Actions of the Heart

Nobel Prize Winner Says Humans Don't Think Well

He's a very smart man who knows a lot about human intelligence. He's a brilliant psychologist and a Nobel-prize winning economist. Early in his career, he advised the Israeli military on how to train fighter pilots (presumably not on how to fly planes but on how to make good decisions). In 2005, he was voted the 101st-greatest Israeli of all time, in a poll by the Israeli news website Ynet. In 2011, he made the Bloomberg 50 most influential people in global finance. He has written a book titled Thinking, Fast and Slow. So you get the idea: he has studied extensively the human mind and the way we think. His name is Daniel Kahneman, and here's what he said in a Time magazine interview about the quality of our rational thinking:

We are normally blind about our own blindness. We're generally overconfident in our opinions and our impressions and judgments. We exaggerate how knowable the world is ….

What psychology and behavioral economics have shown is that people don't think very carefully. They're influenced by all sorts of superficial things in their decision-making, and they procrastinate and don't read the small print. This then shows the true condition of the heart of humanity. We are superficial and self-seeking at best.

BIG IDEA: Our actions impact our worship showing the true condition of our Hearts.

HOLINESS IS NOT TRANSMITTABLE (2:11-12)

For Example: If you take a glass of clean water and add a single drop of dirty water you will soon see it’s effect. But a single drop of clean water would have not visible effect.

NOTE: Only the priests were allowed to carry the holy flesh for the sin offering. This meat consecrated (made legally and ceremonially clean) the ‘garment’ in which it was being carried, but the garment did not consecrate any other food it touched. In other words, holiness could not be transmitted twice.

Holy things cannot make common things or unholy persons holy.

UNCLEANNESS IS CONTAGIOUS (2:13)

Haggai now asks the opposite question to stress that ritual defilement is contagious. The background to this question is found in the books of Leviticus and Numbers. A priest must not make himself ceremonially unclean for any of his people who die… The high priest… must not enter a place were there is a dead body.

The word ‘defiled’ used in Haggai’s question means legally or ceremonially unclean in body, not in soul, because of ‘contact’ with a corpse. This person was deemed a higher degree of uncleaness and pollution than someone else with an infectious disease; they were then excluded from public worship and sent away from the camp. The priest answered correctly when he said yes, food touched by a defiled person ‘becomes defiled.’

During the 16 year period: The people felt as though they were back in the Holy Land, back in the holy city, so therefore it would make themselves holy, but in fact they were defiled because of their disobedience. The result was that everything they did was polluted-the harvests were poor and economic and commercial life had declined. God reminded them of the result of disobedience, and unfaithfulness.

15-19

Evil has an infectious power greater than that of Holiness.

1) It’s effects are more extensive and lasting. When they refused to repent, they were self-centered, and turned their backs on the Lord’s temple, he frustrated everything the people tried to accomplish.

2) However, when their spirit was stirred and they set their hearts to obey God’s command to rebuild the temple, this change ushered in a new day. From this day forward God will bless theri crops to be bountiful and everything they do to flourish.

Principles that Show the Actions of our Hearts

1.Sinfulness becomes much easier to spread than Holiness.

Remember Haggai’s illustration of the priest being polluted by touching a dead body and in turn polluting everything else he himself touches? Or remember our illustration of how easy it is to pollute a glass of clear water with a single drop of dirty water.

In a world like ours that is fallen and full of evil and temptation, it is so easy to become spiritually polluted on the inside of our lives. We live in a culture that desecrates and pollutes everything it touches. They do it by books, news media, TV programming, films, music.

1 Corinthians 15:33–34 ESV

33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” 34 Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.

NOTE: The whole reason for the clean and unclean instructions in the law was to give us a picture of the difference between the covenant people who are set apart and the rest of the world. The touching of the dead or corps was also a very big deal in the law. Flash forward to the new testament that gives the clear picture of sin and death being the state of our being apart from Christ.

THOSE OF US WHO ARE SPIRITUALLY MATURE HAVE A GREATER RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE THOSE WHO ARE WEAK IN THEIR FAITH

Mark 9:42 ESV

42 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.

2 ways that our influence can spread sinful behavior

1) We display sinful patterns of living

2) We display inconsistencies in our profession of faith.

For Example: When King David committed adultery with Bathsheba, the prophet Nathan said to him:…because by doing this you have made the enemies of the Lord show utter contempt, the son born to you will die. That shows how careful we need to be in avoiding anything we might say or do that may harm the souls of others.

2. Spreading Holiness becomes impossible since it is an inward condition of the heart.

Historical Note: ‘Holiness adorns your house for endless days, O Lord.’ (Psalm 93:5) This has implications not only for the heavenly city where ‘nothing impure will ever enter, but for the Temple building and the lives of the temple builders there and then. The very essence of a new heaven and a new earth is a restored and vital relationship with God, and the role of the Temple here on earth whether the old one or the new one is to anticipate that day. This is the goal and end for which all believers are moving towards.

So, I cannot make you holy, I cannot make your righteous in the presence of God. So, what makes a person Holy.

Note: A person’s heart is made holy only by the presence of the Holy Spirit living and dwelling inside of them as a Gift of God. Holiness cannot be communicated to our inner life by external things such as Church attendance, baptism, confirmation, and observance of certain ritualistic moral living.

Acts 2:38–39 ESV

38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

Cultural Note: As a Christian you are to do everything possible by word and by your lifestyle to lead others to faith in Christ that they too may receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, and be brought into a life of holiness?

NOTE: Among God’s characteristics, as he has revealed himself, none is more significant than his holiness (see Lev. 11:44–45; 19:2; 20:7). “Holy” and “holiness” occur more than 900 times in Scripture, and both the Old and New Testaments speak more about his holiness than any other attribute.

Therefore, Christ does not just save us from our sin, he saves us so that we might become holy.

Ephesians 1:3–4 ESV

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love

and Peter say’s in 1 Peter 1:13 “Just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.”

Kevin DeYoung says:

Among God’s characteristics, as he has revealed himself, none is more significant than his holiness (see Lev. 11:44–45; 19:2; 20:7). “Holy” and “holiness” occur more than 900 times in Scripture, and both the Old and New Testaments speak more about his holiness than any other attribute.

HOW DO YOU BECOME HOLY? WHY DO PEOPLE SHY AWAY FROM HOLINESS?

1) Commit to Obedience

Holiness is not possible apart from obedience. Author and theologian Jerry Bridges notes, “The heroes of faith in Hebrews 11 … obeyed by faith … obedience is the pathway to Holiness.

2) Pursue Jesus not Moralism

As we become more holy we will naturally become a more moral person. But that is not the goal of growing in the nature of Christ. Our pursuit is of Jesus, not moralism. “Holiness is not ultimately about living up to a moral standard of do’s and don’ts it’s about living in Christ and living out our real, vital union with him.

3) Expect Improvement, Not Perfection

Too often Christians do not even attempt to pursue Holiness because they feel it is an impossible standard to reach. But God is not leading us to an unattainable level of perfection. Our lack of perfection should lead us to continually strive to meet God’s goal for our lives. John Calvin wrote:

John Calvin

“As even the most perfect are always very far from coming up to the mark, we ought daily to strive more and more. And we ought to remember that we are not only told what our duty is, but that God also adds, “I am he who sanctifies you.”

BELIEVERS ARE TO BE HOLY NOT BECAUSE WE WANT TO BE LOVED BY GOD BUT BECAUSE WE ALREADY ARE LOVED BY GOD.

The Danger of "Hydraulic Fluid" Holiness

Associated Press (6-13-05); submitted by Lee Eclov, Vernon Hills, Illinois

There was quite a mix-up at the Duke University Hospitals in Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina. Sometime in November 2004, maintenance workers had drained hydraulic fluid from the hospital elevators into empty detergent drums and then didn't get rid of the drums. Through a strange series of events, the drums were mistakenly redistributed to the people who clean surgical instruments. It took two months and 3,800 surgeries before anyone figured out something was wrong.

Washing the instruments in hydraulic fluid was not an effective means of sterilization. The biggest question is, what kind of damage has been done to the patients? No one was sure what the petroleum residue might do to people. The hospital's head honcho assured the public, "We want to give people the message that we care about our patients," and no doubt they do. But if their instruments weren't safe, they were a threat to their patients no matter how much they cared.

A church careless about holiness is like that! We may care about our people, but we're a danger to them nonetheless. It isn't enough to share the gospel with the lost; we must also be sure we act in holy ways and teach holiness as a way of life, lest we harm the people of God.

3. Through sin or disobedience we lose holiness in our lives

Holiness cannot be recovered quickly

NOTE: This does not mean that we can somehow lose our Salvation, but we can lose the spirituality that accompanies Salvation and the joy of a close relationship with God. It is what King David had in mind when he wrote his penitential psalm after his adultery with Bathsheba: “Restore to me the joy of your Salvation oh Lord.”

Psalm 51:1–4 ESV

1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.

He had not lost his salvation, but he had lost the joy and blessing he had previously enjoyed in close communion with God. Therefore, it was a slow painful process for him to get back to his once close relationship with God as a man after God’s own heart.

Opening Up Haggai Recovering Lost Holiness Is Difficult

That was true of the people in Haggai’s day. They had repented of their wrong order of priorities in neglecting God’s house, and they had been hard at work for several months, but as yet they had not received much in the way of material blessing. ‘Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig-tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit’ (Hag. 2:19).

Haggai tells them that God’s blessing will come—‘From this day on I will bless you’—but it is going to be a slow and painful recovery.

Counterfeit Holiness

Andrew Murray, Humility, the Beauty of Holiness. Christianity Today, Vol. 30, no. 1.

The chief mark of counterfeit holiness is its lack of humility. Every seeker after holiness needs to be on his guard, lest unconsciously what was begun in the spirit be perfected in the flesh, and pride creep in where its presence is least expected

THE PATHWAY TO REPENTANCE

REPENTANCE: Repentance is true Godly sorrow over the sin in your life and the offense done to God and a desire to resolve it no matter what it takes.

THE WAY BACK TO GOD

We need to remember that in our lives we cannot deny God and his sovereignty over our lives and then expect it to be quickly forgotten. He will forgive us when we repent, but we should not expect him to give us a special pass or blessing easily. It is always a slow and painful process back to intimacy with God once that relationship is broken. When we fall away, to get back to where we once were it takes much prayer, much discipline in our devotion, and a great faithfulness.

A. W. Tozer

God will take nine steps toward us, but he will not take the tenth. He will incline us to repent, but he cannot do our repenting for us.

THE 5 R’S OF FORGIVENESS

REPENTANCE

This is the condition of God’s forgiveness. “Metneo” literally means a changing of our mind. This is when we see our sin for what it is and we turn from our rationalizing of our sin and treat sin the way it needs to be dealt with in our lives.

REMISSION

Isaiah 1:18 ESV

18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

Missio or mission - God is sending our sins away from us, Psalm 103 “As far as the east is from the west.” What does this mean for us? It does not mean that God somehow has amnesia and has somehow forgotten our sin. It does mean that he does not hold it against us. We have now been acquitted in God’s eyes.

RESTITUTION

Some sins require restitution, the attempt to restore the loss someone has suffered by our hand. Restitution typically involves a formal apology to the injured party and evidence of the offender’s intent to repent. The spiritual intent is to gain your brother, not to lose him.

Restitution is taking ownership of the sin that has been done. For example, Zacheus, gave back four times what he stole from the people and gave half of all he had to the poor. The marker of the changed life that Zacheus experienced was both the public confession

Romans 10:10 ESV

10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

and the sincerity was evident in his immediate desire to make restitution. The proof of his conversion to Christ was his resolve to atone, as much as possible, for past sins.

RECONCILIATION

2 Corinthians 5:18 ESV

18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;

You have been given the ministry of reconciliation. What is the object and purpose of our ministry to the world. It is that man should be reconciled to God. James 4:4 say’s that we are at enmity with God, literally and enemy of the cross.This means that you do that thing which displeases him and you do it without any remorse or grief over it, therefore, you then do the same thing again and again, and you continue to do it. What does this prove? When a subject constantly rebels against his sovereign it proves his disloyal heart. “By their fruits you will know them,” this is the Lords test.

CHARLES H. SPURGEON “The Ministry of Reconciliation”

If you could sin without being checked for it, or threatened with punishment for it, would you not be glad? All this proves is that you do not love God; the real English of it is that you would destroy God, if you could, in order to have liberty to act according to your own devices. You do not find pleasure in him; you must, admit that your pleasure is found elsewhere. But, when we truly love a person, we find pleasure in being in his company, we are glad to receive letters from him; in fact, anything that the hand of the loved one has touched becomes interesting or even sacred to us. Seeing that it is not so with you, but that you have said to God, “Depart from me; I desire not the knowledge of thy ways;” does not this prove that your heart is at enmity against God?

If you love the Father, you will love the Son, and put your soul’s trust in him. But it is not so with unrenewed men; they are at enmity against God.

The Object of everything that we do in ministry is that people might be reconciled to God.

Romans 9:3 ESV

3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.

RESTORATION

This is the thousand foot view or earthly level. This is the benefit or end goal of our forgiveness and repentance before God.

Jeremiah 30:17 ESV

17 For I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal, declares the Lord, because they have called you an outcast: ‘It is Zion, for whom no one cares!’

The bible is filled with images of healing and restoration - it is a constant and persistent theme in both the Old and New Testaments. Examples from Genesis, the Law of God, the Sanctuary, the story of Daniel, the New Covenant, the Gospels, Paul’s writings, and the book of Revelation are provided. This understanding of restoration sets a lifestyle change in to a wholistic and comprehensive transformation to your life. When honest and straightforward confession has been made, repentance has been acknowledged and demonstrated, restitution has been pursued and completed, and a structure of loving discipline has been enforced in our lives. The memory of sin should be sealed and removed from all conversation, and a celebration of the Lord’s goodness and mercy should be enjoyed.

The wounded soldier should now take his or her place back in the LORD’s service, free of the past and empowered spiritually to face the future.

NOTE: When we come to our senses as the prodigal son in Luke 15, we, by God’s grace and His restoration process, step back into the purposes for which HE originally created us. We can now fight dependably, once more on the LORD’s side.

CULTURAL PROBLEM:

What happens when we as a church take the holiness of God for granted?

C.S. Lewis

Unless we grasp God’s holiness, we will no longer be “amazed” at his amazing grace. It is easy to take God’s grace for granted, and this is commonly done today. Rather than assuming God’s holiness and being amazed by His grace, we take for granted His grace and are amazed and offended by his holy wrath and judgment. Many presume on God’s grace by doing that which they know is wrong, rather than being deterred by a fear of His holiness.

Revival or recovery will only come, if at all in response to a genuine spirit of repentance and brokenness before God. Expressing both the need for revival and the way God has ordained it. This can be a long and painful process.

2 Chronicles 7:14 ESV

14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

vrs. 20-23

THE FINAL MESSAGE TO ZERUBBABEL AND IT’S APPLICATION TO MODERN READERS

First, it tells us that:

In our work for God’s kingdom we are not to rely on our own strength and power alone

but on God’s spirit working through us. ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit say’s the Lord.’

Second, it reminds us that:

We should not allow problems and difficulties to lead us to despair.

Whether it’s social or political upheavals of the day, do not let it dishearten you and cause us to despair in God’s work.

God promised Zerubbabel that the mighty mountains (things that are difficult) would become level ground. (Jesus said “Have faith in God, then he used the illustration of throwing a mountain into the sea, not doubting in his heart but believing that God will do what he say’s and it will happen.

Third, this message tells us that

What God begins he will always finish!

His work in us and through us will come to completion.

Philippians 1:6 ESV

6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

God promises that the hands of Zerubbabel that have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will complete it.

Zechariah 4:7 ESV

7 Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’ ”

Zerubbabel will bring and lay the capstone on the structure of his saving work, and we can shout from the bottom of our hearts: ‘God bless it! God bless it!

NOTE: We need more people like Joseph, Daniel, Nehemiah and Zerubbabel to take on the active role in our society today whether it be political life or civil life. We should not be so cynical therefore, and think that being active in political life is incompatible with a strong faith in God. All of these great figures in scripture were in high authority positions of the government of the day.

Scripture teaches that we should pray that God would raise up Godly men and women like Zerubbabel who carry the burden of leadership in public and political life.

GOD IS LOOKING FOR MEN AND WOMEN IN WHOSE HANDS HIS GLORY IS SAFE.

1 Timothy 2:1–2 ESV

1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

CLOSING

Disheartened about the state of our Christian leaders today. (news of pastor from Church I served at for 10 years leaving his wife and ministry; Ravi Zachariah giant in Christian apologetics (sex abuse scandle)

N.T. Wright: Running from Sin and Towards Christ

Adapted from N.T. Wright, Paul for Everyone: The Pastoral Epistles (Westminster John Knox Press, 2003), page 76

N.T. Wright uses the following illustration to "describe how we should avoid [sin] and embrace the way of Jesus":

Think of an animal you'd really be afraid of, whether it's an angry rhinoceros or a large spider. If you came round a corner and found yourself facing it, what would you want to do? Run away, of course. Well, [as a follower of Jesus] that's how you should feel about a [lifestyle of greed, lust, jealousy, injustice, or another sinful pattern]. Then think how you'd feel if you saw the person you loved best in the entire world, who you hadn't seen for years, walking down the street. What would you do? Why, chase after [him or her], of course. That's how you should behave when you think of Jesus and the new life that he is offering you and the whole world. This is what it means to pursue holiness.

Jerry Bridges: There are so many needs in the church today that it is difficult to single out one as the greatest. However, if I had to pick one, I would say the most fundamental need is an ever-growing awareness of the holiness of God. The emphasis of my own ministry has been the believer’s personal pursuit of holiness. But years ago I came to realize the gospel has to be the foundation and motivation for the pursuit of holiness. Believers need the gospel to remind them that our standing with God is not based on our own obedience but on the perfect, imputed righteousness of Christ.

WHAT ARE YOU PURSUING WITH YOUR LIFE? If it is anything short of being holy as Jesus Christ is Holy then you are pursuing the wrong things. Are you actions showing that you truly desire to be obedient, holy and acceptable to God above anything and everything else.