The Real Thing: Our new covenant purpose - Hebrews 9:11-28

Our last section taught us the priesthood and sacrifices of the old covenant were a parable meant to teach us about the reality of heaven. It’s important to remember a parable isn’t a made-up story used for teaching purposes. In its true definition, a parable is an earthly example used to teach a heavenly lesson. The earthly example may or may not have actually happened; in this case, it did.

Click picture for a printable handout for this section.

The passage for this section is long. We’ll break it up as we work through it verse by verse; however, I encourage you to read Hebrews 9:11-28 in its entirety before we start breaking it up.

The Real Thing

Reread Hebrews 9:11-12.

“But…” is an important word of transition. It shows us that what the author is about to write is contrary to what he just wrote. Jesus’ sacrifice was the real thing made in the real sanctuary before the real throne of the real God. His sacrifice wasn’t part of the parable. It wasn’t an earthly example to teach us about something heavenly. He literally and truly came before God in the Most Holy Place of heaven and sprinkled blood upon the altar to purify for sin; not His sin, though, but ours. Yours. And mine. The earthly high priest took the blood of an animal with him to purify for sin but not Jesus. He took His own blood from His sacrificed body. And finally, that was enough. He redeemed all mankind – from Genesis to Revelation.

This is the real thing so we better pay attention.

The Real Response

Reread Hebrews 9:13-14.

The blood of the animals sufficiently purified our flesh – our outer selves – although the high priest did have to repeat it on an annual basis. However, the blood of Jesus far supersedes that of goats and calves. We find real power in Jesus' blood – power to purify even our inner conscience.

Our consciences can become a messed up place. They are weak (1 Corinthians 8:7-12), seared (1 Timothy 1:4-5), and defiled (Titus 1:15). Jesus’ blood has the power, however, to redeem even the weakest among us; even those whose conscience is so cauterized that it feels no pain and so stained and contaminated that it no longer shows new filth.

The power that purifies us both inwardly and outwardly calls for a response on our part. Jesus’ shed blood before God’s holy throne empowers us to live a new covenant purpose – to serve the living God. We learned about this type of service in the last section. Latreuo service calls us into the Holy Place where we serve as priests of the Most High God in His kingdom. In that service, He calls us to continually shine our light out to the world, to regularly consume the bread of the word, and to daily stand before God in prayer and intercession. It’s all made possible by the power of the blood of Jesus.

The Real Covenant

Reread Hebrews 9:15.

Covenants involve a promise given, a time of hope, and a realization of the promise. We studied this earlier here and here.

Jesus mediated a new covenant; it was the seventh made between God and man. All seven covenants were part of one common goal which was the restoration of the relationship between God and man for all eternity. Adam and Eve severed that relationship when they sinned in the Garden of Eden. God’s whole plan and purpose since then has been to restore the relationship.

Adapted from The NIV Study Bible ©1985

The Real Death

Reread Hebrews 9:16-18.

When I first read these verses, I thought, “What on earth is this talking about? Why mention a will all of a sudden?” My research helped me answer the question, however, and the answer is powerful.

The author of Hebrews isn’t writing about wills all of a sudden. He’s been writing about them all along. The word used for covenant is the exact same word as the will mentioned in verses 16-17. In other words, a will and a covenant are the same thing.

A will goes into effect when the one who established the will has passed away. In the will, the deceased shares the inheritance each of their loved ones will receive. That is exactly what God did when He cut covenant with mankind – He made a will which would go into effect upon His death.

We’ve already studied that Jesus is completely God here and here. God cut covenant or established the will with mankind in an elaborate process to restore our relationship with Him and give us the inheritance He desires for us as His loved one. The problem, however, was He had to die for the will (covenant) to go into effect. Therefore, God became a man so He could die and we could receive our inheritance.

I don’t know about you, but to me that seems worthy of a response of priestly service on our part. A response of priestly service involves regularly shining our light, consuming His Word, and entering His presence in prayer.

The Real Blood

Reread Hebrews 9:19-23.

The earthly tabernacle required earthly blood but the heavenly tabernacle required something better – heavenly blood. Jesus couldn’t take the blood of goats and calves into the true holy sanctuary. He had to take His own blood as God who died to enact the will and bring the inheritance promised to mankind.

The Real Sacrifice in the Real Sanctuary

Reread Hebrews 9:24-28.

Jesus isn’t part of the parable. He died a real death to establish a real covenant. He shed real blood which He sprinkled before the throne in the real sanctuary. This is no earthly example; this is truth. This is reality. This is eternally, absolutely serious.

So real, so eternal, so absolute, and so serious, in fact, that Jesus’ sacrifice was sufficient for all mankind for all time – from Genesis through Revelation. In the parable, the high priest sprinkled the blood on the mercy seat year after year in order to atone for the sins of the people. With Jesus’ reality, His blood sprinkled on the mercy seat before God covers our sin once and for all.

People die once because of sin (Genesis 2:15-17). We don't die immediately and repeatedly after each individual sin. After our death, judgment comes based on our response to Jesus’ sacrifice. That’s the real point because Jesus also died once – not because He sinned but because of our sin. His death bore the weight of our sin once and for all. He doesn't need to die repeatedly after each of our individual sins. Therefore, when judgment comes, so will salvation for those who accepted Him.

The Real Truth

When you stand before God at some point, He won’t care about your excuses. “Oh, I would have done the whole Christian thing, but the church was full of hypocrites.” Or, perhaps yours is something like this, “I went to church but so-and-so made me mad and I left.” Maybe your excuses focus on the Word of God, “Yeah, I’d read the Bible except it’s all just made up by men who had no clue what life is like for me today.” You know what – God’s not going to care about your excuses.

He’ll look at you – the one for whom He lovingly gave His life – and say, “None of that matters. I sacrificed My blood so you could inherit eternity with Me. You let your excuses keep you from that very real truth. Depart from Me.”

Or, you have no excuse. You’ve realized you’re a sinner – your outer flesh is defiled, your inner conscience is seared. You’ll never live up to the level of perfection required by God’s holy law. Yet, you have also considered Jesus and realized the significance of His sacrifice and the grace He offers for those who accept Him. By faith, you’ve come to this moment before Him trusting only in the sufficiency of His blood to atone for your sin. And in that moment, He’ll look at you – the one for whom He lovingly gave His life – and say, “Your faith has made you well. Come, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 9:22, 25:34).

It’s a real choice and it’s all up to you at this point.

After writing this section, I came across this video produced by One for Israel. In it, they do a fantastic job presenting this very process...



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Jesus, Our Priest - Hebrews 4:14-5:10

We wrapped up the last section discussing the power of the Word of God. I keep thinking about that – the Word of God cutting into me with surgical precision to separate what lives from what is fully active. I don’t want to only move – I want to grow new spiritual life! I don’t want to only have an eternity – I want to experience that eternity in heaven with God! The Word of God has the power to make that transformation. Preachers, Bible study teachers, commentators, and authors can’t do that. Only the Word of God has the answer, comfort, and wisdom for every situation; only the Word can pierce into you and make new life grow.

That’s why I’m here writing; I hope that’s why you’re here reading. Even more, I hope that’s why you’re reading with your Bible open beside you or a Bible tab open on your screen. I hope you’re reading to know the God who “has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him” (2 Peter 1:3 NIV).

This section will cover a large portion of Scripture but contains only two key points. We’ve discussed the belief necessary to enter God’s rest and also the when and why of entering His rest. Today, we’ll discuss who made it possible as we study through Hebrews 4:14-5:10. I encourage you to read it now.

Click on picture for a downloadable handout for this section.

Therefore, let us hold fast to the confession (4:14)

We need to hold on to our confession of faith. We hold it before us in our hands, not tuck it away in a pocket for later. We hold on to it in such a way that shows we cherish it; that we’ll always be careful and faithful to keep it.

Why? Because Jesus is our priest who passed through the heavens (4:14)
The ancient Israelite people went through a lot as they left slavery in Egypt, wandered in the desert for forty years, and eventually entered the Promised Land. We’ve talked about the unbelief that held them back from the land blessed by God’s rest. A whole generation died in the desert because of the prevalence of their unbelief.

Eventually, though, the time came for them to enter the land. Moses had passed away; God called Joshua to lead the people into the new land. I encourage you to read Joshua 3:1-4:18, paying careful attention to the role of the priests as they journeyed into the land of promise.

The priests carried the Ark of the Covenant – a symbol of God’s presence on earth – as they crossed the Jordan River. When the priests stepped into the waters, the river stopped flowing and the land dried. They continued in further, walking on a dry river bed where water flowed only moments earlier. When they reached the middle of the river bed, they stopped. All of the people passed through. Once the last one was safely on the other shore, the priests continued walking with the symbol of God's presence on their shoulders. They did so “until everything was completed that the Lord had commanded Joshua to tell the people. … The people hurried across, and after everyone had finished crossing, the priests with the ark of the Lord crossed in the sight of the people” (Joshua 4:10-11). In short, the priests passed through the waters of the Jordan so that the people could pass through and enter the Promised Land.

In section five, we compared the superiority of Jesus’ message of grace to Moses’ law along with the superiority of Jesus’ universal tabernacle to Moses’ earthly tabernacle. We remember that as we realize here that Jesus isn’t only a priest who passed through the Jordan River carrying the presence of God. In complete superiority, He is the priest who passed through the heavens as the very Son of God. He passed through so that we might pass through as well and enter the rest of eternity with Him.

Why? Because Jesus is our high priest who sympathizes with our weaknesses (4:15)
Sometimes we think life must have been easy for Jesus. After all, He’s God; surely He didn’t struggle with anything. However, Jesus “has been tested in every way as we are” (Hebrews 4:15). Even still, I think it’s easy for us to say, “Yeah, He might have been tested but He’s God. It was easy for Him to pass the test.” What if, though, the fact that He is God makes the test all that more painful because He sees the depth of the depravity, the extreme ugliness of the pride, and the eternal horror of separation with a clarity that you and I will never possess.

And yes, Jesus knew what it was to be tested. All the same tests that we face – He faced them as well.

• Satan tested Jesus (Matthew 4:1-11). He was hungry after fasting for forty days and nights. In that moment of weakness, Satan came to Him to see if He was up to the test. Satan offered Him food to satisfy the hunger pains rumbling through His human stomach. Don’t we all long to be satisfied from hunger? Satan offered Jesus the display of heavenly affirmation of His deity. Don’t we all long for affirmation before the masses of people? Finally, Satan offered Jesus the glory of the kingdoms of the world. Don’t we all long for glory and power?
• The authorities tested Jesus. The religious leadership of Jesus’ day – the Pharisees and Sadducees – constantly schemed and connived as to how they might trap Jesus in a test. They tested Him to show off His supernatural abilities (Matthew 16:1). Don’t we all love to show off what we can do? They tested Him to reveal His vast knowledge (Matthew 19:3). Don’t we all love to show off what we know? They tested Him to proclaim His authority (Matthew 22:18, 35). Don’t we all want everyone to know when we’re in charge?
• The people tested Jesus (1 Corinthians 10:1-13). This reference again relates back to the ancient Israelites wandering in the desert; even they tested the Lord Jesus. 1 Corinthians 10:9 says, “Let us not test Christ as some of them did and were destroyed by snakes” referring to an incident described in more detail in Numbers 21:4-9. Take note of this – it’s not only the people alive with Jesus that tested Him. Those who came before did so; I’m thinking we probably do too. The ancient Israelites griped and complained despite all He had done, thereby putting Him to the test. I know I gripe and complain sometimes. Does my faithless, selfish whining test Jesus? Probably so, and yet it’s written, “Do not test the Lord your God” (Matthew 4:7).

Jesus was tested, as were all of the priests of God. Tests constantly fired at Him from Satan, religious authorities, and the people. In the midst of it all, He was “tested in every way as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). He alone can make that final claim.

So, hold on tight to that faith you have in Him. Cherish it as He alone passed through the heavens to give it to you. He alone endured testing without sin. His willingness to do so created your privilege to do the same - to endure the testing of this life and to pass through the heavens into the presence of God. Yes, our testing ends in sin sometimes, but His sacrifice covers that as well. Hold on to your faith because with it, Jesus made great things possible.

Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness (4:16)

Jewish rabbis taught that God had two thrones – one of mercy and one of judgment. The people knew God required justice which naturally brought judgment upon the people. However, they also knew He was a God of mercy. To reconcile the two, they thought He must have two thrones. The author of Hebrews reconciles the concept of two thrones into a single truth. God only has one throne – the throne of grace. Yes, God’s justice requires judgment but He also extends mercy. In that moment when judgment meets mercy, we find His grace (Source).

Why? Because Jesus is our priest who served in the duties of a priest of Aaron’s order (5:1-5)
The Jewish priests descended from Aaron, of the tribe of Levi. As priests, they had certain duties to perform. Jesus fulfilled every one of those duties…

• He served God on behalf of the people (5:1). It is written of Jesus, “He had to be like His brothers in every way, so that He could become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people” (Hebrews 2:17).
• He offered gifts and sacrifices for sins (5:1). It is written of Jesus, “For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; therefore it was necessary for this priest also to have something to offer… He entered the most holy place once for all, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption” (Hebrews 8:3, 9:12).
• He served with compassion (5:2-3). It is written of Jesus, “For since He Himself was tested and has suffered, He is able to help those who are tested” (Hebrews 2:18).
• He was descended from Aaron but called by God (5:4-5). Jesus didn’t descend from Aaron. He is of the tribe of Judah, not Levi. Yet, His ministry is superior to that of Aaron. He may not be a son of Aaron, but He is the true Son of God and God appointed Him to His ministry. "Messiah did not exalt Himself to become a high priest, but the One who said to Him, "You are My Son; today I have become Your Father" (Hebrews 5:5).

Why? Because Jesus is our priest who served in the duties of Melchizedek’s order (Hebrews 5:6-10)

Under Aaron’s lineage, the priesthood didn’t allow us to boldly approach the throne of grace. The people couldn’t walk into the holy of holies anytime they wanted. If Jesus’ priestly service was only of Aaron’s order, I’m not sure we still would be able to enter God’s presence. But Jesus was also a priest in the order of Melchizedek. With His sacrifice, the temple curtain separating the holy of holies from the world split in two. We may now – with boldness – approach the throne of grace.

I did a lot of studying about Melchizedek for this lesson. We know very little about him other than what we read in Genesis 14, Psalm 110, and Hebrews 5-7. We’ll discuss him a lot over the next few sections as we work our way through those Hebrews sections. Some of what I learned is extremely interesting, however. It’ll lead to some thought provoking questions over the next few sections.

For now, we’ll focus on three duties of a priest of Melchizedek’s order which I believe this passage presents to us. The passage begins and ends by declaring Jesus to be a priest of Melchizedek’s order. I believe the three qualifications listed between those bookend declarations reveal to us what that means...

• He offered prayers and appeals unto God and God heard him (5:7). Jesus often went off by Himself and prayed fervently to God the Father. Despite His oneness with the Father and the Spirit, prayer was a constant and integral part of His earthly life.
• He learned obedience through suffering (5:8). Jesus knew suffering of the highest level. Yes, the nails, whips, and thorns hurt. No one will deny that but many people endured a Roman crucifixion. Jesus’ ultimate pain came, I believe, when He cried out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46). I don’t think we can fully comprehend the suffering He endured as the weight of the sin of the world piled on His sinless human body, causing the Father with whom He had experienced all of eternity past to turn away His holy head.
• He became the source of eternal salvation (5:9). It doesn’t get any more clear than that. Jesus alone, the only source of salvation for all eternity.

Why do we care?

We care because God made a way for you to enter His rest. He longs to be with you in eternity so He appointed Jesus as our priest to make it possible. As such, He knows your tests and temptations. He gets what you’re going through because He’s been there as well. After enduring the test without sin, He passed through the heavens of His universal tabernacle to dwell in the presence of God. Because He did so, we will pass through them as well to be with Him forever.

But you have to believe. It all comes down to faith.

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Enter His Rest - Hebrews 4:1-13

Do you ever want to take a break? Does it sound amazing to get away from striving and struggling to get the work done? Does even reading those sentences make you stare off into space and mentally say, “Ahhhh… if only.”

Every week, Sunday has become a special time for me. After church, I make sure my family has some lunch, but it’s nothing fancy. We either eat out or have something simple at home. I may be breaking with American church tradition but Sunday isn’t the day for fine roast beef or elegant roasted chicken. After we eat, I do nothing. I’m off duty the rest of the day. I might watch tv, take a nap, read a book, or play games. I don’t work on the blog or housecleaning. I avoid outside activities at all cost. In short, Sunday is a day of rest. Without it, I couldn’t get through the week. I can’t help but think about that routine as I’ve studied through Hebrews 4:1-13 for our current study through Hebrews.

We read Hebrews 3:7-19 in the last section. In it, God spoke to us about the importance of believing Him. It doesn’t matter who you are, believing Him is a prerequisite to the blessing of His rest. To believe otherwise looks God in the face and calls Him a liar. We combat unbelief by being a constant voice of sincere encouragement. Encouragement also helps us hold onto our belief when the world fights so hard to pull it away from us. And let me repeat the key point, we must believe to enter God’s rest.

Click picture for a printable handout for this section.

Enter His Rest

The last lesson revealed that God’s rest is still available for those who believe. This coming lesson will help us see what that means – both individually and for mankind over all.

However, before we go there, let’s remind ourselves to whom the letter of Hebrews was written. We may not know its author, but we know it was intended primarily for the Jews of the first century who had accepted that Jesus was their promised Messiah. The author wrote it to encourage them to hold fast to their faith; he didn’t want them to corrupt their belief by adding to it or doubting it. You may be Jewish; you may not. Either way, if you accept and believe that Jesus was the promised Messiah and living Son of God, then the book of Hebrews is for you as well.

I think it’s important as we progress through this study to remember the intended audience. For those who don’t know Jesus, I absolutely believe the truth of Hebrews can lead you to salvation. All of God’s Word has that power, as we’ll look at later in this section. But, the original audience was those who already knew Him. As we talk about things like believing God and entering His rest, it’s easier to understand if we remember this is as part of the believer’s sanctifying growth in Him, a process that began when we trusted Him for salvation.

Ok, now, let’s proceed with what this passage teaches us about God’s rest…

The promise of His rest still remains. Don’t miss it! (Hebrews 4:1-5)
The opportunity to enter God’s rest has been available for all people but only those who accept it by faith receive the benefit. For the Israelite people under Moses, they didn’t have the faith to believe God would defeat the Canaanites as they entered the Promised Land. In response, they spent the rest of their lives – forty years for the collective group – wandering in a literal desert. Perhaps this helps us understand why we also sometimes feel like we’re wandering without purpose for much of our lives. We’ve refused to believe God and enter the rest He has available for us. We’re still striving and struggling to enter His Promised Land when all it took was a step of faith and we would have enjoyed it long ago.

God set the example of resting when the work was complete on the seventh day of creation. He did so to show us to rest one day of the week but also because He had finished His work. He had created the stars and planets, land and waters, plants and animals, and Adam and Eve.

• Individually, the opportunity still remains to enter His rest. All we need is the faith to believe.
• For all humanity, God’s rest at creation reveals a final rest is available for all of us on the seventh day.

If the opportunity still remains, do it today (Hebrews 4:6-8)
Yes, the Israelites messed up by not believing God to deliver them into their Promised Land. That doesn’t mean the opportunity is gone forever, though. The opportunity didn’t disappear with the Israelites under Moses and even Joshua didn’t deliver their final rest. If either of those scenarios were true, then David wouldn’t have written about 500 years later, “Today, if you hear His voice: Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah…” (Psalm 95:7-8).

In fact, the Bible gives us many stories of people who messed up believing God. Still the opportunity remains. The opportunity to believe God initiated when He completed His work that last day in the Garden of Eden.

• It remained for the people under Moses even though they wandered in the desert for 40 years.
• It was still there centuries later when David reigned in Israel for 40 years. David had shed too much blood and God prohibited him from building and entering the temple of the Lord. The opportunity went to his son, King Solomon.
• About 1,000 years after David, the opportunity still remained for the first-century Jews. They were witnesses to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and still had a hard time believing. After 40 years, God allowed the destruction of their temple and the people were scattered.
• Now, it’s about 2,000 years after the writing of Hebrews. We’ve all messed up in our walks with God; faith and belief aren’t the easiest areas to implement. Because of God’s eternal love and unending grace, the opportunity still waits for you today. You still may believe He can do what He says He will do and enter His rest.

Eventually, that opportunity will be gone, though. The idea of “today” will no longer exist. As long as it is called today, we may still place our faith in Him; what about when “today” is gone?

Click picture to view a larger version.

Jewish tradition tells that the earth will exist for 7,000 years; each 1,000 year time segment correlates with the corresponding day of creation. Without getting into details, for this article I’ll only mention the correlation between the seventh day of creation when God rested and the seventh millennial day of the earth when Jesus will reign over His kingdom on earth. This passage supports the idea of a 7,000 year plan for Earth as it links Jesus’ future millennial reign with God’s rest on the seventh day of creation.

Here’s the significance of that idea – when Jesus’ millennial reign ends then the idea of “today” will be over. The earth will be destroyed; all people will either enter the lake of fire prepared for Satan and his angels or they will enter eternity in the glory of God’s presence. No other chance will be available when that time comes. “Today” will be over.

• Individually, you can still enter His rest. You didn’t miss the opportunity in the past and you don’t have to wait until you have your act together in the future. You can do it today.
• For all humanity, the offer remains as long as it is called “today.” The concept of time ends when the Millennium ends, and therefore, so does humanity’s opportunity to enter God’s rest.

Our rest is a Sabbath rest (Hebrews 4:9-10)
I mentioned in my opening story that I rest on Sundays. In the early days of Christianity, the leaders of the church switched our day of worship from Saturday, when the Jews honor the Sabbath, to Sunday. I won’t get into the politics of why they did so or if it was a wise decision. For our study, when we read that our rest comes on the Sabbath, know that the author meant the Jewish Sabbath on the last day of the week.

I believe David wrote a prophetic description of our Sabbath rest in Psalm 95 just prior to “Today, if you hear His voice: Do not harden your hearts” (Psalm 95:7-8). Verses 1-7 of that same chapter set a context of worship and adoration as we kneel before the Lord. David describes it as a time when we realize He is “the rock of our salvation,” not the rocks in Meribah and Massah. It’s a time when we might “enter His presence with thanksgiving.” It’s a time when we “worship and bow down” and “kneel before the Lord our Maker.” It’s a time when God is our Good Shepherd (see John 10) and we “are the people of His pasture, the sheep under His care.” (All quotes taken from Psalm 95:1-7.) This prophetic description can’t refer to eternity in His presence as David mentions that the Lord reigns over even the sea. The sea won’t exist in eternity (Revelation 21:1). This time of worship in the Lord’s presence when He reigns over all the earth must refer to Jesus’ millennial reign.

• Individually, we can rest on the day we enter God’s presence. We cease striving and struggling. We recognize God completed the work; we no longer think we must work to attain our salvation.
• For all humanity, a time is coming when we can enter His rest and literally kneel in His presence here on earth. The work of salvation will be fully realized as Jesus will have returned a second time in glorious victory.

Make every effort to enter His rest (Hebrews 4:11)
We’ve seen it throughout the last section and this one – our opportunity to enter His rest comes through faith and belief. It has nothing to do with the work we do. We base our salvation and the continuing process of growth on our belief that God can do what He says He will do.

However, as this point reveals, we must be diligent to grow in Him. The original Greek word even has a connotation of haste to it; we shouldn’t put it off until another day. We don’t know what awaits us in His promised rest; we can’t comprehend the blessings of an abundant life lived believing Him until we have experienced it. We can’t experience it until we are diligent to know Him, believe Him, and grow in our love for Him.

Many people trust God for salvation but never move past that point. They have their “fire insurance” so they think all is well; nothing more is required. But, in all honesty, how can you not give yourself to living for the one who died for you? How can you not desire to know Him more intimately, to serve Him more devotedly, and love Him more passionately considering all He has done and desires to do for you?

Failing to do so doesn’t only deny you the blessings of a life lived for Him. It denies it to other people as well. When we fail to believe and grow – when we wander around in our desert of unbelief – then other people look at our lives and say, “Why should I try Christianity? It’s not doing much for them. They’re as hopeless as I am. Maybe I’ll try this other option over here…” Our poor example leads them “to fall into the same pattern of disobedience” (Hebrews 4:11) and they likewise wander around in a desert of spiritual unbelief.

• Individually, we must be diligent and expedient to grow in our faith and belief. Otherwise, not only do we miss out, but so do those in our circle of influence.
• For all humanity, exert the faith needed so the pattern doesn’t repeat itself. Eventually we will all enter His rest as the cycle of unbelief is broken.

Why is it important to believe and enter His rest?
Here’s the point. Here’s the reason we must truly believe. Here’s the why that gives significance to all the rest.

Why is it important? Because the word of God is living and active. With surgical precision, the word of God will pierce into you to separate that which merely lives from that which is active.

The word of God divides joints from marrow. In the human body, joints allow movement. They make it possible but they can’t actually move the body. Marrow is the spongy tissue inside bones which produces blood cells. “The life of a creature is in the blood, and I have appointed it to you to make atonement on the altar for your lives, since it is the lifeblood that makes atonement” (Leviticus 17:11). When the Word of God penetrates you to divide joint from marrow, it divides that which merely provides movement from that which provides physical and spiritual life.

The word of God divides soul from spirit. Many people use these two terms interchangeably as they both refer to the part of a person that relates with God as opposed to the body that relates with the world and the mind that relates with other people. However, they have a small but significant difference. All people have a soul – a part of them that longs for a spiritual relationship and has an eternal destiny. As Scripture makes clear, their eternal destiny is either heaven or hell. Sorry, but no other option exists. The spirit refers to who we are after we have accepted Jesus as our Savior. When the Word of God penetrates you to divide soul from spirit, it divides that which is merely eternal from that which has an active, blessed future with Jesus for eternity.

Click picture to view a larger version.

The Word of God – again, with surgical precision – separates what lives from what is active. It separates movement from life and growth. It divides what’s eternal from that which is eternally blessed. That’s some laser-like precision.

Here’s the most important part of all this. He does it for everyone. No one can hide, no one is exempt. He sees all, knows all, and will accurately divide out His own unto Himself. Will you be one of them?

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Believe - Hebrews 3:7-19

We are about knee-deep into the book of Hebrews. We’ve gotten our feet wet and found the water refreshing. We’ve stepped into a stream of truth that washes away our doubts, fears, and regrets – in short, that washes away our sin.

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.

Therefore, don’t harden your heart. Believe Him and enter His rest.

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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