God's Word and Work Expose the Heart

“If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause’” (John 15: 22-25).

In preparing His disciples for life in the inhospitable world and kingdom-building ministry among hostile people after His return to the Father, Jesus promised that as they obeyed His word and loved others as He had, they would be hated. He reminded them that it was really Jesus whom the world hated… “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you” (John 15:18) because as they made Him known in the world He brought glory to His Father… “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples” (John 15:8). Today we see that Jesus went on to explain in more detail the rejection of those who hated Him and His Father. He taught the disciples that it was His word and His work that produced guilt in the hearts of those who hate God. This was a very important lesson for the early disciples to learn as they were about to lay the foundation of the Church and begin sharing the gospel of Christ. Serious, earnest disciples in every age should be constantly aware that God’s word and work expose the heart.

The heart is a very tricky thing. It is the seat of our emotion. The heart processes information we receive from the brain and moves us to action based on much more than what we know. Our behavior is guided and shaped by what we feel and believe about what we know. While it’s true that bad information can lead to bad behavior, more often it’s wrongly placed faith or damaged feelings that lead to the terrible consequences of wrong choices. Take a look back at the bad choices you’ve made in the past and you’ll see how often it was not what you knew but what you believed that steered you wrong.

Today we learn from the Master that what we believe and feel about God is hidden deep in our heart. Jesus teaches that when we hear His word, our heart is laid bare and our emotions are revealed. The Holy Spirit affirms this important truth about the power of God’s word to infiltrate and expose our heart… “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.  And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:12-13). Jesus warns His disciples that as we preach, teach, and live out His word, the true condition of the hearts of God haters around us will be revealed. But, at the same time, God lovers are attracted to the life-giving… “The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63) ministry-equipping… “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17) word of God.

Jesus also warns His disciples that as we engage the world by doing His work, God haters will rise up against us. But again, it is the work of God that matures our faith… “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent” (John 6:29) and reveals the victorious, overcoming power of Christ to the world around us… “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:4-5). The existence of both God lovers and haters in our lives is strong evidence that we are faithfully immersed in His word and fully engaged in His work.

As we grow up into Christ we will encounter both God lovers and haters as we see that…

God’s Word and Work Expose the Heart.