Am I Going to Die? Scripture Reading 1 : Matthew 15:1-20; Luke 6:43-45 NIV 1 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, 2 "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don't wash their hands before they eat!" 3 Jesus replied, "And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God said, 'Honor your father and mother' and 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.' 5 But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, 'Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is a gift devoted to God,' 6 he is not to 'honor his father ' with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: 8 "'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 9 They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.' " 10 Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen and understand. 11 What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean.'" 12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?" 13 He replied, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. 14 Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit." 15 Peter said, "Explain the parable to us." 16 "Are you still so dull?" Jesus asked them. 17 "Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the HEART, and these make a man 'unclean.' 19 For out of the HEART come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what make a man 'unclean'; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him 'unclean.'" 43 "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from briers. 45 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his HEART, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his HEART. For out of the overflow of his HEART his mouth speaks. Scripture Texts: Matthew 6:21; Romans 2:5 NIV For where your treasure is, there your HEART will be also. But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant HEART, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. Preamble February has been designated Heart and Stroke Month and, as part of our awareness of heart health, we want to take a look at Spiritual Heart Health. 1 All Scripture quotations, unless indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV 1984) Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House (a division of The Zondervan Corporation). All rights reserved.
In any training concerning heart health, the study of heart health is divided into THREE (3) different areas: 1) risk factors, 2) signs and symptoms of heart disease, and 3) treatment and prognosis. The message by Pastor Joyce last Sunday was the first of three messages for the month of February. She identified several risk factors relating to spiritual heart health that could lead to spiritual injury and death. Today, I want to look at some of the spiritual signs and symptoms of the diseased heart. Introduction [ show YouTube video Cardiac Arrest (cardiac monitor showing multifocal PVC s to flat-line) ] Our patient just died! Too young well before his time. Too soon still things to do, still goals to reach, still dreams to fulfill. Our patient just died! But it didn t have to be that way. Over a year ago, his doctor had warned him of the possibility. You need to make changes in your life! Things need to be different for you if you want to live a longer life. You can t wait any longer or it will be too late. He was warned of the risk factors involved. He had already gone through several diagnostic tests and the results were not good. He was tiring more frequently. His breathing was becoming more difficult. His ankles and feet were becoming more swollen. His heart rate would suddenly start racing with minimum effort. But now, nothing more can be done. It is too late. Our patient just died! God s Word tells us that when people sin, they earn what sin pays - DEATH. (Romans 6:23 NCV emphasis mine) And just as our patient in the Emergency Room had been told by his family physician that he, too, would die if he didn t make changes in his life, so will we reap the consequences of our own spiritual choices if we do not make changes in our hearts and lives as well. Our patient had been diagnosed with coronary heart disease. His doctor had discussed this problem with him a while back. Several risk factors had been identified just as Pastor Joyce talked about last week. A risk factor for heart disease is something that increases your chance of getting it. There was spiritual cholesterol factors involved substances or activities which clog and restrict the flow to our spiritual hearts.
Out of [peoples ] HEARTS come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. (Mark 7:21-22) Also,... although [people knew] God, their thinking became futile and their foolish HEARTS were darkened. Therefore, God gave them over to the sinful desires of their HEARTS... they have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, and ruthless. Although they know God s righteous decrees, that those who do such things deserve death, they [choose to ignore them]. (Romans 1:21, 24, 29-31) We may also have become rather spiritually obesity due to lack of spiritual exercise. Our spiritual hearts become sluggish because we are not exercising our spiritual muscles. Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked our for each of us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfector of our faith, who endured the cross... so that we would not grow weary and lose HEART. (Hebrews 12:1-3) And then there is the lack of proper spiritual nutrition because we do not pay attention to the spiritual disciplines that nourish our hearts and souls. Jesus tells us that, man does not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:4) Again, He told His disciples that I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to me will never [be spiritually] hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. (John 6:35) The Psalmist exhorts the reader to walk according to the law of the Lord, keeping His statutes and seeking Him with all their HEART. Later he says:... teach me to follow your decrees; give me understanding; direct me; turn my HEART toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. (Psalm 119:28-38) Spiritual high cholesterol. Spiritual lack of exercise and obesity. Spiritual lack of proper diet. All risk factors that if not given proper attention will lead to spiritual heart disease. But beyond the identified risk factors are the signs and symptoms of an active disease process. Signs are different from symptoms. Signs are an indication of a condition medical or spiritual that can be objectively observed by someone other than yourself. A symptom is experienced and reported by the patient what he or she is feeling, conditions that they recognize in themselves that should not be happening. Both indicate that something is abnormally wrong, leading to a potential medical or spiritual morbid condition. Some of the symptoms (what you yourself experience) of heart disease, whether physical OR spiritual, include: 1. Fatigue Weakness
2. Shortness of breath 3. Pain You can identify them for yourselves. You feel these symptoms happening. A. Symptoms 1. Fatigue Weakness Last Sunday, in her discussion concerning the risk factors of spiritual heart disease, Pastor Joyce indicted that TWO (2) of the risk factors were a) Lack of Exercise and Obesity, and b) Lack of Proper Diet We may give all our attention to paying attention to what other people have to say about heavenly things that we become no earthly good. We don t exercise our faith. We don t follow the spiritual disciplines of meditation, prayer, fasting, study (the inward disciplines), simplicity, solitude, submission, service (the outward disciplines), confession, worship, guidance, and celebration (the corporate disciplines) that build healthy spiritual bodies. We have allowed ourselves to become as Pastor Joyce stated spiritual couch potatoes. And we have become tired and weak. The enthusiasm we once had at the beginning of our Christian journey has become a drudge, weary, toilsome, mundane. Fatigue has set in. We are overcome by the pressures of society, of family life, of relationships, of crowded schedules, of chasing the end of the rainbow. We are weak. We are ineffective. We are powerless. 2. Shortness of Breath Dyspnea or shortness of breath is another of the symptoms of heart disease. In the spiritual sense, this feeling of being suffocated comes when God s Word becomes choked off and we let it become meaningless. Remember the story that Jesus told of the sower? [Jesus] told this parable: A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which
grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown. (Luke 8:4b-8) Later, Jesus explained this story to his disciples. This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering, produce a crop. (Luke 8:11-15 emphasis mine) How many times, and in how many ways have we not paid attention to God as He is speaking to us. We do not take the time to let Him infuse us, to oxygenate us with His life-giving word. And we become short of breath, slow to a walk, stop because can t go any farther, and fall away. We need to consistently refresh ourselves with the word of God. 3. Pain Physical chest pain or discomfort (angina) is the most obvious and the most common symptom. You feel this pain when the heart is not getting enough oxygenated blood. How bad the pain is varies from person to person. It may feel heavy or like someone is squeezing your heart. You feel it under your breast bone (sternum), but also in your neck, arms, stomach, or upper back. The pain usually occurs with activity or emotion, and goes away with rest or a medicine called nitroglycerin that helps blood vessels open or expand dilate -- allowing blood to have better access to the areas that need a supply of oxygen the most. (Health, 2011) Spiritual pain comes from the pull of good versus bad, knowing what is right, yet doing what is wrong. Pain comes when we make wrongful decisions. We really do suffer the consequences. Scripture has recorded a conversation that Jesus had with a wealthy young man. One of the accounts of this meeting is found in Matthew 19:16-24. 16 And someone came to Him and said, "Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?" 17 And He said to him, "Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments." 18 Then he said to Him, "Which ones?" And Jesus said, "YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER; YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY; YOU SHALL NOT STEAL; YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS; 19 HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER; and YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."
20 The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?" 21 Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." 22 But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property. 23 And Jesus said to His disciples, "Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 "Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." When we encounter Jesus Christ, each one of us faces a point of crisis in our lives. We must either turn one way or turn the other. We cannot continue in the same path, the same direction as before. Something is different. Something has been added. The decision is hard. It is gut-wrenching. It is painful. The young man in this story was confronted with what was most important to him his wealth. For you it may not be wealth; rather it may be the comfort or commitment or content you have with who you are your pride, your abilities, your successes, your comfort zone, your family, your gifts, your personality, your career, your place in life, your friends, your securities, your relationships, your status... that something that is important to you something that you cling to, something you really don t want to let go. Decisions are difficult... and consequences can be very painful. The love of the things that are comfortable and familiar to us has a stronger pull on our hearts and minds than the surety of eternal life. Adam Clarke, in his commentary writes: [People] undergo great agony of mind while they are in suspense between the love of the world and the love of their souls. When the first absolutely predominates, then they enjoy a factitious rest through a false peace: when the latter has the upper hand, then they possess true tranquillity of mind, through that peace of God that passes knowledge. (Clarke, 1832) All too often, we may have this desire as strong as it may be to know about God. We may believe in Him as Creator, as the Great Designer,
as,... well... as God. But the big question we need to ask... and answer for ourselves is this: Knowing and believing God is one thing, but what are do you do with Jesus? This rich, young man like so many of us had a love of something of this world that was greater than anything else... and it kept him at a distance from really knowing and loving and serving and committing to Jesus Christ. We are at a crossroads. Whether you have absolutely everything going for you, or absolutely everything going against you, the question remains: What do you do with Jesus? The decision is ours to make and ours alone. Ron Baker had everything going against him. He was functionally illiterate, had a speech impediment, was an alcoholic and a gambler, dabbled in witchcraft, and beat his wife. That is, until he went unwillingly to a Billy Graham Crusade in Sydney, Australia, at the invitation of a friend. There, he made a commitment to Christ that transformed his life. Called to preach, he went to Bible College and then seminary. With the help of a speech therapist, he overcame his impediment. Today, he has his own evangelistic team and exercises a powerful ministry throughout Australia and in other parts of the world. I have cried when I have thought back 21 years ago and what I might have become had it not been for Christ says Ron. I probably would be dead... the most exciting thing in my life today is to be allowed to be in the presence of God and talk with him about lost people and then go out and do something about it. * Known as President Richard M. Nixon s Hatchet Man, Charles Colson was one of the most despised men in Nixon s White House during the early 1970s. He once boasted that he would run over his own grandmother to re-elect the president. Behind the vicious facade, however, was a troubled man who made his way one night to the home of Tom Phillips, a Christian business executive. Tom led him to Christ, and his life was transformed. In spite of the initial disbelief that attended the original newspaper headlines, Colson Makes Decision for Christ, his willingness to plead guilty to obstruction of justice charges and serve out his sentence in a federal prison won respect for him and his faith. He founded Prison Fellowship, a ministry to prisoners and their families, and has become a prolific author and one of evangelical Christianity s most respected spokespersons. From Jesus day to ours, God has taken the greatest of sinners and transformed them into passionate and effective disciples. How is God s amazing grace transforming your life? (Cowles, 2012) Jesus[said], I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6) What is Jesus doing with you today?
More importantly, what are you doing with Jesus today? B. Signs When we have a sense that something is not right within our own bodies, we usually make an appointment to see our family doctor. The symptoms indicate that something is not right but what is it exactly that is wrong with us? The expert clinician the physician, the nurse, the para-medic can provide a better assessment of our condition with special skills, advanced knowledge, sophisticated diagnostic tools and particular tests. Scripture tells us: The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the HEART. (1 Samuel 16:7) We cannot hide anything from the Great Physician. The Psalmist realized this totally. We see this in Psalm 139. 1 Lord, you have examined me and you know me. 2 You know everything I do; from far away you understand all my thoughts. 3 You see me, whether I am working or resting; you know all my actions. 4 Even before I speak, you already know what I will say. 5 You are all around me on every side; you protect me with your power. 6 Your knowledge of me is too deep; it is beyond my understanding. 7 Where could I go to escape from you? Where could I get away from your presence? 8 If I went up to heaven, you would be there; if I lay down in the world of the dead, you would be there. 9 If I flew away beyond the east or lived in the farthest place in the west, 10 you would be there to lead me, you would be there to help me. 11 I could ask the darkness to hide me or the light around me to turn into night, 12 but even darkness is not dark for you, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are the same to you. 13 You created every part of me; you put me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you because you are to be feared; all you do is strange and wonderful. I know it with all my heart. 15 When my bones were being formed, carefully put together in my mother's womb, when I was growing there in secret, you knew that I was there 16 you saw me before I was born. The days allotted to me had all been recorded in your book, before any of them ever began. 17 O God, how difficult I find your thoughts; how many of them there are! 18 If I counted them, they would be more than the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you. 19 O God, how I wish you would kill the wicked! How I wish violent people would leave me alone! 20 They say wicked things about you; they speak evil things against your name. 21 O Lord, how I hate those who hate you! How I despise those who rebel against you! 22 I hate them with a total hatred; I regard them as my enemies. I like the way the Psalmist closes out this Psalm.
He is asking God to do a complete spiritual check-up and start to make things right again. 23 Examine me, O God, and know my mind; test me, and discover my thoughts. 24 Find out if there is any evil in me and guide me in the everlasting way. (Psalm 139:1-24 Good News) So I ask you once again, what are you doing with Jesus today? AMEN Bibliography American Bible Society. (1992). Good News Translation (GNT) (Today s English Version, Second Edition). New York: American Bible Society. Biblica. (1973, 1978, 1984). HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV 1984). Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House (The Zondervan Corporation). Clarke, A. (1832). The Adam Clarke Commentary "Commentary on Matthew 19". Retrieved February 10, 2012, from StudyLight.org: http://www.studylight.org/com/acc/view.cgi?book=mt&chapter=019 Cowles, C. S. (2012). "Transformed Lives" Illustrated Bible Life Session 9; January 29, 2012. Retrieved February 11, 2012, from SundayTeacher.com: http://sundayteacher.com/nphweb/media/content/2410/2410985.htm Health, P. (2011, May 23). Coronary Heaart Disease; Arteriosclerotic Heart Disease; CHD; CAD. Retrieved February 6, 2012, from U.S. National Library of Medicine - The World's Largest Medical Library - A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/pmh0004449/ The Holy Bible, New Century Version (NCV). (1987, 1988, 1991). Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc.