III. Following the Faithful Son by Faith (Hebrews 3:1-19)

III. Following the Faithful Son by Faith (3:1-19)

3:1 Consider Jesus. Given who Jesus is and what he has done, you’ve got to look to him in the midst of your trials. The author calls the readers holy brothers and sisters, so he’s clearly talking to Christians. And he reminds them (and us) that God didn’t save them just so they could go to heaven. He saved them to partner with him in his kingdom agenda, to share in a heavenly calling—to be his companions in the messianic kingdom that is to come (see 11:16).

3:2-6 If you were a first-century Jew, Moses was your hero. Moses faithfully served God, delivered his word to Israel, and oversaw the establishment of the tabernacle and sacrificial system. These Jewish Christian readers, then, revered Moses. But Jesus is worthy of more glory than Moses, just as the builder has more honor than the house (3:3). Moses was an important part of the household, but Jesus built the house! Thus, the two cannot be fairly compared. Though Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s household (3:5), Christ was faithful as a Son over [God’s] household. As the Son over the house, he has more say-so than a faithful servant. Keep going with Christ until you reach the finish line. We must hold on to our confidence and the hope in which we boast (3:6)—not to obtain salvation but to obtain the blessings of salvation.

3:7-11 Here the author quotes from Psalm 95 to provide an Old Testament illustration of his point. The warning is this: do not harden your hearts (3:8)—that is, don’t tell God, “no.” Psalm 95 refers to Israel’s period of forty years in the wilderness after departing Egypt. Numbers 13–14 recounts how the Israelites refused to listen to God and enter the promised land of Canaan because they feared the inhabitants. As a result of that rebellion, God made them wander in the wilderness where they continued to rebel. Therefore, I was provoked, God said (3:10). He thus swore in his anger, They will not enter my rest (3:11).

This is an Old Testament principle for New Testament Christians. God was angry because his chosen people did not know his ways (3:10). The Bible teaches that God’s ways with his people include three stages: deliverance, development, and destiny.

First, Israel experienced deliverance when God set them free from Egyptian bondage. Similarly, when he saved you—caused you to be born again in Christ—he delivered you. But his involvement in your life doesn’t end there. The second stage is development, in which he brings you into a deeper relationship with himself. This includes the trials and tests of life; there’s no development without these experiences. Most of the Israelites in the wilderness failed in the development stage because they wouldn’t trust God to provide for them. Remember: it is only when God comes through for you in tough times that you experience the blessings of trusting him.

Finally, the developmental process leads to destiny. This is where God wants you to wind up. But you can’t go from deliverance to destiny and skip development. God swore that the people would not enter his rest (3:11). The “rest” in view is a way of referring to their inheritance. He promised to give the people the land of Canaan. But because of their continual rebellion, they forfeited that inheritance.

3:12 Similarly, the author is telling his readers that if there is no development in their lives, they could miss out on their own inheritance—the spiritual blessings God has for them in history and in eternity. That’s why he says, Watch out. You can be saved but refuse to develop. In other words, you can end up in the bleachers rather than on the playing field.

Don’t waste the opportunities God gives you. How sad it would be not to be allowed to participate in his rule! Don’t do what they did and miss out on your destiny. In terms of your spiritual progress and kingdom rewards, then, don’t have an evil, unbelieving heart that allows sin to disconnect you from fellowship with God.

3:13-14 What’s going to keep you persevering when times are hard? Encourage each another daily . . . so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception. One of the primary purposes of the local church is to create an environment in which believers can help each other persevere. This is why the New Testament emphasizes (and why churches should emphasize) the “one anothers”—the exhortations to care for and encourage each other (e.g., John 15:12; Gal 6:2; Eph 4:32; 1 Thess 5:11). If we want to be Christ’s companions, those who partner with him in his kingdom agenda, we must hold firmly until the end (3:14). To do that, we must help one another avoid sin’s deception.

3:15-19 If you don’t want to harden your hearts (3:15), you need regular exposure to God’s Word. It’s the only thing with the power to keep your heart soft (see 4:12-13). Those who rebelled against and angered God in the wilderness disobeyed him because of unbelief (3:16-19). They didn’t reach their destination, Canaan, because of their lack of faith. Faith is acting like God is telling the truth. It’s one thing to say, “I have faith.” It’s another thing to demonstrate your faith in God by acting on it.

This, of course, is not always easy. But even when you don’t feel like it, you must keep following Jesus. You may fall down. If so, make sure you’re close to someone who can pick you up. If you see a brother or sister fall, pick him or her up. To reach your destiny—to be a special companion with Jesus at a whole different level—you have to operate by faith and keep going.