Sermon: God is the Strength of My Heart

#1776
Martin G. Collins
Given 10-Aug-24; 60 minutes 2024-08-10

We use the word heart frequently, but most people seldom stop to ask what heart really means and where it comes from. If you check the Cambridge Dictionary, you will see that heart can also mean courage, determination, or hope. The word heart is mentioned over 800 times and represents numerous things in the Bible and therefore, it must be very important and vital to our spiritual lives.

Now, in our English vernacular, there is a meaning of a word or phrase that does not specifically appear in the Bible. Yet, the principle regarding the heart is very clear. When a person does something extraordinary, accomplishes something against all odds, uses effort beyond their skill or capability, we say he has heart.

Having heart is beyond simply finding strength in our own will. Human will can propel us to push ourselves or it can make us start a diet or begin exercise. It can certainly motivate. But it is the nature of lasting motivation that matters. Lasting motivation requires faithful conviction. The dedicated heart motivates us to continue until we succeed in worthwhile things.

Heart can even be in failure and the willingness to accept it, grow from it, and try again. Even in defeat, no one can take true heart away from us. Heart transforms our lives, knowing that we are fighting for what we love.

Now, there are unforgettable people about whom it is said "They had heart!" because they accomplished amazing things in their lives: selfless first responders in life-threatening situations, astronauts of extraordinary courage, and soldiers who sacrificed themselves to save others, to name a few.

There are biblical characters who did extraordinary things and had wonderful accomplishments. Noah spent over 100 years being persecuted for obeying God by building a seafaring vessel capable of carrying eight human beings, live representatives of every animal species, and enough supplies to sustain them for at least a year. Noah had heart.

Moses led millions of Israelites out of Egypt across the Red Sea through the wilderness for 40 years to the Promised Land. Moses had heart.

David struck and killed a lion and a bear to defend his father's sheep, and slew Goliath with a slingshot against all odds. David had heart.

Daniel stayed faithful to God as he stood against the demands of multiple regimes who had mistreated him. Daniel in prison, Daniel in the lions den. Daniel had heart.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego faced probable death in a fiery furnace for not bowing to another God. They had heart.

To have heart requires faithful conviction.

For the remainder of this sermon, we will examine many references to the heart in Scripture, beginning with where the true strength of the heart lies. Please turn with me to Psalm 73, verse 23. What if my heart fails? There are complex metaphors regarding the heart in Scripture. The word heart is often used to refer to personality and intellect, memory, emotions, desires, and will. The heart is also used metaphorically to describe the intangibles that constitute what it means to be human, like the inner person and will. In the biblical sense, it is the antonym of the flesh, which is also the body. We see this distinction in the psalmist's confession in Psalm 73.

Psalm 73:23-26 Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand. You will guide me with Your counsel, and afterwards receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh [or body] and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

In this psalm, Asaph comes to a realization, having recovered a true spiritual balance. He has new insight into the destiny of the wicked and his own lack of spiritual understanding. And he also recognizes that God has been with him all along and always will be with him. This is a true blessing against which the worldly blessings are nothing.

So when we feel like our hearts and minds are failing us, God strengthens our hearts with His indwelling Spirit and He uses His spiritual power to fortify us. God is the strength of our heart.

The heart is often used in the Bible to describe human character and personality. In other words, the heart describes the dynamic forces that make us unique individuals. As a result, the heart can be instilled with moral qualities. In this regard, the writers of the Bible also use complex metaphors concerning the heart. For example, a heart not yet bound to God is referred to as an uncircumcised heart and a heart of hostility and hate is a hard heart.

Now, the book of Exodus refers to the hard heart of Pharaoh that God had strengthened in that way. His heart refused to choose in accordance with freedom for Israel and ultimately leading to Egypt's destruction.

Please turn over to Ezekiel 36, verse 26. On the other hand, hearts can be transformed from self-serving to God fearing. Ezekiel describes the process of transforming hearts of stone into hearts of flesh and as receiving a new heart.

Ezekiel 36:26-27 "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. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them."

So God gives us a new heart upon receiving His Holy Spirit. Because the heart represents human personality, God looks there, in addition to our actions, to see whether we are faithful. We are called upon to seek God with our whole hearts so that is where He looks to see if we are His people.

I Samuel 16:7 But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

Now, our personality functions from many different aspects of our being. And it is not surprising that the Hebrew word for heart represents our thinking, remembering, our feeling, our desires, and our willingness.

Today, we associate thought and memory with the brain. But in the phrasing of the Bible, thinking is a function of the heart. Now, we live in a world that is driven by emotion and the instability that has resulted from this misdirected or visionless "heart of emotion" is widespread and devastating.

A person incapable of being stirred by emotion is not a complete person, but a man, woman, or nation whose emotions mainly direct their decisions will frequently make terrible choices. Is that not what we are seeing in our society today? It is all run by emotion, which we call ideology. And there is no sense in it, no common sense whatsoever.

Depression and discouragement are often the result of this unstable human power, but it does not have to be that way. According to biblical usage, the heart is the source from which emotions flow. Aaron's heart flowed with joy when he saw Moses. Leviticus 19:17, warns God's people, "Do not hate your brother in your heart."

Fear is expressed as a loss of heart, indicating that courage is also a heartfelt emotion. These and many other emotions, for instance, despair, sadness, trust, and anger come from one's heart.

Now, the heart is also referred to as the seat of desire. Abner asked David if he could set things in motion for the king so David could rule over all that his heart desired. And the psalmist tells us to turn to God so that He can give us the desires of our heart.

Please turn to Genesis 8, verse 20. The heart not only thinks and feels, remembers and desires, but it also chooses a course of action. In Matthew 15:19, Jesus taught that "out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander."

Maybe the most extraordinary use of the heart in the Bible is about God here in Genesis 8.

Genesis 8:20-21 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, "I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done."

The reference to God's heart in verse 21 is similar to what is applied to humans in the same verse and reminds us that we are created in God's image.

Please turn over to Hosea 11, verse 8. Now, in this connection, the prophet Hosea quotes God as saying that while He will certainly punish Israel for their rebellion, He will not completely destroy them. The decision to refrain from their destruction was not done lightly. It was the result of God's caring contemplation about the situation.

Hosea 11:8-9 "How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I set you like Zeboiim? My heart churns within Me; My sympathy [compassion in the ESV and NIV] is stirred. I will not execute the fierceness of My anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim. For I am God, and not man, the Holy One in your midst; and I will not come with terror."

So here God justifies His change of mind based on His holiness. In contrast, when human beings are angered, they are naturally inclined toward a course of destruction toward those who offend. But God is divine, not human, so His mercy prevails.

Let us turn over to Romans 6, verse 16. Now, with that background to the heart and mind, I would like to look closely at something. The apostle Paul wrote to the members in Rome and of course, to us today, that expresses its importance to God. Paul complimented them on genuinely obeying and living by God's truth as delivered by the patriarchs and the prophets, and Jesus Christ and the apostles.

Romans 6:16-22 Do you not know that to whom present yourself slaves to obey, you are that one slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.

So the pivotal scripture here is the last half of verse 17, where Paul says, "yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered." A form of doctrine can also be expressed as a standard of teaching, both mean the same thing.

There can be many symptoms or indicators of the spiritual condition of depression. Ignorance of the problem in and of itself may lead to the condition. The kind of person who thinks that once you believe in Jesus Christ, all your problems are left behind and that the rest of the story will be "they all live happily ever after," is soon sooner or later to suffer from this spiritual depression.

We are called into the spiritual life, this spiritual condition, by the grace of God. But we must never forget that another power is against us. We are citizens of the Kingdom of God. But the Bible tells us that we are opposed by another kingdom, which is also a spiritual kingdom, and that we are continually and ruthlessly being attacked and besieged by that kingdom, by that principality. We are in the fight of faith, and we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against supernatural powers and spiritual wickedness.

While that is true, we have to be prepared to resist spiritual depression and discouragement, and for its appearance in all kinds of ways. Satan is not only clever and powerful but also very subtle, and if necessary, he can transform himself into an angel of light as II Corinthians 11:14 tells us.

So from the moment we become Christian, we become the special target of Satan's evil in attention. And we are to rejoice because it is proof of our faith. That is why James says in James 1:2, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials."

Now, the moment we are called by God into His truth, Satan is determined to discourage us with negative thoughts and he is very clear at making us miserable or making us suffer from spiritual depression. We cannot allow ourselves to be like malnourished, spiritual children, not growing, not exhibiting health and energy in heart, mind, and will. Any Christian in that condition is more or less in denial of his own faith. For that reason, the Devil is especially concerned about producing this condition in us, and there is no end to the ways it may affect us and the ways that it may show itself in us.

Let us look at another general cause of this condition. It is the one described here in Romans 6:17. Once again, "But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered." This is a positive description of a Christian, but we can use it from a negative perspective to gain another perspective.

One of the common causes of spiritual depression is the failure to obey from the heart. It is the goat mentality that refuses to conform to the church's biblically-based pattern of fellowship and worship and praise. It is the individualist mentality of not giving self-sacrificing, full support to God's church and its members.

Paul gives the Romans and all of us an absolute description of a pre-Christian. He says we were the servants of Satan and under the dominion of Satan, but we are no longer there. Paul gives us the reason, "You have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered to you."

Please turn over to Deuteronomy 30, verse 1. This is what God demanded from His congregation in the wilderness, the ancient Israelites, and it is what He demands from His church, the spiritual Israel today.

Deuteronomy 30:1-2 "Now it came to pass, when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the Lord your God drives you, and you return to the Lord your God and obey His voice, according to all that I command you today, you and your children, with all your heart and with all your soul, . . ."

Deuteronomy 30:4 "If any of you are driven out of the farthest parts of under heaven, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you."

Deuteronomy 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."

Deuteronomy 30:10 ". . . if you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes, which are written in this Book of the Law, and if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul."

Now there is God's view of spiritual stability with all your heart and with all your soul. Generally heart here means mind and soul means body. This relates to the entirety, the fullness of a person's life.

Please flip back to Romans 6 once again. Paul emphasizes to members of the church the importance of understanding the stability that comes from the truth and the inevitable consequences that come from misunderstanding it.

Romans 6:14-15 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? Certainly not!

Paul is emphatic there, he leaves no doubt. The point that Paul emphasized is the wholeness of a Christian's life, the stability of a Christian's life. It is a life we must obey—willingly—from the heart. There is the emotion, the sensibility. There is the already spiritually delivered form of doctrine that came to our minds and came to our understanding.

So Paul is, in describing a Christian, emphasizing that there is a wholeness about his life. The whole person is involved: the heart, mind, and will. A common cause of spiritual depression is the failure to realize that a Christian's life is a whole life, a stable life. There is no such thing as a partially stable spiritual life!

Lack of stability is one of the most prolific causes of trouble, conflict, and unrest in a Christian's life. And some of this lack of stability can sometimes be attributed to leadership. Churches whose doctrine lacks stability, wholeness, or completeness can produce lopsided Christians. Children generally share the characteristics of their parents, and converts to God's truth tend to take on certain characteristics of those used by God in their conversion. The kind of meeting that we are initially introduced to and continue in, whether formal or informal, has an impact.

All the circumstances of our conversion tend to influence our subsequent history more than we realize. This partly explains the existence of different church groups or congregations that show certain unique characteristics. These characteristics are often extremes—syrupy or cold, grace or law, prophecy or history, mercy or sacrifice, and so on. The members of any one group are very much alike while others are different.

The apostle Paul raises this issue to the Roman members because it always raises a practical problem. It may be that some members were actually saying, "Shall we then continue in sin that grace may be may abound?" Or maybe this is a rhetorical question by Paul. We do not know for sure. It may be the case that Paul, having established this doctrine of justification by faith, suddenly says to himself, "Now, there is a danger in leaving it like that. I need to qualify what I have said. Ok. Will we continue in sin that grace may abound?" Of course not, he says. He said, "Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more."

There were people in the early church who did argue like that and there are still some who tend to do the same thing, if not in word, then in action. The danger is believing that it does not matter what we do, we will be covered by grace. But it does matter. Little things matter, as John Ritenbaugh told us time and again. And what does Paul say to that? His answer is that we can only say a thing like that if we do not understand the teaching. If we understand the teaching, we would not draw silly deductions like that, that it is okay to sin.

Now, the answer is, God forbid! You who are dead to sin can no longer live in sin. We are now in Christ, so we have not only died with Him, but we also will be raised to join Him.

Here in Romans chapter 6, Paul explains the importance of understanding the stability of truth, of taking hold of the whole gospel, and of seeing that in truly understanding it, there are inevitable consequences.

Some people just go through the Bible and pick and choose like it is an à la carte menu or a smorgasbord. Certain principles are enunciated here. The first is that spiritual depression or unhappiness in a Christian's life is often caused by our failure to realize the greatness of the truth of God. Paul talks about the form of doctrine delivered to you. He refers to the standard of teaching that Jesus Christ established both in the Old Testament and throughout the New.

People are often unhappy in Christian life because Christianity and the whole of the gospel are seen in inadequate terms. In this mental state they quickly move from valuing true doctrine from the inspired Scriptures to valuing men's traditions. We see that in mainstream Christianity in a big way. In their minds, philosophical tradition supersedes biblical spiritual doctrine because tradition is easier. So they become Sabbath breakers first, leading to other sins.

Some think that the Gospel is merely a message of forgiveness, as mainstream Christians believe. If you ask them to tell you what Christianity is, they reply, "If you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven," and they stop at that. They are unhappy about certain things in their past and they hear that God and Christ will forgive them, and they take their forgiveness and they stop, and that is the whole of their unstable Christianity.

Now, others regard Christianity as morality only. Their view of themselves is that they do not need forgiveness, but they desire an exalted way of life. They want to do good in this world and to them, Christianity is an ethical, moral program and people like this are bound to be unhappy. Quite often you see that among the wealthy of the world, where they are looked at as philanthropists. They are doing good works, so to speak, and it makes them feel good. Although nothing else is Christian about them, certain problems will inevitably arise in their lives that are strictly outside of morality—someone's death or some personal relationship. Morality and ethics will not help at that point. And what they believe to be God's truth is useless to them in that situation, if they even do believe in God. Now, they are unhappy when a blow comes because they have never had an adequate view of God's truth. They have had a partial view and they have simply seen one aspect.

Others are interested in it simply as something good and beautiful. I have known of people who have attended church with us who just loved the Bible, loved reading it, thought it was the most beautiful Book on earth, but were they converted? Others are interested in it simply as something good and beautiful and it makes a great aesthetic appeal to them and they feel better when they hear it.

I am comparing all these incomplete and partial views to what the apostle Paul refers to in chapter 6 as the form of doctrine, the standard of teaching, the great truth that he elaborates on in this epistle to the Romans. God's inspired written Word is not partial and piecemeal. It encompasses the whole life, the whole of history, the whole world. It tells us about the creation and the final judgment and everything in between. It is a complete whole view of life.

Many are unhappy in the Christian life because they have never realized that this way of life caters to the whole of people's lives and covers every eventuality in our experience. So there is no aspect of life but that the inspired written Word of God has something to say about it.

The whole of life must come under its influence because it is all-inclusive, God's truth is meant to control and govern everything in our lives. If we do not realize that, we are certain, sooner or later, to find ourselves in an unhappy condition. So many, because they indulge in these harmful and unscriptural dichotomies and only apply their Christianity to certain aspects of their lives, are bound to be in trouble. That is the first thing we see here. We have to realize the greatness of God's truth and its vast eternal effect. It is all worked out and put it into its great context and should direct the whole of our lives.

And that brings us to the second principle, which is that in the same way as we often fail to realize the greatness and wholeness of the message, we also fail to realize that the whole person has to be involved in it, and by it you have obeyed from the heart the form of doctrine delivered to you. Paul says it does not mean you are a Christian only on the Sabbath. It means you are a Christian 24/7.

A human being is a wonderfully designed creature. He is mind, heart, and will, the three main constituents of a human being. God has given us a mind, a heart, and a will so we can act. And one of the greatest benefits of God's truth is that it considers the whole person. There is nothing else that does that. It is only this complete truth, this complete view of life and death and eternity that is thorough enough to include the whole person.

So generally, the common thread among all traditions and beliefs is that the heart is associated with love. But what kind of love? God said, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you," as I mentioned and read in Ezekiel 36:26. The new heart is about having God's love abiding in us, which should motivate us to do the right thing. So since we often fail to realize that, it is inevitable that we have so many problems.

Let us turn to Deuteronomy 6, verse 5. We are often partial in our responses to God's truth. But God wants a complete response back. How does God expect us to respond to His commands? God inspired and instructed Moses to command the Israelites to give it their all.

Deuteronomy 6:5-6 "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart."

Then God explains through Moses the efforts we must make to keep the love of God and His law in our hearts.

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 "You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlet between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorpost of your house and on your gates."

I would certainly completely expect everyone in this room to have the Ten Commandments on their wall somewhere in their house. I would be shocked if you call yourself a Christian and did not have one posted. I think everyone has, knowing how well everyone is witnessing for God.

This is reemphasized later by adding the reverential fear factor.

Deuteronomy 10:12 "And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul."

I did not count how many times in the Scriptures He said that about using it all. But it is multiple times. He really has, over and over again, tried to set it permanently in our minds.

God adds being careful, conscientious, vigilant as a requirement for all your heart and all your soul.

Deuteronomy 26:16 "This day the Lord your God commands you to observe these statutes and judgments; therefore you shall be careful to observe them with all your heart and with all your soul."

And later, Joshua repeated the same thing to the Israelites.

Joshua 22:5 "But take careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul."

It is consistent down through history that God has had these instructions given by His patriarchs, by His servants. We must give God total love, love that dominates our emotions, love that directs our thoughts, and love that is the dynamic, the motivation of our actions.

Now please turn over to Matthew 22, verse 37. If we have the right relationship with God, we will have no problems with His commandments. Love is a basis for obedience. In fact, all of the law is summed up in love. And if we love God, we will love our neighbor. And if we love our neighbor, we will not want to do anything, not verbal or physical, to harm them.

Matthew 22:37-39 Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' [Same thing He said in the Old Testament multiple times.] This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"

So what does it mean realistically that you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind? And where does the understanding of such things come from?

Christ's command here from Deuteronomy 6:5 summarizes the idea of total conviction in living God's way of life and includes the duty to obey all the rest of God's commandments. Heart, soul, and mind do not represent detached sections of the human life, but rather combined refer to the whole person. Job 38:36 records two rhetorical questions from God that answer that answer this question. "Who has put wisdom in the mind? Or who has given with understanding to the heart?" Well, of course, it is God.

Let us examine some details that should substantiate that we are often partial in our response to God's truth. Today, we associate the head with the brain and the brain with the mind. The head and the brain provide us with several descriptions of the mind and its functions. But the Bible does not mention the brain as the center of consciousness, thought, or will.

In the Greek New Testament, mind, transliterated nous, usually refers to a person's cognitive, rational, and purposeful aspects, and less concrete aspects such as opinion, understanding, or reflection. The human mind is subject to troubling thoughts and confusion. But a mind that steadfastly trusts in God will experience perfect peace and stability from God's perspective.

In Romans 1:26-32 the mind that is resistant to the knowledge of God is subject to a spiritual disease. Ultimately, God gives over such minds to the full effects or penalties of sin, of an immoral or worthless mind that engages in perverse behavior.

Romans 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting.

So even those who attempt to keep God's ways find themselves involved in a struggle.

Please turn over to I Corinthians 1, verse 10. The only solution to this struggle is found in Jesus Christ, the true image of God, who through the Spirit brings deliverance from the fleshy mind of death and creates a mind of life and peace. This transformation is what Paul refers to as the renewing of the mind or having the mind of Christ. And those who experience this transformation can be called on to be perfectly united in mind and thought.

I Corinthians 1:10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

There are some people in whose cases only the head seems to be in use and only that part of the mind that deals with the intellect. Their approach and attitude show that they are tremendously interested in Scripture from the viewpoint of Christian philosophy. And I want to add to that, mainstream Christian philosophy and sometimes the philosophy of the truth.

Without realizing it, to them it is something purely philosophical, something entirely intellectual. To these people, Christianity is a matter of tremendous interest and they believe and proclaim that if only this Christian point of view would be applied to politics, industry, and every other circle, all our troubles would be solved. It is entirely the intellectual attitude and viewpoint.

Some people's only interest in the Scriptures and religion is theology, arguments, and debates. They argue about and discuss them with an obsession. It is their intellectual hobby and secular and scholarly interest. But the tragedy is that it stops at that interest. They are not careful to observe and keep them with all their heart and all their soul.

Not only is there quite often an absence of kindness and compassion, they argue and contend about certain philosophies, but they are often hard people to approach. Others do not go to them if they are in trouble. They feel they cannot relate and would neither understand or sympathize.

Still worse, the truth they are so interested in is not applied in their lives and it is something confined to their studies. It did not affect their conduct or behavior, but was confined entirely to the mind. Exercises in the mind but not carried over to action. Obviously, they were bound, sooner or later, to get into trouble and to become unhappy. And that is a result of the intellectual efforts of the religious hobbyist.

On the other hand, there are those whose religion seems to affect only the heart because of their partial approach to trying to have a relationship with God. They have an irregular spiritual heartbeat, one that sporadically misses a beat. And these people feel that they have had an emotional release and they have passed through an emotional crisis. There is a real danger in having only a purely emotional experience.

These people may have some serious problems in their lives and they may have committed some specific sin that they tried to forget, but they cannot get out from under the feeling of guilt. They finally hear a message that seems to deliver them from that one thing and they accept it and things are well with them. But they stop at that false feeling of absolution, even though they did not repent, and they have an emotional experience and little else.

They go to a service and somehow they find themselves comforted and soothed and they feel happy and content, and that is all they want. Although they may go away feeling happy, they have no intention of changing anything in their lives. Soon after, they find themselves in a predicament and in a position where that will not help them. And someday they will have to face some crisis and see it through. But they have never learned to think things through. They have been content to live by their feelings. Feelings are unstable; they go up and they go down. God's truth is not that way. It is consistent.

Although these people have been emotionally moved and fascinated, they do not seem to have a real conception of the truth. God's way of life is not lived in their daily lives. It is inevitable that such people will find themselves in trouble at some point and eventually they always become unhappy and miserable. And with that comes depression and discouragement.

These people have something in their hearts, but their heads are not engaged and often neither is their will. So they are content to continue enjoying themselves emotionally and experiencing feelings and are not concerned about applying the truth to the mind and the will. The obstinacy of the human heart is also an act of will.

On the positive side, the Bible talks about a heart that prompts a person to give a gift to the Lord. It speaks of the integrity of a person's heart and a discerning heart.

Then, you have the same thing in those whose will is alone involved. There are people who are driven. It is possible for people to be persuaded to become Christians. They say that they believe that it is a good life and they solemnly decide to try it out. But a person convinced against his will is of the same opinion still. (I tried to look up the original author of that, but it is disputed so I will not bother any further than that.) But it is true.

These are people who decide to take up Christianity instead of being truly called and led by Christ. They have never known this feeling of constraint, this feeling of obligation to the Father and His Son for Their love and sacrifice. The truth has never meant that much to them.

This gives us an idea of the condition. Sometimes you will find people with only one part of their personality engaged, only the head or only the heart or only the will. God is not satisfied with a partial response to His call. But it is also equally wrong to have only the head and the heart without the will, or the heart and the will without the head.

The apostle Paul seems to be emphasizing this in Romans 6. The truth of God encompasses the whole person. And if the whole person is not included, the mark is missed. In verse 17 of chapter 6, Paul says to the Roman converts, "Yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered."

God's truth is a way of life and it should satisfy our minds completely. It can move our hearts entirely and it can lead to wholehearted obedience in the area of the will. Christ died so that we can be completed in God's plan of salvation for mankind. It is not a matter of only parts of us being saved; not so we can be lopsided Christians, but that there may be a completely stable finality about us. Not only that, but if we lack this proportion, we will be in trouble later, because people are made by God to be perfect.

But what does perfect or perfection mean? We have been over this before and we have a pretty good idea. Please turn with me to Matthew 5, verse 48. The words perfect and perfection render several Hebrew and Greek words. And the fundamental idea is that of completeness. Absolute perfection is an attribute of God alone. His perfection is eternal and without defect. It is the ground and standard of all other perfection.

Matthew 5:48 "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."

So how is this possible? The Greek term for perfect refers to the act of bringing the person or thing to full growth, maturity, workability, soundness, and completeness. And when applied directly to a Christian, the word refers to one who is spiritually mature, complete, and well rounded in his Christian character. This Greek word and its variations occur in the New Testament Scriptures as performance of full age to the end; finisher, finish, fulfilled.

Relative perfection is also ascribed to God's works. It is also either ascribed to humans or required of us. And by this, it means complete conformity to God's appointed requirements of character and conduct. And of course, this includes God's government that takes the present human deficient condition into account.

Please turn over to Colossians 2, verse 8. When the term perfection is applied to the Christian's present moral life, it is understood that Christians may be perfect even in this life, in the lesser sense of being complete in reference to a lesser goal or a preliminary standard. Nevertheless, we still must wait for perfection in its greater sense, with respect to eternal life. Our present lesser sense of perfection or completion relates to our position of being in Christ by way of the indwelling of the God's Spirit.

Colossians 2:8-10 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the [divine nature] bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

Colossians 3:14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.

The Greek word for complete here means to repair, to restore to a former good condition, to prepare, to equip. So at the time of this writing, it was used to reconcile factions, set broken bones, put a dislocated limb into place, and mend nets.

Turn over to Ephesians 4, verse 11. Paul used it metaphorically in the sense of setting a person right, of bringing him into line. And when specifically referring to a Christian, it concerned his equipping for for Christian service. Paul uses both words here in,

Ephesians 4:11-13 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

The Greek word equipping in verse 12 occurs in the New Testament as mending, fitting, perfectly joined together, restoring, prepared, framed, and equipping, similar to the word complete in Colossians 2:10. In comparing perfect or the word complete with equipping, we would say that complete refers to the Christian's experience, to maturity and completeness of Christian character. Equipping refers to Christian service.

Now please turn over to Galatians 3, verse 3. So let us return to the three powers God has given us: the mind, the heart, and the will. These powers are so strong that you would think it is impossible for the three to coexist in one person. But God is working to make us perfect.

Galatians 3:3-6 [this section is about justification by faith] Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?—just as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to Him for righteousness."

God is working to make us perfect through the hearing of faith.

Please turn over to Colossians 4, verse 12. He supplies us with the spiritual power to repent and overcome. And He works miracles like calling, sanctifying, and saving us so we may be doing all God's will as He perfects and completes us.

Colossians 4:12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.

So the object of the process of salvation is to bring us to that perfection, to be so conformed to His image that the effects and traces of sin will be removed and destroyed. And we are in the process of this; we will not be fully perfect in the larger sense until we are changed into spirit.

These things must always come in the right order. There is a definite order to the way Paul presents our pivotal scripture here.

Romans 6:17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.

These Christians were slaves held by sin. They are no longer that. Why not? Paul says the form of doctrine came to them and they grasped it. You obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. They were in spiritual slavery. What brought them out? The truth was presented to them. They were not simply moved emotionally in the heart and mind. It was not merely an appeal to the will. These things must be put in the right order and it is the truth first. That is how a person comes to be called. God shows them the truth first and begins to open their mind.

God's ministers are not concerned simply with attracting people emotionally or in the human will. We are concerned with preaching the truth, thereby preparing the bride of Christ. The apostles were not sent out to simply change people. They were sent to preach the gospel of the coming Kingdom of God and they were sent to preach the truth, this form of doctrine.

We should know why we are Christians. We are not people who simply say wonderful things have happened to us. We are ready and able to give the reason for the hope that is in us. If we cannot, we better straighten our unstable lopsided standing.

The true Christian knows why he is, what he is, and where he stands. We have received the doctrine. This form of sound teaching has come to us through God's Spirit. We have been enlightened in our minds and our understanding. As we see the glorious truth of God's love, we want it, we desire it. So our heart is engaged.

To truly see the truth means to be moved by it and love it. We cannot help it. If we see the truth clearly, we must feel it. That, then, in turn leads to this: that our greatest desire is to practice it and to live by it. If we realize our unity with Christ, that we have been planted together in likeness of His death, and therefore rise with Him, therefore we would never think about returning to sin.

Let us begin to wrap this up. The heart should always be influenced through understanding—the mind, then the heart, and then the will. Truth is received through God's greatest gift to humans, the spirit in man—the mind with understanding. And then, when God calls us, it is followed by His own Spirit—the mind of God within us.

God made humans in His own image. And there is no question but that the greatest part of this image is the mind with its capacity for comprehending truth. God has endowed us with that and He sends truth to us in that way. And of course, God's Spirit is necessary to apply understanding rightly.

But it is foolish for anyone to think that it ends with the intellect. It starts there, but it goes on. It then moves the heart and finally, we yield to God's will. We obey, not grudgingly or unwillingly, but with the whole heart. Applying your whole heart to God means that you must have heart! That is, you are required to have faithful conviction, courage, perseverance, hope, and most of all the love of God and His way of life, and our fellow brethren.

The prophet Jeremiah recorded God's promise to Judah that He would eventually restore them as His people. And this principle of promise applies now to us as God's church. Jeremiah 24, verse 7 records God's promise.

Jeremiah 24:7 "Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart."

For final scripture, please turn to Psalm 9, verse 1. King David wrote a psalm of prayer and thanksgiving for the Lord's righteous judgments. And here is how this psalm begins.

Psalm 9:1-2 I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.

Our lives are becoming glorious, perfect lives encompassing and capturing the whole personality.

So may God make us stable Christians, men and women of whom it can be said that we are obviously and undoubtedly obeying from the heart that form of doctrine that has been delivered to us from God's Word. When we stand before God, may He say to each of us, "Well done, good and faithful servant. You had heart!"

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