Sin is such an unnatural and surprising thing that our first
instinct is to explain our sins away, either by blaming our actions on other
people or blaming them on our circumstances. This is a natural human response,
but there must come a moment in our lives when we are utterly devastated and disturbed
by the wickedness inside of our hearts. For David it happened when he committed
adultery with Bathsheba and killed her husband to hide his treachery. After the
prophet Nathan confronted him on this he realized that it was his own wicked
heart that was to blame and he cried out in prayer –
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast
spirit within me… Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a
willing spirit, to sustain me.” Psalm 51:10-12
A new heart and
the Holy Spirit
In response to the heart felt prayer of David and all those
who pray it after him, God responds with the promise of the New Covenant prophesied
through the prophet Ezekiel,
“Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit
within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a
heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my
statutes, and you will be careful to observe my ordinances. You will live in
the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be my people, and I will
be your God.” Ezek 36:26-28
This promise gives great hope to anyone that has prayed the
desperate prayer of David; anyone who wants true change and not merely
behaviour modification. In this single, powerful prophesy we are given the hope
of:
1. a new heart,
2. the Holy Spirit,
3. a new home,
4. and a new people.
Please realize, this is the most radical identity change
that a person can undergo!
To Nicodemas, a very sincere inquirer who was asking Jesus how
he could inherit the kingdom of God, we may have expected Jesus to answer him
something about the most important commandment, or something he needs to do, but
instead Jesus said,
“no one can see the kingdom of God
After the new
heart and the Spirit is given
Both the new heart and the new Spirit are works and gifts of
the Father which cannot be received by our own work or ability, this life can
only be found in Christ. Our responsibility is to “guard our hearts” and take
good care of them. Jesus spoke about our new hearts using a farming analogy
(Mat 13). As we respond to the work of his grace - our hearts grow increasingly
humble. Jesus calls this “soft soil”. The “seed” is the word of God and the
Spirit makes the new life spring up.
Unfortunately, Satan also sows seeds in our hearts. These
seeds take the shape of: lies, offence, bitterness, disappointment, misunderstanding,
abuse, distractions and many other forms. This lead one man in scripture to exclaim
in surprise: “Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it
have weeds?” To which the Master replied, “An enemy has done this” (Mat
13:27-28).
I’m sure many of us can identify with the dismay which the
servant expresses. If it was devastating to discover evil in my heart as an
unbeliever, it is even more so as a born-again Christian! The “weeds” that
spring up overnight in our lives should not cause us to doubt that we are
regenerated children of our heavenly Father - they are sown by our enemy! It is
vital to recognize these weeds early and pluck them out at the root through
heart-felt repentance. As you do this you will once again experience God’s
grace which empowers you in his holiness, you will feel intimacy with the
Father once again, and you will be reminded that you are children of God and no
longer orphans estranged from his love. This
is one of the most crucial disciplines of the born-again believer.
We are now free to follow the Holy Spirit by obeying all the
words of Christ and remaining sensitive to his quiet, moral promptings in our
conscience. The more we give ourselves over to this obedience from the heart,
the more of the life and holiness of God we will enjoy.
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