Entrance To The Heart

From a New Testament perspective, we are to be the temple of God. "If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are" (I Corinthians 3:17). Using this analogy, our body is the Outer Court, our soul is the Holy Place, and the spirit is the Holy of Holies where the Ark with the Mercy Seat rests. Soul is made up of the mind, will, and emotions as the Holy Place also has three pieces of furniture: the golden lamp stand, the table of shew bread, and the altar of incense.

"Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah" (Psalms 24:7-10).

This a picture of opening the gates and the doors to allow the Ark of the Covenant to brought through the Outer Gate and into the Holy of Holies. The Ark itself was made of shittim wood overlaid with pure gold. The Ark is a picture of Jesus. The wood represents his humanity and the gold represents his deity.

There were three entrances: the gate to the Outer Court (Exodus. 27:16-19), the door/veil to the Holy Place (Exodus. 26:36-37, 36:37-38), the veil to the Holy of Holies ( Exodus 26:31-33).

The Outer Gate: "And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework: and their pillars shall be four, and their sockets four" (Exodus 27:16)

The Door To The Holy Place: "And thou shalt make an hanging for the door of the tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework. And thou shalt make for the hanging five pillars of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, and their hooks shall be of gold: and thou shalt cast five sockets of brass for them" (Exodus 26:36-37).

The Veil to the Holy of Holies: "And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made: And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of shittim wood overlaid with gold: their hooks shall be of gold, upon the four sockets of silver. And thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy" (Exodus 26:31-33).

    The body receives information through the five senses: the eye gate, the ear gate, the touch gate, the smell gate, and the taste gate. These would be like the Outer Gate to the tabernacle or temple. For Jesus to come into one's life, the outer gate first must be opened. The individual goes to church and hears about Jesus or he reads in the Word about Jesus. "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me" (John 5:39). Intellectually, he comes to know about Jesus. This is good, but it is only head knowledge and has not penetrated the heart at this point. I have known people who have had a lot of head knowledge about Jesus and the Word of God, but the knowledge had yet to penetrate the heart.

    The first door stands between the Outer Courtyard and the Holy Place. The soul of man (mind, will, and emotions) receives and assimilates by means of the door of the conscience. The conscience must also be opened. He must have a conscious awareness of the need for Jesus. He must also be willing to let go of sin. Recently I spoke with a man living in sin, but was in no wise willing to let go of the sin. Therefore, the door was not open to receive Jesus as his Lord.

    In the book of Hebrews, it speaks of two veils. "And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all" (Hebrews 9:3). Again, the first door/veil is that of the conscience. However, the question is, "What is the door between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies?"  I have come to see that the second veil is the heart of man. Look at the following scriptures about the heart.

The truth of the Gospel must go beyond the mind and penetrate the heart. When this occurs and the individual gives his life to Jesus as Lord, then Jesus comes into the spirit of the man and the individual is made alive and becomes a new creation. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (II Corinthians 5:17).

The catch is that the heart as the inner veil remains, in one sense, standing between the new man (the new spiritual creation) and the soul (the mind, will, and emotions). Look at what Jesus said to the church in the book of Revelation. "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20). Jesus is in the spirit of the Believer and is knocking on the door to the soul. What is the door between the spirit and the soul? It can only be the heart. Jesus desires to fellowship with the Believer on a day by day basis. "And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me" (Luke 9:23). Again, a relationship is established when we give our lives to Jesus, but he also desires to fellowship with us each and every day. "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13).

The intellect of man only touches the mind of man. Human knowledge is not the answer here. Human knowledge may cause one to puff up in pride. "Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth" (I Corinthians 8:1). "Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (II Timothy 3:7). "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (I Corinthians 2:14). "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (I Corinthians 2:14)

Therefore the question arises, "What speaks to the "heart" of man?"

1. The Word of God. "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63). Jesus taught and preached the Word so that people would have the faith to believe and be healed. "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). "But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach" (Romans 10:8).

2. Healing Words. The words that we speak out of our heart either bring life of death. "Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof" (Proverbs 18:21).   "A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones" (Proverbs 14:30). The word translated "sound" is the Hebrew word for healing. We should have a heart that reaches out to bring healing to others. "A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit" (Proverbs 15:4). The word translated for "wholesome" is also the word healing.

3. Melodious Music. "And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him" (I Samuel 16:23). "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord" (Ephesians 5:19).

4. A Testimony. What happened to the Old Testament believers are for our example. "Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted" (I Corinthians 10:6). Furthermore Paul repeated his salvation experience on various occasions. Jesus spoke to the man who had been set free, "Howbeit Jesus suffered him not (to follow him), but saith unto him, 'Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee'" (Mark 5:19). It is difficult to argue with one's testimony.

5. Love. "Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins" (Proverbs 10:12). "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another" (John 13:35). "But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ" (Ephesians 4:15). "We love him, because he first loved us" (I John 4:19). When we love others as God has loved us, it may also touch their heart.

6. Miracles. "The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him" (John 3:2). "And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen" (Mark 16:20). It is hard to argue with a miracle before your eyes. The early church prayed that God would minster through miracles. "And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus" (Acts 4:29-30).

7. Parables. In I Samuel 12:1-13, Nathan used a parable to speak to David's heart concerning his taking the wife of Uriah. "But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter" (II Samuel 12:3). Jesus also used many parables. "And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow" (Matthew 13:3).

8. Prayer. Elisha prayed for his servant. "And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha" (II Kings 6:17). Paul prayed for the eyes of the church of Ephesus be opened. "The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints" (Ephesians 1:18).

9. Inspirational Art. "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah:  And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,  To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,  And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship" (Exodus 31:1-5). God chose Bezaleel to oversee the work of the marvelous tabernacle which would have been inspiring to see.

10. The awesomeness of creation. (through the beauty and complexity). "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork" (Psalms 19:1). We may touch the heart of another by pointing the individual to the awesomeness of God's creation. "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse" (Romans 1:20).

11. A Sacrificial life. Saul, who later became Paul, observed the stoning of Stephen. "And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul" (Acts 7:58).   Our lives speak to others. "Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation" (I Peter 2:12).

12. Life illustrations. Isaiah walked around naked for three years to illustrate what was to happen to the people. "And the LORD said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia" (Isaiah 20:3). Hosea married a young lady that became a prostitute (Hosea chapters 1-2), in this, he demonstrated God's love for Israel who had played the role of a prostitute.

13. Tender touch. "And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept" (Genesis 33:4). "Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss" (I Thessalonians 5:26). In today's western culture, the kiss is not appropriate, but often a hug or tender touch is. I know of a "black" man who had been living on the streets who stepped into church. A young "white" girl child ran up to him and gave him a hug around his leg. This experience broke the race barrier and melted the man's heart.

14. Dramatic demonstrations. Jesus washed the feet of the disciples to illustrate humility in serving others. "After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded" (John 13:5). "If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet" (John 13:14). If you come into my office, you will find that I use all kinds of graphic illustrations to communicate to one's heart.

15. Prophecy or Word of Knowledge. Jesus used a word of knowledge. "The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly" (John 4:17-18). There is a true modern day prophet who periodically visits and ministers at my church. When gives a word of knowledge and prophesies over individuals, quite often, I see that their hearts are touched and their lives are changed.

16. Visions & Dreams. Although we can not "make" or "cause" anyone to have a vision or dream, we can (1) speak to the vision or dream that God has already given to them and (2) we may ask God to give them a vision or dream or (3) share with them a vision or dream that God has given to us about them. "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions" (Joel 2:28). For example, I had a client that built up a stone wall about his emotional wounds, but God gave the individual a vivid dream about the individual's past. Immediately, the individual's heart was open to receive emotional healing.

17. The Anointing. The anointing breaks the yoke. "And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing" (Isaiah 10:27). "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,  To preach the acceptable year of the Lord" (Luke 4:18-19). The anointing of God upon you may break through to touch another individual's heart when nothing else will.

18. By Dancing. Dancing may be a form of worship. "Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs" (Psalms 150:4). "Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow" (Jeremiah 31:13). Since dancing may come from the heart, it may also touch the heart of another.

19. A Gift. "A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men" (Proverbs 18:16). A gift may open the heart of another when words fall short. "A gift in secret pacifieth anger: and a reward in the bosom strong wrath" (Proverbs 21:14). A gift goes beyond the intellect to touch the heart.

20. Friendship. "A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity" (Proverbs 17:17). "A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother" (Proverbs 18:24). A beautiful example of this is the friendship between David and Jonathan. They entered into a covenant with each other because of their love for one another. Even after the death of Jonathan, David reached out to the household of Saul because of Jonathan's friendship with him.

21. The Fear Of The Lord. "And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh" (Jude 1:22-23). We would like to think that everyone will respond when we extend love toward them, but everyone doesn't. Some will only respond when they connect their wrong actions to their consequences. "As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come" (Proverbs 26:2). Some must start with the fear of the Lord. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction" (Proverbs 1:7).

The Holy Of Holies	The 2nd Veil	The Holy Place	The 1st Veil	The Outer Court	The East Gate
The Inner Man	The Heart	The Soul (mind, will, emotions)	The Conscience	The Body	The Five Senses