Heart Matters

This condition of the heart effects one’s relationship with God and others—and effects eternity.

Introduction

Heart Attack - Not the words my family was expecting to hear one morning several years ago

Day started normal - breakfast, talked through the day’s schedule, picked up lunches, headed out the door for work and school

Mid morning phone call - dad was not feeling well, coming home from work

unusual because my dad had a very strong work ethic. He NEVER missed work so we knew something was wrong

We took him to the ER with symptoms being chest pains and pain going down left arm, the medical team pinpointed a heart issue

After all the tests, scans, procedures, they were able to help my dad get back onto a road to recovery; but it was a wake up call to the importance of this organ; and one thing he had to do was take care of his heart.

The heart is the organ that transports life throughout the body - it pumps blood which carries oxygen, nutrients, immunities, - life.

My dad knew that changes were necessary and he determined to make those change because he realized proper care for his physical heart would affect the way he felt, the people he loved, as well as the longevity of his heart and life. He realized The Heart Matters

As I reminisced about this life event, and pondered the physical health changes currently occurring in the Walker household; I began to think about the similarities between the physical and spiritual heart. The spiritual heart must also be properly cared for. A very wise king by the name of Solomon wrote in Prov. 4:23.

Proverbs 4:23 NLT

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

Let me tell you a story that happened 2000 years ago. The story is found in the book of John chapter 12. It takes place in a town called Bethany, and the setting - special dinner held in Jesus’ honor.

At this dinner there were a lot of people present; and each one of these people had different kinds of hearts. What made them different was who they were as persons.

So this morning we are going to be a fly on the wall and take a close look at these different people and the condition of their hearts—and see how their condition affected how they saw themselves, one another, and especially Jesus.

The first heart we see in this story is:

The Servant Heart

Lets talk about Martha. Martha was a person willing to roll up her sleeves to get the job done. She saw as her mission to help people be at ease and meet their needs.

John 12:1–2 NLT

Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man he had raised from the dead. A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate with him.

The dinner was to honor Jesus first and foremost, it was really all about Him. One way Martha honored Jesus was by serving others.

Application:

A quality of a genuine believer of Jesus Christ is the quality of serving. The heart of a Christian should be one who is compassionate about meeting the needs of others.

The second heart we see in this story is:

The Peace-filled Heart

Another person in the story that we see is a man named Lazarus. Let me tell you about him. Lazarus was a brother to Martha and friend of Jesus. He got sick and died, and Jesus raised him from the dead after 4 days in the tomb. Now we find Lazarus enjoying life with Jesus; in fact he was reclining with Him and the other guests.

John 12:2 NIV

Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him.

Lazarus honored Jesus with uninhibited fellowship as he is now free from issues of life such as the anguish of an illness and the bondage of grave clothes.

Proverbs 14:30 NIV

A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.

Illustration:

Al Johnson was pronounced dead when we got to the hospital.

But God pronounced His peace through the fellowship with those gathered and through the fellowship with God through prayer God then pronounced life - and Al was brought back to his family that day in Manhattan, Kansas.

Application:

A quality of a genuine believer of Jesus Christ is the quality of a peace-filled heart. The heart of a Christian should be one that is filled with the peace of God and void of those things that hinder fellowship in His presence. And one that pronounces peace and life into others.

A third heart represented at the dinner is:

The Worshipful Heart

A third person to look at is also the third of a sibset - Mary the sister of Martha and Lazarus. We find out in previous passages of Scripture that Mary liked to sit/bask in the presence of Jesus. Now we find her in an act of sacrificial, devoted worship.

John 12:3 NLT

Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance.

This may seem insignificant but as we examine closely we see great significance. Imagine that you are in the room filled with dinner guests. And Mary comes walking toward the guest of honor at the table.

First women did not approach the table where men were eating at a dinner party they had their place elsewhere.

Second Mary approached with a jar containing expensive perfume. Pure nard was expensive because it was imported from a long distance. Maybe this perfume was being saved for a marriage dowry, or for a rainy day expenditure, or perhaps for her own burial in the future. But this jar of expensive perfume represents something of great value to Mary.

Third, Mary poured the perfume on Jesus’ feet. When expensive perfume was poured on someone it was usually the head. The feet were considered the dirtiest part of a person’s body at that time. The mode of travel was primarily walking which meant dirt, mud and other debris built up on the individual’s feet. A servant usually washed the feet of guests when they entered the home - to help them feel more comfortable and clean.

Fourth Mary let down her hair - which was considered a woman’s glory in this culture at this time, and was never let down in front of guests - and began to wipe Jesus’ feet with her hair.

One of the ways Mary honored Jesus was through her sacrificial, devoted act of worship.Mary saw Jesus for who He is - the One worthy to be honored and worshipped. She was not hindered by what others would think of her but was propelled by her love for Him and chose to engage in a fully devoted act of worship.

Application:

Another quality of a true believer and follower of Christ is engaging in sacrificial devoted worship to Him. And when that worship comes forth it produces a sweet fragrance which pleases God and blesses others.

It would be nice if the story ended here because the conditions of these three hearts are uplifting, encouraging, and motivating. But there were three other hearts that were also represented in that room that day. There is the:

The Dark Heart

Judas Iscariot is the representative of this condition. His concern was not of honoring Jesus but rather to judge and criticize the heart and actions of another - seeking self gratification.

Scripture shows that within the darkness of Judas’ heart was the desire to deceive and cover up what was truly happening in his own heart and behind his own motives.

John tells us Judas was dipping into the disciples funds and helping himself. It seems he wanted to point out the actions or bring a critical eye to the action of another to relieve the pressure of his own wrong doings.

Application:

The quality of a dark heart is one that is not concerned with honoring Jesus; but looks for self gratification even to the point of criticizing others in order to cover up issues in their own life such as deceit, betrayal, and wrong motives in order to relieve ones self of the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

Another heart represented at this dinner was:

The Spectating Heart

People came to see Jesus, and Lazarus. Often people are interesting in coming to “ see” or “look” at what is happening and be entertained.

John 12:9 NLT

When all the people heard of Jesus’ arrival, they flocked to see him and also to see Lazarus, the man Jesus had raised from the dead.

What motivated some people to want to see Jesus? Many simply wanted to see Jesus perform his miracles, just like the crowd wanting see a circus act or a sporting event or a rock concert.

Illustration:

Brownsville - people following the ministers spectating what was happening to others and could have easily missed what God wanted to do in their own lives because they were so focused on what was happening to everyone else.

The final heart I want to look at in this passage is:

The Jealous Heart

The priests had been plotting to kill Jesus. In the previous chapter John tells us about a meeting among the religious leaders. At the conclusion of that meeting it was decided they would have Jesus killed so they would not loose their place of status. Now they want to continue eliminating other people who may be competition for them; and decided to kill Lazarus as well.

John 12:10–11 NLT

Then the leading priests decided to kill Lazarus, too, for it was because of him that many of the people had deserted them and believed in Jesus.

A jealous heart leads people down a road of actions that are not only sinful to God but are irrational behaviors.

Jealousy causes vision to be obscured and to become tunnel visioned. Seeing their way is the only way to do things or things should be done.

Interesting fact I recently read about the heart as I was studying for this message, is the effect emotions have on the health of the heart. Jealousy or envy was one of the top emotions listed and one of the issues concerning this emotion is it causes the blood pressure to go up which in turn affects the health of the heart.

Illustration:

CP - Jealous over Marc’s wedding reception

Application:

The quality of a jealous heart does not seek to honor Christ nor does it seek the good of others. Rather it is self seeking to the point of looking for ways to dishonor another, and follows a road that leads to irrational thinking and behaviors.

Conclusion

There could have been even more hearts there that day. Maybe the disillusioned heart was at the dinner, or the broken heart, the lonely heart, the lustful heart, the despondant or hopeless heart, resentful heart, the list could go on.

But let me tell you about a heart that was there that day and that heart is here today - It is the heart of God - Jesus Christ who has the power to change our hearts. The first three hearts were all flawed until Jesus came and changed them.

Not only did Jesus change hearts then but He is in the heart business today and changes heart the hearts of those who are willing today.

Mike Jackson’s mother was in the hospital with heart issues. Her heart was working at only 10%. On Valentine’s Day, Mike’s mother Kay was given a heart transplant. Someone died and donated that heart so Kay can live.

Let me tell you somebody died, and His name is Jesus so you can have a heart transplant and experience transformation and live!

Prayer