Habits of the Heart
Pastor Tan Thai · Jan 7, 2018
This sermon explores the meaning of 'abiding in Christ' from John 15, emphasizing that true spiritual growth requires inner transformation — a change of heart. The pastor explains that the habits of the heart reveal what we truly value, and only by grafting into Christ can we develop habits aligned with Galatians 5:22.
The sermon opens by revisiting the foundation of the Church — Jesus Christ — and the four primary purposes of the Church based on the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. The pastor emphasizes that the Church is not an organization or building, but a community of believers gathered together. Therefore, every problem or growth within the Church originates from the individual lives of its members.
The second section focuses on the necessity of truly and deeply knowing Christ. The pastor cites Philippians 3:8-10 to show that even the Apostle Paul, after more than 30 years of faith, still longed to know Christ more. The answer to 'how to know Christ' is found in John 15:1-11, where Christ repeats the word 'abide' ten times, emphasizing that only by abiding in Him can believers bear fruit, receive answers to prayer, and experience His love.
The third section explains the concept of 'habits of the heart' using the psychological research of Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman on two systems of thinking — System 1 (automatic, fast) and System 2 (conscious, slow). The pastor applies this framework to explain that most of our daily thoughts, words, and actions operate in System 1 — that is, as habits. These habits reveal who we truly are and what we genuinely value.
The pastor uses vivid real-life examples — from Japanese culture of maintaining public cleanliness, to comparing the Instagram accounts of Paris Hilton and Franklin Graham — to illustrate that the habits of the heart reveal which 'vine' we are grafted into. Galatians 5:19-21 describes the habits of a heart following the flesh, while Galatians 5:22-23 describes the fruit of the Spirit as the result of a transformed heart.
The sermon concludes with a practical call to action: to change our lives, we must change the habits of our hearts, and this can only happen when we graft ourselves into Christ — the True Vine. This is the foundation of 'Vision 2020,' the church's three-year vision aimed at unity in faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, as described in Ephesians 4:11-13.