Hardness of Heart
1. What is the heart?
The seat of the understanding, affections, passions, determined purpose, disposition of the mind, and the will. (the core of a person)
2. What is hardness of heart?
Obdurate ( inflexible, stubborn, hardened against good, persisting in sin or impenitence).
Hardness of heart results from: Unbelief, pride, lack of love, puffing up (anger), and the deceitfulness of sin (Hebrews 3:13).
*Mark 16:9-14 v.14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness
of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.
* Mark 3:1-5 v.5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith
unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.
* Mark 10:4,5 v.5 And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.
3. Examples of hardness:
A. Objectifying: seeing people as objects
a. Speaking to someone on the phone and seeing them as the Company instead of a person. i.e. error on phone bill
b. Tailgating or cutting off someone while driving.
c. Men or women objectifying the other.
B. Neglecting a need (1 John 3:17)
a. Re-evaluating their need instead of believing them. i.e. will they spend their money right if helped?
b. Shouldn't they only eat beans instead of some chicken?
c. Not stopping to help someone broke down if you have the opportunity.
C. Refusing to mature
a. Stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry 1 Samuel 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as
iniquity and idolatry.
b. Refusing to grow is fighting for control FEAR, PRIDE, CONTROL
Maturity: 1 Corinthians 14:20; Hebrews 6:1; 1 Corinthians 13:11; Ephesians 4:13
4. Instead of hardness of heart, we should follow the leading of the Lord. He is pitiful and of tender mercy. Compassionate (compassionate doesn't mean FEELINGS). Longsuffering. Tender mercy, forgiving one another, believing one another.
5. How do we turn from our hardness?
A. Pray and ask for a humble heart.
Humble: To make lowly in mind; to abase one's pride, arrogance, and self-dependence; have a balanced opinion of one's moral
worth; to make meek and submissive to the divine will.
B. Believe God and one another. Tender hearted (well compassioned): Ephesians 4:32
C. Forgive
Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven
you.
Colossians 3:13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave
you, so also do ye.
The seat of the understanding, affections, passions, determined purpose, disposition of the mind, and the will. (the core of a person)
2. What is hardness of heart?
Obdurate ( inflexible, stubborn, hardened against good, persisting in sin or impenitence).
Hardness of heart results from: Unbelief, pride, lack of love, puffing up (anger), and the deceitfulness of sin (Hebrews 3:13).
*Mark 16:9-14 v.14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness
of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.
* Mark 3:1-5 v.5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith
unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.
* Mark 10:4,5 v.5 And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.
3. Examples of hardness:
A. Objectifying: seeing people as objects
a. Speaking to someone on the phone and seeing them as the Company instead of a person. i.e. error on phone bill
b. Tailgating or cutting off someone while driving.
c. Men or women objectifying the other.
B. Neglecting a need (1 John 3:17)
a. Re-evaluating their need instead of believing them. i.e. will they spend their money right if helped?
b. Shouldn't they only eat beans instead of some chicken?
c. Not stopping to help someone broke down if you have the opportunity.
C. Refusing to mature
a. Stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry 1 Samuel 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as
iniquity and idolatry.
b. Refusing to grow is fighting for control FEAR, PRIDE, CONTROL
Maturity: 1 Corinthians 14:20; Hebrews 6:1; 1 Corinthians 13:11; Ephesians 4:13
4. Instead of hardness of heart, we should follow the leading of the Lord. He is pitiful and of tender mercy. Compassionate (compassionate doesn't mean FEELINGS). Longsuffering. Tender mercy, forgiving one another, believing one another.
5. How do we turn from our hardness?
A. Pray and ask for a humble heart.
Humble: To make lowly in mind; to abase one's pride, arrogance, and self-dependence; have a balanced opinion of one's moral
worth; to make meek and submissive to the divine will.
B. Believe God and one another. Tender hearted (well compassioned): Ephesians 4:32
C. Forgive
Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven
you.
Colossians 3:13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave
you, so also do ye.