Is Your Heart Right in the Sight of God?

And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. And there was great joy in that city. But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries. But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done. Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity. Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me. And they, when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans. - Acts 8:1-25

    The eighth chapter of Acts is a historic narrative. It records a brief, but very important, segment of church history, showing us how the early church endured persecution from its beginning. This chapter also records the rapid spread of the gospel of Christ from Jerusalem to Samaria and to Africa. However, this inspired, historical narrative was not designed by the Holy Spirit simply to satisfy our curiosity about the history of the early church. Like all other parts of Holy Scripture, this historical narrative was written to give us spiritual instruction in the gospel of Christ. Five lessons taught in the first twenty-five verses of this chapter demand the attention of all who are concerned for their immortal souls, the souls of perishing sinners and the glory of God.

    1. The gospel of Christ is an offence to men (8:1-4)

    This is a lesson often repeated in the book of Acts. We need to be reminded frequently of it. The offence of the cross has not ceased (Gal. 5:11). To those who do not believe, the cross (the doctrine of free justification through Christ, the sinner's substitute) is not only foolishness (1Cor. 1:21-25), it is an annoying offence that stirs up the wrath of man. Any man, any church, or any group of men that faithfully preaches ruin by the Fall (the total depravity of the whole human race), redemption by the blood (the effectual atonement of Christ for the sins of his people) and regeneration by the Holy Spirit (life and faith in Christ as gifts of God's sovereign, irresistible grace) will meet with relentless opposition from lost, religious men.

    2. The Lord our God has a people whom he will save (8:5-12)

    The gospel of Christ has never been popularly received by men. It has always been in the minority. Human opinion and religious tradition have always been opposed to the message of God's free and sovereign grace in Christ. Most people who hear the gospel preached in the power of the Holy Spirit go on to hell as though they had never heard the message of redeeming blood and saving grace. But the purpose of God is not frustrated. God has a people whom he will save (Rom. 3:3-4; Acts 18:10). His elect are scattered among all nations and through all generations, but they will all be saved. God will gather his own to himself (Jer. 32:37-40). Not one of God's elect will perish. Not one of those redeemed by Christ will be lost in the end (John 6:37-40).

    3. God always causes the sinner he has purposed to save to hear the gospel of Christ (8:4)

    The preaching of the gospel is, in the purpose of God, as necessary for the salvation of sinners as election, redemption and regeneration (Rom. 10:13-17; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23-25). By the wondrous, mysterious workings of providence God always brings his elect to hear the gospel at his appointed time. He rules and overrules all things for the salvation of his chosen (John 17:2). He even allows reprobate men to persecute and scatter his church so that they may be forced to carry the word of grace to chosen, redeemed sinners!

    4. All supernatural, apostolic gifts ceased with the apostles (8:14-17)

    Though Philip had received and exercised the miraculous gifts of the Spirit (8:6-7), he was not able to communicate them to anyone. Only the apostles could communicate the gifts of the Spirit to others. If no one but an apostle could communicate these gifts to men (and no one else ever did!), then the gifts must have ceased once the apostles had all died. When the gifts were no longer needed they ceased to be. They were needed to prove the credibility of the apostles as the messengers of Christ (Heb. 2:3-4). But since we now have the complete, perfect revelation of God (the Bible), there is no need for the imperfect, temporary signs the apostles possessed (1 Cor. 13:10; 2 Peter 1:19-21).

    5. Wherever the gospel is preached both true believers and those who make a false profession of faith will be found (8:12,13,20,21).

    Every church is a mixed multitude of true believers and those who make a false profession of faith. Wherever Christ plants wheat, Satan plants tares (Matt. 13:24-30). Wherever the Lord gathers his sheep, Satan gathers some goats. Along with those who were truly born again by the Spirit of God, Simon Magus professed to believe. But of him Peter said, 'Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God' (8:21). Simon believed the same doctrine the others believed. He was baptized like the rest. He certainly saw and recognized the power of the Holy Spirit. But Simon had one fatal deficiency: his heart was false! His heart was not right in the sight of God. He was a hypocrite at heart. By profession he was a believer, but at heart he was an infidel.

    Is your heart right in the sight of God? It is not enough that we believe the truth, worship God in the correct manner and obey his commands. Our faith, worship and obedience must arise from a true heart, a heart that is right in the sight of God. The Puritan Thomas Manton once said, 'Though thou pray with the Pharisee, pay thy vows with the harlot, kiss Christ with Judas, offer sacrifice with Cain, fast with Jezebel, sell thine inheritance to give to the poor with Ananias and Sapphira, all is vain without the heart, for it is the heart that enliveneth all our duties.'

    First and foremost God requires our hearts (Prov. 23:26; 4:23). Christianity is a religion of the heart. It is a heart union with the Son of God. Man by nature is content with an outward form of religion: doctrinal knowledge, a moral code, works of righteousness, ritual ism, ceremonialism and emotionalism. But God requires heart worship and heart-obedience. The state of a person's soul depends upon the condition of his or her heart (Prov. 23:7). God looks not at our religious works, but at our hearts (1 Sam. 16:7; Prov. 21:2). He 'weigheth the spirits' (Prov. 16:2). He says, 'I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins' (Jer. 17:10). We may give God a bowed head, a serious look, a strict adherence to religious duty, faithful attendance at the house of worship and a firm commitment to doctrinal truth, but until we give him our hearts our religion is an abomination to him (Isa. 1:10-15; 66:2-3; Luke 6:45).

    Salvation is a heart work (Ps. 51:17). It is 'Christ in you, the hope of glory' (Col. 1:27). All those things spoken of as essential to salvation are matters of the heart: conviction (Acts 2:37), repentance (Luke 13:3) and faith (Acts 8:37). But all men and women by nature have an evil heart of unbelief, departing from the living God (Eccles. 9:3;Jer.17:9;Gen.6:5; Matt.15:19). The one common way the Holy Spirit identifies the heart of men is by calling it 'a stony heart' (Ezek. 11:19). 'A stony heart' is a hard, cold, barren, dead heart.

    Only God the Holy Spirit can make a man's heart right in the sight of God. Only he can open the heart. Only he can reveal Christ in the heart. Only he can create in you a new heart. David was a man after God's own heart (Acts 13:22), because God had given him: a new heart (Ezek. 36:26; 2 Cor. 5:17); a broken and contrite heart (Ps. 51:17); a heart of faith in Christ (2 Sam. 23:5; Rom. 10:10); a praying heart (2 Sam. 7:27); a heart of gratitude and love for Christ (Ps. 34:1-10). A heart that is right in the sight of God is a heart in which there is a constant warfare with sin (Ps. 73; Gal. 5:17; Rom. 7:14-24), but it is a heart that honours God and seeks his glory above everything else (Ps. 51:1-4; 40:16).