Author: Robert

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Thursday, November 20, 2014
“Things That Shape Our Hearts”

 

 

 

 

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Episode Notes:

On this episode of The New You, we focus once again on the heart. Our hearts are shaped by at least five factors. Some of these are within our control, and others of them are outside of our control.

The heart is shaped by:

• Problems (John 16:6, 22)
• Prosperity (Luke 12:16-21)
• Pleasures (Luke 21:34)
• Passions (Matthew 5:28)
• The Past (Philippians 3:13-14)

These could make one more embracive or more abrasive of other people. They could make our hearts dull or hard (Matthew 13:15; Acts 28:27; Mark 8:17; Isaiah 6:10).

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Wednesday, November 19, 2014
“The Bible Heart” Part 2

 

 

 

 

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• Email: robert@thelightnetwork.tv
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Episode Transcript:

You’re listening to The New You, the daily broadcast for people who have been made new by the blood of Christ. I’m Robert Hatfield, and here is today’s Scripture:

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb. 4:12).

The Bible is designed to touch our hearts. That’s what I learn from Hebrews 4:12. But what exactly is the Bible heart? We noted yesterday that the Bible heart has four components: the intellect, emotions, the will, and the conscience. These four items comprise the whole of man’s inner being. They are shaped by the information that we possess, and the convictions that we derive from that information.

On today’s edition of The New You, we want to continue looking at these four components, turning our attention today to the final two. Let’s look today at the will and the conscience.

The Will

The will does four things according to Scripture. First, it determines. In 1 Corinthians 7:37, Paul speaks to the “present distress” (as is found in verse 26) that his readers were facing. Consequently, he states that it may be better for a father not to give his daughter’s hand in marriage. He says that if the father “has so determined in his heart that he will keep his virgin, [he] does well.”

Second, the will intends. The Bible is able to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb. 4:12). Third, the will purposes. In Acts 11:23, Barnabas encouraged God’s people to serve the Lord with purpose of heart. Fourth, the will obeys. The Romans had “obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine” which delivered them (Rom. 6:17).

Because the will is the power of choosing or determining, I am reminded that I am in control of my thoughts and my purposes. Consequently, my will is going to change when I have the proper motives provided by my emotional convictions which are based on my intellectual knowledge.

The Conscience

The conscience is the sense of consciousness of the moral goodness or blameworthiness of one’s own conduct, intentions, or character together with a feeling of obligation to do right or to be good. 1 John 3:20-21 states that our hearts can condemn us or not condemn us. This will be based on that conscience, won’t it?

The conscience is a powerful tool that God has given us, isn’t it? That feeling that we get when we know better than to mess up is important in helping us to make wise decisions. However, we understand that the conscience must be taught, or shaped, in order for it to be effective toward godliness.

The conscience can be changed. Faith in having done right, having obeyed the commands of God, changes that condemning conscience. That’s why John writes, “Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God” (1 John 3:21). Paul was able to say, “I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day” (Acts 23:1).

Let’s wrap it up: There can be no change of heart until all four of these areas (intellect, emotion, will and conscience) are changed. But what we have seen today is that it actually IS possible to change the heart. This contradicts much of what our culture says, however it is the plain teaching of the Word of God. May God help us to be pure in heart so that, one day, we might see Him.

Memory Verse: We’re half way through with our time to memorize 2 Corinthians 5:10. This is an important verse. I’ll say it once, then ask you to repeat it with me the second time.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad (2 Cor. 5:10).

The New You 10 Week Challenge for a Better Internet! Let’s work together to make the Internet a better place. Each week, I’ll give you a challenge, and I want to encourage you to take to social media with that challenge, followed by the hashtag #NewYouChallenge.

This week I want us to answer this question: For what physical / material blessing are you most thankful? So head over to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the like and compose a post which says, “The material blessing for which I am most thankful is ______ . #NewYouChallenge” This is week 8 of the 10 week challenge for a better Internet!

Thanks for joining me today for The New You. You can find us each weekday at thelightnetwork.tv. You’ll also find episode archives, transcripts, and more Christian podcasts there. That’s thelightnetwork.tv

Contact me by email at robert@thelightnetwork.tv or by voicemail, by calling 903-26-LIGHT, that’s 903-265-4448. I’d love to hear from you!

I’m Robert Hatfield. You are the new you! Go live like it!

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Tuesday, November 18, 2014
“The Bible Heart” Part 1

 

 

 

 

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Episode Transcript:

You’re listening to The New You, the daily broadcast for people who have been made new by the blood of Christ. I’m Robert Hatfield, and here is today’s Scripture:

For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Rom. 10:10).

We’re dedicating this week to our hearts. Yesterday, we noticed Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:8 that those who are pure in heart will see God. Of course, we realize that we’re not talking about the organ that pumps the blood throughout our bodies. No, I’m talking about our minds, that’s how we often refer to “the Bible heart.”

As we consult the Scriptures, we see that the Bible heart has four components: intellect, emotions, will, and conscience. As we examine the Bible heart here on The New You, we will take today and tomorrow to zoom in on each of these four parts of the heart.

The Intellect

The intellect is the part of the heart that has the capacity for knowledge. I can observe from the New Testament that the heart, through its intellect, is able to think. On one occasion, Jesus came in contact with a paralytic man. When He saw the faith of this man and those who brought him to Him, Jesus said, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you” (Mat. 9:2). But some of the scribes said within themselves, “This Man blasphemes!” To which Jesus replied, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?” (Mat. 9:3-4). Mark’s account records it this way: Jesus said, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?” (Mark 2:8). So the heart can think and reason. This is part of the intellect, the capacity for knowledge.

Further, the heart understands. Jesus said that some were dull of hearing and their eyes were closed, “lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them” (Mat. 13:15). We saw a moment ago that the heart is able to believe. Romans 10:10 says that we believe in Christ with our hearts, and we confess that conviction with our mouths.

Note that the intellect is shaped what we know. This tells me that it is possible for me to change my intellect based upon the knowledge that I receive. Perhaps I didn’t know something before that I now know. Thomas is a good example of this. When he was presented the full evidence of Jesus’ resurrection, he amended his view and exclaimed, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:31). Remember: “Faith comes by hearing … the word of God” (Rom. 10:17).

The Emotions

The heart also has an emotional side, in which the affective aspect of consciousness is felt. The heart can despise. 2 Samuel 6:16 says that “Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and whirling before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart.” Second, the heart has desires. Paul said that his heart’s desire for Israel was that they might be saved (Rom. 10:1). Third, the heart loves. We should love God with all of our hearts, according to Jesus’ words in Matthew 22:37. Finally, the heart trusts. The proverbs teach us that we should trust in the Lord with all of our hearts, “and lean not on your own understanding” (Prov. 3:5).

Note that the emotions are shaped by our beliefs. That, of course, is directly linked to the intellect, or to the knowledge we possess. This tells me that we can change our emotions. I’m also reminded that, sometimes, it is necessary to change our emotions. We can’t allow our emotions to constantly be in the driver’s seat. However, we must also recognize that God has given us emotions for our good to be employed to glorify Him.

Faith in the testimony of Christ changes my desires, my loves, my trusts. Now, my life is all about seeking first the kingdom of God (Mat. 6:33).

Let’s wrap it up: Much emphasis is given to the heart in God’s word because it is the seat of a man’s activity. Do you struggle with sin? Well, sin is ultimately a heart problem. Jesus said that what defiles a man is what comes from the heart (Mat. 15:19), and that a good man, out of the treasure of his heart, will bring forth good things (Mat. 12:35).

Memory Verse: We should shape our hearts by God’s word, realizing that the Judgment Day is coming for us all. It is a day when every part of our existence will be evaluated in light of the ultimate standard, the Bible. Here’s 2 Corinthians 5:10.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad (2 Cor. 5:10).

The New You 10 Week Challenge for a Better Internet! This week I want us to answer this question: For what physical / material blessing are you most thankful? So head over to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the like and compose a post which says, “The material blessing for which I am most thankful is ______ . #NewYouChallenge” This is week 8 of the 10 week challenge for a better Internet!

Thanks for joining me today for The New You. You can find us each weekday at thelightnetwork.tv. You’ll also find episode archives, transcripts, and more Christian podcasts there. That’s thelightnetwork.tv

Contact me by email at robert@thelightnetwork.tv or by voicemail, by calling 903-26-LIGHT, that’s 903-265-4448. I’d love to hear from you!

I’m Robert Hatfield. You are the new you! Go live like it!

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Monday, November 17, 2014
“Blessed Are the Pure in Heart”

 

 

 

 

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Episode Transcript:

You’re listening to The New You, the daily broadcast for people who have been made new by the blood of Christ. I’m Robert Hatfield, and here is today’s Scripture:

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God (Mat. 5:8).

This statement comes from the section of Scripture that we call the Beatitudes. They span from Matthew 5:3-12, and were given by Jesus during His great Sermon on the Mount.

This is an interesting statement, isn’t it? “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” How badly do you want to see God? You understand that to see God is to be where He is; to go to heaven when you die. What are you willing to do – or what are you willing to give up – so that you can see God?

Cultivating a pure heart is not going to be easy. We’re talking about changing who we are from the inside out. Change isn’t easy, especially that kind of change that will affect every part of who I am. The Scripture gives us two important concepts relative to cultivating pure hearts: a cost and a conversion.

The Cost

Romans 12:1-2 is one of those passages that we need to examine quite often. It would be a good daily reminder for any Christian, really.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Rom. 12:1-2).

Verse one gives us the price. Our bodies are to be living sacrifices to God. Verse two then shows us the contrasts: we can be conformed to the world, or we can be transformed by renewing our hearts (or, our minds, as the text specifically puts it). The idea here is of a potter who is working with a piece of clay. He or she molds and shapes that clay into what it is supposed to be. What about you and me? Will we be shaped by the world, allowing the world to mold our hearts according to our culture’s standards? Or will we allow the gospel to transform us?

You understand that there is some cost associated with this. We lose our own priorities, will, pleasures, desires, so that we can live for the Lord.

The Conversion

Here’s the thing about our hearts: we cannot purify our hearts alone. The Psalmist recognized this in the fifty-first psalm when he penned, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (verse seven), and “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (verse ten).

We can’t change our hearts all alone. We cannot be cleansed without applying the precious blood of Christ to our souls (1 Pet. 1:18-19). We submit to God’s Will and then God is able to transform us, through our obedience to His Word, into who we are to be.

Remember that Peter preached on Solomon’s porch that men should “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19). Conversion is turning around; changing our lives to conform to God’s will.

Are you willing to be fully converted to the Lord? Will you give your heart totally to Him?

Let’s wrap it up: We often use terms like “give your heart to the Lord” in pleading with non-Christians to begin their Christian journeys. And yet, we’re discussing it here, on a podcast that is designed for Christians – specifically, new Christians. I believe that the decision to give our hearts to the Lord is one that we have to make every day, perhaps several times a day.

How badly do you want to see God? Are you willing to pay the price, that is to sacrifice your own will so that you can live for God? Are you willing to be converted, to adapt to your new purpose in Christ? Is seeing God worth it to you? I hope so. Jesus gives us this guarantee: those who purify their hearts will see God.

Memory Verse: This week’s verse reminds us to live with the end in mind. That is, we should regulate our thoughts, words, and actions based upon the fact that, one day, we will be judged for everything that we have thought, said, and done.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad (2 Cor. 5:10).

The New You 10 Week Challenge for a Better Internet! Let’s work together to make the Internet a better place. Each week, I’ll give you a challenge, and I want to encourage you to take to social media with that challenge, followed by the hashtag #NewYouChallenge.

This week I want us to answer this question: For what physical / material blessing are you most thankful? So head over to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the like and compose a post which says, “The material blessing for which I am most thankful is ______ . #NewYouChallenge” This is week 8 of the 10 week challenge for a better Internet!

Thanks for joining me today for The New You. You can find us each weekday at thelightnetwork.tv. You’ll also find episode archives, transcripts, and more Christian podcasts there. That’s thelightnetwork.tv

Contact me by email at robert@thelightnetwork.tv or by voicemail, by calling 903-26-LIGHT, that’s 903-265-4448. I’d love to hear from you!

I’m Robert Hatfield. You are the new you! Go live like it!

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For Friday, November 14, 2014
“Examine Yourselves…”

 

 

 

 

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Episode Transcript:

You’re listening to The New You, the daily broadcast for people who have been made new by the blood of Christ. I’m Robert Hatfield, and here is today’s Scripture:

Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified (2 Cor. 13:5).

I want to spend some more time talking about the older brother in the story of the two lost sons, found in Luke 15:11-32. Yesterday, we looked at this older son and we noticed his charges, the father’s charity, and his choice. While we made a few applications yesterday, I think we need to spend a little more time looking at this older son.
Let’s just be frank: there is an older brother mentality in the church sometimes. Even as Jesus told the parable, He was speaking to an audience comprised of tax collectors, sinners, Pharisees and scribes. The Pharisees and scribes “complained, saying, ‘This Man receives sinners and eats with them’” (Luke 15:2). This is a mentality that you and I must avoid in the Lord’s church today.
Self-examination is absolutely imperative to avoiding the older brother mentality in the church. With that in mind, let’s list four specific reasons why self-examination is important.

1. Self-examination is key to developing your relationship with God.

The older son remained at his father’s house, but we learn that his heart wasn’t really there. Instead, he had built up resentment against his younger brother for leaving him stuck at home. At least, that’s the way it seems.
If you and I will examine ourselves, as 2 Corinthians 13:5 commands, we will develop our relationship with God. Remember: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).

2. Self-examination is key to avoiding hypocrisy.

The older brother had convinced himself – wrongfully so – that he was self-righteous. He essentially said, “Look what I’ve done all of these years, but I’ve never been celebrated. I’m the one who stayed!”
I must avoid a checklist religion mentality. I have to be sure that I don’t let feelings of resentment and a “holier-than-thou” mentality enter into my heart. I must look for older brother tendencies in my life. The only way I can do that is through self-examination.

3. Self-examination is key to shaping your interactions with others.

The older brother accentuated his younger brother’s faults. He even attempted to find fault with his own father! All the while, he failed to recognize that he had faults, too.
Everyone is messed up with sin. Romans chapter three makes that abundantly clear. There is no one who is reading this but what is blessed by God’s grace and is undeserving of the hope that we have in Jesus. That is going to help me to relate to people. It is going to help me to love people and to find the good in them. That is going to remind me that I’m no better than anyone else.

4. Self-examination is key to maintaining my Christian image.

Now, I’m not talking about hypocrisy, that is, being someone in image only. Not at all. Paul put it this way in Colossians 3:10: “[You] have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.” That’s the image about which I am speaking.
I can’t allow the older brother to make an older brother out of me. But, you know what, it’s so easy to hear negativity and then to repeat it and to take it into our own hearts. Don’t give in to that mentality. In fact, let’s take that one step further. Don’t tolerate that mentality. Examine yourself and maintain your Christ-like image. By the way, that involves an internal image – in the heart – and an external image – in my actions.

** Let’s wrap it up:** When we’re examining the older brother, we must remember what Jesus said about forgiveness. He said that, if we are unwilling to forgive others, our heavenly Father will be unwilling to forgive us (Mat. 18:35). We must forgive, and we must forgive from our hearts.

Memory Verse: Let’s look, for the last time this week, at Ezra 7:10:

For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel (Ezra 7:10).

The New You 10 Week Challenge for a Better Internet! This week I want us to answer this question: For what spiritual blessing are you the most thankful? So head over to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the like and compose a post which says, “The spiritual blessing for which I am most thankful is _____. #NewYouChallenge” This is week 7 of the 10 week challenge for a better Internet!

Over the weekend: Be sure to worship God on Sunday, the Lord’s day. Assemble with God’s people in your area and worship Him in Spirit and in truth (John 4:24). Need help locating a place to worship? Check out the interactive map (available from our friends at In Search of the Lord’s Way) that will help you find a congregation of God’s people in your area! Just go to thelightnetwork.tv/worship.

Thanks for joining me today for The New You. You can find us each weekday at thelightnetwork.tv. You’ll also find episode archives, transcripts, and more Christian podcasts there. That’s thelightnetwork.tv

Contact me by email at robert@thelightnetwork.tv or by voicemail, by calling 903-26-LIGHT, that’s 903-265-4448. I’d love to hear from you!

I’m Robert Hatfield. You are the new you! Let’s go live like it!

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For Thursday, November 13, 2014
“Two Lost Sons, Part 2”

 

 

 

 

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Episode Transcript:

You’re listening to The New You, the daily broadcast for people who have been made new by the blood of Christ. I’m Robert Hatfield, and here is today’s Scripture:

It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found (Luke 15:32).

Those are the words of the father to his oldest son in the parable that we often call the parable of the prodigal son. As noted yesterday, though, this parable is about not one lost son, but two lost sons. The first, which we examined yesterday, is the son who strayed, that is, he went away from his father’s house to a far country. However, he ultimately returned to his father’s house, repenting of his misdeeds.
The other son is the son who stayed. He was around all along, always on hand for his father. However, we find that it is possible for someone to be around the father’s house in body, without having the heart of the father.
Once again, let’s notice three points about this older son, the son who stayed. First, we will see the son’s charges, then the father’s charity, and, finally, the son’s choice.

1. The Son’s Charges

The older son was apparently out working in the fields when his younger brother finally returned home. As the older son is coming in from the fields, he notices all of the merriment that is happening inside the house. Upon inquiring with one of the servants, the older brother learns that his younger brother has returned. “But he was angry and would not go in,” Jesus said of him in Luke 15:28. So the father went out to him.
The son proceeded to accuse his younger brother and his own father of not appreciating him for all that he had done. Notice all of the personal pronouns in his statement found in Luke 15:29-30:

So he answered and said to his father, “Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.”

The application in the story is of one who is self-righteous. He does what he does to be seen of men or to meet some type of status-quo. He appears to be very involved in the father’s house, but his heart is far from there.
How does the father respond in Jesus’ story?

2. The Father’s Charity

The father responds to his older son in the same way that he responded to his younger son – with love. The father cares for his older son in spite of his stubbornness to welcome his younger brother. The father doesn’t excuse this attitude, but he does attempt to correct the attitude through proper teaching. “It was right [that is, morally demanded] that we should make merry and be glad,” the father stated, “for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found” (Luke 15:32).
The father’s focus is right where it should be. This older son risks his own soul by withholding his forgiveness from his younger, penitent brother.

3. The Son’s Choice

Wouldn’t you like to know how the story ends? What does the older brother do? Does he forgive his brother? Does he set out from his father’s house because he cannot stand the thought of living with his younger brother? Is he passive aggressive toward his brother? Jesus doesn’t tell us that part in His story. Instead, he sets before us this lesson that accentuates the fact that, ultimately, living according to God’s will is a matter of our choices. Will we make decisions that glorify God and thus identify ourselves as residents of the Father’s house or will we make decisions that, spiritually speaking, cause us to wind up in a country far away from the Father’s house?

** Let’s wrap it up:** Jesus told this story of two lost sons with the intention that we could identify with one of the two of them. We know what it’s like to be separated from our Father by our sins (Isa. 59:1-2). And we know what it’s like for our Heavenly Father to show his love for us (John 3:16). What an amazing Father our God is!

Memory Verse: How’s it coming with this week’s memory verse? Let’s turn our attention once again to Ezra 7:10:

For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel (Ezra 7:10).

The New You 10 Week Challenge for a Better Internet! This week I want us to answer this question: For what spiritual blessing are you the most thankful? So head over to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the like and compose a post which says, “The spiritual blessing for which I am most thankful is _____. #NewYouChallenge” This is week 7 of the 10 week challenge for a better Internet!

Thanks for joining me today for The New You. You can find us each weekday at thelightnetwork.tv. You’ll also find episode archives, transcripts, and more Christian podcasts there. That’s thelightnetwork.tv

Contact me by email at robert@thelightnetwork.tv or by voicemail, by calling 903-26-LIGHT, that’s 903-265-4448. I’d love to hear from you!

I’m Robert Hatfield. You are the new you! Let’s go live like it!

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For Wednesday, November 12, 2014
“Two Lost Sons, Part 1”

 

 

 

 

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Episode Transcript:

You’re listening to The New You, the daily broadcast for people who have been made new by the blood of Christ. I’m Robert Hatfield, and here is today’s Scripture:

And the younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living (Luke 15:12-13).

We often call the latter section of Luke 15 the parable of the prodigal son. In my Bible, the publishing company has added a note above Luke 15:11 that says, “The Parable of the Lost Son.” Certainly, this story that Jesus told is about a lost son – the prodigal son. However, this story is also about another lost son. Today and tomorrow, the Lord willing, we’re going to look at the two lost sons. Today, the son who strayed. Tomorrow, the son who stayed.
Three points today about the son who strayed: we’ll look at his choices, his change, and his father’s charity.

1. The Son’s Choices

You are probably familiar with the way this parable goes. A father had two sons, and the younger son comes to him and asks that the father divide his inheritance to the two sons. The father agrees and “he divided to them his livelihood” (Luke 15:12). The younger son proceeds, then, to journey to a country that is far away. He wants to be as far from his father’s influence as possible so that he can do what he wants to do. He gets there and “[wastes] his possessions with prodigal living” (Luke 15:13). That word prodigal means wasteful, morally lax, reckless, and loose. In Luke 15:30, the older son later says that the younger son devoured the father’s livelihood with harlots.
Before long, the younger son has lost everything that he has. He gets a job tending to pigs. He’s so hungry that he covets the carob pods that were fed to the swine, but “no one gave him anything” (Luke 15:16).
Stop for a minute and assess this young man’s situation. He is where he is at no one’s fault but his own. He chose to go to the far country. He chose to waste his inheritance. And now he has hit rock bottom.

2. The Son’s Change

That rock bottom moment is when we see the prodigal son come to himself (Luke 15:17). He reflected upon how good things were at his father’s house. He resolved to go back to his father and to beg him to accept him as just a hired servant. He did go to his father’s house and he repented of the sin and shame that he brought against himself and against his father’s house.
The prodigal son’s attitude is beautiful to read, but even more beautiful is the fact that such a repentance was even possible. I believe the son must have been surprised when he saw his father’s reaction to his return.

3. His Father’s Charity

Despite his mistaken, sinful choices, the son’s change was met with his father’s charity. The father cared for his younger son even when perhaps no one else would. The father, seeing his son a great way off, “ran and fell on his neck and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). Rejoicing ensued. There was a great feast and celebration because, as the father put it, “[T]his my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found” (Luke 15:24).

** Let’s wrap it up:** This story is designed to depict our heavenly Father’s reaction to you and me when we wander away from Him in sin. One would hope that it wouldn’t take hitting rock bottom before we came to ourselves, but perhaps it might. May God help us to resist Satan and not to yield to temptation so that we may ever remain in our Father’s house.
But there’s something else I want you to notice. I alluded to it a moment ago. The father cared for his lost son, didn’t he? And our heavenly Father cares for us. Does that mean that God is willing to overlook our sin? Of course not. He commands all men everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30-31). But it is by God’s grace that such repentance is made possible. May God help us to continue to confess our sins before Him (1 John 1:9).

Memory Verse: Do you want to avoid the prodigal lifestyle? You can do it preparing your heart to seek, do, and teach. That’s what Ezra did. Here’s this week’s verse:

For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel (Ezra 7:10).

The New You 10 Week Challenge for a Better Internet! This week I want us to answer this question: For what spiritual blessing are you the most thankful? So head over to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the like and compose a post which says, “The spiritual blessing for which I am most thankful is _____. #NewYouChallenge” This is week 7 of the 10 week challenge for a better Internet!
Thanks for joining me today for The New You. You can find us each weekday at thelightnetwork.tv. You’ll also find episode archives, transcripts, and more Christian podcasts there. That’s thelightnetwork.tv

Contact me by email at robert@thelightnetwork.tv or by voicemail, by calling 903-26-LIGHT, that’s 903-265-4448. I’d love to hear from you!

I’m Robert Hatfield. You are the new you! Let’s go live like it!

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Tuesday, November 11, 2014
“Am I a Gospel Sharer?”

 

 

 

 

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Episode Transcript:

You’re listening to The New You, the daily broadcast for people who have been made new by the blood of Christ. I’m Robert Hatfield, and here is today’s Scripture:

… At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. … Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word (Acts 8:1, 4).

Do you remember the YouTube video What Does the Fox Say? You’re probably thinking to yourself, “I had finally forgotten it! Thanks for bringing that back up.” Sorry about that, but it illustrates an important point. As of yesterday when I checked these stats, the What Does the Fox Say? video had been played 464,624,531 times. Collectively, we have spent 2,683 years watching the fox video. Wow.

What’s interesting is that, according to YouTube’s statistics, the fox video was extremely popular around October to November 2013 (it was first released in September of 2013), but has had trailing popularity since then. That’s how things work, isn’t it? We get hooked on something for a while until the fad fades away, and we’re over it.

I wonder whether we do that with the gospel. Do you remember the day you were baptized? Do you remember the zeal that you had, the fire that was lit within your heart? What about now? Does that same spiritual enthusiasm exist within your heart? Are you still as willing – yea, eager – to get out and spread the gospel message today?

Today, let’s briefly look at a pattern of passion from the first century and a reason to rejoice that extends all the way to our present time.

A Pattern of Passion

The New Oxford American Dictionary defines passion as a strong and barely controllable emotion; an intense desire or enthusiasm for something. Does that describe your attitude toward spreading the gospel message?

An examination of the first century church reveals that our brethren were on fire for evangelism! The converts on the day of Pentecost immediately began to spread the word, and the Lord was adding to the church daily (Acts 2:46-47). Even among persecution, they preached (Acts 4:4; 5:14; 8:1, 4). After all, “We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20), and “we ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). The number of disciples was multiplying as the word of God continued to spread (Acts 9:31; 16:5).

Are we like this today? Do we have that kind of passion for the lost and for the soul-saving message of the gospel? If not, why not?

A Reason to Rejoice

It seems that one of the keys to their passion for the gospel was the constant realization of where they had been and, by contrast, where they were in the present. The Ethiopian eunuch went on his way rejoicing (Acts 8:39) because of his appreciation for what Jesus had done for him. The Philippian Jailor did the same thing (Acts 16:34). Paul was thankful to Jesus for putting him into the ministry even though he had a sin-stained past (1 Tim. 1:12-13). He said that the grace of the Lord was “exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 1:14).

Let’s wrap it up: Don’t we have the same reason to rejoice today? In conclusion today, I’d like to remind us of the theme verse for this show. This is the verse from which the show title, The New You, came: 2 Corinthians 5:17.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

The whole point of this passage is to remind us of this fact: Christ created the new in you, and He intends for the new to come and to stay.

Peter reminds us that God’s promises are just as true today as they always have been (2 Pet. 3:9). Therefore, we have every reason to rejoice in our salvation. We have every reason to be as passionate about sharing the gospel as were our first century brethren! We have every reason to be as passionate about gospel sharing as we were when we had just come out of the waters of baptism!

May God bless us to be gospel sharers. Today, look for someone with whom you can share the gospel.

Memory Verse: This week’s verse depicts Ezra’s incredible example for you and me to follow. Here’s Ezra 7:10:

For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel (Ezra 7:10).

The New You 10 Week Challenge for a Better Internet! This week I want us to answer this question: For what spiritual blessing are you the most thankful? So head over to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the like and compose a post which says, “The spiritual blessing for which I am most thankful is _____. #NewYouChallenge” This is week 7 of the 10 week challenge for a better Internet!

Thanks for joining me today for The New You. You can find us each weekday at thelightnetwork.tv. You’ll also find episode archives, transcripts, and more Christian podcasts there. That’s thelightnetwork.tv

Contact me by email at robert@thelightnetwork.tv or by voicemail, by calling 903-26-LIGHT, that’s 903-265-4448. I’d love to hear from you!

I’m Robert Hatfield. You are the new you! Let’s go live like it!