Tag Archives: Heart

Purity and a Changed Mind

Gallery February 20, 2012 David

Purity and a Changed Mind
February 20, 2012	Sermon by DRW	Passage 1 John 3.1-3

Kobe is getting old. Sorry to say it, but he is. People have asked who the next Kobe will be. When I was interested in basketball people asked who the next Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson would be. Nobody that I can recall said Kobe Bryant. That aside, I have read articles that stated OJ Mayo would be, lakersnation states it is Kevin Durant and others have suggested Jeremy Lin. Whoever your pick, think of the pressure that will be on him. When he plays he needs to reflect the persona of Kobe.

The same is true in any sport. I have seen many baseball players career ruined because one person labeled them “the next Nolan Ryan” or “the next Bonds.” The players get into mind that they have to live up to that persons ability and name. After awhile of failing they will either learn that they are never going to live up to that standard and redirect their abilities to be themselves or they continue failing and eventually quit.

Christians have that same pressure if you think about it. They have a standard to live up to, a standard that far exceeds a Bryant or Bonds. It is the standard of the Lord God Almighty. Christians do not compare themselves with mere men. God has asked us to be like Him. If the standard set by man is difficult to live up to, the standard God sets up is impossible to live up to and yet, He commands us to be pure, holy, and perfect as He is. Frightening.

God never compares us to others. He only compares us to Himself and the sad news is that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3.23). The good news of the Gospel is that “but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness–for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead” (Romans 4.24). He keep us pure by continually cleansing us and empowering us to do His will. We will look at what purity isn’t, what it is, and how to maintain it.

1. Purity isn’t Legalism (not trying to push the ball under the water).

a. When Jesus came, Israel was in bondage to the Pharisaical rules and regulations.

i. do this but not that type of rules

ii. a system that was impossible to keep

(1) even the ten commandments show it is impossible to keep, unless you are God.

b. These led to frustrations with God, man, and themselves

i. with God because these men represented God

ii. with men because they failed to keep the law they espoused

iii. with themselves for they knew what evil was in their lives

c. They were looking for the coming Saviour. Someone who would deliver them from the bondage of legalism and bring them to the purity that Ezekiel spoke of:

“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws” (Ezekiel 36.25-27).

i. they flocked to John the Baptist with the question: How can I enter the Kingdom of God? (Matthew 3.5-6)

ii. They flocked to Jesus with the same questions (Luke 10.25; 18.18; John 3.3).

d. Purity, focus, devotion is not legally following a list of do’s and don’ts; the people of Jesus day were steeped in this type of life and were dying miserably from it. No wonder the people sought Him: Come unto Me all you who are heavy burden . . .

e. It is not being religious

f. It is not going to church, carrying a Bible and memorizing verses

2. Purity is a changed mind

a. God is concerned with how we think

i. Romans 12.1-2 (verse one is devotion)

ii. Philippians 4.8, focus on Jesus

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

iii. 2 Corinthians 10.5

5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,

b. The word “heart” in Matthew 5.8 is related primarily to the intellect.

i. Matthew 15.19

ii. Proverbs 4.23

c. God wants to purify our thinking

i. He wants us to think purely

ii. this means to think on Him (Philippians 4.8) not on ourselves

d. The word “pure” means “to cleanse”

i. morally: being free of filth

(1) unmixed, unalloyed

(2) unadulterated (not inviting things in that don’t belong)

(3) without syncretism

ii. spiritually: having integrity, being of one mind (Phil 2)

(1) being above reproach

(2) having sincere motives

e. pure thoughts and pure motives produce holy living, that is purity

3. How to maintain purity that God has granted us? Read 1 John 3.2-3

a. First of all realize that purifying the heart is the work of the spirit as we read earlier in Ezekiel 36.

Proverbs 20.9 Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin”?

b. Secondly, we must also do our part by putting our faith in Jesus

Acts 15.9 He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.

c. Finally, we must study the Bible and pray.

Psalm 119.9-11 How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart [notice the focus]; do not let me stray from your commands [notice it is God working as we rely on Him]. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you [notice Bible study and prayer].

d. When this is said and done, we shall see God and be like Him (1 John 3.2-3)

When I was younger all the kids used to say they wished they were a little taller or faster or, something else, that way they could play basketball better or run track quicker. I used to say the same thing: If only I were taller, I could be a better basketball player. I am six foot and I kept saying I need five more inches. If I were six five I would be good. I did this because I saw Magic and Michael and they were all that tall or around that height. Then I looked and see Spud Webb and Muggsy Bogues. These people are five to seven inches shorter than me and still played in the NBA. I felt deflated. All my excuses seemed to go out the window. I kept saying height would make the difference. It’s not true. Height would make it easier. I needed to practice and train more. I didn’t want to so I chose to blame my non-ability on something I couldn’t change. If I really wanted to be better at basketball I would have to change my view of discipline and training. I would need to change my focus. This is purity, a single commitment to a single object for a single goal. In terms of Christianity, it is a commitment to God to be like Him. This is purity.

What then should we do in light of the need for discipline and focus, this purity? May I challenge you to think differently about God and His requirements? Turn to Isaiah 40.10-31 (p ). We read part of this passage every time we enter the gym. Far too often we turn to ourselves for strength and direction in overcoming our troubles in our attempt to have a pure focus on God. Yet, as we read through this passage, we find the focus is on who God is. Notice the pronouns are He, Him, His not me, my, or I. It is He who is in focus. He is the focus of the passage and should be the focus of our life. Read verse 28. Just as Philippians 4.8 reminds us. As we go through this passage, we come to the familiar portion in verses 29-31. This is what each of us seek for as we set our lives apart for Him. As we seek to live pure lives, we want to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might (Ephesians 6.10). We want to be like those who wait on the Lord, as it states in verse 31. So, let’s do what it says. Let’s wait.

Turn to Psalm 103 (p. ). What is the focus of this chapter? You can tell by reading the first verse. Has the focus changed from 1 John 3 (it is about purity that is ours because we are seeing Christ as He truly is) or Isaiah 40? Or, is it still God? The focus is Him, our awesome God. As you read this chapter do you get a sense of the wonder of God and His work in our life. Look: He blesses us (v. 2), forgives us (v. 3), satisfies us (v 5), works righteously (v 6), makes His way known to us (v 7), shows compassion and justice (v 8-9), shows grace (v 10), removed our sins (10-12), treats us as His children (13), knows our abilities (v 14), never fails in keeping His Word (15-18), He is sovereign (19), and the list goes on. This is the God with whom we have to do. This is the God who came down to save us from our sins. This is our awesome God. This is the God who calls us to purity, to wait.

Did you notice verse 5? David tells us that God will renew us like the eagle. Does that sound familiar to you? Isaiah 40.31. The picture of an eagle during times of trouble or distress is a picture of one overcoming trouble not by running from it but by going over it. An eagle’s focus is not to get away from the coming storm but to overcome the storm. When an eagle faces a hurricane, he rides the wind to fly over the storm in order to come out the other side of it unharmed.

Psalm 103.5 and Isaiah 40.31 informs us that we can be like the eagle. We can live a life of purity, of hope, of wonderment, of focus, we can live the life that we were created to live. How? By waiting. How do we wait? Here is the simplicity of the last few messages we have had–we remember who God is and what He has done for us.

So, wait on the Lord. Look for God in your life. Understand who He is through reading your Bible. Know Him better by talking to others about Him. As He works in your life, praise Him. As you struggle through your day, trust the simplicity of His Word, and ride over the storm as you focus on Him, not the sin. He is God, as a Christian, you are forgiven. Tell others who He is and what He has done for you.

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Old Testament, Psalms, Sermons

Psalm 51-I’m Not a Baboon, I’m a Child of God!

Gallery February 20, 1994 David

Dancing with Broken Bones-A Series on Psalm 51-I’m Not a Baboon, I’m a Child of God!
February 20, 1994	Sermon by DRW	Passage Psalm 51.10-12

Introduction

Some of us feel like we have been trapped on a slot car set, like the one Pete got for his roommate—on the surface it appears as though we are going somewhere in life but underneath we know that scenery looks strangely familiar. Our lives can become like that—falling over the same sin, the same thing, we begin to see the rut our lives are beginning to cut, we watch as that rut becomes our lifestyle—its then we feel the paralysis, the erosion of life and joy,

At this point in our life is where we must make a choice: to continue in the rut, never to change or to allow God to change us and build upon that devastated past a new foundation in Jesus.

1. We need to realize that we are desperate without God working within our lives.

1. He has pardoned us from our sin, made us clean; but David know that wasn’t enough.

1. We need a new heart.

2. David know nothing less would do

2. Today we have the technology to transplant hearts that will keep us alive for a few more years

1. its usually the heart from a baboon

2. but, I’m not a baboon, neither was David.

3. David knew that what he needed was a new pure heart that could allow him

1. not to re-enter his old passionate ways of sin

2. but into the new passion of his God

2. David got down to business.

1. He became like Christ.

1. In Luke we read that Jesus was on His final journey to Jerusalem and His death not with a hollow spirit but one with passion and determination:

2. He set His eyes to Jerusalem.

2. He was like Paul.

1. There is a biography of Paul called “The Man of Steel”, for he was determined to pursue God’s righteousness alone (Philippians 3)

2. and refused to be satisfied with the status quo.

We need these: Are you desperate for purity, do you thirst after it? Are you ready to get busy pursuing it?

Today, we will look at the seven consequences of sin and God’s way for us to overcome the sin in our life (we must realize that the consequences are still ours except by God’s grace He removes them).

2. The Seven Consequences of Sin (7-12)

1. Defilement (7)

1. contamination

1. levitical law requires those contaminated be withdrawn from the city

2. as the leper, they couldn’t associate with clean people

3. Jesus offers this in Matthew 8.1ff

2. possible exclusion from worship (11)

2. Deafness (8)

1. one writer puts it this way:

He had become deaf to the voice of God, deaf to all sounds of joy. Once he had been able to take his harp and make the halls of his palace ring with joy and gladness. No more! (Phillips, 91)

2. illustration of me and my guitar (I play when I am in fellowship with God)

3. He had no way to regain that song except in restoration of fellowship with God that is found in

1. repentance

2. and forgiveness

3. Disgrace (9)

1. There is always shame and disgrace associated with sin

* the criminal brought to the courthouse will cover his face

2. David’s sense of disgrace went far deeper than that. He was not just ashamed of what man might thing; he was ashamed that he had been seen by God (Phillips, 92).

1. 1 John 3.1-3

2. Like Jonah, he wanted to run and hide; but like Jonah, he knew he couldn’t

4. Damage (10)

1. barah

1. Genesis 1.1

2. to create absolutely, supernaturally, to make something out of nothing. David wanted a new heart. He did not just want to have the old one changed. If he was to be kept from sinning in the future, a radical work needed to be done in his soul. As Jesus would later put it to Nicodemus, he needed to be born again, to be recreated. The word bara implies all that. The word describes the creative activity of God which brings something out of nothing. It was not just restoration David wanted, he wanted regeneration. He wanted a new, clean heart (Phillips, 92).

2. David knew that a pardon was good but not complete. He needed the radical change that God would bring through Jesus Christ or else his future would be a mere repetition of the past.

5. Doom (11)

1. David had seen Saul become the tormented victim of an evil spirit. David was afraid that this might happen to him.

2. The Holy Spirit

1. The OT shows us that the Holy Spirit set upon people and left after the work was completed or sin had interfered.

2. The NT shows us that the Holy Spirit has been given to indwell permanently God’s people (John 14.16-17)

3. Being cast away from His presence

1. a true consequence of sin is not being allowed into God’s throne room because of the unrepentant, unconfessed sin

2. today this is visually seen in Matthew 18 and the loss of fellowship with God’s Body

6. Depression (12a)

1. Much of the depression in the lives of Christians today is caused by sin. It may be flagrant sin, hidden away somewhere in the past, gnawing away at the conscience. It may be something spitefully said, some fit of temper indulged, or some lie told. Sin causes depression (Phillips, 93).

2. Much freedom is gained through confession to God of these sins.

1. John Gibson’s song that says: “He’s the only free psychiatrist, that is known throughout the land.”

2. Cast your cares upon Him, for He cares for you (1 Peter 5)

3. Today, we can’t lose our salvation but we certainly can lose the joy of our salvation and this is a cause for depression and rejection among Christians

* willful, unconfessed sin

7. Defeat (12b)

1. the sin-repent-sin cycle had to be broken

1. remember the slot car life we tend to feed

2. the only way out is Jesus

2. This requires perseverance and willingness to allow God to work in and through us.

Do you see the desperate strait the consequences of sin bring our way? This would be our lot if God didn’t do something about it. He did, He gave those who believe in Him a new heart.

3. A New Heart (10-12)

These three verses are verses of intense emotion. Verses that tell us a little bit about the new heart we received when we accepted the love of God in Christ Jesus. It is not the heart of a baboon but of a loving God.

This new heart David asks for is promised to God’s people in Ezekiel 11.19 and 36.26.

I like what Spurgeon had to say about verse 10:

What! has sin so destroyed us that the Creator must be called in again? What ruin then doth evil work among mankind! Create in me. I, in my outward fabric, still exist; but I am empty, desert, void. Come, then, and let Thy power be seen in a new creation within my old fallen self. Thou didst make a man in the world at first; Lord, make a new man in me.

In the seventh verse he asked to be clean; now he seeks a heart suitable to that cleanliness; but he does not say, “Make my old heart clean”; he is too experienced in the hopelessness of the old nature. He would have the old man buried as a dead thing, and a new creation brought in to fill its place (240).

Jesus death, burial, and resurrection, what we commonly summarize in the word “blood”, granted us the promise of Ezekiel and the desire of David’s heart. He doesn’t give us a transformation but a totally new creation (2 Corinthians 5.17).

Why? Ezekiel 11.20 and 36.27 tell us to enable us to follow Him, to get us out of the rut and into God. Romans 1.16 tells us the Gospel, our salvation, is His power for our lives. Philippians 2.12-13 tells us it is God who works in us to do His work through us. It was done to give us a single mind to follow Jesus (Matthew 6.33).

This new heart He has given us is characterized by three manifestations:

1. A Steadfast Spirit (10)

1. this is to persevere through life

1. Romans 5.3-4

2. James 1.2-4

3. perseverance is one reason Paul was Paul, Martin Luther was Martin Luther, and Billy Graham is Billy Graham

2. not a burning out but a shining forth

1. Dunker Days of Glory, Seasons of Night

2. Philippians 3.14-16

3. One writer comments on this:

Blessed is the person who wants growth so badly that he refuses to shrink from the process that produces it. David wanted grace that could not only weather fierce storms but also bring stability into a life tossed with guilt, regrets, and fear of discovery. Sin fractures our ability to last, to resist the beetles that chew on our lives through unending petty aggravations and mundane routine. Then, when the pressures intensify, the beams of our soul no longer stand the strain. We collapse. That’s why David coveted a steadfast spirit more than gold (Swartz, 1990).

4. The result of this is the eagle who is able to soar above the gales that blow because he used them to bring him above them.

2. The Indwelling Holy Spirit (11)

1. A scary truth is we know more about the Holy Spirit today than David ever did, but we seldom hear this intense cry from our mouths.

Perhaps we know more truth about the Spirit’s working, but David might have known more about the reality of His power. In quiet moments, he felt the loss and grieved over the alienation and blindness covering him like a shroud. Sadly, we often do not. Many times we are so confident of the indwelling presence of the Spirit, which cannot be taken from true Christians, that we forget that the Holy Spirit can be held back by our failure to yield to His guidance (Swartz, 1990).

2. We are to yield to the Spirit of God by being obedient in what the Word of God has commanded us and therein giving glory to God if we don’t we grieve the Holy Spirit.

The evidence is that He is regretfully compelled to withdraw His gracious influence and working, and His grief is reflected in the gloom and heaviness of the estranged heart (Sanders, 1970).

3. The life of the new heart manifests the gifts and the workings of the Holy Spirit to the glory of Christ Jesus.

3. A Willing Spirit (12)

1. Too often today we would rather surrender to God on our own terms rather than His

1. the WW II movie where the tattered army tells its victors that they will surrender on their terms

1. “We have come to negotiate the terms of surrender.”

2. “You will surrender unconditionally, and here are the terms . . .”

2. One writer states:

That’s so much like us isn’t it? Modern man demands the right to dicker, barter, or negotiate with God, who demands unconditional surrender. David sought a willing, renewed spirit. Knowing that a guilty man has nothing to negotiate with, David longed for the kind of perpetual inner kneeling that would receive mercy gratefully and render obedience ungrudgingly (Swartz, 85).

2. The evidence of a willing spirit? obedience to God seen through obedience at:

1. home (Ephesians 6)

2. school (2 Timothy 2.15)

3. everywhere we need to show unconditional obedience to the One who seeks the best for our souls.

If this is our life, steadfast, yielded and obedient we will become a beautiful tapestry for God where He will receive glory for our new heart; if not we will act like we have a baboon’s heart within us and not give glory to God but look foolish in His sight.

We have been given a new heart. This new heart is changing us daily from one glory to God to the next (2 Corinthians 3.18; 4.16-18).

Is this you, even in the consequences of your sin, do you hold steadfast, allowing God’s Spirit to work in you, and willingly giving your all to follow Him? He will take these people to new heights in victory, as the eagle soars, and to new heights in blessings for these are them that seek after Him.

During these next few moments, take the time to reflect on the condition of your heart. Do you lack these things, ask God to restore them to you. If there is sin that blocks you, confess it and repent of it. After you have spent a moment in prayer for yourself turn to your neighbours and pray for them.

Father,

We thank You for the new creation that we are in Your Son Jesus Christ. We ask now that we will have His character renewed in us. We pray that we will give you the glory for the work You do in our lives. We pray Father that we may see Your Spirit at work within us changing us daily. Be glorified now in Your Bride, Your Body. Amen.

Please Stand:

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

Scriptural Truths for Today's World