As Long As It Is Today, Daily, As You Hear His Voice Encourage One Another

As Long As It Is Today, Daily, As You Hear His Voice Encourage One Another Hebrews 3:7–19 (NIV84) 7 So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear His voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, 9 where your fathers tested and tried Me and for forty years saw what I did. 10 That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’ 11 So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ” 12 See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence, we had at first. 15 As has just been said: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.” 16 Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? 17 And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert? 18 And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? 19 So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief. Friends, I share this message with you knowing that not everyone here would feel comfortable with hearing it. I’m sharing this message fully aware that the subject that our Scripture reading is addressing cause discomfort because it sometimes cuts far too close to bone. And yet, friends, this morning we have listened to and important message from this portion of God’s Word called the Letter to the Hebrews. Knowing what I know about people and knowing what I know about God I can say to you this passage affirms to me that the Bible is not a dead book but a living entity – breathing life into our lives and relationships. It lives firstly, because God brought it into existence and secondly, because the Spirit of God brings its message to life in our hearts and thirdly, because it has God’s power to arouse transformation in our lives. Now, I’m the first to admit that this letter is not an easy read or the most user-friendly read. I also acknowledge that it is not for the faint hearted. The author calls it as he sees it. In this letter to the Hebrews he reminds his Hebrew first readers, and us as his secondary readers, that every day we live on earth presents new trials and new challenges. Not a single generation is spared and not a single day is passed over. We grew up with the teaching that people who truly accept Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord will persevere in their faith until the end. We are taught that one of the trademarks of a genuine relationship with God is the commitment to stick with Him through everything. And yet when we look around us, even in our own families, and when we read Scripture, we observe that there are indeed people who once believed who fall away. Furthermore friends, it seems to me that this Scripture reminds us that there is a direct and clear connection between unbelief and disobedience. When we disobey, it is always because we do not believe either God’s promises of blessing or His warnings against rebellion. And usually this is something to do with our perception of God. So, with this in mind, we have to ask ourselves this question about our perception of God: When you think about God and when you listen to God as He speaks to us in Scripture, what do you hear? Do you hear the voice of a forgiving Father or demanding Father? Do you see Him as an intimate Friend or distant Friend? When God tells us what He expects from us do to see Him as a patient Teacher or an intolerant Teacher? Your answers reveal your perception of God. Scripture reveals God repeatedly as the only Guide that we need. How do you observe God: Is He a gentle Guide or an angry Guide from your perspective? All people need counselling in life. Scripture tells us that God is the best life-skills counsellor there is. How do you experience God: is He an understanding Counsellor or insensitive Counsellor? According to Scripture God is the only true Provider. But how do you see God: do you experience Him as a generous Provider a reluctant Provider? All people need consistent support if we want our faith to survive. Do you see God as a faithful or inconsistent Sustainer of your faith? Once again, your answers reveal your perception of God. In the letter to the Hebrew the author told the Hebrew people who became Christians that those who truly accept Jesus as Saviour and Lord will persevere in their faith until the end. Sometimes it is good to look at examples of what not to do. We find such an example here in Hebrews 3. In giving them an example, the author takes his listeners – the Hebrew people – back 1,3-400 years to the time of the Exodus when their forefathers rebelled against God and was barred from the Promised Land. The Background History of (Hebrew 3:7–19). When the Exodus generation led by Moses first approached the Promised Land, they refused to obey God’s command to enter. They were arrogant, stubborn, and fearful all at once. Their rebellion led to a dreadful decree: the Israelites must wander for decades in the desert until every person over 20 had died. Because God decreed that the stubborn disbelieving generation would not enter His rest! Many people find this act of God unbelievably harsh – way over the top – proof that the Old Testament God is not a loving God! We find this incident in Israel’s history known as the desert rebellion. It is described Exodus and Numbers. I’ll refresh your memory. For instance, in Exodus 17:1–7 (NIV84) we read: 1 The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place just as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 So they quarrelled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?” 3 But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?” 4 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.” 5 The Lord answered Moses, “Walk on ahead of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So, Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarrelled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?” Friends, the Israelites struggled with one of the most basic issues all believers struggle with: “How do we keep focus on God when we’re confronted with all the obstacles that life throws our why?” Far too often we forget the many signs of God’s love and protection. And then we do or say things that show that we don’t really trust God fully. According to Numbers 14 the Israelite spies returned from their reconnaissance mission and, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, have given their bad report to the people. The people weep and grumble against Moses and Aaron, insisting it would have been better to die in Egypt than to face the mighty enemies in the land of promise. They reject the godly men as leaders and threaten to stone them. The Lord takes this rebellion as an insult, a rejection and disbelief in Himself. The dual acts of disbelief and disobedience are especially shocking since God had worked mighty miracles in Israel’s presence. The word sin here refers to apostasy and unfaithfulness, not moral abnormalities such as sexual sin. Friends, I want you to hear that everything is not negative though. Even though the people sinned against God and even though they rebelled, yes, even you the rejected God’s grace and mercy and deserved damnation, Moses still interceded for them. According to Numbers 14:19 (NIV84) Moses pleaded with God: “In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time, they left Egypt until now.” And God did forgive them. But forgiveness doesn’t mean that all consequences of bad behaviour are uplifted: Numbers 14:20–25 (NIV84) 20 The Lord replied, “I have forgiven them, as you asked. 21 Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth, 22 not one of the men who saw my glory and the miraculous signs I performed in Egypt and in the desert but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times— 23 not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their forefathers. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. 24 But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it. 25 Since the Amalekites and Canaanites are living in the valleys, turn back tomorrow and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea.” The Lord says they have not listened to his voice (Numbers 14:22) and, consequently, will not enter the Promised Land (Numbers 14:30). But for me their rebellion in the desert really climaxed in Exodus 32:1–5 (NIV84) 1 When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.” 2 Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. 4 He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.” 5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival to the Lord.” So, what is the message? The author wanted the Hebrew Christians to rethink themselves as in some ways like that generation, walking through the wilderness on the way to God’s promised future. He challenges them to make sure that they wouldn’t make the mistakes that their Israelite ancestors did. But, friends, if you look closely. You’ll see it’s not just a matter of thinking back to that exhausting journey and deciding to behave differently this time. no, it seems to me that the author is re-interpreting this story – the desert rebellion – as an initial stage in a longer journey. It also seems to me that he is telling the Hebrew Christians that they as early Christians are finding themselves at the new stage of the same longer journey again. They have progressed but haven’t reached the end goal yet. That is yet to come. I’ve mentioned that the background history to our passage is the dessert rebellion. What is interesting in our passage, however, is that the author of Hebrews didn’t quote directly from Exodus or Numbers when he refers to this incident. No, he quotes Psalm 95:7-11. To me this suggests that either the author has given the this act of remembrance new meaning and a new place in the life of the people or it has already had such a function in Israel’s religious life and the author is just using what happened to Israel at Massah and Meribah as a basic deterrent and warning to the Christian church of his day as it functioned for the Jewish people. I think it is the latter. Now, I know what I’m saying is correct, because Jews all over the world even to this day use this quote (Psalm 95:7-11) as an opening Scripture reading at the beginning of synagogue services on Friday evenings and Sabbath mornings very much just like we would start with a call to worship and greeting at the beginning of every Sunday morning worship service. To me this means the Hebrew Christians to whom this letter was sent was well known to this practice. Just like we have a liturgical pattern where we start our fellowship by singing a song, having the announcements, then a prayer, call to worship, greeting and a bracket of 2 songs, they too had a liturgical pattern. And a very important element of their worship pattern is that every time that they gathered together for worship the spend time meditating on the desert rebellion. It means to me that they got together to worship and to encourage one another weekly as our practice is. But the author of this letter suggests more is required. Since every day is a test the call to faithfulness needs to ring out, every day and be positively responded to every day. “Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” Friends, this is this what we are called to do. Give up whatever you think you need in order to hear God speak to you so that you can speak to those who need to hear God voice. Faithlessness involves not only simple passive disbelief of unbelievers, but also active resistance to the will of God of those believers who do not speak up ore speak out when they hear the voice of God. We got to let God speak His hope daily through us so that those who are tested are strengthened daily too. We are told to give up — whatever we need — to hear God speak and to follow God’s directives. Friends, this is why we are called to encourage one another daily not to resist God’s will – giving up is not always easy. We are called to encourage people every day as long as it is today not to treat God with contempt. We owe it to ourselves to hold this practical mirror of God’s Word up to our hearts, so we can take an accurate reading of our spiritual pulse. What does our behaviour indicate? A hardening, unbelieving heart? Or the blessed tenderness of a faithful heart? Only you will know what your heart reveals. In 1 Corinthians 10:11-2, Paul referred to the same incidents and he also used them to encourage believers to persevere to the end. He writes, “11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” What happened to Israel could well happen to the readers if they did not hold to their faith. Friends, we need to help people answer the question: Do I continue to follow and trust Jesus, or am I content to drift? Is my initial belief fading away to a memory, and my hope disappearing? None of us can progress in our faith or stay true to our Lord without the help and encouragement of fellow believers. In fact, we need this kind of healthy interaction every day, not merely one day out of seven. Friends, disobedience is demonstrated in the failure to trust God in the face of a powerful enemy. In Moses’ day it doomed those who refused to believe to never see the Promised Land or experience rest there. What is it for us today? However, It is this historic experience that the writer of Hebrews looks back on as he utters yet another warning. This very same spirit of unbelief and disobedience which marked the men and women of Moses’ day will surely keep people in the writer’s day from experiencing the rest promised in Christ if they don’t persevere in the faith by trusting Jesus in everything! There will be challenges, sure, but God will be with us through them all. Because the Holy Spirit is the one speaking God’s word into our lives, true believers will hear and recognise that voice when tested. This is what Jesus promised us. (Hebrew 3:7) reminds us that God’s voice has a “today” expression. We can know His will and hear Him speak to us today through His Word and through others. The key to our personal relationship with God is to remain sensitive to the Holy Spirit, always ready to respond when He speaks. God wants us to do His will, today, every day, always. Our task as Christians is to be sensitive to God’s voice, respond to it with obedience, and so to experience God’s rest, today, every day, forever. Friends, God has provided for us beyond measure in Jesus. This is what we should be remembering during Lent. A failure to trust God was the root cause of ancient Israel’s rebellion. A failure to trust Jesus would be ours. They did not believe and so disobeyed. If we disobey Jesus, we are still doing the same. Faith and obedience are everywhere linked in Scripture, for true faith releases us from our fears and results in obeying God gladly. Who then shall enter God’s rest? Those who hear His voice and stand firm in the faith – those who don’t turn away from Jesus – those who trust Him and who obey God… As safeguard against believers turning away from God, God has given us each other to encourage one another daily. Friends, therefore, we should continually remind each other to turn away from the sin of disbelief and disobedience and learn to stay focused on Christ. Hebrews urge us to be alert and to encourage others. We cannot encourage or be encouraged apart from fellowship. Therefore, we are encouraged not to give up meeting together. Friends, people cannot live as Christians in a religious vacuum. We need more than individual vigilance. We need encouragement and correction from our brothers and sisters in Christ. Allow fellow Christians to encourage you. Every day – As long as it is today – support and encourage one another in the love of our Lord – there is peace where His love reigns. May then they that see that you obey the Lord desire to learn more about Him too. Amen