Today we turn back to the Book of Hebrews. Remember, this was written to 1st century Jewish Christian believers who were well-versed in the scriptures and stories of their people and they venerated Moses. I’m going to switch from my usual NLT (New Living Translation) and read the first 6 verses of Hebrews 3 from the Message which is a paraphrase. That’s what I like about the free YouVersion Bible App. I has just about all Bible versions and translations and you can easily compare one from another. I’ve read the whole Bible in the Message, the Amplified Version, the NIV (New International Version) and the NLT. My favorite is the NLT because in the Bible app, they have it recorded by an excellent voice actor who really makes the scriptures come alive.
Hebrews 3
1-6 So, my dear Christian friends, companions in following this call to the heights, take a good hard look at Jesus. He’s the centerpiece of everything we believe, faithful in everything God gave him to do. Moses was also faithful, but Jesus gets far more honor. A builder is more valuable than a building any day. Every house has a builder, but the Builder behind them all is God. Moses did a good job in God’s house, but it was all servant work, getting things ready for what was to come. Christ as Son is in charge of the house.
Hebrews 3:1-6 MSG
Jesus is the key to true Christian living. Resist going off on theological tangents. If we focus on Jesus, we cannot go wrong. If you focus on a church, it’s an man-made organization or a building it’s just religion. If you focus on a person, like the Jews did with Moses, remember, Jesus is always greater. Follow Jesus, not a church. Let’s go back to the NLT…
7 That is why the Holy Spirit says,
“Today when you hear his voice,
8 don’t harden your hearts
as Israel did when they rebelled,
when they tested me in the wilderness.
9 There your ancestors tested and tried my patience,
even though they saw my miracles for forty years.
10 So I was angry with them, and I said,
‘Their hearts always turn away from me.
They refuse to do what I tell them.’
11 So in my anger I took an oath:
‘They will never enter my place of rest.’”[Psalm 95:7-11]12 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. 13 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. 14 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. 15 Remember what it says:
“Today when you hear his voice,
don’t harden your hearts
as Israel did when they rebelled.”16 And who was it who rebelled against God, even though they heard his voice? Wasn’t it the people Moses led out of Egypt? 17 And who made God angry for forty years? Wasn’t it the people who sinned, whose corpses lay in the wilderness? 18 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? 19 So we see that because of their unbelief they were not able to enter his rest.
Hebrews 3:7-18 NLT
Turn to the Living God
If we invite Jesus into our Hearts and rely on the Holy Spirit living inside of us, AND we read the Bible every day as well as pray wholeheartedly to God, in Jesus’ name, we won’t drift away when we hear the devil’s fancy, enticing lies. It also helps to be involved in a Bible-believing church. When you fellowship with other believers, they strengthen you and are there for you.
As iron sharpens iron,
Proverbs 27:17 NLT
so a friend sharpens a friend.
Jesus is Found in ALL the Scriptures
- In the Old Testament, He is Predicted.
- In the Gospels, He is Revealed.
- In Acts, He is Preached.
- In the Epistles, He is Explained.
- In Revelation He is Expected.
I highly recommend ThroughTheWord.org and their free Bible Study app. I suggest doing a chapter of the Old Testament and a chapter of the New Testament each day until you’ve gone through the whole Bible. Studying the Bible in depth draws you closer to God and reveals His truth. Learning scripture also helps you be better prepared when false teachers, and the devil start throwing lies at you. You’ll be able to discern the truth.
Jesus didn’t suffer and die on the cross so that we could have religion! He sacrificed His life so that we could have a relationship with the Living God.
