BS6G- MAN'S HEART
The heart of all man’s problems IS his heart. So, what could God do about that? He could have forced us to love and obey him ---but THAT would have negated the free will he gave us. He could have condemned us to permanent separation from Himself – one that WE have actually chosen ourselves because of our sins. And finally, He could have just left us in our helpless condition without any hope.
You might protest at this point that you are a good person --- a law-abiding citizen. You’re raising your kids to be good members of society. You’re faithful to your wife, AND ----you help your neighbors. You work hard to make things better for your family and those around you.
You might feel the same as many others. You ARE truly a good person and this sin stuff doesn’t apply to you. It’s pretty rare today to hear anyone use the word “sin” which means “missing the mark” --- especially concerning God.
You’ll hear people say instead, “I sure missed it that time.” Or “I really made a mistake.” Or, “I was unaware that my words would hurt that person so much.” But ME a sinner? No, I don’t think so. The truth is that you may be a good person by the estimation of your family and friends. But God sees something different in us because he sees right down to our heart – the deepest part of us.
Jeremiah 17:9-10
Jesus makes it plain that what defiles us in the eyes of God is what comes from within us. As you read these verses make a list of what Jesus says about man’s heart and what comes out of it.
Mark 7:6-23
Our first parents chose to walk independent from God and “do their own thing.” We have inherited that same independent nature from them. All of us are born with a sin nature and therefore we just naturally sin.
Psalm 51:5
We know it too because God has given all of us a conscience which is our internal compass letting us know right from wrong. No sooner do you tell that lie than your feel a bell going off inside. No one else hears it but you do. But we ignore those bells and pretty soon they get fainter and fainter. We can justify everything we do until we look pretty good to ourselves and everyone else.
But God who sees our hearts has something pretty startling to say to all of us. Remember the words you just read in Jeremiah 17:9: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.”
God COULD pretend that our sins and wicked deeds don’t matter – but they DO matter and we both know it. What does his prophet Ezekiel tell us?
Ezekiel 18:20, 30-32
You and I deserve to die for every word and deed that we have done against our fellow man & God. For the truth is that -- ALL sin is against God. King David said it well:
Psalm 51:4
The forgiveness of our sins is what Jesus’ blood was shed for. His shed blood on the cross enabled God to forgive us and remain a just God even though we were sinners and deserved death.
Matthew 26:28
God showed us the most incredible love ever shown. Each of us deserve to die for our pride, our self-righteousness, our lies, our sexual sins, our anger, and our lusts of every kind. But instead of striking us dead what does the Apostle Paul tell us that God did?
2 Corinthians 5:21
The Apostle Peter said it another way:
1 Peter 2:24
Jesus was human and he stood in the place of our greatest need – to be right with God and at peace with Him. But Jesus was also God and as God the effect of what Jesus did for us is limitless.
This explains why flawed men such as King David and Abraham could stand in the presence of God even though they knew nothing about Jesus. They were forgiven because Jesus was actually slain before the foundation of the world even though it was also an event in time.
Revelation 13:8
The shadow of the cross reaches backwards as well as forwards. It explains how God may be able to welcome people into his kingdom who seek for him but have no knowledge of Jesus because of their historical or religious circumstances. The cross is the pledge of our total acceptance by God.
But what exactly happened at the Cross that can affect you and I today?
Let’s look more closely at this.
Next Study: BS6H - How Did We Die When Jesus Died?