2021-05-13 “hardened through the deceitfulness of sin”

Hebrews 3:13  “But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Sin is deceitful because it enticingly lies to us, it tells us just enough truth to draw us in; and then, once we are snared, it ruins us.  Sin paints itself as happy, pleasant, and exciting; but, the beautiful paint is a façade.  While stationed in Germany, I once bought a beautiful yellow BMW for a good price.  In a few weeks I began to notice that the paint was bubbling up, in a few more weeks I learned that my beautiful BMW was nothing but a rust bucket – the dealer had simply painted over the rust!  Sin works the same way, it looks great until the paint starts coming off, then there is nothing but misery and shame left.  If we continue in sin, it indeed hardens us; that is, we become desensitized to it; we began to tolerate it and accept it as normal.  Farmers know that the first time you walk into a livestock barn the stench seems overwhelming, but if you keep going to and working in the barn, soon you don’t even notice the stench; sin is the same.  Sin can entice and overwhelm even the strongest among us; therefore, we are charged to “exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin”!