The Love of God

The Promise of a new heart and the Fulfilment of this Promise

A) The Heart of Man

• Biblical description of man’s heart 

- The foundation of man’s reasoning, thoughts, passions, affections, motives and intentions – Matthew 15:18-19

- The hidden man – 1 Peter 3:4

B) The heart of the unregenerate man caused by the effect of sin:

Only evil continually - Gen 6:5 ‘And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.’

Will not seek or love God, full of filth and is ungodly – Psalm 14:2-3 ‘ The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. vs 3 ‘They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.’

Wicked, Deceitful, Sick – Jeremiah 17:9-10

Point for discussion:

- Genesis 4:6-10 – Cain’s heart was wicked and sick

- The Israelites’ wicked heart of unbelief

- King David’s story in 2^nd Samuel 12:1-9 and his prayer request in Psalm 51:10 after he realised the state of his heart.   King David realised this need after he committed the sin of adultery and murder and did not realise his terrible state until God sent Nathan the prophet to him.

- The fool who denies the existence of God in his heart    

- Ephesians 4:17-19

Ask members of the group to cite more examples of the various manifestation of the natural (carnal, unregenerate) man’s heart.

C)  God’s promise of a new heart

God gave this promise because of His love for man

Ezekiel 11:19-20

Ezekiel 36:26-27

Jeremiah 31:31-34

D) The fulfilment of the promise is made available through Christ

-  Romans 10:9-10; 2^nd Corinthian 5:17; 2^nd Peter 1: 3   

E) The fruit of the new heart is love – Love of God received, man becomes able to love God, to love himself and love his fellow human beings.

Man becomes a partaker of God’s nature – 1^st John 4:15-17;  2^nd Peter 1:3

Each of us having a new heart, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, a new spirit of faith, hope and love 2^nd Corinthians 5:17

Galatians 6:15