A Visit with the Joneses

Carol Jones Saint: Hello, hello there. Welcome to Home Sweet Home for this special time of family devotions with the family. We do pray that this time of devotions will be a blessing to you, that you will hear Jesus calling in a very special way through the music and through the exhortation and through the scripture.

Many people thought of Bert as an organist, but you know, his first calling was a minister of the gospel. He was an ordained minister. He was a graduate of college and seminary, had his master's degree. In this devotional that we'll be sharing with you, we're sharing a special sermon that was prepared by Bert. As we begin, listen to the old gospel song written by Fanny Crosby, "Jesus is Calling, Tenderly Calling." We hope you'll hear him calling in this visit.

Bert Jones: I heard Christ call, "Come follow." That was all. My gold grew dim, my soul went after him. I rose and followed. That was all. Who would not follow if he heard Christ call?

And so the chimes have been playing, "Jesus calls us o'er the tumult of our life's wild, restless sea," and he says, "Come and follow me." And so his call comes to us this hour in family devotions. We read in Hebrews 3:7 these words which will be our scripture text for family devotions this time. "Wherefore, as the Holy Ghost saith, today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness, when your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works 40 years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation," the Lord says, and said, "They do always err in their heart, and they have not known my ways."

And then in Hebrews 3:13, we find virtually the same words. "But exhort one another daily while it is called today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." And then we look at Hebrews 3:15 and find the same words again. "While it is said, today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts as in the provocation." That is in the days when Israel provoked the Lord.

Another translation says, "Don't close your minds as happened when the people provoked me." Or still another translation, "Do not grow stubborn as in those days of rebellion." Or another translation says, "You must not harden your hearts as they did in provoking me." And then in Hebrews 4:7, we find almost the same words again. "Today, after so long a time, as it is said, today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts."

It seems to me that anything that is said four times in the short space of Hebrews three and four must be very important. It must be an important message for us. Today, hear his voice and harden not your heart. Here we find the duty, and the duty is this: to hear his voice.

God calls. God calls through his Son, Jesus Christ. It's not your father or your brother or the teacher or your mother or the minister. It is God calling you and God calling me. Therefore, since it is he who calls, it is ours to listen.

He calls in so many ways. He calls through the Holy Spirit who brings conviction to the heart. He calls through his word, the Bible. He calls through preaching. He calls through the testimony of a godly friend. He calls through life's experiences. In all of these and many more ways he calls, but as he calls, it is ours to hear and to heed.

Now here in the scripture, Paul refers to the Hebrews who heard but refused to listen. In Romans one, he writes of the heathen who heard but did not listen and the tragic results. None could say that he has not called, for we read again in God's word that he's not willing that any should perish, but that all should be called to repentance. That's why Jesus was sent into the world to call and to say, "Come follow me."

This is not just an option. You may hear if you would like to. It's not just a choice. Wouldn't you like to choose to hear Jesus calling you? No, no, not an option, not a choice, but it is a command to be obeyed and a duty to be performed. Hear his voice.

I heard Christ call, "Come follow." That was all. My gold grew dim, my soul went after him. I rose and followed. That was all. Who would not follow if he heard Christ call?

And so since he calls, it is your duty and my duty to listen and to hear what he has to say. Second, in this passage of scripture we're studying for family devotions, I find the danger. And the danger is that you will harden your hearts.

Oh, what a danger. You see, according to the scripture, this is exactly what happened to some in Israel. They heard and hardened instead of hearing and heeding. Now you can do the same thing. You can hear and harden, or you can hear God's call and heed his message.

There's always the danger that people will hear and then harden their hearts rather than listen to God. No one is harder, I have found, than the person who knows, who has heard God's call over and over again but has refused to listen. Remember, the same sun that softens wax hardens clay.

So it is. God does not harden the heart, but hearts are hardened in relation to the response of the individual to the call of God. When you hear, then heed, lest your heart be hardened as an automatic response. Very few people deliberately harden their hearts, I would guess.

Instead, they rather indifferently and listlessly refuse to heed his call. And one day, after hearing the call over and over again, they awaken to find that their hearts are hardened. Oh, my friend, God forbid that you or I should harden the heart by continually saying no to the Lord over and over and over again. Don't turn him away, but heed his call.

The duty is given here in Hebrews three, three different times in Hebrews the third chapter. The duty is to hear God's voice. The danger is that we will not listen and therefore will harden the heart.

And then the date that is given. The date we cannot forget. Today, if you will hear his voice. The date is today. When are we to hear? When are we to heed? When are we to keep mellow hearts? Now, today.

God never exhorts anyone to heed tomorrow. God never exhorts anyone to hear tomorrow. But God's word always says today. TNT: today, not tomorrow. Today you are hearing. Today you are living. And today you must be heeding.

Yes, say yes to Jesus Christ as you hear his call, as he calls so softly and so tenderly. Why not hear that voice this hour and say yes?

Carol Jones Saint: We are just pausing to let you know that you are visiting with the Joneses at Home Sweet Home. It is our prayer that the thoughts that we are sharing together in this time of family devotions will be of special help to you, that in a very special way you will hear the call of the Savior on your life at this time.

We also would like to remind you that we hope you'll take time to write. The mailing address is A Visit with the Joneses Incorporated, Post Office Box 575, Erie, Pennsylvania, 16512. Gifts to the ministry are tax deductible and it would mean so much to have you share with us in sending out the good news.

Bert Jones: In keeping with this devotional message, I want to play once again for you that song "Softly and Tenderly" written by Will Thompson in East Liverpool, Ohio, many years ago. I want to play this on the beautiful five-manual Schantz pipe organ found at the First Presbyterian Church of the Covenant in Erie, Pennsylvania. Listen as these delicate tones in this huge Gothic cathedral say to us, he's calling, he's calling. Today if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts as in the day of provocation, but listen and heed as he calls.

The organ preached the sermon that I have been giving in this family devotional period. Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling. This hour, hear his voice.

Let us pray together. Our Father, we pray that this hour shall be used of thy Holy Spirit to speak to somebody's heart through music and message and exhortation and scripture and song. And may this be the time when someone who has been saying no and thus has been hardening the heart will at last say yes to Jesus Christ. Amen.

Carol Jones Saint: What a very special joy it has been to have you visiting at Home Sweet Home for this special time of family devotions. Thank you so much for stopping by. I would like to just mention that we would enjoy hearing from you if this particular time of devotions has been of help and inspiration.

You can write to us: A Visit with the Joneses Incorporated, Post Office Box 575, Erie, Pennsylvania, and the zip code 16512. We are thrilled with the ministry that God has given to us. This ministry began in 1948 by my parents in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and it is a thrill to send the good news of the gospel around the world telling men and women that Jesus is calling.

If you would like to write a check to help in the expenses of the ministry, a check should be written to the legal name: A Visit with the Joneses Incorporated. The gifts to the ministry are tax deductible.

It is a thrill to us to be able to sing together and give scripture and be able to share the good news with so many hundreds and thousands of individuals. We're glad when you want to share right along with us. In this time of devotions, we hope that in a very special way you have heard the call of the Savior.

And if you've never opened your heart to let him in, that you'll do it even now. As the song says that Nyla is playing, Jesus is calling. He's calling today. You answer his call. Goodbye.