Hear your Heart

Opening

Last week we started our 5-part Series for October entitled iShape

Shape is an acrostic that I borrowed from Pastor Rick Warren and they stand for:

Spiritual Gifts (9 Gifts of the Holy Spirit)

Heart (our passion)

Abilities (Things that we are good at)

Personality (Our distinctive character)

Experiences (Our personal encounters)

When we do what God Shaped us to do:

We enjoy it!

We are good at it!

The first part of which is Spiritual Gift

Many of you have freely decided to receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit

We understand that this is a spiritual process that a believer had to go through in order to receive power & gift

Acts 1:8 ESV

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

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Power to become a witness for Christ

Gifts to build up the church

(BREATHE)

And as we continue with our series, today I’d like to talk to you about the condition of your heart

Two of the most important parts of a human body is our brains and hearts

It is most likely the reason why Paul told the believers in Ephesus to always wear the Armor of God

Helmet of Salvation - That covers our minds which is the devil’s favorite playground

Breastplate of Righteousness - That protects our hearts which is the source of love for God and love for neighbors

Memory Verse:

Proverbs 27:19 ESV

As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man.

Wow! This gives us all the reasons in the world to carefully learn how we should “Hear our Hearts”

Some of the reflections of our hearts are: (write these down)

Hope - Is the fuel that keeps us going. If we ran out of it, we will STOP!

Expectations - Are the specific things that we look forward to...

Passions - Only passionate people gets things done!

Ambitions - Are the goals we set-forth in front of us.

Interests - If you are not interested to what you are doing, it will be a total DRAG!

Desires - Everything starts from it, unless we desire it, we can forget about it!

Dreams -

Remember to always take caution when listening to our hearts, because our hearts may at times, got:

Beat up!

Bumped up!

Broken!

These maybe caused by our:

Battles

Burdens

Backgrounds

And it is not best for us to “Hear our Heart” when our heart is in that state

Jeremiah 17:9 ESV

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

Jeremiah 17:9 NLT

“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?

(BREATHE)

Some Pharisees came to Jesus asking Him why His disciples breaks the tradition of not washing their hands before they eat

Jesus’ reply was, “and why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?”

And He goes… “What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them”

Matthew 15:18–19 ESV

But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

Matthew 15:18 ESV

But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.

Matthew 15:

What Causes the Heart to Stop?… What defiles it?

Matthew 15:18-19

Well aside from eating too much fatty food that are very rich in cholesterol, here are some Heart Stoppers: (write these down)

Guilt

Bitterness

Insecurities

Guilt

Fear

Envy

Disappointment

(BREATHE)

So now, how can we correctly “Hear our Hearts”… How do we keep it healthy?

Well, there are 4 Biblical Pills that I can prescribe for you today, but before we get into that, let’s do some laboratory test first, and see for ourselves our personal lab results

Let us check deep in our innermost being

I’d like you to close your eyes and take a very deep breath

Put both of your hands on top of each other, over your heart… ready?...(inhale… exhale)

Do you know that our heartbeats are unique?… it’s like a thumbprint that is distinct for every individual…

Did you know that 53% of People in America are UNHAPPY at Work?

Yes! Study shows that 53% are not happy with what they are doing

According to Barna Group:

Even if Millennials expect to float from job to job, they are not searching aimlessly.

When asked what their “dream job” looks like, the most common answer,

Financial security (34%)

And having enough money to enjoy life (24%),

Jobs that they are “passionate” about (42%).

Only 31 percent of Millennials feel “called” to their current work.

44% percent of them actually feel called to do something other than their current job

but, haven’t been willing to make change yet because of their current financial situation.

They anticipate changing jobs often and will likely do so in pursuit of work that better aligns with their passions

Millennials; they anticipate changing jobs often and will likely do so in pursuit of work that better aligns with their passions

“As more Millennials begin to have families, their ideals for a job—to make an impact, to pursue their passions—may take a backseat to financial compensation

However, their pursuit of their passions may take a backseat to financial compensation

Does being “Passionate” Age Dependent?… Do we lose our passion as we get older?

Story about Margaret.

A fine senior-aged lady from San Francisco that I’ve Uber driven from Marriott Hotel to Sorrento Valley.

She is an anthropologist by education, but now working with the Federal Government, a work that even at her age, she was so passionate about.

On her work interview before getting this job, she was asked, “what are you going to do, if you don’t get this job?”

Story of Abraham Lincoln

Defeated for State Legislature

Defeater for Speaker

Defeated for Nomination for Congress

Defeated for US Senate (Twice)

Defeated for Nomination for Vice President

But in 1860, was elected President of the US

Martin Luther King Jr. - Civil Rights Movement. Ended Racial Segregation. Equality.

Mahatma Gandhi - Liberated his country from the British rule.

Bill Gates - Microsoft

Steve Jobs - Apple

I can go on and on and on until sunset, and I will not run out of names of “passionate” successful people

Be honest to yourself, are you part of the 53% who are unhappy in what they do?..

Or you are part of the 47% that does what they are passionate about?

Unsure?… How would you know?

Pastor Rick said, when you are passionate

you will stop worrying about status, and start enjoying significance

you will stop competing for positions, and start enjoying more pleasures

you will stop obsessing about money, and start obtaining meaning

And as your Pastor, let me tell you this:

If you are in a job that you are not passionately happy, get out of it!

If you are in school taking up a course that you are not passionately happy, for heaven’s sake, shift!

And in our church, if you are in a ministry that you are not passionately happy, just come and tell me, and we will get you out of it!

1 Corinthians 15:33 ESV

Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

1 Corinthians 15:33 NIV

Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”

Put a kid with dispassionate kids, and I bet you, in one week, he will be apathetic

(BREATHE)

However, it’s not just all about “passion”, we also need education

Not because you love Mexican food, you will start your Mexican Restaurant

Not because you love singing, you will start your recording studio

Story about my “Passions” and “Failures”

Hitek 2000

Bistro Antonio

Anthony’s Restaurant

Flying A Construction

Passion without Education, leads to Destruction

That’s why it is important for all of us to be part of a Life Group

Who among you here are still not part of any Life Group in our Church?

Because Life Group is a safe place where we can connect together, care for each other, and coach one another

In a Life Group, you will be surrounded with passionate and honest people… (hopefully honest)

(BREATHE)

TEXT: Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man

Luke 5:17–26 NIV

One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

Luke 5:20-

Hear Your Heart (Passion)

Helping one another

Luke 5:18 NIV

Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus.

Luk

Extra Mile

Luke 5:19 NIV

When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.

Always Do things for the Lord

Colossians 3:17 NIV

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3:23–24 NIV

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Coloss

Colossians 3;23-24

Remarkable Things Starts to Happen

Luke 5:26 NIV

Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

PRAYER

Heavenly Father we honor You

Lord Jesus we love You

Holy Spirit we adore You

Teach us to be passionate in everything that we do for You

Guide us to discover

Passionate when Helping one another

Passionate and willing to take the Extra Mile

Always doing things for You