Harden not your heart- believe

Heb 3:7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,
Heb 3:8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
Heb 3:9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.
Heb 3:10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.
Heb 3:11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)
Heb 3:12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
Heb 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.


Tempting God. Tempting God is really disbelieving in God, isn't it?


When we tempt a person to do something it's the same as daring them to do it. Come on, we tell them, show me you can do this or that, I bet you can't do it so you have to show me you can. We try to get them to PROVE themselves. When something is proven to get someone to believe it in, the faith is gone.


We ask friends and family to trust us based on their knowledge of our love and care for them, trust that we will do nothing to hurt them. Time and again that trust is abused and people have learned not to trust, not to have faith in each other.


God isn't human and He called for people to trust in Him. People wanted proof. People wanted God to prove Himself to them rather than to prove themselves to God.


Heb 3:7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,
Heb 3:8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
Heb 3:9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.
Heb 3:10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.
Heb 3:11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)
Heb 3:12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
Heb 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.


Harden not your hearts as in the provocation in the day of temptation in the wilderness- when your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.


We can't make the same mistakes. Individually in our lives we can't tempt God, we can't ask God to prove Himself. To tempt God, to prove God is to grieve God. Having no faith in God will cost people so much- it will cost them eternal life.


What is an evil heart of unbelief departing from the living God? Lack of faith. Unbelief- no faith.


I've mentioned my favorite verse before and I'll use it again only this time including the whole passage-


Mar 9:14 And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them.
Mar 9:15 And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him.
Mar 9:16 And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them?
Mar 9:17 And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;
Mar 9:18 And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.
Mar 9:19 He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.
Mar 9:20 And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.
Mar 9:21 And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.
Mar 9:22 And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.
Mar 9:23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
Mar 9:24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
Mar 9:25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.
Mar 9:26 And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.
Mar 9:27 But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.


Here is a desperate father who only wants his son healed, a son that had been afflicted since he was a child with a spirit that made him deaf, dumb, feel pain, foam at the mouth, gnash his teeth, all as he wastes away. How desperate this poor father was to have his son healed. He brought him to the disciples of Jesus, men that had power given to them by Jesus to heal and cast out evil spirits, yet the disciples could not help him. How devastating that had to be to the father. Then the master of the disciples arrives and this is his last hope to have his son healed. He tells the Lord about his son and Jesus answers by saying this--

'O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you?'


Faithless!


Jesus said- IF THOU CANST BELIEVE ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE TO HIM THAT BELIEVETH.


The opposite is true isn't it? Nothing is possible to them that do not believe.


Our only hope is faith in our Savior. Our hope lies in NOT tempting God, in not asking God to prove Himself but rather believing without the proof. We have to believe, we can't be faithless! If we doubt our belief we have to pray as that father who desperately wanted his son to be healed-- with tears-- LORD, I BELIEVE HELP THOU MINE UNBELIEF.


Can you imagine the anguish, the desperate hope? Anyone who has faced having a loved one in pain, anyone who can comprehend the situation if they haven't experienced it, can put themselves in that father's position. A lot of people pray and tell God they'd do anything if only they'd help that loved one. This father told Jesus face to face, he believed and then said HELP THOU MINE UNBELIEF. Why? Why did he add that last bit? Help though mine unbelief? Because the least little bit of doubt might have been enough to stop Jesus from healing his son and that man understood and wanted nothing, not even the possibility of the slightest disbelief in himself to keep his son from being healed. The helplessness we have in saving ourselves is in this too, isn't it? Think about it. We have to believe! We can't tempt God, we can't ask Him to prove Himself, we must have faith.


Heb 3:12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
Heb 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.


Exhort one another daily…lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.


Sin is soooooo incredibly deceitful. More on that tomorrow though.


By the grace and mercy of our Lord may we have faith in Him, may we not tempt Him in any way. By His love now and forever!



Amen.