The Plague of the Heart – 1 Kings 8:38-39

 “whatever prayer, whatever supplication is made by anyone, or by all Your people Israel, when each one knows the plague of his own heart, and spreads out his hands toward this temple: then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and act, and give to everyone according to all his ways, whose heart You know (for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men)”

It does not say “because” each one knows the plague of his own heart, it says “when” each one knows.  There is such a difference.  It is not the lack of a plague in each person’s heart, it is a lack of recognition, of acknowledgement. 

How many people have you shared the Gospel with that are convinced they are a good person and therefore have no need for a savior?  Indeed these people may be relatively more kind than those who claim to know Jesus.  But their heart deceives them.  Jesus told us that “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:17-18)  Everyone is already condemned, and without Jesus, there is no hope of salvation.  In speaking of the work of the Holy Spirit, Jesus said “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.” (John 16:8-11)  For these folks, the plague of their heart is that they have rejected Christ, they have rejected conviction by the Holy Spirit.  Bible.org notes “The unpardonable sin is the sin of rejection. The unpardonable sin is defined as blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, because when Christ was on earth, the religious leaders were attributing his miracles to demonic powers when in fact they were the product of the Holy Spirit working in the life of Christ (Matt. 12:12-32). This demonstrated a heart that had become so hard that it precluded repentance because Christ’s words and works were a clear evidence of the ministry of the Holy Spirit in Him as the Anointed One, the Messiah of the Old Testament. To reject Christ and claim His works were from Satan was a clear evidence of both unbelief and an unrepentant heart. That’s why it was considered unpardonable.”  Rejection of Jesus Christ is a plague of the heart.

Yet there are times when born-again Christians can be awakened to a plague of their heart, of sins other than the rejection of Christ.  Look at how the priests in 1 Kings 8:10-12 could not continue their ministry and had to leave the house of the LORD when His presence entered.  David Guzik stated “We know that God is good and that God is love; why should an intense presence of goodness and love make the priests feel they could not continue? Because God is not only goodness and love, He is also holy - and the holiness of God made the priests feel that they could no longer stand in His presence.  The intense sense of the presence of our holy God is not a "warm and fuzzy" feeling. Men like Peter, Isaiah, and John felt stricken in the presence of God. This was not because God forced an uncomfortable feeling upon them, but because they simply could not be comfortable sensing the difference between their sinfulness and the holiness of God.”

Isaiah, a prophet that spoke the words of God, upon seeing the Lord sitting upon a throne, said “Woe is me, for I am undone!  Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” (Isaiah 6:5)

Peter, upon meeting Jesus for the first time when Jesus miraculously filled their boats with fish, said “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” (Luke 5:8)

The Apostle John, as Jesus revealed Himself with hair and head white as wool, eyes like a flame of fire, feet like fine brass, voice as the sound of many waters, a sharp two-edged sword out of His mouth and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength, when John saw Him, “fell at His feet as dead.” (Revelation 1:17)

Brothers and sisters, even those of us who have surrendered to Christ, seek to serve Him, and love Him for His endless grace, we still have yet to truly comprehend His holiness.  It is humbling.

If you have shared the complete Gospel with your friends and they continue to reject Christ, then pray for them.  Pray that Christ will reveal Himself to them.  Pray that they will see His holiness which in turn will reveal their sinfulness.  Pray that such a time will be “when” they know the plague of their own heart.  God is so good.  When they know and ask, God will hear in heaven, and forgive them, and act.  Because He knows their heart, and then they will as well.

May you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Only God Can Forgive Sins - Mark 2:7

 “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this?  Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

In this passage of scripture, Jesus had been teaching in a house, a packed house, inside and out.  Some guys bring along their friend to be healed.  Since they could not get near the door, they tore the roof apart and dropped their friend down to the floor in front of Jesus.  “When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven you.’” (Mark 2:5)  Scribes were in the audience and they did not like what they heard, asking ‘who can forgive sins but God alone?’

His Right to Forgive

It was good doctrine, wrongly applied.  “They were expositors of the law, and their doctrine was true—that it is blasphemy for any creature to undertake the pardon of sin, and that it is God’s prerogative.  “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.”  (Isaiah 43:25)  But, as is usual with such teachers, their application was false, and was the effect of their ignorance and enmity to Christ. It is true, none can forgive sins but God only; but it is false that therefore Christ cannot, who had abundantly proved himself to have a divine power.” (Matthew Henry)

It is enlightening to read what the demons called Jesus, such as ‘Son of God’ (Matthew 8:29).  It can be even more enlightening to study closely what the scribes and Pharisees objected to about Christ.  In this case and in many others, their very criticism and actions reveal the divinity of Jesus. “The experts in the law were hoist with their own petard. On their own stated beliefs the man could not be cured, unless he was forgiven. He was cured, therefore he was forgiven. Therefore Jesus’ claim to forgive sin must be true.” (Barclay)

Further, Jesus perceived in His spirit what they reasoned in their hearts.  “This proves him to be God, and therefore confirmed what was to be proved, that he had authority to forgive sins; for he searched the heart, and knew what was in man.   God’s royalties are inseparable, and he that could know thoughts, could forgive sins.” (Matthew Henry)

Based upon the proper doctrine, ask yourself: ‘who in this world is currently forgiving sins?’  Jesus died so that we could be forgiven of our sins and have a personal relationship with Him.  Do not let anyone come between you and Jesus Christ.

Your Right to Forgive Yourself

When we finally realize what Jesus has done to forgive our sins, the depths He has gone to for an undeserving, wretched sinner like me, we are able to stop focusing on ourselves and joyfully accept the mercy and grace of God.  “Jesus will not disagree with the principle that God alone can forgive sins. This is an important principle for all who struggle with the concept of self-forgiveness, in the sense of “I know God forgives me, but I just can’t forgive myself.” This principle teaches us that we were never intended to forgive ourselves, and we don’t have the authority to do so. The real issue is believing and accepting the forgiveness of God, and allowing the reality of His great forgiveness to overwhelm our feelings about ourselves.” (David Guzik)

The Miracle of Forgiveness

Jesus called the sick man ‘son,’ and endearing term, a term of compassion.  How compassionate, loving and full of mercy God is toward us.  The greatest miracle in the Bible, in my opinion, is forgiveness.   Man only might know a bit about a few of the sins you have actually committed.  Unlike man, Jesus knows your thoughts, so he knows not just the particular aspects of all the sins you have committed, but also knows your thoughts and therefore the particulars of the sins you have considered in your mind.  When you realize that nothing is hidden from Him, are you not truly amazed at God’s love, a love that would forgive you after all you have done or even thought about doing?  A love so encompassing that He would sacrifice His own Son to save your sinning soul? 

It is only a forgiven sinner that can begin to grasp at the amazing grace of Jesus Christ, to whom we owe a debt that we cannot repay.

“‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear

And grace my fears relieved

How precious did that grace appear

The hour I first believed”

Do not wait.  Believe on Jesus Christ the Son of God, accept His gift of forgiveness and receive salvation unto eternal life.  Your life will never be the same.

May you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

Promises Kept – 1 Kings 8:23-24

“and he said: “LORD God of Israel, there is no God in heaven above or on earth below like You, who keep Your covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts, You have kept what You promised Your servant David my father; You have both spoken with Your mouth and fulfilled it with Your hand, as it is this day.”

"God sent the promise on purpose to be used. If I see a Bank of England note, it is a promise for a certain amount of money, and I take it and use it. But oh my friend, do try and use God's promises; nothing pleases God better than to see his promises put in circulation; he loves to see his children bring them up to him, and say, 'Lord, do as thou hast said.' And let me tell you that it glorifies God to use his promises." (Spurgeon)

When we read through the Old Testament and see the fulfillment of so many of His promises, it strengthens our faith.  He spoke it and He fulfilled it.  God says He will fulfill His word, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”  (Isaiah 55:11)  This is the God I want to serve.  God has given us many promises in Scripture, hundreds more than listed here: 

 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

“that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”  (Romans 10:9)

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”  (Matthew 6:33)

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it.  For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”  (Joshua 1:8)

“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”  (Galatians 5:16)

“And we know all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”  (Romans 8:28)

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”  (Jeremiah 29:11)

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.  There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”  (Revelation 21:4)

Who is this God that makes all these promises?  “But our God, in whom we trust, is a God with a great, warm, loving heart, a thinking God, an active God, a working, personal God, who comes into the midst, of this world, and does not leave it to go on by itself. Although he is a stranger in the world, even as his people also are strangers and foreigners by reason of the revolt that men have made against their liege Lord and Sovereign, yet it is still his world, and he is still in it.” (Spurgeon)

May you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

In Whom Do You Believe? – 2 Timothy 1:12

“For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.”

Chuck Smith made the following statement about this verse that greatly impacted the strength of my faith.  He said: 

“Now notice, he didn't say I know what I believe. Now there's a lot of people today say, ‘well I know what I believe. You know, I believe in the Orthodoxy. I believe in the Apostle's Creed. I believe…’ and they know what they believe. But it's not what you believe or in what you believe but it's in whom you believe that's important. "I know in whom I have believed."   I have committed my life to Him. I am persuaded He's able to keep it. I know in whom I have believed. Correct orthodoxy is important, but a Creed can't save you, only Jesus Christ can save you. It's not belief in a system. It's not belief in a religion. It's not belief in a doctrinal position. It's belief in a person that brings salvation. It's the belief in Jesus Christ. And so we know, we need to know in whom we have believed.”

Until you know Jesus, until you can answer his question “But who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15), until you have a deep, personal relationship with our Lord and Savior, the doctrine we are taught lacks power.  It lacks power against sin, against fear, against the burdens of this world.  When God and His glory become our great truth and focus, then we can have a real boldness in our lives. 

When I was a young teenager (which was well before cell phones and iPods), I had a bone infection in my leg that went undiagnosed for far too long.  Once diagnosed, my mother had to drive me over five hours to get to the Navy hospital in Oakland for more tests and, unknown to me, to see if they could save my leg.  We traveled in our VW Karmann-Ghia that had no radio.  We passed the time playing word games and singing.  I fondly remember singing the song based upon this verse – at the top of my longs.  I was having fun, spending time with mom, not in school.  Only now that I am older do I understand my mother’s tears during our singing, which she said were happy tears.

In whom do you believe?

May you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

[This post is early as we will likely be on passage on our sailboat and will not have internet on Saturday.  In the meantime, have a most blessed Resurrection Day!]