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Discover essential safeguards from the Book of Hebrews to protect your faith and future, including heed, belief, exhortation, fear, labor, looking to Jesus, support, and carefulness.
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8 Safeguards for Christians from the Book of Hebrews
Safeguarding Our Future • We put on equipment to safeguard our body from injury • We require background checks to safeguard our financial future from disaster • We build protective areas to safeguard our property from natural disasters • Are we safeguarding our eternal destiny? Consider the little word “lest” in Hebrews
8 Safeguards for Christians 1. Give heed – “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip” (Heb. 2:1) The safeguard here is giving heed to our hearing which involves holding on; turning one’s close attention to (Mk. 4:24; Lk. 8:18; 1 Tim. 1:4; 4:13)
8 Safeguards for Christians 2. Heart of belief – “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God” (Heb. 3:12) The safeguard here is a strong heart of belief (Prov. 4:23)
8 Safeguards for Christians 3. Exhortation – “But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin” (Heb. 3:13) The safeguard here is giving and receiving exhortation (1 Thess. 5:14)
8 Safeguards for Christians 4. Fear – “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it” (Heb. 4:1) The safeguard here is fear (reverence, respect, awe) toward our Almighty God (Mt. 10:28)
8 Safeguards for Christians 5. Labor - Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief” (Heb. 4:11) The safeguard here is laboring to stay faithful in our service to Christ (1 Cor. 15:58)
8 Safeguards for Christians 6. Looking to Jesus – “For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds” (Heb. 12:3) The safeguard here is following the example of Jesus who endured suffering (1 Cor. 11:1)
8 Safeguards for Christians 7. Support – “Wherefore lift up the hands that hang down, and the palsied knees; and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed” (Heb. 12:12-13) The safeguard here is supporting each other through times of suffering and discipline (Isa. 35:3-4)
8 Safeguards for Christians 8. Looking carefully – “Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright” (Heb. 12:15-16) The safeguard here is looking carefully to your spiritual affairs (2 Pet. 1:5-11)