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 40 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. 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 share in Christ if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. 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 40 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. Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear, lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. For we who have believed enter that rest as he has said, as I swore in my wrath, they shall not enter my rest. Although his works were finished from the foundation of the world, For he has spoken of the seventh day in this way, and God rested on the seventh day from all his works. And again in this passage he said, they shall not enter my rest. Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, again he appoints a certain day, today, saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For whoever has entered God's rest, has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. As we begin, I'm going to present two scenarios, and there's going to be a common theme that unites them. So be thinking about that. What unites these two different scenarios? Scenario number one, you're running a marathon, which as I understand it, not having run a marathon myself, lasts for 26.2 miles. Let's say you start off on that marathon and you run 25 miles, but then you quit. Can you claim to have finished the race? Scenario number two, you're in college and you complete three and a half years of a four-year degree. But then you drop out with credits yet to be earned. Have you completed that degree? Now, what's the common theme between those two scenarios? You could put it different ways, I suppose, but here's how I'm thinking about it. Failure to persevere to the end and to Flesh that out even further, disqualification from final reward because of failure to persevere to the end. If you stopped running at mile 25, you can't go back to your friends and claim to have run a marathon. I suppose you could buy one of the stickers and slap it on the back of your car, but it wouldn't be truthful. And in the other scenario, if you showed up at graduation day expecting to receive a diploma, they would say, I'm sorry. You didn't finish. You didn't persevere to the end. Again, disqualification from final reward because of a failure to persevere to the end. Now with that mind, look with me at Hebrews 3.14. For we share in Christ if, indeed, we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As in our previous scenarios, so it is in the Christian life. A failure to persevere to the end will result in disqualification from final reward. You can appear to be committed to Christ for a time, perhaps even for quite a long time. But if you do not persevere to the end, if you forsake the Lord Jesus in this life, then our author tells us you have no rightful claim to the promised reward. We have to reckon with the if. Two letters, but a powerful word there in verse 14. We share in Christ if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. The reward is contingent on final perseverance, a final perseverance that passes from this life to the next, clinging to the Lord Jesus Christ by faith. A word is appropriate here about the pastoral context of the book of Hebrews. We often think about the book of Hebrews as wonderfully theologically rich, and that indeed it is. But we shouldn't let the theological depth and richness of the book turn us away from the simple reason that it was written in the first place, which was a pastoral concern. This pastor looked at one of his flocks and saw that there was a spiritual danger that needed to be addressed. the danger of apostasy. Always remember that when you're reading this book. This is a pastor calling a congregation back from the brink of apostasy. He sees them running off of this fatal spiritual cliff, and he's doing everything he can to shout them down and wave them down. and pleading with them, enlisting, yes, all of his considerable theological richness to this one end, that they would hold fast to Christ and persevere. Chapter 10, verses 35 and 36. Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what is promised. And it's our passage this morning, Hebrews chapters three and four, that shows us the context for that great need of endurance. Why is it that in this life we have such great need for perseverance and for endurance? Well, that's the exact heart of Hebrews chapters three and four. These chapters situate and explain our need for perseverance and for endurance. Now, it's an incredibly rich passage that we have before us, and we can't look at all of the details, but we're coming to it this morning with this laser-focused question. How does this passage help us endure? How does this passage help us to more tightly cling to Jesus? That we might ourselves, in our own lives, in our own church, and in our own generation, to hold our original confidence firm to the end. Two points to this end this morning. Point number one, a pilgrim's guide to history. And point number two, a pilgrim's guide to the heart. A pilgrim's guide to history and a pilgrim's guide to the heart. And here in our first point, I want to endeavor to emphasize what I believe to be the simple and straightforward nature of what the author of Hebrews is doing in these two chapters. Yes, these verses are in many ways rich and dense, but the author of Hebrews wasn't trying to baffle the church, he was trying to buttress the church, to strengthen us. To strengthen us with a knowledge of what the Lord is doing in our lives and in human history. Which brings us to point number one, a pilgrim's guide to history. So again, the essence of our author's view of New Covenant history is simple. Just as there was a period of wilderness testing in the life of Israel, between Exodus and Inheritance, so too now in the life of the New Covenant Church. We too dwell in a period of wilderness testing between Exodus and Inheritance. Think about it this way. Our great spiritual Exodus is behind us. It's the cross of our Savior. Our Passover lamb has been sacrificed. We have been freed by his blood, by that once-for-all sacrifice of himself, and we do not look forward to a greater exodus yet to come. It is behind us, praise be to God. We look back on his crucifixion and his resurrection and his ascension. That is our spiritual exodus. But we still, as did Israel in the wilderness, we still look forward to the fullness and to the consummation of our inheritance. The eternal Sabbath rest of glory is still in front of us. And notice with me from these chapters, there are two markers of time that the author of Hebrews uses to designate these two realities. There's today, and then there's my rest. Today represents the period of wilderness testing, and my rest represents the end and the consummation of our pilgrimage when we arrive in eternal glory with our Savior. And from chapter three, verse seven, the beginning of our passage, to chapter four, verse two, Our author uses Psalm 95 to focus our attention on the period of Israel's wilderness testing to show us that our today is a period of wilderness just as was Israel's. And then in chapter four, verse three, Through to the end of our passage, chapter 4 and verse 11, our author takes that phrase from Psalm 95 today and links it with another phrase from Psalm 95, my rest, which points us forward to our eternal inheritance. And we thought about this in previous sermons, but the extraordinary way that my rest from Psalm 95 is nothing less than the Sabbath rest of God on the seventh day of creation that we've been looking at from Genesis chapter two. And that it yet stands before us in our pilgrimage. that God's Sabbath rest is that state of glory that awaits us in our heavenly inheritance. And we will not attain to the consummate state of Sabbath rest until we persevere through this wilderness period, holding our original confidence firm to the end. Chapter 4, verses 8 through 10, for if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. And again, for all of the complexity and richness of these two chapters, I want to appreciate the crisp clarity of the presentation of New Covenant history, that we have these two markers. today and my rest that stand side by side as two successive periods of our history as the Church of Jesus Christ. We are presently in a period of wilderness, and that period of wilderness will continue until, in the wisdom of God, Christ returns and brings us to himself, and the whole body of the elect is ushered into that final glorious state of eternal Sabbath rest. Now, what is it about our present experience that the author of Hebrews wants to emphasize? What two things does he say characterize our present wilderness experience? promise, and peril. We have these two things that will be ever present with us in our wilderness pilgrimage, promise and peril. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion. Our wilderness pilgrimage takes place in a world filled with sin and with deceit and with trial and difficulty and suffering and tribulation. And yes, day by day, we hold fast to the promises of God, all of which are yes and amen in Christ Jesus. But that faith That faith, our faith, brothers and sisters, is still being tested day by day. It's being tested by, yes, the sinful influences of the world around us, but also very much by the sinful influences of the flesh that are still left within us. Our faith in this present life is a constantly tested faith. tried in the fires of temptation. Chapter four, verses one and two. Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear, lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them. because they were not united by faith with those who listened. Promise and peril. Why does the author of Hebrews spend two chapters digging so deeply into this presentation of new covenant history? Well, because he wants to heighten our awareness of the dangers that still face us during the period of wilderness testing. We have not yet entered our final rest. There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. And as such, we must stay awake and we must stay vigilant concerning the influence of sin upon our hearts in this present evil age. which brings us then to the second point. So, right, we have this wonderful, overarching pilgrim's guide to history, but again, the author of Hebrews isn't giving this to us just to fill our minds with knowledge. It is for a distinctly pastoral reason, which brings us to the second point, a pilgrim's guide to the heart. Now that we have this understanding of history, Now that we grasp better the peril that yet remains in this present evil age, how do we respond? Well, look with me at chapter four in verse 11. The final verse of our passage is the summary of the author of Hebrews as to how he would have us to live in accordance with the pilgrim's guide to history that he's given to us. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. The pilgrim's heart must be a vigilant heart. I keep using that word vigilant. It's a wonderful word, so beautifully relevant to this passage. It means keeping careful watch for the possibility of danger and difficulty. Now, brothers and sisters, we're not home yet. We have not arrived yet at the final destination that God has purposed for his people. We've not completed our course. miles yet to be walked. We are still surrounded by enemies and by temptations and by obstacles. And so, in utter reliance on the grace of God at work within us, we must strive to enter that rest. And when we do enter our heavenly rest, there will be no more striving because there will be no more opposition. But here on earth, there are enemies. Here on earth, there is great opposition to the work of God in all the nations among those whom he has loved from before the foundation of the world. And therefore, we must be vigilant. striving with all of our might to enter God's rest, knowing that every step of the way, it is His strength that must carry us and sustain us. Simply put, the author of Hebrews is reminding us that we are foolish if we think that the life of faith is supposed to be easy. It's not, because we are surrounded by enemies that oppose God's work of grace upon the earth. The walk of faith, therefore, requires focused and determined effort to keep our eyes fixed upon the Lord Jesus. And I'm sure of it, that all of us right now can think of things. Things in our lives that either have in the past or are presently, right at this moment, proving to be obstacles to the walk of faith. What temptations are standing in your way and blocking your growth in grace? What influences in your life would have you shipwreck your faith if they could? Are you being vigilant? That's the call of this passage. To fight against the influences that stand opposed to our growth in Christ. And again, from chapter three in verse 14, to hold our original confidence firm to the end. Now, the idea of a vigilant faith, It's a beautiful thought, but it's still a fairly general idea, right? So we might ask the question, well, does our author give us any more concrete idea of what a vigilant faith should look like? And the answer to that, wonderfully, is yes, absolutely he does. And it happens a little earlier in the passage, but he gives us a wonderfully specific snapshot of what a vigilant faith should look like, what it looks like to be vigilantly striving to enter God's rest. And that snapshot shows us both an individual vigilance as well as a corporate vigilance. Look with me at chapter three in verse 12, and we'll think first of all about what it looks like to exercise an individual vigilance in striving to enter God's rest. Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. So individually, what are we to do? We're to take heed of the condition of our hearts. I don't know if anybody has Proverbs 4.23 memorized, but the language of that verse is so immediately relevant to Hebrews chapters three and four. Keep your heart with all, what? with all vigilance, keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. And it's important to note, with this individual vigilance, that we're not talking about navel-gazing. We're not talking about an unhealthy, self-absorbed introspection. Many times throughout the Bible, we're called to this sort of self-examination, and it's simple. We are to go before the Lord, in light of his word, and to Look truthfully upon the state of our heart. Where is our hope? Where is our trust? What is the true nature of our spiritual condition before the face of the living God? And this is important because the Word of God tells us that it is one thing to verbally profess the Lord Jesus, The New Testament calls upon us again and again and again to make sure that we're not just confessing Christ outwardly, but that we possess Him inwardly according to the grace of faith. That it's possible to profess Him with words, but actually to have your hearts be far from Him. Take care, brothers. lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart. Again, this is the author of Hebrews talking to the church. And so we are to take careful heed of this. For that evil, unbelieving heart will lead you to fall away from the living God. And perhaps there's someone here this morning for whom this is true. You're here this morning and you feel yourself drifting away from Christ. In some way or another, you feel the world, the flesh, the devil pulling and grasping at you to pull you away from the Lord Jesus. And so first of all, we need to be so very clear about the point here of our text, that if we answer those voices, if we allow those claws to pull us away from the Lord Jesus, if we fall away from the living God, we will not enter God's rest. If you fall away from Christ, you will die in the wilderness, as so many did in Israel's history. and you will meet with wrath and judgment in the life to come. But again, the pastoral zeal of the author of Hebrews is that that doesn't have to happen. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. Brothers and sisters, do not harden your hearts to the call of Jesus Christ. Yield your heart to Him. Give yourself to Him. Flee the voices and influences of the world that would have you to shipwreck your faith, if they could. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians, now is the day of salvation. God's Word never encourages us to wait to believe. You see, God's Word never says, well, figure some stuff out, and then tomorrow will be the day of salvation. No. Now is the day of salvation. Behold, today, if you hear His voice. And this is a call to us wherever we are in our relationship to the Lord Jesus. Do not wait. Go to Him, yield to Him. For if you yield your heart to Christ, you will find a Savior ready to be merciful, who will delight to receive you and bring you to Himself. The passage doesn't only speak to us, though, about an individual vigilance, but also a corporate vigilance. You know, some of us might wanna stop and say, well, you know, isn't it enough to think about the individual vigilance, but our author keeps going. Read with me now in the next verse, chapter three and verse 13. So we're to take care over our hearts, but then verse 13 also, 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." And what's the author of Hebrews acknowledging here? He's acknowledging that we are on this pilgrimage together. We're not just so many lone pilgrims out there doing this on our own. We are a body. We are making this wilderness journey side by side, a corporate entity, the bride of the Lord Jesus Christ, the many members of his body. And the author of Hebrews is simply telling us that, well, if that's the case, then we should act like it. We should live together accordingly, as fellow pilgrims on the same journey. And all the more, He says, because of the deceitfulness of sin. And that's something you've embraced, I hope, the deceitfulness of sin, because it is truly deceitful and treacherous all the way down to its core. If we allow sin a foothold in our hearts, it will seek to bend and twist and warp our thinking until we're not only deceived into allowing its presence, but before we even know it, we're welcoming it as a friend. Given the right circumstances, each one of us is capable individually of rationalizing and accepting all manner of sin. And the scary thing is, is we don't always see that process happening in ourselves. And that's why we need each other. That's why we must hear the command of the Holy Spirit here in the book of Hebrews to exhort one another every day, as long as it is called today. that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. We need each other. We can see each other with a distance and an objectivity that we don't always have when we look at ourselves. Right there could be something dreadfully wrong in my life, and my prayer would be that if I'm to blind or hardened to see it, that I would have a brother or a sister to come to me and exhort me so long as it is called today. But that means something, doesn't it? It means that we need to be involved in each other's lives. It means we have to know one another. It means that it's not acceptable for Christians to isolate themselves from the body of Christ. You can't exhort people you don't know. It's as simple as that. Now, the Bible is clear on this point, that the, you know, go to church, smile, be friendly, but then, you know, Monday through Saturday, it's my own life, and I don't really want to have anything to do with anybody or to have anybody involved in my life. That thinking simply does not mesh with biblical Christianity. And yes, this is something that can be difficult for some of us, depending on natural disposition. But you see, if we truly understand the peril of this time of wilderness testing, if we truly understand, if we've tasted at all of the true deceitfulness of sin, we'll want it. We'll want our brothers and sisters in our lives. We will want to be available to others to that same end, that together we might be exhorting one another every day as long as it is called today, that none of us may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Right, it's not healthy for churches simply to assume, well, we all must have all of our T's crossed and our I's dotted, and so there's no real need to know each other. Because, point in fact, that's not the reality for any of us. All of us need this exhortation because we all struggle with the deceitfulness of sin. We all need encouragement. Not one of us walks this pilgrimage with perfect, unwavering faith and trust and obedience. The Lord has been pleased to work through the many members of the body of his Son that we might be exhorted Every day, and not hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. We are pilgrims, and so let us act like pilgrims. Think about it in just the terms of a physical journey. One pilgrim becomes weak. Another comes up beside him to offer drink, and perhaps a staff to lean upon. And it would be a strange group of pilgrims that never talked about their final destination. We should be joyfully talking with one another about the glory of eternal rest that awaits us. To share with each other the highs and the lows, the joys and the sorrows of our pilgrim journey. and to encourage one another and strengthen one another with the hope of glory that awaits us in the eternal kingdom of Sabbath rest that Christ has promised to us. And never forgetting, And this is where we'll close, and it might have to be another sermon because it's so important, but in conclusion, brothers and sisters, never forgetting every step of the way that He has not left us as orphans. Now, I want us to see something. This entire passage, right, these many verses of Hebrews chapter three and four that are so rich and detailed, they're bookended by the same proclamation. So look with me, first of all, chapter two. Verses 17 and 18. Therefore he, and that he is Jesus, he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. And now chapter four, verses 14 and following. Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God. Let us hold fast our confession, for we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. You see, in all of our striving, as we trust in the grace of God and rely on His strength, what is His assurance to us? He's with us. He's not left us as orphans. Far from it, yes, He is separated from us by geographical distance. He is at the right hand of God. We are yet on earth, but He has given us His spirit, and He always lives to make intercession for the saints. He is our High Priest, and His ministry is one of merciful, sympathetic intercession. He knows our struggles. He is with us. He is gentle. He is able to help those who are being tempted. And He is exalted above the highest heavens. And it is by His power and His grace, according to His prayers, and by His grace, that we will remain firm to the end, if we but cling to Him, if we but hide ourselves away in the shadow of His wings. Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts. Give your hearts to Christ and he will keep you to the end. Let's pray. O gracious Father, we are often far weaker than we like to admit to others concerning the trials and tribulations that face us along the course of our wilderness pilgrimage. But the fact of the matter is, Lord God, we are all in the same boat. In Christ, praise God, that boat is Noah's Ark, but we are together, Father, struggling, fighting against the opposition of the world, the flesh, and the devil. And so let us with joy look to Christ our Savior, take heed over our own hearts to keep them with vigilance, and to make pilgrimage together, to exhort one another daily, so long it is called today that none of us may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. And gracious Father, may each one of us hold our original confidence firm to the end. For it is Christ who is at work in us. Let us hope in him and trust in him and cling to him. Do we pray these things in his name? Amen.