Category: Heart

Jehoshaphat was an outstanding king of Judah. By looking at his character and reign, we can learn a great deal about the need for godly leadership in our country, homes and churches.

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JR Bronger from Blue Springs, MO preached a wonderful series of gospel sermons for the West Side congregation, May 1-6, 2021:

Saturday PM: The Conversion of Saul (Acts 9)

• A discussion of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. A religious terrorist who became a wonderful example of the saving power of God’s grace.
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Sunday 1st Service: Evangelizing the World

• In the first century, Christians were able to spread the gospel throughout the known world, despite opposition and challenges. If we have the same mindset today, we can be just as successful!
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Sunday Class: Successful Marriages

• Foundational teaching on the subject of marriage. Principles which, if followed, will guarantee strong marriages existing in accord with God’s desire.
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Sunday 2nd Service: The Hate of Christ and Christians

• The world hated Jesus Christ because of His mission and righteousness. He promised that the world would hate his followers as well. In our day such hate is prominent.
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Monday PM: Christians Are Running a Race

• A runner himself, brother Bronger uses the Hebrew writer’s imagery in Hebrews 12:1-2 to establish a few important truths regarding the race the Christian runs.
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Tuesday PM: A Rebel Returns

• A powerful lesson on rebellion and redemption, based on the Parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. Young people need to hear this message!
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Wednesday PM: Do You Want to be Made Well?

• If you really wish for spiritual healing, you must stop thinking of yourself as a victim, stop blaming others for your failings, free yourself from fear and recognize the difference between wanting relief, and wanting a cure.
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Thursday PM: Hardening of Pharaoh’s Heart

• There were three responsible parties in the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart. God Himself with His demands. The wicked court magicians. And most prominently, Pharaoh himself.
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Sermon 16 in series.

In John 6:60-71, we are told that many who heard Jesus’ teaching, because it was “hard”, turned away and followed Him no more. From this we can learn to differentiate from true disciples, and those who are not.

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What Does God Value in Man? Eyes of humility. A tongue of truth. Hands that do honest work. A good heart. Cautious feet. Those who advocate for justice and mercy, A maker of peace. That is what God values.

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Hebrews 3 uses the Israelites in the wilderness as an object lesson about hardening our hearts against God. How does it happen, and can it happen to us? These are important questions to answer.

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Lesson 8 of 8
Speaker: Caleb Westbrook

The parable examines the different hearts of men as they hear the gospel of Christ, by comparing them to different types of soil. Which type of soil are you?

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Speaker: Brantley Gallman

The lesson calls upon us to have a heart filled with Jesus, and describes what constitutes such a heart.

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The book of Proverbs has many wonderful nuggets of wisdom. A favorite of mine:

(Proverbs 4:23), “Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.”

The concept is very simple. If we are not careful, our heart will be corrupted by the ungodly culture in which we live. In every generation the majority choose to rebel against God (cf. Matthew 7:13). It is the classic case of light versus darkness, righteousness verses lawlessness, Christ versus Belial (cf. 2 Corinthians 6:14-18).

Since the majority reject God, it should not surprise us that the influences that rule are predominately evil. In the face of this we must be diligent (vigilant, ESV). The term involves the idea of a guard who is at his post.

Considering the importance of the task, Albert Barnes wrote, “The heart is such a fountain, out of it flow the ‘issues’ of life. Shall men let those streams be tainted at the fountain-head?”

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Today I was asked a question about how the Bible refers to the seat of emotions, intellect and will to be the heart of man. Passages such as, “I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And I will glorify Your name forevermore” (Psalm 86:12), use the metaphor. While we know the actual physical heart is a muscle that pumps blood, and that it is the brain that is the physical organ of thought and emotion, men have commonly referred to the heart in this poetic way.

I pointed out that using the word “brain” to refer to will, emotions and intellect of man is a metaphor as well. While it is true that the brain is the physical organ that regulates these things, it is a mistake to equate the brain with the mind. The truth is much more complex than that. To reduce such things as love, artistic expression, inspiration, genius and faith to the biological firing of synapses is to distort the essence of what it is to be a human being. Such reductionism is found in the efforts of some secular scientists who believe (as the term reductionism is defined) “that every complex phenomenon, especially in biology or psychology, can be explained by analyzing the simplest, most basic physical mechanisms that are in operation during the phenomenon.”

Continue reading “In the News: Can Science Explain the Heart of Man?” →

The heart, as the term is described in scripture, encompasses the intellect, emotions, conscience and will of man. As such, it must be kept pure. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

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The Bible uses the term heart metaphorically, to refer variously to: the seat of our understanding, will, devotion and conscience. It is a beautiful figure of speech, that contains many lessons for the Christian.

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