Three Questions, Part Two
Intro:
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.
Verse 17: Question Two
With whom was He angry for 40 years?
(Before we answer the question, let me ask another question)
What does this question itself tell us?
- God can indeed be angry with us, even his chosen loved ones.
- God can and will set an appointed time for that anger.
- God had a purpose in the 40 years, one generation.
- Therefore, God will “weed out” unbelief, to purify the chosen. (Ways in which this may still be true today?)
With whom was he angry for 40 years?
Answer to the original question: Those who sinned, who’s bodies fell in the wilderness.
What does it mean “to fall in the wilderness” in this context?
A: They died before ever entering the promise land.
*Note: This included Moses as well. Because of his sin, he did not enter the promised lands. This is one way in which Moses and Jesus are starkly different. Jesus finished his mission without blemish, and will the full endorsement and approval of the Father.
Q: What is our proof for that?
A: The Resurrection Itself
V 18: Question Three
“To Whom did He swear that they would never enter His rest?”
(Before we answer that question, let me ask another question)
What does the question itself tell us?
- There were some in “Israel” that were not “Israel.”
- Therefore: There are some IN “The Church” that are NOT “The Church”
- How serious is God about His own holiness, and the holiness of his subjects?
- What possible hope does ANYONE have to end up with the Father?
- How LARGE must the cross then be?
Returning to the original question:
“To Whom did He swear that they would never enter His rest?”
Answer: Those who were disobedient.
But…aren’t we…even as believers, also often disobedient?
How do we reconcile this?
V 19 The Conclusion:
And so we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.
To avoid falling into the same fate, we must answer one final question then:
What does unbelief look like amongst people in the Church today?
(take answers)
- Those who want to claim Jesus, but refuse to repent.
- Those who want to claim Jesus, but also reject many of his teachings.
- Those who want to claim Jesus, but, frankly, act nothing like Jesus (to other believers, to sinners, to family members, in the way they conduct themselves on social media, etc.)
I fear that I fall into all three of these categories far too often, as I suspect we all do. And that fear is a good thing (Phil 2:12) because it leads us back to the only saving thing, the cross of Christ.
Pray/QA