Urgency (6/29/2025)

Second in a series of studies of Hebrews 3:12-14

“Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:12-13).

“Exhort” means to “strongly encourage someone to do something.” Urgency is one of the key ideas the writer communicates as he encourages fellow believers to build each other up in the faith.

The time to share the gospel with others is the point at which they express a willingness to listen. To postpone usually means to lose the opportunity. The word “hardened” refers to a person’s spiritual heart, meaning a person’s “heart” is no longer open to consideration.

“Deceitfulness” describes the essential nature of sin; and “sin,” of course, is committed when one goes against a command of God. Satan promotes sin by deceiving a Christian into believing it is okay because it feels good, seems good, or looks good.

The bottom line of such teaching is that we regularly encourage those whom we can influence to listen to God and not to Satan. May we strength each other’s resolve to avoid being deceived by Satan and lured into sin.