The Heart of the Man of God
Introduction
1 Peter 3:15: “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;”
“If you desire Christ for a perpetual guest, give Him all the keys to your heart; let not one cabinet be locked up from Him; give him the range of every room and the key of every chamber.” Charles Hadden Spurgeon
Proverbs 4:20-27
“My son, give attention to my words;
Incline your ear to my sayings.
Do not let them depart from your eyes;
Keep them in the midst of your heart;
For they are life to those who find them,
And health to all their flesh.
Keep your heart with all diligence,
For out of it spring the issues of life.
Put away from you a deceitful mouth,
And put perverse lips far from you.
Let your eyes look straight ahead,
And your eyelids look right before you.
Ponder the path of your feet,
And let all your ways be established.
Do not turn to the right or the left;
Remove your foot from evil.”
In 1 Peter 3:15 we see a picture of the heart where Christ dwells. Key word is sanctify-set apart; separated and set apart for God. This work always begins in the heart.
“The destined end of man is not happiness, nor health, but holiness. God’s one aim is the production of saints. He is not an eternal blessing machine for men; He did not come to save men out of pity; He came to save men because He had created them to be holy.” Oswald Chambers
TWO KEY WORDS:
1. Sanctification – by the operation of the Spirit of God at salvation, He set you apart for Himself.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20: “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.”
a. Indwelling Presence- “your body is the temple” – habitation; dwelling place; holy of holies; a Christian’s heart is the very shrine for the Holy Spirit.
b. Infinite Personality – “who is in you” – Colossians 1:27 states, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” We are indwelt by God Himself in the person of the Holy Spirit. He’s the resident King in the castle of my heart (the one and only Jesus).
c. Indisputable Possession – “whom you have” –
Romans 8:2-13: “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors — not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”
d. Illuminating Position – “you are not your own” – remember when Jesus comes He doesn’t take sides He takes over. You are set apart for His special use. As a Christian you totally belong to your divine occupant.
e. Incredible Purchase – “you were bought with a price” – Jesus Christ, our Savior, went into the slave market and did business by purchasing us with His precious blood. He took slaves, sanctified them, and made them Sons.
f. Implicit Purpose – “therefore glorify God” – radiate the presence and ownership of God in your body; magnify His ownership; an imperative. Such a price demands complete and whole-hearted surrender.
2. Transformation – In Romans 12:2 the word is used. It is the word for metamorphosis. It is a changing that begins on the inside and manifests itself, its change, on the outside. It does not happen overnight, but is a progressive work.
ILLUSTRATION: The caterpillar does not immediately become a butterfly, but that is its destiny. Positionally we are holy.
Romans 5:1: “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,”
God has declared us righteous and sees us just as we had never sinned. However, the goal of our new relationship with Christ is for us to become personally and practically holy in all manner of conduct.
I. A MAN WITH A HEART FOR GOD
A. Sanctification
“sanctify” – to honor; means giving place to Him in obedience of life. Turning everything over to Him and living to please and glorify Him.
B. Soverign
“the Lord God” – Christ as Lord is translation; He is in charge; this is first order of business.
Matthew 6:33
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
C. Sanctuary
“in your heart” – your heart, Christ’s home.
II. A MAN HALTED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD
A. A Witness
“answer” – a legal term in the courts; to talk off from. One who is able to give a verbal defense. In Colossians 2:7 Paul gives “4 Participles” that describe what it takes to be an effective witness.
Colossians 2:7
“rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.”
1. Rooted – Eternal planting took place when God saved me. Jesus Christ became the source of our spiritual nourishment, growth, and fruit. This pictures sinking the roots of faith into the soil of Christian truth. Roots go down and wrap themselves around solid rock formations.
Great Truth: Christians are not to be tumbleweeds.
Ephesians 4:14: “that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,”
The roots give strength and stability.
2. Built Up – We go down before we can come up. We have to be grounded. Grounded is used in Ephesians 3:17 as an architectural term which speaks of preparing the foundation for the quakes. Believe me, the enemy will attempt to shake your faith.
3. Established – Passive voice indicates being acted upon; it is God’s test that establishes believers. He strengthens us.
4. Thankful – “abounding with thanksgiving” – suggests a picture of a river overflowing its banks. This is a mark of a mature Christian.
B. A Word
“a reason” – logos; a word; a reasonable and intelligent statement of your position.
Matthew 12:34 Jesus said, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.”
“A Voice From Hell”
You lived next door to me for years;
We shared our dreams, our joys, and tears.
A friend to me you were indeed…
A friend who helped me when in need.
My faith in you was strong and sure;
We had such trust as should endure.
No spats between us ever rose;
Our friends were like…and so our foes.
What sadness then, my friend to find
That after all you weren’t so kind.
The day my life on earth did end,
I found you weren’t a faithful friend.
For all those years we spent on earth,
You never talked of second birth.
You never spoke of my lost soul
And of the Messiah who’d make my life whole.
I plead today from Hell’s cruel fire
And tell you now my last desire.
You cannot do a thing for me…
No words today my bonds will free.
But do not err, my friend, again;
Do all you can for souls of men.
Plead with them now quite earnestly,
Lest they be cast in Hell with me.
III. A MAN WITH HOPE IN THE WORD OF GOD
“hope that is in you” – it is faith as it looks to the future. It is a sure hope, firmly grounded in the redemption that Jesus Christ has established for us. Hope that provides both the courage and context of our witness.
Peter assumed that this hope in our lives would be so noticeably different that unbelievers are prompted to ask why they are so distinctive.
IV. A MAN HUMBLE BEFORE GOD
Proverbs 15:33:
“The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom,
And before honor is humility.”
A. Self-humility -“meekness”
Gentleness; humility of life is as important as boldness in word.
Matthew 11:29 teaches that Jesus was “meek and lowly in heart.”
1 Peter 5:6" “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,”
“Humble yourselves” – is voluntary; humility commends the message we are called to share.
B. Self-distrusting- “fear”
Self-distrust; it is a tenderness of conscience; it is vigilance against temptation. It is the constant apprehension of the deceitfulness of the heart and the insidiousness and power of inward corruption.
Jeremiah 17:9
"The heart is deceitful above all things,
And desperately wicked;
Who can know it?”
Proverbs 3:5
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;”
A wholesome dread of displeasing Him.