Christian Heart Healing: Finding Inner Peace Through Faith

The human heart is deceitful and wicked, and can only be known by God.

The Bible teaches that our hearts are opposed to God and are enslaved to Satan.

We are all born with a sinful nature that opposes God's ways and truths.

Only through faith and the cleansing process of God can our hearts be transformed and made new.

Today I bring you a word called, So what's wrong with my heart? Yes, so what's wrong with my heart? And Jeremiah 17, 9, let's open there with this word today. Jeremiah 17, 9 tells us what's wrong with our hearts. And he starts off with saying, The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. And who could know it? Verse 10, I, the Lord, search the heart. I test the mind to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings. We sang a song this morning, and it says, I'm a new creature. It is written in the scripture. And he's forgiven me and cleansed me with his blood. I am a new creature. It is written in the scripture. I'm free of every sin, free from all my sin, free. He's broken my chains and free to worship the one who saved my life. I am a new creature. It is written in the scripture. So, Jeremiah says that the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked and who could know it? And the account in history of the Bible telling of the depravity of man is told from the beginning to the end of the book. and the story of the human heart which is opposed God the creator from the beginning to the end is still being told in our generation today. And the unregenerated human heart is so great and so deep in its confusion, in its disorder and the darkness of sin that we cannot look too long at it without reeling back at our disbelief on what we see, yes, in ourselves. And the heathen world lives in its darkness, and it's okay with them because it seems right and it seems good for them. But what about the Christian who comes into the truth and hears the scriptures, the words that say, sin opposes God, or sin is like crime against your God, or your unregenerated mind is enmity against God. And all this is saying that the human carnal mind is in direct opposition against the creator of the whole universe. Yes, it's in direct opposition with the creator of the universe. enmity is hatred towards God. And the unregenerated human heart is actually enslaved to Satan the devil. It is odious and actually hostile to the ways of God. The unregenerated heart sets itself up to oppose godliness. Yes. The unregenerated heart sets itself up to oppose godliness. Romans 8.7 says so clearly what I have just spoken to you. Romans 8.7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it not subjected to the law of God, neither indeed can it be. I want to read it again Romans 8, 7 because the carnal mind is enmity it opposes God it's against God for it is not subjected to the law of God neither indeed can it be and Jeremiah as we read at the opening Jeremiah 17 said that the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked and who could know it. Who could know it? Or who could bear to hear it? Amen? Who could bear to know it? Or who could bear to hear it? Our hearts, before this cleansing process of God began, could only at intervals of purging bear to know that inside its very depths no good thing lives there. Right? In Romans 7, 14, please. Romans 7, 14. For we know that the law is spiritual. But I am carnal sold under sin. For that which I do not allow for what I would not, that do I not, but what I hate that I do. 16. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that is good, and then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwells in me. Verse 18. For I know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwells no good thing. You see, this holy word of God who says that who will bear to be told that they're actually a God-hater. But Apostle Paul tells us in the scripture that no good thing dwells in our flesh. And when our hearts oppose God's truths and God's ways, we are really lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God. and 2 Timothy 3 tells us here in 2 Timothy 3.1. But I know this, that in the last days there will be perilous times and men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving. slanders without self-control and brutal despisers of good traitors and headstrong haughty that is pride lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God having a form of godliness but denying his power and from such people turn away so truly we can say opposition to God's way is indeed virtual reality of the heart's deceitfulness and desperately wicked. And great self-denial and deception as well. Having a form of godliness, great self-denial. Many in the church sit in the pews each Sunday, week after week, and are lost without hope and on their way to hell. In Ephesians 2.11 says, remember that in those days you were living utterly apart from Christ and you were enemies of God's children and he had promised you no help. You were lost without God and without hope. You had no hope. You had no future. I had no future. But Paul, through these scriptures we have touched upon was speaking to the church in this day and prophet Jeremiah was speaking to the people in his day when he declared that the heart is deceitfully wicked, desperately wicked. Who could know it? And God is still speaking to his people today and saying, those who have ears, let them hear. He's still speaking today. Those who have ears, let them hear. And why throughout all these generations has God been speaking to the hearts of his people saying through His holy word, remember, do not harden your hearts. All through the scripture, do not harden your hearts. Hebrews 4.1 Hebrews 4.1, therefore, since the promise of entering His rest still stands. Because those who heard it did not combine it with faith, now we who believe entered that rest just as God said. So as I declared an oath in my anger, they shall never enter my rest. And yet his work has been finished since the day of creation of the world. For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words. And on the seventh day God rested from all of his work. And again in the passages he says, they shall never enter my rest. Verse 6. it still remains that some of them will enter that rest. And those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in because of their disobedience. And there, for God again set a day, calling it today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as it was said before, today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. verse 8 for if Joshua had given them rest God would have not spoken later about another day and there remains then a Sabbath a rest for God's people for if any one of you enters into God's rest but also rests from his own work just as God did this let us therefore make every effort to enter into that rest so that no one will fall short by following their example of disobedience well Jesus Christ is our eternal rest today he is our Sabbath our Lord of the Sabbath and every day is a day of rest with our Lord Jesus Christ because we are the temple of the living God but nevertheless the scripture tells us that we must not forget that we do we have no good thing in our hearts and that we are warned throughout the scripture as we just read in Hebrews 4. Do not harden your hearts. So again, we have no good thing in our hearts until God begins to uproot all the weeds and even the weed seeds, which are always potential enemies to our walk, the weed seeds. So again, I ask the question, so what's wrong with my heart? What's wrong with my heart? you may ask yourself what's wrong with my heart well let me tell you first that you and all of us have certainly traits of characteristics which are in themselves okay which may even be commendable to yourselves and others you've got characteristics that are okay and as I said even commendable to others a disposition that is naturally likable or some trait or quality, that's really not inoffensive to people, to others. Well, let me say, so do cute little lambs and doves. Yes, so do cute little lambs have cute little traits and doves. I ask you, is this representative of God's love, having cute traits and qualities? Is it representative of God's love? Is this what the law of God requires of you? To have nice characteristics and nice traits? Your likable personality or soft, amiable characteristic or trait? So you are honest and you're upright towards people. So you are. Is this the representation of the love of the Creator? And is this to be a substitute for repentance and faith? We do not deceive ourselves in our wonderful estimations of our own character in regards to the love of virtue. Virtue means moral excellence or goodness. Yes. Virtue means moral excellence or goodness. And Philippians 4.8 says, Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things. Whatever you've learned or received or heard from me or seen in me put to practice, Paul is saying, and the peace of God will be with you. So these weren external qualities or characteristics about self They were all about Christ They were all about the Word of God pertaining to that which is found in Scripture Virtue is considered a necessary ingredient in the exercise of faith, power, and strength for a Christian. But do we value and pet our own concepts of ourselves by thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought to? This is truly dangerous for a Christian. So, what's wrong with my heart? The heart is deceitful above all things. And in regard to its power of resisting temptation, it's very, very deceitful. Yes. Until you are firmly established upon the solid rock that is Jesus Christ. and I say to you, don't trust yourself. And I echo the words again, don't trust yourself. Don't put in your own or trust in your own logic and your own mental assent and carnal appetites. And I warn you, this is a death-defying walk on a tightrope. You know what a tightrope is? It's a death-defying walk on a tightrope. until your emotions and your appetites and physical desires are subdued. Your heart is very capable of deceiving you. And we flatter ourselves that we're able to meet every temptation that comes along. And we pride ourselves right into deception. Yes, let me say it again. We pride ourselves right into deception. we feel foolproof against all forms of worldliness, worldly allurements, and we close our ears to those who warn of the impending dangers. In other words, this is saying, back off. I'm perfectly capable and confident in my own strength and stand on my own principles. Who do you think you are? in reality we're trusting in the sincerity of our own hearts in reality the sincerity of our own hearts you see the world has such a pull on many Christians and many have friends sitting next to them in church assuring them that there's no real danger in their living a worldly lifestyle and the world's polls say it is acceptable to jump into fashion to be rich and to be beautiful and have a profession that will applaud you the accomplished and the notable will invite you to come and sit with them in their life of pleasure yes their life of pleasure we feel privileged and see no real danger in this. But dear precious church, there is truly a dividing line between safety and danger. And who knows the power of temptation until you're in the midst of it? Who knows it until you're in the midst of it? Who knows when the dangers shall rush upon you so that there is no way of escape? Psalm 78, 56 says, They put God to the test and rebelled against the Most High, and they did not keep his statutes. Like their fathers, they were disloyal and faithless, as unreliable as a faulty bull. And they angered him with their high places. They aroused his jealousy with their idols. and when God heard them he was very angry and he rejected Israel completely. So what is wrong with my heart you may ask. Do you tempt God? Do you put him to the test by rebelling against his commands according to his word? An analogy of what I have been saying goes like this. Above the thundering Niagara, above the powerful waters, the river flows and spreads out into a peaceful and tranquil basin of water, shimmering and glittering and very inviting. And you may float upon its waters feeling very calm as you quietly are taken into the gentle rapids and you admire along the way the banks, the scenery in the banks along the shore. And as you've been enjoying the beauty and the gentle ride, you begin to hear the roar of the waters at a distance. And you feel that you're safe within your vehicle by which you're being transported through the peaceful waters. And you are now being drawn in a rush of water that suddenly comes as the current takes a turn into a violent and swift motion towards the plunging waters, whose gentle roar is now a great and powerful and thunderous enemy to your imminent safety. And the point of no return has come upon you, and no matter what you would try to do, it is impossible to turn and to go back. And all of your efforts are in vain at this moment. And the mighty waters shall seize the vehicle in which you trusted and plunge it into swift destruction. So perishes many a people by the power of temptation. And the temptation of trusting in their own abilities and reasonings. And the heart deceives itself in its own promises of change and turning towards godly standards. how many times have you said to yourself, I'm going to stop doing that sinful thing. I will start tomorrow and start afresh and begin anew. How many times have you repented over the same sin and over and over until you're failing to overcome it? For some Christians, they've made promises to their families, friends, and even themselves. And even after 5, 10, 20, even 30 years down the road, they're still deceiving themselves into their own lies. And they're still trusting in their own abilities and living in self-deception. Did you hear that? Self-deception. And let me say, there is no person you or I have trusted more than our own heart. there's no person we have trusted more than our own hearts. I make an appeal to you today that it's truly a dangerous, dangerous, and say to you that in this state and this place, it's a risk of losing one's soul. Very dangerous. Before you and I came to Christ, our hearts were truly wicked. I know it's not an enjoyable subject, but let us hear it. He who has ears, let him hear. Amen. And even though we cannot imagine that, that before we came to Christ, our hearts, moi, my heart was wicked. My heart was truly evil. and so you know God's word in saying that we hear God's word that it gently makes it acceptable to our souls that indeed as we see and the layers are peeled off that we indeed see that so that we could digest the depths of what scripture tells us in order for us to grow so until we're firmly established on the rock that is the word of God we have a heart which cannot or should not be trusted and even while we are firmly established we still do not trust in ourselves and our own abilities to work out our salvation it isn't about our own abilities to work it out we will always need the one Jesus sent to live with us to help us to overcome until the end. Amen? We will always need him. We always need precious Holy Spirit. Always. And you and I have had a heart that has deceived us. And this of course was due to sin. Great sin in our lives. And we had a heart which God regards as deceitful and depraved and one in which he puts no trust. Wow. He puts no trust. Look with me, please, in Job 15, 14. Job 15, 14. He who has an ear, let him hear. So, what's wrong with my heart? What is man? That he could be pure. Or one born of a woman that he could be righteous. Verse 15. If God places no trust in his holy ones, if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes, how much less man who is vile and corrupt, who drinks up evil like water. Listen to me and I will explain to you. Let me tell you what I have seen. What wise men have declared hiding nothing, received from their fathers to whom alone the land was given when no alien passed among them. Verse 20 All the days of his life the wicked man suffers torment ruthless through the years stored up for him. Terrifying sounds fill his ears. When all seems well marauders attack him. 22 He despairs of escaping in the darkness for he is marked for the sword. And he wanders about food for the vultures. He knows The day of darkness is at hand. Distress and anguish fill him with terror. They overwhelm him like a king poised to attack. 25. Because he shakes his fist at God and wants himself up against the Almighty, defiantly charging against him with a thick, strong shield. Also, please go ahead, go forward. Job 25.2 Job 25.2 Dominion and awe belong to God. And he establishes order in the heights of heaven. Can his forces be numbered? Upon whom does his light not rise? Verse 4 How then can a man be righteous before God? How can one born of a woman be pure? If even the moon is not bright and the stars are not pure in his eyes, how much less a man who is but a maggot, a son of man who is only a worm. Well, let us not stop there, okay? Bear with me, please. And let's go back to Job 4. Let's go back to Job 4. Job 4, verse 12. Job 4, verse 12. A word was secretly brought to me, and my ears caught a whisper of it. Amid disquieting dreams in the night, when deep sleep falls on men, fear and trembling seized me and made all my bones shake. A spirit glided past my face, and the hair on my body stood on end. It stopped, but I could not tell what it was. A form stood before my eyes and then I heard a hushed voice. Verse 17. Can a mortal be more righteous than God? Can a man be more pure than his maker? 18. And if God places no trust in his servants, if he charges his angels with air, how much more those who live in houses of clay, whose foundations are in the dust, who are crushed more readily than a moth. Wow. I believe that in these different chapters and verses make it very, very clear that we, vessels of clay, are not pure in God's eyes or God's sight. An apostle Paul in Romans 7, 14 makes a point for us not to miss regarding our hearts. The conflict of the two natures. Our hearts and the conflict of it In 714 of Romans for we know that the law is spiritual but I am a flesh sold into bondage for what I am doing I do not understand for I am not practicing what I like to do but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the law, confessing that the law is good. So no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. Verse 18, For I know that nothing good dwells in me that is in my flesh, for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. So, this is a point for us to really catch here regarding the conflicting natures here, the two conflicting natures. and it's a point in which every true believer of Jesus Christ must come into that we must all face the fact that within us dwells no good thing. In Romans 7, 18, we have read that in Romans 7, 18, but I'd like to make it a point here again. I know that nothing good lives in me. That is my sinful nature. And in 18, I know that nothing good lives in me. That is my sinful nature. For I desire to do what's good, but I can't carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do. No, the evil I do not want to do. This I keep on doing. Now, if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it's the sin living in me that does it. Verse 21. So I find this law at work when I want to do good. Evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in the God's law. But I see another law at work in the members of my body. Waging war against the law of my mind. And making me a prisoner to the law of sin at work within my members. Verse 24. O wretched man that I am. Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God. through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then I myself in my heart, my mind, am a slave to God's law, but the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. So we read about two conflicting natures within us here that Paul is talking about. And this beautiful work of rescuing has already been done by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. It's up to each and every one of us to grab a hold and take it by force. Did you hear that? It is up to you, it is up to me to grab a hold of it and take it by force. In Matthew 11, 11, I know we're covering many scriptures today, but why not? It's God's truth, it's God's word, and let's build our foundations on it. Matthew 11, 11 Assuredly I say to you among those born of women there has not been one greater than John the Baptist but he who is at least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he Verse 12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force for all of the prophets and the law prophesied until John and if you are willing to receive it, he is the Elijah to come. He who has ears, let him hear. He who has ears in this generation, in this day, let him hear. By force, hear means by choice, according to the Greek dictionary. By choice we take it by force. This means that you will not sit back and take it easy and allow sin to rule in your lives and you will be diligent to take a rightful authority over it because you are a child of God and the Spirit of the Lord will help you as you help yourself. Did you hear that? The Spirit of the Lord will help you as you help yourself. And this means that you will seize what is rightfully yours according to the promises given you in the blood covenant and implement every day the tools given you to be more than a conqueror in the kingdom of God. Arise to that place. This means he who has ears, let him hear what the Spirit of the Lord says to the churches. And the inspired word of God through precious Holy Spirit has given the mandate to all believers to apprehend the kingdom of God by force through the word of God. And this is learning to live in the truth, in the faith, in life. who is Christ himself. And not in the dark, which is the kingdom of Satan. Two conflicting wars here. Two conflicting kingdoms. In Luke 13, 22. In Luke 13, 22. Then Jesus went through the towns and the villages, preaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, Lord, are there only a few people going to be saved? And he said to them, verse 24, Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, Sir, open the door for us. But he will answer, I don't know you or where you came from. And then you will say, we ate and we drank with you and taught in our streets. But he will reply, I don't know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers. Jesus tells us here to make every effort to enter through the narrow door. in other words he's saying don't take your salvation lightly don't put off today what you should be doing in building the kingdom of God in your life in John 6 26 Jesus said to them in John 6 26 truly I say to you you seek me not because you saw signs but because you ate of the loaves you were filled. Verse 27. Do not work for the food which perishes, but for food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you, for on him the Father God has set his seal. In verse 28, therefore they said to him, what shall we do so that we may work the works of God? And Jesus answered and said to them, This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he sent. Believe here means that you will cleave to, that you will be vitally connected to, that you will trust in, that you will rely on and have faith in his word. This certainly doesn't happen in a moment's time. When you had accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life. It didn't happen instantly. Did it? No. It's a very process of the Holy Spirit in your lives. In the remaking and the renewing of your life into a new creature in Christ. Philippians 2.12. Philippians 2.12. dearest friends when I was there with you you were always so careful to follow my instructions and now that I am away you must be even more careful to do the things that will result from being saved obeying God with deep reverence shrinking back from all that might displease Him verse 13 for God is at work within you helping you to want to obey him and then helping you to do what he wants. Verse 14 In everything you do stay away from complaining and arguing so that no one can speak a word of blame against you. You are to live clean, innocent lives as children of God in a dark world full of people who are crooked and stubborn. Shine out among them like beacons of light holding out to them the word of life. Please listen to this precious word again as it's laid out clearly for us to carefully follow or obey God's word so that good things will result. And mainly that you will come into a deep and abiding reverence of your heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. The word that we just read commands us to live clean and innocent lives as God's children. But please notice, especially, the word commands us to live clean and innocent lives as God's children. But please notice again, and especially verse 13. 13. For God is at work within you, helping you want to obey Him and then helping you to do what He wants. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! God is at work within you, helping you want to obey Him and then helping you do what He wants. we have been given a helper the spirit of the Lord has been given to us as a mighty helper the spirit of God or Holy Spirit is also called spirit of grace the spirit of truth the spirit of wisdom the spirit of your God the spirit of your Father and the spirit of Jesus Christ the spirit of promise Eternal Spirit. Spirit of the living God. Spirit of glory. Spirit of adoption. Spirit of life. Spirit of wisdom and revelation. And Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead. Jesus settled the debt for us. And sent His Spirit to help us in this process of the renewal of our degenerate souls. And the gardens of our hearts were full of weeds. And the Spirit of the Lord given as a mighty helper to uproot, to tear down, to build up the garden of our souls into a beautiful and acceptable place with him for communion. Communion with himself. And our part is to work honestly with him. and not to deceive ourselves or others in the darkness of our sins. The blinding folly of sin is that darkens the understanding and perverts the will and petrifies our affections. And it willfully rejects the acceptance and pleas for righteousness. Selfish ambition sets itself up against God. and it relinquishes eternal life and dooms the soul to spiritual death. You see, the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is also at work in your soul, working feverishly to bring you into the new creature of Christ that you are meant to be. Feverishly he's working. And can you see by his wonderful names, his most wonderful names, Precious Holy Spirit that our Lord didn't leave us helpless. Hallelujah. Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead. Let us look at Titus, please. Titus 3.3. Titus 3.3. For we also were once thoughtless and senseless, obstinate and disobedient, deluded and misled. We too were once slaves to all sorts of cravings and pleasures, wasting our days in malice and jealousy and envy and hatefulness, hatred and detestable and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of our God, our Lord and Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but because of his own pity and mercy by the cleansing, rebirth, regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, which he poured out so richly upon us through Jesus Christ, our Savior. And he did it in order that we might be justified by his grace by his favor wholly undeserved that we might be acknowledged and counted as conformed to the divine will and purpose and thought and action that we might become heirs of eternal life according to our hope. Well, please, let's look at verse 5 again. He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but because of his own pity and mercy by the cleansing bath of the new birth of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit. So, what's wrong with my heart? Could you begin to see everything was wrong with your heart until you began to allow the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead to begin a wonderful work in your heart and to raise you from the dead too. Hallelujah. Our glorious Savior knew no sin, but he took all of our sin, all of our sickness and vileness and wretchedness to the grave so that we could become one with him. So we could become one with him. we could live a victorious life and be connected and one with Him. And it's through the Spirit that He gave us, His very own Spirit. And now, like a vessel with a new commander and allowing Him to steer you on your new course, He will see you through to the end if, if, if you are faithful to the end. And the Scripture says, if you are faithful. even though the old nature remains, the new nature has come. And now the old man and the old man, the carnal and the spiritual minded, the human and the divine life, that which is born of the flesh and that which is born of the spirit, the old man of sin, which is to be crucified and put to death, and the new man which is to be renewed daily into the image and the likeness of him who created us until we become made into the full stature that's matured and perfected or one new man in Jesus Christ. One new man in Jesus Christ. You see, the restoration is of one former state which was lost by sin due to our first parents, Adam and Eve. And this restoration of ours is called renewal or regeneration into a whole man. Wholeness or wellness is a healthy state of being. And this renewal by the Spirit of the Lord is going on in every part of your heart, in my heart. Cleansing every room and taking over every throne that we have set up and allowed to rule us. the might of the spirit of god is exerted in your inner man in your spirit in your soul and his renewing energy is at work in you giving you daily unctions and convictions and wooing you to come into a beautiful fellowship with himself he's calling you in come on he says come on and the Renewer himself, the Cleanser himself of your soul is the Spirit of God. And he is a person and he is not a thing to be considered. He is busy ironing out all the wrinkles and removing all the spots so that he can present you faultless before the throne of grace and glory. And this is the work of the Spirit of God in your life and you must come to know him. I said you must come to know him who makes the garden of your heart as it should really be. He is not an influence in your life but he's a real person who has been sent by the Son to make known to you the reality in the presence of God. And it is the spirit of the Lord's overshadowing of your soul that this work of renewal is conceived and brought forth. It's the work of the Spirit of God. And He is ever-present, and He knows all things and even the inmost secrets of your heart. So when He comes into your heart, which is now His temple, the temple of the living God, He drives out all the buyers and the sellers and all that is the merchandisers which have set themselves up as idols in our hearts. And these idols have ruled, and if you have received the spirit of the Lord in your heart, you will truly be crying out, Lord, take these things from me, from this day forth, take them from me. I will have no more to do with idols, and I will work with and cooperate with you and submit my will into your hands. Some of these idols you need to be made aware of, or to be reminded of are some of the first major roots the Spirit of Grace goes to work on. And the first one is self-righteousness. And this is the largest idol of the human heart. The throne is very big and large and it's the one that God hates the most and man loves the most. so what's wrong with my heart you may ask see self-righteousness opposes god's righteousness there's only one righteous god is righteous and the second thing that we need to consider in idols in our hearts are pet, precious or dear sins. Every man and woman has his own precious pet sins. And these are the secret idols in your heart, such as culture, custom, family idols, achievements and titles, and so on. And a third thing to be considered are unlawful attachments, opposing the law of God, the truth, And this is a great killer and is not more a fruitful source of sin and misery than this. Worldly ties and attachments with people, places, and things. Worldly attachments, being unequally yoked. Four, and it's right to love people and honor and respect them, but there can be people who are idols in our hearts. People can be an idol. In the name above all names, our real hero, our King of Kings, is Jesus Christ himself. Earthly pleasures is another to be considered. And this is a smiling, glimmering, and dazzling idol. Worldly, earthly pleasures. and lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, how awful it is and gross it is to God that earthly pleasures become more pleasurable than sitting in the place with God and making Him first and number one. Money is to be considered money. God declares in His word that we must not love money. He declares that, that you and I as a professing Christian must be open-hearted and more open-handed in sharing what we have to further the kingdom of God. Number seven, fear of man. And this is truly a savage and fierce and very grim idol. Yes, fear of man. And many souls are devoured by this idol. Fearing what people may say, what people may do. rather than saying what God tells us to do in our hearts. Many times we won't speak things, say things, because of fear of what people may say. And it keeps many dear people of God from praying in public round about the table, giving thanks for a meal, and from worshiping God openly, even in your own families, and even openly confessing Jesus Christ as occasion would arise. Proverbs 29, 25 says that fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe. And Proverbs 29, 25 says fearing people is a dangerous trap. I'm reading this now in the Living Bible. It's the same scripture, but I'm reading it in the Living Bible. It says it quite well. Fearing people is a dangerous trap, But to trust the Lord means safety. Trusting the Lord means safety. Abraham fell into this trap, remember, by lying and saying Sarah was his sister because he had fear. The scriptures tell us he had fear. It says that and states it because he feared the people. And King Saul gave in to the people because he feared the people as well. And Elijah the prophet ran for his life because he feared Jezebel, remember? And Peter, out of fear for his life, he denied the Lord three times. But he repented bitterly. And Jesus tells us in Matthew 10, 28, Do not be afraid of those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul. rather be afraid of the one who can destroy both body and soul in hell. Jesus makes it clear we are to fear him, the Lord our God. Amen? So I ask you a question again. What's wrong with your heart? What's wrong with my heart? and as the opening of this word said today that the unregenerated human heart is so great and so deep in its confusion, its disorder and its darkness of sin that we cannot look too long at it without reeling back at our unbelief of what we see as God shows us and exposes to us our true selves and the heathen world lives in darkness and I said that it's okay with them because it seems good and right for them. But when the Christian comes into the truth and hears the scripture, the scriptural words that say sin opposes God, or sin is like a crime against your holy God, or your unregenerated mind is enmity against God. See, all this is saying that the human carnal mind is in direct opposition against the creator of the whole universe. Amity is hatred towards God. And the unregenerated human heart is actually enslaved to Satan the devil. And it's odious and actually hostile to the ways of God. And the unregenerated heart sets itself up to oppose the things of God. Sets itself up in opposition. And I answer the question for you now in regards to, so what's wrong with my heart? I answer according to God's word, as you have seen and you've heard today, by saying everything. Everything is wrong with our hearts. And when the spirit of truth begins and finishes the beautiful work that he has begun, with your heart, with your help, and your heart and cooperation, he will make your poor, wretched heart a garden of delights. Allow the spirit of the Lord to root up, to tear down, to take out everything that opposes God. And surely you will enjoy many years of wonderful communion with him, the spirit of truth, God himself, God's own spirit, singing the song that we sang today. I was made to praise you. I was made to glorify your name. In every circumstance to find the chance to say and thank you, I was made to love you. I was made to worship at your feet and to obey you Lord I was made for you

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