Heart Disease

Emmanuel Christian Church

3.30.25

INTRODUCTION: According to the United States Center for Disease Control, heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in our country. One person dies from heart disease every 33 seconds. In 2022, that numbered 702,880 individuals. The annual cost for treatment is over 252 BILLION dollars! PROPOSITION: As bad as that all sounds, there is something even worse- SPIRITUAL hardening of the heart! The Greek word is σκληρύνω skleruno, (sklay-roo´-no) and it is the subject that is at the center of (or shall we say “the heart of”) our text for today. What is it that makes spiritual hard heartedness WORSE than physical arterial sclerosis? More than just physical death, it ends with a spiritual death that can separate you ETERNALLY from the presence of God and the rest that He promises. So, this morning, we’re going to take a trip to see the Great Physician, and we’re going to allow Him to personally diagnose each one of us to check whether or not we might be suﬀering from the silent killer of SPIRITUAL HEART DISEASE. The first step, is to check out our own FAMILY HISTORY. If mom or dad had heart disease, we just might be in greater danger ourselves! Family History Hebrews 3:7 So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, 9 where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did. 10 That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’ 11 So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”

There you have it! A family history of “spiritual heart disease”!
Just by looking at the text, it’s clear to see that the event in view here was the Exodus of the people of Israel from Egypt- ALMOST 15 centuries earlier (1446 B.C.)!
Now, the point here is pretty simple: just as Moses led the people of Israel out of slavery to Egypt and into the “Promised Land”, Jesus is leading us out of our slavery to sin and into God’s ULTIMATE “Promised Land” rest of HEAVEN- BUT only IF we do not make the same mistake as the people of Moses’ day and allow our hearts to become SPIRITUALLY HARDENED! APPLICATION: Here’s the TRUTH you and I need to hear- “We have a family history of spiritual hardening of the arteries!” Why? because ever since the Fall of Mankind in the Garden, our natures have been bent and broken toward God. Doubt and disobedience replaced faith and righteousness. It’s only in our re-creation in Christ that we can turn away from those deadly family predispositions!
Did you notice anything about the text we just read? Most of it is in quotation marks. That means, it’s a statement made somewhere else. That “somewhere else” is Psalm 95: Psalm 95:7-11 Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the desert, 9 where your fathers tested and tried me, though they had seen what I did. 10 For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways.” 11 So I declared on oath in my anger, “They shall never enter my rest.”
Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, King David penned those words around 1000 B.C., nearly 500 years after the Exodus of Israel from Egypt.
Clearly, we have a family history of spiritual heart disease! Moses knew it, King David knew it, and in out text for today- it’s obvious that the Apostle Paul knew it!
We’re going to continue on now through the rest of chapter 3, and as we do- keep in mind those words of Psalm 95 and the spiritual medical history of our human race. Knowing our family history, it’s now time to let the Great Physician take a look at our own hearts! It’s time for OUR personal cardiac check-up! Cardiac Check-up Hebrews 3:12 See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. 15 As has just been said: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.”
So what are the symptoms of ILLNESS?
Paul tells us they are: “… a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.
Two ideas are contained in that statement:
The first is “sinful” (EVIL) - any attitude, thought or action that stands in opposition to the goodness of God.
The second idea is that of a dismissive (UNBELIEVING) attitude toward God. “I know what the Bible says….BUT…” APPLICATION: The surest signs of a spiritually hard heart is a willingness to even entertain “evil” (“How close to the line CAN I get?”) and an attitude that only submits to God’s will when it is easy and is one’s own immediate best interest. The dangerous thing about these symptoms is that they don’t seem to be a big deal- like that of passing chest pain. Nobody can see them, but you know they are there! Even more important, the Great Physician knows they are there! 1 Samuel 16:7 “…The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
So what are the evidences of a HEALTHY HEART, spiritually speaking? Paul gives us two:
A spirit of encouragement and comfort: Hebrews 3:13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.
This is especially significant because one of the Holy Spirit’s names is the “Comforter” - using the same word that Paul uses here!
Hear the word of the Lord: 2 Corinthians 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5 For just as the suﬀerings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 6 If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same suﬀerings we suﬀer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our suﬀerings, so also you share in our comfort. APPLICATION: A “heart-healthy” habit, spiritually speaking, is to be in the business of comforting and encouraging the people around you. On the other hand, if that’s a concept foreign to your thinking- watch out for spiritual heart-disease!
Paul gives us a second evidence of a spiritually healthy heart: Hebrews 3:14 We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.
Let’s call this one a spiritually optimistic attitude that refuses to give up on the promises of God. 2 Peter 3:13 But in keeping with His promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. 14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every eﬀort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him.
Now, for a BONUS. Back in Psalm 95, where we first find God’s warning against spiritual hard-heartedness, a surprise waits for us in the first six verses! Psalms 95:1 Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. 3 For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. 4 In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. 5 The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. 6 Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; 7 for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.
What a contrast! Verses 1-6 are a call to worship, while verses 7-11 are a warning against becoming spiritually hard-hearted!
The inference is clear: the spiritual exercise of a positive attitude of worship will keep your heart young and healthy! APPLICATION: So here’s the bottom line- If you want to avoid spiritual hard heartedness, do these three heart-healthy habits:

Comfort and encourage others.
Keep a positive, optimistic attitude regarding the promises of God.
Worship. So, what happens if you ignore your family history and the doctor’s advice and make the choice to eat greasy spiritual cheeseburgers for breakfast, lunch and supper? YOU DIE OF HEART DISEASE! So, what are the spiritual cheeseburgers we need to avoid? Heart Disease Hebrews 3:16 Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? 17 And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert? 18 And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? 19 So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.

Verse 16: Ingratitude - leading to rebellion.
Verse 17: Sinfulness - doing the opposite of what God says.
Verse 18: Scornfulness - refusing to respect God’s authority.
Verse 19: Faithlessness - making the choice to not believe God. CONCLUSION: Here’s our prescription and protection against spiritual heart disease: Colossians 3:1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.