I'm going to be speaking to you
on this subject, a heart right with God. A heart right with
God. Now, in the 8th chapter of Acts,
verse 21, we read these words, Thou hast neither part nor lot
in this matter, for your heart is not right with God. What's the background of this
statement? Philip had gone down into Samaria
to preach, and God sent a great revival. And there was a man
called Simon Magus who heard Philip preach, and the Scripture
says he believed the gospel. And he was baptized, and he identified
himself with the disciples and with the other believers. Simon
Magus believed, and he was baptized, and he joined himself to the
disciples and to the other believers. And when the apostles in Jerusalem
heard about this great revival in Samaria, and that many Gentiles
had believed the gospel, they sent Peter and John down to Samaria
to visit with these people. And when Peter and John came
down to Samaria, they prayed for these Gentiles and laid hands
upon them, and they received the Holy Spirit. The Gentiles
received the Holy Spirit like the Jews did at Pentecost. Now, when Simon Magus, who had
heard Philip preach and had believed the gospel that Philip preached
or the scriptures said he believed the gospel and was baptized,
when Simon saw that through the laying on of the hands of the
apostles that these Gentiles received the gift of the Holy
Spirit, he offered Peter money. And he said, I'll give you money
if you'll give me this power that on whomsoever I lay my hands,
he shall receive the Holy Ghost. And Peter looked at him and he
said, Thou art in the gall of bitterness. Thy money perish
with thee, because you thought that the gift of God could be
purchased with money. And that's when Peter said, Your
heart is not right with God. You don't have any part in this
matter. You don't have any part in the
kingdom of God. Your heart is not right in the
sight of God. And even though you are identified
with the apostles, and you are a companion of other believers,
and you are a professed believer in the doctrine, and you, even
though you have been baptized, your heart not being right in
the sight of God means that you have no part nor lot in this
matter. My friends, a relationship with
God is more than an outward profession. It's more than an act of baptism. It's more than submission to
ceremony. A relationship with God, salvation,
is a heart work. It's a work that is performed
in the heart. It's a heart relationship with
God. Listen to these scriptures. Over in 1 Samuel 16, 7, the scripture
says, God seeth not as man seeth. For man looketh on the outward
appearance, but God looks on the heart. Man looks on the outward
appearance, But God looks on the heart. Listen to this scripture
from Ezekiel. God said, Behold, I will put
my spirit within you, I will write my laws within you, and
I will give you a new heart. And then the wise man Solomon
wrote in Proverbs 4, verse 23, Keep thy heart with all diligence,
for out of it are the issues of life. That's where the issues
of life are decided. not with the feet or the hands
or even the lips, or an act of the body, but the heart. That's
where it's all decided. That's where the issues of life
take place. And then in Psalm 51, 17, the
sacrifices of God are a broken heart, a broken and a contrite
spirit, O Lord, thou wilt not despise. And then the scripture
says in Psalm 34, the Lord is known to them that are of a broken
heart. And he saith this such as be
of a contrite spirit. So this thing, this is what Peter
is saying to this man Simon Magus. Your heart's not right with God.
Now you may have all the outward signs of religion. You may have
all the outward professions of religion. You may have gone through
the motions and even submitted to the ordinances. But when your
heart's not right with God, you don't have any part in the kingdom
of God. For my friends, conviction is
a heart work. In Acts chapter 2, verse 37,
it is said of the people at Pentecost when Peter preached to them that
they were pricked in their hearts. That's where God did the work
of conviction. It was done in the heart. Now,
it's one thing to know by reading that vinegar is sour or by hearing
someone tell you that it's sour. It's quite another thing to taste
it and to know by experience that it's sour. And this is the
thing about conviction of sin. It's one thing to read about
it or to hear someone tell about it or hear someone preach about
it. It's quite another thing to be so convicted of sin that
you feel your sins and that you taste them and that you grieve
over them and mourn over them and weep over them in your heart
to know by experience, as Paul said, the exceeding sinfulness
of sin. In Matthew 15, verse 17 and 18,
Our Lord said, it's not that which goeth into the mouth that
defileth a man. We can't confine sin to outward
acts or manners or actions or deeds or even words. He says,
that which defiles us is that which comes out of our hearts.
For out of the heart proceeds evil thoughts, hatred, adulteries,
blasphemy. All of these things come out
of the heart. That's where this thing of conviction, real conviction
of sin takes place. takes place in the heart. And
then faith is a heart work. The scripture said, Thou shalt
confess with thy mouth Jesus to be Lord, and believe in thine
heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be
saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness,
and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Faith
is a heart work. Our Lord said in Luke 16, 15,
I wish you'd turn to that in your Bibles. You have a Bible
there by your Television or there by the chair where you're sitting
turn to Luke 16 15 and read what the Lord said to those people
in Luke 16 15 he said unto them you are they which justify yourselves
before men but God knows your heart and That which is highly
esteemed among men Is an abomination to God now you think about that
Faith is a hard work. That's where the work of conviction
and the work of revelation and the work of understanding and
the work of believing is performed. It's done in the heart. You can
walk down all the aisles of all the churches and tent meetings
and evangelistic services in this country. You can make professions
of faith till you grow old. You can be baptized a dozen times. You can be confirmed and christened
and sprinkled and all of these things. But if your heart's not
right with God, you have no part nor lot in this matter. That's
what Peter said. For faith is a heart work. And
then I'll tell you something else. Worship is a heart work.
That's where worship takes place, in the heart. Our Lord said in
Matthew chapter 15, verse 7 and 8, well did Isaiah write concerning
you people. He said, these people draw nigh
unto me with their lips. but their hearts are far from
me." Have you ever been guilty of that? Singing a hymn, or maybe
praying a prayer, or maybe preaching a sermon, and your heart was
no more in communion with God, your heart was no more in fellowship
with God, your mind was off somewhere else. Well, now that's not worship. Worship is a heart work. Actually,
you can worship God and not say a word. and not sing a hymn,
or not sing a song, or not even take part in any outward ceremony. The Holy Spirit intercedes for
us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Worship's a hard
work. And I'm afraid, really, that
we put too much importance on words in this matter of worship. Somebody's always got to be saying
something, or making an announcement, or leading cheers, you know,
or having a special song or some kind of entertainment. Worship
is a heart work. And that's what we're talking
about. Peter looked at Simon, and he said, Simon, you've heard
Philip preach, and you've made an outward profession, and you've
been baptized, and you've lined yourself up with this group of
believers, but your heart's not right with God. And when your
heart's not right with God, you're in the gall of bitterness, and
you have no part nor lot in this matter. Cleanse first. You know, our Lord said to the
religious men of his day, they got all cleaned up outwardly
so they would appear religious and appear pious and appear holy
to people who saw them. They bragged about their holiness
and bragged about their prayers and bragged about their fasting
and all these other things. And Christ said, you appear beautiful
unto men on the outside, but on the inside, you're full of
corruption, hypocrisy, and excess. Now he said, cleanse first that
which is within, that the outward might be cleansed also. Where
does it start? It starts in the heart. It doesn't
start with the outward flesh. It starts in the heart. And when
the heart is right with God, the rest will be okay. If you're
right with God, you're right with everybody else. And if you're
wrong with God, you're wrong all the way. Now here are four
things that I want us to think about in the message today. First
of all, a heart right with God is above in importance all things. And then secondly, heart worship
is so important that outward form without heart worship is
an abomination to God. That's how important it is. It's
so important that religious form without a genuine sincerity of
heart God despises it. And we'll show you something
on that point in a moment that will absolutely shock you, taken
from this book. God's Word. And then the third
thing I want you to think about is this. Outward form, an outward
form of religion, formal religion and worship, is a whole lot easier
than heart work. It's a whole lot easier. And
then the fourth thing we're going to deal with is this. How can
I obtain a right relationship with God in the heart. Where
does one get a new heart, a right heart, a regenerated heart, a
single heart, a broken heart, a contrite spirit? Well, let's
look at these four things. Now, will you think about them
with me? Now, salvation is a hard work. This thing of relationship
with God is a heart. God looks on the heart. Keep
your heart out of the issues of life. Now, heart work is more
important than anything else. There's nothing else so important
as a heart right with God. It's more important than sacrifice
and ceremony. Saul, King Saul of Israel, was
told by the Lord to go down into the land of the Amalekites, enemies
of God, enemies of Israel, and destroy the whole land. Destroy
everything, everybody, all the cattle, everything. The judgment,
the wrath of God had fallen upon that evil, pagan, idolatrous
nation, and God said, wipe it from the earth. Well, Saul went
down there and he did, well, quite a bit of that, but he saved
the king as a trophy. He brought back spores, and he
brought back some sheep, and oxen, and lambs, and all types
of animals like that. And the prophet Samuel came to
him and said, why did you bring back these lambs, and sheep,
oxen. Oh, Saul said, I brought those
back to sacrifice to the Lord. And Samuel said, Saul, God is
angry with thee. To obey is better than sacrifice. You see what he's saying there?
A heart right with God, a heart obedient unto the Lord, a heart
in tune with God, a heart in fellowship with God is more than
all the burnt offerings and sacrifices and ceremonies we possibly can
go through. And then heart worship is better
than Sabbath observance. These religious Jews had their
Sabbath days all fixed up. You could just take so many steps.
You could do only certain things. Nothing could be done on the
Sabbath day but what was permitted. What did our Lord do? Why, He
walked right through the cornfield and picked corn and His disciples
ate it and then He went down and healed a man with a withered
hand and healed somebody else. And the Pharisees got all upset
about this. Why, you violated our Sabbath
day. You violated the holy day. You violated the special day.
And our Lord said, now listen. Man wasn't made for the Sabbath.
The Sabbath was made for man. And mercy is more important than
Sabbath observance. Mercy is more important than
ceremonial observance. Mercy is more important than
sacrifice and ceremony. Mercy, a heart right with God.
And then a heart right with God is better than study and knowledge.
Now, I think we ought to study to show ourselves approved unto
God, a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing
the Word of truth. We need to give ourselves to
reading the Word of God. It's by the Word of God that
we grow in grace and the knowledge of Christ. It's by the Word of
God that we're sanctified. It's by the Word of God that
we're comforted and strengthened. But my friends, listen to James
in chapter 1, verse 22, 202B. a hearer of the Word, to be a
doer of the Word is more important than to be a hearer of the Word.
In other words, to be a doer, an obedient servant of the Word
of God is more important than being just a hearer of the Word
of God, a student of the Word of God, a theologian or an orthodox
Christian. It's more important to put grace
in practice than to sit around reading about grace all the time
or talking about grace all the time. And then A heart right
with God is more important than the gifts of the ministry. In
1 Corinthians 12, Paul talks about the gift of healing, the
gift of tongues, the gift of faith, different gifts. And then he says in verse 31,
covet the best gifts. Covet to have the gifts of the
ministry. But I'll show you, he said, something better. I'll
show you a more excellent way. And that's when he begins that
chapter 13 in 1 Corinthians where he says, I may speak with the
tongues of men and of angels and have not love, it profiteth
me nothing. You see that? Love is more important
than the gifts of the ministry. A heart right with God. And this
heart right with God will love God with all the heart and will
love our neighbors ourselves. And then this thing of a heart
right with God is more important than strong faith and assurance.
What does it say in 1 Corinthians 13, 13? Now about is faith, hope,
and love. Faith and assurance. Faith and
confidence. But the greatest of these, but
the greatest of these is love. Not strong faith and not strong
assurance, but love. Yes, love is above all things. Even, now I wouldn't disturb
you or shock you or upset you, but listen to me. A heart right
with God is more important than good works and morality. You
read in Luke 18 how the Pharisee stood in the temple and prayed
thus with himself, God, I thank you I'm not like other men. I
tithe and fast and pray and give alms to the poor. Well, I'm not
like this publican. And you know the one that was
justified? It wasn't this man. It was the publican who smote
upon his breast and cried in anguish and conviction and repentance,
oh God, be merciful to me, a sinner." You see, a heart, it's a heart
work. A heart right with God is more important than anything
else. And then the second thing now, religious form without heart
is an abomination to God. God despises it. Now listen to
this scripture in Isaiah chapter 66 verse 23. And here God is
talking about these Israelites who had approached Him with their
lips and their sacrifices and their ceremonies and rituals,
but whose hearts were far from Him. And He said, you people,
turn to Isaiah 66, verse 2 and 3. He said, you people who do
your sacrificing and all of your ceremonies, but whose hearts
are not in it, to come before God without a sincere heart,
and without a broken heart, and without a repentant heart, and
without a proper contrite spirit, when you kill an ox, you might
as well have killed a man. That's what it says. See it right
there in Isaiah 66 too. And to sacrifice a lamb, you
may as well cut off a dog's head. Now can you imagine one of those
Israelites of old coming before the tabernacle of God, the Holy
of Holies, to offer a sacrifice and bringing a dog and cutting
the dog's head off and putting it on the place of worship there,
you say, well, they wouldn't do a thing like that. God says,
to come before me with a lamb without a proper spirit, you
may as well cut off a dog's head. And to offer an oblation without
the proper heart condition and attitude, he said, you might
as well offer pig's blood. Look at that. And he said, you
that burn incense, and burning incense is a type of the prayers
of Jesus Christ. He said, you may as well worship
an idol. That's how serious it is. You see how serious this thing
is of going through the motions of playing church, and playing
at worship, and playing at approaching God while our hearts are not
in it, and our hearts are not sincere, and our hearts are not
right with God? God says it's an abomination.
And Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13, though I speak with the eloquence
of an angel and have not love, I'm a sounding brass and a tinkling
cymbal. And though I understand all mysteries
and prophecies and have faith so that I can remove mountains
and have not love, I'm nothing. bestow my goods to feed the poor,
and give my body to be burned as a martyr, and have not love,
it profiteth me nothing. It's an abomination to God. Heart
religion is the very essence of it. An outward form without
heart faith is an abomination to God. All right, the third
thing. An outward form of worship and religion is a lot easier
than heart work. and heart worship. That's true.
Let me show you that. See, if this is not true, it's
a lot easier to wear a symbol of submission than it is to display
a spirit of submission to God. In other words, it's a whole
lot easier for me to turn my collar around backwards and look
like a preacher than it is down here in my heart to walk with
God. It's a lot easier for me to dress
in a black uniform with a big broad brim hat and look like
a preacher and fold my hands this way and act like I'm pious
and holy. It's one thing to wear a symbol
of submission. It's another thing to have a
spirit of submission. That other's easier. And then
I'll tell you something else. It's easier to preach grace than
to produce grace. And it's easier to preach a sovereign
God than to trust a sovereign God. But which is most important?
It's a whole lot easier to go to an altar than to build one
in your heart. It's a whole lot easier to go
running down in front of a church and fall at a wooden altar than
it is to build one in your heart and weep in your heart and grieve
in your heart and repent in your heart and believe in your heart
and love God with your heart. God looks on the heart. And then
it's a whole lot easier to argue doctrine than it is to live by
that doctrine. And it's a whole lot easier to
give my money than to give myself. That's a lot easier. I can send
my money down to the church, you know, pay my pledge. That's a whole lot easier than
giving myself. It's a whole lot easier to wear
a cross than it is to carry one. It's a whole lot easier to send
missionaries than to be one. It's a whole lot easier to tell
others that we ought to forgive than to forgive others. It's
a whole lot easier to praise God with the lips than to praise
God with the heart. And it's a whole lot easier to
give up outward sins and habits than it is to give up pride,
hatred, anger, malice, jealousy, covetousness, these things that
thrive in the heart that can't be seen by anyone but God. Now,
we can cover that up pretty good. I'll tell you the reason that
outward form is a whole lot easier than inward heart worship. The
reason it's easier is because heart worship and heart faith
is unseen by men, unrecognized by men, and unrewarded by men. Well, preacher, how will people
know I give if I don't tell them? Preacher, how will people know
that I pray and fast if I don't tell them? How will people know
I'm holy if I don't tell them? How will people know I'm humble
if I don't tell them? Now, these things are to be done
as unto the Lord. And I'll tell you this, you can't
hide the grace of God any more than you can hide a river in
the desert or a hundred watt bulb in a dark room. If God's
grace is in your heart, it'll shed forth and it'll shine forth
and it'll give forth. But it's as unto the Lord, whether
anybody knows it or not. If our hearts are right with
God, all will be right. Well, how does a right heart
receive? Four things. Number one, by the grace of God.
He said, I'll give you a new heart. And when David prayed
in Psalm 51, he said, Oh God, create in me a clean heart. Renew
within me a right spirit. My friend, if you want a heart
right with God, pray for it. Seek the Lord. A new heart is
God's work. Secondly, it's by the merits
and righteousness of Jesus Christ. Our Lord died for our sins and
he dwells within us. And the life which we now live
in the flesh, we live by the faith of the Son of God who loved
us and gave himself for us. And right attitude is not of
us, it's Christ that dwells in us. And works of righteousness
are not our works, but His works who dwells within us. And then
we receive it by the Spirit of God. We walk in the Spirit. We
worship in the Spirit. We serve God in the Spirit. And
if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he's none of His.
The Holy Spirit is the regenerating agent. He's the one that gives
the new heart. God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Spirit. And then I'll tell you something
else. The way to receive a new heart is to take up your abode
at the cross and live there. You want to learn how to love?
Go to the cross. Greater love hath no man than
this. And he lay down his life for his friend. You want to learn
how to give? Go to the cross and stay there.
Christ gave himself. You want to know how to forgive
people? Go to the cross. Father, forgive them. They know
not what they do. You want the key to humility?
Go to the cross. You want the key to gratitude
and submission? Go to the cross. That's where
you get a new heart, at Calvary.