HARDENED HEARTS

                            

                                                              HARDENED HEARTS

    Do we really know what is meant by the term "hardened hearts"? This is not
just a slang term that appears in scripture, and we need to clearly understand
what the term means. God considered it so important He placed it up front in
the bible, We begin by looking at Ex. 4:21, where God is talking to Moses. This
is a major happening in scripture, not only for the introduction of hardening
hearts, but for God's declaration.

    "And the Lord said to Moses, 'when you go back to Egypt, see that you do
all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I will
HARDEN HIS HEART, so that he will not let the people go." Now see the
second part of God's direction in verse 22. "Then you shall say to Pharaoh,
Thus says the Lord: 'Israel is My son, My Firstborn. (Verse 23) So, I say to you,
let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I 
will kill your son, your firstborn.'"

    This is a warning God fulfilled, but note the Lord's declaration that Israel,
as a nation, is His firstborn. There always is significance in firstborn, because
they are to be dedicated to God. This declaration by God clearly tells us that
nation is dedicated to serve Him. Later, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to
provide the opportunity for our salvation through His Son's sacrifice. The
explanation of firstborn is wrapped in the "or else" warning that a hardened
heart will mean eternal destruction.

    We have here a form of the Trinity, as God explains the importance of His
choice for firstborns and the consequence to those who refuse to follow God's
wishes. Unless you recognize the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, and follow
the path they give you, you will have a hardened heart. So, just what is this
"hardened heart?"

    Besides being lost to eternity, the terrible part is that you will probably not
accept or recognize you have a hardened heart. This is a condition not of your 
body or mind, but of the soul. If you are a carnal human, your mind will
undoubtedly control your soul. Even if you think you have accepted Christ as
your Savior, that acceptance must be genuine and complete. Otherwise, the
carnal human heart will control your actions.

    That is not to say you will no longer sin, but that you will make a very serious
and conscientious effort to stop sinning. It also means you will make every
effort to follow Christ's teaching, with no exceptions. This is especially important
for those who deliberately misinterpret clear directions from the Word, or who
excuse "partial" obedience. The carnal human wants things the way he wants
them, and corners are cut or obliterated in an effort towards self satisfaction.

    We all experience hardening of the heart from time to time, but for Christians,
this is not a problem until our desire conflicts with God's Word and Christ's
teaching. These mini sins, such as eating a second piece of cake when we
know we shouldn't, may be a temporary hardening of the heart and harmless
so long as you don't repeat the action often. If you know it is wrong for some
reason, and try not to "fall off the wagon" frequently, you are not doing something
that will take you directly to Hell. Hell is where people with hardened hearts will
spend eternity. God doesn't tell us not to eat that piece of cake, and He may even
smile while He watches us struggle to overcome the temptation. However, He
definitely won't smile when He sees us deliberately change His Word because
of our selfish desires.

    There are all kinds of germs or viruses out there that cause us to "catch" a
hardened heart. Most are geared to our emotions, and unfortunately most of
those emotions are difficult for us to control. To name a few are lust, envy, 
jealousy, over indulgence, retribution, control, power and greed. These causes
of a hardened heart are more deadly to our spiritual and physical lives than
any of the conditions we normally try to treat or cure through physicians,
medicine or pastors. If we fail to recognize the symptoms very early, the
condition will rapidly proceed to God's judgment, the heart will be hardened,
and you will be unable to be cured. No matter how much you may enjoy the
temporary benefits of your condition, you have a non-cancelable ticket to
eternal Hell.

    I'll get into more of an explanation of the condition, but first we will carefully
recognize that there is only one prevention for a hardened heart. That is an
early vaccination by God's Word. Nothing else will do the job. Those who read
scripture and use it to excuse disobedience or achieve something, will find that
misuse of the Word will not be unlike an overdose of drugs. Great feelings for
a time followed by everlasting pain and death. 

     Obedience is the key word here, and if you fail to understand Christ's
teaching or God's Word, you are not obedient. See I Sam. 15:22, "So Samuel
said, "Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in 
obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And
to heed than the fat of rams." Now pay particular attention to verse 23, which
lists the probable cause of a hardened heart.

    "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, AND STUBBORNNESS is as
iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He
also has rejected you from being king." You may not be rejected from being
king, but your rejection is even worse--condemned to Hell for eternity.

    The Gospel is supposed to be Good News, and I have been writing about
what could be bad news for you. I have never been comfortable when a pastor
preached doom and don'ts, but no one ever explained hardened hearts to me.
We want our own way with things, and the first line to get that is through
stubbornness. We make up our mind about a subject--usually with very
insufficient facts--and stand on our conclusion. Negotiation is usually not
a good method to achieve a solution, especially if you're trying to negotiate
with God. He doesn't negotiate. You'd better look into more of His Word.

    If we can understand the difference between being stubborn and mentally
lazy, we may be able to come up with a reasonable explanation of the subject
as well as a solution. You must carefully study scripture to understand it. 
Reading the bible in a year is nice, but if you don't comprehend what you read,
you may have wasted most of your time. Just reading is not understanding.

    Why and how do we get hardened hearts? There are many reasons, and
Satan knows all of them. Lack of interest and a lazy mind top the list. Especially
when you are young, there are so many things to do and see. When you're
older there is the workplace and responsibility. There is always an excuse.
Luke gives us the answer to,prevent a hardened heart in 11:9,10. "So, I say to
you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock and it will
be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds,
and to him who knocks it will be opened."

    The worst thing you can do to bring on a hardened heart is to cruise through
scripture like you would read a novel. Think about how you need to study any 
subject in school. You don't learn physics or chemistry by just reading the
textbook. You don't become a musician by reading a music book. You don't
become a mechanic by reading a manual. It takes careful study and the
ability to comprehend the words to understand.  It also means you don't have
a predetermined conclusion and simply seek justification through finding a
passage not really related to the subject or problem.

    Another example of hardening of the heart that exemplifies the stubbornness
of humans is found in I Sam. 5 and 6. I won't quote those entire chapters, but
will point out that the Philistines took possession of the ark of the Lord when
they defeated Israel in battle. They placed it next to Dagon, their god, and twice
Dagon was damaged. Every city they placed the ark in was ravaged, and they
eventually knew they had to return it to Israel. Finally the diviners and priests
of the Philistines told the people in I Sam. 6:6, "Why then do you harden your
hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts?"

     The most serious ailment we have in the United States today is the hardening
of Hearts by pretenders who call themselves Christians. They use scripture to
gain the confidence and support of lazy bible studiers. If necessary, they rewrite
the very Word of God as given in the bible through inspiration. They make and
change both the church and man's rules to achieve their greedy and selfish goals.

    We have an epidemic of hardening of the heart in our nation, and the very people
who should be administering cure and recovery are instead providing fuel to increase
the disease. There is a radio program by the name of Back to the Bible that gives
us the clue of what we desperately need, and we need it now, before the disease
becomes fatal to our nation. As Smoky the Bear warns us, "only you can prevent
the fire from burning up America!" (Sorry, Smoky, for the misquote, but it's for a
noble cause.)

WHAT YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

    I usually don't add a post script to a sermon, but with this sermon about the 
condition of one's heart, I know this conclusive point needs to be stressed. Most
Christians, whether real or professing, consider two major actions to be necessary
to be a Christian. The first action is a full commitment to accept Jesus Christ as
Savior and redeemer. He is the greatest teacher in the universe, and the teacher
whose principles we MUST follow. You should know this verse without prompting.

    The second action is the acceptance and realization that the only way we can
lose salvation is through denial of the existence and power of the Holy Spirit. See
Matt. 12:31, "Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men,
but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men." The Holy Spirit IS
the power of God.  The Holy Spirit enters you when you accept salvation, but only
if you are 100% serious.

    The third action is your understanding that while Christ was sent to provide
salvation and to teach us, God the Father is still in complete charge, including
complete charge of Christ. To verify this, check scripture, Matt. 26:39, "O My Father,
if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will."
Matt. 24:36 makes it clear only God knows His plan and the sequence of events.
See "But of that day and hour (end times and tribulation) no one knows, not even
the angels of heaven, but My Father only."

    This post script is to assist you in understanding that being a Christian through
acceptance of Christ as Savior, and the Holy Spirit, is NOT ENOUGH. You must still
realize God, Himself, is in charge. Remember, I Sam. 15:22 tells us obedience is
better than sacrifice. If you ignore or CHANGE IN ANY WAY the teaching of God's
Son to suit your selfish desires, you have two strikes against you, and the probability
you will take a "called third strike." That will be the denial of God's power vested in
the Holy Spirit. 

    You may talk to "sweet" Jesus all you want, but He, too, must do God's will, and He
cannot intercede for you if you do not heed the Word and Christ's teaching. You had
better pay attention to ALL the teaching of the New Testament without putting any
buts or spin on the Word. God is watching you. I have added this post script because,
from many comments I see interpreting scripture, many people who consider themselves
Christians are interpreting God's (and Christ's) Words to suit their purpose, not God's
purpose. He is God of ALL people, not just those you may favor for ANY reason. He is
the judge, and you'd better remember that.  

Rev. Walbear

LET'S MAKE A DEAL

               
                                                    LET'S MAKE A DEAL

    I'm not an aficionado of television game shows, but I believe there was/is
a show called Let's Make A Deal. That title is a perfect fit for this message,
and I doubt any Christian can honestly claim the word "deal" has never been
mentioned in prayer. If I'm wrong, I not only apologize, but recognize you as
a very special advocate of Jesus Christ. My Christian charge is to teach the
scriptural Word of God, and I must admit I have used the word "deal" in talking
to God. I believe I am now cured of that fault/sin, but it took a while. Making
personal connections like these are very difficult.

     When we come under stress, we quite naturally seek a rapid relief. For
those with a weak prayer connection, the first solution may be an attempt to
find a quick, but temporary cure. This course places the person in a position
that precludes prayer because that cure is not uppermost in your mind. Things
like drugs or alcohol may be the "instant pill" that permits you to escape
reality. If you realize this won't work, you are at least on the path that can lead
you to relief--prayer.

    Before I get to scripture, I need to explain just how easy it is that we propose
a human carnal solution to God. We instantly place ourselves in the same
category as God--as if we have the power and choice of making our personal
solution. How easy it is to forget "our place" in the universe. How easy it is to
propose a "deal" with God, Himself. We are thinking only of ourselves, and the
desire to relieve the pressure and stress of our problem. Worse yet, the problem
undoubtedly is a situation we brought on ourselves.

    Have you ever faced an important decision or problem and said to God, "God,
if you help me out of this jam, I will (finish off this promise in whatever way you
believe will please God)? Perhaps you can't quite get a motor going, or the oven
won't work, or you can't get someplace on time, or you're injured, and on, and
on, and on. If God gives you a quick fix, you'll pay Him back by doing something
you should do anyway. Or, you promise something you should know you will never
be able to keep.

    I'll stop right here and give you the definition of "deal" so you aren't one of those
who claim I put spin on scripture, especially for political philosophy. I give the exact
words of scripture, and, in this case, I'll give you the words in a dictionary. If you
choose to doubt these meanings, it will be because you have already decided how
you want to interpret the meanings. Folks, these meanings are simple and plain.
They were placed there for your understanding and guidance. God gives you the
choice, and He holds you to His Word.

    We begin this "understanding in scripture, and I'll just skip to a few main verses
so this message isn't too long. Gen. 1:1 states "In the beginning God created the
heavens and the earth." Note the plural word "heavens". That's another message.
Read the verses following 1:1, to verses 26 and 27, where God states He will make
man in "Our" image, and man will have dominion over all the earth. Now we know
that God created everything. It is all His, including each of us. We can create only
that which God gives us the ability and direction to create. There is a character,
Satan by name, who can also give us the ability to make or do things, and has a
remarkable way to persuade us to oppose God's way.

    I want to show you clearly the difference between the power of God and any power
of anything else. Turn to I Samuel. I urge you to read all of chapters four and five to get
a good understanding of the ark of God. This "box" actually contained the spiritual
POWER of God. For a Christian, this power is conveyed through our acceptance
of Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

    The Philistines defeated Israel and captured the ark of God (I Sam. 4:22). The
Philistines took the ark of God to Ashdod, and placed it beside their god, Dagon.
In the morning Dagon was found face down on the earth beside the ark. They
replaced Dagon, and the next morning they found Dagon, again on the ground, but
this time the head and both palms of the hands were broken off. Meanwhile, the
Lord ravaged the people of Ashdod, so they moved it to another Philistine city,
and the problem continued. The Philistines knew very well that the ark of God
had the power to injure and destroy them. They finally understood the ark had
to be returned to Israel. This account is told in Chapter 6. Be sure to read these
chapters.

    You see, even the idol worshiping Philistines understood the power of God.
But being carnal humans they refused to change their ways. They were reprobate--
they had hardened hearts. There are many would be or pretending Christians who
are in this condition. This section of I Samuel well illustrates what God can do.
Think of how foolish we are to believe we can make a deal with the creator of
all. Before we go any further on the power of God, we need to look into this
attempted deal making on our part.

    The dictionary gives us the definitive explanation of the word "deal". It is quite
simple. "To give in portions or as one's portion; TO DISTRIBUTE." In America we
look at deals as a way to satisfy two individuals or groups by giving something to
each side, while taking away something from each side. The "perfect" goal is to
see that each side gets a fair distribution. Unfortunately, we have changed that
goal to mean getting more than we give. We have deals in business, sports and
politics. The object has become how we deal to gain more than we give, without
caring that the action is honest and fair. It's become sort of a game to see who is
superior.

    Imagine! We actually think, at least for a brief time, we have the power to deal
with God on His level! Our prayer, if you can call it that, places us on the same level
as God. Even Christ repeatedly said the Father was in total charge. God has
everything every place all the time. How can we be so presumptuous as to even
think we have God's power? It is carnal man's thinking, placing us in charge of all
problem solving.

     Worse yet, if God does solve the problem--not because of our "deal", but
because He wants it solved or is showing mercy--He must turn away  quickly
as we fail to deliver our promise. We usually do fail. Now I want to go back to
that explanation of the word deal. Notice the simple explanation is "distribution".
There has been a great "deal" of discussion about distribution and
redistribution of wealth in America. There are some Godly factors and expectations
of distribution and redistribution of wealth. Since wealth--money-- controls every
aspect of human life except one, this is very important  to comprehend. The one
aspect money doesn't control is spirituality. Christ made it very clear that God and
His teaching come first in your life. You cannot serve God and mammon--check out
the parables (Matt. 6:24).

    All wealth BELONGS to God. Not one penny belongs to you, rich man. It is all in
your investments and bank accounts because God permitted it to be there. Do you
think you are extra intelligent and that brought you great success? How about the
day laborer who just won millions in the lottery? You're no better than that person,
and, in fact, he/she is the superior person because he/she realizes the money does
not come because he/she is a superior (elite) human being. 

    All this talk about a wealthy person "deserving" wealth because of hard work and
dedication is a very lame excuse for hoarding. Have you ever considered the really
hard work performed every day by the average person? If you ever bothered to
research pay for work, you'd see that much of the most difficult work is performed
by people who are paid low wages. The caretakers in nursing homes or retirement
homes are on the low end of the pay scale. 

    Just look at the effect our spiritual deal making has had on our value system. Our
success is measured in money. We fool ourselves into believing it is our education
and ability that make us wealthy--whether that measurement is modest in amount
or in millions. You worked hard, and you earned what you have. That's what everybody
should be required to do. If someone has to come "begging" for assistance, that's not 
your fault. Let them make a deal with God--especially if they're the religious type.

     If you've spent time in a nursing home, hospice, special care facility, or other type
of residence, you should understand about what we sometimes call "the unfortunate".
None of these people have made deals with God. They are where they are because
that is (for whatever reason) where God has placed them or permitted Satan to place
them. Before you decide I'm shilling for people on welfare, understand I agree with
those of you who loudly proclaim there is a sizable number of cheats. 

    Is it wrong to be wealthy? Of course not, and don't use this claim to discredit the
truth about distribution and redistribution. God blessed many individuals in scripture
both materially and monetarily. Think about David and Solomon, for example. Before
you leave these two examples, carefully consider how God dealt with them after they
received their blessings. They fell victim to the same love of money as most of the
rest of us, and greatly overdid material excesses. So, see what you're in store for if
you don't follow God's instructions about spending your money.

    I REPEAT: IT IS NOT A SIN TO BE WEALTHY. It's what you do with the wealth.
God blesses people in many ways. If you are a millionaire or earn a large salary in
a profession or job, you need to ask God what you should do with your blessing.
In my youth I worked for a man who privately owned a bank that specialized in
short term loans. As soon as a client paid off the loan, this banker convinced the
client to take out another loan. The banker told me "There's never enough (money)."
His son became a school teacher and rarely returned home. Although his father
invested small amounts in many, many banks in his son's name, the son kept his
distance because he detested the "money game". God judges your use of money,
and He gave you the rules through Christ's teaching.

    Now, to those who support undisciplined wealth (greed). I say to you that a Christian,
a real follower of Jesus Christ, will not be a deal maker to hoard wealth. The Christian
will not have the attitude that everyone or anyone is poor or in need because they lack
the smarts, work ethic or anything else. They will accuse another Christian of envy
or insult a real believer by saying that person would do the same thing with money if
he had it (greedily seek more).

    Have you well-to-do sham Christians actually "earned" your wealth by sweat of your
brow, calloused hands and honest use of your mind? If the money comes from
investments, it's time you understand what that invested money is doing besides giving
you an easy profit. It takes skill to manage money in various investments, but callouses
on your brain aren't any more honest than callouses on the hands of a laborer. Money
can create jobs, but many investors are primarily interested in profit, not the use of their
money to create jobs. You don't need a job; you need more money. 

    If you really read scripture, you will find many references to money in Christ's teaching.
The references to money in the Old Testament number over 100. In the New Testament,
where Christ carefully tells us how to use money, there are more than 25 references. Most
are not positive. In fact, Christ warns us about making a profit through illegal and immoral
means (Matt. 25:26-28; Luke 19:21-22). Note in Luke, we are talking about political power
through control of cities. You may have interpreted these passages to mean you are
encouraged to make money. I pray you also see that encouragement tells you to cheat
and steal to do it. Christ never taught us to cheat and steal to make money.

    Two more admonitions from scripture: Matt. 19:21 and  Matt. 19:23-24. Wealth usually
brings with it "honor" and respect. Your question is: which do you place first--Christ or
material things? You must make the choice now, before you die. Read Luke 16:19-31,
and you will understand your future. We give billions of dollars to foreign countries to
feed and care for their poor--our tax dollars. Our millionaires and comfortable workers
can't afford tax dollars for our own people in need? Do you think all those people in
foreign countries are workers? The foreign leaders skim our money, and the people
get what remains, if anything. If you think you can make a deal with God and continue
to ignore Christ's teaching about money, you are mistaken. Enjoy your money while
you can, because there is none in eternal life. You will pay your dues with the rich man
who dwells in misery forever.

Rev. Walbear