Heart of Stone

The Heart of Stone

Hello all! It's good to be back with you again this evening. Tonight we are going to discuss something that I feel most everyone is going to be able to relate to, and that is a heart of stone. Now before we get too deep or offended, I would like to preface this by saying that I don't feel that everyone has a heart of stone. I would guess though that most everyone reading this have experienced dealing with one before whether your own or another persons.  

The passage of scripture we will be looking at tonight is found in Ezekiel 11:18-21(NIV)

¹⁸ “They will return to it and remove all its vile images and detestable idols. ¹⁹ I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. ²⁰ Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God. ²¹ But as for those whose hearts are devoted to their vile images and detestable idols, I will bring down on their own heads what they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

Now as always we want to give some context to this passage. Ezekiel is a prophet of the Lord, and he has come in a time where Israel, God's chosen people, have fallen away from worship of God. God has sent Ezekiel to show them that they are not in the right path and that their worship of false gods and idols is leading them to a path of destruction. God shares these words with Ezekiel though telling him of a time when Israel is going to return to God. This is a promise that we are seeing. 
  
What do we do with this promise though? Sure it was great for them in their time, but how does it tie back to me today, June 16, 2013. I think there are three ways that we can apply this passage to us.

1. A New Spirit
  We sing songs in worship about, "All I need is you Lord, is you Lord, all I need is you." But is this really true? How would we react if we were just with God. Would it be ok to have no iphone, no internet, no boyfriends or girlfriends? Just Jesus. When asking Christ to come into your life and change you He brings a NEW spirit. He brings that element to your life that was missing before. He is literally completing you! This is how we turn away from these things that are false and bad because all this new spirit desires is Jesus!

2. The heart of stone to a heart of flesh
I am spending my summer working with children at a camp. If there is something that I have noticed with children it is this lesson. Forgiveness is so simple for them. So often we are wronged in life, and so often we hold grudges for us. Doesn't it feel better to just let it go though? To have a solid cry, to just lower all of one's walls. I must say that this is a lesson I am not too comfortable with myself. I struggle with being vulnerable to anyone, and this directly influences my relationship with Christ. This new spirit that has been given to me in Christ is directly hurt by my heart of stone. 

The inability to show emotion or weakness makes one feel that they can get it done themselves. I don't need to listen to what others are doing or their advice because I can get through this journey on my own. I can't tell you how many times in life I have ignored the wisdom of others to try to just do something on my own. I am so thankful for a dear friend recently who called me out on this. She told me how I always try to learn lessons my way. I know for a fact that Jesus sent her there saying, PLEASE! Let this heart of stone go, I just want to wrap my arms around you.

3. Follow the law
How many of you can drive? If you can drive you know how easy it is to creep faster and faster over the speed limit. We all think this phrase at one point, "I can speed on this road, there are never any cops." The bad habit is formed and reinforced because the absence of law keeps us from seeing wrong. ** I'm not condemning you if you speed, as stated I have done it too. Please don't feel awful if you read this, I once got a speed ticket for going 85 in a 70. If it makes us a sinner I'm right there with you. ** The same is true for a heart of stone. God gave us guidance in order to nurture this new spirit, and to prevent us from the heart of stone. It's so easy to go back to a caliced and hard heart once you stop listening to laws. 

This is where accountability is key. My best friend constantly gives me checks on life and how I am doing. When I feel like an awful person for having a conversation with my best friend, those are the times when I immediately see how far off I have gone from nurturing this new spirit and sticking to my heart of stone. 

This new spirit and new heart God offers is incredible. It is LITERALLY life-changing. By realizing how far off we are from complete and asking Jesus to come into our lives and begin to work with our brokenness, He can melt away this heart of stone.

 If you have any questions or comments, feel free to comment or send me a message. I'd love to talk further.
Thank you for reading, and God bless.