well, if you came today, Thinking that we're going to
continue with Catholicism or other traditions.
We won't be and one reason is because there's so much to say
and eventually we're gonna have to stop at some point, right?
We can talk about the papacy. We can talk about veneration of
icons. We can talk about indulgences,
we can talk about different shades of traditions and all
really you can do from this point on though.
We may revisit such a subject in the future is to be moved enough
to not take things at face value.
Value. It's not just assume what people
have to say about what they believe, but to go deeper and to
look deeper into study and realize where people stand.
What differences do people truly have scripture tells us that my
people perish, right? For a lack of knowledge, were a
faith that prizes knowledge, we're not just running here out
of sentiment and emotions everything.
About what we believe is based on truth on And our arguments,
our defense, Our Gospel, our presentation, everything that
you and I experience is based on what has been revealed and so be
inspired moving from this place moving on, from where we were
left off in Mark, chapter 7 to grow in your knowledge of the
word of God, of what you believe, and from there, from
what others believe, and then to compare.
And hopefully the Lord will use you as you are equipped to touch
other people, I trust that he will.
One of the things that Bless me from people in the past few
weeks. Was I feel equipped?
And that's the point I wanted you to feel more familiar with
your gospel with R-Truth and also where other people stand.
So that you would be more bold and courageous and willing to
touch other people's lives with the truth will.
All that being said, we're still in Mark chapter 7.
And so, I need you to turn with me in your Bibles to this place
and verse 14. This will be more preaching than
teaching. There's a lot of quoting and
reading past few weeks but I'm excited to have my head up more
this afternoon. Mark chapter 7 verse 14.
And he called the people to him again and said to them, hear me
all of you. And understand, there is nothing
outside a person that by going into, him can defile him, but
the things that come out of a person or what defile him, And
we entered the house and left. The people his disciples asked
him about the parable and he said to them.
Then are you also without understanding?
Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside?
Cannot defile him since it enters not in his heart, but his
stomach and is expelled, thus, he declared all foods clean and
he said, what comes out of a person is what defiles him for
from within. Out of the heart of man.
Come evil thoughts, sexual immorality theft murder,
adultery coveting, wickedness deceit, sensuality Envy, slander
Pride, foolishness all these evil things come from within and
they defile a person Lord May the words of my mouth and the
meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight and may
our hearts and our ears also be acceptable in your sight.
You promised that when the Holy Spirit would come there would be
power power to testify of the truth.
We appeal to that power, we depend on that power, we
relinquish all eloquence. All craft all, even personality
And we submit ourselves to The Sovereign work of God who
bestows upon his servants, the ability to deliver and
communicate your truth. So do so, in this moment, for
your namesake in your namesake alone in Jesus name, amen.
I'm sure that if you've been in any lengthy discussion, whether
it was Evangelistic philosophical or theological,
that it did not take much time for the problem of evil to arise
in that conversation. Apart from the diseases and all
the natural disasters that occur on a daily basis.
The polluting immorality that plagues over humanity is very
difficult to ignore. And for the most part is easily
discerned. Now, it is true.
That the Bible reveals that our discernment concerning, moral,
evil and moral good. Can be skewed.
Can be dulled can be warped. But you have to understand that
there is a general understanding of morality.
Among Us, most religions can say yes, there's categories of good
and bad. There is right and wrong and
even the staunch atheist unknowingly perhaps appeals to
morality when he chooses to accuse and condemn a God that he
doesn't even believe in. And you can imagine and you are
fully aware that it's no surprise that many many Minds
over the years. Many schools of thought to have
a rose on this subject. Countless people over the
centuries of try to make sense of this mystery called evil.
But with all the opinions that have been passed down and that
are continuing to be passed down in our institutions of learning
and with all the great minds over the different civilizations
and cultures that have stuffed our literature and our
libraries, there is absolutely nothing more robust or accurate
concerning the subject in of evil than the word of God
itself. Nothing?
One Theologian said very cleverly that none can deny the
fact that men are not what they ought to be.
None can deny. There was something that we
intrinsically sense about ourselves that not everything is
right there is something foundationally wrong.
None can deny that we are not what we ought to be and yet no
human wisdom can give us answers to why.
But if you are looking for answers, if you are looking for
a Clarity, then look, no further than what you have in your
hands. Because God's word provides
Insight concerning the origins of evil, the identity of evil.
The activity of evil. The punishment for evil, the
presence of evil, the consequences of evil.
And yes, even the future fate of evil.
It's there from cover to cover and what you?
And I just read in this text here.
This afternoon shows us something about the Lord Jesus
and his Insight concerning evil. A staggering inside a humbling
insight about morality namely wickedness, iniquity rebellion.
And All of that relates to you and I see human beings.
And my aim today. Is to provide at least three
simple thoughts, three simple thoughts of the Lord is
conveying here, concerning that very topic and here's my desire,
God, help us. Here's my desire that if you're
in this, if you're in this place and you're a person who can
identify through the Revelation, that is presented here today,
that you need a new heart. That you would be moved by this
truth enough to come before the presence of the king and say,
God give me a new heart. And if you're a person in this
place who has been born again, you can genuinely say, I have
been transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
That you also would be moved not to appeal for a new heart.
But perhaps for a new Joy, a new Joy, a new praise a new song
because you in this place are enjoying the miracle of the new
birth because of his grace. And so the sinner in this place,
this afternoon can glorify God through the repentance and the
person who has experience this amazing gospel, you would also
be able to glorify God by rejoicing afresh in his goodness
over your life. And so, I have three thoughts
for you today, and as I told you, it will be preached to you.
It will be preached to you. If it feels Evangelistic, then,
so be it. But let your heart be moved
because even Christians need to hear the gospel then, not Paul
say in Romans that it is through the preaching of Jesus Christ
that we know strength. It is through this gospel and
the preaching of Jesus Christ, not the world, but the Saints
tap into a supernatural strength.
We need to hear the gospel. We need to explore deeper truths
of the gospel and here's Christ giving us an Insight concerning
the gospel. But before we get to that truth,
here's Point. Number one, point number one,
the source of evil is from within What do we see here in
verse 20? And he said, what comes out of a
person is what defiles him, three staggering words in verse
21 for from within for, from within in a Jesus before he
displays this catalog of Filth that populates every person's
inner being he prepares his listeners, he gets him ready,
has he get him ready? Well, we're told here in verse
14 here All of you and understand.
Hey, pay attention, pay attention, and humble yourself
to be willing to accept what I'm about to say.
And then from there, he says something quite strange.
Perhaps, to us. There is nothing outside a
person that by going into, him can defile him.
But the things that come out of a person or what defile him,
what is Jesus, speaking about, we remember the wider context.
Remember before we went into that mini-series on tradition
where it all started from the Pharisees, came to Jesus and
said, why do you disciples not wash their hands before they
eat, they weren't concerned about their hygiene there.
A concern over the fact that their disregard of the
ceremonial and ritual cleansings.
That were preached and taught and passed down to the masses.
And that kind of tradition that had binding conviction on others
is what Jesus challenged because it was based like a lot of
tradition today. It was based on skewed theology,
let me say this tradition is neutral.
It can be used to highlight and honor a truth or it can be used
to Eclipse a truth. And in this case, this idea of
ceremonial cleansing eclipse, the truth, more than just
eclipse the truth. It.
Diverted people from the truth and put their focus on an
external morality instead of true inner Holiness.
And so Jesus challenges that thought and he provides clarity
about it and he says, listen it's not about the externals
because what were they were, what they were teaching was what
you do with your body is what determines your standing in the
The presence of God, what you eat, what you touch, how you
protect your hands, how you protect your feet, all of that
is ultimately going to determine you experiencing God's favor.
And Christ comes on the scene again, and he exposes all of
that. What Christ is essentially
saying is listen, the primary polluting factor that blemishes
souls and corrupt behavior is not external.
It's in you It's in you. In other words, the primary
thing that you and I should be concerned about is not what's
outside, but what's inside? And this concept may be familiar
to us, right? We've heard it all our lives.
Most of us. In this place.
I least I assume But because of the desperate lack of true
teaching in Jesus day, even the disciples prove that this is
very difficult to grasp. You've been trained and you've
heard all your life that it's about.
Don't do this, don't do that. And here now Christ comes and
he's not presenting something new he's presenting what the
heart of God was even in the old Covenant, it's your heart.
It's what occupies Within. and I suppose that some people today
have trouble acknowledging this truth as well since it is a
humiliating Declaration of the condition of man and so contrary
to Modern psychologists and philosophers philosophers
pacifier generation with It's generally understood that the
wrong. We commit is what the wrong that
we commit is what makes us sinners.
It's deeper than that. It's not the wrong that you
commit, that makes you a sinner. We are not merely Sinners
because we sin we sin because we're sinners.
What'd you do to doesn't necessarily determine who you
are though? There is a facet of Truth to
that, but it's much more complex.
You do what you do because of who you are.
That's the essence of what Christ is saying.
For, from within out of the heart of man, the heart of man.
What is the heart of, man? It is the essential part of your
personality is the very thing that defines your affections,
your Ambitions, your convictions, your attitudes.
The inner seat that inspires your thoughts, your words, your
decisions, It is that core element that makes you you.
And what Christ is saying, is that thing that makes you, you
is a fountain of wickedness. And it is desperately fractured.
The human heart is broken. The human heart is deceptive.
It is perverted. It is selfish.
It is stubborn. It is a theater that endlessly
plays evils Ten Thousand Times, Ten thousands, it is a tireless
Idol manufacturer, it is a cesspool of corruption.
Happy Father's Day, right? To which some might say.
Excuse me, preacher. Yeah, you with the suit it would
being a little extreme, aren't you?
Huh? I would say that I'm a good
person. I'm a good dad, I provide for my
family. I'm not like other fathers who
run away from their wives and their responsibilities.
I pay the bills, I take my family on vacation, I sacrifice
my own sleep, my own hobbies to serve my own.
I'm a good mother, you know what I have to do on a day-to-day
basis to train my children raise up my children.
I'm not like other 20s, I'm not like Millennials there.
I'm not like gen Z who have wasted their lives and their
youth and debauchery and shame. I've preserved myself, I've kept
myself, I pay my taxes. I'm good to my neighbor's, I
obey the laws of the land. How dare you ascribe to me?
Such horrific descriptions? And my answer to you is twofold,
if those thoughts have traveled through your mind, as I preach
in this microphone and here's the first thought to what
measure, what standard of goodness are you comparing your
goodness? Do you see what Jesus mentioned
first in this list of sins and verse 21 for from within out of
the heart of man? Come, here's the first thing
evil thoughts. Evil thoughts.
Now most of us, if not, all of us outside of Christ would never
entertain the idea that evil thoughts would be an offense.
Why it's intangible? Their imaginations.
Within the boundaries of my imagination.
They're just they're just ideas, they're not harming.
Anybody, they're not defiling, they're not hurting.
There's just being rehearse from within And yet, it's a very
first thing that Jesus underscores.
As a violation. Why?
Because what we consider innocent is actually in
primarily offensive to the one who inhabits heaven and knows
the heart of all men. You see sin is not measured by
how harmful it is to others. What our words, our actions due
to our companions are family members or friends or even our
enemies. There is a vertical reality to
our morality That we often ignore.
In our self assessment, pay attention to this, our personal
scorecards of Holiness would look a lot different if God was
the one grading them. Our personal score cards of how
good we are. Would have a different grade of
God was the one who determined whether you pass or fail.
And Jesus mentions evil thoughts, because that's where
everything is birth from, right? It starts with the imagination
before becomes manifestation and so there's even Insight here
concerning the order of things. Evil, thoughts, evil thoughts
But evil thoughts. I mean what's the big deal?
Well, it's a big deal to God. Secondly here's my second
objection to your objection. Are you pleased?
If you're a good person and you have to be honest, are you
honest enough to look at human history and admit that are
books. That are documentaries.
Testified that are potential to do.
Evil is so great. As men and women so great.
I know your immediate temptation is to distance yourself from
ancient civilizations and barbaric, societies and
ideologies. But do you doubt that under
certain circumstances and desperate situations if the
temperature is right? If the government permits in the
culture, accepts it that you too, can become a beast?
If you're unhinged, if what you have in your heart is merely a
seed. And if that seed is water, just,
right? It can become a bed of weeds and
more few and transform you into something that you yourself
would never be able to recognize.
You don't even have to look too far.
The 20th century has been declared the bloodiest and most
destructive Century of all of human history.
The 20th not the first, not the second, not the 18th to the
20th. Just a few Generations ago, we
have slaughtered more people than any time since the
Inception of this very world. So much for Progressive, right?
So much for men, developing right so much with all our cures
and all our discoveries and all our inventions.
Those things don't prove anything.
If anything they just give us more instrument and more ways to
be evil. And amazingly, the Bible itself
has been authored by God to be what a history book.
God didn't give us a book of systematic theology, where you
go to a concordance, or you go to some index and say, okay,
what is justification mean? And you come and you see a list
of the definitions of justification?
No. There is some truth to that
there is some element of that but you have a history book in
your hands and I believe there's one specific purpose among many
for that turn with me to Galatians 4:4 in your Bibles.
I want you to see something with me.
Maybe someone that you've never thought about.
Galatians 4:4. but when the fullness of time had come God
sent forth his son, born of a woman born under the law to
redeem those who were under the law so that we might receive
adoption as Sons. Glory be to God.
Look at those first few words but when the fullness of time
had come the Holy Spirit through Paul indicates that at the
appropriate time at the perfect time, the Son of God became man
he became man to become our substitute and there is much
debate and speculation about God's choice of the timing in
human history for the Incarnation of Christ. and it
would be a whole message in itself, to consider the
heart-stirring reasons, why Jesus came when he came Why
Jesus came when he came because according to God, he came at the
perfect time at the bullseye Mark and there's an element of
God's choosing of that time. That is Sovereign and hidden and
veiled from our understanding, that makes God God and you and I
creatures. Oh, but from time to time, he
gives us a glimpse into his wisdom so that we can have more
Outburst of Joy concerning his glory.
At the fullness of time, I believe one of the reasons why
Christ came when he came is because it has to do with the
patient development of Israel's history, as a testimony to the
world about our desperate condition and need for a savior,
did you catch that? After so many manifestations
after so many miracles after God had raised up so many men
throughout the generations to visit this Covenant people after
establishing a very unique relationship, with this one,
people group, and giving them a very powerful law along, not
just to be kept to themselves, but to shine in the world with
its warnings and with his blessings.
After all of that, showering of sovereign Mercy.
You have a nation who over and over again, rebelled disobeyed
turned their backs, worshiped other gods.
And in God's great wisdom. When you pick up this book and
read through it before, you would come and meet with Christ.
In the gospel of Matthew, you would have already been
confronted and convinced of how deplorable and twisted we really
are. Is that the sense you get?
When you read the Old Testament, when you go through the Book of
Judges and you see that after all these saviors, and all these
super naturally empowered men, and even woman, we still go back
to our sin. We still go back to our vomit.
Okay, fine. No, judges.
Here are some Kings and then you read, why.
After one king following the? Next very, very little were able
to be consistent and even in their consistency, they still
fail because there man. And then you come to the
prophets, Major Prophets, Minor Prophets.
And you see even in these prophets though, they were
Sanctified vessels, they were vessels still and the people
still did not respond to the pleas of these men who are
passionate for the glory of God and so you're overwhelmed by
that. And you look at Israel and
you're tempted to condemn Israel because we think to ourselves
well, if I was at Mount Sinai and I saw the glory of God come
down like that. I would serve God my whole day
life, all my days, every second. Oh really.
And we convinced ourselves in that one.
That's not the intention of why it's there in your Bibles is to
show you. This is you This is you and it
would be a testament to Future Generations.
Yes, even in 2023 that if you dare to care for your soul
enough to read this Bible, you would read it.
And you again be confronted with your depravity and mine.
When the fullness of time had come Christ comes with the
backdrop. Of a Nation who fractured and
shattered. Any possibility of standing and
right with God. And interestingly, when you read
the Bible, You also see that it's not just about a past
reality but even testifies of a future reality, what do I mean
by that? You have some who say who would
be very upset with this message very upset.
We're inherently good. We're inherently good.
And this is what you hear in modern messages, you're a good
person. You're just a victim of your
environment, right? And this is what we're preaching
in our culture. This is what our government is
flirting with, if we just abolish poverty all together,
and if we give equal opportunity to all then, we will know
Utopia. We will know a great, if not a
total decrease in crime, we will know Harmony, we will know
peace. We will know true joy and
happiness. And the Bible knowing our
foolish thinking doesn't just help us by looking to the past.
It points us to the Future because do you know that the
Bible predicts and tells us and prophesize that there is a date
to come in this world. Not having in this day, where
Christ will come establish, his Rule and Reign and because of
his government that will be headquartered there in
Jerusalem, there will be a peace and prosperity in this world
like this world has never known never known.
It will be an addenda kind of Revival, you will have an
atmosphere and you will have a from corner to corner across the
globe. A renewing of what was lost
there in Genesis 1 and 2. And that excites us we a say,
Amen to that, we look forward to that.
But despite that Holy atmosphere, the Bible reminds us
yet. Again of How Deeply rooted your
sin and mine is as Sons. And Daughters of Adam, let me
prove it to you. Go to Zechariah Chapter, 14 is
Zechariah. 14 is one of the most descriptive text that details.
What it will be like when Christ comes to this world.
Again, maybe you don't know. This Christ is coming back, not
to take us to heaven, and keep us there.
There is going to be a period of 1,000 years where he has to
fulfill some promises that he made first. namely to Israel and
namely to a person named David And Zechariah 14 17 to 18.
Now, this is just one puzzle to a grand puzzle of what that
Millennial reign will look like and most of it is glorious.
It's exciting. I mean, the lion lying down with
the lamb, right? Children being able to play with
serpents. You have the geographical You
have the animal kingdom. You have politics and
governments. Every aspect of our universe
will be influenced by Christ's physical presence here in glory.
And yet, with all of that, it almost it almost feels like
heaven when you read about it. It's not heaven entirely.
Because despite the king's presence and his perfect
leadership, there will be a population who have not yet been
renewed and resurrected. And here's a glimpse of that
verse 17. This is about the millennial
Reign. This is not today.
This is the millennial Reign it's to come.
And if any of the families of the earth, do not go up to
Jerusalem to worship the king, the Lord of hosts, there will be
no rain on them. And if the family of Egypt does
not go up and present themselves, then on them, there
shall be no rain. There shall be a plague the
plague with which the Lord afflicts the Nations that do not
go up to keep the Feast of booths.
We look at that, we say, oh, that's interesting.
No, no, it's theological. So I understand that What will,
what will populate the world, who will populate the world in
part will be the resurrected Saints, but it's not just going
to be the resurrected Saints. You're going to have those who
have been Preserved from judgment.
Even the final judgment to come in this world that will also
populate this world. And they have not been
regenerate, and they will reproduce.
And even again under this amazing government, you will
still have people who resist the king.
Because the king will demand for Global acknowledgement of who he
is. And there will be pilgrimages to
Jerusalem were Kings and people from Nations, will come not to
hear a preacher talk about Jesus, but to see Jesus himself.
And yet there will be families of the earth who don't go up.
We're not going up to worship him.
We're not going up to acknowledge Him, we're not going
up to honor his command, we're staying right here.
I mean, look how powerful his government is.
No government can do this. Find you don't want to come.
No rain on you guys. No rain Supernatural authority.
Over nature itself. And you know what?
I find even more. Fascinating Revelation, 20, you
have to turn there gives us another insight about what will
be like during that time. And we were told that Satan
himself would be subdued for a thousand years.
He'll be Chained and placed in an abyss and he will not be able
to freely roam around. Like he confessing Job chapter 1
to deceive and to tempt. His influence will be
relinquished and yet those Satan's presence and his minions
are put in a place where they cannot have, what they've had
for. So long in our world, you still
have people who will resist the king.
You still have people who say I don't want to worship him I
don't want to come near him. Why how huh?
Because the human heart? j.c.
Ryle said we need no bad company to teach us and no devil to
tempt Us in order to run into sin, we have within us the
beginning of every sin under heaven So, go away with that
idea of environment can environment influence us?
Yes, can people arouse us? Yes, candyman's causes do
things. Yes, but the source, The
Fountainhead, the mouth of where it all comes from is in your
heart. Yeah, even behind that, pretty
little blouse. A nice tailored suit.
The source of evil is from within Point number to, the
problem of evil is universal. Jesus, very few specific and
what he said here in Mark chapter 7 for from within out of
the heart of men not? Amen.
Not some men, not a people group, not a specific race.
Not criminals only but mankind, as a whole is infected with this
poison. So whether your Society, your
status in society is high or low, whether your bank account
is Fuller empty. Whether you're educated or
Porter poorly read, whether you are famous or unknown, whether
you have accomplished much or little all men, According To,
Jesus are inclined to do that. Which God says, do not do.
There is not one part of this world you can run to, where this
isn't true. There is not one culture or
ethnicity. Where there are not infected
with this disease, wherever you go, you will find this problem.
Whoever you meet, they have the same diagnosis.
I want you to think about that. You can't escape from it.
You can't run from it. There's not one part of this
world. That is untouched.
And have you ever stepped back and asked why Have you ever just
paused and looked at the universality of sin and said,
how is this true? Why is this?
Why are we all the same? only a fool would deny that
there is not something wrong with us in our wiring, And this
observation is yet another point that defensive veracity of the
word of God. Because it's in the word of God,
where we get the answer that tells us why it is.
All of us are the way we are, and why sin itself encompasses
all men and all women. You know, this verse, you can
turn there if you'd like. But in Romans 5:12 Paul says
therefore just that sin came into the world through one man
and death through sin, so death. Has spread to all men because
all sinned. Through one man.
I notice Paul's being very specific, he saying, just as Sin
came into the world. Paul is describing this sin in
our world. He's not talking about the
origins of sin because John tells us about the origins of
sin. And first John 380 tells us
about the devil, who was sinning from the beginning even before
the world was created. And that's a mystery in itself,
right? How did Satan's in, I get it but
we're not here to answer that. Well, Paul is here addressing is
sin in our world. And it happened through one man.
One man, one man brought sin universally one man, brought
about death universally, that's why we all die.
I've wondered this, you might make fun of this kind of thing.
But I thought to myself, how is it that we we all die?
Why is it that some don't die if this is just all happenstance
and where the product of goo and a collision?
Why is it that we all have the same fate?
And there's something unnatural about death, something doesn't
feel right about there's something in all of us that
resisted that. If you're still saying you you
protect yourself from danger, anything that would threaten you
the very reflexes of your body attest to that right?
You blink, and you Flinch. Why why?
Why is it that there's no Academy in our world?
Why is it that there's no school or University or
pre-kindergarten her kindergarten class that teaches
you to do? Evil come and learn how to lie
come learn, how to steal come learn, how to be selfish.
Because it's in you. You don't need to be taught.
You know exactly how to do it. Because of one man, he explains
that our first parents namely Adam was granted a unique
responsibility ones that's not to be repeated apart from Christ
but a unique responsibility and his responsibility is to govern
or was to govern and nurture the world.
And he assumed the role of man's representative and the decisions
he made would have consequences for the rest of us.
And the natural world that he was called to take care of and
one preacher, put it this way. Adam did not sin as a man.
Adam sinned as man. Big difference because the
implications of that are massive and here is one of them.
As long as there are humans, there will be sin.
As long as there are humans, they're obese in.
Take a dozen people, six men, six woman, train, them, and
develop the technology to be able to colonize another planet
stuff, them in a rocket, blow it up into the atmosphere.
Let them land on Mars. And create a new world.
Let's start fresh, right. If this is really about our
environment. If this is about all these other
tricks and ideas, then let's just get a blank canvas, maybe
that's the real solution, we just need a fresh start.
Surely we have your learned after thousands of years of
scars Upon Our Land and Upon Our people, we've learned enough to
say if we got it, if we get a new chance at it, we can do it
right. And what would you have if we
took over another planet and try to do it all over again?
You would have Earth 2.2 or 2.0. That's what you would have.
Because it's not about. How you do things, what you
learn, what programs you develop.
It's about the heart. And here's the funny thing, we
actually tried that and it didn't work.
We tried going to Mars. No, I'm not talking about that.
We tried restarting in this world and failed.
Remember the flood that that's what it was all about.
Again, it's a history book to show you that, that kind of idea
itself is not even worthy to be entertained.
God takes one family, puts him on an arc, and close them and
protects them. And he washes this world squeaky
clean. He takes just a remnant of the
animals of every kind, puts him in that boat as well.
And he scrubs this place from east to west north to south that
our lands and this family exits, that our God makes a covenant.
With this family that feared God, during a generation that
had absolutely no regard for God.
And what do you have in the very opening chapter of that new
start in history? Noah following in the footsteps
of Adam. Adam, sinned with the fruit.
No, Ascend with a fruit, different fruit.
But Same Heart. He gets drunk before we can even
enjoy our new world. And his sons at least one of
them, shames him and embarrasses them, and it just all goes
downhill from there. So what's the solution?
It's not to put man in a new environment.
It's not to get a reset button. It's to give man a new heart.
And how is that to be done? Exactly.
Let me give you a couple verses before we close and Ezekiel
chapter 18 verse 31. Ezekiel 18:31.
The Lord says, cast away from you, all the transgressions that
you have committed and make yourselves a new heart.
And a new spirit. Why will you die o House of
Israel? That looks like good news,
right? That looks hopeful.
Yeah, it is. God doesn't want you to die in
your sin. But is it really hopeful that
what I just read to you excite you?
If you read it carefully. It should plunge you into deeper
despair. Hypothetically, you come into my
office and I'm a doctor and you sense something strange in your
body. So you go through a series of
tests and we do those tests and we discovered that in your body
is a burning cancer. That is soon to eat away at your
flesh. It is lethal and you will die.
No, cure, no answer, no remedy. Your fate is sealed.
And you because you cherish your life because you have enough
awareness of your own life and realize that there is something
wrong with, you are willing to accept that news and you feel
that that pit in your stomach and there's a cold sweat that
covers your brow. But there's a sense in which you
are also grateful because you discovered this, right?
Someone someone describe what this message was up to.
This point is Harsh. But do you do that with your
doctor? When he tells you honestly,
what's wrong with your body or do you think him?
Can you come to the proper prescription?
Before an honest diagnosis. That is exactly why Jesus says
what he says. That's exactly why this is being
preached. And so there's a sense of
relief, right? Okay.
This is what I have. This is what I'm struggling
with, but doctor, you're a doctor.
Surely you have something? And the doctor looks at you and
he says, here are some tools. Go back to your house and get
the cancer out yourself. How would you feel?
Here are some instruments.
Good luck. You know, you have this cancer.
Try to deal with it yourself. what you're supposed to feel is
in even deeper pit in your stomach and a fresh, showering
of that cold sweat over your brow, to realize, I can't I
can't you're asking me to do something.
That is impossible. I can't perform surgery on
myself. I don't know the deepest parts
of what. I'm not familiar with my anatomy
to dig deep in there and remove that lump.
There is just no way. And that's exactly the aim of
this charge in Ezekiel 1831. It's not to inspire you to try
to work your way out of your depraved condition.
It's to bring you to a point where you say create in myself,
a new heart, Make a new Spirit In My Own Strength.
I can't. You're asking something that's
impossible of me. I'm finished.
I'm done. Let me put my house in order.
Let me eat drink and be merry for tomorrow.
I die. But Ezekiel doesn't finish with
his revelation. Because you keep reading in that
prophets writings and you come to 36:26.
In the Lord says through him and I will give you a new heart.
I not you. I will give you a new heart and
a new spirit. I will put within you and I will
remove the Heart of Stone from your flesh and give you a heart
of Flesh. And I will put my spirit within
you and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to be
obey my rules. How many times do you have to
say? Aye aye.
Aye. You can't write, I can't.
You can't get the cancer out of your.
I can't get the cancer out of me.
Then I'll do it. Come to the foot of the cross.
Come filthy broken. And lay there in humility and
repentance Faith submit to my righteousness and allow me to
perform in you, what you are. Nobody else can do.
This is point number three. Yes.
Point number one is, as a source of evils within Point number
two, is that the problem of evil is universal and point number
three, is this, that the remedy of your sin is not within but
outside, it's not within its in him.
I will do it. That is Our Gospel appeal.
Is to raise up, the mirror of God's word in front of you, to
show you God, standard and to press you and to help.
You see, just how depraved and Lawson deplorable.
You really are, not in light of your neighbor, not in light of
society, and unlighted, the crazies that are dominating
social media. No, no, and light of a holy God,
And for you to say, well, that's me.
And then you feel the temptation of your hand reaching for a
knife. Reaching for your own Works,
reaching for your own efforts, reaching for your own ideas,
reaching for what you even see the commands in this word and to
apply them to yourselves and to bleed that sin out of you and to
bruise yourself into righteousness and to be molded
into the very image that God requires of you in order to be
accepted by him and that is not where God wants you to go before
you reach out your hand. He halts it and he grabs your
wrist. And he gets your attention with
the Gospel of Jesus Christ and he says, not with your hands.
But with my pierced hands now, where you go with your feet but
where my feet have gone. Now, what you do with your mind,
but with what, this Crown of Thorns have done to this face.
It's me, it's what I have done. It's what I will do for you.
And when he does this something Supernatural happens, I will
give you a new heart. How do I know if I'm born again
preacher? Well, how do you know if you
actually had physical heart surgery?
Would, you know, you would know Even if everybody else in this
whole world, told you, that you didn't get it, you have a scar
to prove it. Is it any different with
spiritual surgery? Some would say yes, some would
say that you can come into contact with this gospel and not
be changed because it's just this idea.
It's just a mere confession. No, it's a supernatural
transformation. The means is Faith.
The supply is Grace. But the result is powerful.
It's tangible. It's observable first in you,
and in another's. And I want to just give you one
Glimpse and I'm finished here. I'm going to give you one
glimpse of just a description of why it is that this is
Supernatural First Corinthians 6 verse 17.
It's not really a text referred to to give some kind of color.
To the transformation that occurs with this new heart
transplant. But let me give you this one to
consider. 1st Corinthians 6:17. But he, who is joined to the
Lord becomes one spirit with him.
He who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.
Pulses at the heels of describing what happens when a
man and a woman come together and sexual union to become one
flesh. And he describes the the
profound bond that that really is.
And then he goes from there to give us a more deeper Bond.
Yeah, you become one flesh with another human being, but when
you come to Christ and are joined to him, you become one
spirit. The innermost part of Who You
Are. Is joined to the Lord.
Now, hold on, joined to the Lord and you didn't change.
Union with the spirit of God. And you don't have any desire to
obey his commands, you have no inclination to adore him.
You have no part of you that wants to worship Him and love
him. How how?
Please? Tell me how please I'm lost.
Tell me how how Join with the Lord in the spirit unphased
unchanged the same. Someone's not telling the truth
here. But I go with what the Bible
says. and we must present a gospel that doesn't cheapen the
gospel but provides man, The only solution.
What is the solution? Christ.
Is that too simple for you, does that offend you?
You know, going through Ministry even for this short amount of
time. I've realized that all these
ideas and all these Newfound studies and all these tricks and
all these programs. They're powerless, powerless.
Am I put myself in a position to be accused of being simplistic.
But when you realize what Christ can do to the human heart wide,
look elsewhere. It applies to your marriage, it
applies to your habits, it applies to your addiction, it
applies to your trauma. It applies to absolutely
everything. You know, over the years you see
what the gospel can do. This is the story that came to
mind on my way here and I thought I would I would share
because for whatever reason, the image when reflecting upon the
profoundness and the power of this truth, this is the image
that came to me. A few of us early in our walk
with the Lord were invited to go to a few Catholic high schools
and Catholic high. Schools and Canada are no
different than public schools, really?
I went to them. I went to a Catholic elementary
school. I went to Catholic High School.
And we are invited to go into these classrooms, these
religious classrooms. I did this day, I have to figure
out because I don't understand how it happened, where they
invited a group of friends to come into classrooms and to
share testimonies and ultimately the gospel, the true gospel.
To this day, the group of people that were participating, that
participating that are just, we recognize the miraculous element
of it. And in one particular school,
they put us in there, Chapel there, Catholic Chapel room, and
one class after the other all day just came through and we had
a little system because there was a group of us, maybe five of
us, four of them would share their testimonies and Powerful
testimonies. I mean, testimonies are being
delivered from drugs and gangs and violence and perversion
unforgiveness. One of the brothers who You're
visiting us. His brother was murdered right
in front of his eyes, held his dead body there in the streets.
After partying in the bar and he was able because of Christ.
After that saying what happened to my brother?
Where is he? He found Christ and he found
Christ in a real way. When he found Christ in a real
way, he was able to look at those murders in that courtroom
and forgive them publicly, those kind of testimonies And they
were profound testimony. There are moving testimonies,
but we made it every single time.
We settled it. That the gospel would be
presented at the end. And can I tell you something?
When the gospel would go forth? I looked at those faces from
time to time and I've never seen them more gripped, more touched,
more moved, despite everything that we said, despite the
Charisma that was there in that room, despite the drama of those
stories, when the gospel was presented, It, paralyzes those
students. Because there's no other news
like it. It's the only thing that brings
a solution. It's the only thing that brings
an answer and in the sheer Silence of that place we didn't
know what the results of those meetings were on one day.
We got a box full of these letters from these students and
we open them one by one and each one of those.
What you said, gave me hope what you said.
Help me realize I have another chance.
What you said? Help me not kill myself.
What you said? Helped me realize that there is
a love outside of my abusive father and neglecting mother.
What you said what was that? The gospel was said For it is
the power of God unto salvation, my friend.
I end here. I said that 10 minutes ago, I
mean it this time. Is your heart changed.
Is it changed? Have you experienced what?
I am speaking of have you come to the end of yourself, where
you realize, just how dark your heart is and how deceiving it as
been to you. And enough is enough.
The pattern, my life has testified that my ideas and my
concepts of my convictions have failed me.
Have you come to that point? Now, if you have what is your
solution because if you're not careful, that same perverted
hard, that is deceived you with your sin can Really trick you
about how you can be free from your sin and so be careful.
I make an appeal to a real appeal.
My appeal is this come to Christ today?
Be saved today today? Yes, Father's Day Meet Your Real
Heavenly Father, come to him. Repent of your sin trust in him.
I even dare you to not leave this place and lay flat on the
ground and cry out to him until you're a transformed creature.
He'll do it. He will do it.
He will give you a new heart. You can't go anywhere else, you
can't do anything for yourself. If you choose not to do so
today, which I think is a tragic mistake.
Never forget those words call upon his name and you shall be
saved. Call upon his name and you shall
be saved Lord. We thank you for this word.
And we ask Gardens time, we would rejoice in our salvation.
Maybe we become dull concerning the gospel, maybe we have fallen
into the Trap of thinking that the gospel needs some help.
But thank you for reminding us. You alone can give a new heart.
Even if there's one person in here.
Who doesn't have that new heart? We thank you for speaking to
them and we asked that they would be changed. we pray that
they would be desperate enough to say, Heal me, save me, change
me. Lord.
I am a poor preacher week stammering.
You have to do it by your spirit.
You have to Lord. And we give you the glory for
it, and look for the Saints in the land.
We rejoice in this gospel, we give you praise, we lift our
hands. We lift our voices, and we say
thank you. That we can look back at a
moment and say that was the day. My heart was changed.
Receive more glory for that Jesus name, amen.