“The Deceitful Heart”
January 9, 2011
Jeremiah 17: 9-10
“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
“I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.”
It had been over a century since courageous men and women packed up their belongings, picked up their families, left their homes and traveled to America to seek religious freedom. They could not tolerate their situation in England any longer. The government was a tyranny with a domineering King. The government would allow only one church – the Church of England. Some felt God calling them in another direction. Some could not agree with some of the beliefs of the state church. Some, like John Bunyan, could not agree to accepting a license to preach from the state. They felt it was agreeing that the state had authority over the church and God. So strong was Bunyan’s belief that he went to prison for over a decade simply because he refused to accept a license to preach in the Church of England. God led him to use that time to write the classic, “Pilgrims Progress”, but to get out of prison and back to his family - he simply had to accept a license to preach from the government. He wouldn’t do it. To do so, to him, meant you were saying God was not sovereign, the state was. It meant to him that to do so was saying that God was not the final authority, the government was. So he wouldn’t do it. He chose prison over their pulpit.
The people who first came to America were of that same spirit. They wanted to be free. They did not want a strong government ordering them around. They were probably much closer to anarchy than they were to tyranny. Those are the two extremes. EXAMPLE: Tyranny--------------------Anarchy
On one hand you have a tyranny; a dictatorship, a king, government control. On the other, you have no law. You have anarchy. The Bible tells us what happened when everyone “did what was right in their own eyes” (Judges 21:25). Since man is by nature, evil, they did some horrible things - murder, rape, stealing. When there is no law – people have a tendency to do whatever they think they can get away with. So tyranny is usually preferred over anarchy. That’s why people prefer a king – even a bad king is better than none. Now, if that king is good and righteous – it’s not a problem. Alexander Hamilton wrote, "If men were angels, no government would be necessary."
But men are not angels. They are fallen creatures. Our hearts are bent toward sin and selfishness. So dictatorships always result in oppression for the people. Most would do as Pharaoh did in Egypt. Benjamin Franklin said,
“There is scare a king in a hundred who would not, if he could, follow the example of Pharaoh – get first all the people’s money, then their lands, then make them and their children servants forever.”
The founding fathers hated tyranny – so when they formed the first government it was nearer to Anarchy then it was to Tyranny.
Before the drafting of the Constitution as we know it, we had the “Articles of Confederation”. Basically it said that the Federal Government would have no powers except those expressly authorized by the states. No executive, no judges, no taxing power, no enforcement power. It almost caused America’s defeat when Washington had no supplies for his men at Valley Forge.
What our Forefathers created in America was universally believed as a revelation from God. These men had been clearly led of God. God heard their prayers and intervened on their behalf time after time. Ours has been the best government in the history of the world. And the reason for it was because the patriarchs were such committed Christians and powerful pray-ers – and they believed the Bible. They believed man had a propensity to sin – and they had to create checks and balances to prevent it from become either a tyranny or an anarchy. Right in the middle was best. They called it people’s law. They believed in the power of the people. That is why in the preamble of the Constitution, in great big letters they began, “WE THE PEOPLE…” They wanted the power to remain with the people.
When our forefathers were creating this nation – the Bible was the greatest influence. But there were two philosophies of government they also considered. One was written by a man by the name of Jean-Jacque Rousseau. His was called the Feudal Ruler Model. It was like an inverted pyramid. At the tip was the individual, then families, then local government, then county government, then State government, and at the top was the Federal government. The Federal government had all the power. Rousseau saw man as a “malleable creature” to be molded by an enlightened government. Now this would be a good system if the Federal government was made up of angels or sanctified men. But it never is - so it winds up being a tyranny. This was the model used by Karl Marx, for communism. It was used for Fascism, and it was what created the blood bath of the French Revolution. It is, also, the model many of our Politian’s want to shape our country into. If you are at the top – there is a lot of power and wealth. Not so good for the common folk, tho.
The other philosophy was the Locke Model. It, too, was illustrated by a pyramid. But the base was God given rights, then the individual, then City government – and so on. The Federal government’s job was to keep a balance between tyranny and anarchy. To help the government do that, they put in a system of checks and balances. Instead of one head – there were three equally powerful heads - the executive, legislative, and judicial. And it was done because of the strong belief in our Scripture.
“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? Jeremiah 17: 9-10
It important for us to keep this in mind as we build our country and it is also important for us individualize this. Have you ever heard someone say – “Just follow your heart!” That is the worse possible advice you can give – or get. Don’t follow your heart – it will lead you astray. Paul said,
“For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.” Romans 7:18-19
We need to understand about ourselves that there is no good thing in us. We need to realize and admit that we are weak and inclined by our nature to do the wrong thing. We need to realize and admit our propensity to sin – that we are slaves to sin. We are addicts. We are addicted to all the wrong things. Until we realize this and confess it – there is no hope or help for us. God’s Word says,
“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.” 1 John 8-10
We need to be honest with ourselves and with God. We need to confess our sin and weakness and addictive nature. That is the beginning of healing and help.
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:1-4
Do you understand that you can be free? The heart is deceitful and wicked. It is true that there is no cure for it. We try. We go to psychologists and psychiatrists and read self help books and put our faith in positive thinking – to cure our wicked and weak hearts. But it is to no avail. Just about the time we think we have that ugly nature beatten – it rears it’s ugly head again.
So what can we do? Well, we can do nothing. It has to be God. God says,
“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” Ezekiel 36:25-27
How does God do that? Jesus said you have to be born again. Paul said we need to become new creations. That happens as we give ourselves to God. When we surrender our wills to Him – He gives us a new heart and a new spirit. And we begin to walk after the Spirit and not the flesh.
I have Good News for you! Jesus came to pay the penalty for our sin. Jesus came to FREE us from the bondage of sin. Jesus came to free us to live a powerful, new, happy, pure life. We are on a fantastic adventure. Everywhere we go we spread the lovely fragrance of Christ. It changes us. It changes our world. It changes our country. We can make a difference as we allow Jesus to do His will through us. Jesus says,
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”
Revelation 3:20
Can you hear Him speaking to you? Do you hear Him inviting you to something bigger and better than you are now living? I don’t know if God wants to use you to change this world and this country – but I know He has great things in mind for you. Would you pray a prayer like this?
Dear Jesus,
I confess I have not been living in my full potential. Please forgive me. I give myself total to you – right now. Use me any way you want to. Forgive me for my sin. Free me from my addictions. Fill me with Yourself.
In Jesus Name,
