But Exhort One Another Daily

New Years 2024 • Sermon • Submitted 4 months ago • Presented 4 months ago

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The writer of Hebrews uses those who came out of Egypt as examples of those who refused to hear God, follow His ways, or remain steadfast to the end.

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Introduction: We are seven days into the New Year 2024! How awesome is that? I haven’t seen many of you since last year! (LOL). Today we are going to dive into the Word of God and draw inspiration from the Book of Hebrews, specifically Hebrews 3:7-19. The sermon is simple but profound: "But exhort one another daily." May we open our hearts to the wisdom contained in these verses and discover the transformative power of mutual encouragement.

Is there anyone present today that doesn’t need some encouragement? I think we all need to be encouraged, and we need it daily. A daily dose will do it.

As I read through and studied today text, I saw three reasons why we need people to encourage us daily. Here are the three reasons:

I. To hear God’s Voice – Hebrews 3:7-9

7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you will hear His voice, 8 Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, In the day of trial in the wilderness, 9 Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, And saw My works forty years.

In these verses, the author of Hebrews reminds us of the importance of listening to God's voice. The phrase "Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts" echoes through the ages, calling us to be attentive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

It is vital that you and I hear God’s voice today. Right now, in the present. We must all become sensitive to the voice of God.

It Can Be Difficult to Hear God’s Voice

I personally find it hard at certain times to hear God’s voice, especially with all the distractions, the noise, and competing voices around me. It's easy to allow the cacophony (loud noises) of life to drown out the gentle whispers of God. The call is clear: daily, diligently, and devotedly, we are to tune our hearts to God's frequency.

Therefore, we must seek to exhort one another to develop a heightened sense of hearing God’s voice. Each one of us must exhort one another to stay attuned to His voice which leads to spiritual growth, discernment, and a deepened relationship with our Heavenly Father. Don’t miss this.

In my commentary on Hebrews Vol. 1, I mention seven ways that you and I can hear God’s voice:

1. Through the Bible – read it daily - it’s the voice of God.

Charles Spurgeon wrote, “The Bible speaks to you the very tones of God’s voice.”

Billy Graham wrote, “God speaks to those who belong to Him through His holy word—He is the Word! The authors of Scripture made it clear that God was speaking to them and through them. More than 3,000 times they said, “Thus saith the Lord” or its equivalent. And because “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16), we are taught what is right and wrong. God’s purpose is to train us in His righteousness. We must not let anything or anyone take the place of the Bible to guide our lives.” (BillyGraham.org).

2. Through the Holy Spirit – inner voice speaking to you. It may be a comforting voice, or a convicting voice.

3. Through Creation – God is seen everywhere (Romans 1:20). Nature speaks every language (Psalm 19).

4. Through people – the stories they share. Their stories hot home.

5. Through Circumstances – closed doors, open doors.

6. Through music and song – speaks to the soul of man.

7. Through Preaching – transformation can occur as you hear God. Therefore, be attentive to the teaching of God’s Word.

Oswald Chambers once said, “To be brought within the zone of God’s voice is to be profoundly altered.”

If we are going to exhort one another daily, we must ask one another the HARD questions. Far too many Christians shy away from asking the HARD questions. Here are a few of them:

· Have you heard from God today? What did he say to you?

· Have you read your Bible today? How has God spoken to you through His Word?

· In your Prayer life how has God spoken to you?

· Has God used the voice of another believer to speak to you recently? At church, within a Bible study, in a Home Group?

· How has God used that circumstance you have walked through to speak to you?

Yes, we must all exhort one another daily to hear God’s voice.

Next, we need to exhort one another daily…

II. To Know God’s Ways - Hebrews 3:10-13

10 Therefore I was angry with that generation, And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, And they have not known My ways.’ 11So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’ ” 12Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Why was God angry with the generation that came out of Egypt? Two reasons are provided in these verses. They are:

A. They always go astray in their heart – 3:10

10 Therefore I was angry with that generation, And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, And they have not known My ways.’

The Bible speaks of the heart some 954 times. Do you think that just maybe the heart is important? Solomon tells us in Proverbs 4:23,

Watch over your heart with all diligence because out of it flows all the issues of life.

Everything about life flows from the heart. Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe penned, “The heart of every problem is a problem in the heart.” (The Bible Exposition Commentary). Listen, everything you eat, to everything you wear, to every place you go, it is because you are led by your heart. Therefore, we must exhort one another daily to WATCH OVER OUR HEART. For instance…

· Not reading your Bible? It’s a heart issue.

· Not wanting to be in Church? It’s a heart issue.

· Not praying? It’s a heart issue.

· Not serving? It’s a heart issue.

· Not kind? It’s a heart issue.

· Not giving? It’s a heart issue.

· Not witnessing? It’s a heart issue.

The quickest way to be led astray is to NOT watch over your heart.

B. And they have not known My ways – 3:10

10 Therefore I was angry with that generation, And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, And they have not known My ways.’

The generation of people that came out of Egypt should have known God’s ways. After all, they had the very presence of God among them – cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Just like our generation should know God’s ways. After all, we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. And today, as the people of God we have an abundance of teaching material available to us. So, then, we are really without excuse.

They had God’s leaders and prophets, and yet they ended up missing the Promised Land.

How many millions of people today will end up missing heaven because they refuse to learn God’s ways? Don’t you be one of them.

What does the writer of Hebrews say that God says about these people. Look at verse 11,

So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’ ”

I cannot not imagine coming out of captivity by the hand of God, and not entering the rest that God had in store for me. And yet that happened to Israel, and it happens to many believers today. God has a REST for us to enter, and many never find it because of a heart issue.

Look at verse 12,

12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;

As I studied this passage of Scripture, I notice that there are three types of hearts mentioned:

1. The Hard Heart – 3:8,15

The word “hard” can also be translated, stubborn. A hard heart is callous to the things of God.

Tony Evans writes, “do not harden your hearts (3:8) – that is, don’t tell God, “no.”

2. The Straying Heart – 3:10

The person who stays is saying that other things are more important. One person wrote, “The person who strays will end up in the company of the dead.”

Donald Guthrie wrote, “Ignorance of God’s ways will naturally lead to people straying away from them.”

3. The Evil heart – 3:12

The word “evil” can also be translated, vile, or wicked.

Albert Einstein once said, “It is easier to de-nature plutonium than to de-nature the evil spirit of man.”

Jeremiah 17:9 says,

“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?

No wonder there is no REST. We have all heard the words, “No REST for the wicked.”

Our Theme for 2024

Next, we finally come to the verse that will be our THEME for 2024. It all about exhorting one another daily. We read,

13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

There is power in numbers. Never hike alone. Never try to accomplish large tasks alone. Why? Because we were meant for community. We were meant to labor alongside of others. The Bible uses the idea of a body! Christians must depend upon other Christians. Christians must work together. This is the way God designed His Church.

The phrase "exhort one another daily" takes on a protective quality in the face of sin's attraction. Our brothers and sisters in Christ are appointed by God to be a source of accountability, encouragement, and correction. We do need one another! You need to surround yourself with the people of God.

The word “exhort” means to encourage or comfort. It is the same word used of the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It is not a negative warning, but a positive encouragement. It is to be done on a daily basis because we are susceptible to the deceitfulness of sin (pleasing quality) on a daily basis. (Liberty Commentary of the New Testament).

Let us be vigilant in our love for one another, recognizing the signs of spiritual drift and intervening with grace-filled exhortations. Our unity in Christ empowers us to confront sin, restore the fallen, and keep each other on the narrow path that leads to life.

The brother of Jesus wrote,

19 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. (James 5:19–20 NKJV).

In what ways can we actively exhort and support our fellow believers in their walk with Christ? How can we foster a community that guards against the deceptive nature of sin? We ourselves must be hearing God’s voice and walking God’s ways. We ourselves must always be on guard when it comes to sin – watching over our own heart. We can’t lead where we ourselves haven’t been.

Finally, we are to exhort one another daily…

III. To remain Steadfast to the End – Hebrews 3:14-19

14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, 15 while it is said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” 16 For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? 17 Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

Our Church doctrinal statement reads: All true believers endure to the end. Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end. Believers may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, and bring reproach on the cause of Christ and temporal judgments on themselves; yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.

We need to exhort one another daily to remain steadfast.

Hebrews 12:2 need to be quoted here,

2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Keep your eyes on Jesus!

Philippians 1:6 needs to be quoted here,

6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

God is not done with you yet!

True believers stay steadfast to the end. In theology this is called the Perseverance of the Saints. True believers stick with Jesus Christ forever.

How to Stay Steadfast

In our text today we have looked at seven ways to stay steadfast. Here they are:

1. Hear God’s voice.

2. Don’t harden your hearts.

3. Refuse to rebel against God.

4. Follow your spiritual leaders (they had Moses).

5. Guard against sin (say no).

6. Obey Him.

7. Walk in belief.

Watch Out for Unbelief

The passage concludes by reflecting on the consequences of unbelief exhibited by the Israelites in the wilderness. Despite witnessing God's miraculous works, they faltered in faith and forfeited the rest God had prepared for them.

In our Christian journey, the promise of rest remains, but unbelief poses a constant threat. The call to exhort one another daily is an antidote to the poison of unbelief. Through mutual encouragement, we fortify our faith and build a community that stands firm on the promises of God.

Standing on the Promises of God

1 Standing on the promises of Christ my King, Through eternal ages let His praises ring, Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing, Standing on the promises of God.

Standing, standing, Standing on the promises of God my Savior; Standing, standing, I’m standing on the promises of God.

2 Standing on the promises that cannot fail, When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail, By the living Word of God I shall prevail, Standing on the promises of God.

3 Standing on the promises I now can see Perfect, present cleansing in the blood for me; Standing in the liberty where Christ makes free, Standing on the promises of God.

4 Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord, Bound to Him eternally by love’s strong cord, Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword, Standing on the promises of God.

5 Standing on the promises I shall not fall, List’ning every moment to the Spirit’s call. Resting in my Savior as my All in all, Standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the Promises of God will keep all of us from unbelief. Jesus Christ must be our ALL!

Conclusion: I close with these final words of encouragement:

1. The exhortation to encourage one another daily is a call to a vibrant, interdependent, and faith-filled community. It’s what the Church is supposed to be. A place of encouragement and growth.

2. In our shared journey of faith, let us listen attentively to God's voice, guard against the deceitfulness of sin, and stand firm in the promise of rest. Don’t we all need some rest? I believe so.

3. Let our exhortations be filled with love, grace, and a sincere desire to see each other grow in Christlikeness. Sincerely CAREfor those you worship with.

4. As we heed the words of Hebrews 3:13, "But exhort one another daily," may our lives be a testimony to the transforming power of mutual encouragement. God help SLBC be a family that encourages one another daily.

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