Renovation of the Heart Session 1: Becoming like Jesus

What is Our Heart? “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Ps 51:10) These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. (Matt 15:8) “He answered: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ ; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Lk 10:27)

What is Our Heart? Our Heart is our character, who we really are – “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean.” (Matt 23:27) Our Heart is our will, passions, and desires – “I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” (Psalm 40: 8) – “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt 6:21)

Our Heart and Our Actions Our Heart is where our actions come from – “By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” (Matt. 7:16-20)

Our Heart and Our Actions The important thing to know is that our heart is not our actions, our actions reveal what is in our heart We do not become good by acting good we have to actually be good on the inside Jesus was concerned primarily with good hearts because out of good hearts comes good living Following Christ is about being good soil which will produce good fruit (Matthew 13)

What’s Wrong? Renovation implies a problem Our symptoms: – Crooked Institutions – Political problems – Economical problems – Educational problems – Poverty – Inequality – War – Homes in chaos

Typical Solution Diagnosis: Systems Failure Solution: New Systems Needed – New political policies/laws – New educational system/strategies – New economical guidelines/policies – New International policies

True Solution Diagnosis: Heart Failure – Our heart is deformed causing problems in our lives and in our world Solution: Jesus Christ – “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matt 6:33) – “…Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Col 2:2-3)

The Jesus Revolution Jesus was concerned with the heart: – Sermon on the Mount – Jesus spent time on the heart because he knew that if you were good inside you would be good in what you do

God knows our heart “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24)

Goal of this class Help us to submit to God’s work in our hearts Help us to recognize through the guidance of His Spirit the ways that our hearts need renovation Help us to proactively pursue transformation in Christ likeness through spiritual disciplines