They Were Not United by Faith

“Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.” (Hebrews 4:1-2 ESV)

“Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, again he appoints a certain day, ‘Today,’ saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted,

“’Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts.’” (Hebrews 4:6-7 ESV)

“Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:11-13 ESV).

I recommend here that you read all of Hebrews 4 along with Hebrews 3, and along with 1 Corinthians 10, for all three are on the same subject, and each adds to the other. Basically, this is talking in reference to the children of Israel who God led out of captivity in Egypt via Moses, and who spent 40 years in the wilderness before a remnant of them were able to enter the Promised Land. With most of them God was not pleased because they were idolaters, the sexually immoral, drunkards, and revelers who put Christ to the test and who grumbled against God and against his servant Moses. 

And in 1 Corinthians 10 it tells us that these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. We are not to do as they did, for if this is what we practice, we will die in our sins, and we will not have eternal life with God. So these things were written down for our instruction, so that we do not follow their example and end up with the same result. So, if God is speaking to any of us, and if he is pointing out to us any areas of our lives which are displeasing to him, we are not to ignore him. We are not to harden our hearts against what he is communicating to us.

We are not to follow the example of the Israelites who thought that they could live however they wanted and that they would still get to go into the Promised Land, and that they would still get to enter into God’s eternal rest, because they were physical descendants of Abraham and Sarah. We are not to presume upon God’s grace that he will allow those who profess his name carte blanche to continue in deliberate and habitual sin without punishment. For Jesus said that not everyone saying to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING the will of God (Matthew 7:21-23).

And Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to (save) our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for Jesus’ sake we deny self (lose ourselves), die daily to sin, and follow him in walks of obedience to his commands, then we have the hope of salvation from sin and of eternal life with God provided that we continue on that course of obedience to God in the forsaking of our sins, and that we do not go back to living in sin and for self (Luke 9:23-26).

[Matt 24:9-14; Jn 8:31-32; Jn 15:1-12; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 8:24; Rom 11:17-24; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; Gal 6:7-8; Col 1:21-23; 2 Tim 1:8-9; 2 Tim 2:10-13; Heb 9:28; Heb 3:6,14-15; 1 Pet 1:5; 2 Pet 1:5-11; 2 Pet 2:20-22; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,15-17,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10]    

So, just because you make a profession of Christ as your Lord and Savior, it does not assure you salvation from sin and eternal life with God. For lip service only will not get anyone into heaven. Yes, it is only by the grace of God, via God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in him that any of us are saved from our sins and given the hope of heaven when we die. None of us can believe in Jesus of our own accord. But the faith to believe in Jesus requires that we deny self, die to sin daily, and follow our Lord in walks of obedience to his commands. For if we do not, we will not have eternal life in him.

All of us are going to be judged by God according to the genuiness of our faith in him which is evidenced as being genuine by us dying with him to sin and via walks of righteousness in obedience to his commands, by his grace, in his strength, and by his power. So we need to be students of the Scriptures who are studying them in their full context so that we know what they are teaching, and who are then obeying them in the power of God living within us. And we need to take seriously all these warnings in the New Testament that if we sin, deliberately and habitually, we will die, not live.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 10:27-30; Ac 26:18; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2]

He Gives Purpose  

An Original Work / June 9, 2012

“Listen to Me when I’m calling to you.

Obey freely My word.

Follow Me in all of My ways.

Do all that I say.

Hear Me gently whisper to you

My will for your life and future.

Give all of your life and heart to

Follow Me always.”

Repent of your sins and worship Jesus.

He’s your Lord and Master.

He died for your sins so you could

Live with Him today.

He has a plan for your life and

He gives purpose and direction.

He gives meaning to your life,

So follow Him today.

“I love you so much I gave My life for

You to walk in My ways,

Living for Me each day as you

Bow to Me and pray.

Witness for Me of your love for Me and

Of My grace and mercy,

How I died to save you of your

Sins now and always.”

https://vimeo.com/119038798