The Heart in the Temple of the Holy Ghost II Matt. 15 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
When you get saved your body becomes the temple of the Holy Ghost and your heart is certainly one of the most important parts of this temple. It is important to remember that as a saved child of God you still have the same heart in you as you did before you were saved. The Lord’s desire is to therefore to sanctify, purify and establish your heart in holiness. Nevertheless, there are also many wicked things that can affect your heart and we want to study those today.
Men start out with an evil heart – Matt 15:18-20 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man…
Our hearts are naturally capable of wickedness inside the temple of the Holy Ghost without ever having to “do” any particular sin. For instance, Prov 6:18 says, “An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations…” And Matt 5:28 says, “But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”
Therefore, we need to be aware of the things that can have a negative effect on our hearts in addition to our own human nature. Our hearts can be troubled by the following:
Satan – Acts 5:3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? The Holy Spirit led the disciples to sell their possessions and lay the proceeds at the apostles’ feet. It was Satan who convinced them to lie to the Holy Ghost and keep back part of the proceeds.
Hypocrisy – Matt 15:7-8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. It is easy to talk the “lingo” of Christianity but when your heart’s not in it you are a hypocrite.
Pride – Prov 18:12 Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility. The best way to keep from being proud is to stay humble. As the soldiers say under enemy fire when they are exposed, “Get down and stay down.” You might have to crawl on your belly but, at least, you won’t get shot.
Doubt – Mark 11:23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Right now there’s no need for us to move a mountain. But there is a need for us to pray believing in God’s word. When you see Rom 8:28 in the midst of bad circumstances keep praying and don’t doubt it. God meant what he said!!
Envy – Jas 3:13-16 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. Don’t be envious of what the Lord is doing in another person’s life that seems to be “better” than what he is doing in yours. The “competition” can destroy you and the strife will ruin your friendship.
Backsliding – Prov 14:14 The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself. Backsliding starts in the heart long before it manifests itself in your life. The Christian life is not neutral; if you aren’t growing you are backsliding.
Hardness – Prov 28:14 Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief. When the Lord deals with you about something in your life, if you don’t respond then continual reproof only hardens your heart more.
Deceit – Jas 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. Jas 1:26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain. Notice that the greatest deceiver in your life is you.
Bitterness – Prov 14:10 The heart knoweth his own bitterness; and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy. When anger turns to bitterness, it usually turns your heart against God and harms those around you.
Conclusion: The Lord wants us to keep away from these things and to be unblameable in holiness instead. 1 Thes 3:12-13 And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.