The heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart. That means that the heart of my problem is the problem of my heart. And the heart of your problem is the problem of your heart. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked…”
Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.
Proverbs 4:23 (NASB)
Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do.
Proverbs 4:23 (NLT)
Are you diligently watching over your heart? Are you guarding your heart above all else?
Most heart attacks start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort. Often people affected aren’t sure what’s wrong and wait too long before getting help. Maybe you aren’t aware that your spiritual heart needs help.
One of our own staff members and elders, Gary Nave, is having a heart cath tomorrow. He was having a stress test and the test showed some blockage in his heart. The 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th lines are Gary’s heart under stress. The 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th lines are Gary’s heart at rest. Notice the amount of yellow when he’s at rest and the absence of yellow when he’s stressed. As I understand it, that means that his heart is low on oxygen when he’s stressed. That’s got to be fixed. So, tomorrow, Gary’s visiting a Cath Lab.
As important as it is to have a physically healthy heart, it’s even more important to have a spiritually healthy heart. Heaven and hell hangs in the balance. It’s when your spiritual heart is under stress that you can tell about the health of your heart. When things aren’t gong well, do you still love and serve and give? I wonder, what would your spiritual heart look like if Jesus took a picture of it?
Where your treasure is there will your heart be also.
Matthew 6:21 (NASB)
For your heart will always be where your riches are.
Matthew 6:21 (TEV)
In recent weeks, we’ve been reminded that how we invest our money – how we give to build the kingdom of God – is an indication of our spiritual health. Remember? Our hearts will follow our treasure. Money leads; hearts follow. Your heart moves toward what you cherish, and God wants your heart to move toward Him.
A pastor who lived in another generation, James Broadus, knew this. Dr. Broadus would, on occasion during the time of the offering, walk down from the pulpit and walk among the people. He would watch what the people would give to God. Then he would come back to the front of the church and smile. And he would say, “If it has bothered you that your pastor has walked among you to watch your giving, you need to remember that your Lord watches you every week.”
…where your treasure is there will your heart be also.
In one of Jesus’ most famous stories, we can learn about the heart. It’s sometimes called the parable of the Sower or the parable of the seed, or the parable of the soils. In the process, we’re going to see why some people don’t give and why some do. It’s a heart issue.
4 When a large crowd was coming together, and those from the various cities were journeying to Him, He spoke by way of a parable: 5 "The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trampled under foot and the birds of the air ate it up. 6 Other seed fell on rocky soil, and as soon as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out. 8 Other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as great." As He said these things, He would call out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
Luke 8:4-8 (NASB)
"He who has ears to hear, let him hear." That means it’s not enough to have ears on the side of your head. Everybody has those. But there is another kind of ear that only some people have. There is a spiritual ear, or a heart-ear. There is an ear that hears more than mere words.
The sower represents God. The seed represents God’s Word. The four soils represent people’s hearts. What God wants you to do today is to identify which soil represents your heart. Once you’ve identified which kind of heart you have, there is a specific way for you to pray about your heart.
1. Lord Jesus, soften my hard heart. v. 12
Some people don’t give because their heart is hard. Now, be honest. Do you really want to give? Or do you wish the pastor would just talk about something else today?
You can go to some churches for years and never hear anything about the financial responsibility of God’s people. The sad thing about it is, the pastors of these churches are disobeying God because He’s told church leaders to teach the whole counsel of God. In Matthew, Mark and Luke, one out of six verses deal with this issue. So, if pastors are teaching the Bible, they will teach this. When pastors don’t address our financial priorities, they are really cheating people of God. Blessings come to people who obey God in this vital area.
If you don’t want to give or serve or live for Christ, this next verse ought to be a scary passage of scripture for you.
11 "Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God. 12 Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved.
Luke 8:11-12 (NASB)
The soil was very hard by the road. People had been walking there so much. The ground was hard. So, the seed laid on top of the soil until it was eaten by the birds. Jesus says that this represents a hardened and closed heart. It’s a picture of an unsaved person.
One of the reasons people do not love and serve and give is because they simply have hard hearts. They are not believers. They are not saved. Could that be you?
You see, when you meet Jesus Christ, things change. When God gets hold of your heart, not only is your heart transformed, but your whole life is transformed, too. That includes your wallet, your purse, your checkbook, your bank account.
You need to know something: If you are not yet a true Christ-follower, we don’t expect you to give. This is why we don’t focus on Bazaars and Bingo parties and stuff like that to raise money, because these are the methods some churches use to get money from people who don’t know Christ.
Some people might think that by giving to the church, they gain favor with God. No! You can’t buy your way into heaven.
But whenever a person has an encounter with Jesus, their heart is softened. And one of the ways you can see this is through their giving.
In Luke 19, we meet a wee little man, Zacheus. David Jeremiah says, “He was so wee that he couldn’t see. So, he climbed up in a tree.” He was a tax collector. In that day, a tax collector had a much worse reputation than someone who works for the IRS today. They worked for the hated Romans. They extorted taxes from the people. They cheated. They pocketed money for themselves. But Zacheus met Jesus.
Scripture:
What was the difference between Zacheus in the tree and Zacheus in front of his house? He met Jesus Christ. He was converted. He was saved. It’s Jesus who softens your heart so that you find yourself wanting to give.
If you find that deep down inside, you don’t want to love, serve, and give, you have a hard heart. You need to be saved. You aren’t headed to heaven.
Lord Jesus, soften my hard heart.
2. Lord Jesus, deepen my shallow heart. v. 13
There’s a second kind of heart that at first glance appears to be a saved heart, but isn’t really.
13 Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away.
Luke 8:13 (NASB)
This seed is sown on soil mixed with rocks. There was some soil among the rocks, but not enough. The rich soil was too shallow. So, when the sun beat down on the plant that started to grow, it withered.
This soil represents the person who makes a superficial decision. The Word never took root in their life. They looked good for awhile. It looked like they were going to love and serve and give, but they fell to some temptation and stopped loving, serving, and giving.
Some of you who have been coming to CVCC for ten years or so can look around and remember who used to come to worship Jesus and love and serve and give. They aren’t doing that now. Not here or anywhere else.
I John 2:19
The faith that fizzles before the finish had a flaw from the first. What demonstrates that we have saved hearts is our perseverance. He who perseveres t the end shall be saved.
Lord Jesus, deepen my shallow heart.
3. Lord Jesus, clean out my crowded heart. v. 14
What is it that distracts you from Jesus, from loving and serving and giving?
14 The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity.
Luke 8:14 (NASB)
Cardiac catheterization is a procedure used to evaluate the structure and function of your heart. A small plastic tube – a catheter – is inserted into an artery or a vein in your leg (occasionally in your arm) and guided through the blood vessels to your heart. When a blockage is found, sometimes a stent is placed in the blood vessel to keep open the circulation.
I need a “spiritual stent” when my heart is choked by…
… as they go on their way they are choked with worries… and bring no fruit to maturity.
… worry.
Some people who claim to be believers don’t give because they are not confident in God They don’t believe God will take care of them. If I give at last a tenth of my income to God like the Bible says I should, I don’t know how we would make it.
But think with me, you are betting your eternity on Jesus Christ. This is what it means to be saved. You’ve decided that you can trust Jesus to take care of your forever and ever, but you can’t trust Him for the day-to-day. “I can’t trust You, Lord, for this week.”
Don’t worry and ask yourselves, "Will we have anything to eat? Will we have anything to drink? Will we have any clothes to wear?" 32Only people who don’t know God are always worrying about such things. Your Father in heaven knows that you need all of these. 33But more than anything else, put God’s work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well. 34Don’t worry about tomorrow. It will take care of itself. You have enough to worry about today.
Matthew 6:31-34 (CEV)
Trust!
I need a “spiritual stent” when my heart is choked by worry.
… wealth.
… as they go on their way they are choked with… riches… and bring no fruit to maturity.
David Jeremiah tells a story about a rabbi and a rich man with a miserable disposition. The rabbi took the rich man to a window.
“Look. What do you see?” “I see men, women, and children.” Next, the rabbi took the rich man to a mirror. “Now what do you see?” “I see myself.”
The rabbi said, “Good. Think. Both the window and the mirror have glass. But in the mirror, it is covered with silver. No sooner is the silver added but you cease to see others and you only see yourself.”
Sometimes, the more we have, the more we are distracted by what we have. And we become insensitive to the needs of people around us. We need a compassion, a concern.
Tell those rich in this world’s wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage-- 18to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. 19If they do that, they’ll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life.
I Timothy 6:17-19 (Msg.)
God has given all things for us to enjoy. But when you live to get more, you can lose sight of the world. You don’t see the needs of people through the eyes of Jesus.
Give!
I need a “spiritual stent” when my heart is choked by wealth.
… worldliness.
… as they go on their way they are choked with… pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity.
It ought to shock and sadden us how many so-called Christians watch the same mind-numbing, empty, silly, trivial, suggestive, immodest, immoral TV shows that the world watches – and then wonder why their spiritual lives are weak, why their worship experience is shallow with no intensity, and why they have no real heart to love and serve and give.
Stop loving this evil world and all that it offers you, for when you love the world, you show that you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16For the world offers only the lust for physical pleasure, the lust for everything we see, and pride in our possessions. These are not from the Father. They are from this evil world. 17And this world is fading away, along with everything it craves. But if you do the will of God, you will live forever.
I John 2:15-17 (NLT)
If you really want a heart that hears and obeys the Word of God the way a truly saved person hears the word of God, then turn off the television, quit hanging out at the malls and the bars, quit spending too much money on trivial entertainments and read something that will grow your soul. Pray. Figure out ways to love and serve and give. Then watch your heart be moved to hunger for the word of God and hunger to do the works of God, including giving.
I need a “spiritual stent” when my heart is choked by worldliness.
Lord Jesus, clean out my crowded heart.
4. Lord Jesus, give me a good heart.
How can I know if I’m saved?
15 But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.”
Luke 8:15 (NASB)
I the heart s good, if a person is saved, here is a hearing of the Word of God, a holding to the Word of God, and an obedience to the Word of God. Fruit shows up. Good hearts prove themselves. Good hearts show up on the outside when we love and serve and give.
We are not saved by good works. But we are saved to good works. The fruit of loving, serving, giving is the proof of our salvation.
We must have new hearts if we are going to persevere in living the way we ought to live and giving the way we ought to give. The Bible teaches that this new heart is a work of God. Ezekiel 36:26, "I will give you a new heart." Jeremiah 24:7, "I will give them a heart to know Me." So we should ask God for it.
“O Lord, give me a heart for you. Give me a good and honest heart. Give me a soft and receptive heart. Give me a humble and meek heart. Give me a fruitful heart. Give me a heart for you.”
Lord Jesus, give me a good heart.
* * *
Which heart best describes you? A hard heart? A shallow heart? A crowded heart? A good heart?
Time can run out on you when the Word of God is no longer effective to save you, but is only effective to make your heart insensitive, and their ears dull, and their eyes dim.
This passage is about heart-ears – the calling to hear the Word of God. The stakes are very high. How you hear the word of God and how you respond to the word of God tells you something about your heart.
There is the heart who barely starts to hear and the Word is gone before you get out the door. There is the heart who hears until there is a hard time in life, and then turns from God. There is the heart who hears until the worries and the riches and the pleasures of this life choke it off. And there is the heart who hears in a way that defeats the devil, endures trial, scorns riches, and bears fruit unto eternal life.
I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word.
Isaiah 66:2b (NLT)
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Psalm 51:10 (NASB)
A point to ponder: My use of my money shows the condition of my heart.
A verse to remember: Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.
Proverbs 4:23 (NASB)
A question to consider: What prayers do I need to pray and what actions do I need to take to have a spiritually healthy heart?
Remember that I said earlier that most heart attacks start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort. Often people affected aren’t sure what’s wrong and wait too long before getting help. Don’t wait.
Pray. Which prayer do you need to pray?
Deed your stuff to God. We have stickers available for you today. “Property of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Where might you place these stickers to remind you that God owns it all and that you are merely His manager?
• house or apartment
• wallet, checkbook, purse,
• car, truck, motorcycles, or boat
• computer
• business you own
• toys
• tv or sound system
• hobbies – golf clubs, fishing or hunting equipment, or camping gear
• tools, workshop
Give something away. Last week, before we even left on Sunday, people had given away furniture and a week’s vacation at a condo.
Make yourself accountable. I heard about one pastor in Chicago, Bill Hybels, who had a couple who came to him and said, “Can we send our check to the church to your address? If we know you’re getting our check to give to the church, then we won’t talk ourselves out of giving.”
We need to ask God’s help in this most important area of our lives.
