The Word Discovers our Condition

Intro:

This past week we began a series on the book of Hebrews entitled Verified: Called to Christ. I shared with you that Faith in Christ is not a gamble. It is an anchor that will hold in every season of your life.

In the message we focused on two important themes.

1. God speaks to humanity. As He has spoken to people in times past, He continues to speak to us today most directly through the word of God, through the leaders in the church, mature believers in Christ. The Holy Spirit gives us instruction, understanding, and application of the word.

2. The excellency of Christ. Christ being the express image and exact replica of God revealed the glory of God. Though he is creator of all things, he chose to humble himself to secure our freedom. This act of generosity declares the unmatched love of God for us.

A key component of the message was the reality of suffering. Once again I believe it is vital to properly align our theology concerning suffering. Suffering reveals the heart, and it creates humility and dependency on God. It removes pride and arrogance through the testing of our faith by cultivating endurance and resilience, yielding confidence for future hardships.

When we face challenges we do not need to despair. Christ through his death and resurrection has defeated the devil. He being made in the likeness of flesh is a merciful and faithful High Priest in the things pertaining to God. Having been tempted in every way He becomes an aid to us in times of temptation to help us overcome.

Hebrews 2:17–18 “Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.”

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Submit:

Why does all of this matter?

You and I, are partakers of a heavenly calling. We share in the heavenly calling.

Hebrews 3:1 “Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus,”

The heavenly call of God is to know Him and make Him known. Every believer is called to a life of surrender to His ways and to participate in the advancement of the Gospel.

Listen to the exhortation of the writer of Hebrews:

Hebrews 3:7–15 “Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, In the day of trial in the wilderness, Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, And saw My works forty years. Therefore I was angry with that generation, And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, And they have not known My ways.’ So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’ ” Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, while it is said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

To know Him we must tune our ears to His voice. Multiple times in the book of Revelation as Jesus addresses the church He says, “He who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the church.” This is an active listening with the idea of comprehension and understanding the message, not just passively receiving it. Active listening the voice of the Lord implies being willing to accept, obey, and put into practice what has been heard.

We must cultivate a heart that is ready to receive to from Him. The unfaithfulness in the wilderness is that they wanted what He provided, but they didn’t want Him. They tested God, they were suspicious of God. Their questioning of God resulted in hard hearts towards God, that caused them to drift. Questions that arise in the atmosphere of trust lead to revelation. Questions that arise from a questioning heart always lead to deception.

The writer gives caution to us not have an evil heart of unbelief. The primary driver of an unbelieving heart is the deceitfulness (deception) of sin.

How does sin deceive?

It appeals to our carnal desires and sensual appetites. Hebrews 11:25 “choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin,”

It works to distort the truth attempting to get to us to accept what God detest. Because the effect of sin is often delayed, sin blinds us to the eventual consequence. Ultimately, un-confronted sin leads to a hard heart that is unable to hear God’s voice.

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Apply:

The ultimate reality of sin is that it hinders from entering into the promises of God.

Hebrews 3:16–19 “For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.”

God desires to bring us to the fulfillment of His promises for our lives. It would be to our benefit to align our lives to his word because it will free us from the dominion (grip) of sin.

The power of the word of God is that it discovers (reveals) our spiritual condition.

Hebrews 4:11–13 “Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”

The word reveals the inner man. It reveals our motivations and intentions. Its purpose is to draw us closer to Jesus by removing the obstacles in our inward man. The reality of sin is that it separates us from God through guilt and shame.

Shame creates a sense of unworthiness before God. Driving us into isolation where we often take on a distorted identity. The word convicts us of sin to draw us back to the place of sonship and restored identity. The devil wants you to believe that you are the sin you commit. This is misplaced identity.

I see it all the time with sexual sin (fornication, homosexuality), addiction (drugs, alcohol, pornography). Instead of fighting for righteousness we simply take on a new identity. I am homosexual, I am an addict. Struggling with an area of temptation or addiction shouldn’t become our identity.

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Closing:

When we wrestle with sin issues in our life, we must remember that we are not alone. Hebrews 4:14-16.

Hebrews 4:14–16 “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Jesus understands what we face and can sympathize with our weaknesses, but more than that He also offers help. When we come boldly to him we will find mercy and grace (divine enablement) to make the change and triumph over temptation.

When we press in to Jesus, the result is that our close with Christ becomes the outward witness to the world. Making Christ known isn’t about how many messages you preach or the vast expanse of your biblical knowledge. It is the overflow and sincerity of your relationship with Christ that will make Christ known.

Lean in to the word and let it transform you. Use it to fight your battles. The world needs the Jesus in you.

Let’s Pray!

Open our understanding to the power of your word.

Salvation.