Open Heart Surgery*

This message continues the series: "Search the Scriptures". I believe that the Body of Christ is in need of spiritual open heart surgery, as we have been dealing with issues of the heart (see last week's message). We will see how God works this spiritual surgery in us according to His Word. The Book of Hebrews identifies Jesus Christ not only as our Savior, but as our Apostle and High Priest: "Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession (homologia/homologeo - to say the same thing as), Christ Jesus..." (Heb. 3:1). The first "heart problem" is identified here: our profession - are we speaking the same thing as the Word of God? Hebrews continues in warning believers: "...today if ye will hear his voice...", not to harden their hearts, as their fathers did in the wilderness, although they saw the mighty works of God. The LORD said of that previous generation: "Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, they shall not enter into my rest." (Heb. 3:10-11). Hebrews then says: "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God...lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." (v. 12-13). Unbelief and sin cause our hearts to be hardened, leading to a departure from the Lord. There is also a rest to be entered into if we hold fast to our belief. It is the "rest" that the unbelieving Israelites in the wilderness were not allowed to enter (Heb. 4:1-3). "There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." (v. 9-11). The importance of the Word of God in dealing with this problematic heart condition is explained: "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. 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." (v. 12-13). The Word discerns, and God sees, what is in our hearts, and a godly man places his heart and his thoughts before God for examination: "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (Ps. 139:23-24). We read last week in Jeremiah that the heart is wicked and deceitful above all things. Only the Word of God can reveal the things that are hidden in our hearts that cause us to harden ourselves against God. Proverbs also confirms this: "The (re)fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts. A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue." (Prov. 17:3-4). The LORD has a refining process by which He purifies the hearts like a smith purifies a precious metal - by fire. Both of the prophets Zechariah and Malachi also wrote the Word of the LORD concerning this purification and refining process by which the God will cleanse the hearts of His priests and His people in preparation for the appearing of the LORD among them (see Zech. 13:7-9 and Mal. 3:1-3). The apostle Peter also wrote to the believers, those "...who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time", about the trying fire of God: "...though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ...receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls." (1 Pet. 1:1-11, excerpt, see also James 1:1-4). This purifying fire perfects our way of salvation in preparation for the Lord's appearing. If we need wisdom to understand the necessary working of this refining process in us, the Lord will give that wisdom to whoever asks Him for it (James 1:5). Scripture gives us another reason for the hardening of a heart: Pharaoh of Egypt was experiencing the trying plagues of the LORD for his disobedience of the command of God. However, once the plagues were lifted, Pharaoh would again harden his heart against the Word of the LORD though Moses (Ex. 8:15). King Zedekiah of Judah, was appointed king by Nebachadnezzar of conquering Babylon. However, Zedekiah was an evil king. He broke his agreement with Nebachadnezzar, which he had sworn by God, and "he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart from turning unto the LORD God of Israel." (2 Chron. 36:11-13). Unfortunately, as the king followed after evil, and hardened his heart against God, his sin influenced others in his kingdom, the chief priests and the people, to do the same. They followed after the abominations of the heathen and polluted the house of God. They would not listen to the messengers that were sent from God, mocking and despising instead God's warning words and abusing His prophets, until there was no remedy left, and the wrath of God broke out against them (v. 14-16). We see the same hardened hearts today, disregarding the Word of God and His servants, and open heart surgery is needed within God's own people. The prophet Daniel dealt with the son of Nebachadnezzar, Belshazzar, who became king of Babylon when his father died. He disrespected the holy temple vessels that the Babylonians had looted from Jerusalem. This king, Daniel said, had known about the terrible event that had overtaken his father when he had tried to exalt himself before the people of God. God had taken his father's sanity from him, and Nebachadnezzar had become like a beast. It was not until Nebachdnezzar had looked up to heaven that God returned his right mind to him. Even knowing what had happened to his father, Belshazzar still lifted up his heart against God and His holy vessels: "...and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified.". Ominous handwriting mysteriously appeared upon the wall during the king's feast prophesying of his death to come that night. (Dan. 5:18-23). Even when a man has witnessed for himself the judgment of God, and His subsequent healing restoration, he can still harden his heart against the LORD. God spoke about the spiritual open heart surgery, even a heart transplant, that He has provided for His people: "...I will even gather you from the people...and I will give you the land of Israel...and they shall take away all the detestable things...and all the abominations from thence. And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh: that they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God." (Ezek. 11:17-20). However, as for those who continue to walk after their abominations instead, "I will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the LORD God." (v. 21). Ezekiel wrote again the Word of the LORD: "Then I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you..." (Ezek. 37:25-28, excerpt). The cleansing water of the LORD is His Word received into our hearts (Eph. 5:26). This same cleansing Word of God, believed and confessed, saves a heart, and a life: "...The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt 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. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed." (Rom. 10:8-16, excerpt). Search the scriptures, and get life saving open heart surgery from the Lord. *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 9/18/2022 message to the church. To contact us, submit a prayer request, give a praise report, or to support this ministry: P.O. Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705 OR Everlastingcovenant@ymail.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, theshroudofturin.org, and endtimeschool, also on Facebook.

Understanding the Root and Not the Symptoms*

Passover is twenty days away, and eight days later, is Resurrection Sunday. Seldom are these two important days so close together. The divine congruence of these two holy days this year, should cause the Church to prepare themselves in a special way. These days should bring to mind the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, and His resurrection from the dead. Much of what we see in the world today is very concerning. However, we need to understand that those things we are seeing are the symptoms of a much deeper root problem. That root problem is sin, and it applies to us all: "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good. God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God. Every one of them is gone back, they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one."(Ps. 53:1-3). Sin is not someone else's problem, but everyone's problem. The sin nature of man passed from Adam like a gene. If we deny it, we are not dealing with reality, we are only dealing with the symptoms. How deeply is sin imbedded in our nature? The prophet Jeremiah wrote: "Thus saith the LORD; cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD...Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters...her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who shall know it." (Jer. 17:5-9). Many in the Church have been trusting in politicians to cure the ills of society rather than the LORD. Many trust in pharmaceuticals to heal us of the latest deadly outbreak. We should keep in mind that the Greek word for sorcerer is pharmakeus. Our hearts convince us that our hope is in man rather than God. Our hearts deceivingly convince us that there is hope in self-help, rather than God. Scripture explains the division between heart and Spirit, and the respective results from each. "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh...these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, forniction, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like...they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance,: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit..." (Gal. 5:15-25). Jesus came under criticism because He did not keep the traditions of men that had become more important to the people than the Word of God. However, the traditions of men would not keep them clean and undefiled. Jesus quoted Isaiah: "This people honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." (Mk. 7:5-9). Jesus continued, "Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand: There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man..." (v. 14-15). Even His own disciples did not understand this principle, and asked for an explanation. Jesus was surprised that they couldn't understand. He then explained, "That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defile the man." (Mk. 7:20-23). As we read above in Jeremiah, Jesus said that it is from the evils of our own hearts that we are defiled. We often look at the outward appearance in judging whether we and others are righteous. However, Paul wrote that the outward appearance has no importance in the Spirit. The Jews valued physical circumcision as signifying their covenant with God. Paul said, however, "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God." (Rom. 2:28-29). Paul went on to say that whether Jew or Gentile, all are under sin (Rom. 3:9). "As it is written", Paul said quoting the Psalm we read above, "There is none righteous, no not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God...There is none that doeth good, no, not one...There is no fear of God before their eyes." (v. 10-18). People who don't fear God will do anything. They will latch onto a lie, like Darwinism, as an excuse not to believe. However, this condition is not without remedy! Paul wrote, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God...that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." (v. 23-26). 1 John 1:8 says, "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." He then writes that if we walk in the light, as God IS light, with no darkness in Him, the blood of His Son, Jesus, will cleanse us of all sin (v. 7). If we confess our sins to Him, "he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (v.9). For Jesus "is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." (1 Jn. 2:2). That word used by both Paul and John regarding Jesus as the "propitiation", refers to the sprinkling of the atoning blood of the sacrifice by the high priest on the mercy seat of God. Passover is coming soon. Resurrection Sunday follows immediately after. As the Bride, we need to make ourselves ready. We need to deal with the root of the problem, and not just the outward symptoms. And the root of the problem is found within each of our own hearts. *Based upon Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 3/7/21 message to the Church. To contact: Everlastingcovenant@ymail.com or P.O. Box 154221 You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, and endtimesschool.com