Do not Harden your heart towards God

OPEN: Launch windows for space craft are shifting and subject to change based on several factors. An increase in wind speed or approaching inclement weather can bring about sudden closure with the result of a scrubbed launch.

Transition: A new launch will always open, even if it is a lengthy period. Some opportunities, however, do not always come back around. The Scripture speaks of “TODAY’ as the day of salvation. In God’s economy when Today turns into tomorrow, the opportunity for salvation is gone. So, a thought-provoking question is this: how long is your today?

READ the Text: Hebrews 3:7-19

The Holy Spirit warns against hardening your heart (Hebrews 3:7-11)

Explanation: We are entering the second warning passage in the Book and Hebrews, and this is one of the lengthiest of the five. It runs from 3:7 to 4:11 and it deals with the issue of hardening of the heart. The first warning in 2:1-4 was a short warning against drifting away from the truths of Christianity. This passage is more stern, and it designed to get our attention! The writer of Hebrews was most assuredly trying to ensure his listeners were aware of the serious nature of this teaching and the dangers of ignoring it.

The section begins with the word therefore which refers back to the previous section. The teaching of the book is progressive - it builds on what has been said previously. The writer had just stressed the connection between persevering and being part of God’s house in the latter part of verse 6, and now in verse 7 he issues a warning against becoming hardened.

It is vitally important for us to note that the writer is not the one who gives this particular warning - it comes directly from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the One who issues the warning about listening to the voice of God. The next words come directly from the 95th Psalm. If you remember, I read the first half of Psalm 95 for our call to worship this morning - this is from the second part of the Psalm.

The Psalmist has been leading his congregation in worship. He has been extolling the goodness and majesty of God; he has been leading the people to worship the LORD with thanksgiving and reverence. He then immediately brings up a disastrous reminder of the people’s past rebellion. The Psalmist reminds his audience of the Exodus group that murmured and complained against God. He reminds them that this group hardened their hearts against God. The Psalmist is warning his audience not to be guilty of the same sin.

Fast forward a thousand years later, and the writer of the Book of Hebrews is warning his listeners by using the 95th Psalm. The writer is warning the present generation of the early church against the same danger - he is warning against the hardening of the heart.

Argument: What does it mean to harden one’s heart? It is the process of willfully and intentionally rejecting the goodness of God over time. It is the one who sees and knows things about God and consistently rebels against His revealed will. It is a heart that refuses to trust God and His ways, and instead is fixed upon living life by his or her own desires.

The writer of Hebrews follows the Psalmist in using the Wilderness generation as an example of hardening of hearts, so let’s take a closer look at their actions:

These adults had been slaves in Egypt;

The experienced the 10 plagues,

they crossed the Red Sea on dry ground

They were fed by the supernatural provision of Manna

The drank water from the Rock

They were led by the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night

In spite of all these miraculous happenings, they rebelled against God, they continually tested Him, they murmured and complain, and they did NOT trust God’s goodness and provision!

Application: The warnings in the book of Hebrews are an integral structure of the book. The writer was warning his generation against falling away from Christ and the Holy Spirit is using these words to warn our generation against allowing our hearts to be hardened. The writer exhorts his generation in the following verses, and with God’s help, we can be encouraged as well.

Perform a spiritual self-examination (Hebrews 3:13)

Explanation: The first action the writer encourages his listeners to do is to perform a spiritual self-examination. He tells them to “take heed” or to look at their own lives in light of the example he just gave. He says to take care “lest there be in any of you.” He is talking to them as fellow Jews, not as fellow believers in Christ.

Argument: Just as the Holy Spirit was addressing that specific generation of “church people” in the first century, He is addressing us today. This is not a warning for some other group of people, God is speaking to those gathered here today, those of us who comprise the regular attenders and members of Smyrna Baptist. The challenge is to hear and heed the warning as it applies to us.

Application: Are you surrendered to the Lordship of Christ or are you just going through the motions? Are you still unsure about God’s ability to provide? Is your hope in material possessions - job, money, connections with influential people instead of the One who owns it all?

Encourage one another to persevere in the faith (Hebrews 3:14-15)

Explanation: The next direction the writer gives his listeners is for them to encourage each other. He knows that God created His people for community and so he is challenging them to hold each other accountable. And, don’t miss this - he is telling them to do it in the “now zone” - while it is still today.

Once again, he also stresses the importance of perseverance. Just like he stated in the latter part of v. 6, he repeats the importance of them holding to their confidence in Christ, “stedfast until the end.”

Illustrate: It is more important to finish the marathon than just to start it. Lots more folks start than finish. It is not about coming in first or even placing among the top finishers - it is, however, about finishing the race.

Argument: Believers CAN be like the Apostle Paul. In his final letter, which he wrote to Timothy, he expresses the personal satisfaction that was his because he finished well.

2 Timothy 4:7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

Application: The timeframe for listening and trusting God is today. Nowhere in Scripture are people told to wait until later to trust and obey the Lord. If the Holy Spirit is convicting you of your need to adjust your life to His, do not wait - do not harden yourself against the urgings of the Holy Spirit.

That leads us to the final point:

Learn from the mistakes of the past (Hebrews 3:16-19)

Explanation: The writer then returns to the example of the Wilderness generation. He describes how this group provoked God. They were the ones who heard from God, yet rebelled. God gave them chance after chance, but they refused to trust Him. The result? They forfeited their opportunity to enter the Promised Land and they died in the wilderness.

Argument: How long is “today?” What is the length of time that God gives for an individual to respond? We see from the text that “today” is not limited to 24 hours - in verse 13 the writer exhorts his listeners to encourage one another daily, “as long as it is called today.”

The day of opportunity does end. For the wilderness generation it ended at Kadesh Barnea when they refused to listen to God and enter the land (Numbers 14). This group had been taken out of Egypt, but Egypt was still in their hearts (Numbers 14:2-4) and they wanted to go back. Listen to God’s judgment on this rebellious, hard-hearted group:

Numbers 14:22–23 “none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed my voice, shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despised me shall see it.”

For this group, their today ended at that moment and their opportunity was over. For the next 38 years, every adult over the age of twenty (20) died in the wilderness (Numbers 14:26-35). They never received another chance to trust in God’s provision for rest in the Promised Land.

Application: How long does “today” last for you? None of us have any way of knowing. That is why we are called to trust and obey Him now.