Responding to God

	"And they abandoned the house of the Lord, the God of their fathers," 2 Chronicles 24:18-20 records, "and served the Asherim and the idols; so wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their guilt.  Yet He sent prophets to them to bring them back to the Lord; though they testified against them, they would not listen. Then the Spirit of God came on Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people and said to them, 'Thus God has said, "Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord and do not prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, He has also forsaken you."'" 
	Here we find a group of people with a problem.  And their problem stems from the way they respond to God.  God sends His messengers, but the people simply will not listen.
	In Mark chapter eight, Jesus tries to have a spiritual discussion with His followers.  But they can't seem to get past material thoughts.
	"Why do you discuss {the fact} that you have no bread?" the Lord wonders in Mark 8:17-18.  "Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have a hardened heart?  Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear?"
	Jesus speaks, but the others will not listen because they have hardened hearts.
	"And some were being persuaded by the things spoken," we find in Acts 28:24-27, "but others would not believe.  And when they did not agree with one another, they {began} leaving after Paul had spoken one {parting} word, 'The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers, saying, "Go to this people and say, 'You will keep on hearing, but will not understand; and you will keep on seeing, but will not perceive; for the heart of this people has become dull, and with their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and return, and I should heal them.'"'"
	The Holy Spirit speaks through Paul, but the people will not listen because they have dull hearts.
	"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine;' Paul warns in 2 Timothy 4:3-4, "but {wanting} to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths."
	God speaks, but the people will not listen because they have itching ears.
	"You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit;" Stephen exclaims in Acts 7:51, "you are doing just as your fathers did."
	"But they cried out with a loud voice," the passage continues in verse 57, "and covered their ears, and they rushed upon him with one impulse."
	The Holy Spirit speaks through Stephen, but the people will not listen because they have uncircumcised hearts.
	How do people respond to God?  Many will not listen because of hardened, dull and uncircumcised hearts, and because of itching ears.  Do we want to be in this group?
	"Let these words sink into your ears;" Jesus urges in Luke 9:44, "for the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men."
	Let's not respond to God by not listening because we have itching ears or hardened, dull and uncircumcised hearts.  Let's let His words sink into our ears.

	"And he did right in the sight of the Lord, yet not with a whole heart," 2 Chronicles 25:2 says of king Amaziah.
	Amaziah does not respond to God by not listening.  He responds by doing right.  But he does not do right with his whole heart.  So where does this get him?
	"Now it came about after Amaziah came from slaughtering the Edomites that he brought the gods of the sons of Seir," we find in 2 Chronicles 25:14, "set them up as his gods, bowed down before them, and burned incense to them."
	Amaziah starts to respond by doing right, but then his half-hearted attitude allows him to turn away.
	"And as they were going along the road," we read in Luke 9:57-62, "someone said to Him, 'I will follow You wherever You go.'  And Jesus said to him, 'The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air {have} nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.'  And He said to another, 'Follow Me.' But he said, 'Permit me first to go and bury my father.'  But He said to him, 'Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God'  And another also said, 'I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.'  But Jesus said to him, 'No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.'" 
	How do these people respond to Jesus?  They say they want to follow Him, but they don't want to do it with their whole heart.  Jesus tells them to not bother.
	"Make every effort to come to me soon;" Paul requests in 2 Timothy 4:9-10, "for Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens {has gone} to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia."
	Here are more people who have responded to God by starting to do right, only to later turn away because they have not followed with a whole heart.  Do we want to be in this category?
	"And you yourselves also know, Philippians," Paul expresses in Philippians 4:15-20, "that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone; for even in Thessalonica you sent {a gift} more than once for my needs. Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account.  But I have received everything in full, and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.  And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.  Now to our God and Father {be} the glory forever and ever. Amen."
	Let's not respond to God by starting to do right and then turning away because we have not follow Him with whole hearts.  Let's do right from beginning to end.

	How do people respond to God?  Some will not listen because of itching ears and hardened, dull and uncircumcised hearts.  But we should let God's words sink into our ears.  Some do right but not with whole hearts.  But we should do right from beginning to end.
	"And he took great pride in the ways of the Lord and again removed the high places and the Asherim from Judah," 2 Chronicles 17:6 observes of Jehoshaphat. 
	Here is someone who responds to God by taking great pride in His ways.
	"Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord," 2 Timothy 1:8 encourages, "or of me His prisoner; but join with {me} in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God."
	"For this reason I also suffer these things," Paul states in 2 Timothy 1:12, "but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day."
	The correct response to God involves not being ashamed of the testimony of the Lord.
	"But if {anyone suffers} as a Christian," we find in 1 Peter 4:16, "let him not feel ashamed, but in that name let him glorify God."
	The correct response to God involves a willingness to suffer as a Christian.
	"For I am not ashamed of the gospel," Romans 1:16 says, "for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."
	The correct response to God involves an acceptance of the power of the Gospel.
	"And hope does not disappoint," Romans 5:5 promises, "because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."
	The correct response to God involves hope.
	"Just as it is written," Paul notes in Romans 9:33, "'Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, and he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.'"
	"For the Scripture says," the apostle points out in Romans 10:11, "'Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.'" 
	The correct response to God involves faith.
	"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed," 2 Timothy 2:15 stresses, "handling accurately the word of truth."
	The correct response to God involves an accurate handling of His Word.
	"And He summoned the multitude with His disciples," Mark 8:34-38 says of Jesus, "and said to them, 'If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's shall save it.  For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?  For what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."
	We can take great pride in the way of the Lord, or we can be ashamed of it.  Jesus will reflect this attitude toward us on judgment day.
	How do people respond to God?  Some will not listen because of itching ears and hardened, dull and uncircumcised hearts.  But we should let God's words sink into our ears.  Some do right but not with whole hearts.  But we should do right from beginning to end.  Fortunately, some take great pride in the way of the Lord.  They are not ashamed of the testimony of the Lord.  They are willing to suffer as Christians.  They recognize the power of the Gospel.  They have hope and faith, and they handle correctly the Word of God.  They take great pride in the way of the Lord, and Jesus will take great pride in them on judgment day.
	"And now, little children, abide in Him," 1 John 2:28-29 encourages, "so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.  If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him."
	How will we respond to God?  Let's listen.  Let's do right with a whole heart.  Let's take great pride in the way of the Lord.  Let's stand up for the truth so that we will be set free.

Unless otherwise noted, "Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), (C) Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977. Used by permission."