Title: Those who do not pass the sabbatical
(Explanation to Hebrews 15)
refusal of rest
(Hebrews 3:7-13)
We have heard many times about the greatness of Jesus. Jesus is the one who spoke to us as his Son in the last days of all these days, and he is the one whom God has appointed heir of all things. Therefore, he made it clear that he was not comparable to an angel, nor to Moses, whom the Jews worshiped. And we were told to ponder this Jesus. Those who think deeply about Jesus are those who are captivated by him. Such a person is a person who can solve all problems in life and win victory through Jesus alone. Verse 8, given today, says, “Today when you hear his voice, stir up wrath and harden your hearts as they were when you were tested in the wilderness.” Because if you harden your heart after hearing the voice of Christ, you will lose the opportunity to enter into rest just like Israel was destroyed in the wilderness.
1. Use the wilderness trials as a mirror
The Israelites were tested in the wilderness. During the test, they were not able to enter the land of Canaan because of the hardness of their hearts and were destroyed in the wilderness. What does this mean? It means that Israel could not hold firmly to the end the boldness of hope and pride because of their hard heart. As a result, they stumbled and were abandoned.
It tells us that things like this are an alarm and a mirror for us. The wilderness is a place of trial. Why is it a place of trial? There is no water there. There is no form either. No meat either. The road is also rough. There is no place to rest. So what is in the wilderness? There are snakes. There is the lustful test of the flesh. There is a temptation of the devil.
However, the wilderness was the road that people who came out of Egypt had to go through in order to enter Canaan. This wilderness symbolizes the church today. Anyone who has escaped from this world must walk the path of the wilderness called the church for the rest of their lives until they reach the kingdom of heaven. This road is also called a stranger's road.
The wilderness is by no means a physical place to live. It is a wilderness where there is no water, and the difficulties of famine come. It is difficult to live in the wilderness because food is not produced. There is no sanctuary and no resting place to be found. How, then, did the Israelites live in the wilderness for such a long time? They ate manna that came down from heaven. Water came out of the rock and drank. What lesson does this first place teach us? This is what Deuteronomy 8:2 says about this. “He humbled you and made you hungry, and fed you with manna, which you did not know, neither did your fathers know, so that you might know that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.” .
2. Church Life and Wilderness Life
The church is a place of trial where God refines us. What, then, is this ordeal? It is a place of trial where people learn to live not by bread alone, but by the word that comes out of the mouth of God.
The church is never a place to live according to the flesh. If you live according to the flesh instead of living according to the word of God while living in the church, trial and error will surely come. God's trials are coming. The church is a place where we live by the word of God. Look at the people who have failed in life in the church. Why did their lives fail and fail amid difficulties? This is because they tried to live according to the flesh, like the Israelites in the past, apart from the Word of God. Because the church is a wilderness, you can't gain anything from the church life in the flesh.
If Israel had obeyed God's word and trusted only in God, they would not have had to suffer in the wilderness. Because the word of God is not impossible, and if you obey it and trust in it, miracles will be created that will come true.
We need to know the principles of church life. Because the church is a spiritual wilderness, blessings never come to those who live physically apart from the word of God, but thirst comes, hunger poverty comes, fatigue comes from the journey, and snakebite disease comes. will be As a result, they resent and disobey God even more. However, in the end, they fail to enter the land of rest and become failures in their life of faith as if they were destroyed in the wilderness. However, for those who live according to the word of God, the church is the place where they can experience God's miraculous blessings and live.
Conclusion: To this day, those who failed to live the blessed life promised by God while living their faith in Jesus to this day are frankly aware of the fact that, like the Israelites in the wilderness, they were unable to live their lives according to God's word and lived according to their own will. It must be acknowledged and repented of.