HEBREWS 3 - “DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS”

 

HEBREWS 3

“DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS”

¹² Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. ¹³ But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. ¹⁴ For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. ¹⁵ As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”     -Hebrews 3:12-15

Have you experienced hardness of heart towards God? ..to a point of losing sensitivity to God’s voice?

-when He speaks, you would not listen.

-when He commands, you would not want to do/obey.

-when He gives advice, you seldom keep it.

-when He rebukes, you would not want to reflect on it.

-when He calls, you went missing to do other things.

-when He reveals things, you take it with little importance.

-when He tells you His will and what’s right and wrong, you still do your own ways.

 This is already sinning, a disobedience, a rebellion, stubbornness and irreverence towards God. For who is the One speaking, isn’t He the True Living God? He whom all creation submits to and worships and whom you’ve professed as your Lord and Savior and who indeed gives you spiritual and physical blessings in this life and in the life to come.

  ²³ For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.  -1Samuel 15:23a

¹⁰ Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.’ ¹¹ As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest.’”    -Hebrews 3:10-11

   

Sin deceives, tells lies to the heart that makes the heart hardened towards God,

-Sin says that God is not worth believing, untrustworthy that His promises will not come true and if it does it’s not worth the sacrifice of our comfort, time, resources, reputation etc, leading to an unbelieving heart

-Sin says that evil is more desirable than God’s promises, it promises temporary and deceitful form of happiness and gives reasons why not to obey/listen to God and tempts to prefer evil than good leading to an evil heart.

 ¹² Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. ¹³ But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.   -Hebrews 3:12-13

 As Christians let’s be vigilant against evil, unbelief and hardness of heart that led many believers to fall away, backslide and turn away from God. Let us exhort one another about what is true, that God is trustworthy, that evil things are not to be preferred even when temptations of sin, that the promises of God are better than the deceitful promises of sin. Let’s speak to one another of God’s word and of our personal testimonies about God in our lives so that we would encourage one another to hold fast, remain strong and be firm to the end as partakers in Christ Jesus.              

 Let it be that when God speaks, we listen to His voice and do our best to obey with trust, for all He says and ways are good, He gives strength and power in our weakness and gives victory for His will in our lives, in others and in His works that He has prepared for us to do. Let us not harden our hearts instead we be joyful for we are so blessed, able to hear from God.

 

¹⁵ As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”     -Hebrews 3:15

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PASTORA LODY