Don't Go

Hebrews  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  34:48
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…Therefore, 1

Verse 1 begins with “therefore”, we need to see what it’s there fore. Speaking of Jesus at the end of Chapter 2:
He destroyed our spiritual enemies
He released us from fear and bondage
He aids us in our temptation
Therefore, we should think carefully about Jesus before we decide to jettison our faith and return to whatever our previous state was (Paul’s readers were leaning toward returning to Judaism, but this applies regardless).

Jesus is more glorious than Moses, 1-11

Hebrews 3:1–6 NKJV
1 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, 2 who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was faithful in all His house. 3 For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who built the house has more honor than the house. 4 For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God. 5 And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward, 6 but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.
Having refocused our attention on what Jesus has done for us, the author then contrasts Jesus and Moses.
Jesus had a better origin since He was sent (Apostle) while Moses was called, verse 1
Jesus had a better function since He was the builder of the house and Moses was a part of the house
For example, houses and buildings designed and built by the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright at the turn of the 20th century are impressive, but what makes them sought after is the fact that they were designed by him.
Jesus had a better station since He is the Son while Moses was a servant
Driving the point home, he quotes Psalm 95:7-11, which was written by David but is here attributed to God the Holy Spirit.
Hebrews 3:7–11 NKJV
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. 10 Therefore I was angry with that generation, And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, And they have not known My ways.’ 11 So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’ ”
The short version: Don’t rebel against what God wants for you and face his wrath like your father’s did.

Second Warning, 12-19

Speaking into their doubts, and ours, he gives the second of five major warning in the book.
Hebrews 3:12–15 NKJV
12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 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.”
Doubting our faith leads to departing our faith. We have seen that play out in dramatic ways in our own day. Why?
Sin is deceitful. Not just evil, but missing the target (as the word sin means). At some point after we keep missing the target, we decide the target isn’t all that important.
Since sin is deceitful, we need to be watchful over each other (exhort).
There is a natural part of us that recoils at the thought that we, or any professed believer, could walk away from our faith and so he cites a graphic example of people doing it.
Hebrews 3:16–19 NKJV
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.
Do people walk away from their professed faith? Yes. Do they face consequences for doing so? Yes. Do we want to join them? No. So, Paul says, Don’t go. I’m giving you reasons to stay and warnings against going. At the end of the day, the decision is ours, but if we are not attentive, we may make that decision passively, almost by accident, and that is one of the greater dangers we face.
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