Open Your Heart

It is vital that our hearts are open and receptive to the Word of God. The parable of the sower is not about the sower, but about the four types of people who hear the word. We can be those who hear but are not willing to receive, or those who let it take root but not to the foundation of our lives, so that when persecution comes our faith is broken, or those who hear but are too taken with the worldly pleasures to really listen and obey God; or we can be those who have open hearts and willing ears, who hear the word and act on it. God had given us freedom, to remain in that freedom we must continue in His word.

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There’s one theme that I want to talk about, which is to do with freedom and what we do with it. I’m going to a parable, maybe in a different way to how you have looked at it before. During this month, I’m going to be looking at a different parable each evening.

Jesus came back to this small place called Nazareth first after being baptized.

Luke 4:16-21

That was quite a dramatic moment because, for the first time, Jesus proclaimed why He had come. Part of that proclamation was that He was going to set at liberty them that are bruised. So if you are Christian, you have been set free from the power of sin inside to make choices that please Him. Jesus has come inside you to give you the power to live right. He said what He said, He then sat down and said that this day that scripture was fulfilled.

We have freedom as to how we respond to the word. It is that use of freedom that I want to focus on now. This next scripture is a few years later when Jesus had been preaching and performing miracles in the synagogues and to the people at large:

John 8:30-32

There’s the sense that freedom is continuing in God’s word. A little later He says:

John 8:36-37

Freedom is to do with how we respond to God’s word. We have the freedom to create how we are going to hear it. It is important how we hear it. Now this is the parable itself:

Matthew 13:1-9

This parable is to do with your use of God given freedom because your freedom allows you to be one of four types of people, so that when you come to listen to preaching, your freedom has determined the soil that’s in your heart. You have made the choice, even as you came in this morning, to either hear or not hear. This parable is often referred to the parable of the sower, but really it’s the parable of the person who got it right in the way he heard God’s word. It is vital that you and I are open to what God wants to speak to us in His word. The principle is that we have ears to hear. That is why Jesus told them that they had ‘ears to hear’. Are the words sinking in, or do they just bounce off you?

Matthew 13:10-12

In other words, the more you hear this word, it compounds good unto good or confirms the opposite; it depends how you hear.

Matthew 13:13-15

There’s an active thing that He quotes there, of the way we come to hear God’s word. Quoting from Isaiah, He says that their hearts are waxed gross, their eyes and closed and they are dull of hearing.

Matthew 13:16-17

What’s matters is how we hear. The principle is that we need to have an open heart to what God by His Holy Spirit wants to say to us. It is possible for us to emphasise the freedom God has given us whereby we close off, the hearts waxes gross, the ears become dull and the eyes shut.

Matthew 13:18-19

The wayside is where it’s all compressed ground and there is no ability for the seed to take root so it just gets washed away. So the first choice is that when I come into this room I can set my heart not to hear. I will hear the words spoken, but will push it away and not let it sink it. It might be you’re at home, reading your Bible, or the thought has occurred to you that should read the Bible, but then you decide actually, no, I don’t need to. The enemy of our soul is ever ready to capture any word that you bounce away.

Matthew 13:20-21

The stony places are where there is only a thin layer of soil so no roots can grow. This is the sort of person whom receives the word for a while, and on the surface all looks good. But, when persecution comes, because there is no foundation, their faith will fade away. We have to continue in His word, because by continuing, we can endure persecution.

Matthew 13:22

So there’s a two-horse race going on with this type of hearer. They have made the choice and hear the word. But parallel with that word, the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches means that they both come to church and go out and enjoy the cares of the world. In time, the word, although they hear it every week, will be choked because the cares of this world are too important to that person.

Matthew 13:23

There’s a sense in which you and I have a responsibility with the freedom God’s given us, to be open to what He wants to say to us. God wants us to be open. He will continue relentlessly to be revelatory to you by His word because He lives you. What He wants in our lives is fruit that is pleasing to Him. That fruit is the fruit of the spirit and talking to other people so that, through our lives, other people are drawn to Him.

Galatians 5:1

Don’t get so bound up in legalism and what the world is such that you come here but are not open. Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free.

Galatians 5:13

As far as I’m concerned, when I come into this hall, it must be the case that I come in with a receptive heart to God’s word. God is specific to each one of you. I know that each one of us can look back at our lives, and see the difficulties we’ve overcome, and testify to the faithfulness of God through it all. To me, the opportunity God has given to us, to hear His word and for His Holy Spirit to come is so wonderful.

When you get baptised, as those who are getting baptised today, you are proclaiming to the world that you believe in Jesus Christ and that you have set you course to obey them. I am not going to be a dull hearer or someone who thinks they know it all. The testimony of those getting baptised today is, as far as I’m concerned, God inside me, my faith in Jesus Christ means I’m a Christian and I’m going to go forward in Him.

Yesterday, a field near my house, was harvested. I’d been looking out at this field for the past months, watching the wind and rain and thinking that there was no way there would be no crop. But, as it was harvested, there was a constant reliance on the combine harvester of the crop. There is no way, if God has got involved in your life, that you will not bear fruit. What is that fruit for? It’s for His glory; it’s to show others that He is the Lord of your life.

We don’t know what life holds, or when we will go to be in glory. But we do know that the freedom we need to exercise, day in and day out, is to be open to Jesus Christ. Who does He want to reach through you this week? When was the last time you reached out to someone in need with the Gospel? You are here because He got you here; He loves you. I know that as we are faithful to His word, and fulfil His purposes in His time, the glory will be unto Him and unto Him alone. He is a wonderful heavenly Father.

Take Heed How You Hear

God’s word comes that we might have life. But do you hear it in the right way?

God’s word is rich, powerful and alive and by His Holy Spirit, He convinces us of everything – sin, righteousness and judgment. There are different types of people here this morning, and when I read from the Word of God it will either bear fruit for good or it will not affect us. How will you hear these verses?

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Romans 6:21–23

John 10:9-10

There were four different reactions to what I have just read.

Mark 4:1–9

There are four different ways of hearing and we are going to look at each category. I want to highlight that if you’re in category one - three, we have a severe problem.

The five verses which I read initially came to you, and you’re one in of these categories.

The disciples couldn’t figure out what Jesus meant. They understood that the farmer would know where the good ground is and would put the seed there as best he could, but if the seed fell elsewhere, it didn’t bear fruit.

Mark 4:10-13

Jesus explained each category of hearer.

Mark 4:14–15

The birds flew down, took the seed, and there was no chance of any fruit. When they have heard physically, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. That’s like the person who came here this morning with an attitude of “This is not relevant to me. This won’t be relevant to me. I’m here under sufferance. I’m here, but in my heart, the Word won’t get involved.”

The moment I read out those first verses, your reaction was “Here we go again. I’ve heard this before”

Psalm 95:7-8

It is possible for us to harden our heart. In our first birth we are born in sin, and we can determine whether or not to let the word affect us. You walked in here having hardened your heart it this morning. I’m trusting God because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, so as we go through these categories, you’ll recognised yourself, and that acceptance is a start – it really is.

The wayside was a pathway through the field. Everyone walked on it and it was like concrete and nothing could take root. The ground was in no way prepared. If you came in like that, I want you to identify it, and ask yourself how it can change – because it needs to change. Don’t think “That’ll always be my attitude – why do I bother coming?” You need to be here. Never rule out the power of God’s word. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

Romans 6:21-23

John 10:9–10

Mark 4:16-17

These verses mirror Mark 4:5-6. These are people who will readily agree with what is being preached. They will listen and agree – “That’s true. It’s brilliant. I can see the sense. I can understand it.” And in here it’s fine. But when you get outside, and perhaps are talking to your relations “You go to that church. What does it meant to you?” Or you’re talking to your peer group, and there are some who want to go the right way, but you side with pressure from others to go a different way.

Jesus talked about this sort of problem elsewhere:

Mark 8:37-38

This stony heart has a little bit of earth along the top. There’s just enough soil for the word to have a reaction. But below there is a great big stone, and the roots can’t get down. So when the sun comes up, everything gets scorched. What God wants to do is make the soil right. He wants you to have good soil. He doesn’t want there to be a stone.

Ezekiel 36:25-27

That’s God’s heart for you. Harden not your heart. Realise that there has to be an understanding and acceptance so God can get inside you – not just an imprint, but Christ on the inside. I want to get rid of the stony heart. Because under pressure, it will be gone. We have a Christian school. If anyone is a wayside hearer or a stony-hearted hearer, Come University, forget it – you’re gone. There’s a hardness, no depth. But I’m preaching this this morning because God wants to change that. It’s not too late.


Mark 4:18-19

This mirrors verse Mark 4:7. Three things. The cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, the list for other things - they grow up alongside the Word. These people hear the Word with gladness. There’s some depth, because things grow. The word grows, but then these other things are allowed to grow too and before you know where you are, you find the garden you tended has become overgrown. Everything good has been choked and is gone. This sort of person actually knows what it is to understand the Word of God. The problem is that they don’t keep it. Why? Because other things run parallel. We have the seed growing, but we have thorns growing. And if let the thorns grow, they will kill off the seed.

James 4:1-4

If I have thorns growing, I’m allowing them to grow because I have a foot in two camps. I’m not fully in here. I’m kidding myself, and I’m miserable, because there are times when I realise that this is true, this really is the life I want to lead, but ... It’s a compromise.

What are we listing here as the pleasures of this world? Fame, celebrity, the dream, alcohol, drugs, sex, the National Lottery – it could be you. Well this morning, it is you. What is the state of your heart when we read out those five verses initially? What thorn are you hanging on to? Why is it there? Why are you letting it grow? Why are you getting with others who are cultivating the thorn with you? You know it’s wrong.

1 Timothy 6:9-10

1 Timothy 6:17

James 4:13–14

The cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches...

Romans 6:21–23

John 10:9–10

Mark 4:20

This is good ground. This parable is referred to in Matthew, Mark and Luke. It talks about those who hear the word and receive it, understand it, keep it. Three different verbs. You receive it, understand it and keep it. The word is inside you.

Galatians 5:19–23

It says in Galatians 5:19-23 in the New Living Translation - When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law.

Why is God bringing this to our attention? When Jesus Christ came into the world, He did so to save sinners, to eradicate that wall of sin. He broke down the wall of partition through the Cross, through His son giving His life. Jesus wants you to be a good hearer. He doesn’t want you to be a wayside hearer, to have a heart of stone, to cultivate thorns. You could say the thorns represent the world, the stone in your heart, you flesh, and the wayside, the devil. The world, the flesh and the devil were all dealt with once and for all at Calvary. Jesus conquered, too the penalty of your sin. He conquered death for you and me because He does not want you to be that way.
God is speaking to some of you directly by His Holy Spirit. I’m talking about understanding and receiving the words I read at the outset.

Romans 6:21-23

John 10:9-10

If you are by the wayside, if you have a heart of stone, if you’re two-timing with thorns, let’s sort it out.

John 10:9–10

There are cynics who will say if I invite you to put things right with God; they’ll say these are crocodile tears. If that’s you, keep your opinion to yourself, because God is faithful, and by the power of His Holy Spirit, He communicates faith through the preaching of His word. I know there are some here who know that God has been speaking to you. It is as if it is you and God and no one else is involved.

The Prayer of Jesus

Pastor Peter Linnecar looks at the prayer of Jesus in John 17, looking at what Jesus had to say about Himself, what He said to the disciples, and what He speaks directly to us. Because of what He did on the Cross, we can share with Jesus the life of delight, peace and rejoicing that He knows with the Father in heaven.

I want to say something very personal to you. At various places in the Word of God, we are made aware of what it is like in heaven. Before the foundation of this world, there was God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit.

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We’re going to listen in to Jesus’ prayer with the disciples, two days before He died. But first I want to point out what it was like in eternity when Jesus was the Father before He came.

Proverbs 8:22 - 31

This is Jesus: Proverbs 8:30

There is a peace, a delight, and joy in heaven always. And before Jesus came to this world, He was daily, His Father’s delight.

John 1:1 - 5

When Jesus was with the disciples, life in all its fullness was walking with them. He is life. He was daily, His Father’s delight before He came. He was Father’s delight when He came, because He fulfilled the Father’s will all the way to the Cross where He gave His life for us and then rose from the dead.

In John 17, we hear Jesus praying. At some point in their journey with Jesus, the disciples asked Him to teach them to pray.

Prior to John 17, we go back to the last supper. Jesus washed the feet of all the disciples – Judas included. Jesus shared things with the disciples but said they wouldn’t apply to all of them because one would betray Him. The disciples couldn’t figure it out who it could be, so Peter told John to ask Him who He was talking about and Jesus said it was the one to whom He would give a piece of bread, and He gave it to Judas. At that point Satan entered into Judas and he went out. Once Judas had left, Jesus opened things up, and in chapters 14-16, He shared His heart with them. He spoke of the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, and later when the disciples looked back, everything fell into place.

When God speaks a word, it isn’t wasted. When you see Him at work in your life, He never ever wastes time. There is never ever a plan B, because He knows what He is doing. And He loves you.

John 16:33

The glimpse we had in Proverbs and John 1 was that there is complete harmony, peace, joy and rejoicing in heaven. We’re passing through this world now, and our life is a discovery of how much God loves us and of how He is. More than that, He comes to live His life inside us so that when we look at the empty cross, we know it is empty because He went through death, came back to life, and in Him is life. He can’t but be life and love. It’s His character. He is always the same. So when we have difficult circumstances in life it’s good to step back and see things in God’s perspective.

It’s significant for us what God reveals here because it has a direct impact on your life. You’ll see that because He’s alive, He keeps and sanctifies you and keeps you from evil. He is at the right hand of God making intercession for you – right now. The work on earth was finished when He cried out on the cross, but He still makes intercession for us.

John 17:1 - 5

These verses are to do with Jesus Himself.

The Disciples

The next section deals with the disciples and the last part with us.

Everything begins and ends in God. Your faith is from God, and He will complete the work He has begun in your life. What is that work? It’s to prepare you for when you will see Him face to face.

John 17:3

That’s a church. We might have various structures and doctrines, but life eternal is that we might know Him the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent.

John 17:5

Ephesians 1:3 - 4

When did He choose you? Before the foundation of the world. Before the foundation of the world He made provision for you. At this very point in time, before the foundation of the world, God has sorted everything for you. The power of sin in life which you were born with, the consequences of that sin He has taken away, and the power has been broken, because He finished the work.

John 17:6 - 8

Imagine the disciples looking at Jesus. You would just be so aware of His heart for you.

John 17:9 - 11

In v5 we had ‘glorify’. Now in v11, we have ‘keep’. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee” because when your mind is focused on the fact that everything is organised that you might know Him and His perfect love.

The word ‘keep’ is eternal.

John 17:12 - 13

Your life as a Christian is one where it doesn’t matter what the circumstances are in your life. What God is doing is showing you how much He loves you and that He has heard and answered your prayers. There has never been a time when He hasn’t heard you pray. There’s harmony between a Christian and heaven. You have God’s life inside you, and there is peace in heaven. Everything is joy and peace.

“But I live on this earth”. I know. But as a Christian you were in God before the foundation of the world. He put the faith in your heart to believe. He’s sorted things out in your life. It may be that your experience of this differs from someone else’s. No matter. Each one of us is unique.

John 17:14 - 19

You and Me

At that point He steps back again to talk about you and me, the Church as it is, at this point in time. Up to v19 He had been revealing His heart to the disciples. We’ve thought a lot about Peter recently, and as Jesus prayed, everything slotted into place – how He called him and changed his life about. The words He said had power. He is life. He lives.

In v20, He incorporates us. His life has been incorporated in our bodies. As you go about your life, it’s His power inside you. He’s keeping you until you see Him face to face, and it is a life of joy. That doesn’t mean things don’t go wrong, but we know that all things work together for good to those who love God. And the reason we love Him is because of the love He’s given us.

So now we have Jesus praying in front of the disciples, but praying for you.

John 17:20 - 21

“That the world may believe that thou has sent me”. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.

Are we ready for outreach? Who’s given you your faith?

John 17:22 - 26

What Jesus reveals here is the fulfilment of His purpose on earth in verses 1- 5; then how things would work out for the disciples; and now, as He turns to you and me, it’s all to do with the people He upholds.

He’s alive. He fulfilled what Father wanted with the work He did when He gave His life, on the cross. He bought the Bride of Christ: worldwide, millions of people from all round the world, brothers and sisters in Him, fulfilling His purposes.

Romans 8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

At this second, He is making intercession for you and me to Father.

Hebrews 7:24 - 25

Forever. He ever liveth to make intercession for them. He’s alive – forever. He reigns. He’s Lord.

John 17:26

He is for you. And there is no problem in your life for which He does not have the solution. So during this week, take the time to link up with Him. Don’t race for the news or the newspaper too quickly. Communicate with Him. Share your heart with Him. Read His word. He loves you.

Look Unto Me

God is in control of everything. That has been particularly pressed upon me lately. God is interested in your life at this time. He is careful to organise things, so that He can prove His love for us.

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Isaiah is often referred to as a fifth Gospel and I will be particularly concentrating on the following verse.

Isaiah 45:22

At that point in time, Jerusalem was in ruins, and various prophets had foretold that worship would resume at Jerusalem, and the temple would be rebuilt.

Isaiah 45:1 - 4

Cyrus, the king of Persia, would outwork the purposes that God wanted for His people, the children of Israel. God knows the affairs of man. History is about God building His church at this time, in His way, worldwide. There are situations in your life, perhaps, where you’ve thought that you just don’t know the way forward. Your God is in control of your situation. He’s heard you. He’s not caused you to be washed up on a beach somewhere, stranded.

Isaiah 45:5 - 8

God is in complete control. Some of you have been wondering in your heart about the way forward in your life, and God, by His Holy Spirit will quicken to you that now is the time to just realise what Christ did for you on Calvary, and what the resurrection from the dead is going to mean to you personally at this time. What does it mean for me to be a Christian?

Isaiah 45:9 - 12

He’s the creator God. He gave you life and formed you in the womb.

Isaiah 45:13 – 15

It doesn’t matter what the situation is with the people around you. God specialises in changing things where the impossible to your mind becomes possible in Him. He specialises in that. When He was hanging on the cross, and everyone had written Him off, it was the end... and yet it was the beginning. He endured the cross for your sin and my sin.

Isaiah 45:15-17

If that isn’t clear, I don’t know what is. Through Isaiah the prophet, God is saying, this is what I am. This is who I am.

Isaiah 45:18 - 21

I am your Saviour. Look to me.

What is it that you’ve tried to put into your life to plug that gap? God is saying to you, I am your Saviour. Look to me.

Isaiah 45:22

Look unto me. There’s not some weird formula or some weird experience that you must have. Look unto me, He says. That’s all. All He wants us to do is to look. You don’t have to prove yourself or be somebody, you don’t have to do this or that so I can bless you. Look unto me, God says. Forget everything else you’re trying to fill your life with. Look unto me, and be ye saved.

This was the verse that converted Spurgeon. He was so conscious of his sin and his need of a saviour, and he realised it was so simple. He thought, I can do that. I can look. You can do that. There’s nobody that is of a different caste. There’s nobody that isn’t of the elite.

Who is He? He’s God. Who is like Him? No one. What can you somehow have as a replacement for God? Nothing. Would you want a replacement? I don’t think so. Why would you want a replacement? All that’s needed is for you to realise that you can’t do it on your own.

I was looking through various phrases that Jesus said in the Gospel of John.

John 8:12

John 10:11

John 12:32

John 14:6

He knows what He’s doing, and He loves you. He knows your inside, and He wants your inside to propel your outside. He’s the only one who can get hold of the inside of you and change everything. No one else can do that.

Isaiah 45:23 - 25

Philippians 2:5 – 11

Romans 14:11 – 12

It all ends there. There is a direct quote of Isaiah 45 in Romans 14. We will all give account of ourselves to God. There are some here today, who know in their hearts, right now, God is saying, Come on, look unto me and be ye saved. He loves you.