1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:05,080 As we come to the end of yet another year, it's my prayer and 2 00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:08,480 desire to share with you a truth from the Scriptures that greatly 3 00:00:08,480 --> 00:00:14,920 impacted me earlier in 2025. It is an observation that has 4 00:00:14,920 --> 00:00:21,640 stayed with me and was deepened throughout the year, and it is 5 00:00:21,640 --> 00:00:25,200 my sincere longing that it will be a revelation that blossoms in 6 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:29,640 the years to come. But my prayer also is that it 7 00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:34,160 will be of help to you, as it was to me, in shaping how we 8 00:00:34,160 --> 00:00:40,440 perceive the Lord. I truly believe that this 9 00:00:40,440 --> 00:00:45,360 insight will accomplish at least two things for the child of God 10 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:52,600 who sincerely longs to worship, live, and please the Lord, but 11 00:00:52,600 --> 00:00:56,640 frequently is frustrated or disappointed with themselves in 12 00:00:56,640 --> 00:01:02,240 that pursuit. This can provide a level of rest 13 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:09,560 to your soul that can help you as you seek to honor God. 14 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:14,120 If you really seize these glorious insights and you take 15 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:18,080 them home with you and you meditate on them in the days to 16 00:01:18,080 --> 00:01:22,880 come, I believe with all my heart that it can encourage a 17 00:01:22,920 --> 00:01:27,840 fresh and strong adoration, a God word. 18 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:32,440 Adoration, on the other hand, for the person who claims to 19 00:01:32,440 --> 00:01:39,960 love Christ but is not true. In fact, habitually you are 20 00:01:39,960 --> 00:01:44,320 living in spiritual adultery, loving the world and its 21 00:01:44,320 --> 00:01:47,320 pleasures more than the Creator and the Savior of the world. 22 00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:52,320 This message may unsettle you, and I actually hope it does. 23 00:01:53,520 --> 00:01:59,480 I pray that it disturbs you enough to prompt repentance so 24 00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:06,960 that you would flee to Christ, confess your sin, and experience 25 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:10,840 true satisfaction and joy that only He can offer. 26 00:02:12,040 --> 00:02:16,280 And the truth that I am Speaking of today can be found in 27 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:19,400 Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the temple in 28 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:23,160 First Kings chapter 8. And I invite you to turn with me 29 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:28,480 in your Bibles to that portion of Scripture, First Kings 30 00:02:28,480 --> 00:02:35,120 chapter 8, verse 38 down to verse 39, and I will wait for 31 00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:47,020 you. This great king says the 32 00:02:47,020 --> 00:02:53,620 following as he is seeking God before the nation in verse 38. 33 00:02:53,620 --> 00:02:58,060 Whatever prayer, whatever plea is made by any man or by all 34 00:02:58,060 --> 00:03:01,400 your people, Israel, each knowing the affliction of his 35 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:05,520 own heart and stretching out his hands towards this house, then 36 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:10,360 here in heaven your dwelling place, and forgive and act and 37 00:03:10,360 --> 00:03:14,760 render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways. 38 00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:21,000 For you, you only know the hearts of all the children of 39 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:24,480 mankind. I want to speak to you today 40 00:03:24,480 --> 00:03:29,240 about how God sees and knows our hearts. 41 00:03:30,440 --> 00:03:32,840 What a remarkable admission Solomon makes in the middle of 42 00:03:32,840 --> 00:03:37,040 this petition. You only know the hearts of all 43 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:41,880 the children of mankind. Why is he saying that here? 44 00:03:42,640 --> 00:03:45,320 Well, we have to remember that in this prayer, at the 45 00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:49,360 dedication of this incredible achievement, the dwelling place 46 00:03:49,360 --> 00:03:54,160 of God on the earth in the Temple, Solomon understands 47 00:03:54,520 --> 00:04:00,400 humanity's tendency to go back into their ways of rebellion and 48 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:05,840 idolatry and habitual sin, even for people like this Israel that 49 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:10,400 is especially privileged to know God in such a unique fashion. 50 00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:14,640 And so knowing what may come in the days after the dedication, 51 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:19,959 Solomon seeks the Lord and he says, oh God, if and when the 52 00:04:19,959 --> 00:04:24,320 people do sin and continue to live in that place, but they 53 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:29,760 repent, I'm asking you to extend mercy and restoration to your 54 00:04:29,760 --> 00:04:32,680 children. I'm asking that you would not 55 00:04:33,960 --> 00:04:36,760 push them away, you would not turn your back on them, but that 56 00:04:36,760 --> 00:04:40,960 you would welcome them again. And it's important to remember 57 00:04:40,960 --> 00:04:44,120 that Solomon is not offering this prayer in solitude. 58 00:04:45,240 --> 00:04:48,120 This is a public event. And so the peoples are there 59 00:04:48,120 --> 00:04:52,520 observing it and listening to his very prayer as he makes it 60 00:04:52,520 --> 00:04:57,800 before God. And so you can say that Solomon 61 00:04:57,800 --> 00:05:00,720 is not only seeking the Lord, but indirectly teaching the 62 00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:07,560 people and reminding them of something concerning the Lord in 63 00:05:07,560 --> 00:05:11,600 our repentance. That God alone knows the 64 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:15,840 sincerity of someone's contrition and desire to be 65 00:05:15,840 --> 00:05:18,800 right with God. That's why he's mentioning God's 66 00:05:18,800 --> 00:05:23,280 omniscience in this context. He's not telling God. 67 00:05:23,280 --> 00:05:28,840 God knows this about himself. He's telling the people that 68 00:05:28,840 --> 00:05:32,400 should they choose to live in sin even after this great reward 69 00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:35,440 of God choosing to be him in their midst and to fellowship 70 00:05:35,440 --> 00:05:40,880 with them, and if they were to turn back after realizing their 71 00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:44,640 foolishness, God knows. If you're sincere in your 72 00:05:44,640 --> 00:05:48,280 repentance, God really knows what's going on in your heart. 73 00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:55,160 And we see here that through the supplication, Solomon is also 74 00:05:55,160 --> 00:05:58,640 reminding the people that no one has and no one ever will be able 75 00:05:58,640 --> 00:06:03,640 to deceive God with insincere or formulaic confessions of sin. 76 00:06:05,120 --> 00:06:07,560 He alone perceives the intentions and the integrity of 77 00:06:07,560 --> 00:06:12,800 our hearts. He alone can see what is really 78 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:17,440 occupying our motives and what is really behind our actions. 79 00:06:18,080 --> 00:06:22,120 So he can tell the difference between someone who wants to 80 00:06:22,120 --> 00:06:27,200 forsake their sin in order to please God and one who is merely 81 00:06:27,200 --> 00:06:29,760 seeking to escape its consequences. 82 00:06:30,960 --> 00:06:35,400 And so they go through perhaps a ritualistic type of repentance. 83 00:06:37,800 --> 00:06:40,600 But knowing the genuineness of 1's repentance is not the only 84 00:06:40,600 --> 00:06:43,880 thing that the Lord is aware of. There's something that He says 85 00:06:43,880 --> 00:06:46,720 in this same chapter a few verses back. 86 00:06:47,440 --> 00:06:53,600 That was the verse for me a few months ago that was opened in 87 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:57,200 such a way that I'm still drawing refreshment from it. 88 00:06:58,960 --> 00:07:02,600 Look what Solomon says about his father David back in verse 17 of 89 00:07:02,600 --> 00:07:08,920 First Kings 8. He says now it was in the heart 90 00:07:08,920 --> 00:07:12,520 of David my father, to build a house for the name of the Lord, 91 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:16,400 the God of Israel. But the Lord said to David, My 92 00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:21,160 father, whereas it was in your heart to build a house for my 93 00:07:21,160 --> 00:07:25,480 name, you did well that was in your heart. 94 00:07:26,520 --> 00:07:30,560 Nevertheless, you shall not build the house, but your son, 95 00:07:30,560 --> 00:07:35,240 who shall be born to you, shall build the house for my name. 96 00:07:36,680 --> 00:07:38,680 You know what's so remarkable about this passage? 97 00:07:39,440 --> 00:07:42,720 That you have God Almighty commending a man named David, 98 00:07:43,480 --> 00:07:47,720 but he does not praise King David for constructing the 99 00:07:47,720 --> 00:07:52,480 temple. He simply accepts and 100 00:07:52,960 --> 00:07:57,600 appreciates the fact that David had a desire to do so. 101 00:08:00,320 --> 00:08:06,080 What God is highlighting in David was never materialized. 102 00:08:06,720 --> 00:08:10,240 It was never realized. It never manifested. 103 00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:13,080 It wasn't something you can touch, it wasn't something you 104 00:08:13,080 --> 00:08:18,680 can measure necessarily. What God here is pleased with is 105 00:08:18,680 --> 00:08:24,960 a passion in David's heart, and so he lets him know you did 106 00:08:24,960 --> 00:08:28,760 well, that it was in your heart. Do you understand the 107 00:08:28,760 --> 00:08:33,520 implications of this for the true Christian? 108 00:08:34,320 --> 00:08:37,360 You may have had and you may still have holy aspirations. 109 00:08:38,159 --> 00:08:43,480 Christ honoring dreams and wishes, because of God's 110 00:08:43,480 --> 00:08:47,960 Providence and His will for you may prevent you from ever seeing 111 00:08:47,960 --> 00:08:52,200 it happen. And that may disturb you, that 112 00:08:52,200 --> 00:08:55,880 may frustrate you. But you have to understand that 113 00:08:55,880 --> 00:08:59,000 such intentions and longings, even if never fulfilled due to 114 00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:06,320 God's will, are still commended and appreciated by Him. 115 00:09:08,720 --> 00:09:14,080 What a thought. God honors our aspirations, not 116 00:09:14,080 --> 00:09:17,600 only our actions. You know what I find interesting 117 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:21,960 about David after this point? There is no record of him ever 118 00:09:21,960 --> 00:09:26,000 protesting this prohibition. You have to understand, David 119 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:29,720 had such a zeal for God's house that according to the Psalms, 120 00:09:29,720 --> 00:09:32,840 when it came to him desiring to build a house for him, he 121 00:09:32,840 --> 00:09:37,160 couldn't sleep at night. He stayed up all night because 122 00:09:37,160 --> 00:09:39,120 to him he's like, look at me in my palace. 123 00:09:39,120 --> 00:09:42,200 And God's, God's presence signified in that ark is in a 124 00:09:42,200 --> 00:09:46,960 tent. It became his, his one goal to 125 00:09:46,960 --> 00:09:49,680 do something about this, to exalt God's name. 126 00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:54,120 And it wasn't very long after David confessed his desire to do 127 00:09:54,120 --> 00:09:56,880 this that he was told prophetically, you will not 128 00:09:56,880 --> 00:10:01,600 build the house for me. Now here's what's so amazing. 129 00:10:01,600 --> 00:10:05,760 He doesn't protest. I believe perhaps in part, the 130 00:10:05,760 --> 00:10:09,160 reason why David could receive this and rest in this is because 131 00:10:09,160 --> 00:10:16,280 he realized that the Lord's pleasure was known simply in his 132 00:10:16,280 --> 00:10:19,400 longing. Because that's what David was 133 00:10:19,400 --> 00:10:22,040 after anyway. He wanted to, to bring the light 134 00:10:22,040 --> 00:10:24,600 to the Lord, and God wants to let him know. 135 00:10:24,720 --> 00:10:27,280 God knowing his heart, You're doing this for my glory. 136 00:10:27,680 --> 00:10:29,880 In my wisdom. I cannot let you build my house, 137 00:10:30,040 --> 00:10:32,880 but I want to let you know that you achieved your aim. 138 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:37,040 I am pleased by the fact that you simply want to do it. 139 00:10:40,720 --> 00:10:45,920 This is the God that we serve, that he actually considers what 140 00:10:45,920 --> 00:10:51,440 is hidden, what we meditate on, what we long for. 141 00:10:53,720 --> 00:10:56,320 And as encouraging as this may be, our sinful hearts have a way 142 00:10:56,320 --> 00:11:00,600 of twisting such truths to justify our unwillingness to act 143 00:11:00,600 --> 00:11:03,080 in faith. You've probably had this 144 00:11:03,280 --> 00:11:05,880 conversation with somebody. I know I have. 145 00:11:06,040 --> 00:11:08,280 Maybe you've even said it. And I hope today will be the 146 00:11:08,280 --> 00:11:11,440 last time you ever do. We're somebody who is clearly 147 00:11:11,440 --> 00:11:14,440 living outside of God's will, somebody who is actually 148 00:11:15,360 --> 00:11:20,480 rejecting commands by God through His word for selfish 149 00:11:20,480 --> 00:11:25,720 reasons and sinful reasonings. And they say things like, well, 150 00:11:25,720 --> 00:11:27,320 God knows my heart. Have you heard that? 151 00:11:27,720 --> 00:11:31,760 Well, God, God knows my heart. As though the Lord condones 152 00:11:31,760 --> 00:11:35,960 compromise. This is not speaking about that. 153 00:11:36,320 --> 00:11:39,440 Far from it. Because David's concern and 154 00:11:39,440 --> 00:11:42,600 excitement for the temple did not come in brief spirits or 155 00:11:42,640 --> 00:11:46,680 fluctuated day by day. It consumed him, It was 156 00:11:46,680 --> 00:11:48,000 something he really wanted to do. 157 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:49,160 It was something he was ready to do. 158 00:11:49,160 --> 00:11:51,040 It was something that he was willing to sacrifice anything 159 00:11:51,040 --> 00:11:53,360 for. And when he was told by God, you 160 00:11:53,360 --> 00:11:55,200 will not do it, he did the next best thing. 161 00:11:56,600 --> 00:11:58,920 OK, fine, you won't let me build it, then I'm going to fund it. 162 00:12:00,680 --> 00:12:03,920 And so he gave, and he gave of his own personal treasures and 163 00:12:03,920 --> 00:12:09,280 savings in order to leave this world, making an eternal impact. 164 00:12:11,280 --> 00:12:13,680 More than anything, this passage is meant to encourage those who 165 00:12:13,680 --> 00:12:17,920 have always wanted to serve God in a particular way, but I've 166 00:12:17,920 --> 00:12:20,480 experienced providentially redirection or hindered by the 167 00:12:20,480 --> 00:12:23,360 Holy Spirit. I want to let you know this 168 00:12:23,360 --> 00:12:27,000 afternoon and be assured that the Lord sees your heart and the 169 00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:29,960 desires in it and delights in them. 170 00:12:33,720 --> 00:12:35,880 This also serves as a warning for those who have hidden 171 00:12:35,880 --> 00:12:41,920 agendas or covetous motives and are willing to hide behind 172 00:12:41,920 --> 00:12:44,880 spiritual offices or camouflage themselves within the church 173 00:12:44,880 --> 00:12:46,960 circles to satisfy those impulses. 174 00:12:49,120 --> 00:12:53,760 Many people know Elijah was Elijah's assistant, but there 175 00:12:53,760 --> 00:12:57,960 are very few who remember the lessons that they can learn from 176 00:12:58,040 --> 00:13:01,720 Elijah's apprentice. Does anybody remember his name? 177 00:13:02,400 --> 00:13:08,400 Ghazi Ghazi. Ghazi had so much potential. 178 00:13:09,680 --> 00:13:11,760 Gehazi, who knows what could have been, what could have been 179 00:13:11,760 --> 00:13:17,520 accomplished through him as he was given access to 24/7 180 00:13:17,520 --> 00:13:21,040 discipleship, living under the tutelage of this mighty man of 181 00:13:21,040 --> 00:13:23,320 God, Elijah. But he squandered it. 182 00:13:23,800 --> 00:13:26,280 Gehazi blew it. Why did Gehazi blow it? 183 00:13:27,240 --> 00:13:29,480 Because his greed got the best of him. 184 00:13:31,080 --> 00:13:36,760 He so desired materialism that he threw away his calling. 185 00:13:38,520 --> 00:13:41,400 And the Bible gives us the moment that happened. 186 00:13:41,720 --> 00:13:45,640 The Bible actually tells us step by step when this took place, 187 00:13:45,640 --> 00:13:49,480 and it teaches us so much about what God knows about our hearts. 188 00:13:51,040 --> 00:13:53,720 One of the most incredible miracles that Elijah was able to 189 00:13:53,720 --> 00:13:57,280 perform by God's power was the healing of name in the Syrian. 190 00:13:58,080 --> 00:14:02,320 This Gentile who from a servant girl that was kidnapped from 191 00:14:02,320 --> 00:14:06,960 Israel, learned that there was a prophet in that land that they 192 00:14:06,960 --> 00:14:11,640 were war with, who had a relationship with God that can 193 00:14:11,640 --> 00:14:13,640 bring miracles into people's lives. 194 00:14:14,160 --> 00:14:16,760 And he is riddled with this disease. 195 00:14:17,640 --> 00:14:20,240 And sickness has a way of making people, even those who are 196 00:14:20,240 --> 00:14:24,880 unbelievers, desperate. Sickness has a way of humbling 197 00:14:24,880 --> 00:14:27,440 us. Sickness has a way of reminding 198 00:14:27,440 --> 00:14:29,280 us that we're human and we are not God. 199 00:14:31,160 --> 00:14:34,960 And so this name in the Syrian makes a petition to the king of 200 00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:39,480 Israel, and he makes his way to Israel. 201 00:14:40,280 --> 00:14:45,320 He gets a hold of Elijah, and Elijah gives him commands that 202 00:14:45,320 --> 00:14:48,280 required humility. And Naman complied and he was 203 00:14:48,280 --> 00:14:53,120 healed miraculously. And Elijah, who was the conduit 204 00:14:53,640 --> 00:14:57,760 through which God performed this miracle, is approached by Naman. 205 00:14:57,880 --> 00:15:00,720 And Naman is so moved, he now acknowledges the God of Israel 206 00:15:00,720 --> 00:15:03,400 is a true God. How can I pay you back? 207 00:15:04,880 --> 00:15:08,000 How can I compensate? How how can I express my 208 00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:10,960 appreciation? And Elijah was a wise minister. 209 00:15:10,960 --> 00:15:15,600 He understood this is a Gentile who's just being introduced to 210 00:15:15,600 --> 00:15:18,240 the God of Israel. In no way am I going to take 211 00:15:18,240 --> 00:15:23,080 anything from him less he should be confused and think to himself 212 00:15:23,080 --> 00:15:26,960 that this relationship with this living God is a matter of give 213 00:15:26,960 --> 00:15:30,200 and take. I want to show him that God is a 214 00:15:30,200 --> 00:15:32,880 God of grace. So he looks at name, and he 215 00:15:32,880 --> 00:15:36,600 says, go your way. I'm not asking anything from 216 00:15:36,600 --> 00:15:38,800 you. And so Naman, with his 217 00:15:38,800 --> 00:15:40,680 entourage, make the way back to Syria. 218 00:15:41,280 --> 00:15:43,480 But who's there listening in on that conversation? 219 00:15:43,480 --> 00:15:47,800 Elisha's servant, his personal assistant. 220 00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:52,280 And when he discovers this, we have the record of his thinking 221 00:15:52,280 --> 00:15:55,360 where he says, my master is foolish, essentially. 222 00:15:55,600 --> 00:15:57,560 Why would he let go of this opportunity? 223 00:15:58,120 --> 00:16:02,160 And so when Elisha is tucked away in his own place, Naman is 224 00:16:02,160 --> 00:16:06,000 on his way to Syria, Gehazi makes his way and follows 225 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:08,960 Naaman. And when he follows him, I want 226 00:16:08,960 --> 00:16:12,680 you to see what he asks of him in Second Kings chapter 5 verse 227 00:16:12,680 --> 00:16:23,080 21. In Second Kings 521, we read. 228 00:16:23,480 --> 00:16:27,840 So Gehazi followed Naaman. And when Naaman saw someone 229 00:16:27,840 --> 00:16:31,240 running after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him and 230 00:16:31,240 --> 00:16:36,200 said, is all well. And he said all is well. 231 00:16:36,840 --> 00:16:39,960 Pause we've seen that before in Second Kings, haven't we? 232 00:16:41,600 --> 00:16:45,040 We've seen this before with a Shunamite woman when her son 233 00:16:45,040 --> 00:16:48,960 died approached Elijah and Elijah asked her is all well and 234 00:16:48,960 --> 00:16:52,760 she said what all is well? It was true for her, her soul 235 00:16:52,760 --> 00:16:55,120 was well. She had trust and faith in God. 236 00:16:55,320 --> 00:16:58,280 Now Gehazi is being asked us all well and he says all is well is 237 00:16:58,280 --> 00:17:03,280 all well with Gehazi soul. No, it's it's very dangerous to 238 00:17:03,280 --> 00:17:06,440 perceive the condition of our own spirituality outside of 239 00:17:06,440 --> 00:17:11,079 God's light. Ghazi thinks all is well, at 240 00:17:11,079 --> 00:17:13,240 least he says it, when in reality it's not. 241 00:17:13,240 --> 00:17:15,800 And we're about to discover that all is well. 242 00:17:15,800 --> 00:17:20,359 My Master has sent me to say that I've just now come to me 243 00:17:20,359 --> 00:17:23,359 from the Hill Country of Ephraim, two young men of the 244 00:17:23,359 --> 00:17:26,560 sons of the prophets. Please give them a talent of 245 00:17:26,560 --> 00:17:29,520 silver and two changes of clothing. 246 00:17:30,240 --> 00:17:35,400 What is this deception? What is this manipulation? 247 00:17:35,760 --> 00:17:37,680 What is this? It's greed. 248 00:17:39,880 --> 00:17:42,720 And keep in mind exactly what Ghazi requested because at first 249 00:17:42,720 --> 00:17:45,160 it won't seem to match what Elijah says when he confronts 250 00:17:45,880 --> 00:17:50,400 his assistant. Scroll down now to verse 25. 251 00:17:50,400 --> 00:17:57,760 This is when Ghazi makes his way back to Elijah's presence and he 252 00:17:57,760 --> 00:18:02,080 thought that he can escape the prophet's knowledge of his 253 00:18:02,080 --> 00:18:05,960 whereabouts. Second Kings 525 He went in and 254 00:18:05,960 --> 00:18:09,720 stood before his master, and Elijah said to him, Where have 255 00:18:09,720 --> 00:18:13,160 you been, Ghazi? And he said, Your servant went 256 00:18:13,160 --> 00:18:16,080 nowhere. But he said to him, Did not my 257 00:18:16,080 --> 00:18:19,560 heart go when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? 258 00:18:20,120 --> 00:18:24,960 Was it a time to accept money and garments, olive orchards and 259 00:18:24,960 --> 00:18:30,080 vineyards, sheep and oxen, male servants and female servants? 260 00:18:32,480 --> 00:18:33,840 Elijah, what are you talking about? 261 00:18:35,120 --> 00:18:36,840 What did we read back earlier? What? 262 00:18:36,840 --> 00:18:38,840 What did Gehazi ask for specifically? 263 00:18:39,520 --> 00:18:43,240 Just just some money and a few changes of clothing, right? 264 00:18:44,440 --> 00:18:46,760 But what does Elijah include? He includes all. 265 00:18:46,760 --> 00:18:49,400 Look at this catalog. Was it a time to accept not just 266 00:18:49,400 --> 00:18:51,680 money and garments, but olive orchards and vineyards, sheep, 267 00:18:51,680 --> 00:18:54,160 oxen, male servants and female servants? 268 00:18:56,880 --> 00:18:59,560 What's happening here? I'll tell you exactly what's 269 00:18:59,560 --> 00:19:03,520 happening here. God not only revealed to Elijah 270 00:19:04,040 --> 00:19:09,920 what Gehazi asked from Naaman, he also showed the prophet what 271 00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:17,360 truly lodged in Gehazi's heart. His true aspirations and 272 00:19:17,360 --> 00:19:21,000 desires. His true ambitions to acquire 273 00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:27,440 property, states, servants, to live in luxury. 274 00:19:28,600 --> 00:19:33,200 That's what Gehazi really wanted, and he was willing to, 275 00:19:34,360 --> 00:19:38,840 even with his ministerial position, even with the 276 00:19:38,840 --> 00:19:43,720 vulnerability of people's needs, execute his authority and take 277 00:19:43,720 --> 00:19:47,440 advantage of others in order to realize that aim in life. 278 00:19:50,600 --> 00:19:56,160 In other words, God knew what was really in Ghazi's heart. 279 00:19:57,920 --> 00:20:00,520 It wasn't to glorify God. It wasn't to extend grace. 280 00:20:00,520 --> 00:20:06,160 It wasn't to preach the truth. It was to actually utilize his 281 00:20:06,160 --> 00:20:10,520 position to pursue a selfish ambition, thinking that it was 282 00:20:10,520 --> 00:20:17,080 indiscernible. Clearly he forgot to pay 283 00:20:17,080 --> 00:20:20,120 attention or remember what Solomon prayed back in First 284 00:20:20,120 --> 00:20:23,080 Kings chapter 8, that God alone knows the hearts of all the 285 00:20:23,080 --> 00:20:28,240 children of mankind. There's an amazing contrast 286 00:20:28,240 --> 00:20:31,160 between Gehazi and Naman in this story. 287 00:20:31,520 --> 00:20:36,960 If you remember, Naman earlier, after being told that he can go 288 00:20:36,960 --> 00:20:40,120 back in peace, was concerned with something. 289 00:20:40,760 --> 00:20:43,280 He was concerned about returning to his duties because he was a 290 00:20:43,280 --> 00:20:46,360 high official in the Syrian government and his 291 00:20:46,360 --> 00:20:48,920 responsibilities were vast. But he also had a close 292 00:20:48,920 --> 00:20:51,360 relationship with the king of Syria. 293 00:20:51,640 --> 00:20:54,480 And one of the things that Naman had to do was assist this aged 294 00:20:54,480 --> 00:20:57,720 king into the temple of a false God. 295 00:21:00,280 --> 00:21:03,280 And when he would bow down to worship this false God, he would 296 00:21:03,280 --> 00:21:07,920 lean on Naaman's arm, and Naaman would have to bow down with him 297 00:21:07,920 --> 00:21:12,520 in order to help him. So he brings his predicament up 298 00:21:12,520 --> 00:21:18,080 to Elijah, and he says, oh, please, may your Lord pardon me 299 00:21:18,080 --> 00:21:22,440 when I do this. And Elijah reassures Naaman, 300 00:21:22,840 --> 00:21:26,920 Yes, I God understands you may have to physically prostate 301 00:21:26,920 --> 00:21:29,200 yourself, not because you're worshipping this false God, but 302 00:21:29,200 --> 00:21:31,720 because you have this position that requires you to help this 303 00:21:31,720 --> 00:21:35,720 elderly king realize that you should be in peace. 304 00:21:37,280 --> 00:21:40,880 Be in peace. But then now Fast forward in the 305 00:21:40,880 --> 00:21:44,000 same chapter, we learn what we just read it that you have 306 00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:47,800 Gehazi who outwardly look like a true minister. 307 00:21:48,600 --> 00:21:51,560 What was his posture? He stood in the presence of his 308 00:21:51,560 --> 00:21:53,200 master. When somebody stands in the 309 00:21:53,200 --> 00:21:55,720 presence of someone else, that often means that they are ready 310 00:21:55,920 --> 00:22:00,040 to serve at a command. He looks spiritual. 311 00:22:00,240 --> 00:22:03,720 He looked promising. He was the closest man to 312 00:22:03,720 --> 00:22:08,600 Elijah. But inwardly, what did he want? 313 00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:15,240 What did he truly desire? Fields and servants and 314 00:22:15,240 --> 00:22:21,760 affluence and was willing to even exploit others through the 315 00:22:21,760 --> 00:22:30,080 ministry to arrive there. Teaching us what God knows. 316 00:22:30,080 --> 00:22:34,880 Our hearts, He does not evaluate externally. 317 00:22:35,520 --> 00:22:39,480 He looks internally and He considers the purity, the 318 00:22:39,480 --> 00:22:45,520 sincerity of what we long for. He looks at our hearts above all 319 00:22:45,520 --> 00:22:47,920 else. You know, Gehazi and Judas 320 00:22:47,920 --> 00:22:49,960 Iscariot share many similarities. 321 00:22:51,160 --> 00:22:53,280 From the outside, Judas appeared to be what? 322 00:22:53,280 --> 00:22:55,600 A genuine disciple. I mean, he, with the other 11, 323 00:22:55,600 --> 00:22:59,720 walked away from their daily routines, the familiarity to 324 00:22:59,720 --> 00:23:01,680 follow this rabbi wherever he went. 325 00:23:02,640 --> 00:23:04,840 More than that, don't forget this, that when Jesus 326 00:23:04,840 --> 00:23:08,320 commissioned the 12 along with other disciples, Judas himself 327 00:23:08,320 --> 00:23:10,720 operated under the same power that these others did. 328 00:23:11,760 --> 00:23:14,600 Through Judas's hands, the sick were healed. 329 00:23:15,520 --> 00:23:18,400 Through Judas's voice, in the name of Jesus, demons were cast 330 00:23:18,400 --> 00:23:21,480 out. I mean, from the outside, this, 331 00:23:21,760 --> 00:23:23,800 this man, Judas looked like the real deal. 332 00:23:24,160 --> 00:23:28,240 Even the others among him thought the same. 333 00:23:29,200 --> 00:23:30,480 But there was someone in the midst. 334 00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:32,920 There was someone in Judas's life who really knew his true 335 00:23:32,920 --> 00:23:38,160 character, Christ, and regularly in the Gospels, especially, 336 00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:41,840 especially in the Gospel of John, the Holy Spirit shows us 337 00:23:41,840 --> 00:23:44,920 how Christ all along in that three-year tenure in a 338 00:23:44,920 --> 00:23:49,040 three-year ministry route, understood exactly who Judas was 339 00:23:49,040 --> 00:23:53,360 even though he was on staff. Do you remember what Jesus said 340 00:23:53,360 --> 00:23:57,320 in John 6 verse 70? Didn't I choose you the 12? 341 00:23:57,320 --> 00:23:59,400 And yet one of you is what a devil. 342 00:24:01,520 --> 00:24:03,280 Not one of you is going to be a devil. 343 00:24:03,480 --> 00:24:09,720 One of you right now is a devil. What a shocking claim. 344 00:24:11,640 --> 00:24:15,200 What does it show us that God knows? 345 00:24:15,800 --> 00:24:21,200 He can see through the veneers of gehazis and Judases, and He 346 00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:25,760 also sees the sincerity in the purity of unformed people like 347 00:24:25,760 --> 00:24:29,440 Naman who have the desire to to worship the true God but may not 348 00:24:29,440 --> 00:24:34,240 know all that He is all that he has to offer. 349 00:24:36,440 --> 00:24:38,800 The revelation of God's awareness of what resides in our 350 00:24:38,800 --> 00:24:41,560 hearts, it's so prevalent in the Bible. 351 00:24:41,560 --> 00:24:47,720 It goes back as far as Genesis, and I want to show you one 352 00:24:47,720 --> 00:24:50,400 strong example of this from Genesis chapter 20. 353 00:24:50,960 --> 00:24:55,040 Let's turn that together. What's happening in Genesis 20, 354 00:24:55,040 --> 00:24:58,400 at least in the beginning of it, Abraham makes his way to Guerrar 355 00:24:58,400 --> 00:25:03,800 with his family. And when he arrives at Guerrar, 356 00:25:03,840 --> 00:25:07,720 like before, he was afraid because of the beauty of his 357 00:25:07,720 --> 00:25:12,760 wife. You imagine that he was so 358 00:25:12,760 --> 00:25:15,560 worried that people would perceive and see just how 359 00:25:15,560 --> 00:25:19,920 beautiful his wife was that he had to lie. 360 00:25:19,920 --> 00:25:23,840 And he did this before so that no one would try to take him out 361 00:25:23,840 --> 00:25:25,560 if he stood in the way from having her. 362 00:25:26,600 --> 00:25:32,760 So Abraham repeats his mistake. Sarah, if anybody asks you, tell 363 00:25:32,760 --> 00:25:38,760 them you're my sister. So they do that, and Abimelech, 364 00:25:38,760 --> 00:25:41,000 the king of Gerard, took notice of Sarah. 365 00:25:41,520 --> 00:25:45,560 So he takes her for himself and all. 366 00:25:45,560 --> 00:25:50,880 Thank God he supervised over his plan of redemption. 367 00:25:50,880 --> 00:25:57,200 Because Abraham, this man of faith supposedly right, blew it 368 00:25:59,640 --> 00:26:05,720 at a very critical time. The Lord had promised Abraham 369 00:26:06,240 --> 00:26:09,760 that within a year's time Sarah would conceive the miracle 370 00:26:09,760 --> 00:26:13,640 child, and he still is willing to put her at risk of being 371 00:26:13,640 --> 00:26:17,240 taken by another man, which would what compromise that plan? 372 00:26:19,560 --> 00:26:22,840 So God himself intervenes, and this is what we read in Genesis 373 00:26:22,840 --> 00:26:25,960 20, verse 3. But God came to Abimelech in a 374 00:26:25,960 --> 00:26:29,760 dream by night and said to him, Behold, you are a dead man 375 00:26:30,840 --> 00:26:34,400 because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man's 376 00:26:34,400 --> 00:26:37,680 wife. Now Abimelech had not approached 377 00:26:37,680 --> 00:26:41,640 her, so he said, Lord, will you kill an innocent people? 378 00:26:42,040 --> 00:26:44,640 Did he not himself say to me, She is my sister? 379 00:26:44,960 --> 00:26:47,440 And she herself said He is my brother. 380 00:26:48,160 --> 00:26:55,360 In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands, I 381 00:26:55,360 --> 00:27:00,520 have done this. And God said to him in the 382 00:27:00,520 --> 00:27:06,080 dream, Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of 383 00:27:06,080 --> 00:27:09,520 your heart. And it was I who kept you from 384 00:27:09,520 --> 00:27:12,840 sinning against me. Isn't that amazing? 385 00:27:13,720 --> 00:27:18,320 Sinning against me? You know, some people say, well, 386 00:27:18,320 --> 00:27:19,600 it's not. It can't be wrong if I'm not 387 00:27:19,600 --> 00:27:21,680 hurting anybody. Well, actually you are hurting 388 00:27:21,680 --> 00:27:26,560 someone with every sin you commit, and that's God sinning 389 00:27:26,560 --> 00:27:29,280 against me. Therefore, I did not let you 390 00:27:29,280 --> 00:27:33,480 touch her. What kind of trouble might have 391 00:27:33,480 --> 00:27:38,080 Abimelech got himself into? If God was a God who judged only 392 00:27:38,080 --> 00:27:47,600 actions and not considering motives, intentions or even 393 00:27:47,600 --> 00:27:53,160 ignorance, I believe like would have ended right there and then. 394 00:27:53,160 --> 00:27:58,640 Actually, why do we see this in our Bibles? 395 00:27:58,640 --> 00:28:02,680 Because the Lord wants to show us that he looks at the heart. 396 00:28:04,200 --> 00:28:07,520 And Abimelech confesses that he did not pursue Sarah knowing 397 00:28:07,520 --> 00:28:10,880 that she was another man's wife. He was under the impression that 398 00:28:10,880 --> 00:28:12,520 she was single and therefore available. 399 00:28:15,200 --> 00:28:18,280 In other words, this man was not driven by sinful compulsion. 400 00:28:19,680 --> 00:28:23,000 He wasn't perverted. He didn't have evil intent. 401 00:28:23,000 --> 00:28:25,400 In this moment, the basis of his actions was pure, and God 402 00:28:25,400 --> 00:28:29,480 Himself confirmed it. I can, I can confirm and affirm, 403 00:28:29,960 --> 00:28:33,240 Abimelech, that you are innocent in this regard. 404 00:28:36,720 --> 00:28:38,200 What lessons can we take from this? 405 00:28:38,200 --> 00:28:40,880 I think a few. Let me offer a couple. 406 00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:44,440 Number one, it's very likely that you and I have made 407 00:28:44,440 --> 00:28:49,480 mistakes of various kinds, some more consequential, some less, 408 00:28:51,720 --> 00:28:53,960 yet they arose from a place of moral integrity. 409 00:28:56,600 --> 00:28:59,680 You know who makes these kind of mistakes? 410 00:28:59,680 --> 00:29:05,880 Very often young Christians when they first get saved, who do a 411 00:29:05,880 --> 00:29:09,880 lot of things from the place of righteous zeal but lack wisdom. 412 00:29:11,360 --> 00:29:14,200 And sometimes in their decisions, sometimes with their 413 00:29:14,200 --> 00:29:17,000 words or confrontations or even their attempts to do something 414 00:29:17,000 --> 00:29:20,240 right, they do more harm than good, right? 415 00:29:21,600 --> 00:29:23,800 Maybe if we're all a little bit honest, we can say, yeah, that's 416 00:29:24,120 --> 00:29:25,880 that's true of me when I was first born again. 417 00:29:25,880 --> 00:29:28,040 There's some things that I think back to, and I'm like, I'm 418 00:29:28,080 --> 00:29:34,920 cringing just thinking about it. And if you have a particularly 419 00:29:34,920 --> 00:29:40,760 sensitive conscience, that may be enough to help you not be 420 00:29:40,760 --> 00:29:45,480 able to move on from past blunders. 421 00:29:47,400 --> 00:29:49,920 You're almost chained to your past mistakes because you can't 422 00:29:49,920 --> 00:29:52,120 seem to just get over how you missed it. 423 00:29:54,400 --> 00:29:57,560 And yet we come to a truth like this that reminds us that God 424 00:29:57,640 --> 00:29:59,320 sees the integrity of our hearts. 425 00:30:01,400 --> 00:30:07,040 He sees the innocence. He sees how maybe we were even 426 00:30:07,040 --> 00:30:10,320 operating under a limited awareness of how things should 427 00:30:10,320 --> 00:30:13,400 be done, but we really want to do something good. 428 00:30:16,800 --> 00:30:19,080 So if that describes you, take take comfort in knowing that the 429 00:30:19,080 --> 00:30:21,600 Lord's assessment of our choices are not surface level. 430 00:30:21,600 --> 00:30:27,360 They are never surface level. He's incredibly patient. 431 00:30:29,080 --> 00:30:33,920 He considers other factors. He he looks at our motives. 432 00:30:33,920 --> 00:30:36,680 He looks at our limited knowledge that we may have had 433 00:30:36,680 --> 00:30:42,800 at the time of our failures. Another point to consider is how 434 00:30:43,800 --> 00:30:46,760 there will be times when we will be misjudged by others, 435 00:30:48,040 --> 00:30:52,040 sometimes even accused, while God fully recognizes our 436 00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:57,400 innocence. When David sent some of his 437 00:30:57,400 --> 00:31:02,440 servants to the land of the Ammonites to console and comfort 438 00:31:02,440 --> 00:31:07,200 Hanoon, who was the son of the late King Mahash, the Princess 439 00:31:07,520 --> 00:31:11,200 of the Ammonites whispered in the ear of Hanoon and convinced 440 00:31:11,200 --> 00:31:18,200 them David sent spies here. You think that this is an act of 441 00:31:18,200 --> 00:31:21,160 kindness? No, he's here to actually see 442 00:31:21,160 --> 00:31:25,440 your weak spots. This is his intelligence agency 443 00:31:25,440 --> 00:31:31,280 and Hanoon believed him. He believed the whisper of the 444 00:31:31,280 --> 00:31:34,840 Princess and it caused an unnecessary war. 445 00:31:35,680 --> 00:31:37,480 Here's David just trying to do the right thing. 446 00:31:38,720 --> 00:31:43,200 And it was misunderstood, misconstrued, and caused 447 00:31:43,200 --> 00:31:47,120 bloodshed. You and I have to be prepared to 448 00:31:47,120 --> 00:31:49,480 be misunderstood or wrongly accused by others, yet at the 449 00:31:49,480 --> 00:31:53,600 same time be ready to take refuge and to take comfort in 450 00:31:53,600 --> 00:31:59,080 the thought that God Himself knows the integrity of our 451 00:31:59,080 --> 00:32:07,040 hearts, even if others do not, because ultimately His judgement 452 00:32:07,040 --> 00:32:11,040 matters the most. I love the Apostle Paul for many 453 00:32:11,040 --> 00:32:14,120 reasons. One of the things that I so 454 00:32:14,280 --> 00:32:17,840 appreciate about this great man of God is the confidence he had 455 00:32:18,600 --> 00:32:22,360 in living in light of God's evaluation of his efforts, his 456 00:32:22,360 --> 00:32:26,840 ministry, his character. This man who sacrificed so much, 457 00:32:27,400 --> 00:32:31,160 This man who took beatings, this man who faced death on on behalf 458 00:32:31,160 --> 00:32:34,000 of others for the sake of the gospel, for the sake of other 459 00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:39,080 believers, at one point was severely scrutinized by these 460 00:32:39,080 --> 00:32:45,320 Corinthian Christians, these Corinthians who dare to question 461 00:32:45,320 --> 00:32:48,600 his ambitions and his motives, to compare him to other 462 00:32:48,600 --> 00:32:51,600 teachers. And so at one point in his first 463 00:32:51,600 --> 00:32:54,520 letter to this group of believers, he says it's a very 464 00:32:54,520 --> 00:32:59,440 small thing for me to be judged by you or by any human court. 465 00:33:00,520 --> 00:33:03,240 In fact, I love this part. He goes on to say I don't even 466 00:33:03,240 --> 00:33:07,280 judge myself. I don't rely of my own 467 00:33:07,280 --> 00:33:10,600 assessment of my own heart because sometimes I'm too hard 468 00:33:10,600 --> 00:33:13,600 on myself or sometimes I'm too light. 469 00:33:13,600 --> 00:33:15,920 No, no, no, He ends up saying this. 470 00:33:16,920 --> 00:33:21,640 It is the Lord who judges me ultimately is God. 471 00:33:21,640 --> 00:33:24,440 It's God who knows the depth of my being. 472 00:33:25,920 --> 00:33:28,880 It's the Lord who knows who knows why I do what I do. 473 00:33:30,720 --> 00:33:34,000 It's a very small thing to be judged by you, Corinthians. 474 00:33:34,520 --> 00:33:38,400 My identity is not in your assessment, your conclusions, 475 00:33:39,120 --> 00:33:42,560 your speculations, your comparisons. 476 00:33:42,720 --> 00:33:46,640 That's not where I find my identity, nor do I find it in 477 00:33:46,640 --> 00:33:53,600 any human court. I rest in God and in God alone. 478 00:33:58,040 --> 00:34:00,080 Oh, we can go on and on with examples, can't we? 479 00:34:01,640 --> 00:34:04,240 You're saying, can you just pause it and remind me why we're 480 00:34:04,240 --> 00:34:06,040 going through these passages? Because I want you to leave with 481 00:34:06,040 --> 00:34:09,920 one thing this afternoon. God knows your heart. 482 00:34:10,800 --> 00:34:13,760 That's it. But I believe there are at least 483 00:34:14,000 --> 00:34:16,159 more applications that we can drive. 484 00:34:17,000 --> 00:34:19,199 How should we respond to these scriptural insights? 485 00:34:19,199 --> 00:34:23,239 What do we do with them? I believe that there are two 486 00:34:23,239 --> 00:34:27,159 major applications, one that deals with our horizontal 487 00:34:27,159 --> 00:34:30,760 attitudes toward one another and one that concerns our vertical 488 00:34:30,760 --> 00:34:34,760 relationship with the Lord. Listen to the words of the 489 00:34:34,760 --> 00:34:39,159 apostle Paul on how we should treat one another, perceive one 490 00:34:39,159 --> 00:34:42,800 another in light of the fact that God knows our hearts. 491 00:34:42,800 --> 00:34:44,400 Turn with me to the New Testament now in First 492 00:34:44,400 --> 00:34:49,520 Corinthians chapter 4 and look at verse 5. 493 00:35:02,770 --> 00:35:06,690 Therefore do not pronounce judgement before the time before 494 00:35:06,690 --> 00:35:10,650 the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden 495 00:35:10,650 --> 00:35:15,410 in darkness, and will disclose the purposes of the heart. 496 00:35:17,690 --> 00:35:20,730 Then each one will receive his commendation from God. 497 00:35:22,890 --> 00:35:26,640 So again, the Corinthians were guilty of making judgments of 498 00:35:26,640 --> 00:35:30,080 various leaders in the church, including the apostle Paul, to 499 00:35:30,080 --> 00:35:34,000 the point that it was causing divisions and fostering 500 00:35:34,000 --> 00:35:37,800 spiritual pride. And so he's confronting this and 501 00:35:37,800 --> 00:35:40,000 he's reminds this group of believers, hey, hey, hey, hey, 502 00:35:40,680 --> 00:35:44,600 hey. God alone knows the intentions 503 00:35:44,600 --> 00:35:50,440 of the human heart. You can't come to a definite 504 00:35:51,560 --> 00:35:56,360 dogmatic arrival at why a minister does what he does. 505 00:35:56,360 --> 00:36:00,120 That's the context here. Because sometimes our judgments 506 00:36:00,120 --> 00:36:02,880 are premature. Sometimes there are conclusions 507 00:36:02,880 --> 00:36:08,440 based on incomplete information. Other times they are influenced 508 00:36:08,440 --> 00:36:15,000 by our own insecurities. So Paul tells his believers 509 00:36:15,600 --> 00:36:19,120 there is a time coming though, where the Lord will reach down 510 00:36:19,120 --> 00:36:24,040 into every heart and pull out the intentions of it. 511 00:36:27,360 --> 00:36:31,680 So you Corinthians, instead of spending your energy and causing 512 00:36:31,680 --> 00:36:34,800 problems with verbalizing and sharing your personal 513 00:36:34,800 --> 00:36:38,640 understanding supposedly of why someone is the way they are or 514 00:36:38,640 --> 00:36:42,240 why they preach or minister or serve in the way that they do, 515 00:36:43,720 --> 00:36:49,760 reserve that for examining your own heart and preparing your own 516 00:36:49,760 --> 00:36:52,040 heart to be evaluated by God Himself. 517 00:36:54,080 --> 00:36:56,960 And that's perhaps one way we can grow in our sanctification 518 00:36:57,840 --> 00:37:05,440 regarding this truth. He says that there will be a 519 00:37:05,440 --> 00:37:08,520 time coming when the purpose of the heart will be revealed, and 520 00:37:08,520 --> 00:37:14,080 that's God's prerogative alone. You know, we live in an age 521 00:37:14,080 --> 00:37:18,080 today where everybody can grab a microphone and share something 522 00:37:18,080 --> 00:37:23,080 with the world. And especially with the 523 00:37:23,080 --> 00:37:27,480 political climate we're in and how everything is accessible, 524 00:37:27,760 --> 00:37:31,760 the culture war, all these things, the things people share 525 00:37:31,760 --> 00:37:36,560 online that they're not even sure about and the havoc and 526 00:37:36,560 --> 00:37:39,840 confusion and chaos that it's causing. 527 00:37:41,280 --> 00:37:43,680 Listen, if the world wants to do that, let them do that. 528 00:37:43,680 --> 00:37:51,560 But nuts, let's not bring it in the church instead of murmuring, 529 00:37:52,080 --> 00:37:55,800 instead of trying to be your own private investigator and 530 00:37:55,800 --> 00:38:00,000 bringing others in and deeming if somebody's truly righteous, 531 00:38:00,040 --> 00:38:05,280 really authentic, leave that to God and worry about your own 532 00:38:05,280 --> 00:38:10,080 heart. But there's a vertical element 533 00:38:10,080 --> 00:38:11,360 to this. Do you remember what David's 534 00:38:11,360 --> 00:38:13,920 prayer was after getting one of the most comprehensive 535 00:38:14,040 --> 00:38:17,160 explanations of the wonders and purposes of the word of God in 536 00:38:17,160 --> 00:38:20,920 Psalm 19, we we spoke about this Psalm back at the conference. 537 00:38:20,920 --> 00:38:25,680 But let me remind you how He ends, how He responds right 538 00:38:25,680 --> 00:38:30,120 after giving this wonderful description, this bullet point 539 00:38:30,120 --> 00:38:34,920 kind of explanation of the applications and the treasures 540 00:38:34,920 --> 00:38:37,400 of the Word of God. This is what He says in Psalm 541 00:38:37,400 --> 00:38:44,120 19, verse 14. Let the words of my mouth and 542 00:38:44,120 --> 00:38:49,320 the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, oh 543 00:38:49,320 --> 00:38:54,440 Lord, my rock and my Redeemer. I do not believe for a moment 544 00:38:54,440 --> 00:38:57,360 that it is accidental that immediately right after speaking 545 00:38:57,360 --> 00:39:00,560 and giving a catalog of what the Word of God is and what it can 546 00:39:00,560 --> 00:39:07,560 perform in in a human soul, David responds in this way. 547 00:39:09,480 --> 00:39:11,840 It's as though David arrived at the same conclusion that you and 548 00:39:11,840 --> 00:39:17,480 I did this afternoon that the Lord he sees the heart. 549 00:39:19,120 --> 00:39:23,800 He considers the heart. And so David doesn't end his 550 00:39:23,800 --> 00:39:27,240 prayer with let the words of my mouth that deals with outward 551 00:39:27,240 --> 00:39:29,160 piety. That's what other people can 552 00:39:29,160 --> 00:39:33,720 hear. He says, not not just outside. 553 00:39:34,160 --> 00:39:46,240 I'm asking you clean this heart, the hidden private secret part 554 00:39:47,360 --> 00:39:51,240 of who I am. I'm asking you, God, that the 555 00:39:51,240 --> 00:39:56,640 meditations that nobody else knows about would be acceptable 556 00:39:56,640 --> 00:40:02,400 in your sight. This is David's response to what 557 00:40:02,400 --> 00:40:05,440 he knew about the Word of God and what you and I are being 558 00:40:05,440 --> 00:40:09,120 reminded of in the Word of God, that He sees our hearts. 559 00:40:11,720 --> 00:40:14,960 May that be our prayer also. Let's do that now. 560 00:40:36,890 --> 00:40:41,450 And before, before I even pray, I want to give you a short time 561 00:40:42,850 --> 00:40:48,730 to do business with God. And perhaps that looks like you 562 00:40:48,730 --> 00:40:57,090 worshiping the Lord in with Glee because you had these 563 00:40:57,090 --> 00:40:58,570 aspirations that were never realized. 564 00:40:58,570 --> 00:41:00,450 You never understood why you prayed about it. 565 00:41:02,360 --> 00:41:05,600 You're willing to give up everything for it, and God has a 566 00:41:05,600 --> 00:41:09,200 different path for you. And you might be frustrated with 567 00:41:09,200 --> 00:41:12,800 your life, but oh, remember that the Lord praise David for his 568 00:41:12,800 --> 00:41:17,680 desires alone. Take comfort, servant of Christ. 569 00:41:17,680 --> 00:41:22,960 If that's you, perhaps you're riddled with guilt even still in 570 00:41:22,960 --> 00:41:27,000 2025 because of things that have been done. 571 00:41:27,000 --> 00:41:28,760 Though you did it from a pure place. 572 00:41:32,800 --> 00:41:34,840 Take comfort in knowing that God knows your heart. 573 00:41:36,280 --> 00:41:39,320 The integrity of it may have not been the best choice. 574 00:41:39,320 --> 00:41:46,560 It may have been a wrong action. Not the wisest, but be liberated 575 00:41:47,520 --> 00:41:54,200 and move on in the grace of God. You might be a Ghazi in this 576 00:41:54,200 --> 00:42:04,960 place and your heart is filled with worldly ambitions, carnal 577 00:42:04,960 --> 00:42:09,000 cravings. You know the right words, you 578 00:42:09,000 --> 00:42:17,120 look the part, but there is nothing of God in your 579 00:42:17,120 --> 00:42:20,560 affections and your ambitions. It can change today. 580 00:42:22,520 --> 00:42:26,000 God can renew that heart of yours and fill it with the 581 00:42:26,000 --> 00:42:28,800 desires that were meant to be there. 582 00:42:35,770 --> 00:42:38,730 Lord, we pray that the words of our mouths and the meditations 583 00:42:38,730 --> 00:42:42,130 of our hearts leaving this place would be acceptable in your 584 00:42:42,130 --> 00:42:46,210 sight. Thank you, Lord, that You were 585 00:42:46,210 --> 00:42:47,810 not just the great revealer of hearts. 586 00:42:47,810 --> 00:42:51,690 You were the healer of hearts. You are the regenerator of 587 00:42:51,690 --> 00:42:57,440 hearts. You perform spiritual heart 588 00:42:57,440 --> 00:43:00,280 transplants. You can take these Stony hearts, 589 00:43:00,280 --> 00:43:09,040 these cold icy hearts, these critical hearts, and put your 590 00:43:09,040 --> 00:43:14,720 heart instead. And we pray that we would 591 00:43:14,720 --> 00:43:19,320 experience that, though we will never know it perfectly on this 592 00:43:19,320 --> 00:43:22,840 side of eternity, we want as much of it as possible. 593 00:43:24,040 --> 00:43:27,920 And so low. We sit here patiently and humbly 594 00:43:28,440 --> 00:43:30,920 asking for you to do what only you can do. 595 00:43:31,080 --> 00:43:35,160 In these hearts, in Christ's name, we pray. 596 00:43:36,200 --> 00:43:39,880 Amen. If you desire to stand and sing 597 00:43:39,880 --> 00:43:43,120 with us, you can do that. If you still want to stay seated 598 00:43:43,120 --> 00:43:48,000 so that you can better pray and seek the Lord, you can do that 599 00:43:48,000 --> 00:43:50,280 as well. Whatever you choose to do in 600 00:43:50,280 --> 00:43:52,760 this moment, do it from a place of worship. 601 00:43:54,000 --> 00:43:56,240 Let's let's seek the Lord and thank Him for speaking to us 602 00:43:56,240 --> 00:43:57,080 today, Yeah.