The Heart of the Matter
April 12, 2015
Welcome to First Christian Church. I’m glad your weekend plans included time with us.
This weekend we begin a new message series called, TOXIC – Things that Poison the Heart.
When we think of our hearts we are prone to think about the organ in our chest that pumps to keep blood flowing to all the other vital organs of our body. We are encouraged to take care of our hearts because we understand that there are things that contribute to long term damage and eventual death.
There are many references in the Bible to the heart. These references refer to what’s deep inside us that no one else but God sees. References to the heart of man in the Bible are references to the center of who we really are, our will, understanding, inclinations, conscience, appetites, emotions, passions, and ambitions.
A more modern translation of an old wise saying will be the foundation from which we will build this series and work from as we talk about things that can poison us and consequently poison our relationships with others. The more modern translation of Israel’s ancient king, Solomon reads like this; “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” If we are not diligent in guarding our hearts they can become poisoned and consequently everything that flows from it will be toxic and everyone that comes in contact with us has the potential to be harmed.
It’s possible that you have encountered others that are toxic. Maybe you are toxic and aren’t aware of it. It’s possible that you’ve heard people say things that have caused you to wonder where that came from. It came from deep inside.
It’s my prayer that this series will provide the heart monitoring systems and equipment that all of us need to see the real condition of our own hearts and take the necessary steps to detox the things that have and can poison us and others.
Pastor Randy