The Work of God in Our Heart — Jesse Stoltzfus

Coming out. You know this is interesting as I was listening to the testimonies. I heard a number of people say Something about what God did in my heart, or what's happening in my heart. And I found that very interesting because that's the topic.

The Spiritual Heart as the Core of Our Being

That's God laid on my heart to share this morning and I Started to search this topic out when I realized God wants me to share on the heart this morning, and it is vast. What's going on in the heart, or what can go on in your heart is really really big.

And it can be big to the bad or big to the good. It's very interesting. And the other thing that I find I was trying to wrap my mind around this. With with all these things that go on inside our heart we talk about what's going on in our heart.

Is it actually happening inside this organ? There's an organ in there that It's a muscle, and it's doing its job. Or these things actually going on inside that organ. I think that organ is affected In many ways by what goes on.

But the other the other concept that I came up with is there is a spiritual heart that we have. That spiritual heart is who you are. That is who you are. This organ inside your chest here can fill and stop its its duty stop its job and your body will die.

But there is a spiritual heart a spiritual being that will not die. That is who you are and that is where things are going on it's inside your spiritual heart, and it does affect the organ your heart there also and I Started looking through scripture and finding out a lot of what was going on when God talks about the heart of people.

Or when he's talking about when people were. When verses that talk about the heart and the Hebrew meaning of the heart is the area of feelings. Will and even the intellect make up. What the Bible talks about heart?

The Greek meaning simply says thoughts and feelings. That's what that's what I was talking about when it talks about your heart. And I'm gonna ask for some participation here this morning because I have a lot of verses that I want to look up.

Just to read it and bring out a short point. So I'm going to ask certain people are just going to ask it people to look up a verse and read it so we can Move through it faster instead of me paging to everyone, but I'm going to start with Exodus 35 there's a small passage there that I want to start with that Exodus 35 verse 5.

A Willing Heart Responds to God's Calling

They had a big job on their hands right in front of them here. This is this is what it had come after they had come out of Egypt there was a project there laying in front of them. God had asked them to do and They were they were going into the details of this when God was giving them instructions and Moses was giving Instructions to the people in verse 4 and Moses spake up all the congregation of the children Israel saying this is a thing which the Lord commanded saying take ye from among you and offering unto the Lord whosoever is of a Willing heart Let him bring it and offering unto the Lord gold silver and brass 21 and they came everyone whose hearts stirred him up and everyone whom his spirit made willing and they brought the Lord's offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation for all his Service and for the Holy Garments, and so there's a there's there's when God calls you into something when something is going on God wants you to see something.

There is a stirring going on in your heart. And it's that stirring that stirring can be a revelation what God has called you to. That stirring can be an indication of something that's wrong in your life, too.

If you if you go back to the days where you walked in in a guilty conscience or or at sin in your life. There was a stirring going on. But it wasn't the stirring that was motivating you to God's work.

It was a stirring that was showing you you've got to deal with something before you can go on with God. Or maybe you didn't even at that point even have an intention to go on with God. There was a desire to live in sin and there's there's all that too when I was looking at this I was coming up with many things.

There's the willing heart the clean heart the pure heart a Sound heart a merry heart. Those are good things. And on the other side, there's a heavy heart a sorrowful heart a deceitful heart there's the hardness of heart.

There's a stony heart a proud heart a wounded heart a broken heart and all of these things. There's more but all of these things create some kind of stirring in your heart. And I know according to what was going on here this weekend.

The message is being taught you were being challenged on on on your body area how to eat properly. What is healthy for the body? There were doors you were being challenged on your motions on your gifts and your callings and there was many stirring many Challenges going on these things that you're being taught will now stir something up in you.

There will be a stirring in your heart. Follow that stirring. The stirring in your heart is is a revelation from God many times. There's a revelation from God to take you where he wants you to go. I want someone to look up Psalms 37 1 and read it when you found it another someone else of Psalms 24 verse 4.

Stirring when you when you talk about stirring of your heart leading you into things this same stirring can come from the sinful side where your heart longs after sin and People or or things in life cause that stirring.

But not thyself because of evil doers neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.

That can cause a stirring in the heart that fretting that worrying that concern that. Those are those are those types of stirrings will hold you back and drag you down. If it's if it's if it's a stirring toward evil, but you want to walk in a you know in a clean heart pure heart 24 for.

Psalms 24 for he that has clean hands and a pure heart Who has not lifted up his soul unto vanity nor sworn deceitful. A there's an indication of a pure heart.

A Sound Heart Brings Healing and Strength

We can have pure hearts before the Lord. Proverbs 14 30 and Proverbs 15 13 to 15. Proverbs 14 30. And Proverbs 15 13 to 15 we talked about a sound mind. I heard the words this morning doing testimony or doing song a sound mind.

And so there's a sound heart to a sound heart. It is the life of the flesh that's talking about your body. And so if your heart is sound if your heart is healthy if your heart has been healed by the Lord Then your body will also be more healthy and that that word sound has a good way to explain that word sound is.

Sometimes when you go to the horse sale want to buy a horse they'll tell you this horse is safe and sound. Being safe. He's been trained. He's not Irrational. He's a good horse been trained. Well, but he's sound.

When a horse is not sound he usually has a problem in his legs. That can be It can be okay for a while. But if he overexerts himself and then he becomes lame and then he needs to take some time off for that leg to be healed.

But then when you work him too hard again, he's lame again, and he's not sound so he's ineffective. And that's how it is. If a person does not have a sound heart. If your heart is not sound if your heart is not being healed.

It's not been it's it's not Where God wants it to be. It's not pure. It's not clean. It's not free from from the sin of the life that sin that was there. Then there's an unsoundness and if there's issues in your heart, maybe you've even come part ways To to seeking after God and serving God, but there's things in that heart that hindered it so you could run well for a while.

But then there's issues in your heart. There's things back there that are hidden. Maybe you never confessed it. Maybe you never brought it out. Maybe you didn't realize it was there. But there's a there's a an Unsoundness something unhealthy in your heart and it will hinder you in the same way that it hitters a horse when he goes out to do his work, he cannot run well because there's There's a hurt there in his leg and you want your heart sound so that when God calls you to work you can rise to it and you can run into it and you can go where God Calls you to do and you're you don't need to be hindered by the issues of your heart.

But a lot of times when there's issues in your heart. On this other list a heavy heart sorrowful deceitful hardness stony proud wounded broken. Those things will hinder you. You can rise up for a while maybe but they will bring you down again.

Then you got to start over and rise up. We don't want to walk that way. You want the issues of your heart resolved? So your heart is sound and so you can run and not be hindered by health issues even how about that?

If the Word of God covers 1430 says that a sound heart Brings healing to your flesh or brings a sound flesh or a healthy flesh meaning your body. Then we need a sound heart. So that when God really calls us to the mission or whatever you're called to do you're not hindered by health issues.

So is it possible that Proverbs 1430 is the best health care plan you could ever pick up? It probably is. To have a sound heart to be healed in your heart free from the issues of your heart free from a Heavy heart deceitful heart hardness of heart sinful heart free from those things.

Even a wounded heart can hinder you 18 to 21. I'm going to read that one. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth where moth and rust doth corrupt and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust Rust doth corrupt and where thieves do not break through nor steal for where your treasure is there will your heart be also.

And so even as God back here in Exodus 35 he had a plan for his people and he called and he gave a commission and for some people to. Some people were called to certain things whatever their heart stirred and they set their heart to that thing.

If you read that following there were people stepped into those calling they set their heart to it. And there was a mighty work done there and it's the same way today. It's the same way right here in this room.

It's the same way wherever you are listening if God has called you to something and there's a stirring in your heart. If you follow that calling and you follow that stirring God can do a mighty work through you.

If there's hindrances and issues in your heart the work still needs to be done. There's still a call for it. But if the person doesn't ride up. The work's not going to be done at least not by that person at that time in Deuteronomy 6 Verse 4 to 7.

Loving God With the Whole Heart

It's another one that Talks about throwing your heart into something. Israel the Lord our God is one Lord and thou shalt serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul with all thy might and These words which I command thee this it shall be in thy heart.

The Word of God is to be in our heart. Our heart is not to be filled with the things of the world. It's not to be filled. That's not what God intended if your heart is filled with the things of the world.

There is no way that you can serve the Lord thy God with all your heart. Because a portion of it is given to the world in Luke 24 verse 32. There was it's the story of where Jesus after Jesus had been crucified and he was resurrected up from the grave he had his new body and he was appearing up to his disciples and he appeared to his disciples in one place and.

And some of them had not been there and they or two of them were walking home to a pass after after the resurrection there and they didn't know where Jesus was and they know how to find him anymore and They were they had heavy hearts.

They were sorrowful. They were burdened down because their vision was gone. They wasn't they weren't sure what had happened. But they knew that something was drastically different than the way it was that it was they felt it was not good.

And they're walking along walking home to wear a mask and they talked about this and this third person starts walking beside them and unbeknownst To them. It was the Lord Jesus their eyes were blinded.

It did not see it. Jesus asked Why are you so sorrowful? And so they told him what happened? What don't you know? Are you a stranger in these parts? Don't you know what just happened? Don't you know about this this guy Jesus that was crucified.

He was to be our leader and our master. We don't know where he is. And Jesus goes back into the Old Testament back into what they understood and began to expound to them. The rest of the walk home and I think it was an 11-mile walk.

I'm not sure somewhere in that area. It was a long walk. He began to teach them. It was probably the most wonderful Bible study they ever had. So he taught them and he taught them and he taught them. How long does it take to walk 11 miles?

Hour and a half two hours somewhere in that area. So he was teaching them. Then they got to the place where they were where they wanted to stay and we didn't and they invited Jesus to come in. Set food on the table and Jesus took the food and he blessed it and their eyes were opened.

And they saw that it was Jesus. They just and he disappeared from their sight. They jumped up and ran my place they ran back. To mass where they had come from they ran back one said to the other. Did not our hearts stir within us?

While they were walking home. While this man was teaching them there was a tremendous stirring going on in their hearts. It was a burning. It was a passion. But it didn't come alive until they recognized Christ and it exploded.

And their physical body which had to be tired by then it was energized and they ran the whole way back. How about that that is amazing, but that is what can happen when God stirs in your heart and a vision bursts forth in Luke 6 45 someone look up Luke 6 45 and Hebrew 4 12 your heart begins to stir like this and it's it's God stirring in your heart.

There's there's something Starting in your heart or waking up in your heart. But someone has Luke 6 45 loud and clear for of the abundance of the heart your mouth speaks. And so what is whatever is stirring in your heart is what you're going to speak out.

These guys have just met Jesus after walking home. There was a tremendous stirring going on and when they got back when they met the rest of the brethren to mess with the rest of the disciples. I Think they had the floor for a while.

I believe these guys spoke out of their mouth the abundance of what stirred there the last three hours. It likewise for evil when a heart is full of evil and there's a stirring going on in your heart.

Inclined toward evil and for evil. That's what comes out of those people's mouths. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth. Speakers Hebrews 4 12. So there's thoughts and intentions going on inside our heart those thoughts and intentions that are going on inside your heart.

Are there? Depending what you're feeding it depending. What is stirring your heart is. What creates the thoughts and intentions? Of your heart and you will do what's stirring in your heart many times.

Guarding the Heart Through the Peace of Christ

Philippians 4 7 and Ephesians 5 16 to 20 and the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and your minds through Christ Jesus. So there is there's something in our heart something about our heart and our mind that needs to be kept.

That kept could be the same word as guarded. Like a guard a keeper of a prison they guard that they need to contain there. And that's that's what that verse is talking about Jesus the one that we Say that we want to serve the one that we want to live for you you submit to him so that he guards Your thoughts and your hearts.

Your hearts he guards it he guards what's stirring in your heart if there's evil starting to stir in your heart or Maybe not necessarily even evil, but just you're starting to be of a heavy heart. You're starting to be sorrowful.

There's there's things are are starting to weigh you down. We have the Holy Spirit to guard us. And we can be kept in the way of righteousness in the way of truth by that guard. What is the guard gonna do when the when the prisoner comes walking up and starts ratting in the door and trying to push His way out that guards gonna come up here and take authority over that and so we have the Holy Spirit.

We don't need to go down under depression. We don't need to go down under a heavy heart. We don't need to go down under deceitful heart. We don't need to go down under these things. Because we have the Holy Spirit to show us that when these things are starting to happen and then turn toward the Holy Spirit and allow Him to stir up The good things in our heart again so that we can walk in the good and the righteous way.

Ephesians 5 16 to 20.

Redeeming the time because the days are evil. Wherefore be not unwise but understanding what the way of the Lord is and be not drunk with wine wherein is excess But be filled with the Spirit Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.

So if you get a picture of that In the first part it's a picture of of the evil is warning Don't don't be there. But be over here be over here in that in that singing and in that praising and in blessing the Lord.

And that's actually stirring up your heart. Again, that is your spiritual heart which reflects how you will walk out the physical part of your life. There's that beautiful stirring going on in your heart.

There's praising the Lord going on in your heart. There's those good things going on in your heart in your spiritual being there's good things are going on. You've been forgiven of your sins. You've been washed.

You've been cleansed. Your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life and you're walking in power. You're walking in love and you're demonstrating forgiveness. You're demonstrating love and that is that is that is a Radiating forth from you.

There's a radiance comes forth from you. Your body responds to that depression is the other way. Depression heavy heart sorrowful heart sinful heart these things shut your body down. Bitterness those things shut your body down revenge.

Vengeance is mine. I will repay a say at the Lord your body was never created to carry revenge at all. It's not it's not created to carry bitterness. It's not created to carry unforgiveness because it will shut your body down literally.

In some cases faster than others some cases more. I have Had the opportunity to watch this not really watch it but to hear of it and to know about it. A dear friend of mine. He's now passed away a number of years ago.

I got to know this man when I was right ten years old and His wife was in a wheelchair didn't do much and nothing was she was just she was almost a vegetable at the time that I Had gotten to know her so I asked what what happened to your wife?

What's going on? And the story that came out was They had an only son this couple had an only son and He had gone through high school and gone through college. He was set for life. He was just stepping into his career.

He had He had just met this girl or been dating this girl for a while. They were planning on getting married set for life. Everything looked really good. This young couple that was planned on getting married were walking home from Place one evening walking on the sidewalk a drunk driver Careening up the street up on the sidewalk and slammed into both of them and killed them both.

Instantly, okay, the father of this son Was able to forgive and release This happening this incident. He was able to forgive God if you want to use that term. The mother was not. She refused to forgive.

She was perfectly healthy at that time. Within 15 years She was completely Crippled completely helpless in a wheelchair. No medical explanation as to what was wrong with her. It was the bitterness the Unforgiveness and the anger against this person who had struck and killed this young couple that crippled her.

Broken Hearts, Forgiveness, and Healing

Our bodies are not designed to carry bitterness and unforgiveness and those ugly things. It does not function well look at heart is another one. Could someone look that up psalms 34? 18 in a wounded heart psalms 109 verse 16 what is 90?

The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart and.

Saveth such as be of a contrite spirit that broken heart could have two aspects. One would be broken before the Lord. But what I want to bring out here with the broken heart is There there can be things happening in your life where things happen to you that cause that broken heart.

There could be rejection. There can be Abuse. There can be a Crushing of a vision or or a dream that you had that something you were going to pursue and all of a sudden it becomes an Impossibility. It looks impossible.

And it can break that heart. It can. It can bring you down to where your heart does. Yes, your organ keeps on pumping. But you're the heart. The spiritual heart has no desire or excitement to go forward.

And with that broken heart can other things can enter in with that. But Lord is nigh unto those who are a broken heart. If you've got a broken heart if your heart has been broken the Lord is nigh. The Lord is the Lord is to heal you.

He can bring that broken heart bring those pieces back together again put his purpose in there. But his desire it is fire his passion that the Lord can stir that up again. That broken heart wounded heart.

Psalms 109 16.

Because that he remembered not to show mercy But persecuted the poor and needy man that he might even slay the broken heart broken in heart.

Jeremiah 17 9 talked about a deceitful heart a Deceitful heart is he killed 35 all these things these especially the dark side the heavy heart the sorrowful heart. The Ezekiel 35 talks about God taking that hard heart of stone out of You and putting in you a heart of flesh.

That's talking about a soft heart a new heart and he writes his commandments on that heart. So if you've given your life to the Lord Jesus. And he has given you that new heart and he's written those commandments on you.

We know what's right. And if you follow the Word of God and follow the leading of the Spirit God will stir something up in there. And it'll help you to step into your destiny and your calling and your gift.

Certain people get stirred up about certain things for certain reasons. It's because of what God put in you. But with all these other things and there's gonna be many other other things that hinder the function of the heart.

Keeping the Heart Filled After Conversion

Luke 11 24 to 26. It's talking about what's inside a heart. Luke 23 said Jesus is saying he that is not with me is against me. And he that does not gather with me scatter. When the unclean spirit is going out of a man and walks through dry places seeking rest finding none.

He says I will return unto my house once I came out. And when he comes and he finds it swept and garnished. Then he goes and take it to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself and they enter in and dwell there.

And the last State last condition of that man is worse than the first. This is talking about a person. This is let's put this in New Testament context of a person coming and believing on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.

Recognizing the need to be saved and forgiven. Recognizing the need to be free from his sins recognizing the need to confess them and to walk free from them. And he does that. Maybe a response on all recall or Something and he pours out things that were in his heart.

And then he goes back into life again life in general and he allows the things of the world. The things that even the things that he had a tendency or an inclination to before he allows them to come back.

Those things come back into his heart back into his life. The condition of that person is worse than it was before because it's a spiritual thing. Spirits come back the spirit of unforgiveness the spirit of bitterness the spirit of anger.

The spirit of lust those things come back and they're stronger than they were before. And that's why we need the Holy Spirit like in Philippians 4 7 there to guard our hearts and our minds to keep those things out to keep us on the alert as soon as those things are there.

Freedom From Condemnation Through Christ's Forgiveness

Story here that I'm going to connect with with a Heavy heart or a sorrowful heart could tie into this because it is it is a picture of a person who did just that. He came to a place where he confessed his sins.

He was a he lived a very sinful life at one point very shameful life did many wrong things. And he came to a place in his life where he he asked for forgiveness. He came and put his faith in Jesus Christ.

He started the walk of righteousness. He was walking a life of holiness. But there was a there was a heaviness starting to come on him and it was a condemnation of the devil coming against him. Telling him he's not forgiven.

Telling him he can't be victorious. Telling him these bad things are too shameful that they'll never be erased. Telling him that when he gets up to heaven and judgment state. They're gonna be there in front of him.

Let's say he began to walk under this condemnation. He began to drag him down and make him heavy and weaker and leading to depression and he didn't want to be there. Let's say he started to cry out to God and asking him what's going on.

Why am I feeling this way? I might not forgiven what has happened. What is happening with me? And in God's love and his mercy, he allowed this man to have a dream and in his dream. This man had a room.

And in the in the room, it was like a like more like a library type. But instead of books, it had file cases file cabinets. And he was okay to walk into that room with Jesus. Jesus walked him into that room and this and he started showing him all.

One was listed with the mission work he had done. Another one was the file cabinets of the money he had given to other areas another one had good deeds. And he was walking through there and then there was a file there that had this and this is all the shameful ones.

He just backed up to put his hand on it. And he didn't want Jesus to look into that one. Because it was those things that were in that file cabinet the shameful things he had done. Those are what were bothering him in in his real life.

Those are the ones the devil was accusing him. You're not forgiven. You can never be you can never get into heaven because of that stuff in that file. You'll never make it you're just worthless and all that rotten those those accusations were coming against him the devil.

He is the accuser of the brethren. Jesus is not that. Jesus is the one who sets us free. Jesus is the one who forgives us. But so Jesus gently pushed him aside and pulled the file cabinet open and he's like no don't look in there.

And Jesus pulled the first one out. And it was the one of his the immorality that that whole list and he showed him the first page. There's a big red X on it. And the next page and the next page that whole file of shameful sin was covered in red in the red Blood of Jesus Christ, and he realized that he had been forgiven for these things.

He didn't wonder back into them. It was the devil accusing him. It was a devil coming against him trying to shut him down and drag him down. But when he realized that he is forgiven those files are there.

Yes, they're there. The things that we do in our life good and bad are written in the books of our life. But if your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Then those are crossed out in red. I Don't think they'll ever bother looking at him.

I'm not sure if they will or not. That's not the point when they look into the Lamb's Book of Life if your name is there. You will enter into the joy of the Lord and the last. There's one thing that just just really stirs me up and that is when we see people who have been forgiven Dedicated their lives to Jesus started out on the walk victorious walk with Jesus and then you know what either the worst one is if you if you fall back into sin, but others are our Depression and and you see the old things cropping up again that that burdens me because It hinders the purpose that God has called you to.

Confessing Hidden Sin and Inviting the Holy Spirit to Heal

And so I want to take the next few minutes here. And I want you to allow the Lord to minister to your heart. Again, it's your spiritual being it's a spiritual part of you. If there's if you know, if you know, there's something hidden in there that doesn't belong there.

Those things need to be confessed and in first John 9 1 9 it says If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we're of a heavy heart if we have a wounded heart or or any of these things, you know.

What's there if you've been through this and your heart is free? I rejoice with you. But if there's something stirring in your heart, I want you to go there as David plays this song. I want you to allow the Holy Spirit to minister to your heart.

Heart is like a home. Yeah, let the Savior in. He would visit now and then. But then one day he saw that in that. Some things I want the one to know. Think about that room out of shame Danny cause I know my hidden sin.

Hide that door.