Dialogues of the Heart – STUDY GUIDE

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Icebreaker: Share briefly about a moment when your heart was either hardened or softened.

Sermon Title: Mold Me – “Dialogues of the Heart” – Jeremiah 17:1-18

Group Discussion:

Read Jeremiah 17:9-10 – A toxic heart. What does it mean that the Lord will “search the heart and examine the mind?” What can we learn about how we should evaluate our own heart and mind according to His will? Discuss the dangers associated with trusting our own unguided judgment.

Read Jeremiah 2:22, 13:23, & 17:1-8 – A hardened heart: imbedded, perpetual, unrepentant sin. What do these powerful metaphors teach us about the spiritual condition of a hardened heart? Discuss how Jeremiah’s descriptions of a person whose “heart turns away from the Lord” applies to us today. Contrasts these ideas with the hope we can have with a “Tablet Heart” in Proverbs 7:2-3.

Read Jeremiah 17:9, Psalm 1:3, & Proverbs 3:5-8 – A trusting heart: trusting and turning toward the Lord. Why do you think Jeremiah says that the heart is “deceitful above all things?” How might that influence how we discern who or what to trust? Share an instance when you tried to “lean on your own understanding.” What was the outcome? How did it influence your faith?

Read Jeremiah 31:33-34 & Ezekiel 36:26-27 – A transparent heart. What hope do we see in the Lord’s declaration of forgiveness in these verses? What can it mean for us today to receive a “heart of flesh” to replace a “heart of stone?” Share how you have witnessed this transformation in your own life or in the life of another. And can we “arrive” or is this a “work in progress” this side of heaven?

Spiritual Discipline: Review additional resources for this sermon series on our Church Center app: Church Center / Home / Sermon Resources

Action Steps: Ask yourself these questions: (1) What is engraved on the tablet of my heart, (2) Who does my heart trust, (3) How is my heart deceiving me, and (4) What does God see in my heart? And then put these strategies into practice: Pray Openly & Honestly: Ask the Lord to examine and reveal your heart health. Trust Fully: Write down 3 ways you can turn to the Lord when tempted to rely on yourself. Invite Accountability: Rely on a trusted friend to mutually share about your heart health and encourage each other as you become lifelong disciples of Jesus.