I have spent a lot of time on this issue because obviously this is something close to the heart of God. Warning after warning is given in His Word: “Do not harden your heart”. It’s the most passionate warning because it results in the most serious danger.
The warning is given so we don’t go down that road. Here are a few more things God wants you to know about hard-heartedness (Hebrews chapter 3).
It is true that salvation is an individual issue, but Christians are called to be a part of a body. And part of the dynamic of being part of the body is group identity. We suffer together, we rejoice together (1 Corinthians 12:26). This can be a great thing, but the danger is when the group identity is being affected by negative things, such as bitterness (Hebrews 12:15) or hard-heartedness.
Notice, today…today, over and over in this chapter. Delay only results in a harder heart!
The Bible teaches that the proof of salvation is endurance - God gives us enduring faith. You want to cross the finish line strong? The only way is constant abiding in Christ.
Hard-heartedness is never on that path. Do you want proof of your salvation? Do you want proof that you are walking in victory? The answer is found not in what did you do, but what are you doing now?
Wrong - you are exactly the kind of person it can happen to.
These people referred to in the text, these were people that saw God work as no other group in history. Yet for all they say, they still chose not to trust God.
That can happen to you in the church. You hear the Word, you see lives changed, you witness people healed, marriages saved… and you walk away still not personally trusting God yourself. Bad place to be… the worst place to be, actually.
Ask God for a reality check today. Get humble and honest about it. Get invested in others… and allow others to invest in you. Ignoring the symptoms and denying it can even happen to you are the worst things you can do.
If you continue to test God, refuse to get on board when you see Him at work, and go astray in your heart, Hebrews 3 tells us you are hardening your heart. Why am I spending all this time talking about this one subject? This is the most dangerous thing you can do!
Hardening your heart will always lead you to a bad place.
Hebrews 3:11 says: As I swore in my wrath, 'They shall not enter my rest.'"
Moses lead the Israelites through the wilderness to take them to the land God promised to give them. Instead of joyfully pressing on by faith, the people complained and doubted God! Their hard-heartedness reached this point: God said, “You’re done. You are not receiving this land. Your children will, but you won’t.” So nobody entered the land until the rebellious generation died out!
I wish the story had a happier ending for them, but it doesn’t. Their persistent rebellion didn’t take them where God wanted them to be. It took them to a sad, miserable end.
And so it goes with hard-heartedness. When you harden your heart (you DID read the last 3 blogs, right?), you aren’t heading anywhere good. No favorable result, no blessing, no joy has ever come from it.
God has provided perfect rest for your soul. It is in the person of Jesus Christ. Are you resting in Him? Are you keeping your eyes toward the ultimate fulfillment of rest: eternity in glory with Christ and His people?
Make today the day you cry out: God, forgive me for hardening my heart against you. Only you can change me from the inside out. Because Jesus died for my sins and rose to give me life, I can experience rest now… and for eternity.