161. Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me,

1 Timothy 3:1  But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.

Phillipians 2:21  For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.

Titus 1:16    They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.

Matthew 23:27-28    So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Ezekiel 33:30-32     “As for you, son of man, your people who talk together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, say to one another, each to his brother, ‘Come, and hear what the word is that comes from the LORD.’  And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain.  And behold, you are to them like one who sings lustful songs with a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument, for they hear what you say, but they will not do it.

Isaiah 29:13     And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me,

Why is it that we struggle with temptation when we have been regenerated (born again).  The simplest answer is because we had and still have a sinful nature.  This sinful nature tries to pull us down and give in to what the world has to offer.  Think about how a plane is able to fly.  When it is designed properly and has engines with enough thrust it is able to defy gravity and while these engines are operating it is able to fly.  If we shut down these engines it may be able to glide for a short period of time but ultimately gravity will pull it into the ground.  Our new lives are much like this example.  When we are regenerated (born again) and the Word of God is active in our life every day, then our ability to discern temptation and fight it keeps us lifted up.  When we choose to not have the Word of God active in our life every day, then, temptation will come at us like gravity and pull us in. We will fall into patterns of life that are not Godly.  Just because we have been regenerated (born again) does not stop temptation but rather gives us the engine to set ourselves apart from worldly temptations and the Word of God gives us the fuel to keep walking with God in ways that honor and glorify Him.  I am sure of this; fueling up on Sunday and thinking it is going to get you through the week is foolish thinking.  The word of God cannot be mixed with the philosophy of the culture of the day.  This will only make the fuel ineffective and though you may think your plane is worthy of flight, it is not.  Likewise, if the Word of God is not seen as fuel it will be neglected and we will be happy with a plane that never flies.  A plane that does not fly, and if it is not flying it will never honor and glorify God.

The heart of man

” Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.”

Isaiah 6:5  And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!

Judges 13:22  And Manoah said to his wife, “We shall surely die, for we have seen God.”

Job 42:5-6   I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you;  therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”

Luke 5:8-9   But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”

Matthew 12:34-37    You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.  I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,  for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Isaiah 29:13  And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,

Jeremiah 9:3-8  They bend their tongue like a bow; falsehood and not truth has grown strong in the land; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not know me, declares the LORD.

Ezekiel 33:31   And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain.

James 3:6-10  And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.  For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind,  but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.  With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.  From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.

I read this comment today: “When men refuse God’s offered grace, every refusal hardens.” Having the right understanding and reverence of and for God has an affect.  We see those who say; “woe to me”, “we shall surely die”, “I despise myself”, “I am lost and a man of unclean lips” and “depart from me for I am a sinful man, O Lord”.  We also see the opposite affect on people who choose not to humbly serve, honor and glorify God. “they hear what you say but will not do it”, “their heart is set on their gain”, “they do not know me”, “they honor me with their lips”, “their hearts are far from me”, “how can you speak good when you are evil”, and “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks”.  There is no middle ground, no grey area.  It is either either seeking, following, and obeying God or rejecting Him.  A great love was shown mankind and a great price was paid to redeem them.  The choice of every heart will be judged.  Believing it is not so does not mean it is not.  Nor does believing there will not be judgement mean it will not happen.  No one leaves this world alive.  All will die and all will enter eternity and all will be judged.  Those who choose to seek, follow and obey God will be welcomed into heaven and those who do not will be cast into hell. Repent, believe in the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ, and live a life that reveres, seeks, follows and obeys God.  Eternity, Judgement and either heaven or hell awaits everyone.