The title of the message is Something is
Missing.
Something is missing.
Have you ever had that feeling, whether it's
at home, or at work, or in your
own personal life, your walk with the Lord,
that something is missing?
I've been there.
I've been there many times.
And people say, Shane, I can't explain it,
but something is missing.
And the topic is going to be from
Acts 19.
We're starting Acts 19.
But I'll just tell you up front, what
I'm talking about in this sermon is the
power of the Holy Spirit.
That's what we're finding out right here.
And I know this topic is a little
controversial, and some people wish we would hurry
up and get through the book of Acts
so we can avoid this topic, but this
is probably one of my most favorite topics.
Because something is missing in the pulpits of
America.
Something is missing in many churches, and this
is it.
Sometimes it's best to describe what is missing
in the negative to show you what I'm
talking about.
When the power of the Holy Spirit is
absent in a church, absent in a pulpit,
absent in a preacher, here's what happens.
The sermons are lifeless and boring.
We're falling asleep.
There's something stagnant and dull.
The preacher lacks authority.
They lack power.
They lack boldness.
They're weak and they're wavering.
They just want to discuss things and they're
not real sure and they don't want to
offend and they don't want to upset and
the spiritual power is lacking.
Also when a pulpit is lacking the Spirit's
power, they lack love and compassion.
It was said of many of my favorite
preachers, D.O. Moody, Whitefield, Robert Murray McShaney
in Scotland many hundreds of years ago, that
they often couldn't get through a sermon without
tears.
That's preaching with power because it's underscored with
love and compassion.
See, there's many people preaching with anger and
this is what the Bible says, but there's
no compassion, there's no love.
So that's what's missing in a pastor and
a preacher and a church without the Spirit's
fire.
It's lifeless.
It's boring.
It's stagnant.
It's dull.
They lack authority.
They lack power.
They lack boldness.
They're weak.
They're wavering.
They lack love and compassion.
And you might say, well Shane, that's great
for pastors, but what about me?
And I want to submit to you this
morning that the same things apply.
When you lack the Spirit's power, your life
is boring and lifeless.
You're stagnant.
You're cold.
You've grown cold to the things of God.
And I actually prayed this morning whether I
should say this or not.
I don't want to say it out of
frustration, but when we have almost 600 families
in our database and sending out and say
they call this home and we can't get
three or four people to prayer in the
morning, something is wrong.
And I'm not saying it out of frustration
and anger.
I know God has to do it, but
I just, my heart yearns for that.
I know it's difficult.
I know it's challenging.
I have kids.
I know how hard it is sometimes, but
we've got to begin prioritizing God.
Let that be the tweeter, the twit, whatever
they call that thing.
A tweetable quote.
God has to be the priority.
Priority God.
I'm going to make something up.
Shirts maybe.
Priority God.
And I'm just being honest.
I'm being open.
I'm being transparent because it happens in my
own life too.
See, prayer is really the heartbeat of the
church.
It's the heartbeat of your life.
It's the heartbeat of your spirituality.
You tell me how well and how often
you pray and I'll tell you how you're
doing spiritually.
We've lost this area.
But you have to preach with love and
compassion as well, and you have to have
love and compassion in your own hearts.
And something Charles Spurgeon said many years ago
that has really stuck with me, he said,
I would give up ten worlds rather than
preach an unfelt Christ.
And I would quit today, this would be
my last sermon ever preached, I would get
back into real estate if I had to
preach an unfelt Christ.
If just going through the motions like a
social club, I would bell out because there's
no power in that.
Don't miss this topic this morning, folks.
I also believe that God has called me
primarily to a few different things.
Preach repentance, preach revival, preach renewal, preach restoration,
preach prayer, preach the filling of the Holy
Spirit.
This is vitally important.
This is why I went from cursing God
and getting drunk and losing my marriage and
losing so many different things to now I
have to raise my arms and worship Him
and adore Him.
Because the Holy Spirit's power has so radically
changed my life that everything is different.
I mean, you look at your finances, different.
You look at your friendships, different.
You look at where you go, differently.
You look at how you spend your time,
differently.
You look at how you raise your children,
different.
Everything is affected.
So that's the question this morning.
Something is missing.
Is something missing?
So in Acts 19, God, part of me
feels that's enough of a sermon, let's just
get into worship, right?
But I want to get through this.
I think it's important.
In Acts 19, and it happened while Apollos
was at Corinth.
So if you're in Jerusalem, Corinth is way
over and way up there.
This would have took days and weeks journey
sometimes.
And then Paul, having passed through the upper
region, came to Ephesus.
So Paul is way over in this area
in Ephesus.
And finding, this is interesting, and finding some
disciples, he said to them, did you receive
the Holy Spirit when you believed?
That's what it made me do this week.
That's interesting.
And the word receive in the Greek is
have you, did you accept, did you take
hold of, did you embrace the Holy Spirit
when you believed?
Now either that is the most ridiculous question
Paul can ask.
Well, that's like saying, Shane, did you breathe
today?
It's in me.
The breath is in me.
Of course I breathed today.
Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you
believed?
Now I'm going to try not to wade
into the controversial waters here on this one.
Because there are different sides.
You talk to a charismatic, you go to
Jack Hayford's church in Van Nuys, you're going
to hear a little bit of interpretation of
this.
You drive a few miles to John MacArthur's
church in Sun Valley, you're going to hear
a little bit different interpretation of this.
And when great men of God are divided
on issues, I try to stay humble and
teachable.
Try is a key word, right?
So I'm not going to wade in controversial
waters this morning.
I have before, and I know many of
you would like me to.
And I might.
I might if I take a rabbit trail,
I might go in that direction.
So let's think about this.
He met disciples.
I mean, that is a very odd question.
If I meet a person in Lancaster, you
go to such and such church, did you
receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?
What?
What are you talking about?
Well, so they said to him, we have
not so much as heard whether there is
a Holy Spirit.
Now, 15 years ago, my wife and I
were in a small group, marriage theories, didn't
have any kids yet.
And I was teaching on this or reading
this.
And I had a pastor's son tell me.
He told me.
You know what, Shane?
I would say the same thing.
And I left there thinking, what is going
on?
But now looking back, knowing that church, knowing
that pastor, they avoid these controversial things.
The Father, the Son, the Holy Word.
We're not going to talk about the guys
we see on TV.
We're not going to.
But the problem is you're talking about the
power of God.
You're talking about something coming upon you, inside
you, residing in you, the third person of
the Trinity that is vitally important.
So if you magnify this aspect, you'll get
weird.
But if you minimize this aspect, you'll be
powerless.
That's just the way it works on the
topic of the Holy Spirit.
And churches don't want to talk about it.
Many times they don't want to talk about
what they don't have.
Same applies to us.
We want to, you catch somebody who doesn't
know Jesus, they don't want to talk about
him.
You catch somebody who doesn't have the Holy
Spirit in them, they don't want to talk
about the Holy Spirit.
So they said to him, we have not
so much as heard whether there is a
Holy Spirit.
And he said to them, into what then
were you baptized?
So they said, into John's baptism.
Now granted, I will give this side some
leeway here in that this is a transitionary
period.
You're going from Old Testament to New Testament.
You're going from the baptism of John to
the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
You're going from the church not existing to
the day of Pentecost when the world hears
about the church loudly and clearly.
So what he's saying, they were baptized into
the baptism of John.
John the Baptist, if you remember, was the
forerunner of Jesus Christ.
The Bible, the prophets spoke of this.
They said, God said, I will send my
messenger before you and he will pave the
way for you.
If you read some commentaries, even Josephus, I
believe, and other ancient literature, many times they
would go out into the villages and onto
the roads.
They would prepare those roads for the coming
of the king.
The king is coming, chariot is going to
travel.
They would remove the boulders, the stones, the
potholes in the roads and different things.
You go to third world countries, you'll see
exactly what I'm talking about.
Now we go, oh look, they just paved
this road, isn't it wonderful?
But they would go out before the king
and they would get the road ready.
They would prepare the way.
So John the Baptist comes on the scene
preaching repentance, repentance, repentance, repentance.
People would go down into the Jordan River.
They would prepare their hearts.
They would repent.
Go down, repent.
So there's this baptism of John that's a
baptism of repentance.
So that's what they were baptized into.
But Paul noticed something that was off.
Here's my thought.
If the disciples had the Holy Spirit, why
ask if they received him?
If they weren't disciples, why call them disciples?
So I'm just going to, this is the
item in paraphrase for those who are interested.
Three things are possible.
They lacked spiritual power and fruit.
There was something, it's like, and I want
to ask this a lot of times to
Christians.
Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you
believed?
Because you look just like Hollywood.
Not the Holy Spirit.
There's no difference.
You look just like the world.
Just like your friends at work that love
to cuss and drink beers and look at
pornography.
That's you.
Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you
believed?
Because something's missing.
Something is missing in their walk.
That's why it's applicable to us today.
I'd like to ask all of you the
same question.
Are you lacking spiritual power?
Are you lacking fruit?
And if you don't know, come up and
ask me.
I will be honest with you.
I can tell many times those who are
not fully surrendered to God, those who are
not living that vibrant relationship with God.
Or number B, letter B.
They did not hear about Pentecost.
This could be, because this is a transitionary
time.
They were baptized in John, in John's baptism.
I guess they believed that Jesus had risen
from the dead, but they had not believed
in Pentecost.
Acts 1.8 from the English Standard Version
of the Bible.
But you shall receive power when the Holy
Spirit has come upon you.
Now let's just take a quick test.
Don't raise your hand.
But how many of you have received power?
Oh, there we go.
Even the microphone understands.
There's power.
Or how many of you are saying, I
need that.
I want that.
I desire that.
I don't have that.
You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit
has come upon you and you will be
my witness in Jerusalem and all Judea and
Samaria and to the end of the earth.
Basically power.
There might be something to this.
Power.
Jake will say, pull that away a little
bit.
Power equals witnessing.
We are given boldness and power to witness.
We're not given boldness and power to go
hide in a closet and read the Word
of God and get high on the Word
of God all week.
We're called to go out and bring this
witness out.
Or C, they said they believed, but they
didn't have a relationship with God.
A true relationship.
They were Old Testament believers in that they
believed in Yahweh.
They believed in God.
They were baptized and they got baptized in
the Jordan River in John's baptism.
They did all that, but they did not
have a relationship with God.
So those are your options.
They lacked spiritual power or they didn't know
about Pentecost, therefore they didn't know there was
something more to it.
Now this is also an interesting topic.
I might take a lot of rabbit trails
this morning.
But many people, and I want to be
careful in the wording, I believe, and let's
just say up front, I've said it many
times before, but I believe that you have,
as a believer, you have all of the
Holy Spirit.
The question is, does He have all of
you?
That's what the question is.
It's not like, and I read, just last
night I was reading John Wesley and his
journals and the Methodist movement.
They taught perfectionism and there was a second
work of grace.
So as a believer, you need to go
seek this second work of grace that might
happen months later or years later, and when
you receive this baptism, this endowment of power
in the Holy Spirit.
If you don't have it, you need to
be seeking it.
But I think many times we're saying the
same thing, because what they're calling a second
work of grace, I'm calling a person who
hasn't fully surrendered their life.
And it often isn't until they fully surrender
everything, they give God everything, they cry out
a broken and contrite heart God will not
despise, they give Him everything and bam, they
are filled mightily with the Holy Spirit.
So that's what needs to take place.
Verse four, then Paul said, John indeed baptized
with the baptism of repentance, saying to the
people that they should believe on Him who
has come after Him, that is on Christ
Jesus.
When they heard this, so something was wrong,
something they were missing, they were baptized in
the name of the Lord Jesus.
And when Paul had laid his hands on
them, you guys ready for this one?
Here we go, we're gonna get controversial again.
In this darn book of Acts, not Shane
Idleman, this book here of the Bible is
gonna get controversial again.
Paul laid hands upon them and the Holy
Spirit came upon them and they spoke with
tongues and prophesied.
There you go.
Now this is an interesting word, I believe
we taught this maybe last year, but I
wanna also bring this to your attention.
The Holy Spirit came upon them.
In talking about the Holy Spirit, the Bible
uses three prepositions.
You know what a preposition is?
It tells you what the noun, the Holy
Spirit, is doing.
So there's a preposition the Bible uses, para,
P-A-R-A, and we get that
word paracletus.
The Holy Spirit comes alongside of us.
And then there's another preposition, the Holy Spirit
was in them, en.
So the Holy Spirit indwelt the believer.
You would think that would be enough, wouldn't
you?
Comes alongside, convicts, draws, now he's in us.
But there's another preposition, E-P-I, epi.
And that's when the Holy Spirit comes upon
a person.
They are radically changed because when you go
from being filled with Shane Idleman to being
filled with the Holy Spirit, life is different.
The Shane Idleman still wants to go back
to the alcohol, back to the fleshly things
of not going to the prayer meetings, back
to being a mean jerk.
The flesh wants to go back, but the
epi, the upon, the Holy Spirit is pulling
and yearning for the things of God.
That's why you have that fight within.
The flesh and the spirit is going back
and forth.
And if you're not filled, you are losing
the battle.
You are losing the battle.
Just like gravity, right?
It pulls you back down, back into slavery,
back into bondage.
So when Paul laid hands on them, now
there isn't anything mystical about laying a hundred
hands.
I don't, you know, mystical meaning, you know,
well, here's the thing with God.
Throughout the whole book of Acts, the spirit
moves however he wants.
After they were baptized, boom.
Before they're baptized, boom.
On the road, boom, boom.
He just, the Holy Spirit moves how he
wants, like the wind.
Jesus quoted that in John 3, famous verse
John 3, 16.
Those who, for God so loved the world.
That whole discourse is with Nicodemus, and he's
saying, the wind, the Holy Spirit blows wherever
he wishes.
But there's a laying on of hands, it's
agreeing with somebody, let me lay hands on
you, let me agree with you.
And the Holy Spirit came upon this group
of people when obedience took place.
They were baptized into the name of the
Lord Jesus Christ.
And I don't want to minimize what happened
here.
This is very significant.
This was a turning point.
This was the most important day of their
life.
Nothing compared to it.
They were transformed.
If the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and
these believers were speaking in tongues, which was,
I guess, okay in the New Testament, right,
but not okay now, people say.
You know, and they were doing, and the
Holy Spirit, they're witnessing, they're seeing the power
of God.
That is life changing.
They were transformed.
And this is really a final opportunity for
me to talk about this topic.
I know I've talked about it a lot
in the past, and I'm sure I will
in the future, but getting through the book
of Acts, we're going to get into the
different things.
So I want to just remind you of
two scriptures, John 7, 3, 8.
Whoever believes in me, as the scriptures say,
out of his belly will flow rivers of
living water.
So let me put this back on you.
Are you experiencing those rivers of living water?
It's either yes or no.
I'm not sure means no on this question.
I'm not sure.
Have you experienced rivers of living water?
Matthew 3, 11, I baptize you with water
for repentance, John the Baptist said.
But after me comes one who is more
powerful than I.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit
and with fire.
See, if you just look at the Bible,
you don't need to be scared about these
terms.
You know, people are, oh, don't talk about,
the Bible does.
When a person, when the Holy Spirit comes
upon somebody, they are baptized with fire.
There's just no way around it.
There's no better word to describe that.
You wouldn't say they were, when the Holy
Spirit came upon them, they act like cute
little bunny rabbits, right?
When the Holy Spirit came upon them, they
acted cowardly and timid.
And the Holy, it's fire.
What else represents it?
What else represents spear-filled bull preaching but
fire?
But a fire, God spoke to them, fire,
a fiery cloud came down.
It was just a magnificent thing that took
place.
Now, these two scriptures have been bothering people
for 2,000 years.
These scriptures bother people.
When I challenge people in this area, and
the reason we challenge is why.
So conviction takes place and change takes place.
I don't challenge or step on toes so
people get offended and leave and get mad.
I won the argument.
That's not the point.
The point is, oh, here's my whole goal.
Oh, I better just catch it out of
the bag again.
I'll just tell you, my whole goal in
this sermon is for you to say, that's
what I need.
That's what I need.
God, that's what I need.
And you take it to him and I
get out of the way.
Because it's a transforming work of God.
So something is missing.
And I believe this is one reason why
many people are turned off by church.
We talk about a powerful gospel, but where's
the power?
We talk about a powerful, life-changing gospel,
but where's the power?
Where's the boldness?
Where's the love, the compassion?
Everything we see, where is it?
You see, that's what's leading people astray.
Or that's what's turning people off from Christianity,
is either loud Bible thumpers who just like
to scream at people, or those who are
so passive and so timid, they don't have
a...
I don't know what the Bible says about
anything.
From transgenderism, to homosexuality, to gay marriage, to
sin, I don't know what it says.
I'm not saying anything.
I'm going to look just like the world
and hide over here.
See, that's not right either.
That's not right either.
That's why many people are turned off by
the church.
They either see the carnality and the hypocrisy,
or they see the anger and the lack
of love and the hypocrisy.
Hypocrisy is on both sides.
The Spirit coming upon you makes all the
difference.
You can know the Bible, believe in Jesus,
and try to live a holy life, but
still be missing something.
See, that's my goal this morning, for you
to go, Lord, I'm missing this.
I'm missing this.
I need this.
So, here's the application.
Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you
believed?
Is there spiritual power, not just knowledge?
See, I want to make this clear, because
I'll talk to people, they'll say, yes, there's
spiritual power, and I know, they just have
head knowledge.
They haven't led a person to the Lord
in years.
They're yelling at their spouse.
Their priorities are misaligned, and they're going to
tell me they're operating in spiritual power.
They have never seen healing.
They've never seen demons removed or the demonic
realm fight against them.
They don't have any spiritual power, but they
have knowledge.
Is there a love for God's Word?
Is there a love for worship?
Is there a love for prayer?
Here's a good test.
Did you love that song, Spirit Breakout?
King Jesus, would you come and sit back
on the throne again?
King Jesus, would you turn this nation around?
King Jesus, would you repair marriages and families
and restoration?
King Jesus, take your rightful place on this
throne.
King Jesus, and we bow, Spirit Breakout, and
change our carnality, crush our hypocrisy, break us,
so the fragrance of Christ can flow out.
Remember, that's why I often say, do you
know how you get your perfume?
Do you know what happens to the flower?
How do you think the olive feels about
the olive oil you're using?
See, unless you're crushed by God, you cannot
be used by God.
Unless you're broken, a broken and contrite spirit,
I will not turn away.
And it's these kind of sermons that people
get irritated at.
Is he challenging me?
Yes, I am.
God is, through His Word.
Is there left for God's Word, worship, prayer,
and others?
We can't miss this.
I am so tired of compassionate, let's, is
that even a word?
Let's say Christians who lack compassion.
How's that?
That is like, that's an oxymoron.
Jesus said, you'll know, they'll know you're my
disciples by how well you translate the Greek.
No, right?
Come on, Bible students.
Jesus said, you'll know, they'll know, the world
will know that you are my disciples because
you go to church all the time.
Because you got your King James on the
counter of your house and on the dashboard
of your car.
They'll know, no, no, no.
They'll know that you are my disciples because
of your love.
You have to preach with love.
You have to live with love.
And that doesn't come naturally.
Does love come naturally?
It comes supernaturally.
How?
By the filling of the Spirit.
This is the greatest need.
I would say when I travel and preach,
I used to do a lot more until
God called me to this, but this is
probably the most, the topic that gets the
most feedback from people.
Prayer lines are full, tears are flowing because
they realize they've drifted from the one they
used to love.
Or they've never known him in the power
of the Holy Spirit.
See, I'm not afraid of this word.
The power of the Holy Spirit, the fire
of the Holy Spirit, the unction of the
Holy Spirit, the anointing of the Holy Spirit,
you better have it.
I don't care what you call it, you
better have it.
Baptism is interesting.
I don't want to miss this.
Baptism was a step of obedience.
They were baptized, then the power flowed.
And if you need to get baptized, talk
to us afterwards because I believe it's a
huge step of obedience, getting baptized in the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Baptism was emphasized.
It was a major deal to them.
But I think it's important to clear the
confusion.
Acts 2.38, on the day of Pentecost,
I'm going back to where we were a
year ago, Peter replied, repent and be baptized
every one of you in the name of
Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sin
and you will receive the gift of the
Holy Spirit.
He goes on to say, there is no
other name under heaven given by men by
which we must be saved.
So, now there's a group, and they actually
Facebooked me this week and said I was
an error and might be leading people to
hell because I'm not baptizing people in Jesus
name only.
You'll see there's denominations.
If you were baptized in Jesus name only,
only, only because right here, Acts 2.38.
Peter said, repent and be baptized every one
of you in the name of Jesus Christ
for the forgiveness of your sins.
Well, why are you doing it, Shane, when
you do it in the name of the
Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit?
Why are you doing that?
Well, I'm following Jesus.
Should we read what he said?
Okay, good.
Thank you.
Matthew 28.19, therefore, go and make disciples,
all of the nations baptizing them in the
name of the Father, and the Son, and
the Holy Spirit.
See, people, when they get arrogant, they don't
get teachable.
When they're arrogant, they're not teachable.
They get stuck on one dynamic of God's
word because both are true.
If you look at the setting, Peter is
preaching to the Jews who were baptized in
the name of John, who were maybe baptized
into the sect of the Pharisees, the Sadducees,
the Scribes, all different kinds of baptisms or
things going on.
Peter said, no, no, this is the Jesus
who you crucified.
He's risen from the dead.
You be baptized in his name, his name,
name of the Father, the Son, the Holy
Spirit, that Jesus said, it's a complement, it's
a trinity.
So both are correct.
To me, I don't see a problem here
at all.
But it does bring up a good point.
This is just one example, one example of
elevating a verse at the expense of others.
Do you know we do that in the
Christian community?
I've been guilty.
You love this verse, right?
I'm gonna use this verse against you.
Or actually, the verse that people who don't
like what I'm saying right now across our
nation, this is what they'll tell me.
Don't judge.
Matthew 7, the Bible says, do not judge.
The problem is you have to keep reading.
You can just keep reading.
Jesus said, remove the plank from your eye
first and then you can see better to
judge your brother.
And then he says in John, I believe,
that we're called to judge and discern all
things.
Paul also says the same thing.
So they say, don't judge, and really what
they're saying is, I'm gonna get away with
all kinds of sin and you leave me
alone.
I'm just gonna live my life however I
want and you be quiet, you can't judge
me.
And that's not true.
The Bible says once our heart is right,
we can make certain assessments.
I believe, now I don't know if I,
well, goodness gracious, I started the process, didn't
I?
I don't care if it's Trump or Obama,
whoever, but I believe, I love if godly
men, godly women are surrounded by our leaders,
praying for them.
Showing them what righteous judgment looks like.
See, for thousands of years in the Old
Testament, the mosaic form of government governed the
people.
The laws matched the heart of God.
And to get people in office or around
them that will pray and support and encourage
and look at what the scripture says.
Another verse, turn the other cheek.
And you're all aware, right?
When Jesus got slapped, he didn't turn the
other cheek.
He confronted, he said, why have you slapped
me?
What evil have I done?
He also said, do business.
This is warfare, bold as lions.
So both are true.
What about this one?
God is love.
I hear that all the time, but Shane,
God is love.
Again, what they're really saying is, love means
I can do whatever I want.
So God is love, he lets me do
whatever I want, like a doting grandfather, right?
Or a cosmic ball of love, floating in
the universe.
He's just love.
Okay, God is love, but God is holy.
He's a God abounding in mercy, but he's
a just God.
See, the whole scripture, you gotta have the
totality.
Yeah, you can clap on that one.
But see, both are true, both are true.
We see it all the time.
You're going 60 miles an hour down the
street, and the police pull you over and
say, I'm writing you a ticket.
Why?
You didn't stop at the stop sign.
Well, it said 65, right?
But it also said stop, right?
Same thing with the word of God.
It doesn't contradict itself.
Both aspects are true.
In salvation, man is responsible, but God is
sovereign.
You'll stay very healthy spiritually if you learn
to balance the truths of God's word.
Many get baptized, many don't get baptized because
they think that's too serious.
I'm not there yet.
The problem is you won't see that in
the Bible anywhere, anywhere.
So if that's what you're saying, I'll just
wanna challenge that thinking.
That's the enemy planting in seeds of procrastination.
Acts 19, 8, and he went into the
synagogue and spoke boldly for three months.
Paul did, reasoning and persuading concerning the things
of the kingdom of God.
But when some were hardened and did not
believe but spoke evil of the way before
the multitude, he departed from them and withdrew
the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of
Tyrannus.
Let me stop here for a minute.
But when some were hardened, some were hardened
and did not believe, the danger of a
hard heart, the danger.
See, we went from something is missing, now
the danger of a hard heart.
I could make this into two sermons, but
I won't.
Don't worry, I'll go quickly.
The danger of a hard heart, here's another
good test.
Those who feel that the spirit want me
to keep going on, those who are not
want me to end.
They're hungry, they wanna get out of here,
they're convicting.
Come on, hurry up, what's wrong with this
guy?
The danger of a hard heart is this,
it's not easily broken.
See, that's the danger of it.
A broken and contrite heart, God will not
despise.
I've been saying it all morning, Psalm 51,
17, a broken, which means God, I give
up and I give in to you.
And a contrite heart, a heart that's remorseful
and repents, God will not despise that.
See, this is the one thing I love
about God, you can take him to the
bank on every single promise.
I mean, what about if it's in parentheses,
and I'll consider it?
He just says, no, if you do these
things, if you do these things, I will
not turn you away.
And here's the fact of the matter, the
Puritan authors used to say this often, that
the same sun that melts the wax, hardens
the clay.
The same wax, the same sun that melts
the wax, hardens the clay.
What's the difference of broken and contrite heart?
So here's four signs, I'll get right to
the closing, four signs of a hard heart
in a believer as well as an unbeliever,
because I want to hit both here.
Number one, we don't want to talk about
our faith.
If I have a hard heart, if I'm
an unbeliever, which living it, when I lived
in that lifestyle, I don't want anybody to
talk about faith, right?
Don't talk about faith and politics, because they're
interwoven, right?
My faith, people crack me up, says, you
leave your faith at home, leave your faith
at home, don't bring it to the workplace.
Really, how does that work?
It doesn't work.
That's impossible.
That's why people don't like faith and politics,
because they're interwoven.
Your faith determines how you live.
So a hard heart says, I don't want
to talk about it.
And a person who's a believer, let's say,
maybe in a prodigal state, caught in sin,
they don't want to talk about it either.
If they're not living for God, they're living
for Laughlin, the jet skis, and a 12
pack of Corona.
They don't want to talk about their faith.
There's a hard heart there.
When we have a hard heart also, public
confession, we don't like being challenged.
We're always right, and we are proud of
it.
That's a hard heart.
This is where a church needs to be
careful, because even the right doctrine, the right
doctrine with the wrong heart or with the
wrong spirit can bring division and dissension through
a critical heart.
Number two, love and compassion have vanished.
Even a believer who's got a hard heart
doesn't have love or compassion in their life.
Isaiah 6, 10, the New American Standard Version.
Render the hearts of this people insensitive, their
ears dull, and their eyes dim.
Otherwise, they might see with their eyes, hear
with their ears, and understand their hearts, and
return and be healed, lacking compassion.
Number three, sin is mastering you.
If you're an unbeliever, and you've got a
hard heart, sin is mastering you.
If you're a believer, and you've got a
hard heart, a besetting sin has taken you
over.
You keep falling in an area, and you're
hooked on this sin that's got you down,
and that's often the result of a hard
heart.
How do you know, believer?
What you used to control now is controlling
you.
Number four, pride is not thriving.
I'm sorry, pride is thriving in you, not
dying.
Jeremiah 16, 12, you too have done evil
even more than your forefathers.
For behold, you are each one walking according
to the stubbornness of his own evil heart
without listening to me.
That's a sign of a hard heart.
And he just said right here, unbelief is
a hard heart.
And I'm only bringing that up because I
want to help.
Unbelief is a hard heart issue.
Some were hardened and did not believe.
So let's close with a few thoughts.
The heart of stone must become a heart
of flesh.
David, you prayed that this morning.
He just confirmed it with me in there
in the prayer room.
The heart of stone must become a heart
of flesh, Ezekiel 36, 26.
I will give you a new heart, and
I will put a new spirit in you.
I will remove from you your heart of
stone and give you a heart of flesh.
A self-righteous man once boasted to a
Christian friend of his in Los Angeles.
He said, you know, John, I'm not such
a bad fellow.
There are many worse than I.
His friend replied, Steve, you're measuring yourself by
the wrong standard.
You measure yourself by the harlots and the
drunkards you see on Skid Row, and you
feel quite satisfied by comparison.
But go and measure yourself alongside Jesus Christ
and see how you measure up.
There is none that are righteous, no, not
one.
But let's not forget this, God's unconditional love.
God demonstrated His own love for us.
I hope I can get through this one.
This is a hard verse for me sometimes.
But God demonstrated His own love for us,
and that while we were still sinners, Christ
died for us.
See, when I read that, I lost it.
I lost that 18 years ago.
You mean when I was snorting crystal meth,
I was shooting up steroids, getting high, drinking,
cursing God, actually using those names in vain?
When I was mocked, He died for me.
Could that be?
Is that true?
While I was in my sin.
I mean, if you just sit and focus
on what He did, that loving Father dying
for us, while I'm caught in that, because
you know what we would do?
Well, not until you clean your life up.
I'm not doing anything for you until you
straighten up.
But actually, in our sin, in our depravity,
He died for us.
For God did not send His Son into
the world to condemn the world, but the
world through Him would be saved.
The closing thing to remember is this, the
greatest weapons, the greatest weapons, always remember this,
in Satan's arsenal, the greatest weapons in Satan's
arsenal are two, they are pride and they
are anger.
Pride prevents repentance and anger keeps me away
from God.
But what do we do?
We say, why, why, why?
God, why did you allow this?
Why did you do this?
Why did you make me into some stupid
12-year-old who barely graduates high school
and can't speak well?
People make fun and overweight and getting all
mad at God.
Why?
Why did you do this?
Why did you take my dad before I
even had a chance to say goodbye?
Why?
So how is it then, a person like
Horatio Spadford, how can he write the lyrics
to the famous hymn, It Is Well With
My Soul?
After losing his four daughters in the Atlantic
Ocean, the ocean liner they were on hit
a Scottish ship and only the mom survived.
And she sent back a telegraph to the
husband saying, I only am left, just me.
And he can go back to that same
spot in the Atlantic Ocean and write, When
peace like a river attendeth my way, When
sorrow like sea billows roll, Whatever my lot,
thou hast taught me to say, It is
well.
It is well with my soul.
So how can you have that, and then
somebody else curse God if they lose someone
or they get sick.
What is the difference?
What is missing?
The heart of stone needs to become a
heart of flesh.
That's what's missing.
And even as a believer, your heart has
become so hard and callous.
That's why Jesus said, Oh, return to me.
Return to me.
If you've left your first love, come back
to me.
Stop blaming God.
If you're going to blame anyone, blame the
one who is the liar from the beginning.
Blame the one who is a thief that
is sent to kill still and to destroy.
Blame the great destroyer and the ultimate deceiver.
Blame Him.
If you're going to blame anybody.
He's the master of deception, the father of
lies.
Do the math.
Do the comparison.
Blame the thief that is sent to kill
still and to destroy.
Not the God who has come to restore,
renew, and revitalize.
Something is missing.
It's that cold, callous heart.
It needs to be changed and transformed.