Sunday, September 2, 2020
Hebrews 6:19-20 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, 20 where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
Forerunner- one who runs ahead to make the way for others.
Jesus made a way for us so we can follow Him to where He is.
Psalm 73:1 Truly God is good to Israel,
To such as are pure in heart.
God is ONLY good. There is no bad/evil in Him. Who is He good to? His people. Us.
Exodus 25:1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering. From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering.
God commanded them to bring an offering so that He could meet with them. (verse 8)
Exodus 35:5 ‘Take from among you an offering to the Lord. Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as an offering to the Lord
1 Samuel 16:1 Now the Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons.”
Verses 6-7 So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him!”
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. Forthe Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
God is only concerned with the inward, while humans are interested in outward appearances. The heart is important to God!
2 Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.
All of these references to the heart are important! God is good! His heart is good! He longs to bless us! And give us peace! God looks at the inner man! We spend hours on the outward man! But, God is not concerned with this part. The giving mentioned in Exodus was not the subject. God was looking for a willing, wise hearted person. In David, God was looking for the King that had the right kind of heart! God judges us and deals with us through our heart! Guard it with all diligence!
Matthew 15:8-9 ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth,
And honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
9 And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”
Verse 18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.
The gospel is offensive. Why? Because it deals with the matters of the heart! Are you as diligent with your inner man as you are your outward man?
When God is looking at our hearts, what is He looking for? He is looking for a heart of faith, that’s working out of love! A clean heart! God is not moved by need; He is moved by faith! The motive HAS to be love! Get your heart clean! Just because you are born again does not mean your heart is right! And your whole life will be based on the condition of your heart. Everything that God does, or don’t do in your life, will be based on the condition of your heart. What we do on earth determines what we do for eternity! If you have evil in your heart, he can’t bless you! He is looking for a willing heart! He searches the earth for it! It’s God’s will that we be blessed financially! It’s His will that we live healthy and whole! He wants to bless us! The adjustment has to be made down here before He can bless us from up there! We have to do some things for ourselves.
John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
God is looking for a people who are abiding in him! You can have as much God as you want! We must get honest with our self and look at our own heart!