Shema - Week 2 Heart

I want to invite you to open your bibles with me to Deuteronomy chapter 6. Today I want us to pick up where we left off last week. We’ve been talking about the voice of truth—about living in the rhythm of God’s inhale and exhale—about receiving His presence before we offer our words.

But where do we start.. What does it look like, not just to breathe in God’s presence, but to live our whole lives within the Word of truth? Let me start here… The church exists first and foremost as a community shaped by God’s Word.

“So today, my goal is simple: I want to show you how this truth applies to your faith—so you don’t just survive or find comfort, but actually flourish in Christ. Now, let’s set the stage for Deuteronomy 6. God had just brought His people out of slavery in Egypt and met them at Mount Sinai. There He revealed Himself and gave His law in what was essentially a covenant ceremony—almost like a wedding. The people responded, ‘Everything the Lord has said we will do; we will obey’ (Ex. 24:7). But here’s the tragedy: right after that, they turned away. Their yes was on their lips but not in their hearts. And because of that, a whole generation died in the wilderness—not because God wasn’t faithful, but because they refused to hear and obey His Word. Now, in Deuteronomy 6, God gathers the next generation on the edge of the Promised Land and says, ‘Here’s my Word again. Don’t miss it this time. Don’t just hear it—take it into your hearts. Teach it to your children. Live it in your homes. Let it shape every part of your life.’ Let’s read together in verse 1.”

Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules—that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey. Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

Now, right at the center of this passage is a word that every faithful Israelite would have known by heart. Look at verse 4, because this is where flourishing faith begins, ‘Hear, O Israel…’ That word hear is the Hebrew word Shema. It shows up more than 1,100 times in the Old Testament, but here’s the challenge—there really isn’t a single English word that captures its depth. We translate it simply as ‘hear,’ but it means far more than sound entering your ears. It’s a word that means to hear, yes—but also to understand, to learn, and to respond. The real weight of the word isn’t just about receiving sound—it’s about receiving truth in such a way that it shapes your life. And I got other ask.. when was the last time you heard something and it changed your life? Like the first time you heard, I love you… and it meant something… Or, … maybe there was a time you heard some sort of news, and it radically changed how you lived? Or even the gospel… when was the first time you heard the gospel and it pierced your heart in such a way, that you gave your life to Christ? Thats what Shema means. It’s hearing that demands a response. It’s hearing that forms you. When I think about this word, I think about our kids. Sometimes I’ll tell them to do something, and it just goes in one ear and out the other. Have you ever experienced that? And here’s the thing—it’s not like they have hearing issues. Our kids ears work fine. The problem isn’t physical; it’s intellectual. They’re not paying attention to what I’ve asked. Or worse—they’re flat-out ignoring my words. And that, church, is not Shema. You see, this word carries the weight of hearing, listening, intellectually knowing, and truly understanding—but it also means to walk in, and obey. When someone Shema’s, they don’t just hear and understand it. They do it. They put what’s being said, into action. And here’s a question… how often do we do that with gods word? Now, think about this… was the last time you heard the word preached, or read, or within your studies, saw what it said, but it never formed anything in you? Again, one of the purposes of the gospel isn’t information as much as its to lead to transofmfraiton within the hearer and listneinger and reader. And so, the Israelites would have heard this word, hear, or listen, O Israel from God, and understood that this command, demands a response, that transforms the listener to walk in the statues and laws that’s being asked. So, listen, If God’s Word hasn’t changed your life, you haven’t really heard it. The Shema reminds us that the starting point of flourishing faith is hearing God’s Word in such a way that it takes root and bears fruit in your life.

But watch what happens next—God doesn’t just say, ‘Hear, listen, know and obey.’ He immediately shows us where His Word is meant to go. Where it should land… and what should it affect in your life… lok at verse 6… Verse 6: ‘And these words that I command you today shall be… (Where) on your heart.’ Say those three words with me, on your heart… ready, 1,2,3… on your heart. This is so important… Because the heart is the home of our affections. Think about what Proverbs 4:23 says, ‘Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.’ Now let’s pause there for a second… God doesn’t just say put His Word in your mind, or even just on your lips. He says it must land on your heart—the place where your love is, your desires, and your affections live. And Here’s why this matters: what you love shapes what you see. If your heart loves the darkness, you’ll be blind to the light. That’s what Jesus said in John 3:19: people didn’t come to the light, not because the evidence wasn’t there, but because they loved the darkness. That’s not a head problem—it’s a heart problem. Paul said the same thing in Ephesians 4:18. He described people as being ‘darkened in their understanding… because of the hardness of their heart.’ Did you catch that? The root wasn’t lack of information, is was ignorance You can find the gospel everywhere… online, every Sunday here at church, in our house churches… there is no lack of biblical information in todays generation… The root issue is, love has gone wrong. A stubborn heart that wanted independence more than surrender.

And if we’re honest, that’s us apart from grace. Our hearts are bent to love all the wrong things. And when our desires bend away from God, our minds start finding ways to justify it. We convince ourselves sin isn’t really sin. We make excuses. We rationalize. Lets get real for a moment. How many times has the Holy Spirit nudged you—put that urge in your heart to do or say something for His glory—and you knew it was Him? Pray. Read the Bible. Send an encouraging text, or he put someone on your mind and heart. Give to someone in need, or just be nice to that one person that irritates you at work or school. And the Spirit of God said, love on them….. You knew it. But you didn’t act… ….can I ask…. Why not? What made you pause and rationalize what was being laid on y0pour heart/ Was it because you didn’t hear Him? No—you heard. But your mind talked your heart out of trusting God. You thought, ‘well, That feels out of place. That’s not something I’d normally do.’ And so, what was the reply to gods word… the action of disobedience… you didn’t obey. You said, no… with your heart. And the effect was what? : the Word of God being spoken in that moment, never took root, not because the ears didn’t hear, but because the heart didn’t trust, and the mind found a way to quiet the affections for Him. I… I just wonder at times… how many times in my life has God spleen to my heart and I didn’t step out by faith to do what he was leading me to do…

Let me ask you this: What is the deepest longing of a redeemed heart? When God saves us, what becomes the great craving, the burning desire, the thing we can’t shake? Scripture is clear—the answer is the glory of God. Psalm 19:1 says, ‘The heavens declare the glory of God.’ And if creation itself can’t help but proclaim His glory, how much more should a heart that has been redeemed? Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:6 that God has shone in our hearts ‘to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.’ That’s what our hearts were made for: to see His glory and to show His glory. That’s the design of your soul. Listen, you are to love the Lord your God, with what? Heart,. mind and soul… To rightly love God, when… the word of God lands on the heart of the listener, not one of those can be out of order or in defiance. Your heart is the seat of our affections— its designed for loving what is most lovely. Your soul was created for worship—for delighting in what is most glorious. And your mind was created for truth—for seeing God as He really is. And here’s the danger: if your heart sets its affection on lesser things, your soul will worship lesser things, and your mind will twist itself to justify it. That’s how idolatry creeps into your life—not because we stopped believing in God with our heads, but because we loved something more than Him with our hearts, and our souls glorified it. The best way I can illustrate this, is by looking at our solar system. The sun belongs in the center, holding every planet in orbit. But if the sun is displaced, if you move it out of the center, everything flies apart. That’s exactly what happens when God is not the center of our affections. When our hearts love the wrong things, when our souls delight in the wrong glories, when our minds justify the wrong truths—our whole life flies out of orbit.

Now,lets ask this important wuestiojhn… : what is the glory of God? Because if the deepest longing of our soul is His glory, then we better be clear about what that means. Here’s an easy way to do so, God’s glory is His holiness made visible—His infinite worth and absolute perfection going public through creation and through His people.” It’s His beauty and His value put on display for the whole world to see, and it is shared, right there in your own life. Think about it… its shared with us, and in us, for the world to see, His goodness. That’s exactly what Jesus prays in John 17:22: “The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one.” In other words, the very glory of God the Father given to the Son is now given to His people. Shared. Poured out. Placed within us. And I think we can get this wrong sometimes… We look up at the night sky and we marvel at the stars, and We stand in awe and say, “Man, they display the glory of God.” And they do. Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God.” There truth in the word of God. We agree… But let me ask you this—what if ….we were just as captivated when we looked at one another and saw Christ in one another? What if, instead of just looking up, we looked across the room and saw the glory of God at work in the person sitting next to us? Would that change everyday life? Wouldn’t that change how we saw one another…

That’s exactly why, when Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, He didn’t stop at “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.” He added, “And love your neighbor as yourself.” In other words, the glory of God you behold is meant to become the love of God you extend. His infinite worth isn’t just something to admire—it’s something to embody in how we treat one another. And that’s why I love moments like baptism. Here next month, we’re planning baptisms, and it’s a moment where we can stand together as a family and see God’s glory go public. We hear testimonies of heart change, we watch lives being made new, and we witness the Spirit’s work drawing us together to celebrate transformation. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3:18, “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.” Wouldn’t that be someone flourishing in their faith? In other words, God’s glory isn’t just written in the stars—it’s written in your story. It’s etched into your heart, your soul, and your mind, declaring to the world: “Look at my God.”

But here’s the question: how does that happen? How does God actually write His glory into your life, into your marriage, into your work, into your everyday? The Bible is really clear about this. What happens in your heart shapes what happens in your mind. And what happens in your mind shapes everything else about you. Now, for a long time, I used to think the order went like this: If I just knew enough, I would obey enough.This is why so many will say, I want to learn the Bible. So I can know! If I could just learn more, memorize more, study more—then surely my life would follow. But Jesus actually flips that order on its head. Listen to His words in John 7:17: “If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know (theres that word know) whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.” So,. Did you catch that? Jesus says your willingness to obey comes before your ability to understand. If the Shema is going to be a lifestyle for you—if you’re going to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind—then don’t just hear God’s Word. Don’t just let it hit your ears. Let it shape your will. Let it capture your mind. Let it be written on your heart. That’s not….. how most of us naturally think. We tell ourselves, “Once I understand, then I’ll obey.” And I fear, that is why discipleship over the past few decades have fallen short of its true meaning. We’ve reduced it to programs, to classrooms, to content transfer. But biblically, discipleship is far more personal.God’s Word landed on your heart At its heart, Discipleship is what happens when somebody invests his or her life into your life, one on one. It’s one person walking alongside another person, pointing them to Jesus, helping them obey His Word, and encouraging them to keep going when it gets hard. And yes, small groups can do that, Sunday school classes can in some way accomplish this, but what if, you took one person, and took a certain amount of time each week to talk and study the Bible and pray with. That’s biblical discipleship. Not just the transfer of information, but the knitting together of two lives in unity through the Spirit of God, being weaved into the tapestry by the thread of the gospel… where, Christ is formed in both of you.

So, here’s what we’ve got to realize—church, we can’t fix this on our own. We have to be born again. We need a new will and a new heart. Something has to happen inside of us so we can truly know God and love Him rightly. Because left to ourselves, it doesn’t matter how much information we have. My will is bent by nature. Yours too. That’s what we call original sin. It’s not just the wrong things I do—it’s that deep-down bent in me that wants the wrong things. And no matter how hard I try, I can’t will myself out of willing the wrong thing. I need God to intervene. I need Him to take out this heart of stone and give me a heart of flesh. I don’t just need Jesus to rescue me from my sins—I need Him to rescue me from me.

And here’s the miracle of new birth: God steps in and rescues us from our sinful hearts. He begins to form in us a new will that actually wants Him, loves Him, trusts Him. Most of you have lived purely off of that grace. You heard the gospel, you were saved, a new life began… but if you’re honest, there’s still something missing. What is it? What’s going on? Why is there this urge for more—and why haven’t you found it in your duty, your serving, your busyness? You say, “I want more of Him, but I’m still bent toward my own desires and wants. I want to pray, but I struggle. I want to love Him, adore Him, be captivated by Him—but I always fall short.” Lets address it… right now.. lets find out why… If you’ll allow me to be honest with you? That bent nature—that root of sin—doesn’t just disappear at salvation. Yes, we’re forgiven. Yes, we’re made new. But deep inside, that pull toward pride, toward selfishness, toward me-first living—it still wages war. Its called this… original sin.. And original sin isn’t just the wrong things we do—it’s that deep-down bent in me that wants all the wrong things. And no matter how hard I try, I can’t will myself out of willing the wrong thing. I need God to intervene. I need Him to take out this heart of stone and give me a heart of flesh. I don’t just need Jesus to rescue me from my sins—I need Him to rescue me from me. And here’s the miracle of new birth: God steps in and rescues us from our sinful hearts. He begins to form in us a new will that actually wants Him, loves Him, trusts Him. But can I still be honest? That bent nature—that root of sin—doesn’t just vanish at salvation. Yes, we’re forgiven. Yes, we’re made new. But that tug toward pride, toward selfishness, toward me-first living—it still wages war inside us. That’s why the Bible speaks not only of being born again, but also of being sanctified. Remember what I said earlier: the glory of God is the holiness of God on display. And sanctification is how God puts that display in motion—His Spirit changing us so that His glory isn’t just something we see, but something we show.” Think about the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Those aren’t just good Christian traits; that’s the holiness of God shining out of ordinary people. That’s His glory taking root in us and bearing fruit through us.”

That’s why Jesus prayed in John 17, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” Because God doesn’t just want forgiven people—He wants holy people. He wants sons and daughters with hearts so purified by His Spirit that love for Him comes first—naturally, deeply, freely. And then, that glory, his glory, is shared with others. John 17:22 says it this way: “The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one.” The holy love God pours into you isn’t meant to stop with you—it’s meant to flow through you. Here’s the good news: Jesus not only rescues us from the guilt of sin—He can also free us from the grip of sin. Entire sanctification isn’t about becoming flawless in performance. It’s about being perfected in love. It’s about God so filling your heart, mind, and soul with Himself that every part of you is surrendered to Christ. And isn’t that what you long for? A heart that doesn’t just fight sin, but is free to love God fully. A soul that doesn’t just struggle, but rests secure in Him. That’s the promise of the Spirit—that the same God who saves you will also sanctify you, until Christ is all in all.

And this is why discipleship can never be reduced to just showing up to church, or memorizing a few verses, or checking the right boxes. God doesn’t just want your head filled with His Word—He wants your heart reshaped by His Word, your soul reoriented toward His glory, and your will surrendered in obedience. The Shema is God saying, ‘I don’t just want you to hear My voice—I want you to love Me with everything you are.’ Heart, soul, strength. That’s transformation. That’s discipleship. That’s what it means to flourish in faith. So, as the worship team comes up, let me ask you: Has God’s Word landed on your heart? Is it bending your will? Is it shaping your mind? Or is it still just information—words you’ve heard, maybe even memorized, but never obeyed? “If God’s Word hasn’t changed your life, you haven’t really heard it. And today, the Spirit is inviting you to really hear.” Because the Shema won’t let us settle for that. It’s a call to whole-life surrender. A call to let God’s glory be written into your story.” I want to invite you to respond. Lets stand together…. Maybe today you need to humble yourself before the Lord and pray, ‘God, take my hard heart. Give me a new heart. Bend my will toward You. ’Maybe you need to confess that you’ve been hearing but not obeying. Maybe you’ve been content with information, but not formation. Don’t leave today the same way you came.

“ Church, today we’ve heard the Word of Truth. But the question is—where will it land? Will it fall on a heart that truly hears, or on a heart that stays hard? Jesus said, ‘He who has ears, let him hear.’ The Shema says, ‘Hear, O Israel.’ The Spirit is still saying today—hear, believe, obey. So where will His Word land in you?”

“Family, as you go this week, don’t just be hearers of the Word — be doers of the Word. Let the Word of Truth dwell in your heart, shape your mind, and bend your will toward Jesus.and His glory, shine through you this week. May the Spirit remind you in the quiet moments, strengthen you in the hard moments, and lead you in every moment — so that God’s glory isn’t just written in the stars above, but written in your story below. Go in His truth, go in His Spirit, and go in His peace.” *