THE
DANGER OF UNBELIEF
Introduction: On the corner of
Park Row and Beekman Street in New York City, in the 1800s, where Horace
Greeley's Statue (Founder of New York Tribune) now stands, stood a man offering
$20 gold pieces for $1 bill each. All-day, he kept shouting about his gold
pieces. Thousands of people passed
him, most paid no attention, and others either laughed or scowled at him. About
15 minutes before six o'clock, when he was about to quit, a woman timidly
approached him and, after carefully investigating the gold piece, by biting it
and testing its sound, she reluctantly paid the dollar and pocketed the golden
double eagle.
Ten
minutes later, just as the man was about to go home, the woman reappeared
accompanied by two friends, and between them, they purchased the rest of the
man's stock, worth $160, for $8 in bills. The next and for several days, the
street was crowded with the same woman in the lead waiting for the vender of
gold coins, but he never appeared again.
This
story is known to be accurate, and Horace Greeley is responsible for the
incident in demonstration of his theory that most poverty is because the
general public refuses to believe even in the face of overwhelming evidence.[1] This is true for many people,
including Christians, despite overwhelming evidence that God exists, and he
rewards those who earnestly Him, yet refuse to believe in God. The result is
that they continue to remain in spiritual poverty.
Two
weeks ago, while talking about Drifting Away, I said that was the first of the five
warnings found in Hebrews. Today we will look at the second warning against
unbelief. F.B. Meyer once said that "Unbelief puts our circumstances
between us and God, but faith puts God between us and our circumstances."
God has forewarned us that in the last days, many will scoff at God and deny
his existence and power. Let us look at the danger of unbelief. Hebrew 3:12-19
In
our pastor's group, we often talk about and agonize over a forgotten aspect in
our preaching and pastoring these days, which is to call sin by its name Sin
and not calling it a weakness. It is not politically correct to call people
sinners. At Hope Church, we have no trouble mentioning sin, explaining its
consequences, and helping people to overcome sin.
As
we begin our study, let me lay out these premises. The scripture tells us we
all have sinned and need God's mercy. Any Sin is rebellion against God who
created us and loved us so dearly. All sins stem from, as Dr. Bruce Thompson
puts it, "two cardinal or foundational sins of Unbelief and Pride."[2] Let's look at how the sin
of unbelief originated in the first place.
I. THE ROOT CAUSE OF
UNBELIEF.
How
do we define unbelief? Unbelief is doubt or skepticism, especially in matters of religious
faith. How does the Bible describe unbelief? The Bible uses many strong
terms, including hardening, twisting, blindness, deafness, unnaturalness, lies,
deception, folly, rebellion, and madness. The Apostle Paul explains how usually
unbelief starts in the heart of a man.
Romans
1:25, "They traded the truth about God for a lie." The slippery slope
of unbelief is rooted in a three-letter word, "LIE." Where did it all
begin? Remember, when God created Adam and Eve, he gave them all the freedom
they could ever have. But with one clear command. Genesis 2:16-17, "But the Lord God warned him, "You
may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden except the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die."
One day Satan asked the woman, "Did God really say you must not eat the
fruit from any of the trees in the garden."? What is happening here? A bad
deal was taking place.
Up
until that time, I assume that the woman was familiar with only three voices.
Adam's God's and her own voice. All of a sudden, the woman heard the unrecognizable
voice of Satan.
Had
she run away from it; the world would have been a different place. But she was
attracted to its deceptive appeal and began to exchange God's truth for the lie
of Satan. She believed Satan's lie, Vs., 4-5, "You won't die!" God
knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like
God, knowing both good and evil."
Until
then, all Eve knew was good, but now she can also know evil. The outcome of
that knowledge has been devastating ever since. The root of unbelief is a
small seed of doubt sown by the devil. When it is full-grown, it
becomes a strong tree of unbelief. Whoever lives under its shadow faces
devastating consequences. Unbelief always starts with a small doubt!
When
God says in Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you,"
says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you
a future and a hope." We hear another voice speaking to us so convincingly
that God's plan is not good, and He is a Joy killer.
Then
we doubt our loving God and his intentions and begin to take things into our own
hands to our detriment. The devil also has plans for us, and they are for our
destruction. Jesus, in his teachings, exposed the purpose of the devil, and how
we need to run away from him
John
10:10, "The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose
is to give them a rich and satisfying life." He also taught them to
recognize the voice of the devil by using the analogy of sheep, John 10:5, "They
won't follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don't know his
voice." If the sheep can recognize the voice of their master, how about
us?
Jesus
said my sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27.
Unfortunately, many Christians
don't know how to discern the voice of God. Whose voice are you listening
today, God's or the devils? It is not that difficult; with the help of the Holy
Spirit and a little bit of practice, we can recognize His voice. I may talk
about discerning God's voice at another time, for now, let's look at the danger
of unbelief and how we can overcome unbelief.
II THE DANGER OF
UNBELIEF (Lessons from Israel's History)
Verses 7-11 depict the not so
glorious history of Israel under the leadership of Moses. They cover three time
periods: that of the Exodus, the Psalmist, and the writing of the Hebrews. The
Psalmist warned the Israelites of his day against unbelief and disobedience.
(Psalm 95:7-11). The author of Hebrews reminded his audience, and the same
advice applies to us today.
Can
you imagine the vexation of God over the repeated unbelief of Israelites? For
over forty years, miraculously, God provided food and water for them daily.
Gave them meat when they grumbled. God gave them clothes and shoes to wear, and
they did not wear off.
He
kept them from the heat of the day and the cold of the night. He protected them
from their enemies' time and again what more one could do to a bunch of
ungrateful and stubborn people. Despite all those miraculous provisions, the
people of God hardened their hearts and did not believe in Him. Instead, they
grumbled and followed their own ways prompted by the devil.
Hebrews
3:7-11, "That is why the Holy Spirit says, today when you hear his voice,
don't harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled when they tested me
in the wilderness. There your ancestors tested and tried my patience, even
though they saw my miracles for forty years. So, I was angry with them, and I
said, 'Their hearts always turn away from me. They refuse to do what I tell
them. So, in my
anger, I took an oath: 'They will never enter my place of
rest."
What a
tragic consequence of their unbelief? Over 600,000 people who initially left
Egypt died in the wilderness on their way to the promised land, a land of milk
and honey. Only the children who were born to them in the desert, and Joshua
and Caleb from the original bunch entered the promised land. You can read about
how people rebelled against God in Numbers 14. You may be wondering why I
should learn about these lessons? Well, if we don't learn from history, we are
bound to repeat them. Let us look at we
can overcome unbelief.
III OVERCOMING UNBELIEF (Vs. 12-19)
When it comes to unbelief, we think it is not a
big deal, just a weakness. But that was not how some early preachers viewed
unbelief. For instance, Charles Spurgeon said, "Unbelief is the mother of
vice; it is the parent of sin; and, therefore, I say it is a deadly evil--a
master sin."[3]
Unbelief may
not be a big deal for us, but for God, it is a big deal. Why? Unbelief is a
lack of trust in God, which is an insult to God and an assault on His nature.
It robs our joy of living. In the book of Revelation, we read a list of those
who won't make it to heaven.
Rev 21:8,
"But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who
practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery
lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." That is why the author
warns us to guard our hearts against unbelief. Vs.
12, "Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own
hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God."
We need to fiercely protect our hearts against evil and unbelief because
unbelief can turn us away from God.
How can we
overcome unbelief? First of all, we repent of the sin of unbelief. Once we
repent, God will forgive us. Secondly, being in fellowship with one another
could help us overcome our unbelief. Vs. 13, "You must warn each other
every day, while it is still "today," so that none of you will be
deceived by sin and hardened against God.” We need one another.
In the new
community of God, we are encouraged to warn one another not weekly but daily
against the dangers of unbelief. The seasoned believers must come alongside the
younger and struggling believers and help them in their journey of faith. This
is even more so pertinent for our times today. If we fail to encourage one
another, we start believing the lies about God, ourselves, and others. Let's
pray and support one another in our journey of faith. Amen!
[1] https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/poverty-because-of-unbelief-ralph-andrus-sermon-on-doubt-89081
[2]
Bruce Thompson, Walls of My Heart, Page 183
[3] https://www.biblebb.com/files/spurgeon/0003.htm
