Its a Matter of the Heart!

All scripture references, unless otherwise noted, are from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.
Jeremiah 17:9-10  says, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings."  Ah, to get to the heart of the matter has been mankind's desire from time immemorial.  But it is God that searches the heart, He tries our  reins or motives to see which way we will go! thus the Bible says in Proverbs 4:23,  "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." I wonder how often this passage of scripture has been used in sermons. More than a few, no doubt. As the title to this post says its a matter of the heart. Another scripture often used in conjunction with Proverbs 4:23 is Psalm 68:20b  "... and unto GOD the Lord belong the issues from death." So it seems to be a very important subject. Out of the heart flow the issues of life but the Lord Jesus will be the final Judge of not just what we say but what we do. I asked the church in Tigard, Oregon one time how many wanted to make heaven their home? Every hand went up! Then I said that only the Lord Jesus would get them there. For to Him "...belong the issues from death." Something to think about!

The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 5:27-28, "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." (This is just one of Jesus's subjects from the Sermon on the Mount) Of the men among us, who hasn't looked on a woman with the thought, fleeting though it may be, of wondering what it would be like... I like what an older minister said in a ministers only meeting at a UPC General Conference many years ago, he couldn't stop thoughts from coming into his head any more than he could stop birds from flying over his head but he didn't have to let them build a nest there. Apostle James said in James 1:14-16, "...every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren." Its only when lust conceives in our hearts that sin is brought forth. We do not need to err in this matter.

The Bible asks the question in the opening statement, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" You can"t know your heart any more than I can know mine, but the next verse tells of One who can and does, "I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings."  The LORD does know and try our hearts. Thank God that the Bible says of Jesus in 1st John 2:1, "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous..." The Lord Jesus took upon Himself  the fruit of our doings. Have you taken advantage of the Advocate yet. It is a Matter of the Heart!