"Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, but humility goes before honor."
Proverbs 18:12
We live in the "me" generation. The pursuit of "self-realization" has elevated selfishness to new heights of "vain glory." "Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman without discretion" (Proverbs 11:22). Few things are more grotesque than the god that is self. That is beauty without discretion. I invite you to think with me briefly about the "altar of self."
Today's culture is loud and proud. Social media absorb us (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest, Blogger, etc.). We are slaves, constantly posting about what we see, hear, think, and do as if we were trying to impress someone. We have lost our sense of privacy. Our opinions, thoughts, feelings, or emotions are all posted on social media and everywhere. We sound off without a second thought. We serve only our selfish and fleshly "interests."
We strive for worldly perfection and the approval and praise of men. Our social media compel us to seek the flattery of others with the sole purpose of serving our vanity. We play the "comparison game" to see who is better and more significant. We gauge our worth according to our popularity. Shameless bragging comes as naturally as breathing. Without realizing it, we fall into the snare of buildingan altar to self. We forget to live for God in heaven. Instead, we live for self, serving our vanity, pride, and selfishness. We fall to all of Satan's snares, feeding and nurturing our vain little god through all these fleshly things.
Serving ourselves feels good. It feels easy, safe, quick, and painless. We buy quickly into the world's biggest lie of what real happiness is. We try to find it ourselves. We become easy prey to our culture's propaganda of "self-love" and "discovering one's true self." We set off on our journey to "find ourselves." And although we may find out many helpful or valuable things through these self-help techniques and discover a talent here and there, we still need help, and something still needs to be added. Our hearts still yearn for that definition of who we are and whom we are serving. Our heart still misses the restoration that can only come by turning away from self and the sins of self and moving on toward Christ. The altar of self we have created is vain, conceited, and sinful!
We keep forgetting that Christ never focused on His vanity but on serving and loving others. The prudent Christian does not seek "self" but Christ. He is content to be the invisible servant known only to his Savior and Lord and approved of Him. The Lord's servant does not seek opportunities to serve at the altar of self, his flesh. He turns away from conceit and vanity. This is not his principal goal, nor does he seek it out.
"For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." Galatians 5:13
The "altar of self" is loud, corrupt, and uncontrolled. The tongue cannot hold back because the "altar of self" will not allow it. It expresses itself without control, doing what it wants and desires. It does not care about the consequences for others. The danger of the "altar of self" is that it does not encourage discretion. The tongue leaves thoughtfulness behind. Vain talk is valued over silence and wisdom. Sadly, it renders us weak so that we do not restrain ourselves from our foolish thinking, so we make unwise choices.
Let us keep in mind that Christ was our best example of self-control. He never made a fool of Himself. He was wise and thoughtful with His words. He was tactful. The Word of God places a high value on being thoughtful. It values silence more highly than talk. The prudent person uses discretion as his norm for living. He knows what to say or express without losing his temper or self-control. He is considered wise. He knows when to be silent.
"Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is considered prudent."Proverbs 17:28
"A fool always loses his temper, but a wise man holds it back."Proverbs 29:11
"When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise."Proverbs 10:19
The primary goal of the "altar of self" is the perfect earthly life. His only affection is the earthly life with little focus on the inner life, the heart, the inner man, the man that yearns to be like Christ. He who builds the "altar of self" wastes his life chasing worldly perfection and satisfaction. Contentment is ambiguous and difficult to find. Unfortunately, this is the American idea of success and satisfaction.
Let us not forget that Christ’s primary focus was to live for others for us. His primary focus was not on pursuing the praise and approval of men, material possessions, or living the good life. His goal was to be faithful and lay down Himself and His life for us so that we might live. His affection was in heaven rather than on earth. We deceive ourselves when we think living a "perfect life" means chasing after the altar of self, our selfish interests. Christ is our best example of living and focusing on heavenly kingdom goals. Christ focused on His heavenly kingdom and nothing else. He focused on being at the right hand of His Father. His goals were for the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Are we mainly focusing on ourselves or the kingdom of God, our Father? We are in danger when we aim our goals at ourselves, the "altar of self," rather than at Christ and His kingdom, His rule. It is in seeking the kingdom of God that we are going to find absolute joy and freedom. Lest we forget, the self is a prison, and Christ is our freedom.
"Then He said to them, 'Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.'"Luke 12:15
"But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction." I Timothy 6:9
The "altar of self" is mainly rooted in pride. We run our lives masking and covering up our sins. We cannot see the need for repentance or godly sorrow, nor do we seek salvation. All this serves only one purpose: to fuel our pride, our temporary fleshly feelings of satisfaction and achievement. That pride leads us to believe we are "good enough on our own" and "good people." Sadly, the need to surrender to God's will and follow God is never acknowledged.
Christ is our best example of humility. There was no selfish pride in Him at all. He was humble, lowly, meek, and a servant. He focused on God and His ministry. His character is our example to follow. He was focused on the love of others since there was no pride or selfishness in Him. There was no "altar of self" in Him. A true follower of Christ is not proud or selfish. He knows that pride and selfishness cannot peacefully coexist with the self-denial of a true follower of Christ. If we do not pursue Christ and His righteousness, forsaking the altar of self, we cannot bear good fruit nor be saved. It renders us weak and fruitless, making us lose our souls eternally.
"When pride comes, then comes dishonor, but with the humble is wisdom."Proverbs 11:2
"Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips." Proverbs 27:2
"But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, 'God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble."'James 4:6
May all of our goals be more Christ-like and less of the world. May our primary focus be on God alone and His kingdom of righteousness. May we enjoy the fruits of our labor and God's blessings. May they never take our primary focus from Christ and His kingdom. May we never make idols out of them. May we always focus on and store up our treasures in heaven and not on earthly ones since they will eventually pass away. May we always let God lead us, leaving behind the "altar of self." May we be more humble and obedient to God so that we may be wiser and at peace with Him and one day be in heaven with Him forever.
"For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world."I John 2:16
"Now the Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing that he should not go after other gods; but he did not observe what the Lord had commanded. So the Lord said to Solomon, 'Because you have done this, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant. Nevertheless I will not do it in your days for the sake of your father David, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen."'
I Kings 11:9-13
THE KINGDOM DIVIDES (I KINGS 11-16)
Solomon turned away from the LORD in his later years, worshiping the gods that his many wives had brought with them into the kingdom. The kingdom of Israel divided in 975 B.C. because Solomon began to serve idols toward the end of his reign. Rehoboam, his son, likewise made many mistakes that provoked the division. Considering how much God had blessed him, it is sad that Solomon failed to remain faithful to his beloved Jehovah. God had made him famously wise and wealthy, yet he strayed from the One he once said he loved. Because of his unfaithfulness, God was angry with him. He promised Solomon that after his death, his kingdom was going to be divided, torn in two because of his disobedience. God kept His promise! Israel remained a split nation, split because of the king's apostasy. Do you remember the warning that God gave Israel through the Prophet Samuel about having a king? God said that an earthly king would bring hardship. And indeed, this was happening. Indeed, very few of Israel's later kings honored the LORD as David and Solomon had done in the early years of their reigns. Because of this unfaithfulness and disobedience to God, Israel paid a terrible price: they lost God's protection and eventually lost their kingdom.
I. I Kings 11:26-43
As God had promised, He raised up a subordinate against Solomon. His name was Jeroboam, an Ephraimite, who was the son of Solomon's servant Nebat. He was chosen to be the leader, and head of Solomon's northern tribes referred to as the Northern Kingdom because of their geographical location in the northern end of Israel. Jeroboam was approached by a prophet named Ahijah the Shilonite, who told him that he would become king of the ten tribes of Israel since Solomon had sinned. Moreover, he also learned that his kingdom would be equal to David's, giving all of Israel to him. But there was one condition. He was to obey God's commands, walking in His ways and doing what was right in His sight. When Solomon heard this, he sought to put Jeroboam to death, but Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt to Shishak king of Egypt for safety where he was welcomed. He remained in Egypt until Solomon died. Solomon reigned a total of forty years and was buried with his fathers. His son Rehoboam then ascended the throne. Soon Jeroboam returned to Israel to claim his place as king of the northern tribes.
II. Egyptian King Shishak or Sheshong (935-914 BC)
Sheshong was a Lybian warrior who most likely was the pharaoh who befriended Jeroboam when he fled to Egypt for security. Remember, Solomon wanted to kill him. Sheshong married one of the old pharaoh's daughters. Then claimed the throne when the pharaoh died. This was the beginning of Egypt's 22nd Dynasty. Sheshong is well known for his military campaigns against the kingdoms of Judah and Israel. He attacked Jerusalem stripping the Temple of its treasures. He even took the beautiful golden shields that Solomon had made. Later he went north attacking Jeroboam's forces at Megiddo. There he built a stele with his name on it to commemorate his victory.
KINGS OF THE NORTHERN KINGDOM, ISRAEL
The following dates were taken from A History of Israel by John Bright. There are several possible sets of dates. The dates will vary according to the scholars, but most of them mark the date of the divided kingdom as 931 BC.
KINGS OF ISRAEL
Jeroboam
922-901 BC
Bad
Chosen by God.
Reigned for 22 years.
I Kings 14:19-20
When Solomon died, the kingdom's support was divided between Rehoboam, Solomon's son and successor, and Jeroboam, whom the LORD had chosen as king. Rehoboam increased the burdens of forced labor and high taxes, which had already grown heavy under Solomon's reign. The northern tribes rebelled. When they complained to Rehoboam seeking more lenient treatment, he took it as an insult to kingship. Moreover, he threatened to impose twice the burden that his father had.
They revolted. The ten northern tribes left the kingdom and followed Jeroboam, forming a new nation with the same name as the old one, Israel. Only two tribes remained faithful to the house of David: Judah and Benjamin along with some Levites. The southern kingdom became known as Judah. They were all that was left to Rehoboam. It is sad that the great kingdom that had taken David and Solomon 80 years to build was diminished in such a short time after Solomon's death. Without a doubt, this division of the kingdom made it more vulnerable, making it easier for their foreign enemies to attack both kingdoms.
Jeroboam made a disastrous mistake at the beginning of his reign. In attempting to resolve a place to worship, Jeroboam created two places of worship since Israel did not include Jerusalem where the LORD'S Temple was located. In these new places of worship, he put two golden calf idols: one in Dan on the northern border and another one in Bethel on the southern border. His second mistake was to appoint non-Levite priests. Moreover, he also changed the holidays that God had ordained. To make things worse, Jeroboam refused to receive the counsel of the prophet sent by God. As a consequence of this, Jeroboam lost favor with God. God cut off his line, his dynasty.
When Jeroboam died, his son also did evil before God. From then on, none of the kings of Israel obeyed or followed God, I Kings 12-14.
Nadab
901-900 BC
Bad
He reigned
For two years.
He was assassinated.
I Kings 15:25
Nadab was the son of Jeroboam. He did evil before the LORD. Judah captured the Southernmost part of Israel’s region after he took the throne. This left the kingdom weak allowing the Philistines to take advantage of Nadab’s weaknesses. Baasha killed him and his entire family at Gibbethon, taking the throne. I Kings 15:25-31
Baasha
900-877 BC
Bad
Reigned for 24 years.
I Kings 15:33
He did not follow the LORD and did evil in His sight. He smote all the house of Jeroboam, fulfilling Ahijah’s prophecy, I Kings 5:29-30. He surely had a brutal beginning. Military losses marked his reign. He fought with Asa, king of Judah.
I Kings 15:29-16:5-6
Elah
877-876 BC
Bad
Reigned seven years.
Assassinated.
I Kings 16:8
One of his army officers named Zimri killed him when was drunk. Zimri then proceeded to kill everyone in Elah’s line to claim the throne.
I Kings 16:8-14
Zimri
876 BC
Bad.
Reigned seven days.
Assassinated.
I Kings 6:15
His savage brutality did not help him at all. He only reigned for seven days. The Israelites refused to validate his kingship, and instead, they claimed Omri, the second commander of the army as king. When Zimri realized that he had lost all support, he set fire to the palace and died in the same fire.
I Kings 16:11-20
Omri
876 – 869 BC
Very Bad.
Chosen by army.
He reigned 12 years.
I Kings 16:23
He did not follow the LORD but did evil. He was considered to be more evil than the other kings. He obtained Samaria, this being one of his biggest accomplishments. He also built its capital there.
I Kings 16:23-28
Ahab
869-850 BC
The Worst
Inherited throne.
He reigned in Samaria for 22 years.
I Kings 16:29
He did evil. He is considered the worst of all of Israel’s kings. He married Jezebel, a Phoenician woman, to make an alliance with the king of Tyre. Jezebel was a devoted Baal worshiper who brought with her hundreds of Baal prophets. Ahab tolerated and worshiped them. He also took part in their ceremonies.
In the days of Ahab, Hiel built Jericho with the loss of his first born as well as his youngest son, fulfilling the prophecy of Joshua, Joshua 6:26. The LORD raised up a great prophet named Elijah, who confronted the king, Ahab.
I Kings 16:29-17:24
GIANTS OF THE FAITH: ELIJAH, THE FIERY PROPHET (I KINGS 17-22 & II KINGS 1)
The Bible is full of extraordinary people, and the prophet Elijah is certainly one of them. He is called the "fiery prophet." He lived during the reigns of Ahab, Ahaziah, and Jehoram, kings of the Northern tribes of Israel. Elijah (meaning "my God is Jehovah") is one of the Old Testament’s greatest prophets. He performed many miracles from God such as:
He defeated the prophets of Baal. (Called fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice)
He raised a boy from the dead.
He predicted the fates of Ahab and Jezebel.
Finally, he ascended to heaven in a chariot when his time came.
Because of Ahab’s sin, Elijah proclaimed under God’s instructions that it would not rain until Elijah said so. When he announced this prophecy, Ahab and his wife Jezebel sought to kill him. He fled for his life. For three years, God took care of Elijah hiding him in the wilderness. Elijah camped beside a brook where ravens fed him with bread and meat every day. Notice that Elijah hid even in Jezebel’s former country, a Baal worshipping country. Perhaps, God protected him there to demonstrate that He was LORD of Baal’s territory as well as Israel. When the drought dried up the brook, God sent Elijah to the house of a widow in Sidon, a Phoenician city. That widow sustained him.
Elijah’s first miracle: When the Prophet met this poor widow she was down to her last portions of food. She planned to feed herself and her son one last time and then wait to die. When Elijah first met her, he asked her to share her last meal with him. He even asked her to feed him first but reassured her that God was going to provide. In return, trusting Elijah, God provided her with enough to make what they needed. Isn't it amazing that our God has such power over the forces of nature?
Elijah’s second miracle: The widow’s son suddenly became ill and died. She cried out to Elijah believing that this was happening because of her past sins, Elijah took her son and cried to the LORD. He stretched himself upon the child three times. He asked the LORD each time to restore the life of the child. Miraculously, the boy’s life returned to his body and Elijah carried him back to his mother. After seeing this, the widow placed her faith in the God of Elijah. Again, isn’t it something that God had power over life and death even in Baal’s territory?
Elijah’s third miracle: After three years of drought, the LORD spoke to Elijah again telling him to return to Ahab. When Elijah saw Ahab, he challenged him to a duel of deities. Elijah proposed to Ahab that he bring all of the 450 prophets of Baal to Mount Carmel to represent their god. Elijah, on the other hand, would represent the LORD all by himself. Once there, Elijah told the prophets of Baal to lay out a bull as a sacrifice to their god. He told them to call on their god to ignite the fire. After their altar had been built, they began to call on the name of their false gods. When nothing happened, they began to dance. Elijah mocked them asking if perhaps Baal might be sleeping or traveling or perhaps too busy. They began to cry out with a loud voice and cut themselves, offering their blood in an effort to attract Baal’s attention. To their surprise, nothing happened. By evening, it was evident that their altar would remain unlit. When it was Elijah’s turn, he used twelve stones, one for each tribe of the 12 tribes of Israel and rebuilt the altar on Mt. Carmel that was torn down by their false prophets. Although there were only ten tribes after the kingdom was divided, all twelve tribes were still God’s people. Do you remember other times when God’s people built 12 stone altars or monuments? How about Moses in Exodus 24 and Joshua in Joshua 4? There on Mt. Carmel, Elijah asked the people to drench the sacrifice three times with water and to fill a trench all the way around the altar with more water. They did as he requested. When it was the usual time for the evening sacrificial offering, Elijah prayed for God to make Himself known. He prayed, and the LORD answered decisively:
"At the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet came near and said, 'O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and I have done all these things at Your word. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that You, O Lord, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again.' Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The Lord, He is God; the Lord, He is God.'"I Kings 18:36-39.
Elijah’s encounter with the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel accentuates a beautiful contrast between false gods like Baal and the only True God. Consider this contrast:
The only True God provides what His people need without the need for rituals such as dancing and bloodletting such as is done in many forms of idolatry and false religions.
The only True God does not demand that His people cut and hurt themselves that God might hear them.
The only True God does not sleep or need rest and is never far away. God is always present, and He is never too busy for those who love Him, unlike the false gods who seem to be sleeping when their prophets call on them.
Unlike the false gods, the one True God is Master of all creation. Everything is under His control.
The one True God cares graciously for His people providing what they need even when they fall short. The false gods cannot do this.
Unlike false gods, God has all power to withhold the rain, as in this drought or to send the rain as He did when Elijah prayed on Mt. Carmel. He does all this whenever He chooses to do so.
Elijah killed all of the prophets of Baal. As Elijah ran back to Ahab’s capital, it began to rain. The drought was over! Elijah had proven once again that God alone has power over all the natural forces such as fire and rain.
When Ahab returned to his wife Jezebel and told her all that had happened, she immediately plotted to kill Elijah. She sent a message to let him know that she was going to kill him. Elijah fled for his life. He was so disturbed by Jezebel’s evil plan that he pleaded with God to take his life. The LORD, however, had other plans for him. God sent an angel to nourish Elijah with a jar of water and cake, baked over hot coals. He sent an angel twice to provide nourishment to prepare him for a 40-day journey to Mt. Horeb/Sinai, with no food at all. Can you imagine that? Nourished but deeply depressed, Elijah walked to Mt. Horeb. He felt that he was completely alone and that no one else served God in all of Israel.
Notice Elijah’s encounter with God on Mt. Horeb after the events of Mt. Carmel:
Alone in his cave, he waited to hear from the LORD. And while he was waiting, a windy storm arose, but God was not in the storm. An earthquake shook the cave, but God was not in the earthquake. A fire passed by, but God was not in the fire. Finally, Elijah heard a still small voice, and he went out of the cave to hear God speak. What is the lesson here?That God is not Baal. That God is the Creator of all the earth along with the elements that are in it. But He is not the elements themselves. He is a personal God, who desires a relationship with His creation. This still small voice comes with encouraging words and a reminder that He alone is Sovereign.
So important was Elijah as a prophet of God, that the Messianic prophecy of Malachi 4:5-6, invokes his name to foresee the work of John the Baptist.
"Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse."
Fascinating Facts: Baal Worship
The Israelites learned Baal worship from the Canaanites as well as from the Phoenicians like Jezebel. Baal worship focused mainly on fertility and the cycles of nature: growing crops, raising livestock and having children. Baal worshipers also believed that their storm god Baal caused life-giving rain since rain happened only during the rainy season, once a year. The story developed that Baal had to struggle each year with Mot, the god of death, to break the drought and cause the rains to come. Moreover, the rituals performed by the Baal worshipers such as body cutting, frenzied dancing, human sacrifice and acts of prostitution in the temple encouraged fertility and gave Baal the energy he needed to defeat Mot.
The Israelites were continually drawn into Baal worship. Their failure was that they wanted to serve two gods: the God of their fathers who brought them out of slavery in Egypt and Baal who according to what they believed and assumed brought life to their crops and livestock.
Elisha’s Call (I Kings 19:19-21)
When Elijah left Mount Horeb, he found Elisha, who was plowing the fields with his oxen. Elijah passed by and threw his cloak over him. In this symbolic act, Elijah indicated that Elisha was chosen to take up Elijah’s ministry. In an agrarian society, oxen are a crucial possession. When Elisha took his pair of oxen and sacrificed them and gave it to the people to eat, it indicated a full break from his past. Now Elisha was ready and willing to leave everything to follow Elijah and minister to him.
Naboth’s Vineyard (I Kings 21) Ahab had fallen in love with Naboth’s vineyard that happened to be located next to his palace. Ahab offered to buy that land from Naboth, but he refused. When Jezebel heard of this and saw how gloomy her husband was and that he was not eating, she immediately began to plot against Naboth. She wanted him dead! When her wicked plan worked, she told her husband Ahab to take possession of the land he had coveted so badly. Now it was time for Elijah to have one last encounter with Ahab and his wicked wife, Jezebel. When Elijah confronted Ahab with this horrendous crime, he answered, "Have you found me, O my enemy?' Elijah answered, 'I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the Lord. Behold, I will bring evil upon you, and will utterly sweep you away, and will cut off from Ahab every male, both bond and free in Israel; and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with which you have provoked Me to anger, and because you have made Israel sin. Of Jezebel also has the Lord spoken, saying, 'The dogs will eat Jezebel in the district of Jezreel.' The one belonging to Ahab, who dies in the city, the dogs will eat, and the one who dies in the field the birds of heaven will eat.'"
Indeed, Jezebel was a wicked woman. Because of all this evil, God decreed that dogs would eat her body. God was going to destroy his line. And when Ahab heard these words of judgment, he tore his clothes, putting on sackcloth and fasted. When the LORD saw that Ahab had humbled himself before Him, He decided to postpone the evil He promised until after Ahab’s death. What a merciful God that He would be moved even by such a wicked man when he humbled himself before His mighty throne!
Ahab is Attacked by the Aramean King (I Kings 20 & 22) Ben-Hadad, king of Aram (Damascus, in modern day Syria) got together his forces and left to attack Ahab in Samaria. Ahab had defeated Ben-Hadad’s army twice with the LORD’S help. Afterward, the two nations had made a treaty. After three years, Ahab and Jehoshaphat, king of Judah joined forces to defeat Ben-Hadad's army. Ahab, being a Baal worshiper sought counsel from his false prophets who all told him what he wanted to hear. They predicted a victory. Jehoshaphat insisted that they also seek the counsel of a prophet of the LORD. When Micaiah arrived, he anticipated defeat for both Israel and Judah. He also predicted the death of Ahab. Ahab refused to believe this prophecy.
Now Ahab and Jehoshaphat waged war at Ramoth-Gilead, against the king of Syria. Ahab worried about the prophecy, so he disguised himself before he went into battle. Unfortunately, his disguise did not protect him. He died in combat and was brought to Samaria where they buried him. Ahaziah, his son, became king over Israel in his place.
Ahaziah
850-849 BC
Bad
Inherited the throne.
He reigned two years
II Kings 1:17-18
Ahaziah worshiped Baal and did evil before the LORD. He walked in the way of his father. This angered the LORD. When Ahaziah injured himself by falling through the lattice of an upstairs room, he sent messengers to the shrine of Baal to find out if he would live or die. Elijah intercepted the messengers and told them to tell Ahaziah that he would not leave his bed but would die. In anger, he sent fifty soldiers to capture Elijah. The prophet said to the captain of fifty, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty." Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. A second group of soldiers met the same fate. When the third group arrived, the captain begged Elijah to spare their lives.
Then the angel of the LORD said to Elijah, "Go down with him; do not be afraid of him." So he arose and went down with him to the king. Then he said to him, "Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron—is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of His word?—therefore you shall not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but shall surely die.'" Ahaziah died as the LORD had prophesied. Since he had no heir, Jehoram, his brother became king in his place. II Kings 1
Jehoram
949-843 BC
Bad
Inherited the throne. He
Reigned 12 years.
Assassinated. II Kings 3:2-3
Jehoram (Joram) did evil; however, he did put away Baal and discouraged its worship. His reign coincided with the ministry of Elisha, the prophet. The two had many encounters. Elisha warned him each time the king of Aram tried to move against Israel. When Elisha provided water in the desert, he witnessed the miracle. On one occasion, Elisha delivered the Arameans into Jehoram’s hands but did not allow him to kill them. On another occasion, Elisha also predicted the day when the Aramean siege was going to be broken. The Aramean soldiers fled because they thought they had heard the sound of mercenary chariots.
When Jehoram was in the midst of the battle against the Arameans, Elisha anointed his army commander Jehu king of Israel. He gave Jehu the charge of eliminating Jehoram and his family since Jehoram came from the line of Ahab. When Jehoram was wounded in battle, he returned to his palace. Jehu then chased him in a chariot. He killed him on the same property or land that Ahab coveted and stole from Naboth. Notice that this is what Elijah had prophesied before. Afterward, Jehu hunted down and killed everyone in Ahab’s line, all of his seventy children. Jezebel’s eunuchs threw her down from an upper story window of her palace. There she died, and her broken body was eaten by dogs as prophesied by Elijah. Jehu also killed all of the prophets of Baal. II Kings 2-3:3
CONCLUSION: It has been a joy for me to learn more about the division of the kingdom and the great work of the prophet Elijah. Our next study will acquaint us with the great work of the prophet Elisha and the Kings that he worked with.
"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit."
John 12:24
The Way of Christ is so narrow that it is not only hard to walk but even impossible unless we die with Christ. Let us consider the counsel of our wise Lord that makes us fruitful in His service.
Jesus is our greatest example of walking this path of life doing the Father's will. He modeled it and obeyed it by walking the path of the cross for us. He was indeed as He Himself said a grain of wheat that fell, died and bore much fruit. His life was a message of serving, dying to self, and living the message of love. Let us not take His life of sacrifice lightly. Likewise, let us not ignore His path of life. For us Christians, it should be the WAY of life, the narrow way.
"For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all, but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus." Romans 6:5-11
Nowadays Christianity is by no means focused on dying to self, serving and loving our neighbor, our families and the church. I perceive there is a hyper-focus on attending "leadership seminars," "camps for all ages and for all activities," "self-improvement classes for being your authentic self," "women's retreats as well as men's treats for improving self," and various other activities that activate strong emotions but leave no lasting or deep effect in the heart of Christ and His kingdom.
We live in times where everyone is divided into groups according to their ages and goals. This is terrible for the church but also for our culture as well. It leaves us as broken and confused as ever. It will not satisfy our souls. This is not the WAY to nourish our souls. We deceive ourselves, looking for the wrong sources or activities to heal us. We forget that Christ died to heal us and help us put away the body of sin, that we might no longer be slaves to sin. Why not turn to Him and Him alone? In His time, He will do His marvelous work in us, leading us into paths of righteousness. But we must let Him and turn to Him alone.
"He must increase, but I must decrease."John 3:30
As Jesus is working in our lives, healing us from sin, He is showing us through His everlasting Word, areas in our lives that need mending. Areas where the flesh must be crucified with Him. Areas where the primary focus must be on Jesus and His kingdom of righteousness, shifting the focus away from the old self. This will render us more productive, bearing much fruit for His kingdom's sake. There is plenty of work to do for Him. The work that He has for us is selfless and often difficult. Yet as we die to self and become the wheat that falls to the earth, then we begin to bear much fruit for His glory. Our fleshly selfishness dies with it, and Jesus reigns in our hearts as we do only His will. Our actions begin to reflect Christ in us. And the old self of sin with all its sinful habits and thoughts begin to die away. Is it not marvelous that the Word of God can penetrate our soul and spirit and judge the thoughts and intentions of our hearts, changing me and you into vessels of righteousness for His glory!
"But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." Galatians 6:14
Let us remember that God's ways are perfect and holy. His ways lead us to a peaceful and righteous way of living. But we must focus on Him alone rather than serving ourselves, our wants, needs, and goals. We must avoid the hyper-focus on our own accomplishments and image. These are the idols that we have made for ourselves. This golden calf must be torn down. Focusing on ourselves leads to our soul's destruction. It robs us of true fulfillment and peace. It will never satisfy that thirst and hunger for righteousness that we ought to strive for. It is dangerous to focus on ourselves and not Christ. It renders us weak because we will never be satisfied. It will rob us of joy and peace. We are vulnerable when we build up our own idols and make them bigger than before.
"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." 2 Corinthians 5:17
Jesus' death on the cross is the meaning we are searching for. He is our meaning; He is our guide for godliness. He is our counselor, comforter, and our source of life. As we abide in Him, we find the real and lasting meaning for this life having the hope of eternity. Dying to self, living in newness of life, learning to serve in His kingdom and walking the narrow way with Christ involves crucifying and dying to our man, our old self. It is in dying to self that Jesus becomes Lord of our life, living only for Him. It is here that we begin to walk the narrow way, walking with Christ as He walked here on earth.
"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing."John 15:4-5
As we diligently seek and abide in Christ, we learn total surrender, doing the Father's will. This becomes our primary focus and goal in our life. Everything that was of high esteem for us before: power, fame, fortune and accomplishments start to fade away. We are focusing on Christ more and more, wanting to live, love, and serve. We want to be used as God's instruments of righteousness.
As we walk the narrow way with Christ, following Him, we become more confident in our hope, and the joy promised to us. A hope and joy that is lasting and that never fades away. Sadly this kind of joy and hope is mostly hidden and unknown to the world of darkness. The world tells us to seek after everything else that is false and offers a fragile happiness. There is so much healing, abundant life, joy, and wisdom when we live the narrow way, God's way. Don't forget that this same God set the WAY for us so that we may find life abundantly. Why search for a path that feels right that even after years and years you are never able to find? Let us not be blind! The Way is free and available to anyone who desires it.
"Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full." John 15:9-11
The path to abundant life is the one that abides in Christ, walking the narrow way, listening to His voice and dying to self. It is there that we learn to serve others and to know the fullness of what it is to believe in our Lord. The One, who died to self and was resurrected triumphantly. Why not purpose to seek Him earnestly and strive to enter the narrow way through the narrow gate?Why not follow God's ways which are wiser no matter the cost? The reason Jesus never said that the "gate is wide" is because His ways were not the world's ways. Many do not want to find God's ways. They don't care and don't wish to make the effort. They are foolish! The gate of selfishness is broad, and many enter through it finding death and decay for eternity. Jesus' WAY leads us to the only true life there is.
"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it." Matthew 7:3
May Jesus be the Lord of our life. May we crucify self, sin, and all the wrong, selfish desires. May we hunger and thirst for righteousness, the right path of life. May we pray for discernment and wisdom to stay on that path, the narrow way, with only Christ. May we not be swayed by the lies of this world. May He continually show us the real way, the lasting one that gives us abundant life so that we may bear much fruit for His glory.
"and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him." Romans 8:17
"But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God." Acts 20:24
Luci
The following song well expresses this thought of walking the narrow way:
And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.”
Revelation 14:13
A TRIBUTE TO MY MOTHER
Every year about this time, I am reminded of my mother's
sudden passing. It is difficult for me
to decide which date to remember since she was on life support for 5 days. The family was left with the difficult
decision of whether to disconnect her when all evidence pointed to brain death.
It was a bitter pill to swallow. It was a terrible blow, but the worst was still
to come. Each year I still remember her
parting on the 17th of February, since it was the last time I spoke
with her that she was conscious. As I write
these words, my eyes fill with tears as I miss her again profoundly and painfully. Her death has left me feeling very much alone. I find myself drifting back to those
treasured times in nostalgia and reminiscence.
I do not expect anyone to read my tribute, but I have decided every year
to praise her publicly on this day and to let everyone know how much I still
miss her. She left so many precious
footprints engraved in my heart.
I have special memories of my mother serving others. Oh, what a servant of the Lord she was! Her hospitality, care, and compassion to meet
the needs of others is hard for me to grasp and fathom. I don't know if it was because she was an orphan
as a child and raised by nuns that made her care so intensely for others. Our home was like a hotel! She took everyone in. Oh, what a large heart she had! She worked from early in the morning until
she no longer had the energy to work.
One of her favorite proverbs which she repeated to us her children
was: “Tiempo perdido lo cobra Dios.”
Which means, “If you waste time, God will surely make you pay for it.” Give the Lord the best of your time!
When it came to devotion to her family, she
was fiercely devoted. Not only was she
devoted to her family, but she was also devoted to her neighbor. I couldn't have asked for a better
mother. God, in His infinite kindness and
generosity, provided me a God-fearing mother.
Even during her days as a devout Catholic, she taught her children the
fear of the Lord. She taught us to walk
wisely and always to do what was right before the Lord. I cannot count the many times she sat on the
end of the bed, counseling us to make sure that our hearts were right with God. In one of those long conversations, she deeply
touched my heart. It is then that I
decided from the bottom of my heart to seek the Lord and do what was right
before Him. She is the reason why I
began searching to find the Truth until I found it. That alone would have been reason enough for
me to always love her and treasure her in my heart. She was God's instrument that brought me back
to Him. She supported my search for the
Truth because she was also searching.
She obeyed the Gospel soon after I did. Today her husband and her
children are Christians. I cannot
possibly repay, or even recount, the debt that I owe to my mother.
My mother was not perfect, but one thing I know in my heart,
she is and will always be the image and example of a sacrificial mother, a
servant, a housewife, a soul-winning mom, a praying and godly one. She was very focused on living a disciplined
life and using discipline toward her children.
I owe that also to her.
The one thing that consoles my grieving heart is the promise
given to all those who died in the Lord.
The words of Jesus in Revelation 14:13 give me peace and consolation. Like so many areas of life, even death takes
on a different aspect when one views it from a Christian perspective. How blessed are the dead who died in the Lord
like my mother! What a loving, gracious, and almighty God we have, Who has given us that kind of hope which reaches
beyond even death itself. What an
exceedingly precious promise this is! A promise from the God who keeps His promises,
2 Peter 3:9, which is granted only to those who are in the Lord in their time of
departure from this earthly tabernacle. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ."Ephesians 1:3. We have many promises in Christ, but surely
there is no greater blessing than that of eternal life for those who die in faithful
service, Revelation 2:10.
"Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life."
As hard as it has been to bear the loss of my mother, I know
that death is necessary that we may change from this corruptible body into an
immortal one and receive the crown of life.
The good and comforting news is that death is swallowed up in victory
through the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. His saving gospel is glorious, I Corinthians 15:53-57. Death has no power over us
since we have died and been buried with Christ in baptism, and we are forgiven, Romans 6:3-4. Therefore, the second death has no power over those who die in the Lord,Revelation 2:11; Revelation 20:6.
"For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." I Corinthians 15:53-57
I know in my heart that as time passes by, more and more
swiftly, it will not be all that long until I am reunited with my Lord
Jesus, the Father and those who have gone before us, like my mother and all
other faithful brethren. In the
meantime, I will still miss my mother deeply every day of my life and will
never stop loving her for who she was until we meet again in that fair haven
of rest.
"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones." Psalm 116:15
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."
Matthew 5:8
When Simon the Magician heard Philip preach the Gospel in Samaria and saw the miracles that God performed confirming His message, he believed and was baptized. He was amazed. Then the apostles arrived from Jerusalem and gave the Holy Spirit by laying hands on them. Simon asked the apostle Peter if he could buy the authority of the apostles, that he might impart the Spirit the way they did. Peter turned on him fiercely and rebuked him saying,
"May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God.'" (Acts 8:20-21)
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spoke of several qualities that characterize the heart of a true follower. These character traits are commonly known as the "Beatitudes."What does it mean to be “pure in heart?”Do we want to see God? To understand what Jesus meant to be “pure in heart” in Matthew 5:8, we must understand the meaning of the word "heart." When our culture speaks of the heart, they speak about it in terms of emotions and desires. They will express how their minds tell them to do one thing, but their hearts tell them to do the opposite. We must understand that the Bible and those writers inspired by God did not speak of the heart this way. The Bible speaks of the heart as our will, desire, and mind, rather than our emotions or fleshly feelings. The heart is the sum of the inner person and its many aspects. The heart and the mind are the control center of the body. Notice how this thought is translated in the King James Version in Philemon.
“For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother.” (Philemon 7)
The ancient Bible writers spoke of the bowels as the place of our emotions.Imagine talking this way in our culture today? Will it make any sense? Today when our people talk about their bowels, it is usually because they ate something bad. So it makes sense. If we were to talk of our bowels as the place of emotions of the heart rather than the will, the desire, and the mind, our people would be confused. When the Word of God commands us to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (cf. Matthew 22:37), these four things are the same to the ancients. These four things (heart, soul, mind, and strength) refer to the whole of our very being.
In this study, I would like to focus more on purity and the heart. Keeping the heart and guarding it wisely is not an easy task to achieve on our own. We definitely need God's help to purify our hearts of sin. We also need Him to help us with our heart's stubbornness and hardness that sneaks in, darkening its corners. The marvelous thing is that He will help us if we ask Him. Only God can give us the wisdom that we need. His counsel is found in His revealed Word, which teaches us how to pursue such purity of heart. But we must seek His wisdom for direction.
I. THE HEART:
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8)
What Is The Meaning of The Word "Heart"?
What did our Lord Jesus in Matthew 5:8 mean by the word "heart”? In the Bible, the heart is far more than a bodily organ. The Word of God defines the heart as that part of man that is able to believe, understand, desire, purpose, feel, plan, and will. The mind is that part of us that combines all these qualities as found in the intellect, the emotions, and the will. Our intellect contains all the facts of knowledge we have acquired. The emotions include all our feelings and desires. The will is the power to convert our wishes into deeds. When Jesus in this "beatitude" said,"Blessed are the pure in mind," He meant "Happy are the pure in heart."
Hence, purity of heart and happiness go hand in hand. No one can be truly happy with an impure heart.
Sincerity And Cleanliness of Heart:
Jesus declared that those who are pure in heart belong to His kingdom. He declares that His people must have purity of mind, purity of will, and purity of desire. Two aspects in Matthew 22:37 show what it means to be pure in heart: sincerity and cleanliness.
Sincerity:
To be pure in heart is to be sincere and not double-minded. In James 4:4, he speaks directly to this problem.
"You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."
But in James 4:7-8, he gives us the solution to this problem.
"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."
According to James, we must purify our hearts to be sincere toward God and not be double-minded. It implies that we, His children, have singleness of devotion and complete faithfulness to God. We must be loyal to God so that we may not be pulled away. Those who are pure of heart focus only on Jesus and nothing else. They are not focused on the cares and concerns of this life. They do not serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). They only have one master, Jesus, and they serve Him without veering from that course. When we are pure of heart, the decisions that we make have only one concern: Jesus.
Cleanliness or Purity:
The second aspect to being pure in heart is cleanliness or purity. The Scriptures speak of cleanliness as being holy in our desire, will, and mind. It is the result of having a sincere heart that focuses on Jesus.The mind, the will, and the desires are transformed from impurity to purity and righteousness. The Scriptures convey this thought in many places.
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? 'I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.'" (Jeremiah 17:9-10)
Notice what Jesus said about an impure heart.
"For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. These are the things which defile the man." (Matthew 15:10-20)
The apostle Paul added saying,
"With the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness." (Romans 10:10)
Also, Jesus rebuked the Jews because of their hardness of heart, saying,
"For the heart of this people has become dull. With their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes, otherwise they would see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and return, and I would heal them." (Matthew 13:15)
To maintain a pure heart, we must hunger and thirst for righteousness. Righteousness cannot occur from an impure heart. Sadly, many sick hearts require transformation. God is the cause of such transformation.
"Who can say, 'I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin'?'" (Proverbs 20:9)
"Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith." (Acts 15:7-9)
"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." (Psalm 51:10)
"I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." (Ezekiel 36:25–26)
Through God’s Word, we can open and transform our hearts as He displays His love for us through the sacrifice of Jesus. He continues to cleanse our hearts through our trials in life and answered prayers.God wants our hearts to be purged from uncleanness and made pure for His service.
Sincerity and cleanliness of heart bring purity of heart and devoted service to God. As we bring these two concepts (sincerity and cleanliness of heart) together, we can focus and be devoted to God. As we focus and devote ourselves to God alone, our heart’s impurities and uncleanness will be driven out. But our uncleanness and lack of faith in God will cause us to be double-minded. However, when we completely pursue God and His holiness, our hearts will be transformed from darkness and lawlessness into purity.
Since we understand the meaning of the heart and purity, let us examine the characteristics of a pure heart.
II. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A PURE HEART:
A Pure Heart Yearns to Serve God Alone:
Such a heart accepts submissively and humbly God's ultimate rule to determine right from wrong and clean from unclean, good and evil, true religion and false religion. Such a heart also strives to live up to God's Law. A pure heart is in complete accord with the Law of God.
"Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart." (2 Timothy 2:22)
By the way, this passage applies to both young and old. You don't have to be young to suffer from youthful lusts. We laugh at the "dirty old" men and women, but what makes it funny is the surprising truth hidden in the humor.
A Pure Heart Lives to Please God Alone:
Such a heart is one whose affections, thoughts, wishes, habits, and conduct are clean. The pure heart repulses and abhors everything vile and evil. Those pure in heart desire to do good. They hunger and thirst after righteousness. Their desire is to please God, and they strive to be good and do good. They will not compromise with evil. The pure in heart are those with a clean heart, clean from everything sinful, wrong, evil, and contrary to God's will. A heart that does not believe in God is impure. All those who do not obey and abide by God's laws have impure hearts. They have a defiled understanding.
Purity of heart is a life-long commitment! What that means is that a pure heart is free from hidden motives or agendas. In the Bible, the pure heart is also described as a "whole" heart. It is not divided.
"Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." (James 4:4)
In Psalm 24:3-5, we read regarding the character of the heart.
"Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood and has not sworn deceitfully. He shall receive a blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation."
The Psalmist poses the question, "Who can stand with God?” "Who is acceptable to Him?"This should be a concern to all of us. When the Psalmist speaks of "clean hands," he is suggesting conduct or behavior. That means we must strive to do the right things to be pleasing to God. This is a vital standard by which we determine right from wrong. Notice that the "pure heart" directs our attention to a clear and uncontaminated motive. Such a motive is to do it with the right attitude.
This leads me to the following questions:
III. HOW CAN WE OBTAIN A PURE HEART?
Consider the following possibilities:
It Is Possible With God:
Only God can purify the heart of man. Although we can't have a pure heart on our own, God can make it possible through His Grace that teaches us how to deny ungodliness and worldliness, teaching us righteousness and godliness. The Scriptures call this purity of heart.This is how He purifies our hearts from all lawlessness.
Consider the promises that God made in the prophets and His intentions to cleanse the hearts of His people:
God's Promises:
Jeremiah 31:31-33:
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. 33For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people."
In Jeremiah 31:31-33, God promised that He would make anew covenant with the house of Israel, not like the one He gave them at Mt. Sinai.
"But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,' declares the Lord, 'I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.'"
Jeremiah 32:39:
"And I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always, for their own good and for the good of their children after them."
Ezekiel 36:25-26:
"Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”
God gives us new hearts by purifying our old ones and putting His new Law in our mind, writing it on the heart.
Ezekiel 11:19-21:
"And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God."
Daniel 12:10.:
God spoke to Daniel, saying,
"Many will be purged, purified and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand."
Malachi 3:2-3:
"But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD."
The prophet Malachi described God’s plan to cleanse His people as a "refiner’s fire" and "a fullers' soap." He would purifythe sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they would bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD.
God's Law was to enlighten people to know and do His will. He made His Law wise and understandable. His Law is composed of infallible Truths that are trustworthy beyond all dispute. All this, God has done, and beyond this, nothing more is needed.
God's Provision:
God sent His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, from heaven to reveal the true God to the world. Our Lord and Savior went to the cross and offered Himself as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. His blood cleanses the conscience.
"For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance." (Hebrews 9:13-15)
This new heart Law is the Law of Christ as revealed in the Gospel of Christ, and it impresses the mind with God's offer of mercy and forgiveness and the promise of immortality and eternal life. The new Law that the apostles and prophets spoke of was written in the mind, producing a new heart.Nothing is made pure without the blood of Jesus.
Consider with me how the blood of Jesus makes uspure of heart:
The Blood of Jesus:
God's new Law purifies the heart by a twofold process. When God said,
"I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh."
He referred to a change that begins when one obeys the Gospel of Christ. Our hearts were purified when we became Christians. Peter said to Christians,
"Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart” (I Peter. 1:22).
Their souls were purified when they were baptized and received the forgiveness of their past sins.Moreover, they were justified, sanctified, and saved. In other words, they were given a pure heart. In Acts 15:9, Paul said that God made no distinction between Jews and Gentiles, purifying their hearts by faith. When we obey the Gospel of Christ by faith, repentance, and baptism, God purifies our hearts. He forgives us of our past sins, making us clean. This new and pure heart is only possible through our obedient faith that goes into action in baptism.
"Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit…" (1 Peter 1:22)
"There is also an antitype which now saves us — baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 3:21)
It is after we are baptized that we can keep our hearts pure. We were a sinful people before because of our association with the world of darkness. This leads me to the following question:
IV. HOW DO WE KEEP A PURE HEART?
Regardless of our lack of ability to provide the means for a pure heart, God does call us to live a pure lifethrough obedience to His will.
"This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart." (Ephesians 4:17-18)
We must live and walk with understanding, discerning between right and wrong; in newness of life, as those who have a new and pure heart.Inward purity of heart does not conform to the standards of the world.
How Can We Have Pure Thoughts, Intentions, and Motivations?
The Influence of the Word of God:
The Word of God is crystal clear about what we must think and digest. We must let the Word of God enter our hearts and let it influence us, change and transform us. We must live up to God's standards! We must live in accord with our new and pure heart. We must remove our impurities. We must let the Word of God remove the callouses of our hearts. We must be pure in heart and mind.
Let us seek God so that we may rid ourselves of our impurity and be filled with His living water. As those who once mourned our past sins and repented, let us cease to practice lawlessness. Let us walk in righteousness filled with what is right. Let us also hunger and thirst for righteousness and be filled with what is good and pure. And let us not grieve the Holy Spirit but rather let us ask God to create a new heart through His Divine Word.This is the only way that God changes the inner person: the heart and mind of man.
We must learn what God wants us to do through His Word. He commands that we spend time in His Word. The prophet Jeremiah spoke of a time when God would write His Law in the minds and hearts of His people, Jer. 31:33. When was this fulfilled? Consider how this fulfillment was accomplished.
The Teaching And Preaching Of The Gospel:
As the apostles set about teaching and preaching the Gospel, inspired by the Holy Spirit in them, new hearts and transformation began to happen. A new heart was created to be in complete agreement with the Law of Jehovah God. This new heart enlightened them so that knowing His will, they were deeply touched by it. By the power of the Holy Spirit, by the revealed Word spoken through these apostles, prophets, and teachers, God was making known His Law to the whole world. This new Law, the Law of Christ, was written in their hearts and minds to produce a new heart.Isn't that wonderful and awesome!
This same Law, the Law of Christ, can inspire, influence, and affect us the same way it did 2,000 years ago. God offers man, through Christ's Law, a new heart so that man can receive His mercy and forgiveness as well as the hope of eternal life with Him. But we must hunger and thirst for the new Law of the heart, the Law of Christ, to have a pure, new heart.
In Ephesians 4:20-21, The Ephesians were exhorted by Paul to no longer walk as the Gentiles did. Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, said,
"If indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth."
Let us heed these words!There is no other way to purify our hearts from all lawlessness!
Although God purifies our hearts when we obey His Gospel, we must keep purifying it by hating all evil and having no fellowship with the kingdom of darkness. It is a long-term commitment for us, His children. It does not stop in the waters of baptism. Our purification must continue fervently until the day we die. This is what His Grace does in our lives, a complete transformation of the heart and mind.
Praying And Meditating on God's Word:
Our hearts are changed and transformed when we pray and meditate in His Word. We must become very well acquainted with His Word to overcome evil and the kingdom of darkness. Notice how Paul exhorted Timothy,
"Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.” (I Timothy 4:15-16)
How is this possible according to 1 Timothy 4:15-16?
By meditating on His Word, the things of God. This was going to save Timothy and those who would hear him. Do you remember what God told Joshua about His Law? He said,
"This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” (Joshua 1:8-9)
God told Joshua to meditate upon His Law day and night that he might prosper and God might be with him wherever he went.
Learning Christ and Knowing Him:
Why must we learn Christ and know Him?
Because knowing Christ requires a pure heart. It leads one to put to death the flesh, our old manner or conduct of life, with all its lawlessness and walk in the Spirit.
"But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth." (Ephesians 4:20-24)
The Word, the Law of Christ, can transform, change and turn our hearts away from our old manner of life corrupted by sin. It leads to righteousness and holiness of the Truth.
Putting Off The Old Self And Putting On The New Self:
The process of putting off the old self and putting on the new self in the likeness of God is not a simple one. It demands effort, submission, obedience, death to self, willingness, and a love for His Law, His Truth. Apure heart loves righteousness. The heart is renewed or recreated by putting off sin and evil and putting on what is right:righteousness and holiness. Notice Paul's admonition regarding this.
"We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. 29 For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me." (Colossians 1:28-29)
Later in the letter to the Colossians, Paul admonishes them regarding their new birth and the new self saying,
"Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him—" (Colossians 3:5-10)
Repentance, a change of heart, is the main focus of God's message and Law. The pure heart, the changed one, never resists repentance and confession of sins.
It is only in seeking God's face through His Word and praying that we will be able to turn our hearts away from all evil conduct. If you desire apure heart, then start spending time meditating on His Word. In Psalm 119:9-12, we read this beautiful exhortation regarding the heart.
"How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word. With all my heart I have sought You; Do not let me wander from Your commandments. Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You. Blessed are You, O LORD; Teach me Your statutes."
The Influence of Pure Thoughts:
The Bible is crystal clear about what we must think about and "digest" inside our hearts. We must not dwell on or give much time to that which is not pure and fitting according to God's standards. It is not by simply reading the Bible that we will influence our hearts to pure thoughts. It is by choosing to be busy and engage our thoughts in healthy, holy, spiritual, and righteous thoughts and ideas. Notice what Philippians 4:8 has to say about keeping our thoughts with all excellence to guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you."
Also, there is a connection between purity and the cleansing of our mind, regeneration and renewing of our heart and mind.
"To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled." (Titus 1:15)
The Greek word translated as"pure" means clean, unsoiled, clean from guilt, guiltless, innocent, sincere, upright, virtuous, void of evil, clean doctrinally and morally.
Self-Discipline:
We must gird up the loins of our minds,
"Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation." (I Peter 1:13-15)
Battling With False Ideas:
We must ask God to make us aware of the danger and influence of false ideas, subjective vs. objective Truth. Lest we forget, the mind is the battleground of our soul.
"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:3-6)
We Must War Against Impure Images, Pornography:
Everyone who claims to be a true follower of our Lord and Savior must war against impure images. Our Lord Jesus directs our attention toward our hearts and specifies how sin begins within our hearts. The war is first waged in our minds. In Matthew 5:28, we read,
"But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
These impure thoughts and impure imagestake us captive in our minds. In the end, they are sinfuleven if there is no physical contact or fornication. Such things affect our minds and emotions in the same way that pornography does. Let us take heed and be wise!According to Jesus, fantasizing in your mind about someone other than your spouse or indulging in even literary, sensual voyeurism is SIN. Why is it SIN? Because sin is ultimately a heart issue. Let us be careful about what we choose to ingest, take in or participate in! This includes magazines, books, movies, videos, television, social media, websites, or anything that would provide for the lust of the flesh.
V. THE PERVASIVE INFLUENCE AND IMPURITY IN OUR CULTURE:
Consider the pervasive influence and the impurity of thought in our culture today.
There are about 4.2 million pornographic websites today. That is 12% of the total internet sites.
A new pornographic video is created and promoted every 39 minutes in this country.
The average age of first exposure is as young as nine years old.
90% of all teenagers admit to viewing pornography on line.
The average child will watch an average of 8,000 murders on TV before he finishes elementary school.
By age eighteen, the average teenager has seen 200,000 acts of violence on TV, including 40,000 murders.
The average TV shows and Hollywood movies are bombarded with sensual innuendo and voyeurism.
So, my question is:
Can we think about these things and remain pure in our hearts?
One cannot walk in the light with animpure heart.God simply will not accept us!The pure in heart will see God in this life, come to know Him, love Him, obey Him and find happiness in this life. The pure in heart will honor and appreciate the Father and the Son. The pure in heart will enjoy fellowship with Them in their life. That is the blessing of those who are pure in heart.
"Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God."
What does see God mean?
What is the blessing?
What does it mean we shall see God?
Obviously, the word "see" does not mean to see with the physical eye. We all know there are two kinds of sight: the physical and the mental. We can see the Son and the Father by mental vision. All Christians walk by faith and not by sight. We see God by faith, with the eyes of understanding. Some saw Jesus with the physical eye, but in reality, they never saw Him. Although we cannot see God with the visual eye, we know that He exists because the Bible tells us so. We understand and believe, so we see Him.
When Jesus said,
"Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God."
He meant that those with a pure heart would recognize His existence and enjoy Him. They will enjoy Him and walk with Him hand in hand like good and close friends. Our friendship, fellowship, relationship, and understanding of God's ways and thoughts depend on our purity of heart. There is no other way with God!
CONCLUSION:
One who is a follower of the Son and the Father must keep the heart pure with all diligence, for out of the heart spring the issues of life.
"Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. 24 Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. 25 Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. 6 Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. 27 Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil." (Proverbs 4:23-27)
Until we see Jesus as our highest pursuit in life, we will always be double-minded, distracted by the world, caught by our sins, and have a sinful and impure heart.We must examine our hearts to see our highest pursuit.Is pursuing worldliness and worldly distraction your highest pursuit in life?Is your highest pursuit in life your work, career, wealth, comfort, family, bad and sinful habits, or something other than devotion to Jesus?
If your answer is yes, I don’t see how you can be pure in heart. We must continue learning and putting into practice the beatitudes that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 5 in His Sermon on the Mount to purify our hearts from the filth of sin. Jesus is very concerned about our hearts. It matters to Him that we have pure, sincere, and devoted hearts.Don’t deceive yourself!God knows our hearts, will, desires, and intentions (Luke 16:15; Acts 1:24; Acts 15:8; Romans 8:27). He also knows our highest pursuit.Do you suppose we can deceive God into thinking that He is our highest pursuit of a pure heart just by coming to church on Sunday (if we make it to church at all!)?!It will not give us a pure heart with God!
Jesus said that to see God, we must make Him our highest pursuit in life.Now stop and reflect on this thought:to see God as the culmination of all our hungering and thirsting after Him and His kingdom of righteousness.Purity of heart is the fundamental prerequisite to having fellowship with God. Those who are transformed in their heart will be able to see God. The writer of Hebrews exhorts us, saying that without holiness, no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). Is that not a greater motivation to you? It is to me!
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.Seeing God and having an intimate relationship with Him is everything! We must strive to be pure in heart to see God, have a relationship with Him, and be a citizen in His kingdom.
Thus, we must determine to follow God’s instruction given to us in the book of Hebrews and set aside this world’s distractions and run with endurance the race set before us to see God and be with Him one day. We must have a pure heart toward God and His kingdom to see Him and have fellowship with Him now and in the future, in heaven.
"Let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:1-2)
Purity in heartis seen by the way one lives. As Peter said, inspired by the Spirit:
"So as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God." (I Peter 4:2)
Jesus said,
"There is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man." (Mark 7:15)
Jesus points out that what comes out of a person’s heart is what defiles him.
"That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man." (Mark 7:20-23)
This leads me to the following questions:
Why is sexual immorality (fornication) so pervasive in our culture today? Because of impure hearts.
Why is lying so pervasive in our culture today? Because of impure hearts.
Why do marriages so often end up in adultery and divorce today? Because of impure hearts.
Why are we so unhappy and discontent with what we have in our culture today? Because of impure hearts.
Why are there so many quarrels and fighting among us in our culture today? Because of impure hearts.
Why is it that we find it easier to think bad of a person than to think good? Because of impure hearts.
And finally, why would most people rather be lost eternally rather than change their hearts in repentance? Because of impure hearts.
What is the standard for purity?
Jesus said,
"Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
God, Himself, is our standard and nothing else. We cannot please God until we exchange our heart for a pure one as He is pure, perfect, and holy. Only those who arepure in heartmay enter the kingdom. Only God can give us a new heart.
"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."(2 Corinthians 5:17)
I want to leave you with these beautiful and encouraging words from Revelation 21:3-7. Let us examine our hearts and take away the layers of impurity from it to serve our Lord faithfully and be devoted to Him with all of ourheart, soul, mind, and strength.
"And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them.... And He who sits on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new.' And He said, 'Write, for these words are faithful and true. Then He said to me, 'It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son."
May we take away the layers of impurity from our hearts to have more purity in our lives. May we yearn to be holy and pure toward God in our manner of living. May we dwell in that which is true, honorable, pure, right, lovely, of good repute, of excellence, and worthy of praise. May we practice these excellent things so that we may see God, having peace and fellowship with Him. May our hearts be pure according to God's standards. May our hearts be pure so that we may please Him. May our hearts be pure so that we may enter the kingdom of the Father and the Son.
"Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart." (Psalm 24:3-4)
The following is a beautiful song that well expresses the thought of a pure heart.
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