Hebrews 3:13 says, “But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) means “thick heart muscle disease.”I am not a doctor, nor do I have much understanding of the medical field. In fact, I don’t like long words that I can’t understand. I discovered this definition of HCM by searching Google for “hardening of the heart.” I do know that the heart works like a muscle or pump. The heart beats more than 2.5 billion times in an average lifespan (again from Google). This is a muscle that never gets to rest our whole life. If this muscle gets hard, it will be like a hand has reached into us and squeezed it so tight it can’t pump (my guess). All that to say, there is a danger that our heart could get hard.
Hebrews 3 verse 8, “Harden not your hearts…,” is speaking about our spiritual hearts. From this verse we see that we have the power to harden our hearts. We are commanded not to do it.
It is true that we all are born with an evil heart of sin. By the blood of Christ, and by believing in Him, we can invite Him into our heart and He will cleanse us from all sin. However, there is a danger of departing from the God living within us. Verse 12 is very clear about this danger, “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.” The verse says, “Take heed…” which is more than just think about it or consider it. It is a warning of danger ahead. The warning of danger is addressed to “brethren.” This is a brother in the faith, in the Lord, not one who was never saved in the first place. This is one who knows the living God and then departs.
Our text says this hardening happens through the “…deceitfulness of sin.” This is an area the deceiving devil loves to play in. He comes like a wolf in sheep’s clothing making some in the flock think there is no danger. Don’t be deceived. Anyone can fall.
Today, many in churches believe everything will be fine, even though the church has drifted away from the Spirit-filled crowd of those early believers. There was drifting in the early church, too. Satan, that ugly serpent of Eden, is always coiled—ready to strike and bruise a heel. Praise God, Jesus is here to stomp his head (Genesis 3:15).
The wonderful key in our text is to exhort one another daily. Webster defines exhort: to incite, encourage, by words or advice, to advise or warn earnestly. To exhort one another is a two-way street. I encourage you, and you me. According to Webster, incite means to rouse to action, spur or urge on, to stir up. We are not talking about a tea party or social gathering. It is more like coaching each other in a game or fight. In the spiritual battle we need each other.
In junior high school I confronted a bully one morning. He wanted to meet me after school and fight. As I was to board the bus to go home, he showed up and called me out. I looked at the bus driver. “It’s up to you,” he said. I chose to fight and did alright. A few years later I was the bus driver. A little third-grade boy didn’t want to get off the bus and face a bully. “He’s not so tough. Run into him with your arms swinging,” I advised him. He did. He won. Brothers and sisters, let us exhort one another daily!
