If You Hear His Voice

“Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ is faithful over God's house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.

“Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says,

‘Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,

    on the day of testing in the wilderness,

where your fathers put me to the test

    and saw my works for forty years.

Therefore I was provoked with that generation,

and said, “They always go astray in their heart;

    they have not known my ways.”

As I swore in my wrath,

    “They shall not enter my rest.”’

“Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.” (Hebrews 3:5-14 ESV)

The Bible does not teach “Once Saved Always Saved,” especially not in the sense that so many have of what it means to be saved and to have eternal life with God. The Scriptures do not teach that we can make a one time profession of faith in Jesus Christ and now we are “good to go” to heaven, no conditions attached. All of God’s promises to us have conditions that must be met by us for us to receive what was promised. And this is not saying that we have to be absolutely perfect, but that sin should no longer be our practice, but righteousness and obedience to God should be our practice.

For Jesus Christ gave his life up for us on that cross, in putting our sins to death with him, in order that we might now die with him to sin and live for him and to his righteousness in walks of obedience to his commands. He shed his blood for us on that cross to buy us back for God (to redeem us) out of our lives of slavery (bondage, addiction) to sin so that we will now honor and serve the Lord Jesus Christ with our lives. He died and rose again that we might be raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin, but as slaves to God and to his righteousness.

[1 Peter 2:24; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Romans 6:1-23; Titus 2:11-14]

For we are his house, his temple, his body, IF we hold fast our confidence and our hope. And this is not talking about holding fast to a confidence and hope based upon a half-truth (lie) gospel message which is telling you that all you have to do is “believe” (rarely biblically defined) in Jesus once in your life and now heaven is guaranteed you when you die regardless of how you live. For if you read the Scriptures, the entire New Testament, in reality, in their full context, it will be very obvious that salvation that is genuine results in us denying self, dying daily to sin, and following Jesus in obedience.

[Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; 1 John 2:3-6]

Therefore, if you hear the voice of the Lord speaking to you, do not harden your hearts as the Israelites of the Old Covenant did when they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. Do not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters and revelers and drunkards. Do not indulge in sexual immorality. Do not put Christ to the test by your rebellious behaviors and by your refusals to submit to him and to his will for your lives. And don’t be those who grumble against the Lord and against his true servants when they try to point out the truth to you in order to save your souls from hell.

[1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13]

For, if we follow after their example, we will end up with the same result. For these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. And these things happened to them as an example for us, but they were written down for our instruction. Why were they written down for our instruction? So that we don’t do what they did and end up with the same result. So, what is that saying? It is saying that if we follow the same pattern as they did, we also will be cut off. We will not have salvation from sin, and we will not enter into eternal life with God in his heavenly kingdom.

[Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10; 2 Co 5:10; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

So, the caution to us here is for us to take care lest there be in any of us an evil, unbelieving heart, leading us to fall away from the living God. For “belief” is not what we profess with our lips alone. Belief is divine persuasion as to the holiness and righteousness of God, and as to our sinfulness and of our need to turn away from our sins to now follow our Lord in walks of obedience to his commands in holy living. And genuine belief (faith) comes from God, is authored by him, and is gifted to us by him, and it is not of our own doing, so we don’t get to define it. God does! His word does!

[Hebrews 12:1-2; Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Acts 26:18]

Therefore, considering the biblical truth of all that has been presented here, we who profess faith in Jesus Christ are to be exhorting (spurring, urging) one another EVERY DAY, as long as it is called “today,” that none of us may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, IF indeed we hold on to the faith that is biblical, that Jesus and his NT apostles taught (in full context), firm (steadfast) to the end. For if our faith is genuine, we are saved (past), we are being saved (present), and we will be saved (future) when Jesus returns, when our salvation will be complete.

[Matthew 24:9-14; Romans 8:24; Romans 13:11; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 15:1-2; 2 Timothy 1:8-9; Hebrews 9:28; 1 Peter 1:5] 

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer 

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897

Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer;

Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,

Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,

Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,

Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,

Holy and harmless, patient and brave;

Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,

Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,

Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;

Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,

Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg 

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