Fighting Unbelief
Hebrews 3
September 8, 2024
Andrew Boone
Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house. For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) —Hebrews 3:1-4 ESV
Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope. Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years. Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.’ As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest.’” —Hebrews 3:5-11 ESV
Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. —Hebrews 3:12-14 ESV
As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief. —Hebrews 3:15-19 ESV
Big Idea:
Guard against unbelief by comparing everything to the supremacy of Jesus.
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Memory Verse: Hebrews 1:1-2a NIV
Long ago in many ways and at many times God’s prophets spoke His message to our ancestors. But now at last, God sent his Son to bring His message to us.
The goal of these questions is to foster meaningful discussion and to encourage participants to reflect on God’s Word to lead to heart transformation. Feel free to modify or expand upon these questions based on the dynamics and needs of your Small Group.
Read Hebrews 3.
How do you understand the concept of the “heavenly calling” mentioned in verse 1? How does this calling influence your daily life and decisions? Can you share an experience where you felt particularly called to a specific action or purpose by God? How did you respond?
The author of Hebrews addresses the listeners as “holy brothers [and sisters].” What comes to mind when you hear the word holy? How could these people, and we ourselves qualify as being holy?
We see through the examples of Moses and Jesus that faithfulness is important to God. What does it look like for you to be faithful to God? When you struggle with obedience, how do you rationalize your disobedience as something that is okay or acceptable? Why do you think being faithful to God can be so difficult?
Verse 6 encourages us to hold firmly to our confidence and hope in Christ. What are some challenges you face in maintaining this confidence and hope? How can we support each other in our Small Group to hold firmly to our confidence and hope in Christ?
The text twice calls attention to hearing God’s voice today. How do you discern God’s voice in your daily life? How do you “hear” from Him? What practices help you stay attuned to His leading?
How can we guard our hearts against an “evil, unbelieving heart” as mentioned in verse 12? How can we discern when our hearts are becoming hardened, and what steps can we take to soften them again? How can the history of the Israelites serve as a lesson for our own spiritual journey?
Verse 13 emphasizes the importance of encouraging one another daily. How can we be more intentional about encouraging our fellow believers in their faith? Can you share a time when someone’s encouragement made a significant impact on your spiritual journey?
Verses 15-19 talk about how those who were escaping Egypt with Moses were found to be rebellious, disobedient, and sinful. All of these things are equated to unbelief in the final verse. Why are these things forms of unbelief? What can cause these behaviors in us? How can we shift our perspective and be found full of belief?