WHAT KEEPS US GOING IN FOLLOWING JESUS? HEBREWS 3:1-4:13 NOV. 2, 2008

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1 WHAT KEEPS US GOING IN FOLLOWING JESUS? HEBREWS 3:1-4:13 NOV. 2, 2008 Bill Broadhurst ran in the Omaha, Pepsi 10k. Broadhurst is partially paralyzed on the left side due to a brain aneurism he suffered as a young man. Despite this obstacle, he was determined to finish the race because Bill Rogers, his hero, was in the race. Rogers is a great runner and won the race in 29 minutes and 37 seconds. It would take Bill Broadhurst much longer. At two hours and twenty minutes his left side throbbed so much that he wanted to quit. Then he saw the end. They had already taken the banner down. Broadhurst ran down the street on the sidewalk, saw the banner had gone, and his heart sank because everybody had left. He thought, What's the use? But he decided to finish. When he got to the end, Bill Rogers and a gang of people were waiting for him. After Broadhurst willed his partially paralyzed body the last few steps to the end of the race, Rogers hugged him then took the gold medal from around his own neck, and put it around the neck of the last runner to cross the line. Rogers said, "Broadhurst, you're the winner; take the gold." Like Broadhurst in that race, following Christ can hurt so badly sometimes that we want to quit. We think, What s the use? For Broadhurst, the thought of Bill Rogers kept him running. What keeps us going? Is there something at the end that makes the pain and endurance of following Christ worth while? We ll explore that this morning. If you have a Bible please open it to Hebrews 3:1-4:13. We will look at these verses and wrestle with the question, What keeps us going in following Christ? The author starts by emphasizing that Jesus is the focus of our faith. Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession; 2 He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was in all His house. The writer describes Jesus as an Apostle and a High Priest. He is an Apostle because He was sent from the Father to proclaim God to us. He is a High Priest because He represents us before the Father. He compares Jesus with Moses because Moses filled both of those roles Apostle and High Priest for the nation of Israel. Remember, this writer addresses people considering leaving Christ to return to the Jewish faith. Moses was considered the greatest of the Jewish prophets. In verses 3-6, the author claims that Jesus is greater than Moses. For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house. 4 For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. 5 Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later; 6 but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end. Jesus is Moses Creator. The Creator is always worthy of more honor than the creation. And when it comes to God s house, Moses is a servant, Jesus is an heir. Jesus outranks Moses. Please notice at the end of verse 6, the author reminds us that we are part of God s house if we hold firm to our faith until the end. Does this mean I have to do certain things in order to earn or maintain 1

2 my place in God s house? Salvation is purely by God s grace, yet those who truly possess this salvation persevere until the end. Holding firm until the end is evidence that our relationship with Jesus is genuine. Might we have times of doubt or fear? Yes, but even in such times our prayer is, Jesus, help me in my unbelief. Meet me in my fear. We don t abandon Jesus because of doubt or fear. In verses 7-11, the author quotes Psalm 95:7-11 in recalling a failure of faith in the nation of Israel. Hundreds of years earlier, God led the nation of Israel out from under Egypt s rule through a series of miracles. God s intention was to take His people out of Egypt to the Promised Land. Yet, after seeing God s mighty works in Egypt, His people refused to believe that God could defeat the inhabitants of that land. In verse 8, God claims that the people had hard hearts. In verses 9-11, God responds to the people s hardness of heart. Let s read verse 11. AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST. So, because of their lack of faith, these people missed out on the rest of God. But, what is the rest of God? I ve read commentaries; I ve searched on line and have struggled to get a clear definition. In looking at the biblical data and the thoughts of other people my definition is that the rest of God is an unbroken relationship with God in which we experience the fullness of His design for our life. In this example, God longed to take His people out of Egyptian slavery and bring them to the Promised Land, a place of abundance. In blessing His people, God would make Himself known to the world. But through their lack of faith, God s people turned their back on this offer of relationship. And in doing so they missed out on the fullness of God s plan for their life. They missed out on God s rest. But this is not simply a history lesson. In verse 12, the writer cautions the readers against making the same mistake. Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. Why does he declare that an unbelieving heart is evil? An unbelieving heart lives for self instead of God. And sinful words, thoughts and actions flow out of this self-absorbed heart. Moreover a self-absorbed person can t conceive of depending on God in overwhelming circumstances. Since we all run the risk of our heart drifting away from God and missing his rest, the author gives us advice in verse 13. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called Today, so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Each today is a fresh day to call on God to make our heart his and lead us in obedience. We need the encouragement of other believers to keep trusting in God. We are easily deceived by sin, by living for self, and drift away from God. For whom, a spouse, parent, friend, or coworker, is God calling you to watch out so that this person doesn t succumb to a hard heart due to the deceitfulness of sin. Would you make a call or set up a lunch with this person? 2

3 Set in 72 BC, the 2004 television miniseries Spartacus follows the adventures of a former slave who leads an army of freed slaves against the tyrannical Roman legions. In one scene, Spartacus and his followers are hiding out in a secluded forest. Spartacus says the time has come for decisive action, but his followers are unsure and even selfish. One man, Crixus, says, "I go where I go. No man tells Crixus what to do anymore." Spartacus calls for Crixus to come and stand next to him. "This is Crixus the Gaul maybe the strongest man among us," Spartacus says. "Still, he's only one man." Spartacus hands Crixus a single arrow, saying, "Can you bend this?" Crixus easily breaks it and throws it to the ground. Then Spartacus hands Crixus a stack of arrows that are bound together, saying, "Now all of these." Crixus takes the arrows and is unable to break them, throwing them to the ground in frustration. "We are like the arrows," Spartacus says. "Separately we're weak, but together we're invincible. That's why the Romans worked so hard to divide us tribe-by-tribe and country-by-country. We're one tribe, then?""yes!" the crowd roars. "Is that your will?" "Yes!" Just as the Romans were after the freed slaves, the devil is after us to destroy our faith. If we stand alone, we break. If we stand together, we are able to resist. That is why we encourage life groups. In those groups we form the bonds that strengthen us to keep trusting God. If you are not part of a group, talk with me after service, I d like to help you get connected. In verse 14, the author again reminds the readers that they must persevere in their faith. For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end. In order not to drift away from God, we must act today on God s Word. In verse 15, the writer goes back to the history lesson to emphasize that point. While it is said, TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME. In verses 16-18, he poses five rhetorical questions to demonstrate that the people suffered justly for their lack of faith. And this is not simply a history lesson. The writer then draws the conclusion. So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief. A lack of faith kept them from experiencing God s rest. When you go for a physical, why do doctors ask for your family history? They want to know our history in order to screen and prevent disease. They use our family history so that you might live a better physical quality of life than your parents and grandparents. In the same way, the author reminds his readers of their spiritual family history, in the hopes that they will live a better quality of spiritual life. He reviews this history because the tendency to doubt God is not simply a Jewish tendency. It is a human tendency. These people were ready to ditch Jesus for Judaism. What tempts you to replace Jesus: a T.V. show, extra time with your boyfriend, the chance to make a little more money working overtime? Whatever it is, it is not worth it because 3

4 we will miss out on the rest of God. We will miss out on an unbroken relationship with God in which we experience the fullness of His design for our life. Look at Hebrews 4:1-2. Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. 2 For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard. We not only need to hear the Word of God, but believe it, and continue believing it. Verse 3 is a reminder that those who believe enter God s rest, those that don t miss God s rest. In verse 4, the author clarifies that the rest God makes available through faith is the same rest He experienced at the end of creation. For He has said somewhere concerning the seventh day: AND GOD RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY FROM ALL HIS WORKS. And yet, in verse 5, God reiterates that the people who fail to trust Him will not experience His rest. Verses 4 and 5 underscore the fact that when we enter God s rest, we experience God. We feel what He felt on that 7 th day of creation. In verses 6-9, the writer assures his readers that God s rest is available at all times for people of faith. It is not a one shot deal only available to the people entering the Promised Land. Though he wrote hundreds of years after the people failed to experience God s rest in the Promised Land, David suggested that the same rest was available today to the people of his generation. Verse 10 reminds us that we don t enter God s rest through our works. Because God s rest is always available, in verse 11, the author encourages the readers to enter that rest by maintaining an obedience of faith. Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience. Earlier we asked the question, What keeps us going in following Christ? Using my definition of rest, we can say that the experience of an unbroken connection with God and of the fullness of God s design for our life keeps us following Christ. One of the questions commentators ask of this passage is Do we experience God s rest in this life or in eternity? I believe we can experience God s rest in part in this life, but we experience the fullness of His rest in eternity. And that rest is found in Jesus Christ. While He was on earth Jesus said, Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. The word Jesus used for rest is a derivative of the word the author of Hebrews uses for rest. They are talking about the same thing unbroken connection with God and the fullness of God s design for life. That unbroken connection with God and the experience of the fullness of life starts when you put your faith in Jesus Christ. His death and resurrection not only cover your offense before God, but empower you to live for God instead of living for self. If you have never trusted Christ, I invite you to do that right now. For those that have already made that decision, let me remind you that your experience of God s rest depends on your faith in God. In 4

5 verse 11, the author tells us to be diligent to enter God s rest. Let s be intentional about entering that rest. David Slaggle is a college pastor in Atlanta. He tells of receiving a call from a young lady whose car died. When he arrived, she told him the car went Brump, brump, brump and then POW! And it quit. After asking a few questions and checking a few things, he asked her, when was the last time you changed the oil? In the year and a half she had owned the car; she had not changed the oil. Because she wasn t diligent in maintenance, gradually she lost her car. In the same way, if we re not diligent to nourish our faith, through reading the Bible, attending worship service and connecting with other believers, we run the risk of missing God s rest. In those times you feel so weak that you can t even change your spiritual oil, ask the Holy Spirit to empower you to live by faith in Christ. As we think about entering the rest of God, we must remember that God uses His Word to expose our heart -- our desires, our affections. Look at verses For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. Because He speaks His Word, the Bible cuts right to our heart and lays open our desires and intentions. Nobody likes being exposed. Nobody likes have their motivations laid open. That s one of the reasons why people avoid the Word of God. But our heart, our desires and affections, drive us in life. And if our heart is set on something other than God, we must recognize it and deal with it. If our heart continues longing for something other than Jesus, we will miss out on God s rest. That s why we discuss the Bible every Sunday. We must examine our heart. That is why we encourage you to read the Bible every day. Our experience of the rest of God is a moment by moment decision to live by faith in Christ. Let s not miss out on one moment of God s rest. Let s experience all God has for us in an unbroken connection with Him. Let s allow God to examine our heart through His Word. I spent two summers in Istanbul. The city is loaded with historical sites, St. Sophia, the blue Mosque, and the Sultans Palace just to name a few. In my two summers, I saw none of those places. I ate western food, chicken and rice, pizza, McDonalds. You could say that I lived in Istanbul, but I didn t experience Istanbul. I missed out. In the same way, we can live life, but not experience life. We can live life, but miss out. How are you doing? Are you living life without experiencing Jesus and therefore God s best for life? God invites us to something different. Let s experience all He has for us in relationship with Jesus. What keeps us going in following Christ? The experience of an unbroken connection with God and of the fullness of God s design for our life keeps us following Christ. 5