Have you ever had a hard time believing someone – perhaps a spouse, parent, child, or close friend? Sometimes a loved one loses our trust through poor actions and decisions on their part. However, sometimes it’s hard to believe them even though they’ve never proven unfaithful or dishonest in the past. Sometimes believing is just hard.
Today’s passage from Hebrews reminds us though that God asks us to believe Him. He asks us to live a life reflecting our belief in His faithfulness, power, and grace. He asks us to experience the abundant life available for those who do believe Him. But He also reminds us that consequences await those who refuse to believe. Join with us as we consider Hebrews 3:7-19.
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Therefore
Once again, our passage begins with this simple word. Let’s review quickly to see the case the author is building…
- Because Jesus is our high priest who offers atonement for our sin as did Aaron… Section 4.
- Because Jesus is our apostle who delivers us from slavery as did Moses… Section 5.
If the Israelites were responsible for their choice to believe or not, then so are we
Hebrews 3:7-11 quotes Psalm 95:7-11. In short, the Israelite people witnessed many miracles as they left Egypt and journeyed to the Promised Land. They experiences the plagues in Egypt, they walked on dry land between walls of water in the Red Sea, they ate bread miraculously and daily provided from heaven, they drank fresh water from rocks in a dry, desert land, and much more. Yet, when God called them to enter the land, they refused to believe He could help them conquer the Canaanites. God became angry and said, “How long will they not trust in Me despite all the signs I have performed among them? … 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 10 times and did not obey Me, will ever see the land I swore to give their fathers” (Numbers 14:11, 22).
Even Moses and Aaron weren’t exempt from the consequences of disbelief. They disobeyed God; specifically, they took credit for one of God’s miracles as they didn’t trust God to do it. God spoke to them in response, “Because you did not trust Me to show My holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land I have given them” (Numbers 20:12).
It boils down to this… It doesn’t matter who you are, you have to believe God to enter His rest.
Unbelief is evil as it calls God a liar (Hebrews 3:12).
I can think of people I know who choose not to believe God. You probably can to. They sit next to us at work, talk to us at our kids’ school activities, and live next to us in our neighborhoods. Generally speaking, we’d call them good people. They aren’t slicing heads off of Christians. They aren’t kidnapping young girls to sell them into sex trafficking. They aren’t murdering unborn children in their mother’s wombs. They’re honest, hard-working, compassionate people. And yet, by choosing not to believe God, they’re evil. It’s harsh but God’s Word makes it reality.
Their decision to not believe God is sin. Unbelief stares God in the face and says, “You’re wrong. You won’t do it. You won’t save me. You won’t love me. You won’t protect me. You won’t provide for me. You’re lying when You say You will.” Unbelief exalts itself over God – a catastrophic position every time. Consider the message from that perspective and perhaps it’s not so difficult to see the evil intent behind what appears as benign unbelief on the surface.
Combat unbelief with encouragement. Do it today (Hebrews 3:13).
Followers of Christ, can I pick on us a little? Can I call us out on something? We can be a little condemning and judgmental. The word “little” probably shouldn’t even be in that sentence. We can be a lot condemning and judgmental. It’s not pretty; in fact, it’s one of the reasons many turn away from a relationship with Jesus. It’s the reason they’ve believed the lie that God won’t do what He says He will do.
Friends, we don’t combat unbelief with judgment, condemnation, or manipulation. We overcome unbelief with encouragement. Encouragement keeps others from being “hardened by sin’s deception.” When you meet someone who is hurting due to a poor decision – any poor decision that is now causing pain in their life – offer words of encouragement rather than condemnation!
Consider the root word of encouragement with me – courage. Encouragement comes to a hurting person and fills them with courage. It gives them the courage to believe God does love them, will save them, will provide for and protect them. It gives them the courage to look the lie – the deception – squarely in the face and say, “I will not believe you. I will believe the truth of the Word of God which says God loves me, died to save me, and wants a relationship with me.”
Do it now. Today. Everyday. Let me call us out on another thing. We’re kind of fickle. Yesterday, we were encouraged and rose above the deception to believe the truth of God. Today, that sin might sneak right back into our life. Or it might sneak right back into the life of your loved one. We need encouragement every day to continue fighting the battle against Satan’s deceptive lies.
Hold on to the reality (Hebrews 3:14-15)
Reality is what’s true. In this case, reality is the understanding we had at the beginning of our walk with Jesus. If we are His followers, at one point we recognized our sin and accepted His forgiveness. That’s our reality – our truth – that we’re redeemed, saved, forgiven recipients of His grace.
Here’s the problem, though… The world – the entire range of options opposed to the work of Jesus – is going to try to pull that away from us. It can’t remove the salvation given us but it can remove the joy of a life lived believing God. It can make us doubt our reality. It can deceive us with the lie. It can make us harden our heart to the truth.
The author of Hebrews has reminded us of this repeatedly so far.
- Hebrews 2:1 – Pay attention to the message because we’re responsible for it.
- Hebrews 2:1 – Don’t forget God’s message; don’t let it slip from your mind.
- Hebrews 2:3 – Don’t neglect God’s message; don’t be careless with it.
- Hebrews 3:6 - Hold on to the courage or boldness required to speak our faith to others; hold on to our confidence of our hope of eternity with Him.
Belief leads you to God’s promised rest (Hebrews 3:16-19)
The Israelites experienced the plagues in Egypt, along with God’s supernatural protection. They saw the parting of the Red Sea. They ate the manna. They saw the clouds and heard the thunder when God met with Moses on Sinai. And yet, when faced with the situation of whether to believe God or not, they said, “No, God, you won’t do it.” They chose to believe the lie rather than God’s truth. They wandered in the wilderness for forty years until every one of the adults died without seeing the land God promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
The Jews of the first-century experienced Jesus’ miracles. Thousands of them ate from a few loaves and fish. Many of them knew someone who had received healing at His hands. Hundreds of them witnessed His living body after knowing He had been crucified. And yet they also said, “No, God, you won’t do it.” They also chose to believe the lie rather than God’s truth. Forty years later God allowed the destruction of their temple, the end of their sacrifices, and their dispersion throughout the world. They didn’t remain in the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Many of us know Him today. The miracles in our lives are greater than the parting of some water or the multiplication of some bread. We have experienced His grace that forgave the filth in our lives. We have seen the transformation that comes in a life submitted to Him. We have felt the presence of God Himself as His Spirit dwells within us. And yet we look at Him and say, “No, God, you won’t do it.” We believe the lie rather than God’s truth that He can do what He says He’ll do. Will we have forty years to repent and choose to believe? I don’t know. Perhaps that is why He says, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion” (Hebrews 3:15).
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