Do not harden your hearts

Heb 4:7 So God planned another day, called “today.” He spoke about that day through David a long time later in the same Scripture used before: “Today listen to what he says. Do not be stubborn.” 8 We know that Joshua did not lead the people into that rest, because God spoke later about another day. 9 This shows that the rest for God’s people is still coming. 10 Anyone who enters God’s rest will rest from his work as God did. 11 Let us try as hard as we can to enter God’s rest so that no one will fail by following the example of those who refused to obey. 12 God’s word is alive and working and is sharper than a double-edged sword. It cuts all the way into us, where the soul and the spirit are joined, to the center of our joints and bones. And it judges the thoughts and feelings in our hearts. 13 Nothing in all the world can be hidden from God. Everything is clear and lies open before him, and to him we must explain the way we have lived. 14 Since we have a great high priest, Jesus the Son of God, who has gone into heaven, let us hold on to the faith we have. 15 For our high priest is able to understand our weaknesses. When he lived on earth, he was tempted in every way that we are, but he did not sin. 16 Let us, then, feel very sure that we can come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we can receive mercy and grace to help us when we need it.

Today when is today? The continual present. This is an everyday word, a word that is true yesterday, today and forever.

• Do not be stubborn
• Let us try as hard as we can to enter God’s rest
• Is that a place we can enter now? I don’t know! Either way we should.
• Not enter his rest = refused to obey
• Enter his rest = obey
• Hardened against his Word = Obeying God’s word
• Not man’s traditions and teachings
• God is judging our thoughts and our feelings (intentions)?
• Nothing is hidden from him
• Past, present or future
• to him we must explain the way we have lived
• our high priest is able to understand our weaknesses
• Tempted in every way
• But did not sin
• Come boldly to the throne of grace – to receive mercy and grace

Summing it up

God wants us to have a real relationship, not a perfect one, he knows our weaknesses. God wants us to have tender hearts, not hardened ones. Hearts that listen to the word of God and still react with obedience. Hearts that are still pursuing the heavenly rest. Like Paul said..

Php 3:12 I do not mean that I am already as God wants me to be. I have not yet reached that goal, but I continue trying to reach it and to make it mine. Christ wants me to do that, which is the reason he made me his. 13 Brothers and sisters, I know that I have not yet reached that goal, but there is one thing I always do. Forgetting the past and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I keep trying to reach the goal and get the prize for which God called me through Christ to the life above. 15 All of us who are spiritually mature should think this way, too. And if there are things you do not agree with, God will make them clear to you. 16 But we should continue following the truth we already have.

1 Co 10:1 Brothers and sisters, I want you to know what happened to our ancestors who followed Moses. They were all under the cloud and all went through the sea. 2 They were all baptized as followers of Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. They drank from that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. 5 But God was not pleased with most of them, so they died in the desert. 6 And these things happened as examples for us, to stop us from wanting evil things as those people did. 7 Do not worship idols, as some of them did. Just as it is written in the Scriptures: “They sat down to eat and drink, and then they got up and sinned sexually.” 8 We must not take part in sexual sins, as some of them did. In one day twenty-three thousand of them died because of their sins. 9 We must not test Christ as some of them did; they were killed by snakes. 10 Do not complain as some of them did; they were killed by the angel that destroys. 11 The things that happened to those people are examples. They were written down to teach us, because we live in a time when all these things of the past have reached their goal. 12 If you think you are strong, you should be careful not to fall.

      They died in the desert

o   That place of barrenness, emptiness, loneliness, hunger,

      Do not worship idols

o   Idolatry (1.) Worshiper of Idols (2.) A person that admires intensely and often blindly one that is not usually a subject of worship

o   Today as then it was SEX!

      We must not test Christ – Trying to get God to do things that he does not do!

o   See how far he will go with us.

o   How long I can get away with sin

      Do not complain – Murmuring complaining, critical,

o   The attitude of rebellion, self rule

How do I know if my heart has the tendency to be hard?

EXAMPLE OF HARDENED HEARTS:

Give command to stand and sit at least 10 times!

·      I don’t want to. NO!

·      I don’t understand. I want to know why first...

·      It’s too hard. I’m tired.

·      Who are you to command me around?

·      I decide what I will or will not do!

·      It would work better another way.

·      Why did I come here just to do something stupid like this?

·      I don’t like the way he said it.

·      I am afraid to do it wrong, so I won’t try.

Heb 3:12 So brothers and sisters, be careful that none of you has an evil, unbelieving heart that will turn you away from the living God. 13 But encourage each other every day while it is “today.” Help each other so none of you will become hardened because sin has tricked you. 14 We all share in Christ if we keep till the end the sure faith we had in the beginning. 15 This is what the Scripture says: “Today listen to what he says. Do not be stubborn as in the past when you turned against God.” Psalm 95:7-8 16 Who heard God’s voice and was against him? It was all those people Moses led out of Egypt. 17 And with whom was God angry for forty years? He was angry with those who sinned, who died in the desert. 18 And to whom was God talking when he promised that they would never enter his rest? He was talking to those who did not obey him. 19 So we see they were not allowed to enter and have God’s rest, because they did not believe.