Issues of the heart

First off, I’m thrilled to get to be here with you all today. When doc asked me if I could speak at a Chinese church I jumped at the opportunity and thought Praise the Lord. You see in God’s yes there are only 2 classifications of people in the world, and God does not divide us by race, or national origin. God see’s us as saved and unsaved. Child of God or child without God.

-Been awake for about 3 days in anticipation of today. Last night It was like the night before Christmas to a kid. I couldn’t sleep.

Production Director in Waterford - Manage all things technical

Pastors academy under Doc

*PRAY*

Would you say that the past couple of years have been tough for a lot of people? It’s easy to sometime lose sight of things when we fail to count our blessings and I got caught up in some of the depressing factors over the past couple years.

-Yesterday I had the opportunity to speak at my best friends memorial (tell about Chris and on his death bed) Tell about the story of the text he sent.

-I had to shape my mind to having an attitude of gratitude and sometimes our attitudes are shaped by what’s in our hearts.

Bible verse today: Mathew 12:34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks

Question of the day: Whats the abundance in your heart?

Luke 6: 45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks

Use the story of dad singing, whistling, and always saying I’m great right here.

Your words are a reflection of your heart.

-How do you speak to people throughout the day? Is it with courtesy and respect? Do you hurt those you love the most with words?

*Borrowed

How does a person clean up a bad habit of swearing or lying or slandering or plain old potty mouth? A news report told of a middle school in Oregon that was facing a unique problem. A large number of the girls in the school were beginning to use lipstick, and they would put it on in the bathroom. The trouble was, after they applied their lipstick, they would press their lips against the mirrors leaving dozens of little lip prints. It was becoming a widespread prank. The principal decided something had to be done. She called some of the lipsticked girls into the restroom and met them there with the custodian. She explained that all these lip prints were causing a major problem for the custodian, who had to clean the mirrors every day. To demonstrate how difficult it was, she asked the custodian to show the girls how he had to clean the mirrors. He took out a long-handled brush, dipped it into the toilet, and scrubbed the mirror until was clean. Since then, there have been no lip prints on the mirrors. This morning I want us to consider not methods for cleaning up behavior and speech from the outside in, but rather Jesus’ answer for unrighteous speech and behavior. Jesus tells us in our text this morning that the real key to what we say is our heart. Our words are symptoms of the condition of our hearts JESUS WANTS TO CLEAN US FROM THE INSIDE OUT - Notice that

-Speak life. TELL STORY OF ELDERLY LADY AT DELI

I’m not here today to beat up on any particular issue, but we just want to go over some of the fruits from an abundant heart.

John10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

What constitutes an abundant life and what is this life that Jesus is talking about?

Abundant comes from the greek word Perisson which one meaning is “Beyond all measure” or beyond extraordinary. How about it? Do you have a life that is considered above all measure?

There is world abundance and Godly abundance. Worldy abundance usually boils down to things and the amount of stuff that you have. Godly abundance is something completely different.

Godly abundance comes the day we accept Jesus as our savior. This has nothing to do with the things that we accept of the world, but has everything to do with the peace, love, and joy that Christ provides.

*Borrowed* Wikipedia defines this abundance as “referring to life in its abounding fullness of joy and strength for spirit, soul and body. The abundant life is in contrast to feelings of lack, emptiness and dissatisfaction.”

Having an abundant life changes our course, and changes our direction. It changes our wants.

Colossians 3:2-3 “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

Ephesians 3:20 “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,”

Proverbs 4:23 ESV

Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

One Commentator simply said:

The Christian Counselor’s New Testament and Proverbs: Notes Chapter 4

23 An important matter. Warn counselees that the heart is the source of attitudes, actions and words as well as thought. “Heart,” in Scripture, is not emotion alone (as it is in Western society) but also thinking, deciding, willing; indeed, it includes conscience and all that goes on in one’s inner life.

The Book of Psalms & The Book of Proverbs Notes

4:23 Guard your heart. The heart (leb [3820, 4213]) is the target for the wise counsel of Proverbs, found 97 times in the book with various significations: It signifies reason in 41% of its occurrences, emotions in 22%, trust in 20%, volition in 14%, and behavior in 3%. Fools die for lack of a heart (10:21). He who follows vain persons is devoid of a heart (11:12; 12:11). This certainly means devoid of a wise or understanding heart. The heart can be perverse (12:8), heavy (12:25), sick (13:12), merry (15:13), proud (16:5), wise (16:21), or hard (28:14). The heart is the source of life (4:23). One must open one’s heart to understanding (2:2), wisdom (2:10), and counsel (3:1; 4:4). It can also be open to evil counsel (7:25). Planning and intellectual activity are functions of the heart (6:18; 16:1); the term is used for both volitional activity (2:2; 4:4, 23) and behavior (6:32; 12:23; 27:23). “Heart” is a word that Proverbs uses to describe the entire internal life of a person. It is an internal reflection of the person (19:8; 20:5; 27:19; Schwab 1995:8–9). The most used meaning is the rational faculties of a person, glossed as “mind” (12:8; 16:23), “concentrate” (2:2), and so on. It is the religious center of a person, which orients the mind, will, and emotions—hence the source of life. What the heart loves is at issue. Does it love folly or wisdom? Yahweh or evil? “The heart of man is the proper target for counsel; through it his life is comprehended (17:16; 18:2; 19:3)” (Schwab 1995:9).

Volition = The power of using will

What do you do if your heart is not clean? What do you do if you’re not on good terms with God? Ask God to create in you a clean heart. Psalm 51:10

English Standard Version Psalm 51

10  Create in me a clean heart, O God,

and renew a right spirit within me.

11  Cast me not away from your presence,

and take not your Holy Spirit from me.

12  Restore to me the joy of your salvation,

and uphold me with a willing spirit.

1 samuel 10:9 “When he turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart. And all these signs came to pass that day.” (Talking about Saul)

1 samuel 10:26 “Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went men of valor whose hearts God had touched.”

I want a clean heart. I want a heart that is pure before God and there is a direct correlation between the heart and the mind. Mathew 22:37 says

Mt 22:37 “And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This shows the correlation.

Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinketh in the heart so is he.

Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”

So ask God to give you a new heart! My life verse Jude 1:22 KJV “And of some have compassion making a difference” How are you going to make a difference by not having the right heart or right attitude?

Eze 36:26 “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”

eze 11:19 “And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,”

The Bible talks about a circumcision of the heart which is a metaphor for a cutting away of sin. A hard build-up around the hearts of the people had to be cut away (Dt 10:16; Rm 2:28–29). Circumcision was a sign of the covenant (Gn 17:10–14), but religious ritual without the right heart relationship to God was worthless.

This is the same today - Many people are religious but not right with God

Singer Cody Carnes sings a song called Run to the Father. Our church has done this one a few times and it is a beautiful song about returning to the father again, and again, and again. The song goes on to say that “my heart needs a surgeon, my soul needs a friend, so I’ll run to the father again, and again, and again.

Where is the abundance of your heart at today? God had to get my attention early last year. I was working at a place that I really didn't want to work at. There was a spirit of arrogance and everyone's God was money. One day my boss said just wait until you can buy your wife that Louis Vouton purse she will be glad that you have worked all these hours.

Do you have an abundance of contentment, and abundance of comfort, an abundance of concern, or an abundance of criticism?

Without Jesus your heart is empty. Your heart is empty and you dont know its empty.

Chris Kudla story - Yesterday’s memorial and how Chris was given a new heart Psalm 23 (Valley of shadow of death) and how chris lived this out. Chris, and I had significant different backgrounds with religion, but we realized it was not about religion, but about a relationship.

-He would want you to know that neither is there salvation in any other 4 there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.

Is your heart keeping you from contentment?

1 tim 6 - Godliness with contentment is great gain

Prov 19:2 “The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm.” (satisfied is translated as content in some versions)

Is your heart keeping you from comfort?

Phil 4:7 “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Is your heart making you concerned for others? The lost?

John 3:16 ““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Is your heart giving you peace? and causing you to be thankful?

Colossians 3:15 ESV

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

Or is your heart just allowing you to be critical?

Phil 2:14-16 “Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.”

Story of Allen and the abundance of his filthy talk, but at the end of his life God gave him a new heart.

Are you saved? Has God given you a new heart?