Hebrews 3:12–19 (ESV)

¹²Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. ¹³But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. ¹⁴For we share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. ¹⁵As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

Image

¹⁶For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? ¹⁷And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? ¹⁸And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? ¹⁹So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

An “unbelieving heart” that denies God blinds itself to the realities and the deceitfulness of sin and rejects the very fact of sin itself. Unbelief kills the awareness of sin and guilt in the heart of man by brushing off criticism of any sinful act as a matter of opinion.  Thinking sin is not sin ultimately un-shames people.  Unbelievers no longer try to conceal the sinful thing they do, shamelessly boasting that society must accept their actions as proper and right.  Unbelief and tolerance of sin hardens the heart against all appeals to virtuous living.  

It is common for unbelievers to think that if there is no personal injury to the body, health, or popularity, it is perfectly acceptable to commit sin.  Therefore, since they think no deed has moral value, nor are they held accountable to God for their conduct, unbelief has no need for a Savior from sin.  The problem with that kind of thinking is that there is no guarantee that at the end of life there is only complete termination of life.  Unbelief gives no definitive answer to the question: “What lies beyond the valley of death?”  People can pretend to be at ease and enjoying life, but it is all pretense because they have separated themselves from the love of God.  

On the other hand, faith in Christ Jesus gives us a hopeful outlook each day.  By faith in Christ, we can look upward and forward and toward eternity with joyful confidence and hope.  Our faith is built upon the eternal promises of God in Christ Jesus our Savior that “Whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).  Our God given faith in Christ Jesus frees us from the guilt of sin, giving us a clear conscience. It removes the fear of future judgment. We are assured that the final verdict will be “Not Guilty!”  This faith in our crucified and risen Savior enables us to depart this life in peace, sure that Jesus will welcome us to our eternal home.  This faith gives us hope, which enables us to rise above every problem and to live in the world with the assurance that all is well with our soul.  Unbelief robs us of the blessed hope of eternal life while faith in Christ sees beyond this life to an eternity with God.  Faith in Christ Jesus gives us the hope and conviction that we are not walking alone, but that we daily enjoy the loving presence of our heavenly Father.  

825 North 1^st West

Cheyenne Wells, CO, 80810-0728

Sunday Service begins at 9:00AM