Sin’s Deceitfulness & God’s Purging

The following was written by Brad Scheelke, manager of
our bookstore (Oasis Books) in Logan, Utah.

“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called
today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness” (Heb. 3:13).

Notice that: 1) sin is deceitful, 2) this deceitfulness
hardens people, 3) hardening can be prevented, 4) giving encouragement daily is
a means of prevention, and 5) every individual is important. The important
individual is the other person. Self died on the cross with the Lord
Jesus Christ. Now it is His life living within and overflowing to others.

This warning about hardness and unbelief continues through
Hebrews 4:13, where the focus shifts to our hope in the Lord Jesus Christ’s
work for us. Notice verses 12 and 13:

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any
double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and
marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all
creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare
before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Heb. 4:12-13).

Here the word of God resembles a surgeon’s knife that is
alive and at work. Notice what the tool is cutting: the thoughts and attitudes
of the heart. It seems that God is getting rather personal with each of us. I
am not exempt; none of us is. Some pretty ugly things get cut out of my heart.
The question is, do I see this as good for me and for others? It is often
uncomfortable and can be hard on your reputation.

In Psalm 51, King David, whose adultery and murder are
recorded for all to see, clearly identifies his behavior as evil and calls on
God to cleanse his heart. Notice that cleansing brings back the joy of
salvation and enables him to lead sinners to God. Am I willing to deal with my
own sin so clearly? Have I come to the point of welcoming the surgeon’s knife?
Is this not the kind of encouragement that Hebrews 3:13 is speaking of? As we
speak to one another about God’s word and how it applies to our lives and
relationships, God’s Spirit can apply the Word to my heart to cut out
wickedness that has been unrecognized, excused, or even coddled by me.

The death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ are
sufficient to carry us to the Father’s presence in glory. So there is nothing
to fear in having my sin exposed, unless of course I wish to enjoy it further.
Whether a person is in God’s Kingdom or still in the kingdom of darkness, there
is an intense cultural pressure to keep the surgeon’s knife away from the human
heart.

Books provide a natural opportunity to speak to issues of
the heart. So at Oasis Books in Logan, UT, we have a large display of “good
books” near the front door. These books are generally of two types: 1)
biographies that show God faithfully at work in the lives of people and 2) books
that point the way out of sin and into God’s righteousness. We all need to see
ever more clearly the faithfulness of God and the deceitfulness of our own sin.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials
of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops
perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and
complete, not lacking in anything” (James 1:2-4).

What does this passage say is God’s way to the abundant
life? Why do we hesitate to travel this path? Good testimonies can help work
this verse deeper into our souls. Books that deal with sin clearly can help us
deal with our resistance to God’s way to holiness. In evangelistic conversations
at Oasis, we often read aloud specific passages from good books to wet a
person’s appetite for the encouragement available. Sometimes it is an
uncomfortable encouragement.

Here are a few books we recommend:

As she was dying of breast cancer, Isobel Kuhn wrote an
encouraging autobiography called In the Arena. Here is her theme:
“[Hudson Taylor] said: ‘Difficulties afford a platform upon which [God] can
show Himself. Without them we could never know how tender, faithful, and
almighty our God is.’ I found it so too. From a bed of sickness I have had time
quietly to review my life, and as I gazed, it seemed that my most valuable
lessons have been learned on these platforms. How often I have failed Him, I do
not like to think. But of His tenderness and faithfulness there was never an
end. As you read, I pray that you may not focus attention on how dark the
trial, but rather on the power of God that was manifested there and the
emergence into light.”

In her book Green Leaf in Drought, Isobel Kuhn
relates the story of a missionary family going through great trials. The theme
is Jeremiah 17:7-8:

 “But blessed is the
man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree
planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear
when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of
drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

Here is the passage from Kuhn’s book that has encouraged
some to a higher vision of trials:

These “four anchors” they found in
Andrew Murray’s formula for trial:

1)   
Say, He brought me here. It is by His will I am
in this strait place and in that fact I will rest.

2)   
He will keep me here in His love and give me
grace to behave as His child.

3)   
Then He will make the trial a blessing, teaching
me the lessons He intends for me to learn.

4)   
In His good time He can bring me out again—how
and when He knows.

So let me say, “I am 1) here by
God’s appointment; 2) in His keeping; 3) under His training; 4) for His time.”

A.W. Tozer concludes his booklet “Five Vows for Spiritual
Power” with these thoughts:

I wonder if you would be willing to
pray this kind of prayer: “O God, glorify thyself at my expense. Send me the
bill—anything, Lord. I set no price. I will not dicker or bargain. Glorify
Thyself. I’ll take the consequence.” This kind of praying is simple, but it’s
deep and wonderful and powerful. I believe, if you can pray a prayer like that,
it will be the ramp from which you can take off into higher heights and bluer
skies in the things of the Spirit.

In his simple book The Key to Everything, Norman
Grubb writes,

There isn’t a single problem in
humanity except our self-reactions, not one. 

·      
The Devil is no trouble. He was dealt with 2,000
years ago.

·      
Your neighbor is not your trouble.

·      
Circumstances are not your trouble.

·      
The only trouble is your reaction.

We also encourage those who seem to know the Father to
initiate conversations with other believers about God’s word and faithfulness.
Those seemingly oblivious to their own sin, but keenly aware of the sins of
those around them, we seek to sensitize to the magnitude and deceitfulness of
their own sin.

Here is the beginning of the chapter entitled “The Great
Sin” from C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity:

Today I come to that part of
Christian morals where they differ most sharply from all other morals. There is
one vice of which no man in the world is free; which everyone in the world
loathes when he sees it in someone else; and of which hardly any people, except
Christians, ever imagine that they are guilty themselves. I have heard people
admit that they are bad-tempered, or that they cannot keep their heads about
girls or drink, or even that they are cowards. I do not think I have ever heard
anyone who was not a Christian accuse himself of this vice. And at the same
time I have very seldom met anyone, who was not a Christian, who showed the
slightest mercy to it in others. There is no fault that makes a man more
unpopular, and no fault which we are more unconscious of in ourselves. And the
more we have it ourselves, the more we dislike it in others.

Reading this paragraph to someone often leads to
conversation about the corruption of the human heart, the deceitfulness of sin,
and the power of the gospel. (You will have to read Lewis’ chapter to satisfy
your curiosity!)

It is encouraging to watch God at work giving people the
vision that difficulties are friends sent from Him to refine us into the image
of His Son. Some even seem excited about it and are eager to tell others of
what they have found. May God mold us all to welcome these friends with pure
joy. And let us encourage one another to this end.

If God has helped you put out this welcome mat, then you
might appreciate a little book If by Amy Carmichael. If we are willing
to apply it to ourselves, it turns up the heat to help us see our “little sins,”
the purging of which will greatly benefit those around us.

This post coordinates with today’s reading in the Same
Page Summer Bible Reading Challenge. If you are not in a daily reading
plan, please join us at TotheWord.com. We would love to have you reading with
us.