Daily Scripture Reading Hebrews 3:12 - 4:13
In recent decades, it has been common for christians and pastors to tell people that the way to go to heaven is to ask Jesus into their heart or to have a relationship with Jesus. Hebrews 3 and 4 is one of many passages which teach us why that is an insufficient gospel message.
In the opening verses of chapter 3, the author of Hebrews quoted Psalm 95, a Psalm which warned the Israelites not to harden their hearts. In today’s reading the author of Hebrews continued to refer to and quote from that passage.
Heb. 3:12 ¶ See to it brothers, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.
Take note of what the text tells us to avoid. We should avoid an unbelieving heart. The implication is we should have a believing heart.
Heb. 3:13 But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “TODAY,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
Don’t miss the word “deceitfulness”. Sin is deceitful.
Heb. 3:14 For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end,
Heb. 3:15 while it is said,
“TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE,
DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME.”
This is a quotation from Psalm 95:7-8. The Psalmist warned the Israelites of his day not to harden their hearts as their ancestors had hardened their hearts in the wilderness.
The author of Hebrews quoted this to tell all people living after Christ that we have heard the voice of Christ, His message is recorded in the New Testament, and we should not harden our hearts against His message.
Heb. 3:16 For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses?
Heb. 3:17 And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness?
Heb. 3:18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient?
Heb. 3:19 So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.
Take note of the word “unbelief”. The Israelites in the wilderness did not enter The Promised Land because of unbelief. They did not believe that Yahweh could and would fight for them and give them The Promised Land.
Heb. 4:1 ¶ Therefore, let us fear, lest, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have fallen short of it.
Just as Yahweh offered to give the Israelites The Promised Land, so too He has offered eternal life in heaven to all who believe in Jesus. Anyone who does not believe in Jesus will fall short of eternal life in heaven because of their unbelief, just as the Israelites who came out of Egypt failed to enter The Promised Land because of their unbelief.
Heb. 4:2 For indeed we have had good news proclaimed to us, just as they also; but the word that was heard did not profit those who were not united with faith among those who heard.
Notice the word “faith”. Faith means to believe in something we have not yet received. In our case, faith means believing Jesus rose from the dead even though we did not see Him rise from the dead. Faith also means believing Jesus can and will give us eternal life in heaven even though we cannot see heaven and are not there yet.
Heb. 4:3 For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said,
“AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH,
THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST,”
although His works were finished from the foundation of the world.
Pay attention to the word “believed”. In order to go to heaven, we have to believe in Jesus.
Today, many pastors and christians tell people the way to get to heaven is to ask Jesus into their heart, or have a relationship with Jesus. Those are not correct messages because they do not communicate the necessity of believing in Jesus. The Bible tells us Jesus is God, He came to earth as a man, He performed miracles, He taught, He died on the cross, He rose again from the dead, and He is our Master. We must believe those things in order to be saved. In order to lead others to salvation, we must communicate those truths. It is not sufficient to merely tell people to ask Jesus into their heart.
Heb. 4:4 For He has spoken somewhere in this way concerning the seventh day: “AND GOD RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY FROM ALL HIS WORKS”;
Heb. 4:5 and again in this passage, “THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.”
The words “this passage” refers to Psalm 95, which the author quoted numerous times in Hebrews.
Heb. 4:6 Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly had good news proclaimed to them failed to enter because of disobedience,
Heb. 4:7 He again determines a certain day, “TODAY,” saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before,
“TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE,
DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS.”
Don’t miss the emphasis on “today”. The truth about Jesus has been proclaimed to us. We need to believe that truth or suffer the consequences.
Heb. 4:8 For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that.
Heb. 4:9 So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.
Heb. 4:10 For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His.
Heb. 4:11 Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall into the same example of disobedience.
Heb. 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
This is an important statement about the Bible.
The word “living” tells us the Bible is a live message from a living God to you and me who are alive.
The word “active” tells us the Word of God is not passive. It takes action.
The word “sharper” tells us the Word of God does not speak in generalities or broad strokes. Instead, it draws very sharp distinctions between right and wrong.
The last phrase tells us the Bible does not merely judge actions, it also judges thoughts and intentions.
Heb. 4:13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are uncovered and laid bare to the eyes of Him to whom we have an account to give.
Today, many pastors and christians tell people the way to get to heaven is to ask Jesus into their heart, or have a relationship with Jesus. Those are not correct messages because they do not communicate the necessity of believing in Jesus. The Bible tells us Jesus is God, He came to earth as a man, He performed miracles, He taught, He died on the cross, He rose again from the dead, and He is our Master. We must believe those things in order to be saved. In order to lead others to salvation, we must communicate those truths. It is not sufficient to merely tell people to ask Jesus into their heart.
How accurately does your church tell people how to be saved?
How accurately do you tell other people how to be saved?
Are you able to tell others what it means to believe in Jesus?
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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”