What's The Condition Of Your Heart? | | Print | |
Written by Lu |
Tuesday, 05 November 2013 15:33 |
What are the people of God asking for in these days?
I woke up thinking of the time when Jesus stood before Pilate, and Pilate asked the people who should he set free, Barabbas or Jesus, and the people cried out and said give us Barabbas. I feel compelled to speak to you concerning the condition of the hearts of men during that great moment in history and in the days we are living, the end of days: 2) I want to examine the condition of the hearts of the religious leaders of the day; the High Priest and the members of the Sanhedrin Council. 3) Lastly, I want to examine the condition of the hearts of those who knew Jesus best and who had the greatest understanding of who Jesus was; those who had a personal relationship with him. Some of you here have faced that feeling and though you have tried to move on, you have never felt the same trust and security again, especially if it was a deep relationship. More than likely you probably have a hard time really opening your heart to anyone that way. It’s a part of yourself preservation to try to prevent that from happening again. How can this be? How can people who aren’t right with God do such wonderful works and still be lost? The answer can be found in the fact that God is faithful to his Word, no matter who speaks that word. The Word of God can never fail, but man will fail. Never let your heart be fooled because a preacher has a ministry of healing, or is used in the working of miracles. These things happening in the services are not a sign that the preacher is right with God. Too many people have fallen into that trap. Some great programs and great ministries are often led by men whose hearts are far from being right with God, and no matter how great the ministry may be, there is always the possibility that the imperfect man who leads it will fall into sin. Of The World? For a moment let’s look at what happened during Jesus’ trial before Pilate. Point #1 The condition of the hearts of those who were of the world. Jesus had been arrested illegally tried before the High Priest and the Council of the Jews and found guilty. The Jews were set on murdering Jesus, but they were going to try to force the Romans to be the executioners so that they would not be found in violation of Roman law. It was the same as it is now. Very few people in the gentile nations even knew that Jesus existed. Perhaps they had heard of some miracles, or had heard the name of Jesus, but they paid little attention to any of it because it was happening in a land far from where they lived and had no impact on their own daily lives. While Israel, the Roman authorities and the disciples were all caught up in the turmoil of the crucifixion, the rest of the world went about their daily lives as though nothing was happening at all. What happened in Jerusalem just didn’t seem to matter to them. In comparison, the hearts of men around the world are still in that same condition today. While we in the church are preaching about the Second Coming of Christ and we are watching for his imminent return, the rest of the world doesn’t give it a second thought. Though men can see that something is getting ready to happen; and they know through TV and news reports that some great event is looming, they really don’t think about it. They are too busy with living from day to day. Even though we try to tell them that the end is drawing closer, most people continue to live as though they will never die and the world will last forever. They really don’t believe that man will face God’s judgment. They walk on blindly toward the pit, believing that somehow, everything will be all right. Are You Truly A Christian? The second category of people that I want to look at, point #2 is the condition of the hearts of the High Priest and Jewish Council. These were the Children of Abraham, people to whom the promises of God’s covenant had been given. These were the people who should have been most aware of who Jesus was. They had been given the Law of God, the writing of the Old Testament Prophets and they had everything at their disposal to know and recognize the Son of God when He came into their midst. But their hearts were not right with God. They had perverted the Word of God to their own profit. They had observed the Law in order to gain the admiration, respect and obedience of the people. They had held true to their convictions only so that they could have the power over the people and become lords over the House of Israel. These religious leaders can only be compared to the church of today. When we talk about Christianity, that term includes a vast number of congregations, preachers and religious leaders around the world. The problem is that most of what the world calls Christianity isn’t Christian at all. Just because we have a cross above the steeple, or the word Christian in our name, or we wear a cross around our neck, it doesn’t mean that we are really Christian. To be truly Christian means that we have a relationship with Christ, live like Christ, desire the things of Christ and we are watching faithfully for the return of Christ, while we do the works of righteousness that the Word of Christ instructs us to do. To be Christian means more than just believing in Jesus, for even devils believe in Jesus, yet they are not Christian by any means. You can ask most people on the street if they know Jesus, and most will say yes, but they aren’t serving him. It was Spiritual Manipulation; controlling the hearts and minds of people by the abuse of God’s own Word. If you open your eyes you will see them everywhere. There are preachers who have a stranglehold on their congregation and control them though their own set of rules and regulations in the church; preachers who manipulate your thinking by presenting sad stories and fabricating ideas that convince you to send them your support; preachers who milk the sheep for their own gain and then convince you that if you aren’t getting rich then you aren’t saved; preachers who manipulate the Word of God to meet their own agenda and then tell you that you need to depend upon them for teaching because you can’t understand it on your own; preachers who try to control your life through legalism but can’t even live up to their own standards. Nothing has changed except the names of the people. Included in this group of people would be the people of Israel who were led astray by their religious leaders. They thought they were doing right thing. Just look at Saul. He was a Pharisee, the strictest of all the religious leaders who observed the Law all the time. He was well educated in the scriptures and knew the law better than most. He was fervent in his convictions and very protective of his religion, even to the point of persecuting those who were considered as threats to the Jewish faith. Today, we see so much division within the church, doctrinal differences and differences in interpretation of the scriptures that keeps the church from fulfilling its destiny. There is so much fighting inside that we can’t focus on fighting the forces of darkness on the outside. Sometimes they work because they want recognition; sometimes to be placed in positions of leadership and authority; and sometimes just to keep up the appearance of being a part of God’s family. But if those are the only reasons, then its all for nothing. We must be willing to serve simply because we love Jesus and for no other reason. We present Christ to the church, week after week, and just as Pilate stood Jesus and Barabbas before them on that day; we present to you every week, Jesus, the Savior of the world, the Son of God; and the sin of the world. And week after week, people who claim to be Christians, turn their back on Jesus and choose Barabbas when they walk out the door, desiring the things of this world more than the things of Christ. Most of the Church world today still cries out “crucify Him!” They don’t really want to follow Jesus. They don’t want to be committed and faithful, dedicated to God. They want a weekly “fix” and then go out and enjoy the world the rest of the week. They still scream, by their actions, “Give us Barabbas! Away with Jesus! We don’t want to be controlled by the Son of God, or surrender our will to his!”
A Personal Relationship? Lastly now, I want to examine the condition of the hearts of those who were close to Christ; those who walked with him and had a personal relationship with Jesus.
Church as we see the end of all things approaching and we know that the coming of the Lord is upon us, we sometimes find ourselves worrying about whether God will bring us through. "Will I lose my job, my house; my security?" Christians are some of the biggest worry warts I know. Sometimes knowing what’s coming seems worst than just being able to go about our merry way in ignorance. We look around and it seems that people who don’t give God a thought are doing so great. Life is good for them, while we are constantly concerned over our lost loved ones and fear that so many will be left behind to face the wrath of God. That’s where the church needs to be today, but we will never be that without being full of the power of the Holy Ghost! We simply can’t do anything without the power of the Holy Ghost! In these last days God is not looking for a church that is hiding fearful in a corner behind closed doors. God is looking for a church that is filled with power and that is Running forward in faith with the blood stained banner of the Cross flying high in the winds of adversity. We are Running onward to Zion, that beautiful city of God! We must run on, holding our ranks, advancing on the strongholds of the devil and pushing back the tide of evil. Don’t give up the fight! Never Surrender! Through the power of the Holy Ghost we will overcome! Are you part of the worldly crowd that never gives God a thought? Are you caught up with the religious leaders, more concerned about your own programs and your own agenda, than about the will of God? Maybe you identified with the religious group that cried out “Give us Barabbas” because you prefer to live your own life than surrender your life to Christ? Or are you a part of that glorious church, without spot of sin, wrinkle of disobedience to Word of God, and blemish of rebellion against the leadership of the Holy Ghost in your life? The only group going to be part of His Kingdom is the one that has made themselves ready, and are watching and waiting. Examine your heart – the Word of the Lord will reveal your true condition right now.
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 05 November 2013 15:41 |