The Desires of The Heart - Death vs Life

 

Romans 13:14

But put on The Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.

The desires of the flesh lead to death. The desire of The Lord leads to Life Eternal.

Psalm 143:10 Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. May Your good Spirit lead me on level ground. Psalm 26:12 My feet stand on level ground; in the congregations I will bless The LORD.

Level ground is a place of divine righteousness which only God can lead us to and help us to walk on and stand in. It is a unique quality which God's leaders have which enables them to lead God's people righteously. But it must be maintained on a daily basis, moment by moment. We must be 'teachable' by God. If we are not ready to hear what God has to say, then we are not teachable. We must place ourselves in a teachable manner: we must submit to His authority and surrender our will for His will. God is, after all, our Creator; the created who submits to what The Creator wants, will be blessed in doing so. Listen to the voice of The Spirit of God. It is very distinct. And He speaks with the tongue of Love. He guides. He leads. He teaches. He reveals. He discerns. He convicts. He applies The Word of God to the teachable heart.

    When The Word of God is written on our hearts at the moment of belief, we begin to be teachable, for now Christ Jesus has taken up residence within us and begun to clean house in us. Too many people use the thief on the cross as an excuse not to allow The Holy Spirit to change them. They're wrong.

    But he was dying and he knew, as he watched this Man of God die on the cross beside him, that this Man was indeed The Son of God. He knew that he himself was a sinner who needed a Savior, and before Jesus stopped breathing, the thief recognized Him as Lord (Teacher, Master, Savior), asking only that Jesus remember him when He comes into His kingdom. Not as simple a request as it sounds though.

    "Remember me." David wrote in Psalm 25:7 "Remember me according to Your mercy, because of Your goodness, O Lord." God spoke to Israel in Isaiah 43:25, "I, yes I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake and remembers your sins no more." David again writes, in Psalm 106:4-5, "Remember me, O LORD, with the favor You have toward Your people. Oh, visit me with Your salvation, that I may see the prosperity of Your chosen ones, and rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, and give glory with Your inheritance."

   "Remember me," says the dying thief. Don't forget me when You come into Your own kingdom, Lord. Don't remember my sins. Cover me with Your salvation. May my soul prosper in Your kingdom. With one word, "LORD", the thief knew himself as sinner and Jesus as Savior. He knew He needed forgiveness (because he knew that he deserved this death he was suffering in {Luke 23:41}) and Jesus gave it to him [Luke 23:43]. It is enough, Lord, that You remember me.

    "When You come into Your kingdom." Can Jesus' kingdom be limited to a 'where', or a 'what'? No, for Christ's kingdom is where He reigns. The dying thief spoke in his new faith in Christ, for his Lord to remember him when He came into His kingdom. When The Spirit applies The Word of God to the teachable heart, King Jesus not only takes up residence there, He sits on the throne of our hearts. When we believe that Jesus Christ is Lord, we call for the abdication of Satan from the throne of our hearts.

    When Jesus spoke in John 14:1-3, He spoke of preparing a place for those who follow Him. The place which Christ is preparing for us is both literal and spiritual. He literally prepares our hearts to receive Him and He is preparing a spiritual destination for our souls. It takes more than a dustrag or a mop and bucket to clean our hearts.

    With His gospel message of repentance and salvation, He prepared The Way of Holiness in which the believer begins his or her walk of faith. With His blood on the cross, He made it possible for the believer to gain access into The Holy of Holies, the eternal presence of God; which until then could only be accessed once a year by the high priest. Now Christ is our High Priest, and it is only through Him that we can see God and live.

    With His ascendancy into heaven, Jesus intercedes for His people on their behalf with His Father. We pray, we talk to Jesus, and Jesus talks to His heavenly Father. [Hebrews 7]. Romans 8:34 " Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, Who is even at the right hand of God, Who also makes intercession for us." He is in His kingdom.

    And in His kingdom, all nations, all powers, all principalities must acknowledge Him as King of Kings and Lord of Lords; whether they want to or not. [Ephesians 1:21; Philippians 2:9-11]. He is at the right hand of God. [Psalm 110:1; Hebrews 1:3; Acts 2:33]. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. [Daniel 7:27; Psalm 145:13].

    As Joshua informed the people of Israel, and as the thieves on the cross spoke their final words, the decision must be made by each of us in our lifetimes, "Choose this day whom you will serve. As for me and my house, we will serve The Lord." Though the dying thief could only speak for himself, the decision was made and his desire granted. "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom."

    

The Desires of The Heart - Division + Death vs Peace + Life

 

Hebrews 13:14

But put on The Lord Jesus Christ, 

and make no provision for the desires of the flesh. 

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The desires of the flesh are divisive and death. But the desire of The Lord Jesus Christ is peace through Him and Life Eternal in Him. 

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    The desires of the flesh, of the heart, bring division and chaos. They first divide us from the presence of God, as Adam and Eve were divided from His presence when they sinned against Him in the garden of Eden. Before they ever bit into the forbidden fruit, their minds questioned the validity of God's Word and then their hearts desired that thing which God had said not to touch. But they touched it anyway. Biting into the fruit was the culmination of sin's aspects: doubt, desire, touch, and taste. 

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    Fear soon followed. For finding themselves separated from God they tried to hide from Him. But sin already separated them; hiding in the bushes became instinct. Many times we try to hide from God, when we know we have transgressed against Him, yet He knows where we are. He either waits for us to come to Him (Luke 15:11-32) or goes looking for us (Luke 15:1-6).

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    Death was not far behind fear. But first all parties had to be judged for their sin which had cause the division between them and God. First, the serpent, the craftiest beast, was condemned to slither across the ground (he lost the use of his legs). Second, the serpent, the spiritual enemy of God's people, was condemned to death publicly (in the face of Adam and Eve) and vocally (God spoke the judgment aloud). 

    Then Eve was judged for her actions in dividing herself from God. She would know great pain in childbirth and she would have pain in raising them. Her heart's desire would be for her husband, and she would submit to his authority God's way (Ephesians 5:22-24). 

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    Now Adam is judged for listening to and following the actions of his wife. We may never know exactly why Adam did as Eve did, though, perhaps, he did not want to lose this mate whom God had given him. But he ate of the forbidden fruit, too, so judgment came upon him, as well. Work would be hard, and because of Adam's sin, the ground is cursed. The soil he worked in would yield thorns and thistles and he must eat of the plants that grew in these fields. 

    And, finally, death comes. At least one animal had to die, that their sins would be covered and their nakedness clothed (Leviticus 17:11; Hebrews 9:22). After that, they, too, were banished from the garden of Eden for their actions. This paradise was no longer theirs for the keeping and the living. 

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    But the desire of The Lord Jesus Christ is that all are restored to a familial relationship with God. The restorative relationship we have in Christ makes us sons and daughters of The Most High God (Romans 8:14-17; John 1:12, 13). 

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     He is our Peace (John 14:27). And in Him, His Peace, we place our confidence and hope of Life Eternal which is promised to all who believe that Jesus Christ is Lord (Hebrews 10:23; 1 Peter 1:3; Titus 3:5). 

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    Jesus is The Resurrection And The Life (John 11:25). He came to give us Abundant Life (John 10:10). In Him we have more than enough. So much so that we must go out and share this Life He has given us with so many more people, that they, too, might know this Jesus and have His Resurrection and Abundant Life in them! 

    So rings out the call, "Come to Jesus. Come and see. Come and know. Come and believe." But even as this proclamation is declared, so the warning bells ring out crystal clear, as well, "Before it's too late. Before the last trumpet sounds. Before you return to the dust from whence you came." 

    Come to Jesus and Live! ✟