WEBVTT 00:00:14.320 --> 00:00:17.219 Turn to Hebrews chapter 3. We're going to complete 00:00:17.219 --> 00:00:21.260 our study of this chapter today. A couple of 00:00:21.260 --> 00:00:24.940 weeks ago we talked about this ongoing argument 00:00:24.940 --> 00:00:27.839 for the greatness of Jesus Christ, really the 00:00:27.839 --> 00:00:30.519 superiority of Christ in the New Covenant. And 00:00:30.519 --> 00:00:33.219 we learned a couple of weeks ago that we should 00:00:33.219 --> 00:00:36.140 view Jesus as far greater than Moses. Again, 00:00:36.200 --> 00:00:38.979 the New Covenant as far greater, superior to 00:00:38.979 --> 00:00:41.579 the Old Covenant. That's what we're seeing argued 00:00:41.579 --> 00:00:46.439 here in this book of the Bible. that this greater 00:00:46.439 --> 00:00:49.840 thing has come, this greater person has come 00:00:49.840 --> 00:00:54.119 and it is he that we are now to embrace and to 00:00:54.119 --> 00:00:56.619 follow and to put our faith and trust in, to 00:00:56.619 --> 00:01:01.179 listen to. And I think we were reminded and I 00:01:01.179 --> 00:01:03.770 really. The songs that were selected today, they 00:01:03.770 --> 00:01:05.709 go along perfectly with the message that we're 00:01:05.709 --> 00:01:09.349 gonna be bringing this morning. It is easy for 00:01:09.349 --> 00:01:11.670 us to get off track, isn't it? It's easy for 00:01:11.670 --> 00:01:15.010 us to lose sight of the greatness of God. Especially 00:01:15.010 --> 00:01:20.349 when we go through difficulties. I know a man 00:01:20.349 --> 00:01:24.189 who was at one time a member and a participating 00:01:24.189 --> 00:01:27.390 member of this church. From all outward appearance, 00:01:27.790 --> 00:01:31.060 he was a Christian. I mean, he attended worship 00:01:31.060 --> 00:01:35.099 services regularly. He served in various ministries. 00:01:35.439 --> 00:01:38.400 He supported the church financially. I mean, 00:01:38.400 --> 00:01:40.000 he was one of those guys that you could just 00:01:40.000 --> 00:01:44.159 count on. But as often happens in our lives, 00:01:44.400 --> 00:01:48.700 there was a series of unfortunate events that 00:01:48.700 --> 00:01:55.140 impacted his life, his family. And in the process 00:01:55.140 --> 00:01:59.280 of that, I guess he became disillusioned. and 00:01:59.280 --> 00:02:03.000 ultimately left the church. And of course, there 00:02:03.000 --> 00:02:06.280 were people that reached out to him. None had 00:02:06.280 --> 00:02:09.199 much of an impact upon him. And finally, after 00:02:09.199 --> 00:02:12.199 some time had passed, I had the opportunity to 00:02:12.199 --> 00:02:15.180 speak with him. And this is what he said to me. 00:02:15.479 --> 00:02:18.080 He said to me, I no longer believe the things 00:02:18.080 --> 00:02:24.379 that I once believed. He said, And this is, I 00:02:24.379 --> 00:02:26.520 can't quote him exactly anymore after all these 00:02:26.520 --> 00:02:31.819 years, but he said, God, if he even exists, has 00:02:31.819 --> 00:02:36.759 let me down. He described himself as walking 00:02:36.759 --> 00:02:39.520 alone at night and how he would shout to the 00:02:39.520 --> 00:02:41.819 sky, God, if you're real, and this is what he 00:02:41.819 --> 00:02:44.039 actually said, he said, burst that street lamp. 00:02:45.580 --> 00:02:47.460 Well, of course, God didn't burst the street 00:02:47.460 --> 00:02:52.000 lamp, right? And to him, just further evidence. 00:02:52.360 --> 00:02:55.020 that God didn't exist, that God was not present 00:02:55.020 --> 00:03:00.759 in his life, not listening to his cries. And 00:03:00.759 --> 00:03:04.300 what's strange about this, and really what's 00:03:04.300 --> 00:03:06.740 really not so strange, it's common in most cases 00:03:06.740 --> 00:03:09.520 like this, in spite of all the biblical evidence 00:03:09.520 --> 00:03:12.400 that this man had, in spite of all the personal 00:03:12.400 --> 00:03:16.560 experience that this man had with God and his 00:03:16.560 --> 00:03:20.229 blessings. Every reason in the world as Neil 00:03:20.229 --> 00:03:22.810 shared last week about our reasonable faith. 00:03:23.210 --> 00:03:25.770 We have enough evidence in our own lives and 00:03:25.770 --> 00:03:28.409 certainly within the lives of a church this size 00:03:28.409 --> 00:03:31.550 and the experiences of a body of believers over 00:03:31.550 --> 00:03:34.129 the course of many years. We have more than enough 00:03:34.129 --> 00:03:38.409 experience with the blessings of God to trust 00:03:38.409 --> 00:03:42.770 in him, to believe in him, to follow him. But 00:03:42.770 --> 00:03:46.490 in this case, this man stubbornly refused to 00:03:46.490 --> 00:03:51.080 believe. And the Bible calls this kind of thing, 00:03:51.180 --> 00:03:53.639 you know, asking for signs, burst that street 00:03:53.639 --> 00:03:57.520 lamp. The Bible calls that kind of thing putting 00:03:57.520 --> 00:04:01.659 God to the test. And of course, in scripture, 00:04:01.800 --> 00:04:04.300 we are commanded not to do that. We are not to 00:04:04.300 --> 00:04:09.159 put God to the test. In Deuteronomy 6 16, Moses 00:04:09.159 --> 00:04:11.659 commands the people of God and he says those 00:04:11.659 --> 00:04:14.400 very words, you shall not put the Lord your God 00:04:14.400 --> 00:04:17.430 to the test. And of course, it is those words 00:04:17.430 --> 00:04:21.569 that Jesus repeats to Satan in his 40 days of 00:04:21.569 --> 00:04:24.930 temptation, as is recorded in Matthew chapter 00:04:24.930 --> 00:04:28.430 four, verse seven, as he rebukes one of Satan's 00:04:28.430 --> 00:04:31.250 temptations. And he says again, it is written, 00:04:31.649 --> 00:04:34.910 you shall not put the Lord your God to the test. 00:04:35.470 --> 00:04:37.509 So the teaching of scripture is clear. We are 00:04:37.509 --> 00:04:42.699 not to put the Lord God to the test. We are not 00:04:42.699 --> 00:04:46.319 to stubbornly refuse to believe in spite of the 00:04:46.319 --> 00:04:48.500 evidence that we have to the contrary and to 00:04:48.500 --> 00:04:52.819 ask God to somehow prove that he is worthy today 00:04:52.819 --> 00:04:58.220 of our respect, our love, our ministry, our service. 00:04:59.279 --> 00:05:01.639 The writer of Hebrews, of course, warns his readers 00:05:01.639 --> 00:05:05.920 that what some of them were contemplating, the 00:05:05.920 --> 00:05:11.019 temptation that was upon them to Reject Christ, 00:05:11.240 --> 00:05:13.360 to go back to their old way of life, back into 00:05:13.360 --> 00:05:16.819 Judaism, back under the old covenant, to do that. 00:05:16.860 --> 00:05:18.959 That's what they were thinking of doing. And 00:05:18.959 --> 00:05:20.759 what the writer of Hebrews is going to say to 00:05:20.759 --> 00:05:23.980 them today is, in essence, what you're contemplating 00:05:23.980 --> 00:05:27.699 is in actuality simply putting God to the test, 00:05:27.740 --> 00:05:31.990 which we're commanded not to do. And he calls 00:05:31.990 --> 00:05:34.250 their plan to reject what knowledge they had 00:05:34.250 --> 00:05:37.230 of God and to renounce Jesus Christ and his gospel 00:05:37.230 --> 00:05:39.870 of grace. He calls it rebellion. That's in verse 00:05:39.870 --> 00:05:49.050 eight there, rebellion. And further, not only 00:05:49.050 --> 00:05:51.430 does he call this kind of thinking and action 00:05:51.430 --> 00:05:54.589 rebellion, but he makes it clear that such thinking 00:05:54.589 --> 00:05:59.509 and action such a rebellion is rooted in an evil 00:05:59.509 --> 00:06:02.209 and unbelieving heart. And I think that's important 00:06:02.209 --> 00:06:06.970 for us. We sang today, I believe, I believe. 00:06:08.269 --> 00:06:11.629 Scripture says we should believe. There's ample 00:06:11.629 --> 00:06:14.009 evidence, overwhelming evidence that we should 00:06:14.009 --> 00:06:16.790 believe. It's our reasonable worship of God. 00:06:17.009 --> 00:06:20.970 We should. but we struggle and so we are reminded, 00:06:21.089 --> 00:06:24.850 we are warned, we are repeatedly encouraged to 00:06:24.850 --> 00:06:28.050 maintain our belief in this God who loved us 00:06:28.050 --> 00:06:30.470 and gave himself for us. And what we're gonna 00:06:30.470 --> 00:06:33.329 see today is that rebellion, and it's important 00:06:33.329 --> 00:06:35.069 that we learn this now because there are gonna 00:06:35.069 --> 00:06:37.990 be some subsequent studies in Hebrews that might 00:06:37.990 --> 00:06:42.370 tempt us to think otherwise. Rebellion and its 00:06:42.370 --> 00:06:46.209 root, well rebellion's root is unbelief. In other 00:06:46.209 --> 00:06:49.810 words, Christians can sin, all right, and we 00:06:49.810 --> 00:06:54.009 do, don't we? But the kind of rebellion that's 00:06:54.009 --> 00:06:57.209 gonna be talked about here this morning is something 00:06:57.209 --> 00:07:00.730 far beyond an occasional failure, all right? 00:07:01.050 --> 00:07:03.310 This is outright rebellion, and that's what we're 00:07:03.310 --> 00:07:05.970 gonna be talking about. And the root of rebellion 00:07:05.970 --> 00:07:09.350 is unbelief. It is a refusal to believe God, 00:07:09.389 --> 00:07:12.459 to take him at his word. And that's what belief 00:07:12.459 --> 00:07:14.660 in the New Testament is, that word believe or 00:07:14.660 --> 00:07:17.439 the word faith. It's not just an intellectual 00:07:17.439 --> 00:07:22.060 exercise, but it's acting upon what we know to 00:07:22.060 --> 00:07:24.680 be true, living in light of the truth of God's 00:07:24.680 --> 00:07:28.279 word. And when we decide we're no longer gonna 00:07:28.279 --> 00:07:30.480 do that, that's no longer for me, God, you let 00:07:30.480 --> 00:07:33.019 me down. If you can't burst that street lamp, 00:07:33.040 --> 00:07:34.759 then why should I believe that you exist? Why 00:07:34.759 --> 00:07:37.180 should I believe that you care about me at all? 00:07:38.240 --> 00:07:42.389 That's called rebellion. Rebellion's root is 00:07:42.389 --> 00:07:45.050 unbelief. If these discouraged church members 00:07:45.050 --> 00:07:47.889 abandon the faith and leave the church, it does 00:07:47.889 --> 00:07:50.310 not indicate that at one time they were saved 00:07:50.310 --> 00:07:53.810 and now suddenly they have become lost. And that's 00:07:53.810 --> 00:07:56.649 what we like to think sometimes, right? Well, 00:07:56.649 --> 00:07:58.550 they were saved at one point, but they've lost 00:07:58.550 --> 00:08:00.490 their faith. We even refer to it as that. I've 00:08:00.490 --> 00:08:07.829 lost the faith. Genuine believers can never reject 00:08:07.829 --> 00:08:10.579 the faith. They would never reject the faith. 00:08:11.279 --> 00:08:14.040 And we need to just establish that right up front. 00:08:15.319 --> 00:08:16.860 It is only unbelievers. You know there's only 00:08:16.860 --> 00:08:19.920 two kinds of people in the world, right? Believers. 00:08:20.220 --> 00:08:22.660 and unbelievers. I was at a table one time after 00:08:22.660 --> 00:08:25.000 a wedding rehearsal and I was seated with two 00:08:25.000 --> 00:08:26.660 guys. One of the guys I knew pretty well and 00:08:26.660 --> 00:08:28.759 we were talking about the Lord, we were talking 00:08:28.759 --> 00:08:30.579 about scripture, we were actually talking about 00:08:30.579 --> 00:08:32.440 the biblical doctrine of marriage and all of 00:08:32.440 --> 00:08:34.340 that and the other guy was sitting there listening 00:08:34.340 --> 00:08:37.159 quietly, wasn't making too many comments and 00:08:37.159 --> 00:08:39.720 something came up in the conversation and I referred 00:08:39.720 --> 00:08:43.580 to another person that just came to mind as an 00:08:43.580 --> 00:08:46.100 unbeliever. Well, the guy that was sitting there 00:08:46.100 --> 00:08:47.919 at the table with us suddenly spoke up again 00:08:47.919 --> 00:08:49.580 very quiet throughout the entire conversation 00:08:49.580 --> 00:08:51.679 And then he said oh, so that's what you guys 00:08:51.679 --> 00:08:55.360 call me In other words he hadn't agreed with 00:08:55.360 --> 00:08:58.519 anything that we had said I Mistakenly assumed 00:08:58.519 --> 00:09:00.399 because he was related to the guy that I was 00:09:00.399 --> 00:09:02.419 talking to who I knew to be a Christian that 00:09:02.419 --> 00:09:04.259 he was a Christian that well You know what they 00:09:04.259 --> 00:09:09.820 say about assuming, right? Oh So that's what 00:09:09.820 --> 00:09:12.259 you Christians call us unbelievers. Well, let 00:09:12.259 --> 00:09:14.620 me just tell you There are only two kinds of 00:09:14.620 --> 00:09:16.779 people in the world. There are unbelievers and 00:09:16.779 --> 00:09:20.299 there are believers. Nothing in between. And 00:09:20.299 --> 00:09:23.899 let me just say this also. God goes much farther 00:09:23.899 --> 00:09:27.879 than simply calling the lost unbelievers. He 00:09:27.879 --> 00:09:34.480 calls them rebels, sinners, wicked. And we could 00:09:34.480 --> 00:09:39.360 go on and on. Unbeliever is a pretty mild term 00:09:39.360 --> 00:09:41.820 for those who are lost and undone in their sin. 00:09:44.299 --> 00:09:47.539 at the root of rebellion is an unbelieving heart. 00:09:47.659 --> 00:09:49.279 Again, as the scripture's gonna say here in just 00:09:49.279 --> 00:09:53.299 a minute, an evil, unbelieving heart. So again, 00:09:53.320 --> 00:09:56.320 if these discouraged church members do indeed 00:09:56.320 --> 00:10:00.039 abandon their faith, leave the church, what it 00:10:00.039 --> 00:10:02.779 will say, or should say to the rest of us, to 00:10:02.779 --> 00:10:04.519 those who were fellow church members with them 00:10:04.519 --> 00:10:06.960 in the day, and to us now looking back on this, 00:10:07.059 --> 00:10:08.919 is that these weren't Christians who suddenly 00:10:08.919 --> 00:10:11.740 decided not to be Christians anymore. These were 00:10:11.740 --> 00:10:14.659 unbelievers who simply followed in their unbelief 00:10:14.659 --> 00:10:17.980 and abandoned the Lord. That's what 1 John 2 00:10:17.980 --> 00:10:21.960 .9 tells us, right? They went out from us, but 00:10:21.960 --> 00:10:24.240 they were not of us. For if they had been of 00:10:24.240 --> 00:10:27.419 us, they would have continued with us. But they 00:10:27.419 --> 00:10:29.919 went out that it might be complained that they 00:10:29.919 --> 00:10:34.960 were not of us. Despite their outward profession 00:10:34.960 --> 00:10:38.159 of faith, they were not truly believers. That's 00:10:38.159 --> 00:10:41.740 what John is saying. and their rebellion makes 00:10:41.740 --> 00:10:45.740 it clear that they are unbelievers, that they 00:10:45.740 --> 00:10:48.779 do not believe. So with that, let's read together. 00:10:48.860 --> 00:10:50.360 We're gonna begin in verse seven. We're gonna 00:10:50.360 --> 00:10:51.879 read down through the end of the chapter. If 00:10:51.879 --> 00:10:54.080 you need to look on here at the front, the words 00:10:54.080 --> 00:10:57.080 will be on the screen for you. The scripture 00:10:57.080 --> 00:11:00.320 says this. Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, 00:11:00.679 --> 00:11:03.480 and then there's a citation of Psalm 95, or at 00:11:03.480 --> 00:11:06.580 least a portion of it. Today, if you hear his 00:11:06.580 --> 00:11:09.649 voice, do not harden your hearts. as in the rebellion. 00:11:10.370 --> 00:11:13.070 On the day of testing in the wilderness where 00:11:13.070 --> 00:11:15.929 your fathers put me to the test and saw my works 00:11:15.929 --> 00:11:17.830 for 40 years. I hope by now you're realizing 00:11:17.830 --> 00:11:21.250 he's talking about the Exodus experience, right? 00:11:21.750 --> 00:11:24.230 And they saw my works for 40 years. Therefore 00:11:24.230 --> 00:11:27.409 I was provoked with that generation and said 00:11:27.409 --> 00:11:30.269 they always go astray in their heart. They have 00:11:30.269 --> 00:11:33.009 not known my ways and as I swore in my wrath 00:11:33.009 --> 00:11:36.309 they shall not enter my rest. And of course we 00:11:36.309 --> 00:11:39.740 know that that whole generation apart from Caleb 00:11:39.740 --> 00:11:44.120 and Joshua, didn't enter the promised land. And 00:11:44.120 --> 00:11:46.039 then the writer comes back to us and so he says, 00:11:46.259 --> 00:11:48.500 take care, brothers, lest there be in any of 00:11:48.500 --> 00:11:51.659 you an evil, unbelieving heart leading you to 00:11:51.659 --> 00:11:54.500 fall away from the living God. But exhort one 00:11:54.500 --> 00:11:57.159 another every day as long as it is called today, 00:11:57.779 --> 00:12:00.919 that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness 00:12:00.919 --> 00:12:04.389 of sin. for we have come to share in Christ if 00:12:04.389 --> 00:12:07.629 indeed we hold to our original confidence firm 00:12:07.629 --> 00:12:11.049 to the end. As it is said, and then he repeats 00:12:11.049 --> 00:12:14.710 that verse again, today, if you hear his voice, 00:12:15.090 --> 00:12:17.909 do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion. 00:12:18.549 --> 00:12:20.850 For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? 00:12:21.149 --> 00:12:24.230 Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? 00:12:24.629 --> 00:12:27.730 And with whom was he provoked for 40 years? Was 00:12:27.730 --> 00:12:31.190 it not with those? who sinned, whose bodies fell 00:12:31.190 --> 00:12:34.309 in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that 00:12:34.309 --> 00:12:37.429 they would not enter his rest, but to those who 00:12:37.429 --> 00:12:42.370 were disobedient? So we see that they were unable 00:12:42.370 --> 00:12:48.570 to enter because of unbelief. Unbelief, the root 00:12:48.570 --> 00:12:52.129 of rebellion. So we begin this passage of scripture 00:12:52.129 --> 00:12:56.629 with a warning against unbelief. And what these... 00:13:00.279 --> 00:13:03.980 struggling church members were really battling 00:13:03.980 --> 00:13:08.120 was a heart of unbelief. We have to assume because 00:13:08.120 --> 00:13:11.179 we're really not given any clear numbers on how 00:13:11.179 --> 00:13:13.940 many people read and were encouraged and strengthened 00:13:13.940 --> 00:13:16.100 in their faith and continued on with Christ or 00:13:16.100 --> 00:13:18.120 how many actually abandoned their faith and left 00:13:18.120 --> 00:13:20.259 the church, but we have to assume it was probably 00:13:20.259 --> 00:13:23.200 a mixture of both. And anytime we're talking 00:13:23.200 --> 00:13:26.159 about the church, anytime we gather as a church, 00:13:26.240 --> 00:13:28.500 the odds are we are gathered together with people 00:13:28.500 --> 00:13:32.279 who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. And I use 00:13:32.279 --> 00:13:35.259 that word in the present tense, who are believing 00:13:35.259 --> 00:13:37.799 this very moment in the Lord Jesus Christ. And 00:13:37.799 --> 00:13:39.299 then there are those who are unbelievers. They 00:13:39.299 --> 00:13:41.360 may have made a profession of faith. They may 00:13:41.360 --> 00:13:43.100 have signed a membership card. They may have 00:13:43.100 --> 00:13:46.679 even been baptized. But in their heart, there's 00:13:46.679 --> 00:13:52.470 unbelief. Jesus. talked about this in the Gospels. 00:13:52.769 --> 00:13:55.129 He tells us the story of the wheat and the tares, 00:13:55.330 --> 00:13:57.549 right? They're gonna grow up together in the 00:13:57.549 --> 00:14:00.269 church. And we can't really concern ourselves 00:14:00.269 --> 00:14:01.990 too much with that. We just have to be aware 00:14:01.990 --> 00:14:04.750 that it's going on within any congregation, within 00:14:04.750 --> 00:14:07.730 any body of Christ, within any church family. 00:14:07.990 --> 00:14:11.950 There are both believers and unbelievers. Hopefully, 00:14:13.110 --> 00:14:16.639 few unbelievers, more. believers, but we have 00:14:16.639 --> 00:14:20.120 this warning here. And the New Testament is full 00:14:20.120 --> 00:14:22.919 of these kinds of warnings. He says, take care, 00:14:23.220 --> 00:14:27.580 brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, 00:14:27.720 --> 00:14:30.139 unbelieving heart. And of course, he's making 00:14:30.139 --> 00:14:32.639 reference now to the illustration that he has 00:14:32.639 --> 00:14:36.340 just shared with them that he cites from Psalm 00:14:36.340 --> 00:14:40.759 95, an illustration of rebellion that flows from 00:14:40.759 --> 00:14:44.039 an evil, unbelieving heart. Now, David is the 00:14:44.039 --> 00:14:47.830 one King David who wrote the 95th Psalm, it's 00:14:47.830 --> 00:14:50.909 attributed to him. So he's writing about a historic 00:14:50.909 --> 00:14:53.909 event in the life of the nation of Israel, his 00:14:53.909 --> 00:14:57.909 people, his nation. And now the writer of Hebrews 00:14:57.909 --> 00:15:04.929 is referring to what David wrote centuries before 00:15:04.929 --> 00:15:07.809 the people that are reading this letter are alive. 00:15:07.889 --> 00:15:10.909 And now here we are 2 ,000 years after the fact, 00:15:11.549 --> 00:15:14.789 being encouraged, being warned by this same passage 00:15:14.789 --> 00:15:16.690 of Scripture, and of course, I love the way this 00:15:16.690 --> 00:15:18.850 passage of Scripture starts. Therefore, as the 00:15:18.850 --> 00:15:24.429 Holy Spirit says. And then he cites Psalm 95, 00:15:24.690 --> 00:15:27.450 making it very clear that certainly this Old 00:15:27.450 --> 00:15:29.629 Testament text, and really all of the Old Testament, 00:15:29.830 --> 00:15:32.629 is the Word of God. It's the voice of Almighty 00:15:32.629 --> 00:15:36.370 God speaking to us. And notice he says today, 00:15:36.370 --> 00:15:38.590 if you hear his voice, don't harden your heart. 00:15:39.049 --> 00:15:45.100 That word is as relevant for us this day Today, 00:15:45.100 --> 00:15:48.399 if you hear God speak, if you hear the voice 00:15:48.399 --> 00:15:52.179 of God, don't harden your hearts as in the rebellion. 00:15:52.480 --> 00:15:54.960 Again, don't refuse to believe what God is saying, 00:15:56.440 --> 00:15:59.960 but receive God's word is what he's saying, because 00:15:59.960 --> 00:16:03.039 unbelief, which characterized the people who 00:16:03.039 --> 00:16:05.399 did not enter their rest in the days of the Exodus, 00:16:06.820 --> 00:16:09.720 has as its root its foundation, unbelief. These 00:16:09.720 --> 00:16:14.590 were not believers. and their lives and their 00:16:14.590 --> 00:16:18.350 actions, their words, their attitudes clearly 00:16:18.350 --> 00:16:25.570 displayed their unbelief. And of course, in this 00:16:25.570 --> 00:16:28.289 citation from Psalm 95, he really refers to two 00:16:28.289 --> 00:16:30.090 events that took place during the Exodus. The 00:16:30.090 --> 00:16:33.070 first one that he mentions took place very shortly 00:16:33.070 --> 00:16:35.370 after Israel's miraculous delivery from Egypt. 00:16:35.429 --> 00:16:37.750 And of course, you remember, it was indeed a 00:16:37.750 --> 00:16:40.870 miraculous. Delivery, right? I mean, God called 00:16:40.870 --> 00:16:42.769 Moses. Now again, the people didn't see the burning 00:16:42.769 --> 00:16:46.649 bush. Moses saw the burning bush. But Moses in 00:16:46.649 --> 00:16:50.029 the power of God came to Egypt as God had told 00:16:50.029 --> 00:16:54.830 him to. And now as they watched what was transpiring, 00:16:54.889 --> 00:16:57.990 they saw God at work through Moses and Aaron 00:16:57.990 --> 00:17:00.330 as they performed signs and wonders before the 00:17:00.330 --> 00:17:04.109 Egyptians, before Pharaoh. Of course, they saw 00:17:04.109 --> 00:17:06.950 the 10 plagues that ultimately came upon the 00:17:06.950 --> 00:17:11.069 Egyptian people inflicted upon them by God. These 00:17:11.069 --> 00:17:14.970 people, of course, then left Egypt. And what's 00:17:14.970 --> 00:17:18.089 interesting about that story is that God did 00:17:18.089 --> 00:17:20.529 this wonderful thing. God put it in the hearts 00:17:20.529 --> 00:17:23.569 of the Egyptian people to give the Israelites, 00:17:23.630 --> 00:17:29.539 who were now leaving, wealth, resources. And 00:17:29.539 --> 00:17:31.680 the scripture says, so thus they plundered the 00:17:31.680 --> 00:17:33.900 Egyptians. They didn't have to put a sword to 00:17:33.900 --> 00:17:36.079 their throat. God just did this wonderful thing 00:17:36.079 --> 00:17:38.420 and the Egyptians freely gave them gold and silver 00:17:38.420 --> 00:17:41.000 and precious jewels and all the support that 00:17:41.000 --> 00:17:46.039 they needed to make this trip. Again, the miracle 00:17:46.039 --> 00:17:50.529 of God being displayed before these. these Israelites 00:17:50.529 --> 00:17:52.750 who were now leaving. And of course then they 00:17:52.750 --> 00:17:55.750 stood at the Red Sea and they saw God miraculously 00:17:55.750 --> 00:17:58.430 part the waters of the Red Sea. They walked across, 00:17:58.450 --> 00:18:00.869 the Bible says, on dry land and then they turned 00:18:00.869 --> 00:18:03.269 and they watched as those waters came back together 00:18:03.269 --> 00:18:06.349 and drowned the Egyptian army. All of this and 00:18:06.349 --> 00:18:10.670 more. These Israelites who ultimately would rebel 00:18:10.670 --> 00:18:13.809 against God in the wilderness. saw the power 00:18:13.809 --> 00:18:17.549 of God, the love of God, the miracles of God, 00:18:17.630 --> 00:18:22.890 the wonders of God, and yet they stubbornly refused 00:18:22.890 --> 00:18:26.089 to believe. That's what we're talking about. 00:18:26.630 --> 00:18:28.710 So there was that. And then the second event 00:18:28.710 --> 00:18:32.769 that's really referred to here is this, they're 00:18:32.769 --> 00:18:35.630 camped at Rephidim, or the first event, really. 00:18:35.690 --> 00:18:37.690 They're camped in a place called Rephidim. So 00:18:37.690 --> 00:18:40.529 they've seen all these miracles. And now they're 00:18:40.529 --> 00:18:43.029 in a place that the Bible says there was no water 00:18:43.029 --> 00:18:44.589 for the people to drink. Now that's a serious 00:18:44.589 --> 00:18:46.329 thing. I mean, we got millions of people out 00:18:46.329 --> 00:18:48.630 in the wilderness and there's no water for them 00:18:48.630 --> 00:18:52.269 to drink. But the way that the people respond 00:18:52.269 --> 00:18:55.769 to that adversity is telling. Because these very 00:18:55.769 --> 00:18:58.829 people who have seen this powerful presence of 00:18:58.829 --> 00:19:00.950 God in their midst, delivering them, defending 00:19:00.950 --> 00:19:04.250 them against Egypt, scripture says they quarreled, 00:19:04.549 --> 00:19:07.039 they complained, they moaned, they groaned. with 00:19:07.039 --> 00:19:09.640 Moses and they demanded, give us water to drink. 00:19:10.019 --> 00:19:12.319 And of course Moses responds, why do you quarrel 00:19:12.319 --> 00:19:15.539 with me? Maybe he said it this way, why do you 00:19:15.539 --> 00:19:21.819 quarrel with me? Remember who it is that's defending 00:19:21.819 --> 00:19:25.799 us and then he says this, why do you test the 00:19:25.799 --> 00:19:27.740 Lord? So there it is, they were testing, they 00:19:27.740 --> 00:19:30.799 were putting the Lord to the test. Quarrel with 00:19:30.799 --> 00:19:32.859 Moses because there was no water, they needed 00:19:32.859 --> 00:19:37.549 water. It was a legitimate need. but they didn't 00:19:37.549 --> 00:19:39.609 respond to that legitimate need in a proper way. 00:19:39.609 --> 00:19:42.609 They put God to the test. And of course later, 00:19:42.609 --> 00:19:44.630 Moses characterized the demands of the people 00:19:44.630 --> 00:19:47.150 as questioning God's presence and provision. 00:19:48.009 --> 00:19:53.170 In Exodus 17, Moses said it was as if they were 00:19:53.170 --> 00:19:58.329 saying, is the Lord among us or not? And that's 00:19:58.329 --> 00:20:00.950 the problem with difficulties in life. If we're 00:20:00.950 --> 00:20:03.450 not careful, we can be tempted to ask that very 00:20:03.450 --> 00:20:06.609 question, well God, are you there or not? Do 00:20:06.609 --> 00:20:10.049 you see the trouble I'm in or not? Do you hear 00:20:10.049 --> 00:20:13.930 my prayers or not? And again, when you find yourself 00:20:13.930 --> 00:20:15.990 in that situation, remember what the Bible calls 00:20:15.990 --> 00:20:18.630 that, that's testing God. It's putting God to 00:20:18.630 --> 00:20:21.710 the test. It's not trusting him. The Israelites 00:20:21.710 --> 00:20:23.430 should have trusted God. I mean, he had done 00:20:23.430 --> 00:20:25.369 miracle after miracle. He had provided for them 00:20:25.369 --> 00:20:28.029 every step of the way. Why would he not give 00:20:28.029 --> 00:20:33.559 them water? But they put God to the test. And 00:20:33.559 --> 00:20:35.640 then the second, he reminds them of the rebellion 00:20:35.640 --> 00:20:37.700 that took place at Kadesh, another story we're 00:20:37.700 --> 00:20:40.680 all familiar with. The spies had been sent out 00:20:40.680 --> 00:20:43.259 to look over the land to see if it really was, 00:20:43.259 --> 00:20:45.380 as God had described it, a land flowing with 00:20:45.380 --> 00:20:47.160 milk and honey. And of course, they came back 00:20:47.160 --> 00:20:49.900 and every one of them agreed, yes, the land is 00:20:49.900 --> 00:20:51.859 just like God described it. It is a land flowing 00:20:51.859 --> 00:20:55.359 with milk and honey. However, 10 of them said, 00:20:55.539 --> 00:20:58.240 but God, Moses, there's no way we can take possession 00:20:58.240 --> 00:21:01.309 of the land. The people who live there are giants. 00:21:01.470 --> 00:21:03.789 We're as grasshoppers in their sight. We can't 00:21:03.789 --> 00:21:06.609 do it. Only Joshua and Caleb said, the Lord's 00:21:06.609 --> 00:21:10.049 given us this land. He's rendered them helpless 00:21:10.049 --> 00:21:13.230 before us. We can do this. But no, the people, 00:21:13.250 --> 00:21:17.250 of course, went with the majority report and 00:21:17.250 --> 00:21:20.529 they decided not to go in and take possession 00:21:20.529 --> 00:21:23.369 of the land. And again, the scripture says in 00:21:23.369 --> 00:21:26.190 Numbers 14, the people of Israel grumbled against 00:21:26.190 --> 00:21:29.630 Moses and Aaron. They said, why is the Lord bringing 00:21:29.630 --> 00:21:32.230 us into this land to fall by the sword? In other 00:21:32.230 --> 00:21:35.049 words, has God just brought us out here to die? 00:21:37.369 --> 00:21:39.990 They said, let us choose a leader and go back 00:21:39.990 --> 00:21:41.269 to Egypt. You know, there were several times 00:21:41.269 --> 00:21:43.430 in the Old Testament where the people not only 00:21:43.430 --> 00:21:46.390 wanted to replace Moses as their leader, but 00:21:46.390 --> 00:21:48.430 they wanted to kill him. They wanted to stone 00:21:48.430 --> 00:21:50.730 Moses and Aaron. That's how they wanted to go 00:21:50.730 --> 00:21:52.869 back to Egypt. If you can even imagine that, 00:21:52.869 --> 00:21:55.470 after all that they had seen, all of the evidence 00:21:55.470 --> 00:21:59.049 of God's glory, power, goodness, grace, over 00:21:59.049 --> 00:22:00.970 and over again, they grumbled against Moses and 00:22:00.970 --> 00:22:03.430 wanted to go back to Egypt. Well, in response 00:22:03.430 --> 00:22:06.589 to this grumbling, the Lord says to Moses, and 00:22:06.589 --> 00:22:08.430 listen to this, this is what God says to Moses. 00:22:08.730 --> 00:22:10.309 Now, the people are grumbling against Moses. 00:22:10.349 --> 00:22:12.190 You can only imagine what Moses must have been 00:22:12.190 --> 00:22:14.660 feeling like. But this is what the Lord says 00:22:14.660 --> 00:22:17.660 to Moses. How long will this people despise me? 00:22:18.619 --> 00:22:20.579 Moses probably thought, well, that's what I was 00:22:20.579 --> 00:22:22.440 thinking. How long are they gonna despise me? 00:22:22.900 --> 00:22:25.720 But God says it's me, Moses, that they despise. 00:22:25.960 --> 00:22:27.940 I know they've directed their grumbling, their 00:22:27.940 --> 00:22:31.819 moaning and groaning to you, but it's me that 00:22:31.819 --> 00:22:35.119 they despise. How long will they not believe 00:22:35.119 --> 00:22:39.400 in me, God says. And listen to this. In spite 00:22:39.400 --> 00:22:41.440 of all the signs that I have done among them. 00:22:41.579 --> 00:22:44.980 In other words, they have more than enough evidence 00:22:44.980 --> 00:22:50.240 of who I am and what I'm capable of. And yet, 00:22:50.400 --> 00:22:52.319 in spite of the evidence that I have clearly 00:22:52.319 --> 00:22:55.200 presented, in spite of the word that has gone 00:22:55.200 --> 00:22:58.299 forth proclaiming who I am and how much I care 00:22:58.299 --> 00:23:01.859 for them, they've chosen not to believe. How 00:23:01.859 --> 00:23:07.160 long will they not believe in me, God said. So 00:23:07.160 --> 00:23:09.720 this is the picture of what's happening. The 00:23:09.720 --> 00:23:11.980 writer of Hebrews is comparing the rebellion 00:23:11.980 --> 00:23:15.299 of the Israelites following the exodus from Egypt 00:23:15.299 --> 00:23:17.700 to what was going on in the hearts and the minds 00:23:17.700 --> 00:23:22.579 of these early churchmen who were contemplating 00:23:22.579 --> 00:23:26.660 renouncing Christ and going back to Judaism. 00:23:26.960 --> 00:23:29.019 And of course the word of God is perfectly clear 00:23:29.019 --> 00:23:32.200 here. To those who stubbornly and rebelliously 00:23:32.200 --> 00:23:35.799 refused to believe in spite of all of the evidence. 00:23:36.480 --> 00:23:40.259 in spite of all that God, all the signs that 00:23:40.259 --> 00:23:44.759 God has done among us. Well, God says to those 00:23:44.759 --> 00:23:49.259 people, as I have sworn in my wrath, they shall 00:23:49.259 --> 00:23:54.559 not enter my rest. No one with an evil, unbelieving 00:23:54.559 --> 00:23:57.980 heart has any hope of entering heaven. That's 00:23:57.980 --> 00:24:03.480 what the scripture's saying. No one with an evil, 00:24:03.619 --> 00:24:06.220 unbelieving heart has any hope of entering heaven. 00:24:06.299 --> 00:24:07.779 Now let me just say this, if you're a Christian, 00:24:08.160 --> 00:24:13.440 you don't have an evil, unbelieving heart. Unbelievers, 00:24:13.940 --> 00:24:19.900 lost people, those who reject Christ, those are 00:24:19.900 --> 00:24:22.039 the ones we're talking about here, this evil, 00:24:22.359 --> 00:24:25.799 unbelieving heart. But these in the rebellion, 00:24:26.279 --> 00:24:29.460 in the days of Moses and the Exodus, they were 00:24:29.460 --> 00:24:32.549 revealing. and evil, unbelieving heart. They 00:24:32.549 --> 00:24:34.789 had seen the glory of God. They had seen the 00:24:34.789 --> 00:24:37.670 provision of God. They had witnessed God's miraculous 00:24:37.670 --> 00:24:40.269 power and yet in spite of that overwhelming evidence, 00:24:41.529 --> 00:24:42.890 you know, this guy that I was talking about, 00:24:43.049 --> 00:24:46.309 he just wanted God to burst a street lamp. These 00:24:46.309 --> 00:24:48.529 people had seen far greater miracles than that. 00:24:48.789 --> 00:24:54.509 And yet, evil, unbelieving hearts, stubbornly 00:24:54.509 --> 00:24:57.130 refusing to trust the Lord, to take him at his 00:24:57.130 --> 00:25:04.019 word. That's what was going on, and that's what 00:25:04.019 --> 00:25:06.880 we are warned against. And then we're given some 00:25:06.880 --> 00:25:11.359 information on how we can war against an unbelieving 00:25:11.359 --> 00:25:15.819 heart. Look what it says. Again, it's verse 12. 00:25:15.900 --> 00:25:17.539 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of 00:25:17.539 --> 00:25:19.160 you an evil unbelieving heart, leading you to 00:25:19.160 --> 00:25:21.640 fall away from the living God, but exhort one 00:25:21.640 --> 00:25:24.099 another every day as long as it is called today, 00:25:24.380 --> 00:25:26.660 that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness. 00:25:27.150 --> 00:25:29.750 of sin so that he gives us some encouragement 00:25:29.750 --> 00:25:33.829 here as to how we can do battle with the deceitfulness 00:25:33.829 --> 00:25:37.589 of sin, how we can help one another when we experience 00:25:37.589 --> 00:25:40.710 the difficulties of life that might cause us, 00:25:40.750 --> 00:25:44.869 again, perhaps legitimate needs. Being thirsty 00:25:44.869 --> 00:25:49.769 in the desert was a legitimate need, but we never 00:25:49.769 --> 00:25:51.990 should put God to the test. We should have faith 00:25:51.990 --> 00:25:54.069 in God that he sees us in our need, that he's 00:25:54.069 --> 00:25:56.049 gonna provide for our need. Hasn't he always? 00:25:58.029 --> 00:26:00.730 And so we can help one another with that. And 00:26:00.730 --> 00:26:02.509 it's answered here, how we can help our struggling 00:26:02.509 --> 00:26:04.630 brothers and sisters. He says, first of all, 00:26:04.730 --> 00:26:07.690 take care. Those words could be translated, see 00:26:07.690 --> 00:26:09.950 to it. In other words, this is really a command. 00:26:11.109 --> 00:26:13.910 We tell people, I routinely tell people, take 00:26:13.910 --> 00:26:19.829 care when I'm leaving them. We say that very 00:26:19.829 --> 00:26:24.750 casually. This is a much stronger command. He's 00:26:24.750 --> 00:26:27.799 saying, you have a responsibility. You have a 00:26:27.799 --> 00:26:30.519 responsibility to your fellow church members. 00:26:30.920 --> 00:26:34.380 You're to see to it that we regularly share not 00:26:34.380 --> 00:26:37.140 only their struggles, that we listen to them 00:26:37.140 --> 00:26:39.180 and what they're going through, but we also share 00:26:39.180 --> 00:26:40.759 our struggles. You know, one of the great things 00:26:40.759 --> 00:26:42.839 I think that's taking place in our life groups 00:26:42.839 --> 00:26:45.119 is that this is happening on a weekly basis now. 00:26:45.859 --> 00:26:48.619 Small groups of believers have gathered together 00:26:48.619 --> 00:26:51.500 and they're not only engaging in Bible study, 00:26:51.559 --> 00:26:53.559 but they're sharing with one another about what's 00:26:53.559 --> 00:26:55.740 going on in their lives. They're doing life together. 00:26:56.349 --> 00:26:58.910 And that's what scripture tells us to do here. 00:26:59.809 --> 00:27:02.809 Exhort one another every day, as long as it's 00:27:02.809 --> 00:27:05.450 called today, that none of you may be hardened 00:27:05.450 --> 00:27:08.970 by the deceitfulness of sin. So we gather together, 00:27:09.049 --> 00:27:11.670 as the scripture says, and we share our own struggles, 00:27:11.710 --> 00:27:13.890 and we listen to the struggles of others. We 00:27:13.890 --> 00:27:17.390 become aware, intentionally become aware of the 00:27:17.390 --> 00:27:20.089 struggles of others. I've said these words, you've 00:27:20.089 --> 00:27:22.029 probably said them too. Hey, don't ask so and 00:27:22.029 --> 00:27:23.750 so to tell you. Don't ask them how you're doing, 00:27:23.789 --> 00:27:30.289 because they'll tell you. But the truth is, we 00:27:30.289 --> 00:27:32.529 should want to know how our fellow believers 00:27:32.529 --> 00:27:36.750 are doing, right? We're commanded. See to it. 00:27:37.990 --> 00:27:39.950 We need to encourage one another. I can't encourage 00:27:39.950 --> 00:27:42.130 you unless I know what's going on in your life. 00:27:43.250 --> 00:27:46.089 So we listen, we learn, we love one another, 00:27:46.150 --> 00:27:48.750 and then we consistently comfort and encourage 00:27:48.750 --> 00:27:51.970 one another. Later on in this book of the Bible, 00:27:52.089 --> 00:27:54.579 in Hebrews, the writer will say this. in chapter 00:27:54.579 --> 00:27:57.299 10, verses 24 and 25, a verse we're very familiar 00:27:57.299 --> 00:27:59.859 with. And let us consider how to stir one another 00:27:59.859 --> 00:28:03.000 up to love and good works, not neglecting to 00:28:03.000 --> 00:28:05.680 meet together. So in other words, what he's commanding 00:28:05.680 --> 00:28:07.680 us to do here and what he's commanding us to 00:28:07.680 --> 00:28:11.200 do later on in this book requires us to meet 00:28:11.200 --> 00:28:16.339 together, to be together. We can't do this. I 00:28:16.339 --> 00:28:18.759 mean, you can. I mean, you can get, I guess, 00:28:18.839 --> 00:28:21.279 receive a prayer list in the mail and still pray 00:28:21.279 --> 00:28:23.839 for people. But this is done much more effectively 00:28:23.839 --> 00:28:26.259 when we gather together. Whether it's Sunday 00:28:26.259 --> 00:28:28.839 morning worship or whether it's a Wednesday night 00:28:28.839 --> 00:28:31.079 or it's our life group or it's some Bible study, 00:28:31.500 --> 00:28:35.759 we need to gather together. We need to meet together. 00:28:37.259 --> 00:28:40.079 And of course, he says right there that it is 00:28:40.079 --> 00:28:42.940 the habit of some not to do this, and it's easy 00:28:42.940 --> 00:28:44.660 to fall out of the habit of meeting together, 00:28:44.779 --> 00:28:48.519 isn't it? Don't let that happen. But encourage 00:28:48.519 --> 00:28:51.279 one another all the more as you see the day drawing 00:28:51.279 --> 00:28:55.059 near. We're awaiting the return of Christ, right? 00:28:55.059 --> 00:28:56.960 That's what he's talking about here, the day. 00:29:00.539 --> 00:29:03.259 We need to encourage one another. We need encouragement, 00:29:03.680 --> 00:29:06.619 all of us. And so we need to share with one another. 00:29:06.890 --> 00:29:08.910 the areas that we need encouragement, and we 00:29:08.910 --> 00:29:11.630 need to listen to one another. And again, all 00:29:11.630 --> 00:29:15.210 of this done for the purpose that none of you 00:29:15.210 --> 00:29:18.170 may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 00:29:19.470 --> 00:29:22.589 Sin has an effect on our lives, and sin and its 00:29:22.589 --> 00:29:26.029 effect on us can fool us into thinking that God 00:29:26.029 --> 00:29:29.309 has somehow forgotten us or that he simply doesn't 00:29:29.309 --> 00:29:32.900 care. And anytime you begin to think like that, 00:29:32.960 --> 00:29:35.539 and let me tell you, there are events that can 00:29:35.539 --> 00:29:37.759 occur in your life that would tempt you to think 00:29:37.759 --> 00:29:41.720 that. But man, banish those thoughts immediately. 00:29:41.819 --> 00:29:45.180 God loves you. God cares for you. And no matter 00:29:45.180 --> 00:29:48.980 what's going on in your life, that's true. So 00:29:48.980 --> 00:29:51.920 again, we need to remind one another of that, 00:29:52.180 --> 00:29:55.710 the temptation that these early... church members 00:29:55.710 --> 00:29:58.349 were experiencing, if we let it go unchecked, 00:29:58.710 --> 00:30:01.230 can render us unreceptive to his word. If we 00:30:01.230 --> 00:30:02.829 suddenly decide that God doesn't love me, he 00:30:02.829 --> 00:30:05.190 doesn't care about me, why would we ever open 00:30:05.190 --> 00:30:07.450 his word and listen to him? Why would we come 00:30:07.450 --> 00:30:10.930 and hear the word of God proclaimed? So we wanna 00:30:10.930 --> 00:30:13.049 be careful of that. That's what he's referring 00:30:13.049 --> 00:30:16.029 to there is the hardening of our hearts, this 00:30:16.029 --> 00:30:19.809 unreceptiveness to the word of God. But the constant 00:30:19.809 --> 00:30:22.650 encouragement, that we're supposed to be receiving 00:30:22.650 --> 00:30:24.210 from those around us and that we're supposed 00:30:24.210 --> 00:30:27.130 to be giving in return will help us to continue 00:30:27.130 --> 00:30:30.490 trusting in God. Even when His will for us brings 00:30:30.490 --> 00:30:32.670 us hardship. And you know that at times the will 00:30:32.670 --> 00:30:34.950 of God will bring hardship to your life, right? 00:30:36.670 --> 00:30:43.950 I mean, following Jesus is not some easy road. 00:30:44.750 --> 00:30:48.390 It's difficult. And so we need to encourage one 00:30:48.390 --> 00:30:51.220 another. And of course, notice that it's not 00:30:51.220 --> 00:30:53.420 the difficulties of life that lead to the rejection 00:30:53.420 --> 00:30:55.700 of God. But again, it's this evil, unbelieving 00:30:55.700 --> 00:31:00.720 heart. It's unbelief that leads to the rejection 00:31:00.720 --> 00:31:03.279 of God. And I wanna just talk about these words. 00:31:03.339 --> 00:31:05.720 We're not gonna talk about them in depth because 00:31:05.720 --> 00:31:08.420 we will later on in our study. But that little 00:31:08.420 --> 00:31:10.480 phrase, leading you to fall away from the living 00:31:10.480 --> 00:31:12.440 God. Some have looked at that in other passages 00:31:12.440 --> 00:31:14.339 and thought, there it is. Christians can fall 00:31:14.339 --> 00:31:20.210 away from God. But that word, fall away, are 00:31:20.210 --> 00:31:24.470 those words, don't mean, we used, the word drift 00:31:24.470 --> 00:31:28.069 was used earlier. Keep your mind focused on Jesus, 00:31:28.130 --> 00:31:29.730 because if you don't, you'll drift away from 00:31:29.730 --> 00:31:32.809 the course. This isn't that word. This fall away, 00:31:33.210 --> 00:31:37.329 it's an intentional thing. It's a determined 00:31:37.329 --> 00:31:44.109 effort on our parts. These words speak of willful 00:31:44.109 --> 00:31:47.549 departure. from the church and from the things 00:31:47.549 --> 00:31:50.130 of God, from the word of God. So falling away 00:31:50.130 --> 00:31:52.950 is not some inadvertent accidental thing. That's 00:31:52.950 --> 00:31:54.950 how it's been picked up by some over the years 00:31:54.950 --> 00:31:56.789 that we can, if we're not careful, we can fall 00:31:56.789 --> 00:31:58.970 away from God. You might not even notice it. 00:31:59.309 --> 00:32:01.670 No, if you fall away from God, then you've made 00:32:01.670 --> 00:32:06.849 a determined choice to walk away from the one 00:32:06.849 --> 00:32:13.190 who loves you, gave him son for you. So. And 00:32:13.190 --> 00:32:15.450 then of course here again we are told that the 00:32:15.450 --> 00:32:17.950 proof of genuine salvation is in perseverance, 00:32:18.170 --> 00:32:20.509 persevering in the faith. For if we have come 00:32:20.509 --> 00:32:23.730 to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original 00:32:23.730 --> 00:32:26.690 confidence firm to the end, that which you believed 00:32:26.690 --> 00:32:28.549 in the beginning, that God loves you, that Christ 00:32:28.549 --> 00:32:30.490 died for you, that he rose again on the third 00:32:30.490 --> 00:32:33.230 day, that he's seated at the right hand, being 00:32:33.230 --> 00:32:37.170 access for you to God, if you put your faith 00:32:37.170 --> 00:32:39.609 and trust in him, turn from your sins, that's 00:32:39.609 --> 00:32:41.569 what we're talking about here, cling to that. 00:32:42.089 --> 00:32:44.390 Those things are as true today as they were the 00:32:44.390 --> 00:32:48.250 day you believe them. And he says it's persevering 00:32:48.250 --> 00:32:50.569 in that belief, growing in that belief, continuing 00:32:50.569 --> 00:32:54.670 in that firm to the end that will ultimately 00:32:54.670 --> 00:32:58.710 determine or say that you are a genuine believer. 00:32:58.769 --> 00:33:01.569 And then again, that verse is quoted, today if 00:33:01.569 --> 00:33:03.990 you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts 00:33:03.990 --> 00:33:09.549 as in the rebellion. God is speaking today. And 00:33:09.549 --> 00:33:14.920 we have the responsibility just as those Exodus 00:33:14.920 --> 00:33:19.480 Israelites had to listen to God, to do what he 00:33:19.480 --> 00:33:25.019 says, to trust him. And then he asked these questions. 00:33:25.220 --> 00:33:28.059 It's as if, again, he goes back to this illustration 00:33:28.059 --> 00:33:31.660 as a witness to us, as a testimony of the truth 00:33:31.660 --> 00:33:34.000 of what he's been saying. He said, for who were 00:33:34.000 --> 00:33:36.539 those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not 00:33:36.539 --> 00:33:39.000 all those who left Egypt, led by Moses? In other 00:33:39.000 --> 00:33:45.930 words, these people who saw This miraculous deliverance 00:33:45.930 --> 00:33:48.269 brought about by God through the person of Moses 00:33:48.269 --> 00:33:52.269 and Aaron, they were the very ones who rebelled 00:33:52.269 --> 00:33:58.210 against God. Again, demonstrating that they never 00:33:58.210 --> 00:34:05.029 really believed God. They were rebels, deceived, 00:34:06.250 --> 00:34:11.230 and in sin. So who were they? They were those 00:34:11.210 --> 00:34:14.050 who left Egypt by Moses. And then he says, and 00:34:14.050 --> 00:34:16.769 with whom was he provoked for 40 years? Let me 00:34:16.769 --> 00:34:19.090 tell you, this kind of unbelief, it provokes 00:34:19.090 --> 00:34:23.449 God. It angers him. I know we don't like to talk 00:34:23.449 --> 00:34:29.110 about God being angry, but sin angers God. He 00:34:29.110 --> 00:34:31.329 was provoked with these people for 40 years. 00:34:32.710 --> 00:34:34.389 Matter of fact, at one point he contemplated, 00:34:34.389 --> 00:34:36.989 or at least in what we read in scripture, Moses 00:34:36.989 --> 00:34:39.750 had to plead with God to spare these people. 00:34:40.079 --> 00:34:43.719 And of course he did, but he did not allow them 00:34:43.719 --> 00:34:46.639 to enter into the promised land. They all died 00:34:46.639 --> 00:34:49.599 in the wilderness because they stubbornly refused 00:34:49.599 --> 00:34:53.719 to do what God had clearly told them to do. And 00:34:53.719 --> 00:34:56.219 then he asked another question, to whom did he 00:34:56.219 --> 00:34:57.940 swear that they would not enter his rest? But 00:34:57.940 --> 00:35:01.119 those who were disobedient, those who did not 00:35:01.119 --> 00:35:03.699 enter God's rest, again here, who did not enter 00:35:03.699 --> 00:35:07.639 the promised land, were those whose lives were 00:35:07.639 --> 00:35:10.840 consistently characterized. by disobedience. 00:35:11.420 --> 00:35:14.519 Again, sometimes these warnings like this worry 00:35:14.519 --> 00:35:16.860 us because we all stumble and fall sometimes. 00:35:16.920 --> 00:35:19.980 We're not talking about occasional sin. What 00:35:19.980 --> 00:35:22.440 we're talking about is a life that's characterized 00:35:22.440 --> 00:35:26.039 by sin, a life that is continually going away 00:35:26.039 --> 00:35:29.420 from God, going my own way. That's the life of 00:35:29.420 --> 00:35:31.659 a lost person. That's the life of an unbeliever. 00:35:32.170 --> 00:35:34.489 The life of a believer is always Godward. We 00:35:34.489 --> 00:35:37.309 want to do what God wants us to do. We desire 00:35:37.309 --> 00:35:39.570 to do what God's will is in our lives. Sometimes 00:35:39.570 --> 00:35:43.329 we fail, but that's the desire of our heart. 00:35:43.449 --> 00:35:45.389 And of course, verse 19, the last verse here, 00:35:45.489 --> 00:35:48.110 makes it absolutely clear that rebellion, sin, 00:35:48.829 --> 00:35:52.170 disobedience are all the result of unbelief. 00:35:52.190 --> 00:35:55.750 Verse 19 says, so we see that they were unable 00:35:55.750 --> 00:35:59.670 to enter because of unbelief. Why did those Israelites? 00:36:00.590 --> 00:36:03.650 that were led out of Egypt by Moses, why were 00:36:03.650 --> 00:36:05.829 they not allowed to enter the promised land? 00:36:06.630 --> 00:36:09.690 Well, it's because of their unbelief. Why will 00:36:09.690 --> 00:36:13.389 people die apart from Christ and spend eternity 00:36:13.389 --> 00:36:15.789 away from the presence of the Lord? Well, it's 00:36:15.789 --> 00:36:21.510 because of their unbelief. Unbelief. Scriptures 00:36:21.510 --> 00:36:28.130 are plain. It was unbelief, willful, determined. 00:36:29.650 --> 00:36:33.289 resolute unbelief in spite of overwhelming evidence 00:36:33.289 --> 00:36:38.909 that kept them from experiencing God's salvation. 00:36:39.090 --> 00:36:41.329 It's what keeps people from experiencing salvation 00:36:41.329 --> 00:36:44.289 today, unbelief. You know, in Acts chapter 16 00:36:44.289 --> 00:36:47.110 verse 31, Paul's response to the Philippian jailers 00:36:47.110 --> 00:36:49.510 question, and you remember the question? After 00:36:49.510 --> 00:36:51.630 all that took place that night, he looked at 00:36:51.630 --> 00:36:54.289 Paul in silence and he said, sirs, what must 00:36:54.289 --> 00:36:58.329 I do to be saved? And what did they say to him 00:36:58.329 --> 00:37:02.949 in response? Believe. Believe in the Lord Jesus 00:37:02.949 --> 00:37:07.869 and you will be saved in your household. Of course, 00:37:07.929 --> 00:37:10.389 Jesus responds to Nicodemus in John chapter three. 00:37:10.449 --> 00:37:12.389 Nicodemus can't believe what Jesus is saying 00:37:12.389 --> 00:37:15.110 about being born again. And of course, one of 00:37:15.110 --> 00:37:17.329 our favorite salvation verses is there for us. 00:37:17.449 --> 00:37:20.030 But in John 3, 16 through 18, this is what the 00:37:20.030 --> 00:37:22.130 scripture says. For God so loved the world that 00:37:22.130 --> 00:37:26.289 he gave his only son that whoever believes. Again. 00:37:26.599 --> 00:37:30.219 present, active, that is, whoever is believing, 00:37:30.219 --> 00:37:32.619 we could say. The believing ones, they're the 00:37:32.619 --> 00:37:35.360 ones that God is going to save. Those who believe, 00:37:35.519 --> 00:37:37.400 that whoever believes in him should not perish 00:37:37.400 --> 00:37:40.239 but have eternal life. For God did not send his 00:37:40.239 --> 00:37:42.320 son into the world to condemn the world, but 00:37:42.320 --> 00:37:44.340 in order that the world might be saved through 00:37:44.340 --> 00:37:48.679 him, whoever believes in him is not condemned. 00:37:49.519 --> 00:37:52.219 But whoever does not believe is condemned already 00:37:52.219 --> 00:37:55.780 because he has not believed in the name of the 00:37:55.780 --> 00:38:01.800 son. of God. It is reasonable in light of all 00:38:01.800 --> 00:38:06.320 that God has done for us to believe in him. And 00:38:06.320 --> 00:38:10.519 yet many cling stubbornly to their unbelief. 00:38:10.539 --> 00:38:12.360 I pray that that's not true of anyone in this 00:38:12.360 --> 00:38:13.980 room today. Not true of anyone who's watching 00:38:13.980 --> 00:38:18.019 from home. But if you find your heart convicted, 00:38:19.659 --> 00:38:22.940 just come to the Lord today. Turn from that unbelief. 00:38:23.000 --> 00:38:25.280 Turn from that sin. Turn from that disobedience. 00:38:25.800 --> 00:38:29.019 and receive Christ as your Savior and Lord.