It's good to have all of you here this morning.
We're going to go ahead and get started.
I'll pray for us and then we'll begin the study.
Father, I pray that you would go before us this morning.
Thank you for the instruction that you've given to us in your word.
Thank you for the promises that we have in the scripture,
the guidance, the instruction,
but most importantly, thank you for the power that we can enjoy
through the Holy Spirit.
And as we put your word to work in our lives,
that we can experience the overcoming power of your spirit
working through us to help accomplish the seemingly impossible.
Of course, it is impossible without your help,
but with your help, it is possible.
And so we pray that you would guide us and direct us this morning
in this study and throughout the next six weeks
as we look into passions of the heart.
I pray that you would be honored and glorified through our time together.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Well, I want to encourage you before we get started to,
hopefully you all have one of these.
And this is going to kind of be our tour guide,
map as it were.
And so as you think about the study and as we're working through this together,
the goal is that we'll be doing this,
hopefully interactively through this study guide
and through some time of teaching
and through some responses that we get.
And I imagine that,
let me, this is grabbing me.
I imagine that some of you are wondering
what in the world have we gotten ourselves into.
And I want to say that,
if you have a pen,
it might be good to have a way to take some notes.
Anyone need a pen?
Okay.
I'm going to give this to Stephen.
And if you can be responsible for getting those out,
that'd be great.
Some of you may be wondering,
what in the world have we gotten ourselves into?
What is this going to be like?
I've got some kids who are high schoolers,
who are teenagers,
and I'm a little concerned about the content.
Maybe you've read the book,
or you've heard about the book,
and you're like,
I'm not so sure my teens are ready for this subject matter.
But going back several months now,
the pastoral team and the leaders of the church,
the deacons,
have really felt like this is an essential matter.
And not just because it addresses purity,
sexual purity in that sense,
but because it addresses kind of the foundations of living,
the things that rule your heart,
and that will set the course of activity for your life.
And we find throughout the course of the Scripture,
Old and New Testament alike,
that the affections that we have,
the desires that you have,
those ruling desires and passions of your heart,
is what's going to lead you to certain habits and patterns
that may either lead to disaster in ruin for you,
or will lead to life for you.
And so this is the tipping point.
This subject that we're talking about
is really the essence of what God has called us to consider.
That we think about the first and second great commands.
What is that first and greatest command?
To do what?
To love the Lord your God.
With all your what?
Heart, soul, mind, and strength.
If we want to worship God,
and God has made us worshipers,
and that's what we're going to kind of understand
as we're working through this time together,
if we're going to worship God truly,
you have to worship God with your heart.
You have to know what that kind of worship looks like.
And so cultivating good heart patterns,
cultivating good desires, good passions,
are going to set the course for life for you.
Whether you're going to live in jeopardy of spirituality,
ruin, potential ruin, of your spiritual life,
shipwreck, as it were,
or you're going to enjoy the safety and security
and life that God has called us to.
And it starts with our heart.
It starts with our passions.
We think about the word passion.
What are some other words that come to mind?
What do you think of when you think of the word passion?
Desires.
Okay, that's a good word.
Desires.
Fundamentally, what you want, what you desire.
Any other words that come to mind when you think of passion?
What's that?
Mastery.
Now, that's an interesting word.
Why did you think about mastery?
Ah, fantastic.
I love that.
And that's not what I was thinking,
but that hits the nail on the head.
When you have a passion for something,
you want to master it.
You want to do your best at it.
You put all your effort into it.
Phenomenal.
What else do you think of when you think of passion?
Intensity.
Okay.
There's an intensity.
There's a zeal.
There's an interest, a desire of your heart to pursue something.
Good.
Any other words?
Those are tremendous.
Any other words that come to your mind?
Love.
Okay.
Love and desire.
That what we are passionate about
helps us understand what you love.
And fundamentally,
what we're going to look at in just a moment here
is what you desire,
how you feel,
what your emotions are telling you
really are like the little gauges
on the panel of your car
that I always ignore
because they're always on.
But those light indicators on your car
are like your emotions.
Now, emotions aren't necessarily good or bad.
Okay.
That even what we would consider negative emotions,
anger, frustration,
discouragement,
and despair,
whatever you want to fill in.
Even those quote-unquote negative emotions
can lead you
and are meant to lead you
to God.
They're meant to lead you to worship.
Emotions can be good.
But the problem is
is when those emotions
become controlling emotions,
when they become the kinds of emotions
that you might find yourself saying,
well, I just can't control myself.
Ever heard yourself say that?
I just can't control myself.
And so,
as we think about
passions of the heart,
the reason why we've chosen this study
is because we recognize
the significance
of those passions in your life
that are going to lead you to something.
They're going to set the course
for the way you live,
either for good or for bad.
And we also understand
that our culture,
our culture,
our culture wants to tune in
to your emotions.
They want to access your emotions
and they want to drive them somewhere.
They want to help you use those emotions
in a way that are destructive
and not life-giving.
One such example,
a popular song
that's written in the last couple of years,
written by Teddy Swims.
Anyone know who Teddy Swims is?
I did not know who Teddy Swims was
and I didn't even know
what this song was by its title,
but I am sure
that every single one of you
have heard this song.
It's called Lose Control.
It was a song
that was released in June of 2023
and the song reached number one
on the Billboard Hot 100 chart
in March of 2024.
And it holds the record
for the longest charting song
on the Billboard Hot 100
with 112 non-consecutive weeks.
112 weeks.
That's over two years
it was on this list, okay?
That's how popular this song is.
That's how much this song
engaged culture, okay?
And it was in the,
on this,
it was a top 10 song
for 80 weeks.
80 weeks.
Well, let me just,
I'm just gonna read a couple of the,
not the choruses,
but the refrains, okay?
And there's,
I'm gonna leave out certain parts,
but here's kind of a sense of this song.
It says this,
something's got a hold on me lately.
No, I don't know myself anymore.
Feels like the walls are closing in
and the devil's knocking at my door.
Whoa.
Out of my mind,
how many times
did I tell you
I'm no good at being alone?
Yeah, it's taken a toll on me,
trying my best to keep
from tearing the skin off my bones,
don't you know?
And then it says,
I,
something,
I,
what's that?
I lose control.
Something's,
I don't lose control.
Okay?
That's the whole tenor of this song.
And so,
you know,
I trust it's obvious, okay?
This is not a song
we're encouraging you to listen to necessarily,
but it's just a song that's popular
and it explains,
it really explains
kind of the,
the heart
of our culture today.
And that is
that
this core idea
is that the feelings
don't just inform
the way you live,
your feelings drive,
fundamentally drive
the way you live.
Your feelings control you,
at least
from a cultural perspective.
Your feelings
will,
will take you up,
will capture you
and pull you along.
And,
and we've learned
in culture
that,
that that's not just okay,
that's just expected.
That's what we expect
to happen.
And so,
our,
in our culture today,
your feelings
aren't just something
that,
that drive you,
your feelings now become
your identity.
And so,
how you feel
then
becomes
who you are.
and that's,
that's the message
of our culture.
How many times
have you heard,
heard it said,
or maybe even
have said yourself,
I can't help myself.
I had no choice
in the matter.
It just happened.
I couldn't stop it.
That's just how it is.
Ever said that?
Or,
or this identity language
that says,
well,
this is just
who I am.
That's just
my personality.
I'm just being honest.
Ever heard that?
I'm just being honest.
This is who I am.
Or,
or how about
the permissive language
that says,
I deserve this.
After all,
it's,
it's what I've been through.
So,
I'm allowed to feel this way.
I'm allowed to respond this way.
Or,
don't judge me.
Or,
it's not really
that big of a deal.
Come on.
Let it go.
Give,
give me some space.
Or,
or maybe this
blame shifting language
that says,
it's actually
your fault
because you made me
feel this way.
Or,
if you hadn't said that
or done that,
I would never
have reacted this way.
Or,
you're the reason
I'm like this.
Or,
it's your fault
that I'm upset.
Or,
it's the woman
you made.
Or,
it's the serpent.
that you put in the garden.
It's the age old problem
where we explain away
our responses
based upon
the way we feel.
Or,
this avoidance language.
I just need some space.
I can't talk about this right now.
Just leave me alone.
Or,
justification
in having the moral high ground
that says,
I'm only standing up for myself.
I,
I don't feel safe.
And so,
because I don't feel safe,
that I'm acting this way.
I'm just protecting
myself.
I'm setting
my boundaries.
I have every right
to do this.
Or,
the kind of minimizing language
that says,
come on,
you're overreacting.
Or,
it's not a big deal.
Or,
I was just joking.
Come on.
Give me a break.
I didn't mean it like that.
All of this,
these words
that we use
to explain away
or justify
the way our feelings
have driven us
to act.
And so,
we create this space
for ourselves
to act a certain way
because of how we feel.
And that everyone needs
to kind of clear
the boundaries,
clear the space for us
because we feel this way
and the way we feel now
has set this,
this identity for us
that gives us
the room,
the justification
to do whatever we want,
whatever we feel.
So,
one of the biggest lies
in our world
is that
our feelings
are the truest things
about ourselves.
And that
when our emotions
like losing control
are happening,
it's just expected.
You should just expect it.
Give me some room.
Give me a break.
This is how it goes.
Don't you understand?
And even going back
to the 1800s,
this has kind of been
the way that our culture
has begun to feel.
Those of you
who have taken
like literature,
English literature,
will know the name
Ralph Waldo Emerson.
And he wrote
Self-Reliance.
And the governing line
of that entire poem
is this,
Trust thyself,
never imitate.
Trust yourself.
Your emotions,
your convictions,
your identity,
it's all that matters.
Trust yourself.
Don't imitate.
Allow your life
to be ruled
by your emotions,
how you feel,
what you think,
what you believe.
And if we're honest
with ourselves,
we've all been influenced
to think that way.
We've all been conditioned
to believe
that how we feel,
what our passions are,
give us now
the room
to do whatever
we want to do.
And that's why
this is so important.
That's why
when we look at
the passions of the heart,
we can understand
it doesn't just
relate to sexual purity.
And there's going to be
a lot of times
where we're going to try
to address that
just generally
but very carefully
in this mixed audience.
But I want you to understand
that this is transcendent.
That what you believe
and what you feel
are essential
to how you live.
And especially
how you worship.
Because what you feel
is an indication
not only of what you believe
but what you value.
What you think is important.
And so
those indicator lights
when I'm angry,
when I'm frustrated,
even when I'm happy,
when I'm excited
about something,
what am I excited about
and how does that point
and direct my heart
to see
what am I really worshipping?
What do I really value?
What do I really want
in my life?
And so right at the outset
what I'd like to do
I want to just encourage
go ahead and open up
your little
your guides.
Okay.
And I want you to take
a little personal
self-inventory.
Okay.
And I say personal
because
I just want to encourage
you to keep this private.
Just between you
and the Lord
and as you're answering
these questions
I want you to be honest.
Honest with yourself
before the Lord
as you kind of
gauge
and examine
your emotions
and how much
your emotions
drive the way you act.
Okay.
So we're going to spend
the next
five, ten minutes
I want you to
take out a pen
if you don't have one
we can get you one
and do this self-inventory
just to help drive home
the point
of how emotions
have
kind of
driven the way
that we act.
So take your time
and go ahead
and do that right now.
If you need
one of those
workbooks
we can get you one
just raise up your hand
and we'll make sure
you get one.
I want you to
one of those
two of those
one of those
all right
just another
minute or two
when you're done
you can just go ahead
and look up at me.
and look at me.
all right
we almost done?
A few more seconds.
Okay.
What did you learn?
What did you learn
about yourself?
What did you learn
about yourself?
Maybe this is
an easier question.
of the little
pieces in this
inventory
which
which of those
questions
grabbed your attention
the most?
one?
Any of those?
Okay.
My identity is found by my emotions.
Yeah.
Yeah, right.
So, you know,
you're working through this
initially like
I don't find my identity
in my
in my desires
but then you're like
well then
you come to anger
and you come to fear
and you come to anxiety
and you come to pressure
and you're like
ah, well then
maybe I'm actually
a little bit more driven
by my emotions
than I think I am.
Right?
That's true.
Good.
I appreciate that.
And by the way
this was
this was pretty
pretty convicting
for me too.
When we think about
emotions
or we think about
passions
we generally
tend to think about
those passions
that lead us to
sexual
problems.
Okay.
But
we
we understand
that
feelings
and emotions
and passions
are much broader
than that.
Right?
Any other
of the
questions
that kind of
grabbed your
attention?
Anyone else
want to be honest?
Good.
How about
this one?
This is
this is
one that
that
resonated in my
heart.
Work pressures
increase my
anger or
irritability.
Now
my wife can
attest to that
and hopefully
you don't see
that very much
but she does.
Okay.
When
when pressure
and doesn't
necessarily have
to be work
pressure
when family
pressure
work
pressure
financial
pressure
health
pressure
whatever that
pressure is
when it comes
pressing down
then the
then the real
me tends
to
to show up.
This
what is it
about
me
that is so
small
in faith
I
see
my
flaws
so much
clearer
when
the pressure
mounts
and the
pressure cooker
is
is doing
its work
and I
see the
true me
and it's
not necessarily
a pretty me
and I imagine
the same is true
in your own life
as well.
You get to see
the real you
when things are hard
when the pressure
intensifies
and you
recognize
that
whatever
your escape
mechanism is
whether that's
to check out
and do nothing
whether that's
to tap into
leisure
or to tap
into friendships
or to
to work
harder
or to strive
more
whatever that
that release
or escape
mechanism is
that happens
as you
as the pressure
cooker
is
pressing in
it's cooking
hard
so what does
this say
about our
heart
and that's
kind of
this next
section
and I want
to
I'll just
kind of
walk through
this with
you
briefly
and I
we have
a little
section here
where you can
you can take
some notes
what do you
learn about
the heart
okay so
as we're
working through
this
just kind of
interacting
with one
another
over this
this would
be your
place to
kind of
take some
notes
for yourself
this personal
self inventory
that now
kind of leads
into
okay so
how does
God instruct
me
as I'm
becoming
very aware
of my
feelings
and my
emotions
now how
do I
examine
myself
or how do
I allow
the word
of God
to examine
my life
and provide
the road map
for me
on how I
should live
how I should
respond
and what's
normal
in the course
of a spiritual
life
okay
so
we find
some passages
and there's
more than we
can access
in our
time
together
but
some
key
passages
that help
to kind
of set
the course
for understanding
the heart
that the
issue of the
heart goes
all the way
back to
Genesis
and we see
this in
Genesis chapter
6
it says
the Lord
saw the
wickedness
of man
was great
in the
earth
and that
every
intention
of the
thought
of his
heart
was only
evil
continually
what do
we learn
about this
what does
this
what does
this say
about our
normal
human
condition
the condition
of our
heart
what is it
generally
what's that
it's only
evil
continually
okay
and how
deep
is the
problem
how does
Moses
through
I think
of course
the Lord
is the
one
speaking
through
Moses
writing
this
down
what is
how does
he describe
the depth
of the
problem
here
it's all
inclusive
okay
that every
thought
of all
the time
is only
evil
there's no
spark of
goodness
at all
in their
heart
evil is
rooted in
the heart
that's a
great way
to summarize
that
David
that's our
condition
that's your
heart
that's my
heart
our heart
is only
evil
continually
given
the
permission
of God
to
the
unrestrained
passions of
our heart
always lead
us
to reject
God in
every way
every
intention
of your
heart
is only
evil
continually
unless it's
brought
into
alignment
with God
and is
accessing
his power
okay
that's the
bad news
okay
but there's
some good
news
and we're
gonna get
there
eventually
here
Proverbs
16
9
says
the heart
of man
plans
his way
but the
Lord
establishes
his steps
now why
is that
important
how does
that help
us to
understand
how things
should work
normally in the
course of
our heart
condition
and especially
when our
heart desires
to do the
things of the
Lord
what do we
learn about
the heart
here in
this verse
what do you
see
okay
that's good
our heart
is our
planning center
and by the
way
that is
good
okay
it is good
when your
heart
desires
things
it is good
when your
heart
plans
things
the
strategy
though
the key
is
is to
allow
God
to
govern
the
actual
outworkings
of
your
plans
so you
hold
those
plans
those
desires
with an
open
hand
and you
let God
guide and
direct
the steps
that you
take
and by the
way
you allow
God
to
fundamentally
change
those
desires
so that
they're in
line
alignment
with
his
desires
can be
good
they're not
always
bad
and so
we need
to allow
God
to
govern
our
desires
Romans
chapter 10
verses 9
to 10
says
because
if you
confess
with your
mouth
that
Jesus
is
Lord
and
believe
in
your
heart
that
God
raised
him
from
the
dead
you
will
be
saved
for
with
the
heart
one
believes
and
is
justified
and
with
the
mouth
one
confesses
and
is
saved
why
is that
important
what is
our
heart
doing
there
why
is
this
a
good
expression
of
the
heart
why
is
this
encouraging
!
for
us
especially
in light
of
Genesis
chapter 6
okay
because
through
godly
desires
God
shapes
our
heart
to
want
the
right
things
and
to
enjoy
him
okay
God
wants
to
take
our
heart
he
wants
to
shape
it
and
move
it
in
the
right
direction
and
it
really
begins
with
believing
our
heart
that
confesses
and
believes
and
trusts
and
then
now
our
affections
are
stirred
and
begin
to
move
in the
direction
of
God
and so
real
worship
can
begin
to take
place
in
Matthew
chapter
22
36
to
40
it
says
teacher
which
is
the
great
commandment
and
he
said
to
them
you
shall
love
the
Lord
your
God
with
all
your
heart
and
with
all
your
soul
and
all
your
mind
this
is
the
great
and
first
commandment
and
a
second
is
like
it
you
shall
love
your
neighbor
as
yourself
on
these
two
commands
!
depend
all
the
law
and
the
prophets
!
I mean
I'm
going to
put
this
way
and
this
may
I'll
try
to
qualify
this
I
want
to
say
emotions
in
and
of
themselves
are
neutral
okay
even
anger
and
frustration
and
discontentment
can be
somewhat
neutral
as long
as those
emotions
are driving
you in
the right
direction
okay
that God
isn't
God
isn't
alarmed
when
all
of
a
sudden
we're
frustrated
about
something
it's
just
what
do
we
do
with
that
frustration
what
do
we
do
with
that
fear
what
do
we
do
with
that
anxiety
what
do
we
do
with
those
feelings
of
despair
do
they
drive
us
to
God
or
do
they
drive
us
away
from
God
that
is
really
what's
important
so
feelings
in
and of
themselves
are
neutral
until
they
take
flight
in
moving
us
in
a
certain
direction
and
if
your
negative
emotions
move
you
to
God
then
that's
exactly
what
emotions
are
meant
to
do
and
then
God
begins
to
take
those
emotions
he
begins
to
move
those
emotions
around
and
to
help
us
to
become
secure
in
him
even
when
we
feel
like
in
our
emotional
turmoil
we're
just
like
I
don't
know
what
to
do
and
God
takes
those
emotions
he
begins
to
change
them
and
help
us
to
trust
him
and
worship
him
as
he
desires
so
what
does
our
heart
require
what
do
we
need
fundamentally
what
do
our
hearts
need
and that's
this next
section
what does
God
do
and here's
the
beautiful
truth
for us
Ezekiel
36
22
25
to
27
it says
therefore
say to
the house
of Israel
thus
says
the
Lord
God
it is
not
for
your
sake
O
house
of
Israel
that
I'm
about
to
act
but
for
the
sake
of
my
holy
name
okay
now
let's
just
pause
there
for
a
moment
what
did
God
just
say
what
did
you
hear
summarize
this
for
me
what's
there
that's
good
it is
not
about
!
you
it's
about
me
I
am
!
doing
this
for
you
what
I'm
about
to
do
I'm
going
to
do
for
my
glory
I'm
going
to
do
for
my
renown
I'm
going
to
do
to
set
my
name
above
the
heavens
where
it
belongs
and
for
you
to
revere
me
the
way
that
I
deserve
I'm
going
to
do
something
it's
going
to
blow
you
away
but
I'm
not
doing
this
because
I want
you to
feel
!
necessarily
I'm
doing
this
because
I
want
you
to
look
at
me
and
worship
me
the
way
I
deserve
so
what
is
he
going
to
do
let's
look
at
this
verse
25
is
that
25
put
my
glasses
on
25
I
will
sprinkle
clean
water
on
you
and
you
shall
be
clean
from
all
your
uncleanness
and
from
all
your
idols
I
will
cleanse
you
and
I
will
give
you
a
new
what
church
heart
hallelujah
a new
heart
and
a
new
spirit
I
will
put
within
you
and
I
will
remove
the
heart
of
stone
from
your
flesh
and
give
you
a
heart
of
flesh
and
I
will
put
my
spirit
within
you
and
cause
you
to
walk
in
my
statutes
and
careful
to
obey
my
rules
what's
the
good
news
about
that
verse
what's
the
good
news
regeneration
okay
that's a
fancy
word
for
make
us
new
okay
why
else
is that
good
news
well
really
personalize
this
okay
make
this
super
personal
why
is it
good
news
for
you
what's
that
God's
the one
doing
the
action
why
is that
good
news
for
you
David
it's
not
about
you
it's
about
God
why
else
is this
good
news
for
you
need
it
that's
right
the
longer
we
live
the
more
we
understand
how
broken
we
are
how
desperate
we
are
and
how
much
we
need
the
Lord
and
how
much
of a
mess
we
make
of
things
and
it's
good
news
because
God
takes
the
mess
maker
heart
and
he
not
just
cleans
it
up
a
little
bit
he
makes
it
brand
new
what
an
incredible
encouragement
what a
blessing
that is
for us
he makes
it
new
and so
David
this is
the spirit
of David
the psalmist
based upon
the promise
that's given
now David
he's able
to pray
this
create
in me
a clean
heart
oh
God
renew
a
right
spirit
within
me
for
you
will
not
delight
in
sacrifices
or I
would
give
it
you
will
not
be
pleased
with
burnt
offerings
the
sacrifices
of
God
are
a
broken
spirit
and
a
contrite
heart
oh
God
you
will
not
despise
did
you catch
that
not only
do we need
to pray
that God
will
create
within
us
a
clean
heart
but
David
comes
to
understand
that
if
true
worship
is
ever
going
to
happen
and
maybe
I
ought to
put
it
this
way
fundamentally
you
were
made
to be
a
worshipper
and
so
you
will
not
perform
the
purpose
for
which
you're
made
unless
you
worship
with
a
clean
heart
and
that's
what
David
is
coming
to
the
sacrifices
of
God
they're
not
bulls
and goats
and
rams
and all
of
this
these
blood
sacrifices
it's
not
the
performance
that you
bring
to the
table
no
it's
a
broken
heart
and
it's
a
broken
heart
by the
way
that
God
gives
you
it's
a
new
heart
that
God
wants
to
bless
you
with
and
so
as
we
come
with
that
broken
and
contrite
heart
then we
can
begin
to
worship
God
in a
way
that
he's
pleased
with
so
I
want to
take
just a
couple
moments
right
now
and
I
want
you
just
between
yourself
and
the
Lord
right
in
this
moment
ask
God
to
do
that
for
you
okay
just
going to
take
a
couple
moments
just
you
and
the
Lord
God
do
this
for
me
I
need
a
!
heart
out
Father, thank you that you not only delight
in clean hearts, but that you give them.
You give them of your own accord.
And so Lord, I pray for each of us,
all of us in this room this morning,
that you would help us not only to understand
the significance of a clean heart,
but that you would help us to press in
and to desire and crave that renewed heart
that comes day by day through your mercy and grace.
In Jesus' name, amen.
There's a problem though, okay?
We know we need to have a clean heart.
We know that our hearts are often out of bounds,
but there's an issue, okay?
And here's the issue.
Proverbs 26, is it 26 or 28?
Sorry.
28, 26.
Someone read that.
Jack, read that out loud for me.
He who trusts in his own heart is a fool,
that whoever walks wisely will be the Lord.
Okay.
David, read that again.
Do you have that?
Yep.
Sure.
He who trusts in his own heart is a fool,
but whoever walks wisely will be the Lord.
Elliot, read that for me.
He who trusts in his own heart is a fool,
but whoever walks wisely will be the Lord.
Alex, can you read that?
He who trusts in his own heart is a fool,
whoever walks wisely will be the Lord.
How does deliverance come?
Not from the heart.
Well, it doesn't come in trusting the heart, right?
You trust in your heart,
you're asking for trouble.
And the language is really severe.
I mean, who wants to be called a fool?
You're an idiot.
That's the modern nomenclature.
What are you thinking about?
How stupid could you be?
Don't trust your heart.
It's foolish.
It's ignorant.
It's dumb.
It's stupid.
Don't be foolish.
And why?
Well, because in Jeremiah 17, 9 and 10,
it says the heart is deceitful.
The heart wants to trick you.
And let me tell you,
all of us are fooled by our heart.
Okay?
We're so fooled by our heart.
We give ourselves a pass far too often
because we see things about our heart
we want to be true, but are not true.
And so we're deceived.
Okay?
We're lied to.
And our heart is desperately wicked.
Who can know it?
I, the Lord, search the heart.
I test the mind.
Even to give every man according to his ways,
according to the fruit of his doings.
So that's the danger here, right?
You trust your untrustworthy heart.
God is the one who judges that heart
and God is the one who will bring
to pass the things that our heart
leads us to do.
And so those actions will be judged
once our heart leads us in a certain direction.
And God is the judge of our heart.
And God will not let us get away
with the things our heart wants to do.
Proverbs 16, 25.
There is a way that seems right to a man,
but the end of that way is death.
Okay.
So, let's just pause for a moment.
And what do we learn in here?
What do we learn about our heart?
What do we need to,
as we're navigating this
and we understand the significance
of it being the control center of our lives
and directs the things that we do,
what do we need to understand about our heart
and then how that will then help to align
and regulate the decisions that we make?
What do you think?
Okay.
Don't lean on your own understanding.
And to keep going,
in all your ways,
acknowledge him.
He will make your path straight.
That's the answer, right?
The answer is not to trust in your own ways.
Not to trust in your own path,
but to find a way
to understand the path that God has set for us
and that we're going to let his path
direct our steps.
He will make it straight.
Good.
What else you learn?
That's good.
Man, you just crushed me right now.
I can't follow my heart.
I just, wow.
Disney, poof.
That's true.
That's good.
Thank you.
What else?
Okay.
If it moves you toward God in activity,
that's what it is.
Okay.
It moves you away
because a lot of times,
you know good and evil.
But you really have to,
if this is moving me away from God,
that should be a red flag.
Okay, good.
So, that's a great summary, Jack.
If it moves me away from God,
then it's fundamentally having the wrong effect on my heart.
Right?
My heart is out of sync.
Now, here's where the real danger comes into play.
The real danger is what we see in the Pharisees.
Right?
They were really close to God.
They really loved God.
They really obeyed God.
They really followed God.
They were really zealous and passionate for the things of God.
And I put that in air quotes
because we know the reality, right?
How deceptive the heart can be.
They thought they were checking those boxes.
They thought they were doing the right things.
They thought they were worshiping God
till the day is long.
They thought they were doing exactly what God wanted.
But they were wrong.
They were wrong.
Because they didn't understand the heart of God.
Right?
And it was their own heart and passions and idols and cravings
that were driving, really,
fueling those inward desires.
Okay.
So, what do we do?
Okay.
If we can't trust our heart,
then what are we left with?
Now it's just like,
oh, I guess it's all hopeless.
I guess we can't do anything.
I guess we need to abandon all this effort
and just forget about it.
No.
That's not the answer.
And just for the next few moments,
I want to just take us to 2 Corinthians 7,
verses 9 to 11.
Okay?
And we're going to see that there is a way
that we need to actively calibrate our hearts.
We need to actively pursue realignment of our hearts to God.
And how does that happen?
Well, it happens through repentance.
Okay?
It happens through having this personal,
humble self-evaluation
that is honest with God
and broken.
This contrite spirit and broken heart
that the psalmist talks about.
That's the kind of heart the Lord will not despise.
So, what does that look like?
Well, I think
it can be really summarized well here.
And I think this is important for us to kind of take away.
We'll build on this as we continue to work through this content.
But it's important for us to understand
the difference between godly sorrow
and worldly sorrow.
Okay?
When you get caught,
my guess is
that 999 of us out of 1,000
are going to feel bad about it.
Okay?
But is that driven by godly sorrow?
Or is that driven by worldly sorrow?
Let me just read this verse.
We'll break it apart.
We'll talk about it for just a few minutes.
And then we'll be done.
Okay?
2 Corinthians 7, verses 9 to 11 says this.
As it is,
this is Paul speaking.
He's writing to the church of Corinth.
And I'm sorry,
let me just give you a tad bit of background.
Okay?
If you go all the way back to Paul's first letter to Corinth,
which I think is actually his second letter.
We don't have his first letter,
but that's not a matter.
1 Corinthians 5,
Paul talks about this brother in the church
who was caught in sexual immorality.
Remember?
Okay?
And the church thought they were being tolerant.
They thought they were being gracious
by putting up with it.
And the apostle Paul says,
what is your problem?
Not even the Gentiles,
not even the world thinks or acts this way.
You've got to discipline this guy.
You've got to help him understand
the significance of his sin.
You've got to boot him out of the church.
And now some time has elapsed.
Some time has elapsed.
And this church of Corinth is still set
on discipline,
in severity,
in harshness,
when it's clear that this man
has been broken over his sin,
has asked for forgiveness,
and wants to be now part of the church again.
And now Paul has to address this church.
And not only their initial actions
towards this man,
which were right and good,
but now their own condition of their heart
that they need to understand
the significance of bringing him into the fold
and recognizing the significance
of their own sorrowing over sin.
Okay?
So all of that is a context
for 2 Corinthians 7, 9 to 11.
It says,
As it is,
I rejoice,
not just because you were grieved,
meaning,
you were grieved over this man's sin.
That was right.
That was good.
And when I came after you,
I came with some really strong words,
and you understood and recognized
the significance of what was happening,
and you acted in an appropriate way
towards disciplining this guy.
And your own hearts were grieved as well,
because you recognized
that you were also culpable in some way.
I'm not holding him accountable.
Okay?
He moves on.
But because you were grieved into repenting,
for you felt a godly grief
so that you suffered no loss through us.
For godly grief produces repentance
that leads to salvation without regret,
whereas worldly grief produces death.
For see what earnestness
this godly grief has produced in you,
but also what eagerness to clear yourselves
what indignation,
what fear,
what longing,
what zeal,
what punishment.
At every point,
you have proved yourselves innocent
in this matter.
Okay?
Let me just begin briefly
with a discussion of the difference
between worldly sorrow
and godly sorrow.
Okay?
What is worldly sorrow?
Did I put this in your...
Okay, good.
Worldly sorrow is regret.
It's self-centered grief.
You feel bad,
but you feel bad
because you got caught.
Okay?
You feel bad
because you're worried
about consequences.
You feel bad
because there's a level of shame
that has happened.
Okay?
It's not driven
by
a feeling
of guilt,
personal guilt
and understanding
of your sin
so much as
I...
Because you would have kept
doing it
without any problem
until you got caught
because you didn't care
about the sin itself.
You just cared about
the consequences.
You understand?
Okay?
So,
it focuses on
I got caught.
This is ruining my life.
Look what's happened
to me now.
People think less
of me now.
Okay?
That's
that's
worldly sorrow.
Can you
resonate with that?
Have you seen that?
Have you experienced that?
You understand
what we're talking about here?
Okay.
So then,
how does that compare
with godly sorrow?
Well,
godly sorrow
is God-centered grief.
It grieves
the sin itself
because
it has offended
a holy God.
You come to terms
with understanding,
oh lord,
now I begin
to understand
the significance
of how this
has brought
reproach to your name.
God,
I don't care
what happens
to me.
I don't care
what the consequences
are.
But what I care
about is how
this has dishonored
you and I want
whatever it takes
in my life
for my life
to honor you.
And so,
you can bring
whatever punishment,
you can bring
whatever consequences,
whatever it takes,
Lord,
I want my life
to please you.
That's the difference.
Okay?
So,
examples of godly sorrow here.
I hate the sin
because God hates the sin.
It's what we see
in King David
when Nathan
confronts him
about Bathsheba.
Right?
And all of a sudden
when there's this point
of revelation
in his heart,
he's like,
oh my goodness,
what have I done?
Oh Lord,
please forgive me.
Right?
This expression
of his heart.
I want to be clean again.
I want my love
to be reordered
around God.
Not my emotions,
not my passions
that are pushing me
towards other things,
but I want my passions
to lead me
to him.
Right?
So,
this passage,
2 Corinthians 7,
verses 9-11,
and especially
in verse 11,
now give us
seven characteristics
of what godly sorrow
looks like.
What does true repentance
look like?
How can I know
in my heart
and how can I know
with the people around me
whether or not
what they're doing
in asking for forgiveness
is self-serving
or God-serving?
Okay?
And here's some
characteristics,
some qualities
the Apostle Paul
points to.
There are seven of them,
kind of,
one right after the other.
Okay?
And we're just going to
touch on them briefly.
Okay?
You see that in verse 11.
What earnestness
this godly grief
has produced in you,
what eagerness,
what indignation,
what fear,
what longing,
what zeal,
what punishment,
at every point
you proved yourselves
to be innocent
as a matter.
There are seven of them.
I just want to touch on briefly.
Okay?
First is
the pursuit of purity.
The pursuit of purity
that's kind of captured
in this word earnestness.
Earnestness.
That once you're caught,
or maybe I should say,
once you come to terms
with your sin
and how that sin
has disrupted fellowship
with God
and has brought shame
or dishonor
to God
through your sin,
now there's this
intensity,
this earnestness.
He also describes
as eagerness,
this strong desire,
Lord,
I want to be pure.
I want to be clean.
I want not
to dishonor you
in this way again.
this intensity,
this earnestness,
this eagerness,
this zeal
and desire
in your heart.
Oh, God,
help me
that this is not
a pattern in my life,
that this
is something
that I never have
to repent
about again.
That's your heart.
While you know
that it's likely
that there's going
to be sin again,
maybe even in that area
again and again
and again,
that your heart says,
no,
I want to be free
of this.
I want to be
unburdened by this.
I want to please you.
Oh, God,
the intense earnestness
of my heart
is for purity,
this pursuit
of purity.
Next is
the presence
of repentance.
The presence
of repentance.
And he speaks
about
this anger,
okay,
this indignation.
And indignation
is another word
for anger.
And so,
this is just describing
how a person
feels
once they come
to terms
with their sin.
Like,
you can even remember
in the example
of David,
right?
Remember,
David confronts,
or Nathan confronts
David
about his sin.
Remember,
what illustration
or what story
does Nathan tell
David?
Remember?
Okay,
a man with a sheep.
Okay.
Okay,
good.
He takes that sheep,
he claims it
for his own,
and even though
he's got all
of these sheep,
he takes the one
from the poor
little farmer
down the road
who doesn't have
any sheep.
He just has
this,
that one,
right?
And how does
David feel
when he hears
that example?
Anger,
right?
And he's like,
I'm going to
rephrase this
because I don't
remember the exact
phraseology,
but may it be
an even more,
I'm going to
kill that guy,
right?
Because this is
unacceptable in Israel.
And then Nathan
says,
what?
You are the man.
You're the man.
And not only
was there a sense
of reality
that sunk in,
but that kind
of anger
that David felt
about that sin
is how we should
feel about that sin
in our own lives.
God,
I hate this sin.
I hate what it's
doing to me.
I hate what it's
doing to the people
around me.
I hate kind of
the consequences
and the implications
of how this has
disrupted ministry
and family
and community
and perhaps have
robbed you
of opportunities
to serve.
It's maybe
tarnished your
reputation
and taken away
some of those
opportunities that
you have
to speak into
the lives of
others.
God,
I hate that my
sin has done
this.
Oh God,
please forgive me.
Here's the beauty
though.
The beauty is
that God can
redeem the years
the locusts have
eaten,
right?
We have a
redeeming,
restoring kind
of God.
But it should
lead us to anger.
God,
I hate my sin.
I'm broken
over it.
I don't want this
to be true of me.
I hate this.
Next is
the presence
of holy fear.
He says,
what fear?
What fear?
And I think
this is reverence
for God
but I think
it's more than
just reverence
for God.
I think it's
like that feeling
that you have
when you've been
caught.
Like,
you know,
for the adults
in the room,
you're driving
down the road,
you're going a little
faster than you should
and you see
those flashing
lights,
okay?
You're like,
oh,
that sinking
feeling you get,
right?
Kind of that,
oh no,
I feel terrible.
That kind of fear
down in the,
you know,
down here
in the parts
of your,
right?
And then,
you know,
for those of you
who are teenagers
or kids
and you're doing
something you know
you're not supposed
to do,
you get caught,
right?
And,
oh,
that fear
down here
in this part,
right?
You feel it,
you know it,
like,
oh,
that's the kind
of fear
we're talking
about.
So that,
I don't ever
want to do this
again because I
hate,
I hate that feeling
of fear.
I want to live
in the present
reality
of the fear
of God.
That,
that,
that holy
fear of God
helps to preserve
me and carry
me and,
and,
and point my
life in the
right direction.
This is number
four,
a passion
to restore
broken relationships.
This longing
that he refers
to here
in verse 11.
This longing
to,
to make
something right,
okay?
This,
this longing
to,
to restore
what was,
what was broken.
That,
that I'm not okay
with just leaving
things alone.
I'm not okay
with just
allowing the mess
to remain.
But,
but as much
as I'm able
to,
I want to restore
back what's been
taken.
I want to fix
what's been broken.
I want to restore
that relationship.
I want to do
what it takes
to,
to make sure
they recognize
that,
that I'm not okay
with what's,
with what's happened.
And as much
as I'm able to,
to restore that
broken relationship.
This heart
for zeal.
You know,
we've talked about
zeal a lot
already.
And,
and we see
this zeal
kind of working
its way through
a lot of the
elements of,
of,
of this,
of this passage.
But,
but here,
zeal and just
helping to
refer to
passionate
desire for
justice.
That's really
what this,
this Greek word
means.
Not just
punishment
here,
but,
or self
punishment
that he's
referring to.
But,
but so,
so much more,
actually I'm
moving,
sorry,
that's,
I said zeal,
I'm on,
I'm on a six,
pursuit of justice
and punishment.
The punishment
doesn't mean
self punishment,
but a,
a willingness
to make things
right.
To take whatever
steps that are
necessary to fix
the damage.
You accept the
consequences.
You're willing
to come clean.
And,
you know,
I think
a lot of
times
when we feel
like we've
gotten away
with something
and maybe
we have
gotten away
with something,
the,
one of the,
one of the
riskiest things
that we can
consider
when we're,
when we
come to terms
with our sin
is now
coming clean.
Because we
feel like
even though
God has
convicted us
about that
sin,
if we can
keep it
private,
then we can
mitigate the
consequences.
Does that make
sense?
Right?
God may have
convicted me
about this
that as I've
been praying,
oh Lord,
please reveal
to me the
areas that
I've sinned
against you.
And he does.
And you're like,
oh boy,
ho, ho, ho.
I haven't had
to pay for that
yet.
I haven't
had to,
I haven't
had to
resolve
the potential
collateral
damage of
that yet.
Because they
don't know
about that
yet.
And so,
we are
tempted then
again to
go underground
and to
complicate
the,
the fertile
soil that
God is trying
to produce
sin us
because we're
afraid of
then what
God might
allow to
happen once
that sin
comes out
into the
light.
Does that
make sense?
That's not
what a
repentant
heart does.
A repentant
heart says,
okay God,
I trust
you that
since you
have led
me to
understand
what my
sin is,
that you're
also going
to allow
me to
recognize
that the
consequences
that you
bring into
my world
have some
redeeming
quality to
them.
And I
trust you
to do
what's
right,
even when
I'm terrified
of what's
coming.
Make sense?
That's a
big one.
Yes.
That's good.
Amen.
Thank you,
John.
Moms and
dads,
this is kind
of what
John said,
and I
agree wholeheartedly.
You set the
course for
this in your
kids'
lives.
Because there's
a lot of
times when
Johnny comes
home and
says,
oh,
daddy,
I was
riding my
bike.
And this
is a personal
story.
I was
riding my
bike and
I ran
into so-and-so.
Like,
you're riding
down the
street on
your bicycle
and you
hit a car?
Now,
he didn't
respond that
way,
but he's
like,
how did
this happen?
Well,
you go
inspect and
the little
scratch is
hardly visible.
You're like,
I'll just
buff this out,
no problem.
But parents,
you say,
you know what?
We've got
business to
do.
You need to
tell Mrs.
Straley what
happened.
We need to
own up to
this.
Parents,
you set the
course for
true repentance
in your children's
heart when you
help them know
and embrace the
consequences.
Thank you,
John.
That is,
I'm glad we
didn't miss
that.
Wow.
Okay,
finally,
a clear
conscience and
renewed joy.
And here's
what,
here's what
Paul says,
kind of moving
back to
verse 10.
For godly
grief produces
a repentance
without regret.
Oh,
man,
there is nothing
better than a
clear conscience.
And that's,
that's the
final benefit
that we get
to enjoy
when we're
walking this
path.
This is not
only a
realigned,
recalibrated
heart in
passions that
are kind of
reset to,
to want
God and
to walk
after God,
but we
come to a
place like,
I am
finally free.
I'm free
of this.
It doesn't
have a hold
on me anymore.
And that's,
that's the
benefit.
So,
in just a
couple minutes,
I want to
give you a
shot here,
okay?
Here's a final
little piece
for you,
okay?
This closing
personal commitment,
right?
So,
look at this,
fill in the
blanks,
okay,
for me.
Lord,
when I feel
blank,
what is that
emotion that
comes to your
mind?
When I feel
this way,
I usually
move towards
this.
When I feel
this,
when I feel
anxious,
when I feel
fearful,
when I feel
happy,
when I feel
frustrated,
then it moves
me towards
this.
But Lord,
this week,
I want to
commit to
do this
instead,
so I can
live in
purity and
grow in
worship of
you.
Just take a
couple seconds,
fill in those
blanks,
and then I'll
pray for us.
Father,
we thank you
that you have
given us
hearts that
can move in
the right
direction.
And so,
Father,
we pray for
your help.
We pray that
your Holy Spirit
will guide our
lives,
that will make
us new.
And God,
in every part
of life,
whether it's
in academics,
or it's in
work,
whether it's
in private,
or in public,
Lord,
wherever we are
and whatever we
feel,
Lord,
I pray that we
would bring
those feelings
to you,
and that it
would lead us
to your greater
worship.
We pray these
things in Jesus'
name.
Amen.
All right.
Thanks for coming,
and we hope to
pick this up again
next week.