Background Bible Reading: Hebrews 3:12
It has been my observation that much of the church seems to be lacking something. Their Christian experience is not what they expected it would be. Victory often has recurring defeat, instead of advancement one is often losing ground. Is this all Christ meant when He said, “Come unto Me?” The Word of God says emphatically NO!
The warning given in my text is not given to the world but to the people of God. Ten times a warning is expressed in this epistle by the use of a small but very significant word, “Lest.” 2:1-3:12- 3:13-4:1-4:11-12:3- 12:13-12:15a-b-12:16
This Epistle was written primarily to the Jewish believers and the writer knew that they were in danger of reverting back into their former manner of life and the writer, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, gives these words of warning. It is the warning of my text that concerns me and it deals with the Cardinal Sin of Unbelief!
I call it the Cardinal Sin because the Sin of Unbelief lies at the very root of every spiritual difficulty. It may sound a bit overly simplistic but I am convinced if we would deal with Unbelief in our Nature, things would clear up immediately. Jesus said concerning the Holy Spirit, “When He is come He will convict the world of sin……because they believe not on me.” That is the basis of everything else and the final ground of condemnation for every man.
However, the trouble in the text is deeper than what I just quoted….Here the writer is saying, “Lest there be in any of you (Who? Brethren… Professing Christians!) an Evil Heart of Unbelief .” The cause of all weakness and arrested development and growth is this UNBELIEF!
Every error, false cult, skeptical critic, has come about at the point of the church’s unbelief which is the result of either the questioning or flat out denial of the 2nd work of grace that deals with this problem. Notice the workings of this baneful thing called the Evil Heart of Unbelief and how it is manifested.
It Binds the hand of God: Matt 13:58 “He did not many mighty works there because of their Unbelief.” Also Mark 6:5,6 “He could there do no mighty works save that He laid His hands on a few sick folk, and healed them, and He marveled because of their Unbelief. (Doesn’t say He would not but He could not!)
It Makes Men Powerless: The Master had gone to the mountains and when He returned a man met Him, “While you were away I have been putting your disciples to the test. I brought a boy that was devil-possessed to your disciples, expecting them, since they were in touch with you, to be able to do what you had done. But they could not cast the devil out….Jesus immediately cast out the devil!”
Afterwards the disciples were alone with the Master and asked, “Lord, why could we not cast him out?” Jesus said, “Because of your Unbelief!” Powerless in the face of great opportunities!
It Makes Men Stagger at the Promises of God Romans 4:20, 21 Speaking of Abraham the writer says: “He staggered not at the promises of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded, that what He had promised, He was able also to perform.”
What is the source of this unbelief? Not in mental ignorance, if that were so then the institution of higher learning would be the strongholds or bastions of Faith..THEY ARE NOT! They are rather cesspools of doubt, skepticism, and infidelity….while it need not be so, too often scholarship has become the means of spiritual decline. Remember Paul said, “The World by Wisdom knew not God!” Unbelief does not come from Superior Intelligence nor necessarily Mental Ignorance!
What is it? The writer of this letter tells us that the source is an Evil Heart! Unbelief isn’t in your mind it is in your Heart. It works through your mind. “The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked.”
Sin in the Heart-Polluting the Heart – Captivating and Deceiving the Heart! The home base for the most devastating thing that ever touched a human life – Evil Heart of Unbelief! This Carnal Mind, Evil Heart of Unbelief, loves to argue and debate and will even employ God’s Word as its defense. The only cure is a radical work of cleansing within the believer’s heart, wrought by the work of the Holy Ghost!
One does not need a forum to discuss, argue, debate, or strategize on the 2nd Work of Grace. We need an Altar where we can have our own personal Gethsemane (where we get alone with God) make a complete consecration of our lives to Him and plead the merits of His blood and experience the Baptism with the Holy Ghost and fire that will burn this damnable thing, called the Evil Heart of Unbelief, out of our Nature and be Filled with the Holy Spirit!
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