The Message

<div class="version vid97 iso6393eng" data-vid="97" data-iso6393="eng">
   <div class="book bkHEB">
      <div class="chapter ch3" data-usfm="HEB.3">
         <div class="label">3</div><div class="s1"><span class="heading">The Centerpiece of All We Believe</span></div><div class="m"><span class="content">  </span><span class="verse v1 v2 v3 v4 v5 v6" data-usfm="HEB.3.1+HEB.3.2+HEB.3.3+HEB.3.4+HEB.3.5+HEB.3.6"><span class="label">1-6a</span><span class="content"> So, my dear Christian friends, companions in following this call to the heights, take a good hard look at Jesus. He&#8217;s the centerpiece of everything we believe, faithful in everything God gave him to do. Moses was also faithful, but Jesus gets far more honor. A builder is more valuable than a building any day. Every house has a builder, but the Builder behind them all is God. Moses did a good job in God&#8217;s house, but it was all servant work, getting things ready for what was to come. Christ as Son is in charge of the house.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v1 v2 v3 v4 v5 v6" data-usfm="HEB.3.1+HEB.3.2+HEB.3.3+HEB.3.4+HEB.3.5+HEB.3.6"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v6 v7 v8 v9 v10 v11" data-usfm="HEB.3.6+HEB.3.7+HEB.3.8+HEB.3.9+HEB.3.10+HEB.3.11"><span class="label">6b-11</span><span class="content"> Now, if we can only keep a firm grip on this bold confidence, we&#8217;re the house! That&#8217;s why the Holy Spirit says,</span></span></div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v6 v7 v8 v9 v10 v11" data-usfm="HEB.3.6+HEB.3.7+HEB.3.8+HEB.3.9+HEB.3.10+HEB.3.11"><span class="content">Today, please listen;</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v6 v7 v8 v9 v10 v11" data-usfm="HEB.3.6+HEB.3.7+HEB.3.8+HEB.3.9+HEB.3.10+HEB.3.11"><span class="content">don&#8217;t turn a deaf ear as in &#8220;the bitter uprising,&#8221;</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v6 v7 v8 v9 v10 v11" data-usfm="HEB.3.6+HEB.3.7+HEB.3.8+HEB.3.9+HEB.3.10+HEB.3.11"><span class="content">that time of wilderness testing!</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v6 v7 v8 v9 v10 v11" data-usfm="HEB.3.6+HEB.3.7+HEB.3.8+HEB.3.9+HEB.3.10+HEB.3.11"><span class="content">Even though they watched me at work for forty years,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v6 v7 v8 v9 v10 v11" data-usfm="HEB.3.6+HEB.3.7+HEB.3.8+HEB.3.9+HEB.3.10+HEB.3.11"><span class="content">your ancestors refused to let me do it my way;</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v6 v7 v8 v9 v10 v11" data-usfm="HEB.3.6+HEB.3.7+HEB.3.8+HEB.3.9+HEB.3.10+HEB.3.11"><span class="content">over and over they tried my patience.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v6 v7 v8 v9 v10 v11" data-usfm="HEB.3.6+HEB.3.7+HEB.3.8+HEB.3.9+HEB.3.10+HEB.3.11"><span class="content">And I was provoked, oh, so provoked!</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v6 v7 v8 v9 v10 v11" data-usfm="HEB.3.6+HEB.3.7+HEB.3.8+HEB.3.9+HEB.3.10+HEB.3.11"><span class="content">I said, &#8220;They&#8217;ll never keep their minds on God;</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v6 v7 v8 v9 v10 v11" data-usfm="HEB.3.6+HEB.3.7+HEB.3.8+HEB.3.9+HEB.3.10+HEB.3.11"><span class="content">they refuse to walk down my road.&#8221;</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v6 v7 v8 v9 v10 v11" data-usfm="HEB.3.6+HEB.3.7+HEB.3.8+HEB.3.9+HEB.3.10+HEB.3.11"><span class="content">Exasperated, I vowed,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v6 v7 v8 v9 v10 v11" data-usfm="HEB.3.6+HEB.3.7+HEB.3.8+HEB.3.9+HEB.3.10+HEB.3.11"><span class="content">&#8220;They&#8217;ll never get where they&#8217;re going,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v6 v7 v8 v9 v10 v11" data-usfm="HEB.3.6+HEB.3.7+HEB.3.8+HEB.3.9+HEB.3.10+HEB.3.11"><span class="content">never be able to sit down and rest.&#8221;</span></span></div><div class="b"></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v6 v7 v8 v9 v10 v11" data-usfm="HEB.3.6+HEB.3.7+HEB.3.8+HEB.3.9+HEB.3.10+HEB.3.11"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v12 v13 v14" data-usfm="HEB.3.12+HEB.3.13+HEB.3.14"><span class="label">12-14</span><span class="content">So watch your step, friends. Make sure there&#8217;s no evil unbelief lying around that will trip you up and throw you off course, diverting you from the living God. For as long as God&#8217;s still calling it Today, keep each other on your toes so sin doesn&#8217;t slow down your reflexes. If we can only keep our grip on the sure thing we started out with, we&#8217;re in this with Christ for the long haul.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v12 v13 v14" data-usfm="HEB.3.12+HEB.3.13+HEB.3.14"><span class="content">These words keep ringing in our ears:</span></span></div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v12 v13 v14" data-usfm="HEB.3.12+HEB.3.13+HEB.3.14"><span class="content">Today, please listen;</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v12 v13 v14" data-usfm="HEB.3.12+HEB.3.13+HEB.3.14"><span class="content">don&#8217;t turn a deaf ear as in the bitter uprising.</span></span></div><div class="b"></div><div class="m"><span class="verse v12 v13 v14" data-usfm="HEB.3.12+HEB.3.13+HEB.3.14"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v15 v16 v17 v18 v19" data-usfm="HEB.3.15+HEB.3.16+HEB.3.17+HEB.3.18+HEB.3.19"><span class="label">15-19</span><span class="content">For who were the people who turned a deaf ear? Weren&#8217;t they the very ones Moses led out of Egypt? And who was God provoked with for forty years? Wasn&#8217;t it those who turned a deaf ear and ended up corpses in the wilderness? And when he swore that they&#8217;d never get where they were going, wasn&#8217;t he talking to the ones who turned a deaf ear? They never got there because they never listened, never believed.</span></span></div>
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So, my dear Christian friends, companions in following this call to the heights, take a good hard look at Jesus. He’s the centerpiece of everything we believe, faithful in everything God gave him to do. Moses was also faithful, but Jesus gets far more honor. A builder is more valuable than a building any day. Every house has a builder, but the Builder behind them all is God. Moses did a good job in God’s house, but it was all servant work, getting things ready for what was to come. Christ as Son is in charge of the house.
Now, if we can only keep a firm grip on this bold confidence, we’re the house! That’s why the Holy Spirit says,

Today, please listen;
don’t turn a deaf ear as in “the bitter uprising,”
that time of wilderness testing!
Even though they watched me at work for forty years,
your ancestors refused to let me do it my way;
over and over they tried my patience.
And I was provoked, oh, so provoked!
I said, “They’ll never keep their minds on God;
they refuse to walk down my road.”
Exasperated, I vowed,
“They’ll never get where they’re going,
never be able to sit down and rest.”

So watch your step, friends. Make sure there’s no evil unbelief lying around that will trip you up and throw you off course, diverting you from the living God. For as long as God’s still calling it Today, keep each other on your toes so sin doesn’t slow down your reflexes. If we can only keep our grip on the sure thing we started out with, we’re in this with Christ for the long haul.
These words keep ringing in our ears:

Today, please listen;
don’t turn a deaf ear as in the bitter uprising.

For who were the people who turned a deaf ear? Weren’t they the very ones Moses led out of Egypt? And who was God provoked with for forty years? Wasn’t it those who turned a deaf ear and ended up corpses in the wilderness? And when he swore that they’d never get where they were going, wasn’t he talking to the ones who turned a deaf ear? They never got there because they never listened, never believed.

მოისმინეთ Hebrews 3