1 -- The Setting of Hebrews
2 -- The Cast of Characters
3 -- The Context at Corinth/Ephesus (13:22-25)
4 -- Closing Clues (13:1-19)
5 -- The Main Takeaway (4:14-16; 10:25-31)
6 -- Remember the Good Times (5:11-6:2; 10:32-39)
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"What if they don't turn around?" Tertius said.
"I believe they will," Apollos responded. "They've been so faithful in the past (6:9). They did so well during persecution before (10:32-34). God's not going to just let them throw that away (6:10)."
"But what if they do?" Tertius insisted.
1. "Well, you know what happened to Israel in the wilderness."
"Yes."
"God had given them the hope of the Promised Land. They all left Egypt (3:16), which represents the way these Roman Christians left their life in paganism to start to serve the living God, the God of Israel," Apollos said.
"Yes."
"But they didn't make it," Apollos continued. "Their corpses fell in the desert (3:17). They didn't enter the land because of their disbelief. They did not persist in faith or faithfulness."
"In fact, God forbade them to enter, right?" Tertius added. "It's not only that they didn't. After throwing their faith away, they couldn't."
"It's true," Apollos said. "And we need to make sure our brothers and sisters in Rome know this stark reality. It is God's mercy that even makes us capable of repentance (Rom. 2:4)."
"That's a truly scarcy thought," Tertius said.
2. "Yes, think of the example of Esau."
"How so?" Tertius followed.
"He had the birthright (12:16)," Apollos answered. "He was bound to receive his father's blessing. But he lost them both."
"And how?"
"He sold them both over food (12:16), just like some of the Roman believers are worried about not being able to participate in synagogue meals (13:9-10)," Apollos said.
"Then later," Apollos continued. "He realized what he had done, and he tried to find a place of repentance" (12:17).
"Yes," Tertius added. "He tried to find his way back."
"But he couldn't," Apollos said soberly. "He knew with his head that he needed to repent, but his heart was hardened. The Holy Spirit had departed, and he had no power in his own will to truly turn back to God."
3. "When does a person reach that point?" Tertius added.
"I suspect that most of the time, it's not as clear cut a moment as the decision of Israel was in the desert. I do hope that it's not too late for the Roman believers (6:3). I'm going to share these new insights into the depth of Christ's atonement in hope that there is still time for them to turn around... or rather to make it into the Promised Land."
"It's almost like they're in danger of using up Christ's great sacrifice for sins" (10:26), Tertius said.
"Yes," Apollos answered. "If they keep sinning with their lack of faith, there will be no more sacrificial atonement left for them" (10:26).
"The only thing left will be a fearful expectation of judgment, the certainty of God's wrath" (10:27).
"Yes," Apollos said. "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God!" (10:31).
"And it's not like they are still trying to decide whether to follow the one true God," Tertius added.
4. "No, they've left Egypt. They have received the Holy Spirit and crossed from death to life (6:4). They have been enlightened after starting out as ignorant pagans without knowledge of the true God."
"They have experienced the heavenly gift of God, the Spirit!" (6:4), Tertius agreed. "They know what powers we will experience in the coming age, the goodness of God!" (6:5).
"If they cross that line of unbelief," Apollos continued, "it will be impossible to bring themselves to repent, just like Esau (6:6). It's like if a farmer puts all this effort into cultivating a field, like God has invested so much in them."
"Indeed he has," Tertius agreed.
"A good field takes in the rain, which is like the grace God gives us so repeatedly, and it brings forth fruit and wonderful vegetation (6:7). But if after repeated rain and cultivation, a field only brings forth thorns and thistles (6:8), the farmer's going to burn that field and start all over again."
"Our God is a consuming fire indeed," Tertius added (10:19). "So how will you shaply set the choice in frtont of them?"
5. "God has already shown us the way," Apollos answered, "in Psalm 40."
He continued. "God used David in Psalm 40 to warn us in this moment. God tells us not to be like the wilderness generation. They hardened their hearts in unbelief" (Heb. 3:8; 4:7).
"Ah, I remember that psalm," Tertius mused.
"Yes, I want to quote a large portion of the psalm. In fact, I want to quote a lot of Scripture to reinforce the fact that we Jews who follow Jesus are the ones who are being true to Scripture. Hopefully, that will also bolster their confidence."
"And so they will hopefully have faith to enter the promised land," Tertius added.
"Indeed. They need to enter into God's rest, into the Promised Land, as the psalm says" (Heb. 4:4).
"Joshua wasn't the end of that story, I guess."
"No he wasn't," Apollos agreed. "If Joshua had led Israel into final rest, then God wouldn't have inspired David to tell us to enter God's rest too today" (4:8).
"And we will all finally rest when Christ returns a second time, and the kingdom is finally established."
"In a sense," Apollos reflected, "there are two entrances into rest. Every day, we choose faith and we choose to enter into God's rest" (4:13).
"Every day is called 'today,'" Tertius chuckled, "just like the psalm says."
"Yes, so there is the daily entrance into God's rest. But there is also, if you would, a sabbath rest that we will enter when we finally enter the Promised Land, that heavenly homeland we are waiting for" (4:9).
"Then we'll rest for good," Tertius agreed, "just like God rested on the seventh day."
"One day, our striving here will be over" (4:10), Apollos said. "We must put in great effort to persist in faith now. But someday, our troubles will be o'er."
6. "We are only part of God's household if we hold fast our confidence in faith" (3:6), Apollos said.
"Yes," Tertius agreed, "if we hold that beginning of faith firm until the end" (3:14).
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