Heart Attack!

Today we are attacking the heart.  The Bible tells us that the heart of man is sinful and wicked.  Contrary to the world's sage wisdom it cannot be trusted to guide us or give us good or wise counsel. 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own under­standing... Proverbs 3:5 (NASB)

You must realize the heart has been affected by the fall. What Adam and Eve did in the Garden killed us. The human heart has been badly affected...devastatingly affected... deadly affected. Look what the Apostle Paul says,  

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (NIV)


But in realizing just how bad the bad news is, we also recognize there is hope. There is hope for sinful man and his bad heart. There is hope for the person who has truly received Christ as Savior and Lord. The Bible declares that a person who has been “born-again” has a new heart that did not previously exist.

Therefore, if any man is in Christ he is a new creature, the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.  2 Corinthians 5:17 (NASB)

This means that the Holy Spirit will apply re­demption to your hearts; thus, enabling you to live a life pleasing to Him as you put off your old habits of the heart and put on new habits of the heart.

Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life. Proverbs 4:23 (NASB)

And I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you a new, obedient heart. Ezekiel 36:26 (NLT)

For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Romans 3:23 (NLT)

Psalm 51 is the account of David “a man after God’s own heart” who sinned greatly in his life. Take a few minutes and read this Psalm in your own Bible.  You will see that this wise man recognized that he was in deep trouble. He knew his sin had separated him from God. It wasn’t just the sin he committed at that time, but he admits he “was born a sinner.” He understands there will be judgment for his sin and he asks for pardon from his sins, for redemption, salvation.

First Corinthians 6:9-10 tell us that because of all their sin the unsaved will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (NIV)

To not “inherit the kingdom of God” means that you will be eternally separated from Him. When you take your last breath you will be lost and without hope for all eternity. There will be no second chance or reprieve.

Perhaps you have heard this before and discounted it. I would urge you not to harden your heart today.
Before you can fully appreciate the good news found in Christ alone, you have to first grasp just how bad the bad news is and realize your desperate lost condition.

The good news is that Jesus Christ came to redeem sinners, and to set us free from the penalty of sin and death. God has provided a way for you to be made right with Him through Jesus Christ.

For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NLT)

The only way to be made right with God is through Jesus Christ. It is essential that you understand and believe that there is nothing you can do to save your­self.

...the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. Romans 8:7-8 (NIV)

Without Christ it is impossible to submit to God or obey Him

Once you were dead, doomed forever because of your many sins. You used to live just like the rest of the world, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passions and desires of our evil nature. We were born with an evil nature, and we were under God’s anger just like everyone else. Ephesians 2:1-3 (NLT)

God saved you by his special favor (grace)when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NLT)

Salvation is a gift of God that we receive by faith. You must believe that you are a sinner in need of salvation, there is no way to save yourself from the penalty of your sin, and believe that Jesus Christ came to pay the penalty for it by giving His life for you on the cross.