Pushing Your Luck
Notes
Transcript
Pushing
Pushing
If you have your Bibles please turn them over to Hebrews chapter 3 this morning and we will be getting our text from verses 7-11.
But while you are turning, I want to remind you of a phrase you probably heard a lot from your childhood. Maybe not, I can at least tell you that it is a phrase that I heard a lot from my childhood. — Pushing your luck — Now, don’t get me wrong,, I am not in any way saying that there is such thing as ‘luck’ but you know the phrase. It’s to say that you have been behaving in such a way as to invite consequences that you haven’t yet realized. This is similar to another phrase I heard a lot as a child cruisin for a bruisn’
People push their luck all of the time. On the job we have all probably know of people who act unprofessionally, maybe don’t respect the fact that they are on company time, or they take shortcuts in their work. I remember that when Kate worked for a bank she took classes on embezzlement and it almost always boiled down to people thinking that they could get away with things, and pushing their luck.
Some countries push their luck all of the time. They want to do things that the world as a whole would condemn but they weigh the risk. The world may not like their actions, but will they do anything about it. If they believe that there is no international political will to respond then they proceed regardless of how the international community feels.
These same attitudes are exactly what we are going to be talking about in our passage in Hebrews this morning, only it’s towards parents, or employers or nations, but an attitude to God. Read with me if you will starting in Hebrews 3 starting in verse 7
7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, 8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. 10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. 11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)
Our message today is entitled Pushing your Luck
Let’s Pray
A Hardened Heart
A Hardened Heart
Consider the example we are given in v8
8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
What provocation is this? What event was it? More than one I am afraid. Turn with me over to Numbers 14 vs 20-23
20 And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to thy word: 21 But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. 22 Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; 23 Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it:
It wasn’t one event it was 10
In Exodus 14 as the Israelites were fleeing Egypt they were afraid and wanted to return to captivity as Pharaohs army was closing in
But God through His servant moses parted the Red Sea
In Exodus 15 the Israelites had found only water that was undrinkable and so the people murmured against Moses, God’s servant, and therefore murmured against God;
But God has moses put a tree in the water and it became drinkable.
In Exodus 16 the Israelites couldn’t find food so the murmured again, that it would have been better for them to have stayed in Egypt where at lest they would have been fed
And God provided them food in the form of manna from heaven
It has seemed like every chapter since chapter 14 we find Israel tempting God but now, still in the same chapter, in Exodus 16 God commands the Israelites to not store up the manna for the next day
and they hoarded the bread from heaven anyway, and it became rotten and full of worms.2
We don’t get out of Exodus 16 before it happens again, they were required to have faith in God’s provision and not to gather on the Sabbath
Yet they did anyway and found nothing, but God continued to provide
In the next chapter, chapter 17: they complained to Moses again that there was no water
and so God had Moses hit a rock with his staff and water came forth from it
At Mt. Sinai in Exodus 32 the people made a golden calf and worshiped it
And though God was angered with them and only for the promise he made to the the patriarchs of the faith Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did He spare them alive
In Numbers 11 the people complained to God of their wondering in the desert, this after they act of idolatry in Exodus 32 and so God sent fire from heaven to consume them, and it consumed those on the outskirts of the camp
until Moses prayed to God and God spared them
Still in Numbers 11 the people complained that they were tired of eating mannah
So God sent them a plague of Quail. Quail that fell dead at the camp and even though they were instructed by God to eat nothing that died of itself…they did anyway....and they got the plague and those who ate died.
And finally the 10th time that Israel failed to harken unto God’s voice in Numbers 14 when they came to the promised land and were too scared of the inhabitants to enter in. So scared that they wished to to raise a new leader to lead them back to Egypt.
And so God caused those who murmured against Him to wander in the wilderness for 40 years, letting only their children enter into the promised land after that time.
Over and over again Israel temped God, tested his faithfulness and His patience and ultimately were not allowed to enter into God’s rest.
These people that continually doubted God’s power were given the opportunity to witness it first hand for the next 40 years. And the law of God was put into place.
That is why the law was put in place. Look with me in Gal 3:19 we read
Galatians 3:19 (KJV 1900)
19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions
and then jump down verse 23
23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
that means until the grace of Christ were were captives of the law, prisoners under the law.
This is the result of the hardening of the hearts of Israel that we read about this morning. the heart that the Preacher in Hebrews warns against.
Hearts of Unbelief
Hearts of Unbelief
Israel isn’t unique. Christian, you are today like the Israelites. You are a people promised a land to come, but today you sojourn through the wilderness.
There is no such thing as becoming a Christian and everything being just perfect after that, if that was the case then why hope for the world to come?
I know it’s not the kind of thing we want to admit openly, but when difficulties come how tempting is it to stop trusting God? When have you put God to the test? I don’t know if these apply to you, but the tend to be a few of the most common places that Christians tempt God today.
Do we qualify white lies? Reasoning that it is better for the other person if we are untruthful? Do we really believe
Revelation 21:8 (KJV 1900)
8... ALL liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Emphasis Added)
Are we gossips? James 1:26
26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.
Of this passage Bill Mounce who is one of the foremost Biblical scholars said this of gossips after examining this verse and related verses in the Bible
So gossips, hear this. You can go to church, sing loudly, give money, volunteer in the nursery, led a Bible study, wear your Christianity on your sleeve, be an elder — but no matter what you do, no matter what people think of you, it is all a sham, worthless. Your gossip invalidates everything you do. At least, that’s what the Bible teaches.
Are we faithful with our money? It is interesting that over and over again we read that we are not to try God. We aren’t to put him to the test, to prove his faithfulness until we come to this single subject:
8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, Even this whole nation. 10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be meat in mine house, And prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, If I will not open you the windows of heaven, And pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. 11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, And he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; Neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.
When it comes to this single subject, God says “try me”.
Now there is an argument that could be made that this is something given to Israel alone and that it doesn’t apply to us today. And while I get that the ceremonial and sacrificial law has been done away with, we see something very similar restated by Paul, an Apostle under grace, in the New Testament.
6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
I could never claim from the Bible the lies of televangelists like Kenneth Copeland. Faithful giving is not a get rich scheme.
But I see promises in the Bible. When we give as it is purposed in our heart, not because we have to, but because we want our sacrifice to honor God.
Mal 3 tells us in so many words that God will not frustrate your efforts when he says Mal 3:11
11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, And he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; Neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.
And 2 Corinthians 9:8 tells us that we will have sufficiency, that we will have contentment in God’s provision.
This is the place where God says, go ahead, put me to the test. I am going to make a statement that is dangerous for a preacher.
If you give to God, not because you are guilted into it, but because the giving is how God has worked upon your heart. If you are faithful in giving cheerfully, as an act of worship, even if it requires you to step out on faith. God will cause you to not be frustrated in your efforts and while I am not going to say that God will make you rich, he make it so that you have all sufficiency. That you are content. If this promise of God isn’t true then I would agree that you should never put a penny in the offering box again, because that would mean that God’s promises aren’t reliable.
Entering Into Rest
Entering Into Rest
When we tempt God, we demonstrate our lack of faith. Over and over again this was the problem that Israel had.
What were their murmuring?:
God is going to get us killed
God is going to let us thirst to death
God is going to let us starve.
When those needs were met they found new things to murmur about:
The food God has provided isn’t good enough
I’m tired of walking
Listen to His Voice
Listen to His Voice
With the golden calf Israel really messed up. But ultimately do you know how God responded?
Exodus 34:6–7 (KJV 1900)
6 ... The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, 7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
If you have spirit this morning of complaining, murmuring against God, then let me challenge you that it’s because you lack faith. — Let me be clear, I’m not saying that you can’t complain or murmur about the preacher — if I do something stupid, by all means murmur, just please get around to telling me so I can try to make it right.
But if you hear preaching, and it is faithfully presented. Or if God’s word speaks to you in your personal Bible study. Or even if the Holy Spirit is working on your heart, and you have tested the Spirit against scripture to see that it is of God.
Let me plead with you to not harden your heart, but to bend you knee to a God who is merciful, gracious, longsuffering and abundant in goodness and truth
Invitation
Invitation
If you have been wondering in the wilderness and you want to come into the grace of Christ, into his rest, please decide that today is the day that you will do so. If you come to me after the service I would love to talk to you more about the saving grace of our Lord, and if you are watching from home, please reach out online and I will respond to you as soon as I can, and confidentially
Pray