Guard Your Heart

Psalms 139:14-15
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
 your works are wonderful,
 I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
 when I was made in the secret place,
 when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Heart is so important as it mentions in bible 743 times.
Proverbs 4:23
23 Above all else, guard your heart,
 for everything you do flows from it.
1. Our heart is precious.
1 Peter 3:3-4
3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.
Do you see how precious our heart is? Do you taking care like your new iPad?
2. Our heart is wellspring of life.
wellspring is the source of stream, it is source of everything else in our life. Our thoughts, emotions, what we say and what we do. Our heart affects our daily actions.
When our heart is polluted, it will affect everyone, our job, our family, our relationship with God. That is the reason we need to guard our heart.
3. Our heart is at war.
1 Peter 5:8-9
8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

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Maturing in Christ

What is our goal as disciple?
2 Timothy 3:15 (NIV)
and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

If we want to grow as disciple, we also need to grow in our knowledge.
1 Peter 2:1-3 (NIV)
Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. [2] Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, [3] now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

are we growing?
How to grow from immature to mature

1. Ability to teach others
Hebrews 5:11-14 (NIV)
We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. [12] In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! [13] Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. [14] But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

God expect growth. Progress will make us grow in our knowledge. When we make progress, we are growing.

Have we stop teaching?

2 ability to hold on to unity
1 Corinthians 3:1-4 (NIV)
Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly---mere infants in Christ. [2] I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. [3] You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? [4] For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?

Are we acting like infants?
Paul has disagreement with barnabas.

 Galatians 5:13-15 (NIV)
You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh ; rather, serve one another humbly in love. [14] For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” [15] If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

We must stay united at all cost.

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Spiritual Maturity

1 Corinthians 3:2-3 NIV

[2] I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. [3] You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?

God expect everyone to grow in spiritual maturity. 

1. Spiritual maturity is not matter of age. 

No one become spiritually mature overnight. 

Luke 2:52 NIV

[52] And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

The danger:

Can get older but not grow to spiritually mature

Some refused to grow up

2. Spiritual maturity is not about appearance

They know how to talk the talk, but the question is they know how to walk the walk.

Some people look holy, they seems to have heaven around them. They might be appearance but not reality. 

Appearance can be deceiving. 

3. Spiritual maturity is not matter of achievement.

Characters make a difference. 

Recognition is what people say about you. 

It's your character that determine who we are. 

5 marks of Christian maturity

1. He is patience in testing (James 1)

James 1:2-4 NIV

[2] Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, [3] because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. [4] Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Whenever you are going thru trials, do not go impulsive or rash. 

How we need to be able to patience. See trials as fertilizer. Going to make something happen in life. The fertilizer of trials worked into the soil start to produce a stalk and that's what James call "perseverance"

2. He practices the truth (James 2)

James 2:14 NIV

[14] What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?

Favoritism forbidden. Doing the right deeds. 

3. He has the power Over his tongue ( James 3)

James 3:3-6 NIV

[3] When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. [4] Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. [5] Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. [6] The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

It is very strong scripture. 

4. He is peacemaker not troublemaker (James 4)

James 4:3-6 NIV

[3] When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. [4] You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. [5] Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us ? [6] But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”

If we want to be mature, we need to be mature and bring it to mature way.  We need to help to resolve conflicts. 

5. He is prayerful in trouble (James 5)

James 5:13-16 NIV

[13] Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. [14] Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. [15] And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. [16] Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

Half book of James is command, contain verbs in the imperative form. 

Remain in Jesus

John 15:9-11 NIV
[9] “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. [10] If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. [11] I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

What is the purpose that we need to remain in his love? Jesus is the source of our true joy and his joy to be in us.

1. If I have true joy, joy cannot be hidden.
Joy is not the absence of problem but the evidence of God present.
Psalm 4:7 NIV
[7] Fill my heart with joy when their grain and new wine abound. [8] In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.
Joy came from God.
Joy is not equal to happiness.

James 1:2-4 NIV
[2] Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, [3] because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. [4] Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Proverbs 17:22 NIV
[22] A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
People who are cheerful able to heal people around them but crush spirit always dries people up, even surrounding happiness will be sucked by crushed spirit.

2. Joy cannot be fake
Joker, bad character from batman, has appear to be smiling but deep down in our heart we are hurting, crying and destroyed.

Psalm 32:3-5 NIV
[3] When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. [4] For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. [5] Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.

Proverbs 28:13 NIV
[13] Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
We need to be open about our struggle, open about your life, obey the word then you will have joy as god will come to life.

Light of The World

Matthew 5:14-16 NIV
[14] “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. [15] Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. [16] In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Are we living in God vision and mission? Are we hiding as Christian and singles?
A lot of time we wants to be walley, to hiding and don't want other people know about us.

Shine as single:

1 stand out

Matthew 5:15 NIV
[15] Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.

Do we stand out in our spirituality, love, character?
The more quiet people around us, the better because it is easier to stand out.

Dare to different
When people do speak up and also make a difference due to Christian value, god will make a way.

2. Help out

Matthew 5:16 NIV
[16] In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
What good words and also works that people see in me?
Don't tell them Jesus loves them until you are ready to love them.

3. Inside out

1 Timothy 4:16 NIV
[16] Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
People will find out when did not walk the talk.
Integrity means who you really are when only God seeing you.

4. Never walk out

Galatians 6:9 NIV
[9] Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
It takes a lot of energy, love, and time to make people become disciple.
There is no grow in comfort zone. There is no comfort in grow zone.

5. Edge out

In the race running, they need to edge out to win the race.
Acts 4:31 NIV
[31] After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.