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Sermon Outline
Hebrews 3:12-14
Take Care Brothers
A. A Few Comments on the Church
B. Why This Passage – for the Hebrews and for Us?
1. This passage, in its use of words, and in its warning, draws from the citation from Psalm 95 which itself drew from the experience of Israel in the desert
2. The writer does not want what happened to Israel to happen to his readers
3. We don’t want what happened to Israel to happen to us!
C. Take Care Brothers (Hebrews 3:12-14)
(12) Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. (13) 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. (14) For we share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.
1. Take care, brothers
a. take care – be watchful, vigilant, awake, focused, conscientious, sober minded
b. brothers – this exhortation is to dear brethren, those who share in Christ
2. lest there be in any of you
a. lest there be – there is the possibility of a thing lurking amongst them
a. in any of you – this mutual care must encompass the entire family and not ignore or dismiss or forget any, not even the least of these, any of the brothers
b. an evil, unbelieving heart – ultimately what lies behind apostasy (spiritual adultery) is unbelief, and what lies behind unbelief is evil
3. leading you to fall away from the living God.
a. The phrase fall away from in English is weak. The meaning is more aggressive, denoting rebellion, rejection, turning the back on, walking away from, apostasy, etc.
b. from the living God – this rebellion is not against a theology, an idea, a principle, a chosen lifestyle, the spirituality of the week, a spiritual “add on” to the good life, but a living God, a personal God to whom one is eternally personally accountable.
4. (13) But exhort one another every day
a. exhort one another…
i. This is the context for spiritual and moral growth as a Christian, in one-another relationships in a local ekklesia, or congregation, or church
ii. We are each gifted by God so that we can one-another each other, by God’s grace and power, through the probationary period of this life, into the kingdom of Jesus
iii. To remove yourself from this regular one-another accountability to fellow believers in a local church is to set yourself up for apostasy and future judgment
b. exhort one another
i. The same Greek word is used that we translate as exhort or encourage
ii. The idea includes urging, talking seriously to, encouragement in the positive sense, admonishing, rebuking, praying with and for, teaching, explaining, in love
c. every day – this process is continual, part of the warp and woof of daily life, part of the mindset of getting and being together. And despite our geographic and lifestyle dislocation we have tools today for doing this, yes, even every day…
5. as long as it is called “today,”
a. Everyday is a day to receive the gospel and come into the kingdom
b. Everyday is a day to begin to turn away from the Living God
6. that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
a. ….that none of you – every member of the community is significant, no person should ever be allowed to drift away because of favoritism, usefulness, difficulty, lack of gift, lack of money, lack of social skill and contribution, etc.
b. …..may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
i. Sin is deceitful, dishonest, tricky, confusing, causing the good to look bad, and the bad to look good. It gives bad advice and our flesh is all too ready to receive it.
ii. Lesser sins easily lead to greater sins – fear, greed, selfishness, laziness, pride, lust, all may lead to apostasy, but in stages, subtly, the deceitfulness of sin making it all seem right and OK, making the conscience less and less sensitive to the right path
iii. Consider Israel in the desert – what “lesser” sins led to the greater?
iv. Consider ourselves in this present day -- what “lesser” sins lead to the greater?
v. Therefore we must exhort one another constantly, be vigilant, not turn into ourselves, not drift away from community, not wall ourselves off…
7. (14) For we share in Christ,
a. We together share in the same hope in Christ
b. We are common partakers of His word and promise, and together, sharing this common hope and faith, we urge each other along.
8…. if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.
a. Again, it is those who endure to the end who will be saved.
b. We are not to be like the people of Israel who started well, and then rebelled against God, and did not endure in trust and faith.
c. We can have assurance of our salvation and election, but we should never be presumptuous about it. The stakes are simply too high. |
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