Change of Heart

by Bryan Gibson

June 29, 2008

Don’t ever discount the power of the gospel. When planted in our hearts, it will produce great changes. Let’s look at some of those changes—especially changes to the heart—using 2 Corinthians as our text.

(1) Our hearts will now be devoted to Christ, who gave His life for us.

“and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again” (5:15).

(2) It will cleanse our hearts and lives of sin.

“Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (7:1).

(3) The things we do in service to Christ will come from the heart.

“For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing” (8:3).

“So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver” (9:7).

(4) Our hearts will be opened to others.

“O Corinthians! We have spoken openly to you, our heart is wide open” (6:11).

“But thanks be to God who puts the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus” (8:16).

“For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you, with many tears, not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have so abundantly for you” (2:4).

(5) We will not lose heart, because there is so much in the gospel to encourage us.

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (4:16-18).

(6) Our hearts will yearn to share the truth with others.

“Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God” (5:20).

“And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, ‘I believed and therefore I spoke,’ we also believe and therefore speak…” (4:13).