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