OceanSide church of Christ

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With All My Heart
by: Dalton Gilreath

I.              Introduction

A.   Many times we hear and say the phrase, “I love you with all my heart”

                                          i.    We may say it to a spouse or other loved one

                                        ii.    What do we mean when we say it?

1.    I am dedicated to you

2.    I want nothing more than to make you happy

B.   However, could we say this to God and mean it?

                                          i.    Do we love Him with all of our heart?

                                        ii.    King Amaziah is an example of a man who only loved with part of his heart

1.    We can learn many lessons from his life

2.    The lesson text comes from 2 Chr 25:1-16

II.            A halfhearted Christian is double Minded

A.   Amaziah did not love the Lord with his whole heart (2 Chr 25:2)

                                          i.    This caused him to do some good and some evil

1.    He spared the children when getting vengeance on his father (25:4)

2.    However, he allowed idolatry to continue (2 Kings 14:4)

                                        ii.    James calls this “double minded”

1.    If we want to draw near to God we must not be a roller coaster in our spiritual lives

2.    We are like Israel who served God one day and Baal the next (1 Kings 18:21)

                                       iii.    Jesus calls this being “lukewarm” (Rev 3:15-16)

                                       iv.    One of the reasons double minded persons fluctuate is they allow their influences to dictate their decisions

1.    Solomon was turned away by his wives (1 Kings 11:4)

2.    Amaziah’s father was turned away by men after his father died (2 Chr 24:17-18)

                                        v.    We need to be leaders and not followers

1.    Geese fly in a V shape to provide uplift for the trip

2.    The leader wears down and trades with another goose

a.    The church needs to stick together like geese

b.    We need to provide uplift for one another and leadership

III.           A halfhearted Christian is near sighted

A.   Amaziah wanted to go to war with Edom (25:5-12)

                                          i.    But he gathered extra troops from Israel which displeased God

                                        ii.    When confronted he expressed concern with the money he had already given to the soldiers from Israel

1.    The man of God said God’s reward is much more

B.   Sometimes we may focus on the short term effects and not the long term

                                          i.    It is like being near sighted only seeing what’s in front of you and not in the distance

                                        ii.    The Hebrew writer said to look unto Jesus when running the race (Heb 12:2)

1.    Solomon said that true richness comes from God (Prov 10:22)

C.   We become like an investor who won’t let go of a dropping stock

                                          i.    Sometimes it is better to take a small loss than to lose it all

IV.          A halfhearted Christian is deaf

A.   When Amaziah returns from conquering Edom he realized the soldiers from Israel raided the cities (25:13-16)

                                          i.    He then begins worshipping idols

                                        ii.    Apparently he blamed God for what happened instead of himself

1.    Sin will “find us out” (Num 32:23)

2.    God chastises us so we learn and grow from our mistakes (Heb 12:5-11)

B.   A prophet comes to Amaziah to confront him about his sin

                                          i.    Instead of listening he threatens him

                                        ii.    We can lose good friends because we despise their rebukes

1.    Solomon said “faithful are the wounds of a friend” (Prov 27:6)

2.    True friends are those who tell us when we are wrong

3.    The world comforts us in our sin

C.   Amaziah was deaf because he would not hear the prophet’s plea

                                          i.    A double mind, being near sighted, and being deaf are all signs of a heart that is not fully in love with the Lord

                                        ii.    If you are having these symptoms today, won’t you fully commit yourselves to Him now?