5: Believing & Behaving? (Heb 3:7-19)

Ravi Zacharias was once considered a brilliant defender of the faith, has been found to be living a lie. The problem wasn’t with what he taught on the stage, but how he lived off the stage. What has become clear is that Ravi was NOT behaving in a way that matched what he said he was believing.

Like it or not, when it comes to the biblical definition of “believe”, How We BEHAVE Shows Who We BELIEVE. Does YOUR LIFE…does MY LIFE - do OUR LIVES, demonstrate that we believe Jesus is Better…that He is worthy of our lives?

Or is this the typical hypocrisy we often see that says “Do as I say, not as I do”?

Are we Believing & Behaving? And if not, how can that change?

Catch the Context Although we didn’t study Heb 3:1-6 Jesus is compared to Moses, BUT as faithful as Moses was, Jesus is Better. Moses was the faithful servant of the household of God, but Jesus is the faithful Son - the one whom Moses had written about 1400 years earlier! The ancient author then encourages his audience to stay focused on Jesus & hold on to their confidence in Jesus (Hebrews 3:1-6).

But he also issues a warning and an example from the Old Covenant Scriptures, that is found in Ps 95:7–11.

Hebrews 3:7-9a

Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: Today, if you hear His Voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your ancestors tested Me, tried Me, and saw My works for forty years.

First we must note that although these words were written by a human author, the Holy Spirit was speaking TO people THROUGH people. This is how the Scriptures are to be understood. The apostle Peter writes: “men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Pet 1:21)

God speaks TO people THROUGH people in the Scriptures.

Second, the command “do not harden your hearts” is emphasized over and over again in the passage we study today - 3 times (Heb 3:8,13,15).

In fact, most Hebrews knew this passage from Psalm 95 very well, as it served as the opening call to worship in the synagogue every Sabbath which includes the command, “Today, if you hear His Voice, do not harden your hearts” (Psalm 95:7b-8a).

In this case, the audience is supposed to do the opposite of what their rebellious ancestors had done - who disobeyed God despite seeing His works for forty years. What are those works? The Hebrew audience reading this letter:

knew about the Red Sea parting and God destroying the Egyptian army when the watery walls collapsed on them.

They heard about God’s Presence leading the Hebrews in a cloud by day and pillar of fire by night (see Psalm 78:12-16, 24-29).

They knew the stories of God providing manna & quail for hundreds of thousands of people…DAILY!

They knew the stories of God causing drinking water to flow like a river…from a rock.

This Hebrew audience heard how God even kept their ancestors’ clothes and sandals from wearing out throughout the 40 year journey (Deut 29:5).

Yet still, although they saw God’s works, their ancestors chose to harden their hearts in rebellion. Rather than trusting God, they tested Him over and over again. Like spoiled children, the Hebrew people were never satisfied nor appreciative of God’s graciousness, even as they stood at the edge of the Promised Land.

Hebrews 3:9b-11

Therefore I was provoked to anger with that generation and said, “They always go astray in their hearts, and they have not known My ways.” So I swore in my anger, “They will not enter My rest.”

What’s that all about? Here’s how the story unfolds:

As the ancient Hebrews reached the edge of the land God had promised to them, Moses obeyed God’s command to send 1 leader from each of the 12 tribes to scout the place (Num 13:1-3). 40 days later they reported back (Num 13:25),

10 of the 12 leaders were terrified and reported that the strength and the size of the enemies was overwhelming (Num 13:31-33).

Numbers 14:1–4

Then the whole community broke into loud cries, and the people wept that night. All the Israelites complained about Moses and Aaron, and the whole community told them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this wilderness! Why is the LORD bringing us into this land to die by the sword? Our wives and children will become plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” So they said to one another, “Let’s appoint a leader and go back to Egypt.”

Only 2 of the 12 spies were excited by what they saw, because they TRUSTED that God was about to give all this to them.

Numbers 14:6–8

Joshua son of Nun [and you thought Nuns didn’t have children] and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who scouted out the land, tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite community, “The land we passed through and explored is an extremely good land. If the LORD [YaHWeH] is pleased with us, He will bring us into this land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and give it to us.

Numbers 14:9-10

Only don’t rebel against the LORD, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land, for we will devour them. Their protection has been removed from them, and the Lord is with us. Don’t be afraid of them!” While the whole community threatened to stone them, the glory of the LORD appeared to all the Israelites at the tent of meeting.

Numbers 14:11

The LORD said to Moses, “How long will these people despise me? How long will they not trust in Me despite all the signs I have performed among them? [* NET, ESV, NIV translate this “not believe”]

Yahweh’s glory appears and He is about to destroy this disobedient people. But Yahweh relents when Moses intercedes and asks Him to forgive. God will allow them to live, but not without a severe consequence to their rebellion.

Numbers 14:22–23

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 ten times and did not obey Me, will ever see the land I swore to give their ancestors. None of those who have despised Me will see it.

Numbers 14:29–30

Your corpses will fall in this wilderness—all of you who were registered in the census, the entire number of you twenty years old or more—because you have complained about Me. I swear that none of you will enter the land I promised to settle you in, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

So although they had been right to the edge of the Promised Land, they would now be turned away and wander in the wilderness for 40 years. God struck down the 10 leaders that spread the negative report, while Joshua and Caleb lived.

Exodus 12:37 reports that Hebrews had been 600,000 able bodied men. And of all those men, only Joshua and Caleb, along with men under the age of 20, actually made it to the Promised Land, while hundreds of thousands of Hebrews were buried in sandy graves in the desert.

THIS IS THE STORY behind the words we have already read:

Hebrews 3:9b-11

Therefore I was provoked to anger with that generation and said, “They always go astray in their hearts, and they have not known My ways.” So I swore in my anger, “They will not enter My rest.”

And now the author presents his contemporary Hebrew audience with the real life application from the ancient Scriptures, spoken by the Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 3:12–13

Watch out, brothers and sisters, so that there won’t be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception.

Despite seeing all God had done, their Hebrew ancestors had turned away from the living God, proving that...

An unbelieving heart isn’t the result of NOT SEEING God at work, but NOT TRUSTING God when He does work.

And just like the ancient Hebrews, despite seeing God at work, WE ARE ALL IN DANGER of an unbelieving heart that turns away from God and becomes hardened by sin’s deception.

QUESTION: Have you ever seen this in the life of one who once called themself a follower of Jesus? They might have been a time when they talked about His miracles, how He has answered prayers, & lives He has changed. Yet now, they no longer believe - having turned away from Jesus and justifying a sinful lifestyle.

This change didn’t happen overnight. One day at a time, one decision at a time, that person walked toward sin, away from Jesus, and became hardened by sin’s deception - the lie that sin is more fulfilling that God. The things we once said we would never do or say slowly become the pattern of our lives.

How can we keep that from happening, you ask? You ask great questions!

First, we must GUARD OUR SOULS, as the writer says to watch out - be on guard against turning from Jesus and turning to sin. Are you doing that?

My computer has a program that protects from malware - harmful programs that can get in my computer and keep it from running the way it is designed to run. Thankfully, the program I use is constantly watching out for these virtual viruses and keeping them from infecting my machine. And just to be safe, my computer prompts me weekly to scan for any malware that might have somehow snuck by my defenses.

So too, outside influences are constantly attempting to impact our thoughts, compromise our convictions, and dilute our doctrine. Sadly, some of us have been infected and don't even know it. Because of that, we would do well to routinely scan our souls to see if any sinful infection has wormed its way in.

When’s the last time you scanned your soul to see if you have taken the bait of sin’s deception? Take some time this week to do a deep scan of your actions, words, attitudes, thoughts, & relationships and see if they honor or dishonor Jesus. And then ask this question:

“If I’m not seeking Jesus first….WHY IS THAT?” Then we ask the Lord Jesus to forgive us and get back to daily decisions that honor Him above all others.

So first - guard ourselves.

Second, we must GUARD EACH OTHER.

Don’t be a Lone Ranger. After all…even the Lone Ranger had

Tonto. He didn’t ride alone.

And WE aren’t supposed to ride alone either.

The author of Hebrews commands us to encourage each other daily on the journey.

We need to remind one another of why Jesus is worthy of our lives. The first followers of Jesus didn’t SUFFER nor CELEBRATE alone. They had each others’ back. They walked in faith TOGETHER. They suffered and celebrated TOGETHER. They even confronted each other when necessary.

Who are you encouraging on the journey? Maybe you’ve been riding alone and wonder why you’re so discouraged. Is it possible that you’ve been stiff-arming the people God is putting into your life to encourage you and help you through the journey?

QUICK TEST: WHO suffers and celebrates with you on a regular basis? Who are you seeking out to talk about spiritual growth? If you can’t answer that…you ARE the LONE RANGER…with no Tonto.

We are all in danger of being enticed to sin and hardened by sin’s deception. That’s why we must GUARD OUR SOULS and GUARD EACH OTHER.

Further, we really need to EXAMINE ourselves, as Paul wrote, to see if we are in the faith (2 Cor 13:5). The author of Hebrews wants his audience to do the same thing. So, here’s the test:

Hebrews 3:14-15

For we have become participants in Christ if we hold firmly until the end the reality that we had at the start. As it is said: Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.

Genuine disciples of Jesus don’t just start the race, they FINISH the race. Jesus spoke of the same reality - remember the parable of the seed and soils? Some fell on rocky ground and grew up quickly…but didn’t last because it had no deep roots. Then Jesus said,

Mark 4:16a–17 When they hear the word [the message of Jesus], immediately they receive it with joy. But they have no root; they are short-lived. When distress or persecution comes because of the word, they immediately fall away.

Then there was the seed that fell among the thorns, to which Jesus said:

Mark 4:18–19 Others are like seed sown among thorns; these are the ones who hear the word, but the worries of this age, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

And then there’s the seed that falls on good ground.

Mark 4:20 And those like seed sown on good ground hear the word, welcome it, and produce fruit thirty, sixty, and a hundred times what was sown.”

THAT’S the picture of genuine followers of Jesus who start the race and FINISH the race, people who produce fruit that shows who their lives are rooted in,

people who hold firmly until the end and refuse to let go and walk away. That’s what we can tell others real Christianity looks like…

OR we can communicate a false gospel that has been deceiving people into a false hope, a message that we can just pray a prayer, get baptized, join a church, and then live in sin…because we’ve got the golden ticket to heaven. FALSE!

And the author of Hebrews continues to warn all those who will listen to his deadly serious concern.

Hebrews 3:16–19

For who heard and rebelled? Wasn’t it all who came out of Egypt under Moses? With whom was God angry for forty years? Wasn’t it with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, if not to those who disobeyed? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

And there it is - the answer to why they rebelled was because of unbelief.

They did not BEHAVE because they did not BELIEVE.

They SAW what God had done. They didn’t deny that God existed, but He was not the One they TRUSTED. And their behavior proved that.

Rather than trust God’s Presence and power to go take the promised land, they cowered in fear of their own inadequacies. They knew they weren’t strong enough to take the land by themselves, but refused to trust that God promised to go WITH them!

Rather than follow Moses, whom God had used over and over to speak truth and demonstrate gracious love & righteous judgement, they were ready to vote in a new leader.

And rather than live in freedom, they wanted to go back to slavery in Egypt.

All these actions proved they didn’t believe God. And what’s true for them is true for YOU and me:

How we BEHAVE shows Who We BELIEVE.

Like the ancient Hebrews, we are commanded to enter God’s rest (an eternal relationship that we will talk more about next week). We will have to battle our powerful sin nature and stand for truth among those who want to see us destroyed.

Will we rely on God’s Presence and power OR will we rely on our own inadequacies and cower in fear?

Will we trust our Leader, One who is greater than Moses - the Lord Jesus? Will we trust the One who has consistently spoken truth, demonstrated gracious love, & exercised righteous judgment? OR…will we go back to the leaders who tell us what our itching ears want to hear - even if it’s not true?

And will we appreciate and walk in the freedom God has given us, even when it’s uncomfortable & challenging OR will we go back to our old life & back to the sin that once enslaved us?

FEET2FAITH

Examine your soul and see if Jesus is there. Does your behavior demonstrate that you BELIEVE Jesus…or not? Do you have a deep desire to know Jesus and honor Him? When you sin, are you convicted to make things right with God and others?

2 Corinthians 13:5 Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith. Examine yourselves. Or do you yourselves not recognize that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless you fail the test.

Seek out a same-sex Christian friend to encourage in the journey together! Suffer & Celebrate together. Talk about the Scripture you read, the questions you have, the concerns you struggle with, and the ways God has been good to you!

Hebrews 3:13 But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception.

PRAY