Heart

By: Rev. Raul P. Ternida

Text : 1 Samuel 16:7
Aim : To teach what heart is all about and the significance of it why God is looking at the heart.
Intro : Man is looking at the outward appearance… but God looks at the heart

Discussion:
A. What Heart is all about?
The Center
- According to the Bible, the heart is the centre not only of spiritual activity, but of all the operations of human life. (Deu_6:5; Mat_22:37)
- Deu 6:5 “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”
- Illustration : “The Hub”
The Home
- The heart is the “home of the personal life,” and hence a man is designated, according to his heart, wise (1Ki_3:12, etc.), pure (Psa_24:4; Mat_5:8, etc.), upright and righteous (Psa_11:2; Psa_78:72), pious and good (Luk_8:15).
- Want to know a person?.... Visit his/her home!”
The Seat
- The heart is also the seat of the conscience (Rom_2:15).
- “Starting place”; “The Source”
- Obedience starts here! - It is naturally wicked (Gen_8:21), and hence it contaminates the whole life and character (Mat_15:18) Hence the heart must be changed, regenerated (Eze_36:26; Psa_51:10-14), before a man can willingly obey God.
- The process of salvation begins in the heart by the believing reception of the testimony of God, while the rejection of that testimony hardens the heart (Psa_95:8; Pro_28:14; 2Ch_36:13).

B. Sins of the Heart
The radical corruption of human nature is clearly taught in Scripture and brought into connection with the heart. It is “uncircumcised” (Jer_9:26; Eze_44:7; compare Act_7:51); and “hardened” (Exo_4:21); “wicked” (Pro_26:23); “perverse” (Pro_11:20); “godless” (Job_36:13); “deceitful and desperately wicked” (Jer_17:9 the King James Version). It defiles the whole man (Mat_15:19, Mat_15:20); resists, as in the case of Pharaoh, the repeated call of God (Exo_7:13). There, however, the law of God is written (Rom_2:15); there the work of grace is wrought (Act_15:9), for the “heart” may be “renewed” by grace (Eze_36:26), because the “heart” is the seat of sin (Gen_6:5; Gen_8:21).

C. The process of heart renewal
Removal of a “stony heart” - Eze_11:19
Cleaning - Psa_51:10
Fixing - Psa_112:7
o Through “the fear” of the Lord (1Sa_25:1)
o Through “Believing” (Rom_10:10)
o Through the power of God (Jer_31:33)
o Through “prayer” (Act_1:24)
o Through God's Spirit (Eph_3:16; Gal. 4:6)
o Through God’s Love (Rom_5:5)

D. Reasons for heart preparation
-Joshua 3:5 “And Joshua said to the people, Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow Jehovah will do wonders among you.”
- Psa. 96:3 “Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.”

Conclusion: 1 Samuel 16:7

David was young, in experience, innocent but his heart is stable, set before God and ready for God’s miracle for he has a believing heart, heart that longs for God. His decisions and his flesh sometimes fail him but his heart never fails him.

1Ki 3:12 Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee

Psa 24:4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

Mat 5:8 Blessed [are] the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

Psa 11:2 For, lo, the wicked bend [their] bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart. (INNOCENT)

Psa 78:72 So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands. (PERFECTION)

Luk 8:15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep [it], and bring forth fruit with patience.

Rom 2:15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and [their] thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
Gen 8:21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart [is] evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

Mat 15:18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man

Eze 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

Psa 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

Created for A Purpose

Sermon by: Rev. Raul P. Ternida
Date: March 09, 2008

Text : Genesis 1:26-28

Gen 1:26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth."
Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Gen 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth."

Aim : To teach the significance of one’s life in relation to God’s purpose.

Intro :“Anyone who does not know his purpose is at lost”

Discussion:
1. Be intimate with God
- “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” – v. 26
- Being identified to His image and likeness speaks of intimacy with God. (Type: Parent-children relationship).
- Are we still doing our personal devotion or Quiet Time?

2. Have dominion over his creation
-“Let them have dominion over…” – v. 26
- Dominion means to rule, to lead, to administer

3. Fill or replenish the earth -V. 28
- Replenish means to fill or occupy a certain space in this planet

4. Subdue the earth
- Subdue means taking control
- Nothing on earth happen by chance, it is always been because we take control of the situation or God is still on the throne and controls every affairs of humankind.

5. Be fruitful and multiply
- Why be fruitful? Why not bear children?
- Fruitfulness is the function of a plant!
- Fruit is the product of the excess food of the tree. The problem of fruit bearing among Christians is the starvation on spiritual food. Not because of scarcity of food but on the attitude of Christians regarding spiritual food.
- Fruit is not for the tree but for people. If the fruit smells good, it will attract people!
- Jn. 15:5,7,8
Joh 15:5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
Joh 15:7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.
Joh 15:8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples.
- Gal. 5:22 – “Fruit”
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Gal 5:23 gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law.
- It is by intimacy with God that we can bear fruit.

Conclusion:
Our existence here on earth is no accident; it is within God’s purposes in our lives. Let us hear God on this message and pursue the reason for our creation.

Trial of Your Faith

Sermon by: Rev. Raul P. Ternida
Date: February 25, 2008.

Text : James 1:1-4
Aim : To let them understand what trials is all about and how we should react in times like this.
Intro : Great men of God passed through this and it proves their worth. – ex. Job, Noah, Moses, etc. - There’s no shortcut road to success, leadership and rulership!


Discussion:
A. WHY DOES GOD TEST AND TRY US?

1. Pressure Produces Enlargement
- "Thou hast enlarged me when I was under pressure" (Ps 4:1 rsv)
- To make us a better person for the tasks yet ahead.

2. Trials Prove And Humble Us
"Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might test thee, to do thee good at thy latter end" (Deut 8:15,16).
- When God plans to enlarge and bless a minister or a church, He first takes them down into depths of discouragement, into the quagmire of hopeless situations. He does it "... so you would never feel it was your own power and might that made you wealthy [great]" (Deut 8:17).

3. Suffering Can Increase God's Power In Us
- He weakened my strength in the way" (Ps 102:23).
- Paul's Experience. “No. My grace [enablement] is adequate for you. My power [strength] shows up best in weak people... Since I know it is all for Christ's good, I am quite happy about `the thorn,' and about insults and hardships, persecutions and difficulties; for when I am weak, then I am strong -- the less I have, the more I depend on him" (2Cor 12:5,7-10 tlb).
- Beware Of Pride

- Depend On God

- Rejoice In Trials

4. Affliction Separates The Chosen From The Called
- "I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction" (Isa 48:10). In this verse, the word "chosen" is used in the sense of being "graded," as in a school course examination or test.
- "Many are called but few are chosen" (Matt 20:16). Why are few chosen? Because we are graded in the furnace of affliction, and few of us pass the test for leadership.
- "These shall make war with... the Lord of lords and the King of kings and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful" (Rev 17:14).
- Three requirements were essential. You had first to be called, then chosen, and to have proved yourself faithful. Sufferings, trials and tribulations mark the path of those in this company. They've proven themselves worthy to be chosen and have stood faithful to the Lord, even if it meant hazarding their lives for Him.
5. Suffering Teaches Obedience
- "Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered" (Heb 5:8).
- "Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.... If ye be without chastisement... then are ye bastards, and not sons" (Heb 12:6,8).
- "So if you are suffering according to God's will, keep on doing what is right and trust yourself to the God who made you, for he will never fail you" (1Pet 4:1,2,15,19 tlb).

6. Trials Produce Perseverance And Maturity
- "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature... not lacking anything" (Jas 1:2-4).
- The Cocoon And The Butterfly. A man once found a cocoon which had dropped from a tree. The butterfly was beginning to emerge, so he stopped to watch. It struggled for about forty-five minutes. In that time only the head and part of one wing emerged free of the cocoon. Thinking he would help the struggling butterfly accelerate the process, he took his razor-sharp pen knife and cut the cocoon open to release the emerging larvae. To his surprise, he found only the part which had emerged through great effort and struggle was developed. The part he had cut free was still undeveloped and not ready to be exposed to the elements outside the cocoon. Instead of helping the larvae become a butterfly, he had aborted the process. The half-developed butterfly soon died.

7. Trouble Tests Our Faith In God's Word
-"Every word of God is purified..." (Prov 30:5 lit). "The words of the Lord are pure [purified] words, as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times" (Ps 12:6).
- Psalm 105:19, "Until the time that his [Joseph's] word came, the word of the Lord tried him."

B. THREE CAUSES OF TRIALS

Any ill-timed or misdirected effort made in such circumstances will bring about a miscarriage of God's dealings. When people come crying to us in the midst of an ordeal, let us pray for great wisdom to discern whether this is:
- Dealings of God
- Self-induced trouble they have brought on themselves
- Attacks of Satan not within God's will. – Ex. Job

C. RESPONSE TO TRIALS
1. If It Is God's Dealings: Submit. If it is God's dealings, We need to "Submit [ourselves] to God" (Jas 4:7) and draw on His grace to go through the trial victoriously.

2. If It Is Self-Induced: Learn. If it is S.I.T. (Self-Induced Trouble), let us learn from the problems we’ve brought on ourselves.

3. If It Is An Attack Of Satan: Fight. If it is satanic attack beyond God's will, we need to go to battle and resist the devil. "He will flee from you" (Jas 4:7).

4. Maintain the right Attitudes
- Maintaining a positive attitude in the midst of great suffering is the key to the triumphant Christian life. "Now thanks be unto God, who always causeth us to triumph in Christ" (2Cor 2:14).
- Recognize God's Hand In Every Trial - The Lord, faithful to His promise, had surrounded Paul and Silas with "...songs of deliverance" (Ps 32:7).
- Don't Murmur Against God - Your response to the circumstances that befall you will determine whether you become bitter or better. God wants you to realize, "It is no longer I that live, but Christ that liveth in me" (Gal 2:20). Paul recounted five sins which caused Israel's failure in the wilderness. Here is the fifth: "And don't murmur against God and his dealings with you, as some of them did, for that is why God sent his Angel to destroy them" (1Cor 10:10 tlb).
- See Troubles As Working For You - "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (2Cor 4:17). "The troubles will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever" (2Cor 4:18 tlb). God loves you very much. Great will be your reward in Heaven if you will but endure to the end.

Conclusion:
Illustration: Mother Eagle training her young to fly
- Removing the comfort to force them to learn how to fly!