Introduction

Good morning, family! It's a joy to be here with you all today, and I'm thrilled to get into some powerful truths from God's word together.

We're going to be chatting about a topic that's close to us all, something we all carry within us, something that defines who we are - our hearts. Not the physical one, mind you, that keeps us alive and ticking, but the spiritual heart that shapes our character, our choices, and our relationship with God.

The famous Christian author A.W. Tozer once wrote, "The most important thing about a man is not where he goes when he is compelled to go, but where he goes when he is free to go where he will." That's a powerful statement, isn't it? It speaks to the heart of who we are when no one is watching, when we're free to follow our own desires. And that's what we're going to be talking about today.

Our Scripture passage comes from Acts 13:22. Let's read it together:

"And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, 'I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.'"

But before we get into all that, let's start with a word of prayer.

Understanding the Human Heart

The human heart is a complex entity. It's not just a physical organ that pumps blood through our bodies, but it's also a spiritual entity that influences our thoughts, decisions, and actions. It's the seat of our emotions, our desires, and our will. It's what makes us who we are.

In the Bible, the heart is often used as a metaphor for the innermost part of a person. It's the place where our deepest thoughts and feelings reside. It's the part of us that God looks at when He judges our actions. In 1 Samuel 16:7, God tells Samuel, "Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

This means that God is more interested in our inner character than our outward actions. He cares more about the motives behind our actions than the actions themselves. This is a profound truth that challenges us to examine our hearts and ask ourselves what our true motives are.

Now, let's consider the heart of David, the man after God's own heart. What made David's heart so special? What set him apart from other men? The answer lies in his relationship with God.

David had a deep and intimate relationship with God. He was not perfect, and he made many mistakes. But he always turned back to God in repentance and faith. He sought God's will in all things and strived to obey Him, even when it was difficult.

This is a key aspect of understanding the human heart. Our hearts are not static, but dynamic. They can change and grow. They can be shaped and molded by our experiences and our relationship with God. David's heart was shaped by his relationship with God, and it's this relationship that made him a man after God's own heart.

Another aspect of understanding the human heart is recognizing its capacity for both good and evil. The Bible tells us that the heart is "deceitful above all things and beyond cure" (Jeremiah 17:9). This means that our hearts can lead us astray. They can deceive us into thinking that we're doing the right thing when we're actually doing the wrong thing.

But the Bible also tells us that our hearts can be transformed. In Ezekiel 36:26, God promises, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." This is the promise of the gospel - that through faith in Jesus Christ, our hearts can be changed. We can become new creations, with hearts that love God and desire to do His will.

Finally, understanding the human heart requires acknowledging our need for God's grace. We cannot change our hearts on our own. We need God's help. We need His Spirit to work in us, to convict us of our sin, to lead us to repentance, and to empower us to live in obedience to His commands.

The Heart in the Eyes of God

As we continue to reflect on Acts 13:22, we see that God's perspective on the heart is quite different from ours ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO