DON’T GO HARD
Hebrews 3:12-15 NKJV
12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, 15 while it is said:
“Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”
Go hard is a term used in athletics. Don’t hold back; go hard. That works for athletic endeavors but not for our hearts in following the Lord. The message to the Hebrews in this third chapter is to not harden your heart.
The Book of Hebrews is written to people of Jewish heritage. But these folks had left the old system of Judaism and turned to Jesus as their Messiah and Savior. But their decision to receive Jesus was met with persecution from the Jewish community that had rejected Jesus. So these newly converted Jewish believers were facing immense pressure to abandon Christianity and go back under the law and the Judaic system.
The author is warning these believers to not give into unbelief and depart from the living God. This is called an evil heart of unbelief. This is not a causal decision, nor is it one to be treated lightly. Part of the answer is to be a part of a Christian community where there is daily encouragement. Isolation is so problematic. We all need to be part of the family of God, and families are designed to help and support one another. When believers get isolated, it becomes easier to be hardened through sin. And when someone is alone, sin is more effective in its deception. Part of not being hard-hearted is being connected.
The author then encourages the believers to stay connected to Christ. That is accomplished by holding onto the confidence that they started with when their initial decision was made to accept Jesus. The temptation for these believers was to abandon that confidence in Christ. But to stay connected, holding onto their confident faith and continuing to hold was vital.
The author then references the nation of Israel that came out of Egypt with Moses. This third chapter shows what happened to those Jews who were delivered from slavery in Egypt but never entered the promised land God had for them. It was not that God withheld the good land from them. Rather, it was a function of the people hardening their hearts and rejecting and rebelling against God and what He had spoken. To the Jewish believers that the book of Hebrews was directed to, they immediately were able to make the connection. They knew the story of the nation coming out of Egypt but wandering in the wilderness for 40 years because they would not believe God’s Word and His wonderful plan for them.
The author’s message was plain. Stay with Jesus and don’t be like the group that wandered in the wilderness. Believe God and what He has said regarding His Son, and don’t harden your hearts against God.
APPLICATION
Because of my background, I can appreciate this message in a very real way. I came to faith in Christ the summer I turned 19. But when I went back to college, I connected with my fraternity but never connected with a body of believers. As I fell further and further back into my old sins, my heart was hardened, and I turned away from God.
Thankfully, God never turned away from me, and when I renewed my commitment at age 22, I became involved in church—not merely attending on a random basis but actively involved. The combination of hearing God’s Word preached and being with other believers helped me stay connected to the Lord for the past 42 years, and I am grateful.
We must choose to hear. Choose to stay with the Lord. Choose not to harden our hearts to what the living God is saying in His living word. It’s so much better than wandering in the spiritual wilderness.
PRAYER
Lord, thank You for all You have done for me. I purpose not to harden my heart in any area of my life. I want to hear Your voice and always stay confident in You all the way to the end.