I. Introduction
A. Heart Disease
1. Advances in cardiac medicine have allowed us to discover problems much earlier so that preventative treatment can be pursued.
2. But what do we do to measure the blockages and malfunctions of our spiritual hearts?
B. Review of Hebrews
1. This is written to a group of Christians who are experiencing some type of persecution.
2. They are weary and in danger of giving in to false teaching.
3. They are reminded that Jesus offers a better hope for this life and the next.
C. Review of Promise of Rest
1. This section uses the imagery of the 1st generation of Israelites and their disobedience, resulting in their punishment, to remind Christians to trust God and follow Him.
2. There were two observations we made last week from the lesson:
a. The destruction of disobedience
b. The Sabbath rest of the saved (Numbers 14:20-23; Psalm 95:7-8)
3. Tonight, we will expound on the last point from last week: how do we handle a hardened heart? We seek to heal it.
II. How to Heal a Hardened Heart
A. Medicine for
1. There are times when we will never be able to completely get over something that leads to or hatred in our hearts, but we can always find a way it.
2. Joseph is a great example of how altering one’s perspective can lead to forgiveness (Genesis 50:15-21).
3. Listen to Joseph’s perspective on the situation:
a. Am I in the of God?
b. God overcame your to bring something good
c. Therefore, I will act based on God’s intention, not yours.
4. Last week, we talked about how God’s Word can help us see things differently in different seasons of life.
5. Passages like Romans 8:18 are rarely understood in the moment of pain or sorrow. Only later do we begin to understand how God can work through the most difficult of situations.
6. Regardless of how hurt I am, I will my heart to God.
B. Blockages
1. There are times we have to remove things from our lives that are keeping our spiritual hearts from receiving the spiritual flow we truly need.
2. How do we unblock the heart? Colossians 3:1-17
a. Set the mind on things (Colossians 3:1-4)-
i. Searching for the right treasure is important
ii. Matthew 6:21
b. Put to death the (Colossians 3:5-10)
i. The things on this list kill us slowly over time.
ii. Hebrews 3:13
iii. If we continue to hang around garbage, we eventually stink.
c. Put on the (Colossians 3:12-14)
i. These are virtues we must choose to put on every day; they don’t always feel natural.
ii. These are not one-time, special outfits; they must become our “comfy clothes.”
3. Notice what comes immediately after we engage in these things; we can allow the peace of Christ to “rule in our hearts” (Colossians 3:15).
C. for Transformation
1. Developing the heart of Jesus is important. Often, that will require a heart on our part.
2. Hardened hearts have a hard time finding and .
a. is that rest and peace.
b. Philippians 4:6-7
3. Again, we finish with Hebrews 4:12-13, where we are reminded that God’s Word can cut through all the pretense to reveal the real person. Only when we are willing to let God’s Word do its work can we truly develop hearts like Jesus’.
III. Conclusion
A. Advances
1. There have been many medical advances in treating our physical hearts.
2. The only way to advance the treatment of the spiritual heart is to turn to Jesus.
3. He provides great resources, but we must choose that our heart’s desire is Him.
B. Invitation
1. What kind of heart condition do you need help treating? Don’t allow your heart to remain hard.
2. Allow God to break it and repair it.