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Oct. 27, 2005 “1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; 2 Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house. 3 For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath built the house hath more honor than the house. 4 For every house is built by some man; but he that built all things is God. 5 And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; 6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.” (Hebrews 3:1-6) As important as Moses is to the history of the Hebrews; Jesus Christ is more important. Moses was a servant. Moses was faithful, but Jesus is family. Jesus is the son. As Moses brought a testimony of the one who would come after to bring salvation to the race; Jesus was that one who built that house of salvation. We are “partakers of the heavenly calling.” That cannot be taken away. We are the “house” of Jesus and we are to “hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing in hope.” This is not difficult for the child of the true God of Heaven. “7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost says, To day if ye will hear his voice, 8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. 10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do always err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. 11 So I swore in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)” (Hebrews 3:7-11) The warning of God is not to be taken lightly. The Holy Ghost is God the Spirit. God the Father walked with Israel in the wilderness for 40 years waiting for the unfaithful generation to die off so the faithful part of his chosen nation might inherit the land in a pure state. None of those who grumbled at God in the wilderness entered into the rest; either in the land of promise, or the eternal state. We have seen many times before the love of God, but too few remember that God is also a God of wrath when it comes to disobedience. Is God intolerant of error? Yes, of course he is. “12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. 13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” (Hebrews 3: 12-13) Those who claim a former belief who are now turned against faith are either liars or very deceived by personal sin. To know God, yet deliberately bring shame to his reputation is a practice of a heart destroyed by sin. It is a deceived heart. The call of the Christian is to exhort one another all the time to keep hearts from that deceit and the destruction sin causes. Israel had God himself leading and protecting their passage to the promised lands and they still grumbled and rebelled because there was no trust; no real faith; only a desire to remain in personal sin. God allowed them to die in the wilderness; to never see the fulfillment of the promise. Only those who maintained their faithfulness to God were conducted into the promise. “14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end; 15 While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. 16 For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. 17 But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom swore he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.” (Hebrews 3:14-19) Those of us who are saved and sealed by the Spirit have the best advantage in remaining faithful. With Christ living in our heart it is not a heart that will readily harden at the word of God. We see in this age a great rebellion against scripture. That is because it was written by God and no unsaved man has a desire to listen to anyone or anything not of their own selection. Not all that left Egypt with Moses died in the wilderness. But the ones that had sinned left their carcasses there. We can readily see that it was the unbelievers who did not enter into God’s rest and this pattern of life and death has not changed since the first sinner. The Christian is wise to warn the unbeliever not to harden his heart against the clear teachings of scripture. ------------ Email Skip: skiptoomaloo@hotmail.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
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