Heart Surgery

 Heart Surgery

Jer. 17:9; Ps. 51:10; Ezek. 18:31 and Jer. 4:3-4

SUBJECT: Evangelism and Personal Work

THEME: It is vital we maintain a correct attitude toward God and His work. We must keep our hearts respectful, clean, compliant, and obedient towards the duties, tasks, and responsibilities of evangelism.

INTRODUCTION:

Even though the Word of God is incredibly clear on the Great Commission and personal evangelism, there is still a great deal of reluctance among believers to invest, involve themselves, and share their faith. 

Jeremiah 17:9, says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” You see our human nature is so fallible, broken, and deceptive…it cannot be trusted to respond to God or His priorities appropriately! We need to maintain or obtain the correct ‘heart’ posture to become responsive to the Lord. 

MESSAGE:

As God’s Servant, Look to Him to Help You Fix Your Heart

God can fix us with some much-needed heart surgery! We must humble ourselves before Him surrendering to His attention in the areas of inner cleansing, meaningful change, and holy sensitivity. Each of us must make this decision to avail ourselves entirely to the Lord. This may be more difficult for some of us, but it is an act of real faith in the forms of trust, commitment, and sacrifice. In such surrender we have these encouragements:

A. SPIRITUAL REJUVENATION IS WHAT DAVID PROVED

Ps 51:10, Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

We must surrender to deep cleansing and real internal scrubbing! This is a plea for total inner transformation, recognizing that only God principally can forgive our past sins, fundamentally change our sinful nature, and restore our spiritual strength and vitality.

David wrote this psalm of repentance after being confronted by the prophet Nathan about his adultery with Bathsheba and his role in the death of her husband, Uriah. David reveals his realization that his outward sins were symptoms of a much deeper, internal problem—sin in the heart.

Please reflect on these leading ideas: 

• “Create in me a clean heart”: To “create” (bara in Hebrew) is to make something out of nothing—a power uniquely ascribed to God alone. David acknowledges his fantastic moral corruption and is requesting of the Lord God radical spiritual surgery! He is far beyond needing just a quick fix or a patch-up.
• “Renew a right spirit within me”: David asks God to restore and sustain his correct inner heart. Lord, please wash away inner guilt, wrong motives, and moral failures (Ps. 51:11-12, & 17). A “right spirit” is a steadfast, loyal, and willing attitude that aligns perfectly with God’s program and requirements.

Beloved, we can renew a right spirit within ourselves by humbly asking God to forgive us for our serious sin and by turning away from wrongdoing in the future. David is proof God acknowledges this type of approach to Him.

B. SPIRITUAL REJUVENATION IS WHAT EZEKIEL PROMISED

Ezek 18:31, Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

We must surrender ourselves to meaningful change and significant regret resulting in a God-honoring course of action—expressive revolution! We have a divine plea for repentance. It urges us to turn away from sin and embrace spiritual renewal to avoid spiritual death.

Understand this is God’s requirement and promise issued by His servant Ezekiel: 

• “Cast away from you all your transgressions”: The Lord is calling upon us to actively and completely reject past sins and rebellion. No excuses…full responsibility for our failures! This is not just feeling bad about our sin, or regretting the fact that we got caught or even mourning messing up our reputation or that of our family. God wants us to physically and spiritually put our sinful behavior away. That is the first condition.
• “Make you a new heart and a new spirit”: God wants a total inner transformation—heart surgery. Because out of the heart come our actions, a “new heart” entails a complete change in desires, thoughts, and attitudes, allying them with God’s ideas instead of sinful idolatry and wickedness. We must embrace God’s own power to help us live the right way!
• “For why will ye die, O house of Israel?”: God is expressing a heartbreaking, loving appeal to free will. He makes it clear that we do not have to face ruin in this life, and that our chastening or destruction is a result of our own choosing, not His desire. 

Beloved, all of this highlights the deep tension between human responsibility and divine grace. While a person cannot physically create a completely righteous heart on their own, God places the responsibility of choosing to repent and seek Him on us as individuals. Later God reveals that He will ultimately provide the power to achieve this transformation (Ezekiel 36:26). This is God’s promise to the repentant individual; a promise always demands our faith—believing God’s promise!

The very next verse (Ezekiel 18:32) emphasizes that God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, underscoring that His ultimate desire is for people to turn away from destruction and live. (Unknown)

C. SPIRITUAL REJUVENATION IS WHAT JEREMIAH PERSCRIBED

Jer 4:3-4, For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. 4, Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.

We must surrender ourselves to God-wrought holy sensitivity to God’s guidance and leadership. No longer indifferent, complacent, stubborn, or passive about God’s priorities! Meaningful advocacy, leadership, support, and involvement are now characteristic of such believers! God calls His people to perform inward spiritual renewal. He warns that unless we break up the hardened, overgrown “fallow ground” of our hearts and “take away the foreskins of your heart” or ‘circumcise’ themselves to remove inner spiritual uncleanness, God’s judgment will burn like an unquenchable fire because of our wicked motives and behavior.

God’s imagery carries a rich, historically based significance:

• “Break up your fallow ground”: In agriculture, “fallow” ground is hard, unplowed soil that has sat untilled for a long time. Spiritually, this represents a hardened, unreceptive heart that has grown complacent towards the Lord. God is saying to actively till the soil of our souls so we can receive His word. Plow it up! Plow your souls!
• “Sow not among thorns”: If you plant good seeds in overgrown areas, weeds will choke them out. God warns the people not to try planting good seeds of obedience or worship while leaving sinful distractions and worldly desires in our lives, as these will ruin any spiritual fruit.
• “Take away the foreskin of your heart”: Physical circumcision was an external sign of the covenant between God and Abraham’s descendants. Cutting away the heart’s “foreskin” applies that physical imagery to the inner person. So, God uses it here as a metaphor for an inward, spiritual transformation. This involves stripping away the pride, stubbornness, and evil intentions that shield our innermost being rendering us sensitive to the Lord’s will.
• “Lest My fury come forth like fire”: Because God is just, He cannot ignore wickedness. He issues a stern, urgent warning that sincere repentance is mandatory; if they refuse to change their hardened ways, His judgment will be an unstoppable, devastating fire.

Beloved, God-wrought spiritual sensitivity is still the unvarnished and undiminished requirement. The need is deep, internal change of heart rather than merely relying on external religious rituals is what the prophet Jeremiah prescribes to us.

CONCLUSION:

Beloved, we must humble ourselves before God surrendering to His attention in the areas of inner cleansing, meaningful change, and holy sensitivity.

“Heart surgery” is a powerful metaphor for divine revitalization, where God cleanses us of our sin and replaces a stubborn, sinful nature with a spiritually obedient heart. The scriptures repeatedly emphasize this transformative, spiritual work God performs in our lives:

• Ezekiel 36:26, A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
• Psalm 51:10, Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
• Romans 2:29, Paul talks about that sacred "circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter".
• Acts 16:14, Paul noted that the Lord gently opened the heart of Lydia so she could attend to the things Paul was preaching.

These passages use medical and surgical imagery (like removing a heart of stone) to symbolize the inward change that happens deep within us through faith in the Lord and His Word.

In Christian evangelism an service, it is vitally important that we maintain a correct attitude concerning the work of God. It is necessary to keep our hearts clean and tender to what God would have to be done. Our Lord Jesus wanted the will of God and sacrificed Himself to see it done (Luk. 22:42; Matt. 26:39; Mk. 14:36; Matt. 6:10; 1 Pet. 2:15. 1 Thess. 5:18; 4:3)

This is how we can hear with our hearts and do again what is pleasing to God!

When We Become Cold Inside

When We Become Cold Inside

Jer. 17:9; Mk 16:14

SUBJECT: Evangelism and Personal Work

THEME: It is vital we maintain a correct attitude toward God and His work. We must keep our hearts respectful, clean, compliant, and obedient towards the duties, tasks, and responsibilities of evangelism.

INTRODUCTION:

Even though the Word of God is incredibly clear on the Great Commission and personal evangelism, there is still a great deal of reluctance among believers to invest, involve themselves, and share their faith. This perspective did not come from God…. 

Jeremiah 17:9, says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” You see our human nature is so fallible, broken, and deceptive…it cannot be trusted to respond to God or His priorities appropriately! 

God frequently refers to “heart surgery” as influential imagery pointing to spiritual rejuvenation, where He cleans our sin and replaces our stubborn, unenthusiastic, and sinful ‘hearts’ with spiritually compliant ‘hearts.’ As a result, we become far more spiritually minded then carnal minded.

When it comes to sacrificial service to the Lord…giving of ourselves, strength, gifts, skills, opportunities, and resources to God’s ministry…there is again excessive reluctance among God’s children. Maybe it is fear or a lack of self-confidence, but there is an incredible necessity for hardworking and steady Christian servants.

Additionally, there is an unsettling discomfort that grips the heart of the average believer whenever aggressive service to our Lord is dealt with. Maybe…we value our comfort and this world far more than we prize Him and eternity!

MESSAGE:

As God’s Servant, Use His Word to Examine Your Heart

We are susceptible to contracting various unhealthy heart conditions, but God’s word can be trusted to help us sort out our real condition. 

THE HARDEN HEART (Cold-hearted)

Mark 16:14, Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.

Jesus appeared to His remaining disciples while they ate, rebuking them for their stubborn doubt and refusal to believe the eyewitness accounts of His resurrection before giving them the Great Commission.

• Jesus “Upbraided them” tells us Jesus firmly scolds and reproves them. The truth of the gospel was so full of evidence, that those first disciples should have been rebuked for their persistent unbelief.
• “Unbelief and hardness of heart” point to the disciple’s stubborn reluctance to trust that Jesus rose from the dead, despite reports from trusted witnesses.

This is the condition in which a Christian is unresponsive to the Word of God, the truth of God, the Will of God and the Things of God. We have refused to conduct ourselves in the fashion that God desires and has instructed us. We have allowed ourselves to become cold towards the Lord!

               1)   This Coldness Is Also Referred to as Blindness of Heart

Eph 4:18, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:

This refers to the spiritual blindness, moral ignorance, and separation from God experienced by people who live apart from Christ.

                2)   This Coldness Can Also Be Referred to as Dullness of Hearing

Heb 5:11-14, Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. 12, For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. 13, For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 14, But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

This is spiritual laziness and stagnancy, and failing to grow up in our understanding of God’s word.

Summarily hardness, blindness, and dullness all point to a cold-hearted—unreceptive, non-feeling, imperceptive, non-discerning, and an unwilling individual! Such people have deliberately closed themselves off from spiritual truths, compassion or empathy.

Beloved, we must Overcoming Our Mental and Emotional Doubts! The disciples’ initial skepticism highlights that they did not easily invent or hallucinate the resurrection; they required concrete proof before becoming bold believers. But they were rebuke for their lack of openness to the facts pointing to the truth that Jesus is the Son of God resurrected!

Also, we must make the Necessary Transition to God’s Mission! Again, our Lord Jesus scolds them for their hard hearts and refusal to believe those who saw Him risen. This rebuke clears the air of their doubt right before Jesus transitions into commissioning them to preach the gospel to the entire world. The immediate solution (Mark 16:15–18) is the Great Commission through the preaching the gospel. The execution will require their full investment of their entire selves…there was no room for doubts, insensitivity, and imperception. Beloved, coldness towards God had to go! God adequately addresses their spiritual doubts! 

Finally, all these conditions are the direct result of a weighted down heart, a choking heart and a harden heart!  Leaving us worried, overwhelmed, and cold-hearted! Consequently, we are stagnant, indifferent and inactive. We seriously stand in need of a thoughtful ‘heart’ surgeon. Somebody, go get the Lord Jesus!

Listening With Your Heart 1

Listening With Your Heart 1

Jer. 17:9; Ps 119:18 and Rom. 10:17

SUBJECT: Evangelism and Personal Work

THEME: It is vital we maintain a correct attitude toward God and His work. We must keep our hearts respectful, clean, compliant, and obedient towards the duties, tasks, and responsibilities of evangelism.

INTRODUCTION:

Even though the Word of God is incredibly clear on the Great Commission and personal evangelism, there is still a great deal of reluctance among believers to invest, involve themselves, and share their faith. They also are hesitant concerning any aggressive Christian activity. This perspective did not come from God…. 

Jeremiah 17:9, says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” You see our human nature is so fallible, broken, and deceptive…it cannot be trusted to respond to God or His priorities appropriately! We need to maintain or obtain the correct ‘heart’ posture to become responsive to the Lord.

Passages like these help us understand we need to experience a special form of ‘heart’ surgery rendering us more obedient to God.

Ps 119:18, Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.

Rom 10:17, So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

God frequently refers to “heart surgery” as influential imagery pointing to spiritual rejuvenation, where He cleans our sin and replaces our stubborn, unenthusiastic, and sinful ‘hearts’ with spiritually compliant ‘hearts.’ As a result, we become far more spiritually minded than carnal minded.

MESSAGE:

As God’s Servant, Use His Word to Examine Your Heart

We are susceptible to contracting various unhealthy heart conditions, but God’s word can be trusted to help us sort out our real condition.

A.  THE WEIGHTED DOWN HEART (Worried)

Luke 21:34, And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

Our Lord Jesus warns us to remain spiritually alert. He cautions against letting worldly distractions, overindulgence, or everyday anxieties dull our spiritual senses. He wants to ensure we are not caught off guard by the sudden, unexpected arrival of “that day” (the return of Christ).

1.     “Overcharged with surfeiting” portrays the ‘heart’ as being weighed down or dulled by overindulgence, specifically gluttony or excessive eating.

2.    “Cares of this life” refer to the distracting, consuming anxieties and worries about day-to-day survival and earthly pursuits.

If we are not careful, we will end up ‘overcharged’ and weighed down with the many concerns of life.

·       Too disturbed with making ends meet financially

·       Too anxious about our professional pursuits and the work-related environment

·       Too worried about family or home related crisis or matters

·       Too concerned with friends, relatives and other matters of that nature

·       Too troubled with our health, eating habits/diet, and health insurance

3.    Remember, worry is an ineffective strategy for the future! God tells us not to worry as a matter of policy, emphasizing that life is more than material needs and reminding us of our immense value to Him. Instead of stressing, He invites us to pray and cast our burdens on Him, promising to replace our anxieties with a supernatural peace that guards our hearts and minds.

4.    Take these Bible thoughts very seriously because they afford wisdom and comfort to alleviate the weighted down heart condition:

·        Remember Your Value to God. In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus reminds us to look at the birds and flowers; if God cares for nature, He will certainly provide for us. He assures us, we do not need to worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself.

·        Change your Anxieties into Prayers. Philippians 4:6-7 commands to refuse to be anxious about anything, instructing us to present our prayer requests to God with a heart of thanksgiving so He can grant us His brand of peace.

·        Release Your Burdens to the Lord. 1 Peter 5:6-7 encourages us to throw all our anxiety on the Lord because He deeply cares for us.

·        Take Comfort in and Trust God as a Habit. Psalm 23 reminds us that even when walking through the darkest valleys, we do not need to fear because God is with us, providing rest, restoring, assurance, and comfort to our souls.

Worries and more ‘bothers!’ God say, “No”! Avoid this condition making some godly priorities instead and sticking with them. Put God first, your family next, and then work it out from there with the rest of your priorities.  Place a precedence on the most important things first.

 

Character or Reputation?

 

Character or Reputation?

1 Sam. 16:1-13

 

What about the character versus reputation debate? Some don’t even think this is really a consideration because ‘a good reputation’ is all that matters to them. God, however, is looking for a person with genuine character!

You may remember how King Saul had disobeyed God and was rejected as the king of Israel, leaving the prophet Samuel in incredibly deep mourning. God essentially told Samuel to stop grieving for King Saul and the past, pick up his horn of oil, and prepare for the future—a new king. Because anointing a new king could be viewed as ‘treason’ by Saul, God instructed Samuel to disguise his mission as a sacrificial offering in Bethlehem, where Jesse lived.

Consider what God says in 1 Samuel 16,

And the Lord said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons. ² And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the Lord said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the Lord. ³ And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee.

⁴ And Samuel did that which the Lord spake, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably? ⁵ And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the Lord: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.

⁶ And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the Lord's anointed is before him. ⁷ But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

⁸ Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the Lord chosen this. ⁹ Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath the Lord chosen this. ¹⁰ Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The Lord hath not chosen these.

¹¹ And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither. ¹² And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he. ¹³ Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.

God clearly values inner character and faith over mere outer appearance, choosing the most unanticipated person for leadership. David’s time as a shepherd was not wasted nor incidental. The solitude, danger, and reliance on God he experienced while protecting his flock served as spiritual preparation for his future role as Israel’s shepherd-king.

While it is true that we tend to make superficial judgments based on our personal heuristics and ‘judge a book by it’s cover’, God looks much deeper to recognize good character.  We must force our judgment to peer deeper and ask questions that expose the correct kind of character. 

What Does God Prioritize?

1.      Godly character is identified by internal, holy attributes rather than superficial external appearances.

·       Philippians 4:8, Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. God prizes virtues like authenticity, honesty, purity, and excellence. He wants these inner qualities for His children.

·       1 Samuel 16:7, But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. God judges based on the heart—real inner qualities, not shallow outward appearance like we tend to do. “Samuel was about to make the mistake of evaluating the men by their physical gifts (see 10:24) when God reminded him that the heart was the important thing.”^[1]

·       Romans 5:3-4, And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

Our Lord uses trials to reveal and develop character traits like patience and hope. Certainly, this requires time, maturation, discipline, and honest self-reflection.

·       Proverbs 10:9, He that walketh uprightly walketh surely: but he that perverteth his ways shall be known. Character is “walking uprightly”—living with genuine integrity.

§  “Walketh uprightly walketh surely”: An honest person who lives with moral integrity walks with confidence and peace of mind because they have nothing to hide.

§  “Perverteth his ways shall be known”: The deceiver or someone who takes dishonest, "crooked" paths will eventually be found out and exposed. 

2.   God roundly views good Character as more important than mere reputation in 1 Samuel 16:7.

·       1 Sam. 16:7, But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

·       Key meaning is that people naturally judge others by superficial traits—looks, wealth, social status, and physical strength. This limited perspective is flawed and often deceptive.

·       But by examining the heart God sees a person's true inner reality. The “heart” represents the core of one's inner character, motivations, thoughts, and spiritual devotion. With the correct perspective these qualities can be discerned.

·       When we apply this standard, we overcome preconceptions and prejudice! We are challenged to value people based on their integrity, kindness, and faithfulness to God, rather than judging them on their exterior or societal stereotypes.

·       “Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart” (1Sam. 16:7). The core verse of this passage tell us when Samuel lined up Jesse’s tall, strong, good looking, and capable sons, God rejected them one by one. Human judgment focuses on physical traits or status, but God judges based on spiritual integrity, humility, and devotion.

·       A little self-reflection would prove extremely helpful. God reminds us that we cannot hide our true motives from Him. True spiritual growth focuses on cultivating a righteous heart rather than just acting “good” for others to see.

In closing, reputation has displaced real godly character. This is true professionally, politically, religiously, socially, publicly (TV, commercials, advertisements, magazines) and even privately. Maintaining the correct reputation is everything while possessing real character only matters to a few who respect God above all else. We have allowed certain skills and abilities to supersede actual qualities; what a person can do is prioritized while who a person is may be thoughtlessly discarded. The more we reject Bible-bases qualities the more we seem to embrace self-centered and materialistic traits without even realizing we are doing it. 

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^[1] Warren W. Wiersbe, Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1993), 1 Sa 16:1–13.

The Warning (Keep the Faith, Part 3)

 

Lesson Four

The Warning

Hebrews 3:7-11

 

Theme: Christ Jesus, the Son of God, is our Model of fidelity and is infinitely Superior to Moses. Therefore, hold firmly to your faith in Christ, God’s faithful Apostle and High Priest.

 

Reflection

Begin your study by sharing thoughts on this question.

 Think of a time when a Christian friend encouraged your faith. What did this person do to help you?

 

Bible Reading

Read carefully and thoughtfully Hebrews 3:1–19.

5.  What is the overall scope of this warning section in the chapter? (Heb. 3:7-19)

 

I.                 In the first exhortation (Heb. 2:1–4), the writer pointed out the danger of drifting from the Word because of neglect. In this exhortation, he explains the danger of doubting and disbelieving the Word because of hardness of heart. It is important that we understand the background of this section, which is the Exodus of Israel from Egypt and their experiences of unbelief in the wilderness.

II.               To begin with, we must understand that there are spiritual lessons in the geography of Israel’s experiences. The nation’s bondage in Egypt is an illustration of a sinner’s bondage in this world. Much as Israel was delivered from Egypt by the blood of lambs and the power of God, so a sinner who believes on Christ is delivered from the bondage of sin (Col. 1:13–14). Jesus Christ is “the Lamb of God” whose death and resurrection have made our deliverance from sin a reality.

III.             It was not God’s will that Israel remain either in Egypt or in the wilderness. His desire was that the people enter their glorious inheritance in the land of Canaan. But when Israel got to the border of their inheritance, they delayed because they doubted the promise of God (Num. 13–14). “We are not able” wept the ten spies and the people. “We are able with God’s help!” said Moses, Joshua, and Caleb. Because the people went backward in unbelief instead of forward by faith, they missed their inheritance and died in the wilderness. It was the new generation that possessed the land and entered into their rest.

IV.            What does Canaan represent to us as Christians today? It represents our spiritual inheritance in Christ (Eph. 1:3, 11, 15–23). It is unfortunate that some of our hymns and Gospel songs use Canaan as a picture of heaven, and “crossing the Jordan” as a picture of death. Since Canaan was a place of battles, and even of defeats, it is not a good illustration of heaven! Israel had to cross the river by faith (a picture of the believer as he dies to self and the world, Rom. 6) and claim the inheritance by faith. They had to “step out by faith” (Josh. 1:3) and claim the land for themselves, just as believers today must do.

V.              Now we can understand what the wilderness wanderings represent: the experiences of believers who will not claim their spiritual inheritance in Christ, who doubt God’s Word and live in restless unbelief. To be sure, God is with them, as He was with Israel; but they do not enjoy the fullness of God’s blessing. They are “out of Egypt” but they are not yet “in Canaan.”

6.  What warning does the Holy Spirit give to us? (Heb. 3:7-11)

To drive home God’s call to faithfulness and to warn of the consequences of stubborn disbelief, the classic failure of Israel at Kadesh Barnea which led to their 40-year detour in the wilderness is presented. That generation of Israel that came out of Egypt doubted God; therefore, they never entered the land of Canaan. Paul quotes from Psalm 95:7–11, which records God’s response to Israel’s tragic spiritual condition.

 

I.                 The Spirit’s Warning Issues a Command (3:7-8a).

a.      “Hear His Voice,” whenever God speaks, we should be swift to hear. To doubt His word is to call Him a liar and to incur His wrath.

b.      Israel put God to the test—“temptation in the wilderness”—by asking, “Is the Lord among us, or not?” (Ex. 17:7)  Instead of trusting God in the midst of adverse circumstances, they demanded that He show His hand in order to demonstrate to them that He was in their midst to help them.

c.      The phrase “harden not your hearts,” forbids the continuance of an action already going on. These Hebrews were already hardening their hearts. Paul exhorts them to stop doing so.

d.      In view of the fact that Messiah is better than the prophets, the angels, and Moses, the warning is, not to harden their hearts in renouncing their professed faith in Messiah and returning to the sacrifices. —Wuest, Kenneth S.

II.               The Spirit’s Warning Illustrates a Calamity (3:8b-9).

a.      The “provocation in the day of temptation” refers to the murmuring of Israel against the Lord at Rephidim because of the lack of water (Ex 17:1–7).

b.      God had delivered His people from Egypt and had cared for them, revealing His power in many signs and wonders (Heb. 3:9). Israel saw all of this and benefited from it!

c.      But the experience did not bring them closer to God or make them trust Him more. This is an extraordinary calamity! All that God did for them did not benefit them spiritually. In fact, just the opposite took place: they hardened their hearts against God! They put God to the test—“proved”—and He did not fail them; yet they failed Him.

III.             The Spirit’s Warning Illuminates a Condition (3:10).

God’s keen displeasure with Israel in the wilderness brought forth this stern denunciation. He accused them of a perpetual proneness to wander away from Him, and of a willful ignorance of His ways. —MacDonald, William; Farstad, Arthur: Believer's Bible Commentary

a.      They Consistently Erred in Heart (Heb. 3:10).

                                                    i.     The heart of every problem is a problem in the heart. The people of Israel (except Moses, Joshua, and Caleb) erred in their hearts (Heb. 3:10).

1.      Their hearts wandered from God and His Word.

2.      They also had evil hearts of unbelief (Heb. 3:12); they did not believe that God would give them victory in Canaan. They had seen God perform great signs in Egypt. Yet they doubted He was adequate for the challenge of Canaan.

                                                  ii.     When a person has an erring heart and a disbelieving heart, the result will also be a hard heart. (Wiersbe, W. W. 1996, c1989. The Bible Exposition Commentary)

1.      This is a heart that is insensitive to the Word and work of God. So hard was the heart of Israel that the people even wanted to return to Egypt! Imagine wanting to exchange their freedom under God for slavery in Egypt!

2.      Of course, all this history spoke to the hearts of the readers of this letter because they were in danger of “going back” themselves.

                                                 iii.     Why was God grieved? (Heb. 3:10, 17)

1.      God was grieved according to Hebrews 3:9, which says, “When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.” But, why was He grieved? The two words “tempted” and “prove” hold the reason why God was so grieved with Israel. According to Wuest, “tempted” means “to put to the test to see what good or evil may be in a person.”  The nation of Israel was in affect saying ‘Can He provide and protect as He said?’  The people kept ‘testing’ God!  Then the word “prove” means “to put to the test for the purpose of approving the person if he meets the test.”  Israel was saying, ‘Is He really God?’ They were demanding more proof while ignoring a mountain of evidence. This is continuous unbelief. This is what grieved the heart of Jehovah. But note also what Carson said, Those who left Egypt with Moses had God’s words of promise and warning ringing in their ears, but they hardened their hearts and would not respond with faith and obedience. Rebellion and testing are translations of the Hebrew names Meribah and Massah (Ex. 17:1–7; cf. Nu. 20:1–13). At the beginning and end of their desert wanderings, the Israelites showed themselves to be particularly unbelieving at these places. They tested and tried God in the sense that they went as far as they could in provoking him to judge them (9). –Carson, D. A.1994. New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition

2.      The latter phrase of verse 9 says, “and saw my works forty years.”  This affords us the third reason why God was grieved with Israel. The forty-year period in the wilderness was an expression of God’s anger with that generation, but it was also an opportunity for them to experience his gracious ways, again and again (10). Since they refused to repent and trust him, he declared on oath in his anger that such people could not enter his rest in the land that he had promised to their forefathers as an inheritance (11; cf. Nu. 14). That privilege would only be extended to their children. –Carson, D. A.1994. New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition

3.      Israel’s behavior can only be described as continuous rebellion and unbelief. This grieved God greatly because He had given them so much evidence to persuade them to trust and obey Him implicitly. Although God had miraculously rescued them from Egypt and had demonstrated his power and care over his people, the people disobeyed God, complained against him, and refused to take possession of the land God had given them. They tested him, tried him, and saw him work both for and against them during their forty years of wandering. They tested his patience and challenged his authority. Despite seeing God's works for forty years, the people continually rebelled against him. –The Life Application Commentary Series copyright (C) 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000

4.      God’s keen displeasure with Israel in the wilderness brought forth this stern denunciation. He accused them of a perpetual proneness to wander away from Him, and of a willful ignorance of His ways. –MacDonald, W. 1997, c1995. Believer's Bible Commentary

5.      Wuest highlights the fact that their proneness to was due to their general ignorance of God—they had little experience with Him and His ways because they neglected Him.

6.      God was offended at the actions of Israel. … Israel was led astray with respect to the heart, the seat of one’s personal character and of one’s moral and spiritual life. The Hebrew has it, “They are a people of wanderers in heart.” … Israel’s ignorance of the ways of Jehovah preceded and was the cause of their being led astray. Their ignorance was due to their neglect of Jehovah, for the knowledge they lacked was experiential knowledge which was to be acquired through experience with the ways and character of God. –Wuest, K. S. 1997, c1984. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament

b.      They were Ignorant of God’s Way (Heb. 3:10b).

                                                    i.     In spite of God’s works and loving patience the Israelites failed to understand the ways He would have had them go to reach His Canaan rest (Ex 18:20).

1.      Yes, the forty-year period in the wilderness was an expression of God’s anger with that generation, but it was also an opportunity for them to experience his gracious ways, again and again.

2.      Instead they challenged God’s sovereign authority by their rebellion in the wilderness (Num 20).They cared not to take God’s road! 

                                                  ii.     Are we any better? Obedience from the heart goes beyond merely receiving instructions. One must respond to God’s wisdom with complete surrender and compliance.  That generation of Israelites perished because they willfully rebelled in spite of a full revelation at Mount Sinai.

                                                 iii.     When one despises the preachers of the gospel they are at the same time despising the message of Christ. Christ continued to speak through his apostles, and buy his Spirit. The general rule is that we should diligently attend unto him, and we are not to refuse any who speak unto us in the name and authority of Christ. This may be applied to all the faithful preachers of the gospel, but they may be despised in this world.

IV.            The Spirit’s Warning Issues a Condemnation (3:11).

a.      God’s judgment fell on Israel in the wilderness at Kadesh Barnea. That entire generation was condemned to die, and only the new generation would enter the land.

b.      God said, “They shall not enter into My rest” (Heb. 3:11).

c.      Dr. Newell made the following observations regarding this same matter.

                                                    i.     The wicked say to God, “We desire not the knowledge of Thy ways” (Job 21:14). The angel said to Daniel, “The people that know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.”  Since not knowing God’s ways is shown as the vital lack in Israel of old, and assured their failing to enter God’s rest, let us ask How shall we know the ways of God?  Mark it well: do as Moses did.  Ask and seek to have His ways shown to you.  Or, with David, plead Psalm 27:11, and the like. We must know our God and His ways. Otherwise, we shall be mere “professing” Christians.

                                                  ii.     From all of these observations regarding the text, it can be concluded men dislike the ways of God because of ignorance, like of experience, spiritual laziness, and they simply did not pursue a knowledge of Jehovah and His ways.  Therefore, despite the abundance of evidence presented by God, Israel still did not know His ways.

Response 

Use these questions to share more deeply with each other.

 

 

11.  Why should believers distinguish between faith and feelings?

 

 

Question 7. Be careful to maintain balance here. It's easy to get into a gender-related discussion about emotions. Because a person is emotional doesn't mean his/her faith is not real. Faith can lead to emotion. It just can't be based on emotion.

 

 

 

12.  How can you determine if your faith is real?

 

 

Question 8. Read James 2:14–17 (read through verse 26 if you don't mind a longer passage). Discuss current examples of faith without works.

 

 

 

13.  What can you do to ensure that your faith will endure?

 

Prayer

 

Father, we ask you to deepen our faith in you. Give us the strength to withstand temptation, overcome doubt, and remain loyal to you. At the end of our lives, may we hear your words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

 

Journaling

 

Take a few moments to record your personal insights from this lesson.

 

 

What steps can I take this week to strengthen my faith in God?

 

 

 

 

 

Additional Questions

 

 

14.  How can you avoid hardening your heart against God?

 

 

 

15.  What is the danger for Christians who neglect the fellowship of other believers?

 

 

Question 11. If you can, offer some examples of how your own life is different in proportion to the time you spend in fellowship with believers.

 

 

 

16.  What Christian friend can you encourage in spiritual matters? How?

 

For more Bible passages about remaining faithful, see Deuteronomy 11:13–18; 1 Samuel 12:24; 2 Samuel 22:26; 1 Kings 2:3,4; 2 Chronicles 19:9; Psalm 97:10; Proverbs 28:20; Matthew 25:19–23; 1 Corinthians 4:2; 10:12, 13; 3 John 3–5; Revelation 2:10; 17:14.

To complete the book of Hebrews during this twelve-part study, read Hebrews 3:1–19.