A Hardened Heart Test God; Not Trust God (Hebrews 3:7-19)

One of the main ideas’s that come from this study is, when we go through a trial of faith, it will trigger belief or unbelief; obedience or disobedience. Either we will turn to God in trust, or turn from God which is actually your test of Him.

The continual distrust and disobedience to God is the hardening of the heart. The sensitivity to the sin that is tempting you, if not dealt with and repented of, will eventually callus your heart.
The writer of Hebrews quotes Psalm 95, to not overlook what you’ve heard and seen as evidence that Jesus is indeed the Christ and to put your full faith and trust in Him. Additionally, to not harden your hearts in unbelief as Israel did in the wilderness though they had all evidences of God’s presence, power and deliverance. When we are tempted with sin in our lives how do we face it? Do we turn to God in faith or do we turn away from God in unbelief?
Compare how Israel faced their temptations before going into the land of promise in Numbers 14. Ten of the twelve spies came back with a report that it was impossible to overtake the inhabitants and they stirred the people up with discontent, while two men, Joshua and Caleb, came back excited to see how God would deliver once again. In the face of this trial of faith, who believed and who didn’t? Who was God pleased with and who was provoking Him? The difference was, when a trial of faith came into their lives what did they choose to do? What would you choose?
The warning that is given in Hebrews 3, is to all those who profess faith in Christ. Be sober, be alert because sin is deceitful. The best practice is once you’ve sinned, immediately confess your sin to Him, and He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (1 John 1:9).

Jesus’ Accomplishment of Salvation (Hebrews 2:9-18): Part 1

After establishing that this ‘great salvation’ from verse 3 entails not only spiritual reconciliation and restoration but physical in the ‘changed’ world to come by Christ. Starting in verse 9 we transition from the subject of man to Jesus seeing His great work taking on the flesh of man, receiving a lower rank than the angels and His great crowning achievement suffering for the redemption of His own. The question in the next verses deal with how Jesus has accomplished this great salvation. He was born to suffer and die; He tasted death for His sheep; He pioneered the way for us to follow in death and the resurrection; He has sanctified us to Himself through His righteousness to the point that we are called His brethren without shame.

Restored in ‘The World to Come’ (Hebrews 2:5-9)

The subject ‘the world to come’ appears at first to come out of the blue. What was the continuing thought from chapters 1 and 2 that brings up the ‘world to come’? In 2:3, our ‘great salvation’ is continued from the ‘inherited salvation’ we will receive in 1:14b. The big, as much as our minds can take, point of salvation is reconciliation and restoration, both spiritually and physically. When man was created God designed him to have fellowship with Him, be thankful, give God glory and have rule over the earth (Gen 1:26 and Psalm 8 ). But since sin entered, not all things are put under him (i.e., death and the sorrow that sin intrudes upon us). Since sin entered we no longer are the bearers of the fulfilled purpose of God in creation – but enter Christ as the Son of Man (2:9), who not only fulfilled the design of man (fellowship with God, thankful, giving God glory and creation rulership), but He was crowned with glory and honor for His sufferings to secure until Himself ‘many sons unto Glory’. Salvation is both spiritual and will one day be physical. Jesus has restored to us both; Our destiny as man, is the Psalm 8 man designed by God and Jesus has now made that true (to those who are His). Physically in ‘the world to come’ we will once again have dominion over the ‘changed’ earth with Christ – It’s important to know, we will and do ‘share this new earth’ with Christ because of Christ mighty work of grace and restoration. He is our ‘captain’ of salvation.

That said, comes in the argument again from 2:3, how shall we escape if we neglect this ‘great salvation’? Why would you allow the very word and work of Christ in salvation to ‘drift’ or ‘let slip’ and find a better promise fulfilled in the law? There isn’t one, the promise of the old was the new to come. Christ is better.

A Warning to not Drift – but Endure (Hebrews 2:1-4)

Nowhere, does the Bible teach that initial acceptance of the saving message is sufficient without perseverance in Faith.  Jesus says in John 8:30-31, “As he (Jesus) spake these words, many believed on him. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed”

The first verse of Hebrews Chapter 2, says we should give more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we let them slip.  The ‘let them slip’ in the KJV, has the Greek meaning of ‘drift’, like a boat that has no anchor. This warning passage is to all who profess in Christ, to take ‘heed’ (possess in awareness) the word and work of Christ continually, if you don’t, if you have taken this word carelessly (in neglect) and have abandoned it thinking your one time profession many years ago is good enough, you have drifted and will not be able to escape the wrath of God in judgement.  Those who have genuine faith, will endure to the end because of the power of God working in them to continue to be convicted by the Holy Spirit despite if you’ve wondered off. If the Lord loves you, He will chastise you back into honoring Him.  Those who have a false profession in Christ will find themselves ‘drifting’ from the Word which they have heard without caring.  This is a warning to both types of people who profess Christ.  A Word of resolve to the saved and a word of warning to those who believe their profession is true, but have no fruits in their home-life to prove it. It is a warning to escape the final and eternal judgement of God.

Jesus Is Better Than The Angels (1:4-14)

After describing our Lord Jesus in beautiful language as the Son of God who is exalted on the right hand of the Majesty on high, verse 4 starts with this statement: Jesus is better than the angels, and then it says, ‘as he hath’. These three small words launches the next two chapters filled with why Jesus is better than the angels. Someone may ask, why? Why take that much effort to prove Jesus is better when it isn’t inconceivable to already know that?

If we remember that Hebrews was written to the Hebrews who had great knowledge of the old testament and the oral law (the commentary of the law by Rabbi’s), and they held the Angels in very high regard as those who gave the law to Moses on Mt Sinai. Paul says that the law was given by the angels into the hand of the mediator (Gal 3:19). We know that mediator to be Moses however, some Jews saw the Angels as the mediator. And further, some were going too far and worshipping angels as God’s highest created entities and givers of the law. The truth is that God gave the law to Moses through the disposition of angels, but God designated Moses to be the mediator between God and man, not the angels.

With this in mind, and what was in the minds of the Hebrews at that point, the writer of Hebrews immediately establishes that Jesus is greater than the angles and tells us 5 ways (by His Name, He is the worshipped of angels, His nature – Deity, His existence – Eternity and His Kingship as sovereign ruler.) All to this end, that the old covenant mediated by the angels to Moses, is not greater than the Son of God who is the mediator of the New Covenant.

We read overwhelmingly and emphatically that Jesus is the fulfillment and finality of the revelation of God. His name is excellent as ‘God’, ‘The Son’, ‘Lord’, His work is better as ‘Creator, Sustainer, Ruler and Owner, He who purged our sins and Reigns for eternity’ of all things, His worth is superior as ‘He who is worshipped of all things in heaven, earth, under the earth and the seas, including the angels’, His attributes are unreachable as omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, sovereign ,loves righteousness and hates iniquity’

The Excellency of Jesus Christ, Part 2 (1:1-3)

The wonder and fullness of our Lord Jesus Christ is presented in beautiful language just in these first three verses. Jesus is excellent as the heir and possessor of all things, the creator and sustainer of all things, the brightness and image of God, the all sufficient sacrifice for the purging of sins and the excellent exalted Lord of all authority and power.