Spiritual Growth is the Fruit of the Heart
Spiritual Growth begins in the Heart
What are your top 3 sources of frustration in your life?
If I could change 3 things in my life that would make my life easier or more fulfilling – what would they be?
Look at your list of frustrations / and changes – is your heart on that list?
If we want things to change in our life, if we want to experience significant spiritual growth in our lives perhaps we will need to start at the center of our own lives.
Lasting spiritual growth springs from a changing and changeable heart
Luke 6:43-49
43 "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.
46 "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? 47 I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."
The issue here is an external vs internal focus of attention of a person’s life. Jesus constantly challenged people’s thinking that God was mostly interested in external religious activities more than an individual’s heart that was completely his. The Lord knew that when a heart changes other things around a persons life will begin to change in real and right ways. For the heart is the true source of all behaviour of a person.
Prov 27:19
19 As water reflects a face,
so a man's heart reflects the man.
Our common strategy for living is relying on externals to bring us contentment. We live in a world that works hard at telling us how we ought to think, how we ought to act and respond to our life situations. We have to respond to life in a way that we find fulfillment and joy and the way we often do that is by focusing on the wrong things. There is a strategy for life that we all use in our lives, but it is not successful... It is the strategy of focusing our attentions and energies on changing the things that are outside of us – the externals of our lives, in hopes of becoming more joyful, peaceful, fulfilled or spiritually mature. Happiness and contentment are out there.
I am not happy, content, I am not fulfilled, I am underappreciated, I am not being utilized and these feelings are a result of external things to me. Things around me need to change in order for my life to be better, the circumstances, the people, the places I am living or working need to change for my life to be better. Even if some of these things do need to change, the primary issue is what is going on in my inner life first, is a humble and pure heart that responds to God directing my steps, or is it my own frustration and hunger for a more comfortable situation driving my actions.
For instance, how do we explain how a person who is happy and fulfilled, with joy and meaning in their life and yet do not have any of the external props we think are important to having a fulfilling life? This is one of the things that really shaped my own life and that God used to re-direct my life. Diana and I had the opportunity to be part of a medical relief team to a villiage in southern Kazahastan in the summer of 1996. This was a poor – very third world setting, a village of about 30,000 people who did not have running water in their homes, who cooked and slept outdoors – electricity was scattered and unreliable. We stayed in the home of the first Christians this village had ever had, and they had been Christian for about 18months. This family had nothing by our standards. Their two year old boy and infant girl only wore t-shirts and had 2 toys to play with and yet they had so much joy. The parents had very little and scratched out a life on their little plot of ground and had such peace as they spoke of “my Jesus” to anyone who would listen to them. They didn’t have access to health care, or phone or transportation, the things we would think would be important to have a good and happy life, but they did have a vibrant and growing relationship with Jesus.
I have watched people close to me die with terrible diseases and yet live with great hope, purpose and faith, and at the same time watch people who seemed to have it all – money, cars, time to travel, opportunities to do fun things and at the same time chase the happiness and hope they could only dream would exist.
Our strategies tend to be flawed, because we focus on the outside of our lives, “I am not happy or content, and it is this person or situation or group of people who are causing my frustration, so I need to change my spouse or change them in some way, I need a new group, a new job, a new place to live, a new church, a new theology; I am struggling and it is someone or something elses fault. The people around me need to change, if only the people around me would recognize my talents, gifts, contributions then I would feel better and more fulfilled. If the people around me would love me this way life would be better... and while those things may need to change, the thing that will bring the most profound joy will be the changes that happen in my own heart, and no one can bring about those changes but Jesus – No one else can bring a lasting change to my heart = not even my own efforts can really change my heart but only Jesus.
I am not saying that things and people around you may not need to change – everyones spouse has room to get better – there is no perfect family or job or church – but the changes that we can affect are not the changes in someone else but in our own hearts. Anytime we change our focus from changing externals instead of internals we are way off track and that strategy will keep us going down the wrong track.
Prov 4:23
23 Above all else, guard your heart,
for it is the wellspring of life.
Jer 17:9
9 The heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?
Joel 2:12-13
12 'Even now,' declares the Lord ,
'return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.'
13 Rend your heart
and not your garments.
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity.
1 Sam 16:7
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."
Our own foolish hearts will try to turn the attention away from our own hearts and on to something else or someone else to carry the blame for our lack of happiness. It says “the solution is out there not in here”
This is a very real and important problem in our lives. Our unrelenting pursuit to change things on the outside to make us happy on the inside are desperate attempts that will set us up for a fall and we will miss life.
To prove this point I can look at my own life and see how I can respond differently at different times but the situation is the same. I can sit in a worship service and experience God’s presence and in another worship service complain in my heart that something is not to my liking. The environment is the same but my own heart is in two different places. I can be in one setting and be irritable and at a different time be in the same setting and not be irritable. I can give grace to a person or give judgement – and it is all about where my own heart is. I can be critical or kind – regardless of my setting, I can be understanding or cruel. I can be happy and content in one situation and the next day in the same situation be unhappy and discontent. The difference has always been in here and not out there. You can give me the same situation on any given day and I can respond 180 degrees different based on what is going on inside of my own heart.
My mom used to say “you can get happy in the same pants you got mad in” it has nothing to do with the pants but everything to do with my own heart.
This coming fall, we are going focus on growing spiritually individually and as a church, growing spiritually together. The next few weeks I am going to be talking about spiritual disciplines – things we can do in our lives that will help us grow spiritually, but you can do the things for a while and still not grow spiritually, if things are not happening inside of your own heart. If Jesus is not shifting things around, poking and proding and you respond to him in obedience then you will begin to grow spiritually.
Spiritual growth will always flow first from the heart.
45 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.
Someone can tell me “I am not growing spiritually” meaning I need to do something for them when really it means they are not letting Christ change their own hearts any more. You can go to church – and should – and not change, you can read your Bible and not change – you can pray and still not change – you can do a lot of spiritual things and still not change –
However you cannot respond to God with real faith and not be changed. You can not sacrifice for others out of a free heart and not be changed; truly worship with humility and authenticity without being changed, you can not yeld to God’s Word in some way without being changed on the inside.
The issues of peace, happiness, joy, personal growth are issues of the heart
That doesn’t mean that if external things were to change your life would not be easier or more enjoyable – I am not unrealistic – everyone would prefer to have an uncomplaining spouse, or to be in a relationship with a kind person. No one seeks out an arrogant and mean boss. But what I am saying is even when we find ourselves in bad or difficult situations, we can still find joy in our hearts that is not dependent upon our external situations. Jesus can still bring peace in the midst of a storm, but we have to have hearts that look to him and are willing to let him work in our hearts in the midst of the uncertainty or challenge we live in.
3 Main foundations of this message –
- You only experience lasting life change when your heart changes – you can change all the externals you want but unless your heart is changing – you are not changing
reverse is true – if our hearts are changing – our actions and externals will change
when our hearts are changing – complaining, judging, fault-finding will no longer be a part of our conversations –
we will find ourselves becoming more and more content – not less and less
- If we are not growing internally, external changes are setting us up for a fall. When we are focused on externals the things that used to bring us contentment wont for long and we will move our focus out further on new and different external that are not bringing contentment – like a cancer that spreads.
When our hearts are moving in the right direction and someone else is recognized we are able to celebrate with them instead of fuming on the inside that it should have been me.
Heart changes are very difficult – so we focus on the externals – we become addicted to everything else around us
Changing externals without addressing the internal issues set us up for fall and we are not setting ourselves up for the future
If you do the work to focus on heart changes you will consistently live a life of purpose, because you will have your sights set on purposeful concerns.
I am not advocating constantly trying to analyze yourself, just getting away and focusing on yourself, but I am saying if you want to grow spiritually – that growth will spring from dealing with the heart issues first and letting everything else flow from there.
We have to have hearts that will move us forward with faith and courage and it takes work at some authentic and deep levels.
Instead of God please take this irritating person out of my life or change them in some way or God give me a heart that is not so irritable around difficult people - as you are not so irritated by me.
- Jesus alone satisfies – He is the difference, satisfaction and peace in him – he is alive in us and growing in me. I am become more and more like him – he is not becoming more and more like me. This is one of God’s great goals for us – that we are more and more satisfied with him and less addicted to our world and the trappings of our world.
Phil 4:11-13
I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Begin to discover that the pressures and difficulties of life are intended to shape us from the inside out – and it
There is nothing wrong with wanting a wife or husband that loves you and respects you
A job that is fulfilling – nothing wrong with wanting a healthy body – or a ministry that fits your personality and gifts – nothing wrong with wanting these things but every thing wrong with thinking that those things are going to be fulfilling if our hearts are not being changed first. A heart that is learning how to be content in crisis is a heart that will be content regardless of the circumstances and with all that God gives you. If we are not content in Christ we will not be content in crisis – but we will be content in crisis as long we are looking to Jesus to satisfy our hearts regardless of our circumstances.
You could design your life – spouse – health, finances – weather but if your not finding contentment in Christ you will not be content for long
You are not an exception
The fruit of our lives flow from our hearts / Issues of life flow from our hearts
Questions
- if life has become mundane and tiresome – what has been the primary focus of your life – external or internal? Don’t hear me say one or the other – there is a balance – which one grabs your attention first?
- What has become the primary strategy for “making life happen” – change this / that; passive – complain or covet things not there?
- Do you believe you are living internally in a way that is situating you for stability & security for future storms?
- Are you currently in a storm your heart was not prepared for – what ways are you turning your heart towards Christ or are you hoping your externals will change
Your deepest and most important issues our your heart are heart issues
Is your heart captivating your attention or are other things?