OCTOBER 20TH, 2002
THERE IS A WAR BEING FOUGHT IN THE WORLD TODAY …..
-IT’S A SUPERNATURAL WAR
-A WAR FOUGHT BETWEEN GOD AND SATAN
-BETWEEN HEAVEN AND HELL
-THAT WAR IS BEING FOUGHT FOR THE HEARTS OF MEN AND WOMEN !
ONE SIDE WANTS TO MAKE YOUR HEART SOFT
-THE OTHER SIDE WANTS TO MAKE YOUR HEART HARD
ONE SIDE WANTS TO FILL YOUR HEART WITH JOY AND LOVE AND PEACE
-THE OTHER SIDE WANTS TO FILL YOUR HEART WITH PAIN
ONE SIDE WANTS TO PROTECT YOUR HEART
-THE OTHER SIDE WANTS TO ATTACK YOUR HEART
THAT’S THE REASON I’VE TITLED TODAY’S MESSAGE “HEART ATTACKS”
-EVERY HEART HERE TODAY IS VULNERABLE TO ATTACK
WHY THIS BATTLE …..
-BECAUSE …..
Proverbs 27:19
19 As water reflects a face, so a man’s heart reflects the man.
Proverbs 16:9
9 In his heart a man plans his course …..
-THE COURSE OUR LIVES TAKE WILL BE DETERMINED BY THE CONDITION OF OUR HEARTS ! ! !
-IT’S IN OUR HEARTS THAT WE DETERMINE …..
-WHO WE WILL LIVE FOR
-WHO WE WILL SERVE
-WHO WE WILL LOVE
-WILL IT BE THE GOD OF HEAVEN
-OR THE GOD OF THIS WORLD
-THAT’S WHY THE BIBLE MENTIONS THE HEART 779 TIMES !
TODAY CAN BE A VERY IMPORTANT DAY IN YOUR LIFE
-IF YOU WILL SAY WHAT KING DAVID SAID IN PSALM 86 (TURN THERE)
Psalm 86:11-12
11 Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. 12 I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.
BUT FIRST, LET’S PRAY …..
WE ARE ALL FAMILIAR WITH HEART ATTACKS …..
-HEART RELATED DEATHS ARE THE #1 CAUSE OF DEATH IN AMERICA
-MORE THAN CANCER
-MORE THAN AIDS
-MORE THAN CRIME AND TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS
-AND WHEN HEART AILMENTS DON’T KILL …..
-THEY INJURE
-THEY DEBILITATE
-THEY ALTER OUR LIVES
HOW IRONIC …..
-THE VERY INSTRUMENT OF LIFE IS THE CAUSE OF DEATH FOR MILLIONS OF AMERICANS
AND THOUGH ONLY A MINORITY OF PEOPLE SUFFER “PHYSICAL” HEART ATTACKS …..
-WE ALL ARE VICTIMS OF “SPIRITUAL” HEART ATTACKS ! ! !
-AND THEY CAN BE ETERNALLY FATAL ! ! ! ! !
IF WE WERE HONEST …..
-MANY OF US WOULD SAY WHAT THE PSALMIST SAID …..
Psalm 25:17
17 The troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish.
Psalm 40:12
12 For troubles without number surround me; my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails within me.
WHY IS AN UNHEALTHY HEART SO DANGEROUS …..
TURN TO MARK 7 …..
Mark 7:20-23
20 He went on: ‘‘What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’ 21 For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’”
THAT’S WHY SOLOMON SAID …..
Proverbs 4:23
23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
-OUR PHYSICAL LIFE AND OUR SPIRITUAL LIFE
SO TODAY, I WANT TO PRACTICE A LITTLE PREVENTIVE MEDICINE …..
-SOME EARLY DETECTION AND EARLY TREATMENT
THE FIRST ATTACK IS SPIRITUAL “HARDENING OF THE ARTERIES” …..
-SEVERAL “ARTERIES” PUMP LIFE INTO PEOPLE SPIRITUALLY SPEAKING
-PRAYER AND WORSHIP
-THE BIBLE
-FELLOWSHIP
-SERVICE
WHEN PEOPLE BECOME HARDENED TO THESE THINGS THEY BEGIN TO GROW SPIRITUALLY WEAK AND EVENTUALLY SPIRITUALLY SICK
-SOME HAVE EVEN DIED ! ! !
Proverbs 28:14
14 Blessed is the man who always fears the LORD, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.
EVERY HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP REQUIRES COMMUNICATION
-PRAYER AND WORSHIP IS OUR COMMUNICATION TO GOD
-THE BIBLE IS GOD’S COMMUNICATION TO US
-A HARD HEART SILENCES THAT COMMUNICATION ! ! ! ! !
FELLOWSHIP IS ANOTHER VITAL PART OF SPIRITUAL HEALTH
-I’VE BEEN A CHRISTIAN FOR 24 YEARS AND A PASTOR FOR 20
-SOME HAVE BEEN PASTORS FOR 20 YRS AND CHRISTIANS FOR 15
-I’VE NEVER SEEN A “HEALTHY CHRISTIAN” WHO HAS HARDENED THEIR HEART TOWARD OTHER BELIEVERS ! ! !
-I MEAN MORE THAN JUST JOINT ATTENDANCE AT THE SAME CHURCH
-I MEAN …..
-DEVOTION TO OTHERS
-LOYALTY TOWARD ONE ANOTHER
-CONCERN FOR EACH OTHER
-COMMITMENT TO ONE ANOTHER
AND SERVICE IS A VITAL “ARTERY” THAT BRINGS SPIRITUAL HEALTH
-BLOOD FLOWS IN AND OUT OF A HEALTHY HEART PHYSICALLY
-THE SAME IS TRUE SPIRITUALLY
-A HEART THAT ONLY TAKES IN AND NEVER GIVES OUT GROWS SPIRITUALLY SICK
-SO MANY PEOPLE ARE ONLY CONCERNED WITH …..
-GETTING “FED”
-GETTING “SERVED”
-GETTING THEIR “NEEDS” MET
-AND THEY BECOME SPIRITUAL PATIENTS FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES
-THEY NEVER BECOME “HEALTHY CHRISTIANS”
IF JESUS SAW MUCH OF THE CHURCH TODAY HE WOULD SAY ONCE AGAIN …..
Matthew 13:15
15 For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’
HE WOULD SAY WHAT THE WRITER OF PROVERBS SAID …..
Proverbs 23:26
26 My son, give me your heart and let your eyes keep to my ways,
Ezekiel 11:19
19 I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.
Hebrews 4:7
7 ‘‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”
THE SECOND ATTACK IS A SPIRITUAL “HEART MURMUR” …..
THAT’S WHEN A PERSON’S HEART BEATS FAST WHEN IT SHOULDN’T
-IT BEATS FAST AFTER THE WRONG THINGS
-THINGS LIKE …..
-PLEASURE
-POPULARITY
-RICHES
-ALL THE THINGS THAT DON’T SATISFY ! ! !
YOU KNOW, GOD’S HEART BEATS FAST SOMETIMES …..
-SPEAKING OF JESUS, ISAIAH PROPHESIED …..
Isaiah 59:17
17 He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.
-AFTER JESUS CLEANSED THE TEMPLE WE READ …..
John 2:17
17 His disciples remembered that it is written: ‘‘Zeal for your house will consume me.”
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOUR HEART BEAT FAST FOR WHAT GOD’S HEART BEATS FAST FOR ?
-THINGS LIKE …….
-INTIMACY WITH HIM
Jeremiah 24:7
7 I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.
-TRUTH AND JUSTICE
Isaiah 59:15-16
15 Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice. 16 He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm worked salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him.
-HIS PEOPLE
Isaiah 26:11
11 O LORD, your hand is lifted high, but they do not see it. Let them see your zeal for your people and be put to shame…
THE LAST ATTACK OF OUR HEARTS IS SIMPLY “SPIRITUAL HEART DISEASE” …
IT’S THAT SLOW ERODING OF A HEALTHY HEART …..
-IT’S CAUSED BY COUNTLESS LITTLE THINGS THAT SLOWLY EAT AWAY AT A PERSON’S HEART OVER TIME
-THINGS LIKE …..
-ATTITUDES
-RELATIONSHIPS
-PATTERNS OF BEHAVIOR
-WRONG PRIORITIES
-LITTLE COMPROMISES
-TOO OFTEN THOSE THINGS GO UNNOTICED UNTIL IT’S TOO LATE …
-AND ONCE HEALTHY HEARTS BECOME DISEASED HEARTS
THREE “SPIRITUAL HEART ATTACKS” …..
-HARDENING OF THE ARTERIES
-HEART MURMUR
-HEART DISEASE
WHATEVER THE ATTACK …..
-MANY OF THE SYMPTOMS ARE THE SAME …..
-WHETHER A HEART GETS : -HARD
-DISTRACTED
-DISEASED
-NUMBNESS
-YOU STOP FEELING THE THINGS YOU SHOULD FEEL
-LOVE AND GRATITUDE FOR GOD
-CARE AND CONCERN FOR OTHERS
-COMPASSION FOR HURTING PEOPLE
-ANGER OVER INJUSTICE
-CONVICTION OVER YOUR OWN SIN
-FRUSTRATION OVER OTHER PEOPLE’S APATHY
-ANY NUMBER OF OTHER THINGS
-DIZZINESS
-YOU LOSE YOUR SPIRITUAL EQUILIBRIUM
-YOU LOSE THE BALANCE IN YOUR LIFE
-YOU BECOME EXTREMELY TOLERANT
-OR YOU BECOME EXTREMELY INTOLERANT
-YOU BECOME OVERLY PROUD OF YOURSELF
-OR YOU BECOME OVERLY ASHAMED OF YOURSELF
-YOU EITHER HAVE TOO MUCH CONFIDENCE
-OR YOU DON’T HAVE ENOUGH CONFIDENCE
-SHORTNESS OF BREATH
-WHEN YOUR HEART IS ATTACKED YOU LOSE YOUR STAMINA
-YOU LOSE YOUR STRENGTH TO FIGHT
-YOU START THINGS WELL BUT YOU FINISH POORLY
WELL, WE’VE LOOKED AT THE ATTACKS AND THE SYMPTOMS
WHAT IS THE TREATMENT ?
IT’S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS NO HUMAN CURE ! ! ! ! !
-YOU CAN’T FIX YOUR OWN HEART !
-PURE MOTIVES AND GOOD INTENTIONS ARE NOT ENOUGH ! ! !
BUT, THANKFULLY THERE IS JESUS …..
-HE CALLED HIMSELF “THE GREAT PHYSICIAN”
Isaiah 61:1
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners…
HIS TREATMENT IS ALWAYS THE SAME …..
-NOTHING SHORT OF A TRANSPLANT
Ezekiel 11:19
19 I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.
-HE DOESN’T REPAIR HEARTS …
-HE REPLACES THEM ! ! !
BUT EVEN AFTER TRANSPLANTS, HEARTS ARE VULNERABLE …..
-THAT’S WHY THERE NEEDS TO BE A CHANGE IN A PERSON’S LIFESTYLE AFTER SURGERY
-MEDICATION
-A DAILY DOSE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
-NUTRITION
-A STEADY DIET OF THE SCRIPTURES
-EXERCISE
-A REGULAR ROUTINE OF SPIRITUAL ACTIVITIES
THAT’S THE REQUIREMENTS FOR A HEALTHY HEART ! ! ! ! !
AND FINALLY, THE RESULTS …..
Matthew 5:8
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
-THE REWARD IS HIM ! ! !
Genesis 15:1
1 After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: ‘‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”
I BELIEVE TODAY, JESUS WOULD SAY TO EACH ONE OF US THE SAME THING HE ONCE SAID TO THE DISCIPLES …..
John 14:1
1 ‘‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.
I WANT TO CLOSE WITH TWO VERSES FROM THE PSALMS …..
-I THINK THEY EXPRESS WHAT GOD WANTS TO HEAR FROM US TODAY…
Psalm 139:23-24
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 51:10
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
