On this Sunday Service, God is looking for believers with a willing heart, burdened and surrendered, that will pick up their cross daily and follow Him

The Lord is not looking for cold religion, empty profession, or outward performance from people whose hearts are far from Him. He is looking for a believer with a willing heart, a heart that says, “Lord, here am I, use me.” In Exodus 35, the Tabernacle was not built by pressure tactics or forced giving, but by men and women whose hearts were stirred and made willing before the LORD. That is still the pattern today. The believer who has been saved by the shed blood of Jesus Christ ought to have a heart that is ready to serve, ready to give, ready to labour, ready to pray, ready to witness, and ready to stand in the gap while there is still time. A willing heart does not wait to be begged, bribed, or entertained into obedience. It hears the voice of God through the word of God and responds, “What wilt thou have me to do?”

“Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and silver, and brass,” Exodus 35:5 (KJB)

But a willing heart must become a burdened heart and a surrendered heart, or it will never go the distance. A burdened heart looks at the lost and sees souls on their way to Hell without the gospel, and it refuses to be comfortable while sinners perish. A surrendered heart looks inward and says, “Lord, deal with my sin, my pride, my flesh, my worldliness, and anything that keeps me from being meet for the Master’s use.” This is where real Bible Christianity lives — not in slogans, not in sentiment, not in Sunday-morning religion, but in a heart yielded to God, burdened for souls, and willing to fight against the world, the flesh, and the Devil until the Lord gives the victory. The harvest is still white, the gospel is still powerful, the King James Bible is still the preserved word of God, and Jesus Christ is still saving sinners. What God is looking for now is a vessel with a willing heart to serve, a burdened heart to seek the lost, and a surrendered heart to yield completely to Him. This is my message on today’s Sunday Service.

SUNDAY SERVICE STUDY NOTES: A Willing Heart, Burdened And Surrendered

A Willing Heart, Burdened And Surrendered

I. A Willing Heart Says, “Lord, I Am Ready To Serve”

“Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and silver, and brass,” Exodus 35:5 (KJB)

Before the gold, silver, and brass ever showed up, there first had to be a people whose hearts were willing before the LORD. The tabernacle was not built by force, pressure, guilt, or manipulation. It was built by people who had a heart to give, a heart to serve, and a heart to be part of what God was doing. How’s your heart today?

“Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whom the LORD put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the LORD had commanded.” Exodus 36:1 (KJB)

“And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD’s offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments.” Exodus 35:21 (KJB)

Bible passages talking about The Tabernacle:

This is one of the largest themes in the Bible, so it must be very important to God. God wanted willing hearts to do this work, not robots.

“Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.” Isaiah 6:8 (KJB)

• Exodus 25–31, 35–40 — 13 chapters
• Leviticus 1–10, 16 — 11 chapters
• Numbers 1–4, 7–10 — 8 chapters
• Joshua 18 — 1 chapter
• 1 Samuel 1–4 — 4 chapters
• 1 Kings 8 / 2 Chronicles 5 — 2 chapters
• Hebrews 8–10 — 3 chapters

Application

The believer with a willing heart does not have to be begged to serve the Lord. He does not have to be chased down, guilted into obedience, or constantly stirred up by emotional appeals. When the heart is right, the feet move, the hands labor, the mouth speaks, and the wallet opens.

A willing heart says, “Lord, I am available. Use my time, use my talent, use my testimony, use my treasure, and use whatever is left of my life for Thy glory.”

Key Point

A willing heart is the difference between religious duty and spiritual desire for intimacy with God. God is not a Calvinist, he will not force you to serve Him, even after He saves you. But you’ll spend a long time needlessly fighting the conviction He will give you if you aren’t willing.

II. A Burdened Heart Says, “Lord, I Want To See The Lost Saved”

A willing heart serves, but a burdened heart weeps. A burdened heart looks at a lost and dying world and sees what God sees: souls without Christ, sinners without hope, and men and women headed for Hell unless someone brings them the gospel. (Bibles Behind Bars!)

Paul had doctrine, but he also had tears. He was not some cold theologian stacking up truth with no compassion. He had a burning burden for his own people to be saved. If you’ve been called to the ministry but don’t have a burden like this, you should make sure you’ve actually been called of God. Without such a burden, ministry is an exhausting and grueling slog. With a God-sent burden, it’s the most exciting work on the planet.

“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.” Romans 10:1 (KJB)

“I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.” Romans 9:1-2 (KJB)

The Lord Jesus Christ Himself looked on the multitudes with compassion.

“But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.” Matthew 9:36 (KJB)

Application

The believer needs more than correct doctrine and a King James Bible; he needs a broken heart. He needs to see the lost not as arguments to win, but as souls to reach. A burdened heart prays, witnesses, gives, supports missions, sends Bibles, preaches the gospel, and refuses to become comfortable while sinners perish. Someone asked me one time why do you go street preaching? The answer is astonishingly simple: because Hell is real and people go there. No other reason than that to street preach, wins souls and do personal work.

A burdened heart says, “Lord, break my heart for what breaks Yours. Let me care about souls more than comfort, more than convenience, more than reputation, and more than self.”

Key Point

A burdened heart turns Bible truth into gospel action.

III. A Surrendered Heart Says, “Lord, I Am Willing To Lay It Down”

God likes to do things in threes:

• Jesus is the way, the truth and the life
• The Christian fights against the world, the flesh and the Devil
• Peter denied the Lord 3 times
• Jesus is a Prophet, Priest and King
• The Tabernacle was divided into the outer court, the Holy Place and the most Holy Place
• Jonan was 3 days and 3 nights in the whale’s belly
• Jesus Christ died, was buried and rose again (Paul’s gospel)
• The Godhead exists in 3 parts 1 John 5:7
• Man is a tripartite being (body, soul and spirit)

A willing heart serves the Lord, and a burdened heart seeks the lost, but a surrendered heart takes God’s side against sin. It is one thing to say, “Lord, use me,” and another thing to say, “Lord, cleanse me.” The believer cannot serve the Lord rightly while making peace with the world, the flesh, and the Devil. D.L. Moody said “There is one more thing to consider. I have to overcome the world, or the world is going to overcome me. I have to conquer sin in me and get it under my feet, or it is going to conquer me.” That’s good, practical preaching you can live by.

“Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.” Romans 6:13 (KJB)

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 (KJB)

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” Romans 12:1 (KJB)

Application

The surrendered heart is not sinless perfection, but honest submission. It is the believer coming before God and saying, “Lord, deal with my pride, my bitterness, my temper, my lust, my worldliness, my laziness, my fear, my rebellion, and anything else that keeps me from walking with You.”

“Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.” Romans 7:13 (KJB)

This is where real victory begins. Not with pretending there is no battle, but by yielding to God and refusing to yield to sin.

Key Point

A surrendered heart does not negotiate with sin; it yields to God until the victory comes. At AA meetings they say you must conduct a “fearless and searching moral inventory” if you want to stay sober, and the same thing can be said of the believer who wants to be clean before God. Keep short accounts with the Lord.

IV. These Three Hearts Work Together

Truth

These are not three separate Christian lives. They are three parts of the same surrendered believer.

A willing heart says, “Lord, I will serve.”
A burdened heart says, “Lord, I will witness.”
A surrendered heart says, “Lord, I will obey.”

When these three are present, God has a vessel He can use.

“But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.” 2 Timothy 2:20-21 (KJB)

Application

Many believers want to be used, but they don’t want to be purged. Many want fruit, but they do not want surrender. Many want blessing, but they do not want separation. But the vessel fit for the Master’s use is the believer who is willing, burdened, and surrendered.

God is not looking for perfect people. He is looking for yielded people.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” John 15:1-5 (KJB)

Closing Challenge

The question is not whether the Lord has work to be done. The harvest is still ready, the gospel is still powerful, the Bible is still true, Hell is still hot, the Lord Jesus Christ is still saving sinners, and the trumpet is still about to sound.

The question is: what kind of heart do you have?

Do you have a willing heart to serve?
Do you have a burdened heart for the lost?
Do you have a surrendered heart to forsake sin and fight the good fight?

“Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.” Isaiah 6:8 (KJB)

That is the heart God can use in these last days: not a forced heart, not a cold heart, not a divided heart, but a willing heart, a burdened heart, and a surrendered heart before the Lord Jesus Christ.

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