A Man After God’s Heart

The following is a sermon manuscript delivered at a Men’s Fellowship on July 15, 2022 at Freedom Church in Dayton, OH.

A Man After God’s Heart

I once read that any great lesson taught or sermon preached,never really ends. Its message continues to teach, rolling around in the mind and challenging the heart of the listener long after the orator’s final breaths. Well, I hope today, through the power of the Holy Spirit, I can provide a “great message” whose contents will last with you for years to come. My motive is that you will grow to love, obey, and glorify God more after this message than you do presently. My assignment today is to declare before this room of men what it means to be “A Man After God’s Heart.”

What is Man?

In our quest to uncover what it means to be “A Man After God’s heart,” the first question we come to, then, is this: “What is Man?”

The Second London Baptist Confession 4.2,  Of Creation, helps define our Anthropology as follows, saying:

After God  had made all other creatures, he created man, male and female, with reasonable and immortal souls, rendering them fit unto that life to God for which they were created; being made after the image of God, in knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness; having the law of God written in their hearts, and power to fulfil it, and yet under a possibility of transgressing, being left to the liberty of their own will, which was subject to change (Genesis 1:27; Genesis 2:7; Ecclesiastes 7:29; Genesis 1:26; Romans 2:14, 15; Genesis 3:6).

I never want us to blindly say, “Well the historic confession says it, so it must be true.” The confessions are only as good as they proclaim biblically-derived truth. So, for your own edification, that last statement comes from the combined teachings of Genesis 1:26-27, Ecclesiastes 7:29, and Romans 2:14. 

Now, that statement we just read teaches that God created man with two components. Implicitly, the statement we just read teaches that we have an outer man, and, explicitly, it teaches we have an inner man as it mentions both the heart and soul. Our outer man is our biology: the parts of ourselves that we can see. We can see bones in an X-ray, the valves of our hearts with an ultrasound, etc. Our outer man is our body. 

Now, our inner man is referred to in the London Baptist confession as our soul or our heart. It is the part of us that one cannot see. Our will, our thoughts, our conscience. We are made up of an inner man and an outer man. This language is not foreign to the Bible but comes directly from the inspired, infallible, inerrant word of God. Second Corinthians 4:16 states that our outer self is wasting away but our inner self is being renewed day by day.

As we seek to understand humanity’s composition, it is vital to point out that the outer man and inner man impact one another. For example, in Luke 22:44, we see Jesus struggling with an inner man issue that manifests itself in the outer man. The word of God says that he was exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death. Luke says that our Lord was in agony. These are inner man issues. This weight was so heavy upon our Lord’s heart and mind that it manifested itself in the outer man through our Savior’s sweating of blood. And conversely, you surely know or have heard of someone who has been diagnosed with cancer, an outer man issue of the cells. It is common for the outer man issue of cancer to weigh so heavily on the person that it quickly becomes an inner man issue of worry, fear, anxiety, or depression. My desire in bringing this point out is that the outer and inner man influence one another. I hope that you will begin to realize that what we do on the outside often derives from and contributes to what we think, value, and desire on the inside, and know that what we think, value, and desire on the inside often influences what we do on the outside. Rarely do the inner and outer man operate completely independent of one another.

What is A Man?

With that, we understand that man, or humanity– males and females– consists of an inner man and an outer man. But that is to speak of humanity at large. It is to answer the question, “What is Man?” Now, we want to transition and ask more specifically, “What is a Man?” Now, we are asking what is a male? What makes a male distinctly a male? Well, it isn’t simply having an inner and outer man because females have that, too. My appeal is that in the same way a male can be distinguished from a female by observing outer man differences, he should also be able to be distinguished from a female by observing inner man differences.

Let me be clear, there is some overlap in the outer man between a male and female, like two arms, two legs, a head, and an abdomen, but there are also some major differences. And likewise, there is some overlap in the inner man between a male and female but just like the outer man, there are also some major differences. And my appeal tonight is that those major inner man differences along with his distinct biology, are what make a man distinctly a man.

What is the Heart?

We will not camp long here but it is vital that we walk away tonight knowing functionally what we mean when we use the term “heart.” Remember, we are answering the question, “What is A Man After God’s Heart?” I’m not talking about the Western Culture, American, commercialized term heart that acts solely as the human seat of emotions. No, the Biblical concept and definition of heart is much more than our Valentine’s Day program. The Bible gives us four distinct ways to think about the heart that I hope to write about extensively one day, if the Lord wills it. The Bible teaches that we can think of our hearts as our: 1) Motives, 2) Affections, 3) Intentions, and 4) Desires. To prove that briefly, I will site the Hebrew and Greek words for heart, along with their definitions.

The Hebrew word for heart is lebab (lay-bawb). This word refers to the inner man, the mind, the heart, or simply the will.

The Greek word for heart is kardia. This word refers to the heart, mind, character, inner self, will, intention, or the center of spiritual life.

These terms are used from Genesis to Revelation and they refer more to the will and intentions of a man than his emotions. When the biblical authors, inspired by the Holy Spirit, used the term heart they refer to something much deeper than just how one feels. Here is a quick sample (emphasis added):

1) Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

2) Proverbs 16:9, “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”

3) Romans 6:17, “But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed.”

4) Hebrews‬ ‭4:12‬, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

God’s Heart

Now, we have laid the tracks so we must drive the train down them. We see that man, made in the image of God, possesses an inner man and outer man. We know that his inner man consists of his thoughts, soul, spirit, and heart. We know the heart is man’s: Motivations, Affections, Intentions, Desires, and Will. Now if we want to be men who are after God’s heart, shouldn’t we know what is in God’s heart? Hopefully, your inner man is nodding yes, right now! 

So, where can we look in our Bibles to uncover the heart of God? Where can we go to see God’s motives, affections, intentions, desires, and will? Maybe we could go to Calvary? Maybe we could go to John 3:16? And maybe we could go to any page of Scripture and take some aspect of God’s heart away from the Holy text. But I think, for the sake of conciseness without compromise, when we want to know the heart of God, we can go to the place where his character, his will is placed on display: The Ten Commandments.

The Ten Commandments are often referred to as the moral law. They are a direct expression of God’s character, righteousness, and will. Let’s walk through them:

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭20:2-17

Here, we see clearly, concisely, and directly, the heart of God. What is God’s will, desire, and motive? For his people to be holy. He says as much in Leviticus 19:2, which states, “Be holy as I the Lord your God am holy.” There is the command: “I’m holy,” says Yahweh - and my desire is for you to be like me, to be holy. And how does one live a holy life? How did Israel understand that command? Well, in part, when they heard, “Be holy,” they would think okay, then that means we keep the commandments of God, specifically The Ten Commandments. And lest we think that was just for Israel, listen to Peter’s commands to the New Testament saints in 1 Peter 1:13-16

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.””

Here, Peter quotes Leviticus 19:2, and he contributes to our understanding of the heart of God. From Adam to Abraham to Moses to Peter and to you and me tonight, the Lord’s heart’s desire is for His people to walk in holiness.

And finally, on this point, sometimes we think of the Ten Commandments as antiquated and not relevant to today. I’ll mention one person who the Ten Commandments were incredibly relevant to: Jesus. Sometimes we put the Law and the Gospel in opposition to each other when the Bible displays how they work together. In the book of Romans, Paul makes it clear that it is the Law that drives us to the Gospel of Jesus. Have you ever thought that Jesus perfectly kept the law? What is it that made Jesus’ death and resurrection efficacious? It is his perfect life. And what do we use to measure perfection? The Ten Commandments. When we say Jesus lived a sinless life, we are saying that Jesus perfectly kept the Ten Commandments. In Matthew 5:17, Jesus makes his relationship to the Ten Commandments clear, saying, “I did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it.” Why did he not come to abolish the Law? Because God’s heart does not change. 

How God Reveals Our Hearts to Ourselves

Now, this is the point that the application comes in at. Remember, we are answering the question, “What is A Man After God’s Heart?” We can say, what does that mean for me? Well, precisely this . . . God’s desire is the holiness of his people. So what did he do? Two things: 1) He provided a way for us to be holy through the completed work of Jesus Christ, and 2) He protects us from unholiness by sealing our salvation with the Holy Spirit. In these two aspects of God’s heart, we see that our God is a Provider and a Protector. Therefore, if we are to be men after God’s heart, we must be men who Provide and Protect for those in our care. Certainly physically, but also, and most importantly, spiritually - striving for the promotion of holiness in ourselves and those under our God-ordained authority.

Think about David, the shepherd. In 1 Samuel 13:14, David was descirbed as a man after God’s heart. What was David doing at the time of his anointing by the Prophet Samuel? He wasn’t purging foreign nations or sitting on a lofty throne. He was tending sheep in Bethlehem. The way he cared for those sheep - the way he provided their needs and protected them from other animals - those are the actions that revealed his heart; the heart of a protector and a provider. So, God looks at David and says the way he provides and protects his sheep reflects my heart, and this is the type of heart I want to provide and protect for my flock, Israel. We have been called to shepherd the flock in some way, shape or form. Our wives, our children, our congregations, our Sunday school classes, the young men in our congregation, or the employees under us at work. We, like our God, must seek to nurture, cultivate, and protect holiness within our homes, houses, hands, heads, and certainly, our hearts.

Earlier, I said that my appeal tonight is that the major inner man differences between a man and woman, along with a man’s distinct biology, are what make a man distinctly a man. Well, now, I submit to you that one of those major inner man differences that sets a man apart from a woman is his God-given, heart-deep motive and desire to provide and protect in a way that reflects the heart of his God.

Is My Heart Like God’s?

But how do we know if we are living as men who are Protectors and Providers from a God-like heart? Deuteronomy 8:2-3 gives us some great advice on how to use life’s difficult times to expose our hearts to ourselves. The text says, “And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”

The Lord, in His omniscience, already know the contents of His people’s hearts and does not require them to endure the wilderness to make this discovery for Himself (1 John 3:19-20; Psalm 139:4). Instead, as Dr. John Street teaches, “He took them through such a troublesome time so that they would know what was in their heart.”

It is life’s troublesome times that reveal the contents of our hearts. It is the extreme stressors, struggles, or annoyances -  the wilderness moments and seasons of life which bring the contents of our heart - good or bad - to the surface. And when our motives, affections, intentions, and desires that reside within our inner man surface, hold them against the mirror that is the Law to see whether your heart is holy or not.

And what is one to do when he identifies that his heart looks more like a passive man than his Providing and Protecting God? He must first confess his sins, then repent and ask for forgiveness for those sins. But then, he rests in the knowledge that his God’s heart never changes (Hebrews 13:7). He is the Lord who casts your sin as far as the east is from the west, and He does not hold that sin against you today, or in glory (Psalm 103:8-12). The Lord is always zealous for your holiness. He is so desirous for His people’s holiness that he provided a way for the man of God to be holy through the completed work of Christ. So desirous for his people’s holiness that he protects them from unholiness through the seal of the Holy Spirit. And today, if your heart does not look like his, a Holy Provider and Protector, it is time to either confess, repent, and ask for forgiveness of your sin for the first time in salvation, or it is time to seek God through his word and prayer, and humbly ask him to transform your heart to be like his - with holy motives, holy affections, holy intentions, and holy desires.