ENLARGEMENT OF THE HEART

ISAIAH 60:5

A. "THINE HEART SHALL FEAR AND BE ENLARGED"
  1. In the words of the prophet he gives expression to a universal principle of human conduct:
    1. When men are placed in circumstances similar to those set forth preceding the words of our opening text
    2. "The Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising...thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side"
  2. When new privileges are conferred on man; when new duties and responsibilities are recognized:
    1. Then the heart of man trembles and throbs
    2. And his nature is enlarged to meet the responsibility of the new situation
    3. That is the principle set forth in our text B. ENLARGEMENT OF THE HEART
  3. The word "heart" has a very wide meaning in the Bible:
    1. It is used to express the whole inward nature of man; Examples: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?" - Jer. 17:9; "Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life" - Prov. 4:23; "As he thinketh in his heart so is he" - Prov. 19:3
    2. So the prophet of God does not refer to human emotions, but includes our actions, our thoughts and all human functions
  4. There are, therefore, three contributory experiences in our life that tend to bring to us enlargement of heart:
    1. The vision: it was Isaiah's vision of the Lord and his own undone fitness that caused him to tremble, to cry out, "Woe is me, for I am undone" - Is. 6:1-5
    2. The call of duty: "Whom shall I sand, and who will go for us?" - Is. 6:8
    3. The thrill, a mark of a broadened life; "here am I, send me". Isaiah had no idea of the saving influence of his ministry for his nation or upon the whole world. C. ENLARGEMENT OF HEART
  5. Is indicative that sin and ignorance have contributed to the shrinking heart:
    1. A narrow outlook upon life; Examples: Cain had a narrow outlook upon his life - Gen. 4:13; Esau had a very narrow outlook upon life - Gen. 25:30-34; The rich young ruler had a narrow view about life - Matt. 19:16-22
    2. Also, a distorted concept of moral responsibility; Examples: The Pharisee that stood in the temple and prayed - Luke 18:10-12; the rulers of the Jews - Matt. 15:1-9; Mark 7:1-13; the church of Laodicea, too, had a distorted concept of its relationship to God Rev. 3:14-18
  6. God intends to change the human heart:
    1. Said the Psalmist, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew in me a right spirit: - Ps. 51:10
    2. "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a new heart" - Ezek. 36:26
  7. The divine object of the new heart is most obvious:
    1. God will write the ten commandments upon the tables of the new heart - Ezek. 36:26; Heb. 10:15-16
    2. Thus man will become a partaker of the divine nature - 2 Pet. 1:2-8
    3. The heart will become the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit - I Cor. 3:16; 6:19-20; Example, after Paul experienced the new life, he wrote, "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless, I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; the life that I now live I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" - Gal. 2:20
  8. When the heart has been enlarged:
    1. Obedience to God will be as natural as breathing - Ps. 119:30-33
    2. The voice within us will be the voice of the Son of God, who said, I delight to do thy will O my God, yea, Thy law is within my heart" - Ps. 40:8


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