Hazards of Not Hearing God’s VoiceHebrews 3:7-13 (HCSB)

How Dangerous Is It To NOTNOT Hear God’s Voice?

2 Sets of EarsPhysical earsSpiritual ears

Hebrews 3:7-13 (HCSB)

77Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: Today, if you hear His voice, Today, if you hear His voice,

88do not harden your hearts do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the desert, testing in the desert,

99where your fathers tested Me, tried where your fathers tested Me, tried [Me], and saw My works[Me], and saw My works

1010for 40 years. Therefore I was for 40 years. Therefore I was provoked with this generation and provoked with this generation and said, “They always go astray said, “They always go astray in their hearts, and they have in their hearts, and they have not known My ways.” not known My ways.”

1111So I swore in My anger, “They will So I swore in My anger, “They will not enter My rest.”not enter My rest.”

1212Watch out, brothers, so that there Watch out, brothers, so that there won’t be in any of you an evil, won’t be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that departs from unbelieving heart that departs from the living God. the living God.

1313But encourage each other daily, But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s none of you is hardened by sin’s deception.deception.

Humanity alone has been given the ability to say “NO” to our Lord.

3 Hazards of Refusing toHear God’s Voice

1. God Will Be Angered

verse 8 – “provocation”

verse 10 - “grieved” or “angry”

verse 11 – “wrath”

Warning from an experience in Israel's history

Lesson & Warning If we commit this same sin we can expect the same fate.

Today, if you hear God's voice . . . harden not your heart

Believe him, Accept him, Follow him.

2. Our Hearts Will Be

Hardened

Verse 8 - not to “harden our own hearts.”

Verse 13 - not to “let them be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”

Do we harden our own hearts OR are they hardened by sin?

Both

“But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”

- James 1:14-15

“entice”

Bait is dropped; Attracted to the bait;

Yield to the temptation &

WE sin.

We end up hooked

& cooked

The more we sin the harder our hearts become

Every time we ignore God’s conviction, our hearts become more hardened and callused to the truth.

The more we say "NO" to God, the easier it becomes.

The same sun that

melts the ice

also hardens the clay.

3.  You Will Run Out of Time

verse 7, “If you hear his voice today,” we should “not harden our heart.”

verse 13 - to encourage one another, “while it is called today.”

“today” means

“while time lasts”

When your life is over, the offer expires.

You may never run out of excuses for not trusting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior ... but you will run out of time to trust Him.

When you hear God's voice, He wants you to respond to him

NOW!