Overflow of the Heart (2)

Communion:

There has been a lot of discussion about communion lately…….

1 Corinthians 11:23–26 CSB

23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Welcome

You Card………..

A Break from the usual… To continue with our Freedom Groups Theme…..

You see 5 weeks ago we began a 12 week Small Group based Study called Freedom Groups.

Why?

Because we believe that true Spiritual Growth happens when we work spiritual things out together.

For the last 5 weeks I have heard story after story of how your have wrestled with these ideas with in the small group model.

What this study is providing a step by step process of working out spiritual growth together.

This will all culminate in a special event that we are holding on December 5th and 6th. You are not going to want to miss that event.

This is the beginning of week 5.

Intro

This week we are transitioning to the Overflow of the Heart….

Did you know that there is a Heart Condition that is triggered by lack of rest, caffine, and Stress.

This condition is called Atrail Fibrillation:

The Symptoms are a rapid heart beat, breathlessness, the feeling of an elephant sitting on your chest.

The crazy thing is that the symptoms don’t show up until you actually slow down.

Activity somehow masks the symptoms……..

The same goes with the spiritual matters of hearts….. a lot of the time of symptoms of a Heart Blockage are masked by our activities.

Listen to this.

Proverbs 4:20–23 NIV

20 My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. 21 Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; 22 for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. 23 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

I am probably going to get in trouble for this but I believe one of the biggest problems in our medical world is Doctors treating symptoms instead of looking for the root of the illness.

The same is true in our spiritual lives….So often we are treating symptoms instead of dealing with the Heart issue that is the Flow point of the issue….

Depression, anger, and anxiety are all symptoms of the Overflow of the Heart.

There is a translation of the scripture that says that out of the Heart all issues flow…….

1 Samuel 16:7 NIV

7 ….. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

You see your spouse, your bad childhood, your job, nor the outside world are not the root of your symptoms….the root is the over flow the Heart.

So before we can move into the Transformation of the Heart we must first look at what is Blocking the Flow of the Heart.

Body

Four Blockages of the Heart

Selfishness

I believe that every word that begins with Self is usually a pathway for disappointment.

Self worth, Self image, Self service.

However, Selfishness is a control meaning we have not given God full control….

James Calls it Self Ambition.

James 3:14–16 NIV

14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

Do you ever find yourself giving God stipulations?

God will never call you to a place that He will not give you the grace and desire for.

The Goal is to get us all to go

From Selfishness to Surrender

2. Bitterness

It is amazing to me how many people live in bitterness.

You have some people that a mean person says something and the brush is off.

You have others that when a mean person says something it begins to define them.

But is is possible to live and never get offended.

Luke 17:1 NKJV

1 Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no offenses should come……

It is not about whether you will be offended it is what about what you do with that offense.

The first key is to not follow your feelings………

Cast and Release………….

1 Peter 5:7 CSB

7 casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you.

Make a Choice to forgive…..

Where your choices lead your feelings will follow…..

The truth is if you are carrying an offense you are not hurting the other person you are only hurting yourself.

Proverbs 18:19 NIV

19 A brother wronged is more unyielding than a fortified city; disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.

An offended person is one of the most destructive forces in any social environment.

It is like setting yourself on fire and expecting your enemy to die from the smoke.

3. Rejection

Rejection usually comes in the form of words.

Proverbs 18:21 CSB

21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

A lot of us live in the labels that someone else gave us….

Rather than living in the label in which God made you…..

4. Evil Thoughts

Evil thoughts are the product of everything that you have allowed into your brain.

They come from newsfeeds, movies, internet, experiences …………….

Jesus put it this way.

Mark 7:21–23 NIV

21 For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”

This is going to be greatly covered at our event in December.

The idea here is to cleans our hearts of the evil that is within..

Which leads us to

Three Steps to Transforming the Heart

We are going to work on this out of the book of Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 36:26–27 NIV

26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

Invite the Holy Spirit to show me.

We should be praying this prayer everday.

Psalm 139:23–24 NIV

23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

The truth is you can not fight what you can not see……

2. Invite the Holy Spirit to change me.

God wants you to ask him to change you….He is a gentleman.

Psalm 51:10–11 NIV

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.

Now this last one is the most important part.

If you are going to remove something you have to replace it with something…..

3. Invite the Holy Spirit to fill me.

If i am going to leave behind a unhealthy heart I am going to have to fill it with something healthy.

This is a leave that and come to this opportunity.

Through out the rest of the series we are going to be introducing you to the Person of the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 5:18 NIV

18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,

This is a process and I believe that it is transformational.

So as we continue through these next sessions would you do me and yourself a favor. would you ask God to Fill you with His Spirit………

Invitation

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