A Pure Heart
Notes
Transcript
A Pure Heart - post revival
A Pure Heart - post revival
This morning as we are coming off the week of Revival, I pray that God spoke to you through the different Men of God that came and spoke to us.
I know He spoke to me each and every service, and one of the things that He really spoke to me about was that we have to have our Hearts right with Him.
Each message was from a different place in Scripture, but each one seemed to come around to weather the believers heart was right before God.
As Josh spoke from Amos and how the people did not have the right attitude and they were going through the motions, but their hearts were not in it.
Kevin spoke from Revelation about the church in Sardis and that they had a reputation of being alive but were really dead, and that we need to examine our hearts.
Chad spoke from Jonah and how he went on the boat the wrong way and went to sleep and how churches and believers are asleep, and that we are not being the body of Christ that He has called us to be, and that we need to examine our hearts.
Al, preached from Philippians using Paul’s prayer and how we as believers should have joy in our lives, and be praying for one another, and sharing the Word of God, and if we love God we will be praying for others, and if we are not then we need to examine our hearts.
Vernon preached from Philippians and spoke about Jesus being our Lord and Savior and that He has to be our Lord not just Savior. Once again dealing with our hearts.
As I sought God on what to preach this past week I wasn’t really sure, as God was speaking to me each night, speaking to me through those men, I thought He was leading me one way on Wednesday, but then Thursday morning as I got into my office and started studying and praying He lead me to some different Scripture.
This morning we are going to be looking in Romans chapter 2, we are going to look at verse 25-29 but focus on the last two verses there.
We are going to look at a pure heart, before the revival we finished up our series on a journey to holiness, and then God led these men to preach each in a way about our hearts being directed to God, and this morning God has led me to preach on a pure heart.
As God led me to read verse 25-29 of Romans 2 it gives us a context of the last two verses there.
If you have your Bibles look with me at Romans 2:25-29
25 For indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.
26 So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?
27 And he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not judge you who though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a transgressor of the Law?
28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh.
29 But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.
Pray
Pray
Paul is discussing the role of the Old Testament Law as it relates to Christianity.
He argues that Jewish circumcision is only an outward sign of being set apart to God.
However, if the heart is sinful, then physical circumcision is of no avail.
A circumcised body and a sinful heart are at odds with each other.
Rather than focus on external rites, Paul focuses on the condition of the heart.
Using circumcision as a metaphor, he says that only the Holy Spirit can purify a heart and set us apart to God.
Ultimately, circumcision cannot make a person right with God; the Law is not enough.
A person’s heart must change. Paul call’s this change circumcision of the heart.
I. It is about the Heart, Not Outward Appearance.
I. It is about the Heart, Not Outward Appearance.
28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh.
In the Old Testament Law the Jewish male child was to be circumcised on the eight day.
But Paul says, these outward things are not what makes you a Jew, he is talking spiritually here, not physically.
Coming to church and siting in a pew does not make you a Christian, no more than standing in your car garage makes you a car.
The physical circumcision was the sign of Israel’s covenant with God, but it was just that a physical mark, all the way back in the Old Testament God told the Jewish people He wanted them to be Holy as He was Holy and in Deuteronomy He communicates this.
6 “Moreover the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.
Circumcision of the heart; therefore, would indicate Israel and us today as being set apart to love God fully, inside and out.
The Israelites had become so ingrained with the law, especially the Pharisees that they thought they were religiously above reproach and they even took pride in their physical heritage and boasted in their circumcision.
John the Baptist warned them in Matthew 3:9
9 and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.
Sometimes we get to where we think because we are the pastor, deacon, Sunday school teacher, or so forth that we are good to go but we must remember what God told Samuel.
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
It does not matter what position we hold in the church, or how many Sunday’s we sit in a pew, what matters is our heart.
For God looks at the heart.
II. God is Looking at Your Heart
II. God is Looking at Your Heart
29 But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.
Here in verse 29 Paul turns to the true believers, true children of God, he says, he is a Jew who is one inwardly.
A true child of God; the true spiritual descendant of Abraham are those who follow Abraham’s example of believing in God.
6 Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.
Physical circumcision does not make one a child of God; faith does.
Believers in Jesus Christ can truly say they are children of “Father Abraham.”
29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.
God has always wanted more from His people than just external conformity to a set of rules.
The outward rite is of value only when it reflects the inner reality of a heart separated from sin unto God.
God has always wanted His people to possess hearts that love, know and follow Him.
That is why God is not concerned with a circumcision of the flesh.
Even in the Old Testament, God’s priority was a spiritual circumcision of the heart.
4 “Circumcise yourselves to the Lord
And remove the foreskins of your heart,
Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
Or else My wrath will go forth like fire
And burn with none to quench it,
Because of the evil of your deeds.”
Both the Old and New Testaments focus on the need for repentance and inward change in order to be right with God.
Salvation results from the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart, not from mere external efforts to conform to His laws.
In Jesus, the Law has been fulfilled through Him, a person can be made right with God and receive eternal life.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
As Paul said, true circumcision is a matter of the heart, performed by the Spirit of God.
Did you listen to the words of the Choir Special, The Heart of Worship.
The words go like this:
When the music fades, all is swept away and I simply come; Longing just to bring something that’s of worth that will bless Your heart.
I’ll bring You more than a song, for a song in it-self is not what You have required.
You search much deeper within, through the way things appear; You’re looking into my heart.
I’m coming back to the heart of worship, and it’s all about You, it’s all about You, Jesus.
I’m sorry, Lord, for the things I’ve made it, when it’s all about You, it’s all about You, Jesus.
What it all boils down to is that everything that we have, everything that happens in our life is because of God, and is supposed to be for God, but most the time as the song says we have made it about ourselves, and it is time we get back to the heart of things and make it all about Jesus.
That is what God desires, He desires to be first place in our lives, He desires our worship, our attention, our every waking moment.
Parents you want full custody of your children, as children of God, He also wants full custody of His children, so stop spending only Sundays with Him.
Paul calls us to circumcise our hearts, that is to cleanse our hearts of sin, to have a pure heart, to be right with God.
Do you have a clean and pure heart today?
Have you surrendered all to God?
Have you made Him Lord of your life?
Today God is calling and waiting for you to come!