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God's Time
By Archie White II
Hebrews 3:1-15
Christ Our Model of Faithfulness
1Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling,
consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus,
2who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also
was faithful in all his house. 3For this One has been counted
worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who built the house
has more honor than the house. 4For every house is built
by someone, but He who built all things is God. 5And Moses
indeed was faithful in all his house as a servant, for a testimony
of those things which would be spoken afterward, 6but Christ
as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast
the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end. 7Therefore,
as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you will hear His voice, 8Do
not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of trial
in the wilderness, 9Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me,
and saw My works forty years." 10Therefore I was angry with
that generation, and said, 'They always go astray in their heart,
and they have not known My ways.' 11So I swore in My wrath,
'They shall not enter My rest.' " 12Beware, brethren, lest
there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from
the living God; 13but exhort one another daily, while it
is called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness
of sin.14For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold
the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, 15while
it is said: "Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your
hearts as in the rebellion." NKJV
Life Application:
3:1-6 Jesus Christ, God's Apostle (meaning "sent one") and
High Priest, is the ultimate authority in the Church. Christ is
the all-inclusive Rock and Foundation, the Almighty. The author
explains Jesus' relationship to believers by using different pictures:
He is (1) the Apostle of God, to whom we should listen; (2) our
High Priest, by whom we come to God the Father; (3) our Creator,
whom we should praise; and (4) the Ruler of God's house ("Son over
His own house"), whom we should obey. Each name of Christ reveals
an aspect of His nature and ministry. Because of Christ who lives
in us as believers, we can remain established as faithful to the
end. Without Christ's enduring faithfulness, we could easily be
blown away by the winds of temptation, false teaching, or persecution.
3:2-3 To the Jewish people, Moses was a great hero; he was
used by God to bring their ancestors, the Israelites, from Egyptian
bondage to the Promised Land. He was faithful to God's calling not
only to deliver Israel, bust also to prepare the way for the Messiah
("a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward").
Lastly, Moses also wrote the first five books of the Old Testament
and was the prophet through whom God gave the law. However, Jesus
Christ is the central figure of the Christian faith, not Moses who
was merely a servant. Jesus Christ is God Himself (Hebrews 1:3).
As Moses led the people out of Egyptian bondage, so Christ leads
us out of slavery to sin.
3:7-15 "Hardening our hearts" is defined as the setting
of ourselves against God so that we are no longer able to turn to
Him for forgiveness. The Israelites became hardhearted when they
chose to disobey God's command to conquer the Promised Land (here
called "the rebellion;" see Numbers 13, 14). Our hearts lead us
away from the living God when we make the choice to disobey our
Father, an act of disbelief. If we persist in our unbelief and disobedience,
we disconnect ourselves from the blessings of God. The windows of
Heaven are thus closed on our behalf. We will never reach the Promise
Land until we learn to submit to authority, step out on faith in
God and walk on water, keeping our eyes on Christ.
HEAR W.E. GO! IT'S ALL ABOUT HIM!!
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