Title: Heaven begins in the heart
Contents
Heaven begins with the heart.
Heaven is not a place you go to when you die, it is a place you can taste even in this world. Jesus explained the kingdom of heaven in parables in relation to the Word, not the concept of place. The success or failure of farming depends on the seed, the weather, and the experience and skill of the farmer, but the decisive factor is the condition of the field. He said that even the same seed may or may not bear fruit depending on where it falls, so it is possible to taste the kingdom of heaven according to the heart condition of the listener, not according to the power of the preacher. In other words, the kingdom of heaven does not start from having good environment and conditions, but from the heart of man. But most people try to find heaven in circumstances and conditions. For example, because of poverty, health, social failure, or low status, I feel unhappy. But Jesus says that the kingdom of heaven is not obtained from circumstances, but begins with the heart of man. (Proverbs 4:23)
Hearts that keep you from living in heaven
1) The roadside/soil is originally soft and fine. However, if people keep stepping on the soil, it becomes hard. So do people. When I was young, my heart was very soft. However, as time goes by, we commit sins and accumulate miscellaneous knowledge and experience, we become hardened. A person with a hardened heart has no grace no matter what kind of words they hear. What if I leave it as it is? Birds passing by eat them all. If you live in that state, one year will pass, and at the end of your life, you will unknowingly become a person who has nothing to do with heaven.
2) We do not have a hard heart like a rocky field / roadside. It's good to go to church. However, the soil is so thin that it cannot take root. In other words, people who receive grace easily and get frustrated easily. This man's faith has no foundation, so the Word cannot take root, so he is a fickle and very emotional person. The sun is the most detrimental to a person with a stone heart. Sunlight is essential for the growth of plants, but the person is tested by the sun and eventually withers up.
3) A thorny field/ It takes root well as the soil is good. Buds sprout and the stems grow vigorously. The problem is being trapped in a strong thorn tree. This roadside, the rocky field, and the thorny field are unfruitful. So you can't taste heaven. While living in faith, there is no joy, there is always complaining and no joy. I can't hear the hymn from my mouth. Only resentment and complaints.
cultivate the heart
Jesus said that unless you become like a child, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven, but the heart of a child will experience the kingdom of heaven. Little children accept anything as it is. However, as people get older, when their hearts become hard, when they see someone who accepts them too well, they criticize them for being stupid, naive, and lack of wisdom. We must cultivate such a hard field of heart.
Where is the present address of your heart? You can make loam anywhere. Now, we must remove one by one the obstacles that hinder us from accepting God's Word in our hearts. Even a person with the heart of a roadside, a rocky field, and a field of thorns can make a good land if he plows a field, picks out stones, and burns the thorn bushes with the fire of the Holy Spirit.
If you listen to this sermon today and accept it in your heart, you will immediately experience the joy of heaven.