Rubel Shelly: Hebrews 3:1-19

Strength for the Journey #3 (Hebrews 3:1-19)

We will skip the advice to read Bible Stories to the kids. There apparently is some danger in getting carried away by the text.

Rubel Shelly: Children need heroes. And celebrity superstars are often anything but heroes. Madonna is a celebrity; Rosa Parks is a hero. Shaq is a sports superstar; Martin Luther King is a hero. Eminem is a celebrity; Todd Beamer is a hero. Nero was a celebrity; Paul was a hero.

Since a hero was a "god" or celebrity who had done great things in their lives and were honored after death, It might be easy to see Paul being grouped with Nero. Celebrities ARE THE HEROS of our day: that is why we want CELEBRITY performers in song and sermon. And Heros are celebrities because they have done something of note.

Rosa Parks is a HERO as Paul is a HERO because she was brave enough to RIDE A BUS?

Martin Luther King is a HERO as Paul is a HERO because he was a POLITICAL ACTIVIST?

Paul thought that the Spirit named Jesus of Nazareth had appeared to him to commission to preach the gospel to disciple humans to the Incarnate God. Paul is a hero like Rosa is a hero?

History has recognized Paul as a uniquely Christ- chosen apostle to build the church on the foundation of Jesus Christ. Paul is a hero like Martin Luther King is a hero?

Todd Beamer is a hero like tens of thousands of men who walked or floated into the jaws of Death. He is no more dead than Jesus once was. Is Jesus a hero like Todd Beamer is a hero? Todd was a Christian and he would spit that in your face.

When all of these HEROS are dead and forgotten, Paul's epistles will STILL be there like the old anvil and no one will even remember who tried to hammer him into just another hero.

Paul cannot be a hero if you discount his EPISTLES as his opinion or just a SERMON.

If the EPISTLES Had not been discounted in favor of the "gospels" then we might be unfair. And if Hebrews was not being NARRATED rather than explained, we might worry. But PAUL a hero like NERO the celebrity.

But in the BIBLE of we old "traditionalists" we leave Paul's writings right there where they have rested for most of 2,000 years. And Paul had to define his heroics in 2 Corinthians which FOREVER confirms the ousting of the Doctors of the Law by Jesus. The pattern of Jesus was that of a suffering servant. The pattern of Paul was to "know only Christ and Him crucified." That meant that Paul presented himself as a HONEST Evangelist.

And Paul did this to cut the ground out from those pseudo-scholars who were perverting the Word in order to make preacher into just an occupation.

To all Truth Seekers, old Paul "did greater works than Jesus" as Jesus promised because Paul expended more ERGS as units of measuring WORKS. Greater works DID NOT include speaking that which Jesus the Spirit Lord had not spoke to him BECAUSE he was an apostle.

Rubel Shelly: You get the picture, right? And what better heroes than the ones in the Bible? Obedient Noah. Faithful Abraham. Devoted Ruth. Triumphant David. Humble, submissive Mary. And is there a better story in all the Bible than the Moses story?

Jesus is a HERO? Jesus is a dead guy who did great things. After his death he was held to be a dead body with a live spirit: a ghost or "geist." Jesus is a hero like Noah was a hero? Like Abraham? Like Ruth?

Jesus thought that "I and the Father are One." or "I have the Father with me." Or "I will send another COMFORTER and since He will come in my NAME His name will be Jesus--I will come to you." Jesus thought that as GOD He could forgive sins, raise the dead, Mediate between man and the Eternal, forgive sins, translate our spirit into the spiritual realm."

Jesus is a HERO like Mary is a hero? Is the Eternial Deity Who dwelled fully in Jesus Christ just another HERO we can tell our kids about and say, "you can do that"?

Jesus sent the Apostles OUT into the world as evangelists to preach that which had been revealed to them. Jesus proved and explained the meaning of a SON by saying that He spoke ONLY that which He heard from the FATHER.

Therefore, PAUL is a PRIMARY hero of faith much better than MADONNA the modern "goddess" and much better than Moses who couldn't save the people from musical idolatry which was their UNFORGIVABLE SIN.

Rubel Shelly: Moses was not only the protected baby in the basket. He was also the favored prince who messed up royally, only to have to flee Egypt for his life. Then -- after a time of discipline and maturity in the desert -- God called him to go to Pharaoh! The action sequence is astounding from that point forward: confrontation, flight, deliverance, leadership, setbacks, discouragement, victories. The Lord Almighty revealed himself to Moses on Mount Sinai. What a story! Yes, your children would love it -- and need to know it. Even Steven Spielberg was so impressed with it that he recently made it into a major motion picture, as Cecil B. DeMille had a generation or so earlier. But . . .

There is a better story than the one about Moses. Oh, the one that is better has several parallels with the Moses story. But it is as much superior as builders are to houses, as sons are to servants. For the even better story than Moses' life and adventures is the story of Jesus. If Moses was Prince of Egypt, Jesus is King of Kings! And that is what our preacher-writer says in today's text from Hebrews 3.

Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess. He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God's house. Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house, testifying to what would be said in the future. But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast (3:1-6).

"Fix Your Thoughts on Jesus . . ."

This preacher knew he had a beaten-up, bedraggled, discouraged audience on his hands. So, as any preacher worth his salt knows, he needed to say something that would inspire them. He needed to give them hope. He wanted to say something that would make a difference.

Paul never saw them as bedraggled and so discouraged that ONLY A PREACHER worth his 100K could RESCUE and save them. For instance, we know of no professionals in their midst but they were faithful to the direct words of Christ and Paul:

For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. Heb 6:10

And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: Heb 6:11

Because Peter saw his apostleship including leaving a record of what HAD BEEN TAUGHT and how it had been CERTIFIED ONCE by supernatural sings. Both Peter and Paul warned against FURTHER EXPOUNDING the Word because that would repudiate Jesus, the apostles such as Paul and open up the process for the MANY false apostles looking for a crust of bread so that they didn't have to work.

In the first two chapters of Hebrews, he has reminded them that God's work across human history has come to fullness noq in the Son, Jesus Christ (1:1-3). Against their temptation either to look for a quick fix to their distress by angelic power or perhaps even to worship and pray to those heavenly messengers (1:4-14), he has pleaded with them not to "drift away" from the gospel message that had been preached and confirmed to them through the apostles (2:1-4). That gospel message affirms that the Eternal God who made the angels was made lower than the angels for our sake -- sharing our humanity both to conquer Satan and to rescue us from his clutches on the one hand and to set an example for us in how to be perfected (not destroyed!) through suffering (2:5-14).

Rubel Shelly: Yes, this skilled author-homiletician knew what his sisters and brothers were facing. And he was desperate to say what they needed to hear that would give them hope. So he pleaded for this: "Fix your thoughts on Jesus!" Not on your troubles, but on what you know about Jesus. Not on your tormenters, but on what you have been told about Jesus. Not on what might yet happen, but on what you know about Jesus.

And we have shown that rather than Paul making up his story about Jesus and the Water from the Rock from JEWISH LEGENDS, that Christ the Word has always been FULLY and the One and Only God. He created all things and was the Rock, Manna, Water, Pillar of fire Who led Israel as the ARM of God.

We are told that Jehovah went before the Israelites in a cloud to five them light:

And the Lord (Jehovah) went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: Exodus 13:21

But Paul understands that Christ was Jehovah in the cloud, rock and other ACTUAL MEANS of His saving Hand:

MOREOVER, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 1 Cor 10:1

And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 1 Cor 10: 2

And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 1 Cor 10:3

And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. 1 Cor 10:4

Rubel Shelly: Most of us live not only for the moment but on the basis of what we see going on immediately around us. Christians are supposed to be different! We must live not for the moment but for eternity, not on the basis of what we see but on the basis of what God has told us. Remember this verse from Paul: "We live by faith, not by sight"? (2 Cor. 5:7). Or this one: "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind"? (Rom. 12:2a).

From day to day we just don't know. Click here for a s series of sermons advising being all things to all people and becoming as much like the world as possible to attract the world.

If believers don't fix our minds on Jesus, we can be distracted by worldly things. If we don't fix our minds on Jesus, we will be overwhelmed by Satan's devices. If we don't fix our minds on Jesus and keep his experiences in this world as the reference point for our own, we can fall away and be lost!

I can tell you the absolute truth which no one can dispute: when the musical worship team is PERFORMING their own compositions then they are DELIBERATELY taking the "audience's" EARS off the words of Christ which Paul prescribed for teaching in singing.

I can tell you another absolute truth: you cannot focus on Jesus and THERE IS NO INTENTION of doing so when theatrical performers STAND IN THE HOLY PLACE as "Team-O-Centric."

I can tell you the third thing: You repudiate the Words of Christ and therefore Christ when you HOMOLECT the words into a psychological promotion of the preacher as the REVEALER.

Jesus Is Superior To Moses

Rubel Shelly: To achieve his goal of giving his audience strength for their journey, this exceptional teacher drew on the Bible stories they knew.

And whether they were Gentiles or Jews, the one story they would all know from the Bible they studied in their assemblies -- remembering that that would be our Old Testament -- was the story of its central character, Moses. They were all in awe of it. It is an enthralling story of a far-less-than-perfect man being called by God, led by God, sustained by God, and ultimately saved by God. The preacher likely knew -- perhaps had preached the sermon himself -- that they had been exhorted to be faithful under their stresses as Moses had been under his.

But he retells the Moses story ever so skillfully in order to make them realize that they had someone greater than Moses to follow now. They had someone superior to Moses as their high priest and apostle. It was God's Own Son who guaranteed their success in following the heavenly call, if they would only "hold fast till the end the confidence [they] had at first" (Heb. 3:14b). He doesn't bring up Moses to put him down! Not in the least. He tells the wonderful story of a great man in order, as somebody put it, "not to cast a shadow on Moses but to shine a light on Jesus."

Just notice how he begins: "Moses was faithful in all God's house [family, RS]" (3:2). Again: "Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house, testifying to what would be said in the future" (3:5). Even when the people he was leading through the wilderness were hardening their hearts (3:8) and making God angry with their unfaithfulness (3:10), Moses didn't give up.

We seem to remember Moses complaining to God that He (Moses) couldn't carry the people ALL BY HIMSELF.

The local priest gave Moses a prophetic scheme to help CARRY they people when they lost faith in God. This was the Egyptian and Babylonian TOWER OF POWER which was a secular system of MINISTRIES.

Later, when Israel's elders fired God and demanded a king like the nations so that they could worship like the nations. God reminded them that the prophesied king would TAKE A TITHE from them as well as their farms and children and GIVE them to the PYRAMIDAL MINISTRY SYSTEM manned by friends of the king who had no true function to play. Something like "missionary in residence" I suppose.

Rubel Shelly: Oh, he had his low moments. He even had episodes of failure. But failure isn't the same as unbelief and rebellion; God is merciful with his still-making-an-effort servants but is unyielding with rebellion. And even though Moses died at 120, without entering earthly Canaan, does anybody think this faithful servant failed to enter the heavenly "rest" God gives his own?

This is what we are supposed to learn from that story: If Moses was a servant to God and faithful in God's house, Jesus is the Son who is over God's house (3:2-6a) -- and, hold your breath now -- "we are [God's] house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast" (3:6b).

There are servants and there are masters. To be the SON of God means God nameable and visible in the flesh. Jesus was the only begotten Son when He voluntarily laid aside His Majesty and Glory and indwelled "a body prepared for me." The sender and the sent are the same.

Try to hang on to the verses long enough to see that God would build HIS house and His name would be Jesus Christ and therefore His family or church would be the church of Christ:

The BUILDER of the universe and His On House has a name: Jesus Christ. John agrees that the contrast is between Moses and Jesus and not Moses and a separated "father" God who was the literal father of a son:

For the law was given by Moses,

but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. John 1: 17

That God the Father (Jehovah- Righted in Zech) and God the Son (Jehovah- Saved) are NOT two Gods.

In Jeremiah, we again see that the singular God. In proving His powers to judge mankind, Jeremiah shows His power during creation:

The Lord of hosts (Jehovah- Caba) hath sworn by himself, saying, Surely I will fill thee with men, as with caterpillers; and they shall lift up a shout against thee. Jer 51:14

He hath made the earth by his power,

he hath established the world by his wisdom,

and hath stretched out the heaven by his understanding. Jer 51:15

When he uttereth his voice,

there is a multitude of waters in the heavens;

and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth:

he maketh lightnings with rain,

and bringeth forth the wind (spirit) out of his treasures. Jer 51:16

Every man is brutish by his knowledge; every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them. Jer 51:17

John says the same thing: that Jehovah Who usually bears a hyphenated title, Is Jehovah the ONLY WORD with power in contrast to the very common word that the word or dabar or logos was a messenger of God.

IN the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1

The same was in the beginning with God. John 1:2

All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. John 1:3

In him was life; and the life was the light of men. John 1:4

If Jesus Christ is Full Deity then the house of God is the house of Jesus Christ. God is not a name: Jesus Christ is the name descriptor of the entire Godhead. He is not triplets.

The body of Christ of which HE is the HEAD is the church of Christ. We become children of God by being adopted by CHRIST Who IS FULLY GOD.

The word "god" can be The One True god or it can be Dionysus who is the father of the new wineskins worship. Or "she" might be Sophia- Zoe as the MOTHER OF THE GODS. This was the case in the Old Testament: there were bundles of "gods" almost always arriving as TRIADS. However, beginning in Genesis we have the ONE GOD or Elohim identified as JEHOVAH. You see, Go has a name. Moses warned the Israelites against the Egyptian triad of "father Osiris, mother Isis and little son Horus."

Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the Lord (Jehovah) he is God (Elohim); there is none else beside him. Deut 4:35

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God (Jehovah) is one Lord (Elohim) Deut 6:4

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might Deut 6:5

It is God's family but GOD has a name. As "father" was Jehovah- Righted in Zechariah's prophecy, the "son" was Jehovah- Saved. He is full Deity in that He is Christ but his name is "Jesus" or Joshua.

The house is:

Oikos (g3624) oy'-kos; of uncert. affin.; a dwelling (more or less extensive, lit. or fig.); by impl. a family (more or less related lit. or fig.): - home, house (-hold), temple.

The house of God is the church of Christ: it has a purpose which is not to become a pagan worshiping society repeating the musical idolatry at Mount Sinai which PROVED that they would not listen to God Whose name was not "god."

But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. 1Ti.3:15

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. 1 Tim 3:16

This God Who was manifest in the flesh has a name: Jesus Christ:

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. Col 2:8

For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Col 2:9

If the Godhead dwelled fully in Jesus Christ then this leaves no Godhead to dwell in a separated Father god and a separated Holy Spirit god.

Rubel Shelly: The hope of which Christians boast is not ourselves but Christ, not our faith but his grace (cf. 1 Cor. 1:31).

This passage brings up some of the SEVEN SPIRITS which would rest upon Messiah and how He would govern:

But of him are ye in Christ Jesus,

who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 1 Cor 1:30

That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. 1 Cor 1:31

Let's say it over and over: The Spirit God is infinite and not divisible by three. Nor, is God three separated persons or "people." Therefore, when Christ laid aside HIS OWN GLORY as God and indwelled Jesus Christ then what CAME OF GOD was God come fully in the flesh. To deny that is defined by John as being Anti-Christ. Since there were not THREE bodies of Flesh, all that we can think of as God dwelled in Jesus Christ.

Take His Name off Your Sign and be Anti-Christ.

It is pretty hard to glory in a CORE LORD. Grace is the charisma or POWER to become but only for those who have faith. Faith means consummated belief and not FAITH ONLY.

The Spirit WHICH would rest upon the BRANCH was not a little man but a DOVE. This proved that the TRUE GOD was not the MOTHER GODDESS as proven by the dove but the FATHER God Who appears to us as a SON. The prophesied spirit is consistent with Peter's promise of A holy spirit following baptism:

AND there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: Isa 11:1

And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; Isa 11:2

And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: Isa 11:3

But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. Isa 11:4

The ONE AND ONLY God would blow BREATH or Spirit through His double-edged sword and produce the WORD as the Rod of His Mouth.

Rubel Shelly: We are God's family, his dearly loved children. And although appearances would have us believe that it is not worth it to remain steadfast on this Christian journey that has the world set against us, we have God's promises to spur us on. We listen to those promises and walk by faith in them. Knowing that his word never fails, we can even be courageous in the face of trials and opposition. That was the message the preacher's friends needed then. It is the message many of my friends need now.

God has a name: Jesus Christ or Jehovah- Saved. We are adopted to GOD by Christ. Since we are not yet SPIRIT beings, our fleshly body must relate to God in the flesh. The FAMILY is the church of Christ.

We know that the WORD was full Deity and John leaves no doubt that the Word Who WAS God had a name:

And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. John 1:16

For the law was given by Moses,

but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. John 1: 17

He was truly GOD but His name was Jesus Christ: it i dangerous to lump Paul as a hero as NERO was a celebrity and to remove the name of Jesus Christ off the church sign and add a NAMELESS god.

Rubel Shelly: See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first (3:12-14).

Sermonizing the text and versifying into songs almost CANNOT be other than turning away from God by turning away from His Word. The only WORSHIP word used by Paul has to do with giving heed to Christ by giving heed or attendance to the Word. Paul defined the ONLY teaching in song resource as "that which is written" (Rom 15), "the Spirit" (Eph 5:18-19) or "the Word of Christ" (Col 3.16). These are all inspired Biblical text: to set the Word of Christ in favor of the erotic praise songs proves a departing from God: to set the TEAM in the holy place sets aside Christ because the "audience" cannot help seeing the team and giving heed to THEIR words.

Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you

an evil heart of unbelief,

in departing from the living God. Hebrews 3:12

Unbelief might be defined as subscribing to a CORE GOSPEL declaring that all the rest is our personal opinion. This core consists of only seven facts ABOUT

Paul was really a SUFFERING SERVANT never seen by the majority as either hero or celebrity. Rather, to be a certifier of the gospel Paul must not have personal qualities lest the teacher becomes the certifier.

Unbelief means to REVOLT.

Aphistemi (g868) af-is'-tay-mee; from 575 and 2476; to remove, i.e. (act.) instigate to revolt;usually (reflex.) to desist, desert, etc.: - depart, draw (fall) away, refrain, withdraw self.

Like the modern Jubilee (for the atonement) concept, seeing preachers as priests, restoration of Levitical musicians and restoring the tithe is JUDAIZING in imitation of "mother church." Isn't there a conspiracy of merry men dedicated to destroying THAT WAY from which they still get unlawful compensation? The Jubilee intended to collect the MULTITUDE and focus on speaking evil of THE WAY they had once known. Their speaking was to give false witness about the 2,000 year old history of NOT trying to worship a SPIRIT God with music which was always identified as telling God "we will not listen to your words anymore."

But when divers were hardened, and believed not,

but spake evil of that way

before the multitude,

he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the

school of one Tyrannus. Ac.19:9

NOW the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith,

giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 1Ti.4:1

Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth,

supposing that gain is godliness:

from such withdraw thyself. 1Ti.6:5

Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal (MARK),

The Lord knoweth them that are his.

And, Let every one that

nameth the name of Christ

depart from iniquity. 2Ti.2:19

The so called baptismal formula proves that all of the authority bound up in the name of Father, Son and Spirit has a NAME.

Full invisible Deity	Manifestations (personae)
	Father
God
	Son
	Holy Spirit of Father Of Son Of Believers made Holy

Peter was not confused about the Lucado- Shelly "family of gods."

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you

in the name of Jesus Christ

for the remission of sins,

and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Acts 2:38

Therefore, the NAME OF CHRIST is the same as the NAME OF JESUS CHRIST. Jesus, full Deity, has a name which is Jehovah- Saved.

Therefore, when you take the name of CHRIST off your church sign you are grouping JESUS the Spirit Lord who guided Paul into all truth with heros and celebrities.

But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Hebrews 3:13

For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end; Hebrews 3:14

You'll Need Encouragement Too

We direct the reader for the full text of the sermon but we will skip some of the NOT DEVOTED TO THE TEXT sermon.

We repeat:

Rubel Shelly: Moses was not only the protected baby in the basket. He was also the favored prince who messed up royally, only to have to flee Egypt for his life. Then -- after a time of discipline and maturity in the desert -- God called him to go to Pharaoh! The action sequence is astounding from that point forward: confrontation, flight, deliverance, leadership, setbacks, discouragement, victories. The Lord Almighty revealed himself to Moses on Mount Sinai. What a story! Yes, your children would love it -- and need to know it. Even Steven Spielberg was so impressed with it that he recently made it into a major motion picture, as Cecil B. DeMille had a generation or so earlier. But . . .

It is just too bad that I will betcha that NOT A SINGLE child in this church has EVER been taught the story of MUSICAL IDOLATRY which was "the because of transgression" which broke the original ten commandments which WERE NEVER REPEATED and gave the Israelites LEGALISM restored in "praise teams, mediating pastors, temple building and TITHING."

I'll bet old Steven doesn't have a clue to the real story of God coming with ten thousand of his angels during this horrible repudiation of GRACE by JUST ONE worship ritual honoring music and the Egyptian trinity.

Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Hebrews 3:7

The Holy Ghost speaks as the WORDS of Christ which are Spirit and Life (John 6:63). Peter knew Bible 101aaa:

Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. 1 Peter 1:11

And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. Rev 19:10

Paul has some other things to warn about. Paul is WRITING to the people to let them HEAR the voice of Go. Paul was not telling them how to have a charismatic encounter with the preacher or the teaming-up professional musicians to AUDIBLY HEAR THE VOICE:

Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: Hebrews 3:8

When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Hebrews 3:9

Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart;

and they have not known my ways Hebrews 3:10 .

So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) Hebrews 3:11

Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you

an evil heart of unbelief,

in departing from the living God. Hebrews 3:12

The Israelites under Moses received THE BOOK OF THE COVENANT at Mount Sinai. However, they ROSE UP TO PLAY which was musical idolatry worshiping the Egyptian TRIAD under the MARK of the golden bull calf. As a result, God turned them over to worship the STARRY HOST and promised that, failing to repent, they were already sentenced to Assyrian and Babylonian captivity. The kings were selected to LEAD them into captivity because the ELDERS fired God.

Conclusion

Rubel Shelly: We're in a similar situation. I can see no way out, but I have heard the voice of Jesus. He has called me with a heavenly calling. I took the first steps to follow him years ago now. I confessed him and was baptized. There have been detours, setbacks, and failures along the way. I'm stronger now than at the start, but I still have my weak moments.

Do you want to know something? Everything in this world says I'm wrong to keep listening to his voice. Some of the things I see around me make me think I could write my own script and adopt an easier, more lucrative, and much trendier route through life.

But what I hear from Christ tells me there is more than meets the eye. And I choose to listen to that voice which, as yet, has no face for me.

To move toward that voice.

To believe that walking by faith in that voice is right and preferable to giving in to what is closest and clearer in my line of sight.

Paul was writing to people who had NEVER heard the audible voice of God. If they had the capacity then Paul would not have written them. In speaking of the charismatic, musical women in Corinth he asks in ridicule: "Did the truth originate with you"? The answer was no. Paul told the Corinthians that if they needed any more REVELATION He would visit or WRITE them.

Paul defined the primary WORSHIP word to Timothy when he wrote to instruct even a gifted evangelist:

Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. 1Ti.4:13

Exhorting was not sermonizing as in this sermon which violates Peter's direct command against FURTHER EXPOUNDING that which Jesus had spoke, miracles had validated and the Apostles would make available after their death. Rather, as synagogue, the church was a SCHOOL OF THE BIBLE. The Bible was read and the READER exhorted the listeners to understand and obey. They were not exhorted with human philosophy nor were they extorted by making them pay for empty words.

This same PAUL told the scattered Hebrews the same thing:

But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Hebrews 3:13

For we are made

partakers of Christ,

if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end; Hebrews 3:14

While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. Hebrews 3:15

Paul in chapter 6 warned them to go on beyond the first principles and understanding the Old Law of washings and focus on learning the deeper things of the spirit Word:

For it is impossible for those who were

once enlightened,

and have tasted of the heavenly gift,

and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, Hebrews 6:4

And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, Hebrews 6:5

If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance;

seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. Hebrews 6:6

For the earth which drinketh in the rain (the free water of the Word Isa 55) that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: Hebrews 6:7

But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. Hebrews 6:8

Paul was not homilecting or sermonizing to the Hebrews as a psychological basket case functioning as a pulpit psychological counselor:

But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. Hebrews 6:9

For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. Hebrews 6:10

That does not mean "preached."

The Israelites had literally heard the voice of God from Mount Sinai. However, listening to the WORD of God was always too painful. The Hebrews HEARD the voice of God when they heard the voice or read the words inspired and delivered for their REMEMBRANCE.

I worry about people who still HEAR the audible voice of God. However, Paul expanded on the GIFT of A holy spirit in 1 Peter 3:21 when he said that baptism is where we REQUEST a clear conscience, clear consciousness or a co-perception so that out EYES ARE NOT BLINDED when we READ MOSES (2 Cor 3).

For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. Hebrews 3:16

For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? Hebrews 3:16NKJV

And who were those people I speak of, who heard God's voice speaking to them but then rebelled against him? They were the ones who came out of Egypt with Moses their leader. Hebrews 3:16LIV

Rubel Shelly: Until the matter is thoroughly settled in your heart, each day will be a new challenge to faith over sight. Each temptation will seem to say sight is better and offers you more. In this little faith community, we remind one another of Abraham, Sarah, Joseph, and David -- that their journey of faith was worth every sacrifice along the way. And Moses. But above all, Jesus. So we keep telling each other his story. Reading it to our children. Reminding one another that we're in this together -- come what may.

Their sin was the musical idolatry associated with the Egyptian trinity under the golden bull. We are told that the Law of Moses MARKED them and placed them under the STARRY HOST to worship which they did until Jesus tore down the mega-church of the civil state once and for all.

But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? Hebrews 3:17

And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? Hebrews 3:18

So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. Hebrews 3:19

This unbelief had to bear the burden of DISOBEDIENCE.

Wouldn't it be nice that rather than the little moses in his little ark we were all taught that the reason the church repudiate music as worship is that musical worship was always idolatry:

"The triumphal hymn of Moses had unquestionably a religious character about it; but the employment of music in religious services, though idolatrous, is more distinctly marked in the festivities which attended the erection of the golden calf." (Smith's Bible Dictionary, Music, p. 589).

Therefore, seeing Paul as just making up a sermon, failure to see where PAUL points allows people to try to destroy those who will not join in "piping trying to make Jesus sing and dance" the effeminate, Dionysus effort. Click for more.

Ephraim Syrus On Our Lord notes that Sinai was a test. The Israelites were consummate idolaters in Egypt. However, God gave them one more shot at the Abrahamic Covenant. By removing Moses as a visible "authority figure" He wanted to let them answer their own prayer:

18. But when their heathenism from being inward became open, then Moses also from being hidden openly appeared; that he might openly punish those whose heathenism had revelled beneath the holy cloud which had overshadowed them.

But God removed the Shepherd of the flock from it for forty days, that the flock might show that its trust was fixed upon the calf.

And he was there in the wilderness forty days tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him. Mark 1:13

While God was feeding the flock with all delights, it chose for itself as its Shepherd the calf, which was not able even to eat.

Moses who kept them in awe was removed from them, that the idolatry might cry aloud in their mouths,

which the restraint of Moses had kept down in their hearts. For they cried: Make us gods, to go before us.

19. But when Moses came down, he saw their heathenism revelling in the wide plain with drums and cymbals.

Speedily, he put their madness to shame by means of the Levites and drawn swords.

So likewise here, our Lord concealed His knowledge for a little when the sinful woman approached Him, that the Pharisee might form into shape his thought,

as his fathers had shaped the pernicious calf.

The Jewish clergy, as prophesied about Judas in Psalm 41, rose up to play in musical mocking of Jesus.

The musical message from beginning to end is that "once you have fallen you are never going to get up."

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