Off Topic Day – The Heart

Day 20
9-29-24

Off Topic Day

The HEART

Why does music touch you?

Why does great art touch you?

Or a great book, or movie?

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched – they must be felt with the heart.
Helen Keller

What comes to your mind when I bring up the word “heart?”

What connotations or implications are there with the word heart?

What does the heart stand for? 

 What does the Bible mean when it uses the word heart”heart?”

I am going to say something that may sound like a bit much, or a bit radical or overstated. But with all my heart, I believe it and have seen it and experienced it. 

“EVERYTHING good in your life starts in the heart. 

And EVERYTHING bad in your life starts in the heart. 

(NIV 1984) Ezekiel36: 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

One of the great promises of the Bible. Notice that it is a gift. 

Who does it? Who does not do it?

Above all else, guard your heart,

for it is the wellspring of life. Pr 4:23

What do you think this verse means?

HOW do you do it?

(NIV) Luke 6:45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

What does this verse means?

We are STORING up stuff in our hearts whether we know it or not. 

How does this “storing up” happen? 

How are “good things” stored up?

How are bad things stored up?

The heart dwells upon what it holds most dearly. Its choices are motivated and reflect how it is emotionally invested. A. Craig Troxel, Ligonier Ministries (https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/what-does-bible-mean-by-heart)

“Our minds are most full of heaven when they are most full of Christ.” Scott Hubbard, managing editor for Desiring God, and pastor at All Peoples Church, 

(https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/set-your-mind-on-things-above)

Entire Bible = 736

Proverbs = 75

Psalms = 128

NT = 155 times 

Gospels = 51

PROVERBS

My son, do not forget my teaching,
but keep my commands in your heart,
for they will prolong your life many years
and bring you prosperity.
Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and man.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and shun evil.
The Holy Bible: New International Version (Pr 3:1–7). (1984). Zondervan.

My son, pay attention to what I say;
listen closely to my words.
Do not let them out of your sight,
keep them within your heart;
for they are life to those who find them
and health to a man’s whole body.
Above all else, guard your heart,
for it is the wellspring of life.
The Holy Bible: New International Version (Pr 4:20–23). (1984). Zondervan.

An anxious heart weighs a man down,
but a kind word cheers him up.
The Holy Bible: New International Version (Pr 12:25). (1984). Zondervan.

MATTHEW

Matthew = 17 times

Matthew 5:8

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.  (See Ps 51)

(NIV 1984) Matt 6:19-21
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your will be also.

Matthew 9:4
Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?

Matthew 12:34
You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.

Matthew 15:18
But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’ 

Matthew 15:19
For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 

Keeping and rightly managing the heart in every condition is the great business of a Christian’s life. (Puritan John Flavel in his book “Keeping the Heart.”,0

DEFINITION

**(Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words) New Testament

Noun: καρδία (kardia), GK 2840 (S 2588), 156x. kardia denotes the “heart.” The metaphorical use of this word dominates in the NT, just as it does the OT. kardia covers the whole range of activities that go on within one’s inner self, including thinking (Mk. 2:6,8), grieving (Jn. 16:6), rejoicing (Jn. 16:22), desiring (Rom. 1:24), understanding (Eph. 1:18), and decision-making (2 Cor. 9:7). While people may be deceived by their own hearts and the deceitful hearts of others (Jas. 1:26), and while sin and evil reside in the human heart (Rom. 1:21; Jas. 3:14), before the Lord the heart is an open book. He knows our hearts (Lk. 9:47; 16,15), tests them (1 Thess. 2:4), searches them (Rom. 8:27; Rev. 2:23), strengthens them (1 Thess. 3:13), and reveals their motives (1 Cor. 4:5).

The center of one’s spiritual life is in the kardia, where there may be temptation (Jn. 13:2), devotion (Lk. 12:34), faith (Rom. 10:9), or doubt (Lk. 24:38). Paul teaches that salvation is a matter of the heart (Rom. 10:9-10), but the human heart by itself cannot accomplish it (Eph. 2:8). The Lord must open the kardia, enabling a person to respond to his grace (Acts 16:14). The Spirit then comes to reside in the kardia (2 Cor. 1:22; Gal. 4:6). There can still be struggles in the kardia, since Peter exhorts believers to set apart Christ as the Lord of their hearts (1 Pet. 3:15), and the author to the Hebrews warns his audience not to harden their hearts as their forefathers had done (Heb. 3:8, 12). Acknowledging that there are many things vying for control of our hearts, Paul instructs (with an imperative command) believers to “let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts” (Col. 3:15). See NIDNTT-A, 288-89.

How do we keep the heart?

First, recognize the potential of the heart.

Second pray.

(NIV 1984) 10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Third determine to PROACTIVELY build the habit of guarding your heart. 

I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle – victorious.
Vince Lombardi

Do YOU believe this? Do you believe this applies to the Christian life? Do you believe that the Christian life is a battle? A lifelong spiritual battle? 

There is an old Indian story, or fable, or provererb that talks about two dogs that exist in your heart. A black dog and a white dog. These two dogs are fighting for control of your life. Which one wins?

Proverbs 15:14
The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly

Proverbs 22:11
He who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious will have the king for his friend.

Proverbs 23:19
Listen, my son, and be wise, and keep your heart on the right path.

Proverbs 27:19
As water reflects a face, so a man’s heart reflects the man. 

Proverbs 28:14
Blessed is the man who always fears the Lord, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble

Proverbs 15:11
Death and Destruction lie open before the Lord— how much more the hearts of men!

Proverbs 16:5
The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.

Proverbs 16:9
In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. 

Proverbs 16:21
The wise in heart are called discerning, and pleasant words promote instruction. 

Proverbs 16:23
A wise man’s heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction. 

Proverbs 17:3
The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart. 

Proverbs 17:20
A man of perverse heart does not prosper; he whose tongue is deceitful falls into trouble. 

Proverbs 17:22
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. 

Proverbs 18:12
Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.

Proverbs 20:9
Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin”? 

Proverbs 21:1
The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases. 

Proverbs 21:2
All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart. 

Proverbs 21:4
Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, are sin! 

Matthew

Matthew 5:8
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 

Matthew 5:28
But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 

Matthew 6:21
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 9:4
Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?

Matthew 12:34
You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.

Matthew 13:15
For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’

Matthew 15:8
“ ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 

Matthew 15:18
But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’ 

Matthew 15:19
For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 

Matthew 18:35
“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.” 

Matthew 19:8
Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 

Matthew 22:37
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’

Mark

Mark 12:30
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’

John

John 14:1
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.

Acts

Acts 11:23
When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.

Acts 15:9
He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. 

Acts 16:14
One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.

Romans 2:29
No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise is not from men, but from God.

Romans 10:6
But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 

Romans 10:8
But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: 

Romans 10:9
That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 

Romans 10:10
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

1 Corinthians 4:5
Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.

1 Corinthians 10:6
Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 

1 Corinthians 14:25
and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your heart and your minds in Christ Jesus.
The Holy Bible: New International Version (Php 4:6–7). (1984). Zondervan.

2 I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments
The Holy Bible: New International Version (Col 2). (1984). Zondervan.

Colossians 3:1
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 

Colossians 3:15
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,

Colossians 3:23
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,

1 Thessalonians 2:4
On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. 

1 Thessalonians 3:13
May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones. 

2 Thessalonians 2:17
encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. 

2 Thessalonians 3:5
May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance. 

1 Timothy 1:5
The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

2 Timothy 2:22
Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Hebrews 3:8
do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, 

Hebrews 3:10
That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’ 

Hebrews 3:12
See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 

Hebrews 3:15
As has just been said: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.” 

Hebrews 4:7
Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” 

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 

Hebrews 8:10
This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 

Hebrews 10:16
“This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” 

Hebrews 10:22
let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

Hebrews 13:9
Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by ceremonial foods, which are of no value to those who eat them.

James 3:14
But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 

James 4:8
Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 

1 Peter 1:22
Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. 

1 Peter 3:15
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

1 John 3:19
This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence 

1 John 3:20
whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 

1 John 3:21
Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 

1 John 5:10
Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son.

Revelation 2:23
I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.

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Commentaries

(Life Application Bible Commentary New Testament) Our heart will be with our treasure. The “heart” refers to the mind, emotions, and will. What we treasure most controls us, whether we admit it or not. (This is not limited to financial treasure. Some people treasure their house, car, or children almost to the point of idolatry.) For example, if we lay up treasures on earth in the form of money, our “heart” will be with our money.

(Teach the Text) 6:21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The reference to a person’s treasure and heart being in the same location reflects the understanding of the heart as the seat of allegiance and affection. It is “a term for what is of central importance in a person, what constitutes their true character” (e.g., 15:18–19).

(Boice Expositional Commentary) For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:19–21).

These verses also take us one step farther, for they contain the first of the reasons given by Jesus why worldliness in regard to our possessions is foolish and detrimental to our spiritual lives.

(Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary) Jesus Says to Pursue Heavenly Treasures over Earthly Treasures

Matthew 6:19-21

Life is a series of decisions and choices. These decisions shape our character and guide our destiny… They have eternal consequences. Jesus simplifies our decision making. He tells us there are only two places where our treasures can be: on earth or in heaven. These are our two options.

What You Treasure Shows What You Value (6:19-20)

(Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary) What You Treasure Shows What Is in Your Heart (6:21)

Jesus tells a story in Luke 12:16-21 that provides a helpful commentary on Matthew 6: ….  This story helps tie Matthew 6:19-20 to verse 21. If we store up treasure for ourselves on earth, then we will not be rich toward God or in heaven. In fact, the condition of our heart and what we value will become clear for all to see. Why? “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

One of the basic and fundamental truths of the Christian faith is that our heart (who we really are on the inside) should belong to God. He created us, and he has redeemed us in Christ, purchasing us with the precious blood of his Son. To love anyone or anything or to treasure anyone or anything more than Jesus is spiritual adultery. It is adultery of the heart. In Matthew 13:44 Jesus tells the parable of the hidden treasure buried in a field. When a man finds it, he is so delighted and joyful in his heart that “he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.” That treasure is the eternal kingdom of heaven. That treasure is Jesus. That treasure, which is worth more than all this world can offer, should be the treasure in our heart. Don Carson is right when he says, “It is a poor bargain which exchanges the eternal for the temporal” (Sermon, 77).

(The Gospel of the Kingdom: A Popular Exposition of the Gospel of Matthew) 21. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

This is a grand moral motive for keeping our desires above grovelling objects. The heart must end will go in the direction of that which we count precious.

DEFINITIONS:

G2840 καρδία kardia, n. [156] [→ 2841, 5016]. heart, mind (seat of thought and emotion). The heart was thought to be the seat of the inner self (composed of life, soul, mind, and spirit). “Heart” is similar in meaning to “soul,” but often the “heart” has a focus on thinking and understanding

(CWSB) (CWSB Dictionary) 2588. καρδία kardía; gen. kardías, fem. noun. Heart. The seat and center of human life. In the NT, used only figuratively.

(I) As the seat of the desires, feelings, affections, passions, impulses, i.e., the heart or mind.

1. Generally (Matt. 5:8), “the pure in heart” meaning those whose center of life has been made pure by Jesus Christ. See Matt. 5:28; 6:21; Mark 4:15; Luke 1:17; John 14:1; Acts 11:23; Rom. 2:5; 1 Cor. 4:5 for the counsels or dispositions of the heart or inner man. See also 2 Tim. 2:22; Heb. 3:8, 12; 10:22; Sept.: Ps. 51:12; Prov. 31:11.

(Mounce) (Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words) [2840] καρδία kardia 156x the heart, regarded as the seat of feeling, impulse, affection, desire, Mt. 6:21; 22,37; Phil. 1:7; the heart, as the seat of intellect, Mt. 13:15; Rom. 1:21; the heart, as the inner and mental frame, Mt. 5:8; Lk. 16:15; 1 Pet. 3:4; the conscience, 1 Jn. 3:20, 21; the heart, the inner part, middle, center, Mt. 12:40 [2588]

(Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words) HEART

Old Testament

Noun:לֵב(lēb), GK 4213 (S 3820), 854x. lēb, often translated “heart,” denotes the seat of emotion (1 Sam. 2:1), desire (Ps. 37:4), thought (Gen. 6:5), and decision (1 Chr. 12:38). The Lord repeatedly calls his people to love and trust him with all their hearts, indicating that the lēb can be divided (Deut. 6:5; Prov. 3:5). In fact, many things can fill or dwell in the lēb, including pride (Obad. 3), pain (Gen. 6:6; Isa. 65:14), idols (Ezek. 14:4), joy (Ps. 4:7), wisdom (Exod. 28:3; Prov. 14:33), and the word of God (Deut. 30:14; Ps. 119:11).

Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary) HEART, HEARTILY

kardia (καρδία, 2588), “the heart” (Eng., “cardiac,” etc.), the chief organ of physical life (“for the life of the flesh is in the blood,” Lev. 17:11), occupies the most important place in the human system. By an easy transition the word came to stand for man’s entire mental and moral activity, both the rational and the emotional elements. In other words, the heart is used figuratively for the hidden springs of the personal life. “The Bible describes human depravity as in the ‘heart,’ because sin is a principle which has its seat in the center of man’s inward life, and then ‘defiles’ the whole circuit of his action, Matt. 15:19, 20. On the other hand, Scripture regards the heart as the sphere of Divine influence, Rom. 2:15; Acts 15:9…. The heart, as lying deep within, contains ‘the hidden man,’ 1 Pet. 3:4, the real man. It represents the true character but conceals it” (J. Laidlaw, in Hastings‘ Bible Dic.).

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Notes:

* Everything with an asterisk and is italicized and purple is my own added words and thoughts and are not part of the actual verse or quote.