Sunday 11/05/17
Series: Doers of the Word
Message – Koinonia VIV: The Sensitive Heart
The Sensitive Heart
Why all this focus on koinonia? Mostly for two reasons…
- It is the only route to holiness… To doing which while it is our focus this year, it is always the best and soul of the Christian life to have a walk where we fully please Him.
- It is the plan, purpose, heart & dream of God to have a people to know and be known by.
A third but peripheral reason is because it is what you were made for and so it is the only path to true satisfaction and delight. The only full inner peace any human will ever know. A calm, settled delight which needs no external joys or comforts to be satisfied.
Psalm 37:10-11,
“10 For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more.
11 But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.”
Ps. 107
“(1) Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. (2) Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy, (3) And gathered out of the lands, From the east and from the west, From the north and from the south. (4) They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way; They found no city to dwell in. (5) Hungry and thirsty, Their soul fainted in them. (6) Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, And He delivered them out of their distresses. (7) And He led them forth by the right way, That they might go to a city for a dwelling place. (8) Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
(9) For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness. (10) Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, Bound in affliction and irons— (11) Because they rebelled against the words of God, And despised the counsel of the Most High, (12) Therefore He brought down their heart with labor; They fell down, and there was none to help. (13) Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses. (14) He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, And broke their chains in pieces. (15) Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
(16) For He has broken the gates of bronze, And cut the bars of iron in two. (17) Fools, because of their transgression, And because of their iniquities, were afflicted. (18) Their soul abhorred all manner of food, And they drew near to the gates of death. (19) Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses. (20) He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions. (21) Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
(22) Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, And declare His works with rejoicing. (23) Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on great waters, (24) They see the works of the LORD, And His wonders in the deep. (25) For He commands and raises the stormy wind, Which lifts up the waves of the sea. (26) They mount up to the heavens, They go down again to the depths; Their soul melts because of trouble. (27) They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, And are at their wits’ end. (28) Then they cry out to the LORD in their trouble, And He brings them out of their distresses. (29) He calms the storm, So that its waves are still. (30) Then they are glad because they are quiet; So He guides them to their desired haven. (31) Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
(32) Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people, And praise Him in the company of the elders. (33) He turns rivers into a wilderness, And the watersprings into dry ground; (34) A fruitful land into barrenness, For the wickedness of those who dwell in it. (35) He turns a wilderness into pools of water, And dry land into watersprings. (36) There He makes the hungry dwell, That they may establish a city for a dwelling place, (37) And sow fields and plant vineyards, That they may yield a fruitful harvest. (38) He also blesses them, and they multiply greatly; And He does not let their cattle decrease. (39) When they are diminished and brought low Through oppression, affliction and sorrow, (40) He pours contempt on princes, And causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way; (41) Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction, And makes their families like a flock. (42) The righteous see it and rejoice, And all iniquity stops its mouth.
(43) Whoever is wise will observe these things, And they will understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.”
This topic of a hard or sensitive heart is really an companion teaching to the parable of the soils. A hardened or sensitive heart is the result of our response to the seed of God’s Word sown there.
James addresses this as well…turn to James 1:2
James 1:2-4, “(2) My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, (3) knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. (4) But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
James 1:12-18, “(12) Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. (13) Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. (14) But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. (15) Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. (16) Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. (17) Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. (18) Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.”
So what is the FIRST step in keeping our hearts sensitive? Listen, incline your ear AND your heart to His Words!
Be mold-able & pliable – DO NOT RESIST HIM!
Let me ask you a question…What is God’s ultimate purpose in speaking His Word to our hearts in the first place?
Remember one of our favorite quotes from Paul in here is, “You can do NOTHING against the truth.” And so even our disobedience to His Word reveals His purposes in giving it in the first place BY what that disobedience produces. The human heart will ALWAYS respond to God’s Word! It IS soil and it WILL ALWAYS PREACH the truth about God – it cannot help itself.
When we tell a child to NOT put their hands on the stove burners when they are hot and they do it anyway – what happens to them?
You see, the burn they receive “PREACHES” the truth of our words in tangible terms!
Briars, thorns & thistles
Remember reading Romans 1?
What were some of the things which resulted from rejecting God’s word – what “HARVEST” did they reap from their rejection?
- Their thoughts grew worthless and perverse
- Their hearts grew foolish and were darkened
- They claimed wisdom while becoming fools
- On a video a man asked, “If God doesn’t exist why are you spending your career fighting against this non – existing God? The audience and the FB/YouTube applauding of the rant of an atheist, was disheartening. His rant demonstrated his total irresponsibility concerning the subject because it revealed that he didn’t even know what it is that he is fighting against. What was even more disheartening was that No one countered him (at least in the video) If any Christian there had been familiar with their own Bible they could have counted and derailed his justifications for fighting Christians entirely. He claimed Christians and other religions were obsessed with death and the end of the world…
- They became slaves to uncleanness and vile passions for which they could no longer control their lust.
- Through the actions of their bodies they dishonored themselves
- They became the slaves of sexually distorted activities so unnatural that they filled themselves with shame and dishonor.
- Their minds become dull and slow to common sense and could no longer even tell the difference between simple right and wrong.
- Filled to the full with all unrighteousness, sexual immoral behavior, full of envy, strife, deceit, hatred, whisperers and back-biters, violent, proud, boasters, undiscerning, unforgiving, unloving, unmerciful and completely untrustworthy.
In other words it produced the OPPOSITE of the character of God!
What did we just read in James?
James 1:12-18, “(12) Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. (13) Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. (14) But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. (15) Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. (16) Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. (17) Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. (18) Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.”
So what is the cure and how is it connected with being a doer of the Word?
Do you remember my question of…What is God’s ultimate purpose in speaking His Word to our hearts in the first place? Well, I might as well have asked, “What is the purpose of being a Doer?”
To bear HIS image to share in HIS likeness!
SO DO NOT RESIST!
One of the most impassioned speeches in all of scripture is found in Acts 7, which tells us of Stephen’s confrontation of the High Priest and the Jewish counsel who had agreed to the crucifixion of Jesus…He said, “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of Whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.“
Turn to 2Tim. 3, (Tell me what this list sounds like?)
“(1) But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: (2) For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, (3) unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, (4) traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, (5) having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! (6) For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, (7) always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. (8) Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; (9) but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was. (10) But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, (11) persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra—what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. (12) Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. (13) But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. (14) But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, (15) and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. (16) All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, (17) that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
So HOW do I become sensitive enough to listen, obey, hear, heed and keep His words?
There is NO substitute for falling in love.
Tell me some NATURAL things people do who fall in and stay in love?
So how is it any different with God?
There is arguably NOTHING more important than a QUICK and WHOLEHEARTED Response to Him….
1Cor. 2:9-12,
“(9) But, on the contrary, as the Scripture says, What eye has not seen and ear has not heard and has not entered into the heart of man, [all that] God has prepared (made and keeps ready) for those who love Him [who hold Him in affectionate reverence, promptly obeying Him and gratefully recognizing the benefits He has bestowed]. [Isa. 64:4; 65:17.] (10) Yet to us God has unveiled and revealed them by and through His Spirit, for the [Holy] Spirit searches diligently, exploring and examining everything, even sounding the profound and bottomless things of God [the divine counsels and things hidden and beyond man’s scrutiny]. (11) For what person perceives (knows and understands) what passes through a man’s thoughts except the man’s own spirit within him? Just so no one discerns (comes to know and comprehend) the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. (12) Now we have not received the spirit [that belongs to] the world, but the [Holy] Spirit Who is from God, [given to us] that we might realize and comprehend and appreciate the gifts [of divine favor and blessing so freely and lavishly] bestowed on us by God.”
We will pick up here next week…Blessings!
I hope this teaching will challenge you and encourage you to place your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
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Blessings!
