(SLIDE 1) The Blacklist
Pt. 4 - Hard Hearted
I. Introduction Lists are a part of life. Lists on paper. Lists on your phone. Lists are supposed to keep us ordered. Top 10 lists. Lists you want to be on . . . Forbes List of the wealthiest people in the world and lists you don't . . . worst dressed list. But there is one list that most of us are not even aware exists. It is a list we need to know about so that we make sure that we avoid it at all costs . . . God's Blacklist!
II. Text
Proverbs 6:16-19 There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.
Solomon using strong language, dropping the "H" Bomb says that God hates six things and then adds a seventh thing that is detestable.
We dealt with proud eyes, lying, and heavy hands. Today we deal with a heart that devises wicked schemes. Interesting that my first time back on this series we are addressing heart issues.
And when you think about it that is what Solomon is talking about. He understands that we have heart issues. In fact, according to Solomon in Proverbs 4:23, the heart is absolutely crucial. He says, "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."
So, with this understanding Solomon states that God hates a heart that devises wicked schemes.
We must guard against heart attacks!
Solomon wants us to guard against heart attacks because everything about us flows out of our heart!
Jesus addresses the human heart in Matthew 15:19. He said, "For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander."
Did you get that . . . the worst of the worst comes from/originates from where? Our heart! We think it is our thought life that is out of control and in many cases it is. However, we can work on our mind but until we address our heart we will continue to fall. Why? The thoughts in our head originate in our heart.
My question is this . . . how many of us have had a soul change, but have failed to have a heart change? We allow Jesus to address eternity but fail to let Him change us at a core level!
If the heart is naturally turned to and has the ability to allow the list Jesus talks about to flow out of it, then it is absolutely imperative to do a heart scan on a regular basis. We must make sure that we surrender our heart on a daily basis. How many of us allow our heart to become fixated on evil?
We allow our heart to flirt and we give ourselves a pass because our hands haven't acted yet. We allow our heart to harbor hate and anger, but we grant ourselves a pass because our face continues to smile. We allow our heart to rebel, but on the outside we toe the line so we must be OK.
There are two statements in the New Testament that lay this type of life bare. The first is the statement the "dog returns to his vomit and pig returns to his wallow." Notice the order. The inward corruption precedes the outward demonstration and action. If you are inwardly corrupted, it is just a matter of time before there will be an outward demonstration and revelation of this corruption.
The second, is when Jesus said, "You have been taught that adultery is sin, but I declare if you look on a woman with lust you have committed adultery." Jesus raises the standard and the bar because He knew that what is at stake and in question is a heart issue! This is how a man can sit and amen for years and then out of nowhere book the room. This is how the young person can attend, wear the t-shirts, say the right things and then out of nowhere go off the deep end. This is how the woman can sing and serve and then run after that man. This is how a person can worship God on the weekend and worship houses, cars, and bank accounts the rest of the week! It is our heart. We let Jesus into our soul and barricade our heart. We surrender our eternity and fight to follow our heart! We forget what Jeremiah says about our heart . . .
He says in Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.
We are told by man to just trust our heart! God says "Don't trust your heart!" Trust the only One who can change the heart of man! Your heart can ride along but can't be allowed to drive!
We must stop planning pain!
Solomon, by including this in The Blacklist, is making it apparent that there are people that devise, plain, strategize, organize, and invent pain for other people! One writer says this, "There are evil thoughts in all men's hearts; but the devising, fabricating of them, and thus making the heart into a devil's workshop, is the mark of utter depravity and wickedness!"
Whose pain are you planning? Whose pain do you fantasize about? Whose pain would delight you?
I am convinced that too many of us who have experienced great grace are not very good about extending any grace. Our heart devises plans for revenge, retribution, retaliation, and without a conscious heart scan we find ourselves on The Blacklist.
But you don' t know what they did to me. You don't know how they hurt me. You don't know how they purposely and without mercy destroyed my love, my hopes, and my dreams.
You are right I don't know. But when we begin to devise wicked schemes against them we are stating that we are convinced that God doesn't know or worse doesn't care. We begin to scheme with the devil rather than trusting the integrity of our God when He says, "revenge is mine!" When we step in and exact revenge we take something that belongs to God away. Some of you have preempted God and now you are angry with God because it doesn't seem like He has stepped in. Perhaps God is angry with you because you took His place.
When we don't allow God to operate we state that we don't really trust or believe in the Kingdom Principles that He has given us. He has told us "what you sow you reap". We just become impatient because the reaping isn't on our timetable. I want them to hurt now. I want them to suffer now. So we scheme. We need to slow down, turn it over to God and let Him be God. He isn't blind. He isn't forgetful. He is slow to anger (which we love when it comes to us and hate when it comes those whose pain we are planning) but that doesn't mean He won't get angry or act.
If we are not careful, then our heart will deceive us and we will find ourselves on The Blacklist.
III. Close
Everyone of us need a heart scan! Has your heart been attacked? Have you allowed your heart to harbor wicked schemes? Have you allowed your heart to lead you to sin?
