The Heart of the Matter

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This is a sermon preached at Wayside Community Church on August 12, 2012. The message was based on Hebrews 3:7-19, as well as a short passage from Ephesians and another in John 14:1.

Written Excerpts:

Introduction:

Last Sunday I spoke from the first chapter of Hebrews regarding the things that the author had to say about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I thought that I would stay in the book of Hebrews for today’s message and possibly for the next two or three messages. I’m not really trying to do a series, but I felt that I would just continue using some of the texts from this letter that had stood out to me in the past and I had underlined or highlighted in my Bible as potential sermon material. I guess I felt like this would be as good a time as any to go through the book and focus on some topics that caught my attention during personal devotional reading or through listening to other sermons.

Today, I want to draw your attention to a word that is used a few times in this third chapter – the word “heart.” In the verses of this chapter that were read earlier, the word “heart” is used four times, and it is used in connection to three different adjectives to describe the kind of hearts in the people that the author is referring to in Israel’s history. My desire is to look at these descriptions provided here, as well as a few other references, and learn what kind of heart we ought to have and what kind we ought not to have.

Let us begin by discussing the meaning implied in the word “heart” then we will consider the types of heart conditions that God’s Word warns us against, and those that it exhorts us to possess.

A. The Meaning of the word “heart.”

“Heart” – Most theologians and scholars have defined the human heart as used in Scripture, as the seat of the will and the emotions.

(Thayer) 1. Properly, that organ in the … body which is the center of the circulation of the blood, and hence, was regarded as the seat of physical life…

2. Universally, καρδια denotes the seat and center of all physical and spiritual life; and

a. “the vigor and sense of physical life”

e.g. Acts 14:17 (NKJV) Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness."

Luke 21:34 (NKJV) But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.

b. The center and seat of spiritual life, “the soul or mind, as it is the fountain and seat of the thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, purposes, endeavors” (so in English “heart, inner man,” etc.); including the will and character.

….of things done “from the heart i.e. cordially or sincerely, truly” (without simulation or pretence) ….  For example,
Romans 6:17 (NKJV) But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.

These descriptions and definitions would also include what some have referred to as the motives or intentions of an individual.

The heart is so crucial to everything we do. It is the core of life. This can be demonstrated by this illustration:

(moreillustrations.com) One of the interesting aftermaths of the great flood [in] Pittsburgh was the revelation of the underground life and structure of a great city. Passing along the streets, one looked down into man­holes, sewers, trenches, chambers, and boxes. One was amazed at the depth, the intricacy, and the extent of these catacombs of a modern city. Under normal conditions they are hidden from view, and we think little about them. Only the excavations and openings for the repair of the damage wrought by the flood revealed this subterranean world; and yet there were lodged and hidden the power lines, the gas, the electricity, the telephones, the water mains, without which the great granite buildings which raise heavenward are but cold, dark, and useless shells. Like a great city, man has an underground life. It is not visible as the surface man is; yet the hidden man of the heart, as Peter calls him, is a real man. He is, indeed, the hidden man.

B. The immediate context of the passage.

The passage we are considering here in Hebrews 3 is presented by the author as a warning.

It is a warning to believers. Remember what I have stated in the past that this letter was written to Jewish believers in Palestine who were severely persecuted and tempted to give up their faith in this “new doctrine” and return to the Mosaic covenant. In the verses leading up to verse 7, the author has been talking about the faithfulness of Jesus Christ, our High Priest. He has also been talking about the faithfulness of Moses.

He contends that Moses was completely faithful in the charge he was given over “his house” (v.5) yet Jesus is more worthy of honor and glory than Moses (v. 3). Jesus Christ is also faithful over His “house” (v.6), which consists of all those believers who hold fast their confidence and hope until the end.

Immediately after speaking about holding fast to our confidence and hope until the end, the writer gives a stern warning against unbelief manifested by departing from the living God (v.12). The warning is tied to the previous thought with the conjunction “Wherefore” that is found at the beginning of verse 7.

Literally, he is saying, “Since it is only by holding fast our confidence to the end that we continue to be the house of Christ and enjoy His faithful oversight, beware (take heed) that you do not end up in unbelief like those who hardened their hearts during the Exodus.” (Marcus Dods, Expositor’s GT)

As we consider the descriptions of the heart provided in Hebrews 3 and a couple of other references, we will first consider the negative then we will discuss the positive descriptions in our next message.

I. Negative heart descriptions…

A. Hard Heart (v. 8, 15)

The first heart description provided by the author is a hardened heart. He alludes to the hard heart by warning those early Christians to not harden their hearts like their ancestors had done back in the days of the Exodus. The Apostle gives the warning twice; once in v. 8 and again in v. 15.

How does a heart get hard?

It seems to me that there are some illustrations from everyday life that might shed some light on this point.

1. Calloused – Just like a person’s hand can be soft, gentle and tender at one point in life, but after a long time of rough, hard work, the hands can become so calloused and hard that hardly anything bothers them; not heat, not sharp objects, not a lot of things. This calloused condition came about as a result of repeated exposure to harsh treatment until the skin became thick and hardened.

In similar fashion, individuals who experience harsh treatment to the emotions and the soul become hardened in their attitudes about life in general.

2. Some become hardened simply through a process we call desensitization.

(This is very similar to the process of becoming calloused.)

Many years ago, I read an article that described how terrorists are trained. It described how very young boys were taken away from their families and subjected to a daily barrage of violence and destruction to animals and other humans. At first they cried, they were afraid, and they showed all kinds of tender emotions. But as they were forced to view it and participate in it day after day, they eventually lost their ability to feel those emotions. They became so hardened in their hearts that rather than feeling emotional pain over the violence and harm, they began to delight in it. They began enjoy it and crave it. Their hearts had become so hard that what had caused them great sorrow at one time, now became the very thing that caused them perverted joy.

The same process is possible spiritually speaking. There have been people who have been exposed to the message of salvation and have been emotionally moved upon, but through the process of stubborn resistance, they no longer feel that same emotion. They no longer feel the desire to follow God and obey His voice. Now, they can hear the truth and not be the least bit moved by it.

Notice that this warning, as I stated earlier, is given to believers. Friends, we must be careful how we respond to the Word of God and the truth He sends to us. It is possible to become hardened through repeated resistance.

3. Some are hardened through the “deceitfulness of sin.” (v.13)

(Matthew Henry) [1.] There is a great deal of deceitfulness in sin; it appears fair, but is filthy; it appears pleasant, but is [destructive]; it promises much, but performs nothing.

[2.] The deceitfulness of sin is of a hardening nature to the soul; one sin allowed prepares for another; every act of sin confirms the habit; sinning against conscience is the way to sear the conscience; and therefore it should be the great concern of every one to exhort himself and others to beware of sin.

We Christians must not ever assume a casual attitude toward sin; even the smallest sin. Why? Because every sin committed and excused will generate the rationalization for the next one.

B. Erring Heart (v. 10)

A second description of the human heart is offered in verse 10. Here the Apostle refers to the story of the Exodus and the refusal of the Israelites to obey the Lord and conquer the land of the Canaanites. In his reference to that historical event, he quotes from a passage in Psalm 95 where God says “…they err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.”

Most modern translations of the Bible use the phrase, “go astray” in place of the word “err” that is used in the KJV. The point seems to be that they turn away, or veer off the path that God had intended for them to go.

And, they “have not known my ways.”

This is probably a parallel thought with previous statement. i.e., They err or go astray, which is further described as not knowing God’s ways.

(Barnes Notes on the New Testament) They have not been acquainted with the true God; or they have not approved my doings. The word “know” is often used, in the Scriptures, in the sense of approving, or loving.

An erring heart is one that refuses to stay on the path that God has designed and “mapped out.” It gives the image of someone that continually chooses his/her own willful or “head-strong” way. Because of their insistence to keep straying from God’s plan and God’s way, they never “know” learn by experience what God’s way is really like. They never get to experience the joy and satisfaction and peace that results from being in the center of God’s will.

“I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.”

Those who persist in going astray and doing their own will are forbidden by God to receive what He had originally designed for their pleasure and their good. God finally grants them their desire and lets them have their way.

C. Evil Heart (v. 12)

The third description of the human heart provided by the author of this epistle is found in the 12^th verse.

Here, the author draws a parallel between an evil heart and an unbelieving heart. He further describes the evil, unbelieving heart as one that results in departure from the living God.

(Marcus Dods, Expositor’s Greek Testatment) “…it is when the heart is hardened through sin, it becomes unbelieving, so that the psychological order might be stated thus: sin, a deceived mind, a hardened heart, unbelief, apostasy.”

D. Blind Heart (Eph. 4:18)

Ephesians 4:17-18 (NKJV) ¹⁷ This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, ¹⁸ having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;

In this passage, the Apostle Paul clearly links the blindness of heart with the practice of sin. It appears that both are intertwined so that the more one indulges in sin the more blind one becomes and the more blind one becomes the more he/she indulges sin.

E. Troubled Heart (John 14:1)

In this passage, the heart is described as troubled. This is different from the previous descriptions in that it doesn’t seem to be a result of willful disobedience or defiance, but a condition of anxiety.

John 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God. Believe also in me.

(Thayer) “Troubled” – “to cause one inward commotion, take away his calmness of mind, disturb his equanimity; to disquiet, make restless”; to strike one’s spirit with fear or dread….

Jesus is calling the anxious, fearful, disturbed heart to place its trust in Him.

Fear of the future or fear of the unknown can be handled by the Lord. All we need to do is trust Him.

Conclusion:

This is all that we have time to discuss today. I plan to continue this topic next week by taking a look at Scriptures that talk about some positive descriptions of the heart.

As we close today, let us seek God’s grace and the aid of His Spirit in order to clearly understand the condition of our own hearts. Let us prayerfully seek to have our hearts in full compliance with His will and completely aligned with His purposes and designs for our lives. Let us diligently avoid the conditions we have been describing today: the hard heart; the erring or straying heart; the evil unbelieving heart; the blind heart and the troubled heart.

God wants to guide us into His marvelous provisions and blessings just like He did for the Israelites described in our text. If we stay surrendered and committed to Him, He will accomplish His plan.

Let us sing an old hymn of surrender and dedication:

Cleanse Me (# 657)