Heart of the matter, Lesson 3

Lesson 3: April 1, 2015

Thank you for being here tonight!

Jesus

Becoming like Him

The Ten Week Challenge

Pray daily for the eyes of our hearts to be enlightened.

14 days in/ 56 days to go

Ephesians 1:17 – 18 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe.



Pray daily for God to search our hearts and transform them into the heart of

Christ.

14 days in/56 days to go

Romans 8:27And he who searches our hearts knows

the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.



Monitor our hearts daily by monitoring what is coming out of our mouths.


Christ.


Matt. 15:18-19…But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these make a man unclean. For out of the heartcome evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.


Identify the source of impurity in our lives.

Expose them to God.

Prayerfully develop a plan to eliminate these sources.


of the heart…

Matt. 5:7 -Blessed are the merciful for they will

be shown mercy.

We must understand the word “mercy”

It cannot be translated by one word.

It’s not an act.

It’s an attitude of the heart that displays:

• sympathy

• empathy

• freedom

When this attitude is in us, we are blessed because we…

1. Understand how merciful God has been to us.

Luke 1:76—79

We serve a tender, merciful and loving God.

Luke 1:76-79

…And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”



Luke 1:76—79We serve a tender, merciful and loving God.

We know that God’s mercy has saved our lives. Eph. 2:1-5

Eph. 2:1-5… As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and

sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of

this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those

who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one

time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its

desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature

deserving of wrath….

But…

…But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.



Luke 1:76—79We serve a tender, merciful and loving God.

We know that God’s mercy has saved our lives. Eph. 2:1-5


2. Reflect the mercy of God to those around us.

We reflect God’s love by being mercifulto others. Romans 15:6-7

Romans 15:6-7… May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each otherthat Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.



We reflect God’s love by being merciful to others. Romans 15:6-7

The mercy of God motivates us to live differently. I Peter 2:9-11

I Peter 2:9-11…But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.



We reflect God’s love by being merciful to others. Romans 15:6-7

The mercy of God motivates us to live differently. I Peter 2:9-11


3. Will be judged with mercy.

Mercy given is mercy received.Matthew 7:1-2

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will

be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Matt. 7:1-2

Matt. 7:1-2 Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For

in the same way you judge others, you will

be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to

you.

This promise is either a blessing or a curse…it’s up to us.


3. Will be judged with mercy.

Matt. 18:32-34

We have the peace of knowing that mercy triumphs over judgment.

James 2:12-13

Mercy given is mercy received.

James 2:12-13…Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

We understand how merciful

God has been to us.

We reflect the mercy of God

to those around us.

We will be judged

with mercy.

Matt. 5:7 -Blessed are the merciful for they will

be shown mercy.

of the heart…



Monitor our hearts daily by monitoring what is coming out of our mouths.


Christ.



Identify the source of impurity in our lives.

Expose them to God.

Prayerfully develop a plan to eliminate these sources.



Monitor the attitude of our hearts.

How merciful are we?


Heart of the matter, Lesson 3

Spiritual

Transcript of Heart of the matter, Lesson 3