Preachers of Righteousness
Regaining A Sense of Urgency
Has Our Heart Hardened ?
What has hardened my heart?
Hebrews 3:8 (NIV)
. . . do not harden your hearts as you did in the
rebellion, during the time of testing in the
wilderness.
What has hardened my heart?
• Our heart doesn’t get hard in the good times of
life, but in the testing times in our lives
• The times when: we are offended, wronged,
hurt, life feels unfair, we are betrayed, taken
advantage of
• We see the sin and injustice around us
• We look at people around us
• We look at the Church
We Harden Our Hearts Toward People!
(Psalms 95, Numbers 20, Hebrews 3&4)
Hard–Hearted
• adjective: having or showing no kindness,
compassion, or sympathy for other people
• Callous, compassionless, unmerciful, unsparing,
and unsympathetic
•desensitized
Results of a Hard Heart
Unhearing
Exodus 7 (NLT)
13 Pharaoh’s heart, however, remained hard. He
still refused to listen, just as the LORD had
predicted. 14 Then the LORD said to Moses,
“Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn, and he still refuses
to let the people go.
* Refuse to listen to the Holy Spirit
Unbelieving
Mark 16:14 (NKJV)
Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at
the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and
hardness of heart, because they did not believe
those who had seen Him after He had risen.
Unthankful
Mark 6:52 (NKJV)
For they considered not the miracle of the loaves:
for their heart was hardened.
Unteachable
Deuteronomy 8:14a (NKJV)
. . . when your heart is lifted up, and you forget
the Lord your God who brought you out of the
land of Egypt . . .
* Pride, an unteachable heart, haughty
Unloving
Mark 8 (NLT)
15 As they were crossing the lake, Jesus warned
them, “Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the
Pharisees and of Herod.” 16 At this they began to
argue with each other because they hadn’t
brought any bread.
Unloving
Mark 8 (NLT)
17 Jesus knew what they were saying, so he said,
“Why are you arguing about having no bread?
Don’t you know or understand even yet? Are your
hearts too hard to take it in?
Religious Spirit: Anger, judgment, criticism,
unforgiveness, pride
The Heart of Love
Colossians 3:12
Put on therefore, as God's elect, holy and
beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness,
lowliness, humility, and perseverance;
1 John 3:17
But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his
brother in need, and closes his heart of
compassion against him, how does the love of
God remain in him?
The Heart of Love
1 Peter 3:8 (DBY)
Finally, be all of one mind, sympathizing, full of
brotherly love, tender hearted, humble minded
Ephesians 4:32 (NASB)
be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving
each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven
you.
Guard your heart from becoming hard!
Proverbs 4:23 (NKJV)
Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it
spring the issues of life.
Proverbs 20:5 (NKJV)
Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water,
but a man of understanding will draw it out.
*So easy to be filled with hate or judgment
(shallow)
God Softens My Heart!
*A GOOD MAN ABOUT TO BECOME GREAT
• Eliphaz (Job’s friend) criticizing
Job 23:16 (KJV)
For God maketh my heart soft, and the Almighty
troubleth me
TROUBLETH - bahal - to disturb, hurry, be
disturbed, alarm
God Softens My Heart!
Job 42:10 (NKJV)
And the Lord restored Job’s losses when he
prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job
twice as much as he had before.
* He didn’t allow his heart to become hard in the
time of testing!
A Heart of Love Revealing Jesus!
Love is the only force capable of
transforming an enemy into friend.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Church makes the world their enemy, we
have hardened our heart toward the world
- Eugene Peterson
The Heart of the Preachers of
Righteousness!
Matthew 5:43-48 The Message (MSG)
“You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love
your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate
your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you
to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best
in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a
hard time, respond with the energies of prayer,
for then you are working out of your true selves,
your God-created selves.
The Heart of the Preachers of
Righteousness!
Matthew 5:43-48 The Message (MSG)
This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun
to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone,
regardless: the good and bad, the nice and
nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you
expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you
simply say hello to those who greet you, do you
expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does
that.
The Heart of the Preachers of
Righteousness!
Matthew 5:43-48 The Message (MSG)
48 “In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up.
You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out
your God-created identity. Live generously and
graciously toward others, the way God lives
toward you.”
Soften Our Hearts Oh Lord!!!!