A Problem With The Heart
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· 68 viewsThe usually sinful inclinations of a heart which is by nature corrupt and stubborn, but which may be renewed by God, resulting in purified desires.
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It’s always a Heart issue
It’s always a Heart issue
And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the Lord commanded. Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant. Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy father’s sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son. Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen.
And the Lord stirred up an adversary unto Solomon, Hadad the Edomite: he was of the king’s seed in Edom.
Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord.
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
The heart is the source of human desires
The heart is the source of human desires
My son, attend to my words;
Incline thine ear unto my sayings.
Let them not depart from thine eyes;
Keep them in the midst of thine heart.
For they are life unto those that find them,
And health to all their flesh.
Keep thy heart with all diligence;
For out of it are the issues of life.
God knows the human heart
God knows the human heart
Shall not God search this out?
For he knoweth the secrets of the heart.
Every way of a man is right in his own eyes:
But the Lord pondereth the hearts.
The corruption of the heart
The corruption of the heart
Its inclination towards evil
Its inclination towards evil
And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
See also Ge 8:21; Ps 14:1–3; Ps 94:11; Ec 9:3; Je 17:9–10; Mt 15:18–19
Corruption finds particular expression in sexual sin
Corruption finds particular expression in sexual sin
Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
See also Mt 5:28; Ro 1:26–27; Ga 5:19
The stubbornness of the heart
The stubbornness of the heart
It leads to disregard for God
It leads to disregard for God
I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people,
Which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts;
It produces false confidence
It produces false confidence
Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the Lord our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood; And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst:
See also Je 23:17
It leads to idolatry
It leads to idolatry
But have walked after the imagination of their own heart,
And after Baalim, which their fathers taught them:
See also Je 13:10
It leads to disobedience
It leads to disobedience
But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.
See also Je 16:12
It brings God’s judgment
It brings God’s judgment
Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in the imagination of their evil heart: therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do; but they did them not.
See also Pr 28:14; Pr 29:1; Je 18:12–13; Ro 2:5; Heb 3:7–11; Ps 95:7–11
God allows people to continue in their stubbornness
God allows people to continue in their stubbornness
God hardens Pharaoh’s heart:
God hardens Pharaoh’s heart:
Ex 4:21; Ex 7:3; Ex 14:4; Ex 14:17
Ps 81:11–12; Ro 1:28
God’s renewal of the heart
God’s renewal of the heart
It results in purified desires
It results in purified desires
Je 24:7; Eze 36:26
See also Dt 6:6; Eze 11:19; Ro 12:2; 2 Co 4:6; Eph 4:23; Php 4:8–9; Heb 8:10; Je 31:33
Examples of renewed hearts
Examples of renewed hearts
2 Ch 11:16; Ne 9:8; Ps 51:10; Ps 57:7; Ps 86:11; Je 3:17
God delights in a pure heart
God delights in a pure heart
Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord?
Or who shall stand in his holy place?
He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart;
Who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity,
Nor sworn deceitfully.
He shall receive the blessing from the Lord,
And righteousness from the God of his salvation.
See also Dt 5:29; Ps 73:1; Ps 125:4; Mt 5:8
God fulfils the desires of hearts devoted to him
God fulfils the desires of hearts devoted to him
Delight thyself also in the Lord;
And he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
See also Ps 21:2; Ps 145:19; Mt 6:21; Mt 6:33
God gives the desire to follow him
God gives the desire to follow him
O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare their heart unto thee:
The human ability to visualise in parables
The human ability to visualise in parables
Mt 13:11–17; Lk 10:23–24