Awakening the Spiritual Heart: Embracing Divine Transformation
Summary
In our journey through life, we often overlook the profound spiritual dimension within us, focusing instead on the material and temporal aspects of existence. There is a part of us that yearns for something greater, something divine, yet many remain oblivious to this inner calling. This is often due to the hardness of our hearts, a condition that blinds us to our own spiritual potential and destiny. The Bible speaks to this greatness within us, urging us to recognize our true purpose and the eternal life that awaits beyond death. However, those with hardened hearts dismiss these truths, seeing them as irrelevant or outdated.
A hardened heart is not only indifferent to spiritual matters but also antagonistic towards them. It rejects the light of truth because it exposes the darkness within. This resistance is not merely passive; it is an active opposition to God and His ways. The natural mind perceives the things of God as foolishness, and this enmity is a barrier to spiritual awakening. Yet, the Gospel offers hope. It promises a transformation, a rebirth that only God can accomplish. This new heart and spirit are not improvements of the old but entirely new creations, a miracle of divine grace.
This transformation begins with a new principle of life, a new ability to perceive and understand truth. Those who have experienced this change often wonder how they could have been blind to such evident truths before. The Bible becomes a source of excitement and revelation, and the things once dismissed as foolish now hold the utmost importance. This new heart and spirit bring a profound change in desires and priorities, aligning them with God's will. The ultimate desire becomes knowing God, which surpasses all other pursuits.
Key Takeaways:
- The spiritual dimension within us is often overshadowed by our focus on material and temporal concerns. Recognizing this inner calling is essential for understanding our true purpose and destiny. [30:07]
- A hardened heart is not only indifferent but also antagonistic towards spiritual truths. This enmity is a significant barrier to spiritual awakening and must be overcome for true transformation. [36:21]
- The Gospel offers a miraculous transformation, a rebirth that only God can accomplish. This new heart and spirit are not mere improvements but entirely new creations, a testament to divine grace. [39:19]
- The transformation brings a new principle of life, enabling us to perceive and understand truth in ways we never could before. The Bible becomes a source of excitement and revelation. [42:22]
- With a new heart and spirit, our desires and priorities change, aligning with God's will. Knowing God becomes the ultimate pursuit, surpassing all other desires. [46:21]
Youtube Chapters:
[00:00] - Welcome
[30:07] - The Inner Spiritual Dimension
[30:24] - Hardness of Heart
[31:31] - Indifference to Destiny
[32:19] - God's Judgment
[33:07] - Consequences of a Stony Heart
[34:29] - Lack of Appreciation
[35:46] - Antagonism Towards God
[36:36] - Love of Darkness
[37:26] - Rejection of Light
[38:33] - The Need for a New Heart
[39:54] - The Miracle of Rebirth
[42:22] - A New Principle of Life
[44:00] - The Clarity of Truth
[45:25] - A New Mind and Spirit
[46:41] - The Supreme Desire for God
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
1. Ezekiel 36:26 - "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."
2. 1 Corinthians 2:14 - "The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit."
3. John 3:3 - "Jesus replied, 'Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.'"
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Observation Questions:
1. According to the sermon, what are some characteristics of a hardened heart, and how does it affect one's perception of spiritual truths? [36:21]
2. How does the sermon describe the transformation that the Gospel offers to those with a hardened heart? [39:19]
3. What changes occur in a person's desires and priorities after receiving a new heart and spirit, as mentioned in the sermon? [46:21]
4. How does the sermon explain the role of the Bible in the life of someone who has experienced spiritual transformation? [42:22]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. What does it mean to have a "new heart" and "new spirit" according to Ezekiel 36:26, and how does this relate to the sermon’s message about spiritual transformation? [39:19]
2. In 1 Corinthians 2:14, Paul talks about the natural person not accepting spiritual truths. How does this align with the sermon’s description of a hardened heart? [36:21]
3. How does the concept of being "born again" in John 3:3 relate to the sermon’s emphasis on the need for a complete spiritual rebirth? [39:54]
4. The sermon mentions that the Bible becomes a source of excitement and revelation after transformation. How does this change in perception reflect the new principle of life mentioned in the sermon? [42:22]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on your current focus in life. Are there material or temporal concerns overshadowing your spiritual dimension? How can you shift your focus to recognize your inner calling? [30:07]
2. Have you ever experienced a time when spiritual truths seemed irrelevant or outdated to you? What changed your perspective, and how can you help others see the relevance of these truths today? [36:21]
3. The sermon talks about a miraculous transformation that aligns our desires with God's will. What specific desires or priorities in your life need realignment with God's will? [46:21]
4. How can you cultivate a heart that is receptive to spiritual truths and not antagonistic towards them? What practical steps can you take to soften your heart? [36:21]
5. The sermon describes the Bible as a source of excitement and revelation after transformation. How can you rekindle or deepen your excitement for reading and understanding the Bible? [42:22]
6. Think of a time when you felt spiritually blind to certain truths. What helped you see more clearly, and how can you assist others in their journey to spiritual clarity? [43:13]
7. Knowing God is described as the ultimate pursuit. What specific actions can you take this week to deepen your relationship with God and make Him your supreme desire? [46:21]
Devotional
Day 1: Recognizing the Inner Spiritual Dimension
In our fast-paced world, it's easy to become consumed by material and temporal concerns, neglecting the profound spiritual dimension within us. This inner calling is essential for understanding our true purpose and destiny. Many people feel an unexplainable yearning for something greater, something divine, yet they remain oblivious to this inner calling due to the hardness of their hearts. This condition blinds them to their own spiritual potential and destiny. The Bible speaks to this greatness within us, urging us to recognize our true purpose and the eternal life that awaits beyond death. Recognizing this inner calling is the first step towards spiritual awakening and fulfillment. [30:07]
Ephesians 1:17-18 (ESV): "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints."
Reflection: What are some material or temporal concerns that have been overshadowing your spiritual life? How can you begin to shift your focus towards recognizing and nurturing your inner spiritual dimension today?
Day 2: Overcoming the Hardness of Heart
A hardened heart is not only indifferent but also antagonistic towards spiritual truths. This enmity is a significant barrier to spiritual awakening and must be overcome for true transformation. A hardened heart rejects the light of truth because it exposes the darkness within. This resistance is not merely passive; it is an active opposition to God and His ways. The natural mind perceives the things of God as foolishness, and this enmity is a barrier to spiritual awakening. Yet, the Gospel offers hope. It promises a transformation, a rebirth that only God can accomplish. [36:21]
Ezekiel 36:26 (ESV): "And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh."
Reflection: Can you identify areas in your life where you have been resistant to spiritual truths? What steps can you take to soften your heart and be more open to God's transformative work?
Day 3: Embracing the Miracle of Rebirth
The Gospel offers a miraculous transformation, a rebirth that only God can accomplish. This new heart and spirit are not mere improvements but entirely new creations, a testament to divine grace. This transformation begins with a new principle of life, a new ability to perceive and understand truth. Those who have experienced this change often wonder how they could have been blind to such evident truths before. The Bible becomes a source of excitement and revelation, and the things once dismissed as foolish now hold the utmost importance. [39:19]
2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV): "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."
Reflection: Reflect on your own spiritual journey. How have you experienced the miracle of rebirth in your life? What changes have you noticed in your perception and understanding of spiritual truths?
Day 4: Living by a New Principle of Life
The transformation brings a new principle of life, enabling us to perceive and understand truth in ways we never could before. The Bible becomes a source of excitement and revelation. With a new heart and spirit, our desires and priorities change, aligning with God's will. This new principle of life is not just about understanding truth but living it out in our daily lives. It involves a profound change in desires and priorities, aligning them with God's will. [42:22]
Colossians 3:10 (ESV): "And have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator."
Reflection: In what ways have your desires and priorities changed since embracing a new principle of life? How can you continue to align your daily actions with God's will?
Day 5: Pursuing the Supreme Desire for God
With a new heart and spirit, our desires and priorities change, aligning with God's will. Knowing God becomes the ultimate pursuit, surpassing all other desires. This pursuit of God is not just about acquiring knowledge but developing a deep, personal relationship with Him. It involves seeking His presence, understanding His character, and aligning our lives with His purposes. The ultimate desire becomes knowing God, which surpasses all other pursuits. [46:21]
Jeremiah 9:23-24 (ESV): "Thus says the Lord: 'Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.'"
Reflection: How can you make knowing God your supreme desire today? What practical steps can you take to deepen your relationship with Him and align your life with His purposes?
Quotes
Soul there is that within man which is bigger than his body bigger than his surroundings bigger than the world there's that in man that defies everything and even though you kill his body it goes on there is that in men that cries out for and demands an ampler ether a diviner but these men are oblivious of this they're not aware of it they're not interested in it they think only in terms of body food drink clothing appearance and so on life in this limited little span and they're never aware of this gigantic thing that is there within them dead to their own Souls they never meditate upon it they never think about it that's because they've got hard Hearts this book called the Bible is always speaking about these things it's telling men about his own greatness it's telling him about his own destiny it's telling him what he was meant to be what he might be but it means nothing to them it bounces back off them they hear it h they that's a waste of time I'm not interested in it utter Bor no response but equally they are dead to their own destiny because you know it's a sign of spiritual life that a man should be interested in his Destiny. [00:30:07]
The Bible tells us that God is the judge of the whole earth and that he will judge the world in righteousness by that menth appointed namely his own son the Lord Jesus Christ but you say that to a man who's got a hard heart and it doesn't touch him it makes no impression on him at all what he says of course is oh I can't be I'm not to be frightened by that sort of thing you're 100 years my friend he says out of date you know it's 1956 we know too much to believe that sort of thing now it just bounces back it leaves him why oh he doesn't realize it it's because his heart is hard he's like that Stony ground that that pathway by the side and there's no room for it to go in there's no soil there there's nothing to receive it these are some of the consequences of having a Stony heart oh but there are others which are more serious and more tragic men with Stony Hearts see nothing in the Lord Jesus Christ if ever they mention his name it's only as an expletive as a curse as an earth as something foul and vicious and vile they have never contemplated his surpassing glory. [00:32:19]
The trouble is you see they have no appreciation they have got nothing within them that responds their hearts are not hearts of Flesh their hearts of stone and there's no response oh such people I say know nothing about the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ in Redemption and all the exceeding Riches of his grace and all the wondrous things that are held out to the children of God they mean nothing to them the spiritual life as a whole leaves them absolutely dead and untouched Hardness of Heart Stony hearts and of course their spirit is likewise in the same condition this means motive or attitude what's it mean well it means this you see not only are they failing to appreciate they're even antagonistic did you notice how Paul puts it the natural men he says receiveth not the things of the spirit of God there's a fact but why doesn't he they are foolishness unto him that's antagonism the natural mind says the Apostle again in the eth of Romans and in the and in the eth verse the natural mind is enity against God Spirit motive it's a hatred of God and nothing less than that you see it doesn't stop at merely a lack of response there is a positive opposition a definite antagonism. [00:34:29]
This is the condemnation that light is come into the world or has come into the world well why doesn't everybody believe in it and bask in it this is the condemnation that light is come into the world and Men love Darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil spirit a hatred of it why well because that which makes manifest is light and when the light comes it exposes the hidden things of darkness and Men doesn't like that so he hates the light he says if that light comes I shall be able to go on doing these things therefore put out the light like those men in gadara you remember when our blessed Lord had driven the Devils out of that poor possessed lunatic men and he was seated and clothed and in his right mind instead of thanking him they besought him to depart out of their coasts why well because he driven the Devils into the swine and the swine had hurtled themselves to destruction down in the depths of the sea they said if this man stays here he's going to ruin our trade he's making things impossible therefore get rid of him get rid of the light in order that you may go on enjoying the hidden things of Darkness man spirit is wrong as well as his heart. [00:36:36]
What such a man needs is a new heart a new spirit do what you like to him as he is and you'll never Avail anything you cannot get a crop off a pathway you need new soil you need a new heart a new spirit to knew everything that's the very thing that is promised and offered in this blessed and glorious gospel a change of heart a change of spirit oh let me use these Grand New Testament terms again the rebirth the thing that our lord said to Nicodemus you must be born again regeneration New Life the dead receive a new heart a new creation had you realized that this is the gospel the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a miracle it doesn't improve men it makes them a new it literally gives us a new heart and a new spirit absolutely new need I emphasize therefore what is emphasized here so plainly in the text and in all the context this is God's action no one can make a Christian but God a man can't make himself a new heart a man can't change his own Spirit. [00:39:54]
God in Christ offers to put a new principle into your life something that wasn't there before something that makes you therefore entirely different what is this new principle of life well essentially it's this again you start with a mind it's a new ability to see and to apprehend truth I thank God for the fact that there are dozens not to say hundreds of people in this congregation at this moment who know exactly what I'm saying and who many of them have said this very thing to me as I've said it myself this is how this new man speaks he says you know what I cannot understand is this how could I have missed it how could I have failed to see it it's so plain it's there everywhere well sometimes perhaps they put it like this still more plainly having been converted and having had this new heart with this new principle of life and this new understanding they are very anxious of course that those who are nearest and dearest to them should have it also and sometimes they become a little bit impatient with them and I just have to plead with them to be patient but they see they can't see it and it's so obvious. [00:42:22]
When the new principle is given when the new heart is put in why we begin to see things the Bible is so plain it's such an interesting book it's an exciting book it's a romantic book and here is truth stepping out to meet us as it were this marvelous truth about God and creation and man and what he is and I myself and my soul my sinfulness Christ as my redeemer my new relationship to him and so on so that the testimony of every man who received the new heart is this whereas I was once blind now I see he's in a new world he feels he's a new man altogether I live n yet not I his as he's got an entirely new outlook and understanding the things he lived for he sees now at a waste of time and the things he dismissed as foolishness and boredom are the only things that matter to him he's got a new mind oh listen to Paul again the princes of this world he says you remember knew him not for had they known him they would not have crucified the Lord Of Glory but God hath revealed these things unto us by his Spirit the spirit which searcheth all things yay the Deep things of God. [00:44:00]
God he goes on to say hath not given us the spirit that is of the world but the spirit that is of god that we may know the things that are freely given to us of God we come to this knowledge we have the mind of Christ and of course in the same way the spirit is changed this man is no longer antagonistic to God what he desires above everything else is God I testify to that in this Pulpit it's nothing in me but I say this to the glory of God and in order to be honest there is nothing in heaven or Earth on sea or under the sea that I desire beyond God to know God is my Supreme Delight my chiefest desire I was not ever thus nor prayed that thou should lead me on but now there's been a change there's a difference I love to choose and see my path but now lead thou me. [00:46:21]
The Bible becomes a source of excitement and revelation, and the things once dismissed as foolish now hold the utmost importance. This new heart and spirit bring a profound change in desires and priorities, aligning them with God's will. The ultimate desire becomes knowing God, which surpasses all other pursuits. [00:46:41]
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a miracle it doesn't improve men it makes them a new it literally gives us a new heart and a new spirit absolutely new need I emphasize therefore what is emphasized here so plainly in the text and in all the context this is God's action no one can make a Christian but God a man can't make himself a new heart a man can't change his own Spirit listen can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots as easily can a man give himself a new heart have you ever tried to give yourself a new heart have you ever tried to be interested in the Bible have you ever tried to make yourself a new man well if you have you know you can't do it it can't be done the Ethiopian cannot change his skin or the leopard his spots but thank God we're not asked to it's God who says a new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away from you the Stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of Flesh it's God Alone who can work miracles no man can work a miracle but God does work the miracle it's the whole Miracle of redemption. [00:39:19]
This is God's action no one can make a Christian but God a man can't make himself a new heart a man can't change his own Spirit listen can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots as easily can a man give himself a new heart have you ever tried to give yourself a new heart have you ever tried to be interested in the Bible have you ever tried to make yourself a new man well if you have you know you can't do it it can't be done the Ethiopian cannot change his skin or the leopard his spots but thank God we're not asked to it's God who says a new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away from you the Stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of Flesh it's God Alone who can work miracles no man can work a miracle but God does work the miracle it's the whole Miracle of redemption. [00:39:19]
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a miracle it doesn't improve men it makes them a new it literally gives us a new heart and a new spirit absolutely new need I emphasize therefore what is emphasized here so plainly in the text and in all the context this is God's action no one can make a Christian but God a man can't make himself a new heart a man can't change his own Spirit listen can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots as easily can a man give himself a new heart have you ever tried to give yourself a new heart have you ever tried to be interested in the Bible have you ever tried to make yourself a new man well if you have you know you can't do it it can't be done the Ethiopian cannot change his skin or the leopard his spots but thank God we're not asked to it's God who says a new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away from you the Stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of Flesh it's God Alone who can work miracles no man can work a miracle but God does work the miracle it's the whole Miracle of redemption. [00:39:19]
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