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Heart Plague #4  The Difficulty of Maintaining a Heart Fervent for the Lord.

6/21/2013

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    Another heart plague is the great difficulty of maintaining a spiritual savor in the mind and heart of those divine things which the soul really loves.  How difficult does the Christian find it is to continually cherish a sweet and sanctifying sense of his privileges in Christ.  He may have learned to glory in the righteousness of Christ as his only hope, he may have chosen Christ as the pearl of great price, the portion of his soul, he may delight in the liberty wherewith Christ makes his people free, and love to contemplate with wonder and gratitude the access that he has to God which Jesus has obtained for believing sinners by His shed blood and continual Priesthood.   He may marvel at such Love and experienced the heavenly blessedness of placing himself at the disposal of a reconciled Father.  And yet, sincerely desiring that these experiences may absolutely mold his character and rule his heart continually, he finds that heart bent on a perpetual backsliding and greatly adverse to the spiritually of ALWAYS LIVING IN THE LOVE OF THINGS DIVINE.  To continually "seek those things which are above, where Christ sits at the Right Hand of God"--how painfully difficult is it to be rendering habitual obedience to it!!  Carnality of the mind continually comes into conflict with it.  the soul cleaves to the dust.  Heavenly-mindedness and holy meditation are not to be maintained without a continual effort, as of one who is rowing against the stream and fighting the current.  All too often, spiritual sluggishness and carelessness to often win the battle and the things that are upon the earth gain the mastery.
    These are but a few specimens of heart plagues.  These plagues assume many forms in each of us, according to our disposition and history: pride, envy, indolence, self-seeking.  There seems to be no end.  Even the faculty of the soul which should enable us to diagnose our plaques is affected by the plague.  The eye of the soul is blinded.  The grey hairs of spiritual declension and unbelief may be upon a man yet he knows it not.  The powers of perception are themselves damaged.  Whoever then would know the plague of his own heart, let him study the revelations of Christ's heart as these are given in the history of His life and the manifestation of His character in the gospel.  And seeing that our spiritual blindness is so great, lett us offer the prayer, "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."

AND THAT LEADS US TO CONSIDER THE CURE OF THESE HEART PLAGUES.  Remain not at the table of self examination and weariness, but come feast at the table of hope and confidence in Christ Jesus.  That will be our next consideration!!!
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Heart Plague #3  Vain Thoughts

6/16/2013

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    Another heart  plague--alas too common (what would he say today???)--is that of vain thoughts.  These defile the soul as with the plague of leprosy.  "Wash thine heart from wickedness....how long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?" (Jer. 4:14)   The hearts of men are full of thoughts.  Thoughts flow from the heart as sparks from a fiercely blown furnace, as rays from the mid-day sun.  The mind of man is a thinking principle.   The exercise of its faculty of thinking is inseparably bound up with its existence.  A vast proportion of its incessant flow of  thoughts is altogether vain and useless.  Multitudes do not see any sin in this.  They can spend hours in useless empty vain thinking and never take themselves to task as if the had done anything blameworthy.  An immortal being created for glorifying God, endowed with a soul which in its capacities is more precious and wonderful than all the starry heavens and their countless hosts of worlds, can expend itself in revolving the most useless and unprofitable imaginations, such as fancying oneself possessed with wealth and devising how to spend it, or fancying oneself in positions in which one will never be placed, and devising how to act in these situations.  It were in fact a waste of time and an exemplifying of the very evil which is now condemned were we to attempt to set forth the countless imaginations of utter vanity which are allowed to pursue their uncontrolled career through the chambers of the minds of men.  (Think fantasies of lust and power rooted in human discontent!!!)  But I am sure that there is not a single person who, on reflecting on the manner in which when alone he mentally spends his time, is not conscious that a if a spiritual chart of his thoughts were spread out for his fellow men to see,  large portions of it would cover him with ridicule and shame in the eyes of his neighbors.  The multitude, variety, ceaselessness, and power of these vain thoughts are all most distressing to the believer.  The continual invasion that they make on his most sacred hours and duties, the unblushing return and renewed vigor with which they return after a momentary victory.  The lengths to which the trivial mind will go to enslave its willing captive  makes this a hateful plague to any serious Christian.  They are a greater plaque in our pursuit of holiness than some dreaded physical plague.   While some may have greater determination and vigilance in overcoming these hateful birds of prey, even the best are humbled by them perpetually, and frustrated that they do not provide for Christ a better temple that a heart so frequently invaded and defiled with what to an infinitely wise God must be so unspeakably abominable.

NOTE:  This was written over 100 years before invention of the television, the computer, the "smart" phone, and the myraid tools of distraction that the Prince of the power of the air has thrown into the battlefield for the mind!!!

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June 10th, 2013

6/10/2013

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                                                    Heart Plague #2
        Over-burdening care about worldly things and the duties                                                                     of our callings.
        Diligence in business is never condemned by the Word of God, nor inconsistent with the true spirit of the Christian faith, very much the reverse.  The Apostle Paul expresses the God Glorifying attitude in these words, "not slothful in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.  Worldly duties and difficulties are to be faced in the spirit of thoughtfulness, vigilance and energy.  That a man should be more weak and less wise in his daily duties because he is a child of God is dishonoring to his Father in heaven, and a stain upon the glory of his adoption.  It is a travesty to live as though our secular labors are somehow separate from our worship of and communion with our God.
        If in our worldly duties and obligations, difficulties and cares do abound, is it not our faith responsibility to quietly commit the need to the Lord.  But alas, there is all to often anxiety and burden as though the issues were in our hands only, as if we were the ultimate disposers of results, as if the whole responsibility of God's providence were lying on our shoulders and crushing us down to the dust!
        Scripture commands us to "Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass."   "In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths."  But sadly, how much unnecessary soul-weakening care Christian's burden themselves with from not believing and trusting the Good Hand of God for the outcome of their labors.  Here is a grievous evil.  When the necessary and right action has been taken and when the issue is now gone from our own hands and is afloat upon the scheme of God's own providence and management, we still remain burdened, weighed down, full of a thousand thoughts and cares, which might be natural enough if we had no God and our poor wisdom and abilities were our only hope.
        Are we not commanded to "Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God"?  Do we have no comprehension of the Biblical Truth, "and the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus"?  This is a wondrous part of the inheritance that we have in Christ Jesus1  Yet our very plague of earthly care disfigures and weakens the Christian character o those who disobey this injunction so reasonable, and defraud themselves of this promise so precious.
   




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June 07th, 2013

6/7/2013

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                                     The Plague of the Heart
                                                        I Kings 8:38, 39

      “When prayer and supplication is made by any man or by all Your people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house:  Then hear in heaven Your Dwelling Place (See Isa. 57:15), and forgive and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart You know, (for You,  even You only, know the hearts of all the children of men).”

The following are excerpts from a sermon entitled, “The Plague of the Heart”, by Hugh Martin (1822-1885)

             Sin is here called a plague.  It is a very awful and alarming designation: a plague, a pestilential disease, a pestilence.  The heart of man is here virtually called “the city of the plague.”  This plague assumes a special form or becomes a special plague in each man’s case.  It is the heart which is the seat of the disorder.  I would speak of some of these plagues.  They are many and varied, and each man has to make himself acquainted with the plague of his own heart.  The great and pervading plague of spiritual depravity—enmity to God--assumes different forms in different men according to their different constitutions, background, and positions.

                                                          Plague #1 Covetousness                                                                     Covetousness is frequently mentioned in Scripture and is very specially condemned.  It is found in rich and poor alike.  It is a direct offshoot from the great plague of ungodliness—alienation from God and the dislike of communion with Him.  The Godly man rests on the promise, the Providence, the power and faithfulness of a reconciled Heavenly Father.  He seeks first the kingdom of God, and he knows that all other things shall be added to him.  His citizenship and treasure are in heaven, and the coveting and storing up of earthly goods and position finds no place in his heart.  His future through all the unending ages he has given over to the gracious hand and keeping of Him who sent His own Son to save him from his sins, and the brief future of a few uncertain years on earth he lays to rest in the same faithful keeping of his God.

            Social and commercial calamities may give him a fair and rational anxiety, but they cannot overwhelm his composure, nor drive out his soul from her home of trust and peace.  Ungodliness on the other hand tends very directly to lead a man to desire so much of this world’s good as he thinks may keep him safe,  and keep his mind at ease, without a lively trust in God as the source of his peace.  He puts his worldly possessions, be they large or small, in the place of God.  Hence covetousness is in Scripture, more than any other sin, directly condemned as idolatry!

            “Let your conversation (manner of life) be without covetuousness; and be content with such things as you have for He has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  Hebrews 13:5
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    While I have been a pastor and Christian bookstore owner for 30 years, my only credentials are that of an old saint who followed his signature with S.S., Sinner Saved!

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