Do You Have a Tender Heart? I - Part 1 of 2

Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise, the worries of my God and King, the triumphs of his grace. This is LeSare Bradley, Jr., welcoming you to another broadcast of the Baptist Bible Hour. I'm thankful that you're with us today. If the message proves to be a blessing, we'd like to hear from you and have you tell others that they can hear the program at this same time each day on this station.

Our address is the Baptist Bible Hour, Box 17037, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. We're living in a day when we are frequently told that it is important for us to think highly of ourselves, that effort needs to be put forth to build our own self-esteem. Parents are told that they need to build self-esteem in their children. But over the past months, I have brought you a number of messages pointing out that the Scriptures clearly define pride as a sin. It is often assumed that while a person might have an incorrect self-image, that such a flaw could not be designated sin.

But pride in the Scripture is defined as being an abomination before God. Anytime we exalt ourselves, we become hard-hearted, self-willed. We are focused on self. We're concerned only for our own well-being. We're seeking our own pleasure.

We're trying to make a name for ourselves. This is pride and it is sin. Now the opposite of pride, of course, is humility. And the Word of God has a lot to say on the subject of humility, telling us, for one thing, that we are to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God.

So on one hand, you have a proud heart, which would be defined as a hard and stony heart. On the other hand, there is a humble heart, which is described in Scripture as being the heart of flesh, one that is tender. Turn with me to the book of 2 Chronicles chapter 34. In the latter part of the 26th verse and verse 27, we find reference to King Josiah.

2 Chronicles 34, the last part of verse 26, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel concerning the words which thou hast heard. Verse 27, Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou hurtest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humblest thyself before me, and its wren thy clothes, and weep before me, I have even heard thee also, saith the Lord. Because thine heart was tender.

God blessed this king because he had a tender heart, and my question to you today, do you have a tender heart? Now when we're talking about a tender heart as depicted in this text, we're not talking about merely being sentimental. People are structured differently from an emotional standpoint, and there are some people that shed tears readily. There are others that may have deep feelings about things and seldom shed a tear. Some people in a fit of rage can shed tears. And those tears obviously are not the evidence of a tender heart, but of a heart that is being hardened. So we must make the distinction between that which would be on the basis of pure sentimentality, that person who is tender-hearted because they hear a sad song and they immediately are moved to tears.

They are tender-hearted because they don't want any animals to suffer, and some go so far as not to want any trees to be cut down, and so a person says that's a tender heart. Now that's not what we're talking about in this text. Let's look at the 36th chapter and the 11th verse to see a contrast between the description that is given here of Josiah and that which is given of Zedekiah. 2nd Chronicles 36 verse 11, Zedekiah was one and 20 years old when he began to reign and reigned 11 years in Jerusalem. And he did that which was evil and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the Lord. And he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar who had made him swear by God, but he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart from turning unto the Lord God of Israel. Zedekiah stiffened his neck and hardened his heart, refusing to turn unto the Lord. In contrast, Josiah is described as having a tender heart and he indeed turned to the Lord to serve him and honor him in every detail of his life.

So first of all we would observe that a tender heart is a great blessing. We can see it in the case of this king who in the 34th chapter and the first verse is described as being but eight years old when he began to reign. And he reigned in Jerusalem one and 30 years. The first thing we learn about his reign is in the second verse. And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord and walked in the ways of David his father and declined neither to the right hand nor to the left.

You see having a tender heart meant more than having a tender heart than just being kind, while certainly one with a tender heart would be expected to be kind, but it was more than just being emotional or sentimental about some circumstance, about some memory of the past. This tender heart moved him to do what was right in the sight of the Lord so that he declined neither to the right hand nor to the left. He wasn't turning out of the way. He wasn't neglecting his duties as king. He was not failing to honor God.

He had great respect for the word of God. He didn't turn to the left or to the right. When you look back over your life can it be said that you have stayed on course, that you have been firm in your commitment to the Lord, that you have not turned to the left or to the right? I dare say that many of us can see a good bit of wandering over the path that we have traveled.

You can see times when you were veering to one side and then a time when you turned abruptly to the other. But this good king did not turn aside. He followed the good example of King David. Of David, it's just said that he was a man after God's own heart and he followed the good things that were seen in the life of that great king. If then your heart is tender, you will no doubt be moved to do what is right before God.

You might console yourself with the fact that you're soft-hearted, you're touched by a sad story, you're always ready to give to somebody that's in need and still have a hard heart when it comes to doing explicitly what God says in every other aspect of your life. This man did that which was right in the sight of the Lord. Verse 3, for in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David, his father.

Now he starts reigning when he's eight years old and in the eighth year of his reign, he's now 16 years old, he's yet young, the text says, and he begins to seek after the Lord God of David, his father. How many of you young people here today can say that you are following that course as did King Josiah? There may be times that it crosses your mind that you certainly want to, at some point in your life, develop a deeper interest in religion.

You haven't maybe applied yourself very diligently at this point. You're not sure of just where you stand. You've been brought to church all your life but you say, you know, I've got to dig some of these things out for myself.

I've got to determine where I stand, what I believe, but you put that off to some future time. You say, when it's more convenient, when I've got my education behind me, when I've got other things in place, I'll begin to seek God at a time of more mature years. Josiah's heart was tender and with a tender heart it moved him at the early age of 16 to make a diligent effort to seek the Lord his God.

It doesn't matter what your age may be. Young children here today, you teenagers, you young people in your 20s, some of you who are a little older, some of you who have reached old age and look back and say, I certainly have neglected these things in former times. There is no better time than the present to begin to diligently seek the Lord your God.

That is an evidence of a tender heart. Continues in that third verse and says, and in the 12th year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places and the groves and the carved images and the molten images. When he's just 16, he begins to seek God. Now at age 20, he is so convicted about what he sees in the land, so much aware of the fact that God hates idolatry that he says, it's time to purge the land.

It's time to take action. You see, this isn't just a matter of a quiet faith, an experience between me and my God. Josiah says, I need to demonstrate my commitment to him and as the king and leader of these people, I'm going to do what's necessary. I'm going to remove the high places and the groves and the carved images and the molten images. In other words, I'm going to go to those places that have been designated as the place of worship to these false gods and I'm going to destroy them.

I'm going to tear them down. Josiah's attitude was not one of compromise. He did not have the attitude that many have developed today to say, well, now you know, as long as these people are sincere in this thing, I don't think I've got any right to challenge them.

I don't think I can judge. He said, these idols are an affront to my God. They're a violation to his law and I'm going to tear them down. Now obviously, in this day, we are not living under a theocracy as these people were. We do not have the legal right to go out and start tearing down idols. As a matter of fact, the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but spiritual to the pulling down of strongholds. But while our task is not to physically fight the enemy, we do need to put on the whole armor of God that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. We do need to recognize false religion for being what it is. Recognize that false gods are just that. They are false gods. They must not be respected. They must not be tolerated.

It's not trying to have this nice congenial attitude that whatever works for you is all right. That is foreign to the Word of God both in the Old and the New Testaments. Josiah proves that this matter of seeking God is of utmost importance to him because he desires not only fellowship and communion with him, he desires to be obedient to him and honor him and goes about tearing down the idols, the groves, the carved images. Says in the fifth verse that he burnt the bones of the priest upon their altars and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.

He was interested in a time of cleansing to remove that which was evil, to get rid of the false gods and to serve only the Lord. Then in the eighth verse speaks of the 18th year of his reign. He's now 26.

Rather an amazing story isn't it that he starts out serving as king when he's just eight years old. When he's 16 he's not elevated in pride saying look at me. He's seeking God.

When he's 20 he's not boasting about his accomplishments. He says it's time to clean house and tear down the idols. And when he's 26 he says it's time to repair the house of God. And so he sends the men out there to make the necessary repairs. And no doubt you are very familiar with that part of the story. Whereas they began to clean the rubbish out that had accumulated over a period of time, they found the book of God.

How strange. Finding the book of God in the house of God. As time had passed it had been lost. So many things had been allowed to accumulate. So much rubbish was in its place that the book was not observable.

They didn't even see it. And now as they dig it out they say here's the book of God. I've found the book of the law of the Lord in the house of God. And Shaphan carried the book to the king. This is verse 16.

Shaphan carried the book to the king. This is verse 16. And brought the king word back again saying all that was committed to thy servants they do it.

And then it says in verse 18 then Shaphan the scribe told the king saying he'll cry the priest have given me a book and Shaphan read it before the king. So when the book was found they didn't say my we need to put this in a museum so everybody can come look at it periodically and say we we've got the oldest book around. The purpose of the book of God was that it might be read. And the purpose of reading it was that it might be obeyed. See some people become a collector of Bibles. The purpose of the word of God is not just to keep your family record in the middle.

Not just to stuff the insurance policy in there so you know where to get it in the case of emergency. The purpose of the word of God is to read it, study it and apply it in your life. And so when they found the book said it's time to read it. The 19th verse says that it came to pass when the king had heard the words of the law that he rent his clothes. When he heard the word he was convicted. He was made to see his own sin. He was made to recognize the sin of the people. The rending of one's clothes, putting themselves in sackcloth and ashes was one of the signs of the old time as to a broken heart and a repentant spirit. Now the Lord told his people at one point that they had put all of the focus on that which was on the outside and he says I want you not to rend your garment I want you to rend your heart. But nevertheless when it was genuine and sincere that outward rending of the garment was depicting that which was taking place within as far as the rending of the heart. And so Josiah was deeply affected by the reading of the word.

He was in deep distress. And so a tender heart is a great blessing. It was certainly so in the case of Josiah. Further we would observe that a tender heart is an evidence of the grace of God. It's an evidence of God's work in you.

If you have a heart that is tender toward him. Let's look at the book of Ezekiel chapter 11. Ezekiel chapter 11 and the 19th verse. And I will give them one heart and I will put a new spirit within you and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh and will give them and heart of flesh. Here's a promise of God.

Here is a covenant provision. I'm going to take away the stony heart. What does the stony heart speak of? It speaks of that natural heart. It speaks of that heart which is resistant to the word of God.

Rebellious against the sovereign ruler of heaven and earth. But he said I'm going to take away that stony heart and I'm going to give you a heart of flesh. The heart of flesh is a heart that can feel because it lives. And so therefore it is a tender heart. I'm going to replace the stony heart of nature. I'm going to give you a heart of flesh.

How does this come about? By divine grace. Man in nature does not seek God, does not fear God. Certainly is not in a position to change his own heart. Scripture says that the Ethiopian cannot change his skin, the leopard cannot change his spots, neither can you that are accustomed to doing evil change and do that which is good. The transformation comes not then as a result of free will but of divine grace. Jeremiah chapter 32 verse 38. Jeremiah 32 verse 38. And they shall be my people and I will be their God and I will give them one heart and one way that they may fear me forever for the good of them and of their children after them. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do them good but I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me. That they shall not depart from me. This is God's promise.

I will. I will be their God. I will give them one heart. I'm going to take away that stony heart and give them a heart of flesh. He says in the Psalms, thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power. So with the grace of God, though in nature man is unwilling, God makes us willing by His grace. Now let's look at a New Testament reference. Hebrews chapter 10 which connects with the two passages we've just read.

One from the book of Ezekiel and one from the book of Jeremiah. And now Hebrews chapter 10 and you'll see the familiarity of the language here to see that whatever else may be in view, whatever God may have promised for national Israel, there certainly is a lesson in it for spiritual Israel for all of his elect. For he says in Hebrews chapter 10 and the 15th verse, wherefore the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us for after that He hath said, this is the covenant that I will make with them after those days saith the Lord.

I will put my laws into their hearts and in their minds will I write them and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now in this 10th chapter of the book of Hebrews, He is showing us the superiority of the covenant of grace over the covenant of the law, telling us that those things were a shadow of good things to come. And in conjunction with the fact that He speaks of Christ coming to do the work of the Father as He indicates in the 9th verse saying, Then said He, lo, I come to do thy will, O God. Verse 10, by which will we are sanctified through the offering of the blood of Jesus Christ once for all. It becomes perfectly clear that he's talking about the great provisions made in the everlasting covenant of grace for the redemption of his people and saying, therefore, here's the covenant, here's the covenant of grace, I will write my laws in their hearts and in their minds will I write them and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now that's good news to somebody who sees himself as a sinner. You see, you may remember your sins and others may remember your sins and remind you of them, but with the grace of God, He says, I will remember them no more.

I put them away because Jesus Christ came at the appointed time and put away the iniquity of that land in one day when He went to the cross. Yes, it's evidence of God's grace if you have a tender heart. It is a blessing furthermore because it is where the Lord dwells. Let's turn to the book of Isaiah chapter 57, reading in the 15th verse, For thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity.

Now get the first part of this text to see how God's greatness and glory and power is extolled. He saith the high and lofty one, the one that inhabiteth eternity, he's talking about our sovereign God whose name is holy. I will dwell in the high and holy place.

Isn't that what we expect? That this high and holy one will dwell in the holy place. In the 6th chapter of the book of Isaiah, we get that picture that the prophet saw the Lord high and lifted up and His train filled the temple and the angelic host sang holy, holy, holy. So we understand He dwells in the high and holy place.

Oh, but it didn't stop there. With Him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. Not only does this high and holy God dwell in the lofty places, but He also dwells with that one that is of a contrite and a humble spirit. If your heart then has been made tender by divine grace, your proud spirit has been broken and you have been humbled, your contrite because you are sensible of your sin, the promise of God is He dwells with you.

Now Paul indicated when he was preaching in Mars Hill that it was impossible for man to build a temple that could contain the glory of God. But I want to tell you this, that because it's God's design to do it, because it's His pleasure and it's according to the purpose of His grace, He abides in the heart of the humble and broken center. You say, well it would be enough just to feel that God would look tenderly upon me, that God in His mercy would look down in grace and compassion, but to think that the high and lofty one would dwell in my heart, that's what he says. That's the good news of the gospel.

Oh, how marvelous is His saving grace. Thankful you've been with us for the broadcast today. We need to hear from our listeners on a regular basis to say on all of these stations. If you can help us, I hope you will write us at Baptist Bible Hour, Mach 17, 037, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. Till we greet you next time, this is LaSara Bradley, Jr. bidding you goodbye and may God bless you. Praising my Savior all the day long. This is my story, this is my song. Praising my Savior, Praising my Savior, Praising my Savior all the day long.