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weekly sermon 1-10-10
Heart Of The Matter
Next month we will be seeing many hearts, as it will be the month to celebrate what is known as Valentine's Day. What is it that we know about the heart? The first thing we will discover is the medical description of the heart, that we may know more about what we are talking about here.
The heart is a muscular organ found in all vertebrates that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions. The term cardiac (as in cardiology) means "related to the heart" and comes from the Greek καρδιά, kardia, for "heart."
The vertebrate heart is composed of cardiac muscle, which is an involuntary striated muscle tissue found only within this organ. The average human heart, beating at 72 beats per minute, will beat approximately 2.5 billion times during an average 66 year lifespan. It weighs on average 250 g to 300 g in females and 300 g to 350 g in males.
Now that we have had our biology lesson in what the heart is comprised of, let us take another look at how the heart really works. Turn with me if you will to 1Samuel 16:7, "But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for [the LORD seeth] not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart."
The first thing we should know here is the stature of Samuel. Samuel was considered to be the "prophet judge". His wisdom was far beyond any that had been at the time. Samuel knew something that most folks had overlooked, he knew where to look for his wisdom, in the heart.
I had the opportunity to counsel a couple this past week concerning their relationship. My biggest advise to both of them was to follow their hearts. I gave them this advise because this is something I truly believe. The mind is comprised of something that can be penetrated by the evils of the world, whereas the heart is something that can only be in filtered by God Himself. In other words, the mind can lead you astray, whereas the heart never lies.
Samuel was asking Jesse to bring in his sons knowing that one of the sons would become the new king that would replace Saul. Samuel was in mourning for Saul and the Lord wanted to help Samuel here. Samuel was told that he would be looking for one of the sons that could play the harp. Now many folks can play a harp, but Samuel was not looking for the one that had mastered the instrument, but the feeling of the instrument. Once Jesse had filed all of his sons past Samuel for inspection, Samuel wanted to know if he had more sons that had not been introduced to him. 1Samuel 16:11, "And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all [thy] children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither." Jesse had one son that was not presented to Samuel. This son was David.
When David was brought to Samuel, the Lord told Samuel that this was the one that he was to anoint as the new replacement king. 1Samuel 16:12, "And he sent, and brought him in. Now he [was] ruddy, [and] withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this [is] he." As we can see, Samuel was not looking for the wisdom of the sons of Jesse in their ability, but in their heart. Within David's heart, Samuel found favor in the sight of God.
Ecclesiastes 3:11, "He hath made every [thing] beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end." Within the heart God puts His work, His word, His truth, and His love. As we see here God puts all these things within the heart because no man can find out nor destroy what God has placed within the heart. This is why I truly believe that the truth is found in the heart and not in the head. Any man can tell a lie and I am sure that all men have told one at one time or another, but the heart does not lie, the heart can not lie, the heart is the part that belongs to God.
Every part of our bodies are related in one way or another, including the heart that pumps the blood, that keeps us alive, to every part of our bodies. There is one thing we should have noticed in the biology lesson that we learned at the beginning. There is a striated muscle that is ONLY found in this organ. This should make you ask one question, how is it we find this one thing only found in this organ. This organ has a uniqueness of it's own. Why is it that this one organ is the only one that has something that no other organ has? We are talking about any house verses the house of God. You may set many homes side by side and compare these homes and even find some similarities, but when you compare a trailer house to a mansion, you will soon find the many differences. This is the same as comparing the mind or body and the heart. The mind is of man, and the heart is the house of God.
I wanted to present this message for one purpose, this purpose was to, hopefully, cause folks to take a look at others in a different manner. When you look at someone, do not look at the other person, the mind, or the stature of the person, but take a look at the heart. The heart will tell you the truth of the person whereas the mind may lead you in a different direction.
Traveling through life there is only one thing we need to remember and understand about the heart. To man the heart is just a muscle that pumps the blood of live through our veins, but if you want life after this one, then you need to make the heart the home of the ONE that pumps the blood of life, the one of living water, the Lord God Almighty.
If you do not want your heart to be as a trailer park, but as a mansion where the Saviour of mankind will reside, then all you have to do is ask Jesus to come into your heart by saying a simple prayer with me.
Say this simple prayer with me, Dear Lord, I want you to be the Lord over my life, forgive me of my sins, and give me the gift of everlasting life. Amen.
If you have said this simple prayer, then we believe that you have received salvation. We would love to rejoice with you, so please drop us a note, in our link, to let us know and confess Jesus before man, so that we may send you a few things that we hope will help you in your new Christian walk.
With Love in Christ,
Pastor Stone
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