Our reading in Hebrews chapter 3 today contains a strong warning for every child of God. I believe that it can be demonstrated from scripture that EVERY TIME you and I sin it is because of UNBELIEF. Why don't people, most people, drink poison? We don't drink poison because we BELIEVE that it will kill us or at least make us very sick...what we believe directly impacts our behavior. SO we read God's Word and we see in Psalm 23:1 that "the Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want." We read 1 Tim 6:8, If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. The author of Hebrews teaches us in Heb 13:5, to, "Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” In those last few word God has promised HIS children HIS presence...IF we really believe that HE is with us, if we really believe that we are in HIS presence moment by moment...which should have more influence over us...HIS presence or our circumstances? IF we BELIEVED God's Word in our hearts then we would be content with what we have! IF the prayer that truly flowed from our heart every morning and all day long was the prayer of Psalm 90:14, "O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness, That we may sing for joy and be glad all our days," if this was our heartfelt prayer then we would not seek satisfaction in other places.
Heb 3:7-14 So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, 9 where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did. 10 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.’ 11 So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ”
12 See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.
Do you remember the cry of Moses in Exodus 33? Moses cried out, "If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you... 14 The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? The Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” NOW Moses makes an incredible request, “Now show me your glory.” God grants his prayer request, HE shows Moses HIS glory!
The warning of Hebrews 3 is the warning of unbelief! The author warns..."See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God." For me the natural question is what is unbelief? Unbelief is a lack of belief, faith or trust in God and His provision. Unbelief does not hinder God’s faithfulness (Rom 3:3), it does affect our ability to receive and enjoy the blessing of HIS faithfulness. Unbelief kept the Israelites from seeing the Promised Land (Heb 3:19). Unbelief kept the people of Nazareth from seeing the miracles of Jesus (Matt 13:58). Skeptics are hindered in seeing, praise God, “all things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23).
We are sternly warned to "See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 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 are encouraged and filled with hope knowing that a fallen and frail man like Abraham may believe. Do you remember the good report concerning Abraham? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness” (Rom 4:3). Every honest child of God has to love the cry of the father with the demon possessed boy in Mark 9:24, Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief.”
Father in heaven,
I do believe; help my unbelief!
love,
m