The
Perseverance of Our Faith Part II
Now, that we understand what Jesus did for us. Let’s learn
how we can preserver in our faith.
Scripture Reading
Scripture Reading
Hebrews 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of
faith, having our hearts sprinkled from
an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
When we come into the presence of God we must first
prepare our hearts. If you don’t prepare
your heart many times you will commit sin.
Many people, when they face life’s challenges make promises to God. They
come before God simply because of the need they currently have. Most people don’t take time to prepare their
heart before the Lord. Therefore, people
make promises to God then when God has answered their prayers they do not
fulfill what they promised God. People
do not prepare their hearts before God because they seem to think God is their
genie in a bottle, he is not. He is a
Holy God to be reverenced and feared.
In the Old Testament, before the
priest would go into the holy place (the presence of God), they had to go
through preparation. We are to prepare our hearts likewise.
For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek
the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach
in Israel statutes and judgments.
And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart
to seek the Lord.
The scripture clearly tells us to first draw
near to God with a true heart in full assurance of faith. So, how do we do that? Our heart must be properly prepared. It cannot be a lying heart or a hypocritical
heart. It must be a true heart: a pure
heart. Our hearts must line up with the Word
of God. What is truth? Thy word Lord is
truth.
Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word
is truth.
Let’s look at two
more examples of heart preparation:
Luke 18:9-14
9 And he (Jesus) spake this parable unto certain which trusted
in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
10 Two men went up into the temple to
pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I
thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers,
or even as this publican.
12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I
possess.
13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so
much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be
merciful to me a sinner.
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather
than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he
that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
The Pharisee did not prepare his heart to go before
the Lord and he went with a self-righteous spirit and unwisely compared himself
to the sinner. The Publican had prepared
his heart. How do I know that?
Publican Pharisee
Humility Pride
Asked God for mercy Tried
to justify himself by works
Repentance Self-righteousness
and arrogance
Publicans were tax collectors and known for being
corrupt. Pharisees were held in high esteem
in the religious community. The Pharisee
saw himself as superior (hypocritical heart), that alone was a cause for repentance. The Pharisees pride and contempt for the Publican
reveals the true state of his heart. The heart of Jesus is full of compassion,
forgiveness, and love.
The Publican showed humility, he felt unworthy
to even lift up his eyes unto heaven. He
cried out asking God to have mercy on him a sinner. He was justified and exalted because he humbled
himself. The Pharisee was not justified in
God’s eyes. (Read Luke 19:5-10 repentance)
How do you look in God’s eyes?
Justification by faith comes independently of
the works which justification produces. Works
are the result, not the cause of God accepting a sinner’s repentance. To obtain forgiveness we rely solely on God’s
mercy.
We can do many works and still have an untrue heart.
Matthew
15:18-20
King James Version (KJV)
18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth
from the heart; and they defile the man.
19 For out of the heart proceed evil
thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
20 These are the things which defile a
man: but to eat with unwashen hands
defileth not a man.
As we can see from this teaching by Jesus, “out
of the heart proceed evil thoughts…” The
Pharisee thought evil of the Publican. The
Publican had prepared a true heart before God confessing his sins, hew was filled with the spirit of humility.
The Pharisee did not prepare his heart which is evident because he came with
a self-righteous prideful spirit.
Hebrews 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of
faith, having our hearts sprinkled from
an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
….in full assurance of faith….:is parallel to the true heart. Full
here means complete assurance of faith
because of the price Christ paid for you and me to be able to cry Abba Father
with no veil between us. Jesus is our high
priest.
….having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience….sprinkled is referenced
to the Old Testament custom of sprinkling of blood with animal sacrifices for the
people and in the temple to purify. (Read
Exodus 24 & 29; Hebrews 9) …from and
evil conscience… The atoning blood of Jesus which he shed for us purifies us.
(Read Luke 22:20) The blood of animals could not purge our evil conscience.
But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off
are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the
holiest by the blood of Jesus,
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have
fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ
his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
How much more shall
the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without
spot to God, purge your conscience
from dead works to serve the living God?
Oh, we must thank God for the blood of
Jesus:
A.
We are nigh to
God by the Blood of Jesus
B.
We enter into
the holiest by the Blood of Jesus
C.
Our sins are
cleansed by the Blood of Jesus
D.
Our conscience
is purged by the Blood of Jesus
…and our bodies washed
with pure water…In the OT Book of Ezekiel 36:25-28. God says he will sprinkle clean water upon
you and ye shall be clean… God will clean you.
Under the NT in I Peter 3:18-22 teaches us we are washed in baptism. As we also learned above we are cleansed by
the blood of Jesus. Remember the word “and”
is a conjunction. So, the blood and the
water go together, like air and lungs go together.
The ultimate cleansing is spiritual cleansing, sanctification through
the Blood of Jesus, water baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit/Holy Ghost.
1
Corinthians 6:11
King James Version (KJV)
11 And such were some of you: but ye
are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord
Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
I pray this bible study is a blessing to your soul. You can reach me at:
Bible Study Blog: www.PureGoldMinistries.blogspot.com
Weekly Prayer Blog:
www.PureGoldEvangelisticMinistriesPrayer.blogspot.com
Weekly Prayer Blog:
www.PureGoldEvangelisticMinistriesPrayer.blogspot.com
To schedule a speaking engagement please visit my website.
The
Perseverance of Our Faith Part III
Hebrews 10:23-25
Hebrews 10:23-25
23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith
without wavering; (for he is faithful
that promised;)
24 And let us consider one another to provoke
unto love and to good works:
25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the
manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see
the day approaching
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