According to God’s Word, the entrance of sin into the world through the disobedience of the first man and woman affected all of their offspring
- the entire human race (Rom. 5:12–19; 1 Cor. 15:22).
We all came into this world separated from God (Psalm 51:5, Isaiah 59:2) and consequently with a heart that suffers from serious irreversible problems. No one is exempt “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).
The Hebrew word for “evil” (ra’) do not always refer to the sin or the effects of evil persons,
- such as Abraham’s “distress” (lit. “is evil in your eyes”) over having to drive away his son through Hagar (Gen. 21:11–12),
- Hannah’s “sadness” (lit. “is evil to your heart” because of her childlessness (1 Sam. 1:8), and
- the “days of trouble” (Eccl. 12:1) in old age (lit. “evil days”).
But these and other instances of “evil” do reflect conditions that are the effect of sin and would not be present if sin were not in the world.
They all detract from the well-being of life.
This is also the meaning of “evil” when God is said to create “evil” (Isa. 45:7) or bring it upon people (Amos 3:6). He brings calamity or the disruption of the “good” life in retributive judgment.
- Retributive justice is punishment that when God’s principles are broken.
- It is not personal, is directed only at wrongdoing, involves no pleasure at the suffering of others, and employs God’s standards.
- It is not God’s revenge. Reserved for Judgment Day, don’t confuse the two.
- Deliverance, healing, miracles; don’t confuse between them.
This is designed to crush sinful hearts and stir them to repentance that they may experience the “good.”
Importance of our heart
How does God communicate His life-transforming power to us?
How does spiritual growth take place?
- The answer is the heart
We know that God uses His revealed word, but we need to have a relationship with God, our Father in Heaven.
- That is the reason that Christ came, died and rose again from the dead.
- Tongue > Heart > Mind > Renew in the Word of God
- Proverbs 18:21 Death and life [are] in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.
- Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
- Hebrews 10:16 [ “This] [is] [ the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,”]
- Romans 12:1-2 (NKJV) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
We have studied that the heart is the center of our thoughts, emotions, and actions.
- They function together and can they be harnessed so that deep spiritual transformation happens when we renew our heart.
The renewing of the heart is an inescapable human need, but the solution lies only within the realm of the divine.
Biblical concept vs usual concept of the heart
- Psalm 42:11 Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again- my Savior and my God!
- Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
Although Paul was writing from prison, joy is a dominant theme in his letter to Philippi.
- Joy in suffering, in serving, in believing, in giving – Philippians 1-4
The secret of his joy is grounded in his relationship with Christ.
- People today desperately want to be happy but are tossed and turned by daily successes, failures, and inconveniences.
- Christians are to be joyful in every circumstance, even when things are going badly, even when we feel like complaining, even when no one else is joyful.
- Nehemiah 8:10 – Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
Christ still reigns, and we still know him, so we can rejoice at all times.
The troubles and sorrows of this world cannot extinguish this joy.
- 2 Corinthians 5:7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.
Don’t try but trust in the Lord with all your heart.
- Galatians 3:3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?
Characteristics of the human heart
Who am I?
“Who am I, really?, Who am I becoming?”
Knowing ourselves is vital for our spiritual life, and to do so, Scripture tells us in Proverbs that we must look deep into our heart.
- Proverbs 27:19 As in water face reflects face, So a man’s heart reveals the man.
Artesian Spring
- John 4:14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
- An artesian spring has ground water that flows upward by natural pressure, without any need for pumping.
The new life is the life that bubbles up.
- it just flows.
Inner healing & insecurities
The Wounded and the Strong
- Proverbs 7:26 (NKJV) For she has cast down many wounded, And all who were slain by her were strong
- Mark 3:27 (NKJV) No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house.
- The wounded requires inner healing in their soul.
- Strong man’s insecurity of the heart.
The poison of asps
- Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
- Colossians 3:8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.
You may not be in the habit of using profanity, so where did it come from?
- Romans 3:13 “Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit”; “The poison of asps is under their lips”;
- The serpent’s fangs, ordinarily folded back in the upper jaw, drop down. And in the process of biting, serpents press a sack of deadly poison hidden “under their lips” at the root of the fangs thereby injecting the venom into the wound.
I realized that what came out of my mouth was already in me, lying hidden in my heart. It just took the pressure of stress to spew it out.
Knowing ourselves is vital for our spiritual life, and to do so, we must look deep into our heart and if we don’t, we would never seek God but remain as we are.
Without knowledge of self-there is no knowledge of God. Without knowledge of God there is no knowledge of self.”
The renewing of the heart is an inescapable human need, but the solution lies only with a process called sanctification.
- Philippians 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;