Hebrews-Hard Hearted

 

[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.”

[16] For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? [17] And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? [18] And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? [19] So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief. (Hebrews 3:12
–19, ESV)

One of my favorite things to do when getting to know a new friend who is a Christian is learning how they came to faith.  It is beautiful to hear the stories of how God has moved in people’s lives to draw them to Him.  As God is the acting agent in our salvation, He plans when and how we come to know Him.  It is moving to hear how in a variety of circumstances God brings people to Himself. 

Yet not every story shows the consistency of faith. If you and I were siting across the table from one another as I told my story, it would include a time of falling away.  When I first read our passage today, it reminded me of when my own heart was hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.  I was raised in the church and had a simple faith from a young age.  I believed in God and always felt His love for me.  In high school, I attended youth group and did a few camps and had moments where I “recommitted my life” to Him, though the desire to follow God fully didn’t stick as I continued to seek my identity apart from Christ through popularity, success, and relationships.  When I entered college, I started my freshman year by getting connected to a bible study.  

The trajectory of my faith may have held consistently but I made a poor decision at a crossroads that led me away from Christian community and away from God for many years.  I dated a boy who claimed to be a Christian who was not, and slowly through His influence I stopped participating in the disciplines of faith—prayer, bible study, fellowship, and found myself solidly in a worldly lifestyle.  I attended parties, was sexually immoral, and focused on my academic pursuits and future career endeavors.  I hung out with very shallow friends and tried to enjoy living purely for pleasure.  Yet this was all in vain.  As my faith was real, and the Holy Spirit lived within me, I tried to quiet the unrest inside me.  I did feel guilt regarding my behavior, though I tried to glaze it over by not paying attention to the convictions I felt.  I thought if I ignored God long enough, I would finally understand how everyone around me was so happy living without Him. I hoped the inner struggle I had would eventually go away. 

Yet Scripture says that once we are His, Christ will never let us go.  Our salvation is secure and unbreakable and if we have been redeemed by Christ, the Holy Spirit seals us, as evidence of our salvation.  Though I tried to deny God, he kept pursuing me.  In kindness, He separated me from my godless influences and in desperation, when I couldn’t pretend anymore, He brought me back to HIm. 

“Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” 

I could not continue to live as if God didn’t exist.  I was tired of fighting my inner promptings, sick of shame and pretending I was happy.  It wasn’t how I truly wanted to live.  God had to take me low because I was avoiding those who would “exhort one another every day.” Returning to my original confidence was how I knew I had at some point in my earlier years, come to authentically share in Christ.  

The possibility of having a hardened heart is something the Christian needs to be aware of.  The author of Hebrews warns the reader of this possibility by reminding them of their spiritual history when Moses lead Israel out of slavery, out of Egypt.  Though they were free from their masters, they were traveling through a barren wilderness, forming a new trust in the God who had freed them.  Though they were free, they began to miss their former way of life and complained constantly about their lack of comforts, food and water.  Psalm 95 describes one such encounter, which the author cross references in verse 15: 

[7] For he is our God,

and we are the people of his pasture,

and the sheep of his hand.

Today, if you hear his voice,

[8] do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,

as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,

[9] when your fathers put me to the test

and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.

[10] For forty years I loathed that generation

and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart,

and they have not known my ways.”

[11] Therefore I swore in my wrath,

“They shall not enter my rest.” (Psalm 95:7–11 ESV)

The Psalm cross referenced in Hebrews to show heard heartedness can best be explained by two chapters in the Old Testament.  In Exodus 17, in the Wilderness of Sin, right after they had been fed manna from heaven,  the people were thirsty and so disgruntled by the leadership of God through Moses, they were ready to stone him.  Moses asked the Lord what to do and He instructs him to take the same staff that was used to struck the Nile, that turned the water into blood, and strike the rock at Horeb, causing  water to come out for the people to drink. 

God dealt with that generation for 40 years, their lack of trust and grumbling.  The rebellion of Israel came to a head in Numbers 14.  Since rescuing them from Egypt, God had led them through the wilderness to the land of Canaan.  Once arriving, men were sent to spy out the land, to give them a military advantage in taking it.  For 40 days the men saw the fruit of the land but also the strength of its people and grew afraid.  Only two of the men trusted the Lord to defeat their foes—Caleb and Joshua.  The rest, God declares in verses 22-23, would not enter His rest.  Other than the two spies, the rest did not truly believe in the promises of God.  As Hebrews 3:19 says, they didn’t enter because of unbelief.  

So how are we to persevere?  The good news of the gospel is that Jesus does what we cannot.  In chapter 2, we learned that Jesus was the perfect high priest and helps us in our weakness.  Jesus is stronger than our tendency to trust in ourselves over God’s promise to defeat the giants in the land.  Our passage in Hebrew shows us the two things that encourage us to stay close to Christ. 

First, the exhortation of the saints.  Christianity was never meant to be lived in isolation.  Throughout scripture, believers are called by names that represent community—a house, a people, a priesthood, all names that describe a multitude of believers connected to one another.  We are to build each other up with words daily.  Without other believers speaking into your life, it is easy to be hardened and deceived by sin.  Let us regularly and often speak into the lives of our Christian brothers and sisters.  

Second, we have come to share in Christ.  The writer of Hebrews shares the test of authentic faith is one of perseverance of the saints.  This theological concept describes the evidence of authentic faith,  that those who are in Christ will show the reality of salvation through holding confidence until the end.  The author contrasts this group with those highlighted in verse 19, those without belief.  The good news is that if we believe in God, we are a part of Christ, and we will stay the course.  

Fellow believer, what is your story?  Have you held faith consistently or like me, have a season of rebellion and Jesus in His grace has brought you back?  If you have wandered, like the prodigal son in Luke 15, God is full of mercy and will welcome you back with open arms.  It is never too late to draw near to Christ, and His community of saints, to insulate you from the deceitfulness of sin.  What awaits us is eternal rest, as we will dwell in peace forever with God, if you have come to be in Christ, He will never let you go.