The Heart! Part 1 of 2

Hey this is Mike Swick from if not for God podcast our show stories of hopelessness turned in a hope your chosen Truth Network podcast is starting in just seconds. Enjoy it, share it, but most of all, thank you for listening and for choosing The Truth Podcast Network. This is the Truth Network do you feel like you're on a religious treadmill to feel like Christianity is just a system of rules and regulations, I can do this but I can't do that. Do you feel like your efforts to reach God. Find God, and please God. If you do you feel like your faith is dead or alive today.

Pastor Russ Andrews will walk us through Scripture to answer these questions join us on finding purpose of local tribal ministry glorifying God by helping men find their purpose for living.

For more information and to connect with Russ Andrews and finding purpose could visit us online@findingpurpose.net or connect with us on Facebook. Now let's listen to Russ Andrews as he teaches us how to be a Christian without being religious.

Part one of a specialty episode is, for this morning reflects a much lower just for you before citing us. Thank you for loving us like you for your grace and your mercy and love.

Thank you for giving us your word. We cherish this, we should cherish the Bible the holy Scriptures. They are what we don't worship the Bible but we love it with my case it is a treasure to God's lack of a bottomless pit that you can never get to the bottom of it.

Just as you just keep going deeper and deeper and deeper and the more weight dig deeper and learn more.

She teaches them the more you give us you promise anymore that that you will give us more if we just believe that the first with Ari learn, we must believe that first and then you give us more in upright Jimmy. Father this morning that you will reveal truth to us a new truth that will penetrate our minds and our hearts, and what changes that were not here just to have a mind stimulated we could have a heart changed in this you're in the heart. This is the heart changing business credit to change my heart this morning.

Did you happen to fall more in love with the more loving your more love with the church's anointed upright.

A man has to think about us and return to Marquette before will be looking at verses one through 20. What I like to do this morning is take an in-depth look at the heart does not entitle this message, the heart, what exactly does the Bible mean when it refers to a person's heart and wise condition of a person's heart so important to God. Proverbs 423 says above all else, guard your heart for is the wellspring of life. Did you notice that your heart is the essence of who you are about talking about your physical heart that pumps blood throughout your body am talking about your spiritual heart, bodily discord, heart must be a very important word of God because it is used more than 700 times throughout Scripture wasn't so important him to a one because the heart is the center of a person's inner life, and it serves to orient a person either towards God away from him.

One of my favorite professors it when I was in seminary back in the 18th century had a had a man by the name of Dr. John Hannah became one of my favorite professors and the first course I had on him with systematic theology, and here's how he defines the heart.

He says the heart in Scripture is the seat of personality in the central focus of one's life, who one really is. At various times, the heart is spoken of as the center of thinking, feeling, and especially willing it did on the six verse five we are commanded to love God with our hearts.

The heart be responsible to obey is with the heart that we choose to trust Christ is the heart. The purpose is to give Josiah's praise because his heart was responsive to God's word, but the heart of the wicked is perverse and proud.

The heart include your mind. You will in your emotions is that part of you in your interbeing weight with all of your really important decisions about life or established is through a heart for God speaks to us by his word, and by his spirit. I remember when I became a believer analysis only remember how young I was 10, 11, 12. It was during that part of my life that even little bit before that and I begin to read at night in my bedroom JB Phillips paraphrase of the New Testament which I wish I still had a copy of that little Bible that I begin to read and I just could sense that Jesus was speaking to me in my bedroom recognize written and I just I loved that. So I would came to the Lord and he became a friend of my Lord and my sake two people are said to be in agreement when their hearts are right with each other. That's really what God wants from everyone. He wants our hearts to be right with him. Which means our hearts must be in agreement with his heart. Proverbs 2217 says incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge, as if 55 three says incline your ear, a company here that you so live in Mark chapter 4 verse three which were written in a minute when Jesus is less than he's referring to the to your heart. You say we hear God's voice with the ears of a heart. So as we look at in Mark four.

I want you to to carefully examine your heart this morning.

What is the condition of your heart. Verse one again Jesus began to teach by the lake the crowd to gather around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out of the lake. While all the people were along the shore at the waters waters edge. Now want you to picture this Jesus was sitting in a boat along the shore of the Sea of Galilee and approved of going there last October and it is a beautiful beautiful city and I hope I get to go back and if you've never been to issue up.

I hope you get the opportunity.

Jesus got in this boat because of the crowd that was gathered around him was so large it really almost pushed him into the water and said he got in the boat and pushed a little bit away from shore. We could speak to them and I believe that as Jesus was sitting there but he must've looked off to his right applicant saw a farmer, a farmer in a nearby field casting seeds to plant a crop as he watched this former he began to compare what what the farmer was doing to the kingdom of God. This what a parable is the word parable makes to cast or lay alongside. In this chapter, Jesus tells a story about a former planning this crop as he tells the story he is laying alongside the story a spiritual truth to help us understand what is trying to teach and see at this point the crowds were not able to understand his simple teaching about repentance and about the kingdom of God is a Jesus began to use parables to stimulate your thinking to teach them if you will to go deeper and I believe that Jesus turned to parables because of his grace God desires for everyone to hear and understand and believe. However, if people refuse to understand the parable and tragically, the parable serve to further harden them in their state of unbelief see the same son that melts the wax hardens the clay with this parable Jesus attempted to help the people understand this. What is parables.

The first weather, Jesus told Mr. what was the key to understanding the other parables, because see this parable that is gonna be ready share with you is about entrance into the kingdom of God and you cannot understand the other parables and nephew unless you first entered the kingdom of God.

That's what this was so important.

Look at verse two, he taught them many things by parables, and in his teachings said listen so to the lesson this morning. I following episodes is see as he was scattering the seed. Some fell along the path, and the birds came and ended up some fell on rocky places were did not have much saw it sprung up quickly because the soil was shallow but when the sun came up.

The plants were scorched and they weather because they had no root other seed fell among thorns, which group and shut the plants so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil, it it came it came up grew and produced a crop. Some multiplying 30, some 60, some hundred times. Then Jesus said, he who has ears to hear, letting here and then he was reversed and was seated he got along with his disciples and it was more than just the 12 some others were also following Jesus. At this point when he was alone. The 12 and the others around him, asked him about the parables you can you can have Jesus what you mean by these parables, and he said he told them the secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you but to those on the outside everything is said and parables so that they may be ever seen but never perceiving and ever hearing but never understanding otherwise they might turn and be forgiven yours. I read verse 12. I have friends mind with her mom on that it breaks my heart to tell them that the Bible some of them 30 years and therefore ever seen but never perceiving verse 13 then Jesus said to them, don't you understand this parable. How can we understand any parable. The farmer sews the word. Some people like seed along the path where the word is so is soon as they hear, Satan comes and takes away the word that was selling them.

Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and it was received with joy because they have no root they last only a short time when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown good soul hear the word except it and produce a crop. Some 30, some 60, some hundred times what was so ugly what Jesus is teaching here is that there are basically four types of hearts, and this is so important for us to grasp because the condition of your heart, has eternal consequences. Moreover, the condition of your heart will determine how you respond to God's voice is the first type of heart.

I call it the unresponsive old lady about award is closed heart wants to live with me again in verses three and four and 14 and 15 R replete the word of God is where we do here.

Listen following up to 70 seed as you scattering the seed. Some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up and then in verse 14 Jesus explains he just said to his disciples not to the Pharaoh.

Then Jesus said to them, the farmer sews the word man women.

Some people like seed along the path where the water so as soon as they hear it.

Satan comes and takes the word. It was sown in them now in this parable Jesus uses the word here seven times which intercepts a very important number needs complete a full and he uses this word with each type of soul, which means that everyone hears God's word in some form or fashion. It doesn't matter when you were born history or where you where you going. Everyone hears the voice of God is something you probably wondering wealth about the native in the jungle who has never had access to a bottle will this something you need understand so when you're in the world you can explain God speaks to them through creation and through their conscience so that they all know that he exist which laudably that there really any atheist goddess put the idea of himself within us. Ecclesiastes says goddess of eternity in the hearts of men.

I think this was talking about.

We know something after this life.

We know there's a God in heaven we know it, limiting his Ametek he would not know what this is called general or universal revelation.

Dr. Hammond defined universal revelation as follows and I'm quoting him in the creation and in human nature.

God reveals himself showing first that one glorious powerful eternal good and moral God exist. We all know it and then he says he shows that he is our Creator and us were responsible for him. He alone has the right to demand an accounting of us of how we have used the life he gave us obligate. Everybody knows that one day they will have to give an account is just having a DNA and third hammock says God shows that were sinners. Has he didn't because we disobey the moral law within us and we reject the knowledge of God given in creation. Romans 126 for since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made so that men are without excuse, that you may be saying.

Well Russ, that sounds good but have the native who is never heard about Jesus, his wildlife if native believes the light, the general or universal revelation provides God-given walleye, perhaps by way the missionary Betty sent into the jungle about waiver drain motivation in verse 2500 mark for Jesus asked Hoover has will be given more who does not have, even what he has will be taken from him to his truth believe the light you been given. God will give you more like that applies to every person in the world, even the most knowledgeable person the strong believer if he continues to believe the lies been given God just keeps giving a more see God cares more about the negative in the jungle and waited this way since missionaries all of the world, 1793. William Carey left hanging for India, where he would spend the next four years sharing the gospel in 1913, at the age of 9:25 Jetson around an bomber where he would spend the next 40 years sharing Christ in 1941.

David Livingstone set up for Africa as a medical missionary and also to share about Jesus with those who never heard of his name in 1953 Hudson title after Chadwick established China inland Mission title so the seeds of the gospel in China for 51 years before God.

This is just one century and this is just for men will have time to go in depth into the questions about people who've never heard about Jesus having what I would like to do this morning is to go in depth about the light that we been given here in America which is called specific particular revelation. Hamlet says specific revelation is Revel is the revelation of God or information God desire to communicate given to particular individuals at particular times and the means of this specific revelation can be any of the following dreams and visions preaching missionaries, miracles, and of course the Bible.

I believe it.

Everyone in America has had the opportunity to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. At the very least we have more access to the gospel message than anyone else in the world.

We have churches on every street corner. We have multiple Christian bookstores in every city. We have Christian radio and television stations broadcasting the word of God 24 seven and you can hear your preaching today at 1230 on one of 5.71 here grant bespoke to deny them the readier lower of finish.

Right before you're ready. Okay, the subject we had the benefit of Billy Graham evangelistic outreach for nearly 70 years in this country we have more bottles than any other people in the world here in America we have been given more light belief in any group of people who is ever lived in the history of the world so consider what Jesus says in Luke 1248 from everyone who's been given much, much will they want demanded. After the one who's been entrusted with much, much more will be asked I would argue that right here in Raleigh we have more Bible studies, per capita than any of us in the world can't prove that, but if not first of it were close second.

Sadly, obligate Jesus is addressing our generation in America when he says they will be ever seen but never perceiving and ever hearing but never understanding otherwise they might turn and be forgiven genomic people right now sitting in churches with a not hear the truth. All there.

Scripture slightly apostles crates of your hearing the truth and they been hearing it for years, but they don't get because there ever hearing but never understanding see when the seat is scattered along the path. Some of the falls on heart saw this and travel down lots of people that you not encounter have closed their minds to the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They rejected the light of God's revelation for so long for the heart to become totally unresponsive.

The site just comes along and snatches the sea right in their hearts. This what Paul writes in Romans 118 to 19 the wrath of God is been really revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth.

Rather, wickedness is widely known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. No one from Raleigh will ever be able to stand before God and say, well, you know, Lord, you give me enough time to get the gospel right yeah right you Jeff in here somewhere.

You see, our problem here in America is not without physical ears, but with the ears of our hearts, and this is why Jesus said he who has ears to hear that in here now must look at the second type of heart I caught the superficial, shallow, hard look at verses five and six and 16, 17, some fellow rocky places, where did not have much soul.

It sprang up quickly because the soul was shallow but when the sun came up.

The plants were scorched, they weathered and eroded energies explains others like seats on a rocky places, hear the word it was received with joy. But since they have no root they last only a short time when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away the seed the film the rocky places action refers to an underlying band of solid rock that's just beneath the surface. This soul is very shallow. Thus, when the seeds begin to germinate.

My wife explained that if she loved work in the yard as Natalie, thou shalt not live.

I've got a picture of me one day I was in the back on a lounge chair with a glass of lemonade. My wife was over there with her hands in the dirt pulling up leads methyl think this is what it means when is his wife, submit to your husband getting up getting that was a joke. I am not not, but that is a true picture of our of life in our backyard where was I didn't trouble you got your home this afternoon or therefore even though the ceiling sprang to life. They look healthy. At first they quickly whether under the scorching sun. This would superficial experience teamwork. It means existing on the surface. Everything looks good on the surface of an observing man up again became a BSF group later when I was about 32, seven, and even before that. Well it even do it. I was leaving a small group Bible study in my office and wait for securities for that 10 years is often observing man tickly man is gradually call me to minister to men.

Men typically need more help than women when it comes to spiritual things that an observing if over 35 years who go to church and may even attend Bible study and many given outward appearance of belief.

But here's my notice when I'm with them. They never talk about Jesus or even much about about all that I want to talk about sports.

The latest trip they took work and the last thing they bought the most telling aspect of their lives. Is it nothing seems to have changed.

They never want to go deep and discuss temptations they are dealing with something they've learned in the in their study of Scripture, everything just exist on the surface, the person who makes a superficial commitment is the real problem is never truly repented of his or her sin. Thus, they don't understand what it means to be a new creation. They never leave their old way of life there.

The same person they've always been David Platt's book followed language or how to recommend everyone read rights. Repentance is a rich medical term signifies a basic transformation in someone's mind, heart and life.

When people repent they turn from walking in one direction to running in the opposite direction from that point forward. They think differently, believe differently feel differently love differently and live differently.

Real conversion results in a break from your old way of life as you follow Jesus and live a Totally New Way, Platt goes on to say. Our reason for living changes does not possessions and positions are no longer our priorities, comfort and security are no longer our concerns. At least it shouldn't be safety is no longer a goal is self is no longer of God.

We know God's glory more than we won't our own lives.

The more we glorify him. The more we enjoy him.

And the more we realize that this is what it means biblically to be a Christian. You see there's nothing superficial about the Christian life.

This why would much rather hang out with my Christian brothers and my friends who don't of the Lord like it's I guess or try talk about nothing. When I'm with them.

It is likely draining age range worse when I'm with my Christian brothers. You come away enriched and encouraged. Here's a warning.

Every day the seed of God's revelation falls upon parts that are unresponsive, enclosed parts of the shallow and superficial and third every day. The seed of God's revelation falls upon worldly distracted arts as the third type of art. Look at verses seven and 18 in 19 other seed fell among thorns, which group and should the plants so they did not dare grind verse 18. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word but the wars of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Once again, welcome to America. In America we have become so rich will rich in religion will rich in education and will rich and just plain no money and I believe these are the primary weapons and Saints arsenal that he uses to keep a man or woman blind to the truth of the gospel.

Paul writes in second Rick second click in chapter 4 verse four the god of this age is blonde in the minds of unbelievers, so that they could not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, whose image of God, the Casey you see religion blinds us into thinking that were basically good of a mess in front of mine years ago we got into a discussion of traffic trying to lead them to Christ and you are sufficiently subtle and what you do it again just how you need Jesus that Justin is at work. For the record start asking questions anything a person gets to go to heaven.

He told I'll never forget is nothing God takes our good deeds and why some good some bad dates if you goodies that we are Baptist and what you get to get ahead as to what he truly thought mankind was basically good but you see religion makes us think were good education blinds in the thinking.

We don't need to be taught by God as we are no and money blinds into thinking we are self-sufficient we can take care of ourselves. We don't need anything in our slightest self-sufficiency is the number one thing people with God.

This concludes part one RT will air next week. Being a Christian is not about being religious but about having a dynamic alive relationship with Jesus Christ you been listening to finding purpose with pastor Russ Sanders, a local triangle ministry glorify God by helping men and their purpose for living.

You can discover more about finding your purpose in life by checking out the resources@writingpurpose.net will connect to finding purpose on Facebook pastor Russ would also like to extend a special invitation for you to join him in over 300 other local tribal men study God's word together every Tuesday night at 7 PM in downtown Raleigh. Find out more finding purpose.net