Our Old Testament reading for today is one of many Old Testament prophecies of warning of the children of Israel to turn from their sin, to repent, to “seek good, and not evil, that you may live.” And we heard Paul quote from Psalm 95 a similar warning which is a warning to us today. The Gospel reading is the account of the man desiring salvation, yet as we will hear reflected in Paul’s letter to the Hebrews and to us, he was depending, not on Jesus for salvation, but on his own good works. Again, a warning to us today.
Last week, Paul, the writer to of Hebrews, being the good Lutheran that he was, pointed us to Jesus and encouraged us and warned us to continue in our faith lest we fall away. This morning we are again encouraged in our own faith life, but also to care for one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.
Paul begins by encouraging us to care for one another. He begins by speaking to those who have already been given faith. He says, beginning at verse twelve, “12Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. 15As it is said, ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion’” (v. 12-15).
Paul is concerned about anyone who might be lead astray from faith to unbelief. Thus, he admonishes us to exhort one another every day, to keep the faith. Paul’s concern is very real and is a concern we should have for each other today. While our faith is a precious gift from the Holy Spirit, the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh continue daily to lead us to despair and unbelief. Woe to those who are so puffed up in their faith that their faith is no longer in Jesus, but in themselves. An example that comes to mind as our synod remembers the Seminary walkout from 1974. Think about those “smart” seminary professors who, thinking more highly of themselves and their own intellect, bought into historic criticism and elevated their own reasoning above what God says in His Word.
Paul warns that a hardened heart is one that is deceived by sin. He goes on to quote Psalm 95:7,8 which was an original warning to the children of Israel. In other words, Paul’s warning to the early church is the same as the Psalmist warning to the children of Israel and is much the same as my encouragement to you almost each and every week, that is to always make regular, every Sunday and diligent, all the time, use of the means of grace, remembering your Baptism, confessing your sins, hearing the Word of God, and partaking of His Holy Supper. These are our only defenses and guard against falling from the faith.
Paul goes on to make a comparison of the Jewish converts to their Israelite ancestors, “16For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? 17And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? 19So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief” (16-19).
As he has a habit of doing, Paul moves on to ask some rhetorical questions as his way of pointing to the problem with the ancient Israelites. As we recently have studied the first five books of the Old Testament and especially the history of Israel and their deliverance from slavery in Egypt we saw how quickly the children of Israel would forget the great things God had done. They witnessed the ten plagues of which the last seven did not affect them. They witnessed the Egyptians drown in the sea and yet they constantly complained. God brought them to the edge of the promised land and yet they refused to go in so they spent forty years wondering.
When it was time again to enter the promised land God promised He would be with the Israelites and clear the land of the pagan cultures as they moved in. Yet they failed to wipe them out and instead they became influenced by those pagan cultures until they lost faith. This history lesson is one we would do well to take heed as we see churches and people acquiescing to the sinful popular culture of today. Indeed, what was once right is now wrong and what was once wrong is now being touted as wonderful and great. Quite a warning to us in the Christian church to hold firm to the faith and at the same time to boldly speak out against these atrocities of the world even if it means our own persecution.
As I have reminded you many times, as God, through Paul is writing to the Hebrews, so He is also writing to us today. God created us to love us and He does love us. We are born with nothing and we will take nothing with us reminding us that everything we have while we are in this world is God’s and is to be used in service to Him, indeed in our serving others we are serving Him. Our lives begin with God giving us life and that life begins at our conception. Because we are conceived and born in sin and are accountable for our sin from the moment of conception it is imperative that as quickly as possible parents bring their children to the waters of Holy Baptism. Thus, in Baptism God gives us faith and we are reminded that the power of the water in Baptism is His Word.
As we grow up in this world, God strengthens and keeps us in faith through His Means of Grace, in particular through His Word and Sacraments. As we hear the Word that Word does what it says and gives the gifts it proclaims. As we confess our sins and hear the words of Absolution we know our sins are forgiven. As we partake of our Lord’s body and blood in His Holy Supper we know that we have forgiveness. Indeed, as we make regular and diligent use of these means of grace our Lord strengthens and keeps us in faith.
And we need this constant strengthening of faith because the temptations we face daily are to be deceived by the devil, the world and our own sinful nature. The devil tempts us, not because he loves us and wants us on his side, but because he hates us and he hates everything that is from God. The world tempts us to believe that there are many ways to enlightenment or nirvana. The world would have us believe that we are products of millions of years of mutations so that we should follow our animal instincts and desires. Our own sinful flesh would have us believe that we should satisfy the desires of that flesh. Indeed, daily we struggle and fight against temptation and sin and we continually sin.
Paul’s exhortation to us today is that he admonishes us to look after each other and to exhort each other to not fall for temptation and sin. Paul reminds us that we are our brother’s and sister’s keeper, we are to recognize sin and call it what it is, for the sake of our brother or sister and because we love them. And here I will remind you as I always do, that recognizing sin for sin is not the same as judging someone as we might be accused. As individuals we cannot and do not judge others, but being sinners ourselves we are to gently call others to recognize their sin and repent. Indeed, it is truly more loving to call our brothers and sisters to repentance than to let them remain in their sin which would mean they would remain unforgiven and doomed to eternal death and hell. It is somewhat like calling out your friend who is doing drugs which could kill them. Would it be more loving to let them go on doing drugs and kill themselves or warn them of such destruction? Yet, ultimately it is God who judges and while we are His people and His congregation, He does give us His authority to judge which is what church discipline and excommunication is all about. Of course, I will remind you that the purpose of church discipline and excommunication is to shake the person so they know how dangerous and serious is their sin so they do repent. Remember, the ultimate goal is repentance and restoration.
And as Paul reminds us, we are to encourage one another all the more as the end, either our own passing or the Lord’s return, is coming soon. As I have said many times, no one knows the moment the Lord will return and even if it is not during our own life time, no one knows when we will pass on, thus it is imperative that we are always ready to meet our Lord.
So, too, as always, I encourage you to encourage one another in being given the gifts God has to give because of our love for one another, as Christ first loved us. As always, it begins and ends with Jesus. God created us, to love us. God gives us faith at Baptism. God forgives our sins through Holy Absolution. God forgives our sins and strengthens us through His Holy Supper. As we are filled with these gifts of God our joy is to overflow and spill out on each other, encouraging each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.
The motto of the world is “Live and let live.” God’s admonition through Paul is “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” (v. 13). God never promised that life would be easy, but He does promise to be with us always, even to the end of the ages. God never promised that we would not be tempted, but He does promise that He is with us and will help us to resist temptation and sin. God never promised to give us all that we want, but He does promise to take care of all our needs. And while God’s demand has always been perfect obedience, because we cannot fulfill His demand He has taken care of that for us as well. Jesus lived the perfect life demanded of us for us in our place.
As always we are reminded we get it right when we point to Jesus, just Jesus. Jesus has done all that is necessary for us for salvation and He gives everything to us. He even stirs in us, gives us our response of faith, to encourage and build each other up as brothers and sisters in Christ. What a great God we have. What a gift giving God we have. What a loving God we have. How can we not simply rejoice and say, to God be the glory for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
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