The Rebel Of The Heart

A circus parade was moving gaily through the streets of Milan, Italy. Suddenly one of the elephants veered from the line and marched into a church. [In Milan, church doors are large, and in the summer are often wide open!] This visitor wandered up the center aisle, trumpeted a bit, swung her trunk around and headed back to the parade.

Unfortunately, many humans seem to imitate this pious pachyderm. On a Sunday morning we lurch into church, make a few noises, observe the congregation, then step out to resume our place in the parade. The great drama of worship is played out, but it is lost on us. We are elephants in church! Every part of our being is affected by sin -- our intellects, our emotions and desires, our hearts, our goals and motives.

We can send messages around the world in two seconds.

We can view events that happening instantly anywhere in our world today by means of satellite

We are able to unravel mysteries of outer space and inner space by just going there

- We seem not to be concerned with a war that is destroying our nation, killing our children, and causing us to lose our way.

- It is a war that is being waged from within and is laying waste to our cities, decimating families, and causing heartache for tens of thousands each day.

- This war is the war upon morality.

- The casualties are to be found in our integrity, our honesty, and the respect we hold for all of God’s

What Is the First and Chief Statement of Scripture?

Rom 3:23 All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God

- Started in the Garden

- Alienated from God, hostile in mind, we practice evil behavior

Col 1:21-22 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

- REBELLION

Rebellion In Advertisements

* Isuzu commercial: "The world has boundaries. Ignore them."

* Outback Steakhouse: "No rules. Just right."

* NFL video game: "No refs, no rules, no mercy."

* Comedy Central: "See comedy that breaks rules."

* The English Patient, "In love there are no boundaries."

* One band, "The rules are for breaking."

* Columbia House Music Club: "We broke the rules"

* Foster Grant Sunglasses: "No limits"

* Prince Machiavelli perfume: "Life without limits"

Rebellion Carried Out In Life

v.12 “... will of my enemies....”

- Disrespect

- Disobedience

- Dishonest

- Disagreement

- Disloyal

- Doubt

- All Against God

Immorality Attacks the Mind

* Sin affects the mind as well as the body.

- Sin can cause us to reason foolishly.

- Man in sin is cunning and devious in ways to justify his conduct.

* Rejecting God, we become as fools. Romans 1:18-32

We Rationalize

v. 12 ....”False witness are risen...”

- Rationalization is justifying our disobedience to God

- We make excuses for our sin

Jas 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

me, and such as breathe out cruelty.

We Cannot Hold to Two Beliefs That Are Contradictory to One Another

v.12 .... “breath out cruelty....”

- So what we do is modify one of the beliefs in order to make ourselves more comfortable

- We compromise God’s truth to obtain our own desire

- We want what sin can give us

- Obedience seems costly – It threatens our comfort zones

- Immorality seeps in and is carried out in life.

- Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?”

What Is Immorality?

V.12 ....”Deliver me not...”

- It is when you settle for being less than what God has called you to be

Gifts of God

Ps 27:13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

- What are His gifts His goodness?

Salvation Rom 6.23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Gladness Ps 4:7 Thou hast put gladness in my heart, ....

* Heart’s Desire Ps 21:2 Thou hast given him his heart’s desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah.

* Wisdom, Knowledge, Joy Ec 2:26 For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail,.......

* Hope, Inheritance, Heaven, Kept by his power

1 Pe 1:3-5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time