Today
Today “IF” Ye Will Hear My Voice
This message comes to us from Hebrews Chapter 3:, It speaks to us of the wilderness Church and serves as a warning from The Holy Ghost (v7) to the New Testament Church through our beloved
Brother and Apostle, Paul.
V.7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,
It would be so good if each of us would read this entire chapter. It will bless your soul.
But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. Hebrews 3:6
Children, If we are to be the spiritual house of Christ, we are to maintain the characteristics that clearly separate us from the things of this world. Holiness is the standard required, with a heart that is clean and pure, These qualities are not negotiable, rather mandatory to remain upon this path where the Lord, Christ has placed us. It behooves us to check our maintenance list daily “to see if we are in the faith”.
When the wilderness Church began their journey, their focus was upon God and the wonderful bounties which they would enjoy upon entrance into the Promised Land. We learn that the trip would actually take a few days, seeing that it was not that far from Egypt. Instead of staying focused on God, they soon began their negative attitudes, opinions, bickering and complaints. By their own actions, they forfeited a journey of comfort and joy for a path which they themselves chose. It became a long, hard path upon which God found it necessary to keep them because of their disobedience and unbelief. Paul sums up their failure in Hebrew 3:19 “So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
The Church must remain obedient and choose to stand firm, in our confidence and rejoicing in Him. It is wonderful that The Lord allows us to choose. Children, are we still on the same path that we started on with Him? Arc we staying focused on Christ and remembering the promises that He has made to us?
Paul gives a warning to the New Testament Church of God in v. 12
“Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
Now go to v. 1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling...
Paul was speaking to his brethren whom he considered to be holy people, not to sinners or strangers. We may be shocked to think that holiness people could allow themselves to become partakers of evil men’s deeds or be involved in the things of which Paul speaks. Yet, Paul was very plain in his speech, no doubt reiterating a message that the Church had received from The Holy Ghost.
v. 7-11 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) Hebrews 3:7-11
That statement was detrimental because it pronounced and sealed their doom and was carried out to the letter. Can we say that God has changed? Do we think that God destroyed some 3,000,000 of His people because He did not love them? Children we must walk so very humble before The Lord, we must fear The One that can destroy both soul and body in Hell. We must not provoke Him as the wilderness Church did, and let us not grieve The Holy Ghost. We must be obedient to His voice if we are to be His spiritual house, The Church of God! It is really heartbreaking that only two of the original ones that left Egypt, made it into the Promised Land. Only two out of approximately 3,000,000 people! Those were the two that were staying on the same path and staying focused on God. They were not willing to take part in evil men’s deeds. They had no part in the bickering, complaining, debating, compromising and arguing. Joshua and Caleb had one thing on their mind and that was reaching the land of milk and honey! They stayed focused, steadfast and listening to God. They did not allow their hearts to become filled with unbelief.
Listen to what Paul told the Hebrews. The Word is speaking to us today just as it spoke to them. V.13-15 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation
Children, the path to destruction is broad and many are on it today for ignoring God and His Word, The path to life is narrow and very few will find it, because it is a straight path. If you have found it, stay on it!!! Stay Steadfast, it will take you to the Promised Land!!!
Sis Dolores Yost,
International W.M.B. Director