(Further reflections on “Chosen By Grace”—Sunday 16-May-2021)
How can one’s heart, you may ask, be hardened? Well, it is quite complicated to understand. From stories in the Bible, we saw people usually first hardened their heart as they didn’t want to respond to God’s call or word or commands and then given “enough” time, God hardened their heat. There was no fixed number although we saw Pharaoh’s hardening heart process was given ten times. Judas Iscariot was just one time. And (strangely but understandably) God’s people (Jews and Gentiles) were given seemingly countless time! Now in reality, the process of a person’s self-hardening and God-hardening heart are likely intertwined and very complex as it involves the body, soul (mind, will, and spirit), and spirit of the person.
The church in Rome, a mix of Jews and Gentile-believers, was reminded by the Apostle Paul who quoted/alluded to Isaiah 29:10, saying, “For the Lord has poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes (the prophets), and covered your heads (the seers).” The Jews who read/knew that passage can immediately connect with the context and knew the reason as Isaiah (29:13-15) explained, explained why God had hardened their heart, “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men (or learned by rote).” Thus, regardless how wise/intelligent they thought they were, they will not get it.
Now what will happen when one’s heart being hardened? The apostle Paul expounded it , saying, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day” (Romans 11:8) and quoted/alluded from Psalm 69:22-23 (which is the context of bringing curses on the enemy), saying, “Let their own table before them become a snare; and when they are at peace, let it become a trap. Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see, and make their loins tremble continually (or “bend their backs forever” — Romans 11:10).” The idea is that the consequences of one’s hardening heart is to make oneself an enemy of God as one’s life will be miserable/horrible.
People with hardened heart will be unable think spiritually. All they can see is their flesh. They will act and behave based on how they feel about themselves and others. They will no longer be able to think and view things according to God’s word. In fact, they know but don’t care. They have a spirit of stupor. Thus, their eyes cannot see the things God does and have done through Jesus. Their ears can’t and don’t want to hear the word of Jesus. Even their “table”— a place supposedly to receive God’s provision and protection, has become a snare, a trap, stumbling block, and retribution, for their eyes/soul (mind, will, emotion) are darkened. They will toil so hard, wanting to earn God’s approval and man’s acceptance by the works of the Law (or social good deeds). Although they were chosen by grace, their heart were hardened/calloused due to their unbelief, unfaithfulness, and faithlessness.
Now how do I know, you may ask, if I have been hardening my heart? I don’t know. Only God and you know. However, there a few signs or indicators that you can self-check and perhaps also ask someone who you think is spiritually matured and have the gut to speak “the truth in love” to you (your face). Here are some suggested questions for your (painful but needed) self-examination.
1.) Is there any area that the Lord keeps speaking to you during the week or over months or years through your quiet time (if any) , prayer, Bible reading and through Sunday’s messages, but you keep ignoring it or trying to forget about it or simply numb yourself by not addressing it to the Lord and someone who you trust? 2.) If the Good news of Jesus Christ is about the forgiveness of sin and the reconciliation between God and you and you and others, then is there anyone in your life that you have not yet fully forgiven or are still holding grudges or bitterness against? 3.) Is there any habitual sin (repeating the same sin or going back to your own “vomit”) in your life that you know you need to get rid of but you feel that you just need to live with it (and persuaded yourself that maybe “I was born this way”)? 4.) Did you know that there is a big difference between privacy and secrecy? Privacy is about being unobserved. For example, bathroom doors should be closed to keep user’s privacy. But secrecy is the act of hiding information (that are either harmless or harmful or both). For example, if someone used drug in the bathroom and didn’t tell anyone, it is a secret. Do you have a secret sin in your life? Or a secret that is both harmful to yourself and others in the context of relationships (between you and God; you and others/family/loved one, etc)? Now if the answer is ‘yes’ to one/all of the above questions, chances are high that you are hardening your heart in various degrees and intensities. But there is hope if you trust and obey. Talk to Jesus. Talk to other trusted, matured Christians. May you deeply understand that you are chosen by God’s grace (and based on your race or self-defined goodness) and accepted by faith in Jesus (and not based on your good works). May our hardening heart be softened by the love of God, the grace of Jesus, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
— Pastor Lap
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