What Is In Your Heart

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​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood                          
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sermon Notes Sunday ~ September 13 2026
Sermon Title –What Is In Your Heart
Text – 2 Corinthians 4:1-7
Rev Key Min Lee

​What if our lives were, just like the song we sang today, filled with thanksgiving every day, joy every day, and gladness every day?  People might think, “That’s impossible.  I’ve never seen anyone like that.  How can a person be joyful and thankful every single day?  That doesn’t make any sense.”
I’m sorry to say this, but I was one of them.  I used to think the same way.  How can a person be thankful every day?  How can a person be joyful every day?  And then I began to wrestle with the words of 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18.
But as I personally came to know God, got married, and raised my children, I came to realize something.  The reason I could not be thankful, joyful, happy, or loving was not because of my circumstances.  I discovered that I was constantly negative, constantly dissatisfied, and constantly complaining.  In other words, I came to realize that the real problem was not the circumstances I could see, but the “me” inside that no one else could see.
At that time, one passage of Scripture came to my heart.  It was 1 Timothy 4:7–8:  “Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.  For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”  In other words, it was the training of godliness.
I realized, “I say that I believe in Jesus, but I have not been training myself in godliness.  I say that I love God, but I have been going through each day without speaking the words, ‘I love you.’  The problem was inside me.”  So, from that time on, I began my training with one thing:  my words.
I began to change the way I spoke.  Whenever negative words came out, whenever I began to complain or express dissatisfaction, I started training myself to give thanks instead.
I only had a small amount of faith inside me.  I simply started with this small faith:  If the Bible is true, then surely my life should be filled with joy, and I should have thanksgiving overflowing from me every day.
It has been more than ten years since I started.  How much have I changed?  I have changed so much.  I no longer focus on my circumstances or my situation.
When complaints and dissatisfaction begin to come out, thanksgiving comes first.  But the most important thing is this:  when I began to change, everything around me began to change as well.
The circumstances that I had first seen negatively began to look like God’s beautiful creation.  And my lips, which used to pour out complaints and dissatisfaction toward others, began to change.  The word “understanding” began to come out of my mouth, and my words began to become words that understood and comforted others.
Brothers and sisters, was all of this just a coincidence?
What God helped me understand was simply this:  what is taking up a place inside me?  We often say that the words we speak and the way we act change depending on what is at the center of our hearts.  I believe this is something you are all familiar with.  But if we look at it a little more closely, it looks like this.
Our ears are connected to our hearts.  Our hearts are connected to our thoughts, and our thoughts are connected to the words that come out of our mouths.  Finally, our words lead to our actions and produce results.  Most importantly, what we hear is influenced by what is inside the jars of clay within us.  Furthermore, what is inside those jars of clay not only affects the words we speak, but also changes the way we see the circumstances around us.
Now, in verse 6, today’s passage tells us that the purpose of the jars of clay within us is to be filled with the light of the knowledge of the glory of God.  I believe all of you want your jars of clay to be filled with the light of God’s glory.  But you also know that this is not always as easy as it sounds.
Why?   The reason is actually very simple: depending on who we walk with, these jars of clay can be filled with the light of knowing the glory of the Lord, or, on the other hand, they can be filled with the darkness of the world.
To put it another way, it may be that the words I have been speaking were not the language of heaven that could wash and refresh the other person.  Or it may be that the people I have been walking with are not people who love God and move according to Him, but people who love the world more.
Please remember this: everything we say is influenced by what is inside the jars of clay within us.
(Ephesians 1:3-6)  “Before the foundation of the world, God blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms, and He desired for us to be filled with Jesus Christ.  He also desired for us to be kept holy and blameless before Him.
Being kept blameless before God means that even the way we speak reveals the clothing we are wearing.  Therefore, depending on the words we speak, we can see whether we belong to heaven or whether we belong to the things of this earth.”
Dear brothers and sisters of Blackwood, when Jesus spoke, all darkness had to leave.  And people were restored.  This same power has already been given to every one of you.  I bless you in the name of the Lord to believe this.
Dear brothers and sisters, the First Commandment says, “You shall have no other gods before me.”  And we have this treasure in jars of clay.  The words we speak become a measure of what is filling us on the inside.
God wants the jars of clay within us to be filled with the light of the knowledge of His glory.
This is because the glory of God is proclaimed through our mouths when we are filled with Him.  When the glory of God is proclaimed through our mouths, true repentance and restoration finally take place.  And our lives become lives overflowing with thanksgiving, joy, love, and grace.
You are people who belong to heaven.  If that is who you are, then you must proclaim the language of heaven.  You have jars of clay within you, and they are to be filled with Jesus.  When we proclaim Jesus, our own lives are restored, but at the same time, the lives of everyone we encounter can also be restored.
Everything you say reveals what is inside your heart—the treasure you carry in your jar of clay.
Therefore, even when you find yourself in a situation where it is difficult to give thanks, always give thanks.  Even when you feel that you cannot praise, always praise Him.  And even when it is difficult to love, love more deeply.
When we declare these things with our words, the darkness will flee, and our lives will be filled with the light of God’s glory.
Through the words you proclaim, the kingdom of God and the church will be established here on this earth.
May you receive this grace in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.