A Heart Like God's

Feb. 5, 2023

FBC Baxley

am service

*Sunday nights SS Revival

Feb. Memory Verse: Romans 6:23

History…”Forward”... On July 10th, 1927, 12:10pm H.J. Lawrence brought a message…”Looking Forward.”

* SBC Focus on Unity…

Welcome radio and online guests…

*It’s ok if you’re broken, unfaithful, lost, we are too and we are here seeking God’s will and way and plan.

We are all prodigals here…

Some rescued….Some Not..

All Loved…

*Acts 4:12 (repeat)

*John 3:16

Sermon Title: “ A Heart Like God’s:”

Scripture Passage: Jeremiah 17:1-10

“The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron; with a point of diamond it is engraved on the tablet of their heart, and on the horns of their altars,

2 while their children remember their altars and their Asherim, beside every green tree and on the high hills, 3 on the mountains in the open country. Your wealth and all your treasures I will give for spoil as the price of your high places for sin throughout all your territory.

4 You shall loosen your hand from your heritage that I gave to you, and I will make you serve your enemies in a land that you do not know, for in my anger a fire is kindled that shall burn forever.”

5 Thus says the Lord:

“Cursed is the man who trusts in man

and makes flesh his strength,

whose heart turns away from the Lord.

6 He is like a shrub in the desert,

and shall not see any good come.

He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness,

in an uninhabited salt land.

7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,

whose trust is the Lord.

8 He is like a tree planted by water,

that sends out its roots by the stream,

and does not fear when heat comes,

for its leaves remain green,

and is not anxious in the year of drought,

for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

9 The heart is deceitful above all things,

and desperately sick;

who can understand it?

10 “I the Lord search the heart

and test the mind,

to give every man according to his ways,

according to the fruit of his deeds.”

*PRAY

Three Points:

God’s Heart Reveals

God’s Heart Recreates

God’s Heart Requires

Introduction:

Let me first say; No one can truly know God’s heart until they know and trust Jesus for salvation…

Have you trusted Jesus to save you?

Why this message this morning?

Because I believe a lot of our goals as a christian and our vision for the church hinges on having a heart like God’s!

The word “Heart” is used in the Bible over 1000 times.

Stowell, in his book, Fan the Flame, says;

“The heart is used in Scripture as the most comprehensive term for the authentic person.

It is the part of our being where we desire, deliberate, and decide. It has been described as “the place of conscious and decisive spiritual activity,” “the comprehensive term for a person as a whole; his feelings, desires, passions, thought, understanding and will,” and “the center of a person. The place to which God turns.”

J. Stowell, Fan The Flame

The heart refers to the central part of a person. To know a person's heart is to know that person’s innermost character, and feelings.

The heart of God is the essence of who He is, what He desires, His will and His purposes.

How can we know the heart of God?

By reading the bible, spending time in prayer, and knowing Jesus.

Why should we know the Heart of God?

Because of the passage we are looking at this morning…

Our heart is deceitful and corrupt.

Verse 9… The heart is deceitful above all things,

and desperately sick;

who can understand it?

What can we do about our Heart? I’m glad you asked… That’s where we will be focused this morning…

Illus.

The average cost of a heart transplant including the need for immunosuppressant drugs after the surgery is $864,700.

Yet, the best heart transplant a man can receive costs him nothing and the new heart will never fail.

“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26

God’s Heart Reveals

First part of verse 10… 10 “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind,

2 Corinthians 3:17-18

17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 But we all, with unveiled faces, looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

What are we to compare our heart to?

-The Lord of course, as a believer we are being transformed into His image… daily

This is why daily bible reading is important… The bible is our mirror… Psalm 119:11

When we look into mirror and see God’s glory, He will transform us into His image…

God’s Heart Recreates

Constantly!

Why was David Called a man after God’s heart?

I Sam. 13:14

“But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”

Why?

Because of His trust, his integrity, his humility, his love, his faith, his worship…

We are familiar with the passage in Psalms where David writes after his encounter with Bathsheba…

Psalm 51:10

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”

And God will recreate yours…

He will do a new thing…

He will make it like His…

III. God’s Heart Requires

Verse 10… “I the Lord search the heart

and test the mind,

to give every man according to his ways,

according to the fruit of his deeds.”

He requires a heart like His…

What does it look like?

Look at Jesus…

His love and compassion

His healing

He was the good shepherd

His forgiveness

2. He is the perfect example…

Matthew 19:13-14

“13 Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, 14 but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”

John 9:6-7

6 Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man's eyes with the mud 7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.

Luke 23:34

34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.

Wow… What a heart!!

And He requires we have a heart like His!!

Closing:

Little Pig With a New Heart

(Author unknown)

Mary had a little pig and it was white as snow, That is when it had had a bath, as you of course might know.

But Mary had an awful time to keep the piggy clean,For it was just the dirtiest pig that one has ever seen.

She'd wash him and she'd scrub him, till he would squirm and squeal,As if he wanted her to know it was an unfair deal.

And then inside his green backyard he'd plan from morn to night, Unless he happened to sneak out and lose himself from sight.

And then when Mary found him he'd be blacker than ere before, So Mary'd get the soap again and scrub the pig some more.

Poor Mary thought and wondered much what she could ever do, Until she figured out a plan, and this she carried through.

She took him to a doctor who put the pig to sleep, and then he Took his heart right out, but not of course to keep.

And then he took a little lamb and took his heart out too And put it in the little pig before the piggy knew.

When little piggy did awake he had no more desire, To wallow in the mud again or ever in the mire.

And try as hard as ere he could he never understood, How such a pig as once he was could ever be so good.

And so you see, dear friends of mine, you need a new heart too, Just like the little piggy did, the old will never do.

If you'll receive a brand new heart, well, here is how you may. Accept God's son as savior now and let him in today.

PRAY

Invitation

“Are you born again?”

Is your name written in the Lambs Book of Life?

“Have you surrendered/repented to Jesus?