Post-Christmas Battle for Your Heart
David Tack – December 22, 2011
INTRO: Christmas is a wonderful time of year. It promotes joy and goodwill to humanity and most people purposely spread the spirit of peace, love and toleration! Christmas day arrives and it is a time of great communion, centering on family, friends and hopefully the birth of Christ.
THEN, Christmas is gone and past, the joy, the love, the friendly spirit seemingly goes away from the hearts and souls of many; and, it’s back to another year of hardships, difficulties and trials. Let us look beyond the pleasantry of Christmas day this morning. Christmas will soon be over; and, for many they will go back to hearts filled with bitterness, hatred and burden. You see the hearts of humanity may appear to be EMPTY from post-Christmas past; but, are they really empty? Perhaps, they are bursting at the seams with unwanted attitudes and mindsets (After-all, this is the most difficult obstacle for humanity to overcome: the inner workings of the heart). We find in Matthew 15:8: “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.” Though the Bible has an abundant amount of good to say about the heart of man, I want to look at the dark side of the heart of mankind today. Let’s look at just 3 of the many negative vices utilized by our enemy to darken the heart of many today!
Note: Keep in mind that the word “heart” is often used in the Bible as a person’s center (or seat) of being. Then, we will turn to God’s blessed Bread of Life in pursuit of spiritual food for such emptiness and undesirable mindsets of the heart. Let’s begin our journey! Prepare your heart today!
THE SPIRIT OF A BITTER HEART
Author Jerry Sutton defines bitterness as, ‘internalized anger.’ I cite the old adage, ‘Bitterness does more damage to the vessel in which it is stored than to anyone upon which it is poured.” Ref: Sutton, Jerry. A Primer on Biblical Preaching. Bloomington, IN: CrossBooks, 2011.130. EX: Expression=Freedom VICE Retention=Mental/ Physical Sickness
“Eadie [A Scottish Theologian 1810-1876] says that Pikria [bitterness] is ‘a figurative term denoting that fretted and irritable state of mind that keeps a man in perpetual [constant] animosity—that inclines him to harsh and uncharitable opinions of men and things—that makes him sour, crabbed, and repulsive in his general demeanor—that brings a scowl over his face, and infuses venom into the words of his tongue (p. 357).” Ref: Earle, Ralph. Word Meanings in the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Hendrickson, 1998. 318.
Ephesians 4:31: “Let all bitterness, and wrath (boiling agitation of the feelings), and anger (abiding habit of the mind), and clamour (fierce outcries), and evil speaking (slandering), be put away from you, with all malice (bad-heartedness):”
The Secret: How to overcome this negative heart- tude today: We must go back to Eph 4:22 for the answer: “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; (23) And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; (24) And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Romans 6:4: “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
THE SPIRIT OF A HATEFUL HEART
I like these simple sensibility of this quote by Martin Luther King Jr.: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. We must learn to live together as brothers, or perish together as fools.” Ref: Martin Luther King, Jr.
Matthew 5:44: “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you”;
We find in Matthew Chapters 5-7, where Jesus preaches His Sermon on the Mount. More specifically in Matthew 5:1-48, Jesus is giving a blueprint of true righteousness. In our text (vs. 44) is the negative aspect of inward sin (of the heart). Remember to hate in the heart is to kill one inwardly!
Why should we love our enemies?
Because God does! (vs. 45) the Father makes the sun “to rise on the evil and on the good” and the rain to fall upon the “just and on the unjust.”
We find in Romans 5:10 that we were once the enemies of God: “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son…”
Because it is what makes us different (Christlike): Matthew 5:46-47, “For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? (47) And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
THE SPIRIT OF A BURDENED HEART
A “burden” is: “something that is carried with difficulty.” Ref: Dictionary.com.
The Account of Mary and Martha: Luke 10:38-42- “Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. (39) And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. (40) But Martha was cumbered (Only usage in NT: To be “pulled away” or “distracted”) about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. (41) And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: (42) But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. We live in a life with multiple distractions. Find the few important things and pursue them diligently. Here are a few suggestions:
Take time for worship God and commune with God.
Be not Anxious: Philippians 4:6-7: “Be careful (Anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. (7) And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Find time to spend in PRAYER with God!
“A lecturer was giving a lecture to his students on stress management. He raised a glass of water and asked the audience, "How heavy do you think this glass of water is?" The students’ answers ranged from 20g to 500g. "It does not matter on the absolute weight. It depends on how long you hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it is OK. If I hold it for an hour, I will have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you will have to call an ambulance. It is the exact same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes." "If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, we will not be able to carry on, the burden becoming increasingly heavier." "What you have to do is to put the glass down, rest for a while before holding it up again." We have to put down the burdens periodically, so that we can be refreshed and are able to carry on. So, before you return home from work tonight, put the burdens of work down. Don’t carry them back home. You can pick them up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you are having now on your shoulders, let it down for a moment if you can. Pick it up again later when you have rested... Life is short, enjoy it!! Ref: Jones, Wheeler. SermonCentral.Com.
CONCL: So let us enjoy the Christmas season and spirit of such. Remember that Christ is the center of our society during such a commercialized season of joy; but, let us strive to keep Christ as the center of our lives continuously: every month, every day, every hour, every minute, and every second! Don’t allow the vices of: bitterness, hatred and burdensomeness to ruin your joy. JOY: Jesus---Others---Yourself
Matthew 11:28-30: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29) Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (30) For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
IF YOU KNOW NOT THE BURDEN BEARER THIS MORNING; IT’S NOT TOO LATE!
WONT YOU ACCEPT JESUS AS LORD AND SAVIOR THIS MORNING?
