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It’s All About The Heart

Posted on 12 Aug 2018, Pastor: Tolu Makinde

Title: It’s All About The Heart

Text: Luke 8:4-15 (NKJV)

[Luk 8:4] And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable:

[Luk 8:5] “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by thewayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.

[Luk 8:6] Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.

[Luk 8:7] And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.

[Luk 8:8] But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

[Luk 8:9] Then His disciples asked Him, saying, “What does this parable mean?”

[Luk 8:10] And He said, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that ‘SEEING THEY MAY NOT SEE, AND HEARING THEY MAY NOT UNDERSTAND.’

[Luk 8:11] “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

[Luk 8:12] Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

[Luk 8:13] But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.

[Luk 8:14] Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.

[Luk 8:15] But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

Introduction

It’s all about the heart
Where your heart is right now determines what is your priority right now
Where your heart is right now determines whether you will hear this message or not
Where your heart is right now will determine what you will do with this message
The best place for your heart is to be right here
[Luk 12:22] Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.
In the passage that we read, there are 5 subjects:
- The Word of God
- Four different types of hearts and what they did with the Word

Main Topic

The Word of God

The Word’s place is in our hearts
[Psa 119:11] Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.
We were saved through the Word
We become clean through the Word
We have good success through the Word – Josh 1:8
We come to church to worship and to hear the Word
So, hear the Word
[Rom 10:17] So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Faith, the ingredient we need to please God comes from the Word

The four different types of hearts and how they received the Word.

The Unbelieving Heart – Wayside

They hear the Word, which is the seed
The seed is trampled down
Birds of the air comes and eat the seed – the devil comes and take the Word away from their hearts, so that they cannot believe and cannot be saved

The Temporary Believing Heart – Rock

They hear the Word, which is the seed
They receive the Word with joy, but they lack depth
They believe the Word for a while
However, when temptations come, they fall away as if they never heard the Word
These are believers, but their believing is only on the surface

The Distracted Believing Heart – Thorns

The hear the Word, which is the seed
The Word is chocked with cares, riches, and pleasures
The majority of Christians fall into this category
They believe, but there is no fruit to show for it
[Joh 15:1] “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
[Joh 15:2] Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

The Believing Believer’s Heart – Good Ground

They hear the Word – the seed
They keep the Word – they think, ponder, meditate on the Word
They continue to think, ponder, and meditate on the Word – Watering the seed
The seed will grow and they bear fruit
This is where every Christian ought to be

How to get the heart in the right place

Do not harden your hearts
- [Heb 3:8] DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS IN THE REBELLION, IN THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS,
- [Exo 7:3] And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.
- Hardened hearts are set for destruction
- [Deu 30:6] And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.
- [Eze 36:26] I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
- [Heb 3:15] while it is said: “TODAY, IF YOU WILL HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS IN THE REBELLION.”
Set your heart to seek the Lord at all times
- [1Ch 28:9] “As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.
- [1Ch 22:19] Now set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God. Therefore arise and build the sanctuary of the LORD God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD and the holy articles of God into the house that is to be built for the name of the LORD.”
- [Psa 9:1] I will praise You, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works.
- [Psa 66:18] If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear.
- [Pro 3:5] Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
- [Pro 4:23] Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of itspring the issues of life.
- [Mat 5:8] Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.
- [Mat 6:21] For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
- [Luk 6:45] A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Conclusion

It is all about the heart
Where your heart is determines what you do with the Word
Do not harden your heart
Set your heart to seek the Lord at all times – the Lord searches all hearts and understands the intent of the thoughts.

Sermon

It’s All About The Heart