Shall we bow our
heads for prayer?
00:01:12.60\00:01:14.07
Father in heaven, we
thank You so much, once again,
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for the privilege of
being here for this session
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to study Your Holy Word.
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We ask that as we try and
decipher what is happening
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in this world; the
causes for what's happening,
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that Your Holy Spirit
will instruct us and help us
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long all the more for that great
day when evil and suffering
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will come to an end.
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So open our
minds and our hearts.
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We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.
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I'd like to begin our study
at the book of Genesis 1:31.
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We've read this before,
but we want to read it again.
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Genesis 1:31. It's speaking
here about the conclusion
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of God's work of creation.
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And at the end of
creation we find these words:
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Then God saw every thing that
he had made, and, indeed, it was
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very good. So the evening and
the morning were the sixth day.
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So at the conclusion of creation
week, with the exception of the
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seventh day, which we will
discuss later on, we're told
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that everything that
God made was very good.
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Now this includes
the vegetable kingdom.
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The garden of Eden was
kind of like a botanical garden.
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The Bible tells us
that there were no thorns.
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There were no thistles.
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There were no weeds before sin.
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It included also
the animal world.
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According to Genesis
1:30 all animals before sin
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were vegetarians.
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It includes also the
kingdom of human beings.
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They were in perfect
harmony, in perfect accord.
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The Bible tells us
that Adam and Eve were one.
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They were created one by God.
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But God placed a test
in the garden of Eden.
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And if Adam and Eve passed
the test creation would continue
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as God had intended.
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But if Adam and Eve did not pass
the test, then creation would
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fall into chaos, into disarray.
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Now that test
was found in a tree.
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Go with me to Genesis
2:16, 17, Genesis 2:16, 17.
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So God placed in the
garden of Eden a test.
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He said creation will continue
very good, as I created it,
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as long as you abstain
from eating from the tree;
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As long as you
keep my commandment.
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And as we've seen, all of
the commandments were contained
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in that one commandment.
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The Bible tells us that Adam
and Eve sinned, and as a result
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creation, to a great degree,
was thrown into disarray.
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As we're told in Genesis 3:18,
the earth began producing thorns
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and thistles, which
were unknown before sin.
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The Bible also indicates, as
we move along, that the animal
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kingdom became
a violent kingdom.
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Animals started
killing animals for food.
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We also find that in consequence
of sin, that oneness between
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Adam and Eve was
broken, because as we mentioned
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in our last lecture, Adam began
blaming God for giving him Eve,
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and Eve began blaming
God and blaming the serpent.
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In other words, that oneness was
broken in consequence of sin.
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Something terrible
had happened to this world
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as a result of sin.
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You see, what happened is that
before sin entered into this
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world, everything was other
centered; was centered towards
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helping others,
living for others.
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But in consequence of
sin, self took the throne.
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The core of man was
changed from others to self,
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and this was in consequence
of Satan telling Eve,
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you don't have to depend on God,
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you don't have to worship God,
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you don't have to obey God,
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you can be God yourself.
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And so the core of
man was shifted from God,
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and from others to self.
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In other words, the
heart of man was sickened
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and became spiritually diseased.
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And in consequence, to the
condition of the heart of man,
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now his behavior reflected
the condition of the heart.
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Go with me to
Genesis 4:8, Genesis 4:8.
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Here we have the first
murder of human history.
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We're told there in verse 8:
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First murder in human history!
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Now what we're not told
in Genesis, but we are told
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in a text that we're
going to read in a moment,
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is that something happened
to Cain before he actually
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committed the act of murder.
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Go with me to 1
John 3, 1 John 3.
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You see the problem with
Cain was not a problem with
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his behavior, it was a problem
with his heart, with his core
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nature. He became irate with
his brother because something
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was wrong with his
heart, with the inside.
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We're told there in 1 John
3:12, (and then we'll jump down
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to verse 15), the following:
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Not as Cain, who
was of the wicked one,
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and murdered his brother.
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And why did he murder him?
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Because his works were evil,
and his brother's righteous.
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But now let's jump down to
verse 15, where we're told what
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happened with Cain before
he killed his brother. It says:
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Whoever hates his brother is
a murderer: and you know that
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no murderer has
eternal life abiding in him.
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Now that's interesting.
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Not only is the act of murder
a violation of the commandment
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that says, Thou shalt not kill.
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But according to 1 John 3:15,
hating your brother is already
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murder committed in the heart.
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In other words, the act
that Cain committed was actually
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a consequence of the condition
of the hatred which he harbored
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in his heart. The problem
that Cain had was not with his
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actions, it was with his heart.
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Go with me to Genesis 6,
moving on through this book,
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Genesis 6:5. This is speaking
about the pre-flood race;
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the antidiluvia race.
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They had become very,
very wicked, very evil.
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But I want you to
notice where the problem began.
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It says in Genesis 6:5:
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Where did the problem begin?
00:10:00.36\00:10:02.03
In the thoughts of his heart.
00:10:02.06\00:10:05.57
Now notice what
came as result of that.
00:10:05.60\00:10:08.70
Let's jump down to verses
11 and 12, verses 11 and 12.
00:10:08.74\00:10:14.74
It says:
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When the Bible uses the
expression, the way, it means
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that the earth had
corrupted its behavior.
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Its actions were corrupted.
00:10:37.83\00:10:40.17
But you notice that the root
cause was that every intent,
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or thought of the
heart was evil continually.
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In other words, the
problem was not with behavior.
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The problem was with
the root, with the heart,
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which led to
this wrong behavior.
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Now let's move on a little bit
to Genesis 8:21, Genesis 8:21.
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This is after the flood.
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And notice what we find in
this verse; very revealing.
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This is after Noah
offers a sacrifice. It says:
00:11:11.47\00:11:16.07
And the Lord
smelled a soothing aroma.
00:11:16.10\00:11:20.58
Then the Lord said in his
heart, I will never again curse
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the ground for man's
sake; although the imagination
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of man's heart is
evil from his youth.
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Did you catch that?
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The imagination of the heart
of man is evil from his youth,
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according to this.
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Once again we find that
the problem with human beings
00:11:43.30\00:11:47.94
is with the heart, whereas
before the heart went out
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towards God, in love for God.
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Whereas the heart went out in
love for Eve, and Eve for Adam,
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now as a result of sin everyone
turned their look inward
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towards self. Notice also
Genesis 27:41, Genesis 27:41,
00:12:05.32\00:12:14.30
this same idea that the
problem is heart disease.
00:12:14.36\00:12:18.43
The problem is
not with evil actions.
00:12:18.47\00:12:21.37
The problem is with the root.
00:12:21.40\00:12:23.71
You see, if you have a bad
root you will have bad fruit.
00:12:23.74\00:12:27.48
And sometimes we try to deal
with the fruit before we deal
00:12:27.51\00:12:31.75
with the root. Go with me to
Genesis 27:41, and we'll find
00:12:31.78\00:12:38.55
the same idea again
in the book of Genesis.
00:12:38.59\00:12:41.69
And this will be our
last example from Genesis,
00:12:41.72\00:12:44.16
because we want to see
how this idea is developed
00:12:44.19\00:12:46.83
throughout the rest
of the Bible as well.
00:12:46.86\00:12:49.40
Here Esau is speaking after
Jacob stole his birthright.
00:12:49.43\00:12:56.50
It says there in verse
41: So Esau hated Jacob.
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What did he do? He what?
00:13:03.21\00:13:06.11
He hated Jacob because of the
blessing with which his father
00:13:06.15\00:13:11.62
blessed him: and Esau said in
his heart, The days of mourning
00:13:11.65\00:13:18.93
for my father are at hand; then
I will kill my brother Jacob.
00:13:18.96\00:13:26.57
Where did murder start?
00:13:28.07\00:13:29.97
Murder did not start when
Esau went with 400 men to try
00:13:30.01\00:13:35.38
and kill his brother.
00:13:35.41\00:13:36.61
Murder began when he had the
intention of killing his brother
00:13:36.64\00:13:41.82
long before he
attempted to perform the action.
00:13:41.85\00:13:45.85
And so the book of Genesis
clearly reveals that because of
00:13:45.89\00:13:50.93
sin the heart of man was ruined.
00:13:50.96\00:13:54.56
By the way, the Bible
calls it the sinful flesh.
00:13:54.56\00:13:59.43
The Bible calls it the
old nature, the sinful man.
00:13:59.47\00:14:05.11
Man who is focused only on
himself; that wants everything
00:14:05.14\00:14:09.61
for himself. Selfishness, the
opposite of love, as we noticed
00:14:09.64\00:14:15.95
in our last lecture.
00:14:15.98\00:14:17.15
And the problem is
that we are born this way.
00:14:17.19\00:14:22.22
Go with me to Psalm 51, and
let's read verse 5, Psalm 51:5.
00:14:22.26\00:14:30.13
The Bible tells us that we
are born with heart disease.
00:14:30.17\00:14:34.30
And you thought we did
it as a result of our diet!
00:14:34.34\00:14:37.37
Ha ha, we do! It gets worse as
a result of our spiritual diet.
00:14:37.41\00:14:42.98
But we're born with the disease.
00:14:43.01\00:14:45.11
Notice Psalm
51:5. Here David says:
00:14:45.15\00:14:50.22
Now this doesn't mean that
we actually are guilty of Adam's
00:15:00.26\00:15:04.37
original sin. What it means
is that we inherit from Adam
00:15:04.40\00:15:08.54
a sinful nature,
a selfish nature.
00:15:08.57\00:15:12.17
In other words,
we are born selfish.
00:15:12.21\00:15:15.48
You say, no we're not.
00:15:15.51\00:15:16.64
Is there anything more selfish
in the world than a baby?
00:15:16.68\00:15:21.78
For a baby there's no one on
planet Earth except him or her.
00:15:21.82\00:15:28.86
If you don't believe it, just
don't give the baby his bottle
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when he feels like
you should give it to him.
00:15:33.26\00:15:35.23
He says real nicely,
Mom would you please give me
00:15:35.26\00:15:38.97
my bottle now? You
know it's not that way!
00:15:39.00\00:15:42.40
The baby screams, and
kicks, and gets red, saying,
00:15:42.44\00:15:49.64
don't you know that I'm hungry?
00:15:49.68\00:15:51.71
We're born selfish.
00:15:51.75\00:15:55.12
And then that baby
grows to about 3 years old.
00:15:55.15\00:15:59.75
The parents go to Wal-Mart.
00:15:59.79\00:16:01.56
That's about the
only place I can afford.
00:16:01.59\00:16:03.79
Give a good plug here
for Wal-Mart: go to Wal-Mart.
00:16:03.83\00:16:09.43
Little Johnny goes to the
toy department, and he sees a
00:16:09.46\00:16:14.94
little truck that he likes.
00:16:14.97\00:16:16.07
He grabs the truck and he
comes to Mommy and he says,
00:16:16.10\00:16:21.14
Mommy, I want this truck.
00:16:21.18\00:16:23.31
Mommy says, No,
not today, Johnny.
00:16:23.35\00:16:25.91
Mommy, I want this truck.
00:16:25.95\00:16:28.75
No, not today Johnny.
00:16:28.78\00:16:30.82
Mommy, and he starts
screaming, and he gets red.
00:16:30.85\00:16:38.09
And I've seen some children
throw themselves on the floor
00:16:38.13\00:16:41.93
and start kicking, because
Mommy did not buy ME the truck,
00:16:41.96\00:16:48.44
of all things! And then,
of course, little Johnny grows
00:16:48.47\00:16:52.71
until he's about
21, and he gets married.
00:16:52.74\00:16:56.01
And things last real
nicely for about two months.
00:16:56.04\00:16:59.88
And then he starts complaining.
00:16:59.91\00:17:06.45
She doesn't iron MY clothes.
00:17:06.49\00:17:08.72
See, I'm old fashioned.
00:17:08.76\00:17:11.66
She doesn't wash my clothes.
00:17:11.69\00:17:13.50
She burns the potatoes.
00:17:13.53\00:17:15.43
She doesn't provide
sexual satisfaction.
00:17:17.97\00:17:22.10
And what is the idea?
00:17:22.14\00:17:24.14
She's not doing it for
me, for me, for me, for me.
00:17:24.17\00:17:28.38
Selfishness!
00:17:28.41\00:17:31.08
In sin we are
conceived, according to David,
00:17:31.11\00:17:35.08
because we are born selfish,
and therefore we can never
00:17:35.12\00:17:41.22
trust our heart. Notice
what we find in the book of
00:17:41.26\00:17:44.39
Jeremiah 17:9, Jeremiah 17:9.
00:17:44.43\00:17:50.23
Here we find an additional
detail about our condition
00:17:50.27\00:17:54.74
in consequence of sin.
00:17:54.77\00:17:57.04
It says there, in Jeremiah 17:9:
00:17:57.07\00:18:00.54
That's quite a
description of the heart.
00:18:11.62\00:18:13.96
Once again, he says, The heart
is deceitful above all things,
00:18:13.99\00:18:18.66
and desperately
wicked: who can know it?
00:18:18.69\00:18:22.56
Notice Proverbs
28:26, Proverbs 28:26.
00:18:22.60\00:18:30.84
This is good counsel for young
people who are thinking about
00:18:30.87\00:18:37.85
courting and getting married.
00:18:37.88\00:18:39.51
Notice what the
wise man, Solomon, says.
00:18:39.55\00:18:42.98
Proverbs 28:26: He who trusts
in his own heart is a fool.
00:18:43.02\00:18:54.10
Of course, if it's desperately
wicked, if you trust in your own
00:18:54.13\00:18:57.80
heart you are a fool. Right?
00:18:57.83\00:19:00.30
He who trusts in his own heart
is a fool: but whoever walks
00:19:00.34\00:19:05.97
wisely, will be delivered.
00:19:06.01\00:19:08.61
It makes me think of
some young people, you know,
00:19:08.64\00:19:11.95
they fall in love. Interesting
that you say they fall in love.
00:19:11.98\00:19:17.49
Ha ha ha ha ha. And they don't
look at any danger signals.
00:19:17.52\00:19:22.32
Those are like Sampson. Hello!
00:19:22.36\00:19:25.09
Who saw Delilah and
he said, she's beautiful!
00:19:25.13\00:19:29.10
She makes my heart beat faster.
00:19:29.13\00:19:31.17
And his parents say,
Yeah, but is she an Israelite?
00:19:31.20\00:19:36.04
Well, no, but I
might convert her.
00:19:36.07\00:19:38.34
The Bible doesn't say that, but,
you know, he probably believes
00:19:38.37\00:19:42.74
every argument in the book,
to have an excuse to get married
00:19:42.78\00:19:46.58
with Delilah, and with
this other Philistine woman.
00:19:46.61\00:19:49.55
And he fell in love.
00:19:49.58\00:19:51.79
And he got married.
00:19:51.82\00:19:53.25
And as a result, by the way,
he said, Get her for me, because
00:19:53.29\00:19:58.06
she's pleased my eyes, and that
very act made him lose his eyes,
00:19:58.09\00:20:02.46
because his eyes were poked
out, and he became a servant,
00:20:02.50\00:20:09.17
grinding grain in the mill,
because he followed his eyes,
00:20:09.20\00:20:16.88
because he followed his heart,
and the heart is deceitful,
00:20:16.91\00:20:20.48
because we are conceived in sin.
00:20:20.52\00:20:24.55
Do you know that Jesus knew
how much power the heart has?
00:20:24.59\00:20:29.52
I'm amazed at the number of
times that Jesus speaks about
00:20:29.56\00:20:34.40
the heart as the source of all
evil, or the source of all good.
00:20:34.46\00:20:41.47
Mostly He speaks about the
heart being a dangerous thing to
00:20:41.50\00:20:46.57
trust in, because it leads to
evil, because evil springs from
00:20:46.61\00:20:51.48
the heart, from this selfish
nature, from this self-centered
00:20:51.51\00:20:54.82
nature, from this
iniquitous selfishness.
00:20:54.85\00:20:59.32
Now let's read some statements
of Jesus where He speaks about
00:20:59.35\00:21:02.72
the heart. Notice
Matthew 6:21, Matthew 6:21.
00:21:02.76\00:21:09.30
Here Jesus is
speaking about money.
00:21:09.33\00:21:13.77
Is that a big
problem in the world today?
00:21:13.80\00:21:17.71
The love of money?
00:21:17.74\00:21:19.67
The apostle Paul says that the
love of money is the root of all
00:21:19.71\00:21:23.98
evil. I think that
you could agree with that.
00:21:24.01\00:21:29.08
Notice Matthew 6:21. Jesus says:
00:21:29.12\00:21:36.02
Do you know what? It does
no good for me as a minister
00:21:45.70\00:21:52.27
to twist people's arms
to give money to the church.
00:21:52.31\00:21:56.44
It does no good, because
if money is going to come
00:21:56.48\00:22:02.65
it needs to come from where?
00:22:02.68\00:22:03.99
It needs to come from the heart.
00:22:04.02\00:22:06.32
And people who hoard money, who
are selfish with their money,
00:22:06.35\00:22:12.63
who are always thinking of a
rainy day, and hoarding their
00:22:12.66\00:22:18.47
resources. Their problem
is not money, their problem is
00:22:18.50\00:22:24.27
with their what? with their
heart, their selfish heart.
00:22:24.31\00:22:28.81
Selfishness leads to hoard
money, to save for a rainy day.
00:22:28.84\00:22:33.25
Jesus says, Therefore
lay up treasures in heaven.
00:22:33.28\00:22:37.59
Don't lay them up on earth.
00:22:37.62\00:22:40.92
Notice also what we find in
Matthew 12:34, continuing with
00:22:40.96\00:22:48.63
what Jesus had to
say about the heart.
00:22:48.66\00:22:50.73
Matthew 12:34.
Here Jesus says this:
00:22:50.77\00:22:58.67
Why couldn't they
speak good things?
00:23:08.15\00:23:10.22
Because they were evil. Hello!
00:23:10.25\00:23:13.76
So what determines
the words that you speak?
00:23:24.27\00:23:27.10
The condition of your heart.
00:23:27.14\00:23:29.87
What determines the way
that you use your money?
00:23:29.90\00:23:32.91
The condition of your heart.
00:23:32.94\00:23:35.08
You know, when I was a kid
sometimes I would get in trouble
00:23:35.11\00:23:41.12
in school for
saying some naughty things.
00:23:41.15\00:23:44.85
I don't do that anymore.
00:23:47.49\00:23:48.76
Yeah, right, you say.
00:23:48.79\00:23:52.86
When I used to get home,
you know, it was a double whammy
00:23:52.89\00:23:57.23
because I got punished at
school, and then my parents
00:23:57.27\00:23:59.20
punished me at home.
00:23:59.23\00:24:00.14
They didn't side
with the transgressor.
00:24:00.17\00:24:03.94
You know, sometimes
parents side with their kids,
00:24:03.97\00:24:07.71
even though they
know that they're guilty.
00:24:07.74\00:24:09.91
Well, I got punished
when I got home, too.
00:24:09.94\00:24:13.78
And, you know, my Mom, what
she would do if I spoke words
00:24:13.82\00:24:19.32
that I wasn't supposed to speak.
00:24:19.35\00:24:20.39
She'd take me to the
bathroom and she would wash
00:24:20.42\00:24:22.86
out my mouth with soap.
00:24:22.89\00:24:24.43
And, you know, after many
years I one day told my Mom,
00:24:26.76\00:24:29.93
I said, Mom, I remember when you
used to wash out my mouth with
00:24:29.96\00:24:33.87
soap. You got it wrong, because
the Bible says that what you
00:24:33.90\00:24:39.71
needed to wash was my heart.
00:24:39.74\00:24:41.48
Because if you wash my
heart my words would be good.
00:24:41.51\00:24:45.48
See, washing the
mouth is the wrong thing.
00:24:45.51\00:24:48.75
When the source is
wrong, the words will be wrong.
00:24:48.78\00:24:51.42
The problem is not with
the words, it's with the heart.
00:24:51.45\00:24:54.82
The problem is not with the
money, it is with the heart.
00:24:54.86\00:24:58.16
We have heart problems.
00:24:58.19\00:25:00.86
We're born selfish.
00:25:00.90\00:25:02.60
Something has to happen to that
selfish heart, or we are going
00:25:02.63\00:25:06.80
to be miserable all our
lives, and we are going to lose
00:25:06.84\00:25:10.27
everlasting life on top of it.
00:25:10.31\00:25:12.47
Notice also what we find in
Matthew 15:19, Matthew 15:19.
00:25:12.51\00:25:20.68
Jesus had a lot to say about the
heart, and the influence that
00:25:20.72\00:25:25.12
it has upon our actions.
00:25:25.15\00:25:26.79
Matthew 15:19. Notice His words:
00:25:26.82\00:25:34.30
Did you catch that?
00:25:40.24\00:25:41.34
Where do all of these
evil actions come from?
00:25:59.89\00:26:02.46
From the heart, by the way,
and these are the things that
00:26:02.49\00:26:06.46
defile a man according to Jesus.
00:26:06.49\00:26:07.86
Now, let me ask you, is this
list a list of violations of
00:26:07.93\00:26:12.40
the ten commandments?
00:26:12.43\00:26:13.47
Did you notice that?
00:26:13.50\00:26:15.17
Which commandment is murders?
00:26:15.20\00:26:21.04
Thou shall not kill?
00:26:21.08\00:26:23.71
How about adulteries?
00:26:23.75\00:26:25.45
Thou shall not commit adultery.
00:26:25.48\00:26:27.15
How about thefts?
Thou shall not steal?
00:26:27.18\00:26:29.85
How about false witness?
00:26:29.88\00:26:31.49
You shall not
bear false witness.
00:26:31.52\00:26:33.99
In other words, where does
the transgression of God's law
00:26:34.02\00:26:36.69
come from? It
comes from the heart.
00:26:36.73\00:26:39.56
So if you're going to
change from being a transgressor
00:26:39.59\00:26:44.43
of the law, to being a
law abiding citizen in God's
00:26:44.47\00:26:48.84
kingdom, where does the
problem need to be solved?
00:26:48.87\00:26:53.38
The problem needs to
be solved in the heart.
00:26:53.41\00:26:56.31
Because all of these
transgressions of God's Holy
00:26:56.34\00:27:00.65
law, of God's ten commandments,
come according to the Bible,
00:27:00.68\00:27:04.69
from the heart.
Notice Matthew 5.
00:27:04.72\00:27:09.09
You know, Jesus had so much
to say about the heart as the
00:27:09.12\00:27:12.39
source, as the
evil source of actions.
00:27:12.43\00:27:16.33
Matthew 5:17, 18. Here Jesus
is speaking about adultery,
00:27:16.36\00:27:23.37
and He says
this... Matthew 5: 27, 28.
00:27:23.41\00:27:31.51
You have heard that it
was said to those of old,...
00:27:31.55\00:27:35.82
Is that one of
the ten commandments?
00:27:39.92\00:27:42.36
It sure is. But now notice:
00:27:44.66\00:27:47.40
Wow! If we applied this
definition, how many male
00:28:03.78\00:28:09.35
adulterers would there be
in this world, who never have
00:28:09.38\00:28:14.09
committed the act of adultery,
but who have certainly coveted,
00:28:14.12\00:28:20.66
or lusted after another
woman other than their wives?
00:28:20.70\00:28:24.37
And it works the other way
around as well, because women
00:28:24.40\00:28:29.37
also do the same
thing from their side.
00:28:29.40\00:28:31.67
You notice that Jesus doesn't
say that lusting leads someone
00:28:31.71\00:28:37.88
to commit adultery.
00:28:37.91\00:28:38.95
He says that
lusting is adultery.
00:28:38.98\00:28:42.88
He says a person who lusts after
another woman, other than his
00:28:42.92\00:28:47.29
wife, has already
committed adultery in his heart.
00:28:47.32\00:28:51.89
Adultery is committed
when we have the feeling,
00:28:51.93\00:28:56.90
or the thought, in our
heart even before the action
00:28:56.93\00:29:01.57
takes place. Wow!
Jesus raised the bar!
00:29:01.60\00:29:06.11
You know some people say
that Jesus did away with the
00:29:06.14\00:29:09.24
ten
commandments. Jesus intensified
00:29:09.28\00:29:12.78
the ten commandments.
00:29:12.81\00:29:13.98
He says, You heard that
you should not commit adultery.
00:29:14.02\00:29:16.95
And you think that because you
haven't gone to bed with someone
00:29:16.99\00:29:19.35
else's wife, you
haven't committed adultery.
00:29:19.39\00:29:21.49
He says, let me raise
the bar just a little bit.
00:29:21.52\00:29:23.53
That commandment also
reaches into your evil thoughts.
00:29:23.56\00:29:26.96
He says, You have heard from
antiquity that you shall not
00:29:27.00\00:29:31.20
kill. But he says, Listen,
if you call your brother a fool,
00:29:31.23\00:29:34.54
and you hate your brother,
you've already committed murder
00:29:34.57\00:29:36.81
in your heart. Jesus,
instead of getting rid of the
00:29:36.84\00:29:40.14
ten commandments,
intensified, and amplified,
00:29:40.18\00:29:43.58
the ten commandments.
00:29:43.61\00:29:44.71
In fact, we're told in
Isaiah 42:21 that Jesus would
00:29:44.75\00:29:49.58
magnify the law, and he
would make the law honorable.
00:29:49.62\00:29:55.12
So are you seeing the problem
that the world has today?
00:29:56.19\00:30:00.23
The problem is not with wrong
actions, the problem is with
00:30:00.26\00:30:04.60
what? with the heart.
00:30:04.63\00:30:06.57
You hear a lot of people today
thinking that the government is
00:30:06.60\00:30:09.97
going to resolve the
moral issues in society.
00:30:10.01\00:30:12.27
They say if the government could
just pass a law that says that
00:30:12.31\00:30:16.48
gays cannot be married, you
would have the problem solved.
00:30:16.51\00:30:21.48
If you could just get
the government to outlaw
00:30:21.52\00:30:24.85
pornography, the problem of
pornography would be solved.
00:30:24.89\00:30:28.69
Let me tell you something, the
government can propose all kinds
00:30:28.72\00:30:31.99
of laws against gay
marriage, and against adultery,
00:30:32.03\00:30:35.70
and against pornography,
and against all of these things,
00:30:35.73\00:30:39.43
but unless there's
a change in the heart,
00:30:39.47\00:30:41.57
people will
continue to do those things.
00:30:41.60\00:30:44.24
Because the heart of
man is desperately wicked,
00:30:44.27\00:30:47.81
and a bad heart
leads to bad behavior.
00:30:47.84\00:30:52.18
Notice Matthew
7:16-20, Matthew 7:16-20.
00:30:52.21\00:30:59.89
Jesus expresses it
with another illustration,
00:30:59.92\00:31:03.36
or another example.
00:31:03.39\00:31:04.59
It says there in
Matthew 7:16, Jesus speaking:
00:31:04.63\00:31:10.50
You will know
them by their fruits.
00:31:10.53\00:31:13.13
Do men gather grapes from thorn
bushes, or figs from thistles?
00:31:13.17\00:31:19.74
Even so every good tree
bears good fruit; but a bad tree
00:31:19.77\00:31:27.22
bears bad fruit. A good
tree cannot bear bad fruit,
00:31:27.25\00:31:32.25
nor can a bad
tree bear good fruit.
00:31:32.29\00:31:35.42
Every tree that does not
bear good fruit is cut down,
00:31:35.46\00:31:39.66
and thrown into the fire.
00:31:39.69\00:31:41.10
Therefore by their
fruits you will know them.
00:31:41.13\00:31:45.63
Because our tree is
evil, our fruit is evil.
00:31:47.17\00:31:50.71
If the tree was good, the tree
would produce what? good fruit.
00:31:50.74\00:31:56.85
But the problem is that we have
a wicked, evil, corrupt heart.
00:31:56.88\00:32:01.85
We are suffering
from heart problems,
00:32:03.75\00:32:08.29
and we need a cardiologist.
00:32:08.32\00:32:13.06
Before we claim the cardiologist
though, we need to find out what
00:32:15.66\00:32:21.60
our real condition is.
00:32:21.64\00:32:22.54
We need to see our
real condition, right?
00:32:22.57\00:32:24.17
Let me ask you, what is
it that diagnoses our heart,
00:32:24.21\00:32:28.44
and shows us what our heart
is like; what we truly are like?
00:32:28.48\00:32:31.85
Notice Romans 7, Romans 7:7.
00:32:31.88\00:32:37.99
We're going to study
about the mirror of the heart;
00:32:38.02\00:32:41.72
that which shows our
heart exactly the way it is.
00:32:41.76\00:32:45.49
You see, you can't get healing
until you realize you're sick.
00:32:45.53\00:32:48.73
You won't look for a
physician unless you know what
00:32:48.76\00:32:52.60
your disease is. And so you need
someone to diagnose your disease
00:32:52.63\00:32:57.04
to find out what the problem is.
00:32:57.07\00:33:00.38
And we have a mirror that
shows us what our problem is.
00:33:00.41\00:33:05.48
Notice Romans 7:7.
00:33:05.51\00:33:09.75
Here the Apostle Paul
says, What shall we say then?
00:33:09.78\00:33:15.16
Is the law sin? Certainly not.
00:33:15.19\00:33:18.56
On the contrary, I
would not have known sin,
00:33:18.59\00:33:23.47
except through the law:
for I would not have known
00:33:23.50\00:33:28.87
covetousness unless the law
had said, you shall not what?
00:33:28.90\00:33:33.17
You shall not covet.
00:33:33.21\00:33:34.48
How do I know that
covetousness is wrong?
00:33:34.51\00:33:36.88
Because the law tells me so.
00:33:36.91\00:33:39.45
How do I know
that stealing is wrong?
00:33:39.48\00:33:42.32
Because the law tells me so.
00:33:42.35\00:33:44.55
How do I know that
committing adultery is wrong?
00:33:44.59\00:33:47.69
Because the law tells me so.
00:33:47.72\00:33:50.06
In other words, the
law diagnoses my problem.
00:33:50.09\00:33:54.13
The law says, Listen,
you've got heart problems.
00:33:54.20\00:33:57.53
You've got an evil,
selfish heart, which is breaking
00:33:57.57\00:34:02.34
God's Holy law, and
the law does not lie.
00:34:02.37\00:34:06.61
Now I want you to notice
that God's Word, or His law,
00:34:06.64\00:34:11.35
goes very deep. It searches
into the depths of our hearts,
00:34:11.38\00:34:16.45
and shows us exactly how
we are, and what we need.
00:34:16.48\00:34:20.09
Notice Hebrews 4, Hebrews 4,
and let's read verses 12 and 13.
00:34:20.12\00:34:26.49
Hebrews 4:12, 13.
00:34:26.53\00:34:30.10
Here the apostle Paul is
speaking about the diagnostic
00:34:30.13\00:34:36.94
power of the
Word of God. He says:
00:34:36.97\00:34:40.98
What does the Word of God do?
00:35:06.17\00:35:07.60
It comes in, it goes
deep, and what does it seek out?
00:35:07.64\00:35:12.87
The thoughts and the
intents of the heart.
00:35:12.91\00:35:15.91
Verse 13: And there is no
creature hidden from his sight.
00:35:15.94\00:35:21.85
But all things are naked and
open to the eyes of him to whom
00:35:21.88\00:35:28.62
we must give an account.
00:35:28.66\00:35:31.06
So who shows us that we're sick?
00:35:33.86\00:35:35.70
God through His
Word, or through His law.
00:35:35.73\00:35:40.27
He says you've
got heart problems.
00:35:40.30\00:35:43.81
And if you don't take
care of those heart problems
00:35:43.84\00:35:46.68
you're going to
have a cardiac arrest.
00:35:46.71\00:35:48.91
You need help. And, by the way,
let me just tell you something.
00:35:48.94\00:35:56.22
When God changes
someone, He changes them
00:35:56.25\00:35:59.15
from the inside out.
00:35:59.19\00:36:00.29
Do you believe that?
00:36:03.06\00:36:04.16
He cannot impose
change from outside.
00:36:05.59\00:36:07.23
The changes has
to come from inside.
00:36:07.30\00:36:08.93
It has to change the heart.
00:36:08.96\00:36:10.80
Let me give you an example.
00:36:10.83\00:36:12.90
I've used this before in another
context, but how many of you
00:36:14.77\00:36:19.81
bake bread? You
can raise your hand.
00:36:19.84\00:36:23.51
If you bake bread, I
want to know where I can come
00:36:23.55\00:36:25.35
for lunch one of these days.
00:36:25.38\00:36:26.65
My wife makes very good bread.
00:36:28.28\00:36:30.19
And I want to tell you how she
makes the bread so delicious.
00:36:30.22\00:36:34.69
She blends the water with flour
and with the other ingredients.
00:36:34.72\00:36:39.53
She makes a big ball of dough,
and she puts it in the pan,
00:36:39.56\00:36:44.57
and then she sprinkles
yeast on top of the bread,
00:36:44.60\00:36:48.04
and puts it in the oven.
00:36:48.07\00:36:49.17
You snicker! You say,
Pastor Bohr, you haven't watched
00:36:52.67\00:36:55.84
your wife make bread.
00:36:55.88\00:36:56.98
If she made bread that
way, they would be more like the
00:36:57.01\00:37:01.15
stones that Jesus talked about.
00:37:01.18\00:37:02.72
Man shall not
live by bread alone.
00:37:02.75\00:37:06.15
The devil said, turn
these stones into bread.
00:37:06.19\00:37:09.52
You would need a miracle.
00:37:09.56\00:37:11.53
Where do you put the
yeast, or the leaven?
00:37:11.56\00:37:15.13
You put the yeast or
the leaven inside the dough.
00:37:15.16\00:37:18.77
And then what
happens with the lump?
00:37:18.80\00:37:21.10
It grows from inside out.
00:37:21.14\00:37:24.74
And that's the way that
human beings are changed.
00:37:26.17\00:37:29.91
They cannot be
changed by legislation.
00:37:29.94\00:37:33.35
They cannot be
changed by external means.
00:37:33.38\00:37:37.89
They can only be changed
when the heart is changed.
00:37:37.92\00:37:41.99
And then the life and the
behavior will be different.
00:37:42.02\00:37:47.20
Now let's read what the Apostle
Paul says in Romans 7:18, 19,
00:37:47.23\00:37:54.67
Romans 7:18, 19.
00:37:54.70\00:37:58.74
And you tell me if this
is your experience sometimes.
00:37:58.77\00:38:02.51
I know it's my experience.
00:38:02.54\00:38:04.41
Romans 7:18, 19.
The apostle Paul says:
00:38:04.45\00:38:09.45
Have you ever had the experience
of blurting out some words to
00:38:36.54\00:38:41.25
someone and afterwards
you think, why did I say that?
00:38:41.28\00:38:44.19
Or have you ever done something
and you say, why in the world
00:38:46.25\00:38:49.22
did I do that?
Where did that come from?
00:38:49.26\00:38:52.09
Of course, that's my experience.
00:38:52.13\00:38:53.63
You've probably never
had that experience, right?
00:38:53.66\00:38:56.03
Yeah, right! We all have it.
00:38:56.06\00:39:00.54
What's the problem?
00:39:00.57\00:39:02.47
The problem is with our inside.
00:39:02.50\00:39:05.51
The problem with
it is with our heart.
00:39:05.54\00:39:07.51
And so our heart
needs to be changed.
00:39:07.54\00:39:11.41
Now the question is, how
can our heart be changed?
00:39:11.45\00:39:15.98
There are two steps:
00:39:16.02\00:39:17.79
Step 1. We're told in Romans 3:
23 that all of us have sinned,
00:39:19.42\00:39:29.26
and come short
of the glory of God.
00:39:29.30\00:39:32.03
The first thing that we need to
recognize is that we are what?
00:39:32.07\00:39:35.94
That we are sinners.
00:39:37.17\00:39:39.87
The second point that we need
to recognize is in Romans 6:23,
00:39:39.91\00:39:44.45
where we are told:
00:39:44.48\00:39:46.35
Step 1. The Word of God
shows me that I am a what?
00:39:51.49\00:39:56.19
That I am a sinner.
00:39:56.22\00:39:57.46
And because I am a
sinner, I deserve death.
00:39:57.49\00:40:02.16
Which death? Everlasting death,
eternal death, death from which
00:40:02.20\00:40:08.27
there will never
be a resurrection.
00:40:08.30\00:40:09.70
And when I see myself in
this desperate condition,
00:40:09.74\00:40:13.68
a sinner before God, deserving
God's wrath to fall upon me,
00:40:13.71\00:40:19.75
deserving death, I
cry out: who can save me?
00:40:19.78\00:40:24.52
And then I look at
the cross of Jesus.
00:40:24.55\00:40:29.09
Do you know what I
see at the cross of Jesus?
00:40:29.12\00:40:31.86
Go with me to
Galatians 3:13, Galatians 3:13.
00:40:31.89\00:40:38.90
Here the Apostle Paul tells
us what we see when we go to
00:40:38.93\00:40:42.54
Calvary; when we go to
the cross. He tells us:
00:40:42.57\00:40:48.14
What has Christ done?
00:40:59.02\00:41:01.56
Redeemed us from
the curse of the law.
00:41:02.72\00:41:04.23
Is the law bad? Why
does it curse us then?
00:41:04.26\00:41:08.30
The reason why the law curses
us is because we're sinners.
00:41:08.33\00:41:13.44
The law tells
me, you're a sinner.
00:41:13.47\00:41:16.34
You're cursed.
You deserve to die.
00:41:16.37\00:41:19.41
But it says here that Jesus has
redeemed us from the curse of
00:41:19.44\00:41:25.55
the law. And how did he do it?
00:41:25.58\00:41:28.08
So when I come to the cross
of Calvary, and I see Jesus
00:41:36.76\00:41:40.53
on the cross, what do I see?
00:41:40.56\00:41:43.16
I see One who took
my sin upon Himself.
00:41:43.20\00:41:47.67
Undeservingly! He
took it upon Himself.
00:41:47.70\00:41:52.37
He suffered the
curse that I should suffer.
00:41:52.41\00:41:55.78
He suffered the
death that I should suffer.
00:41:55.81\00:41:58.71
And when I see Jesus in
the garden of Gethsemane,
00:41:58.75\00:42:02.48
sweating great drops of blood,
and when I see Him on the cross,
00:42:02.52\00:42:07.09
I hear Him crying
out, My God, My God,
00:42:07.12\00:42:09.46
Why hast thou forsaken me?
00:42:09.49\00:42:11.29
And when I see Him beaten,
when I see Him agonizing,
00:42:11.33\00:42:16.36
I say to Jesus, why
is this happening to You?
00:42:16.40\00:42:20.60
And Jesus says, the
wages of sin is death.
00:42:20.64\00:42:25.11
I am bearing your
suffering, and your death.
00:42:25.14\00:42:30.81
I am taking my
curse upon myself.
00:42:30.85\00:42:34.48
When I see Jesus
in that fashion I say,
00:42:34.52\00:42:37.79
Lord, sin is a terrible monster.
00:42:37.82\00:42:39.89
Look what it did to You.
00:42:39.92\00:42:41.66
I hate sin! I love You!
00:42:41.69\00:42:44.93
And at that moment a
change takes place in my heart.
00:42:44.96\00:42:48.70
Now my heart ceases
to be a selfish heart,
00:42:48.73\00:42:53.57
and it becomes a heart filled
with love as a result of seeing
00:42:53.60\00:42:59.31
what Jesus was
willing to do for me.
00:42:59.34\00:43:01.71
A change now
takes place in my life.
00:43:01.74\00:43:04.78
As it says in Zachariah 12:10,
that they will look upon him
00:43:04.81\00:43:11.92
whom they have
pierced, and they will what?
00:43:11.95\00:43:16.52
They will cry out like one who
has lost an only begotten son.
00:43:16.56\00:43:22.16
That's what should happen
when we come to the cross,
00:43:22.20\00:43:25.50
and we see Jesus
suffering the curse for us.
00:43:25.53\00:43:28.30
We should cry out and
say, Sin is horrendous, Lord.
00:43:29.24\00:43:32.94
I don't want
anything more to do with sin!
00:43:32.97\00:43:35.48
And, you know, lo and behold,
when we come with that attitude,
00:43:35.51\00:43:40.12
1 John 1:9 tells
us what the result is.
00:43:40.15\00:43:45.82
1 John 1:9 says:
00:43:45.85\00:43:49.26
In other words, I contemplate
the cross, and I can go home
00:44:01.17\00:44:05.04
with the
certainty of forgiveness.
00:44:05.07\00:44:07.71
No more guilt! I don't have to
be walking around carrying guilt
00:44:07.74\00:44:12.88
all of the time. I can have
the assurance of forgiveness
00:44:12.91\00:44:16.18
in Jesus. Now many Christians
would like to end there.
00:44:16.22\00:44:20.56
They say, Oh yeah,
Jesus paid so I don't have to.
00:44:20.59\00:44:24.36
Jesus died so that
He could forgive me.
00:44:24.39\00:44:27.50
But many Christians continue
living the way that they used
00:44:27.50\00:44:32.97
to live before
they came to Jesus.
00:44:33.00\00:44:35.07
Now is that possible?
00:44:36.50\00:44:37.94
If our heart has been
changed by coming to Calvary,
00:44:37.97\00:44:41.38
is there going to be
a change in our life?
00:44:41.41\00:44:44.91
There has to be! And if there
isn't, it's because we truly
00:44:46.38\00:44:51.05
have not come to
the feet of Jesus.
00:44:51.09\00:44:52.99
Our heart has not
truly been changed.
00:44:53.02\00:44:55.69
Now notice Ezekiel 36
what else God promises to do.
00:44:55.72\00:45:01.13
Ezekiel 36:26, 27.
This is a wonderful promise
00:45:01.16\00:45:07.04
that God gives. Ezekiel
36:26, 27. He says this:
00:45:07.07\00:45:16.08
What does God promise?
00:45:20.12\00:45:22.25
To give us a new heart.
00:45:22.28\00:45:24.92
That means your selfish heart.
00:45:28.76\00:45:30.49
And now notice; will
we obey the Lord now?
00:45:38.90\00:45:42.60
Oh, yes, but we will obey
Him from the heart. It says:
00:45:42.64\00:45:46.17
Not because we have to,
but because our heart has been
00:45:55.22\00:46:00.42
what? Because our
heart has been changed.
00:46:00.46\00:46:03.29
You know, it makes
me think about Adam.
00:46:03.32\00:46:05.23
Can you imagine when Adam had
to offer that first sacrifice,
00:46:05.26\00:46:08.43
what it must have been like?
00:46:08.46\00:46:09.63
There was no death in the world.
00:46:09.66\00:46:12.90
And now the Lord tells them to
take this innocent little lamb;
00:46:12.93\00:46:17.51
to take a knife and
slit the throat of the lamb.
00:46:17.54\00:46:23.21
And the lamb
profusely looses its blood.
00:46:25.18\00:46:29.92
And suddenly that lamb
is limp in the arms of Adam,
00:46:29.95\00:46:38.09
in a world where
there was no death?
00:46:38.13\00:46:40.50
And God tells Adam, that
lamb represents your Creator.
00:46:42.56\00:46:49.04
It's much worse than
just killing that animal.
00:46:49.07\00:46:52.57
You think that's terrible.
00:46:52.61\00:46:54.04
That lamb represents the
Lamb of God who takes away
00:46:54.08\00:46:57.98
the sin of the world.
00:46:58.01\00:46:59.31
Do you think Adam looked at sin
differently from that point on?
00:46:59.35\00:47:02.18
Oh, he understood the
terrible nature of sin.
00:47:02.22\00:47:06.29
That it was going to
take the life of Jesus.
00:47:06.32\00:47:08.56
And, by the way, at that
moment Adam was regenerated.
00:47:08.59\00:47:12.09
He was born again!
00:47:12.13\00:47:15.06
His heart was changed.
00:47:15.10\00:47:17.90
Notice the beautiful
promise of Jeremiah 31:33,
00:47:17.93\00:47:22.44
Jeremiah 31:33. This
is a wonderful promise
00:47:22.47\00:47:28.08
that God gives. And I'm sure
that we've read it many times,
00:47:28.11\00:47:31.85
but let's read it again, because
it is a wonderful promise
00:47:31.88\00:47:35.22
that God gives.
Jeremiah 31:33. It says:
00:47:35.25\00:47:40.99
Where does God
promise to write His law?
00:48:05.31\00:48:09.08
He promises to write His law
in our minds, and in our hearts.
00:48:09.12\00:48:14.76
And then if the law is in
our heart, what is our behavior
00:48:14.79\00:48:18.49
going to be like? Our
behavior is going to reflect
00:48:18.53\00:48:22.30
the condition of our heart.
00:48:22.33\00:48:24.10
By the way, many Christians
are confused on this point.
00:48:24.13\00:48:27.87
They say, God got rid of
the ten commandments written on
00:48:27.90\00:48:31.57
tables of stone. He nailed those
old commandments to the cross.
00:48:31.61\00:48:36.11
Let me tell you something.
00:48:36.14\00:48:39.25
God did not get rid
of the ten commandments.
00:48:39.28\00:48:43.85
The new covenant is
not a covenant of grace,
00:48:43.89\00:48:48.29
while the Old
Testament was a covenant of law.
00:48:48.32\00:48:50.79
In the Old Testament the law
was written on tables of stone.
00:48:50.83\00:48:55.06
In the New Testament
the law doesn't change.
00:48:55.10\00:48:58.90
It's the place where the
law is written which changes.
00:48:58.93\00:49:02.44
Did you catch my point or not?
00:49:02.47\00:49:05.14
It does no good to have
laws written on tables of stone.
00:49:05.17\00:49:09.54
You can't
offend tables of stone.
00:49:09.58\00:49:11.18
You can't hurt tables of stone.
00:49:11.21\00:49:12.75
And no matter how much you try
to measure up to what you find
00:49:12.78\00:49:16.69
written on stone, you say,
okay let's see how I am doing?
00:49:16.72\00:49:19.02
And you make lists to see
how your life compares with that
00:49:19.05\00:49:22.19
code on tables of stone.
00:49:22.22\00:49:24.13
It's useless if you have a bad
heart, because you can't keep
00:49:24.16\00:49:27.23
that code. But when God takes
His law, when you're converted,
00:49:27.30\00:49:31.90
when you come to Jesus, when
you see how expensive sin is,
00:49:31.93\00:49:35.07
how much it
hurts the heart of God,
00:49:35.10\00:49:36.77
how much it hurts others,
that love is the fulfilling
00:49:36.81\00:49:39.97
of the law. Then God
takes His law and He writes it
00:49:40.01\00:49:43.35
in your heart. And then it
is a delight, it's a privilege,
00:49:43.38\00:49:47.52
it's a joy to observe God's law.
00:49:47.55\00:49:50.55
Not because we have
to, but because we want to.
00:49:50.59\00:49:55.12
This is the reason why
Jesus said, in a very well known
00:49:55.16\00:50:02.46
verse, John 14:15: If
you love me, you will keep
00:50:02.50\00:50:07.60
my commandments. Incidentally,
that's also the reason why
00:50:07.64\00:50:11.27
in Psalm 40:8, which
is a messianic prophecy,
00:50:11.31\00:50:14.98
it's quoted in
the book of Hebrews.
00:50:15.01\00:50:16.98
Jesus, when He's
actually about to be incarnate
00:50:17.01\00:50:21.72
into the world says:
00:50:21.75\00:50:23.25
I delight to do your will, O
my God, and your law is where?
00:50:30.86\00:50:36.33
Your law is within my heart.
00:50:36.36\00:50:38.37
I like to think of God
as the great cardiologist.
00:50:38.40\00:50:42.37
Better than the
doctors at Loma Linda.
00:50:44.11\00:50:46.27
But you know what?
00:50:48.98\00:50:50.01
God does not put in pacemakers.
00:50:50.05\00:50:53.15
God does not do bypasses.
00:50:55.35\00:50:58.52
God does not put in pig valves.
00:50:58.55\00:51:01.92
God doesn't reform our heart.
00:51:01.96\00:51:06.63
The only kind of
surgery which God performs
00:51:06.66\00:51:10.67
is heart transplants.
00:51:10.70\00:51:13.23
He promises when we're
converted when we come to Jesus,
00:51:13.27\00:51:18.17
to take out that heart of stone,
that selfish heart, that old
00:51:18.21\00:51:22.51
human nature, which is selfish
and always wants its own.
00:51:22.54\00:51:26.41
And when we come to Jesus
our focus is shifted from self
00:51:26.45\00:51:33.39
to Christ. And then we're not
concerned about our own thing,
00:51:33.42\00:51:38.46
we're concerned
about the good of others.
00:51:38.49\00:51:40.53
We're concerned
about the kingdom of God.
00:51:40.56\00:51:44.07
By the way, do you know that in
Matthew 5:8 we are told by Jesus
00:51:46.10\00:51:52.37
Blessed are the pure in
heart, for they shall see God.
00:51:52.41\00:51:56.38
The opposite side of
the coin is not blessed.
00:51:58.08\00:52:03.02
I hesitated in using the word
cursed, which is the antonym.
00:52:04.75\00:52:08.39
...are those who have an impure
heart, for they shall not see
00:52:08.42\00:52:13.76
God. Blessed are the pure in
heart for they shall see God.
00:52:13.80\00:52:19.53
You say now, Pastor, how
can my heart be cleansed?
00:52:19.57\00:52:22.24
Well, the first step is to
come to the cross of Jesus,
00:52:22.27\00:52:24.64
and see what sin costs, and
ask Jesus to get rid of sin,
00:52:24.67\00:52:30.28
to forgive you of your
sin, to cleanse you from all
00:52:30.31\00:52:32.78
unrighteousness. But
then, you know, we have to keep
00:52:32.81\00:52:35.98
our heart in good shape.
00:52:36.02\00:52:37.25
We have to eat the right stuff,
because even a new heart can
00:52:37.29\00:52:40.89
develop a lot of cholesterol
if we feed it the wrong things.
00:52:40.92\00:52:45.66
Just because He gave you a
new heart doesn't mean that you
00:52:45.69\00:52:48.46
have a new heart forever.
00:52:48.50\00:52:49.73
You have to feed yourself with
the right things spiritually.
00:52:49.76\00:52:54.77
What am I talking about?
00:52:54.80\00:52:56.37
Go with me to Psalm 119,
Psalm 119:9-11, Psalm 119:9-11.
00:52:56.40\00:53:06.88
Here David, by
inspiration of the Holy Spirit,
00:53:06.92\00:53:12.25
wrote these words particularly
for young people. He said this:
00:53:12.29\00:53:15.86
How can you cleanse your way?
00:53:19.56\00:53:22.83
With my whole
heart I have sought you.
00:53:26.50\00:53:32.21
Oh let me not wander
from your commandments.
00:53:32.24\00:53:36.44
And now comes the key verse:
00:53:36.48\00:53:38.31
What is the secret for
overcoming sin, which is the
00:53:46.89\00:53:50.13
transgression of the law?
00:53:50.16\00:53:51.19
Hiding God's Word where?
00:53:51.23\00:53:53.73
In our hearts. And how
does it get into our hearts?
00:53:53.76\00:53:57.33
Through our eyes
and through our ears.
00:53:57.37\00:54:02.30
By listening to His
Word, and by reading His Word.
00:54:02.34\00:54:06.84
That's the way it
gets into our hearts,
00:54:06.88\00:54:08.98
and it gets into our minds.
00:54:09.01\00:54:10.18
And you know what happens?
00:54:10.21\00:54:11.41
At first I start reading the
Bible, and as I read the Bible
00:54:11.45\00:54:18.42
the Bible starts reading me.
00:54:18.45\00:54:20.02
Are you
understanding what I'm saying?
00:54:20.06\00:54:24.86
Because as I study scripture,
scripture starts showing me
00:54:24.89\00:54:29.06
the way that I am.
00:54:29.10\00:54:30.10
It says, this is
the problem you have.
00:54:30.13\00:54:32.77
You have this problem.
00:54:32.80\00:54:33.84
And you've got that problem.
00:54:33.87\00:54:35.07
And so if I let the Word come
into my life, into my heart,
00:54:35.10\00:54:39.07
it is going to expel
wickedness from the heart,
00:54:39.11\00:54:43.41
and I'm going to have
good spiritual health.
00:54:43.45\00:54:46.08
Believe me, we're not going
to have good spiritual health
00:54:46.11\00:54:47.92
if we're sitting down
watching soap operas all day,
00:54:47.95\00:54:50.72
or if we're watching violence,
and marital unfaithfulness,
00:54:50.75\00:54:58.46
and lying, and cheating.
00:54:58.49\00:55:00.83
If we expose our minds to those
things our heart is going to
00:55:00.86\00:55:05.17
get sick. Even if God did give
us, at some point, a new heart,
00:55:05.20\00:55:09.37
the new heart has
to be taken care of.
00:55:09.40\00:55:11.77
Are you
understanding what I'm saying?
00:55:11.81\00:55:13.04
It's not enough to come to the
cross and say, Jesus forgive me.
00:55:13.07\00:55:16.88
Jesus says, I forgive you.
00:55:16.91\00:55:18.08
Okay Lord, and I go and continue
living the way I've always
00:55:18.11\00:55:21.12
lived. The
heart must be guarded.
00:55:21.15\00:55:25.79
The heart must be taken care of.
00:55:25.82\00:55:28.32
In the book of Ephesians,
the Apostle Paul tells us,
00:55:28.36\00:55:31.86
that God cleanses the church
by the washing of the water
00:55:31.89\00:55:35.96
through the Word.
00:55:36.00\00:55:38.53
Jesus said in John 15:3,
He says, These are all clean
00:55:38.57\00:55:42.97
through the word that
I have spoken unto them.
00:55:43.00\00:55:45.84
See, time and again the Bible
tells us that the way in which
00:55:45.87\00:55:49.51
God cleanses our
heart is through His Word.
00:55:49.54\00:55:51.85
I've hidden my word in
your heart that I might not sin
00:55:51.88\00:55:54.75
against you. In Ephesians
5 we're cleansed by the water
00:55:54.78\00:55:59.49
through the washing of the word.
00:55:59.52\00:56:00.92
In 1 John 3:1-3 we
have the same idea.
00:56:00.96\00:56:06.56
John 15:3 Jesus says that
His Word, He's given His Word
00:56:06.59\00:56:12.43
to His disciples and
His Word has cleansed them.
00:56:12.47\00:56:16.47
I'd like to conclude
by mentioning a great hero
00:56:16.50\00:56:20.44
from the Bible.
His name was David.
00:56:20.48\00:56:21.98
After David committed
his terrible act, adultery,
00:56:22.01\00:56:28.88
and then having Uriah killed in
battle after he took his wife,
00:56:28.92\00:56:40.40
David repented of his
sin, and he wrote Psalm 51.
00:56:40.43\00:56:44.87
And David asked
for two blessings.
00:56:44.90\00:56:48.17
The first blessing is in verses
1 and 2 where he says to God,
00:56:48.20\00:56:52.77
Please forgive me my sin.
00:56:52.81\00:56:55.48
He asked for forgiveness.
00:56:55.51\00:56:58.15
But then David said
in verse 10, he says:
00:56:58.18\00:57:02.15
A what?
00:57:05.39\00:57:06.49
He knew that
forgiveness was not enough.
00:57:12.89\00:57:14.83
That forgiveness had to go
along with a change of heart.
00:57:14.83\00:57:19.03
May God give us that change.
00:57:19.07\00:57:23.91