23 min
Faith to Rest and You Sermons by Ed
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- Religion och spiritualitet
Study Notes
Ed Underwood
Hebrews 3:7-19
Second Warning: The Danger of Disbelief
“Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” (Hebrews 3:8)
Every Jewish Christian was familiar with the warning of Psalm 95 against losing the rest God offers to His people. The backdrop of Numbers 13-14 was equally known. The generation encamped at Kadesh refused to believe God, and God refused them entrance into the rest of Canaan.
What they weren’t aware of is that the same warning applies to Christians. When the tests of life come, we must trust God instead of the messages of the dissidents. If we fail to believe God’s promises, we too will lose our “rest”—that deepest experience of eternal life reserved for faithful followers of Christ.
There are serious consequences when believers decide that God isn’t good enough or powerful enough to take care of them. Dissidents are all around us, and they will turn our doubts into unbelief and rebellion. God’s response will be the same—we will forfeit our rest:
Invitation to Rest: Stop listening to dissidents; keep trusting God’s Word.
“The comparison between Christ and Moses (3:1-7) leads to one between their followers.” (Morris) There is a direct correlation between the Kadesh generation and Christians. We need to trust God enough to follow Christ, or we will lose our rest in Him.
I. Don’t fail your Kadesh Barnea test: Stop listening to dissidents; keep trusting God’s Word (3:7-19).
A.The Quote: Psalm 95:7b-11 is a solemn review of God’s response to the Exodus generation’s refusal to trust Him enough to enter the rest God wanted to give them (7-11, see Number 13-14).
1.In the liturgy of 1st Century synagogues, Psalm 95 served as the preamble to Friday evening and Sabbath morning services.
2.The Exodus generation not only lost their priestly privileges (3:1-6) they failed to enter the rest God wanted to give them in the promised land because they did not listen to God’s promises to give them victory.
Note: David Anderson and I define this rest as, “the rest of the full experience of eternal life offered to those who are faithful—both in this world and the world to come.”
B.The Point: Do not refuse to believe God, or you too will forfeit your rest in Christ (12-19, see Numbers 13-14).
Note: “No believer today, Jew or Gentile, could go back into the Mosaic legal system since the temple is gone and there is no priesthood. But every believer is tempted to give up his or her confession of Christ and go back into the world system’s life of compromise and bondage.” (Warren Weirsbe)
1.The writer looks beyond Psalm 95 to the root cause of the failure at Kadesh Barnea—unbelief (3:12). The word “unbelief” does not occur in Psalm 95, but it is clearly stated as the reason God judged that generation (Numbers 14:11). This is obviously a warning to Christians, so there is something for a Christian to lose here. Not eternal life, but the rest of the deepest experience of eternal life that God promises to His faithful children. Notice also the progression: Unbelief in what God has said leads to rebellion against God (3:12).
2.The writer encourages the community to grasp all the privileges of a partner with Christ by clinging to their confidence in God (3:13).
3.Again citing the urgency of the command (today), the writer reminds them that an entire generation succumbed to unbelief in the promises of God in spite of forty years of signs and wonders (15-19).
II. Christ, Kadesh Barnea, and You! I see four practical warnings for all of us in this passage.
A.Don’t listen to dissidents! Israel failed to enter the rest because they listened to the dissidents—those who doubted God’s goodness and guidance, rather than trusting the Word of God. Life is full of people, both Christian and non-Christian, who will tell you it’s foolish to keep following Jesus during tough times.
B.Don’t neglect community! We need one another to
Study Notes
Ed Underwood
Hebrews 3:7-19
Second Warning: The Danger of Disbelief
“Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” (Hebrews 3:8)
Every Jewish Christian was familiar with the warning of Psalm 95 against losing the rest God offers to His people. The backdrop of Numbers 13-14 was equally known. The generation encamped at Kadesh refused to believe God, and God refused them entrance into the rest of Canaan.
What they weren’t aware of is that the same warning applies to Christians. When the tests of life come, we must trust God instead of the messages of the dissidents. If we fail to believe God’s promises, we too will lose our “rest”—that deepest experience of eternal life reserved for faithful followers of Christ.
There are serious consequences when believers decide that God isn’t good enough or powerful enough to take care of them. Dissidents are all around us, and they will turn our doubts into unbelief and rebellion. God’s response will be the same—we will forfeit our rest:
Invitation to Rest: Stop listening to dissidents; keep trusting God’s Word.
“The comparison between Christ and Moses (3:1-7) leads to one between their followers.” (Morris) There is a direct correlation between the Kadesh generation and Christians. We need to trust God enough to follow Christ, or we will lose our rest in Him.
I. Don’t fail your Kadesh Barnea test: Stop listening to dissidents; keep trusting God’s Word (3:7-19).
A.The Quote: Psalm 95:7b-11 is a solemn review of God’s response to the Exodus generation’s refusal to trust Him enough to enter the rest God wanted to give them (7-11, see Number 13-14).
1.In the liturgy of 1st Century synagogues, Psalm 95 served as the preamble to Friday evening and Sabbath morning services.
2.The Exodus generation not only lost their priestly privileges (3:1-6) they failed to enter the rest God wanted to give them in the promised land because they did not listen to God’s promises to give them victory.
Note: David Anderson and I define this rest as, “the rest of the full experience of eternal life offered to those who are faithful—both in this world and the world to come.”
B.The Point: Do not refuse to believe God, or you too will forfeit your rest in Christ (12-19, see Numbers 13-14).
Note: “No believer today, Jew or Gentile, could go back into the Mosaic legal system since the temple is gone and there is no priesthood. But every believer is tempted to give up his or her confession of Christ and go back into the world system’s life of compromise and bondage.” (Warren Weirsbe)
1.The writer looks beyond Psalm 95 to the root cause of the failure at Kadesh Barnea—unbelief (3:12). The word “unbelief” does not occur in Psalm 95, but it is clearly stated as the reason God judged that generation (Numbers 14:11). This is obviously a warning to Christians, so there is something for a Christian to lose here. Not eternal life, but the rest of the deepest experience of eternal life that God promises to His faithful children. Notice also the progression: Unbelief in what God has said leads to rebellion against God (3:12).
2.The writer encourages the community to grasp all the privileges of a partner with Christ by clinging to their confidence in God (3:13).
3.Again citing the urgency of the command (today), the writer reminds them that an entire generation succumbed to unbelief in the promises of God in spite of forty years of signs and wonders (15-19).
II. Christ, Kadesh Barnea, and You! I see four practical warnings for all of us in this passage.
A.Don’t listen to dissidents! Israel failed to enter the rest because they listened to the dissidents—those who doubted God’s goodness and guidance, rather than trusting the Word of God. Life is full of people, both Christian and non-Christian, who will tell you it’s foolish to keep following Jesus during tough times.
B.Don’t neglect community! We need one another to
23 min