Pastor Wayne Cordeiro
January 1, 2006 - W0601

A few years ago, I was in Florence, Italy. I stopped at Accademia Gallery where Michelangelo’s sculpture of David stands. Sculpted out of a piece of marble, it stands eighteen feet tall. And I thought how fitting that Michelangelo portrayed David with such magnificence for indeed he was a giant of a man. However, I think the real measure of this man was his obsession with the Lord. David says, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You, O God”. (Ps. 42:1) “One thing I ask of the LORD…that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek Him in His temple.”( Ps. 27:4)

Indeed, David loved God so much, but he also had a problem with lust, authority, and pride. The Lord knew he would make some leadership mistakes, but he called David a man after His own heart. And because of that, David was able to cry out to God:

“I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant, for I do not forget Your commandments.” (Ps. 119:176)I was struck by his honesty and challenged at the same time because David knew he had a tendency to stray, but he despised it. “My eyes shed steams of water, because they do not keep Your law.” (Ps. 119:136) You see, David didn’t drift on purpose, he simply lost his way.

Just like David, we have a tendency to sin, not because we are looking to do so, but the reality is that there are times we unintentionally go the wrong way. An unbeliever may rationalize and even feel justified for their actions, but as Christians, the remorse we feel when we sin is so great we immediately have to make it right with God.

What’s the difference? What gives us confidence to ask God just as David did to seek us when we stray? The second part of that verse 176 says: For I do not forget Your commandments. In other words, our heart is changed and we know His ways, but there are times we may stumble unintentionally. In those moments, we can confidently ask God to find us and grab hold of us because we have set our heart on Him.

How do we develop that kind of confidence even when we are in the midst of trouble? Well here are three points that can help us do that. The first is point is to …

1.    KEEP YOUR HEART CLEAN.

Now it doesn’t mean our hearts never get dirty. However, when it does we will clean it up right away.  We won’t tolerate things that are hidden. The Bible calls that a heart of integrity. It simply means although we have a good heart that follows after God, we still make mistakes. We sometimes get caught up in the heat of the moment and say or do something we shouldn’t and we just cannot bear it. And when God sees that we have a heart of integrity and genuinely want to serve Him, He will keep us from going over the edge.

It’s really our heart that saves us, not our performance or our behavior because sometimes we get off course. Just as the story of Abraham and King Abimilech, the Bible says: Did he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother’. In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this.’ Then God said to him in the dream, ‘Yes, I know that in the integrity of your heart you have done this, and I also kept you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her.’” (Gen. 20:5-6) Abraham deceived King Abimilech and said Sarah was his sister in order to save himself from being killed. Thinking she was available, the king takes her into his household. However, God intervenes through a dream and keeps the King from sinning because he knew his heart.

And so it is with us. God knows the integrity of our hearts and though we may mess up at times, He keeps us from destruction. The fact is we don’t know what lies ahead in 2006, but if we keep our hearts clean God will be there to catch us. And we can be confident in that promise. Still what can we do when we make a mistake and stumble?

2.    DON’T HIDE, TAKE REFUGE IN THE LORD!

Our tendency is to hide when we mess up. Adam and Eve hid their sin by hiding instead of running the only ONE who could bring redemption and restoration. God tells us there will be physical consequences even though we sin unintentionally out of fear or shame. “When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away…For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide…and You forgave the guilt of my sin.” (Ps. 32:3-5) We will suffer physically when we hide, conceal, or rationalize our mistakes. On the other hand by disclosing our error the Bible says, You forgave the guilt of my sin.

“The Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in Him.” (Ps. 37:40)We need to lean on the mercy of God. When we take refuge in Him, He will protect us from the enemy and when we mess up…

·       LET JESUS DEAL WITH YOUR SINS, NOT THE DEVIL!

Yes we will make mistakes and it’s not to excuse our waywardness or because we are evil, but because we are human. The enemy knows this and will lure us into thinking we should hide from God just as he did with Eve, but don’t do it. Instead, run straight to Him and acknowledge sin quickly because the Lord will protect us when we take refuge in Him. Otherwise, the devil will deal with us and ultimately destroy us.

The Bible reminds us with these promises: “O taste and see that the LORD is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!” (Ps. 34:8) “The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.” (Ps. 34:22) None of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned. So as we go into 2006, grasp His hand. “When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand.” (Ps. 37:24) In Hebrew hurled headlong means that even though we may stumble we won’t be permanently scarred. We will be healed as long as we have hour hand in His.

So take a hold of His hand and don’t let go. Keep your hearts clean because it’s our hearts that save us and allows God to bring us back into His arms. If you recall, that is what saved Simon Peter. He denied Jesus three times. Yet the next time Peter meets up with the Lord, Jesus doesn’t condemn him. Instead Jesus forgives him because He knew his heart was good. It was the beginning of restoration and healing. Therefore, Peter was not permanently scarred by his mistake.

The same is true for us. God will restore and heal us, but we must keep our hearts clean. If it gets dirty, clean it. Don’t hide mistakes, but confess them and take refuge in the Lord. And finally, let’s make this one of our goals to for 2006…

3.    BUILD GOOD TREASURE THIS YEAR.

“The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.” (Lk. 6:45) How do we build good treasure? The fact is we have a tendency to conclude truth based on circumstances. The danger can be a distorted view of people, of life just because of one or two difficult experiences. And if we allow it into our hearts, it becomes wrong treasure which affects our whole life.

How then do we make sure our treasure is right? How can we filter it? The only way is to filter it is with truth. For example: If we have a disagreement with a Christian sister or brother does it mean all Christians are difficult? Certainly not! Do we hate all men or all women if a relationship does not work out? Of course not! But if we are not careful, we can develop those kinds of untruths that become negative treasure in our hearts. Contrarily, when we come to a conclusion about something like we know God is good no matter what the circumstances are. That’s a conclusion that becomes a foundational treasure. “O Lord, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on your holy hill? He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart.” (Ps. 15:1-2)

Even if we are so angry or frustrated with one incident or person, we cannot let that color the way we think of all people, we must filter it with truth. The Bible says: “…whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” (Phil. 4:7-9) So even if our emotions contradict what we know is true, we must be sure that whatever goes into our heart is filtered well through truth. Keep everything else out. And when we keep a heart of integrity and hold onto His hand we won’t be permanently scarred even if we stumble. And our heart will be the beginning of healing.

In conclusion, let me share this story. One of the things I dislike is roller coasters. While on a trip, I got off one ride intent on never getting on again, but my son wanted me to go on another one. I complained that my muscles were aching and Aaron pointed out to me that it was because I was fighting it as he observed me hanging on so tightly on the ride. He suggested I lean into the turns. So as I took his suggestion to heart on the next ride, I actually enjoyed myself and had a blast.

When you got a hold of God’s hand, keep your heart clean. Sure you’ll make mistakes, but don’t hide it. Instead confess and acknowledge sin right away and take refuge in the Lord. Otherwise, you will be dealing with the devil and his only goal is to destroy you. Finally, filter everything that goes into your heart with truth and that way you will be sure to build good treasure. So enjoy the ride, lean into the turns, and have a blast this 2006.

Discussion Questions:

1)     What are some ways you can prepare for unexpected circumstances this year?

2)     Keeping a clean heart doesn’t mean it won’t get dirty, but it does mean to clean it up when it does. How are you being sure your heart stays clean?

3)     Is there something you are concealing that you need to confess to God? If so, do that today and take refuge in the Lord to begin healing.

4)     Recall a time when you called out to God to seek you just as David did? How did God respond?

5)     Is there any bad treasure in your heart that needs to be discarded? What do you need to do to insure that only good treasure is filtered into your heart?

6)     What most impacted you today and how will you live differently as you apply it to your life?

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