An Evil Heart

When we see God’s mightly acts, faith awakens in us and grace transforms us.

Summary

The power of grace is that it transforms our lives. Grace operates through the principle of faith. As we see who God is, by observing His awesome deeds, we begin to trust that God is able to do all that He promises. Then, when confronted with seemingly impossible situations, we trust God’s word rather than the wisdom of man. What God promises, He performs.

Outline

1. There is lot of non-scriptural messages going around in culture today.
   1. I’m ok and you’re ok.
2. Lk. 14 – Jesus talks about the requirements of being a disciple of Jesus.
   1. It is a life of sacrifice – committing ourselves to God.
   2. To be a true disciple, we cannot live any way we want.
   3. Some people preach that we are under grace and not under the law, yet when Jesus preached, He made God’s law clear.
   4. Grace does not turn its back on sin, but breaks the power of sin in our life.
   5. It is impossible to live according to the requirements of scripture without grace in our lives.
3. Numbers 13-14 – Moses was instructed to send one person from every tribe into the Promised Land.
   1. He already told them it was a good land and that He was giving it to them.
   2. The spies admitted the land flowed with milk and honey, but then they began to focus on all of the obstacles to taking the land, and began to change their report.
   3. Caleb stood up and encouraged the people that by God’s grace they could take the land.
   4. All the people were doing was declaring what they saw – God called their report an evil report.
   5. God promised only Caleb would enter into the Promised Land because he had a different spirit (and Joshua) – he believed God.
   6. Despite all of the miracles done in the people’s midst, still they did not believe God.
   7. When Caleb saw the miracles – he probably said, “My God can do anything.”
   8. Caleb saw the same things as the others, the giants, the walled cities, etc. but he proclaimed that they could take it.
   9. Joshua and Caleb knew they would have to fight, and sometimes as Christians we need to fight be hold on to all that God has given us.
   10. Hebrews talks about unbelief being an evil heart.
   11. Sometimes we do not know what is in our hearts until trouble comes.
   12. All of the spies were heads of their tribes, yet they calculated their potential based on human wisdom rather than upon God’s word.
   13. What God wants to do through us is impossible for us to do.
   14. We do not often deal with fear and unbelief as the enemy and sin that it is.
   15. By the grace of God we can go free from fear and unbelief.
4. Romans 4 – The reason God does things by faith, so that salvation is by grace.
   1. The only thing God requires is faith.
   2. There is no excuse because the only requirement is to believe God.
   3. Faith is taking God at His word.
   4. We cannot be afraid or ashamed of what God said.
5. God wants to do many things in our lives and in our nation – but it requires faith.
   1. God does not like the direction this nation is going.
   2. As the church goes, so goes the nation.
   3. We are to bring God into every situation so they can see how good God is.
   4. The Holy Spirit did not come to condemn the world but to set them free.
   5. God wants to reach out through this church and do mighty things – but it is going to take courage.
   6. If you stand up for God, you will be persecuted.
   7. The word of the Lord has to be preached.
   8. We need to guard our hearts, because the flow of our life comes from our heart – are we totally committed from our hearts to Jesus.
6. God plants His faith in us – so we can be believers.
   1. We are to labor to rest in God’s word.
   2. Believing God pleases God.
   3. If we lay hold of the promises of God, we will see miracles and be the light of the world.