A Community of Christ-Centered Accountability

Introduction

Back in 2019 the greater evangelical world was hit with a surprising announcement from one of its leaders. Josh Harris who had pastored for 17 years and written a popular book on dating/courting posted on his Instagram that he and his wife were getting divorced. He followed up that post a week or two later with a post that he was no longer a Christian. Here are a few quotes from that post:

My heart is full of gratitude. I wish you could see all the messages people sent me after the announcement of my divorce. They are expressions of love though they are saddened or even strongly disapprove of the decision.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ I am learning that no group has the market cornered on grace. This week I’ve received grace from Christians, atheists, evangelicals, ex-evangelicals, straight people, LGBTQ people, and everyone in-between. Of course there have also been strong words of rebuke from religious people. While not always pleasant, I know they are seeking to love me. (There have also been spiteful, hateful comments that angered and hurt me.)⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ The information that was left out of our announcement is that I have undergone a massive shift in regard to my faith in Jesus. The popular phrase for this is “deconstruction,” the biblical phrase is “falling away.” By all the measurements that I have for defining a Christian, I am not a Christian. Many people tell me that there is a different way to practice faith and I want to remain open to this, but I’m not there now.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Martin Luther said that the entire life of believers should be repentance. There’s beauty in that sentiment regardless of your view of God. I have lived in repentance for the past several years—repenting of my self-righteousness, my fear-based approach to life, the teaching of my books, my views of women in the church, and my approach to parenting to name a few. But I specifically want to add to this list now: to the LGBTQ+ community, I want to say that I am sorry for the views that I taught in my books and as a pastor regarding sexuality. I regret standing against marriage equality, for not affirming you and your place in the church, and for any ways that my writing and speaking contributed to a culture of exclusion and bigotry. I hope you can forgive me.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ To my Christians friends, I am grateful for your prayers. Don’t take it personally if I don’t immediately return calls. I can’t join in your mourning. I don’t view this moment negatively. I feel very much alive, and awake, and surprisingly hopeful. I believe with my sister Julian that, “All shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”

In 2021, Josh Harris set up a website with a teaching course that people can sign up for where he will assist them in their journey of deconstructing their faith or falling away from God. He had this to say about what he now does and why he does it.

"I was brought up in a Christian faith when community and family built on faith can be beautiful but difficult if you're shifting and changing in your thinking," said Harris. "I want to be open to returning to faith if possible but it's important for me to know that I can step away and to make that choice to step away."

It is this narrative about Josh Harris and others who have claimed Christ but have chosen to submit to a deceitful heart and fall away from the living God.

In our text this morning, the author of Hebrews under God's inspiration delivers two imperatives stressing the importance of the Church to be a community of accountability. Our text is the second of multiple warning passages given to the believer regarding persevering in their faith. In Hebrews 3:1–11 (“1 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession; 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. 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. 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 …”) the author discusses the peril of unbelief and uses Israelite history to illustrate it. He also picks up the illustration in Hebrews 3:15-19. Between these verses, we find the application for the original recipients and us today. We are given two commands vital to being a community of accountability.

Our first command is found in Hebrews 3:12

Hebrews 3:12 NASB95

12 Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.

Main Idea: Encouraging one another daily will protect against willful rebellion.

I. It is vital for us as Christians to diligently and actively be alert to each others' spiritual condition.

It is here in verse 12 the author begins to apply Psalm 95 which he references in prior context of Hebrews 3:1-11 and Hebrews 3:15-19.

Psalm 95 (NASB95)

1 O come, let us sing for joy to the Lord, Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. 3 For the Lord is a great God And a great King above all gods, 4 In whose hand are the depths of the earth, The peaks of the mountains are His also. 5 The sea is His, for it was He who made it, And His hands formed the dry land. 6 Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. 7 For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Today, if you would hear His voice, 8 Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, As in the day of Massah in the wilderness, 9 “When your fathers tested Me, They tried Me, though they had seen My work. 10 “For forty years I loathed that generation, And said they are a people who err in their heart, And they do not know My ways. 11 “Therefore I swore in My anger, Truly they shall not enter into My rest.”

The author of Hebrews uses the nation of Israel’s history as an illustration and teaching point for how not to live when it comes to entering God’s rest. The nation of Israel were seeking to enter the promised land. For the believer they are seeking to enter God’s eschatological rest. One day the believer will experience total rest from the battle and war against sin. You and I will one day enter into God’s rest as we persevere to the end. The first generation of Israel failed to live faithfully. They walked sinfully before God and rebelled against him.

The Psalmist is pleading with the nation of Israel to not harden their hearts as they did at Meribah and the wilderness. Yet Israel erred in their heart and lived rebelliously. They refused to know and do God’s commands in living as God desired.

So, we come to our text and the scripture applies the truth you and I need to glean from Israel’s bad example. The first of these lessons and imperatives we need to heed comes in the form of a warning to open our eyes and attentively look to see that no one falls away in unbelief.

Let’s look at this verse closer to really grasp the command we need to live out. The first word the author uses literally means to see. In this context the emphasis to be careful and watchful that no one in the church follows the unbelieving example of Israel, specifically the Exodus generation. This warning is not a respecter of persons. IT is not only to those who are less knowledgeable or more knowledgeable, wealthy or poor, or you fill in the blank. This warning goes to every person regardless of where one seems to be spiritually in their walk with God.

The falling or turning away means to choose willfully to apostatize. “while ἀφίστημι denotes active revolt against God, but the distinction is not clear-cut.” Paul Ellingworth, The Epistle to the Hebrews: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 1993), 222.

What is this heart of unbelief that scripture is discussing? The heart of unbelief is apostasy. It is not the struggle to understand more of God. A heart of unbelief is a heart that defiantly rebels against God. It is a heart that distrusts God and his promises. It is this heart that defiles a man and causes one to fall away. The person who falls away wants nothing to do with God’s commands.

How is this warning to be acted on? This warning can be broken down two ways, personally and corporately.

This brings the audience of these verses to the forefront. Who is being referred to here? The bible uses the title brethren. This term can be explained as a title they use of themselves. This is speaking of the Church. The tie that binds them together is Christ (Hebrews 12:2 “2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”).

Personally, we are to see to it that we are not living with an evil and unbelieving heart.

Corporately, we are to see to it that each other are not living with an evil and unbelieving heart.

God spoke to Moses in Numbers 14:10-11 with questions regarding Israel’s rebellion.

Numbers 14:10–11 (NASB95)

10 But all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Then the glory of the Lord appeared in the tent of meeting to all the sons of Israel. 11 The Lord said to Moses, “How long will this people spurn Me? And how long will they not believe in Me, despite all the signs which I have performed in their midst?

The Letter to the Hebrews B. Warning: Avoid Israel’s Example of Unbelief, 3:7–19

The allusions to Numbers 14 show that ‘unbelief’ is not simply lack of trust or passive disbelief, but a positive refusal to believe, an active disobedience to God.

The Letter to the Hebrews B. Warning: Avoid Israel’s Example of Unbelief, 3:7–19

Whatever its particular causes, a sinful, unbelieving heart expresses itself in apostasy. The final comment with its play on words, an unbelieving heart that turns away’,122 underscores the point that falling away and unbelief reflect the same disposition.123 Grammatically, that turns away from the living God124 is epexegetical or explanatory of a sinful, unbelieving heart,125 and elaborates its qualities or expression.

Sadly a result of unbelief is that of discontentment which often leads to times of being quarrelsome. When we are in an environment that we disagree with and do not believe in we often begin to argue. The nation of Israel exhibited what a fading faith looked like with all their grumbling and complaining.

We are to take special care, to be alert and watching that ourselves and others are not taken in unbelief. The author’s quoting of Psalm 95 to understand that having a heart of unbelief is a real danger that may be true in your life or the life of another here this morning. You may ask how does one even have a heart of unbelief if one is saved. Is not he talking to believers?

Remember, understanding the term brethren as a term that the author used of the recipients helps us see this from a human evaluation. Yes it is inspired by as being a part of the biblical text. However, it is the author’s perspective of the recipients of this letter that helps us understand how one can be writing to believers and in the same breath give the imperative to be on guard and watch that no one falls away in unbelief.

Before we get to the next imperative I want us to flesh this understanding of unbelief and apostasy. Turn in your bible to Luke 8:4-8

Luke 8:4–8 (NASB95)

4 When a large crowd was coming together, and those from the various cities were journeying to Him, He spoke by way of a parable: 5 “The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trampled under foot and the birds of the air ate it up. 6 “Other seed fell on rocky soil, and as soon as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. 7 “Other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out. 8 “Other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as great.” As He said these things, He would call out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Jesus gives to the disciples an explanation of this parable in Luke 8:9-15

Luke 8:9–15 (NASB95)

9 His disciples began questioning Him as to what this parable meant. 10 And He said, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand. 11 “Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God. 12 “Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved. 13 “Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away. 14 “The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity. 15 “But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.

Jesus shares the reality of people falling away from what is true, from following him. We are going to come back to this text in a few moments.

The author of Hebrews moves from the warning to an imperative to act. He shares with the church how in light of the warning of unbelief they are to live among one another!

II. Protecting against unbelief requires us to daily biblical encouragement in each others lives.

If we are honest this morning, we are fairly bad at this. As I studied this verse this week, I tried hard to come up with reasons why we do not have to get personal with each other at this level. The results—I found no biblical support for my selfish thinking! We have for whatever reason fallen into the trap of thinking that our personal relationships with God are just that—personal and private. On the one hand we are correct, they are personal. Where we get off track is thinking that our walk with God is private and never public and never should be. The idea of opening my heart up and sharing my spiritual life, both the good and bad, in a detailed and specific manner scares us. We feel vulnerable and exposed.

On the flip side of this coin is the fear of confrontation and hindering a relationship with other church members if I encourage them spiritually. Both of these points can be better understood as we understand what the author is saying by using the word encourage as our imperative. The word has a wide sense of meaning. It means to call to one’s side, appeal to, to request, to plead, to exhort, to urge, to encourage, to earnestly ask, to implore, to comfort.

So when it comes to the imperative given to us we need to be at times pleading with others to live godly, sometimes we need to appeal to them, to request, to exhort. We need to urge one another earnestly and eagerly to live holy and blameless. We are to comfort and encourage and exhort when we see sin in a church family member’s life.

We see the content of the command. How long are we to encourage? Our text points out that as long as Today is called Today we are to encourage one another. Hebrews 10:24-26 also gives to us the command to encourage each other to live in a way that glorifies God and tells us how long to do it—until Jesus comes back!

Church family, are you faithful in encouraging others in the Lord whether they are in sin or not. In our text, the warning and response are both preemptive. I truly believe that less people would fall away into apostasy if believers would humble themselves to these two commands.

Hebrews 10:24–26 (NASB95)

24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near. 26 For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,

Again it may seem odd that we are being told that we must encourage the believers from falling away. We believe in eternal security (1 John 5:13 “13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”; John 10:28–29 “28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”) as seen in these verses. How then do we reconcile the truth of eternal security with encouraging one another because of the danger of unbelief?

Let’s go back to the parable of the sowers in Luke 8:9-15 . The first soil that the seed lands on

Luke 8:9–15 (NASB95)

9 His disciples began questioning Him as to what this parable meant. 10 And He said, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand. 11 “Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God. 12 “Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved. 13 “Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away. 14 “The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity. 15 “But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.

Christ in speaking of the rocky soil uses the same word for falling away as the author of Hebrews does. This entire parable expresses the vital importance for each of us as church family members to be speaking the Word of God into each others lives. The author of Hebrews refers to his recipients as brethren. He understood that none of us know who is truly saved and will enter God’s rest. We do know based on other passages in Hebrews that those who persevere will see and enter God’s rest. We do not know who may or may not be in the process or danger of falling away.

This brings us to the further point as to why we encourage one another Today as much as Today is called Today. The cause and purpose are found at the end of verse 13—the deceitfulness of sin. Sin’s deceit causes one to fall away and stands as the purpose for encouraging one another. This passage is apropos to our church in this time. We live in a time where a variety of entertainment, academics, recreational, political, and familial thoughts and activities get in the way and demand our time, resources, and energy. They unfortunately replace God and his Word as the primary priority in life. Christ in Matthew 6:33

Matthew 6:33 NASB95

33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

shares a truth for us that highlights a proper attitude and action to all the concerns in the World. Rather than seeking the kingdom of God and God’s righteousness we go after the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life (1 John 2:15 “15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” ).

See the cause for the falling away is not the lack of accountability—it is the lack of righteous living and the ultimate desire for it. See the cause is as Hebrews 3:13 states—the deceitfulness of sin. What is meant here by the deceitfulness of sin? What is meant by hardening? Our hearts are wicked at their core and seek to always deceive us into living in rebellion against God. Constant sin hardens one’s heart to God. The more we choose to sin the harder our hearts get each time. Every time you or I are confronted with sin in our life we either become softer and more obedient or harder and more disobedient. This is why encouraging one another as long as Today is Today is vitally important. We need to encourage each other to persevere to the end. We need to stir up and encourage one another to good works.

The more you encourage others it shows the level of spiritual concern you have for your church family. We take care that no one falls away into apostasy by encouraging one another not to let sin harden your heart. Personally and corporately we need to be busy encouraging each other and learning from Israel’s mistake because if one is not believing they will not enter God’s rest.

Exalting Jesus in Hebrews (An Evil, Unbelieving Heart)

Paul gives the same command to the Colossians when he encourages them to teach and admonish one another “in all wisdom … through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts” (Col 3:16). Immersing oneself in the community of saints, in the care and watchfulness of the local church, in the preaching of God’s Word, and in the exhortation of fellow believers remedies an evil, unbelieving heart

We need to understand this truth. We need to immerse ourselves in one another’s lives to strengthen each other spiritually. It is this exhortation that will battle the hard heart caused by sin’s deceitful ways. We have been made alive by God’s grace and we need to share remind each other of this truth daily so that we do our part in aiding others from not living in rebellion against God. We had hearts of stone as Israel did (Ezekiel 36:26“26 “Moreov

er, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” ).

Without faith no one can enter God’s eschatological rest! One must hold firm to the end. As we think about holding firm, the author of Hebrews gives a qualifier of what it takes to reach God’s rest. He makes a statement with a qualifying fact.

Our third point this morning is:

III. We can live assured of our faith as we faithfully persevere.

The passage in Hebrews 3:14 shares with the believer the confident expectation that persevering through this sin ridden world stands as vital evidence of my faith in and relationship with Christ.

Hebrews 3:14 NASB95

14 For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end,

Putting this with the previous two verses we see the author of Hebrews sharing the fact of salvation to those who persevere. Genuine faith directly connects to perseverance. Because of this glorious truth, it provides motivation to take care and encourage. As was said to Israel, do not harden your heart! False teaching, the schemes of the world, your sinful flesh and pride are going to seek to cause you to fall away. It is sin that keeps one from entering the rest. God does not keep you from it. He has given a simple gift of eternal life—but it will not go to those who are willfully disobedient.

The Letter to the Hebrews B. Warning: Avoid Israel’s Example of Unbelief, 3:7–19

The nation’s response is one of defiant unbelief: they rebelled against God (v. 16), sinned against him (v. 17), and finally refused to obey him (v. 18). God’s anger, then, was the just response to their rebellion.

I do not want to see our church become like the nation of Israel. I do not want to see anyone fall away into apostasy and rebellion. I want to see us each faithfully persevere and aid each other in doing so.

Conclusion

Encouraging one another daily will protect against willful rebellion.

I. It is vital for us as Christians to diligently and actively be alert to each others' spiritual condition.

II. Protecting against unbelief requires us to daily biblical encouragement in each others lives.

III. We can live assured of our faith as we faithfully persevere.

Exalting Jesus in Hebrews (Reflect and Discuss)

Do you regularly confess your sin to other brothers or sisters in your church as a means to prevent the hardening of your heart? Which relationships exhort you to endure in the faith? How do you encourage others to endure?

In what ways do you, like Israel, presume on God’s kindness? Do you expect God to grant you tomorrow? Would today look any different in your relationship with the Lord if you knew it was your last?

How does the author of this passage use the reality of God’s wrath to motivate his audience to hold firmly until the end? Do you typically think about God’s wrath as a motivation for persevering in your faith? Why or why not?

In what practical ways can you encourage brothers and sisters in your church to persevere in the faith? Identify other places in Scripture that show us how Christians can exhort one another.

Exalting Jesus in Hebrews (Reflect and Discuss)

The perseverance of the saints is one of the most comforting doctrines in all of Christian theology. How might it help you and others to endure in the faith?

Spend time reflecting on “the reality that [you] had at the start,” to which the author of Hebrews refers in verse 14. What is the significance of the word “if” in this verse?

The Letter to the Hebrews (B. Warning: Avoid Israel’s Example of Unbelief, 3:7–19)

the community as a whole as well as each member within it is to be vigilant and constant in their care for others by mutual exhortation.

Moreover, given the wide semantic range of the verb parakaleō, their mutual exhortation will include warning and reproof as well as encouragement and comfort.

129 The verb παρακαλέω (Heb. 3:13; 10:25; 13:19, 22), together with its cognate noun παράκλησις (6:18; 12:5; 13:22), can signify ‘to urge strongly’ and therefore ‘to exhort’; ‘to make a strong request’, and so ‘to appeal, entreat’; ‘to instil someone with courage or cheer’, and so ‘to comfort, encourage, cheer up’ (see, e.g., BDAG, 764–765). Peter T. O’Brien, The Letter to the Hebrews, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010), 147–148.