Sin That Hardens and Makes One Harder
Jeremiah 44:10, "They are not humbled even unto this day, neither have they feared, nor walked in my law, nor in my statutes, that I set before you and before your fathers." God has brought judgment upon His people, Israel and Judah, not for the purpose of destroying them, but to bring them to Himself. Our love, devotion, worship, and service are to be to God and Him alone. Jesus Christ was tested by the devil and His response is clear and should be our heart and mind as well.
Matthew 4:8-10, "...the devil taketh him (Jesus) up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve."
A couple of things should scare us to death about sin. First, it is an offense to the Holy God we serve. David understood that his sin was first and foremost against God. Psalm 51:3-4, "For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight..." Whenever we sin we place self-will (our will) above God's will. This leads us to the second thing that should scare us to death about sin. That is as we continue to put self in charge God becomes increasing more distant and remote in our decision making and in our desires. We need to confess and repent of sin quickly because we want to be right with God and not allow a pattern of disobedience to develop and become a way of life.
In Jeremiah 44:10, the people were so involved in self-will that they were not humble, they did not fear God, and they didn't walk according to His desire. They were so hard that the judgment God had brought into their lives didn't make a difference. Matthew Henry states:
"Those who disobey God, commonly grow worse and worse, and the heart is more hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Here is the real language of the rebellious heart. Even the afflictions which should have parted them from their sins were taken so as to confirm them in their sins. It is sad when those who should quicken each other to what is good, and so help one another to heaven, harden each other in sin, and so ripen one another for hell. To mingle idolatry with Divine worship, and to reject the mediation of Christ, are provoking to God, and ruinous to men."
Don't allow sin to hang around. As someone has said, "Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay."
Let's walk in tender humility and in holiness!
Your Friend and HIS,
Pastor Abbott
MEDITATIONS
1. How would you describe your life in relation to sin right now?
2. How does our pride stand in the way of confession and awareness of sin’s consequences?
3. Describe the process of how one becomes cold and indifferent about their walk with the Lord.