SERMON V. Use
Treasure this disposition of your heart, and when you see others with hard and stubborn hearts, bless God who has given you such a heart that only requires a little to respond.
SERMON V.
Use "Because thine heart was tender" - 2 Kings 22:19
There are a couple of remaining uses of the point, and then we will briefly move on to the other, so that we can make some progress towards the main point in the text.
Use: When God's time comes, a little will work upon the heart. Now, here is a rebuke to the stubbornness of the hearts of most people who resist even great influences; it is not just a hint of something that will affect them. How many can be rebuked from this? I say, those who have resisted great efforts to impact them. Perhaps many of you have had godly parents who have laboured with all their power to show you the evil of your ways. They have offered admonitions, counsel, and exhortations, but none of it has worked. Maybe you have been in other households where you could have found encouragement, but that has done nothing for you. You have been exposed to powerful preaching, hearing messages that could have made even a devil tremble. You have heard the terrors of the law, but they have had no effect. Moreover, you have heard about the heart-melting mercies of Christ that could have softened even the hardest heart, yet they have not worked on you. God's providence has been at work in your life; you have faced chastisement from God, but that has not impacted you. You have received countless mercies, yet they have not moved you. Conscience itself has been set upon you, terrifying you and
bringing you before the judgment seat of God, pleading against you for your sins, but it has done nothing. Despite all these means, you continue to be like a rock in the midst of flowing water—while the water passes by, the rock remains unmoved. Oh, how far is your heart from the heart of King Josiah, who upon hearing a few old papers had his heart immediately melted before the Lord and humbled himself. Well, for you whose hearts are so resistant that it takes so much effort to impact them, know that,
First, know that those things which have not had any impact on you are the very things for which many in heaven are now blessing God.
They have experienced the good of them, while you have attended to the Word and it has passed by you without touching your heart. But there are many in heaven who are grateful that they were hearing the Word at that time, even if you did not benefit from it.
Understand that this disposition, where one means must be used after another to reach your heart, is wearisome to the Spirit of God.
We know how tiresome it is for us, especially when we speak to people for their own good and they refuse to be persuaded. Realize that you have a heart with a disposition that is burdensome to God.
When God speaks to you for your own good, so much effort and commotion are required before anything can have an effect on you.
And then, know this:
Secondly, it is a dangerous sign of being reprobate if abundant means do not impact you. You are far from the disposition of the person described in the text. A famous passage regarding this is found in Jeremiah 6:29-30. It speaks of bellows being burnt and lead being consumed by fire, while the refiner's attempts are in vain because the wicked are not removed. They are likened to silver that the refiner desires to melt and purify, but despite blowing the bellows and intensifying the fire, the lead is consumed and no progress is made. The refiner's efforts are in vain. Their hearts are compared to the type of metal that refuses to melt. As a result, they are called reprobate silver because the Lord has rejected them.
Eventually, the Lord rejects hearts like these that require so much effort to work on. Therefore, my brethren, strive to have a disposition of heart where a little will have an impact on you. Remember this text. When we consider the greatness of the God we are dealing with, we must recognize that even the slightest hint of His will should prevail with us, even if it is just a word.
And know, it is a mercy from God that you have even a hint of His will, that you have any word to reveal His mind concerning the good of your soul.
First, God expects you to grasp every hint. Perhaps when a minister casually drops a word that closely concerns your soul, even if it is not the main topic of his preaching, the Lord expects you to seize upon it and not rest until your heart is affected by it. In 1 Kings 20, there is a mention of the servants of Ben-Hadad diligently observing whether anything would come from their master and eagerly catching it.
Similarly, when we come to the Word, we should approach the great King of Heaven and Earth for our lives. We should diligently observe whether God speaks anything to our hearts and swiftly seize upon it.
Blessed are those whose hearts are moved by even a little. While God may use great means for the good of some, for others, if a little is not enough, they will never be moved.
The next point is about Josiah. When he heard the Book of the Law being read, his heart was immediately turned, unlike Felix who said,
"I will hear more about this another time." Josiah yielded right away.
From this, the point is clear: It is highly pleasing to God when the souls of people promptly relent, yield, and humble themselves as soon as they hear God's displeasure being expressed against them.
Sometimes, God is pleased to implant a truth in the heart that does not immediately take effect, but remains there for a long time, perhaps for days, weeks, months, or even years. I have known some who were moved by the Word as they were hearing it, but the Lord implanted it in their consciences, and it only took effect when they
were on their sickbeds. Similarly, there are admonitions and exhortations given to people that may not stir them immediately, but later on, God may bless them and bring about a response. It is like the seed cast into the ground that does not sprout immediately if a drought follows, but when rain comes, it springs up when you thought it had died. The same applies to the seed of the Word. We sow it, and during a period of prosperity, we may think it has died, but later on, when God sends afflictions, the Word springs up. It is a good thing that the Word of God can work in the hearts of men and women at any time. However, it is more pleasing to God when the heart yields immediately upon the first hearing. This was the case with David. In 2 Samuel 12:12, when the prophet Nathan came to tell
David about his sin, David humbled himself before the Lord immediately upon receiving Nathan's message. He did not ask
Nathan to leave and consider it later; instead, he confessed, "I have sinned against the Lord." He recognized his wrongdoing and felt deep remorse before the Lord, exclaiming, "What shall I do?"
And so, as we see in Acts 2, while they were listening, their hearts were pricked before they even left the presence of God. The mere sound of the Word was enough to penetrate their hearts. When the Lord is pleased to work in the hearts of His people, His Word has an immediate effect. The Lord can open the heart when He sets the key to it. Many hearts are like rusty locks that require a lot of effort to open, especially if the key is not the right one or if it doesn't fit every ward. However, when the key fits perfectly and every ward is aligned, even a child can turn it with a single finger. Sometimes the Lord speaks His Word in such a way that it fits perfectly into the hearts of those who are like rusty locks. There may be objections and barriers in their hearts, but when the Lord directs His Word to them, the key fits perfectly, and their hearts open instantly. In an instant, the heart of a person who has been closed off to God throughout their life is opened.
There are several reasons why the hearts of people should open and yield to God immediately.
Firstly, it is because of the submission that creatures owe to God.
Just as you expect your children to yield to you promptly, it is not enough if they yield to you after many punishments and words. A stubborn child is one who takes a long time to yield. However, when a child yields to you immediately, it pleases you. Likewise, the Lord expects us to yield to Him promptly, without prolonging our resistance or requiring many arguments and admonitions. We should come in and yield to Him without delay.
Secondly, yielding to God immediately prevents a great deal of evil.
When a person promptly yields to God, it prevents them from engaging in numerous sins. Even if the Lord, in His infinite mercy, eventually converts those who have resisted Him, one must reflect on the abundance of evil committed during the time of resistance. If one looks back at their past, they may realise that God had been stirring their hearts before. They may ask themselves, "Didn't I hear the word of the Lord before? How much better it would have been if I had yielded to Him from the beginning!" By resisting, one has allowed a multitude of sins to accumulate since that time.
I should have explained what it is in God's word that causes a soul to yield to Him immediately. However, I will briefly move on to the application of this principle.
Application:
Therefore, first and foremost, it can serve as a consolation to those whose hearts have yielded to God immediately. I hope there are some among you whose hearts, like Lydia's, have been receptive to the key of God's word, and upon hearing it for the first time, your hearts surrendered before the Lord. How great a comfort can you find in this! You can honestly declare before the Lord, "It is true, there was a time when I lived in blindness, ignorance, profanity, and ungodliness. But blessed be God, ever since He revealed His will to me, my heart has yielded to Him." Can you say this? Oh, what a blessed thing it would be if many of you could say, "Lord, indeed, in
the days of my ignorance, I lived a profane and ungodly life because I didn't know any better. But as soon as You made Your truth known to me, my heart surrendered and yielded to You."
There are many individuals whom God is currently working on, and they are now seeking God's mercy. However, they face the temptation that they have resisted God for so long. This temptation weighs heavily on them, and they would give anything to be free from it. But you have been delivered from such a temptation. Blessed are you who yield immediately to the Word of God. In Revelation 4:1,
John describes hearing a voice like a trumpet speaking to him. Then, in the second verse, he says, "Immediately I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne was set in Heaven..."
Have you ever heard the voice of the Word like a trumpet, and can you say, "Immediately I was in the Spirit" or "Immediately the Spirit was in me"? I say, peace be with you in this matter. For this is highly pleasing to the Lord, and it is a sign of a genuine spirit. And know that the Lord will be as present in the ways of mercy towards you as you are present in hearing Him. If you are immediately moved upon hearing the Word, and I stress the word "immediately," the Lord will be present in His mercy towards you. He will be just as quick to do you good as you are to yield obedience to Him. Therefore, those who have this kind of response can expect comfort sooner than others.
Many people remain under the terrors of the law for a long time.
Why? Because the Lord deals with them in the same way they dealt with Him. God may have been calling upon you for many years before you hearkened to Him. So, considering that you made God wait for so long and did not come to Him, you may be willing to wait for comfort.
Now, for you young ones, if you come in immediately upon the very first realization of the dangerous condition you are in, I tell you that you may find comfort very soon. The Lord heard at the beginning of Daniel's supplication. The Lord would not delay His mercy towards
Daniel.
However, there are many who need to be rebuked from this point, as they resist God and do not come and yield immediately. Just like the others, a little thing will not affect them; much effort is required. So, whether it is a little or a lot, they are not presently moved.
Well, know that every time God speaks to you and your heart is not touched, you are missing an opportunity for eternal life. Yes, it is a significant opportunity, and your eternal life is lost every time God speaks to you and you do not yield to Him. Isn't that a great loss?
Secondly, know this: If you don't yield at first upon hearing the Word, it is less likely that you will yield later. If the corn doesn't sprout and rise within a certain time, it will never rise. Similarly, if the heart resists for too long, it may be too late for the Word to work on it.
Furthermore, understand this: if you persistently resist God, even if God doesn't eventually work on you, you will have much more trouble in your heart and conscience. Just like an old wound, the healing process is more troublesome. Therefore, I urge the Lord to work on your hearts immediately. And this is an exhortation from God: when you hear His Word, embrace it immediately and yield to it without delay. Whatever truth you hear, be convinced of it; whatever admonition you hear, embrace it right away.
First, what will be true in the future is true now. And each of you will wish in the future that you had yielded and submitted to the Word. If you will wish for it in the future, then there is a reason to do it now.
Oh, how true the Word will be when you come to your sick bed and death bed. It is true now.
Secondly, as far as you know, whatever God speaks to your heart, He speaks to you as if it were the last time. The very first speaking may be the last, as far as you know. Sometimes it may be different, but you cannot make any promises, so yield to the Word immediately.
Thirdly, God may place you in a condition where if He doesn't grant mercy to your soul immediately, you are eternally lost. Sinners often find themselves in such a condition, where eternity hangs on the present moment. You may be put in a situation where either God must hear you immediately, or you are lost forever. Therefore, be willing to listen to God.
Lastly, consider the infinite patience of God thus far, as you have resisted for so long. Hasn't God spared your life? Oh, then you must be cautious about resisting any longer.
Yes, how often have you listened to temptations? They come to wickedness and you readily embrace them. So, when the Word comes close to your heart and speaks to your conscience, why can't you embrace it as well? Oh, when the Word comes near, especially so close that you can't deny that the Lord intended it for you this day, don't resist any longer, but yield and submit to Him immediately.
But Lord, I have resisted for a long time. What should I do?
It is a dreadful evil, and you should be willing to endure much because you have resisted for so long. Yes, but what if God were to speak one word to you now? What is your resolution? I ask this of the conscience of each person in this congregation: if God were to speak something today that specifically concerns you, are you resolved in your heart to fall down before Him, yield, and submit? If you were to hear any threat in God's Word against your sin, are you now resolved, to the best of your ability, to renounce that sin? I ask you, will you do this, yes or no? What answer would you give to God if He were to speak today (since I have come by His providence) something from His Word that condemns my sin? I am resolved today, without further delay until sickness or death-bed, to do what I can, with God enabling me, to renounce those things that the Word of God condemns. Do you have such a resolution?
I would like to present some Scriptures, especially to those of you who are most ignorant, although some of you may already be familiar with them. Whether you know them or not, I will now present them in the name of God to those who have lived in these sins to this day and have not been humbled before God upon hearing the Word that I am about to speak to you.
Consider the Scripture in Romans 1:18. Pay attention to what God is saying to your soul now: "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth." This is the Word of God to you today. Doesn't your conscience tell you that there are ways of ungodliness and unrighteousness in which you live? Now God from heaven tells you that His wrath is revealed against your soul if you do not repent. Oh, hear this word and let your soul be humbled and repent before God. And you, who hold the truth of God in unrighteousness, that is, you who have convicted consciences and yet go against them, you are the ones who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, and the wrath of God from heaven is revealed against you.
Now, let's specifically address the sin of swearing. Consider these two tests of Scripture and see if your hearts will yield to them. In Jeremiah 23:10, it is written: "For the land is full of adulterers; because of the curse the land mourns." We know that the land mourns today, and if you want to know the cause, you can attribute it to this fact: the Scripture says that because of swearing, the land mourns. Yes, because of your oaths, they are part of the cause of all the misery in the kingdom today. The Lord tells you this, and if your heart were tender, you would humble yourself before the Lord because of this and go away with a resolved heart against your sin.
And in that passage in Zechariah 5:3, it condemns not only the sin of stealing but also the sin of swearing. Then he said to me, "This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole land. For everyone who steals shall be cleaned out according to what is on one side, and
everyone who swears falsely shall be cleaned out according to what is on the other side." Here is a large flying scroll, twenty cubits in length and ten cubits in width, and this flying scroll represents the curse that goes out over the face of the whole land for everyone who steals and everyone who swears falsely. Oh, this word now has as much power to work on your heart as the word that affected Josiah.
Are you resolved against these sins or not? This is what God declares to you today. Therefore, if your heart is tender, you will go home and humble your soul before God in your private place because of your sin.
And concerning the sin of Sabbath-breaking, in Ezekiel 20:13 (I want to test whether it may have an effect on some of your hearts today), it is written: "But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They did not walk in my statutes but rejected my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live; and my Sabbaths they greatly profaned." Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them in the wilderness, to make an end of them. This is what God renews to you today. You are either resolved to continue in the practice of breaking God's Sabbaths or not. If you are resolved, this is the text that concerns you, and you should expect that it will be fulfilled upon you, that the Lord will pour out His wrath upon you to bring about your destruction. But when you hear this text, if your heart falls and yields, and you are humbled before the Lord, oh, that is good and right. The word has achieved its intended result. Surely, if Josiah had heard a word like this, his heart would have melted.
And now, concerning the sin of sexual immorality, I will share with you two passages from God's Word. They are dreadful ones, and I believe Josiah never heard such words read to him as I will read to you against this sin. The first is from Proverbs 22:14. "The mouth of forbidden women is a deep pit; he with whom the LORD is angry will fall into it." Here is a passage for all those wicked individuals who are enticed by the words of forbidden women. Take heed to what God is saying to your soul today. The person who is abhorred by God will fall into this pit. What a dreadful statement! Can anyone speak more
dreadfully than this, that the one who is abhorred by God will fall into the pit of sexual immorality? And how many of you have fallen into that pit! Either you must acknowledge the Word of God or not.
If not, you are atheists. And if this is not God's Word, then there is nothing in God's Word that you can rely on for your salvation. What do you rest upon for salvation if not on the Word? And if you rest upon any part of it, why not on this? Certainly, there is as much authority and power in this passage to humble as there is to save.
And in the name of God, I do not merely read it but speak it to you from God's Word: the person who is abhorred by God will fall into the pit of sexual immorality. Now, you must decide whether to go away with a resolution to disregard or neglect the Word, or to continue in your sinful ways, or to be humbled before God because of the evil that God's Word so dreadfully speaks against. It would be a dreadful thing if anyone in this congregation were to leave with either a disregard for or a resolve to continue in their sinful ways.
Oh, may the Lord accompany the reading of this passage to you as He did when the book was read to Josiah, so that the Lord may find a soul who will fall down and tremble before Him this day and give
Him glory!
The other scripture is found in 2 Peter 2:9-10. "The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority." The Lord knows how to keep all wicked individuals for the day of judgment, but especially those who indulge in the desires of the flesh and engage in immoral actions. Now, some of you may dismiss this and say that you have not been flagrantly wicked in the actual sin of sexual immorality. But pay attention to the Word of the Lord in Romans 8:13. "For if you live according to the flesh, you will die."
That is, you will perish eternally. If you find your comforts in gratifying the desires of the flesh, even if not in such wicked ways of sexual immorality, you will face eternal death.
However, despite all this, some may still leave guilty and hardened in their sin as they came. Therefore, I will read one more scripture to you, found in Deuteronomy 29:19-20. "One who, when he hears the words of this sworn covenant, blesses himself in his heart, saying, 'I shall be safe, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.' This will lead to the sweeping away of moist and dry alike. The LORD will not be willing to forgive him, but rather the anger of the LORD and his jealousy will smoke against that man, and the curses written in this book will settle upon him, and the LORD will blot out his name from under heaven." For those who still bless themselves in their wickedness and say, "Despite what the minister says, I will be at peace," oh, may the Lord impress this word upon you. I read it specifically because I fear that many in this place never read
Scripture in their families. Therefore, I desire that they may encounter such scripture passages in this ordained gathering.
Perhaps this very passage was one of the texts read to Josiah. Now you hear it read again. May the Lord bless these few sentences of scripture that are read to you from His Word, so that you may leave with tender hearts, humbled before the Lord, and resolved against your sin. But let us move on to the next point, which is that a tender heart is highly pleasing to God, for "because your heart was tender."
This is what I had planned to spend most of the time on: what the Scripture refers to as a tender heart. It is also called by other names elsewhere, such as a contrite heart, a broken heart, but especially what we find in Ezekiel as a heart of flesh. This is exactly the same thing. David is described as a man after God's own heart, and this is particularly because he had a very tender and easily moved heart.
Now, in discussing this point, I will first try to explain what a tender heart is. This can be done in two ways: by describing its characteristics and by highlighting the difference between a tender heart and mere emotional sensitivity, temporary reactions to the Word, or the fear brought by the Law. However, this may be better addressed in the application.
For now, let us focus on understanding the true essence of a tender heart, and then we will explore its preciousness—how highly esteemed it is by God and how God reveals His remarkable acceptance of a tender heart.
According to the philosophers, a soft thing is one that easily yields to touch, while a hard thing resists touch with great effort. So, here is the first point: a tender heart is one that readily yields to God, it responds to God's touch. Just as wool easily gives way when you touch it, whereas a stone does not yield, or as flesh yields when touched but iron does not, a heart that yields to God is soft and tender. On the other hand, a heart that resists God is hard. When a person readily yields to the touch of God's Word, they are easily convinced by it and do not object to it. Their conscience easily acknowledges and applies the Word to themselves, and their will humbly submits to the Word. Even if their heart had previously pursued wickedness, when the Word confronts it, their will surrenders to God's Word. Such a soul says, "Let God's Word prevail, not my will." And the affections also surrender to the Word of God.
This is a sign of a tender heart.
Yes, not only does a tender heart yield to God, but it also yields to others. The tenderness of heart is revealed in one's readiness to yield to others. If there is anything that justifiably offends their brothers and sisters, they willingly yield. They do not stubbornly hold on to anything to satisfy their own will, but if they recognize that it may legitimately offend others, they yield.
Secondly, a tender heart is characterized by sensitivity. It is a heart that is keenly aware and responsive. Just as the flesh feels it when pricked with a pin, a heart of flesh is sensitive to what is said to it. It is aware of God's displeasure. The thought of incurring God's displeasure deeply affects the heart, for it recognizes the weightiness of God's disapproval.
And it is aware of its own wretchedness and vileness, to the point of even despising itself before the Lord. It is sensitive to the Word, deeply responsive to it. Indeed, it is so sensitive to anything from God, any manifestation of His displeasure, and to its own sin or what the Word declares, that it becomes overwhelmed before God. There is no worldly comfort that can prevent it from faltering. A tender heart is not simply about being susceptible to a certain extent, but about being so acutely sensitive that it would undoubtedly faint under the weight of God's displeasure if God Himself did not come in to support and aid that soul. This is why in Deuteronomy 20:3, the word translated as "a fainting heart" is the same word used in my text, "let not your hearts be made tender or faint." This is the true tenderness, when there is such a tenderness of heart, such sensitivity to God's displeasure and one's own wretchedness, and to the Word, that it would faint before the Lord if the Lord did not uphold it by His Spirit.
Moreover, it is also sensitive to all of God's mercies, aware of its own unfaithfulness towards God, and appreciative of all the kindness it receives from Him. The kindness of God breaks this heart and melts it. It is like the sun shining upon ice, causing it to thaw. Similarly, the beams of God's mercy continually melt the heart of someone with such a tender disposition as we are discussing. A person who is less affected is less afflicted, indicating a hard heart. But a heart that is soft and tender is not only affected by its own sin and God's displeasure, but also by God's mercy. The heart melts in response to the apprehension of both mercy and sin.
Likewise, it is highly aware of the suffering of others. Why should our brethren be in a more difficult situation than we are? We are just as unworthy as they are. Tender hearts reason in this way, and their hearts even melt before God when they grasp the suffering of others.
They find it astonishing that they, who are so undeserving, should enjoy peace, freedom, and comfort while their brethren endure such hardships. But hard-hearted individuals do not care; as long as they
can be comfortable and have their needs met, they are indifferent.
However, a tender heart is a sensitive heart. Furthermore, a tender heart is both yielding and discerning without causing a commotion.
It does not make a fuss. This is true tenderness and the melting of the heart. You know that something tender yields, and flesh is sensitive. Metals melt and yield, and they do so silently; they make no noise. Similarly, a truly tender and melting heart is highly receptive to God and acutely aware of its own sin without making a clamour. Those men and women who are humbled by their sin and cause a disturbance in the family where they live, behaving in a violent manner, are not exhibiting genuine Gospel tenderness. This is not the true melting of the spirit. When you throw something into the fire, it creates a lot of noise as soon as it feels the heat. However, when metal feels the heat of the fire, it simply falls down and yields without making any noise. Likewise, when God makes a truly tender and melting heart sensitive to sin, it is so profoundly sensitive that it does not make a great noise but handles things quietly.
You might ask, "How can we remain calm when we perceive so much danger due to our sin?"
Yes, my brethren, this is the mystery of godliness in true Gospel humility. Keep this in mind, those of you who do not yet comprehend it, and remember it for those times when the Lord affects your hearts regarding your sin.
And then, fourthly, it is a heart that is receptive to any impression from God, or can be moulded into any shape that God desires. Just like melting a piece of wax allows you to create any desired impression on it, but trying to put a seal on a stone will not leave any mark. Only tender things can take an impression.
So, a tender heart is present before the Lord and is ready to receive any stamp that the Word of God puts upon it. Whatever holiness is in God's Word, according to its capacity, it leaves an imprint on the heart. After hearing the Word, the truths are clearly visible in the