The Heart of The Mind
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The Heart of the Mind
Isaiah 55:10-13
Psalm 65:1-8
Romans 8:1-11
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
The heart is one of the most important organs in the body. This muscle made up of 4 chambers delivers life to the entire body. It flows nutrients to where they need to go and it moves wastes where they need to go so that they can be removed from the body. However, without the brain the heart would have no idea of how and when to pump. Yet without the heart the brain would not receive the nourishment that it needs either. These two organs work hand in hand to support one another and sustain life. The human body is an amazing machine put together to house life and a dwelling for our soul. This same system and function of the body that supports life for the body is very similar of the system the supports life to the spirit.
Matthew 13 tells us a parable that we have all heard many times before. It is the parable of the farmer who sows his seeds. This parable speaks to everyday life for the people of that day however Jesus always speaks with an intent in mind. This is more that just a story about a farmer planting his fields. This story represents something more. In verses 18-23 Jesus explains what his message is behind this story. This story explains the minds and the hearts of people. People all have choices to make when it comes to hearing the Word of God. Some will hear the message and it doesn’t even penetrate them. They lack any understanding and Satan will quickly grab it away and distract them with some other message to guide them away from the truth that would set them free. There are others that hear the message and it gets into their brain and they start thinking about it and they start to get excited but it never reaches the heart and it becomes a fad that will soon die away. Then there are those who hear the message and it cuts them right to the heart but the brain is so worried about consequences and doing everything right because it doesn’t want to go back to where it once was and it chokes out the heart and the two are not working in sync with each other so the message again dies off.
However, there are some who are different. They hear the message and it flows from the brain and roots itself in the heart and the two are working together and they begin to tell this news to their friends and their family and they begin to share it with strangers on the street and their lives become fruitful in how the serve, love, and help one another. It takes the heart of the mind working together to produce an everlasting crop. Isaiah 55:10-13 explains to us how similar the rains and the snow of the earth is to the word of God. Water is needed to produce life and when water comes down from the sky the plants take it up from their roots and produce food for our bellies. The same is with the Word of God. He says that his word will not return empty handed. We will go out with joy, instead of thorns there will be the junipers, instead of briers there will be the myrtle. The Word of God produces life and the heart and the mind of the spirit work together to nourish the body of Christ and to remove sin out of our lives which is the waste that our former lives produced.
The difference between the heart in the mind in the earthly bodily form and the heart and the body of the spiritual form is that the body is a system that works on its own without us having to give it another thought. It just keeps going and going. However, this is a little bit different with the spirit because there is choice involved here. We must decide for ourselves to let this system work in us. There are many who become discouraged because they think that this is just not possible. All the sin and the wrongs they have done just pile up so high and it just seems like too much waste for us to remove. Well on our own that would probably be true but the good news is that we don’t have to do it on our own.
Romans 8:1-3, tells us that “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.” Isn’t that great news? What that means is that we do not have to do it on our own because God has met the requirement for us.
Romans 8 goes on to distinguish the difference between those who live their lives according to their earthly flesh and those who live by the spirit. Those who live by the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires which is what is sinful in the eyes of the lord. It is the lusts of the flesh that is fame, money, sex, and pleasures of the like. This is a reflection of their heart. It is the heart of their mind. The two work together to feed one another and just buries them deeper in their sins. However, those who live in accordance of the Holy Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind that is governed by the flesh brings death and destruction while the mind governed by the Spirit brings peace and life. This is the reflection of the heart of the one who lives by the Spirit. This is the heart of their mind.
I had someone send me a text earlier this week asking me if I would explain to them the meaning of a certain scripture. That scripture was Isaiah 53:5, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” What a great view of what has been going on in this young man’s heart and mind. Seeking answers and understanding of the word of God. Seeking to understand a prophecy fulfilled by Christ 400 some years after it was prophesied. To me this is something so amazing that is very difficult to ignore because it is also a matter of fact. That facts show that Isaiah spoke this prophecy. The facts show that Jesus’ death historically took place. Many atheists in the past had tried to say that these prophecies about Christ were just written after the events took place to try to fake a story about God. However, their theory was broken when the Dead Sea Scrolls were found and they contained the preserved written documents of the old testament dating long before Christ came upon the earth. Things like that point to our creator.
I think thought back on to the heart of this young man seeking to understand the word and to grow in his faith. He is on the right track if he continues to seek the truth. Eventually, the heart and mind of his spirit will work together as one as a system that will take very little thought or effort because of a choice to live by the spirit instead of the flesh. My question for you this morning is what I the condition of the heart of your mind today. What is your mind set on? Is it set on the desires of the flesh or is it set on the desires of the spirit? My hope and goal for all who read or listen to this message is that they make the choice to bring the heart, the spirit and the mind into sync as one working together to bring life and to bring a fruitfulness in all whom they come in contact with. How is the heart of your mind today?