Do You Have a Tender Heart? II - Part 2 of 3

Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing, my great Redeemer's praise, The praise of my God and King, the triumphs of his grace.

This is Lisera Bradley, Jr., welcoming you to another broadcast of the Baptist Bible Hour. Jesus heals the broken hearted, oh how sweet that sounds to me. Once beneath my sin he's smarted, grown and bled to set me free.

By his suffering, death and merits, his compassion, blood and pain. Broken hearts and wounded spirits, are at once they whole again. Broken by the law's loud thunder, to the cross for refuge plea. For his pungence sorrows ponder, tis his stripes that he let thee.

Oil and wine to heal and cherish, Jesus still to Israel gives. Nor shall e'er a sinner perish, who in his dear name believes. In his righteousness confiding, shelter safe beneath his wing. Here they find a sure abiding, and of covenant mercy sing. Seek my soul, know of the healing, but in Jesus' foaming love, he beneath the spirit's ceiling, stands a great high priest with God. We're continuing our series with the question, do you have a tender heart? There are so many things that can cause a heart to become hard, resentful, and therefore refusing to respond appropriately to the teaching of God's Word.

So we need to examine ourselves, what is the condition of our heart? I pray this message will be a blessing to you today. Oh, may we respond positively to the Word of God, yielding to its direction. Let's see another reference to this same connection in the 27th Psalm. Psalm 27 verse 8, When thou saidst, Seek ye my face, my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek. The Lord said, Seek my face, and what is David's response? Thy face, Lord, will I seek.

Just give me the message, give me the instruction, I'll follow it, whatever it is. It may mean sacrifice, it may mean great inconvenience as far as my own plans and purposes are concerned, but if it's to the glory of God, if it's something that He commands, then I'd like to do it. Because I love Him, I'm grateful to Him for all that He's done for me, and out of gratitude I want to commit my life in every detail to serve and honor Him. You remember when Samuel was with Eli and heard a voice speaking to him and assumed that it was Eli and goes in and responds saying, Did you call me? And Eli said finally that, No, it must have been the Lord who had spoken to you. And in 1 Samuel 3, 9, it says, Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go lie down, and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

What an attitude. Is that your response? Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth. Now the Lord was speaking audibly to young Samuel. The Lord speaks to you today through His Word. A tender heart means you are sensitive to His Word. You say, Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth. I'm not here to find objection, I'm not here to make excuses, I'm not here to argue. All I want to know is what does God say? What does He call on me to do?

And I'm ready to do it. A tender heart then is tender toward the Word of God. A third way in which a tender heart may be recognized is a sensitivity when viewing God's work. Not only that it is tender and responsive to His Word, but when viewing God's work. Sometimes that work, that moving of God, that unfolding of His providence may be in the form of judgment. Now we've talked earlier about how we recognize that God is serious in what He says. A sensitivity to His Word, to His warnings mean that we do not slough them off and ignore them. We believe God means what He says. But not only as to what He's declared in His Word, but what He does, the work that He executes, that which He performs, that which comes to pass in His providence, that you have a tender heart to those things, not attempting to ignore them.

Let me give you an example of what we're talking about. Let's turn to the 13th chapter of the book of Luke. Luke chapter 13, reading the first verse. There were present at that season some that told him of the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans because they suffered such things? I tell you, nay, but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. There are those that come to Jesus and bring this report about those that were persecuted, saying that these Galileans had their blood mingled with their sacrifices by Pilate. Jesus responds by asking them a question. Do you suppose that these were sinners above all the other Galileans? Do you suppose that this has befallen them because they were the most corrupt of men? He says, I tell you, nay, but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Then he gives another example. Are those 18 upon whom the tower in Siloam fell and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, nay, but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. So here are two examples of people that suffered. Galileans who were slain and these who had the tower of Siloam fall upon them.

18 people were slain. Now what is sometimes the response? If a person's heart is hard, if you have become cynical, if you have a self-righteous attitude, you may sit back and say, well, evidently these people had some terrible wickedness in their life and judgment was meted out and they got what they deserved. You think about the fact that you have been spared such a catastrophe and you feel very good about your circumstances. What Jesus is saying is, you're talking about these Galileans that were slain.

You're aware of the fact that there were 18 people that died when the tower fell on them. But in both cases, he says, there's a message for you. I tell you, except you repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Now the point here is this. If we have a tender heart and we hear about catastrophe befalling somebody else, we hear about terrible flooding in some distant part of the land, we hear about an earthquake on the other side of the world, there's something for us to learn in that. Never to sit back in self-conceit as though this couldn't happen to me. But in tenderness of heart, coming to recognize that it's only with the mercy of God that things are as well with us as they are. The Lord has not dealt with us according to our sins and rewarded us according to our iniquities, the psalmist says. And therefore, when you see the meeting out of judgment, when disaster comes, rather than having a smug, prideful attitude about it, it should further humble you. It should further bring you low before the Lord to recognize that his mercy has been great. You are going to learn from it to say, let this be a time of examination of my own life, the searching of my own heart, the acknowledgment of my own sin. Let me return unto the Lord with full purpose of heart that I may serve him.

You're going to benefit by what you have observed. Now let's go to the book of Hebrews just a moment. And I think you'll see more particularly how this line of thinking is applicable to us in the kingdom of God today. Hebrews chapter 12, reading the 18th verse. For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched and that burn with fire, nor unto blackness and darkness and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, to which voice they that heard entreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more. For they could not endure that which was commanded. And if so much as a beast touched the mountain, it shall be stoned or thrust through with a dart. And so terrible was the sight that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake.

What's he talking about here? He's talking about that dreadful scene at Mount Sinai. Mount Sinai is the place where the law is given. The law does what? It doesn't comfort. It doesn't relieve us of our burdens. It condemns us. The law is alarming.

The law is convicting. And so he's describing a mountain that could not be touched. It was burned with fire. And if so much as a beast did touch the mountain, it had to be stoned or thrust through with a dart. And Moses himself said, I exceedingly fear and quake. Oh, so we step back with relief and say, thank God that we're not living under the law service. I'm glad that I wasn't at that dreadful scene at Mount Sinai. Oh, but look what he says. But ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

What's he saying? You're not come to Mount Sinai, where there were the threatenings and judgment of the law to be meted out. You're coming to Mount Zion. Zion speaks of good news.

Zion speaks of a place of joy, a place of praise, a place of great blessing. You've come unto Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant. Verse 25, See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escape not, who refuse him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven. You say you think it was threatening at Sinai when God's voice was so powerful, but now if it was a dreadful thing for them, what about you, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven? Refuse not him that speaketh. Verse 26, Whose voice then shook the earth, but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I will shake not the earth only, but also heaven.

And this word, Yet once more signifies the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore, we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear, for our God is a consuming fire. What's the lesson for us? We need to take seriously the warnings of the word of God. Oh, how we rejoice in grace, how we thank God that we're not under law but under grace, but still he is telling us that under grace we yet have tremendous responsibility, because our light is greater, our blessings and privileges are superior, that's the whole message of the book of Hebrews that everything we have now is better.

So since what we have is better, are we to do worse? No, we ought to do better by the grace of God. We ought to heed his solemn warnings. We ought to draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith. We ought to serve God with reverence, with reverence. Sometimes people think that maybe you're being a bit formal when there's an effort in every part of our worship to show reference to God.

I don't want things to become cold and stilted, but I'll tell you in the religious world today, there are so many that have reduced God in their thinking that they thought that there is even little reverence shown as they talk about him and some of the songs that are used and the kind of promotions and entertainments that are prevalent, that this whole concept is forgotten. We are to serve God with reverence. We are to recognize he is the high and lofty one. When we speak of him, we ought to speak with the utmost reverence and respect for who he is.

When we conduct ourselves in his house, it ought to be in such a way that we acknowledge we are here for the purpose of worshiping God. Our God is a consuming fire. You see, a tender heart doesn't just slough off then the workings of God as judgment may fall or the warnings of God to remind us of our accountability to him in this Gospel day.

Since more light has been given, more is required. Not serving under the cruel taskmaster of law service, we are serving under grace, but the whole matter is of tremendous seriousness and therefore we ought to commit ourselves to him having our tender hearts deeply affected and touched by what we hear read in his Word. But there's a second part of this as we observe the works of God. Not only should we recognize when judgment has come that we're not high and mighty to exalt ourselves as though we're beyond that, but to be humbled by it. In fact, the book of Proverbs says something about when your enemy stumbles, don't rejoice in that. That's not a time for you to gloat and sit back and say, well, they had it coming to them.

It took a while getting here, but they finally got what they deserved. God says he's not pleased for you to even rejoice over the downfall of your enemy. You need to be careful about that. You yourself may stumble and fall as a result of gleefully observing somebody else's downfall. But not only should that side of it be viewed, but it also should bring joy to our heart when we see the workings of God in the display of his grace.

When mercy is bestowed, we ought to delight in it. I talked to a man a few years ago about the story of the prodigal son. He said, I've always had trouble with that. He said, every time I think about that prodigal sitting there at the father's table, it just galls me. That boy didn't deserve it.

I said, you certainly understood the lesson. He did not deserve it, but that's grace. That's grace. Now, if you see somebody that's undeserving sitting down at the banqueting table of God's love and God is favoring them and you can't rejoice in it, your heart's not tender. You look over here at somebody and say, well, why on earth is God blessing that person like he is? Because I can see so many reasons why he should not have blessed them. As a matter of fact, it would have been far better if he had dumped all those blessings on me rather than to bless them in such a way.

See, here's this stay-at-home brother saying, Father, I've been here all the time. You've never had a feast for me. This rotten brother of mine doesn't deserve all this. Why prepare banquet for him? He's done nothing but the wrong thing.

I've done the right thing. Why am I not entitled to more? That self-righteous boy did not have a tender heart. His heart was hardened by resentment, by jealousy. Do you have a problem sometimes? Being jealous of others?

Resenting what they have? You see, a tender heart rejoices. The father said it's a time of merrymaking. My son which was lost is found. We're going to have a feast.

It's a happy day. And when you see the mercy of God extended, you ought to rejoice in it. Now, a classic example of what we're talking about is found in the ministry of Jonah. You remember that the Lord had told Jonah to go and preach at Nineveh. And he made his own plans, bought passage on a ship down to Tarshish. He soon discovered, however, that doing what he wanted to do rather than following the clear direction of the Lord was not advisable. He's on the ship in a time of terrible storm and finally had to concede that he was the troublemaker and insisted that they cast him overboard saying that if they did not, the ship was not going to survive. They were reluctant to do it. These pagan mariners had more compassion than some people who professed to be followers of Christ. Somebody said, well, if you're the problem, good riddance, and tossed him overboard immediately.

But these men were reluctant to do it, but they finally did. But God had prepared a great fish, swallowed him up, and he rode around in the depths of the sea for three days and three nights and finally was spewed out on dry land and he came out shouting, Salvation is of the Lord, salvation is of the Lord. Sometimes it takes a rough ride in the depths of the sea to get people to be convinced that's the message, but brethren, when the Lord's finished with you, you come out a graduate of Jonah's college and say, salvation is of the Lord. The Lord has been my teacher.

He's shown me this indeed is a fact. So, Jonah finally arrives. A little late and a little wet, but he shows up and he preaches to repent, to repent, to repent. And you know what? They did. And you'd think, Jonah will be so excited about this.

Isn't this wonderful? God had said, if they don't repent, I'm going to destroy the city. And Jonah will surely say, praise God for a display of your grace. Not Jonah. Not Jonah. In the book of Jonah chapter 3 verse 10, it says, And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way. And God repented of the evil that he had said that he would do unto them, and he did it not.

Chapter 4 verse 1, But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. Here's a preacher that you'd think would be the most delighted man on earth. I preach one sermon and the whole city repented, but he's upset. He's angry. He was exceedingly mad. Very angry. And as he talks to the Lord, he says, Lord, that's the reason I didn't want to come here to start with.

I knew that you are a God of mercy. And I just was highly suspicious of the idea that if these people repented, that's what would happen. You would not judge them. And see, Jonah didn't like these people. These were pagans. These were corrupt people. In Jonah's book, they deserved judgment. And as a matter of fact, he didn't give up easily. He felt like if I stay around for a while, maybe God will judge them, and when the fire hits, I want to be here to watch it.

I want to see it when they burn. So he camps on the city limits out there, waiting to see if God will finally execute judgment. What a terrible spirit. He was wanting to dictate to God concerning the execution of judgment.

But God was more merciful than the prophet. Now, search your own heart. Do you have a tender heart? When God spares somebody, you look at them and you say, that person is headed for destruction. They're going to get it. I know it.

And somehow they're spared. Does that upset you? Do you have some trouble with that? He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone. No, never alone. He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone.

The world's fierce winds are blowing, temptations sharp and keen. I feel a peace in knowing my Savior stands between. He stands to shield me from danger when earthly friends are gone. He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone. No, never alone.

No, never alone. He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone. When in afflictions howling, I'm treading a road of care. My Savior helps me to carry my cross when heavy to bear.

My feet entangled with briars, ready to cast me down. My Savior whispers His promise, I never will leave Thee alone. No, never alone.

No, never alone. He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone. He died for me on the mountain, for me they pierced His side. For me He opened that fountain, the crimson cleansing tide.

For me He's waiting in glory, seated upon His throne. He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone. No, never alone.

No, never alone. He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone. Glad that you've been with us for the broadcast today. I encourage you to write and let us know that you've listened.

Our address is The Baptist Bible Hour, Box 17037, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. Now, until we greet you next time, this is LaSara Bradley, Jr., bidding you goodbye and may God bless you. I am my Savior, I'm happy and blessed. Watching and waiting, looking above.

Filled with this 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.