HoHum:
A 4 year old was at the pediatrician for a check up. As the doctor looked down her ears with an otoscope, he asked, “Do you think I’ll find Big Bird in here?” The little girl said nothing. Next, the doctor took a tongue depressor and looked down her throat. He asked, “Do you think I’ll find the Cookie Monster down there?” Again, the little girl was silent. Then the doctor put a stethoscope to her chest. As he listened to her heartbeat, he asked, “Do you think I’ll hear Barney in there?” “Oh, no!” the little girl finally spoke, “Jesus is in my heart. Barney’s on my underpants.”
WBTU:
As Christians we gave our hearts to Jesus when we confessed, repented, and were baptized. We probably had wholehearted devotion at that time. We wanted to give our all for Jesus. However, as time goes by the world wants to take our hearts back. Every day something is trying to steal our hearts. McDonald’s wants our loyalty to be to their French fries, not to our arteries. Nike wants a new pair of shoes on our feet, regardless of how many pairs are gathering dust in our closets. Visa wants our money, not our financial stability. The television claims our time when it could be spent with our family. Our job consumes our energy and the best that we have to offer. There are no shortages of things and people trying to steal our hearts.
Through time our hearts become divided between Jesus Christ and the things of the world.
It is amazing what modern medicine can do to fix a heart. Unfortunately modern medicine can do nothing for the divided heart.
Thesis: Let’s talk about this fearful disease, its symptoms, its sad effects and its future consequences
For instances:
This fearful disease
There are heart conditions that can be corrected today with surgery and even medication. However, spiritually we are not talking about an organ of the body. We are talking about the heart of a man= mind, inclinations, conscience, will, and soul. The center of a man.
This disease of the heart, soul affects the whole man. Can correct a physical heart but impossible for man to correct a spiritual heart. The heart talked about here is divided. The King James says divided here in Hosea 10:2. The NIV says deceitful. The New Living Translation says that the hearts of the people are fickle (the best description).
These people go back and forth. Like 1 Kings 18:21: Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people said nothing.
The person with the divided heart can look good on the outside. They don’t feel sick or unclean. Many of them go to church, take communion, but after church go back to the world. They have no problem mingling with the good time, sinful, and selfish crowd and they have no problem playing the game called church.
Cannot tell by outward appearances. If they had some kind of condition that made them look hideous to their fellow man they would hide themselves from others. But not so this one. If we could take a look at their hearts we would see that they are false, faithless, and sick.
When a man has a divided heart- tries to do right and to do wrong, to serve God and to serve the world at the same time, he is sickening to God. Revelation 3:16: So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
This condition is difficult to cure because it is chronic. All of us struggle with it to some degree. Only God can help us overcome this. Matthew 6:24: No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. Labor Day is tomorrow.
God’s Word translation says in vs. 2 that they are hypocrites. NIV says that they are deceitful. Bring those 2 together and they are self deceived. Quote from the movie The Gospel- WE need to be concerned with being good instead of looking good.
Jeremiah 17:9: The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
2 Corinthians 13:5: Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?
Its symptoms
2 Timothy 3:5: having a form of godliness but denying its power.
We don’t do that. We come to church, practice communion and baptism in right way, we have right name on the building, but do we really know the power of the gospel to cleanse and make new and bring to life? Take a cold, dead sinner and see them on fire and alive for God.
We have the right forms but do we know the power of God? Right forms but empty in heart.
Mark 7:6: He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
They have form but little power. They also are inconsistent in their way of life. On the weekends, except Sunday, they are participating in sinful fun. On Sunday they have the biggest halos around their heads. They sing the songs with gusto and always put a check in the plate. Thankful that their sacrifice of time, attendance, and money on Sunday morning takes care of their sins. Listen to the words of Samuel, 1 Samuel 15:22: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
The nation of Judah had the right forms. When King Josiah came to the throne, he destroyed all symbols of paganism, Baalism, from the temple and from the land. They had the right forms but the people’s hearts were far from the Lord. After Josiah died, Judah and Jerusalem were destroyed in 30 years and sent into exile.
They are inconsistent but they also are not serious in their faith. Take God seriously, Don’t take ourselves so seriously. Before Paul came to faith he used to take himself very seriously. He would spend his time building and making known his spiritual works: Circumcised on the 8th day, of the people of Israel… (Phil 3:5ff). But when he came to see Christ as the gift of righteousness from God to be received by faith he counted that whole self-focused, works building , take-myself-very-seriously Pharisaism as dung! Total rubbish! (Phil 3:8).
The divided heart is cynical about Christ and the church but takes themselves very seriously. The one with a whole heart through the gospel is serious about Christ and his church but is lighthearted about himself. What does Paul mean by saying so many times “Where then is boasting??!” Boasting is essentially the definition of taking oneself too seriously. And it’s the opposite of joy!
The gospel means that we must get off centre-stage, sit in the audience and watch the living God bring salvation to us. And thus we take God seriously but we do not take ourselves seriously. In fact the essence of faith is to transfer our focus from ourselves to Christ.
The sad effects
This person is not at peace with himself. He tries to be in two places at once; not possible. David knew the joy of having a undivided heart. Psalm 86:11: Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. The times when his heart was divided were the most miserable for him. He did not like it. May we have an undivided heart that follows wisdom, the Lord, so that our ways are pleasant ways, and all our paths are peace (Proverbs 3:17).
This person is not fully accepted by anybody, the church or the world. A loose canon. James 1:8: unstable in all he does.
like a little boy whose mother keeps insisting he sit down in his highchair. When he finally unlocks his knees and plops into the seat, his glare tells the real story, “I may be sitting down on the outside–but I'm still standing up on the inside!” Spirit of rebellion no matter with the world or with the church
The future consequences
What does this sermon have to do with me? I hope it doesn’t apply to you.
The sad fact is that there are some among us who though they profess to be Christians, really are worshippers of Baal! That is what Hosea is talking about here. Sacred stones and altars are to Baal. Worship the Lord in public but worship something else the rest of the time.
Matthew 13:24-30; 36-43- The phrase "out of his kingdom" (Vs. 41), makes us scratch our head but makes me think that he is talking more about the church than about the whole world.
At this time, maybe you don’t have a divided heart, but a broken heart. I pray that all of us have broken hearts for there is a difference between a broken heart and a divided heart.
Psalm 51:17: The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Maybe for years you have had a divided heart and today you say, “I am sick of my divided heart. I want a whole heart devoted to the Lord.” The Lord can take your sick heart and perform a surgery through Jesus Christ and give you a new heart.
A new heart and a new spirit is the thing only the Lord can do. Must give him your heart. Cannot do anything without your heart. Surgeon cannot perform surgery without consent.
Give me thy heart, says the Savior of men, Calling in mercy again and again; Turn now from sin, and from evil depart, Have I not died for thee? give Me thy heart. Give me thy heart, give Me thy heart, Hear the soft whisper, wherever thou art: from this dark world He would draw thee apart; speaking so tenderly give me thy heart.
