June 1, 2006
Sin has a way of crippling us and it is not as obvious as we might think. Sin is subtle and comes to us in the most gentle of ways. When the writer of Hebrews attempts to encourage the church to remain diligent to the faith he does it by writing a letter filled with warnings. One of those warnings has to do with the connection between disobedience and unbelief (3:18-19).
Disobedience is equated with unbelief in these two verses, because Israel did not enter the land of rest by disobeying God, rather they failed to believe that God would keep His word to them. Disobedience is the fruit of failing to hear God’s word. At first this does not seem to apply to us at all. We hear God’s word all week long. Or do we? When sin settles into our hearts it begins to harden our senses (3:13). We do not hear God’s word like we used to and preaching, as well as Bible lessons, begin to sound more like traffic noise from the freeway than words spoken to us from God.
The writer of Hebrews recognized this in his church and tells them that “by this time they ought to be teachers” (5:12). They are not teachers however, because sin has hardened their hearing and this has resulted in a sin laden and disabled church. The reason churches are slack on workers and teachers is because they have failed to hear God’s word. Why? Because sin has lured them away from God and a myriad of other things seem more appealing than God’s word.
Let me encourage you this week to press on toward a life of holiness and remove the sin from your life that “so easily entangles” you. Open God’s word anew with a heart of repentance and be refreshed when the Spirit of God comes alive inside you at the hearing of His Word.
Sin has a way of crippling us and it is not as obvious as we might think. Sin is subtle and comes to us in the most gentle of ways. When the writer of Hebrews attempts to encourage the church to remain diligent to the faith he does it by writing a letter filled with warnings. One of those warnings has to do with the connection between disobedience and unbelief (3:18-19).
Disobedience is equated with unbelief in these two verses, because Israel did not enter the land of rest by disobeying God, rather they failed to believe that God would keep His word to them. Disobedience is the fruit of failing to hear God’s word. At first this does not seem to apply to us at all. We hear God’s word all week long. Or do we? When sin settles into our hearts it begins to harden our senses (3:13). We do not hear God’s word like we used to and preaching, as well as Bible lessons, begin to sound more like traffic noise from the freeway than words spoken to us from God.
The writer of Hebrews recognized this in his church and tells them that “by this time they ought to be teachers” (5:12). They are not teachers however, because sin has hardened their hearing and this has resulted in a sin laden and disabled church. The reason churches are slack on workers and teachers is because they have failed to hear God’s word. Why? Because sin has lured them away from God and a myriad of other things seem more appealing than God’s word.
Let me encourage you this week to press on toward a life of holiness and remove the sin from your life that “so easily entangles” you. Open God’s word anew with a heart of repentance and be refreshed when the Spirit of God comes alive inside you at the hearing of His Word.
Comments