Rebellious Hearts (Part C)

A lot of Christians believe once you become a Christian, you lose your free will.

I don't believe that. My free will is very active, and this is its choice, to be with Jesus forever. He will never leave me nor forsake me.

He may allow things that I don't like, as we could discuss, but he will never leave me, and I don't plan to ever leave him. By his hand and his hand only, that will always be so. And he's promised, as Peter said, kept, kept by God. This is Cross-Reference Radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Hebrews.

Please stay with us after today's message to hear more about Cross-Reference Radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching. Now, here's Pastor Rick in Hebrews chapter 3 with his study called Rebellious Hearts. Peter taking up the Old Testament, attracted to the forceful language, he's like a dog returning to vomit. Whoa, who forgets that kind of an insult or fact? Well, the time came when they could not enter the Promised Land.

What happened? A bunch of them got their muscles and their swords together, and they decided they were going to go in anyway, and that ended in disaster because their brand of disobedience was without surrender to God. There is a disobedience that is out of weakness.

We all know that. But then there is one that is born of rebellion. I am against God. I am not going to do what He says. And that's what Job meant, who has hardened himself against God and prospered.

No one. And so the generation that conquered the land, that second generation that went into the Promised Land did so because they submitted to God. And they were very particular about this. So much so that when the two and a half tribes that were satisfied with the unpromised land east of Jordan were now going back to their territory, having helped their brothers subdue the land, what did God say to them?

What happened? Well, they said as they were leaving, you know what, we want to build a monument here, an Ebernezer, we would say, so that our brothers remember that we're with them and they're with us and we are dedicated to the Lord. So they built a memorial altar. Well, the Jews in the Promised Land, they got word of this and they thought they were going to activate that altar, contrary to scripture, and worship at it. And so they called a war rally. They sent Phinehas over and had a little discussion with them.

And they found out, no, this was just a memorial. They had no intention of sacrificing one. My point is, that generation that went into that Promised Land, they were very serious about following the Lord and submitting to him. Oh, they had their mistakes, no question.

But for the most part, in comparison, they were very serious. We look at them and we say, that's what we're supposed to be. I swore in my wrath they shall not enter my rest. Now verse 12, beware brethren lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. It is a universal warning.

Watch your steps in the presence of the Lord. It is a passionate appeal. The writer of this letter, he is passionate. He is for the people too. He's very serious about his faith and he's serious about their care. They're on collision course and he's taking steps to deal with this on their behalf. He could have just looked the other way and went on one of his visits and said, fine, you want to go to hell, go to hell. But he doesn't do that.

And so this passionate appeal. He had these doubts about them. I believe this is Paul, as we've discussed in the introductions.

I could be wrong, but that's not likely. Joke. Galatians, Paul writing to the Galatians. He said this about them because they were doing some similar things. He says, I would like to be present with you now and change my tone for I have my doubts about you.

Right point blank. What needed to be said? You know, just because you're going around saying you're Christian, just because you were so solid of Christian when I was there doesn't mean, well let me put it this way. Things change.

These kind of things don't have to change, but if they do, I'm not going to join you. I'm going to reach out, try to rescue you. And so he says, beware, brethren. He's saying, I have my doubts about you. Well, that's been known from the beginning. He says, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief.

He's personalizing the warning to everyone in every age that this can happen to you. They had. They were on course for this evil heart of unbelief, not believing God. That was the case with the ancestors that perished in the wilderness. They doubted that God was adequate.

They doubted and they didn't like his ways. He should just give us a lamb. Why do we have to lift the sword? Why do we have to eat manna every day? Why can't one day it be shrimp?

The next day it's filet mignon. Why does it have to be manna? And no one, I don't think, said it that way, but that was the spirit of their rebellion. At one time they did fuss with God, manna again. He says in, well, and they brought that on themselves.

Again, they should have been right into the promised land. In departing from the living God. The word here in the Greek, and remember for those, well for those of you who don't know, the New Testament was originally written in the Greek language. And we translate it into various languages of the world. That Greek word for departing is a compound word.

It's made of two Greek words, to stand off or to stand apart, to discontinue. And so it is properly translated departing. He says, he's telling them, lest there be in you an evil heart of unbelief in leaving the place you were. You're with Christ now. Now you want to leave Christ. That's an evil heart.

You don't want to do that. Men are free to reject God. Otherwise unbelief would have been wiped out. God just make everybody believers. A lot of Christians believe once you become a Christian you lose your free will.

I don't believe that. My free will is very active. And this is its choice to be with Jesus forever. He will never leave me nor forsake me. He may allow things that I don't like, as we've discussed, but he will never leave me.

And I don't plan to ever leave him. And by his hand and his hand only, that will always be so. And he's Christ, as Peter said, kept.

Kept by God. Well, apostasy. It is willful. It is intellectual. Not only is it intellectual, but it is ultimately an intellectual decision.

It starts off emotionally in some cases. Oh, I like with that religion. They get to do this.

They get, you know, ooh, they get to have that. And we can't have that. And you know, and you begin to feel and until finally you come to that place where you decide you're going to leave Christ behind. Balaam, he departed, never returned. Peter, he stumbled hard, but he returned. Judas, his betrayal was fueled by rejection. Peter's lack of confession, his cowardice at the moment was fueled by weakness.

There was confusion in that also. He was very confused because at one point he was ready to fight for Christ, but it reached a point he didn't know what to do. Plus, he failed.

That's the way to handle that. He failed. But his reason for failure was born of weakness and not rebellion against God in that sense. Jesus always knows who will come to him. He knows who will leave, but he doesn't cause it.

He doesn't drive us away. John's Gospel 6, verse 64, there are some of you, Jesus said, who do not believe. For Jesus knew, John writes, from the beginning who they were who did not believe and who would betray him.

He knows it all. Verse 13, but exhort one another daily while it is called today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Encourage other believers to persevere and not to depart. That's what he's telling them. He's giving them the solution to their problem. Build each other up.

What should he say? Tear each other down? Of course not. Christian interaction. Fellowship with solid believers. To strengthen and to cheer each other on. It's mutual.

It's not lopsided. I get to come up to the pulpit and I get to encourage you from the scripture. Many of you encourage me when I'm not in the pulpit.

You come up and you say, I just want to encourage you. Some of you have a keen perception of that. You understand the unique challenges of a pastor in the assembly.

You know, it's not a secret. Life in Christ for me was a lot easier before I became a pastor. But as a pastor, it's not the same. But Christ has bound the sacrifice to the halter. I can't go anywhere. There would have to be serious, a serious overriding of the system to escape and I don't intend to do that because who has hardened himself against him and prospered? Why would I expect to be victorious there? So you take the hardship.

You take the things that come with it. And we all should know about these things because it belongs to our faith. Yet life is hard in itself and we all need encouragement.

There will be things that will come our way that we quite frankly hate. But that is not excuse enough. That is not an excuse to stop believing and stop trusting.

And again, he used solid reasoning with these people who were flirting with leaving the faith. He did not simply insist. Insistence is not an argument. It's true. That's not okay. But that's just insistence.

Tell me why it's true and that's what he has been doing. Well, if there were such a thing as unconditional salvation and election, I could just do anything I want. I'm saved. And there would be no need to do any of this stuff, would it? This would be futile. Why do I encourage them to not depart from the faith if it was all automatic? No, but we have a free will.

That's why. Can't get away from it. There's no such thing as love without free will. Lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. That's where it starts. Sin is seductive. Error. That's, you know, what is wrong?

All you have to do is ask Eve about that. So I'm going to take some verses here. When I was preparing this, I listed the verses I'm going to read.

There's only about seven, eight hundred of them. And I felt when I said, you know, I better take thin it out a little bit. And I felt the Holy Spirit leave it as is. Those words are important for this verse. So let's see if, let's see if we can see it. James chapter one.

Put your goggles on when James talks because sparks are going to fly. Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word. How many Christians don't do that? Which is able to save your souls.

Be doers of the word and not hearers only. Deceiving yourselves. Tricking yourselves. Lying to yourselves. Playing a move on yourself.

Don't do it. Luke's Gospel six verse forty-six. But why do you call me Lord, Lord, and don't do the things I say?

You're playing games with me. Peter could say, because I just can't. Judas would say, I don't want to.

Jeremiah seventeen. We all know this one. The heart is deceitful above all things. The very thing that we think is not deceitful, you know, but God knows my heart.

Yeah, he does. It's deceitful. Above all things. That's pretty high.

And desperately wicked. Not a little bit. Who can know it?

Not you. He goes on. I, Yahweh, search the heart. Test the mind. Even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings. So God knows my heart.

That's my only rest. He knows my heart. So when I don't know it, I go to him.

He points it out and that's how the solutions are gained. But if I want to turn my shoulder against him, turn my back to him, thinking I know my heart, then I am a fool. Jesus will always stay with you if you will stay with him.

That is a promise. John fifteen six. If anyone does not abide in me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered and they gather them and throw them into the fire and they are burned. Abiding is not, you know, failing or committing a sin. That is not, I committed a sin. I'm not abiding in Christ. Yes, I'm certainly on one level that is true, but not on this level that Jesus is talking about.

He's talking about being a believer, being saved in Christ, loving him, wanting him. If you turn your back on that, what, do you think you're still going to heaven? Do you think you're going to go to heaven if you side consciously with Satan against Christ? Are you or could you be that dense or you were never saved?

Oh, please. Then how do I know you're saved? Where's the assurance in that? I know I'm saved because the scripture tells me. And if I don't know that, my, my authority as a Christian to swing my sword of truth is not only diminished, it is lost. And so blessed assurance is imperative to know I'm good because I stand with Christ and my flesh fights it, doesn't do it, I mess up, but I know who is the Lord and there is no other and I'm not going to bow down to anybody but him. That is abiding with Christ and it is invincible and hell knows it.

And so do you and so does God. And so none of this fretting, that's why John in his first study says, I've written to you these things that you may know that you have eternal life. Peter, because of these things, the warning to believers here, Peter says, now if the righteous one is scarcely saved, will there, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?

We just make it in by the blood of Christ. So to tamper with these things, brethren, you are playing with your destiny. And Peter is quoting Proverbs 11. And so the Holy Spirit steps on toes, not because he's clumsy, because he's careful.

And if he has to get your attention, he'll hurt your feelings to keep you straight. And that's what this letter is doing, knowing that you reap what you sow. And if you sow rebellion judgment, you will get that is the lesson. But if you reap, pardon me, if you sow faith, you just I'm going to trust him. God knows. He knows my heart. He knows I'm weak, but I'm going to trust it in his hands.

You're good if you are sincere. There comes a time when it's too late for the unbeliever. We don't know when that time is, but we know that lesson from Noah. There came a time when the door to the ark shut. Genesis 7.

So those that entered, male and female, of all flesh, went in as God had commanded, and the Lord shut them in. From so serious business, that's what the Bible is telling us through and through. The Bible does not say, I'm just kidding. It's a joke.

It doesn't do that. To become hardened and hardest, to become calloused, indifferent, cold, insensitive to the touch of God. Verse 14. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end. How many Christians unwelcome those words? Because it tells them, in this relationship, you have a responsibility. Christ, is he going to do all the dying and all the loving and you don't have to do it?

Of course, that's silly. Christ loves you. You'd love him back. It will be automatic if you know him. And if you don't, you ask him.

He'll give it to you. The imparted word. And so John 15 elaborates on that. Verse 15 now of Hebrews. While it is said today, and this is the second time, he warns, if you will hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.

Emphasis on a critical point right now. Verse 16. For who having heard rebelled, let me reread that with the question mark.

For who having heard rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt led by Moses? Of course, he knows that there was Caleb and Joshua.

He factors that in. But here's a historical example of failure of Israel to believe so that these can see the example and not repeat it themselves. And he spends the rest of this chapter stressing this very point. Verse 17. Now with whom was he angry?

Forty years, was it not? With those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness. Well, that's right to the point. And so there you are. You're a believer. You love Jesus. Do you think God is going to allow testing to your life to see if you mean it? You young men and you young women, it's probably going to come very likely in the form of an unbeliever who you are attracted to romantically. If they are not a believer, don't go near it.

Once you're bitten, that poison will go through your veins instantly. Just keep your distance. Know who you are. Trust God to provide you with a companion. But again, why should God give you a companion when your life is not set in his direction but your own direction? God, can you give me someone so we could both ignore you together? Well, what happens when you say, Lord, can you give me a helpmate so we can serve you and make me the leader?

Look at him, that leader part. I thought that was kind of funny, but some of you are a little slow on that. Well, let's finish up because of who knows what time. We're in the twilight zone here with time.

Very serious, though. You're going to harden your heart if you start partaking of forbidden fruit. That silly line about, but I love them. In the presence of that throne of God, the sins you do, two by two you shall answer, one by one.

I know I said this just a few weeks. I've got to put that in unless you think I'm losing it on those grounds. Don't think that your emotions justify your rebellion against God. But I feel it when you feel the wrong thing. But I really feel it when you're really dumb because the Bible has made it clear and you're opting out and you still want to be accepted and this mocks God and that's what the Hebrew letter is about.

You've been brought into the faith and now you want out because there are things you feel make you feel closer to God and they do not. I'm sure he had many enemies once he read this. This letter was read.

Verse 17 where he says, whom is angry for 40 years, their corpses littered the wilderness. Proof that, again, seeing the miraculous does not generate faith, guarantee faith. Hearing powerful scripture messages from Pat, well from me.

I'm sorry, I'm a little giddy this morning, but let's put it back to where it comes. Hearing the truth from the word of God, from the people of God is not enough in and of itself to guarantee you are going to stand tall for Christ. You still have to do it. He will help you with it.

Start out early. Don't be one of those who 30 years later has to come back and try to clean up the mess that you've made because you didn't listen to God in the early years. You want a pastor that hides these kind of things from you or tells you what you already know. They hardened their hearts against God and he did not, he did not fail them, but they hardened anyway. They died without God because of their rebellious hearts.

Verse 18, and to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest but to those who did not obey. That is the consequence. And so there is the fear of leaving Christ that we should all be very aware of. We who love the Lord don't live that way. I don't wake up in the morning, boy I sure hope I don't leave him today.

Not even a thought. I wake up in the morning and I pray that I be more popular with people. No, I don't. I wake up and I pray for my urgent needs. And for me, they're usually the flock. Certain lost souls God has put on my heart.

They come second. The first one is God that I don't bring shame to your name. I don't do something goofy and mess it all up. Then I get to the lost souls and I pray for those who have serious situations in their life. And then I get that first cup of coffee and life's good.

So that's just the opening thoughts I'm telling you. I try to wake up with a prayer when my eyes first open. Hold on, I'm still here. I didn't get raptured last night.

Maybe tomorrow. But anyway, verse 18, and to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest but to those who did not obey. So it's not magic. It's not, ooh, they just didn't make the list. No, there's a reason why they didn't enter and it's because they rebelled. Verse 19, so we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. That's the cause. He's telling them. It's not, well, you just, you know, you weren't tall enough.

Or, you know, you didn't, you weren't good enough shot. No, you can believe. And verse 19, so we see that they could not enter because of unbelief. Well, I'm going to close it with this, 1 Corinthians 15, to point out that the Scripture always has this in front of us, that we're never to take it lightly, never to take our salvation for granted on multiple levels. It costs Christ, it costs God, and it's not something we're to just treat lightly. It is the most precious thing we have. Our salvation is nothing more, your kids are not more precious, whatever else, than your salvation. That is everything. And if you want to give your kids something that is precious, give them that salvation too.

Share it. And that's what we understand. Well, anyway, moreover, brethren, I declare to you the Gospel which I preach to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved. If you hold fast that word which I preach to you, unless you believe for nothing, that's what he says.

You see, the apostle was wise enough to know he was never going to treat Christianity lightly. You've been listening to Cross Reference Radio, the daily radio ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel in Mechanicsville, Virginia. As we mentioned at the beginning of today's broadcast, today's teaching is available free of charge at our website. Simply log on to crossreferenceradio.com. That's crossreferenceradio.com. We'd also like to encourage you to subscribe to the Cross Reference Radio podcast. Subscribing ensures that you stay current with all the latest teachings from Pastor Rick. You can subscribe at crossreferenceradio.com or simply search for Cross Reference Radio in your favorite podcast app. Tune in next time as Pastor Rick continues teaching through the book of Hebrews right here on Cross Reference Radio.