Introduction:
A. Likely, many of you have wondered if global warming is true, and if so, what is causing it, right?
1. I know that this is a burning issue (forgive the pun). I know that it has caused you many a sleepless night.
2. Many disaster movies have made speculations about the future implications of global warming.
3. Take a look at this cartoon: Thanks to a generous grant from the oil companies, we have discovered the real reason that the glaciers are melting…someone accidentally unplugged the refrigeration unit.
B. Things don’t work at all if they are not plugged into their power source, and the same is true for Christians.
1. If we are not plugged into God, then we are powerless.
C. Another characteristic of Jesus and His heart was that Jesus had a connected heart.
1. He was as closely connected to God the Father as is possible.
2. Jesus was never disconnected or unplugged from the Father.
D. Let’s take a look at how Jesus was able to have such a connected heart, so that we can have a heart like His that is connected to God.
I. We can Cultivate A Connected Heart by Listening to God through His Word.
A. Do you recognize these words: “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
1. More than once Jesus said these words.
2. Eight times in the Gospels and eight times in Revelation these words are spoken to remind us that it’s not enough to have ears – it’s necessary to use them.
B. In one of Jesus’ parables, he compared our ears to soil.
1. Jesus told about a farmer who scattered seed, which is symbolic of the Word, and it landed on four different soils, which is symbolic of our ears.
2. You know how the story goes, the seed doesn’t take root at all in the first soil, it takes root in the 2nd and 3rd soils, but it isn’t able to grow very well, and then it does great in the last type of soil.
3. Please note that in all four cases the seed is the same seed and the sower is the same sower.
4. What is different is not the message or the messenger, it’s the listener.
C. Scripture has always placed a premium on hearing God’s voice.
1. One of the great commands from God through Moses began with the words, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord” (Deut. 6:4)
2. Proverbs 8:34 says, “Happy are those who listen to me.”
3. In our Scripture reading from John 10, Jesus urges us to learn to listen like sheep: “The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” (vs.:3-5)
4. Our ears, unlike our eyes, do not have lids.
5. They are to remain open, but how easily they close.
D. May I raise a question or two to test how well you hear God’s voice?
1. How often do you listen for God’s voice?
2. How long has it been since you gave God a portion of undiluted, uninterrupted time for listening for His voice?
E. Did you know that this was a regular practice of Jesus?
1. Jesus made a deliberate effort to spend time with God.
2. If you spend much time reading about the listening life of Jesus, then a distinct pattern emerges – Jesus spent regular time with God, praying and listening.
3. Mark says, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” (Mk. 1:35)
4. Luke tells us, “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (Lk. 5:16)
5. So let me ask the obvious: If Jesus, the Son of God, thought it worthwhile to clear his calendar to be connected to God, wouldn’t we be wise to do the same?
F. Not only did Jesus spend time with God in prayer, he spent regular time in God’s Word.
1. From the temptation narratives, it’s obvious that Jesus knew the Word and knew how to use it!
2. From the Gospels, we are given the picture of Jesus as a person who knew His way around Scripture and knew how to recognize its’ fulfillment.
3. So let me ask the obvious again: If Jesus thought it wise to grow familiar with the Bible, shouldn’t we do the same?
G. If we are going to be just like Jesus, and have a connected heart like His, then we have just seen that there are two habits of His that we need to be imitating: the habits of prayer and Bible reading.
1. We must have regular times of talking to God and listening to His Word.
2. Now I know that when I say that, immediately we all start to tune out.
3. David is about to talk about daily devotionals…hey, this is a good time to take a mental walk over to the fridge and see what we might eat for lunch.
4. I understand your reluctance – it’s hard for me to be consistent in my connecting time with God.
5. All of us are busy. At times, all of us have been unsuccessful in developing healthy devotional habits. We have all been there, right?
H. Let me review a few of the basics that can help us learn to have a successful time connecting to God.
1. First of all, establish a regular time and place.
a. For some it may be best to do this in the morning.
b. Others may prefer the evening.
c. Still others may prefer a number of short encounters throughout the day.
d. Find the time and place that is best for you.
2. Second, come with an open heart and an open Bible.
a. God speaks to us through His Word.
b. Before reading the Bible, ask God to speak to you through it – tell Him you are listening.
c. Then as you read the Bible, realize that it is not a newspaper to be skimmed, but a mine to be quarried.
d. Study the Bible a little at a time – choose depth over quantity.
e. God commends those who “meditate on Scripture day and night” (Ps. 1:2)
f. So think about what you have read. Mull it over in your mind. Consider its meaning and application.
g. Listen for God’s voice.
h. Then seek to put into practice what God has taught you.
II. We can Cultivate a Connected Heart by Practicing God’s Presence in Prayer.
A. Jesus’ relationship with God went far deeper than a daily appointment with God.
1. Jesus was always aware of His Father’s presence and was in constant touch with God.
2. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” (Jn. 5:19)
3. Jesus said, “By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear…” (Jn. 5:30)
4. Jesus said, “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” (Jn. 14:11)
B. One of the pictures that Jesus drew for us to describe the relationship that He wants us to have with God is of the vine and the branch.
1. Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (Jn. 15:5)
2. God wants to be as close to us as a branch is to a vine.
3. One is an extension of the other – it’s impossible to tell where one starts and the other ends.
4. The branch isn’t connected only at the moment of bearing fruit.
5. No, the branch is always connected to the vine and constantly draws nutrition from the vine.
6. Separation from the vine means certain death.
C. Prayer plays an important part in our continual connection with God.
1. Paul urged us to stay in constant connection with God when he wrote:
a. Pray without ceasing. (1 Thess. 5:17 KJV)
b. Be constant in prayer. ( Rom. 12:12 RSV)
c. Pray in the Spirit on all occasions. (Eph. 6:18)
d. Continue steadfastly in prayer. (Col. 4:2 ESV)
D. So how then do we live in God’s presence through prayer? Here are a few ideas that have been suggested that I think are really helpful:
1. First, Give God your waking thoughts.
a. Before you face the day, face the Father.
b. Before you step out of bed, step into His presence.
c. You might begin with something as simple as: “Thank you for the night’s rest. I belong to you today.”
d. C.S. Lewis wrote: “The moment you wake up each morning…all your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job of each morning consists in shoving them all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other, larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in.”
2. Second, Give God your waiting thoughts.
a. Spend time with God in silence.
b. The Psalmist wrote: “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Ps. 46:10)
c. Dan Rather once asked Mother Teresa: “What do you say to God when you pray?”
1. Mother Teresa answered, “I listen.”
2. Taken aback, Rather tried again, “Well, then, what does God say?”
3. Mother Teresa smiled and said, “He listens.”
d. Prayer must be so much more than just throwing our requests at God.
1. Imagine if when you came through the door from work and your child approached you saying, “Hey Dad, or Mom, here’s what I want. More toys. More candy. And can we go to Disneyland this summer?”
2. You might come back with, “Whoa, wait a minute, do I look like your personal genie in a bottle. I’m your father, or mother, why don’t you just climb up in my lap for a moment and let me tell you how much I love you.”
e. Have you ever thought that God might want to do the same with you?
1. Zephaniah the prophet recorded these words: The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zeph. 3:17)
2. Notice in the passage who is singing and who is resting. Notice who is rejoicing over His loved one, and who is being rejoiced over.
f. Sometimes our job in prayer is simply to be still long enough to let God have us and love on us.
3. Third, Give God your whispering thoughts.
a. Through the centuries, God’s people have learned the value of brief sentence prayers, prayers that can be whispered anywhere; anytime.
1. See a beautiful sunset, whisper, “Thank God for the glorious colors of the sky.”
2. See an ambulance pass by, whisper, “Be with that person in need.”
3. See an angry person approaching, whisper, “God give me patience and self-control.”
b. Imagine considering every moment as a potential time of communion with God.
1. By the time our lives are over, we will have spent 6 month at stoplights, 8 months opening junk mail, a year and a half looking for lost stuff (double that for some people), and a whopping 5 years standing in various lines.
2. Why not give these moments to God in prayer?
3. We can pray all the time, wherever we are, whatever we are doing.
4. Lastly, Give God your waning thoughts.
a. At the end of the day, let your mind settle on Him.
b. Conclude the day as you began it: talking to God.
c. Thank Him for the good parts and the hard parts.
d. Seek His mercy and strength.
e. And as you close your eyes, take assurance in the promise that “He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep” (Ps. 121:4)
f. And if you fall asleep as you pray, don’t worry – what better place to doze off than in the arms of your heavenly Father.
5. How wonderful to be continually connected to God through prayer!
III. We can Cultivate a Connected Heart by Seeking God’s Face in Worship.
A. I’ve always liked the illustration that compares people on a plane to people on a pew.
1. Do you know that people on a plane and people on a pew have a lot in common?
2. All people on a plane and a pew are on a journey. Most are well-behaved and presentable. Some doze, and other gaze out the window. Most, if not all, are satisfied with a predicable experience.
3. For many, the mark of a good flight and the mark of a good worship assembly are the same - nice.
a. We say, “It was a nice flight. It was a nice worship service.”
4. We exit the same way we enter, and we’re happy to return next time.
5. A few, however, are not content with nice – they long for something more.
6. One day a young boy boarded a plane and said to his mom, “Will they let me meet the pilot?”
a. Lucky for him, his words reached the ears of the pilot and out he came asking, “Someone looking for me?”
b. The little boy’s hand shot up into the air like someone had just asked, “Who wants an ice cream cone?”
c. The pilot asked, “Would you like to see where I drive the plane?”
d. With a nod from his mom, the youngster entered the cockpit’s world of controls and gauges.
e. Minutes later he returned with eyes wide, saying, “Wow, I’m so glad to be on this plane and so happy to have met the pilot!”
7. Interestingly, no one else’s face on that plane showed such wonder.
8. Everyone else was content with a predictable, uneventful flight – a nice flight.
9. Since that is what they sought, that is what they got.
10. The boy, on the other hand, wanted more, and he got more.
B. Now, enter a church sanctuary and look at the faces.
1. A few are giggly, a couple are cranky, but by and large, most are content.
a. Content to be there. Content to sit and look straight ahead.
b. Content to leave when the service is over.
c. Content to enjoy an assembly with no surprises or turbulence.
d. Content with a nice service.
2. A few, however, seek more.
a. A few come with the childlike enthusiasm of the boy.
b. And those few leave as he did, wide-eyed with the wonder of having stood in the presence of the pilot himself.
C. The same thing happened to Jesus one day when he went to worship, his very face was changed.
1. The Bible says: After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. (Mt. 17:1-2)
2. Did you know that the purpose of worship is to change the face of the worshiper?
3. A vibrant, shining face is the mark of a person who has stood in God’s presence.
a. Remember what happened to Moses? After speaking to God, Moses had to cover his face with a veil because it was radiant. (Ex. 34:33-35)
b. Remember what happened to Stephen? He looked toward heaven and saw God and his face glowed like that of an angel. (Acts 7:55-56)
c. The same thing happened with Jesus when He stood on that mountain and looked to God.
4. Let’s be clear about it – God is in the business of changing the faces of the world.
a. This change is His job, not ours.
b. Not even Jesus changed His own face. Matthew says that his appearance was changed, not Jesus changed his appearance.
c. Our job is not to conjure up some fake, frozen, spiritual expression.
d. Our job is to simply stand before God with a prepared and willing heart and let God do His work.
e. And He does. Look at what Paul wrote: And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Cor. 3:18)
5. God invites us to see His face so he can change ours.
D. And there’s more, not only does God change the face of those who worship, He changes those who watch us worship.
1. King David cites the evangelistic power of heartfelt worship: “He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many people will see this and worship him. They then will trust the Lord.” (Ps. 40:3)
2. When people hear the passion of your voice and see the sincerity of your face, they may be changed.
3. Peter was. When Peter saw what happened to Jesus, he was compelled to make some sacrifice.
4. Seekers may not understand all that happens in our house of worship.
a. They may not understand the meaning of a song or the significance of communion, but they know joy when they see it.
5. When they see our faces changed, they may want to see God’s face too.
6. And by the way, wouldn’t the opposite be equally true?
a. What happens when a seeker sees boredom on your face?
b. What happens if they notice others are worshiping, but you are scowling?
c. What if they see others look up toward God, but you are looking back at the clock?
7. As long as we are getting personal here, let’s ask this question: Parents, what are your children learning from your worship?
a. Do they see the same kind of devotion in our lives that they see in our worship?
b. Are we more committed to and excited about the sports and shopping, than about the spiritual?
c. Do they notice if we are content to leave the way we came, without being changed?
E. Let me make these suggestions for us.
1. Let’s come to worship prepared to worship.
2. Let’s pray before we come so we will be ready to pray when we arrive.
3. Let’s sleep before we come so we can stay alert when we are here.
4. Let’s be in the Word before we come so our hearts will be soft to it when it is taught.
5. Let’s come hungry. Let’s come willing.
6. Let’s come expecting God to speak.
7. Let’s come asking, “Can I see the Pilot today?”
Conclusion:
A. Jesus had a perfectly connected heart and we can have a heart like His.
B. How can we begin to cultivate a connected heart?
1. By Listening to God through His Word.
2. By Practicing God’s presence through Prayer.
3. By Seeking God’s Face through Worship.
C. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
Resources:
“Just Like Jesus: Learning to Have a Heart Like His,” by Max Lucado, Thomas Nelson, 2008
