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

Will apply, and additional share. Bradley Junior welcoming you to one of the broadcast of the Baptist Bible. Our temperature with us today. The message proves to be a blessing. We like to hear from you and have you tell others that they can hear the program at the same time each day on this station. Our address is the Baptist Bible Auerbach 1737, Cincinnati, OH 45217 were 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 they need to build self-esteem and their children over the past months I have brought you a number of messages pointing out that the Scriptures clearly defined pride is a sin is often assumed that 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 hardhearted himself will we are focused on himself were concerned only of our own well-being were seeking our own pleasure would try to make a name for herself. This is pride and it is seen not the opposite of pride, of course, is humility in 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 will be defined as a hardened 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 with me to the book of second Chronicles chapter 34. In the latter part of the 26 verse and verse 27, we find reference to King Josiah. Second Chronicles 34 last part of verse 26 thus saith the Lord God of Israel concerning the words which thou hast heard verse 27 because Steinhardt was tender and Bowditch from the last self before God and when thou produced his words against this place and against the inhabitants thereof and published last self before me and it's written by close and we before me. I have even heard the. Also, saith the Lord, because thine heart was tender. God bless this king because he had a tender heart and my question to you today. Do you have a tender heart that we were talking about a tender heart.

As depicted in this text were 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 department is being hard so we must make the distinction between that which would be on the basis of pure sentimentality that person who is tenderhearted because they hear a sad song and they immediately moved to tears.

They are tenderhearted because they don't want any animals to suffer and symbols of ours not want any trees to be cut down and so person says that's a tender heart. But that's not what we're talking about in this text is not at the 36 chapter in the 11th verse to see if contrast between the description that is given here of Josiah and that which is given of Zedekiah second Chronicles 36 verse 11.

Zedekiah was one and 20 years old when he began to rain and reigned 11 years in Jerusalem and he did that which was evil in the side 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 onto the Lord God of Israel, Zedekiah stiffened his neck and hardened his heart, refusing to turn on the Lord.

In contrast, Josiah is described as having a tender heart and he indeed turned to the Lord and 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 rain and he reigned in Jerusalem one and 30 years. The first thing we learn about his rain is in the second verse and he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord and walked in the wages of David his father and declined neither to the right hand north of the left you see having a tender heart meant more than just being kind.

While certainly one with a tender heart would be expected to be trying, 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 side of the Lord so that he declined neither to the right hand or 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 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 daresay that many of us can see a good bit of wandering over the path that we have traveled. You can see times when you are veering to one side and then the time when you turned abruptly to the other, but this good key did not turn aside.

He followed the good example of King David of David is to 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 they in 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 your softhearted your touch my sad story. You're always ready to give to somebody that's in the 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 side of the Lord.

Verse three, four 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 raining when he's eight years old and in the eighth year of his reign is now 16 years old, these yet young. The text says, and he begins to seek after the Lord God of David his father and if you young people here today and say that you are following that course as did King Josiah. There many times it crosses your mind that you certainly want to. At some point in your life. Develop a deeper interest in religion. You have maybe applied yourself very diligently at this point you're not sure just where you stand. You been brought to church on your life but you say you're not going to dig some of these things out for myself.

I've� To determine where I stand what I believe but you put that off to some future time say when it's more convenient when I got my education behind when I 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 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. Maybe young children here today you teenagers you young people in your 20s. Some of you were 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 in 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 roles and the carved images and the molten images when he was 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 is time to take action say this isn't just a matter of the quiet faith and 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 am going to remove the high places and the girl was in the carved images in the molten images of the goal of those places that been designated as the place of worship to these false God and I'm going to destroy him I would 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 you know as long as these people are sincere in this thing.

I don't think I got any right to challenge.

I don't think I can judge, he said these idols are an affront to my God. There a violation because law and I'm in the tear them down. 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 items as a matter of fact, the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but spiritual to the pulling down strongholds. 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 Indians recognize that false gods are just that they are false gods.

They must not be respected. They must not be tolerated.

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 buddy idols the groves, the carved images says in the fifth verse that he broke the bones of the priest upon their altars and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.

He was interested in a time of cleansing the 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 is now 26 rather amazing stories in it that he starts out serving as King when he just eight years old, 2016. He is not elevated in pride, saying, look at me peace seeking God 20s 20 is not boasting about his accomplishments and he says it's time to clean house and tear down the idols and when is 26. He says it's time to repair the house of God and so he sends the man out there to make the necessary repairs and know that you are very familiar with that part of the story where is they began to clean the rubbish out that it 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 it passed it and then lost so many things had been allowed to accumulate so much rubbish was in its place that was not observable and didn't even see it in the same God.

I found the book of the law of the Lord in the house of God in shape and carried the book to the king. This, in 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 safe and the scribe told the king saying he'll try the priest have given me a book in shape and read it before the team so when the book was found. I didn't save my we need to put this in the museum so everybody can look at it periodically say we we got the oldest look around. The purpose of the book of God was that it might be read in the purpose of reading.

It wise to be obeyed season. 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 the stuff the insurance policy in there so you know where to get the case of emergency. The purpose of the work of God is to read it. Study the plot in your life. And so when they found the book it is time to read the 19th verse says that it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law that he rent his close when he affirmed the wording 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 close putting themselves in sackcloth and ashes was one of the signs of the old time as to a broken heart and repentance. The Lord told his people. At one point that they had put all the focus on that which was on the outside and he says I want you not to Ranger garment.

I want to arrange 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 soul Josiah was deeply affected by the reading of the word.

He was indeed distress and so a tender heart is a great blessing. It was shortly. So in the case of Josiah whether we would observe that a tender heart is in 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, but the book of Ezekiel chapter 11 Ezekiel chapter 11 of 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 an heart of flesh. Here's a present 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 with Vegas against the sovereign ruler of heaven and earth, but he said I want to take away that stony heart and I will give you a heart of flesh.

The heart of flesh is a heart think and 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 houses, lack 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 use the customer doing evil change do that which is good. The transformation comes not 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 would 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, this is God's promise I will.

I will be there God I will give them one heart to take away that stony heart and give them a heart of flesh. She says in the Psalms, thy people shall be willing of the day of thy power, so the grace of God go in nature, man is willing, God makes us willing back is grace. Now let's look at the New Testament reference Hebrews chapter 10, which connects with the two passages we just rent one for the book of Ezekiel and one from the book of Jeremiah and Hebrews chapter 10 the new 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 these are linked for. He says in Hebrews chapter 10 and the 15th verse choir for 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 that you say of 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 the whole understand A book of Hebrews. He is showing us the superiority of the covenant of grace over the covenant of the law telling us of those things were a shadow of good things to come, and in conjunction with the fact that he speaks of Christ's coming to the work of the father as he indicates in the ninth verse saying, then said he will come to Dubai. Will God stand by that which will we are sanctified through the offering of the blood of Jesus Christ once for all, it becomes perfectly clear that he is talking about the great provisions made in the everlasting covenant of grace for the redemption of these people saying therefore here's the covenant here's the covenant of grace. I will write my laws in their hearts and in their minds. When I write them and their sins and iniquities will I remember the Lord. Now that's good news to somebody who sees himself as a center you see you may remember your sins and others may remember your sins and remind you of them, but for the grace of God. He says I will remember them all the way 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. This is evidence of God's grace.

If you have a tender heart. It is a blessing.

Furthermore, because it is where the Lord dwells from the book of Isaiah chapter 57 reading of the 15th verse four thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabited eternity that the first part of this tax to see how God's greatness and glory and power is extolled. He say the high and lofty one, the one that the parties talk about our sovereign God, whose name is holy, I will dwell in the high and holy places that what we expect that this holy one will dwell in the holy place.

The success of Isaiah we get that picture that the prophets all the Lord, high and lifted up his train filled the temple and then gently cosigned holy holy holy, so we understand he dwells in the hydrophobic playing saw what didn't stop there with him also that is of a contrite fungal spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. Not only does this by holy God whale in the lofty places by key also dwells with that one that is of a contrite and a humble spirit if your apartment has been made tender by divine grace. Your spirit has been broken and you have been humbled. You are contrite because you are sensible of your sin. The promise of God is he dwells with you now. All indicated what is preaching at Mars Hill that it was impossible for man to build a temple that could contain the glory of God, but I wanted to do this because it's God's designed to do it because it's his pleasure and is according to the purpose of his grace he abides in the heart of the fumble and broken center so it would be enough just to feel that God would look tenderly upon me that God's mercy would look down in grace and compassion to think that the high, lofty one would dwell in my heart. That's what he say that's the good news of the gospel all how marvelous is his saving grace thankful you been with us for the broadcast. Today we need to hear from our listeners on a regular basis to sale of the stations. If you can help us.

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Our ox 17 oh 37, Cincinnati, OH 45217 weekly to next time, this is Sarah Bradley Junior bidding goodbye and may God bless you and a and will and in all