The Condition of the Heart – Dr. Charles Stanley

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in touch with Dr Charles Stanley

reaching the world with the Gospel of

Jesus Christ through sound Biblical

teaching next on in touch Dr Stanley

begins his series welcome home parable

of the prodigal with part one the

condition of the heart

thank you the condition of your heart

determines the direction of your life

I don’t know what direction you’re

walking in right now

but the condition of your heart I’m not

talking about the physical heart your

spirit

determines the direction of your life

if you’re walking in the right direction

good walking in the wrong direction it’s

going to be fatal very important

that you walk in the direction of the

Lord Jesus Christ you may have other

ideas most people do but eventually

you’re going to discover whatever God

teaches in his word is the way it is not

the way some people think it is it’s the

way that it is in this particular

passage of scripture Jesus has really

described how all of us are

all of us will find their way at some

point in this passage of scripture

because we’re either

a

sinner living in sin like this young man

or

we are having unforgiving Spirit like

his brother

or we have a wonderful forgiving Spirit

like the father

the story of The Prodigal Son

has all of us in it somewhere and that’s

what I want us to talk about in this

particular Passage

so I want us to read part of this 15th

chapter of the Luke and if you’ll turn

there for a moment

Jesus was telling the Pharisees he’s

talking to the Pharisees and telling

them some stories here giving them some

illustrations and he talked about the

sheep that gone astray he talked about

the Lost coin and then he came to the

Sun

and this is probably one of the most

memorable stories Jesus ever told one of

the most effective

and all of us fit in this chapter one

way or the other

and so today I want to say look at the

sun and the scripture says in this 15th

chapter beginning in verse 11.

and Jesus said a man had two sons the

younger of them said to his father

father give me the share of the estate

that falls to me so he divided his

wealth between them

not many days later the younger son

gathered everything together and went on

a journey into a distant country

and there he squanded his state with

loose living

now when he had spent everything a

severe famine occurred in that country

and he began to be impoverished

so he went and hired himself out to one

of the citizens of that country

and he sent him into the fields to feed

swine

he would have gladly filled his stomach

with the PODS of the swan were eating

and no one who was giving him anything

but when he came to his senses he said

how many of my fathers hired men have

more than enough to eat and I’m dying

here with Hunger I will get up

I’ll go on to my father and I will say

to him father I have sinned against

heaven and in your sight no longer

worthy to be called your son make me one

of your hard servants so he got up came

to his father but while he was still a

long way off his father son felt

compassion for him ran and embraced him

and kissed him

and the son said to him father I’ve

sinned against heaven and in your sight

I’m no longer worthy to be called your

son but the father said to his slaves

quickly bring out the best robe put it

on him put a ring on his hand and

Sanders on his feet bring the fatted

calf we getting her to have a big party

I love that that’s what happened

so I want you to see something here

the word of God is true from Genesis to

revelation

and when God gives us a very clear

picture of something he wants us to

understand this is the way it is not the

way you think it is this is the way it

is

and this young man’s life is a perfect

example of where most people are living

today or want to live I want you to ask

yourself the question where am I headed

if the condition of my heart determines

the direction of my life where am I

walking where am I headed so I want us

to think about it first of all

I want us to look at step number one

which is the desire he had

in his heart

and so after a while he decided I don’t

want to live any more like this I want

to enjoy life like other people enjoying

life

and so he went to his father and he said

I’d like you to give me my part of your

estate that’s coming to me

and just let me do what I think I would

like to do and thinking in his heart

listen if my dad did this well you ought

to see me

and so his father didn’t argue with him

because he knew how absolutely

determined he was to have his way and so

the scripture says that his father

divided their state

and um

he divided them between him and his

brother

and so not many days later what happened

the scripture says he made a decision

and he made a decision to live his life

his way where he wanted to live that’s

always

a step in the wrong direction if you

forget that the condition of your heart

will determine direction of your life

and many people make a decision in life

and they don’t realize that that

decision is just here

it’s what happens after the decision and

the devil whether you believe him or not

he’s real

the devil is very careful to make you

believe that your choice minus God is

the beginning of real life

and so this young man decided he’d leave

home and I can imagine as he decided to

do it that um

he probably put on his best and said I

want to look good where we’re going

so the scripture says he made a decision

and he Departed

and he went to the far country that’s

the King James version until far country

so the question Comes Is this where is

the far country

a far country is wherever you choose to

go outside the will of God

and I can remember one Sunday morning a

lady young lady walked down the aisle

and told me what was going on in her

life and I had preached on this

particular Passage

and she said pastor I’ve been in a far

country I’ve been living in a far

country

listen you can live in a far country and

never leave your house

you’re living without God in your life

you’re living in a far country

I remember the same message that a young

fellow walked down the aisle and he said

to me

last night I slept with my girlfriend

this morning we woke up I turned on the

television and there you were

and he said I knew I could not lie here

a moment longer I got up and he said she

wanted to know where are you going he

said you don’t understand

so he got dressed came to church got

saved that morning walked down the aisle

he said I want to be saved today because

I’ve been in the far country anywhere

you’re living outside the will of God

for your lives of our country it can be

a block away or it can be a thousand

miles away

it’s the condition of your heart that

determines where you are and what’s

going on in your life so the scripture

says he packed his Duds and left

he was going to live life for the first

time the way he wanted to live that’s

always Satan’s lie listen Satan’s always

pointing to something you don’t have and

simply saying to you if you had that or

if you had her or if you had him or if

you lived there if you were here if you

drove that if you could live in that

kind of house always if you this that

the other that’s not the issue

Satan always paints pictures watch this

that he knows gets your attention

that’s the kind he paints

and with the picture comes the Assurance

you could have it if you just do what he

said

if you just follow him you could have

whatever you want you could live

wherever you live drive whatever you

drive have who or whatever it might be

and so just follow him that’s the

downward steps away from almighty God

and that’s the way it works and so the

scripture says he Departed

and naturally what he was thinking of

what a fantastic time he was going to

have he had half of his father’s estate

so plenty of money

and secondly he didn’t have to give an

account to anybody that’s one of the

devil’s lies you don’t have to give an

account to anybody listen you have to

give an account to God 24 hours a day

whether you a 24 or well you’re 104 you

do not have the privilege of living

without accountability you may live

without accountability on this Earth to

parents and so forth but you’re

accountable to God it is a it is

appointed unto man wants to die and

after this the Judgment because we’re

all accountable so he left he had lots

of Big Dreams and his departure was

awesome for him because this was the

beginning of a new life how many people

have made that mistake I’m going to live

for the first time the way I want to

live nobody’s going to be telling me

what I can’t do what I can’t do I can

buy what I want go where I want and have

who I want

that’s the devil’s that’s always his

approach that is if you’ll serve me the

devil says just watch what I’ll do the

only problem my line is this he only

tells you the first part

as always the second part to the message

he doesn’t tell and Satan painted this

awesome picture for him of deception and

um

so he left

and so he had a wonderful time he

thought

and so the scripture is very evident God

doesn’t leave out anything in the Bible

so how did he spend his money

and he was spending his money partying

drinking carousing have what he thought

was a good time

watch this

Satan always blinds your mind

to the effects and the nature of sin and

its consequences at the moment

eventually you’re going to see it but at

the moment he blinds the consequences

right now you feel good you look good

you have it all and so everything is

fine

that’s the devil’s line you’re going to

be fine you’re going to meet beautiful

women you can drink all you want to

drink look how much money you’ve got

Satan never says how much money you’re

going to have when I get through with

you

he doesn’t say how how are you going to

feel feeling so immoral and partying and

drinking and carousing and sleeping

around with other women then how are you

going to feel

well but you see that’s the devil’s way

of catching so many people

living in sin

disobeying God and having plenty for the

moment

but that doesn’t last because you see

it’s a downward step

and so he lived like he wanted to live

for a while

but after a while the scripture says um

he began to wander a little bit because

listen you can’t help with so much sex

so much drink so much carousing so many

different kinds of friends and the same

thing over and over and over again that

he began to one around think well you

know what am I going to do now and

what’s next and so forth and uh

he began to be a little dissatisfied

sin always brings you to a point of

total dissatisfaction

you can’t be satisfied with sin and so

he found himself wondering

then he felt himself warning

that is um

you know

these things don’t satisfy me now

what’s happening I’ve had all of this I

want and all that I dreamed of and

something’s missing every once in a

while he probably would think you know

back home

those wonderful meals my mom cooked

I had my dad I could ask questions about

my mom she was always there but then he

would brush that aside and think about

well I got to get over that so another

drink or another woman and he could

forget it for a little while until his

want became stronger and stronger and

stronger and stronger

now watch this

here’s the problem

Satan never tells you what’s coming

he always wants you to think of today

how you feel today what you have or what

you can’t have but is that he doesn’t

tell you about the times that are coming

because he wants to destroy you

and so all of a sudden he finds himself

getting lower and lower on his resources

and finally he hasn’t gotten the money

at all

now what about his friends

a lot of people who make you think that

you’re a friend as long as you have

something to give

you don’t have anything to give it’s

amazing how they just evaporate right in

front of you or what happened to so and

so

well he got busy what what about this

person what about that

and so here he was

he had all the drink he could want

he had all the women he could want

he had all the pleasure he could think

of and now he didn’t plan on something

he didn’t plan on the famine that

suddenly came to the land

watch this you can’t plan on the devil’s

traps

you can’t you might think you can but

you can’t he’s going to be there sooner

or later and he’s going to take you down

in one way or the other I think about

how many broken homes and how many how

many broken lives and how many broken

bodies because people listen to the LIE

of the devil you’ll be okay you’ll be

all right what does he say you’re an

exception

that that happened that that won’t

happen to you yes it will

and the next thing you know the

scripture says he began to be in want

and as he was he finally had to hire

himself I don’t know who he hired

himself out to first but finally he

ended up in the lowest place he could

end up as a Jewish boy

is a young Jewish man he ended up

we would say in our time slopping Hogs

but they were eating pods there were

Hogs eating pods and here he is in a Hog

Pen feeding the Hogs

the pods

what else he had to think how did I get

in this place

I had it all

and now I don’t have anything

and it got even worse that there was

such little food in the Hog Pen he had

to race the Hogs to get to the next pod

unless they eat that and he had nothing

that’s a long ways from having

everything wonderful father wonderful

mother

wonderful lifestyle having everything

wonderful family feeling loved taken

care of

everything was fine now look at him

many people have lived the story

in fact you know some of them I know

some of them

I know a few that I’ve tried to tell

them what was happening and they didn’t

listen

because you see the devil he he is a

master at closing your ears to the truth

while he’s the pastor he’s your

Christian friend what what does he know

about you and oftentimes when you try to

tell somebody I need I need to share

with you what’s happening I see

something happening in your life you

don’t listen just out of my business

and when I think about this young man in

the hog pan what he began to think about

I had it all

I had everything I thought I wanted

I got everything I wanted to get

and now what did he get me it got me at

the lowest point of my life

my clothes are gone my dignity is gone

my sense of self-worth has gone I don’t

have anything I’m starving to death

and here’s what a false dream planted in

his heart caused him to end up in a Hog

Pen now listen carefully all the hog

pins weren’t destroyed a few thousand

years ago

their hog pins today

wherever you’re living without God in

your life

it may look like it’s good

you may have everything you want

but if you are spiritually without God

you’re still in a whole pen

and as long as you listen to the devil

as long as you refuse to surrender your

life to God it’s just going to get worse

and worse and worse

Solomon simply ask you this where are

you in this downward trach you started

out with everything but where are you

now

are you satisfied where you are now no

do you know how to get out of this no

well I want to show you how I want to

tell you how no matter how deep you are

how distance you are from God I want to

remind you this that God hasn’t stopped

loving you

you may be unfit to be hugged unfit to

be kissed

you may be unfit for anything in your

eyes but God still loves you and so it’s

just a matter of making a decision

he’s at the Bottom Rung of the ladder

all his friends are gone all this money

is gone all of his self-dignity is gone

everything’s gone it’s just he and the

Hogs

I wonder who you’re fellowshipping with

are they people sort of in the same

Condition You Are

listen to what happened to him the

scripture says when he came to his

senses

many people need to come to their senses

because the holy watches the holy spirit

of God

will work on you work on you work on you

work on you and remind you

of God’s offer of Love is offer of his

presence his power and whatever you need

in life he’s going to provide he has the

offer

the scripture says when he came to his

senses he said

how many of my fathers hired men

have more than enough bread

but I’m dying here with hunger

now it could stop right there

that’s where how many people are

they drink every night they Corrals

every day and they’ve lost this job that

job the other job and they’re living in

sin and the truth is they may be smiling

on their face but they’re hurting so

deep in their heart their hearts are

torn apart

too embarrassed to go home

maybe they have no home

maybe they’ve hurt themselves so badly

they can’t go home and so what they have

to say is what can I do

well listen to what the scripture says

he says

at that low State I will get up and go

to my father and say to him father I

have sinned against heaven and your

sight

the perfect solution listen

that’s always the right thing to do that

is he came to his senses and my prayer

for you is this whoever you are wherever

you listening from whatever your

situation circumstances you may be as

low as the prodigal you may be lower

than that but you are not hopelessly

helplessly lost if you will listen to

what I’m about to say

because God’s love for you has not

ceased he’s willing knowing what you’ve

done with your life what you are doing

with your life you may be 21 years of

age and already messed it up so badly

you may be so embarrassed at 18 years

old you can’t even go back home

you may have left your family

you have living a double life but I want

to tell you this you’re not going to be

happy you’re not going to find any peace

no joy you can’t make enough money you

can’t have a big enough idea about

yourself you can’t have enough status to

keep you afloat because the spirit of

God is going to work in your heart and

convict you of sin and if you keep

listening I’ll tell you what you can do

you can change all of that if you’ll

remember this the heavenly father loves

you in spite of all your sin all your

Disobedience all your drunkenness all

your sexuality all these things that

you’ve done in your life he’s still

listening if you’re willing to ask him

to forgive you of your sin don’t try to

justify God I’ve sinned against you just

like this boy I’m just going to get up

and say I’m going to my father and say I

have sinned against heaven and before

you no more worthy to be called your son

are you willing to say that to God are

you willing to say to him Lord I’ve been

sinning against you I’ve turned away

from you I’ve known it wasn’t right I’ve

just turned to death here to the gospel

I’m asking you today to forgive me of my

sin I’m not making any promises I’m just

surrendering God I’m surrendering my

life to you I’m asking you to save me

forgive me cleanse me I’m asking you to

do what you said in the Bible that is

the right my name in the Lamb’s Book of

Life I yields my life to you

thanking you for the Forgiveness of my

sin and God I want to be a new person

starting right now

[Applause]

I know that was fast

that you got the message

and all you have to do if you can’t

remember anything but Lord you heard

what he said that’s what I believe

I I that’s that’s what I’m that’s what

I’m feeling Lloyd

he’ll change your life seated right

where you are right now no other way you

are you may be seated here

or 10 000 miles away

God will forgive you

he’ll cleanse you he’ll straighten up

your life he’ll make you a new person

are you willing to receive him

as your savior and your lord

what a wonderful Simple Story

for his father received him

and the scripture says in the most

beautiful way he got up and came to his

father while he was still a long ways

off his father saw him

never forgotten him he must have looked

a whole lot different than when he left

he saw him

felt compassion for him his father took

off running

ran didn’t wait for confession this is

an awesome scene ran hugged him kissed

him and the scripture says the son said

to him father he started confessing his

sins his dad is hugging him all the time

forgiving him

and promised him here’s what I’m going

to do

foreign

you’re totally forgiven

and to show you we we have the best role

rang the best sandals you know what

that’s a simple story but it’s the truth

of the way God the way God sees things

he’ll save you from the mess you’ve made

of your life if you let him

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