Sermon
Notes & Quotes
Taking People to Jesus - The Need for a Savior
Romans 10:12-14
2 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Joel 2)
14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
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More and more I see Christians incensed when the world mocks us and our faith. But we seem to have no trouble disparaging others with whom we disagree, whether it’s for their position on the environment or economics, guns or gays. Meanwhile, we unnecessarily disenfranchise unbelievers by becoming ardent apologists for relatively unimportant opinions, such as our preferred diet or sports team. But, at the same time, we somehow lack an authoritative voice on far weightier matters. Few of us would ever risk offending someone by actually proclaiming the good news of Christ. Instead, we’ll only passively or reluctantly share the gospel provided someone else is inclined to listen. (21–22)
(Elliot Clark’s book Evangelism as Exiles: Life on Mission as Strangers in Our Own Land)
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Matthew 28:
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Romans 3:22-24
22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
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Romans 3:9
9 What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin.
All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
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Romans 3:23
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Stop there for a moment. Consider what Paul is owning. He didn’t “get it” or have an advantage because he was a Jew. He chased Christians, persecuting them because Paul at one point believed that the law saved you. He was the best Jew if there was an award for being an obedient Israelite. He would have been A plus, star pupil. Here is how he described himself at that point in his life.
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Philippians 3:5-6
5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.
David says:
so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge.
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There was an interview done in 2015 of a very prominent, self-proclaimed Christian who said these words:
“People are so shocked when they find … out I am Protestant. I am Presbyterian. And I go to church and I love God and I love my church,” he said.
The interviewer then asked the person if they had ever asked God for forgiveness of their sins. Here was their response.
“I am not sure I have. I just go on and try to do a better job from there. I don’t think so,” he said. “I think if I do something wrong, I think, I just try and make it right. I don’t bring God into that picture. I don’t.”
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Rome 3:10-18
10 As it is written:
“There is no one righteous, not even one;
11 there is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks God.
12 All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.” (Psalms 14:1-3; 53:1-3; Eccles. 7:20)
13 “Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit.”(Psalm 5:9)
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.” (Psalm 140:3)
14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” (Psalm 10:7
Note in Bible says (see Septuagint)
δÏŒλου – fraud for oppression - וָתֹ֑ךְ
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 ruin and misery mark their ways,
17 and the way of peace they do not know.” (Isaiah 59:7,8)
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Psalm 36:1)
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Romans 3:19-20
19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.
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Romans 3:22-24
22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
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Stephanie Allen
Taking People to Jesus: God’s Faithfulness
Romans 3; Isaiah 25
Psalm 37
25 I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.
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There is another part of that Guerra song (I See the Birds) that has really spoken to me of late -
“so won’t you teach me how I mean more to you than them...”
I see the birds up in the air
I know you feed them
I know you care
So won't you teach me
How I mean more to you than them
In times of trouble
Be my help again
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Romans 1:17
17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,[e] just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
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Isaiah 25:1
Lord, you are my God;
I will exalt you and praise your name,
for in perfect faithfulness
you have done wonderful things,
things planned long ago.
“For in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago.”
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Romans 3:3-4
3 What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? 4 Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar.
Numbers 23:19
19 God is not human, that he should lie,
not a human being, that he should change his mind.
Does he speak and then not act?
Does he promise and not fulfill?
Titus 1:2
2 in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time,
Hebrews 6:18
18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged.
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Romans 3:1-2
What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? 2 Much in every way! First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God.
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Romans 2:14-15
14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.)
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Follow that through - what words have Jews been entrusted with?
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Isaiah 25:6b-8
On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare
a feast of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—
the best of meats and the finest of wines.
7 On this mountain he will destroy
the shroud that enfolds all peoples,
the sheet that covers all nations;
8 he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears
from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace
from all the earth.
The Lord has spoken. (in case you were confused who said it)
Romans 3:5-8
5 But if our unrighteousness brings out God’s righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.) 6 Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world? 7 Someone might argue, “If my falsehood enhances God’s truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?” 8 Why not say—as some slanderously claim that we say—“Let us do evil that good may result”? Their condemnation is just!
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Romans 3:4
4 Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written:
“So that you may be proved right when you speak
and prevail when you judge.”
“So that you may be proved right when you speak
and prevail when you judge.”
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2 Peter 3:9
9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
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Stephanie Allen
Taking People to Jesus: Circumcised Heart
Romans 2:14-15; 25-28 & Ezekiel 3
​We have sung a song by Jon Guerra recently (I See the Birds), he wrote a song entitled “Citizen”. Here are the opening words:
I have a heart full of questions
Quieting all my suggestions
What is the meaning of Christian
In this American life?
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Two weeks ago, we had the Super Bowl. Along with the hoopla that surrounds such an event came a little more controversy in the half time show. What was really interesting is when the entertainer was announced, very quickly, loud Christians said we must have an alternative. And the alternative was born: Kid Rock instead of Bad Bunny. At no point did anyone stop and actually ask “what is an actual alternative to anything in this world”? Stop and think about that for a moment. I already have an alternative. You already have an alternative. It isn’t Kid Rock – it's Jesus.
John 14:
25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
I don’t want to be cheesy here, but when did we get to the point that discipleship, when following Jesus is a series of swap outs in this world? Never mind that the Super Bowl is the highest sex traffic event yearly on US soil. Nor do we care that gambling at the Super Bowl is an actual industry. Those we don’t mind, but we take umbrage at the bunny.
There is no shortage of supply of people who will reduce your relationship with Christ to a bunch of things we do when we are Christians. I grew up going to a Christian school. I heard repeatedly about the length of our skirts, what music to listen to and how to enmesh oneself in purity culture. But where is that stuff in the Bible? Oh wait, I know, it is the Pharisees. It is when we think what we do makes us good.
Matthew 23:27-28
27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
Yozer! When you would walk into Jerusalem for Passover, the tombs would be whitewashed to look good on the outside for the onslaught of the tourists. Hundreds of thousands would come into Jerusalem. Who would care if the tombs are dirty? They are tombs, but Jesus’ point is all the outside does is cover what is inside it doesn’t CHANGE the insides. It is always wise to consider what we do and why we do it, but why are we letting a 500 million dollar think tank tell us we need an alternative? Why wouldn’t we leave that up to God? Being a disciple is a not following a list of socially acceptable past times and activities. It isn’t about only listening to “Christian music” or appearing a certain way. All the doing still comes out of our heart.
By the time we get to sin, it can feel like this thing we always have to watch out for. Man, there is no shortage of people who will define for you what sin is, but again, we have that definition from God. And God says, long before we step out on our spouse, long before we lied, long before we had hatred in our heart for that person, long before we did the thing we know we are not supposed to do – long before any of that we let our heart lose sight of its first love: God.
Once again,
Proverbs 4:23
23 Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.
We are to guard our heart because long before we ever DO anything; our heart is already turned to something else. Christ connects that in His teaching. Hear the words of Christ.
Luke 6:45
45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.
Listening to Bad Bunny or Kid Rock doesn’t make you anything. Always seek God what you should do. Lord, is this appropriate for me? Great question, but who we listen to doesn’t mean that we understand that our heart is the one deciding our actions. We can listen to the most Christianity of Christian music and still not give God our hearts. Again, from Christ.
Matthew 12:34
“You have minds like a snake pit! How do you suppose what you say is worth anything when you are so foul-minded? It’s your heart, not the dictionary, that gives meaning to your words.”
Long before we have actually done the thing; we have sinned in our hearts. Which is why Jesus points out that our actions are simply a reflection of what is already in our hearts. When we are mean to someone, that isn’t contextual. It means there is hardness in our hearts. When we can denounce someone based on the color of their skin, we have hardened our heart to empathy. The beginning of sin is ten steps back from the thing we do. It is our hearts getting armored up and then it is us allowing that same heart to root us into our rightness. It isn’t that much further of a leap to then act on it. The thing we do is just a thing. It doesn’t have power. Sin begins in our hearts. Again, Christ’s words.
Matthew 5:28
But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
It is wise to consider what we listen to, what we watch, what we do, who we hang out with, where we hang out, if we drink or don’t drink, if we dress a certain way – all great stuff, but the “doing” of those things doesn’t change our heart. It is our heart that knows God. We do. We don’t need the world to give us an alternative to the world. It can’t. If we are trying to abstain from things in this world by choosing an alternative human; it is still a human. The only alternative is Christ. Which is where we pick back up in Romans. Paul is writing to a group of people not much different than our culture. They had people who had been Jews who followed Christ. They had Gentiles. They had new believers who were still trying to figure the culture stuff out. There was an extreme difference between the wealthy in Rome and the poor. Nero was Emperor and though not quiet the deviant that Caligula was, but Nero was a hedonist. He liked balls and excess in parties. He hung with the wealthy – not billionairs but the closest in the Ancient World. Rome was the equivalent of Washington DC.
Nero was known for political aggression and suppression of the citizens. Remember, he is the guy who will have Paul killed. In that mix, these new believers are trying to figure out what it means to follow Christ in the polytheistic environment. Paul will often speak of cultural flash points such as the meat left at the altar. It is a bunny or kid kind of conversation to ask whether or not we should eat meat dedicated to idols if we are at a dinner party. Some will say “don’t eat it because it is given to idols” it is to sin. Makes sense, but whether or not to eat meat purchased from the aggripa after it was dedicated to an idol was as big of as a dilemma as to whether to like the bunny or the kid in our culture. Paul says to them – and we know this because we studied this passage last year.
I Corinthians 8:4-6
4 So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.” 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), 6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
Paul knew that this was a change from the way the Israelites had clung to the law. The law said don’t eat meat that was unclean. But then Christ came and fulfilled the law so now we go to Him for direction. When we cling to the law, we become legalistic. We think the law saves us. Which is what many Jews believed after Christ had died. Paul having been one of them. When it comes to sin, there was the temptation to think some were exempt from those conversations because they were “right with the law” as Jews who were circumcised. We can be lured then as Christians, for instance to believe that if we watch the alternative then we are okay. We settle on the letter of the law instead of the spirit of the law. Kind of like Paul when he was still going by Saul and chasing down Christians.
Consider how Paul frames this malalignment when our heart is in a different place then what we do. Again, in our world we think that what we do makes us who we are, but God says our heart given to Him makes us who we are and then what we do will come out of that.
Romans 2:28-29
28 A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. 29 No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.
The phrase “one outwardly” uses the word for flesh/sarx. Flesh and body are two different words in Greek. The body of Christ is His soma. FYI fun fact, Paul will use this word (sarx) more than any other to differentiate between the “body” soma which includes our brains, emotions and spirit versus the flesh which is the part not given over to God. When it comes to sin, there was the temptation to think some were exempt from those hard conversations because they were “right with the law” as Jews who were circumcised. Kind of like Paul when he was still going by Saul and chasing down Christians. Paul says the answer to sin is to allow God to circumcise our hearts.
Paul is not the first to say this. Moses says it first to the stiff-necked people in the desert. Then Jeremiah tells the people of Israel while they are in sin to circumcise their hearts.
Jeremiah 4:3–4
Break up your fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the LORD and remove the foreskins of your heart.
A person with an uncircumcised heart is a person whose flesh (physical inclinations) dictates his will. A person with a circumcised heart is one whose flesh has been removed from their will, allowing the Spirit of God to direct their will. This is important to Paul because he was a Pharisee. He was hardened to the new thing God was doing through Christ. He rooted himself in his own rightness to the point that he thought it was compatible to both follow God AND kill Christians.
Colossians 2:11
In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ,
Christ gives us squishy hearts when we allow our will, our desires, to be cut from our hearts. Sin shouldn’t scare us. It should make us sad and we shouldn’t want to be near it; but we do not need to fear falling into sin. Watching the wrong program on TV is not going to destroy our hearts. Never giving ourselves fully to Christ is what keeps our hearts hard. Add the difficulty in this world and we armor up. Then add our defensive nature to wanting to be right and all of a sudden we have lost the thread. Doing all the good things in this world will never make you good. We are not supposed to be “good”; we are called to be holy. And we understand the difference and it is in our hearts.
Romans 2:14-15
14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.)
Our need for Christ was foreshadowed in every story of the OT. And in all of our heart’s prone to wonder leaves us with the knowledge as well that we often will do anything, but give that organ over to God.
Let’s wrap up with some application. How do we have our hearts circumcised?
(referenced)
Ezekiel 3:10-15
10 And he said to me, “Son of man, listen carefully and take to heart all the words I speak to you. 11 Go now to your people in exile and speak to them. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says,’ whether they listen or fail to listen.” 12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a loud rumbling sound as the glory of the Lord rose from the place where it was standing.[a] 13 It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures brushing against each other and the sound of the wheels beside them, a loud rumbling sound. 14 The Spirit then lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the Lord on me. 15 I came to the exiles who lived at Tel Aviv near the Kebar River. And there, where they were living, I sat among them for seven days—deeply distressed.
Romans 2:
25 Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised. 26 So then, if those who are not circumcised keep the law’s requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised? 27 The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who, even though you have the[c] written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker.
The “right” thing doesn’t bound you to the God who is righteous. Our hearts should be made whole in God not trying to find a loophole in the law.
Draw near to Christ. (Affair analogy) Our relationship with Christ changes our hearts. Our love of God keeps us from sin.
Let’s pray.
Stephanie Allen
Taking People to Jesus:
Heart as a Witness
Romans 2:1-11; Ezekiel 33
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Proverbs 4:23
Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.
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Not guard it as in no relationship. Or guard it as in expecting pain. Or guard it in refusing to see anything in the world. Nope. Give your heart to the only one who can keep it safe: God.
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Hope, in reality, is the worst of all evils because it prolongs the torments of man.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche
The heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
“I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind,
to reward each person according to their conduct,
according to what their deeds deserve.”
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You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
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Matthew 27:23
Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
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Romans 1:17
17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
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And all of that starts in our hearts. Why? The great cost of human sin is the disconnect between what we believe and what we may do. That is how we can know intellectually that God loves us, but then keep acting as if He doesn’t.
From I See the Birds
“Won’t you teach me how I mean more to you than them.”
“In times of trouble be my help again.”
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Ezekiel 36:26
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
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Psalm 51
Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
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Ezekiel 1:1
And He said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you.” 2 Then the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me, and set me on my feet; and I heard Him who spoke to me. 3 And He said to me: “Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. 4 For they are [a]impudent and stubborn children. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ 5 As for them, whether they hear or whether they refuse—for they are a rebellious house—yet they will know that a prophet has been among them.
6 “And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you dwell among scorpions; do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their looks, though they are a rebellious house. 7 You shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or whether they refuse, for they are rebellious.
Paul explains it this way to the church in Rome.
Romans 2:15
15 They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.)
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5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.
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Romans 2:1-4
You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2 Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3 So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?
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Ezekiel 36:
24 “‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
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Psalm 51:15-17
Open my lips, Lord,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.
“(A) contrite heart.” דּכה dakah {daw-kaw'} to crush, be crushed, be contrite, be broken
1a) (Qal) to be crushed, collapse
1b) (Niphal) to be crushed, be contrite, be broken
1c) (Piel)
1c1) to crush down
1c2) to crush to pieces
Rack it. David doesn’t get stuck in his world; he returns to God.
How do we keep a fleshy heart safe in a world of sin?
Guard it...Here is how through application.
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Connection – when we see how hard the world is we want to retreat. “One anothering” is part of what we do for and with each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.
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Direction – where do you go to make sense of what is happening? I will go to God and say I can’t find You in this. Like a bird turns their head 360 degrees to survey. Stop and look for God. Seek God with all your heart.
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Interpretation – more time in God’s Word then online.
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Stephanie Allen
Taking People to Jesus: The Heart as an Idol
Romans 2:1-11; Ezekiel 33
Let’s begin this morning in a place of hope and of comfort.
Ezekiel 34
The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? 3 You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. 4 You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. 5 So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. 6 My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.
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7 “‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 8 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered and has become food for all the wild animals, and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock, 9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 10 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.
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11 “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. 12 As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. 13 I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. 14 I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. 16 I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.
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“What happens when I go to God and He doesn’t answer”?
Romans 1:17
17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
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Romans 1:1
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God
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Proverbs 4:23
Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.
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Psalm 51:10
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
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Matthew 5:8
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
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I Samuel 16:7
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
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Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
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Ezekiel 36:26
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
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Romans 1:28-32
28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents;
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Ezekiel 36:
24 “‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. 28 Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. 29 I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you.
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Romans 1:
31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
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Romans 2:1-4
You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2 Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3 So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?
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Ezekiel 34:11-16
11 “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. 12 As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. 13 I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. 14 I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. 16 I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.
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Application:
Do I know the voice/Do I trust the voice?
What is the position of my heart?
Where do I go for my direction? What Shepherd do I listen to?
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