Jeremy Utley - Watching Our Heart

Jeremy UtleyAugust 31, 201512mWatch on YouTube

Speaker: Jeremy Utly Title: Watching Our Heart Date: 08-30-2015 Our Goal as Christians is this: To be an exact reflection of Jesus, the Son of God (Romans 8:29) We do this individually by growing in purity in our personal lives (1 John 3:2-3) We do this corporately by becoming fully functioning members of a local Church (Ephesians 4:11-16)

Summary

The speaker emphasizes the importance of guarding one's heart, referencing Proverbs 4:23. Key lessons learned include being careful about who influences us, as worldly wisdom can subtly rationalize sin, and ensuring spiritual discussions happen with spiritually mature believers. Furthermore, one must guard their affections by prioritizing God's opinion over the opinions of others to avoid being spiritually eroded.

Outline

The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.

Watch over your heartProverbs 4:23 commands us to watch over our hearts with all diligence because from it flow the springs of life.

The danger of worldly comfortSharing spiritual struggles with a worldly friend provided comfort, but it was worldly wisdom that subtly drew the speaker in.

Not all truth is God's truthAssuming all truth can be claimed regardless of the source makes us vulnerable to Satan's schemes because worldly facts are not spiritual truth.

Seeking spiritually minded counselWe must bring spiritual concerns to mature believers who point us to God's loving-kindness rather than easing sin.

Guarding whose opinion mattersA continuous string of working meals and interactions eroded the speaker's affections, causing him to care about what dining companions thought.

The danger of considering worldly opinionsGiving consideration to anyone else's opinion is too much because it displaces God's opinion and compromises wholehearted devotion.

Seeking constant renewal in the momentJust as waves erode the shore, worldly pressures wear us down, requiring us to seek ongoing renewal by the Spirit of God right in the moment.

Asking God to teach us through sinWhile sin is never advocated, when we do fall, we should ask God to help us learn as much as possible from the stumbling.

The lusts of deceitEphesians 4:22 describes the old self as being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, showing that fleshly desires do not fulfill their promises.

Learning the difference between serving God and the worldSecond Chronicles 12 describes how God allowed Israel to experience consequences so they would learn the difference between His service and worldly service.2 Chronicles 12:7

Sin is never goodJesus reached the heights of humility without ever sinning, proving the lie that sin is somehow beneficial or required for humility.

Asking God to redeem our stumblesIf we sin, we should ask God to redeem it by teaching us to truly see the difference between serving Him and serving other masters.

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Jeremy Utley - Watching Our Heart

Jeremy Utley · August 31, 2015 · 12m

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