Condition of Our Heart
The Bible says in Psalms 66:18 “if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear
me”.
God have given us a new heart, in the Old Testament, to Israel He says in Jeremiah
24:7 “and I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the Lord Yahweh; and they
shall be My people, and I will be their God; for they shall return to Me with their whole
heart”. Also in Jeremiah 31:33 God says “but this shall be the covenant that I will
make with the house of Israel, after those days, says the Lord Yahweh, I will put My
law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts, and will be their God, and they
shall be My people”.
In the New Testament, to all of us, we see in Romans 5:5b “Because the love of God
is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to us”. Also in II
Corinthians 1:21-22 it says “now He which establishes us with you in Christ, and has
anointed us, is God. Who has also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in
our hearts”. And then in Galatians 4:6 it says “and because you are sons, God has
sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father”.
We are told not to harden our heart, so let us look at Israel and don’t be like them
(Psalms 95:6-11) “O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord
Yahweh our maker. For He is our God; and we are the people of His pasture, and the
sheep of His hand, today if you will hear His voice. Harden not your heart, as in the
provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness. When your fathers
tempted Me, proved Me, and saw My work. Forth years long was I grieved with this
generation, and said, it is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known
My ways. To whom I swear in My anger that they should not enter into My rest”. It
used to bother me to read that God hardened someone’s heart, but in Romans 1:21-
22 we see the things that hardens one’s heart. It says “because that, when they
knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in
their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be
wise, they became fools”.
God talks to us heart to heart Proverbs 20:27 “the spirit of man is the candle of the
Lord Yahweh, searching all the inward parts of the belly”. We see in I Corinthians 2:7-
16 that God has revealed a mystery to us, which says “but we speak the wisdom of
God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world to
our glory. Which none of the princes of this world knew; for had they known it, they
would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, eye has not seen, nor
ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has
prepared for them that love Him. But God has revealed them to us by His Spirit; for
the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knows the
things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God
knows no man; but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the
world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely
given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s
wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with
spiritual. But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are
foolishness to him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
But he that is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who
has known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of
Christ”.
Now because we have the mind of Christ, we can imagine what would Jesus do? The
apostle Paul prayed for us in (Ephesians 3:16-20) “that He would grant you,
according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the
inner man. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that you, being rooted and
grounded in love. May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and
length, and depth, and height. And to know the love of Christ, which passes
knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him that is
able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the
power that works in us”. Remember that Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith
(Hebrew 12:1-2) “wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a
cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which does so easily
beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Looking to Jesus
the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured
the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of
God”.
Jesus rebuked His disciples for having their heart hardened (Mark 6:52, 8:17, 16:14)
“for they considered not the miracle of the loaves; for their heart was hardened. And
when Jesus knew it; He says to them, why reason you, because you have no bread?
Perceive you not yet, neither understand? Have you, your heart yet hardened?
Afterward He appeared to the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with
their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen
Him after He was risen”.
Good news is after they were filled with the Holy Spirit, their lives changed and they
were able to do the things which Jesus did. The early church turned their world
upside down.
People harden their own hearts (Matthew 13:15-17) Jesus says “for this people’s
heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have
closed, less at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and
should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears for they hear. For verily I say
to you, that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things
which you see, and have not seen them, and to hear those things which you hear;
and have not heard them”.
The apostle Paul warns us in Ephesians 4:17-18 “this I say therefore, and testify in
the Lord, that you hereafter walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their
mind. Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God
through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart”.
The book of Hebrews also warns us in Hebrews 3:7-8,12,19;4:1 which says
“wherefore as the Holy Spirit says, today, if you will hear His voice. Harden not your
hears, as in the provocation in the day of temptation in the wilderness. Take heed,
brethren, less there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the
living God. So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. Let us
therefore fear less, a promise being left us of entering into His rest, any of you should
seem to come short of it”.
Let us soften our heart by doing the things in Romans 1:21 in reverse. Let us always
glorify God and His words, and be thankful for all that He has done in our lives; and
imagine that we can do all those things which He says that we can do.
Proverbs 23:12,19 says “apply your heart to instruction, and your ears to the words
of knowledge. Hear you, my son, and be wise, and guide your heart in the way”.
The writer of Psalms 119 says in verse 111-13 “Your testimonies have I taken as a
heritage forever; for they are the rejoicing of my heart. I have inclined my heart to
perform Your statutes always even to the end. I hate vain thoughts; but Your law do I
love”.
The apostle Paul in Colossians 3:1-2 tells us “if you then be risen with Christ, seek
those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God. Set your
affection on things above, not on the things of the earth”. He goes on in verses 12-
17,23 to say “put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of
mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering. Forbearing one
another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any; even as
Christ forgave you, so also do you. And above all these things put on charity, which
is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which
also you are called in one body; and be you thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in
you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever
you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God
and the Father by Him. And whatsoever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not
to men”.
Remember that we are told to examine ourselves to see if we be in the faith.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: September 30, 2011
The Bible says in Psalms 66:18 “if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear
me”.
God have given us a new heart, in the Old Testament, to Israel He says in Jeremiah
24:7 “and I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the Lord Yahweh; and they
shall be My people, and I will be their God; for they shall return to Me with their whole
heart”. Also in Jeremiah 31:33 God says “but this shall be the covenant that I will
make with the house of Israel, after those days, says the Lord Yahweh, I will put My
law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts, and will be their God, and they
shall be My people”.
In the New Testament, to all of us, we see in Romans 5:5b “Because the love of God
is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to us”. Also in II
Corinthians 1:21-22 it says “now He which establishes us with you in Christ, and has
anointed us, is God. Who has also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in
our hearts”. And then in Galatians 4:6 it says “and because you are sons, God has
sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father”.
We are told not to harden our heart, so let us look at Israel and don’t be like them
(Psalms 95:6-11) “O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord
Yahweh our maker. For He is our God; and we are the people of His pasture, and the
sheep of His hand, today if you will hear His voice. Harden not your heart, as in the
provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness. When your fathers
tempted Me, proved Me, and saw My work. Forth years long was I grieved with this
generation, and said, it is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known
My ways. To whom I swear in My anger that they should not enter into My rest”. It
used to bother me to read that God hardened someone’s heart, but in Romans 1:21-
22 we see the things that hardens one’s heart. It says “because that, when they
knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in
their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be
wise, they became fools”.
God talks to us heart to heart Proverbs 20:27 “the spirit of man is the candle of the
Lord Yahweh, searching all the inward parts of the belly”. We see in I Corinthians 2:7-
16 that God has revealed a mystery to us, which says “but we speak the wisdom of
God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world to
our glory. Which none of the princes of this world knew; for had they known it, they
would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, eye has not seen, nor
ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has
prepared for them that love Him. But God has revealed them to us by His Spirit; for
the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knows the
things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God
knows no man; but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the
world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely
given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s
wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with
spiritual. But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are
foolishness to him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
But he that is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who
has known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of
Christ”.
Now because we have the mind of Christ, we can imagine what would Jesus do? The
apostle Paul prayed for us in (Ephesians 3:16-20) “that He would grant you,
according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the
inner man. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that you, being rooted and
grounded in love. May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and
length, and depth, and height. And to know the love of Christ, which passes
knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him that is
able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the
power that works in us”. Remember that Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith
(Hebrew 12:1-2) “wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a
cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which does so easily
beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Looking to Jesus
the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured
the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of
God”.
Jesus rebuked His disciples for having their heart hardened (Mark 6:52, 8:17, 16:14)
“for they considered not the miracle of the loaves; for their heart was hardened. And
when Jesus knew it; He says to them, why reason you, because you have no bread?
Perceive you not yet, neither understand? Have you, your heart yet hardened?
Afterward He appeared to the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with
their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen
Him after He was risen”.
Good news is after they were filled with the Holy Spirit, their lives changed and they
were able to do the things which Jesus did. The early church turned their world
upside down.
People harden their own hearts (Matthew 13:15-17) Jesus says “for this people’s
heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have
closed, less at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and
should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears for they hear. For verily I say
to you, that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things
which you see, and have not seen them, and to hear those things which you hear;
and have not heard them”.
The apostle Paul warns us in Ephesians 4:17-18 “this I say therefore, and testify in
the Lord, that you hereafter walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their
mind. Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God
through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart”.
The book of Hebrews also warns us in Hebrews 3:7-8,12,19;4:1 which says
“wherefore as the Holy Spirit says, today, if you will hear His voice. Harden not your
hears, as in the provocation in the day of temptation in the wilderness. Take heed,
brethren, less there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the
living God. So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. Let us
therefore fear less, a promise being left us of entering into His rest, any of you should
seem to come short of it”.
Let us soften our heart by doing the things in Romans 1:21 in reverse. Let us always
glorify God and His words, and be thankful for all that He has done in our lives; and
imagine that we can do all those things which He says that we can do.
Proverbs 23:12,19 says “apply your heart to instruction, and your ears to the words
of knowledge. Hear you, my son, and be wise, and guide your heart in the way”.
The writer of Psalms 119 says in verse 111-13 “Your testimonies have I taken as a
heritage forever; for they are the rejoicing of my heart. I have inclined my heart to
perform Your statutes always even to the end. I hate vain thoughts; but Your law do I
love”.
The apostle Paul in Colossians 3:1-2 tells us “if you then be risen with Christ, seek
those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God. Set your
affection on things above, not on the things of the earth”. He goes on in verses 12-
17,23 to say “put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of
mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering. Forbearing one
another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any; even as
Christ forgave you, so also do you. And above all these things put on charity, which
is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which
also you are called in one body; and be you thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in
you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever
you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God
and the Father by Him. And whatsoever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not
to men”.
Remember that we are told to examine ourselves to see if we be in the faith.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: September 30, 2011
