WATCH OUT! September 27/28 2014 Lesson Passage: Hebrews 3:7-15 Charles Lyons, Ph.D. HEBREWS 3:7-15 KJV 7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, Today if ye will hear his voice, 8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. 10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do always err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. 11 So I swore in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) 12 Take heed, 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 are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end; 15 While it is said, Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. THE INTRODUCTION As believers we don t have a problem with teaching and preaching about repentance. We don t find anything about it offensive. After all, those who are not saved need to hear that they can repent, call out to God and be saved, Acts 3:19, Acts 17:30. Yet how comfortable are we when God speaks to us who are believers to repent? The children of Israel were God s chosen people, yet often they had need to repent. To repent is to do a 180 degree change of direction. The moment we see a wrong situation as God sees it, we take action to repent and go the other direction. Any direction that God is not leading is the wrong direction and yes saved people can go the wrong direction. We call that sin. Possible Illustration Examples: 1. David had to repent after sinning with Bathsheba. He didn t have to get saved - he was already God s man; he had to repent. 2. Elijah the prophet in 1 Kings 18:30-46 called down fire from heaven and had victory over the prophets of Baal. However, by 1 Kings 19:1-20 Elijah runs out of fear from Jezebel, becomes so depressed he is suicidal and God has to work in his life for Elijah s life to turn around, repent. Elijah was already God s man yet he had to turn back to God. 1. WATCH OUT FOR THE HARDENING OF YOUR HEART 7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, Today if ye will hear his voice, 8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. 10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and
said, They do always err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. 11 So I swore in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) Hebrews 3:7-11 KJV It doesn t hurt to take a fresh look at some things that we feel we know. This is especially true when using religious words to a Bible Study class where people can have a variety of backgrounds and Biblical understanding. Note the phrase, harden not your hearts, a phrase we use and believe we know. To add clarity it comes from a Greek word meaning to make hard, to harden and become obstinate or stubborn. Did the phrase just gain emotional energy? It is one thing to harden and grow cold and indifferent, it is so much more to have to deal with someone who is obstinate and stubborn. What about the phrase, in the provocation, in context? Yes it means provocation, to be provoked, but who is being provoked and who is doing the provoking? From the passage referring to the wilderness and the audience of the passage the Hebrews fathers being the ones tempting and trying God it is obvious that we are speaking of the time of the wilderness wandering. We are speaking of a time when God s people having been delivered by God out of slavery and bondage in Egypt who then decide to be rebellious and selfwilled. It becomes obvious that when God s people turn from God s perfect will or develop an attitude of ingratitude of God s provisions that we are in essence provoking God. In a real sense challenging the direction and blessings of God is questioning God s wisdom and ability to lead us. We are choosing our selfish will and understanding over God s perfect will which is driven by love. In these opening verses we are seeing demonstrated the Spirit of God s ability to be a teacher to us as believers. Luke 12:12 KJV For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say. John 14:26 KJV But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. These people receiving the writer s admonishment in the letter to the Hebrews, which is a great lesson for us today, is to be people who are moldable and pliable to God s will and direction. It is clear from the text and from history that God s people lost not salvation, but the blessings of God in their lifetime. They still had food, shelter and leadership. They lost the blessing of entering into the Promised Land. Swear means to affirm, an oath, to witness to a fact or event. September 27/28 Page 2
In my wrath is a Greek expression that is similar to the way that a judge would announce a decision for punishment. When a person is accused and goes through a trial the time will come when the person is found guilty. This will be followed by a phase when the appropriate sentence or punishment would be established. At the end of that phase the judge pronounces what that punishment will be. That is what is going on in this expression, in my wrath. His people who were indignant, selfish and dissatisfied were found guilty of rebellion to God s will and sentenced to not being allowed to experience the Promised Land. They were brought out of Egypt but not into Canaan. 2. WATCH OUT FOR THE DEPARTING OF YOUR HEART 12 Take heed, 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. Hebrews 3:12-13 KJV As strong as this passage seems note the way it is addressed. The writer is not attacking legalistically in anger. He addresses this group as brethren. The Greek word is the same used to establish a connection to family, national heritage or in our context these people are family by the washing of the blood of Christ. In the same way we who are saved view each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. The resulting emphasis of the term brethren, lets us know that the writer s warning here is designed to protect, educate, restore and maintain believers to a positive winning walk in Christ. Take heed or look out to make certain neither you individually or other believers you know fall into the trap of bitterness. We are family, therefore, love and care for each other as a family should. Family should not be silent when a family member is drifting off into danger. We correct in love that is what the writer is doing here. How do we best watch out for the heart that is drifting off course? We stay focused on God and His Word. We are encouraged us to do this on a daily basis. Once again there is an emphasis to do this today. Either make the correction, draw near to God or we will become comfortable in the world and the ways of sin. Consider Psalm 73:28, But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works. In short keep our eyes and focus on God. ILLUSTRATION: On day 6 of ill-fated Apollo 13 mission the astronauts needed to make a critical course correction. If they failed they might never return to earth. To conserve power, the onboard computer that steered the craft had been shut down. Yet the astronauts needed to conduct a 39 second burst of the main engines. How to steer? Astronaut Jim Lovell determined that if they could keep a fixed point in space in view through their tiny window, they could steer the craft manually. September 27/28 Page 3
That focal point turned out to be their destination- earth. As shown grippingly in the 1995 movie Apollo 13, for 39 agonizing seconds, Lovell focused on keeping the earth in view. By not losing sight of that reference point, the 3 astronauts avoided disaster. (Source: Lou Nicholes - Missionary/Author). 3. WATCH OUT FOR THE CONFIDENCE OF YOUR HEART 14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end; 15 While it is said, Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. Hebrews 3:14-15 KJV We know from Scripture, God s Word, that we cannot lose our salvation. God remains our Father because Christ is our Savior and the Spirit of God indwells us. Note Romans 8:38-39, 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. As well as Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, And Ephesians 4:30 reemphasizes this dynamic truth, And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. As a result of these and so many other promises we should have the confidence in our heart of God s divine deliverance. A discouraged believer in Christ is saved, yet they can seem more defeated than a lost person. Why? Because they know the joy and power of Christ and are walking in their own strength. A lost person doesn t really know it can be better until they experience Christ in salvation. A believer walking in rebellion feels the frustration of knowing what they are doing is wrong and will also experience correction. In this closing passage we are reminded again that we can have confidence. We are also reminded of how there were those who wandered from God in the wilderness. If we are truly saved we cannot lose salvation but we can lose joy and can experience judgment. ILLUSTRATION: In a large mall a parent may see numerous children behaving poorly. Temper issues, selfish acts and rudeness may be witnessed. Such childish acts are an irritation at best, yet a parent does not correct the group they are alert for their own child and their behavior and safety. God corrects and admonishes His children. Consider Proverbs 3:11-12 September 27/28 Page 4
11 My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: 12 For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. The hardening of the heart from the Old Testament can still happen today. If we continue in sin with a rebellious attitude, our hearts can harden to the still small voice of God who is trying to correct us and draw us closer. If we chose to maintain the confidence of God s faithfulness we can be stronger and walk in peace. Our actions and reactions to what we face in life directly tells the world the relationship that we have with God. Do we trust Him enough to walk in confidence and faith? Or have we become bitter and rebellious? ILLUSTRAION: According to a recent study, young men with high self-esteem shared some common childhood influences. There were three major characteristics of their families. (1) The high-esteem group was clearly more loved and appreciated at home than the low-esteem group. (2) The high-esteem group came from homes where parents had been significantly more strict in their approach to discipline. By contrast, the parents of the low-esteem group had created insecurity and dependence through their permissiveness. Their children were more likely to feel that the rules were not enforced because no one cared enough to get involved. (3) The homes of the high-esteem group were also characterized by democracy and openness. Once the boundaries were established, there was freedom for individual personalities to grow and develop. Thus, the overall atmosphere was marked by acceptance and emotional safety. Source - Dr. James Dobson, Focus of the Family Bulletin, July 1994 CONCLUSION As you looked over the passages in this lesson did you notice that I underlined the word, Today the three times that it occurred in the text? Did you notice that it occurs in the three divisions that we used for the lesson? There is a purpose in this that we as teachers need to communicate through this lesson. It is perhaps the most important element that is tied to the message of warning, a message to Watch Out! The power of the warning to watch out is not something we should do later in life or at a high or low point in our life. The time to watch out is daily and the time to respond when we find something wrong in our life is immediately or as our passage says three separate times, Today! I especially like the message of a song by Mark Bishop titled, Pray on The Little Days. In the song there is a great line that says if we let God be God on the little days, He will be God on the big days of our lives. September 27/28 Page 5
The time to watch out for the way we as believers live our life and our relationship with God is Today, and every day. The time for those who name the name of Christ to take a fresh look at their daily walk and repent if needed is, Today! Consider how Paul lived his life and admonished other believers as well in 1 Corinthians 15:31-34, 31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. 32 If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what does it profit me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die. 33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. 34 Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame. The time for a lost person to get saved is, Today! Remember what the Bible teaches in 2 Corinthians 6:2, (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I helped thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) As teachers this is a great opportunity to encourage saved class members to review their lives and affirm their daily walk with Christ. It is also a great opportunity to present the Gospel to the class. September 27/28 Page 6