest of the O.T. – Apostle - He was
God’s representative – messenger –
C)Priest ? Wait- Moses was never a Priest – in actuality he ministered in a more priestly
manner than did Aaron – Interceding
1) When Moses went out to meet w/ God at the
tent of meeting – all the people stood at the entrance of their tents watching
Moses until he entered
D) To the Jews Moses was simply the greatest – Michael
Jordan
1)
He was faithful to His
calling in God’s House /
E)But in V. 1 The
Exhortation is to Consider Jesus – also faithful more
glory
Why
did Jesus receive more glory than Moses? 1st His Position / 2nd
His person
A)1st
Position : Moses was a servant
in God's house; Jesus is the builder
of the house HIS house
B) Moses was a member
of the household of God; Jesus is the creator of that house, worthy of greater
glory
House
meaning “household,” and refers to the people, not a building or dwelling. You are the House of God
A)Moses was a
trustworthy steward in that household. A steward does not own the house, he
simply manages it for the owner.
B)God owned the house of Israel; Moses was simply its
manager for a while. 1) He was in
charge of dispensing to the people of Israel the truths, commandments,
requirements, and promises God had committed to his trust.
C) In this he proved
trustworthy.Ex.35-40 / 22 ref. To his faithfulness
1)
Moses was a faithful
servant in God’s House – His Economy
D) But Jesus was the Builder of the House – the Builder is greater than any of His tools
1)
No one
magnifies a Hammer – Wow ! – No they
honor & magnify the one using the hammer
E) Jesus came to
Establish the Household of Believers -
(Eph. 2:19). “So then you are no longer strangers and
aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s
household”
(1 Pet. 2:4-5). “And coming to Him
as to a living stone, rejected by men, but choice and precious in the sight of
God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house”
The
giving of the law & the system that Moses was used in served a purpose in the Building of God’s
house
A)It was to pt. People to Jesus – Savior – the Builder of the house v.4 is a statement pointing to the DEITY OF CHRIST – builder
B) So Jesus is Superior
in His Position – Moses a worker a part of the House but Jesus is the Builder /
HIS HOUSE
2nd
Jesus is superior in His person
A)Moses was a faithful servant; but Jesus was called the Son
B) There is a great
difference between a servant and a son.
1)
Servants come and go;
sons are sons for life.
C) The Greek word used
in Heb 3:5 for servant is unique / this is the only time it is used in the N.T.
– term that speaks of dignity & freedom,
1) High
Ranking servant
D) So Moses was a
Servant of the Highest ranking – but He is not the Son
1)
Martin & Sons –
Head Foreman vs. the Son
E) So as special as
Moses was He doesn’t Compare w/ Christ
Now
The teaching on Moses is followed by a
warning V.7-4:1
A)This is the Second warning in the epistle - the first warning chapter 2 had do with disregarding the salvation of God – Give Heed / neglect
B.) This one had to do with disbelieving the sufficiency
of God -
C)The writer quotes from
Ps 95 - Creating a parallel between children Israel - and present situation of
Jewish believers –
1) who were considering - going back - Read v.7-19
The
Exodus out of Egypt was an amazing Display of God’s Power greatness and
Provision – 10 Plagues / Red Sea – Moses Moses …man
A)The People were excited praising God –
B)Their journey
- geographically - was only about an 11 day journey from Egypt to door of
Promised Land if they went directly
A.) God was
going to lead them a different way - one reason was to protect them (not
ready face enemy)
B) Second
- was to teach them - seven stops - all lessons
C) See God's plan was
NOT JUST TO take his people out of bondage - but teach them about being
children
1.) Learn how to trust
in Him; to learn to depend upon Him - from all
their needs allow Him to lead
them step by step!
D) For them to come to know Him and love Him as their God - serve Him with all their hearts!
What happened
though was that at every stop / every test they didn’t see the Lord – they only
saw their problems Never looked high enough
A)We do that - eyes on
circumstances - see only problem not the Lord - promised to be with us -
lead us
B) Eye on financial problem
- worrying stressing out
eye on
marital problem - instead looking to Him!
Finally after camping at Mt. Sinai for approx 1 year - takes
them to edge of Promised Land
A.) Send in
spies - 12 in all - only two trusted! -"Too big to hit" - "Too
big to miss" - guys the Lord is on our side.. they are our Bread
B.) But the
people rebelled and said - oh we wish we were still in
Egypt - How sad! - stay in bondage
1)
God
said they would not enter HIS REST
C) They
began so well but ended so poorly – lesson to believers throughout history It is easy to begin well & to
end poorly
True Christianity is demonstrated over
the long term, not just in an initial burst;
D) This is the writer of Hebrews concern that the
same mistake made by the Israelites would be made by these Jewish believers
Interesting to
Note Psa. 95 was a familiar passage to Jewish people – not only were they
familiar w/ the story & History of their People
A)But this Psa was read at the beginning of each
Sabbath Day service and it served as a call to worship – as well as a call to listen hear God’s voice
B)Today if you hear his
voice do not harden your hearts as in the Rebellion
1) These Solemn words were repeated week after week month after month / yr. after yr. as a call to carefully listen to the voice of God
C) To not make the same mistake as that Gen.& miss out on God’s rest
Now Canaan
was called the Land of Rest
A)But what does it represent for the Christian – heaven ? No in Canaan there were battles to fight / work to be done / Enemies to Conquer
B) There are
No SUCH THINGS IN HEAVEN –
1)
The Land of Canaan
– the rest of Canaan represents for the Believer in Jesus Christ the SPIRIT FILLED /LED LIFE
C) Life of being
submitted to & led by the Lord
3
Geographical positions spiritually
A)Egypt = world -
bondage of sin
B)Wilderness = depicts a
time after salvation many go through - Jesus is Savior / not Lord wrestling w/
allowing Him to lead / learning who He is
1) All Go through our own Kadesh Barnea –
Step into New life or doubt His Care / Provision & Protection
C) Canaan represents the Christian life as it ought to be/
sure conflicts; battles; warfare - but victories!
1) Canaan represents that time where we are
moving forward / living on promises / seeking to take hold of the inheritance
we have in Christ!
The
victorious Christian life is not pictured as a once and for all victory - but a
series of conflicts and battles in which we move forward relying on and looking
to the Lord!
It is
described as a Land of Rest – because God was the one doing the work – although
they were Participants in what He was doing
A)The Lord was doing the
work - they just reaped blessing
B)Jericho – what did they do? – They marched / they
shouted but God brought the walls down
B) But He wasn’t going
to bring the walls down unless they trusted Him stepping out in faith –
believing
1)
Jordan River – feet
wet –
C) So It was God who was
giving the victory / it was God who was – parting the waters –
1) but they were called to participate by
faith in what He was doing
D) And They found out at
Ai – what happened when they tried to do it on their own / Defeat -
1) That is what happens not trusting our Life is not marked by rest & peace / but strife / frustration defeat & emptiness
Talk more
about this rest Sunday - note – Active
Rest
A)But here we have a description of what Can cause a person to not enter into that Rest / how to
avoid it
B) Root Problem is identified in v.12 & 19 as
UNBELIEF -they didn’t believe in the
faithfulness of God to bring them into the land
A)
"Unbelief is not inability to understand, but unwillingness to trust
. . . it is the will, not the intelligence, that is
involved."
B) We all have our
moments of weak faith- Lord I believe help my
unbelief
1)
Story of Jarius – His
daughter / woman w/ issue / She is dead
C) Jesus meets His Unbelief w/ His Word / Promise –
Don’t fear Only Believe & she will be made well.
1) We often are faced w/ that decision – Believe – Rest
– trust in the faithfulness of God / promise of scripture or not .
D) But lets say Jarius
goes to his house sees his daughter
raised & doesn’t become a follower .- that is what this is talking about
1) The people of Israel kept testing God, & the day
of trial lasted forty years
Unbelief
never has enough proof.
V.9 Says for 40 yrs they saw My works – but it was like they
didn’t see a thing – always forgetting /
A)v.10
They didn’t know my ways – Implication is they should have
Why is it so easy to forget ? –
JOURNAL
C) What does unbelief
result in ?
1)
V.10 Going astray in the heart – where straying begins – heart
D) A man doesn’t just decide one day to have an affair / starts in the heart fantasy / dropping guard / allowing get closer to someone other than wife
1) Starts in the heart -
Reason
Eve was in that Place by the tree of knowledge of Good and evil – straying in
her heart – place she should have been / deceived
B) Doubting God’s care /
doubting God’s Provision / doubting word
That is
followed by a hardening of the Heart v.8
A)Voice of conviction grows faint – hard for the H.S. to penetrate that bearer
B) That leads to rebellion – at that
point – heart has grown hard – easier to do what you know you shouldn’t do
C) Once we step over
that line into Rebellion – we move into that realm of testing and trying the
Lord – see what He is going to do
1)
Also open ourselves up
to the Deceitfulness of Sin
D)Deceitfulness means
“trickery” or “stratagem.” Sin is tricky; it seldom appears as it really is. It
always masks itself. It lies and deceives
1) When a person becomes spiritually
hardened, he rarely is aware of it.
How Avoid
this :
A)v.7 Hear His voice :
Personal responsibility
Writer says - v.12,13
beware = be on guard –
B) Writer wouldn’t give this warning if not
possible
1)Notice the urgency of His appeal - today
-
C)This is serious - not a matter to procrastinate on
1.) Good at
procrastinating - (me comes getting in shape great at saying -
I'll start tomorrow) Dairy
Queen
Story
of a man, who while cleaning
out his desk, found a shoe-repair ticket that was ten years old. Figuring that he had nothing to lose, he
went to the shop and gave the ticket to the repairman, who began to search the
back room for the unclaimed shoes.
After several minutes, he reappeared and gave
the ticket back to the man.
"What's wrong?" asked the man. "Couldn't you find my shoes?"
"Oh, I found them," replied the
repairman, & they'll be ready next
Friday."
D.) We are
good at procrastinating but there is one area that must not procrastinate in - issues of heart
Writer here quoting H.S. - Today is time to take heed to your heart
- examine heart! GRIEVES ME – SENSE
THAT HAPPENING
There was a farmer who died after willing his farm to the
devil. The courts didn't know how to handle the will (how do you give a farm to
the devil?)
but after several months of deliberation it
handed down the following decision:
"It
is decided that the best way to carry out the wish of the deceased is to allow
the farm to grow weeds, the soil to erode, and the house and barn to rot. In our opinion, the best way to leave
something to the devil is to do nothing."
Therein lies a truth.
Especially when it pertains to our hearts /
A person who makes no decision for the Lord is in reality choosing
against the Lord
B.) Person who resist conviction of the H.S. and
does nothing is in a bad place -
life will reflect it!
1.) Sin is like a weed
that if not dealt with grows and spreads
v.13 Exhort each other
A)But Yourself in a
place to be encouraged –
70% of those who profess
to be born again Christians think it is possible to be a good Christian w/out
going to Church
B) Encourage is from the
Greek parakaleoµ, a form of the word used by Jesus of the Holy
Spirit in John 14:16.
1) The root meaning has to do with coming alongside to
give help. The writer is saying to these believers “Get
along side each other& help each other.”
v.14
Hold fast –Not the idea of holding on to Christ for dear life – like a guy
holding on to a Rope hanging off a cliff
A)The idea here is
to Abide – keep eyes on Christ –
B) Those who Keep eyes
on Him