Hebrews 3:13
Dear Believer
Outline:
I. \\#1:1-3\\ Meet the New Speaker
II. \\#1:4-8:6\\ The New Is Better
A. \\#1:4-14\\ Jesus Was MADE Better than the Angels
1. \\#1:4\\ With a better NAME.
2. \\#1:5\\ With a better RELATIONSHIP.
3. \\#1:6\\ With WORSHIP, even from the angels.
4. \\#1:7-8\\ With a SCEPTER and a THRONE.
5. \\#1:9\\ With a better ANOINTING.
6. \\#1:13\\ With a better POSITION.
7. \\#2:5\\ With a KINGDOM.
B. \\#2:1-4\\ Sermon: Listen to the New Spokesman
C. \\#2:5-8\\ Jesus Was MADE Better than the Angels
D. \\#2:5-18\\ Jesus Was Honored Because:
1. \\#2:5-8\\ Jesus was born, honored because He was THE
Man.
a. He was a Man who had the RIGHT to reclaim the
Dominion.
b. He was THE Man who COULD reclaim the Dominion.
2. \\#2:9\\ Jesus died, honored because He paid the debt.
3. \\#2:10-11\\ Jesus suffered, honored because He made one
both the sanctified and the Sanctifier one.
4. \\#2:14-18\\ Jesus became the Comforter, honored because
He took on Him the nature of mankind.
E. \\#3:1-6\\ Jesus Better than Moses
F. \\#3:7-4:13\\ Sermon: What You Need to DO.
1. \\#3:7-12\\ Dear Unbeliever
2. \\#3:13-4:13\\ Dear Believer
I am referring to this section as a "preaching sermon." Of course the
entire book of Hebrews is a sermon, but it is more of a teaching
sermon than a preaching sermon. As I often say, there is a difference.
Teaching sermons are more concerned with getting truth across.
Preaching sermons are more concerned with forcing a response. One of
the reasons the book of Hebrews is difficult to understand is because
so much of it is focused on getting difficult truths across to the
readers; but in these sermon sections, the message becomes much
easier to understand. Why? Because in these, it is not an education
that the writer wanted to give, but a response that he wanted to
receive.
Last week, the writer of this book moved into this preaching section.
1. \\#13:7-12\\ He was preaching to the unbeliever.
a. A good portion of this book is directed to those who may
not be saved.
(1) As the title of the book indicates, the writer was
writing primarily to Jewish people.
(2) Some were saved. Some were not. Some were coming to
Christ. Some were considering abandoning Christ.
(3) These people were on his mind and here, he preached
to illicit a response from the people.
b. What responses was he seeking? There were two:
(1) \\#8-11\\ Don’t Harden Your Hearts - Don’t get
foolishly stubborn. Israel did in the wilderness,
and, it cost that generation their lives. They
wandered 40 years in the wilderness.
(2) \\#12\\ Take Heed - Watch and Learn. That generation
of Jews died in the wilderness, but the cost was far
more than their earthly lives. The cost was and is
an eternity separated from God.
2. \\#13:13-4:13\\ The writer spoke to the believer.
I. \\#3:13\\ Dear Believer, "Exhort One Another"
Heb 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it
is called To day; lest any of you be hardened
through the deceitfulness of sin.
A. I say these things are directed to the believers, but I should
probably say they are directed to those who "say" they are
believers.
1. We need to remember that the author has doubts about some
of them.
2. But this part of the preaching sermon is directed to those
who at least claim Christ.
B. Because there is always the possibility that there are unsaved
and struggling among us, we are to exhort one another.
1. The word itself means to invoke, to draw near, to comfort.
a. The idea is to encourage one another.
b. Those who are presently encouraged in the Lord are to
help those who are presently discouraged in the Lord.
c. And do understand that the roles will reverse in time.
(1) There will be very few who will not need to be
encouraged in the Lord no matter how strong they
may be today.
(2) Job and Elijah were strong men who encouraged
others in the Lord, but there came days when
they needed to be encouraged.
(3) Likewise, there was a time when neither Jacob,
Gideon, or even Moses had anything spiritual to
offer others; yet they became leaders in God’s
work.
d. So it is a needed ministry. Everyone needs to
encourage for everyone will need to be encouraged.
2. But notice also the time of this ministry, "daily."
a. Most churches officially meet but two days a week, but
the work of the believers is a continuous work.
b. People’s pains and heartaches are not limited to
Sundays and Wednesdays.
c. The world, the devil, and the flesh attack us daily
and the Lord calls every believer to help and
encourage one another in like manner.
d. This is one of the most basic and essential works of
church.
C. What is this ministry of exhortation?
1. We are dropping into the middle of the message of chapter
3 so let’s remind ourselves what has been said.
a. The writer has been and will continue retelling parts
of the story about the Jews who left Egypt for the
Promised Land.
(1) The exact event he was telling was "the day of
provocation," \\#3:8, 15\\ the day when Israel
provoked God.
(2) That was the time when God judged them for 40
years \\#9\\ and did not let them enter into
God’s rest \\#11\\.
(3) So the writer was describing the day when Israel
rebelled against God and would not go into the
Promised Land.
b. Was there an exhorter in that day? Yes, two men: Caleb
and Joshua.
(1) Listen to Caleb’s words on the day they refused
to enter the land:
Num 13:30 And Caleb stilled the people before
Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and
possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.
Numbers 14:8 (Caleb and Joshua said) If the LORD
delight in us, then he will bring us into this
land, and give it us; a land which floweth with
milk and honey.
9 Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither
fear ye the people of the land; for they are
bread for us: their defence is departed from
them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.
(2) When everyone else was saying, "We can’t take
this land!" Caleb was saying, "With God, we
can!"
(1) What is an exhorter? One who says, "With
God, we can!"
(2) The exhorter keeps people focused on God’s
will and God’s ability even when the whole
world wants to go in the opposite direction.
c. \\#13\\ Some of those who were reading this letter were
about to let the deceitfulness of sin keep them from
claiming their generation’s rest.
(1) How does sin deceive us? Many ways but I will
list a few:
(a) the pleasure of this world
(b) the fears of your mind
(c) the circumstances of your time
(d) the weakness of your flesh
(2) Don’t let these deceptions cheat you out of the
rest that comes by trusting Jesus Christ as your
Savior and following Him.
(3) And the author of the book was saying, "Don’t let
that happen! Exhort them!"
(4) And that is the ministry you and I both have to
one another.
(a) I am to encourage you and you are to
encourage me and we are to encourage others.
(b) With God, we can!
i. We can be saved and walk in faith.
ii. We can serve and stand for our Lord.
iii. We can resist temptation and demonstrate
the faithfulness of our God.
(c) God asked Abraham the question, "Is anything
too hard for the Lord?" \\#Ge 18:14\\; and
the answer is NO.
(d) Let’s encourage one another to settle our
doubt, and if we have, to keep on moving
forward for the Lord Jesus Christ.
2. \\#14\\ Notice why this ministry is so important.
Heb 3:14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if
we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast
unto the end;
a. Because it is not who begins a walk with Jesus that is
going to heaven but who finishes a walk with Christ.
b. This is another one of those verses that causes some
confusion—and I understand why.
(1) If the only verse I had in the Bible was this
one, I might believe it was telling me that if I
don’t finish my walk with Jesus, I will lose my
salvation.
(2) But it is not the only verse I have in the Bible.
Joh 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He
that heareth my word, and believeth on him that
sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not
come into condemnation; but is passed from death
unto life.
Joh 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life;
and they shall never perish, neither shall any
man pluck them out of my hand.
(3) So what is the writer saying? He is saying that
many will start a walk with God on their own
terms and for their own reasons, but only those
who settle their doubts and surrender to God are
going to finish it.
(a) If you did not know, I am sorry to have to
be the one to tell you this but just
because you prayed a prayer when you were
8 and were dragged to church by your
parents, that doesn’t mean you are saved.
(b) Saved folks finish their race with Jesus.
(c) False professors fall flat. (A faith that
fizzles before the finish had a fatal flaw
from the first." Richard Oldham)
(4) The exhorters are those who call out to those who
stand in doubt, in indecision, in question, and
to pull them over to the side of faith and
surrender.
(5) They also encourage the struggling, the tired,
the attacked, the bewildered, the confused, the
lonely, and the hurting.
(6) Those words are loaded with spiritual power,
"With God, we can!"
II. \\#4:1\\ Dear Believer, "Let Us Fear."
Heb 4:1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise
being left us of entering into his rest, any of
you should seem to come short of it.
A. I know that as a rule the Bible teaches us that we NOT to
fear, but this section of Scripture contains an exception to
that command.
B. If you do not have your faith in Jesus Christ settled, you
should be very fearful.
1. Notice the reason for fear:
a. \\#3:19\\ The writer told why the Hebrews of old could
not enter into God’s rest.
Heb 3:19 So we see that they could not enter in
because of unbelief.
b. \\#4:3\\ The writer told his readers who gets to enter
in God’s rest today:
Heb 4:3 For we which have believed do enter into
rest….
c. What is the cause for which we should be afraid?
(1) Unbelief or lack of faith
(2) Friend, if you are not sure who Jesus is, what
Jesus did, or if Jesus has saved you, you have
every right to lay awake all night, every night,
fearing to go to sleep for the fear of not
waking up.
d. In fact, you have more reason to fear than that:
Heb 4:7 Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying
in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is
said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden
not your hearts.
(1) You should be afraid that God, having given you
so many opportunities to be saved, might cut you
off and stop dealing with you about salvation.
(2) Friend, if you call yourself a believer but you
have no faith, you have every right to be
afraid.
2. Notice the reason for fearlessness:
Heb 4:9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the
people of God.
10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also
hath ceased from his own works, as God did from
his.
a. If you don’t want to be afraid, settle your doubt and
trust Jesus as your Savior.
b. Something is wrong with a person who is going to hell,
and is NOT afraid.
c. Gangsters, drug pushers, murderers, kidnappers,
blackmailers, adulterers, blasphemers, God-haters—
they must all have a screw loose if they aren’t
living in constant fear.
III. \\#4:11\\ Dear Believer, "Let Us Labor."
Heb 4:11 Let us labour therefore to enter into
that rest, lest any man fall after the same
example of unbelief.
A. The writer is NOT saying let’s work hard FOR our salvation.
B. He just said in the previous verse that those that had
"entered into (God’s) rest… hath CEASED from his own
works…."
C. No, what he is saying is that we better work very hard to make
sure we ARE saved!
1. We had better read the Bible, from cover to cover,
repeatedly and continually, studying it as we go, not
skipping over the parts that seem difficult.
a. In fact, the writer begins to talk about the Bible in
the very next verse.
b. Someone says, "Well, that’s kind of hard for me."
c. Let it be hard! Put some labor into it to make sure
your soul is saved.
2. Get faithful in a good Bible-believing church.
3. Get involved in serving Jesus. Find out whether you
really believe in Him or not. Put yourself out there and
see whether you trust Him.
D. Friend, if anything can cause me to doubt or if there is any
doubt in me, I want to find out today while I can fix it not
tomorrow when I stand before Him.
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