that's next Sunday right after the first service will be the first kids choir
practice so please be there if you're going to participate November 25th to
Wednesdays from now that service is going to be canceled for people to be
able to travel and just have time you know the next day maybe prep for
Thanksgiving so the mid service will be on the 24th Tuesday the day before so
hope to see you guys there and I hope you don't make the trip on Wednesday on
November 30th will be the next man's preaching night and we're also going to
have a pie social that night so your man looking there please little brother
Remy know so he can make a schedule for the preaching and just bring a pie I
don't care if there's duplicates maybe someone does but I'm fine with duplicates
of good pies so you got another one up here I don't know if that's settled so
that's coming up at the end of the month so just look forward all right you know
sorry it's just not this church I mean almost every other church done no I'm
joking all right so kids if you would like a piece of candy memorize John 14
verse 6 John 14 verse 6 Jesus saying to him I am the way the truth and the life
no man cometh unto me unto the Father but by me so do better than I just did
and you can get some candy all right all right we sing happy birthday earlier
today if you have any other few any other prayer requests please let the
Thompsons know and they will add it into the bulletin but with that let's turn to
the Lord in prayer all right if you want to take your Bibles and turn to Psalm
number 126 Psalm number 126
Sure Foundation Baptist Church if you could go ahead and take your Bibles and
turn to Leviticus chapter 17 Leviticus chapter 17 and as everybody knows here
at Sure Foundation Baptist Church we read the entire chapter before the
preaching Leviticus 17 the Bible reads and the Lord spake unto Moses saying
speak unto Aaron and unto his sons and unto all the children of Israel and say
unto them this is the thing which the Lord hath commanded saying what man so
ever there be of the house of Israel killeth an ox or lamb or goats in the
camp or that killeth it out of the camp and bringeth it not unto the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation to offer an offering unto the Lord before the
tabernacle of the Lord blood shall be imputed unto that man he hath shed blood
and that man shall be cut off from among his people to the end that the children
of Israel may bring their sacrifices which they offer in the open field even
that they may bring them unto the Lord unto the door of the tabernacle of the
congregation unto the priests and offer them for peace offerings unto the Lord
and the priests shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar of the Lord at the door
of the tabernacle of the congregation and burn the fat for a sweet savor unto
the Lord and they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils after whom
they have gone a-whoring. This shall be a statute forever unto them throughout
their generations and thou shalt say unto them whatsoever man there be of the
house of Israel or of the strangers which sojourn among you that offer a
burnt offering or sacrifice and bringeth it not unto the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation to offer it unto the Lord. Even that man shall be
cut off from among his people and whatsoever a man there be of the house
of Israel or of the strangers that sojourn among you that eateth any manner
of blood. I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood and will cut
him off from among his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood and I
have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls for it
is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. Therefore I said unto the
children of Israel no soul of you shall eat blood neither shall any stranger
that sojourn at the among you eat blood and whatsoever man there be of the
children of Israel or of the strangers that sojourn among you which hunted and
catcheth any beast or fowl that may be eaten he shall even pour out the blood
thereof and cover it with dust for it is the life of all flesh the blood of it
is for the life thereof therefore I said unto the children of Israel ye shall
eat the blood of no manner of flesh for the life of all flesh is in the blood
thereof whosoever eateth it shall be cut off and every soul that eateth that
which died of itself or that which was torn with beasts whether it be one of
your own country or a stranger he shall both wash his clothes and bathe himself
in water and be unclean until the even then shall he be clean but if he washed
them not nor bathe his flesh then he shall bear his iniquity brother Kyle
could you please pray for the preaching the moment we are born before we're
even known before doctors even know that there's a child within the mother the
heart beats it is the first organ that forms and from the moment life takes
hold until the moment a doctor will write down the passing of someone it is
from the track from the moment the last heartbeat takes the chapter you just
read says life is in the blood the blood is our life but what manages the blood
is the heart this is a symbol of life and as I said before even our scientists
before you could even take a test at home before you could even know if
you're pregnant there is a heartbeat within you because it is the first sign
of life in that beating that we all hear if you sit silently enough in your house
you know even in a calm time you can hear your own heartbeat in the times of
anger pride sadness grief it rings within our ears and understand through
our culture throughout many things the heart is the sign of life and we could
get even as silly as this that you know video games like Zelda how many hearts
do you have that's how much life you have so what I bring this up is people
take you know the words of God and we'll get into this that they're like well it
seems like they think that's that's where the person is is in the heart
because over almost 700 times the Bible mentions the heart and it's not so much
alike it's who you are it's your passions it's your want but understand
the heart is I believe kind of the center of our flesh and if you don't
agree with that that's fine take the symbolism that I think the Bible uses
with the heart because understand this your life is tied to your heart and it
is an amazing thing now here's the thing is can't you see the design of God
within the heart isn't amazing somebody thinks accidentally this organ that is
going to work non-stop for decades it's just going to operate and let me tell
you when it fails so do you it is a center of life and now I just had you
read Leviticus 17 but if you look down in verse 11 it says for the life of the
flesh is in the blood and I have given it to you upon the altar to make
atonement for your souls for it is the blood that make it an atonement for our
souls we understand this that the blood is the life and understand even though
the bloods of bulls and goats cannot save us but the offering of Christ's
blood is what was precious but the whole thing here is I want you to focus on the
heart because without the heart the blood dies within you there's a whole
circulatory thing and understand if you want to see what I would think is the
fingerprints of God upon you because understand God said there is no excuse
to those that try to deny that there's a God for today just focus upon the heart
this organ this center of your circular system has to operate for decades your
stomach you can take a fast they can do cleansings of this you can rest off your
feet but your heart cannot take a break it can slow down you can wrap you can
exercise it but it cannot miss it cannot take a break you are telling me it fell
together accidentally by chance and this was amazing to me because you know I
found out my child has a heart murmur totally normal but do you know the heart
as soon as the child is born it has never circulated to the lungs so as soon
as you pull the child out and the Biculchord is cut the lungs have to
bring the oxygen into the body and it happens immediately or the child dies
valves open and close in the heart forever and if it doesn't death assures
how many multiple generations of randomness did it take to get that
because it seems like you got to get it done the first time so literally the
organ through your life changes to handle where you are but it must beat
beat beat what a symbol of design you can see God even from that and let me
tell you this unlike the nervous systems or the brains where they still debate
and send magnets in her head the heart is a machine that we can comprehend two
sides double pumping it pumps through this we can map it but let me tell you
this you need an engineering blueprint on how it works it is a design it shows
God and I just want to say it is amazing because this organ that center your life
the thing that shows there's life before the heart forms and starts beating
maybe the atheist was just a compass cells maybe but once that heart beats
which I believe happens prior to it even connecting to the mother I could be wrong
there but it happens within 23 days of conception the heart beats and it
continues until the day you die that is design it is amazing is phenomenal if
you turn to Romans 1 it's a truly amazing machine and design and function
that has to work perfectly for decades without a break any fix the body would
have it has to do while functioning and yes because a wonderful technology we
have a few ways to extend it a little bit further from our things but why
because it's logical and the design the humans can study it and know how it's
designed and thereby sometimes we can help in the later stages of it but let
me tell you this in Romans 1 verse 20 it says for the invisible things of him
from creation of the world are clearly seen can we see God in all this form in
his forms no we cannot but let me tell you this if you just study many a parts
of life but tonight just think of the heart that is beating within you if you
cannot see the design of a creator from that if you cannot see the
invisibleness that design was formed to allow you here I don't know what else
could be shown to you that could ever make a difference because that single
organ that must work for decades had to be designed in a way to change from your
birth to your life and grow with you and stay strong until your last breath
because your breath may give out before your heart does. It's truly an amazing
design and here's the thing is it's clearly seen being understood by the
things that are made even as eternal power and Godhead so that they are
without excuse. Understand that people reject God by just rejecting the
mere obviousness and I will tell you this it doesn't matter like you know as
you many know like I was in college I was an atheist but I was like just
doing this I didn't come to Christ to this but I could easily say like there
had to be a first mover there had to be a designer I don't know if he loves me
but to say that you can't see that there is a designer and God is a lie or you
are ignorant you may not care to see it but if you are an actually deep
scientist and let me tell you this Richard Dawson and all that they just
they literally write hey remember to remind people yes we see design but
remember it was accidental because you can't study anything I don't care if
it's biologically if it's plants you know that's not biology is a study of
life any of that will show but you can study stars you can study anything and
just go wow look at the design but tonight focus upon the heart it's
amazing from birth to death how much work it has to go through and here's
thing turn to second Kings 9 second Kings 9 because I just want you to focus
that that heartbeat is with you and let me tell you if you're mad you can't help
it because it beats within your head and you know how that sounds it's powerful
and you know it is there you know what anyone who's had a child I swear after
they're born where are they most comfortable about I think it's to hear
the heart because for all their existence that's what they've got to
hear it's comforting and relaxing you know sometimes if you're close to
someone you listen to their heart you hear their rhythm and if they can calm
their heart it's coming to you it's an amazing thing that we have at the center
of our life and here's the thing is no one's ignorant whether you know science
or not to follow this verse because it doesn't need to give you any more
details and second Kings 9 verse 24 it says and Jehu drew a bow with his full
strength and smote Joharam between his arms and his arrow went out at his heart
and he sunk down into his chariot no one who reads that goes is he coughing
because if you know your heart is pierced I don't think it takes a lot of
understanding in this life unless drugs are infecting you to go he's dead if
your heart is removed you die if the blood is your life and the thing that
carries the blood through your body is removed it's before modern science if you
your heart was nicked you were gone there was no challenge that there wasn't
that and why I focus so much on this is because people literally try to say you
know well I mean the Bible is outdated because it seems like they're saying you
think with your heart or you do all these things with your heart well the
heart I would actually state and you do not need to believe this I'm just using
metaphor I believe your heart is the anchor to your flesh your spirit is
anchored by your heart to this world if you don't think that's the doctorally
sound that's fine because it's just a metaphor I believe your heart is the
center of your flesh and I believe if we read the Bible hundreds and hundreds of
times you know your passions cleaned your heart focused on keeping your heart
pure it is in the fleshly sense kind of a center of who you are and I believe as
a sign of life because it doesn't take too much to understand I mean even
culturally even outside the Bible if someone says oh you're heartless you're
not saying he's dead on the street you're saying he doesn't have like a
passion he doesn't have a love he doesn't have the feeling core that makes
you human and understand I believe this is the way the Bible uses it in
Proverbs 23 15 it says my son if thy heart be wise my heart shall rejoice
even more in Proverbs 73 verse 26 it says my flesh my heart faileth but God
is strengthened of my heart and my portion forever Proverbs 13 13 it says
merry heart may give the cheerful confidence but sorrow the heart the
spirit is broken and in Ecclesiastes 10 verse 2 it says a wise man heart is at
his right hand but a foolish heart is at his left understand this the way the
Bible uses this is that your heart is essentially the center of your passions
if you keep your heart sure your passions will take you forward into life
in a correct way but when we say the flesh pulls us in the wrong ways it's
kind of our wants it's what we want to go through but here's the thing is even
studies they do studies on this and I don't know why I didn't include the
sort of this but they did a study in the last three years where they took
hundreds of people and they made them mad or made them watch like a love movie
or something and they tried them with all these emotions and they said tell us
where in the body do you feel this a weird study but here understand the
reason why I say this is because people literally attack the Bible saying it's
inaccurate because we know all what we think comes from our brain but the Bible
seems to say like your heart your heart your heart but it's interesting they do
a study completely I mean this is not a you know a Bible college this was I think
psychological America or one of those big national things completely you know
scientific or non-religious and they pointed through the body where people
feel things and it's funny not all feelings do they feel but here's the
thing is anger fear happiness sadness surprise anxiety love pride shame and
envy heart your brain as well but your heart literally people physically feel
this and if you tell me you've ever had a passion you felt it in your if you're
just angry as heck I mean now I gotta worry my hair is kind of gray when I
like girls like is that a heart attack okay you know you but you feel it there
and maybe not all fashions but man some of those things man when you envy maybe
you even feel the stress in your heart let me tell you this is not a biblical
thing this is how people experience you physically feel so I think it's very
clear why the Bible hundreds and hundreds of times kind of uses your
heart as a symbol of who your passions are on this flesh so I think it's key
to understand that but even physically people feel it your emotions do affect
you physically I think it's clear clear to understand that but yes I mean if
you're happy you might even feel a lightness of your heart but if you have
anxiety or anger let me tell you I know I feel it in there and man sometimes if
you hear you just your heart just beats and you can't I at least get this way if
I'm I can't even hear because all I hear is my heart so people saying it's
foolish for the Bible to say oh it's like you're thinking from your heart most
people can understand that if I called you heartless I mean you would know that
people would say that why do video games use hearts as your life it's not hard
well they just got that because the cultural tradition of Christianity no
they didn't you can take a complete I mean I'm pretty sure Zelda came from
Japan and let's just say so that's not the most Christian dominated country in
the world all right saying like it's a universal understanding that the beating
heart is the center of life and I just proposed you even if that doesn't sound
right to you that I view it as an anchor of who you are as long as we're in this
flesh because once the heart and stops you're going to one of your two homes
and I think it's just interesting to understand that but like when we read in
Proverbs 15 verse 13 a joyful heart maketh a cheerful condolence but a
sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken so understand this why does so many
times the Proverbs it's talking about the heart God wants you to have a clean
heart because here's the thing is what you want what you envy for that's going
to determine what you do with your life and how you react to what's happening
around you and here's the thing is we all know this if you're just in a good
mood because you've let go of the sorrows the pains the drama the lust of
this life aren't you just in a better mood but if you just have hyper focused
on what you want or what you feel should happen or what you think you are wrong
it literally says your spirit is broken the physical wants you want in the flesh
actually takes you at the internal part of you and it causes a spiritual pain a
deeper pain it's all by the way that you have focus on your heart go ahead and
turn to acts 28 acts 28 because the Bible over and over again just talks
about the heart and acts 28 verse 27 says for the heart of this people is
waxed gross their ears are dull of hearing their eyes have they closed less
they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understanding with
their heart and should be converted I should have healed them isn't
interesting when God is saying how dark and these people are what was the first
thing that went wrong their heart taking them away and once their heart has been
taken away doesn't matter their ears are deaf their eyes are blind their heart
who they want their lust their wants their fleshly desires that that's what
walked away first if you were following Moses in the desert you can't say their
eyes seeing the tornado of fire that didn't convince them enough so then they
they walked away their heart no the only way you reject the miracles that you
had seen in front of you was you already had lust I mean yes a tornado of fire is
amazing and defeating the greatest army the earth is great but have you ever had
leaks now here's the thing is the more and more I read the Bible the more and
more I come I see myself in the children of Israel that despite what miracles
God has showed me that spite seeing the salvations or seeing the people possessed
even out soul winning yet sometimes I still have doubts because I'm like I
don't have a new Tesla and I use that except but like our hearts will pull us
away and they're like what am I doing because when I first got saved I looked
at children like this is ridiculous no one could do that but as you mature you
realize no sometimes my heart kind of goes in the wrong way like my wants take
away from what my eternity should want and I believe that's the way the Bible
uses the heart you pull that away because once you pull that away the facts
of reality what you hear what you see that gets darker and darker till it has
no effect on what you do when you move forward and I think that's why it's so
clear that we want to keep our heart pure you're like well no no my heart I
just know and I just my heart is always good and it just goes away and I just
follow it well turn to Jeremiah 17 Jeremiah 17 because it's very very
important to understand that you know what sometimes in our lives I do think we
can have good wants and just we have an eternal fleshly want to go towards God
hey you all decided to come here through the rain and cold and travel and amen
and I hope there was a want there that means you probably had a physical want
but here's the thing if we just don't ever check on what we want we can't just
always follow because we have to refresh our minds with the Bible and spiritual
things to know if we actually are wanting the right things because in
Jeremiah 17 verse 9 it says the heart is deceitful above all things and
desperately wicked who can know it I the Lord searches the heart and I try the
reins even to give every man according to his ways and according to the fruit
of his doing it isn't as there I I remind myself of this verse all the time
because what is the world's advice if you're going to school in public school
I know this is the way it is I know this is the way now what are you supposed to
do to have a happy life follow your heart follow your just follow what you
want and we all remember if you're older than a teenager don't you remember how
I mean you're as a teenager your wants are just pure and you're leaning
correctly in every single way that would give you success in life right and every
young people like yeah once you you want you go bald and you got some gray hair
you'd be like ah you know my heart had some mistakes there you know actually a
lot of what I wanted especially in my youth and hey this is true throughout
your life I'm not just saying well with you just come sinful wants no it's
throughout all life but understand this though what you want man it's deceitful
above all things do you know if you become foolish and you just justify your
wants and your lust you're probably wiser than ten men that have a reason I
know I just misquoted that but what I'm saying is this you will justify because
you are right in your own ways so that's why you have to have the Bible and you
need to listen to other people call out sin to remind you oh what I want may not
be what I should want and here's the thing is that that mean well I just
don't want it anymore hey honestly no the heart is deceitful and sometimes we
like to judge and not sometimes pretty much whatever we want even if it's
ridiculous sometimes we can be like well you know because of this and that you know
I mean I might go homeless but man a new Tesla sounds nice I mean that probably
helped me get a better job right and that way it would do us a work out. Now
wanting and then here's thing just understand this and why I call this out
is because the world says one thing and the Bible literally says a different why
is this in Proverbs 4 Proverbs 4 in verse 23 it says keep thy heart with all
diligence for out of it are the issues of life and I want to read that one more
time so even if you're zone out follow this is kind of the key verse of the
whole sermon keep thy heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues
of life so understand this your heart is deceitful but understand what you want
and what your passions are what is your fleshly do you know that's going to
drive you one way or the other it's going to drive you and I love this verse
when I read this and focus I was like this is the truth for out of it are the
issues of life and why I want you to focus on this if God says keep your
heart pure keep that heart with all diligence because if you manage what you
want and what you drive that's what you're going to drive you forward let me
tell you this why it says issues of life you got you're going to have issues hey
you can have issues like oh my goodness how do I not get caught with a thing I
stole or oh man I hope I get to church on time these are issues you get to
choose what type of issues you deal with in your life because understand you're
not going to have not issues I mean it could be like gosh 10 chapters a day and
you're anywhere like how are we going to get through the whole no testament it's
so much work and how do I keep up with it I got things to do or be like I got
caught how do I stay out of jail you're going to have issues in life what a
beautiful verse how you change your life and how you put the wants in your life
drives what issues you're going to have let me tell you this Christians I want
you to have issues that God is going to be okay with you having because let me
tell you this you're not going to not have issues this is not a health
welfare and wealth whatever prosperity gospel like well if you have problems
you're not right with God I want to promise you you're gonna have problems
and you're gonna have wants and you're gonna have eggs of the heart but I hope
your eggs of the heart is I hope my potluck thing is so good that everyone
likes and not oh my gosh I'm going homeless because I cheated and my spouse
kicked me out you're going to have issues and the most of it is going to be
driven by what you design your heart to want and where you're going to go and
that's why I think it's such a beautiful verse the Lord tells you keep thy heart
with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life because I that's just the
way until I saw what a beautiful way to tell you you're going to have problems
drive your life so the problems you have God will be like you'll be okay don't
have problems where God's like maybe you need more all right and that's the
thing over and over it the Bible keeps telling you your heart is what you need
to control and the way I would manifest this is this you have the new man the
spiritual within you and you have the old man the fleshly and as I said
because the heart is what anchors you to this I think that's a symbol of the
flesh but understand this if you're going to accomplish anything for the
spirit what are you going to do it through your flesh so your mind I think
kind of mediates between these two you can affect your heart and what you want
now your heart will always kind of bring other things that are like you know we
are we have the old man and Paul even writes what I would I wouldn't and but
what I wouldn't do I do like we have this battle going on constantly but they
understand this you have to renew your mind and refocus what you want and
understand you'll probably always have things that pull you aside that are not
right with God and you have to say no but what drives you in your life you get
to choose and you can help change your heart maybe it's grief maybe it's
forgiveness that you need to force through yourself that your heart your
the physical stars that you've had in your life you can let go and move
forward and have different issues it's whether it's addiction suffering you
know wants lust greed pride we have a lot of things that will pull us away but
there's a big difference if we take the issues of our life and we turn it
towards God you're like well I'm just gonna have more verses memorized than
anyone then it's I'm just gonna be more wealthy than anyone at my job these are
issues and your wants will drive how you act your life and where you go in the
rest of your life and understand this is the passions that you have and I believe
if you turn your heart to the good things and you turn your heart away from
the things God says don't that's what God says is to keep your heart more
diligently because understand this when we have lows and we have problems and
we have times in our life when we turn away from God understand where are we
turning our heart to maybe it's to our own prides maybe it's to our own wants
maybe it's to what makes me you know it's just about me me me and not about
others understand you get to choose and you always have a drag there but you can
force your heart to know what you should be doing what you should be driving to
and what you shouldn't want and as I say that doesn't mean that want goes away
but you keep your heart with all diligence is what God asks you to do in
Luke 12 and verse 45 it says but and if the servants say in his heart my Lord
delayeth in his coming and shout and he shall begin to beat the maid men
servants and maidens so understand this just a quick little verse and I know I'm
pulling a lot of these out to just show you the heart there's a lot of stories
in between this but I just want to focus on the heart because this person's like
my master's not coming soon I can do whatever I want and maybe you all
remember and I don't know I got left at home a lot and I was like it's gonna be
a while since I bet I can do with you know this or that because I won't get
caught and the Bible even says you know people are like oh the Lord delayeth I
won't be prepared maybe maybe I won't bring extra oil and what happens is
because you don't think it's happening and there's a whole story here but the
Lord comes to take up you know the bridesmaid to the wedding and half of
them can't come because they're not ready but understand what starts what
I'm trying to emphasize here is why did this servant decide he can just beat all
the other servants because there's no one there to watch his heart's like I
can get away with this and what I want to emphasize with that in the story of
the maidens with their lamp oil who didn't bring enough what happens first
is you decide I can get away with it and that's what sets the actions you take
and I think it's very clear to understand if your heart is pure and
you are diligent with it your decisions will lead to your future actions and
this is why you choose the issues of your life if you decided well I'll take
a little bit more time getting ready so that way if they they're late I'll be
ready to go and they go time for that they show up on timers heck with them
well your future is going to be dictated by how you feel now so you need to check
on how you feel now and understand in a harsh situation if you think you can get
away with it understand that's all crimes or mishaps or
wickedness that we do to each other because most people aren't going to be
like I'm gonna get caught that's not Jim no there are certain people you know
anyway usually cheating spouses don't mind dumping you know paint on your car
and writing you know cheater on it they're okay getting caught but I'm
saying is most you know crimes or hardships or damage to other people
people don't want to get caught like that's part of the game that drives
them they think in their heart I'm smarter I'm faster I'm better than this
other person and that leads to what they do and most people hopefully Christian
if you're safe you go well God would know that I'm doing that that should
change your heart and a lot of things you'd want to do because God already
searches your heart isn't it interesting that he says hey I searches the heart in
the reins I already searched I already know what you want and isn't like that
should terrify us like a lot of times I think I keep my actual actions in check
but then when I think some of the things that I hope none of you are you know
telepathic because that'd be scary like that'd be that that's the most
terrifying thing ever someone heard internal thoughts I think and I think for
most people it's just not me no one wants to know what other people truly
think all right and what's terrifying enough that God already searches our
heart and reigns frankly if we meditate on that I think we would get our heart
right a lot more regularly in Psalms 11 Psalms 11 verse 2 Psalms 11 verse 2 it
says for lo the wicked bend their bow and make ready their arrows upon the
string that they may privilege shoot at the up right and heart understand this
why I think sometimes you see like as you're cleaning up your life and you're
getting more pure and you're working for God why do you get more attacks because
your salvation can't be taken away from you but why you get attacked more is
right here if you're right in your heart and you want to drive to do more what's
up like if there's 50 Christians out there them aren't doing anything half of
them don't have their heart right and only a few do who are you going to go
after the upright in the heart because you can get that heart turd you're not
taking them you can't get you to hell but I can stop you from working for God
so how powerful is this God says over and over again the pure in the heart the
blessing keep your heart in all diligence and it even says the wicked
bend their bows to try to get the upright in heart and let me tell you
Christian this spiritual fight if nothing else if you can get the
attention of the wicked you're being shown that you're doing something right
keeping your heart right is a center point of how God says you build a
Christian life in Matthew 5 8 Matthew 5 8 says blessed are the pure in heart for
they shall see God blessed are the pure of the heart what a wonderful thing and
I think even in our lives if we just keep our hearts right we can see our
lives improve with time we all fall we all have problems we all have
difficulties but a pure heart man now clear our conscience and we all know
despite what's happening to us because it's been said hey 20% of your life is
what happens to you 80% is how you deal with it let me tell you if you have a
good heart you can see people go through a lot more than other people and they
can just still be a blessing to others well some people man they have a you know
a mishap a trouble in their life and they're just they're down and out and
I'm not against you if that's you but understand a lot of the problems of how
we can't keep us going is who we are on the inside we may get the outside good
we might be doing living life the way we should we may be doing the things we
write but internally the heart darkens before the rest of you falls I believe
that's how the Bible shows the heart in first John 3 1st John 3 1st John 3 in
verse 18 it says my little children let us not love in word neither in tongue
but indeed and in truth and hereby we know that we are of truth and shall
assure our hearts before him for if our hearts condemn us God is greater than
our hearts and knoweth all things beloved if our hearts condemn us not then
we have confidence towards God and whosoever we ask we rejoice in him
because we keep his commandments and do those things which please pleasing in
his sight understand this it's hard to be a follower God if your own heart is
condemning you but here's the things at times but we're all sinners our heart
will even check us our heart might not be the one leading us away our hearts
like you hypocrite what are you doing what's beautiful that God even knows
because here's the thing is God knows we're sinners God knows we're not always
gonna do right and it literally says here even if our heart condemns us
understand God has confidence towards us and I think that's so reassuring God is
greater than our hearts so even at times when it's just because our heart is
deceitful of all things and sometimes I swear we have that part of us that just
wants to tear itself down but God is greater than our hearts and he will
carry us through so even at times when we're not perfect and upright in our
selves understand that God is greater than all of that and don't lose ourselves
and don't fall away and don't run away just because you aren't right just get
right just get right without losing yourself without falling condemning just
understand Lord I could be better tomorrow I can move forward and
sometimes it is crazy but I believe this is what this verse is kind of saying hey
we should ask forgiveness of God but you know what sometimes you need to ask
forgiveness of yourself and I I'm not trying to sound prideful but sometimes to
ourselves we tear ourselves down that is where our heart just really aches we're
tearing ourselves apart it's like an internal battle and sometimes you have
to ask forgiveness for the wrongs you did to yourself and I hope that I hope
you're understanding me it's not to take away power of God but God legit says
he's greater than your heart so I think at times he understands we have these
internal troubles and he wants you to say God's greater than him get over your
own conflicts and just move forward that can heal your heart and James 1 26
James 26 it says if any man among you seems to be religious and brow not his
tongue but deceive us his own heart that man's religion is vain hey understand
this it's been said you know walk the walk talk the talk and if you're not
you're being a hypocrite and it literally says you're deceiving your own
heart you're trying to act in a way that you know isn't true but your heart
already knows that if you want something that'll just eat away at you eternally
wow how does this person man I mean he was just doing everything he looks
strong as can be and all then he walked away what happened his heart walked away
first and maybe out of habit maybe out of pride to not see other people there
but his heart had walked away and as your eternal part of you kind of crumbles
like a wall eventually it'll get to the outside and then it'll just manifest keep
your heart pure keep it strong for God Ezekiel 36 and 20 Ezekiel 36 26 it says
a new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I
will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you a heart
of flesh and whether you see this as the new man old man or it's just this
sometimes you've been a Christian for so long you've just done everything and
things just don't seem alive anymore many times you will say you know the
Bible says you've hardened your heart. Do you know God can make it soft again, make it fleshy? And they're like, well, is it saying it's a physical stone? No, this is all metaphorical. But you know, at times, like, how many people talk at the door, and no matter what verse, fact, reason, metaphor, they're not changing. That heart is stone. You know what God wants you? He wants you to be engaged with life that things do affect you. He wants you to feel, he wants you to be able to sense.
And he even says here, a new heart will I give you, a new spirit, because hey, let me tell you, sometimes the spirit feels like it's not alive, and I know I'm not talking about Pentecostal, you know, oh, you got to feel it.
You can feel at times when you're just numb. It happens, whether through tiredness, physical, spiritual, things you're going through, sometimes you just feel numb, but understand this, God can put a new spirit within you, and he can turn your hard rock heart fleshly again, so you can feel again.
You can have that humanness, because hey, everyone knows if I called you heartless, you're missing like that humanness about you that people kind of expect and want,
and it's off-putting if you don't have that, unless you're in the military, and then it's weird if you actually feel like a human, but I'm just saying people can see it.
Hebrews 3 and Hebrews 3 and verse 7 says, "Wherefore, as the Holy Ghost saith, today, if he will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation, in the wilderness, when your fathers tempted me, proved me and saw my works forty years, wherefore I was grieved with the generation said, they do always err in their hearts, and they have not known my ways, so I swear in my wrath, they shall not enter another."
"They shall not enter into my rest.
Take heed, brethren, lest there be any of you, an evil heart of unbelief, and departing
from the living God, but exhort one another daily, while on call today, lest any of you
be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin."
And here it is, God kind of says, or the Bible says, kind of what I've emphasized before,
understand your heart will walk away before you do.
Your heart leads you, your wants lead you, and he even uses the example of, I mean, God,
like, man, he made them walk 40 years until the generation was gone.
He said, their hearts walked away.
How many more miracles can I do in front of you?
The Jews seek a sign.
Well, that didn't help them very much because he couldn't give any more signs.
It's strange that after 40 years in the wilderness, the pagans are like, oh, those are the people
of the God that did that to Egypt.
Why did they get it?
They're like, whoa, they saw the signs.
But if your heart is stony, nothing will change your mind.
That's why they say daily exhort one another, brethren, help them keep their hearts pure.
It's great to keep our own hearts pure, but hey, keep the brethren's heart and faith strong.
Support one another.
This is how we help as a church to keep the heart of this church towards God.
Because here's the thing is we all are sinners and we will all be pulled away at times at
sin.
But can we correct that?
We help each other stay from sin to keep our hearts pure.
Proverbs 21, Proverbs 21 verse 1, it says, "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord
as the river of water he turneth wherever he will.
Every way of man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord pondered the heart.
To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice."
Understand this.
Every way you want.
And as I was saying, the heart will lead you astray and boy, it's right in our mind.
If I want it, it must be right because I want it.
And let me tell you, as a Christian, that's like, that doesn't sound right, but let me
tell you, you ask the world, what more justification could they possibly?
There's not a higher power in people outside of church than themselves.
And understand that's the problem with the world itself.
They don't judge themselves, so how could they judge others?
If they don't limit themselves, and that is what this is saying.
It literally tells them that every way a man is right in his own eyes.
That's why people do it.
Most people don't go, "Well, this is going to be wrong," and go do it, unless they're
being ordered by their boss to go do it.
But I'm just saying, in your own mind, what you do and how you justify it from your heart
is what you need to do in your life.
And God just says, "Don't," and I've always loved this verse, "To do justice and judgment
is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice."
He wants you to judge correctly.
He wants you to bring justice to the world by his word, and that is better than the sacrifices
that he won in the Old Testament.
And understand, this is an Old Testament saying.
This isn't a New Testament thing.
In the Old Testament, he wanted you to do what was right above just doing the symbolic
sacrifices that were just pictured into Christ anyway.
They weren't cleansing you.
It was the service of God.
He asked you to do it, and that's great if you did it.
But if you weren't doing the justice and judgment of God, it was revain.
Where is your heart when you do things?
That is what he's asking.
In 1 Samuel 13, verse 13 it says, "And Samuel said unto Saul, Thou hast done foolishly.
Thou hast not kept the commandments of the Lord thy God, which commanded thee.
For now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel forever, but now thy kingdom
shall not continue.
The Lord has sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to
be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept which the Lord commanded thee."
And this is the great punishment given to Saul, that Saul didn't keep his heart after
God.
So God had selected a shepherd boy in the field that his father would even bring to
be chosen.
He said, "You know what?
That kid in the field I've already selected to be king after you."
Well, what's the sign that he had faith?
He showed up to a battle he's not even supposed to be at and took on the greatest challenger
to Israel.
That's faith.
His heart was right.
His heart was right with God before he ever went to the battle.
And that's why he, before everyone else, could go.
We know the story, but understand this.
God literally says he took an entire kingdom who he said he would make an eternal line
after Saul, but because he did not keep his heart right, he gave it to someone else that
would.
Don't tell me keeping your heart right isn't centered.
This is literally how God says he judges us.
He searches our own hearts and he searched after those that would keep his heart right
with us.
In Ezekiel 26 in verse 4 it says, "With thy wisdom and with thy understanding thou has
gotten thee riches and hath gotten gold and silver into thy treasury.
By thy wisdom and by thy traffic hast thou increased the riches, and thy heart is lifted
up because of thy riches.
Therefore thus said the Lord God, because thou hast set thy heart as the heart of God,
behold therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations, and shall
draw thy sword against thee, the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness,
and they shall bring thee down into a pit, and thou shalt die the death of them that
are slain in the midst wilt thou say before him, that slay thee, I am God, but thou shalt
be a man, and no God, and thy hand of him that slayeth thee.
Heart the heart the heart, and understand how different are these two rulers between
who David was, who God saw that he would be, to this one who says, "Dude, I'm rich.
Have you seen the gold?
I'm rich, I'm the wisest man that's ever been, nobody knows more about nuclear than
me."
I mean, this guy says, basically, he even says, "Would you tell people I have the heart
of God?"
I mean, he literally says, "Would you look at the person that's slaying you and say,
I am God?"
Think of where that heart is. That heart is as far away from what God would want than
anything.
And he literally says, "All your strength and all your wealth, I'm going to bring the
terror of the nations upon you and destroy everything you have, and they will slay you."
It's all about their heart and where it was.
Because let me tell you this, if you get to the point where you're like, "I am God,"
if you get Alpha and Omega tattooed under your eyes, you know the heart went away long
before anything else.
Because if you go that far, I actually think it's your wants and your passions that would
lead your mind there.
I don't think your mind goes first, it's your lust and wants that go first.
If you don't agree with that, that's fine, but I'm just saying I think that's the way
the Bible kind of explains.
Our wants drive to where our mind will go, and that's why it's saying your mind can
tailor what your driving wants and your hearts are.
Keep your heart pure and you'll decide the issues of your life.
Let me tell you this, you go that far out, your issues in life are going to be way worse
than if you try to keep your issues what God says within His commandments.
In Proverbs 23 and verse 15 it says, "My son, if thy heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice,
even mine."
In John 14, 1 it says, "Let not your heart be troubled, ye believe in God, believe in
me also."
And like I said, there are hundreds upon hundreds of verses where it's talking about the heart
of man.
The heart is what leads us.
It's what decides where we go.
And here's the thing is, as a parent, the one thing we'd want is to set our children
away with a correct heart.
Because if what they want is taking them in the right way, I mean, that's leading them
into the way they want.
Because what you want is what will drive all your actions, how you tailor your life, how
you organize what you do, goes towards what you want.
Getting your heart right and setting it on the right course is what we want to see happen.
So that's the whole term I have for you.
It's this, your heart is the center of your life.
From before you even knew you were alive, your heart was beating.
Until the end, when your heart beats at last, you are here in this world.
Your flesh will always pull you in ways.
God wants you to try to tailor what you want and make your heart want what he wants.
And if we have a right heart with God, then the issues of our life will be in God's service.
You can't get out of problems in this life.
You will have issues.
Have your heart right with God and have issues that he would want to see in your life.
That's how God wants you to attack.
That's what he wants you to choose because hey, we're not Calvinists here.
We're not reformed.
You choose what happens in your life.
God asks you to purify your heart.
He's not saying I will purify your heart.
He wants you to keep your heart right.
He'll give you a new heart.
He'll give you a new spirit, but your spirit and flesh will conflict battle.
I think the heart is an excellent symbol of our flesh because guess what?
You can help tailor your heart and what he wants, and if you get any work done for the
spirit in this world, you're going to work through your flesh.
Get your flesh in the right order.
Now it will be better in your life.
And yes, our heart is the center of who we are.
Get it right and have it choose the issues that you will have moving forward.
With that, let's pray.
Heavenly Father, thank you so much today.
Thank you for allowing me to preach this sermon.
I hope it was edifying.
I hope it found meaning.
I hope the symbolism truly hits you, Lord, because over and over again, use the heart
as certainly what we need to tailor and focus on to get our lives right for you.
Lord, thank you for every beat that I have left in this world.
I hope most of them I give to you.
In Jesus' name, amen.
We're going to turn to page number 140.
Page number 140.
We have an anchor.
Would you please close us a word of prayer?