The fact is, Christianity is a religion of the heart. Christianity isn’t about external rules that require us to “do this and live,” it’s about a relationship with our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ. And that relationship is secured by maintaining a heart that is perfect before God. When our hearts are hard, stubborn, or prideful our entire relationship with God is lost.
Our heart is the most contaminated part of our being before conversion. That’s because Adam’s sin defiled us to the core of our being and then passed it on to the entire human race.
Let’s read what the Bible says about the heart:
Genesis 6:5 it says: “God saw that . . . every imagination of the thoughts of man’s heart was only evil continually.”
Jeremiah 17:9 says: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.”
The NIV translates that verse like this: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.”
Jesus said, (Matt. 15:19) every kind of evil in the earth proceeds “out of the heart”.
So how is it possible to transform something that is so burdened with sin? It’s impossible to do with human ways. But there is hope! There’s hope for sinners and saints when it comes to transforming the heart.
1. First, sinners can have their hearts changed by the power of the Holy Spirit! The wonder of grace is this: God not only does for us what we are unworthy to receive He does for us what is impossible for us to achieve. When we invite God’s grace to operate upon our lives His grace is able to accomplish what is otherwise impossible. The sinner’s heart is spiritually dead. And it takes nothing short of a resurrection experience to revive it and turn it toward the mind of God.
2. Secondly, believers’ hearts are changed in several ways. They, too, can see their hearts changed by the power of the Holy Spirit! There are occasions with a Christian’s heart needs nothing short of a sovereign move of the Spirit to change it. People have been maligned, verbally abused, falsely accused, rejected, scorned, etc., and it seems impossible for them to muster the power to changed their attitude and heart toward their oppressors. But again, when you invite the Spirit to change you, God is able to change the heart—but it takes a genuine invitation for God to make the transformation.
How are hearts changed?
Hearts are changed through the authority of the Word of God.
Hearts are softened and changed though prayer.
Hearts are changed by sanctifying our self.
The Bible reveals a grave danger when Christians live with an unguarded heart. So I want to raise a question.
Why does Proverbs 4:23 say "Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life."
This word, “keep” means to guard diligently against the enemy, or to regulate with careful discipline, or to maintain with proper supplies.
(Example) Our hearts must be guarded just as a farmer tends his field against pests and insects. If a farmer fails to spray and tend his fields he will reap a diminished harvest. In like manner, Satan constantly attacks the field or our life—the heart. He seeks to infect our thoughts, desires, opinions, feelings, and actions. And when our hearts aren’t right before God all of our religious exercises, even our relationship with God, become futile exercises. You know one must exercises there faith in order to keep it strong.
I want to mention several reasons why we must guard our heart:
We must guard our hearts because the issues of life come from the heart. “Heart worship, heart love, and heart obedience are far more difficult than the outward forms and duties of religion, because they are unseen, unrecognized, and unrewarded of men.”
Christianity is a heart matter. If our hearts are not right, our lives cannot be. If our hearts are right, our lives will be right also. If our lives are full of bitterness, hatred, malice, slander, drunkenness, it is because of our hearts, the fountain of life are evil. If our lives are such as bring forth fruit unto God, such as love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance, it is because God has graciously implanted within us a new heart.
We must guard our hearts because following the desires of a sinful heart leads to death.
Turn to Romans 8:13 and let’s read:
Romans 8:13 “if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”
In other words, living to please the sinful nature of the heart brings death, but living by the Spirit brings life.
(Transition) How can we keep our hearts with all diligence? If we are God’s children we seek to magnify him in our hearts. Here are several suggestions for keeping your heart right.
How Do We Guard Our Hearts?
1. The heart is guarded by keeping them full of spiritual things. Keep your heart full of God, full of heaven, full of Christ, full of the cross, and full of eternity.
2. Our hearts are guarded by keeping them pure.
We must keep our hearts pure or everything about us will be contaminated!
Submit you heart to God daily.
Confess Christ’s Lordship over your heart.
Confess God’s Word over your heart.
Ask God to sanctify your heart unto Him through the power of His Name and Christ’s blood.
Often, the first part of our life that an unguarded heart exposes is an uncontrolled tongue. We speak ill of others; we’re quick tempered; and eager to accuse.
(Illustration) this is about a woman who developed a very serious throat condition. The doctor prescribed medication but told her that her vocal cords needed total rest. That meant no talking for six months! With a husband and six children to care for, it seemed all most impossible, but she cooperated. When she needed the kids, she blew a whistle. Instructions became written memos, and questions were answered on pads of paper she had placed around the house. Sure enough, after six months she had recovered. When someone asked her what it was like to communicate only in writing, she said, “You’d be surprised how many notes I crumpled up and threw into the trash before I gave them to anyone. Seeing my words before anyone heard them had an effect that I don’t think I can ever forget. That lady saw that the problem was in the heart not in the mouth, which is exactly what Jesus said.
Luke 6:43-45 says: “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks”
What’s in here (point to heart) eventually comes out here (point to mouth).
3. The heart is guarded by keeping it undivided.
Give your heart to Christ alone; live for Christ’s glory; serve no other master but Christ.
Declare Christ’s Lordship over every area of your life—especially your heart.
4. The Heart is guarded by maintaining humility.
A proper heart will put: Christ first; Others second; and there Self last. Everybody
here is involved with multiple relationships.
You have a marriage relationship.
Parent – child relationship
Extended family relationships
Business relationships
Neighbors relationships
Church relationships
Philippians 2:1-4 shows us how to deal with others.
Philippians 2:1 "If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,"
The word "consolation" in the Greek tongue is "par-ak-les-is", and today we would say "appeal". As in if there be any appeal in Christ that appeals to you personally. If you can feel the love of God through the Holy Spirit, and see the things that Christ has done for you.
Those things where by you can claim your part of God's kingdom, and have eternal life and your inheritance.
Then if within your heart you can feel your love being returned, as it is touched by the Holy Sprit, bringing a fellowship bond between your spirit and the Holy Spirit.
That bond will comfort you and speak to you, and if you feel this happening to you deep within you, then listen to the Words from Christ and accept Him.
We should listen to the Word of God and obey when the Holy Spirit speaks to us.
Philippians 2:2 "Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind."
Paul is saying, my joy would be complete when you are all in tune with the Word of God, that you all have the like-mindedness to keep striving for more knowledge of His Word. It Is important that you realize that we are all individuals with different desires and levels of understanding and abilities, but that we become alike to the point that we know the Word of God, and have the ability to see that every one of us has different duties within the body of Christ.
Once everyone understands that they are different, and that each has his or her own duty within the body of Christ, then all members can get along. Wherever God placed you in doing His work, that is where you witness for Him.
Philippians 2:3 "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves."
Today we call "vainglory", "getting on an ego trip". Jesus Christ left his position in the heavenlies to be born in a cave, and live His life in the flesh as a servant. He came off His throne in glory, to reach down and save each soul that would repent and come to him. In His love for each of us He took the stripes, and went to the cross, and gladly gave his life so that you and I could be redeemed from our sins, and be drawn back to Him. So rather then just looking out for old number one, we are to care for others that are unbelievers, that do not know any better, and we are to have concern for their soul. That is why we witness to them and plant seeds of the Word, so that the Holy Spirit can make those seeds grow in their minds, and they come to know Christ. Vainglory is very dangerous, for it will allow that person to go on an ego trip of pride and conceit and cause him to fall. When you are focused on Christ then all glory goes to our Heavenly Father, and His Son and there is no room in your heart or mind for any glory for yourself. (Church Remember the down fall of Satan was priede where pried entered in to his heart and mind). (EZE 28:17)
Philippians 2:4 "Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others,"
Don't think only of the things of your own interest, but show concern with the interest of those around you. This applies to all areas of life, when you are with a person and you know what he likes to talk about, talk with him or her on the topics that appeal to them. If their interest is mechanics, then talk mechanics, if it be sports, or maybe there children, or whatever, make your conversation interesting to them so that you can find the opening to plant seeds to the nonbeliever.
This also goes when you are in conversation with believers; always think of the interest of those around you. It will turn people off on you, and cause them to avoid you when all you can talk about is your interest.
Sometimes a believer is nine inches short of having God in there heart? It is the distance from your head to your heart; we must not only have God in our head but also in our heart. Don't fall short make up the distance keep God close to your heart.
(In Closing)
The heart is guarded by being generous. Follow Christ's example and be generous toward God and man.