Cut To the Heart
I was recently preparing a sermon and took a little time to reflect on a well-known phrase from the New Testament. The sermon was not primarily about the phrase, but it served as an important piece of the lesson. However, what I was reflecting on was not something connected with the sermon, so I decided to save these thoughts for an article.
The phrase is from Acts 2, where, when Peter spoke to those at Pentecost about Jesus and convinced them that they were guilty of crucifying the Messiah, the text says they were “cut to the heart.” That imagery is powerful, to say the least.
But here is what I took a little time to think about as I just let that phrase roll around in my mind a little bit. Through the years, I have had people say various things to me about sermons and how they impacted the individual on a very personal level. Some have used the old phrase, “You really stepped on my toes today.” Others have said something like, “You’ve been reading my mail.” A few have simply said something like, “We were just talking about this subject this week; how could you know that?” And, yes, I have had some who accused me of picking on them or singling them out from the pulpit (which I have literally never done).
Each time someone speaks that way, it makes me think again about the power of the Word of God. It is “sharper than any two-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12), which is why we can see it “cut to the heart,” as it did in Acts 2. While a preacher may use something that happened in the life of a congregation to illustrate a point or help make a connection, I know of very few who just pick things from individual lives just to prove some point, especially in some accusatory way. Instead, the preaching of the Truth touches lives and convicts hearts.
Knowing that, maybe instead of just making some statement about having your toes stepped on or about having your mail read or even about being singled out–none of which were likely the intention of the preacher–maybe we all need to hear with hearts that are ready to respond in humility. Maybe we need to stop saying the preacher is doing this and realize that God’s Word is touching our heart and our conscience. Maybe we need to repent instead of just saying that we are hurt. Maybe we need to change instead of thinking we are being singled out.
After all, it is not by the preacher that we will ultimately be judged. It it by the very Word of God. If my toes are stepped on or my mail is read or I feel singled out or accused, I need to reflect in the mirror of God’s Word, not turn it back on the preacher. My heart needs to be cut like those in Acts 2. They did not just tell Peter they felt badly for what they had done and they did not accuse him of picking on them, although, in his case, he clearly said they had sinned!
Instead, in humility, they asked what to do in response. When a heart is truly “cut” by the Word of God, that is always the response. Maybe it needs to be mine more often.
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AUTHOR: Adam Faughn
