Do Not Harden Your Hearts

Since I began my ministry at HBC on April 1st of this year, I started delivering a series of expository sermons on the Epistle to the Hebrews in the Chinese congregation. Last Sunday, we looked at the second warning passage in Hebrews 3:7–11. I would like to share the main points of this warning message with all of you, that we may encourage one another and grow together in our spiritual life.

The central theme of the second warning passage in the Epistle to the Hebrews is drawn from Psalm 95:7b-8a:

Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts” (ESV)

Why did the author of Hebrews choose this particular scriptural reference to issue a warning to the church of his time? It appears that certain members of the early church had “become dull of hearing” the Word of God (Heb 5:11); their hearts had become cold. Therefore, the author issued a solemn warning, urging them to seize the present opportunity to hear God’s Word afresh and to respond with reverence and faith, rather than hardening their hearts. Becoming callous and spiritually sluggish can have serious implications. The consequences of backsliding are severe – judgment at best and eternal condemnation at worst.

This warning is rooted in the historical example of the Exodus generation — those Israelites who, despite being delivered by God’s grace and witnessing His mighty works over forty years in the wilderness, continued to rebel against God. They never truly repented or softened their hearts. As a result, God declared in His anger, “They shall not enter my rest” (Heb 3:11).

Brothers and sisters, is this warning still relevant for us today? Indeed, it is. The problem of “not listening to God’s Word and hardening one’s heart” has persisted throughout church history. It is a sin that easily entangles us (Heb 12:1-2). Particularly in our digital age, we are often distracted by various electronic devices and all kinds of information, dulling our spiritual alertness and making us lose interest in God’s truth. Some have even drifted away from the Christian faith. Many spend more time on their phones than in the Scripture. This reminds me of John Piper’s exhortation, “Pick up your Bible as naturally as you pick up your phone!”.

According to a recent survey, some Christians have expressed disappointment with the church because they perceive that there is a lack of love within the church. But what could be behind this perception that there is a lack of love in the church? Perhaps, their perception could be due to their own hardness of heart. If we do not hunger for God’s Word, if our hearts are not touched by God’s Word, or if our ears have become dull to hear God’s Word, we will not experience God’s grace and love in our lives. The problem may not be that there is a lack of love in the church but that our hearts are too filled with the noise of the world and selfish expectations that we do not understand the true meaning of divine love. We are pursuing human love instead of God’s love. People often fail to realise that human love is always selfish, agenda-driven, limited, and sometimes even harmful, but God’s love is holy, just, eternal and sacrificial for our eternal good.

Where can we find God’s love? Of course, it is in God’s Words, the gospel. How can we love God and love one another? It starts with listening carefully to God’s Word – that God first loved us – only then will our hearts be changed, and our spiritual life grow to maturity. We will no longer centre on human affection, but on God’s divine love. We will become one in God’s love and love one another without complaining. The Israelites in the wilderness complained about their food and might well have accused Moses of having a lack of love, forgetting God’s great deliverances of the past and God’s amazing promises for the future. Let us not be like them, hardening their hearts, but let us take the cautions from God’s Word seriously.

Brothers and sisters, do we find ourselves in a condition of apathy or hard-heartedness? If so, we must heed this warning: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts!”.