Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Proverbs chapter 27. Proverbs chapter
27. I would like to look at one verse
of scripture, verse 19. Proverbs 27, 19. The scripture declares, as in
water, face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man. Now, according to the scriptures,
and we've experienced this, if one would truly desire to see
his outward appearance, to actually behold himself as he is, not
what he thinks he looks like or what he hopes he looks like,
but to actually see all the effects of age, the blemishes, the wrinkles,
the crow's feet, the side of the eyes, gray hair. All you need to do is to look
into a clear, still body of water. That's a true image. That's what
you look like. And while water, according to
scripture, gives an answer of our physical appearance, the
heart of man is said here to answer to man. The heart gives
an answer as to what man is. Now that's what that verse just
said. As in water, face answereth to
face, so the heart of man to man. The heart speaks to man. His own heart speaks to him,
gives an answer. Something happened in the garden
and what happened in the garden was man who was created by God
upright, straight, man that was dependent, a servant of his creator,
the possessor of a heart that longed to walk in fellowship
with God, a heart of contentment, peace, a heart that knew God,
loved God. But something happened in the
garden, and by one man's disobedience, by one act of disobedience, The
scripture declared that what God had told man would happen,
happened. He died spiritually. And now man is born, he comes
forth from his mother's womb with a dead heart. If you want to know what that
heart means, it means nature. He's got a dead nature, a spiritually
dead nature. Now he's got a heart now, man's
born with a heart, and it answers to man. It answers to him. That's what the scripture says.
Heart, man, answers to man. But here's the problem with man
as he's born in Adam. His heart lies to him. It answers,
it does answer. It gives him an answer. But it's
a lie. I was a few years ago, I was
in Tennessee, and I was sitting in a courtroom. And I knew the
parties that were there to be in court. And I knew the situation. I knew the truth. I knew what
was going on. But they're having a trial. And
one of the parties took the stand, and he began
to give his answers to the lawyer that was asking the questions. And as it all was playing out,
you could tell that these things are not adding up here. And then
at one point, the judge stopped. And he said, you can step down. And here's the reason. He said,
you're not a credible witness. You're not a credible witness.
Do you know what it means when somebody is told that they're
not a credible witness? I don't believe you. I can't
depend on what you're saying. You're lying. You're lying. That's
what he's saying. You're lying. Man's heart, as
that man is born in Adam, is not a credible witness. He's
not one that can be depended on. That heart speaks nothing
that is good and right and honorable toward God. Here's what the scripture
says, Jeremiah 17 9. The heart is deceitful above
all things and desperately wicked Who can know it? Who can perceive the depth of
the deceitfulness of a carnal heart? Who can perceive that? Only God. Who can perceive? And the authority which proves
man to be born with no knowledge of himself, the carnal heart
lies to the possessor of the heart. It lies to him. It tells
him. It proves itself to have no knowledge,
no revelation of a man's depravity, no revelation of his deception,
of his ignorance of God. And what the carnal heart does,
it's a bald-faced liar. It just lies to a man. And the
problem is, unless the Lord gives a man or woman life, they believe
it. They believe the lie. They believe
it. The scripture declares, here's
what the scripture declares concerning man. Let me read Romans 3.23.
This is what God says concerning man by nature. Now this is what the Lord says,
Romans 3.23, for all have sinned and come
short, they've missed the mark of the glory of God. Now that's
what God says. Now let me tell you what the
carnal heart will tell a man. It was expressed by the Pharisee,
there were two men that went into the temple to pray, one
was a Pharisee, one was a publican, and here's what the Pharisee
said, God, I thank thee that I am not, as other men are, extortioners,
unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. Now God says,
all have sinned and come short, have missed the mark of the glory
of God in the carnal heart, or tell a man, You made it. You're not as other men are.
The carnal heart, turn with me to the book of Job. Job chapter
15, I'm gonna show you something. Job 15. The carnal heart says
God can trust your judgment. God can depend on your will. God can leave you to yourself
and your works. And God can trust you to establish
righteousness by exhibiting a free will decision, or walking down
the aisle, or coming to the front, or doing something. God can trust
you. The scripture says, Job 15, verse
14, 16. What is man that he should be
clean? And he which is born of a woman,
that he should be righteous. Behold, he, that is the Lord,
putteth no trust in his saints. Yea, the heavens are not clean
in his sight. How much more abominable and filthy is man which drinketh
iniquity like water. Now the carnal heart says, I
can understand. Turn over to Psalm 14.2. Psalm 14.2. The carnal heart
says, you have understanding. You understand what it's gonna
take to please God. You understand what it's gonna
take to establish righteousness. You have the ability. You have
understanding. That's what the carnal heart
says. Here's what God says. Psalm 14, two and three. The
Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see
if there were any that did understand and seek God, and they're all
gone aside. They're all together become filthy.
There's none that doeth good, no, not one. So somebody's lying. And I can tell you this, it's
not the Lord. It's that old deceitful, deceived
heart that answers to a man, but it answers with a lie. We're
not born capable of choosing good over evil. We're not born
with that capability. Why? We're dead. Spiritually
dead. We're filthy. Spiritually filthy
without understanding, without goodness. Turn over to that passage
Mitch just read, Ezekiel 36. But when the Spirit of God is
pleased to come to a needy sinner in regenerating grace, and it's
the Lord that comes. God doesn't wait on men to act
first. If God leaves a man to himself,
That man's gonna perish. That woman's gonna perish. They're
gonna die listening to a lying heart that sounded right to them
because they didn't know any better.
They're ignorant. They don't understand. But when he comes
to a needy sinner, regenerating grace, something marvelous happens.
I'm gonna just read one of the verses that Mitch read. Verse
26. He said, a new heart also will
I give you. and a new spirit will I put within
you. I'll take away the stony heart
out of your flesh and I'll give you a heart of flesh. What happens
in regeneration? I've told you before, nothing
changes concerning the old nature. Nothing changes. We are not reformed. We're not reformed. There's nothing
in that old man that is made better. That which is flesh is
flesh. But there's something given,
added, imparted. There's a new nature. There's
a new heart. There's a new understanding.
There's new eyes and ears spiritually given. There's a new love. There's
a new interest. There's a new attitude. It's
now a heart that's sensitive to God's Word, and it's a heart
that God has given that's truthful. That which is born of God sinneth
not. It can't sin. It can't sin. It sets forth and believes the
Word of Truth. And thanks be unto God. It's
a heart that's tender to the voice of the shepherd, to the
will of the shepherd, to the shepherd that loves him, gave
himself for him. It's a new heart. It's a new
heart. It's sensitive to the presence
of Almighty God, sensitive to His Word, but it's sensitive
to the presence of sin too. It's sensitive to the evil and
the danger of it. It's a heart that's sensitive
to the struggles of the flesh and the self-righteous attitudes.
We can go back and read Romans chapter 7. We've read it many
times. Paul talked about the struggles that he sees. He says,
I see in me that is in my flesh. Not what I used to be, but this
is what I am. That war that's going on. And when did the war
start? When God put in a new heart.
Not before. Not before, I was just fine.
I was just on my merry way. I was just about almost in heaven,
as if I'd already been there or something like. I can't remember
how you say it now. Oh no, I'd made my profession
of faith. I struggled a little bit, but
I did my rededications, and I redid, re-upped, whatever you call that. But here's what a new heart sees.
A new heart sees that I can't. And God must. That's that new
heart that answers, that answers with a good conscience to the
vessels of God's mercy, reminding them daily, don't look to yourself. Don't look to your works. Don't
look to yourself for comfort and peace before God, but rather
cast yourself upon the mercy of God. Cast yourself upon him
who guides and directs by his Holy Spirit. This is the heart
that is made to remember. You know, when we come together,
we have the Lord's table, and there's a precious word in there. This do in remembrance, remember,
remember. You know, memory's a marvelous
thing, marvelous thing. There's things that we, all of
a sudden, you can remember you did as a kid, and it just, you
know, and it's everything, everything's there, it's there. But just whenever
it's called to memory, you think back, you know, I was a kid,
I stumped my toe, I did this, I did that. Let me tell you what
a man is not prone to remember. He's not prone to remember the
Lord. But when God gives him a new heart, and God the Spirit
calls back to memory, And we take that little piece of bread,
it's just, all it is is a token, it's a symbol. But it's a symbol
with a precious picture of him whose body was broken. And that
little cup of wine, what is it? Just a cup of wine is all it
is. But it's a picture. And the Lord has given it for
remembrance. And a new heart remembers. It brought to his memory him
who laid down his life for the sheep. He who bore the guilt,
the sins of his people in his own body and made them his own. That's what Psalm 40 says. Mine
iniquities have taken hold upon me. He who bore our guilt, removed
our sins and cast them as far as the east is from the west.
Remember, he who ever liveth to make intercession for his
people. pleading his own merit as a great
high priest before God. I'll tell you another one in
closing. Remember this. We're two or three gathered together
in my name. You know, isn't it a precious thing to think? He's
here. He's here. He's here. Lord, thank you for allowing
me to be here. Thank you for allowing me to want to be here.
To want to hear the glorious picture the setting forth of
the gospel of God's grace. It's through that new heart that
the sheep, by faith, they worship God in the spirit. New heart
that rejoices in Christ Jesus and has no confidence. Turn with
me in closing, Jeremiah 32. Has no confidence whatsoever.
There's not a believer, there's not a believer in the Lord Jesus
Christ that has any confidence in him flesh. That's what Paul
said. For me, the will is present with
me, but how to perform, I don't have any confidence in my flesh.
Jeremiah, hear what the Lord has promised to his people. With
this, I'll end for this first message. Jeremiah 32, Jeremiah
32, verse 36 to 40. Now therefore, thus saith the
Lord, the God of Israel, concerning this city, whereof you say, it
shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the
sword and by the famine, by the pestilence, behold, I will gather
them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger,
in my fury, in my great wrath, I will bring them again unto
this place, I will cause them to dwell safely. And they shall
be my people, and I will be their God. And I will give them one
heart, one way that they may fear me forever for the good
of them and of their children after them. And I'll make an
everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from
them to do them good. but I will put my fear in their
hearts, and they shall not depart from me. O Lord, according to your eternal
will and purpose and good pleasure, give your people a new heart.
Give them a heart of truthfulness, a heart that sets forth their
belief in you. For your glory and our good All
right.