THE FRACTURED HEART Understanding Our Brokenness

In the journey of becoming wholehearted followers of Christ, it’s essential to understand what the Bible means by “heart.” The heart is not just the seat of our emotions, but the very center of our being—our mind, desires, will, and soul. God created humanity as embodied souls, uniquely bearing His image, with a profound dignity and worth that comes from Him alone. In creation, our hearts were whole, unified, and in harmony with God’s design. But through the Fall, sin entered the world and fractured the human heart, distorting every aspect of who we are. Like a cracked phone screen, our hearts still function, but everything we perceive and desire is now distorted by sin.

This brokenness is not just a matter of being spiritually “sick”—Scripture teaches that we are spiritually dead, unable to seek God or repair ourselves. The doctrine of original sin means that every person inherits this fractured heart from Adam, and total depravity means that sin affects every part of us: our thoughts, affections, desires, and will. Our hearts deceive us, leading us to call evil good and good evil, to desire what destroys us, and to insist on autonomy from God. Beneath every outward sin lies a deeper heart issue—idols, misplaced desires, or unbelief.

Yet, the story does not end in despair. God, in His mercy, offers a new heart through Jesus Christ. Jesus alone lived with a perfectly unified heart, always in harmony with the Father’s will. Through His death and resurrection, He offers not just a repaired heart, but a new one—a heart that is alive, teachable, and able to love and trust God. Regeneration is the miracle of coming alive in Christ, where what was dead is made to beat with faith and love.

The call, then, is to live with a properly diagnosed heart—honest about our brokenness, quick to repent of self-reliance, and eager to trust in Christ. Being wholehearted means living with unified thoughts, desires, and choices, all flowing in submission to God’s truth. It’s not about fixing ourselves, but about receiving and living out of the new heart God gives, walking in the light of Christ’s love and grace.

Key Takeaways

• 1. The biblical concept of the heart encompasses the whole person—mind, desires, will, and soul—not just emotions. To be wholehearted is to have every aspect of our being unified and aligned with God’s design, rather than compartmentalized or divided. This holistic view challenges us to examine not just what we feel, but how we think, choose, and desire. [03:11]
• 2. Sin has not merely wounded us; it has fundamentally distorted and deadened our hearts. We are not spiritually sick, but spiritually dead, unable to seek God or repair ourselves by our own effort. This humbling truth calls us to abandon self-reliance and recognize our utter dependence on God’s grace for new life. [23:15]
• 3. Every outward sin is rooted in a deeper heart issue—idolatry, misplaced desires, or unbelief. The Puritans wisely saw that beneath every behavior lies a spiritual reality, and true transformation requires addressing the heart, not just the symptoms. This invites us to prayerfully seek God’s help in exposing and healing the hidden motives and affections that drive our actions. [26:31]
• 4. God’s solution is not to patch up our old hearts, but to give us entirely new ones through Christ. Jesus, the only truly wholehearted person, lived in perfect unity with the Father and offers us His own life. Regeneration is a supernatural work where God replaces our dead, deceitful hearts with living, responsive ones, enabling us to love and obey Him. [38:00]
• 5. Living as wholehearted followers of Christ means ongoing repentance and faith—continually diagnosing our hearts, turning from self, and trusting in Christ. It’s not about achieving perfection, but about walking in the light of the new heart God has given, seeking unity of thought, desire, and will in submission to Him. This is the path to true wholeness and joy in the Christian life. [41:35]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:31] - Broken Phone, Broken Heart: The Distortion of Sin
• [03:11] - The Biblical Meaning of “Heart”
• [04:17] - Hearts Must Be Awakened Before Made Whole
• [05:43] - Creation: God Made Our Hearts Whole
• [07:46] - The Dignity of Being God’s Image Bearers
• [09:56] - The Heart as the Center of the Person
• [13:08] - Jesus and the Greatest Commandment
• [15:34] - The Fall: How Sin Fractured the Heart
• [17:23] - God Searches the Heart and Mind
• [18:36] - The Doctrine of Original Sin
• [22:51] - Total Depravity: Sin’s Reach in Us
• [24:29] - The Heart’s Self-Deception
• [26:31] - Beneath Every Sin: The Heart’s Idols
• [28:05] - The Affections of the Heart: Love, Desire, Delight
• [33:29] - The Need for a New Heart
• [36:12] - Jesus: The Only Wholehearted Person
• [38:00] - Regeneration: Receiving a New Heart
• [40:55] - Living with a Properly Diagnosed Heart
• [41:35] - The Call to Wholehearted Living
• [44:16] - Closing and Application

Bible Reading

Jeremiah 17:9-10 (ESV) — > The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
> “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

2. Romans 3:10-11 (ESV)
> as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.”

3. 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.

Observation Questions

1. According to Jeremiah 17:9-10, how does God describe the human heart, and what does He say about His own role in understanding and searching it?
2. In Romans 3:10-11, what does Paul say about humanity’s ability to seek after God on their own?
3. What promise does God make in Ezekiel 36:26 regarding the condition of our hearts?
4. In the sermon, what illustration did the pastor use to describe the effect of sin on the human heart? [[02:27]]

Interpretation Questions

1. Why is it significant that the Bible describes the heart as “deceitful above all things” and “desperately sick”? What does this reveal about our ability to trust our own desires and motives? [[24:29]]
2. The sermon says we are not just spiritually “sick” but spiritually “dead.” How does this change the way we think about our need for God’s intervention? [[23:15]]
3. The pastor mentioned that every outward sin is rooted in a deeper heart issue, such as idolatry or unbelief. How does this understanding affect the way we approach repentance and change? [[26:31]]
4. What does it mean that God’s solution is not to “patch up” our old hearts, but to give us entirely new ones through Christ? [[38:00]]

Application Questions

1. The sermon described the heart as the center of our being—mind, desires, will, and soul—not just emotions. When you think about your own life, are there areas where your thoughts, desires, or choices feel divided or out of sync with God’s design? What might be causing that division? [[03:11]]
2. The pastor compared our broken hearts to a cracked phone screen—still working, but everything is distorted. Can you think of a recent situation where your perception or desires were “distorted” by sin? How did it affect your actions or relationships? [[02:27]]
3. The sermon said that our hearts deceive us, leading us to call evil good and good evil. Are there things in your life that you have justified or excused, even though you know they are not pleasing to God? What would it look like to bring those into the light? [[24:46]]
4. The Puritans believed that beneath every outward sin is a deeper heart issue. Think of a recurring struggle or sin in your life. What might be the underlying heart issue—such as a misplaced desire, idol, or unbelief—driving that behavior? [[26:31]]
5. The sermon emphasized that we cannot fix ourselves, but must receive a new heart from God. Are there ways you have been trying to “patch up” your old heart instead of relying on Christ for real change? What would it look like to surrender those efforts to Him? [[35:07]]
6. Living as wholehearted followers of Christ means ongoing repentance and faith. What is one practical step you can take this week to “diagnose” your heart honestly and turn from self-reliance to trust in Christ? [[41:35]]
7. The pastor said that being wholehearted is not about achieving perfection, but about walking in the light of the new heart God has given. How can you remind yourself daily of your new identity in Christ and live out of that reality, especially when you feel discouraged or divided? [[41:35]]