The Heart of The Matter
On Wednesday Nights for the past 6 weeks, I have been teaching on the 10 Commandments. I have called my series, “The Rules: God’s Commandments and How They Apply To Us”. It has been a really great class on why the 10 Commandments of God in the Old Testament are still so important to us today. It may seem that a list of rules that God gave the Israelites a few thousand years ago, really would be meaningless to us today. But that is simply not the case. I have found that they are more useful today than we could possible realize if we just followed them.
In the course of study and preaching these important principles, I have come to understand one important thing. The sin in our lives is not the problem with what is wrong with us. Our sins are not what keep us from God. Now, you may say, “Sean that isn’t right, scripture tells us God hates sin and can’t be near it.” I would say you are exactly right. But it isn’t the sin’s fault we do what we do. It is our Heart’s fault we do what we do. The sin that presents itself to the world is only there because it was first in our hearts.
The 10 commandments clearly get to the point of this. Each commandment is at face-value a stance to simply follow a rule. But the more you really get into it, the more you realize that the “Rule” isn’t really a rule at all, but rather a warning to guard our hearts.
The sins of dishonoring our parents, lying, stealing, coveting, murder, sexual sin, blasphemy, etc. are not the problem. They are the presented symptoms of something much deeper. So why do we constantly try to treat these problems at their symptoms? Any good doctor would tell you that you don’t treat a virus with cough drops just because you are coughing. You may try to maintain the symptoms with things like cough drops, but you get at the real problem with something that gets to the core of the virus.
Sin in our lives work the same way. We so often treat just the symptoms, we “Try” not to say bad words, or gossip, or we “Try” not to be involved with sexual sin. We simply “try” not to engage in those things, instead of treating the heart.
When Jesus begins to talk about some of the 10 commandments in his “Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew chapter 5. He isn’t concerned with the sin itself. He is 2 steps ahead of us before we even sin. Jesus has the heart in mind when he tells us that “You have heard it said, ‘Do not commit adultery ([Sean note] which is all sexual sin outside of marriage, not just spouses cheating). But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery.” Or when Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder,… But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.” (Matt. 5:27-28 & 5:21-22).
In these verses I hear Jesus saying it isn’t the Sin that is the problem. It the motivation that comes from our hearts.
He says this piece of truth to the people in Matthew 12:34-35, “For out of the overflow of the HEART the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.” And its not just our language that I thing he is making the point of. It is everything!
I have been on a kick lately this year to really focus on what I put into my heart. I have tried to make the commitment to not watch and listen to TV, Movies, & Music that aren’t going to build me up. I really believe that a lot of the sin in my life is because I allow garbage to enter my heart. So why am I so surprised when garbage comes out in my life?
You want to know what? I am over a month in, and I can tell a difference. I can tell my heart is more focused on good and on God. I can tell my temptations are easier to handle and seem to come about less often. I am still sinning, but I can tell that focusing on good and not garbage in my heart is helping.
Philippians 4:8 tells me this, “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.”
I know it is cliche to say it but, “Garbage In – Garbage Out” is truer than we want to believe because we want to justify the trash we watch, read, & listen too.
If you want to FIGHT SIN, if you want to really CHANGE YOUR LIFE, If you want to GROW CLOSER TO GOD. GUARD YOUR HEART! “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” -Provers 4:23
