Warnings in the Book of Hebrews
-Introduction
-overall point of the book of Hebrews
-shows the superiority of Jesus and the Gospel over that of Moses and the Law
(Heb 3:1-6 - hold fast)
-shows that the Law pointed forward to the coming of Jesus and the Gospel
(Heb 10:1, 19-27 - draw near, hold fast)
-shows the Law was fulfilled and was done away with (Heb 8:6-8, 13)
-Some of those who had come out of Judaism through obedience to the Gospel
were beginning to turn back to the ways of the Law.
-The Hebrew writer is instructing them and encouraging them to remain
faithful within the Gospel of Christ.
-In doing so, he issues several warnings - warning that I want to consider in
this morning’s lesson.
-Warning #1 - Don’t Neglect Salvation
-Heb 2:1-4
-Salvation has been made available by God to all mankind.
-Titus 2:11
-1 Tim 2:3-4
-consider the Great Commission - Matt 28:18-20, Mark 15:15-16, Luke 24:46-47
-As we sometimes sing - “The Blessed Gospel is for All”
-Yet, sadly, many simply neglect the salvation made available by God.
-Matt 7:13, 21-23
-We need to seek God - Heb 11:6. We need to study His word, learn it and obey it.
-Heb 5:9
-We understand that when you neglect something, its condition diminishes - car, house,
our own bodies, etc. Such is the case with our souls.
-Warning #2 - Don’t Miss Out On The Rest God Offers
-Heb 4:1
-context: Heb 3:7-19 - example of the Hebrew people (1 Cor 10:1-12)
-God has offered several rests to/for His people:
-sabbath day - Ex 20:8
-the land of rest - Heb 3:17-19; Num 14:20-23
-a rest that remains - Heb 4:9-12 (home in heaven)
-How do we receive the rest that remains? - responding in obedience to the word of
God and striving to live faithfully according to its instructions
-Col 1:21-23
-Let us labor now in view of the rest that remains.
-Warning #3 - Don’t Remain Spiritually Immature
-Heb 5:11-14
-We have the responsibility to grow stronger as Christians.
-We grow and mature physically. We need to do the same spiritually.
-I won’t say much regarding this subject within this lesson due to the fact
that I hope to focus on it more in some other lessons.
-Let me quickly point out just a few passages:
-1 Pet 2:2, 1 Cor 3:1-3, 2 Pet 1:5-11
-Since these Christians hadn’t grown, they were becoming weaker. We must be
careful of the same.
-example of the exuberance of a child over growing bit by bit
-Warning #4 - Don’t Grow Weary
-Heb 12:3
-In several places, the scriptures compare our spiritual life to the idea of running a race.
We need to be sure that we finish the race.
-1 Cor 9:24
-Heb 12:1
-Example of a movie: We’ve seen movies in which the characters portrayed have been
on a long journey. It’s been challenging and they’ve faced hardships along the way.
However, their destination is drawing nearer. Yet, one of the characters feels that he has
gone as far as he can. He wants to stop and “rest.” However, the other character(s)
encourage that person and cheer him on because they know that if he stops he’s likely
to give up and quit.
-In our spiritual journey, we cannot give up and quit. We must press forward.
-Gal 6:9
-Summary and Invitation
-Let’s not neglect the salvation that God has offered to us.
-Let’s not miss out on the rest that remains for God’s children.
-Let’s continue to grow spiritually.
-Let’s not grow weary.
-2 Thess 2:13-17
-What about you this morning? Have you responded to God’s offer of salvation? Do you
have the hope of rest that remains? Are you growing spiritually or have you grown
weary?
-If you haven’t obeyed the Gospel, please do so: Believe (John 3:16, 8:24), Confess
your faith (Rom 10:9-10, Matt 10:32), repent (Luke 13:3,5; Acts 17:30), Be
Baptized (Acts 2:38, Mark 16:16)
-If you’ve obeyed the Gospel but haven’t remained faithful, return to God: Confess
your shortcomings, repent of them and pray for God’s forgiveness (1 John 1:7-9,
Acts 8:22-24)