9) Hebrews - Warning - Hear His Voice
Notes
Transcript
“Be Reconciled to God” Root of Fruit Sin addressed “Unbelief, Pride, Selfishness”
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Call to Worship
1 Sing a new song to the Lord; let the whole earth sing to the Lord. 2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name; proclaim his salvation from day to day. 3 Declare his glory among the nations, his wondrous works among all peoples. 4 For the Lord is great and is highly praised; he is feared above all gods. 5 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens. 6 Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
Corporate Prayer -
Worship through Song
Scripture Reading
1 Come, let’s shout joyfully to the Lord, shout triumphantly to the rock of our salvation! 2 Let’s enter his presence with thanksgiving; let’s shout triumphantly to him in song. 3 For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods. 4 The depths of the earth are in his hand, and the mountain peaks are his. 5 The sea is his; he made it. His hands formed the dry land. 6 Come, let’s worship and bow down; let’s kneel before the Lord our Maker. 7 For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, the sheep under his care. Today, if you hear his voice: 8 Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah, as on that day at Massah in the wilderness 9 where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did. 10 For forty years I was disgusted with that generation; I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray; they do not know my ways.” 11 So I swore in my anger, “They will not enter my rest.”
Worship through Song
Worship through Song
Sermon
Prayer
Introduction
Introduction
We are going to jump right into the Word today. Please turn with me to Hebrews 3:7 we will start today by reading verses 7-19.
7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, 9 where your ancestors tested me, tried me, and saw my works 10 for forty years. Therefore I was provoked to anger with that generation and said, “They always go astray in their hearts, and they have not known my ways.” 11 So I swore in my anger, “They will not enter my rest.” 12 Watch out, brothers and sisters, so that there won’t be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception. 14 For we have become participants in Christ if we hold firmly until the end the reality that we had at the start. 15 As it is said: Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion. 16 For who heard and rebelled? Wasn’t it all who came out of Egypt under Moses? 17 With whom was God angry for forty years? Wasn’t it with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, if not to those who disobeyed? 19 So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.
The author of Hebrews gives his second warning to the community of Jewish Christians. This section starts with therefore and it is tied back to what we discussed last week. The author compared Jesus to Moses. Moses who was used greatly by God and in ways that are unique to him in many ways. He lead Isreal from Egypt to the promised land, met with God and spoke to him as the bible describes as face to face.
The author recognized the great faithfulness of Moses in God’s household in God’s people. Moses was faithful as a servant but Christ is faithful as a Son over the household. Over God’s people. Over the New Testament church and over us today.
As Jesus was perfectly faithful in everything believers are to consider, to attentively focus and examine Jesus to hold firmly to the confidence and the hope that we proclaim. The message of Jesus.
“Therefore, since we are God’s household” he for the second time give a warning to the people. He quotes Psalm 95 which is a Psalm describing the events of Exodus 17.
Scripture’s Author
Scripture’s Author
The first time he quotes the OT he quotes the direct words of God given to men in the OT. The second time he quotes David but attributes the writing to someone somewhere says. He clarifies some OT scriptures as applying to Jesus but here he becomes unquestionably direct in who is the true author of the scripture.
“as the Holy Spirit says?
There is no ambiguity here. Either he is telling us the true source of PS 95 or he is a lier or in error. But he is not the only one to claim this:
It takes just three verses for the bible to establish that God is speaking.
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
The OT ends with God speaking:
3 You will trample the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day I am preparing,” says the Lord of Armies. 4 “Remember the instruction of Moses my servant, the statutes and ordinances I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. 5 Look, I am going to send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise, I will come and strike the land with a curse.”
In between Gen 1:1 and Malachi 4:6 the bible records that God spoke over 2500 times. The bible claims to be the words of God. Moses recorded that God was going to speak through men.
18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.
1 Long ago God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets at different times and in different ways.
Our God. The being that spoke creation into existence with his word. Spoke to men through the prophets. It was the work of the third person of the God head the Holy Spirit.
20 Above all, you know this: No prophecy of Scripture comes from the prophet’s own interpretation, 21 because no prophecy ever came by the will of man; instead, men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit worked in the lives and minds of men to record the Words that God wanted to be written. God spoke through the prophets but now he speaks through the Son
Hebrews 1:2 (CSB)
2 In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son. ...
And the bible is God’s Words, written by God through men by the working of the Holy Spirit and we now have it as a vast treasure. It is described in the bible in many different ways in-order to try to have men’s minds see what it is.
It has unmeasurable value as it is described as Gold and Silver. It is the source of new life as it is described as a seed. It cleanses from sin as it is described as water.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word. 27 He did this to present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless.
It is spiritual nourishment as food and clothing for a life dressed in truth. It is a light in the darkness as a lamp to my feet. It is the sword of truth.
A plumbline for spiritual alignment, it is the hammer and fire of judgement.
Jesus is the personification of the Word
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
and
13 He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God.
Everything that God is, Jesus is, Everything that Jesus is, the word of God is,
This is the Word. The revelation of God to man. And it is not something to be trifled with. It is foundational to the true believer. The saved child of God.
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
I love the way David speaks of God’s words.
7 The instruction of the Lord is perfect, renewing one’s life; the testimony of the Lord is trustworthy, making the inexperienced wise. 8 The precepts of the Lord are right, making the heart glad; the command of the Lord is radiant, making the eyes light up. 9 The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are reliable and altogether righteous. 10 They are more desirable than gold— than an abundance of pure gold; and sweeter than honey dripping from a honeycomb. 11 In addition, your servant is warned by them, and in keeping them there is an abundant reward. 12 Who perceives his unintentional sins? Cleanse me from my hidden faults. 13 Moreover, keep your servant from willful sins; do not let them rule me. Then I will be blameless and cleansed from blatant rebellion. 14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.
David describes the instruction of the Lord as perfect. That it renews a person’s life. The testimony of the Lord, what he claims to be true is trust worthy. And it makes the inexperienced wise. It make people apply biblical truth in a practical way.
The words of the Lord are right and they make the heart glad. They are radiant making eyes light up. They are reliable and righteous. more valuable than gold and sweeter than honey.
They provide warnings that through obedience produce abundant reward. So many look at the words of God and this is not what they see.
They see rules, injustice, inconsistency, error, ancient words from ancient people. They do not see them as God’s own words.
Paul as he writes to the Galatians speaks on this.
Hear His Voice
Hear His Voice
6 I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from him who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—7 not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are troubling you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.
Paul looks out and says wow. how quickly you have turned away from Jesus. How quickly you have turned to a different message. There is only one message. There is only one Jesus. He only lived one way, died one way, was resurrected one way, and lives today one way. There is only one message that is acceptable. Paul also warned in the next verses.
8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, a curse be on him! 9 As we have said before, I now say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, a curse be on him!
We have a choice to make each and every day. That is to trust and believe in the message of Jesus Christ. That he accomplished what is in the scriptures or we can change the message. Profane the gospel. If God is the one who caused the words to be written. If this is true, then we can stand on the words of God as truth. Faith is the trust that something is true. Being faithful is proving that what you say you will do you will do. Your words are truthful.
But if this is in error. If this is just the words of men. even very smart men. What a shaky ground we stand on. Name a single human being that has been proven to be faithful and completely trust worthy.
Once a person denies that the Holy Spirit is behind the scriptures, then there are no bounds for what gets dismissed. A person can reject parts of it and add to it. It can be redone and modified to anyone's agenda.
There are those that reject it and live there own lives as one person put it “please be kind and just let me go to hell. I am looking forward to being away from all of the hypocritical abusers that call themselves Christian”. She has a theology degree.
There are those that will look at the word of God as a tool. A tool to oppress, manipulate, to control the people to aid in their own selfish ambitions. To sell you something for their own gain. We see this in some of the biggest religious organizations in the country.
The country of China is working on rewriting the scripture to be favorable to the government.
A textbook for a class on professional ethics and law at the government-run University of Electronic Science and Technology Press quotes the Bible’s book of John, chapter eight. In this passage, an adulterous woman is brought to Jesus, and her accusers ask if she should be killed by stoning for her sins.
In every authentically translated version of scripture, Jesus responds, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” These words disperse the angry crowd, and Jesus tells the woman, “Go, and from now on sin no more” (ESV).
The Chinese Communist Party’s version takes a different turn. In this telling, the crowd leaves, but Jesus tells the woman, “I too am a sinner. But if the law could only be executed by men without blemish, the law would be dead.” Then Jesus proceeds to stone the woman.
There are those that will be flippant with it. They look at it as having no power no impact on their lives. There are even those that see with so little reverence that they are rewriting it to say what they think it needs to say.
Bathseba’s Lament
The words of Zechariah are very timely
12 They made their hearts like a rock so as not to obey the law or the words that the Lord of Armies had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. Therefore intense anger came from the Lord of Armies.
Why did I go through all of this?
7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: Today, if you hear his voice,
The author quotes a portion of Ps 95. Davids psalm starts with a call to worship.
1 Come, let’s shout joyfully to the Lord, shout triumphantly to the rock of our salvation! 2 Let’s enter his presence with thanksgiving; let’s shout triumphantly to him in song. 3 For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods. 4 The depths of the earth are in his hand, and the mountain peaks are his. 5 The sea is his; he made it. His hands formed the dry land. 6 Come, let’s worship and bow down; let’s kneel before the Lord our Maker. 7 For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, the sheep under his care. Today, if you hear his voice:
He says to the people let us worship the great God. We are his people and under his care and then he said Today if you hear his voice. This is where Hebrews pick up in this Psalm.
8 Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah, as on that day at Massah in the wilderness 9 where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did. 10 For forty years I was disgusted with that generation; I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray; they do not know my ways.” 11 So I swore in my anger, “They will not enter my rest.”
If you hear his voice do not harden your hearts. We will look into this more next week. Those that are in the household of God must hear his voice first. We must not harden our hearts. But where do we hear his voice? In his word. In His word. Without the working of the Holy Spirit to have men pen the words of God what would we have but the voices of men.
The argument and warning the the author of Hebrews is dependent on a correct view of scripture. There are consequences to ignoring the voice and words of God. Of having a hard heart towards his voice.
State of America
State of America
Bible users: approximately 50% of Americans reach for a bible at least 3 or 4 times a year outside of church from 2011 to 2021 but in 2022 and 2023 we see a drop to 39%
55% of american believe that if all bibles were removed the country would not change or would be better off (14%)
86% of Americans believe the nation is in a moral decline. ( lack positive parental involvement 26%)
Surprisingly 55% deems the bible without error
In 2020 - 2023 Based on the impact of the bible in peoples lives.
Bible disengaged 119 - 135 Million | Scripture Engaged 71 - 41 Million ( A whopping 18%)
Hope: 71% are curious about the bible
60% of 10 year olds will maintain the faith of the household including Atheist and agnostic
24% of Americans are not interested at all with what it means to be a christian but that means that 76% are open to or have some openness to what it means to be a christian.
We are to hear the voice of God and that voice has been given to us. It has been great to see people who are engaging in the bible. sometimes for the first time and they are saying things like “I cannot believe that is in the bible” They are hearing his voice. Wrestling with it. Engaged with it.
First we must believe the bible is what it says it is.
We must open the word and seek to understand God’s words. What he said not what we think he says.
We must read the bible more than we read about the bible.
We must be careful with the translations that we use.
We must seek to work through scripture together. Talk about bible studies.
The apostle John spoke much about obeying the scriptures.
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commands.
24 The one who doesn’t love me will not keep my words. The word that you hear is not mine but is from the Father who sent me.
When we come to the word we are to respond to it. In bible doctrine by Mayhue and MacAurther they show 10 ways in which a believer it to respond to the bible.
Receive the Word
13 This is why we constantly thank God, because when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you welcomed it not as a human message, but as it truly is, the word of God, which also works effectively in you who believe.
Pray
18 Open my eyes so that I may contemplate wondrous things from your instruction.
Be Feed
12 I have not departed from the commands from his lips; I have treasured the words from his mouth more than my daily food.
Obey
22 none of the men who have seen my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tested me these ten times and did not obey me, 23 will ever see the land I swore to give their ancestors. None of those who have despised me will see it. 24 But since my servant Caleb has a different spirit and has remained loyal to me, I will bring him into the land where he has gone, and his descendants will inherit it.
Honor the word Josiah
5 Ezra opened the book in full view of all the people, since he was elevated above everyone. As he opened it, all the people stood up. 6 Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and with their hands uplifted all the people said, “Amen, Amen!” Then they knelt low and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
Study it
10 Now Ezra had determined in his heart to study the law of the Lord, obey it, and teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel.
Preach/Teach
2 Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage with great patience and teaching.
Compel other to the word
24 Now a Jew named Apollos, a native Alexandrian, an eloquent man who was competent in the use of the Scriptures, arrived in Ephesus. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately about Jesus, although he knew only John’s baptism. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. After Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the way of God to him more accurately. 27 When he wanted to cross over to Achaia, the brothers and sisters wrote to the disciples to welcome him. After he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. 28 For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating through the Scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah.
Disciple
2 What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
Tremble
2 My hand made all these things, and so they all came into being. This is the Lord’s declaration. I will look favorably on this kind of person: one who is humble, submissive in spirit, and trembles at my word.
Conclusion
Conclusion
How do we respond to the Word of God?
Baptism, Membership, Salvation,
Let us pray.
Prayer
Communion
19 And he took bread, gave thanks, broke it, gave it to them, and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 In the same way he also took the cup after supper and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
Prayer
Song
Closing
Blessing/Benediction
20 Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus—the great Shepherd of the sheep—through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 equip you with everything good to do his will, working in us what is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.