Sunday Night Bible Study Hebrews 3:1-19 January 30, 1994 Hebrews 3:1-19 Hebrews 3 Introduction The Point of Hebrews is: Jesus is better! He's better than the angels. [1]Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession. :1 consider Jesus 2657 katanoeo {kat-an-o-eh'-o} 1) to perceive, remark, observe, understand 2) to consider attentively, fix one's eyes or mind upon Last week we read that we were to "Pay much closer attention to what we have heard" (Heb.2:1) RWP: {Consider} (\katanoˆsate\). First aorist active imperative of \katanoe“\, old compound verb (\kata, nous\), to put the mind down on a thing, to fix the mind on as in #Mt 7:3; Lu 12:24|. Because Jesus is so much better, you better take time to think about Him. Lesson: This is one of three commands given to us by the writer in this chapter. When we are given a command, we should pay attention, it's something we're supposed to be doing. A lot of things in our life just fall into place and get taken care of when we take time to think about Jesus. "Turn your eyes upon Jesus" :1 the Apostle 652 apostolos {ap-os'-tol-os} 1) a delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders It can refer specifically to the Twelve, or others, but it really only means a messenger. If I'm changing Timothy's diaper and there's poop in it, I ask David to run and get the baby wipes. David is my "apostle". Jesus was an "Apostle" in that He was sent from the Father with a specific mission, to come and die for our sins. :1 High priest We mentioned this last week. We'll get into it even more as Hebrews progresses. :1 of our confession KJV: "profession" It's what we say we believe in. The essence of what our faith is all about. [2]He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was in all His house. [3]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. :2 He was faithful to Him who appointed Him Jesus never let the Father down. Jesus will never let you down. :2 as Moses was Moses, for the most part was faithful. There was one time where Moses blew it, but the writer doesn't bring that up. The writer isn't going about putting Moses down, he's just putting Jesus up. Remember who the writer is writing to, to Jews, to those who admire Moses greatly. Lesson: When you're witnessing to people, you don't need to worry about putting their wrong beliefs down, just concern yourself about putting Jesus in front of them. Don't try to extinguish the darkness, just turn on the light! Tell them what Jesus has been doing in your life lately! :3 counted worthy of more glory than Moses Our theme again, "Jesus is better". This time, Jesus is better than Moses! {Hath been counted worthy of more glory than Moses} (\pleionos doxˆs para M“usˆn ˆxi“tai\). Perfect passive indicative of \axio“\, to deem worthy, permanent situation described with definite claim of Christ's superiority to Moses. :3 the builder ... the house RWP: The architect is superior to the house just as Sir Christopher Wren is superior to St. Paul's Cathedral. The creation can't surpass the creator. It's too bad that much of secular science is so focused on the creation. They have a hard time realizing there's a designer, a Creator. Unanswered questions in science... God is greater. [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. :5 Moses was faithful ... as a servant The author is again setting up a comparison between Moses and Jesus. Moses was faithful, but his relationship with God was as a servant. :6 Christ ... as a Son Jesus' relationship with God was as God's Only Begotten Son. Lesson: Jesus is Better! :6 if we hold fast our confidence ... until the end We qualify as "God's House" as long as we hold on to what we believe to the end. [7]Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, #"\Today if you hear His voice\, [8]\Do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me\, \As in the day of trial in the wilderness\, [9]\Where your fathers tried\ {Me} \by testing\ {Me}, \And saw My works for forty years\. [10]"\Therefore I was angry with this generation\, \And said, 'They always go astray in their heart\; \And they did not know My ways\'; [11]\As I swore in My wrath\, '\They shall not enter My rest.\' "# :7 the Holy Spirit says, The author of the Psalms We are told in Heb. 4:7 that David wrote this passage from Psalm 95. But who is the real author of the Scriptures? The Holy Spirit. 2TI 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 2Pe 1:21 For prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke [as they were] moved by the Holy Spirit. Lesson: The Holy Spirit can speak through people. David was just an ordinary guy, yet what he wrote was really the Holy Spirit speaking through him. The point of the quote: Psalm 95 The Psalmist is saying that God was frustrated with the people in the wilderness because they were always going astray in their hearts. Because they were always going astray and leaving God's ways, God said they would not enter into His rest. The writer of Hebrews is giving us a Bible Study as to why we should be careful not to fall away from Jesus. The writer has aleady made these points: HEB 2:1 For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away {from it.} HEB 3:6 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. RWP: The author makes no effort to reconcile this warning with God's elective purpose. He is not exhorting God, but these wavering Christians. Lesson: Can we fall away from the Lord? Answer: No ... and ... Yes On one hand We are eternally secure. Joh 10:27-29 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give to them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who gave [them to] me, is greater than all; and no [man] is able to pluck [them] out of my Father's hand. Ro 8:38-39 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 creation, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. On the other hand There seems to be a possibility of falling away. Our passages in Hebrews seem to hint at this. (Heb 2:1; 3:6) 1Co 6:9-10 Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, [10]nor thieves, nor {the} covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God. Gal 5:19-21 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, [20]idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, [21]envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. How do we reconcile these things? Just as other areas of doctrine that seem irreconcilable (such as free will versus predestination), we have a problem because of our finite capacity to understand infinite things. We have limited resources trying to understand God's unlimited truths. We're probably not going to fully understand until we get to heaven. Rather than trying to go with just one viewpoint and eliminate the other, and become unbalanced, we try to stay somewhere in the middle. But for now... There are some people who need to hear about the possibility of falling away. They claim to know the Lord, yet the evidence isn't in their lives. Others, who are always filled with fear, need to understand that God isn't about to let go of them, and that nothing is big enough to take them out of God's hand. [12]Take care, brethren, lest there should be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart, in falling away from the living God. [13]But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is {still} called "Today," lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. :12 Take care 991 blepo {blep'-o} to see ... "open your eyes guys..." This is a severe warning based upon the experience of the Israelites quoted in Psalm 95. This is the second command given us by the writer: Pay attention to this! :12 in any one of you Oh no, this could never happen to me! That's when we can get into trouble, when we get to thinking that we could never fall away from the Lord. It could happen to me. :12 an evil, unbelieving heart Evil means ... evil \Apistias\ is more than mere unbelief, here rather disbelief, refusal to believe, genitive case describing the evil heart marked by disbelief which is no mark of intelligence then or now. It's not just a possibility that we could have this kind of a heart, it's already a fact. If left to itself, without the continuing work of the Holy Spirit in your life, this is the state your heart will naturally go to: Jer 17:9 The heart [is] deceitful above all [things], and desperately wicked: who can know it? PRO 4:23 Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it {flow} the springs of life. :13 encourage one another 3870 parakaleo {par-ak-al-eh'-o} - this is the word used to describe the Holy Spirit! AV - beseech 43, comfort 23, exhort 21, desire 8, pray 6, intreat 3, misc 4, vr besought 1; 109 1) to call to one's side, call for, summon 2) to address, speak to, (call to, call upon), which may be done in the way of exhortation, entreaty, comfort, instruction, etc. 2a) to admonish, exhort 2b) to beg, entreat, beseech 2b1) to strive to appease by entreaty 2c) to console, to encourage and strengthen by consolation, to comfort 2c1) to receive consolation, be comforted 2d) to encourage, strengthen 2e) exhorting and comforting and encouraging 2f) to instruct, teach This is the third command given to us. Pay attention! Here's the remedy to the problem of falling away. We need to learn how to encourage each other better! It isn't going to take place very well if you never let anyone get to know you. You might get some encouragement from listening to a sermon, but not anything like you could receive if you had someone "alongside" to help you. Note that the encouragement is to be done to "one another". In other words, you need to receive encouragement as well as to give it. :13 day after day There's something here that speaks of continuity. It's not just when you go to a conference or retreat. It's not just when you come to church on Sundays or Wednesdays. We need regular encouragement. God didn't design you to be a Lone Ranger Christian. God didn't design you to be a "Marathon Man" either. :13 as long as it is still called "Today" Does anyone have the time? Is it still "Today"? As long as the time is still "Today", then its appropriate to be encouraging one another. :13 hardened by the deceitfulness of sin deceitfulness: trickery, deceiving Sin has a way of tricking you. "You're always going to have some sin in your life" "What harm can this one little sin do?" Achan: Hiding the forbidden treasure: Israel's defeat to Ai. David: Just one little fling with Bathsheba: Leading to murder, then watching the same traits become worked out in his own sons' lives. Jehoshaphat: Making a politically correct move in joining with the northern kingdom by marriage. Then Ahab's daughter pollutes the southern kingdom, killing all the brothers, then all the sons, the idolatry, the judgment. We eat high cholesterol foods, what harm an a little donut do? Heart attack. What harm can a little tittillation at the movies do? Maybe it will improve my love-life? What harm can a soap opera do? Get rid of your old man! We need to keep fresh with encouragement. [14]For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end; [15]while it is said, #"\Today if you hear His voice\, \Do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked Me.\"# [16]For who provoked {Him} when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt {led} by Moses? [17]And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? [18]And to whom did He swear that they should not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? [19]And {so} we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.