Hebrews 3:16-19 Part One

Teaching @Heritage
Teaching @Heritage
Hebrews 3:16-19 Part One
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Three Questions, Part One

Intro:

I decided to break this passage into two smaller sermons, rather than one long one, to allow for ample discussion time as needed.

16 For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? 17 And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose dead bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? 19 And so we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.

This is the final “reality check” for the audience of Hebrews. 

“Real Talk”

“Let me be completely honest with you”

“May I speak frankly?”

The Foot Illustration

Consider:

The author of Hebrews is a Jew, trying to convince Jews, that Jesus is, indeed, the high priest and the Messiah. 

Because of this, the author draws very heavily on the Old Testament Prophecy and the history of Israel, as both a reminder and a warning that they might not repeat the same mistakes their ancestors had in the desert.

Verse 16  Question One:

Who provoked him in the wilderness when they had heard?

There is strong rebuke embedded within the questions itself…do you see it?

They HAD INDEED HEARD.  Their is no claiming ignorance.  It is the same with us today.  We can NOT claim ignorance…only disobedience.

Own your sin…but don’t let own you.

(Now back to the question at hand)

A:  All those who came out of Egypt, led by Moses.

What can we take away from the way the author of Hebrews answers his own question?

  1. These people were Hebrew, the Nation of Israel, they were a chosen people, not a random gathering with no purpose.
  2. They had ALREADY been delivered from under Egypt, a cry they had requested up to the Lord for 400 years by the time the Exodus took place.
  3. They had been given a HUMAN leader/deliverer to show them the path, set the example, and work though disputes and problems.

Parallels to Us (The Church) today:

  1.   We are a CHOSEN people, not a random gathering.  We may be eclectic, but we are not random.
  2.   We have ALREADY been delivered from OUR SIN, the cross accomplished that 2000 years ago.
  3.   We have been given a HUMAN leader to show us the path, set the example, and work though disputes and problems.

Q/A