A Heart That Cannot Feel

INTRODUCTION:

Last week we began a new series on the Warning Passages in Hebrews. The first warning was against the human tendency to “drift.”

If we’re not actively applying pressure to move towards the LORD, our natural inclination will be to drift away.

I think this dynamic is true for a majority of Christians. I know it’s been true of me. Drifting is so insidious because were rarely notice it while it’s happening.

Unfortunately, the longer it persists the more damage it inflicts: namely, on our ability to hear what God is saying.

In this series we call it “Neglecting Salvation.”

It’s one thing to neglect an object unworthy of your attention. It’s a serious thing to neglect an object of greater value.

The greater the neglect the graver the consequence.

Because our salvation in Jesus is of infinite value, neglecting that salvation invites an eternal punishment.

So we were warned last week to “stop drifting and start paying greater attention.”

This week we’re moving on to the second warning in Hebrews which builds upon the first.

Set The Table

If you’re new to the book of Hebrews let me catch you up on where we’ve been.

Hebrews is a written sermon to a group of 2nd generation Jewish Christians. Like many Christians today they were slipping back into sinful habits.

Hebrews tries to get them back on track by establishing the many ways Jesus is greater than what came before.

Many of these Jewish Christian were slipping back into a form of Judaism or finding it difficult to follow Jesus while living as a Jew.

The book of Hebrews shows how Jesus completed and fulfilled everything in the Old Covenant and he did so to inaugurated an even better covenant through the cross.

Jesus is a better prophet. Jesus is a better priest. Jesus is a better king.

Like most good sermons the style includes biblical teaching followed up by practical exhortation.

In other words, because God has done _____ we are called to ____.

The warning in Hebrews 2 was rooted in Jesus’ greater Word.

The warning in Hebrews 3 is rooted in Jesus’ greater work.

Warning 1 was to pay greater attention to what we’ve heard lest we drift away and receive God’s judgment.

Warning 2 is going to build on that with a warning against the hardening of our hearts.

Audience & Consequence

The seriousness of these warnings have caused some to question, “to whom are they given?”

At face value, they seem to be for anybody who professes to follow Jesus.

If you profess faith in Jesus, these warnings apply to you.

This is evidenced by the author including himself in the warnings and describing those being warned as participants in salvation.

Every warning in Hebrews has also leveraged an OT example.

Chapter 2 compared Jesus’ greater Word with that of angels in giving the Law.

Chapter 3 compares Jesus’ Work with the leadership of Moses during the Exodus.

The superiority of Jesus over Moses is summarized in a preposition.

Hebrews 3:5–6 CSB

5 Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s household, as a testimony to what would be said in the future. 6 But Christ was faithful as a Son over his household. And we are that household if we hold on to our confidence and the hope in which we boast.

Moses was God’s servant whereas Jesus is God’s Son. Moses was faithful IN God’s house. Jesus is faithful OVER God’s House.

So if neglecting God’s work through Moses was bad, how much more so the consequences of neglecting God’s Son?

Read the Text

With that in mind let’s read our passage. Hebrews 3:7-19

Hebrews 3:7–13 CSB

7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, 9 where your ancestors tested me, tried me, and saw my works 10 for forty years. Therefore I was provoked to anger with that generation and said, “They always go astray in their hearts, and they have not known my ways.” 11 So I swore in my anger, “They will not enter my rest.” 12 Watch out, brothers and sisters, so that there won’t be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception.

You can probably already see several words that get repeated.

The warning opens and closes with this appeal to a hardened heart.

The first through an appeal to Psalm 95 in the OT.

The second through an appeal to learn a lesson from Israel’s history.

The first warning was against having ears that could not hear. The second warns against a heart that cannot feel.

Unhearing ears lead to an unfeeling heart.

The background for this warning and the OT quotation can be found in the events of Numbers 13-14.

We don’t have time to read the whole chapter but the story is known as Israel’s rebellion at “Kadesh Barnea.”

THE WARNING:

If you’re not familiar with the story let me set the table so you can understand.

Israel had been enslaved to Pharoah in Egypt for 400+ years. God finally answered their prayers and raised up Moses as a liberator. (Ex 1-3) After a stubborn negotiation and 10 terrible plagues Pharoah finally relented and let Israel go. (Ex 7-12)

Miracle after miracle God demonstrated his faithfulness on the journey. (Red Sea, Manna, Water, Fire/Cloud) (Ex 14-17) Even after Israel’s rebellion at Mt. Sinai, God remained committed to his people, leading them forward to the land of promise. (Ex 19-34)

Numbers opens 12 months later as they leave Sinai for the Promised Land (Canaan.) God was faithful to his promise every step of the way. He protected them, provided for them and was present for every step. Even so, the journey was marked by grumbling and complaining. (Num 1-12)

Finally they arrived at Kadesh Barnea. It was a pivotal moment. Moses sent 12 spies across the Jordan to get information. It truly was everything God promised it would be. (Num 13) Unfortunately, it was inhabited by giants, before whom the Israelites looked like grasshoppers. (Num 13:30-33)

Only two of the 12 spies came back with a believing heart. Joshua and Caleb pleaded with the Israelites to move ahead for God was with them. (Num14:6-9) Despite their appeal, the Israelites grumbled and complained, threatened to stone their leaders and said they were better off as slaves in Egypt. (Num 14:1-5)

Better Off As Slaves

Let me read for you their complaint in Numbers 14:1-4

Numbers 14:1–3 CSB

1 Then the whole community broke into loud cries, and the people wept that night. 2 All the Israelites complained about Moses and Aaron, and the whole community told them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this wilderness! 3 Why is the Lord bringing us into this land to die by the sword? Our wives and children will become plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?”

Caleb tries to talk them down after they expressed their complaint but instead of coming to their senses they tried to stone them and find new leaders.

The response of Israel at Kadesh-Barnea shows what happens when we feed a critical spirit.

A critical spirit creates a hardening of the heart.

Instead of trusting the Lord who had proven himself over and over again, they were overcome with fear and the size of their circumstances.

That grumbling spirit was infectious, intensive and deceptive.

INFECTIOUS: Notice how quickly the negativity spread. The negativity of the ten spies spread to the “entire community.” (Num 14:1) Besides Caleb, Joshua and Moses, everybody got the grumbling virus.

INTENSIVE: Notice also the intensive nature of that critical spirit. That night, they began to weep over their circumstances. We’re not talking about small tears but BIG tears and GREAT despair. Their focus was centralized on that one terrible thing.

DECEPTIVE: The worst part about this critical spirit is the negative impact it had on their ability to see! They start to long for the chains that they previously carried in Egypt. They said it would’ve been better to die in the wilderness! They begin questioning the Lord’s goodness, power, and faithfulness to his promise.

The Israelites were being deceived by the destructive power of that critical spirit.

It’s why the Bible warns again and again about grumbling and complaining.

Paul uses this same story in 1 Corinthians 10 to warn the Christian in Corinth of the same tendency in their church.

Grumbling and complaining only paves the way for God’s judgment and discipline.

We rarely think of grumbling as a way of testing the Lord but in actual fact it is a form of unbelief. Similar to worry and anxiety, complaining says “God, you got it wrong.”

It puts us in a position where we begin to doubt God’s provision, his promise, his power and his presence.

The Power of Perspective

A critical spirit clouds our vision from what is real.

In this way, warning two naturally builds on warning one. There’s a connection between deaf ears and a hard heart.

It’s the relationship between drifting and your ability to see clearly.

The further away you drift from an object the harder it is to see things for what they are. It’s the power of perspective.

If you want to see things clearly then you can be neither too close nor too far away.

Get too close and the object will take up your entire field of vision (no perspective).

Get too far away and the object disappears beyond the horizon.

Christian joy is found when you evaluate your circumstances through the character and promise of God.

Where’s Your Focus?

The Israelites had shifted their focus. Instead of focusing on the LORD they were focusing on their size of their enemy.

Because the object of their focus changed their perspective was totally different. It’s a totally different picture.

“Faith comes by hearing” because our eyes are so easily tricked!

Have you ever done one of those visual puzzles where the object you see is determined by the way your eye decides to focus?

In photography, isn’t it amazing how the perspective of the shot can take something really small and capture it so it looks larger than life?

Or we can take something really big and make it look small by putting the focus somewhere else.

The same is true with spiritual eyesight. Your focus determines your perspective.

To have the right perspective you need to be in the right position and remain focused on the right things.

The right position is near the Lord so that you’re viewing your circumstances in the background of his character and promise.

When our circumstances are in the foreground then God’s character and promise will begin to fade into the background.

When people or our problems are big then God will seem small. But when GOD is big then everything else will seem small in comparison.

So DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEART. Beware of the deceitful nature of sin. Especially the sin of grumbling and complaining.

The Judgment for Unbelief

Israel’s rebellion at Kadesh Barnea didn’t stop with grumbling and complaining. As a result of their attitude, the Lord intended to wipe them out.

He tells Moses, “I’m going to hit reset and start over with a new people from your line.” (Num 14:11-12)

As tempting as that might’ve been Moses pleads with the LORD on behalf of the people and appeals to God’s mercy for the sake of his name. (Num 14:13-19)

The Lord responds to that intercession with a promise of pardon and forgiveness. But though they were forgiven there would be consequences for their sin.

Numbers 14:22–23 CSB

22 none of the men who have seen my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tested me these ten times and did not obey me, 23 will ever see the land I swore to give their ancestors. None of those who have despised me will see it.

This is the judgment that the author of Hebrews has in mind in Hebrews 3:8-10. It’s also the background for his quotation of Psalm 95:8-11.

We don’t know for sure what these “ten times” were or what the other nine were leading up to this moment.

There are some obvious examples that fit the criteria.

In Ex 14:10-12 they complained in front of the Red Sea.

In Ex 15:22-24 they complained about the bitterness of the water (Marrah).

In Ex 16:1-3 they complained about Manna & Quail.

In Ex 16:27-30 they disobeyed the Sabbath.

In Ex 17:1-4 they complained again about being thirsty.

In Ex 32:1-35 they constructed the Golden Calf.

In Num 11:1-3 they complained God’s provision. (suffering)

In Num 11:4-34 they complained about about the food.

In Num 14:1-3 they didn’t trust God to keep his promise.

The result of this ongoing, unrepentant high-handed disobedience, the LORD finally pronounces judgment and says you’ll never enter my rest.

An unbelieving heart keeps us from God’s rest.

God forgave them of their sin but they were denied entrance into his rest. (We’ll talk more about that next week!)

Not only did God make them wander for 40 years in the wilderness (until everybody over 20 died.) The ten spies who incited the community were struck down immediately by the Lord.

When the people realized that they were wrong they tried to go back to the Lord and say, “We were wrong and you were right. Please let us go back into the land that you promised.”

But Moses had to tell them, “It’s too late late now. The damage is done. Now you have to suffer the consequences.” (Num 14:41-43) Those that tried to enter anyway were destroyed by the Canaanites. (Num 14:44-45.)

THE WARNING:

With the Old Testament illustration established, the author moves on to the warning and exhortation.

Hebrews 3:12–13 CSB

12 Watch out, brothers and sisters, so that there won’t be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception.

The author of Hebrews gives two imperatives in this warning that help them escape God’s judgment and heed the warning that’s been given.

I’m going to put them under two big umbrellas with two corresponding reasons.

Personal Examination: because you have a similar inclination.

Relational Encouragement: because sin thrives in isolation.

Each of these responses are given with a sense of urgency so long as it is called “today.”

So let’s take these exhortations one at a time and then wrap up with a final word.

Examine Yourself

The first exhortation is one of “personal examination.”

You should examine ourselves because you have the same inclination.

It’s easy to read the story of Israel’s rebellion at Kadesh Barnea and shake our heads in disbelief at how they could be so stubborn and ungrateful.

They had witnessed so many miracles! But the sobering reminder from the author of Hebrews is “your heart is just as sick and impossible to understand.”

We carry the same sinful propensity. Left unchecked, our hearts can drift to the same unbelief and hardening.

So we’ve got to “Watch Out.” The word means to “be on guard” or “keep a close watch on something.”

Some translations say, “pay very careful attention.” The idea of vigilance is implied like a watcher on a watcher tower looking for active threats.

How many of us watch our heart with that kind of vigilance? I know that hasn’t always characterized my faith.

Much more common is the mindset that “everything is fine” so long as nothing crazy bad is happening.

But there’s this middle ground between everything being fine and a heart that turns away from God.

In the Greek you could literally translate it as “a heart characterized by sickness and unbelief.”

The CSB says, “evil, unbelieving heart.” but that almost gets the cart in front of the horse.

The idea isn’t that you’ve fallen into gross and obvious sin. It’s not that you’ve fully decided to turn away from God. That comes after.

The middle ground is where you heart just gets kinda sick. A slow hardening at first but then a gradual and growing hardness after that.

The root sin might not even be expressed in a visible way. It’s rather a more internal inability to believe.

In finance they call it FUD: fear, uncertainty and doubt. It’s what the market begins to experience before a bunch of people start to sell of and get out.

The same is true in the Christian life.

So the exhortation is the continually do the work of examining yourself, listening to your heart and evaluating your thoughts and feelings against the backdrop of genuine faith.

If there’s anything I hope this series will accomplish it’s the normalization of people being open and honest about sin sickness in the heart.

It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. It doesn’t mean you’re not a real or serious Christian. It just means you’re human like every other Israelite at Kadesh Barnea.

Embrace Community

Which leads to the second exhortation about the importance of Christian community.

The second exhortation is one of relational encouragement. We must encourage each other because sin thrives in isolation.

This is why one of the core values in our church is building “caring communities that serve like Jesus.”

People can’t provide accountability if all we ever do is sit in rows. When we put ourselves in a circle we can look at each other face to face.

That relational connection in the context of a covenant community allows for accountability and mutual edification just like this text describes.

The word translated “encourage” in verse 13 is the Greek word “Parakaleo.”

It’s the verb form of the noun used for the Holy Spirit. Sometimes it’s translated “comforter.” The word means to “come alongside, strengthen, exhort or convict.”

So the idea is one of spiritual edification not just words of affirmation.

The idea is that you’d benefit from relationships in the church that have the effect of strengthening you in your faith and holding you accountable to the life God has called you to live.

Why Small Groups?

This is one of the reasons we’re so committed to small groups in the life of our church.

Our new members hear me say this every month: worship in a gathering, connect in a group, bless on a team.

We have Sunday morning small groups, we have mid-week small groups, we have men’s discipleship groups, we have women’s mentoring groups, we have recovery groups, grief groups, special interest groups, care groups, on and on we could go.

The one thing a group can do that a mere worship service can’t is connect you relationally with other people in the church. And we NEED other people.

Why? At least two reasons. They’re connected but distinct.

Sin thrives in isolation.

There is power community.

Notice at the end of verse 13 the phrase “hardened by sin’s deception.”

Sin already has the power to deceive us. The reason is because it’s really hard to see our idols in the mirror.

That’s why sin thrives in isolation. We have nobody to share it with and nobody examining the blinds spots in our lives.

But there’s also supernatural power in community. Jesus said “where two or more are gathered, there I am among them.”

There’s a presence of God in a corporate setting that is set apart and unique from individual time alone with God.

Part of it is the reminder that other people have the same problems as you. Part of it is the encouragement of seeing other people overcome their trials which gives you the confidence you can do the same.

It’s harder to hide your sin in community because people can sniff out an inauthentic response. The right kind of community invites confession because there’s a safety in being known in our weakness and loved despite our flaws because the love of Christ is flowing through his church.

Every Day

The last thing can be seen in this adjective “daily” and the phrase “as long as it is called today.”

The truth is, relationships formed in the context of a small group extend beyond the date and time of the group gathering.

Friendships are not just for the 1-2 hours of your meeting. They include text messages, phone calls, hospital visits and more.

The exhortation is to encourage one another EVERY DAY. Why? Because every day we have a need to fan into flame the work of Spirit in our life and our church. One day a week is not nearly enough.

So let me encourage you if you’re not in a group to connect to a group! It’s so important. If you can’t find a group then maybe it’s time to start one!

We’re much more prone to drift when we disconnected from community.

Endure to the End

The third and final exhortation is given in verses 14-19.

Hebrews 3:14–19 CSB

14 For we have become participants in Christ if we hold firmly until the end the reality that we had at the start. 15 As it is said: Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion. 16 For who heard and rebelled? Wasn’t it all who came out of Egypt under Moses? 17 With whom was God angry for forty years? Wasn’t it with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, if not to those who disobeyed? 19 So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

The final exhortation is one of spiritual endurance. Endure to the end because saving faith is develop by perseverance.

The author says we have become (perfect tense) participants (metochoi) in Christ if we hold firmly to the end.

Onto “what” are we holding firmly? The CSB translates it, “the reality we had at the start.”

Other translations will use the phrase “beginning of our confidence/assurance” (KJV, NKJV, NASB) or “our original confidence/conviction.” (ESV, NIV)

The idea is that genuine faith in Jesus demonstrates itself visibly as finishing faith in Jesus. True faith will persevere to the end.

That doesn’t mean we earn our salvation. It doesn’t mean we have to walk on eggshells every day uncertain whether or not God is going to take us into heaven.

That’s not the “confidence you received at first” when you intially became a Christian! Is it? No! You gave your life to Jesus because of his great love for you and his triumph over sin through his cross and resurrection.

The Distinguishing Mark

That initial confidence and trust in Jesus ought to endure through to the end and not stop short of finishing the race.

That’s how you tell the difference between someone who just “professes” to be a Christian and someone genuinely filled with the Holy Spirit.

It’s one of our measures for discipleship. Jesus said, “IF YOU ABIDE in my Word then you’re TRULY my disciples.” John 8:31 (there’s a false faith and true faith. The difference is marked by perseverance and endurance.)

John told his readers, “they went out from us because they were not of us. If they had been, they would’ve continued with us.” (1 John 2:19)

We could go on and on with passages like this but I think the point can be easily understood. There is no “cheap grace” where you just say a prayer and then live however you want and think God will be cool with it because I’m saved.

If there was a judgment on the people of Israel then why wouldn’t God unleash an even greater judgment on you and me? Greater judgment because God’s Work in Jesus Christ is far greater than that of Moses or Joshua

CONCLUSION:

Your heavenly Father would save you that judgment if you would but heed this warning.

These warnings are not for people who refuse to put their faith in Jesus.

This warnings are for people like me and you who confess Jesus but nevertheless still drift.

The obvious question raised by these warning passages is “can I lose my salvation?”

Historically, Southern Baptist Churches have been known for our emphasis on eternal security.

I’m proudly Southern Baptist and believe with 100% conviction that we’re saved by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone and nothing we do nor any other threat can take us from hand of Jesus.

But I also believe this doctrine has been perverted and unintentionally led many people astray.

It has caused some to think so long as I prayed a prayer in VBS and got baptized when I was a kid - my salvation is secure because God has sealed me with his Spirit.

That statement may be theologically accurate but if your life if characterized by ongoing and unrepentant sin then the confidence for your salvation should NOT BE what happened at VBS when you were a kid.

Today is the Day

Your CONFIDENCE for salvation should be in whether you’re willing to repent TODAY.

Assurance of salvation can be found in what you do TODAY.

The word today (semeron) is used more than any other word in this passage. It’s pulled from Psalm 95 and leveraged in this passage to establish urgency about the warning.

I never want people to “doubt” whether or not they’re saved. I do, however, want people to find ASSURANCE of salvation in the right way and for the right reasons.

Stop finding your assurance for salvation in what you did as a child. Start finding your assurance of salvation in whether or not you’re fully surrendered to Jesus RIGHT NOW.

And if the answer to that question is NO. If your life is characterized by ongoing unrepentant sin and the longer it persists the less and less you seem to care.

You are in a DANGEROUS DANGEROUS place. And your heavenly Father is pleading with you this morning to stop hardening your heart and turn back to him today.

Does that mean you need to be “saved” this morning. Perhaps! Perhaps you can’t overcome the sin in your life because the Holy Spirit hasn’t taken up residence.

Or perhaps you are a Christian. Perhaps, like the Israelites in the wilderness it’s not a matter of whether your forgiven. It’s a matter of whether or not you’re experiencing God’s presence and rest.

It’s not far from you. It’s available today. They had to wander for 40 years and most of them died never seeing the promise. We can find rest in the next 60 seconds because Jesus took our sin on the cross, paid the price and set us free.

If the Holy Spirit is calling you today - do not harden your heart. Experience the rest that God is so eager to give.