Source: http://biblicalexaminer.org/m19981122.htm
Timestamp: 2019-04-20 23:09:54+00:00

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Jeremiah 17:5 Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. 6 For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. 7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. 8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. 9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? 10 I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. 11 As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool.
Hebrews 4:11-16 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. 12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. 14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
1) Though he knows all about our foolishness, sin and our shortcomings, he loves us enough to continually intercede for us with the Father.
2) Though we are shown by the Spirit how short we are of what we should be, we are urged not to give up. The Spirit reminds us to hold fast our profession.
The key word in Psalms 139 seems to be thoughts (purpose, aim), both man's thoughts, v. 2, and God's thoughts, v. 17. These two verses are the only two times the word thoughts  is used in Scripture.
This song of David proclaims that the Lord knows everything about us, even more than we know about ourselves. David is not proclaiming this out of fear of God, but out of awe --- that is, out of reverence and godly fear, v. 6. David can think about the Lord's knowing all about him, he can meditate on it, but he cannot understand it.
There are many things in Scripture we must accept by faith.
V. 5 could mean that the Lord guided David's steps.
According to the context of this Psalm, v. 5 to me implies that David knew something was wrong; he confesses that no matter where one might go to avoid the Lord's hand, either his chastisements or his blessings, the Lord will find him. No one can go anywhere to avoid the lessons the Lord has for him or her. We may refuse to learn, but the same lesson will be there. We make our circumstances; they do not make us.
The next section tells us that no man can hide the thoughts and the intent of his heart from the Lord, no matter where he might try to hide --- no man can hide from God, vv. 7ff. In fact, the Lord knew all about us even before we were born.
The third section opens with David proclaiming his love for the thoughts of God. Our thoughts are not hidden from him, v. 2, nor are his thoughts hidden from us, for they are given to us in his written word, v. 17.
Not wanting to be caught in the Lord's move against wickedness, David wants to separate from wicked people and from his own wickedness.
Fourth, v. 21, David is grieved with those who rise up against God.
Fifth, v. 22, David loves and hates what God loves and hates; David hates God's enemies with a perfect hatred, counting God's enemies as his enemies.
Sixth, Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? 10 I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
V. 23, though Jeremiah 17:9 had not been written yet, David well knew that evil could lurk in his own heart. Now he asks God to find anything that might be there that is displeasing to the Lord. Thus we see that no matter how much we love God and his word, we are still in serious danger of our hearts departing from the Lord. All three verses, Heb. 4:12, Jer 17:9, Ps. 139:23, 24, warn us that we can depart from the Lord without our knowledge. We must assume that wrong thoughts and intents will creep in. In fact, Scripture makes such an assumption.
Sin is man's natural state and enemy, so God must continually search the heart and thoughts of those who find God's thoughts precious to themselves.
Try me... If one will be a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, he must be willing to be honest, and let the Lord bring about the things needed to burn out, prune, the things displeasing to the Lord.
1) We must not be flattered into thinking we are right with the Lord when we are not. And the deceitful heart will do just that.
The Christian's goal is to glorify God in every area of his life and thought --- that is, bring praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. Therefore, a true Christian does not fear the trials of his faith. He is willing to be tried by God. He hates being deceived concerning his relationship with the Lord.
2) Only "a true man" will deliberately place himself in the refiner's furnace. Such action places one in the very hottest part of the battle, for the battle is submitting one's self to the Lord. However, if we want to be effective for the Lord, we must be willing to take the fire.
We must willingly submit ourselves to the flame; we must be willing to have the dross burned away if we want to bring praise and honour and glory to Jesus Christ. It may seem we are being burned to the death in the flame, but God will send his angles to see us through (and one like unto the son of God) - if we want to go through God's fire. Most folks do not want the fare, and hare happy with what they are.
James makes it very clear that sin comes from within the sinner.
James 1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. 16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.
David, Jeremiah and the author of Hebrews tell us that hidden sin is a serious problem. If we want to bring praise and honour and glory to Jesus Christ, the very first thing that must be done is to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God (1 Pet. 5:6.) -- that is, willingly cast ourselves into the refiner's fire, and let his divine providence work to burn out the sin regardless of the cost..
3) The true believer is willing to hear the worst about what he feels is the best about him. The preaching that is the most pleasing to him is the preaching that is the most searching of his life. He wants preaching that reveals sin, so he can deal with it. One mark of a true Child of God is a willingness to listen to things that search him to the very heart and soul of a matter, even matters that he may be the most confident in.
4) Many people pray Psalms 139:23, 24, with no thought of it actually being worked in their lives. Though the prayer is true from Scripture, it seldom true from the heart, for if it is from the heart, the results will be seen and felt in the life of the petitioner; everyone has hidden sins that need the Lord's fire to burn away. When one prays this prayer, there will be a "sense of scalding."
Christ has declared the difficulty, and solved it: "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." When the Son has made the sinner free, he is free indeed. The dear child, pardoned and reconciled, loves and longs for the Father's presence. What! is there neither spot nor wrinkle now upon the man, that he dares to challenge inspection by the Omniscient, and to offer his heart as Jehovah's dwelling place? He is not yet so pure; and well he knows it. The groan is bursting yet from his broken heart: "O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" Many stains defile him yet; but he loathes them now, and longs to be free. The difference between an unconverted and a converted man is not that the one has sins, and the other has none; but that the one takes part with his cherished sins against a dreaded God, and the other takes part with a reconciled God against his hated sins. He is out with his former friends, and in with his former adversary. Conversion is a turning, and it is one turning only; but it produces simultaneously and necessarily two distinct effects. Whereas his face was formerly turned away from God, and toward his own sins; it is now turned away from his own sins, and toward God. This one turning, with its twofold result, is in Christ the Mediator, and through the work of the Spirit..
5) The "scalding" from this prayer will result in being totally crushed in the spirit over sin: O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? (Rom. 7:24.) It is the broken who finally forsake the arm of the flesh, and who look to the Lord alone for his help.
6) The difference between the converted and unconverted is: one takes the side of the cherished sins against God; the other takes the side of God against the cherished sins. The converted supports God against his sin, and the unconverted supports his sin against God.
7) When a Child of God desires to be searched by the living God, he confesses that his enemies are so many and so powerful that nothing but the presence and power of God can subdue them.
8) It takes great courage for a man to enter into his own heart, to look inside and combat the sin hidden and found therein. David desired to know his sin so he could be delivered from them.
A person cannot have complete deliverance over sin until he faces up to them, and takes the responsibility.
9) David prayed to God to do this work in him, for God alone knows what is in the heart.
Do we want to bring praise and honour and glory to Jesus Christ?
We must willingly submit to his divine providence and revelation about the truth in areas we feel confident in. The Spirit will show the truth to those who want to see the truth in areas they feel are strong for him.
When we see the truth, we will have to cry out with Paul, O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? We will not really see what Christ has done for us until we reach this point.

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