[0:00] He's like, too soon. That's just personal. But so he and I are, I haven't checked him before the ceremony. Are we singing Christmas songs yet? No, I'm kidding. I appreciate that.
[0:11] I came from song leading for years. And boy, whenever Thanksgiving's over, are we going to sing Christmas songs every service the whole time? No. And then I'd have to deal with it.
[0:22] But, you know, there's only so many of them. All right. So let's get into the Bible. Find Psalm 95. Psalm 95.
[0:34] But you come back next Sunday and we're going to sing some. Two, three weeks ago, I preached a message from Psalm 95 and I got through part of it.
[0:54] And then we had Brother Stedman and his wife with us. And then my mom and dad were here last week and he preached. So I'm going to reread this psalm with you and review what we studied and covered three weeks ago.
[1:08] And then catch a few more points and conclude it. And the idea was that the message was evidences of a hardened heart. And we often think about a hard heart.
[1:20] We read it in scripture. We think, oh, that's somebody being just nasty and being stubborn. But no, that's not always the case. And yes, that's some things we'll see from the nation of Israel with their aggression or their just resistance to God.
[1:35] But a hard heart isn't always just something that's outward and visible and nasty. But really, it's just, it's the absence of a soft heart. It's the absence of, it's like that soil.
[1:45] There's that hard soil, that hard ground that the seed, the word of God was sown upon and the devil showed up and took it away. It had no chance. It couldn't find root. It couldn't even get in.
[1:56] And so it could just be, it couldn't, it could just be one area of your life and not just like, oh, you've got a hard heart. If you had a hard heart, so hard, you probably wouldn't be here this morning.
[2:07] But it's possible that you're here and it's possible that inside of you is a hard heart towards something. And so may the Lord dig on that, reveal that to you if that's the case.
[2:17] But let's reread this psalm, Psalm 95. O come, let us sing unto the Lord. Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
[2:33] Why would we do that? For the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the deep places of the earth. The strength of the hills is his also.
[2:43] The sea is his and he made it and his hands formed the dry land. So the natural response to that sort of being, Verse 6, O come, let us worship and bow down.
[2:57] Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, for he is our God. And we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you will hear his voice, harden not your heart as in the day, as in the provocation, as in the day of temptation in the wilderness.
[3:16] When your fathers tempted me and proved me and saw my work, Forty years long was I grieved with this generation and said it is a people that do err in their heart.
[3:26] And they have not known my ways unto whom I swear in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest. Now remember, this is an exhortation. The theme here is for the folks to come before the Lord with thanksgiving, with joyful noise, with psalm, to sing, to worship, to bow down before their creator and God.
[3:47] That's the exhortation here. But the caution then is, if you want to hear his voice, don't come with a hard heart. And then the example, the illustration of the Jews of years past in the wilderness, 40 years long, grieving God, a generation that err in their heart, one that God got so fed up with, multiple times he wanted to just annihilate them and wipe them out.
[4:14] Multiple times he even said that to Moses. He didn't want to lead them any further. And then he did make a decision. You know what? This generation, they're not getting in. They're not getting into my rest.
[4:26] Their children will, but not them. Now in verse number 7, it ends with that phrase, Today, if ye will hear his voice. And we saw that the word today is not a reference to Sunday or to Monday.
[4:41] It's a reference to in this day or in your lifetime. We use the word day like that back in my day or in this day and age. And God's saying, if you will hear his voice in your life, if you desire to hear his voice, then don't harden your heart.
[5:00] Don't have a hard heart. And so this exhortation to come and sing and worship God has this attached thought with it to not come with a hard heart. Not if you desire to have him speak to you.
[5:11] Not if you desire for his will and direction and blessing in your life. Now because this psalm referred back as illustrative to those generation in the wilderness and all their murmurings and things against God, we went back to Exodus and we went back to Numbers and looked at some passages where their hard heart was revealed and where God was angry with his people.
[5:33] And in Exodus 14 and in Exodus 15 and in Exodus 16 and in Exodus 17, we saw moment after moment where his people were chiding against Moses and they were murmuring against him and against God ultimately.
[5:51] And we saw that they were accusing Moses and complaining and criticizing and blaming him for every unfavorable circumstances, whether it was the Egyptian army chasing him, whether it was the water was bitter, whether they didn't have any flesh to eat and they got sick of what God was providing.
[6:10] They just murmured and murmured and complained against Moses and it revealed to them their hard heart. It revealed to us rather that they had a lack of faith in the Lord God that was leading them.
[6:22] They're complaining and yelling at Moses because they're trapped by the mountains and by the sea and here comes Pharaoh and his armies and the thought is, did God not know this?
[6:34] That he was leading them. It wasn't Moses. Moses wasn't out in front riding upon a camel saying, this way. No, that was God leading them and it showed us they didn't trust God.
[6:48] They turned on Moses and said, you brought us out here to die? And we read it and God said, tell him not to stand still. Tell him to keep going. I got you right where I'm bringing Pharaoh out.
[6:58] I'm trying to kill him. I'm going to annihilate their whole army. I'm going to bury him in the water. Just keep moving. God just overlooked that complaint and didn't deal with him about it because he was trying to do something to Pharaoh.
[7:12] He was trying to show himself and get glory and show his power over Egypt and deliver his people once and for all. He said, you're never going to see them again. And they didn't trust him.
[7:23] They get out into the wilderness as if God didn't know that leading them across the Red Sea was into a wilderness. Now they're in a wilderness with nothing to drink, nothing to eat as if God didn't see that coming.
[7:35] But they didn't trust him. They didn't exercise faith that if he's leading them, we can, I mean, did they not, did they forget the wonders in Egypt, the plagues that God did against Pharaoh but kept them from it?
[7:49] Did they forget that so quickly to think he could do that but he can't handle this? Their heart was hard. And it's displayed here and revealed by their murmurings against Moses and God and their lack of faith.
[8:05] Then in Exodus 32, Moses goes up on the mountain and he tells the people, I'm going up here and I'm going to receive the word of God. He is going to give me his laws and his statutes and precepts and judgments and I'm going to bring them to you and they said, whatever he says, we're going to do.
[8:23] And so they know Moses is up there and God is solidifying and communicating his covenant with this people, Israel. This is a brand new thing, by the way.
[8:34] They didn't have this covenant. What other nation had a covenant with God? Abraham had a covenant with God that he was going to bless his seed and give him a seed as number of the stars of heaven, the sand of the shore and all that.
[8:45] And he even said that I'm going to give you this land. He had a covenant with God. But who else had it after that? Nobody. It passed on to Isaac, to Jacob and then to the twelve, to Israel.
[8:57] But now he's about to do something new. He's going to give them his laws, his word for this people and the point of it is to set them apart from everybody on the planet, to lift them up, for them to be a holy nation, a kingdom of priests before him.
[9:13] And it would be so good, the Bible says in a place, that they were going to be the head and not the tail. They were going to dominate the world if they would follow and obey their God.
[9:24] No king could stand before them. No nation could come against them and battle and win. Not if they followed the words of God and obeyed him. They were untouchable. He was going to bless the fruit of their body, their children, the fruit of the field, their cattle, and everything that touched no diseases upon them.
[9:45] Could it get any better than that? Physically standing. The physical blessings God sought to give them. That was up there on the mountain. That's what the Lord's instructing Moses, defining and establishing his law and he's going to come down.
[10:02] But the people refused to wait. They refused to hear from God. They decided, we're done with this. We're moving on. Aaron, make us gods. Okay, give us your gold.
[10:15] And out pops this golden calf. These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt. And it's too much, this scene.
[10:28] It's too much. With what God is doing and about to establish, with what they turn back to, just because they couldn't wait for the word of God to be fulfilled. They couldn't wait for their leader to come back and give them the word of God.
[10:43] Their hard heart is revealed by their lack of patience, their lack of disinterest in hearing the words of God. And so they decided, we'll find a replacement for the leader.
[10:55] And what's really telling about them in this whole thing is that they decided to adopt the Egyptian style of worship right there on the spot at the bottom of that mount where God's up there and the thunderings and the cloud and down there they are.
[11:12] The Bible says that the people ate and they drank and they rose up to play. It describes dancing and nakedness, all the elements of Egyptian worship. And there they are doing what they've been taught and what they've seen in Egypt all those years.
[11:28] They're not interested in the rule book that's coming down the mountain, but rather reverting back to what they saw in Egypt. Turn with me to Acts chapter 7. We didn't read this last time but I want to show you this.
[11:42] They had a, it's a spiritual problem, a heart problem. In Acts chapter 7, Stephen stands up and preaches to this generation that rejected Jesus Christ and murdered him.
[11:58] And in this message he goes through the history of Israel and he comes up to this point in Exodus 32. In Acts chapter 7 verse 38 he says, This is he that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in Mount Sinai and with our fathers who received the lively oracles to give unto us.
[12:20] The living word of God. To whom our fathers would not obey but thrust him from them and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt saying unto Aaron make us gods to go before us and so forth.
[12:39] They made a calf in those days offered sacrifices unto the idols rejoiced on the works of their own hands. That's what they turned back to. It was a heart problem.
[12:50] If you went to that church service it was a worship service. it would have just been some Egyptian religious ceremony full of just pagan wickedness and immorality and I told you last time that you go into some churches today it looks just like a movie theater.
[13:09] It's got all the marks of Egypt but not much reverence for the holiness of God in a church service. Go into some churches today and the music and the lights and the sound if you don't have earplugs in you're going to regret it.
[13:27] Some churches some supposed people of God have turned to Egypt and have turned to the worship of Egypt and won't wait on the word of God and have no discretion about it and Israel here got themselves into a mess what they called in numbers a great sin because they didn't want to wait for the Lord and they went back for Egypt.
[13:51] And then we got to numbers we got into numbers chapter 11 and we studied this passage where the mixed multitude fell a lusting and God's ready to destroy them he kills them out of this thing.
[14:05] These people it's just a matter of time until the mixed multitude shows and rears their ugly head because they can't stay subdued around this God stuff all the time and holiness and doing things the way God would do no eventually they show up their carnality comes out their displeasure with this new way of life is going to show and this worldly group in numbers 11 incited a movement of discontentment with God's ways and it affected the congregation and so much so that Moses wants to quit he tells God I'm not doing this and God says I'm not leading them they're your people and Moses says I'm not going if you don't go I'm not going they're both done with this people and their hard hearts revealed here by the effect that the mixed multitude is having on them instead of the other way around why this people of God called out by God obeying and worshipping this miraculous amazing all powerful signs and wonders kind of God they ought to be having an effect on these Egyptians but instead they're displaying their lack of faith their discontentment their lack of concern for the word of God and they're saying they're giving ear to these complainers to these worldly complainers and their hardened hearts revealed by the fact that they're giving ear to them and they're listening to their point of view and they're being influenced by them and it fed into their own lusts and when the opportunity arose when God brought the quail in they jumped at it and the Bible says in Numbers 11 while it was in their teeth ere it was chewed
[15:47] God killed them dead and they buried those that lusted there in that spot why did they spring at the opportunity you know why because to consume their lust to fulfill their lust because they've been sitting around talking about it with the mixed multitude they've been spending time with the worldly crowd and it's only a matter of time that the worldly crowd shows up and it's only a matter of time that they're not satisfied with the walk of faith and they're no longer looking forward to where God's leading them to that promised land to that land of milk and honey to just getting through this trial for now to getting to the blessing and they lusted and God killed them so now today let's go to Numbers and chapter 21 I want to park on another time when this people revealed their hard heart when God was frustrated and as he says grieved with them Numbers chapter 21 this is the place where
[16:55] Moses makes that fiery serpent and sets it upon a pole because the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people and much people of Israel died so we're going to begin here just reading verses 4 5 and 6 to start Numbers 21 verse 4 and they journeyed from Mount Hor and by the way of the Red Sea to come past the land of Edom and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way and the people spake against God and against Moses wherefore have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness for there is no bread neither is there any water and our soul loatheth this light bread and the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people they bit the people much of the people of Israel died they are discouraged because of the way it says in verse 4 because of the way what is the way well the way is because they're going around the land of Edom their idea their hope was to go through the land of Edom they don't want to go all the way around this wilderness why there was this major highway the king's highway it's called in verse 17 of the previous chapter and they come up there and they come up to the king of Edom
[18:21] Moses sends out messengers in chapter 20 verse 14 and he says that we want to you know what's taken place you know how God has brought us out and you know what God he's sending us here and so let us pass let us I pray thee let us pass I pray thee through thy country and in verse 17 it says we will not pass through thy fields or through the vineyards neither will we drink of the water of the wells we will go by the king's highway we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left until we have passed thy borders but Edom says no thou shalt not pass by me lest I come out against thee with the sword and the children of Israel said unto him we'll go by the highway and if my cattle drink of thy water then I'll pay for it I will only without doing anything else go through on my feet the king said no thou shalt not go through and Edom came out against him with much people with a strong hand Edom refused to give Israel passage to his border wherefore Israel's turned away from him now they expected and wanted to go the easy way they expected to take this easy road to the promised land to just take the broad road the road that everybody's traveling on when they go through Edom they don't want to take that narrow road the road that's out of the way the road where they're separated from civilization of Edom and coming through they're taking that narrow separated from the world kind of road they're taking a road where God's going to have to supply their needs where they're going to have to learn to trust him more where their eyes are literally their eyes are going to have to be on him to lead them had they gone through that road they'd have passed through
[20:08] Edom and seen their civilizations and seen their vineyards and their fields and they said oh we won't we won't touch any of it and we'll just pay money if we do we'll offer you money God wasn't going to let them do that God's not going to let them go through where they're going to be tempted with this and tempted with that he knows this people if they saw those vineyards they'd want to satisfy their lusts they wouldn't trust God anymore they have to go a different way and when the easy road was taken away from them they're discouraged and in verse 5 the people spake against God again their hard heart is revealed it's revealed because their heart is not open to God they're not trusting him with their life when the plans don't go their way they accuse him they speak against him and so Christian what can we learn from this when your heart is open when your heart is open to God when it's soft to the Lord you take whatever comes your way and you see it as if it's from the Lord we just sang that in one of the songs and I don't remember which one it was now but it stuck out to me when we sang it about joys and trial every joy or trial falleth from above stayed upon
[21:28] Jehovah that's all but when your heart's soft to the Lord you take it as if it's from the Lord you remember Job you read the story of Job in chapter one when he lost all of his wealth all of his substance he even lost his children what made him so great among everyone else is now gone and what did he say the Lord gave and the Lord took away he saw it as from the Lord blessed be the name of the Lord then he loses his health not just loses his health but he's got boils from the crown of his head to the sole of his foot and he's laying on the ashes and taking a pot shirt and scraping himself just for some comfort from this dreadful pain and disease now his wife saying curse God and die and he's like you're talking like one of the foolish women don't talk like that around me shall we receive good from the hand of the Lord and not evil is this whole life supposed to be the easy way shouldn't we have to endure something and all this
[22:34] Job sinned not with his lips nor charged God foolishly he saw that the easy road wasn't always for him and if there's a hard road to take I'll take it and it's from the Lord and it might hurt but when it hurts you ought to run to him you ought to come to God and trust him to see you through it and believe his word says he cares for you when the going gets tough they say when the going gets tough the tough gets going you walk whether it's easy or hard and you trust him to get you through and to deliver you through it you go to the word of God you find examples like Job and David and you read those Psalms there's so many of them about the Lord delivering the righteous from many of the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivereth them out of them all and you take that and you believe it and you take the hard road believing that
[23:35] God will get you through this way discouraged them because it wasn't easy this way also discouraged them because in this chapter and in the next chapter for the very first time enemies show up they got away from Egypt they're just moving through the land God lead them and then the enemies start showing up adversaries start showing up what are they why this conflict we offered to pay money to them we promised we wouldn't hurt anything why are they coming out against us with a strong hand and with much people and it's not just eat them but as you move through chapter after chapter they're coming out the very next it's the Amorites show up they're coming out against them to fight actually the beginning of chapter 21 the king of Canaan night he comes out to make war with the people what's going on why are we under attack we're being forced into more hardships than we ever thought and along the way the kings come out to fight some even hire a prophet bail them against them to curse this people
[24:44] Israel nobody's helping them nobody likes them at all what have they done wrong and so their hearts discouraged because of that way because of that road they're taking to get to the promised land and Christian this bible calls you a soldier this bible tells you to endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ it tells you to fight the good fight of faith it tells you to put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil I didn't read it but in chapter 20 verse 14 when Moses sends messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom here's what he says thus saith thy brother Israel thy brother Israel you know Edom is Esau and Jacob they're brothers from Isaac they're both descendants of
[25:46] Abraham they're both descendants of Isaac Jacob and Esau that's that's the two nations that are colliding here their brethren why would his brother not take care of his brother why would he not look at him and say hey you're my brother come on take what you need we love you we care about you we know where you're going God is good to you he's the God of Abraham he's our God too you know what there's brethren that aren't worshiping God the way they ought worship God and for some reason this Christian life this journey that you're on you get attacked and sometimes it's even by your brethren because you're trying to stand for the truth or to do what's right and to worship God in spirit and truth and endure those hardness sometimes beware Christian don't be discouraged because of the way be aware that sometimes it's not just the the
[26:46] Canaanites the world that's attacking sometimes it's the brethren they don't like it they think you're trying to be holier than them they don't like the way you believe and the things that you preach don't get discouraged because of the way there's a hard heart in these people they don't want to fight they don't want to stand and again it's lack of faith you think God doesn't know what he's doing by taking him around that way now come to numbers chapter 25 and I want to show you one more case where their hard hearts displayed and in numbers 25 this few passages chapters about Balaam and Balak and him divining and getting his visions and trances and prophesying all good concerning Israel and then in chapter 25 look at the very beginning of the chapter it says the
[27:51] Israel abode and should him and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab and they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods and the people did eat and bowed down to their gods and Israel joined himself unto Baal Peor and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel and in verses 4 and 5 they're taking off their heads they're slaying every man that was joined to Baal Peor here is a case where they're invited by these heathen to join them and they went they joined them they bowed down to their gods joined himself unto that god and the wrath of god showed up and they end up dead now this in this passage through just before that the Lord refused to curse his people the Lord promised blessing upon this people and he said I'm not a man that I should repent I'm not taking it back
[28:53] I'm going to bless this people I'm not going to curse them he refused to curse them and this is how they repay him this is how they repay that God that loves them and guides them and provides for them and redeemed them from Egypt and from bondage and being a slave from raising their kids where the best they're going to be as a servant the girls underneath the dominion of the pharaohs and God gets them out of that mess and he delivers them to freedom and to liberty and delivers them to giving them his words to set them apart with promise of blessing real true blessing and this is how they repay him by spiritually joining to another god adultery departing from the one who cared for them and redeemed them no loyalty just go hook up with the world their hardened heart is revealed here by their lack of loyalty to the one that bought them the one that delivered them lack of loyalty to his words they knew there's plain instructions on those tables of stone that say thou shalt not and what do they do they go right against it there's no case of
[30:18] I'm not sure I don't know I don't know how to interpret that text they know exactly what they're doing no loyalty to their God when the world called them they went running and they quickly dropped their connection to their God they quickly dropped their relationship with their God and bowed themselves down to other gods you remain loyal to that one that redeemed you you say no thanks that that stuff's not for me
[31:47] I'm different I'm called unto holiness I've joined unto the Lord 1st Corinthians 6 verse 17 I wonder why Christians are so timid and so afraid to say no to the world why they're so scared what are they scared of what are you scared of are they going to make fun of you are they going to mock you what's going to happen to you if you say no not joining you not going to your party not going to this event not going to do it there's too much there that doesn't I'm not saying I'm better than you I'm just saying I can't do it you can use any you can use a generic term and say by faith won't allow it whatever you want to say or you can be bold and say that I'm a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ and I believe that's wrong and I'm not going to participate I'm a born again Christian what are you afraid of look at 1 Peter chapter 4 you can lose your place back there we're done in numbers but go to 1 Peter chapter 4 what are
[32:53] Christians so afraid of today you think they're going to crucify you you think they're going to literally take a hold of you put you in chains think they're going to get a whip out and start beating you on the spot you afraid to stand up for Christ at your job you afraid to stand up for Christ among your family that are lost you afraid to bear his reproach are you what's going to happen to you is my question what are you really afraid of just some ridicule just some mockery just them talking about you how does that really affect you how can that affect you considering what Christ endured for you the Lord Jesus Christ had his own nation his own disciples turn their backs on him leave him all alone he had his own nation mock him falsely accuse him he had everybody turn on him and run he had him take the weapons of cruelty out and beat his flesh and body drive the spikes through his wrists and stick them up on that public humiliated place on the cross on a hill where he struggled for breath where he fought against his own the gravity just to get wind in his lungs so he could stay alive and cry out father forgive them for they know not what they do naked bleeding blood flowing from his flesh ripped open ripped the beard from his face and plaited the crown of thorns on his brown head what are you afraid of somebody mocking you for that doesn't even come close to
[34:41] Calvary it's not even close in 1st Peter chapter 4 I want you to see that there's this thing called suffering as a Christian verse 16 says yet if any man suffer as a Christian let him not be ashamed but let him glorify God on his behalf you're called to glorify God and you say well suffering does that mean getting beat up and all this no not necessarily I'll show you this this is what I'm talking about getting mocked and ridiculed look at chapter earlier look at chapter 3 or chapter 4 verse 3 and 4 in this passage on suffering he says for the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles that's how we used to live when we walked in lasciviousness lust excess of wine revelings banquetings and abominable idolatries it's kind of connecting that to what they're doing back there in numbers wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot speaking evil of you so when you don't go when you say no thanks that's not for me anymore
[35:59] I'm a changed man I'm a changed woman I won't participate I can't make it I'm sorry thanks for the invitation but no thank you and they say why isn't he why isn't she with us anymore oh they're Christian and then they'll insert their comments at work or in the gatherings or they'll say those things against you or against your kids or you'll have to deal with it they say they speak evil of you and in this passage you're not to think it's strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you as though some strange thing happened unto you but rejoice in as much as you're partakers of Christ's sufferings and if ye be reproached verse 14 if ye be reproached for the name of Christ happy are ye he's glorified and then there's the verse we read don't be afraid to get mocked don't be afraid to be made fun of don't be joined unto the world when they invite you say no stay away you're called unto holiness 1st
[37:04] Thessalonians chapter 4 so show that come back now one more place to 1st Corinthians chapter 10 and this is our last place to turn 1st Corinthians chapter 10 it's called suffering as a Christian staying joined to the Lord now 1st Corinthians 10 Paul takes us the church through this entire thing we've been studying he uses it to make a point and the point he makes is in verse 12 saying wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall and the idea that we're studying is this hard heart and let him that thinketh he's all good and I'm fine and there's nothing wrong with me and somebody else needs to worry about that but not me
[38:06] I'm fine the way I am you better take heed to some things take heed to what to this passage come back to verse one let's just read through it and we'll be finished here in a few minutes more over brethren I would not that ye should be ignorant so you better read your bible how that all our fathers were under the cloud notice the word all our fathers that's a point here and all passed through the sea and were all baptized in the sea and did all eat the same spiritual meat and did all drink the same spiritual drink for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them and that rock was Christ but with many of them God was not well pleased for they were overthrown in the wilderness now these things were our examples to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted neither be ye idolaters as were some of them as it is written that people sat down to eat to drink and rose up to play neither let us commit fornication as some of them committed and fell in one day three and twenty thousand neither let us tempt
[39:15] Christ as some of them also tempted and were destroyed of serpents neither murmur ye as some of them also murmured and were destroyed of the destroyer now all these things happened unto them for examples and they are written for our admonition unto whom the ends of the world are come wherefore church let him that thinketh he standeth take heed take heed to what we learned already it's their hard hearts that was being revealed in all these circumstances and all these cases all of them were delivered from Egypt all of them experienced the goodness of God but some of them had hard hearts some of them were not open to the leading of the Lord they were not surrendered now church if you want to hear his voice if you want to hear his voice in this day and age and let you lead him in your lifetime and if you have a true desire in your heart to come into these doors and to participate in worshiping and lifting up our
[40:17] Savior together and spending time with one another in spirit and in heart you got a true desire to do that right here in this place it's because your heart is open to God it's because you desire to have his word in your life and you're willing to change and submit and obey but you need to guard your heart you need to guard your heart keep it with all diligence and guard it from worldly intrusion and from unrighteousness what we've read in the Old Testament and studied was written down it was preserved for our admonition it was preserved for us to take heed to and to consider and to use as a mirror when we look at ourselves and read these passages God said your fathers tempted me and proved me and saw my work forty years was I grieved with this generation their murmurings their unbelief their refusal to wait
[41:25] God their reverting to the ways of Egypt allowing the mixed multitude to influence them their discontentment their unwillingness to fight their unwillingness to endure hardship being disloyal to their deliverer and being joined to the world take heed take heed you say that's not me take heed you may have a hard heart before we close God is worthy of our worship and he did create us for his pleasure my question this morning is is he getting what he deserves I can tell you he's not getting what he deserves if you have a hard heart these are evidences we've read and studied from people of the past that had a hard heart it wasn't the world that we studied it was God's people that he redeemed that he blessed that he cared for and led it was those people that had a hard heart so how about you how about you this morning
[42:31] Paul would not have warned us about it in 1st Corinthians 10 if it wasn't something we need to take heed to Paul wouldn't even have brought it up he's concerned that we might think we're standing and not taking heed that we've got a hard heart a hardened heart father I pray that you'll bless the message and the thoughts here from these two studies these two weeks of study lord I pray you would reveal to us within our own lives and our own hearts where we're closed where we're not open to your word lord we could be open in 90% of the way but that 10% is hindering us and keeping us from closer walk with you it might be a small area but lord as you deal with your children individually as you speak to them on the inside reveal to us reveal to me where my heart is closed