The Lord Looks At What: How to See the Heart notes. Have you ever said or heard someone say something like, ‘You know the Lord looks at the heart?’ What in the world does this mean? Why does the Lord look at the heart? What does he see when he analyzes my heart? What answers are provided for him with that inspection? Also, we need to learn to examine our own hearts. If we are created in the image of God, then we, too, can look at the heart. Let’s begin by reading the passage that tells us that the Lord, indeed, looks on the heart.
ISSUES OF THE HEART
by Delbert Young
The Lord Looks At What: How to See the Heart
The Lord Looks At What: How to See the Heart
Scriptures: 1 Samuel 16:7, Acts 13:22, Proverbs 4:23, Proverbs 23:6-7, Luke 4:18
In today’s lesson, I want to examine four issues the Lord considers when analyzing the heart. There are more, but we will mention these today.
I. Destiny
II. Issues
III. Thoughts
IV. Broken Heart
I. Destiny
1 Samuel 16:1, 6-12; Acts 13:22
1 Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.
Acts 13:22 And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.
The Lord Looks At What: How to See the Heart
The context of 1 Samuel chapter sixteen is the Lord had rejected Saul as king over his people. He sent the prophet Samuel to Bethlehem to the sons of Jesse. At Bethlehem, Samuel would anoint a new king. When Samuel arrived, he was highly impressed by one of Jesse’s sons named Eliab. Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him, said Samuel. Perhaps Samuel was in motion, preparing to lay hands on Eliab and pour the oil upon him. It was at that moment the Lord spoke to Samuel.
The LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.
Samuel did a few uuhhs and stammers and then looked around at the rest of Jesse’s boys. One by one, the Lord disqualified them, not because of their outward appearance but because of their hearts. Samuel asked, Are here all thy children? Jesse said he had one more son. That son was the youngest and had been left to keep the sheep. Samuel said to get him.
The Lord Looks At What: How to See the Heart
After a while, David walked in. The King James Version says, Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. The Hebrew word translated ruddy is ‘admoniy (Strong’s #0132) and means reddish of the hair or the complexion. This was a little different from the appearance of the Israelites.
David either had a reddish complexion or red hair or both. His features were handsome and David was pleasant to look upon. The Lord said, Rise and anoint him; he is the one. Samuel must have said to himself, “I thought we were looking for somebody ugly. No Samuel. Just because a person has a heart for God does not mean they should be ugly. Neither does an attractive person necessarily have a heart for God. Get beyond the outward appearance and see the heart. But what does that mean?
Before we leave the passage about David, let’s be honest or realistic because David was real.
We know much about David’s life. David was by no means perfect. He was a killer. David was a murderer. David was an adulterer. He took another man’s wife. He had tremendous family problems. David had multiple marriages. Still, God said that David was a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.
The Lord Looks At What: How to See the Heart
The difference between David and Eliab, Abinadab, Shammah, Saul, or anyone else of that day was their hearts. It was not that they would mess up, and David would not. It was that when David messed up, he would continue to fulfill the will of God. The Lord saw David’s destiny and potential. It’s not how much we mess up.
Instead, it’s about whether we fulfill his will. It’s not about how pretty or ugly we outwardly appear. Instead, it’s about whether we fulfill his will. The heart determines this. God can look at the heart and see our destiny. He can see what we will fulfill.
God did not anoint David because David was perfect or pretty. God anointed David because of his heart! Let’s make a few points about David’s heart before we move on.
Destiny begins at a young age
First, David was a very young boy. Heart issues begin early in life. Greatness or failure becomes a destiny when young. We train a child when the child is young. The Hebrew word translated as child in Proverbs 22:6 is na`ar (Strong’s #5288), meaning from the age of infancy to adolescence. Once they reach adolescence, little training can be accomplished. David was a young child, but he was already great in his heart.
The Lord Looks At What: How to See the Heart
Destiny determines our worlds.
Another truth is that we are prone to becoming consumed by what is happening around us. The outward appearance is often overpowering. Saul had been rejected. David was selected because of his heart. David would not allow what was happening around him to change him. Instead, David changed the things around him because of what was in David’s heart.
Destiny changes our world. As greatness develops in the heart, life becomes great. As greatness develops in the heart, marriage becomes great. Also, children become great as greatness develops in the heart. Furthermore, as greatness develops in the heart, my work becomes great.
I am limited only by my heart. We need to train ourselves to be like the Lord and to look at the heart. Why? The heart contains the issues of life. We need to look at the heart.
II. ISSUES
The Lord Looks At What: How to See the Heart
Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
(NIV) Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
(NRS) Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.
How is your heart condition? In the natural world, we all have a heart condition. Our heart is in good condition or not so good condition. In the natural world, that condition determines what we can physically accomplish. The heart determines the quality of our physical life. So, is it in the spiritual world. We all have a heart condition. Some hearts are good, and some are not so good. The condition of the heart decides the life that we each live.
LET’S LIST A FEW ISSUES OF LIFE.
SPOUSE/MARRIAGE (BOYFRIEND OR GIRLFRIEND)
WORK/SCHOOL
FINANCES
HEALTH
RELATIONSHIPS
RAISE CHILDREN
The Lord Looks At What: How to See the Heart
Your future is in your heart. Out of the heart come all the issues of life. Our failures and successes are in our hearts. Every relationship you have comes out of your heart. Your finances come out of your heart. Your work, career, and destiny come from your heart. Everything we are and everything we do flows out of our hearts. That is why the Lord instructs us to guard (NIV) and keep (KJV) our hearts. It holds our destinies. It determines the quality of life we experience.
The Hebrew word for keep (KJV) or guard is natsar (Strong’s #5341). The word means to guard, protect, and maintain. The thought and picture is that we must build a fortress around our hearts. We do everything possible to protect our hearts. Then, we maintain our hearts. A good heart requires regular maintenance.
We could use the natural heart as an analogy. Of all the body organs, the heart is the one that must be most protected. For the body to live, it must have the heart. Also, the heart must be maintained. When something goes wrong with the heart, it must be corrected.
The Lord Looks At What: How to See the Heart
So it is in the spiritual. Here is the problem for many today: Many believers go through life with a broken or defective heart. In the realm of the spirit, we have leaky valves and clogged arteries. I constantly hear heart murmurs and observe heart attacks. It is because the heart has not been guarded and maintained.
The reason is because all the issues of life come out of the heart.
What we are or do not become is because of the heart. Who we marry comes out of the heart. How we raise our children comes out of the heart. How we operate our finances comes out of the heart. Where we work, how we orchestrate our marriages, where we attend church, our relationships, every issue of life comes from the heart.
III. THOUGHTS
Proverbs 23:6 Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats:
Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.
Thinketh in his heart – When the Lord looks at the heart, he analyzes the way we think.
The Lord Looks At What: How to See the Heart
We see that our heart contains the way we think. If we learn to analyze our hearts, we can eliminate the need for psychiatric counseling. As a person thinketh in his (or her) heart, so is he (or she). Do you think you will never get out of debt? So are you. Do you believe you will never overcome that habit, so are you? Or do you think you can’t change that weight problem, so are you? Maybe you believe your husband will never change, so are you? Do you think your wife will never change, so is she?
Doctors look at the body. They say something in your DNA determines your life. It determines if you are overweight or not. Or it determines if you are homosexual or not. It determines if you get too angry or not. Or it determines if you are an alcoholic or not. It determines if you are lazy or not.
The physical doctor says the body is in control. The psychiatrists say it is the mind. The mind controls the issues of life. They think that if they can get their minds right through counsel or chemicals, they can fix your life. Christians say it is all in the spirit. It’s the devil, that’s the problem. If we can get enough of the Holy Spirit, we can fix your life.
The Lord Looks At What: How to See the Heart
Some believe it is all physical. The problem is because of something in your flesh. Some believe it is all mental. There is a problem in the mind. Some believe it is all spiritual, and we need to get the spirit right. But God says it’s your heart. Out of the heart come the issues of life.
IV. BROKEN HEART
Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
The heart must be guarded. There must be a fortress built about our hearts. Over the years, our hearts take a terrible beating. This is why the heart must be maintained. Jesus said the anointing was upon him to preach the gospel. We have all heard the gospel and have received the gospel. Few of us have genuinely received the second part of that anointing. Few individuals have had their broken hearts healed.
The Lord Looks At What: How to See the Heart
Bitterness, hurts, wounds, broken dreams, broken vows, and unfulfilled expectations all break our hearts. We become insecure and untrusting. Our hearts are broken, and broken issues of life result. Dad left the family.
He didn’t want to hurt you. It was just following his heart. Mom didn’t know what to do or say. Then, Mom married another man. Certainly, mom didn’t want to hurt you. She was lonely in her heart, and loneliness became an issue. Mom died. Dad died. Your heart was broken. Dad was abusive. He hated himself because of it, but anger was in his heart. He never wanted to hurt you. It was just an issue in his heart.
Your spouse broke your heart. Your dreams were shattered. Their intentions were not to hurt you. It was an issue in their heart. Somewhere along the way, your heart was broken, and you have lived all your life with a broken heart.
You heard the gospel. You are going to heaven one day, but today, your life is full of issues because your heart was never healed.
Allow me to pray for you. Let the same anointing that brought you the gospel begin the healing process and heal your heart.
The Lord Looks At What: How to See the Heart
The Lord Looks At What: How to See the Heart
Other Related Sermons:
As A Man Thinks In His Heart sermon
As A Man Thinks In His Heart sermon video audio 1
Rich man and Lazarus, Appearances Are Deceiving – video audio notes Luke 16:19-31
Third Anointing Heart Of David Study Audio
Moving To The Anointing Heart Of David audio
Heart Of David Sermon Series Audio
Also see: