Good morning and happy Tuesday. Most of you probably know it as Taco Tuesday, I know I do. How about some wind? The one great thing about this most recent cold snap was we’ve been able to really enjoy some nice fires. I just love a nice crackling fire. Speaking of, have you ever really made note of how enjoyable God’s basic elements are? Warming yourself next to roaring crackling fire. Diving into a cool pool of water on a hot day. Enjoying the warmth of the sun on your face. God’s elements are just good to your soul. When it’s cold outside I can crank up the heat and get warm but its not the same as a fire. There’s just something in the purity of these things that speak to us. What comes from God is good indeed.
Well, this morning we move onto Hebrews chapter 3 and we will see that the topic starts out with Jesus is greater than Moses. This might seem a little silly to us today to even try to compare Jesus to Moses, but remember when this epistle was written and to whom it was written. It is the book of Hebrews and was written to the Jewish community around 67AD. Before the arrival of Jesus, the Jews had Abraham and Moses and they were worshipped to a certain degree. Now that Jesus has come, many are very reluctant to change their beliefs. Hence the need for the book of Hebrews to openly state that Jesus is greater than Moses.
“For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses – as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself.” Heb 3:3
In fact, in an effort to make it crystal clear to the Hebrews where Jesus ranks, we see in chapter 1 that Jesus is greater than the angels. We see in chapter 2 that Jesus is greater than the prophets. And today we see that He is greater than Moses. Today we would just sort of assume these principals, but I love that God’s Word leaves nothing to assumption and addresses it clearly, not just for those in the days of it’s writing but for us today.
There’s one verse a little later in the chapter that I’d like to explore today. Hebrews 3:12:
“See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.”
This is a powerful verse and a powerful look at the human condition as it reacts to the presence God. Notice who it’s addressed to, “brothers and sisters.” This is a verse for believers in Jesus Christ. Who are “believers?” Any individual that has called upon the name of Jesus Christ to save them from their sins. They believe not just in God but that God sent His Son here to this Earth as a man, to live, die and be raised three days later. That only through the prefect life and sacrifice of Jesus can we be saved from the eternal death of our sins against a Holy and Perfect God. If you have this confession, this verse speaks to you.
“See to it” means to give it extra special attention. To constantly tend to it, like a garden. What are we to “see to?” That we don’t have sinful and unbelieving hearts. So, we just said that this verse was for Christians…can Christians have sinful, unbelieving hearts? Absolutely. Christians are still burdened with the sinful flesh of their birth, and it will be a burden as long as we walk this planet. After we are saved by Jesus there is a battle that rages. It rages within us. A new nature clashes with an old nature. As we accept Christ we are gifted a miracle. The Holy Spirit of God moves into our hearts. We are blessed with a new helper, the Spirit of God. But our old nature has not been eliminated or removed, it's still alive and kicking. The two are in constant conflict.
So how does this conflict achieve resolution? Notice in the verse it mentions a “sinful unbelieving heart.” The resolution is in the unbelieving vs the believing. That’s the topic for today. To believe or to not believe. It’s a choice we all have. It’s a decision we all make. To believe in God’s plan for our lives or not. And even if we have made that choice to believe, the struggle lingers on. How will you decide to walk with God daily, in belief or unbelief?
Our verse hinges on belief. If I go to Hobby Lobby, I can see all types of little motivational signs that say just that one word ‘Believe.’ I can go to Pinterest and see people that put a big vinyl decal on the wall of their den that says ‘Believe’ in big beautiful script. But really pause for a moment and think about what the word means. And then more importantly think about what that belief is invested in. I can make up my mind to believe in anything. There are “Flat-Earthers” out there today that honestly choose to believe that the Earth is flat not round. There is a great number today that choose to believe there is no God. There are those today that believe abortion is a good choice while some think it is murder. There are those today that believe that capitalism is good while others think communism is good. Conspiracy theorists, well, they’ll believe just about anything! These are all beliefs held by the individual and in many cases they’re willing to defend, debate or even argue or fight for their beliefs. So where does belief start and how can it change?
I think most of us would say that belief starts in the mind, right? I mean that’s where our thoughts formulate, the memory is stored, and the mental processing takes place. So surely our beliefs are formulated where the ‘thinking’ takes place? I would kindly like to disagree. I would like to propose that in reality, our beliefs and their basis, starts in our heart. To believe in God you cannot just believe in your mind, it has to start in your heart and move outwards. Listen to 2 Cor 3:14-15
“But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart.”
We see here in 1 Corinthians, a clear difference between the mind and the heart. Their minds were blinded and a veil lies on the heart of the unbeliever. So how can the veil of the heart be lifted? “The veil is taken away in Christ.” Beautiful. So Christ changes the heart first and the mind follows along in belief. Heart first, head second. Not exactly what our world teaches today.
So we’ve looked at the root of belief and unbelief, but what do they each respectively deliver? Our verse tells us clearly what unbelief and sin delivers, it causes us to “turn away from a living God.”
I have a weak stomach when it comes to blood, cutting, and people getting shots, etc. I don’t know why, but it’s the way God made me. The other day we were watching a show on Prime and a parent was giving their kid a shot of insulin. As the needle neared his arm I realized the camera was not going to cut and it was going to show the needle going into his arm. I turned away. I could not stand to see that scene, so I turned my face completely away from the scene. I could have just closed my eyes but I didn't. I instinctively turned my head from what I didn't want to see. My friends, that is what sin in your heart will do to your relationship with God. It will cause you to turn away from a God that loves you. Sin in your life will cause you to turn your back on a God that wants an abundant joyful life for you. Sin in your life will cause you to turn your face from the God that wants to comfort you. Sin in our lives has amazing power. The power to cause you to turn from your Savior.
But let’s look at the opposite of this warning. Let’s look at a life free from the bondage of sin and heart full of belief. For such a person, this life will not cause a “turning away” from God but a “turning to” God. You see belief in God, His provision, His purpose and His plan will result in you not turning from Him but actively seeking Him. If He is your guide, your protector, and your source of joy, comfort and peace, you will stay oh so close to Him! You will cling to Him, run to Him and fight fiercely when this world tries to separate you from Him. What a beautiful picture, a child of God clinging to Him, refusing to let a sinful world create separation. This is my prayer everyday. That my belief in my Savior will not falter because of sin. That my belief will cause me to turn away not from God but from the sins of this world. That I will chase after God continually, bound to Him through the loving sacrifice of His only Son, Jesus Christ.
Today I hope you have tremendous belief in the goodness of our Lord Jesus Christ. That your belief offers you comfort in the prefect plan He has for your life. That no matter what trials you are enduring right now, that God is in control and is right next to you.
If you are struggling with belief today, I pray that you will not try to work out the belief in your mind, but that you will allow Jesus Christ to lift the veil from your heart so that you can first believe with love, not intellect. If you have never accepted that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He can save you from the death of sin, you can do that today. The gift of Salvation is free and its easy. It only takes one thing….belief. Belief that Jesus Christ is enough. He is enough to free you from the bondage of sin you feel today. No matter what sin has you in chains today, Jesus is enough to break those bonds and set you free. Free indeed. Sweet freedom is in Jesus alone.
If you’d like to claim this freedom today, you need only claim Jesus. Admit you’re a sinner and that on your own you cannot fix things. On your own, you’ve messed things up and you need help. You need a helper, you need someone to save you from the mess your in. Ask Jesus. Ask Jesus to come into your life and give you this freedom. Ask Him today.
If you prayed this prayer, your life changes today. This will be a day you never forget. This is the day that belief moved from your mind to your heart.
May God bless you all richly in your journey.
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