Transcript Slide 1

Valentine’s Day is Wednesday
Our thoughts will be on love
and that special someone in
our lives
Decorations abound to gain
your shopping dollar
None so prominent as the
heart
The heart and Valentine’s Day
go hand-in-hand
Bible speaks about the heart
Biblical heart is the mind
Involves
the
conscience,
reasoning ability, emotions,
will, intellect
Let’s focus on the kind of
hearts we should have as
God’s people
But exhort one another daily, while it is called To
day; lest any of you be hardened through the
deceitfulness of sin.
Hebrews 3:13
The ways of the world and sin
can harden the heart
The background of this text
demonstrates what having a
hard heart can do
Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear
his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in
the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers
tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.
Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said,
They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known
my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter
into my rest.)
Hebrews 3:8-11
The ways of the world and sin
can harden the heart
The background of this text
demonstrates what having a
hard heart can do
The
consequences
were
grave, and the warning clear
Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an
evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living
God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called
To day; lest any of you be hardened through the
deceitfulness of sin.
Hebrews 3:12, 13
The ways of the world and sin
can harden the heart
The background of this text
demonstrates what having a
hard heart can do
The
consequences
were
grave, and the warning clear
Pharaoh stands as an example
of a hard-hearted individual
But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he
hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as
the LORD had said.
Exodus 8:15
His heart was so calloused by
his pride and his lust for
power that his nation was
virtually destroyed
And Pharaoh's servants said unto him, How long
shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go,
that they may serve the LORD their God: knowest
thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?
Exodus 10:7
His heart was so calloused by
his pride and his lust for
power that his nation was
virtually destroyed
Hardened hearts result
disastrous consequences
in
For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of
the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes
and judgments.
Ezra 7:10
Proper preparations for any
task greatly increase the
chances of success
Successful service to God
must
begin
with
heart
preparation
For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and
drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.
Proverbs 23:7
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart
bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man
out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth
that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart
his mouth speaketh.
Luke 6:45
Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to
the words of knowledge.
Proverbs 23:12
For I determined not to know any thing among you,
save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
I Corinthians 2:2
Proper preparations for any
task greatly increase the
chances of success
Successful service to God
must
begin
with
heart
preparation
The church needs hearts that
are determined and prepared
to seek and do God’s will
So teach us to number our days, that we may apply
our hearts unto wisdom.
Psalm 90:12
Wisdom is the ability to apply
instruction and knowledge in a
profitable fashion
God is the origin of wisdom
and its supplier
For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth
cometh knowledge and understanding.
Proverbs 2:6
Wisdom is the ability to apply
instruction and knowledge in a
profitable fashion
God is the origin of wisdom
and its supplier
Thus, James instructs us to
pray for wisdom
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that
giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it
shall be given him.
James 1:5
Do good, O Lord, unto those that be good, and to
them that are upright in their hearts.
Psalm 125:4
We can be righteous in an evil
world
We must be if we are to please
God and dwell eternally with
Him
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared
to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and
worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and
godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope,
and the glorious appearing of the great God and our
Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he
might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself
a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
Titus 2:11-14
Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer:
behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison,
that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten
days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee
a crown of life.
Revelation 2:10
We can be righteous in an evil
world
We must be if we are to please
God and dwell eternally with
Him
It takes determined
persistent hearts
and
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord,
choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the
gods which your fathers served that were on the
other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites,
in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house,
we will serve the Lord.
Joshua 24:15
And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore
think ye evil in your hearts?
Matthew 9:4
Not easy to dwell on good
when surrounded by evil
Others have done it, and no
one is incapable of it (Noah,
Joseph, Moses, Daniel)
If
evil
and
wickedness
harbored in the heart, it is
eventually exhibited in the life
For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and
drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.
Proverbs 23:7
So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto
you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his
brother their trespasses.
Matthew 18:35
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not
sin against thee.
Psalm 119:11
And these are they by the way side, where the word
is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh
immediately, and taketh away the word that was
sown in their hearts.
Mark 4:15
Can’t
be
done
without
determination to do it
Can’t be done simply by
attending Bible classes and
worship
Takes time and diligent effort
Study [give diligence- ASV] to shew thyself approved
unto God, a workman that needeth not to be
ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
II Timothy 2:15
And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of
God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost
which is given unto us.
Romans 5:5
What we know of the love of
God has been revealed to us
by the Holy Spirit
Through God’s word we have
knowledge of His love and see
demonstrations of His love
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
I John 4:8
And we have known and believed the love that God
hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love
dwelleth in God, and God in him.
I John 4:16
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that,
while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8
What we know of the love of
God has been revealed to us
by the Holy Spirit
Through God’s word we have
knowledge of His love and see
demonstrations of His love
Through hearts filled with love
we demonstrate to the world
that we belong to Him
By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if
ye have love one to another.
John 13:35
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that
ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
Ephesians 3:17
It is by faith that He dwells in
our hearts
Since faith comes through the
word, it is again His word that
is the key
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the
word of God.
Romans 10:17
It is by faith that He dwells in
our hearts
Since faith comes through the
word, it is again His word that
is the key
Hearts without the knowledge
of Christ cannot be filled with
Christ
And the peace of God, which passeth all
understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:7
Nothing
compares
complete peace
with
The peace which only comes
from
God
is
beyond
description
It is that peace that allows
those persecuted to withstand
It is that peace that allows one
facing imminent death to
stand with great courage and
look beyond the valley
It is that peace, a peace with
God, that defies human
understanding
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all
wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in
psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with
grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Colossians 3:16
Closely akin to that peace is
this grace
The knowledge of God’s
undeserved favor allows us to
face a cruel world and harsh
realities
It prompts us to praise Him
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.
Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your
hearts, ye double minded.
James 4:8
Purity of heart comes about
only through obedience of the
truth
Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the
truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the
brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure
heart fervently:
I Peter 1:22
Main points from an article by Mark Lindley via Eastside Edifier