THE DANGER OF HARDNESS OF HEART
Hebrews 3:7-19
How is your heart? I am not asking about the physical condition of your heart, but the spiritual condition. Sometimes we describe the experience of becoming a Christian as inviting Jesus to come into the heart. The Bible speaks of a troubled heart, a broken heart, etc. The Lord Jesus came to take care of troubled hearts, and broken hearts. The bible here warns against the danger of the hardening of one’s heart. It also warns against an evil heart of unbelief.
The theme of Hebrews is the superiority of Jesus Christ over anything or anyone. He is greater than the prophets. He is greater than the angels. He is greater than Moses. The Bible presents the glorious truths of the Gospel. However, there is the danger that one can hardening his heart to those truths. Lost people can harden their hearts by ignoring the prompting of the Holy Spirit. God can harden ones heart as in the case of Pharaoh in Egypt. Pharaoh hardened his own heart so long, that God hardened his heart. Believers can also harden their hearts to the things of God. Our text contains such a warning to those of us who have trusted Christ as our Savior and Lord.
To harden the heart, means to dry up, to become hard or stiff, stubborn. etc. This says to us, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did in the wilderness experience. There are many ways one can harden his heart. By willful rebellion (v. 8-9), by careless drifting and spiritual ignorance (v. 10), by overt unbelief (v. 12), and by yielding to the deceitfulness of sin (v. 13). In our passage for today the writer gives us a admonition from the past, an application for the present.
I. AN ADMONITION FROM THE PAST (3:7-11)
If the sin of rebellion was serious in the Old Testament, it is even more serious in the now. Don’t let what happened to ancient Israel happen to you. Let’s examine the warning
A. THE SOURCE OF THE ADMONITION: The writer of Hebrews uses as his text, Psalm 95:7-11. He begins with the words, “Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says….” The Holy Spirit was speaking in this Psalm. Here is a New Testament writer affirms his belief in the validity and inspiration of the Old Testament Scriptures. The Holy Spirit not only inspired the writing of Scripture, he speaks to us, today, through those same Scriptures.
B. THE SUBJECT OF THE ADMONITION “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” To harden the heart, means to dry up, to become hard or stiff, stubborn. etc. This says to us, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did in the wilderness experience. The problem of rebellion is a problem of the heart
God, through Moses, had led Israel out of Egypt and had revealed Hs glory and His moral Law to them. Moses led them out of Egypt, that he might lead them into the land of Promise, ie., the land of Canaan. Canaan is not a picture of heaven but is the land of victory.
However, the Israelites soon rebelled against God and provoked His anger. Ignorance is no excuse. God became angry with that generation and said, “They shall never enter into My rest.” They lived short of the promised Land. Many of them even wanted to go back to Egypt. Because of Unbelief, that entire generation spent the next 40 years wandering and dying in the wilderness. Their forty years in the wilderness was a forty year long funeral possession.
Can you imagine some of the funeral directors of the different tribes gathering together for coffee or tea. “How many did you bury today?” “Oh, I only buried fifty today, what about you?” “Oh I buried twenty three. The director of Benjamin only buried ten, but the tribe of Judah buried over 100.” Of those over age 20 when they came out of Egypt, only Caleb and Joshua lived to enter the Promised Land.
II. AN APPLICATION FOR THE PRESENT (3:12-19)
The writer now applies this warning from the past, to this contemporary readers and to us as well. Because of persecution many believers in the first century were tempted to go back to the old life. This has been a problem down through the ages. I could cite story after story of professing Christians who seemed to walk with God for a time, but then when the pressures came they turned back.
“Beware,” “See to it” “Take heed ," take heed that none of you have an evil heart of unbelief. Don’t let what happened to Israel in the wilderness, happen to you. Israel had been delivered out of 400 years of Egyptian bondage. God’s plan was to lead them into a land (God’s rest land). Because of the unbelief of that generation, they had to spend 40 years in the wilderness living short of God’s best for them.
The word "unbelief" is "apistias" which means "No faith" This does not mean that they renounced a faith already held. for they knew God had led them out of Egypt. However, they did not have the faith to trust God for the future. The Israelites under Moses had a “heart” problem. Their hearts had become hardened because of rebellion. They had “an evil heart of unbelief.” Unbelief is the cardinal sin. It is the essence of all sin. It is the sin of unbelief that that condemns one to hell.
“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:17-18). He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (John 3:36) If you are in a time of rebellion it’s because you have a heart problem.
The consequences of Israel’s unbelief is seen in verses 16-19. Because of their evil heart of unbelief, their hearts became hardened and they turned away from the living God and failed to enter into the Promised Land.
Canaan is not a picture of heaven. Rather it is a picture of the victorious life God wants for His children. Israel lived in the wilderness for 40 years. Some even longed to go back into the world (ie back to Egypt)
Many of us have come out of Egypt. That is, we have experienced the grace of God in salvation. However, many Christians live short of the life of victory. Like Israel of old, our heart can become hardened to the things of God. Our hearts can become hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Such rebellion carries serious consequences as we can see in verses 16-19.
OBSERVATION: It is interesting that OT Israel wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. It was a 40 year long funeral procession as ten’s of thousands were buried in the wilderness. Jesus had warned about the coming destruction of the Temple in Matthew 24.
“And Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came to Him to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, “do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another that shall not be thrown down” (Matt. 24:1-2).
Approximately 40 years after his death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, Jerusalem and the temple were totally destroyed by the invading Romans all because they refused to enter in.
CONCLUSION: The writer leaves a tremendous challenge for believers who are tempted to walk away from their faith. Christians in the 21st century face the same problems and temptations as the believers in the 1st century. It seems that many are turning away from the Christian faith. What are we believers in the 21st century to do when we see many of our fellow Christians drifting away from the Lord?
A. Exhort one another daily (3:13). When you see a brother or sister drifting away from Christ, neglecting the church, going back into the world, being deceived by the deceitfulness of sin, Exhort, comfort, call out to them, beseech them, entreat them, plead with them to stay focused on Jesus.
B. Hold fast your own confidence in Christ (3:14). Be careful not to let them pull you down with them. Ill. A pastor’s wife was having a difficult time due to the pettiness of some of the members of the church. She made a decision that she would not let their pettiness pull her down to their level. She would maintain her confidence in Jesus Christ. The victorious Christian will follow Jesus no matter what.
C. Heed God’s warning (v. 15). Once again the writer repeats Psalm 95:7-8) “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” He will repeat that same warning again in 4:7. Allowing our hearts to become hardened to the things of God is a very serious offense. Don’t disregard the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Don’t ignore the plain teaching of God’s word. Do exhort other believers to keep their focus on Jesus.
Harden not your heart
By rebellion and unbelief,
Why not come to Jesus today,
And find in Him sweet relief.
Harden not your heart
To the deceitfulness of sin,
Cause when you trust in Jesus
You can be born again.
Harden not your heart
To the Spirit who calls today.
He offers to you
A new and living way.
Harden not your heart
To the Holy Spirit’s pleading voice.
New life can begin today
If you’ll make Jesus your choice.
Frank Lay © 2004
Determine that by the grace of God you will go on into the land of promise and rest. Look again at Hebrews 3:1: “Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our Confession, Christ Jesus.”
There is a little song that I learned in college. "Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and Grace."
Are you in danger of hardening your heart to the precious truths of the gospel of Christ? Have you grown cold in your Christian life? The only answer I know is Jesus. Only Jesus can take away that hard heart of stone, and give you a new heart. Come to Jesus today and he will forgive you and cleanse you of all your sin. Turn your eyes upon Jesus and let Him give you a new heart.
