Intro: Have you ever laid you head down on someone’s chest and heard their heartbeat. If you were to do that you had to be pretty close to the individual whose heart you heard. You don’t just go up to someone on the street and say “May I listen to your heart?” I can only begin to imagine the words and phrases that would come out of peoples mouths.
Many quote 1 Samuel 13.22 and say that David is a man after God’s heart but never tell us clearly what the heartbeat sounds like. I want to the best I can help you along with me lay our heads on God the Fathers Chest and hear His heartbeat. What is God’s desire, what does He really want?
What do we learn as we hear the heartbeat of God?
The heartbeat of God is the heart of man.
1 Samuel 13.14
I. God desires men and women’s hearts
Why is Go so concerned with our hearts. Is it just that God is a completely selfish tyrant that believes it belongs only to Him? The answer is Yes and no. As our creator our hearts belong to Him first and foremost. It is not merely for Him that he desires our hearts.
Listen Closely to the words of Jesus.
Mark 7.21-23 “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit sensuality, envy slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceeds from within and defile the man.”
Jesus just gave the reason for evil in the World of man it is the hear t of man. It is evil. Jesus clearly told us why our upward and outward relationships are out of wack.
A) The Upward and Outward
Mark 12.28-34 If you remember the story a group of Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes were trying to trap Jesus. Now think about this with me. If he were a man wouldn’t it have been terribly easy for them to trip Jesus up. I mean this was a carpenter’s son. Don’t Forget He is the Son of God. One man asked him what some believe to be a sincere question. What is the foremost commandment of all?
Jesus’ answer. Hear O Israel, the Lord is one God Love Him with your all. All you heart, soul, mind, and strength. The second Is this, you shall love you neighbor as yourself, there is no other commandment greater. It is clear and has been said that Jesus summarized the ten commandments. He clearly showed us that our upward relationship to God must be right for our outward relationships to be right.
A relationship with God does not create murder, evil thought, theft, adultery, envy, deceit, pride or foolishness. Are you at the end of your rope in your relationship with your husband, with you wife, with you children, friends, co-workers. Realize if they are not a Christian then you have the great opportunity of showing them what a real God can do for relationships.
B) The Kingdom of God
The Upward is where Matthew talks of the Kingdom of God. The phrase Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven is used more than 100 times in the New Testament. The word Kingdom comes from a Greek word that means not territory but dominion. So we see that the domain of God is the heart. The throne of the King of Kings is the heart of those who believe.
Why is this so important. He is also the wonderful counselor, professional sessions every minute of every day. He is the prince of peace. For peace of heart and mind He must sit on the throne. He is the Mighty God. The Great Physician. On and on we could Go.
If Jesus were truly in complete dominion of all the hearts of churches there would be no division, because there is one Lord, one Baptism, one Mission, The Kingdom of God. That is what Home for you Heart for the world is about. Letting God be at home in us so that our hearts will be transformed to care for others.
II. God desires to create new hearts in all people
Ezekiel, 11.19 “Then I will give them on heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh.”
36.26 “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”
1 Timothy 2.4 “who (God in verse 3) desires all me to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
A) A Heart of truth
This is an anonymous quote, “The relationship between truth and holiness is similar to that between light and Vision. Light cannot create an eye or give a blind eye vision, but It is essential to seeing. Wherever light penetrates, it dissipates darkness and brings everything into view.
In a similar manner, truth cannot regenerate or impart spiritual life, but it is essential to the practice of holiness. Wherever truth penetrates, it dissipates error and reveals everything for what it really is.”
When we have hearts of truth we see things as God sees them. We no longer laugh at sin we hate sin. I don’t know about you but the longer I live the more uncomfortable I become in this world. It seems that there is untruth many places we turn. The news media, politicians, religious people, ministers (all of the scandals of the last 10 to 20 years).
God desires to create in us a heart of truth so that through our lives he can use us to reveal untruth to others.
A heart that is filled with truth will know forgiveness
B) A Heart of forgiveness
I would say forgiveness is the forgotten fruit of Christians. Jesus on the Cross “father forgive them for they do not know what they do.
I have the secret to all the problems in the church as well as our Christian lives
Colossians 3.13 “bearing with one another, and forgiving one another , if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
A man named John Oglethorpe, in talking to John Wesley, once made the comment, ‘I never forgive.” Mr. Wesley wisely replied, “Then Sir, I hope you never sin.”
A heart of un-forgiveness cannot know the great God of mercy and grace.
Un-forgiveness starts out as a fortress yet ultimately becomes a prison with bars of bitterness and chains of hatred.
A heart filled with forgiveness will be a heart that yearns to serve.
C) A Heart of service
Acts 13.22 Paul quotes 1 Samuel 13.14 Her God says I have found a man David who will do all my will.
What does it mean to serve God. What does it mean to have a heart of service. It means no matter the cost no matter the distance we do God’s will.
DL Moody once said, “The measure of a man is not how many servants he has, but how many men he serves.”
I want to tell you a secret. God is not looking for Saul’s today. Not the ones head and shoulders above everyone. He is looking for the little shepherd boys quietly doing their job in the fields. God doesn’t need stars he needs servants. I wish that we would realize as Christians, an as a church and convention that God can do supernatural things with ordinary people who say Yes Lord!
III. God desires to deploy people after His own heart
Romans 10.10 “For with the heart a person believes resulting in righteousness.” A heart for the world begins with hearing the heart of God. So God desires or hearts so he can create in us a new heart of truth ,forgiveness, and service. Not only is the US surging troops God is surging troops. He is telling us in His word we should redeem the time for the days are evil. He is saying Church I have appointed you for such a time as this.
Just as an Army Ranger is told Go before they repel or parachute out of some air craft. Just as Air Force pilots are given the go ahead , just as marines are told go as they take to the field of battle. God has clearly told us to Go!
Where are we deployed? Grocery stores, housing construction, higher education, newspapers, public schools, government jobs. What are God’s marching orders, go.
Share some good news.
Illustration: Ken Davis: Good news Jesus Loves me
The real heart of God is the kingdom of God. The rule of God in the hearts, minds, and lives of people. Lord’s prayer, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Conclusion: The heartbeat of God is the heart of man. It was in Jesus Christ that this good news really was communicated clearly. Good news will come easily from your lips, when Jesus Christ reigns completely in your heart. How is your heart today? We can never have a heart for the world if God is not home in ours!!
