“I’ll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I’ll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that’s God-willed, not self-willed. I’ll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands.” – Ezekiel 36:26-27 (The Message)
I remember the event as if it were yesterday. I was a new volunteer with Prison Fellowship Ministries, founded by the late Chuck Colson. He was speaking in Albuquerque at a fund-raising event and I had been invited to attend. He was a dynamic speaker and that night one thing he said has affected me more than anything else I have ever heard anyone say.
Crime in America
He was speaking about the Criminal Justice System and all the approaches to the problem of crime in America. He said that no matter what we do to help with the rehabilitation of prisoners, whether it be education, job skills training, counseling, mentoring, half-way houses and all of the myriad of programs, the end result is the same. Crime continues to increase and most inmates return to prison within a year or so of their release. Billions of dollars later and we’re still building prisons, jails, detention centers and juvenile facilities as fast as we can. This is confirmed by the fact that today America has more people in prison than any nation in the world.
“What’s the answer?” Colson asked the huge gathering at the hotel that night. “Crime is a matter of the heart and until the heart changes crime will continue to be our biggest problem in America and the only one who can change the human heart is Jesus Christ.” I’ve never forgotten that statement. I have used it many times in many applications because it is appropriate to so many situations and circumstances of life in which we fail or fall short of God’s best. Maybe it applies to you today.
Some Examples
Let me give you some examples. A married couple fight like cats and dogs and have worn out every counselor they’ve ever been to and have attended a multitude of marriage seminars and have read almost every book on marriage, including the Bible and they’re still headed for divorce court. There’s only one thing that can save their marriage; their hearts have to change. Only Jesus can do that.
A middle age man is addicted to gambling and alcohol. When he runs out of money, he repents to all of the people he’s offended, promises to do better, goes back to work until he gets a little money again, then he’s back at the casino. He says he’s a Christian but you would never know it. There’s only one thing that will save him from a life of embarrassment and pain for him and everybody else in his life; his heart has to change. Only Jesus can do that.
A young man has wasted the last 12 years of his life addicted to drugs. He’s stolen from his parents, his grandparents, his siblings and friends and has been in and out of jail a half dozen times. He’s a master manipulator and has a way of making people feel sorry for him but he never changes, even when he hurts the ones who love him the most. He’s been through mental health programs, drug addiction programs, education programs and nothing has helped. There’s only one thing that will. His heart must change and only the Lord can do that.
And the stories go on and on, ad nauseum (to a sickening and disgusting degree)!
You Must Be Born Again
When we become true believers, God makes his claim on us and begins to clean us up from the inside-out by giving us a new heart and a new spirit as he promised in Ezekiel. That happens to those who are born again which is an imperative to the Christian life. Jesus said, “You must be born again” (Jn. 3:3-8).
I read a true story about a retiring minister who decided, after reading Jesus’ letter to the “lukewarm” church in Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-18), that before he left his church he was going to make sure that everyone in his congregation was born again. Much to everyone’s amazement, including the pastor, when he gave an altar call after his last impassioned sermon, over half the church came forward to give their hearts to Jesus, including four of the elders. It was then he realized why the church had been so powerless, so lifeless for so many years. Many were just going through the motions of worship, saying the right words but just pretending to be Christians. They needed a heart transplant.
What’s The Condition of Our Hearts?
So here’s my question to us today as a church. What’s the condition of our hearts? Have you truly been born again? If so, do you come before God’s presence today as a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17), having been set free, forgiven of your sins, full of great joy (1 Ptr. 1:8-9), possessors of the indwelling Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16) and overcoming the works of the enemy in your life by living a life of victory (1 Jn. 5:18)? Do you long to be with the body of Christ when they come together in fellowship, whether it be worship on Sunday mornings, small groups during the week or corporate prayer meetings that come together to plead with God for the salvation of lost souls and the forgiveness of our sins of apathy (Heb. 10:24-25)? Do you represent Christ in every area of your life in every circumstance? Are you willing to give up everything for the advancement of the gospel (Lk. 9:23-26)?
If you can’t answer “Yes” to these questions then maybe you need a changed heart. There’s still only one that can do that and he is the Lord Jesus Christ. Ask him for a new heart and a filling of his Spirit (Lk. 11:9-13). Ask God to take out your hardened heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh which is soft, warm, pliable, life sustaining and contagious. All of this can happen when you repent (a true change of heart toward God) and confess Jesus as Lord of your life (Rom. 10:9-10).
Yes, Confession is Still Good For the Soul
If you are reading this today and you’re not a true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ but a pretender, I want to tell you something. Confess that right now to Jesus and he will change your life instantly, forever and permanently. Tell him you’re sorry for the sham you have been guilty of, the pride of life that you have held on to and your hypocrisy and misrepresentation of him. Repent for your great charade then receive his forgiveness and you’ll be on the road to becoming like him, as promised (2 Cor. 3:17-18).
Jesus, is the best cardiologist in the world! Maranatha!
Pastor Don
