GDLC Audio

He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia. These words make all the difference in our lives because the Heart of our God is a Heart full of life. The religious leaders thought they had done away with Him, Satan thought he had won, the disciples thought all hope was lost, Jesus’ friends and family are in despair until all of them are shocked, surprised, bewildered to see that the tomb could not keep down the Heart of Life. On this day we gather and celebrate that because Jesus rose from the dead so will all those who submit their hearts and lives to Him. The Heart of Jesus is what being a Christian is all about and we celebrate that His Heart is a Heart of Life and now so are ours. 

The Heart of God is one that bleeds with forgiveness for His people. A New Covenant had been prophesied in Jeremiah that God would fully forgive the sins of His people and establish a new way of being in relationship with them. This night we set aside to celebrate the gift of the Lord’s Supper that Jesus gave to us. This holy meal is a celebration of the Heart of our God…a Heart of Forgiveness. 

We begin Holy Week looking at God’s own people breaking the last two commandments before our very eyes. In the Gospel of John we see that the chief priests are making plans to kill Lazarus because everyone was believing in Jesus. Their hearts were so envious that they couldn’t see the miracle that Jesus performed, by raising Lazarus from the dead, but only saw a threat to their own popularity & authority. Jesus comes in humility the Pharisees respond in pride. Jesus enters to rejoicing while the Pharisees only grumble. An envious heart will never allow us rejoice fully, live humbly and see the miracle that our Savior has brought and so we see it really is a Matter of the Heart. 

We begin Holy Week looking at God’s own people breaking the last two commandments before our very eyes. In the Gospel of John we see that the chief priests are making plans to kill Lazarus because everyone was believing in Jesus. Their hearts were so envious that they couldn’t see the miracle that Jesus performed, by raising Lazarus from the dead, but only saw a threat to their own popularity & authority. Jesus comes in humility the Pharisees respond in pride. Jesus enters to rejoicing while the Pharisees only grumble. An envious heart will never allow us rejoice fully, live humbly and see the miracle that our Savior has brought and so we see it really is a Matter of the Heart. 

God’s heart cares about how we talk about other people in our lives. God commands us not to lie about our neighbor, betray them, slander them or give them a bad reputation. For many this doesn’t happen face-to-face but often it happens when we speak behind someone's back as we gossip and slander in private. God’s heart is to the love of our neighbor as we seek to defend them, speak well of them and put the best construction on everything and this really is the Heart of the Matter.