Hebrews 3:1-19

Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest whom we confess. He was faithful to the One who appointed Him, just as Moses was faithful in all God's house. Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house, testifying to what would be said in the future. But Christ is faithful as a Son over God's house. And we are His house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.

So, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried Me and for forty years saw what I did. 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.' So I declared on oath in My anger, 'They shall never enter My rest.'"

See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. As has just been said: "Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion." Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert? And to whom did God swear that they would never enter His rest if not to those who disobeyed? So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.

Carol Kent, a speaker and author, was on the fast track to being an absentee parent - until her young son, Jason, snapped her to reality. She recalls:

"We were eating breakfast together, and I had on an old pair of slacks and a fuzzy old sweater. He flashed his baby blues at me over his cereal bowl and said, 'Mommy, you look so pretty today.' I didn't even have makeup on! So I said, 'Honey, why would you say I look pretty today? Normally I'm dressed in a suit and high heels.' And he said, 'When you look like that, I know you're going some place; but when you look like this, I know you're mine.'

"His words were like an arrow piercing my heart. I realized I might fail at being a godly Christian mother because I was saying yes to so many speaking engagements. I got on my knees with my precious appointment book and offered it to God."

-- Jan L. Senn in Today's Christian Woman. Christian Reader, Vol. 33, no. 4.

What are your priorities today? God’s intent is not to “rain on our parade,” but to help each of us have the best life possible!

When I was in high school I used to sit in one of my boring afternoon classes and dream of the day I would be out of high school and on my own. Then I could set my own schedule and be my own boss! Wow! What a dream – and totally without foundation. It seems to me that I have more people making demands on my time now then ever before!

Sadie and Bessie Delany offer us some sound advice: “No one should ever be too busy or pressured or tired to make a time and place for God in their lives. After all, He has to manage the whole world, and He's never too busy for us.

-- Sadie and Bessie Delany, Christian Reader, Vol. 33, no. 2.

There are many word pictures in the book of Hebrews – like in the book of Revelation, but they are much easier to understand. In our scripture for today we are instructed to fix our thoughts on Jesus. He is called our “apostle and high priest.” An apostle is a person sent out on a special mission – like the 12 disciples. Another definition of apostle is “the first Christian missionary in a place.” A third definition of apostle is “an early advocate or leader of a new principle or movement – especially one aimed at reform.”

Jesus is also described as being “better than Moses” because Moses was faithful IN God’s house while Jesus was faithful OVER God’s house. Certainly, Jesus is the greater one!

Moses was the apostle of the Old Covenant – the Old Testament – while Jesus is the Apostle of the New Testament – the New Covenant.

2 Corinthians 3:7-11 offers a beautiful comparison between the Old Testament and the New Testament:

Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?

If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!

In this Hebrews 3 we are warned against unbelief. You or I may not “believe in” taxes or the IRS, but we have to go along with their ideas or we may find ourselves in a lot of trouble! By the same token, there are a lot of people who do not believe in God – and that is their choice… but there will come a time when they do believe! It may not be a pleasant experience, right?

Verse 12 states, “See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.” Don’t turn away from God!

Verse 13 encourages us, “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.”

God called the 40 years that the children of Israel spent in the wilderness “days of rebellion.” All sin, especially the sin committed by God's professing, privileged people, is rebellion. Rebellious sin (as compared to sins committed in ignorance) both provokes and grieves God. Now why would anyone want to provoke God? He is the One who cares for us. We need to realize that we depend entirely upon Him! I think it is because our focus is in the wrong place! We are worried about what others think or are too much in tune with our own desires.

When we quit listening to God we harden our hearts … we willfully refuse to obey Him. When we harden our heart we lay a foundation for all other sins. God hates sin… We should share in God’s goal for no sin in our lives. Granted it is impossible in this life, but it is a worthy goal! Eventually, if we sin long enough, God's wrath will come and we face destruction.

Matthew Henry observes that “if once we allow ourselves to distrust God, we may soon desert Him.”

Henry continues, “And there are none, even the strongest of the flock, who do not need help of other Christians. Neither is there any so low and despised, but the care of their standing in the faith, and of their safety, belongs to all.

“Sin has so many ways and colors, that we need more eyes than ours own. Sin appears fair, but is vile; it appears pleasant, but is destructive; it promises much, but performs nothing. The deceitfulness of sin hardens the soul; one sin allowed makes way for another; and every act of sin confirms the habit. Let every one beware of sin.”

How do we keep from sinning? Fix your eyes on Jesus! Matthew 22:34-40 states:

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested Him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"

Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

In my personal devotions last week the Holy Spirit dropped a question into my mind… “Leon, have you made a commitment to God to love God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind?” I was stunned… I felt impressed to renew that commitment!

We all sin – and feel really stupid for doing so. After we sin there are two inner voices that call to us. One says, “Stupid! Stupid! Give it up! You will never be a successful Christian.” That is a voice of condemnation from Satan. Ignore it!

The other voice gently calls, “Come to Me and I will give you rest… cast your cares upon Me and I will help you. If you confess your sins I will forgive you.” Listen to that voice! It is the Spirit of God!

When Jesus was restoring Peter after the 3 denials and the resurrection, He asked him a blunt question – and asked it three times! The NIV helps us understand this better than the KJV or the NKJV. The first 2 times He asks, “Do you truly love Me?” The third time it is simply “Do you love Me?” The difference is the Greek word for love. The first two times He used the Greek word agape, meaning Divine Love, and the third time was phileo, the Greek word for brotherly love. Both are powerful loves, but the divine love is so much more powerful because it is a love that leads to sacrifice and obedience.

Let’s do a little personal “check-up” today… Have you fixed your thoughts on Jesus? What has been your dominant thought lately? That dominant thought will draw you to action just as surely as a yard light attracts bugs!

I am not calling us to frenzied action – but to a rest in the Lord where our priorities are straight and we are in tune with God through daily worship and devotion. My wife once said, “I can do all things through Christ – but I can’t do everything!” God will help you set the right priorities!

Today I want to encourage each of us to take our rest in the Lord! To focus on Jesus so that we know that we are on the right track! Is Jesus Christ both Savior and Lord of your life? If not, invite Him into your heart. If so, focus on His love and will for your life.

Fix Your Thoughts on Jesus

Hebrews 3:1-19