Life #34 - A New Heart with Washing and Cleansing



007 (30) 2011-11-27

Is there any hope for a depraved heart? Jeremiah, the disillusioned prophet, thought so. He said the heart could be washed of its wickedness (Jeremiah 4:14). Accordingly, Jesus washed us from our sins (Revelation 1:5 NKJV) and continues to wash the church by his word for our perfection.

• “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word…that it should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:26, 27).

We are not by-standers in our cleansing. For the sake of God’s promises the Scripture urges us to wash ourselves. This washing is from all “filthiness of the flesh and spirit” that we might perfect holiness out of reverence for God (2 Corinthians 7:1 NKJV).

After the heart is cleansed, or made new, it becomes a container for good treasure. The heart is honest, rejoices, and believes. It is steadfast, pure, true, and unblameable. The heart knows God, just as God knows the heart. God’s laws are contained in it, as well as the love of God, the earnest of the Spirit, and the Spirit of his Son. Finally, the peace of God rules there*. More importantly, Jesus dwells in our hearts by faith (Ephesians 3: 17; Galatians 2:20 and 1 John 3:24; Colossians 1:27).

We are to have “hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints” (1 Thessalonians 3:13). Are we washed? Are we holy? The Lord is returning for unblameable hearts.

Scripture quotations from the King James Version (KJV) unless otherwise noted; excerpts are taken from our book to be released next year. *(Matthew 12:35; Luke 8:15; John 16:22; Acts 8:37; 1 Corinthians 7:37; 2 Timothy 2:22; 1 Thessalonians 3:13; Jeremiah 24:7 and Luke 16:15; Hebrews 10:16; Romans 5:5; 2 Corinthians 1:22; Galatians 4:6; Colossians 3:15; respectively).

Life #33 - The Corrupt Heart, an Obstacle to Life

018/2011-07-30

The prophet Jeremiah wrote a lot about the workings of the heart and it was pretty grim. He said the “heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). He questioned if anyone could even know such a heart because of its evil nature. He called the heart revolting and rebellious, filled with pride and haughtiness (Jeremiah 3:17; 5:23; 48:29 KJV).

The apostles in the early church agreed. They wrote that the heart is ineffectual when it doubts, is slow to believe, and is troubled and afraid (Mark 11:23; Luke 24:25; John 14:27 KJV). The heart is full of lusts, is foolish and darkened (Romans 1:24, 21 KJV). Even Jesus revealed the place where adultery is committed—and it was not in the bed—“But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28 NIV).

What’s more, the heart is depraved because sin resides there and defiles the whole circuit of our actions. Jesus said, “…those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies; These are the things which defile a man…” (Matthew 15: 18-20 KJV).

Yet, worst of all, when Christians harden our hearts (Hebrews 3:15), the resulting unbelief prevents us from entering into any of God’s promises (Hebrews 3:19 KJV)—even the promise of life (John 11: 26 NIV)!

Scripture quotations from New King James Version (NKJV) unless otherwise noted; excerpts are taken from our book to be released next year.

Life #32 - The Heart's Emotions, Reason, and Will

004/2011-05-21

Mature Christians, who follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, have early learned the importance of the human heart in the affairs of God and in his contact with humanity.

According to W. E. Vine’s Expository Dictionary (“Heart, Heartily”), he said that the heart eventually came to stand for humanity’s “entire mental and moral activity”.  In its moral significance in the Hebrew Bible, Vine writes that the heart “includes the emotions, the reason and the will”.

·       The heart’s emotions: “Then Hannah prayed and said: My heart rejoices in the Lord…” (1 Samuel 2:1 NIV).

·       The heart’s reason: “…consider it in your heart, that the Lord Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other” (Deuteronomy 4:39).

·       The heart’s will: “Take from among you an offering to the Lord. Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as an offering to the Lord: gold, silver, and bronze;” (Exodus 35:5).

Through our heart’s emotions (feelings), reason (working out dissimilar thoughts), and will (a deliberate resolve through strong desire), we understand ourselves as expressive, rational, and determined human beings.

However, the early prophets and apostles did not trust the actions of the heart in its raw state; so they urged us to clean the heart. The cleansed heart then becomes the most versatile and powerful instrument of God’s creations.

Who knew that out of the heart zōē-life would flow and influence our total salvation of spirit, soul, and body? Jesus.

Scripture quotations from New King James Version (NKJV) unless otherwise noted; Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testatment Words (1981); excerpts taken from our book to be released next year.

Life #31 - A Clear Sign that the Rapture is Imminent

Recent controversies in the news this year require us to bring clarity to the Rapture. First, the “Rapture” is not a biblical word. The apostle Paul referred to it as “the day of Christ” (2 Thessalonians 2:1, 2 NKJV). Second, this is an event that occurs at Christ’s return, when Christians are seized, caught away, taken (by force) to be with their Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

Even the early church at Thessalonica had their difficulties over the timing of the Rapture. They expected “the day of Christ” to occur during their lifetime. It wouldn’t, the apostle Paul informed them. In his second letter to the Thessalonians, he corrected some false ideas about the Lord’s return. Paul also assured those who thought they had missed “the day of Christ” that they hadn’t—because all the signs had not manifested (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 NKJV).

Note that Jesus said all occurrences surrounding his return would complete themselves within the span of one generation (Matt 24:27, 34).

So, although we cannot know the specific “day or hour” of Christ’s return (Matt 24:36), we can know when the Rapture-event will occur:

And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17 NKJV).

When we see our dead friends and relatives stand up from their resting places, know that our Rapture is imminent because they join us in the event!

====================================================================

Scripture quotations from New King James Version (NKJV) unless otherwise noted; Greek definitions from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible: caught up #726 – harpazō, har-pad’-zo; to seize:—catch (away, up), pluck, take (by force) [like Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:2, 4]; rise #450 – anistēmi, an-is’-tay-mee; to stand up:—raise up (again); rise (again); Connected with Blog #6; excerpts from our book to be released next year.