How Hearts are Hardened

Introduction:

John Piper, started off a class on the teaching about providence by recalling his devotional reading in the morning.

Ruth 4:13 ESV

13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son.

He says- “now look at that. If this event happened today (the most normal, natural event imaginable) were to happen- all English speaking Americans- even Christians- would recount that story the same way. “Boaz and Ruth got married, they conceive they had a baby.” Normal, natural. Except, that’s not what the God-obsessed, God centered scripture writers wrote. No, scripture says “the LORD gave her conception.”

To them, this isn’t a natural, expected process that just happens. No- they wrote “the Lord did it” Piper says “THAT is providence”

When we understand that God provides everything to us, we are grasping biblical providence.

Natural processes occur- but they are not autonomous. The stars aren’t shining- God makes them shine. The mountains aren’t pleasant to look at. God makes them pleasant to look at.

Psalm 147:8–9 ESV

8 He covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes grass grow on the hills. 9 He gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that cry.

Two weeks ago, I sat in the Johnson family’s dining room and got to celebrate with them that their daughters, Alyson and Holly have been saved. We looked at the calendar and found the soonest date we could to baptize them; today, October 12th.

Then last week I got a call from a former member. Her mother, Mary Jean Roy had passed. They had attended our church as a family a few years ago, and wanted to honor Mary’s faith by asking the current pastor to conduct the service. I was more than happy to oblige. What day was the memorial?

I looked at my calendar while she told me and smiled at God’s providence. October 12th.

I’ve done a few funerals and memorials so far. In counseling, do you know what a Pastor always asks? Were they saved? A lot of times family members are unsure. Then we ask, well were they baptized? That answer changes everything about the service we will conduct.

Today at the end of service we will celebrate the baptism of Holly and Alyson Johnson. This is the day the publicly proclaimed they are buried with Christ and resurrected to life in Him. While later, we will send off our sister who has experienced this bodily.

I tell you that not to point out an incredible coincidence. That is providence.

Today in our text, men will choose not to believe God, and yet John will attribute their destiny to God.

Pray

John 12:32–33 ESV

32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die.

“That the cross will be, as it were, a chariot, by which he shall raise all men, along with himself, to his Father.” -Calvin

1. Why Humanity Hardens Their Hearts.

John 12:34–36 ESV

34 So the crowd answered him, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” 35 So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them.

John 12:37 ESV

37 Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him,

Proverbs 29:25 ESV

25 The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.

skip to 42 and 43 for man’s motive

John 12:42–43 ESV

42 Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.

Blank: Faith, as all other graces, is capable of degrees . It may be strong or weak, great or small. And it is the duty of believers to grow in faith.” — John Owen

2. Why God Hardens Hearts

John 12:38–41 ESV

38 so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” 39 Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, 40 “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.” 41 Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him.

v38 References Isaiah 53! Isaiah 53:1–3 “1 Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”

Isaiah 53:4 “4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.”

v40 References Isaiah 6:10 “10 Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.””

Background: After the 4th plague (flies) is lifted, Pharaoh once again hardens his own heart despite promising to let Israel go.

Exodus 8:32 ESV

32 But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and did not let the people go.

During the sixth plague (boils), God Himself hardens Pharaoh’s heart, marking a shift in divine judgment as Pharaoh continues to resist His commands.

Exodus 9:12 ESV

12 But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had spoken to Moses.

This is back and forth- Pharoah then God both working on Pharaoh’s heart. Moses wrote that Pharaoh hardened his heart three times, and God hardened it four times.

Pharoah: 8:15 ,8:32, 9:34

God: 9:12, 10:1, 11:10 and 14:4

In fact- God told Moses ahead of time that he would do it (but Pharoah did it first and second).

Exodus 4:21 “21 And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.”

This pattern is also shown very clearly in the opening of Paul’s letter to the Romans:

Romans 1:22–24 “22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,”

Blank: Rebels are responsible for their sin, but only the King can decree their punishment.

3. How God Softens Hearts

John 12:36 “36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them.”

Jesus departed and hid himself from them. The next section when Jesus speaks may be John’s summary of Jesus’ message, or more likely- one final mercy from Jesus to cry out to the public again.

After this there is no public ministry of Jesus. Leon Morris says “this is the last public appeal of Jesus in this gospel. It sums up the message He had constantly been giving.”

No more public miracles. No more debates w/Pharisees and Sadducees. No more questions from the crowds.

Scholars divide John’s Gospel into two major books. John 1-12 is called the “Book of Signs”. (Public miracles, debates and calls to believe)

John 13-21 is called “The Book of Glory” (Jesus’ private ministry, passion and resurrection glory.)

John 12:44–50 ESV

44 And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. 45 And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. 46 I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. 47 If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48 The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. 49 For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. 50 And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.”

John 12:44-45 Belief in Jesus = Belief in God. He showed us what the Father is like. There is no other way. To see Jesus is to see the Father and the Spirit.

John 12:46-48 Jesus came into the world (first coming) as salvation to all peoples. See John 3:16-18

Praise Team please come to the platform

John 3:16–18 ESV

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

3. John 12:48-50 Belief in Jesus is a responsibility. Jesus’ words are law and correspond to righteousness. These words are life-giving. The call to flee darkness is also a judgment. None can say “but we didn’t know darkness was wrong- Jesus’ words condemn them.

Background for Ezekiel quote: he was a prophet and priest exiled to Babylon in 597 BC, during the second wave of deportations from Jerusalem (the final destruction of Jerusalem came in 586 BC). He ministered to the exiled Jewish community, who had been removed from their land by God due to idolatry, injustice, and covenant-breaking. Ezekiel never made it back to his homeland. God’s promises were through him for future generations to hope for.

Ezekiel 36:24–28 ESV

24 I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. 28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.