The Heart of the Matter – #FamilyCircus – 07.01.18 from Revolution Church on Vimeo.
The Heart of the Matter
#FamilyCircus Week 5
Pastor Kris Freeman
Revolution Church
Sunday, July 1, 2018
Scripture: Matthew 5:8 (NLT)
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Heart: kardia—cardiac, metaphor: emotions, feelings, innerself.
Fill in the blank… It’s….More than… ____ ________________ !
WITHOUT CHRIST, THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A PURE HEART.
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? 10 “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind… Jeremiah 17:9-10
They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity… Ephesians 4:18-19
- WE ARE NOT JUST A CHRISTIAN FAMILY.
- WE ARE A CHRIST-CENTERED HOME.
How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. 10 I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. Psalm 119:9-10
How can our family stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. 10 We will seek you with all of our hearts; do not let us stray from our commands. Psalm 119:9-10
But I can do whatever I want! – Remember, just because it is A RIGHT doesn’t mean it IS RIGHT.
Teach your kids not to build a life of righteousness on a foundation of sin!
Leading a family with a pure heart:
- Work on YOURSELF before you lead others.
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Ps 51:10
King David was a man “after God’s own heart” but it did not mean he was free from the temptation of sin. Working on yourself begins with a previous message – to “hunger and thirst after RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, “I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.” Acts 13:22
2. Parent TO and FOR the heart of your children.
The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7
Most people by instinct parent to the ACTIONS.
Jesus ministered and taught to the HEART.
- The Pharisees taught to the actions. They were obsessed with the law.
- Jesus taught to love. He was obsessed with grace and forgiveness.
The biggest mistakes in leading our families are focusing on the outward only. Outward focus leads to inward rebellion!
RIGHT actions come from the leadership of a right heart!
3. Lead by PURPOSE and not by perfection.
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36: 26
So what if we have an impure heart? What do we do?
- Admit that we are a sinner.
- Believe that Jesus died to save us from our sin.
- Confess our sin to the Lord Jesus Christ and ask for his forgiveness.
Remember, saying you’re sorry is just regret. Repentance leads to forgiveness!
A REPENTANT heart is a solid foundation to lead your future.
