Listen, See, Believe, Rest - TODAY Heb 3:7-4:13
Notes
Transcript
Intro: Good morning, welcome to FE, we are glad you are here this morning worshipping the Radiant Saviour with us. My name is Josue Aguilar, I am one of the elders here at FE. We have been studying the book of Hebrews, this book is all about Jesus and why he is better, why he is greater. The author of Hebrews has pointed out that Jesus is better than the prophets and he is the final revelation to us, we have seen that Jesus is greater than the angels because he is God and in fact created the angels, but Jesus is also man, who came not to rescue the fallen angels, but came to rescue fallen and sinful humanity. Last week we learned that even though Moses was faithful as a servant in God’s house, Jesus is faithful as a Son over God’s house because he is the builder, he is the pioneer, the apostle and High Priest of our confession. Jesus is greater than Moses.
Intro: Good morning, welcome to FE, we are glad you are here this morning worshipping the Radiant Saviour with us. My name is Josue Aguilar, I am one of the elders here at FE. We have been studying the book of Hebrews, this book is all about Jesus and why he is better, why he is greater. The author of Hebrews has pointed out that Jesus is better than the prophets and he is the final revelation to us, we have seen that Jesus is greater than the angels because he is God and in fact created the angels, but Jesus is also man, who came not to rescue the fallen angels, but came to rescue fallen and sinful humanity. Last week we learned that even though Moses was faithful as a servant in God’s house, Jesus is faithful as a Son over God’s house because he is the builder, he is the pioneer, the apostle and High Priest of our confession. Jesus is greater than Moses.
If you were here in week two of our series, you know that the author of Hebrews takes a break in between his arguments to give us a warning. The first warning was what? Does anyone remember? PAY ATTENTION. The author wants us to pay attention to this radiant saviour who is greater and sent to be the sacrifice for our sins and blaze a trail to the Father for us. He is the door way to the Father, we must follow in his footsteps, PAY ATTENTION to Jesus.
After the author says Jesus is greater than Moses, he issues another important warning, which brings us to our passage today.
Hebrews 3:7–12 (ESV)
Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says,
“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
on the day of testing in the wilderness,
where your fathers put me to the test
and saw my works for forty years.
Therefore I was provoked with this generation,
and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart;
they have not known my ways.’
As I swore in my wrath,
‘They shall not enter my rest.’ ”
Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.
7 Por lo cual, como dice el Espíritu Santo:
Si oís hoy su voz,
8 no endurezcáis vuestros corazones, como en la provocación,
como en el día de la prueba en el desierto,
9 donde vuestros padres me tentaron al ponerme a prueba,
y vieron mis obras por cuarenta años.
10 Por lo cual me disgusté con aquella generación,
y dije: «siempre se desvían en su corazón,
y no han conocido mis caminos»;
11 como juré en mi ira:
«No entrarán en mi reposo».
12 Tened cuidado, hermanos, no sea que en alguno de vosotros haya un corazón malo de incredulidad, para apartarse del Dios vivo.
The author of Hebrews takes a Psalm, which is very familiar to a 1st century Jew, every Jew in the 1st century most likely knew this passage by heart because it’s opening line served as a call to worship every Sabbath evening in the synagogue, ‘Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts” They heard this words week after week, year after year. Maybe we should post these words throughout our building so that we see them when we walk in and walk out of here.
The author of Hebrews finishes talking about Jesus being greater than Moses and issues a warning here and uses an example directly leaked to Moses, which they would all recognize because it was a vital part of Jewish history, the Exodus. There are two important words that need to draw our attention, rebellion and testing. If you turn to Psalms 95, it uses the Hebrew words, Meribah and Massah. If you remember when we studied the Exodus, one of these words should be familiar. Meribah is the Hebrew word for quarreling/complaining and Massah is the Hebrew word for testing and they refer to events in Israel’s history. In Exodus 17, when Israel was free from Egypt, the people seen the display of God’s glory in the plagues, they miraculously seen God’s glory by him opening the waters and crossing the Red Sea, they complained to Moses about water, did you bring us out here to die Moses, “is the Lord among us or not” was their war cry against Moses and ultimately against the Lord.
We also know the people sent 12 spies to the promised land, when they came back 10 of the spies said we cannot take the land, there are giants there and there is no way we can take the land. Joshua and Caleb came back and said with the Lord on our side we can do it. The people revolted and listened to the report of the ten spies and did not believe the Lord. Of the 600,000 men who came out of Egypt in the Exodus, only two people over the age of 20 were allowed to enter the promised land. They wandered for 40 years in the wilderness until Joshua and Caleb were left.
Meribah is also found in Numbers 20, which is the latter years of their wandering at Kadesh, Israel is out of water again and they are rebelling again, God tells Moses speak to the rock for water and instead Moses strikes the rock two times with his staff for water and because of his disobedience, Moses is not allowed to lead the people into the promised land.
I believe the author of Hebrews uses this passage, including Meribah and Massah from Exo 17 and Num 20 to point us to fact that these were not one time events, but rebellion and testing was the condition of their heart and over time their hearts became harder and harder. Which is why we need to listen to the warning ‘TODAY, TODAY, TODAY, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts”
What is a harden heart?
The people of the Exodus have experienced the glory of God, the watched the plagues utterly destroy Egypt, the seen the sea split, they experienced manna from heaven, water from a work, the glory of God descend on the mountain, pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. With all this evidence of God’s glory, they still refused to listen.
A hard heart is listening and seeing the Glory of God and
Remaining in unbelief - There was no reason for them to reject the Lord’s word. There was no reason for them to remain in unbelief.
A hard heart is listening and seeing the Glory of God and
Ignoring and disobeying - Weather we like to believe it or not, our actions are tied to our beliefs. We act out what we believe. When the people of Israel ignore the Lord and Disobey the Lord, they are revealing their unbelief. They are reveling their heart before the Lord.
A hard heart is listening and seeing the Glory of God and
Being Rebellious in Heart and Actions - Listen to what he says in vs 16 - 19,
Hebrews 3:16–19 (ESV)
For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.
Porque ¿quiénes, habiendo oído, le provocaron? ¿Acaso no fueron todos los que salieron de Egipto guiados por Moisés? 17 ¿Y con quiénes se disgustó por cuarenta años? ¿No fue con aquellos que pecaron, cuyos cuerpos cayeron en el desierto? 18 ¿Y a quiénes juró que no entrarían en su reposo, sino a los que fueron desobedientes? 19 Vemos, pues, que no pudieron entrar a causa de su incredulidad.
Do you see the danger? All the people of Israel left Egypt, but not all the people believed. They shared in the benefits of the display and the provision of the Glory of God for the people, but remained in unbelief. They among God’s people but were not with, a part, or united with God’s people. Children, listen up, listen to the danger, just because your parents are Christian and you come to church with and are here among God’s people, that does not mean you are united with God’s people. Adults, just because you come to church, do religious things, and are among God’s people, does not mean you are a united with God’s people.
This is what the author is describing as falling away, the author is not saying these are people who were saved but lost their salvation when they left. By using the example of the people of the Exodus he is wanting you to see that just because you are among God’s people, sharing in the benefits of being with God’s people, it does not mean you are united with God’s people.
What Hebrews is telling us is first, the Holy Spirit is still speaking through God’s word, notice he writes “the Holy Spirit Says” because God still speaks through his Word. Second, he is telling is not about how good you start but how you finish. The people left Egypt and celebrated and sang praises to God, but when difficulties arose, when the hard times came they revealed the true condition of their heart, which was unbelief. They among God’s people but they were not united with God’s people.
So how do we avoid having a hard heart? First we must listen and see the Glory of God through the pages of the scripture, our hearts began to harden when we stop listening and stop seeing God’s Glory through the pages of the scripture.
Second, the author says to exhort one another, listen to vs 13-15.
Hebrews 3:13–15 (ESV)
But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said,
“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”
13 Antes exhortaos los unos a los otros cada día, mientras todavía se dice: Hoy; no sea que alguno de vosotros sea endurecido por el engaño del pecado.14 Porque somos hechos[i] partícipes de Cristo, si es que retenemos firme hasta el fin el principio de nuestra seguridad, 15 en cuanto se dice:
Si oís hoy su voz,
no endurezcáis vuestros corazones, como en la provocación.
We must exhort one another, this word exhort is an important word, because it describes what we are to do. The meaning of this word means to come along side, the picture hear is we are walking in unison together, arms around each other moving forward. When? As long as it is today, is the authors way of saying while you are still alive you are to be exhorting one another. Why? So that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
What the author of Hebrews is saying is that we must know each other well enough that when Samuel sees that I am struggling with sin, he comes along side me to exhort me, encourage me, pray for me and when I see him struggling I come along side him, which means we must be involved in each others lives for the purpose of helping each other avoid being deceived by sin and our hearts becoming hard. There is no such thing as living this Christian Life alone, we desperately need each other. If we “have come to share in Christ” we will respond in faith to God’s word and the exhortation of our brothers and sisters.
“As a FE, we must exhort one another, listen to one another, examine our hearts through the lens of scripture and our position of being “ln Christ”
Why is he writing this?
The people the author is writing to those who are in danger of walking away from Christ and returning to their former way of life, he is reminding them of the people that walked away in the Exodus, and the judgement they recieved was not entering the rest God was providing for them in the promise land. Letting them know that someone greater than Moses is leading, Jesus who has a greater message, we must not harden our hearts like the people of Israel who remained in unbelief.
This message of Jesus comes with a promise,
Hebrews 4:1 (ESV)
Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.
Por tanto, temamos, no sea que permaneciendo aún la promesa de entrar en su reposo, alguno de vosotros parezca no haberlo alcanzado.
The promise of rest. This is important and the author of Hebrews is giving us an important lesson on how to interpret the Bible. The people of Israel in the Exodus looked at rest, as the promised land, but when we get to Psalms 95, the people of Israel are in the promised land, they should be experiencing God’s rest, yet Psalms 95 says “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts” pointing to a rest that is to come.
The Promise Land in Exodus was pointing to a greater rest…
Which Hebrews says
Hebrews 4:8–9 (ESV)
For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God,
8 Porque si Josué les hubiera dado reposo, Dios no habría hablado de otro día después de ese. 9 Queda, por tanto, un reposo sagrado para el pueblo de Dios.
There remains a Sabbath rest for God’s people. The invitation to enter this rest is still open. What is the rest Hebrews is talking about here?
The author describes this rest, as resting from works and uses the example of God resting from the work of creation
Hebrews 4:4 (ESV)
For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.”
Porque así ha dicho en cierto lugar acerca del séptimo día: Y Dios reposó en el séptimo día de todas sus obras; 5 y otra vez en este pasaje: no entrarán en mi reposo.
Then if you jump to vs 9-10, Hebrews says
Hebrews 4:9–10 (ESV)
So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.
9 Queda, por tanto, un reposo sagrado para el pueblo de Dios. 10 Pues el que ha entrado a su reposo[i], él mismo ha reposado de sus obras, como Dios reposó de las suyas.
There remains a Sabbath rest for God’s people, where we will rest from all our works. Where is it that we will we rest from all our works? IS it the promise land, do we all just need to pack our bags and move to Israel? No, that is not what he was saying then, that is not what he is saying now, he is pointing us to the greater rest of heaven.
What are the works we are going to rest from?
I think this is two - fold, there is rest when we trust in Christ for our salvation. We rest in the finished work of our great high priest who took God’s wrath on the cross, who took my punishment, so that when I place my faith in him, I rest in his work, in his life death, resurrection and ascension. He is my salvation. He is my sanctification, he is my rest.
I also believe the works we rest from also is resting from the striving to live holy, the fighting sin, the enduring of life’s trials. Our faith in Christ is a forward moving faith a forward looking faith. Our faith in Christ comes with a promised rest we will experience in heaven one day when we will no longer strive to live holy lives, we will no longer fight sin, we will no longer have to deal with trials and tribulations, because we will be in our eternal Sabbath rest.
How do we enter this rest?
Hebrews 4:1–3 (ESV)
Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said,
“As I swore in my wrath,
‘They shall not enter my rest,’ ”
although his works were finished from the foundation of the world.
Por tanto, temamos, no sea que permaneciendo aún la[a] promesa de entrar en su reposo[b], alguno de vosotros parezca no haberlo alcanzado.2 Porque en verdad, a nosotros se nos ha anunciado la buena nueva, como también a ellos; pero la palabra que ellos oyeron[c] no les aprovechó por no ir acompañada por la fe en[d] los que la oyeron. 3 Porque[e] los que hemos creído entramos en ese reposo, tal como Él ha dicho:
Como juré en mi ira:
«no entrarán en mi reposo»,
aunque las obras de Él estaban acabadas desde la fundación del mundo.
Transformative Faith is the doorway to the promised rest.
The reason I say transformative faith, is because I am sure if we asked everyone here if they believe in Jesus, more than likely everyone here would say yes. If we make the question more specific, how is your faith in Jesus transforming your life? How is working in your life, changing your heart, and changing your actions? How are you more like Jesus now, than when you first believed? How is your faith in Jesus transforming your marriage, your parenting, your finances, your work habits?
When you come to faith in Christ, it transforms your life, it may be challenging at times, it may take time to grow, but it is continually transforming you, sometimes its baby steps, sometimes its giant leaps forward. Transformative faith is the doorway to the promised rest. We saved by grace through faith, not by anything we do, but by trusting in what Jesus has done for us.
Therefore,
Hebrews 4:1 (ESV)
Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.
Por tanto, temamos, no sea que permaneciendo aún la promesa de entrar en su reposo[b], alguno de vosotros parezca no haberlo alcanzado.
Based on everything we have heard to day, we must listen to God’s word, See God’s Glory, Believe in God’s word and the works he has done to enter into God’s eternal rest.
The author of Hebrews has some very important exhortations for us the first is let us fear, when we read that we think of being afraid, but that isn’t everything that encompasses Biblical Fear. Biblical fear is standing in awe and reverence of something.
Many of you know I manage a FedEx Facility, my boss is lives and works in Memphis, he communicates to me the business goals and needs through phone calls and emails, he shares his experience with me as a 38 year EE with FedEx. He visits us two - three times a year. I manage the facility as if my boss worked in the office next to me, I listen to him because he has been where I have been, he has done what I have done, there is a level of awe and respect I have for him as my boss, so that when he visits, he finds everything in order as if he was working in the office next to me. The reason I do this is because if I didn’t, I would eventually lose my job, not because I have a bad boss, but because I was a bad EE.
In a greater sense we must have awe and respect for Jesus, who is speaking to us today through his word and we must respond with Biblical fear because of who Jesus is and what Jesus has done, and the know that Jesus will also bring judgement if we disobey.
Living in fear does not mean living in doubt if you are saved, living in fear means you are continually examining your life to see if your faith in Jesus is transforming your life. If in our examination we discover, we are not of the faith then this word is for you
Hebrews 4:6–7 (ESV)
Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted,
“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts.”
Por tanto, puesto que todavía falta que algunos entren en él, y aquellos a quienes antes se les anunció la buena nueva no entraron por causa de su desobediencia[f], 7 Dios otra vez fija un día: Hoy. Diciendo por medio de[g] David después de mucho tiempo, como se ha dicho antes:
Si oís hoy su voz, no endurezcáis vuestros corazones.
Today, if you hear his voice do not harden your hearts, because it is not too late as long as there is today.
If you find that your faith is transforming your life, Hebrews has a message for you,
Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.
Let us strive, this word means to be eager for something with intense desire. This is to describe our discipleship journey with Christ, when we are in awe of Christ we pursue hime with a great passion and desire, this is what Jesus means when he says if we love Jesus we will keep his commandments, because our faith and love for Jesus leads to a life of obedience to Jesus. We are to pursue Jesus with intense passion and desire, to keep us from falling in disobedience, that is the word for us who are being transformed by our faith in Christ.
I want to guard against any misunderstanding, God’s word is not saying we keep our salvation by being obedient. What God’s word is saying is that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ alone, the same grace and faith that saves is transforms us and conforms us to be like Jesus. The work is all God we must listen to God’s word, See God’s Glory, Believe in God’s word and Rest TODAY.
When we get to verses 12 -13, it may seem out of place, but its not. This whole passage has been about listening to God, seeing God’s glory, Believing God’s word which will lead to the promise of rest. Hebrews tells us something very important about God’s words and why we must listen to it, why we must read it, why we must be in his word daily.
Hebrews 4:12–13 (ESV)
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
12 Porque la palabra de Dios es viva y eficaz, y más cortante que cualquier espada de dos filos; penetra hasta la división del alma y del espíritu, de las coyunturas y los tuétanos, y es poderosa para discernir los pensamientos y las intenciones del corazón. 13 Y no hay cosa creada oculta a su vista, sino que todas las cosas están al descubierto y desnudas ante los ojos de aquel a quien tenemos que dar cuenta.
The Word of God is living - This book is alive because the author of the book is alive. God is the author of this book, even though he used men to write it, he is the ultimate author, which is why we read to day, the Holy Spirit says, because the Spirit of God came upon men to write the Scripture's. The Word of God is our connection to God, there are some who would like to divorce God from his word, you can’t divorce the ministry of the Holy Spirit from God’s word, because he is the author. This is God’s word to us and it points us to the living God, it points us to a living Saviour.
The Word of God is powerful - this word active is where we get our english word energy from. It is describing power, action, that God’s word goes forth and accomplishes what it intends for God to accomplish.
God’s Word is Piercing - God’s word goes forth and pieces our harden hearts and reveals our thoughts and intentions. God’s word exposes us to God whom we will give an account to.
You can trust God’s word because it is living, pointing us to the radiant saviour who is still calling people to come, listen, see, believe and receive rest. You can trust God’s word because it is active and accomplishes what God intends for it to accomplish. You can trust God’s word because it piercing and we must use God’s word to examine our lives and let God’s word guide us, correct us, transform us, shape us, form us
Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.