Lord of the Heart

 

As Scripture testifies in Matthew 2:2, the magi came from the east looking for the Messiah by saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him." This occurred at a time when the prophecy of Daniel 9:25-27 was creating an expectation of Messiah's imminent coming within Judaism and beyond (i.e., Herod). Both John the Baptist and Jesus Himself declared: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. The idea that Messiah was to be a king and take charge of the existing government on behalf of the Jewish nation was a common understanding among the Jewish masses, and this paradigm became a theme of his entire public ministry.

The Kingdom Inside 

The Pharisees ask Jesus about the kingdom of God in Luke 17:20-21, and His response is enlightening. He tells them that the kingdom cannot be recognized by physical signs that are observable but that the kingdom is "in your midst.” The Greek word entos literally means inside; Jesus was introducing the concept that the kingdom of God is a reality that exists inside each one who recognizes the king and is, therefore, of the truth. The Pharisees were never able to grasp this principle. In John 18:36, Jesus told Pilate: "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm." 

This “spiritual” kingdom would require a brand new approach to God’s laws. Instead of the old covenant, the Law of Moses, written on tablets of stone, the new covenant specifies that God’s laws are written on the believer’s heart (Hebrews 8:10). Instead of Jewish leaders enforcing these laws, externally, the Holy Spirit would be the administrator, from the inside. John 16:8-11 tells the story: 

And He, when He [the Holy Spirit] comes, will convict [elegcho – convince, persuade, shown to be wrong] the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.         

Without Partiality

One of the weaknesses of the old covenant form of justice is the way the laws are enforced. At least fifteen verses throughout the Scriptures establish that God is no respecter of persons, that he shows no partiality, no favoritism to anyone in relation to His justice. Opening his mouth, Peter said: "I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality” (Acts 10:34). Yet the woman caught in the act of adultery was brought before Jesus alone (John 8:3) while the Law of Moses (Leviticus 20:10) requires that both participants are subject to death. The Holy Spirit convicts the whole world without partiality; the law of God restores the soul when applied perfectly (Psalm 19:7).

 Jesus’s public ministry began at His baptism, followed immediately by His temptation in the wilderness. While still ministering in Galilee, He introduced the principle of kingdom life, proper behavior in the kingdom of heaven. It meant a radical change in the laws given at Sinai, those commandments that focused on the public activities of the believer. The Sermon on the Mount was intended to focus attention on the private, inward life. In the beginning, Jesus centered on the inward convictions that would result in blessings of the kingdom. Each of these blessings is associated with a godly, internal condition that occupies itself with the Father’s attitudes.

The Beatitudes 

"Blessed are the poor [ptoechos – cower like a beggar, utter helplessness] in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." "Blessed are those who mourn [lament, grieve], for they shall be comforted." "Blessed are the gentle [kind], for they shall inherit the earth." "Blessed are those who hunger [starved] and thirst [desire ardently] for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." "Blessed are the merciful [compassionate], for they shall receive mercy." "Blessed are the pure [sincere, transparent] in heart, for they shall see God." "Blessed are the peacemakers [bringing peace to others], for they shall be called sons of God." "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." "Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.”           Matthew 5:3-11

In each one of these blessings, the inward condition produces the blessing and defines any resulting activity. Kindness of heart (toward others) results in the believer inheriting the earth.  Kingdom life is an inward experience that produces a quality of life that may not be possible under a religious system such as the old covenant. When the heart is not fully engaged in the relationship with God, ‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. 'BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN '" (Matthew 15:8-9).  The purity of the Word of God alone is not enough to keep the people in line, as is evidenced by the Old Testament history of the Jews.

“But I Say to You”

"You have heard that the ancients were told, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.          Matthew 5:21-22 

"You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY'; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you, for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you, for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.    Matthew 5:27-30 

The Ten Commandments specifically addressed outward actions and the believer’s accountability. At the same time, Jesus says that kingdom behavior takes the law to another level by addressing the heart motive behind the action. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God (Romans 2:29). This higher standard is only attainable through the power of the Holy Spirit and not by living under the rule of the Commandments. Paul restates this principle in Titus 2:11-12 when he said For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age. It is the grace of God that teaches us to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age.

Practicing Righteousness

"Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise, you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. So, when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.          Matthew 6:1-4

The entire chapter addresses the principle of the outward, public life versus the inward, secret life. Jesus mentions not only giving but also prayer, forgiveness, fasting, and wealth and the importance of the godliness of the heart motives behind each activity. "And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words (Verse 7). Practicing righteous activities publicly makes it self-righteousness; there is no reward since God gets no glory. "For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” (Verse 14). The right heart attitude always produces a godly result. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal (Verse 20).

Jesus summarizes the chapter in verses 22-23 when He says, "The eye is the lamp of the body; so, then, if your eye is clear [haploos – seeing things as they are, no distortions], your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad [poneros – evil, lack of character], your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! The eye speaks of the attitude of the heart. When the heart is properly engaged with God, then understanding will be without distortion.

A Spiritual Mind 

For as he [a man] thinks within himself, so he is.        Proverbs 23:7

Man’s experience as a member of the human race includes both a public persona and a private, personal life measured by his thoughts and motives. To most of the world, we are known by our public persona, activities that define our outward life, but only a few know the person of the heart, the inward life defined by his thoughts. According to Paul in Romans 8:5-6, For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace. This life and peace principle is referenced in Malachi 2:5 regarding Levi: “My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him as an object of reverence; so he revered Me and stood in awe of My name. The heart of this mindset is a reverence for God.

By Their Fruits 

"Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits.          Matthew 7:15-20 

The Lord of the Heart is responsible for making the believer’s heart as He desires so that each new covenant believer who takes his relationship with God seriously is progressively being conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). Fruitfulness in the life of the kingdom believer is the result of the quality of the inner life, a byproduct of the renewal of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5). A good tree cannot produce bad fruit. The Lord of the Heart is always at work to create a godly character in each believer. I am the vine; you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing (John 15:5). 

On a Rock 

"Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall."        Matthew 7:24-27

Jesus concludes this Sermon with the above passage that the kingdom believer is not subject to the same swings of life as non-believers since he acts on the Word of God. The purity of God’s Word and sound doctrine will always produce good fruit. It is the firm foundation, Christ being the chief cornerstone, that becomes the framework for consistency in a believer’s walk. In 1 Corinthians 10:4, Christ is the rock!

A Man After God’s Heart 

King David may be a perfect example of a kingdom believer. According to Acts 13:22, he was a man after God’s heart. Psalm 78:70-72 says, He also chose David, His servant, and took him from the sheepfolds; from the care of the ewes with suckling lambs, He brought him to shepherd Jacob, His people, and Israel, His inheritance. So, he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart and guided them with his skillful hands. David demonstrated God’s heart in the way he shepherded God’s people according to the integrity of his heart. 2 Chronicles 16:9 says, “For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.

Innocent Until Proven Guilty

The Jewish leadership was always making judgments of others simply on the basis of outward appearance without regard to their motives. They consistently characterized these individuals using the idiom “publicans and sinners.”

In Matthew 9:10-11 Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, "Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?" The entire American justice system, inspired by the Old Testament Scriptures, is predicated on the principle of innocence until proven guilty. According to Wikipedia:

The presumption of innocence is a legal principle that every person accused of any crime is considered innocent until proven guilty. Under the presumption of innocence, the legal burden of proof is thus on the prosecution, which must present compelling evidence to the trier of fact (a judge or a jury). If the prosecution does not prove the charges true, then the person is acquitted of the charges. The prosecution must, in most cases, prove that the accused is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If reasonable doubt remains, the accused must be acquitted. The opposite system is a presumption of guilt. Emperor Antoninus Pius introduced it in Roman criminal law (138-163 AD).     

This is often expressed in the phrase "presumed innocent until proven guilty," coined by the British barrister Sir William Garrow (1760–1840) during a 1791 trial at the Old Bailey. Garrow insisted that accusers be robustly tested in court. An objective observer in the position of the juror must reasonably conclude that the defendant almost certainly committed the crime.

The Lord of the Heart, the Holy Spirit, is responsible for regulating and administering the laws of God to each kingdom believer since he knows the motives of the heart. The church is charged with the task of dealing with outward sin so that the body of Christ is not infected with the sins of others, as Paul addressed Corinth in 1 Corinthians 5:6: Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? The church should never be lulled into thinking that its understanding of Scripture allows church leaders to make judgments against others without a complete investigation of circumstances. Jesus stated in the Sermon on the Mount:

"Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged, and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.     Matthew 7:1-5

Church leaders have a special responsibility before God (Hebrews 13:17) to not judge on appearance. The enemy uses this error to destroy people’s lives without good cause.