Sunday, August 13, 2006
Pure At Heart
Thanks and praise to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Let me start by saying that there is no one perfect in all of the world, especially myself. The first thing that we are to do is "love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." And the second is "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." These two commandments are straight forward and easy to understand. It also tells us in the Bible that "Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God." Yet human nature itself keeps us from having a pure heart. It tells us in Ezekiel 11:19 "And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:" This scripture was God talking about His people of Israel in context but do you not think that is exactly what Christ will do for us? God does not respect persons. He respects what is of the heart, and in the spirit of that person. Being born again is on the inside not the outside. Oh, we may change something about our appearance but this has not one thing to do with our salvation. I guess where I am trying to get to is that we must humble ourselves and just do what is right. Romans 3:10: "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:" But, Romans 5:19: "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. 20: Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: 21: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. "
Romans 2:1-29
1: Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.
2: But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.
3: And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?
4: Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
5: But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
6: Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
7: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:
8: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
9: Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
10: But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:
11: For there is no respect of persons with God.
12: For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
13: (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
14: For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
15: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
16: In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
17: Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,
18: And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law;
19: And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,
20: An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.
21: Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?
22: Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?
23: Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?
24: For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.
25: For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.
26: Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?
27: And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfill the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?
28: For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
29: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
Let me start by saying that there is no one perfect in all of the world, especially myself. The first thing that we are to do is "love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." And the second is "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." These two commandments are straight forward and easy to understand. It also tells us in the Bible that "Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God." Yet human nature itself keeps us from having a pure heart. It tells us in Ezekiel 11:19 "And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:" This scripture was God talking about His people of Israel in context but do you not think that is exactly what Christ will do for us? God does not respect persons. He respects what is of the heart, and in the spirit of that person. Being born again is on the inside not the outside. Oh, we may change something about our appearance but this has not one thing to do with our salvation. I guess where I am trying to get to is that we must humble ourselves and just do what is right. Romans 3:10: "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:" But, Romans 5:19: "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. 20: Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: 21: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. "
Romans 2:1-29
1: Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.
2: But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.
3: And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?
4: Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
5: But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
6: Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
7: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:
8: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
9: Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
10: But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:
11: For there is no respect of persons with God.
12: For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
13: (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
14: For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
15: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
16: In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
17: Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,
18: And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law;
19: And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,
20: An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.
21: Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?
22: Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?
23: Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?
24: For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.
25: For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.
26: Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?
27: And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfill the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?
28: For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
29: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
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