SPF 184: Diamond Hard Hearts (& Keeping Our Hearts Soft)

May 13, 2021

Scripture is full of examples of people who hardened their hearts against God. What causes these hard hearts and how do we keep our hearts soft?

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Diamond Hard Hearts

Zechariah 7:8-14

“They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the Lord of hosts.” vs 12

What are some characteristics of a diamond hard heart?

Refused to pay attention to the Lord and to His prophets
Did not listen to the truth
Would not hear the law and the Words of the Lord that he sent to his people because He is rich in mercy

And this led to their destruction.

Sin never leads to life or victory or blessing. Sin destroys.

Proverbs 28:13-14

“Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.”

Soft hearts fear the Lord; those who do not fear the Lord harden their hearts against him. One way we know we fear the Lord is that we take His words and commands seriously.

A heart that fears the Lord will not try and change or malign the His word and commands. If a soft heart has a problem with God’s word, they know the problem is with them, not with God.

Hebrews 3:12-13

“Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”

This passage also gives us a way out of the deceitfulness of sin – it’s to exhort one another EVEYR DAY as long as it’s called today. Is today called today? Then exhort your brother. That is how serious an unbelieving heart is. It is called evil.

Let us be for each other by exhorting – that may be warning and admonishing, it may mean encouraging and comforting – whatever is called for today. Do that. Look to your household first and to your church family second.

Ephesians 4:17-32

“They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.”

A soft heart leads us to love others according to God’s ways.

A few others: