THE RIGHT KIND OF HEART

Psalms 57:7

Morning Meditation 3/10/2014

"My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise."

John Gill comments about the fixed heart: "Firm and sure heart, trusting in the Lord, believing that he should be saved by him out of his troubles; So, in a spiritual sense, a heart fixed and established, or that is firm and sure, is one that is assured of its salvation by Christ, rooted and grounded in the love of God, firmly built on the foundation, Christ, and has its affections set on him; and is unmoved, from the hope of the Gospel, and the doctrines of it, by whatsoever it meets with in the world. It may be rendered, 'my heart is prepared', or 'ready;' that is, according to some, to receive good or evil, prosperity or adversity, at the hand of God."

THE RIGHT KIND OF HEART IS A NEW HEART

David says, "My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed . . . " The word "fixed" means, "to bring something into being with the consequence that its existence is a certainty." -- Theological Workbook of the Old Testament p. 964.

David might have just as easily said, "LORD, my heart is fixed, not by me, but by you. You have given me a new heart. It has so changed me that I can do nothing but praise you." This participle is in the passive voice which means that David received this "fixed heart" from a source outside himself. This heart was "God created" and given by grace.

We are born with a heart totally out of sink with God. Jesus said in Matthew 15:18-20, "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man:"

Jeremiah said in Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"

The language of Jeremiah is what we would call tough. It is impossible NOT to understand what he is saying. This is the heart of the natural man who can do things that are appalling. If one thinks he is right by what he does, he has been deceived by his own heart. No one is justified in the sight of God by his own good works. But this is what the flesh wants to believe. God has everywhere refuted man's faith in his own goodness. Psalms 51:5, "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me."

The new birth gives us a new heart. This is the new nature in contrast to the old one that we received by the new birth. I am afraid that people throughout the church have come in without being born again.. They are no more saved than the drunkard or harlot, etc. Next,

THE RIGHT KIND OF HEART IS ONE THAT IS FIXED

One has to have a fixed heart to go to heaven. And I cannot repeat this too much. We cannot fix our own depraved hearts. Read this verse again slowly and put your mind in gear while you are doing it. Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" For an unconverted man to disagree with what this verse says is to argue with God. We just cannot win in an argument with God. If we are going to be saved, we must accept God's diagnosis. When we do that, He will come forth with healing in His wings. Malachi 4:2, "But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings. . ."

David said, "My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise."

Spurgeon said, "One would have thought he would have said, "My heart is fluttered;" but no, he is calm, firm, happy, resolute, established. When the central axle is secure, the whole wheel is right. If our great bower anchor holds, the ship cannot drive."

Again Spurgeon comments: "I am resolved to trust thee, to serve thee, and to praise thee. Twice does he declare this to the glory of God who thus comforts the souls of his servants. Reader, it is surely well with thee, if thy once roving heart is now firmly fixed upon God and the proclamation of his glory.

The fixed heart is the right kind of heart. First, the right kind of heart is one that has been given us by the Lord. Even though the Lord created in us a perfect heart, it is possible for that heart to wander from God's way for us. It may have been polluted by tolerating lustful thoughts. Psalms 44:21 says, "Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart."

We can determine what we are going to do in our heart. Proverbs 4:23, "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." This verse confirms that we have the power to keep our heart. What do you keep your heart from? From evil thoughts. From hatred that makes one bitter. From pride that is sure to make one fall. The word "keep" means, "to guard, watch, watch over." The wise man is saying, "keep your heart like you would keep a little child from being hurt by someone or some thing." This is also an imperative verb. It is a command that expresses urgency.

For whom does one keep his heart? The heart is kept for the Lord. There is only one person for whom I keep my heart in this life. It is for my wife. Others may get my attention. Others may occupy an important place in my life. But there is only one person who has my heart. It is the lady I married over 64 years ago. I use this to illustrate the spiritual. I keep my heart from evil because there is only one who occupies that tender and sacred place in my life. It is Jesus who loved me and died for me. The Scriptures say, "Keep thy heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life." Next,

THE RIGHT KIND OF A HEART IS ONE THAT IS BLAMELESS

1 Thessalonians 3:13 says, "To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints."

The word "stablish" translates "sterizo" and means, "to make stable, place firmly, set fast, fix." It is like our use of the statement, "that is in concrete.." That means we have come to a settled conclusion and will not change. Paul is writing a prayer to the Lord for them when he says in verse "12, "And the Lord make you to increase and abound. . ." Only the Lord could establish them so that they were unblameable in holiness before God. . ."

It would be good if we ask ourselves if we have gotten that far along in our walk with the Lord. It might be good for us to pray, "Lord, I have tried to keep my heart blameless. I want to be as holy as the blood of Christ can make a man. I am failing. Lord, would you take my heart and cleanse it and occupy it so that You fill my heart with yourself so that there is no room for anything else to enter. In Jesus Name. Amen."

I believe the Lord will answer that prayer if we are sincere and are willing to give up anything that would have to go, if He occupied our hearts. Next,

THE RIGHT KIND OF A HEART THAT IS HUNGRY FOR GOD

Psalms 42:1-2, "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?"

Here is a soul that can't be satisfied with the secular. He is God's child. He is never happier than when he is in the felt presence of God. He pictures his desire by comparing it with the deer who has been pursued and is hot and in need of water. His whole body cries out for a drink of water. The Psalmist says, "so panteth my soul after thee, O God."

Then he says, "My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God . . ." Not for a dead god represented by an idol. He believes God is alive. He believes He is eternal and can satisfy the thirst of the human soul as nothing else can.

Can we come to God and expect our thirst to be satisfied? John 4:10-15, "Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw."

The Lord creates a place in those who are saved that only He can occupy. And that sacred place can only be satisfied if He occupies that place. Many are so occupied with building the kingdom that they do not come to the water and drink deeply from it depths. The Lord said, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."John 7:37-38.

Jesus is saying if you thirst for the water of life, I am the source. And if you come to me, you will get what you came for in abundance. You will not only drink, you yourself will be a source for someone else because rivers of living water will flow from you. Praise God someone hold my mules!!!!!!!!!! What a Saviour we have. What a challenge He gives. What a privilege it is to know Him intimately and be a channel through which He gives the water of life to others. Finally,

THE RIGHT KIND OF A HEART IS ONE THAT IS CLEANSED

The cleansed heart is a creation of God. David said in Psalms 51:10, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."

This is not a work of man, it is a work of God. David knew he needed a clean heart. He also knew how a clean heart is obtained. It is found in the words, "Create in me a clean heart, O God . . ." The word "create" translates "bara" and is the same word that is found in Genesis 1:1. God created the world out of nothing. God spoke and the heavens and earth was. When God speaks the creative word, it is past tense! It is not something He is going to do, when He speaks it is in the past, it happened so fast. The earth is not evolved. Neither is the heart David spoke of. David knew that God did not have any thing to work with in dealing with his heart. David said, "if I ever have a clean heart, God, you will have to create it. Mine is not worth working over."

May the Lord enlighten and so work in our lives that we can be satisfied with no less than the right kind of a heart.

In Christ

Bro. White