Have A Heart

I want to introduce you to the most marvelous, life changing book!  I cannot recommend it enough. It is called the "Gospel of Luke."  Maybe you have read it before. But have you read it lately. And more importantly, have you read it in search of the heart of Christ? His compassion and love for people, and His charge for disciples to help and teach and give... unbelievable.

I'm afraid many churches haven't focused enough on the love of people found in the Gospels. Focusing on the church and the epistles and the patter of worship and collective work is all important - but only if it is built on the feelings Christ had for God and for people. 

- What did Christ feel for the lost?

- What did it mean to the Father for someone to be restored to Him?

- What did Christ want done for the poor and hurting?

- Has He positioned us to be His hands of service to the needy?

- Can we think less of ourselves and more about the joy God feels when people are helped?

Transcript

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Welcome to the Excel Still More podcast. I am your host, Chris Emerson. I'm here to encourage you in your walk with God. Thank you for joining in. Today's podcast is sponsored by a wonderful company, Creation to Revelation. This group of Christians believe it is extremely important that we teach the Word of God to our kids. They have original graphic illustrations from the beginning of the Bible to the end, featuring the beautiful and consistent presence of Jesus throughout. You can explore all of that at Creation to Revelation.com. I am so thankful you're here, so let's get started. Welcome back to the program. Today I need to talk to you about living the heart of the gospel. And I don't mean that in some generic preachery way. I mean you and me living the love, the compassion, and the mercy that we see in the Gospels, that is, during Jesus' walk, the way he interacted with other people, saved and lost, the way he looked at and addressed the poor, and then the way he taught his disciples to feel about the children, about the Samaritans, about the lost. I have this sneaking suspicion that today's episode might cause some trouble, and maybe it will just be me who gets in trouble. But mainly because there's a decent chance that you might be listening today and you may hear some things derived from the gospel, some focal heart issues that Jesus presented. And you might say things like, you know, the church where I worship, we don't talk a lot about that. The church where I grew up didn't spend a lot of time emphasizing evangelism because of love for the lost and because of love for God and what it means to God to see some lost soul return to him. You may say to yourself, by the time we're done today, my family did not emphasize charity very much. We gave on Sundays for the work of the church and in case there were needy brethren, but when it came to serving with compassion the people God put in our life who were poor, who were hurting, who needed something, we prayed for them, we tried to help in certain ways, but very infrequently did money come out of our pockets just because God loves that person. And it would please not only that person, but God to see them eating a warm meal. And it isn't about whether or not they're saved, not initially, it's just about the heart of the gospel. Today I challenge you as I am challenging myself to have a heart for God and for people. Please understand that. Not just a heart for God and not just a heart for saved people, but a heart that loves God to whatever extent we can express it and loves our neighbors with that same will to show it. Like I said, maybe you didn't hear a lot of this wherever you were growing up, but listen, this isn't about passing judgment on your parents or the preacher where you grew up or any of that. This is about Excel still more. This is about saying, God has put money in my pocket, God has put opportunities in front of me, and God has surrounded me with beautiful souls, some of whom I know and others that I meet every day. And He wants me to see them, to love them, and to help them. Now, before we get kicking today, I have to tell you about a book. You know I don't recommend books often, occasionally, yes, but not often. But when I come across a book that has had this kind of an effect on me, that has got me reconsidering just so many things about why God has put me here and surrounded me with these people, I just have to recommend it to you. The title of this great book is The Gospel of Luke. I don't know if you were expecting something epic, but you just got it. There is nothing better you can do than reading through Luke's perspective on the life and love and ministry of Jesus. If you happen to have a Facebook account, I hope that you have joined our public group, Excel Still More, a chapter a day. We have been reading through the Gospel of Luke, and we are just about to start the book of Acts, so it would be a great time to join in. And each day there are dozens of comments and questions about each chapter. It's been super rich. I've read this gospel before, many times over, but this time the combination of seeking to learn about the love that Jesus possessed and the terrific comments of brothers and sisters in Christ have been of special benefit to me this time around. In fact, I would say personally for me, a renewed passion for the four gospels has been very beneficial in my walk. The very idea that the Son of God came and lived in flesh because these human beings around him needed things. Most of them didn't even understand what they needed. And yet he came with this heart of compassion, with this service-filled spirit, and he went to them. He came to us, and then he rallied up disciples who would continue this beautiful mission of reaching out to those who are low and lifting them up. I'm just very excited in my life at what can happen if I will become more like Jesus. I am sure I should have locked in on this a long time ago. You may be wondering that. You may be like, Chris, you've been preaching for over 20 years. You're just now capturing the compassion of Jesus and the imprint of that emotion on the heart of followers. Well, in some ways the answer is yes. And maybe this speaks to some of the shortcomings in the church over the years, but I have always put a much heavier emphasis on the letters that follow the Gospels than the Gospels themselves. I mean, I teach about the parables of Jesus and the miracles and the Sermon on the Mount, but a tremendous amount of emphasis is put upon the organization of the church, the work of the local church, the worship of the local church, all that pattern stuff in the epistles. And all of that is really important. But if we aren't careful, you and me, we can put so much emphasis on getting things right in who we are as a church and what we do that we forget who we are to be from the heart as individual reflections of Jesus in this world. I mean to people who don't know him and to people who are destitute of his great blessings. We don't choose between the Gospels or the rest of the New Testament, but nothing of substance can be built or last unless it is founded on the compassion of Jesus in the hearts of believers. So as I've begun to organize that in my head, I've been drawn back to the ministry of Christ, and there are two things I want to share with you for the rest of the episode that were a major point of focus in his ministry and in the work of his disciples, and it links directly to having a heart for both God and people. So here's the first of those two things. God loves every soul he's ever made just as much as he loves yours. God yearns for every wayward soul to find him with the same heart and desire as he seeks a relationship with you. When it comes to souls, there is no us and them. There are just created eternal entities cherished by God. When God sees anyone in this life stumbling in sin, Jesus wanted us to know what that feels like to God. And when any of those people believe in Jesus and turn their life over to the Father, Jesus wanted you and me to know what that felt like to God. And so in Luke 15, Jesus tells three stories. Do you remember them? There was a man who lost just one of his 100 sheep, and he felt crummy about that. And he searched for the sheep, and when he brought it back, he threw a feast. There was a woman who had ten coins, and one of the coins just accidentally was misplaced, and she panicked. She searched the whole house, and when she found the one coin she told everyone. And then there was the man who had two sons, and one of his sons left him and squandered all of his possessions in the world, but when he came back to the Father, there was a great feast thrown in his honor. The other brother, of course, representing the Pharisees, was mad about it, because he loved himself more than he loved his brother and his father. Jesus is like, if you lost one percent of your sheep, you'd be excited when you got it back. If you lost 10% of your savings, you'd be ecstatic to have it restored. And if you lost one of your two children, you'd give anything to have them return. That is how God feels when one soul repents. God put that feeling in you so you could understand how he feels. This has helped me tremendously to see every person in my life who is not a Christian as someone special whom God loves and someone who would bring God incredible pleasure if he was to return. Have you seen anyone today in your life in that condition? We both have. Let me share with you a couple of stories that reflect how this has had an effect on me. I was talking to someone on the phone the other day who used to be a faithful member of our church. And this person was saying, I know I've been a great disappointment. Maybe it would be better if I just didn't come back. And I said to him, Listen, the one thing that matters most in the world is the tremendous joy you can bring to your heavenly father if you repent and return. And I will do anything to help that happen because I love you, and even more than that, I love God, and your repentance brings him pleasure. And I just want to tell you that anything that gets the focus off of me and more for the needs of a person and the joy of heaven is a good thing. But it doesn't just apply to loving people who've fallen away. I was at the ballpark the other day in the midst of someone who I would classify as not a Christian. And for the first time all season, I just looked at them and thought, God loves this person. God knows everything about this person. God yearns for faith in them as much as in me. What can I do to put even the smallest potential spark of faith into this individual? And so I asked if we could all gather, both teams around the pitcher's mound and pray. And we did, and it changed the tone because I first changed my heart to be stripped of all callousness and pride and just feel sadness for a separation that God would love to see repaired, and then do whatever I can. God will give you chances to do this, maybe every day. Have a heart that's ready. But let me say in these last five minutes or so, it's not just about their souls. One of the things that has occurred to me in Luke chapters 12 through 16 is that Jesus cares when people are hungry. Jesus cares about children in the streets. Jesus cares about the impoverished around us. In Luke 12, he literally told us to sell our possessions and give to the poor. In Luke 14, he said, throw a feast and invite all the people who are hungry. Feed them. Show love for them. They matter. And I genuinely feel that that compassion has been missing in me. I can always tell you why the hungry person is hungry, because of all the mistakes that he made. Jesus said, I don't care about that. Throw a feast and invite him and give him what he needs. Jesus taught all of that for two reasons. One, because of the pride of the people, and especially the rich. That's why he asked the rich young ruler to sell everything and give to the poor, primarily to expose that he was greedy and he would rather keep his money for himself than help people whom he did not think deserved it. I've done that. Have you? In Luke 14 and 15, the idea was don't throw a feast and invite a bunch of people who don't even need it and who are just going to pat you on the back. Be humble and use this as an opportunity to show the lowliness of your spirit by taking people who are truly in pain and impoverished and providing for them. As Jesus did on multiple occasions through feedings and through healings. So the first part of it was showing that you're not greedy and you're humble, but the second part of it was just this heart for these hurting people. Can I just ask you, do you realize that if there is anyone in your life tonight who is hungry or homeless, that God loves that person? God hurts for them. He knows all of their fears, he's counted every hair on their head, and he doesn't like their situation. And God loves them so much, he's not basing that assessment on whether or not it's their fault that they live under a bridge. He just hates that for them. And he would love to provide them with a family and he would love to provide them with what they need. And so he puts a whole bunch of money in our pockets and he providentially weaves us into their lives or theirs into ours. For what purpose? Because he wants us to have the kind of care for them that he has. And when they are helped, it brings great pleasure to God, and that's supposed to matter to us. I mean, I believe God wants to see us healthy, that's why we pray for it, and God wants to see us cared for, that's why we pray for it. Well, maybe there's some stranger out there appealing to God in those very same ways, loved by him equally, and God sends them you. Now I know all of this can be very overwhelming. People ask, does this mean I should help everyone I see under a bridge? Or does this mean I should contribute to every go fund me page that's on Facebook? And part of me wants to say, Why not? Go for it. Start saving better, go sell some stuff, let's do it. Maybe that's not practical, but I will tell you what is beyond practical. It's mandatory. Whenever God puts someone in my life who has a need, and he has put the answer to that need in my kitchen, in my closet, in my pocket, he is looking for me to be the reflection of his beloved, compassionate, caring son, helping someone, not because they obeyed the gospel and now they have access to my help, but completely independent of that in some ways, although I have come to believe that both of our points today collide in this way. If we show people we love them by helping them with the needs that they know that they have, it can help us cultivate a friendship with them that can open the door to the gospel. We can begin to service their greater needs, maybe even ones they didn't even know that they had. This is a lot like last week's episode with the kids. If God puts a child in your life under your influence, teach them about Jesus. And this week, if God puts someone in your life who needs help with their body or their soul, give thanks to him and have a heart.life to sign up for the email, order the three-month journal, or just catch up on old episodes. And also, if you are looking for financial advice or future planning, give John Cunningham a call today, 205 913 1720. And remember this whatever you choose to do today, in the name of the Lord Jesus, excel still more.