Series on the Epistles of Paul (135) - Hebrews 3:1-19

Well, good evening, brethren. We saw in Hebrews chapter 1, starting in verse 2, that in these lost days, God has spoken to us by his Son. And so we can see that now, in this age, God speaks to us by his Son. In other words, his Son Christ, in a sense, is the Apostle, the messenger of the New Covenant, as it refers in Malachi 3 verse 1. And Paul in this epistle to the Hebrews then establishes the supremacy of Jesus Christ. He shows that Christ existed before creation, that Christ created and sustains all things, and then that he became human and made purification for our sins possible, something that no angel could accomplish. Following his death, Christ was resurrected, was glorified, and exalted to the right hand of God. And he is the Son, who the very angels worship, and is the one through whom the Father will ultimately bring many sons and daughters to glory. Then in chapter 2, Hebrews further expounds Christ's superiority to angels and explains why Christ became a human being. He then takes death for mankind, defeating Satan, and therefore making it possible to bring many sons to glory as part of one stage of that process. By Christ sharing our human experience, our sufferings and temptations, Christ became our merciful and faithful high priest. Therefore, he is able to understand, he is able to represent and help and ultimately save us. So it's just not redemption from Son, but the help that he provides for us as our high priest. So we see Christ being the Apostle, as I mentioned in Hebrews 1 verse 2, and Christ being the high priest in Hebrews 2.17. And therefore, we see he is the mediator between us and God the Father.

In both directions, from the Father to us, as the messenger that gives us the Apostle, that gives us a clarification and a deeper understanding of God's plan, and from us to God, as our high priest. And so in chapter 3, then Hebrews says, therefore, and therefore we have here a connection between this chapter, chapter 3, and directly with what he finished talking or saying in the previous chapters. And he says, holy brethren, not just because he was talking to the Hebrews, which were of the same, let's call national lineage, but these brethren were of the same spiritual relationship, of the same spiritual family. And then he says, partakers of the heavenly calling, we share the same calling. We partake, for one, we have received God's Holy Spirit upon baptism, Acts 2.38, so we partake of God's Spirit, but we also partake of the calling, as it says of the heavenly calling, we are called by God, John 6.44. And so the Israelites had an earthly calling, called out of Egypt to go into the promised land, and we have a heavenly calling to leave the bondage of sin and go to the kingdom of God. And so he says, consider, yeah, in this chapter chapter 3, he says, brethren, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the apostle and high priest of our confession, Christ Jesus. So we need to think carefully, we need to consider who Christ is and what he's doing for us. And so he says, the apostle and high priest of our confession. And this brings two important roles, emphasized, which I briefly mentioned a little while ago. Apostle is the one sent by God to reveal his truth to us. And high priest is the one who represents us before God. So once again, Christ has this role in the middle as a mediator, in the direction of God through Christ to us, and in the direction of us through Christ to the Father. As high priest, he represents us before God. And he says then, of our confession, apostle and high priest of our confession. In other words, that ties that to what God has spoken to us. God has spoken to us, and we acknowledge, we believe, we confess, we accept Christ and the plan, we confess, we confess our sins, we confess our commitment to God's way. And now in verse 2, who was faithful to him? So Christ was faithful to the Father, who appointed Christ, as Moses also was faithful in all his house. And so Christ was faithful to what God told him to do amongst one of the most possibly difficult acts was to become a human being and die for us. I would say that is clearly the clincher act, and he was faithful in that action of dying for us amongst other actions that he does and that he did. And so Christ and Moses, therefore, have something important in common. They both were faithful to the responsibility God gave them.

In Hebrews 3 verse 3 through 6, now Hebrews, the seepossel describes how Christ is greater than Moses. And therefore it makes that comparison. And the first comparison was in chapters 1 and 2, was demonstrating that Christ is greater than angels. Now in chapter 3, Hebrews demonstrates that Christ is greater than Moses. Now this is particularly significant to a Jewish or a Hebrew audience who highly respected Moses. And so in verse 3, for this one, that's Christ, has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who built the house has more honor than the house. You see, so yeah, we have an important distinction. I'll just call it the first distinction, because I'm going to mention a second distinction about Moses. But this first distinction is that Christ built the house, while Moses was part of the house. You see, Moses was certainly a great servant of God, but he was still part of what God was building, the house. But Christ stands above it. Christ is building the house, is building the church, is building the bride, is preparing the bride. And so continue now in verse 4, for every house is built by someone, but he who built all things is God.

Look at Hebrews chapter 1 verse 2, where it talks about that all things, it says here in verse 2, that he says that in his last day spoken to us by his son, whom he the father has appointed heir of all things, through whom, that's Christ, through whom he the father made all things, God the father made all things through Christ. Christ was the agent, the one that executed the plan that the father commanded. So it all was done through Christ. All was done through Christ. In other words, he was the creator. He was the one that built. And so when we read in verse 4 of chapter 3, and it says, he who built all things is God, who literally built all things was Christ. And so Paul is here equating Christ, who built all things to God. And so that is another interesting statement here. Now continuing in verse 5, and Moses indeed was faithful in all his hours as a servant for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward. Moses indeed was faithful in all his hours as a servant. Moses' fidelity of faithfulness was there of a servant. Think of it of an employee to arrange and to keep for instance a house in order.

And so, but Christ was different. He was not an employer. He's the owner. You see, and then he says for a testimony, a testimony of those things. In other words, every ordinance of the ceremonial law was a type of things to come, pointed to Christ, to his suffering, to his death, to his glory, and all that was according to a pattern. So the ceremonial sacrifices pointed to Christ and his work through God's Holy Spirit. So continue now in verse 6, but Christ as a son over his own house, whose house we are, if we hold fast, the confidence of the rejoicing, a big part, the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end. And so, but Christ as a son over his own house. And this is the second distinction that we have, yeah, is that Moses was a servant. Christ is the son. And so when we put these two distinctions or these two contrasts one next to another, we have Moses was a faithful servant in the house. Christ is a faithful son over the house. Therefore, Christ deserves greater honor than Moses. Or putting it in another way or another way of describing it, Moses faithfully served within God's plan. Christ is the son over that plan and the one to whom Moses' ministry ultimately pointed to. You see, so Hebrews then makes the comparison very personal. He says, we are the house.

Because he says, whose house we are. He makes this comparison very personal. We are the house. And then he says, if we hold fast till the end. You see, the house now is no longer just a merely a physical tabernacle or a physical building. But it's us. God's people are the spiritual house, are the temple. But notice the important qualification here. If we hold fast firm till the end. You see, it's not good enough or sufficient enough to merely begin. The Christian life requires continuing faithfully till the end. You see, and that's why it says, hold fast the confidence. Why do we have confidence? Well, turn with me to 2 Corinthians chapter 1. 2 Corinthians chapter 1. 2 Corinthians chapter 1.

verse 21 and 22. Now he establishes us with you in Christ, and as anointed as is God.

God the Father is the one that establishes us in Christ. He's the one that's called us and is put as in Christ and as anointed us with what? Of course, of the Spirit. And therefore, it will also has sealed us and given us the Spirit. It's given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. You see, when we have and when we receive God's Holy Spirit, that is a guarantee. Because God's Holy Spirit is the seed that we've received that we are now begotten. We are God's own begotten children. That is a guarantee that we will be children of God. You know, you think about it, when a baby is conceived inside the mother's womb, that seed that impregnated the mother is a guarantee that a child, when the child after nine months will be born, it's a guarantee that it will be a son of that parent, that father. It's a guarantee. We are a guarantee. And so that's why it says it's the confidence. The only thing that can break that confidence is, as it said there, if we don't hold fast firm to the end. Because if we don't hold fast to the end, then we quote-unquote, in the spiritual analogy, we self-abort.

You know, God will never abort us. He says he'll never leave or forsake you. But spiritually speaking, the only one that can cause an abortion is ourselves in that analogy, if we don't hold fast. And so this is a confidence. That's why in Hebrews chapter 3, it says, verse 6, if we hold fast the confidence, we're going to hold on to this confidence that we will be in the kingdom of God, unless we walk away from it. And it says, and the rejoicing of the hope.

We got to rejoice of the hope. And what is hope? Hope is the anchor of our soul. Look at Hebrews 6, verse 19. Hebrews 6, verse 19. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul. You know, it was the hope we have of being in the kingdom of God, the sons and daughters of God, is an anchor to our life. When it says soul, we understand it's our life. As we read in Genesis, then when the breath of life entered into Adam, he became a living soul. Here was a living being, in other words, a life, a living life. And so this anchor of our life is our hope. Our hope is what we need to always be rejoicing on. And because the hope is sure, the hope is sure, because it's God's promise, and God does not lie. And so it's not just a hope, but it's the rejoicing of the hope. Look at it, for instance, in Hebrews chapter 12 verse 2. We read, looking at Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him, the joy of the hope of what? Of us being in the kingdom with him. He endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Christ looked ahead, and with that hope, that to him was a joy. He looked at the positive of beyond the suffering of enduring the cross, enduring extremely painful suffering in the short term. But he looked beyond that to the joy of the hope. Look at Romans 8 verse 18 through 20. Romans 8 verse 18 through 20.

Romans 8 verse 18 through 20. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us, and Yah is sure hope shall be revealed in us.

And so the sufferings are not worthy to be compared. And so that's why it's this rejoicing of their hope, because that's that glory that shall be revealed in us. Verse 19, for the earnest expectation of creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. In other words, the whole creation waits for that moment when the sons of God will be revealed. In other words, when will be resurrected as spirit beings. They wait for that.

The whole creation, which means the angels even look because they're part of the creation, and we all wait and even mankind when they see that this whole hope will become a lot crystal clear. Verse 20, for the creation was subject to futility. Our physical creation, our physical world is subject to futility, is subject to decay, is subject to corruption, not willingly. God does not do it willingly because he wants us to go through decay and futility and things like that, but because of him who's subjected in hope.

Christ put him under the command and instruction, the plan of God the Father. This was made this way in hope. There's a great hope for that. And so that again ties into this point here in Hebrews that it says that we need to have the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.

Also in James chapter 1 verse 2, and that's along the same concept, says, my brethren, count on all joy when you fall into various trials. Why? Because we look beyond. We look for the hope beyond that the trials are nothing. Then because he says, verse 3, knowing that the testing of faith produces patience and patience, having its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. You see, that's what we've got to understand. That is, in a sense, that is godly wisdom. And that's why it says, if any of you lacks wisdom, if any of you don't understand this, then you must God who gives to all liberally and without reproach and will be given to him.

He will be given to him the comprehension, the understanding of this plan, how the glory that is to come, that hope to come, is far greater than the temporary sufferings we go through, even though we know they're fairly big. And so we must look beyond the problems. So this, with this point here in Hebrews chapter 3 verse 6, there now that, in a sense, is an introduction to the warning, or the main warning, that is in the rest of Hebrews chapter 3.

And this warning is a comparison that Israel in the wilderness is an example, is a warning to us. You see, as I mentioned in the previous study, there are six warnings in the book of Hebrews. I mentioned that the first one was in Hebrews 2 verses 1 through 4, against us drifting from the things that we've heard. And then I also mentioned in the previous study that the second of those six warnings is in Hebrews 3 verse 7 through 14, which is what we're going to cover now, because it's against disbelieving, which we'll see it is directly related or connected with disobeying the voice of God.

And so let's go on and read now verse 7, because yeah, it says, therefore, as the Spirit says... now, how does the Spirit says the following verses? The following... the rest of verse 7 through verse 11 is quoting Psalm 95 verse 7 through 11, also 7 through 11. So Hebrews 3, 7 through 11 is Psalm 95, 7 through 11. And so when it says, the Spirit says, that means that the Psalms, the Psalms, what's written in the Psalms, what was to be inspired in the Psalms by God through God's Spirit to David or the Psalmist in Psalm 95.

So let's go to Psalm 95. Psalm 95 verse 7. Psalm 95 verse 7. 95 verse 7, right. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand. Today, if you'll hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in rebellion.

I'm reading now verse 8 of Psalm 95, as is in the day of trial in the wilderness. Verse 9, When your fathers tested me, they tried me, though they saw my work. Verse 10, For forty years I was grieved with that generation, and said, it is a people who go astray in their hearts, and they do not know my ways. Verse 11, So I swore in my wrath, they shall not enter my rest. And so you can see this is practically word for word. What do we read in Hebrews chapter 3, 7 through 11? You see, physical Israel had experienced extraordinary evidence of God's presence and power. We know that. We often read the Exodus, the story of Exodus, and we see the miracles and extraordinary evidence of God's presence and power. And God said He delivered them from Egypt. He led them through the wilderness. He performed miracles and miracles for them, and He promised them a land of rest. In other words, the promised land. Yet, yet that generation never entered that rest, except for two people, Joshua and Caleb. Otherwise, they didn't enter that rest. And why? Look at Hebrews chapter 3 verse 10. It says, why? It says, they, it says, therefore I was angry with that generation, and said, they always go astray in their heart, in their heart, and they have not known my ways. You see the fundamental problem?

It's a heart problem. It's a heart problem. They saw God's work, but did not develop enduring faith in them. But the warning to us is therefore, let's not repeat Israel's mistake.

They began the journey, but they did not faithfully complete it. And so now in verse 12, Hebrews applies Israel's example directly to us, to you and I. Let's read verse 12. Beware, brethren, lest they be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. It says, beware of an unbelieving heart. Notice the progression. Unbelief causes a hardened heart and causes one to depart from God. You see, a person does not normally abandon God suddenly. It's not, oh well, no, it's gradual. It's gradual. It's gradual. A small little compromise, yeah. A little doubt, yeah. A little doubt there. A little neglected warning. And therefore, you've got a little repeated sin, yeah, and there, which slowly weakens the faith. And therefore, the warning is watch our hearts.

Israel's physical journey through the wilderness becomes a spiritual warning to offer our Christian journey. And now verse 13, but exhort one another daily, what is called today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. We got to exhort one another. We got to help one another because sin can gradually harden us. Sin can gradually harden us. And so this verse explains one of the great dangers of sin, which is sin is deceitful. You see, sin rarely says abandon God completely today. No, but it encourages one small compromise, then another, and then eventually something that once troubled our conscience may come to a point where it no longer troubles us.

You see, don't go against what God tells us through His Spirit, yeah, because God's only Spirit touches our consciousness, and don't go against that conscience. In Romans 14 verse 23, Romans 14 verse 23, Romans 14 verse 23, but He who doubts is condemned if He eats because He does not eat from faith, for whatever is not from faith is sin. Whatever is not from faith is sin. You know, the context, as we know, yeah, in Romans 14, is talking about subjects that are gray matters, let's call it that. But the point here is if you go against the conscience, if you believe that something might be wrong for you to do, and you do it anyway without a clear conviction of faith, you are violating or I am violating my conscience, and therefore I end up sinning. And so by slowly going against the conscience, you and I could be destroying our conscience. In 1st Timothy chapter 4 verse 2, 1st Timothy chapter 4 verse 2, we read, speaking about the later times of the end, it says, in the later times, people lie, speak lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron. Having the conscience seared or cauterized with a hot iron, we, in other words, destroys the feeling and becomes spiritual numb to sin. See, so we've got to be careful not to allow our consciousness to be seared, to be cauterized. Look at Hebrews chapter 5, because some people may say, oh well, but you know, it's a bit more about conscience. Yes, there is a bit more, because we've got to train the conscience in God's way, and that's what we read in Hebrews chapter 5 verse 13 and 14. For everyone who partakes only of milk, he said, because of his conscience, he's only taking milk, but he's unskilled in the world of righteousness, for he's a babe. So he's got to learn, he's got to study, he's got to use the world of righteousness, he's got to study God's word, and then he says, but solid food belongs to those who are of full age, mature. There is those who by reason of use, use what? The world of righteousness. They have studied the Bible. They're using the Bible. They study. They're having their conscience trained, and they said, by reason of use, have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. You see, the word, yeah, for senses is a Greek word, is theteria, which refers to faculties of moral perception or discernment. And so our senses, our ability to recognize right and wrong, therefore develops, learns through continual use of God's world of righteousness. And so spiritual maturity means that our moral judgment, our conscience, has been trained in the truth in God's way. In other words, God's word trains our conscience as we live it and practice it and study it and pray we are, in a sense, quote-unquote, programming our conscience to God's way, to the correct way. And because our conscience is sensitive, is not numb, is not seared, then it functions. Let me give you an analogy. Most of you have experienced an alarm clock in the morning to wake you up out of bed. Now, at first, a person immediately responds to the alarm and gets up. But maybe over time, we delay responding. And eventually, we may become accustomed to it and then sleep through it all and not awake.

So spiritually, in that analogy, is like the conscious. That's what the conscious is. We hear the warning and then we may ignore it and then ignore it again. And what happens? We become less sensitive and eventually we don't hear it. That's why Hebrews repeatedly emphasizes Lookia in Hebrews chapter 3 verse 15. For instance, today, if you hear his voice, we gotta hear his voice. You know, it speaks about today a number of times. We can see today, for instance, in verse 7. We can see today in verse 13. We can see today in verse 15. You see, this chapter 3 returns to Yah in this section here.

Repeat or returns to the same point of verse 6. What are we reading in verse 6? Verse 6, it says, hold fast to the confidence and rejoicing of the hope firm till the end. Look at verse 14, for we have become partakers of Christ. That ties into verse 1, which says that we are partakers of the heavenly calling and in other words, we're partakers of Christ. We're partakers of this calling, members of the church, partakers of the body of Christ. If we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, and that is very similar to verse 6, that we're hold fast firm to the end. And he sees the confidence, if we hold our confidence steadfast to the end. Look at verse 6, hold fast the confidence and rejoicing of the hope firm to the end. You see, there is a continuity here, a context. What is the context here? We gotta remain faithful till the end. And what is the point? The point is endurance. The point is endurance. We gotta endure. As we emphasized through trials and difficulties, we gotta endure. We must hold fast till the end, faithful till the end. And you know what Revelation 17 verse 14 says, those that will be with Christ are called chosen and faithful. So faith, brethren, is not merely something we profess at the beginning of our Christian calling. It says, oh I have faith, faith in Jesus. It must continue. True faith is enduring faith till the end. And that means obeying. And Paul addresses that very clearly in the next few verses. Let's now read verse 15. While it is said, today, if you'll hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in rebellion. You see, we must continue responding to God's voice. We're going to respond to God's voice throughout our life. It's not just a conversion, but it is a process of sanctification of the Spirit for obedience, as we read in 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 12. Let's just turn to 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 12.

Because yeah, it's talking about Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the pilgrims over different areas, verse 2, elect according to the firm knowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit. In this process of being set apart, of being separated through the power of God's Holy Spirit being in us and interacting with our conscience, and we study God's Word, and God's Word tells us one thing, and then God's Spirit pricks our conscience and says, well, we're going to do that. And so that's the sanctification of the Spirit for what purpose? For obedience, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. It's a sanctification of the Spirit for obedience and sprinkling, because that sanctification involves when after baptism we slip up here, we slip up there, or we say a thing we shouldn't have said. We got to come to God, to His throne in prayer, and say, please forgive me. And then He sprinkles His blood to forgive our sins, and the Holy Spirit helps us to renew our mind from the old man to the new man. You see, it's a process of sanctification of the Spirit for obedience. And so now Paul concludes with some what I would call rhetorical questions.

Why did Israel fail? Why did Israel fail? You see, it's Israel because that's who he was referring to. I beg your pardon, in Hebrews 3, verse 7 through 11. And so why did these Israelites, for those 40 years, why did they fail? And let's go on then and read verse 16. For who, having heard, rebelled? Who rebelled? Indeed, was it not? All who came out of Egypt led by Moses. Who rebelled? All they came out of Egypt led by Moses. They all rebelled, except for two, Joshua and Caleb.

And then verse 17, now with whom was he angry for 40 years? With whom was God angry those 40 years? You see, he's referring to verses 7 through 11, a little earlier than we read. So with whom was God angry 40 years? Was it not with those who sinned whose corpses fell in the wilderness?

Who sinned? Sin is breaking the law. They sinned. So who rebelled? The Israelites, they left Egypt. With whom was he angry? Does it sin in the wilderness? Who are they? They were all of them, except for two, Joshua and Caleb. And verse 18, and with to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest? And the rhetorical answer is those who did not obey. The Israelites, those who did not obey. And now we have a very striking conclusion in verse 19. It says, so we see they could not enter because of unbelief. Do you get it? They could not enter the promised land. Why? Because they disobeyed, because they sinned. Right? That's what we read in the previous verses. They did not obey. They sinned in the wilderness. Now in verse 19, it could have said they did not enter because they did not survive. But you see what it says? They did not enter because they did not believe.

Can you see our belief is directly related to obedience?

And so this brings the sequence very clearly of these closely related points. Sin brings deception, deceitfulness, causes heartening of the heart, causes unbelief, which causes disobedience, which causes failure to enter. God's rest and for us is the kingdom of God, the kingdom of God, the promised land for us. And so, Hebrews, we can see, deliberately connects disobedience and unbelief.

And so when we read in the New Testament, it says, oh, just believe Christ, or people just say, just believe Christ, we gotta read behind it, which means obey Christ, obey God's laws. It's not just believe and we don't have to obey. No, we have to obey because it's clearly explaining that unbelief leads to disobedience and the two are closely linked. And so, once again, Israel had been called. Israel had been delivered from Egypt. Israel had begun the journey. Israel had witnessed God's miracles, but they did not finish the journey.

They did not enter the rest. And their fundamental problem was unbelief, which led to disobedience. Israel had seen God's works, had been delivered from Egypt, had heard God's promises. Their problem, therefore, was not lack of evidence, but their problem was their failure to continue believing and holding fast till the end and obeying. And so, that explains the repeated emphasis. Today, we need to respond while God is speaking. We see today in verse 7, we see today in verse 13, we see today in verse 15. Today, we gotta listen to God speaking. In verse 15 says, exhort one daily. We need to help one another so that we don't become hardened. And verse 14, we gotta hold on and stay steadfast till the end, which means beginning in faith is insufficient without perseverance. And so, the wilderness generation, therefore, becomes a warning to us in the church today. Their past participation in God's saving acts, as they did, does not or did not make them subsequent unbelief inconsequential. Their unbelief, that disobedience, had consequences.

And that is the important principle, yeah, of Hebrews chapter 3.