Sermon: The Danger of Hardening

Open your Bibles this morning to the book of Hebrews as we continue our way through that book this morning. It's in your series through the book of Hebrews. And this morning we're going to look at chapter 3 verses 7 through 19.

Hebrews chapter 3 verses 7 through 19 if you're using a Pew Bible, it's there on page 102 in the Pew Bible 1002. Hebrews chapter 3 verses 7 through And let's pray before we open the word together this morning.

Father we are thankful that you have given us your word. To breathed it out that we have a living word. That is before us. And thankful that you have revealed yourself to us and pray that you give us ears to hear this morning that you would give us Hearts to receive. And as we shall see in this text this morning. That we would know that as we sit and stand in this place that we have heard. your thundering voice from heaven

and it would resonate all the corners of our hearts and our souls. We pray this in the strong name of Christ. amen Hebrews chapter 3 verses 7 through 19. This is the holy inherent sufficient word of God. Therefore as the holy spirit says today if you hear his voice do not Harden your hearts as in the Rebellion. On the day of testing in the wilderness where your father has put me to the tests. And so am I works for 40 years?

therefore I was provoked with that generation and said they always go astray in their heart. They have not known my ways. As I swore in my wrath they shall not enter. my rest take care Brothers lest there be in any of you and evil unbelieving heart. Leading you to fall away from the Living God. But exhort one another every day as long as it is cold today that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Where we have come to share in Christ, if

indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said today if you hear his voice do not Harden your hearts as in the Rebellion. Who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for 40 years, was it Knob with those who sinned whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient?

so we see they were unable to enter. because of unbelief the grass withers flower fades word of God is forever. Thanks be to God. amen

Last week we saw that our ultimate. Hope is found not in our hold upon Christ, but upon Christ hold upon us. That he preserves those that are his but we also said though, it is true that he preserves those or who are his it is also true that those who are is persevere to the end. And so the author of Hebrews here in our text is going to continue this thought and he's going to give us a very Stark warning at the very beginning here.

He is going to quote from Psalm 95 Psalm 95 and the Old Testament was a very familiar psalm for all of these Hebrew Christians because it was a very familiar song to every Jew. Psalm 95 was read at the beginning of the call the worship when the Jewish people were gathered together in the Sabbath. They always read weekend and week out Psalm 95 and part of that Psalm has this dark warning and it do not Harden your hearts as in the Rebellion.

What Rebellion? The writer is recalling to the nation of Israel. And the Hebrews writer is recalling to these Hebrew Christians of that generation that was redeemed from Egypt. Is especially in mind their rebellion and exodus 16 and 17 in numbers 14 and numbers 20. You remember that generation in Egypt therefore fathers and therefore mothers and four grandparents and four great great grandparents for 20 generations for 400 years

had been in Egypt as slaves. And for 400 years generation upon generation would encourage the generation after it. Look God will send a redeemer. Keep trusting in God. He is a covenant keeping God keep looking to him in faith for 400 years. And then finally the day comes when God calls Moses and he sends Moses down to Egypt as the great prophet and great priest and great Redeemer of his people and Moses will lead this generation.

out of Egypt and all what they experience. They saw the twelve plagues come to Bear upon Egypt. They saw Locust fill the land and they saw lice and they saw hail falling from the sky. They saw Darkness shroud the entire land. They saw that first Passover. They ate of that lamb and they watched as God struck down all the firstborn of Egypt but spared them.

They saw Egypt and Pharaoh. Finally let them go and when they were out of Egypt and they are before the Red Sea in their backs are up against the Red Sea. They got they saw God separate the Waters of the Red Sea and they walked through on their own two feet across that dry ground. They tasted the man of that God provided for them from the sky. They watched as the Egyptians went into that sea, and we're crushed to pieces.

experienced all of that

Exodus tells us that there were 600,000 men of that generation and so Scholars. Look at that and say with 600,000 men, there must have been wives and children obviously and so they estimate that there were over a million Jews who left Egypt. a million Yet only two will enter the land.

to begin so well

God says in verse 9 these Jews saw my works for 40 years. They experience what only previous generations had hoped and longed for but the experience was not enough. As a writer tells us here in the psalmist tells us here in verse 9. They Harden their hearts Against The Sovereign gracious merciful god when they were in the wilderness immediately following their crossing of the Red Sea. After all of this that they have seen they

immediately we are told in verse 8, they go through this time of testing and we see in verse 10 that they were LED astray in their hearts. They're no sooner out of Egypt. Then we find them in Exodus 16 complaining against Moses and complaining against Aaron. And they will say would that we had died by the hand of the Lord and the land of Egypt when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to full for you have brought us out in

the wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger and they will complain time and time and time again and it reaches this climax when they are on the banks of the Jordan River looking into the Promised Land. The people there are far too numerous. And they're far too big. And they complain. And they refuse to go.

We might look at their complaining. We might think well, it's a sign of immaturity. It's just immaturity they they aren't quite grown in their faith in God and that could be a confess. It's difficult to distinguish whether complaining is simply a sign of immaturity. Or whether it's actually a hardening that leads to going astray as God says here and that's what's happening with them. They are complaining and complaining and there is a hardening

that is happening to them so that they go astray what we would call apostasy.

that in part The problem with complaining we don't know. As one author said the Hebrew writers concern is that what happened nationally in the old Covenant can so easily happen individually today and look at the disastrous results going to stray verse 11. They shall not enter my rest only two. of a million plus who experienced all of that were able to enter the land to

it's not just how you begin.

Have to finish well. finish will

This is the connection. The writer of Hebrews is making see the church today. It has been let out by a greater Redeemer and a greater prophet and a greater priest and a greater king and the Lord Jesus Christ. We've been set free not just from Pharaoh in Egypt. We've been set free from the bondage of sin and death and he has led us out. And you church are now he's saying in the wilderness.

You're being tested.

Saying keep going on. Keep clinging to Christ.

Two points this morning as we consider the danger of hardening. Where you get too excited there are seven applications. So two points. two points this morning first Notice, it's not enough to start well. The Israelites were fair weather Believers when God was taking them out of Egypt they believed but when the first trials came in the wilderness despite everything that experienced they crumbled into unbelief as the writer says in verse 19. So we

see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief. It almost seems unbelievable after all that they'd experience. As one preacher said about this reality said the unbelief of God's people is even more amazing than belief. And yet we see it time and time again some start out. So well, they've placed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ seemingly, so and they seem to be following him and then hard things come. And what looked like such a great beginning?

disappear

don't just begin. Well finish well. Why does apostasy happen? second not keeping the heart. Is the gravest of errors? Not keeping the heart as the gravest of heirs. He says in verse 9 do not Harden your hearts verse 10. He had diagnoses the problem as they always go astray in their hearts. He warns in verse 12. Take care of Brothers lest there be in any of you and evil unbelieving heart. The danger zone is the heart and there are warning signs flashing all

the way around it. You must keep your heart.

This has been said the heart is the heart of the matter. In scripture the heart can refer to the mind it can refer to the affections that can refer to the will. It's that that inner core of the person it serves to represent what forms all of our moral actions and their outworking in our lives. And Proverbs Solomon will say keep your heart. With all Village vigilance for from it flows the Springs of Life. Jesus will say that sins come from

out of the heart of man. Our words are thoughts or deeds or actions. They they all flow from the heart. That's the root. And the great sin the greatest of sins the greatest malady and sickness destroying human life is the sin of unbelief. And whenever you and I fall back into sin. It's just a moment of unbelief.

Allow that to happen writer of Hebrews the same. We're just continually hardens you.

John Owens said this he said the root of all backsliding whether it is gradual or total lies and unbelief. Keep your heart.

picture in verse 8 He has this idea of do not Harden.

as the idea of Something that won't take an impression upon it. That is where you and I keep entertaining sin where we are convicted and instead of turning in Repentance. We just keep abiding in it like those Hebrews. We just keep complaining though. We've been rebuked not to complain or whatever. It may be and what happens is there's just a hardening that happens over time. And what happens is the heart then no longer will take an impression opponent.

think about when I was a kid and my grandparents in their backyard, they had this piece of concrete in their backyard that I loved to go out and look at now love to go out and look at it because this slab of concrete in their backyard about this big had in it the five-year-old handprint of my mom. and her dog Coco's Paul And I used to go out there and put my hand next to it and I would say I want to I want to put my hand there too and put my hand, but

you see it wouldn't take it. No longer wet concrete it's hard. It's been hardened. When the heart becomes hard it no longer takes the impression of the spirit. Jesus will say it's like that word. That is thrown out upon Stony ground. It can't take root in that Stony ground. Don't let your hearts become hard concrete. The writer of Hebrews is saying Jews hardened after The Exodus You remember that? It's not only them that

get hard Hearts, but you remember even before The Exodus we find that Pharaoh gets a hard heart. and it's a it's a really helpful. kind of exercise to Think Through Pharaoh hardening because what happens in the book of exoduses were told that Pharaoh hardens his heart, but then we're also told in the exact same chapters that God hardens the heart of pharaoh so which is it? Well, it's both. Moses can attribute it to both.

Pharaoh is so dominated by sin. He so once control and power and he is so self-seeking that sin grabs the hold of him and he keeps entertaining that he is told over and over to repent to let my people go and he refuses time and time again, and so he just keeps hardening his heart. But Moses can also say that God hardens his heart. Why? Because God restrains his grace. It's an act of judgment upon Pharaoh. You keep hardening.

Strain my grace and I'm going to leave you to your heart. And so by his restraining of Grace Moses can say God hardened. But it's pharaohordeness.

Very danger when you and I continually entertain sin without repentance.

It's in the best Christian sin. This is the danger of not turning back to God and Faith when convicted of our sin our hearts just become harder. harder

observe this over the years with different people who have dived headlong into sin and have been a handful that I've approached and said the exact same thing to they've been confronted and they refused to repent because that elicit relationship or that desire that they think that being set free from their spouse. They will be they will have happier days or whatever. It may be that alcohol or that drug or whatever it is that they continue to cling on to they just

they won't let go

to the same thing to a handful of them over the years really afraid for you. Because there's only two options here. Is you continue down this path? There's two options. The one is that God pursues you.

and in his Pursuit Of You the way that he will discipline you. Or how hard he will have to discipline you to bring you back? Going to be incredibly painful. Here for you.

The second option I even fear more. And that's that God doesn't.

You're just left the hardness of your heart.

My friends sin has an agenda. He refers to it in verse 13 as the deceitfulness of sin. We're deceitfulness actually means the Veer off the path or to lead you astray. It has one aim sin does to draw you off the path. They were he says in verse 19 unable to enter because of unbelief. Old fast he is encouraging us to our original confidence or what we might say faith firm to the end. So we enter this heavenly rest. They were not able to enter the land through their

time of testing because they apostasize he's saying look you are in the wilderness. You are being tried keep clinging to Christ so that you enter into that Eternal rest. Don't just start well. Finish Well

Seven encouragements to you. To help Safeguard your heart from heartening first. Be known. Be known. To read an extended quote to you.

Christians can develop habits of behavior that can turn into addictions and lead into temptation and sin. We all know of Christians who even in their mature Christian experience become addicted to alcohol or unhelpful online activities. We wish we could be like Joseph and every situation of Temptation and flee the scene saying, how can I do this great wickedness and sin against God Genesis 39 often however we give in Like Peter denying Jesus we do the very thing we insisted

we would never do. When we do find ourselves despairing of our current inability to win the battle with sin, we need to seek help from God from Christian friends and even from secular agencies who can help people who have developed unhealthy patterns of living. The one thing we must not do is ignore the very means and channels which God himself has provided for a growth and Grace keep praying keep listening to the preaching of the word keep

reading the Bible. These are the means which will enable us, whatever our personal failings to keep our eyes on Jesus or only hope Was a right and good encouragement.

Should seal every single one of those Dear Heart.

the man who wrote those words

was a incredible theologian. He was a powerful preacher.

he was you could say without fail the most important man from her Earthly perspective as an entire denomination. He dominated a whole portion of the country. in its Christian faith with his influence

Two years after he wrote those words he committed suicide.

Because it had come out. that for decades he had been using his role as Pastor to groom women in his congregations, and he was a Serial adulterer.

How do you write words like that to other people? He's he wrote the best book I've ever read on sin. How do you write that for other people and not see yourself?

the deceitfulness of sin

just once Fear you off the path?

Be known. remember reading after his Suicided couple of different articles where people recalled the same thing as they were looking back they were saying I don't think anybody really knew him. You know.

Notice one of the way the writer of Hebrews encourages. Our resisting of sin is to lean upon one another in the church. He says this exhort one another every day as long as it is cold today that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Listen, you are in an epic war. Sin is trying to grab you on every side. The prince of the power of the air is like a Crouching Tiger at your door wanting to devour you.

You don't go into a war by yourself. You don't even go into a war with just your Foxhole buddy your spouse you need the church.

You need people who know you. and you know It is not Onward Christian Soldier. It's Onward Christian Soldiers.

Need to be known.

All need one another even the strongest Christians Among Us wither without the encouragement of brothers and sisters. second be on guard. beyond God love how one of our previous fellows that you are see tensed in this prayers. He ends them with Lord. Keep me from sin and from sinning.

young God third be aware of sin in your own life. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves the Apostle John says Martin Luther famously said the great reformer. I am similar Estus at pecatore. That is at the same time Justified yet a sinner. As we progress in this life, we want to be more and more sensitive to remaining sin in our life not to keep on guilt not to wallow in the muck and tomorrow we've been set free from the Dominion of

sin. We've been set free from the guilt of sin that is paid for by the blood of our conquering savior, but we want to be more aware of sin in our life so that we're not feeding it. That were not nourishing it. and so that we are quick to repent from

so much of falling into greater depths of sin and a hardening of the heart is simply a lack of spiritual sensitivity to sin. Pray for it. Be aware of sin in your life fourth. Be quick to repent. When you are aware of sin. Quickly turn from it. And turn to Christ.

He's the Delight. of our souls anything that would seek to breach or a communion with him

We want to run from head low. It's seeking to rob you.

The angel period in Matthew Joseph and he tells him the name his son. He says name him Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins. And so as his people we turn to him over and over and over again because he is a faithful Savior who sets us free from our sin.

fifth Be persistently growing in your faith. None of us has arrived in Christ. None of us is living all that we know. already in Christ to pursue a greater and greater depth in your faith and faithfulness to Christ. And that takes persistence. For me to live is Christ. That does not become your motto apart from daily intentionality. It takes resolve. It takes day in and day out being purposeful and pointed and direct and pursuing

Christ every day. Don't laxidasically stroll through this world. You're being tested and your adversary is Raging. purposefully pursue him And do it do it set different goals for yourself. I'm going to persistently seek to kill this sin by these means I'm going to become more known I'm gonna get to know three people really well in this congregation over the next three months. I'm going to be vulnerable let them know who I am

so that I'm known and I'm gonna get to know them. I'm going to memorize this many scriptures over these few months so that I have an Arsenal to bring the bear. When I am faced with temptation. I'm going to spend time in my Bible every morning for this period of time before I open my phone because I have to continue to fight purposely to grow deeper in Christ. Set goals Hills to take in your Christian Life. the purposefully

six be thankful.

Israelites complain against Moses and Aaron and exodus 16 Moses will say to them you're grumbling is not against us. but against God it's the god of Providence. To whatever is in your life is there because God has appointed it.

Now that doesn't mean that there's not a right way to complain there is there's a right way to complain We complain to God we don't complain about God. And so it's right to go to God. I I don't understand this. This seems too hard. Seems so very hard that this circumstance would be in my life and that I'm having to wrestle through this. Of God, I do not understand this.

And it's always closed. The Lord. Jesus said not my will thy will be done. You often think that our complaints? Oh, it's just I'm complaining about my circumstances. No, no, no not if you believe God is the god of Providence.

or so often complaining against him Is interesting that Psalm 95 that he is quoting from here the psalmist. Understands this and the writer of Hebrews understands this the whole thing begins with let us come into presence with his presence with Thanksgiving and you have every reason to be thankful. He is not only set you free from bondage the Pharaoh, but to the prince of the power of the air not only set you free from slavery in a land

but from sin and death. He's not only parted the Red Sea so you can walk through he is parted and made the way to heaven so you can walk through. And then you look back and all these different moments in your life and you can say look. I know the Lord provided for me there. I know that he helped me here. I know that he was merciful here. That was such a hard time and yet I got on the other side of that. The Christian is to continually have kind of all these

little moments of things giving that we look back on our life. You know when the Israelites were often commanded by God to set up stones at a place these Ebenezer Stone. So that when they pass by that place that Shiloh or gilgal or wherever it was that they could point out and they say the Lord provided for us here. Let me tell you the story. Jesus said do this in remembrance of me so much of the Christian life is just remembering.

in the midst of the Wilderness just remembering that he has provided for me time and time again and being thankful. Our minds are to be a feel littered with little outcroppings of Ebenezer Stones all over the place. He did that he did that and he did that and he did that.

and it helps it helps in the middle. of the Wilderness to be reminded Father Knows Best It was best. John Flavel the Puritan said in the sermon he said this if you could see how God in his secret counsel has exactly laid the whole plan of your salvation even to the smallest means and circumstances. Could you but discern the admirable Harmony of divine dispensations their Mutual relations together with the general respect that they

all have to the last Inn and had you Liberty to make your own choice. You would of all conditions in the world choose that in which you now. are Could see as he see. You would choose what he has given you now. Because he's always aimed at your good. always

be thankful. finally we focused on heaven to come.

In the wilderness, so keep going. Be an intested to endure. Heaven is just on the horizon. That's what he's saying to. These Jewish Christians. He's putting Heaven before their eyes. Don't Veer off this path don't get distracted don't get deceived by. Sin, don't allow your heart to be hardened. You have begun well in looking to Christ now finish. Well Heaven is just over that next Hill.

Just there. And once you are there, whatever you suffered, whatever you lost whatever trial you went through in the wilderness, you will not regret it for one second once you are there.

this weekend

Last night my phone started blowing up. late afternoon

It was as many of you saw go out on the URC email prayer chain. I lost a friend yesterday here in the area my kickson pastor of. Graham Community Church in Laingsburg

think about Mike and ah

You know, it was just a few months ago. That we were praying. Because he lost his daughter.

Was well over. I know we started meeting together. We have a meeting here of local area pastors here at URC every month and probably 10 or so years ago. We started meeting and we prayed almost every week for Mike's daughter. Because she had a tumor. in her brain and I said she would die from it and we prayed and we prayed and we prayed and she didn't die. but she was greatly affected by it and she was seized with depression and

couldn't work and hold down a job. And so we started praying about that. And we pray every month about that together. and then just in the last two years she she came out of it. He was working. She could hold a job. She got engaged. She was a month away from getting married. She just died.

I was just a couple months ago. Remember Mike.

He couldn't. Come to our meeting in September because he was just grieving so much. She said I just can't do it this month. He came a couple weeks ago. to the meeting here and he led that meeting. And he led them in through this. but in the midst of all that Wilderness and all that suffering of losing a daughter that they had seen not only have life sustained but then recover and they thought oh she is now beginning to go into

life and be married and So excited and then just to have it all just ripped out from underneath him. Most of all that he didn't allow his heart to get hard.

And he was testifying to the men here.

of his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ God is working all things together for good.

He desires set on heaven.

He finished his race. Well yesterday.

He's now gazing upon. Christ's face to face and if he was here preaching this morning because he could preach.

He'd tell you it is worth clinging to Christ.

rise in heaven allow sin to harden your heart. You begin well finish well.

pray

father

we are thankful for your many mercies to us. and even in the midst of a fallen world often feels and is more Wilderness than it is life.

You are a god of life. You've conquered death. And that one day we shall ever be with you. Help us to finish this race. Well. Not to be disqualified. Allowing our adversary and sinned steer us astray. to your praise and to your glory in Christ's name amen