FBCWest 669 | Hard Heartedness and Receiving the Kingdom
Recorded On: 07/20/2025
Bulletin
Hymn # 13 “Come Thou Fount”
SCRIPTURE READING – John 4:10 - 14
Giving of Selves and Our Offerings
OFFERTORY PRAYER
OFFERTORY MUSIC – Pru Hungate
Praise and Worship
“What an Awesome God”
“Raise a Hallelujah”
“Good Grace”
Proclamation of the Word
Message by Pastor Joe
“Hard Heartedness and Receiving the Kingdom”
“God Really Loves Us”
Sermon Notes
Mark 10:1 As Jesus’ custom, He teaches the crowd
Mark 10:2 The Pharisees testing Jesus asks Him about divorce
Mark 10:3 – 9 Jesus answers their test
Mark 10:10 Jesus’ disciples question Him about divorce
Mark 10:11 & 12 Jesus answers their questions
Mark 10:13 People bring children to Jesus so He might touch them, but the disciples try to prevent them from coming
Mark 10:14 – 16 Jesus is indignant with them and says the kingdom of God belongs to those like them
Scritpures
Transcript of Service
The Pharisees came to Jesus asking the legal question. And I think the purpose of that legal question was to separate some of the followers from Jesus and perhaps for Jesus to lose his head as John the Baptist had. Jesus discusses that legal question, but instead of furthering their discussion, he gets to the heart of the matter. Or more properly stated, the hard heartedness of this matter, we're going to take a look at today at that legal question in Jesus's response. If you have your Bibles. And you should turn to the Gospel of Mark Chapter 10, and we're going to go from there. Basically, the context is, is that Jesus is now going to start heading towards Jerusalem. For Passover and what we call the passion. We. And so he's going to be traveling South and and as expected, they're going to be people who are going to be traveling in the same direction because under the law, all men were required to attend Jerusalem on Passover. So there's going to be a crowd and and at times, there's going to be women. And others who are traveling with him. And So what we see here and and. The gospel mark on Chapter 10 it says this. And getting up, he went from there to a region of Judea and beyond the Jordan and crowds gathered around him again. And according to his custom, he once more began to teach them.
And so. Again, Jesus is famous because he's. Teaching and his teaching is amazing and people want to hear it. He also performs miracles he casts out. Uncleaned spirits and demons, and so people are there because he draws a crowd and this crowd is going to be natural because of the fact that they're moving towards Jerusalem. Now he's in a particular interesting place. In the geography of the country. He is located where King Herod. Antipas was ruling. And so that is why the question is going to be asked. And so the question that comes up is this, and some Pharisees came up to Jesus testing him and began to question him whether it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife. So the the question comes up not because they're interested in an answer. They want to test him. To see what where he goes. Does he make a statement one way? Because he seems to be. Very sympathetic towards. Sinners and that, and so he's going to make exceptions. He's going to make excuses, or if he takes a more strict view, then Herod. Who had divorced his wife? And Herod's new wife, Herodias, who had divorced her husband, who was Herod's brother, and they married and John the Baptist, criticized not only their divorce but their marriage. And Herodias hated. John. John Herod had John arrested and ultimately he lost his head because of his criticism of the divorce and the marriage. And so the reason I think. Additionally, that the Pharisees are asking this question at this time. Time is that if Jesus says certain things, then maybe their problems will be resolved because parents will arrest Jesus like he did John, and maybe behead him as well. And so they're testing again. The question is not what the answer is, and that they might find some truth about the answer. It's that they're testing. Yeah. And there were two views. But on divorce, then and and and the law. And I want to. Do a parenthesis. Because I understand that there are people here and there are people who are watching me. Who have been divorced? And I'm sure you're going to be uncomfortable about this discussion. Because if I had something in my life. That had been happened. And the preacher was preaching on what I had done. I'm sure I would be very uncomfortable over this situation and there was a time in the churches where if you were divorced, it was like the Scarlet letter. It was like you were you did the unpardonable sin. You could never be forgiven. You were to be shunned. Well, then, divorce got to be very much more popular in our culture and we have, for instance, in California a no fault divorce. The the grounds for divorce are twofold. 1 incurable insanity, which? Speaks for itself, and then irreconcilable differences. And I've had clients come to my office many years ago who would say my spouse wants a divorce. I don't want it. And I said, well, it's. It's basically what we call a no fault. It's irreconcilable differences and the. Kind goes, yeah, but we can resolve it. I know this is what's going to happen. And their reconcilable differences arising, your marriage jest, and you're going to say no they haven't. And they're going to say, see, we can't even agree that we disagree. And so divorce became very easy. And because divorce became very easy, many of our friends and families got divorced. And because our friends and families got divorced, we suddenly became more sympathetic to it. Because after all, our friends and our family are bad people and we become much more. I hate to say tolerant, but more accepting of the fact that that is what we do and and accepting of it. The situation is is that it is not as we're going to see what God wants for us. But it's not an unpardonable sin. Jesus forgives. Jesus loves you. But because we don't stack up to the perfect doesn't mean God doesn't love you. Because let's face it, none of us stack up to the perfect for all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. As I tell people. I don't even meet that standard. I don't even. Live up to the glory of Joe. I have done things and not done things that Joe should have done or not done, but I've done anyway. So I don't even get to pass the Joe test, let alone the God test. And so while we are. Understanding doesn't mean that it should be accepted. It's to be understood and loved. And you love. I hate this phrase, but it's true. We're to love the Sinner and not the sin we we don't justify. We don't excuse what happened. But that's the condition we find ourselves in. And so in any of the parentheses. And so there were two views when it came to the law. That the that there is view 1 was the Liberal one that said, and they found under the Torah, they would say a husband could divorce his wife for any Indian independence indecency of her. They interpret that indecency as. I don't like the way you cook dinner and I can divorce you. And so is a very liberal interpretation of what a man could divorce his wife for. The law also said that you could divorce your wife if she committed adultery. And so that would be a reason to set aside the marriage. And so is a little more stricter code. Now I want you to notice. Under the law. The only option to divorce was the husband. He could divorce his wife, but the wife didn't have the authority to divorce. Her husband. And so they asked this question, but there were. Pharisees and there were rabbis who held different positions. And so they're not asking this question to find out. A true understanding of what the scriptures say, they're testing him. So again, it's not a matter of tell us what's the proper interpretation. It's can we catch you in something? And he answered and said to them, what did Moses command you? So he they basically say, is it lawful? So then he goes, well, what does the law say? So he asked them a question that Jesus offers, does this people will ask him a question, but they don't do it with the proper motive they. To it for an improper motive. So Jesus turns it back. What did Moses command you? And they said Moses permitted a man to write his certificate of divorce and send her away. Again. Notice the husband had the right to divorce the wife. The wife didn't have the right to divorce the husband under the law. And so their answer was, yeah, Moses permitted it. But they don't take a position, whether it's the liberal interpretation or the more strict interpretation. It's Moses permitted it. And I want you to say what Jesus does, because Jesus always gets. If you will to the heart of the matter. It's not the spirit of the law. It's not the letter of the law. What does Jesus respond? But Jesus said to them, because of the hardness of your heart, he wrote you this commandment. He said. It's because of your hardness. Of your heart. God permitted it. Isn't that kind of what we do when we get in? In other any kinds of. Going away from what God wants us to do. Period. I'm sorry. Not here, pharaoh. Hardness hard.
And then God harden Pharaoh's heart. We should be very careful on the hardness of our heart. Because God can melt it. Or God can make it harder. And Jesus is saying. You were given this option. You were given this loophole because you had. A hard heart. Because you weren't following what God wanted, and because of that God gave you this loophole. But all too often, like I said. The matter is. The condition of our heart. So I want to expand this concept of the hard heartedness. When we conduct our lives and when we're choosing to do or not do something according. To the word of God. Are we seeking to justify it because it's what we want? Or what it is that God desires for us? All too often, we think we know best. For us. But God knows what's best for us, and God hath said, if you will guide rails. Now the problem with guardrails. Is that if you are driving up in the mountains and there are guardrails. You don't consider that you drove successfully up the mountain or down the mountain. If you kept hitting the guardrails. You were successful if you avoided the guardrails and got to the top of the mountain and the bottom of the. Mountain on the road. But somehow we think when it comes to the scriptures, as long as we bounce against the guardrails, we're OK. Was the problem with bouncing the against the guardrails? Is your car gets beat up? And the problem with bouncing against the guardrails of God's word is you get beat up.
Yeah.
So maybe we should take a look at what God wants and to understand not. The hardness of a heart would say God. Put in me a new heart, a clean heart. One that wants to follow you, one that desires to follow you rather than one who wants to do what he or she wants to do. So Jesus says the problem isn't the law. The problem is your heart. Business, but from the beginning of Creation, God made them male and female. For the concept. God made. Two genders, a male and a female. They made them. For each other. He made Adam. And then he took a rib out of at him and made Eve so that she would be a helpmate, and they would be together. And then, if Jesus goes on and says for this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother, he is to walk away from his clan. And form a new body. And it says and the two shall become one flesh. So that they no longer 2, but one flesh. Now it was easier for Adam and Eve to be 1 flesh because guess what? Eve came from Adam. She was already his flesh. In our marriages today. Those of who are trying to follow the Christian idea of marriage, we hear this and said we are to be 11, body 1 flesh. And then the argument goes throughout the marriage. Which one? The husband insists I'm the head of the body. Therefore it's me and the wife goes. Yeah, but you're an idiot. And so it should be me. And they kind of have this kind of conflict throughout the marriage when it's neither one of you. Paul will tell us. That a marriage is to understand what the church is and that our home life should replicate what the church should be, that we are the body. Husband and wife. And that Christ is the head of the body. So the which flesh is it? It's his. It's not mine. It's not hers, it's his. And we both understand and follow our head. And we have become one. I understand that more now than I ever have. Just by 1. That I was with isn't. And so part of me is missing. Because we were, we were imperfect. But we were one. And going on is like not having an arm and a leg. I'm not the Saint. But because of the grace of God. I continue. Because of who he is. And what he's done and how he has blessed. And so. What I want to encourage those of you who aren't married. Make sure you find women. Make sure you find a potential husband. That you can be at one with. That you respect. That you can be a part of. That you can move in the same direction. If my right side wants to go this way and my left side wants to go this way, we're. Not going to get anywhere. But when you have a common purpose. Then the body can move in the right direction. And when? Wives marry their husbands. They should understand that they're going to have a common purpose and that common purpose should be your faith. Because. No matter whether you get married at. 20. Or get married at 304050. However long you're married, you're going to be different. Life changes, people. And so if you don't have that common faith, if you don't have that common desire that you have that headship that you are one, then you're intentionally trying to move in different directions. And guys. Looking for that future ride? You see someone that you can love no matter what. Because the scripture tells we husbands to love our wives as Christ loved the church. But guess what? We as a church aren't perfect. He just said we're so hard hearted. We're OK to have divorces. We're not perfect, but Jesus loves us anyway, and we are told as husbands to love our wives, whether they love us back or not. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. That's the kind of love we're to have. So guys, make sure you can love your potential spouse that way. And if you're already married? It's really hard to have a tune up on the car while you're driving down the freeway, but that's what you got to do. Husbands, she's need to start loving your wife like the church. Lives. You need to understand that you're 1 body. And what you do influences what he does and the body does. And that you are under the Lordship. Of Jesus. Who says therefore God has joined together? Let no man separate. What God has joined together now, there's a lot of people who get married. Wonderful. If they don't believe in God, it's kind of hard for them to say that God joined them together. Marriage is kind of a basically a contract. I do this. You do this and if we get a divorce, we divide up the property and whatever. Pay support and childcare and whatever. Jesus is not talking about. The gentiles. Talking about people who are following God. And when you follow God and you get married under God's holy ordinances. Then it's not what man can do, because God puts you together, and if God puts you together, then no one else can take you apart. So you think that that would be plenty good enough as an explanation, but the disciples don't quite get it all. Because I'm sure they've heard the differing viewpoints. But at least they do the right thing. They asked Jesus. So in the house the disciples began questioning him about this again. So it's like, well, what do you mean, Jesus, that the two shall be 1 and whatever. And and we don't get it because I like doing my thing and she likes doing her thing and. Isn't that cool enough? And if God, and if Moses permitted divorce. Then shouldn't it be OK? And he said to them, whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. You see, if God joins you together just because a man separated you, God holds your adultery against her. Which is radical teaching at this time. Because the teaching at this time was that a man could never commit adultery against his wife, only the wife could commit adultery against the husband. Jesus and Anna. If you marry someone else. You are violating your contract with. Her. And if she divorces her husband, notice. Jesus goes. I'm going to give you an additional a woman can divorce her husband. But. And marries another man, she is committing adultery.
So the same hard heartedness applies to both men and women. But the same responsibility applies to men and women. And that is why I'm going to. Get off a little bit of topic. The problem with premarital sex? Is that you're violating the sanctity of that future relationship with that husband and that wife. No, you didn't commit adultery, but you violated that special oneness. That God. Seeks for us. And so. Jesus. Teaches on divorce. Again. Non portable sin. But neither is it something we should. Justify or excuse? We just should love. And then you're going to move on to a different topic. Says this, and they were bringing children to him. So that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked. Now again, this sense of that there is this. Magic about Jesus. Just like the woman who had the hemorrhaging. If I can just touch the hem the the tassels of his folk, I will be healed. They're thinking if I could just get my kids and Jesus touch him, then something special would happen to them. They would be blessed or they would be cured or whatever. The need is that that would happen. So they want to bring their children. But the disciples rebuked them. Now we're not told why. It could be that they were doing it because they thought it was best for Jesus. Jesus, after all, had a very active schedule. He was traveling to Jerusalem, he was teaching, he was healing, he was doing all these things and traveling. And so they may very well said he doesn't have time for the children. Which is not unexpected in this culture. His children had no rights. The parents could kill their kids and there wasn't. A law against it. As a matter of fact, even in the Roman culture or whatever, if your child was born with a deformity. They could throw you in the river or just leave you abandoned. They they just ignored it. We kind of we kind of view this situation like we do now where we have helicopter parents and and things and and they just hover over their kids and whatever. Which I find interesting because a lot of the helicopter parents who hover over the kids then give them an iPad so that they don't have to deal with them. Now it's it's kind of what we do in this modern society, but but it's always about the children. Baby on board. I don't want you to. Hear my car either. But all of a sudden, the car with a baby is more important than me. I don't think. No, no. But but again, there's that, that situation. It's about the children. Everything is about the children. Not so in this culture. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant. The other gospels talk about Jesus reacts, but they don't get this firing. He's indignant that they they did this. And he said to them, permit the children to come to me to not hinder them for the Kingdom of God belongs. To such as these. Now again, we have this idea that children are innocent and children are perfect and children or whatever. No, they're not. They're human beings. They're born imperfect, they're born sinners. They're born about me, me, me, me, me. If you don't believe that, have a baby. And see how long you get to sleep at night. The baby doesn't say, oh, Mom had a really hard day and and dad's been at work and whatever. And so I want. I'm hungry, but I'll wait till 9:00 AM to cry. Because they're tired. No. Guess what? They cry.
And if you don't answer them, they cry louder. And continue to cry until you feed them or you change them, or you do whatever it is they want you to do because they are, like all of us, self-centered. It's not about you. It's about me. But the situation is the Kingdom of God is like this. Because we don't deserve it. We're imperfect. We have no rights. God opens the door to us. Because of who he is. Not that we deserve it, but for who he is. So we're not to hinder them. And let's face it, the one thing I will say is generally speaking, the younger the children are, the less cynical they are. They are tended to be less hard hearted. Because life hasn't hardened them. And so the response to God usually is easier because their heart isn't heart. Not have to worry about divorce and all the other things because of their hard heartedness oftentimes. They will cry when they're caught. You know, they will repent easily. Most of us, let's face it, we're always trying to justify it or excuse it or. Now. Get mad at you for catching me for doing the wrong thing. Children usually will cry. They're hoping crying will get them out of it. But but again, there is that certain repentance and causing children have this. Softer heart. So don't hinder them. Many of us. Came to faith. When we were children or younger. I can probably count on one hand. The number of people I know. Who came to the? Lord, after 70 years of age. Because we become really hard hearted. And we may even acknowledge the. There is a God and Jesus is him. But we don't want to follow him, but we think we've been so. Sinful we he can't forgive us. And then don't avail. And then he says this truly, I say to you. Whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter. It at all. The tenderness of the heart. The lack of. I'm entitled. The lack of. Rights, but to understand. What grace is. And to reiterate it, race is unmerited favor, which means no one who ever received grace. Was entitled to it. Because if you are entitled to it, it's not grace. So there is nothing that you have done that God can't forgive except last name, the Holy Spirit. But other than that. Race covers everything, and so we are to receive. People. Instead of shunning them and preventing them, we should receive them. And if you don't receive the Kingdom. Of God, like a child. You will not be able to enter it, which means. It's a place. It's not a concept. Then he does something right. And he being Jesus, took them in his arms and began blessing them and laying his hands on them. Not only did he instruct his disciples and was ignited at his disciples for what they had done by blocking them. He did the very thing that the parents had sought, and the disciples tried to prevent. Robin's arms. And bless them. And laying his hands on them. Oh, to be there. To be that child. Which is. Loved. Is blessed. Jesus played his hands on. But we're not there. And most of us aren't children. He still loves you. He still blesses you. He still will lay his hands on you. Because that's what the Holy Spirit is there for. To anoint us, to touch us. To understand. That we are loved. We are loved not because of who we. Are. Because of what he who he is. We are love, not by what we have done, but what he has done. And so while this message talked about hard heartedness and soft heartedness. About divorce and about children. And all those situations. The truth still remains. Jesus loves you. This I know. For the Bible. Tells me so.
And all God's people said.
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