GYC 2014: At The Cross

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Generation. Youth. Christ. (GYC)

The Cross in Hebrews

Clinton Wahlen

1. Why Only a Cross Could Save Us (Hebrews 1-2)

2. Really Resting in the Cross (Hebrews 3-4)

3. The Cross in Leadership (Hebrews 5-7)

4. Stumbling or Standing at the Cross? (Hebrews 8)

5. The Cross Connects Heaven and Earth (Hebrews 9-10)

6. Joining Jesus at the Cross (Hebrews 11-13)

This message was presented at the GYC 2014 conference at La Crosse in Phoenix, Arizona.

For other resources like this, visit us online at www.gycweb.org.

I know that some are still coming in, but time is limited, and we want to make the best use of the time that we have.

We had quite a wonderful first hour looking at Hebrews chapters 1 and 2, And we're going to move on, beginning in chapters 3 and 4 in this seminar.

Let's just, before we begin, let's bow our heads for prayer.

Loving Father, thank you so much for Jesus, the Word made flesh, who dwelt among us, who lives for us today at your right hand.

In our first seminar, just by way of the briefest summary, we found that it was essential, the cross was essential for saving us because only 1 who is equal with God, vertically reaching his throne, and 1 who is horizontal, fully human, could touch our humanity and experience our temptations, could sympathize with us.

Only 1 who is fully divine, fully human could save us.

As we come to Hebrews chapter 3, it again begins with Jesus.

Hebrews chapter 3, where, therefore, holy brethren partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the apostle and high priest of our confession.

We'll deal with that more in Seminar 3 about leadership.

We'll come back to these verses in chapter 3.

Consider the apostle and high priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful to him who appointed him, as Moses also was faithful in all his house.

For this 1 has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses inasmuch as he who built the house, that is Jesus is the creator of course, he who built the house has more honor than the house.

For every house is built by someone, but he who built all things is God.

And Moses indeed was faithful in all his house as a servant for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward.

But Christ as a son over his own house, whose house we are, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.

So as Moses was leader of the house of Israel.

Jesus now is leader and head of the house of new Israel.

Yet as Paul says here, Jesus has more honor than Moses.

Just as the 1 who made the house has more honor than the house.

Moses didn't create Israel, God created Israel.

God brought it into existence through the Exodus, bringing them out of Egypt, leading them into the promised land, leading them through the wilderness.

And as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10, it was Jesus who led them.

It was Jesus who was that rock in the wilderness with them.

Why does Hebrews talk about it at this point?

Because like Moses, Jesus is leading his people, he's leading us through the wilderness of this sinful planet to the heavenly Canaan.

And so the warning in Hebrews 3 and 4 is very serious for us too.

So that we do not follow after Israel's bad example by hardening our hearts and rebelling against the Lord.

You know, Paul has also in 1 Corinthians 10, a very similar message.

He goes through, and we won't take the time to look at this passage because our passage is Hebrews 3 and 4, but I just wanted to point out the parallel because Paul in Hebrews is talking about the same thing as he does in 1 Corinthians 10 where he goes through the experience of Israel in the wilderness and he says in verse 6, now these things were our examples to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted and so on.

Neither verse 8 commit foreign occasion as some of them committed.

Verse 9, neither let us tempt Christ as some of them also tempted.

Verse 10, neither murmur ye as some of them also murmured.

Verse 11, now all these things happen unto them for examples, and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

So what was written then about their experience in the wilderness is instructive for us upon whom the ends of the world are come.

This is the same message as in Hebrews chapter 3 and 4.

Now you might think, well, we can't, we wouldn't make the same mistakes as Israel did.

Surely we have their example to learn from.

You know, we see their experience and what it led to.

And more than that we have, more than they had, we have the New Testament.

We have Jesus and his life and his word through his apostles.

The 1 thing we learn from history is we don't learn from history.

We may, if we are not careful, repeat the mistakes Israel made.

In fact, it's already happened to a certain extent, we could say, because we are still here.

We should not be still here, but we're still here.

We're told that Jesus could have come back 170 years ago, had Adventists, after the great disappointment in 1844, held fast their faith and followed on unitedly in the opening providence of God, receiving the message of the third angel, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, proclaiming it to the world.

They would have seen the salvation of God.

The Lord would have wrought mightily with their efforts.

The work would have been completed, and Christ would have come, ere this, to receive his people to their reward.

It was not the will of God that the coming of Christ should be thus delayed.

For 40 years did unbelief, murmuring, and rebellion shut out ancient Israel from the land of Canaan.

The same sins have delayed the entrance of modern Israel into the heavenly Canaan.

In neither case were the promises of God at fault.

It is the, notice this, the unbelief, the worldliness, the un-consecration and strife among the Lord's professed people that have kept us in this world of sin and sorrow so many years.

That's a statement that is well worth pondering over for some time, but we don't have time to dwell on it.

Israel wanted to turn back to Egypt, And we have to keep in mind what Egypt was at that time.

Egypt was the most civilized place on the planet.

All we have to do is look at Egypt, modern Egypt today, and look at the contrast.

You would think that modern Egypt today would be even more advanced, right?

But as 1 person said, who was on a tour with me of Egypt, you know, looking at the buildings that were crumbling, she said, I can't tell whether the building is going up or coming down.

And we didn't go to look at those buildings.

We went to look at the pyramids and the palaces of Karnak and the tombs of the kings and queens, the pharaohs of Egypt, and the glories of that civilization.

It was a very advanced civilization, and it was comfortable there.

Good food, and all the living comforts that went with the most advanced nation in the world.

And Somehow yet, they somehow in the wilderness, when they were relying on God for their water and their food, they came to forget that, that they were slaves.

And so Egypt in scripture epitomizes unbelief.

Yet, over and over, what do we read in the books of Moses?

And so Hebrews, by contrast, encourages us to hold our confidence firm and steadfast to the end.

Verse 6, but if we hold fast the confidence and rejoice in the hope firm unto the end.

Verse 14, for we are made partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end.

How can we avoid following the misguided example of Israel?

Fourth volume of the testimony is page 150.

Thus, they manifested their disrespect for God and for the leaders he had appointed to conduct them.

They took matters into their own hands, feeling themselves confident to manage their affairs without divine aid." The words of Hebrews 3 verse 15, sorry, verse 14, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end are important.

That word if, it could be translated if and only if.

In other words, there is a fairly strong probability that believers today will repeat Israel's mistake unless they hold fast their confidence.

If and only if we hold fast our confidence and rejoicing firm to the end will we be saved.

He never forces us to stay in his presence any longer than we are willing.

It's not an on-again, off-again experience because the Holy Spirit convicts us when we sin.

Series

The Cross in Hebrews

2. Really Resting in the Cross (Hebrews 3-4)

Transcript

Parent Series

Parent Conference

Sponsor

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