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Lesson 1: Emotions Of The Heart
Contributed by Elmer Towns on Sep 26, 2007 (message contributor)
Summary: The emotions of the heart can be strong and even deceitful, but they can also point towards salvation.
Pastor’s Bible Class Thomas Road Baptist Church
Series: What Makes You Do the Things You Do?
Dr. Elmer Towns
Lesson 1: Emotions of the Heart September 23, 2007
A. INTRODUCTION
1. The image of God (Imago Dei) is our personhood. “God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” (Gen. 1:26).
2. The image of God is our intellect (power to know), emotion (power to feel) and will (power to choose).
3. The heart is the biblical word for personality.
a. The heart thinks. “Why do you reason . . . in your hearts” (Mk. 2:8).
b. The heart feels. “Love . . . with all your heart” (Matt. 22:37).
c. The heart decides. “Obeyed from the heart” (Rom. 6:17).
4. The heart believes but the soul is saved. “If you believe with all your heart” (Acts 8:37).
B. THE VARIOUS POWERS OF EMOTIONS
1. Anger. Emotional power induced by extreme displeasure, i.e., fury, irritation, revenge, wrath. “Out of the heart proceed . . . murder . . . blasphemies” (Matt. 15:19).
2. Fear. Emotional power caused by anticipated or actual terror, anxiety, grief, worrying, alarm, panic. “Let not your heart be troubled” (John 14:27). “Sorrow has filled your heart” (John 16:6).
3. Excitement. Emotional power that arouses activity. Joy, love, sex. “Gladness and simplicity of heart” (Acts 2:46). “Your heart will rejoice” (John 16:22).
4. Remorse. Emotional power of guilt or sense of failure. Sorrow, sympathy, pity, discouragement, dependency. “I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart” (Rom. 9:2).
5. Desire. Emotional power of appetite necessary to keep alive, i.e., sex, lust, and love. “Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart” (Matt. 22:37).
C. YOUR HEART CAN DECEIVE YOU
1. Lust comes out of your heart. “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies” (Matt. 15:19). Therefore:
a. Don’t trust your heart.
b. Measure your heart by scripture.
2. You can’t know your own heart. “The heart is deceitful above all things; you can’t even know your heart” (Jer. 17:9, ELT).
3. God knows the deception of our heart. “I the Lord search the heart and examine your inner motivation” (Jer. 17:10, ELT).
4. Your heart can get out of sync with God. “Thy heart is not right in the sight of God” (Acts 8:21).
5. Your heart is spiritually blinded to things of God. “Their foolish heart was darkened” (Rom. 1:21). “The god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers” (II Cor. 4:4).
6. Sin will progressively harden your heart. “Hardness of heart because they did not believe” (Mk. 16:14).
7. Doubt originates in your heart. “Shall not doubt in his heart” (Mk. 11:23).
D. EMOTIONS OF THE HEART POINT YOU TO SALVATION
1. Faith and doubt both springs from the heart. “If ye have faith and doubt not” (Matt. 21:21).
2. The love of our heart responds to God’s love. “The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts” (Rom. 5:5).
3. Our emotions/heart motivates us to salvation. “If thou believest with all your heart” (Acts 8:37).
4. Belief comes from our emotions/heart. “Shall believe in thy heart . . . for with the heart man believes unto righteousness” (Rom. 10:9-10).
5. God must open the blind eyes of the heart. “Whose heart (Lydia) the Lord opened” (Acts 16:14).
6. God gives us new desires. “A new heart also will I give you” (Ez. 36:26).
7. The heart is indwelt by the Son. “That Christ may dwell in your
hearts by faith” (Eph. 3:17).
8. The heart is indwelt by the Father. “My Father will love him, and
we will come to him, and make Our home with him” (John 14:23).
9. The heart is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. “Know ye not . . . that the
Spirit of God dwells in you” (I Cor. 3:16).
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God and rejoice with you.
