Sincere Motivation
Notes
Transcript
I. Motive of the Heart
I. Motive of the Heart
A. God Knows It
A. God Knows It
11 Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the Lord, How much more the hearts of men!
B. God Weighs It
B. God Weighs It
2 All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, But the Lord weighs the motives.
2 Every man’s way is right in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the hearts.
3 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the Lord tests hearts.
C. We Display It
C. We Display It
11 It is by his deeds that a lad distinguishes himself If his conduct is pure and right.
19 As in water face reflects face, So the heart of man reflects man.
II. False Motives
II. False Motives
Are Self Centered
8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, But the prayer of the upright is His delight.
27 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination, How much more when he brings it with evil intent!
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.
29 The Lord is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous.
The wicked pray too. But, because of their motives, He doesn’t answer them.
3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.
3 To do righteousness and justice Is desired by the Lord more than sacrifice.
Check your motives. Those people who by faith put God’s word into practice truly please God by their actions.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
This is the grace of God presented in wisdom literature. See, sacrifice is an action we do please God, but true biblical righteousness and biblical justice can only be accomplished by a heart that is transformed by the sacrifice that God offered through His Son.
III. Double Motives
III. Double Motives
12 A worthless person, a wicked man, Is the one who walks with a perverse mouth,
13 Who winks with his eyes, who signals with his feet, Who points with his fingers;
14 Who with perversity in his heart continually devises evil, Who spreads strife.
15 Therefore his calamity will come suddenly; Instantly he will be broken and there will be no healing.
10 He who winks the eye causes trouble, And a babbling fool will be ruined.
11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
30 He who winks his eyes does so to devise perverse things; He who compresses his lips brings evil to pass.
3 The integrity of the upright will guide them, But the crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them.
14 “Bad, bad,” says the buyer, But when he goes his way, then he boasts.
6 Do not eat the bread of a selfish man, Or desire his delicacies;
7 For as he thinks within himself, so he is. He says to you, “Eat and drink!” But his heart is not with you.
8 You will vomit up the morsel you have eaten, And waste your compliments.
23 Like an earthen vessel overlaid with silver dross Are burning lips and a wicked heart.
24 He who hates disguises it with his lips, But he lays up deceit in his heart.
25 When he speaks graciously, do not believe him, For there are seven abominations in his heart.
26 Though his hatred covers itself with guile, His wickedness will be revealed before the assembly.
16 These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage.
17 But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ,
18 that they were saying to you, “In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.”
19 These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit.
IV. True Motives
IV. True Motives
31 Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
2 “So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
3 “But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
4 so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 3224 Best Motive in Christian Work
3224 Best Motive In Christian Work
Hudson Taylor was interviewing some young people who had volunteered for the Lord’s service. He asked several practical questions to find out how well qualified they were for the life they were anticipating. “And why do you wish to go as a foreign missionary?” “I want to reach others across the sea because Christ has commanded us to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature,” one replied. Another said, “I want to go because millions are dying without ever having heard of Jesus, the only One who can save them.” Others have similar answers.
Hudson Taylor looked at them thoughtfully for a moment and then said. “All of your motives are good, but I fear they will fail you in times of severe testing and tribulation—especially if you are confronted with the possibility of having to face death for your testimony. The only motive that will enable you to remain true is stated in 2 Corinthians 5:14. Christ’s love constraining you will keep you faithful in every situation.”
—Our Daily Bread
14 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;