You must warn each other every day, while it is still "today," so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. Hebrews 3:13
One of the most meaningful things that happens in my small group is when I share a struggle, and one of my friends in the group speaks up, letting me know that they also struggle in that area. When this happens, I know I am not alone. I know that someone else understands what I am facing. It also invites all of my group members to help hold me accountable as I fight against the temptations I am facing. This is a beautiful picture of what it looks like to be in Christian community with other people. Today, we will see from Hebrews 3 that followers of Christ are called to walk together in community, sharing our struggles and encouraging each other to live in a way that honors God.
"Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters," the author of Hebrews writes. "Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God" (verse 12). He wanted to warn readers to stay close to Christ and not to allow their hearts to stray from Him. Next, he writes, "You must warn each other every day, while it is still 'today,' so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God" (verse 13). According to this verse, when believers come together and encourage each other not to give in to their temptation, they are more able to fight against temptation when it comes.
When we come together, share our struggles and temptations, we help each other fight against that temptation to sin. We remind each other to keep living lives that honor Him. This way, we will not be deceived by sin. It's true; we were meant to live in community. We were meant to share our lives with other people. We were meant to share our joys and our sorrows, our trials, and our triumphs. We were never meant to live our lives on our own. When we face our struggles together, we are stronger and better prepared to turn away from our temptations.
What temptations are you currently facing today? Your challenge today is to reach out to your small group and let them know your struggle. Ask them for prayer and for help as you fight against the things that are currently tempting you. If you are not in a small group, it is time to join one! Sign up for a small group today. You can sign up here: https://sagebrushchurch.churchcenter.com/people/forms/34627. You are not alone in the temptations you are facing.
And so, dear brothers and sisters who belong to God and are partners with those called to heaven, think carefully about this Jesus whom we declare to be God’s messenger and High Priest. For he was faithful to God, who appointed him, just as Moses served faithfully when he was entrusted with God’s entire house.
But Jesus deserves far more glory than Moses, just as a person who builds a house deserves more praise than the house itself. For every house has a builder, but the one who built everything is God.
Moses was certainly faithful in God’s house as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later. But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ.
That is why the Holy Spirit says,
“Today when you hear his voice,
don’t harden your hearts
as Israel did when they rebelled,
when they tested me in the wilderness.
There your ancestors tested and tried my patience,
even though they saw my miracles for forty years.
So I was angry with them, and I said,
‘Their hearts always turn away from me.
They refuse to do what I tell them.’
So in my anger I took an oath:
‘They will never enter my place of rest.’”
Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ. Remember what it says:
“Today when you hear his voice,
don’t harden your hearts
as Israel did when they rebelled.”
And who was it who rebelled against God, even though they heard his voice? Wasn’t it the people Moses led out of Egypt? And who made God angry for forty years? Wasn’t it the people who sinned, whose corpses lay in the wilderness? And to whom was God speaking when he took an oath that they would never enter his rest? Wasn’t it the people who disobeyed him?
