Hebrews chapter 3. And we are looking at this subject tonight, a softener for hard hearts. Do you ever feel like you have a hard heart? A heart that just seems to be very cold, like a rock maybe, that God's word seems to bounce off, doesn't have much impact on you. Perhaps you can remember that maybe growing up you were hearing the word of God, hearing the gospel, But it really didn't touch you, it didn't move you, didn't interest you. There was no heart engagement with God's word. And it didn't really bother you, did it? It didn't bother me anyway. And life goes on, and then, in God's mercy, he comes into our lives by his spirit, and he takes that rock-hard heart And with amazing power, grace and skill, He changes it into a soft heart. So that we start hearing God's Word and singing His praises in a whole new way. And it moves us, it engages our affections. We're more tender and sensitive to sin. We're afraid of it. We're also maybe more aware of the guidance of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We're aware of his promptings and directing. And it's a wonderful change. It's called regeneration or conversion. And We think this'll go on forever and it'll always be like this. And then maybe some years pass and we begin to look back and we say to ourselves, wow, I've changed. My heart is not as soft as it used to be. I can go days, weeks, months, maybe years without a sermon touching me, without God's word really gripping me. I can end up in sin and it doesn't really bother me. I'm not seeking God's guidance in his life. Prayer is pretty much a ritual. And you look within and you say, man, my heart's got really hard. But being a believer, you're bothered by that. You want that to change. Some people might say, oh well, of course when you're first converted, you're first brought to faith, everything's new and there's a sense of novelty and interest, even excitement. It's just like everything, it wears off. It becomes familiar and we shouldn't really be concerned about it. Just accept it, it's the way of life. Well that's not what the apostle thought, the one who wrote to the Hebrews, because he was seeing in them a real hardening of their hearts. They had been unbelieving Jews, they'd been converted to Christ, and through persecution and the influence of old friends and family and culture, they were being drawn back to that religion they had been delivered from, to true religion, and the apostle could see their hearts were hardening. And he didn't just say, oh well, you know, it's going to happen. That's just the way of life. No. He was alarmed. And he wrote this passage we've read together to turn them, to change them, to appeal to them, to say to them, look, a hard heart's not something that you want to just live with, just put up with, just accept. No, it's something that you should be scared of and something that you should seek change for from heaven so that your heart is soft and tender again. So, just up front, there is a difference between the hard heart of an unbeliever and the hard heart of a believer. The unbeliever, someone who's never come to faith, never loved Jesus, never put faith in Him as their Savior, that is a heart that is completely hard. There isn't one soft spot, spiritually, in that heart. The believer who's got a hard heart, it's not fully hardened, it's partially. It can be little, it can be medium, it can be much, but it never fully returns to a completely hard heart. And therefore, as we look at this subject tonight, we want to ask, first of all, who is the apostle addressing here? Is it the unbeliever with a hard heart, or is it the believer? And it's the believer, as we'll see. But what he says to the believer about the hard heart also can teach the unbeliever the danger of a hard heart. Because if a hard heart's dangerous for a believer, how much more dangerous for an unbeliever? If a partially hardened heart is unsafe, How much less safe is a fully hardened heart? So, we want to ask this question tonight. How can I maintain a soft heart? This is assuming there's been a softening, and it's all about how can I keep this? Or you might say, how can I return to this? How can I get back? to a safe, soft heart. And to give you some background to this passage, Hebrews 3, 7 through 19, I want to remind you of a verse we looked at last week. Verse six, it said, we are his house, Christ's house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting and our hope. So there was a big if there. But there's also a big if in this passage following in verse 14. Do you see what he's saying here? He's saying that there's a connection, an unbreakable connection. between holding fast our confidence to the end and having a safe, soft heart. The way to maintain a safe, soft heart is to hold on to our original confidence, our original faith to the end, not let it weaken in any way. So he's saying don't give up, don't turn back, Don't return to your old ways. Don't let any kind of hardening into your heart. And he goes on to tell us how the hard heart is dangerous. He says, first of all, a hard heart is dangerous. And we'll see that together in two parts. in verses seven through 11, and I should say 15 through 19. So the beginning of the passage, seven through 11, the end of the passage, 15 through 19, and in the middle, verses 12, 13, 14, we'll learn about a soft heart. So beginning and end is about the hard heart, and the middle is about the soft heart. And I want to, put Scripture side by side here because in this passage it begins verse 7, as the Holy Spirit says. So here the Apostle is looking back on previous Scripture and he's trying to teach the Hebrews through the Apostle about events in the past. And these events took place in Exodus chapter 17, and the psalmist in Psalm 95 reflected on these events in Exodus 17. So he looked back at the history of Israel and said, here are the lessons for the Old Testament church, and I want you to sing about them in Psalm 95. And then here in Hebrews, the apostle says, well, it's not just for the Old Testament church. What happened in Exodus 17 and is commentated on in Psalm 95 is also relevant to you, Hebrews, and us, Gentiles. So on the left column, we've got Psalm 95. In the right column, we've got Hebrews 6. And I hope you can see already the parallels. So, it begins with today, if you hear his voice. Today, obviously, there's a sense of urgency. It's not tomorrow. It's not reflecting, well, you did hear in the past. No, he's saying right now, today. It is vital that you hear God's voice. So open your ears to hear. And then he says, do not harden your heart. So he's obviously comparing the two. Hearing God's voice is the opposite of hardening your heart. If you stop hearing God's voice, you end up with a hardened heart. And then he looks back to Exodus 17, where the Israelites had all gathered. They'd been delivered from Egypt. They hadn't yet got to Sinai. And they were in the desert, having come through the Red Sea and celebrated that. And they ended up thirsty. There was no water as far as they could see. And they turned on Moses and through that turned on God and said, you just brought us out here to die. We're panting with thirst. We're just desperate for water. It would be better for us to go back to Egypt. At least we had water there. And God was angry with them. because they had seen incredible wonders, they had believed God's word, they had believed God had acted, and now just days later, their hearts have become hardened. It was called Meribah after that because that means the place of quarreling. They started quarreling with God. It was also called Massah, which means testing. It was a place where they quarreled with God and they tested God. They pushed God to the limits, as it were. That's what's described here. Your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work for 40 years. This was the history of Israel, not just at the beginning. of their exodus and the wilderness journey, but for 40 years, you read about it in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, even into Joshua, you see again and again, Israel seeing great wonders, hearing great words, and then pushing God to the limits, testing him, doubting him, refusing to listen to him. In other words, hardening their hearts. And then he goes on, therefore I was provoked with this generation. In Psalm 95, I lost that generation. So he's saying this really impacted me, God says. This annoyed me. This was a holy irritant to me. It made me look at these people and really just say, what kind of people are you that can be like this? There are people who go astray in their heart. They have not known my ways, therefore I swore in my wrath they shall not enter my rest. So here he's Again, referring to the Exodus journey and various parts where eventually God said, after extraordinary testing and provoking of him, he said, enough. There's a generation here that are not going to the promised land. They have hardened themselves so much, they are going to lose out on some of the benefits of this great redemption. So he then goes to verse 16 with three questions. Here now he's given us the psalmist's warning and now he's giving us his own. The psalmist reflected next to 17 and now the apostle is reflecting on Psalm 95 and Exodus 17 with three questions. He turns to the Hebrews as he turns his all and he goes, okay, question one. For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not those who left Egypt led by Moses? It's like, this is stunning. This is amazing. The people who rebelled had actually been delivered from Egypt by a mighty hand and with great wonders. Yet they heard and yet rebelled. With whom was he provoked for 40 years? Second question. Answer, was it not those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? So there were consequences. And then third question, to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see, they were unable to enter because of unbelief. Three questions, three answers. And again, it's all about warning his readers of the dangers of hardening their hearts. So, what is a hard heart based on these verses at the beginning of this passage and at the end? Well, first of all, it does not listen to God, verse seven. That begins to put a crust on this soft heart. Secondly, it rebels against God. It doesn't just close its eyes, its ears. Sometimes this hard heart does hear God's voice and yet says, no, I'm gonna fight that word, that will, that way of God. Then thirdly, it tests God. This heart is now growing its crust thicker, and it's so thick now we're at the point not just of not listening, not just rebelling, but actually testing God, pushing God, provoking God. Then another layer, this provocation of God, this stirring him up to anger. Now verse 10, it strays from God, it wanders away from him. It does not follow God. Verse 10, God says, I'm walking this way, would you follow me please? And it says no. It does not obey God. Verse 18, It does not believe God, verse 19. And it will be disciplined by God. So again, remember we're talking about the believer's heart here, right? This is someone who's had a soft heart, a tender heart, a new heart, and yet they start by not listening. then rebelling, then testing, then provoking, then straying, then not following, not obeying, not believing, and ultimately being disciplined by God. Losing out on some of the benefits of salvation. Who would want a heart like that? You see how vividly the apostle describes it and his aim is basically saying, you don't want this. Don't treat this as something you can live with, something that isn't such a big deal. And remember, you end up here, but you began here by simply not listening. And it's not as if we can start on that first step of hardening our hearts and think, well, I'll just stop there. I hear God's voice, I hear God speaking to me through his word, telling me this, telling me that, but I'm not going to listen. And we think we can get off with it. This tells us you don't know what next step you will take. Rebellion, testing, provoking, straying, not following, not obeying, not believing, and ultimately disciplined by God. Do you see how dangerous this is? And that's why In verse 16, he says, take care, brothers and sisters, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. Sorry, that should say verse 12. Take care. Be very aware. Think about this. Watch yourself in this area. lest an evil, unbelieving heart begins this hardening process and you end up falling away from God and all the blessings he offers. So, a hard heart is a dangerous heart. Who would want something like that? But then, having looked at these verses at the beginning and the end, he takes us in the middle, verses 13 to 14, to a soft heart. I said this, and this alone is a safe heart, a safe center to our lives, a safe place for us all. And if the hard heart is this list here, the soft heart is the opposite. It listens to God. Instead of rebelling, it submits to God. Instead of tasting God, it praises God. It doesn't criticize Him. Instead of provoking God, it pleases God. It makes God happy. Instead of straying from God, it stays with God. Instead of not following, it follows. Instead of disobedience, it obeys. Instead of not believing, it believes. And instead of being disciplined, it will be blessed by God. Now that's not explicit in the passage, right? The passage is largely about the hard heart. Of course the soft heart is the opposite of everything he teaches us here about the hard heart. And so as you look at this, do you see not just the danger of the hard heart but the safety of the soft heart? Not just the ugliness of a hard heart but the beauty of a soft heart? And that God can take a heart like this in our unbelief and change it into this. It's amazing, isn't it? Maybe many of you remember what this was like to live like this in a state of unbelief. And then the complete reverse happened. And you know it wasn't you. You didn't turn over a new leaf, you tried that. You didn't make new resolutions, you failed at that. This was the work of God. And only God can do this. And how thankful, how full of praise as we should be if we've known what it is. to move from having a hard to a soft heart. And then, as believers, having this heart, the soft one, and yet ending up, partially at least, in a shallow way at least, not the whole heart or the heart right to the centre characterised by this, but to some degree, having a heart like this, would God not look at that and say, what have you done? Well, God is responsible for the softening. We are fully responsible for the hardening. And yet, he can get us back to that. He can get us back to the soft heart. How? How is this possible? Well, he tells us here. And I want you to notice as we look at the four or five ways we can get a soft heart, that it all involves one another. This is not something that can be maintained. A soft heart cannot be maintained by trying to live the Christian life apart from other Christians. You'll see here repeatedly that this is addressed to the plural, to the group, to the body of Christians here. And the first thing he says is, warn one another. And we've looked at that verse already. It's not just you yourself, but you brothers and sisters, church family, be Be on the lookout for this in yourself, yes, but also others. You might see that drift beginning. You might see a crustiness developing. You might see someone becoming just unkind, harsh, hypercritical, careless, thoughtless, demeaning, What are you going to do? They're in great danger, and that's why he says, warn one another. This is a really dangerous place to be. And then he says, secondly, exhort one another. Verse 13, exhort one another every day, as long as it's called today, that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. So if this one is coming alongside someone saying, hey, I'm really worried about you. I'm seeing changes. You're not who you used to be. You just don't seem to have that spiritual tenderness, that nearness to God. There's something different and it's not good. Well, if that's the case, exhorting one another is coming alongside and saying, hey, it's amazing what God has done for you. and me, he's softened our hearts, he's made us tender and caring and kind and loving, sensitive in our consciences, desiring only to please him, living only with our eyes on him, not on consequences in the human realm. Let's keep going. Let's keep doing this. Let's pray for one another. that this continues and this is sustained. If we don't, the natural state is to get hardened and nevertheless, every day, as long as it's cooked, not tomorrow, but today, Whenever we have opportunity, let's come alongside one another in different ways and say, come on, let's stay sensitive, let's stay in tune with God, near to God. Let's listen, let's obey, let's follow. And let's remind one another of what's true. For we, again plural, have come to share in Christ, verse 14. And so here, the apostle's saying, just remind one another of what we have. We actually have a share in Jesus. We are partial owners of Jesus. We participate in who he is by faith. He is ours, and we are His. Let's remind one another of that, because in doing so, it just gets us back to the core of what we're all about. There are many aspects to the Christian life, but this is core. Sharing in the life of Jesus. The life of Jesus being alive within us. And he's saying, just keep that in front of yourselves all the time. And if you see someone who's wandering, or you see yourself cooling and chilling, remind yourself, remind them, I've come to share in Christ. This is not appropriate, this is not suitable, it's not fitting. And then he says, believe with one another. We've come to share in Christ, verse 14, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm. That's not what he was seeing in the Hebrews. He was seeing a weakening. Their firm grip on Jesus was loosening, and they were letting blessings fall through their fingers. And he's saying, let's believe and keep believing. Let's be confident in Jesus and keep that confidence strong. Instead of slackening our grip, let's tighten it every day. And then fifthly, persevere with one another to the end. Doesn't matter what age we are. We need to hear the warnings. We need to hear and give the exhortations. We need to remind ourselves and others. We need to believe with one another and we need to persevere with one another to the very end. And this, this, he's saying, is what brings us to a soft heart. So his big message here is soft hearts require other Christians. If we withdraw from one another, we isolate ourselves, we become loners, we try and do it all on our own, it's guaranteed that our hearts will harden. It's just not debatable. There's no other possibility. The more we move away from the family of God, the people of God, fellowship with God's people, with all their imperfections, with all their disappointments and ups and downs, and all their disappointments in us, yet, if we withdraw, if we distance ourselves, If we, even when we're among one another, we're closed to one another, hardening will inevitably result. But together, loving one another, serving one another, encouraging one another, warning one another, persevering with one another, That is how we keep and recover a soft heart to the end. So how can I maintain a safe soft heart? We stay soft hearted by holding our original confidence in Christ firm to the end with the emphasis on we. We, we. It's one that comes through this epistle as we'll see as we go through it. So really we have a choice set before us. What kind of heart do you have? What kind of heart do you want to keep? What kind of heart do you want to recover? Take that image in your mind and keep it in front of your mind this weekend. And as crossroads come up in your lives, decision points, two roads are facing you, think, do I want a soft heart or do I want a hard heart? And if you've never had a soft heart, if this has been you and still is you, You've not yet had that beautiful softening, that amazing sovereign work of God to change you, make you tender and sensitive and affectionate and emotional and full of love to God and his people. That's a possibility still for you. Bring this hard heart to the Lord this very night and say, Lord, I realize now this is what I am. This is my core. I'm just hard to you. I'm hard to your word. I'm hardened by sin, by unbelief, by disobedience, by rebellion. I've never known what it is to have the Word of God really penetrate me and grip me and grab me and grace me. Will you do that for me tonight? Will you change me in this way? Will you take this ugliness out of me? It's not how I'm meant to be, I know that. And give me this heart of flesh. Make me to know what this preacher's talking about tonight, what the Apostle's bringing before us tonight. I want to know what that is. I want to live that out. And you'll find that No one has ever brought that request to the Lord and gone away empty, gone away hard, but rather softened in a way you never thought imaginable and maintain it by holding fast to the end. Let's pray. Oh Lord Jesus, we are amazed that you are able to take our hard hearts and make them soft. And then even to take soft hearts that have been hardened in various parts of our lives, to various depths and degrees, and able to make them soft again. Do that, Lord, for us. Create within us clean hearts and renew right spirits within us. In Jesus' name, Amen.