OceanSide church of Christ

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A Tender Heart
by: Dalton Gilreath

I.                Introduction

A.    King Josiah was described by God as having a tender heart (2 Kings 22:19)

                                                    i.     He started out as king at only 8 years old

                                                   ii.     In a moment we will notice what constituted his tender heart but first consider his lineage for a moment

B.    Josiah’s grandfather was Mannaseh a very wicked king (2 Kings 21:1-2)

                                                    i.     He sent his own son through fire to worship an idol (21:6)

                                                   ii.     While he was king Jerusalem was described as a bloodbath of innocent lives (21:16)

1.     Eventually, God had him taken captive by another nation (2 Chr 33:10-13)

2.     It was only then that Manasseh finally turned to God

C.    Mannaseh’s son, Ammon, did not humble his heart like Mannaseh did and was even more evil (2 Chr 33:21-23)

                                                    i.     He was so wicked his own servants took his life (33:24)

                                                   ii.     By the grace of God this man’s son became a godly king like David and not like his father

                                                 iii.     Consider the characteristics of Josiah’s tender heart (2 Kings 22:29-20)

II.              His heart was humble

III.           

A.    The Pharaoh of Moses’ day would not humble himself before God (Ex 10:3)

                                                    i.     How could a man go through these plagues and still defy God?

                                                   ii.     The Bible says a prideful man forgets God (Deut 8:14)

1.     It was like Pharaoh forgot the plague ever happened each time it was lifted from him

2.     When we are that full of ourselves there is no room for God and we forget Him (Isa 57:15)

                   

B.    We may not boast much but we may be like Diotrephes (3 John 9)

                                                    i.     He loved to have the preeminence

                                                   ii.     Sometimes we may love for others to brag on us

1.     To a degree this is natural but it can consume us

2.     When my focus is lifting myself up in others eyes and not God there is a problem

                                                 iii.     Jesus said the servant’s heart is greater than the chief’s heart (Luke 22:24-27)

1.     It isn’t about the title but about the heart

2.     Being a preacher or elder is no better than the janitor if all three have a servant’s heart

IV.            His heart was willing to listen

A.    Another problem with pride is it causes us not to listen

                                                    i.     Pharaoh ignored God’s commands (Ex 8:19)

                                                   ii.     God cannot effectively reach us if we stouten our heart to His word (Isa 46:12)

B.    God gives us everything we have

                                                    i.     What have we given God (Isa 66:1-5)

                                                   ii.     Our jobs, money, homes, family, etc all came from God

                                                 iii.     How could we ever be so prideful we won’t listen to Him

C.    We must also remember God listens to us (Psa 13:3)

                                                    i.     In our distress He listens and answers (Psa 69:17, 120:1)

                                                   ii.     How heartbreaking it is knowing He is always there for us and yet we often times don’t listen to Him

                                                 iii.     Of course, we also remember we are to imitate our listening God as well (Eph 5:1)

V.              His heart was sorrowful over sin

A.    God wants us to be sorrowful on the inside and not just the outside (Joel 2:12-13)

                                                    i.     He isn’t interested in torn clothes but a torn heart

                                                   ii.     Israel’s heart was rent when they heard God’s word (Neh 8:9)

1.     They wept because of their sin

2.     This motivated them to repent

                                                 iii.     James tells us to turn our joy to heaviness (4:8-9)

B.    We must also weep with those who weep

                                                    i.     Jesus wept when He saw Mary and the Jews mourning Lazarus death (John 11:30-38)

1.     Although He knew He would raise Him He still wept

2.     Jesus loved others and it hurt Him when they hurt

                                                   ii.     Paul commands us to do the same (Rom 12:15)

VI.            Lastly, his heart led to his salvation (2 Kings 22:20)

A.    He was going to see his family again

                                                    i.     When we die we are gathered with our loved ones who died faithful as well (Gen 25:8, 2 Sam 12:23)

                                                   ii.     What a joy to be with our loved ones forever

B.    He was going to be at peace in death as well (Gen 15:15)

C.    Finally, he was not going to see evil anymore

                                                    i.     The rich man could see Lazarus but not vice versa (Luke16)

                                                   ii.     We will never see a wicked thing again in eternity

D.    A tender heart is humble, listening, weeping, and ultimately saved