Do You Have a Tender Heart? I - Part 2 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 LeSaire Bradley, Jr., welcoming you to another broadcast of the Baptist Bible Hour. We continue today in the series of messages on the subject, or the question, Do You Have a Tender Heart? There are many ways in which a heart can become hardened, sometimes because of bitterness, disappointment, resentment. All kinds of things can affect the attitude of our heart, but if we're going to have fellowship and communion with God, we need to have a tender heart.

I pray the message today will be a blessing to you. The Scriptures make it clear that he resists the proud, but he gives grace to the humble, and even that humility is a gift of grace. There's not a person here that can say today, Well, you know, preacher, I tell you, I've always been rather tender-hearted. That's just kind of my nature, and it's a joy to know that God has favored me and blessed me because of my tender heart.

No, you've missed the point. If your heart is tender but toward God today, it is because by the grace of God, he has blessed you with that tender heart. Now, before we leave this subject, we're going to be talking about some things that you can do to maintain that tenderness of heart, but I want you to know the source of it. I want you to know that it comes from God because that in itself is humbling. So you never reach the point that you can sit back and admire what you've done, who you are, and say, Look at me. It was a struggle, but I finally put it all together.

No, you'll never get it all together. You are a miserable failure when it comes to trying to make things right before God in and of yourself, but we're talking about what's done by free and sovereign grace. So the question then may arise in your mind when I ask you, Do you have a tender heart? And we've made it clear that it's not purely being sentimental, just being touched by some sad song or some scene that might move upon us as far as nature is concerned.

We're talking about something that is beyond that. We're talking about the kind of a tender heart that Josiah had, which moved him to seek the Lord. Now, what are the evidences that you have such a tender heart? First of all, as seen in the experience of Josiah himself, it must be tender toward God.

Not just talking about other situations, circumstances, and events in life, but if you have this tender heart that is the gift of divine grace, you have a tender heart toward God. And first and foremost, that means that it grieves you greatly to dishonor Him. That when you come to see that you have disobeyed God, you have transgressed His law, you have sinned against Him, you are deeply convicted. Now, we're not talking here about suffering the consequences of sin.

Nobody wants to pay the bill. We're not talking here about the embarrassment of being exposed as a result of your sinful behavior. We're talking about the fact that when you see you have offended God, if nobody else ever knows about your sin, you know that He does. He knows every detail. He knows all that you've done. He knows all that you think.

He knows all of your motives. And when you realize, I have sinned against God with a tender heart, you're grieved and you're broken. Psalm 51 contains the prayer of David after his great sin. From one standpoint, we might view the scene in amazement to say, how could a man who came as a young shepherd lad and fought successfully that battle so that Goliath was killed, how could that young man who had already had experiences with God so that he had killed the lion and the bear with his own hands, how could that sweet singer of Israel who was described as being a man after God's own heart sin so terribly fall into such condemnation? It required the word of the prophet to say, thou art the man. But when he said it, David made no further excuse.

He did not try to defend himself. He was broken. Psalm 51, Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindness, according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly for mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

Has that often been your prayer? Lord, I feel to be so undone. I feel the corruption of my own nature. I feel unclean because of my sin.

Lord, I pray for cleansing. For I acknowledge my transgressions and my sin as ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest and be clear when thou judges. One of the ways in which you can detect the humanistic thinking that has permeated even some Christian teachers today is that you'll see when they begin to deal with the sin question, it generally comes about that the real difficulty is it has disrupted your self-confidence, your self-esteem, and you're not feeling good about yourself, and you need to overcome that.

It's all back to you. What was David's concern? Lord, against thee, thee only, have I sinned. He obviously was not unaware of the fact that others had been adversely affected by his sin. Certainly, you certainly Uriah was. Uriah was dead.

Certainly Bathsheba was. He had totally disrupted her life. Certainly, his own family suffered long the consequences of his actions. But when he was concerned about the guilt of the whole matter, he knew that there was but one that could deal with it, and that was God whom he had offended. So he said, against thee, thee only, have I sinned. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, I desirous truth in the inward parts and in the hidden part. Thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean.

Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Is your heart tender when you offend the Lord? Are you deeply grieved?

Do you sometimes find it's difficult to lift up your head? You, like the publican, must smite upon your breast, saying, God be merciful to me, the sinner. It's a painful experience when one is made to see himself, when God shows you your own corruption. But after all, it's a wonderful blessing, because to be convicted of sin is a token of his work within you. And Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. There's no real comfort without mourning, and the person who mourns is a blessed character. When you look back over your life today, do you mourn over the fact, when you see how little time you have given to thinking about God, how many times you have been first and foremost in all of your choices and all your plans?

You've left God out. Does that grieve you? Do you have a tender heart? Not only will the tender heart be grieved upon observation, of its own sin, but also about the sin of others. In 2 Chronicles, chapter 34, verse 21, still talking about the experience of Josiah, it says, Go inquire of the Lord for me and for them that are left in Israel and in Judah concerning the words of the book that is found. For God has the words of the book that is found. For great is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord to do after all that is written in his book.

What's the point? Josiah was not only convicted about his own sin, he was deeply grieved when he looked back at the history of his people and said, Our fathers have not honored God. This isn't just something that has lately occurred. This has been a pattern and I'm grieved because of it. Now we're not talking about becoming self-righteous, judgmental, pharisaical, but we're saying this, that one mark of a tender heart is that not only do you grieve when you have offended the Lord, but when you see others dishonor him, it breaks your heart.

It breaks your heart. See we're not talking about trying to take vengeance. We're not talking about retaliating. We're not talking about becoming hard-hearted and bitter.

We're talking about grieving. Psalm 119 and verse 136. Rivers of waters run down mine eyes because they keep not thy law. The psalmist didn't indicate that he just shed a tear. He says, Rivers of waters run down mine eyes.

Why? Because they keep not thy law. When I look around me and I see others, Lord, that are dishonoring thy name, I am deeply grieved. Does it grieve you? When you see not only the sin of your own heart, but you see the corruption of our time? You see the rebellious attitude that is displayed on the part of multitudes? You see those who deny the very existence and authority of God?

Those who would discredit his word? Does it not grieve you? That, my friends, is the indication of a tender heart. If you're to the point that your own sin doesn't trouble you and you're not grieved by the sin of others, your heart is being hardened. Furthermore, we believe that the tender heart can be recognized because it is tender toward the word of God. Not only toward the Lord, but toward his word. Isaiah chapter 66, verse 2. See, if God has worked in us, both the will and the do of his good pleasure, and we're working out that salvation, it's going to be manifest in some fruit and some evidence that something has transpired. Something has taken place within us.

There has been a change. So it says in this 66th chapter and the second verse of the book of Isaiah, For all those things hath mine handmade, and all those things have been, saith the Lord. But to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. Now we've already read that the Lord condescends to abide in the heart of the humble, and now he says to this man will I look, the one that is poor in spirit, not boastful, not self-righteous, not making demands, acknowledging God is sovereign and I am deserving nothing, the one that is poor in spirit, the one that is contrite, and the one that trembleth at my word. So the mark of having a tender heart is that not only are you sensitive about your own sin and the sin of others before God and do not want his name to be dishonored, but you are very tender toward his word. What does the word of God mean to you? Do you hear it and pass it off?

Do you hear it preached and maybe find it intriguing and interesting at the time if you're being informed and some passage with which you are not familiar is being expounded upon, but then you cast it off and it means nothing to you when you leave the meeting place? Let's look at the book of Amos. Amos chapter 3, the fourth verse asks this question. Will a lion roar in the forest when he hath no prey?

Will a young lion cry out of his den if he hath taken nothing? What God is telling his people here through the prophet is that when the Lord roars, it's not an empty threat. God says, I mean what I say. Verse 8, the lion hath roared, who will not fear? The Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophesy?

What about you? When the lion roars, when God sends the warnings of his word, do you respond to that? Do you take his warning seriously? You say, well, you know, preachers are always talking about things like that. They're just trying to manipulate you and get you to do what they think you ought to do, but I'm not particularly concerned about that.

Or is it a matter of just sloughing it off and saying, well, that sounds a little negative to me. I don't like to think negative thoughts, so I'm going to think about something positive. I don't want to hear that. Let me tell you, my friends, when God sounds the alarm, when the lion roars, it's time to sit up and take notice. And a tender heart says, I'm concerned. If God says, judgment's coming, I'm going to take him at his word.

I believe what he says. I want to heed the warning. Turn with me to a New Testament passage that confirms that we ought to be concerned in this area. Paul says in the book of 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 11, knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest unto God and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.

Now you think about that a minute. Have you ever been guilty of listening to preaching that seemed to be constantly convicting and pointing out your sin and calling upon you to commit and obey the Lord? And you got just a little resentful of it. I just believe that there ought to be more positive messages.

I want something that's more uplifting and consoles me. Would you then have challenged the apostle Paul and said, Paul, why is it that you're going to be motivated knowing the terror of the Lord? Just tell us about the mercy of God and the love of God. Obviously there's a place to talk about God's love.

The scope of it is far greater than we can ever imagine. The grace of God is marvelous and needs to be constantly proclaimed. But here's Paul who taught all of these wonderful doctrinal truths about grace and love and mercy. Who says, knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.

We're persuading you to do the right thing. We're persuading you to honor God and serve Him because not only is God a God of love and mercy, but we know the terror of the Lord. And we find Peter using this same approach in his second epistle, 2 Peter chapter 3. He's talking about the end of time. He's talking about the return of Christ and look at the motivation that is set forth after telling us that the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night in verse 10. He now says in 2 Peter 3.11, seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness? He said, preacher, I just don't believe we ought to serve God out of slavish fear.

No, I don't either. We ought to serve God out of love and gratitude. But the reality, the fact that we ought to sit up and take notice when God talks about judgment or when the Lord warns us that the Lord will come back as a thief in the night and that this ought to be an influencing factor in our life because he says, as a result of this, what manner of persons ought you to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hastening unto the coming of the day of God wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. Nevertheless, we according to his promise look for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, what are you supposed to do?

Be diligent that you may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless. He is saying, if you're expecting your Lord to come back, live like it. Live every day in the anticipation that Jesus Christ will return and when he comes back, I would like to be in the place of faithful service, living a righteous godly life to the glory of his name.

Now obviously, even if he doesn't come back today or tomorrow or in your lifetime, he still knows every part of your life, every detail of it and there should be adequate motivation to serve him out of love and gratitude. But every time you see emphasis upon the truth of the second coming in the New Testament, it's generally connected to an admonition toward godly living. Finding the epistle of John that he says, the man that hath this hope in him, talking about the return of Christ, purifieth himself even as he is pure.

It has a purifying effect when you understand that this is not all of it. There's something else to come. Jesus Christ is coming back and as his servants, we ought to be watching and waiting and conducting ourselves in a godly manner to the praise of his name. If then you're tender toward his word, you're going to take his warnings seriously. But not only so, if your heart is tender toward the word of God, you're going to be comforted by the promises. I've seen people who just could not find any satisfaction at all in the promises of God.

You'd read them one and they would find some way to get under it and say, well it just doesn't apply to me. I know that's what it says and I believe the Bible but I can't see that there's any consolation for my situation. I believe that one of the evidences of a tender heart is that your soul melts when you read his divine promises because they are precious and sweet to you. One that's always been special to me is Isaiah chapter 43. And he says in the second verse, when thou passes through the waters.

He didn't say if you pass. He didn't say you might have some waters to go through, some deep cold waters of sorrow, but when. When thou passes through the waters I will be with thee and through the rivers they shall not overflow thee. Have you ever been in the deep waters? It seemed that the troubles that you were facing were more than you could bear. If you're in deep waters, if the water is rising higher and higher as you go and you feel like one more step and I'm going to be under.

You say, how can I go on? But if God himself says I will be with thee, you've got great consolation. He said when thou passes through the water that doesn't indicate that you're going to drown even though you may sometimes feel like it. You're going to pass through them.

You're going to pass through them. When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. There are many kinds of troubles and trials through which we pass.

Some of them are well described by the cold deep waters. We feel to be chilled to the very bone. We just feel that there's such a barrier at that time that the Lord doesn't seem to be there to warm our hearts and to cheer us and yet his promises I will be with thee.

There are others depicted by the fire. The fiery darts of Satan are hurled at you. Temptations come.

Testings of various kinds. You say has Satan just launched an all-out attack? I don't know what's happened in these recent days.

They've been so difficult. But he says you're going to walk through the fire. Those that stood to observe must have fought when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were cast into the fire. They would soon be consumed.

But those young men came out without even the smell of smoke upon their garments. And God's promise to you is that he's going to bring you through the fire. As usual we haven't covered near all the territory that I want to talk about in conjunction with this text.

But let me conclude with this. If you have a tender heart and one of the evidences of it is that you are tender toward the Word of God, certainly then you're tender toward the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In the book of Acts chapter 16, the apostle goes on the sabbath day by the river where prayer was want to be made. And it says in the 14th verse, And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshiped God, heard us, whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. The Lord opened her heart as the Lord opened her heart. The Lord opened her heart. Has the Lord opened your heart? Has the Lord blessed you to attend to the things that are spoken? There may have been a time when you first heard the gospel of the grace of God that you resisted it.

The very thought of being told that you are a corrupt sinner with no righteousness to plead, deserving nothing but the wrath of God, caused you to draw back. You first thought that surely cannot be the truth, but now the Lord has opened your heart to see yourself and to know that by nature you had a stony heart, but by grace He's removed it and given you a heart that is tender to His word to say, Yes, it was grace that saved a wretch like me. Is your heart tender to His gospel? And notice that when she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul, she didn't just say, I believe it. And when she was baptized in her household, she besought us, saying, If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and abide there. And she constrained us to display the tenderness of heart that she had toward the gospel and toward the Son of God of whom the message speaks.

She was baptized. Is your heart tender today? Josiah had a tender heart and God blessed him.

The two sides of the issue, God blesses you with a tender heart and then because you have a tender heart, He blesses you some more. It's all of grace. I pray today's message has been profitable as you've listened to this expounding of God's word.

We appreciate it so much. When our listeners take time to write and help us with the support of the program, our address is Baptist Bible Hour, Box 17037, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. Now, till we greet you next time, this is LaSara Bradley, Jr. Bending you goodbye and may God bless you. This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long. This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long. Perfect submission, all is at rest, I in my Savior am happy and blessed, watching and waiting, looking above, filled with His goodness, lost in His love. This is my story, this is my song, 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.