HEART TROUBLE

Today we are going to talk about HEART TROUBLE. Not physical heart trouble, but SPIRITUAL heart trouble.

There are many spiritual problems among men today. Problems of indifference, lukewarmness, laziness in serving the Lord, sin, immorality, foul language, dishonesty, untruthfulness, hypocrisy... and the list goes on and on.

I believe most all the spiritual problems of life can be traced to the origin of HEART TROUBLE. A very wise man of old said: (Prov 4:23 KJV) "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of IT are the issues of life."

And again, after cataloging a long list of spiritual problems: "evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:" Jesus said, "For from within, out of the heart of men... All these evil things come from within, and defile the man." (Mark 7:22, 23 KJV)

THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM: Lack of love in the heart.

(The Lord though Moses of old: Deu 6:5 KJV) "And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might."

Then hundreds of hears later, when Jesus came on the scene, someone asked Him, "Master, which is the great commandment in the law? {37} Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. {38} This is the first and great commandment. {39} And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (Mat 22:36-39 KJV)

The reason people are not in right relationship with God as they should be is ususlly one: Their heart is not right. If we LOVE THE LORD WITH ALL OUR HEART, we will naturally be faithful to Him, and shun those things that displease Him. Love for fellow man fullfills the law for him: (Rom 13:9 KJV) "For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."

And if it is true with fellow man, it is certainly true with God: (1 John 5:2-3 KJV) "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. {3} For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous."

The Bible makes an interesting statement concerning charity, or love: (1 Pet 4:8 KJV) "And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins." This is an extension of a statement King Solomon made hundreds of years before: (Prov 10:12 KJV) "Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins."

Two of the major characters of the Bible: King David, and the apostle Peter, both had serious flaws in their lives. King David committed adultery and fathered an illegitimate child, plus some other things. The apostle Peter denied the Lord three times. Both of these men obtained grace and forgiveness. Why were they not stricken down, as some others who transgressed God's will? I think the answer lies in the fact that they both had good hearts. They may have made serious mistakes, but they had good hearts. As a matter of fact, it is said concerning David, (Acts 13:22 KJV) "He raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will."

When David realized his sin, he prayed: "Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. {3} For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me." (Psa 51:2-3 KJV)

And when Peter realized what he had done, (Mat 26:75 tells us:) "He went out, and wept bitterly." And the Bible says, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." (Psa 51:17 KJV)

Think about some of the problems in the church today:

Negligence in attendance. People are so prone to stay home, or go somewhere else at church time. They want to know, "do I have to attend every service?" "What is the least I can attend and get by with?"

Worldliness. People want to know how much like the world they can be and get away with it.

Immorality. People are always looking for an excuse for doing what they want to do.

Now, think how loving the lord with all the heart, as the Lord said, would solve all these problems! People would be wanting to know how often they could attend... like David: (Psa 122:1 KJV) "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD."

People would be seeing how separate from the world they could be. (James 4:4 KJV) "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."

If people loved the Lord with all their heart, they would be wanting to see how far from Satan they could stay, and how close to the Lord they could get! (James 4:8 KJV) "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded."

The condition of men's hearts is evident from their actions. Jesus said, "Ye shall know them by their fruits." (Mat 7:16 KJV) He also said, (Mat 6:21 KJV) "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

If its any distance to church, it's too far to go. Yet people will drive all the way to Atlanta, and pay $50.00 to see a good ball game.

If the building is a little too warm in the summer, or a little too cool in the winter, people can't go to church, it might make them sick. If the pews are not padded just right, it's to hard on them to sit there for an hour. If the service lasts over an hour, it's really bad. Yet people will gladly go sit in the hard bleachers, in all sorts of weather, for two hours for a ball game--and if it goes into overtime it's just that much better!

Small country churches are going out of business because people, if they attend church at all, want to go to a big city church where there are staffed nurseries, professional preachers and singers, a fully equipped stage with special effects like smoke machines, spotlights, laser lights and sound effects, where theatrical productions can be presented. They want a church with big buildings and recreational facilities for the young people. I realize these things can be impressive, but if this is what we place the emphasis on, are our hearts in the right place?

A recent Friday night I passed by one of the local schools where a ball game was about to begin. The visiting team had unloaded. All the parking lots were totally filled, and cars lined the sides of the highway for quite a ways in both directions. Now I'm not saying that was all bad--but I could not help but think, as I tried to make my way through the traffic jam: "What percentage of that size crowd would be here if it had been announced that a Gospel Preacher would be here in a Gospel meeting?"

Think about our ancestors. They did not have heated and air-conditioned automobiles in which to drive to church on Sunday. They got the family together, hitched up the team and boarded a horse-drawn wagon or buggy and drove to church. When they got there, they hitched the team to one of the hitching posts, or a tree in the church yard.

The church buildings did not have central heat and air. Someone would arrange to go early on cold winter mornings to build a fire in the old pot-belly stove. In the Summer, the windows were opened and God provided the air. You could hear the singing and preaching wafting through the air for blocks around!

And we think we are dedicated? How many of us would put forth the effort they did?

HEART TROUBLE EXAMPLES:

Simon the Sorcerer:
In Acts 8, we read about a man we call Simon the Sorcerer. He heard the gospel, believed in Christ and was baptized. Then he did something that really raised a lot of eyebrows in the early church. He tried to BUY from the apostles the power of imparting the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. What was the root of his problem? HEART TROUBLE. He was a renowned sorcerer and magician. He wanted the power of imparting the Holy Ghost to use in his magic show! "But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. {21} Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. {22} Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. {23} For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity." (Acts 8:20-23 KJV) Simon's heart was not right with God. It was the "thought of his heart" that condemned him.

He that hates his brother is a murderer. (1 John 3:15 KJV) "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him."

The woman who anointed Jesus' feet was criticized, but Jesus commended her, for her heart was right. (Mark 14:4-8 KJV) "And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made? {5} For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her. {6} And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me. {7} For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always. {8} She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying."

It is better to do the best we can and mean well than to be so afraid we will do the wrong thing that we do nothing (like the one talent man).

The willing heart goes a long way. (2 Cor 8:12 KJV) "For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not."

Evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. Departure from God starts with heart trouble. (Heb 3:12 KJV) "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God."

God demands our heart be in our worship. Jesus said concerning the vain worshippers of His day: (Mat 15:8 KJV) "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me."

Our conduct, even our speech, is an outpouring of the condition of our heart. (Mat 12:34-35 KJV) "O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. {35} A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things."

Some have hardened hearts: (Mark 6:52 KJV) "For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened."

(Mark 16:14 KJV) "Afterward he appeared unto 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."

(Rom 1:21 KJV) "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."

(Rom 2:5 KJV) "But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God."

A sensual, worldly heart cannot be in tune with God. (Rom 8:7 KJV) "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be."

What was Judas' problem, when he set out to betray the Lord? --Heart Trouble! (John 13:2 KJV) "And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him."

What was the problem with Ananias And Sapphira when they lied about the price of the property they sold? --Heart trouble! (Acts 5:3 KJV) "But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?"

What was the problem with the wayward Children of Israel in the wilderness? --Heart trouble! (Heb 3:10 KJV) "Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways."

(Psa 95:10 KJV) "Forty 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."

God's suggestion for them: (Ezek 18:31 KJV) "Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?"

What was the trouble with the antediluvian world? --They had heart trouble! (Gen 6:5 KJV) "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."

In the Sermon on the Mount:
(Mat 5:8 KJV) "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God."

Sometimes we need a spiritual HEART TRANSPLANT! God says:
(Ezek 36:26 KJV) "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh."

Do you have heart trouble? Do you need to come to God today?