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I'm ever run out of things to preach and so such a such a wonderful book of just amazing things dear God and I pray that you would bless this sermon tonight and use it for your honor and glory and in Jesus name I pray amen Now this is an interesting story in the Bible It's about a man named Jehu and let me just give you a little bit of the historical background of the story before I get Into the message this man Jehu was promised by God Basically the king of Israel was a very wicked man at this time and it'd been a succession of many wicked kings And so God had decided that he was going to take away the kingdom from that particular Dynasty in the northern kingdom of Israel and give it to another man by the name of Jehu So he sent a prophet to that man with a box of oil in it or some kind of ointment and he came to Jehu took him aside privately and Broke open the box and he poured the oil on the side and said God has anointed you to be the next king of Israel And he is going to use you to carry out judgment on the wicked house of Ahab and his this wasn't actually Ahab But this was one of Ahab's descendants in the third generation And he said God is going to use you to clean house and get rid of this wicked kingdom That's going on and you will be the next king of Israel So the young man that anointed him the prophet that God had sent the young preacher he ran out of the house and left and The men that were there with Jehu because Jehu was a military man. He was the captain of the host. He was a High-ranking general in the king's army and they said what did that guy? What did this mad fellow say to you? What this crazy preacher? What and he says well, you know, you know what he's like, you know that you know the man in his communication And they said no tell us what he said And he said well he said that I'm gonna be the next king of Israel And so these guys that were with him they got excited they said cool and they said let's roll off the red carpet And let's and they got out a bunch of trumpets. They were off the red carpet and said Jehu the king we're with you. Let's do this. And obviously this was all ordained by God God had a plan then so he was going to use Jehu and so his men were just with him on this and so Jehu took these men and and and and keep in mind this message that Jehu was going to be the king was from the Lord Whereas the current king right now wanted nothing to do with the Lord This is a hab's grandson a hab was a wicked man The Bible says that he worship bail was he's worse being Satan later bail is also called bail zebub or Beelzebub and all these gods that they're worshiping the old decimal were satanic and They involved a lot of filthy things in there in their worship and so forth and it was this ungodly wicked system and so these men had nothing to do with God and Jehu said The Lord has ordained me to be king and these men are with me and they're going to come with me And we're excited about this and we are going to turn this nation around for God They said we're going to kick out all these stinking bail worshipers and all these devil worshipers And we are going to bring in the worship of Jehovah God once again in this country And so they went out and of course they fought these battles and so forth I'm not going to go into the whole story for sake of time, but in the story that we find Jehu is executing judgment on all these wicked politicians and leaders at that time and Jehu is riding in his chariot, and he comes across a man named Jehonadab That's a very interesting man in the Bible. We'll see more about him in the message, but he comes on this man, Jonadab And he asks him a question he's riding in the chariot, and here's Jonadab now Jonadab was a well-known man He wasn't any kind of an official or anything but he was just a well-known man, and he was a man of great means and he came to this man Jonadab and He asked him this question look at your Bible if you're still there in first Kings chapter 10 verse 15 He lighted on Jonadab that means he came across Jonadab the son of rehab coming to meet him, and he saluted him and Said to him is thy heart right? See that question that he asked him. He just asked him one question. He says is thine heart right as My heart is with thy heart And Jehonadab answered it is just pretty simple answer. I like I like that He just doesn't beat around the bush, or he just cuts the chase. He says is your heart right? And he says it is then and This is kind of confusing the way it uses the pronouns here, but then basically Jehu is answering him saying if it be If your heart's right Give me thine hand and he gave him his hand and he took him up to him into the chariot And he said come with me and see my zeal for the Lord So they made him ride in his cherry and from then from this point on you'll see in the story Jehu and Jehonadab are kind of a team and they go and finish the job for God But I believe that there's more to these stories in the Old Testament I want you to know this whenever you're reading these Old Testament stories. Yes get the surface meaning yes read the story Understand the basic truth that's presented right on the surface But realize that every story in this book is about Jesus Christ every single story I don't care what it is every story is about Jesus Christ And so as you're reading these stories try and see the spiritual application here I believe in this particular passage that we're reading here Jehu represents Jesus Christ Jehu represents Jesus Christ and Jehonadab hopefully represents us and I believe that if Jesus Christ were here today And and the situation was the same. I think Jesus Christ would want to ask you that same question He probably wouldn't go into the I don't think he'd go into a big long dissertation with you I think he'd want to just ask you this one question. It's an important question. It says is Thine heart right is your heart right say what do you mean by that is my heart, right? Well people do a lot of things for a lot of reasons But God says I know your heart and I want to ask you is your heart right? Why wait before you answer that question? He puts a qualifier he doesn't just say is your heart right? Well, yeah, that's easy say wait, of course my heart's right no, he says is thine heart right as My heart is with thy heart. That's the qualifier. He says I I determine what's a right heart And what's not a right heart and I'm asking you today is your heart right look at verse number I'm sorry, Matthew 23 turn your Bible to the book of Matthew. I'm going to show you some things out of the book of Matthew Because you notice when he answers the question he says it is yes, my heart's right and what's the next thing Jesus Christ Jehu but representing Jesus Christ reaches down and takes him up into the cherry and says you then you can be with me Then you can participate with me then we can work together and do something for God You can come with me and see my zeal for the Lord, but look at Matthew chapter 23 Now if you remember we were in this passage a few weeks ago and we were kind of looking at the opposite meaning and so I want to show you the other side of the coin Matthew 23 25 the Bible says we want to use scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites for you may clean the outside of the cup and of the platter but within they are full of extortion and excess Thou blind Pharisee cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter that the outside of them may be clean also We'll want to use scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites for a year like in the whited sepulchres which indeed appear beautiful outward But are within full of dead men's bones and of all uncleanness Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within you are full of hypocrisy And iniquity boy, I hope that's not you today. I hope that you don't just appear righteous on the outside today I hope you don't just dress right and you're all Dialed in exactly the way somebody should dress and I hope that you're not just coming to church putting on some kind of a show Carrying your Bible to church, but within you're full of hypocrisy and uncleanness Let me ask you is your heart right? That's what I want to know tonight is your heart, right? Look at Matthew chapter 5 same book of Matthew. I want you to turn back to the book of Matthew Well, I love this verse this is commonly known as the Beatitudes Matthew chapter 5 we're gonna look at verse number 8 but Matthew 5 the first section here is known as the Beatitudes very famous It's on many greeting cards and you see it on the wall in people's homes and so forth and it's basically the prologue To the great Sermon on the Mount which is chapters 5 6 & 7 probably the most famous sermon that Jesus ever preached But I want to show you just this one verse in verse number 8 one of the Beatitudes says Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Blessed are the pure in heart boy. I love that verse I've meditated on that verse many times. I've thought about that verse for hours What does it mean to see God does that mean that you're physically gonna see God I don't think so because the Bible says no man had seen God at any time God said no man shall see my face and live now We said of course John said we beheld his glory as of the only begotten of the Father We looked at Jesus Christ physically on this work, but God the Father no man has seen God at any time No man can see his face and live the Bible says but how can we see God? How do you? Do you want to have what I'm trying to say is do you want to have fellowship with God? do you want to have some kind of a Bond with God like a like a father and a son has a bond Mike I'm talking about the bond of a friend with their closest friend Jesus Christ said he's the friend that stick it closer than a brother. You want to have a bond with God That's like a man has with his wife that kind of a relationship Do you want to have a kind of a bond with God like close friends like father to son? Like a brother with his brother you want to have that kind of a of a closeness with God Then he wants this no do you have a pure heart is your heart right? What does it mean to have a pure heart it means you don't have uncleanness in your heart was one thing that we saw It means that you don't have a double heart as the Bible says where you're not serving God with all your heart What does it mean to be a have a pure heart I Think it means that you cleansed yourself from the filthiness of the flesh as the Bible says I think it means that you're not Meditating and filling your mind with all the world's garbage. I think it means that you're not Meditating on things that are wrong the Bible says whatsoever things are true whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just Whatsoever things are pure whatsoever things are lovely Those are things are a good report if there be any virtue and if there be any praise Think on these things God wants you to fill your heart with things that are good with things that are positive Things that are lovely that are pure that are godly that are decent Don't You just desire doesn't your heart just burn to know God Now a lot of people use the wrong nomenclature They'll talk about somebody being saved and they'll say this person knows the Lord and that's the wrong Terminology because the Bible says that in order to be saved he has to know you You remember Jesus said depart from me. I never knew you and the Bible Paul said, you know, he said to know God He says well rather to be known of him is what gets you to heaven. I forget the exact scripture But once you're saved once God knows you and you're saved and you're his child Don't you just desire to know God remember on Philippians chapter 3 on Wednesday night when I preached and and I was just actually I Was just quoting what Paul said, but he said that I may know him That was his desire. Just so I love those words that I may know him He said I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ He said why do I not mind that? I've lost everything That I've lost all my money. I'm sitting in a jail cell. I've lost my health. I've lost all my friends I've lost my my education my degree. I've lost my prestige, but I don't care. I got it, but done why? It says for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ that I may know him and the power of his resurrection And the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable that he said if suffering brings me closer to God then I want to suffer Because I want to know him that's my goal. That's my desire in life. That's what drives me. That's what pushes me to know God Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Now of course in the book of Job the Bible says who can say my heart is pure I'm free from I've cleansed myself from sin obviously no one has totally cleansed himself from sin. No one has a heart. That's Totally going to be pure, but the Bible says in first John every man that hath this hope in him purify himself even as he is It's a process that you ought to be going through where you're trying to purify yourself It sounds so good to say well, I love God I Just feel so close to God I get these warm fuzzy feelings all over when I listen to my to my Christian contemporary CDs, and I and I put in these praise worship songs and our God Is an awesome God, and I just feel so close to God when I listen to that music But that is not what brings you close to God what brings you close to God is when your heart is right? Remember King Saul his heart was not right King Saul had a heart that was not right with God whatsoever He started rebelling against God the preacher came to him and said you're wrong He said you need to get right with God you're blowing it You're gonna lose the kingdom and Saul said I don't care what God thinks he said honor me now Before the people I want to look good in front of people. I don't care what God thinks I don't care if I'm right with God care my heart's right and what happened the Bible says that an evil spirit came from the Lord and troubled him and so he was disturbed mentally and he was Enraged and he was flipping out and he was lashing out at people and he was losing his mind literally and so What happened he said well his servants came to him and said well We've got a great idea and Boy, these servants are like typical churches You know and they said here's what you do get this get this music Get this music that'll soothe you and get some godly music get some Christian music and listen to this music It'll make you feel good, and so he went and got David and David played with the harp and boy he felt great he felt so much better that the Things were okay now now. Did he change his heart? No did he change his actions? No, he just turned on some music that was some kind of a surrogate Christianity to make him feel like he was spiritual when he Wasn't and so boy he listened to that music and the Bible says the voice sued them and he fell great He was fine, but watch the story after a few chapters. He keeps listening that music next thing you know He's listening to music. He gets that evil spirit from the Lord's flipping out and and violent and he's he's preaching and he's He's crazy he's losing and what does he do he calls for David David plays with a harp It doesn't work anymore, and what happens he takes a spear while David's playing and throws a spear at David and tries to kill him and David just barely ducks out of the way and gets out of there Because it was just a band-aid it wasn't correcting the problem Listening to music that makes you feel spiritual doesn't that's not Christianity that's not what brings you closer to God What brings you close to God is when you purify yourself when your heart is right with God is your heart? right I'm not asking you how many hours of Christian feel-good music you listen to I'm asking you is your heart right with God Stay in the book of Matthew and turn to turn to Matthew chapter 22 Matthew chapter 22 verse number 35 and the Bible says here in Matthew 22 35 Then one of them which was a lawyer Now let me explain the word lawyer here This isn't talking about like the guidance at court, and he's you know he's saying your honor I'd like to request permission to approach the bench. Okay. This guy is a guy who studies the Bible That's what a lawyer was back then because this was the law back then Genesis Exodus Leviticus Deuteronomy in Numbers Deuteronomy was this was the law in the land of the Jews and so a lawyer was somebody who? Just studied the Bible incessantly they knew the law upward backward and forward Unfortunately they also stayed a lot of other books besides the Bible which confused them on a lot of things But this lawyer asked him a question Tempting him he's trying to test him out. That's what it means tempting him He says he's trying to test him out see if he's legit, and it says he asked him a question tempting him and saying master Which is the greatest commandment in the law? That's a good question. I like it. I don't think it's a bad question at all He says which is the greatest commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart That's the greatest commandment That's the number one thing thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind This is the first and great commandment And then it says the second is like unto it thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself on these two Commandments hang all the law and the prophets He's saying I can wrap up the whole Old Testament for you in just two sentences Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy might and thou shalt love thy Neighbor as thyself he said if you obey those two commandments you're done So the problem with somebody who won't obey the commands of God is not a disobedience problem, it's a heart problem It's a love problem. It's a lack of love for God when you disobey God You're saying that you don't love God the Bible says it. I'm not saying that it says in 1st John If a man say I love God and keep it not as commandments. He's a liar That's what it says It's a you say that you that you know him who you say that you love remember we want to know God He said if a man say that says he knows God and doesn't keep his man. She's a liar Because God is saying if you love me with all your heart You won't have any problem obeying me, and then he says if you love your fellow man if you love your neighbor as yourself Well that wraps up the other commandment think about this when when Moses came down from the mouth He had two tablets of sown right and he had two tablets of sown They were actually engraved with the fingers of God with the finger of God, and it was the Ten Commandments Now those two those Ten Commandments were obviously you had half of them on one tablet and half of them on the other tablet because there were two tablets Well, I've noticed in the Bible that when God quotes the commandments sometimes. He'll just quote the last five by themselves He'll just quote six through ten sometimes in the New Testament when he's talking about us dealing with other people sometimes He'll just quote those six through ten like here's an example You don't have to turn there But I'll read this for you, and you have to have a King James Bible tonight Or else you wouldn't you wouldn't see this because they change it in other Bibles, but in Romans 13. It says right here for this Thou shalt not commit adultery Thou shalt not kill thou shalt not steal thou shalt not bear false witness thou shalt not covet Those are the last five commandments six through ten and If there be any other commandment it is briefly comprehended in this saying namely thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself Love worketh no ill to his neighbor Therefore love is the fulfilling of the law and so do you notice how God takes these commandments six through ten? And he says if you want if you just love your neighbor as yourself You will do these six you will do these five commandments And so we can ascertain from this that the other five commandments the first five have to do with your love for God So Commandments one through five are Love the Lord thy God with all your heart and the commandment six through ten are just wrapped up and love your neighbor So if you love your neighbor, you're not gonna kill him if you love your neighbor You're not gonna commit adultery with his wife if you love your neighbor You're not gonna lie to him and bear false witness against him if you love your neighbor. You're not gonna I don't know. I got a little mixed up on the work there, but you're not gonna covet his stuff if you love him and Then you got the first five commandments It's that he said that's that have no other gods before me don't worship anything above me. I'm the only God I will not share my glory with another Commandment number two is thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image He says commandment number three says thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain Don't cuss my name around don't say oh my god Don't say this kind of garbage where you throw my name around like it's meaningless like it's piece of trash to you Said don't take my name in vain Reverence the name of God and then commandment number four remember the Sabbath to keep it Holy which it was if we if you were there for Hebrews after for God explains that Jesus Christ is our rest That's like my thus honoring Jesus Christ and and then commandment number five honor thy father and thy mother And so God is our father, of course So the problem with somebody who disobeys the problem with us when we disobey is a lack of love for God That's just the simple truth if we would love God It wouldn't be a big issue think about it if I love my wife, which I do if I love my wife Probably I'm not gonna do things that hurt her Just intentionally if I what if I could get away with doing something that would hurt her am I just gonna do it No, cuz I love my wife right now if my wife loves me Is she just gonna purposely do things to irritate me and injure me and hurt me? No Not at all and so the love is the key here Now think about this There are a lot of things that are maybe not right and wrong that my wife might have a preference about Well, I'm just gonna do it right. I mean if it's not a big deal I mean who cares if she says I want to squeeze the toothpaste from the middle or what? You know, it's like big deal Who cares? I'm not gonna get all wrapped up in some fight about some stupid thing, you know Or if she has a problem with where I put my dirty laundry, she's just gonna let it go right cuz you love me All right, we'll talk about it later We'll go through that later, but the bottom line is hey, what's the big deal? You know don't I want to get along with my wife though? I love my wife I want to have a sweet relationship with my wife. Don't know that some stupid little thing get between me and my wife I'm gonna do whatever I can to have peace with my wife within you know Obeying God's laws and within those type of things I'm gonna do whatever I can just to try to keep things right and by the way, that's what you have to do that In a marriage, that's the only way you're gonna make marriage work. You have to work at it you have to work at it because nobody just Automatically rides off in the sunset and just gets a long grade and never has any problems. Everything's fine, but except us But anyway the bottom line is Who cares right I mean if she says well, you know, I don't want you to to you know Eat at midnight or I don't know whatever. You know, I don't care whatever I'll do what it takes to get along and then she does it's gonna do the same thing We're both gonna have to give in a little bit and so forth. Look that's the problem with your relationship with God you're saying God's saying listen now. I want you to dress a certain way So I want you to dress now you don't think I want my wife to dress I mean, let's bring it back to the the marriage you think if my wife walked out of here Wearing a miniskirt and a halter top and so you think I'm gonna go for that No, it ain't happening It would be like hellfire and damnation. It'd be the wrath of Steve okay. Now it would be it would be heads would roll. Okay you now look It's the same thing with God God says look I want you to dress a certain way I don't want you to dress sleazy and and you say well Say dress how I want, you know, it's like why are you making such a big deal out of something? That's so minor It's just clothes. I mean, it's a piece of fabric. Just put on what he told you to put on big deal Do you love God enough to dress the way that God wants you to dress according to the Bible? Or is your love for God so shallow that you say no my personal preference of how I dress is going to supersede my love for God We're talking about Jesus Christ who died on the cross for us who was nailed to a cross who was beaten beyond recognition and said The way they told you to dress now you you can't you can't explain that to me that doesn't make any sense Why clothing or you know or a haircut, you know You see men so often now with long hair and God has a preference about it God says I want you to have short hair on a man. He says I want you to look distinctly masculine and yet You see people who even in church with long hair and they just say well, this is just how I wear my hair Well, we can tell how much you love God, sir Because God commanded you to do it and you're getting all bent out of shape over some little man You say well, these are the smallest Commandments Tiny things the more important things the weightier matters of the law or love and mercy and and you know Reading the Bible and so and those are the important things. Yes They are the important things and so it's amazing to me that somebody can't obey the little things I mean the big things would be harder to obey if anything What's harder to go to the barber and get a haircut or to read the Bible every day? What takes what's harder? What's harder to? Put on a skirt that's at least as long as you're down to your knees So it's not showing your thighs what's harder to do that or to go soul winning every week Tell me which one's hard It seems like it's easier to obey the little Commandments that that are so unimportant in your mind Seems like those are really easy to obey seems like the big commands of the heartless obey So maybe you should start with some of the ones that are a little easier and then maybe you could get to the ones that Are harder that are bigger. Yeah, how hard is it to get baptized? It's pretty easy right somebody just dunks you under water. You're done You say well, that's a little thing. What's the big deal? Why do you emphasize baptism? I emphasize baptism because God said it and I the Bible promises me and I'm riding on this promise. He says whoever Takes the least Commandments in here and does them and teaches people to do them He says he'll be called the greatest in the kingdom of heaven And he says those who don't obey the least commandment and teach people not to obey them like those aren't a big deal He says they'll be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. So mr Preacher who won't preach on the little commandments in this book. It's gonna be called. Mr Least in the kingdom of heaven according to the Bible and you say well Why do you get so hung up on these things that are so not important like the way people dress and and and the way? They listen to their music or well because I just want to be called great when I get to heaven. That's all You say well it makes people mad it turns people away I don't care my heart is right that's what I care about That's all I care is your heart right? With my heart. That's why he said he didn't say John a dad son of Rica is your heart with right with everybody You know is your heart right with everybody in your family is your heart right with all your friends is your heart right with you with your with your co-workers is your heart right, but he said no is your heart right as My heart is with thy heart that's what he said He said the only only one thing that matters don't have is your heart right with me and he said it is boy That's the goal of my life. Is that if God asked me that question, I just want to be able to say it is Now I'm not perfect and I'll never be perfect and there are things I mean there are things right now Right now that I can tell you right now. This is what I'm working on to try to purify myself This is what I'm working on right now to try to be closer to God, and if I didn't then I'm going backward in life. If I don't if I couldn't tell you right now and say this is what I'm doing right now This is the improvement that I'm making this is how I'm trying to get closer to God right now This is the sin that I'm trying to defeat in my life This is what I'm trying to purify out of my heart right now if I couldn't tell you that I'm probably moving backward in my Christian life because I just be oh, I guess I've arrived I hope I arrived good night. Nobody's arrived Nobody has reached the point where they're they're they're perfect and pure and right that's why we always need to be saying This is what I'm working on. What are you working on? I'm not abscess rhetorical questions. So I was the kids Start telling you, but what is it that you're working on right now? What can you say right now? This is what I'm trying to improve in my Christian life I'm trying to read my Bible more or I'm trying to go soul anymore right now I'm trying to improve the way I dress. I'm trying to cut out some of the bad things I'm trying to do this and that what are you doing now to purify yourself because the Bible says every man They have this hope in and purify themselves Everybody who loves God is trying to purify themselves don't get stuck in a rut don't get stagnant where you think well I've crossed all the checklist of being an independent fundamental Baptist because I've done the five things that I've been taught I read my Bible every day. I pray every day. I go so any I Tied I go to church three times a week three that's live You have not arrived. That's like spiritual kindergarten That means you're just getting started and now it's time to purify yourself now. It's time to move forward I'm pressing on the upward way new heights. I'm gaining everywhere still praying as I'm onward bound Lord my feet on higher ground Will always be moving forward the Christian life is like being in a river As soon as you stop swimming You start going backwards unless you're actively swimming forward you just this is the way it is David said my heart cleave it to the dust It's like there was some kind of a gravitational pull on him that says it's just something's always bringing me down And I have to just constantly be rising above it and constantly working to move forward to move to higher ground What are your goals for the year of 2006? What is your goal for the month of April? What's your goal for this year to say I'm not going to be the same as I was last year because next year This is how I'm going to be closer to God But back to the subject at hand God is saying is your heart right and he says It is and then what he says if so he says okay Well anybody can say it's right you know and so John of death said it is right Well anybody can say that so he says if it is then give me your hand He gave him his hand, and he said all right come up here with me into the chariot And you're gonna ride with me for a while, and you're gonna see my zeal for the Lord you're gonna learn of me I'm gonna teach you I mean would you do you want Jesus Christ to teach you how to serve God how to live the Christian? Life you want Jesus Christ say here come with me. Let me show you how it's done, sir Let me show you how it's done, ma'am. I want to show you my zeal for the Lord Boy wouldn't you love to just be side by side working with him? Partnering with him turn to first John chapter 1. I want to show you this First John chapter 1 First John chapter 1 and you know John has always been my favorite character of the New Testament Because John seemed to have the closest relationship with Jesus he seemed to be the closest with Jesus Do you notice that he was one of the inner three? Peter James and John that are whenever it's just Jesus and a few disciples. It's always Peter James and John And and you know at the Last Supper guess who was sitting right next to Jesus John was sitting right next to Jesus He he actually was leaned up against Jesus. I mean he could hear the heartbeat of Jesus Christ This is how close John was to Jesus and you just kind of notice There's something different about John in the Bible He was probably the disciple that seemed to be the closest to Jesus of anybody in the New Testament And I love reading the books that John wrote and I love reading about John in the Bible But We talked about this before but the book of John was written in And I believe I preached on this recently but the book of John was written and it says this in John chapter 20 in the Last verse it says these things are written says if we wrote all the things down that Jesus did he said it would fill all The books in the world we couldn't write it all down But he said these are written what I did write in the book of John He said is written that you might believe on the Son of God and that believing in him you might have life You know by his name. I'm Quoting that loosely unfortunately, but the point is the book of John was written by John and notice throughout the book of John Have you noticed how he never refers to himself as John? He just calls himself that other disciple or the other disciple, but then he calls himself the disciple whom Jesus loved Well, that's it. That's quite a title, isn't it? The disciples whom Jesus loved but then he writes the book of first John the book of John was so that you could get saved The only book in the Bible that claims to be telling you how to be saved and boy great book for soul winning is the book of John but then first John He says what the purpose is in first John 1 4 and these things rightly unto you that your joy may be full So he said the first job in the book of John. Let's get you saved and in first John I want your joy to be full. He said don't just be saved Live in the fullness of joy of the Christian life Be close to God like I was close to God. He's saying but look at first John 1 I want to show you this and this is a phenomenal thing that I noticed here First John 1 4 says these things rightly unto you that your joy may be full This I'm sorry. Let's look at verse 3. I mean, I want to build a little foundation and show you a picture here Look at verse 3 it says that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you that you also may have fellowship with us and Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his son Jesus Christ and these things rightly unto you that your joy may be full This then is the message which we have heard of him and declare unto you that God is light and in him is no darkness At all what God is what John is saying here. He says I'm I'm writing this to you I want to tell you that I have fellowship with God. That's what he says in verse 3 I want you to know that I have fellowship with the Father and with his son Jesus Christ And I'm writing this to you so that your joy can be full He says now he's going to tell us how to have fellowship with God the joy of the Christian life is The fellowship that we have with the Father and with his son Jesus Christ The joy and the Christian life will not be full until you're in the chariot with Jesus Until your heart is right, and he says okay come with me, and you're having fellowship with the Father and with his son Jesus Christ That's the joy in the Christian life. That's the excitement. That's where you enjoy it now look at verse number five He's going to tell us how This then is the message which we have heard of him and declare unto you that God is light and in him is no darkness at all if We say that we have fellowship with them and walk in darkness We lie and do not the truth 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 cleanses us from all sin But then he follows up by saying if we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us So not that we're totally free from sin But the difference is between walking in the light and walking in the darkness now God There's no darkness in him at all. He said he said oh you want to have fellowship with God You want your joy to be full? John How do you have so much joy John? How is it that you just have so much joy? I mean look what you've been through you've gone through all this persecution Yet you seem to have a joy that no one no man can take from you Where does the joy come from he says it comes from the fact that I have fellowship with the Father and with his son Jesus Christ It comes from the fact that my heart is right And I have a closeness and a relationship with God that you can only have when you walk in the light because he is in The light he's not in the darkness you say well I want to know God God's not going to come to the casino with you and Come hang out with you when you're sitting in front of the television watching some queer God doesn't want to have fellowship with you when you're in the darkness Have you ever noticed that when you go to a bar or a casino is very dark have you ever gotten it? It's just light fluorescent lights No, because the Bible says men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil and so the darkness is where sin seems to Abound at night is when the crime happens kids When it's dark be in the house, okay? The chances are bad stuff is going on when it's dark And you're outside if you're in the house after dark You'd be a lot safer and bad things won't happen to you, and you won't get into trouble so when it's dark You need to be where? In the house or with mom and dad Because the darkness is where men do wicked sinful things you go into the bar And it's dark and dismal you go into the casino the lights are turned way down low, and it's dark Let me ask you something is Jesus Christ gonna come with you into that bar and have fellowship with you know You see I just feel so distant from God I just feel like I just feel like I'm just he's just not there And I prayed it just seems like he's not listening to me And I just I just don't feel any kind of a fellowship with God And I just kind of reach out and try to feel is it's not there Get out of the darkness and get in the light, and you say well, that's just That's not nice that that God won't come to me And I just understand why God won't you know reach out to me and pull me up into his chariot look Jesus is sitting out there waiting. He's sitting in the light. He's sitting in the chariot saying Hello Where are you, but you're you're so far in the darkness? You can't even can't find them you get into the light Where he is? You'll find them right away because he's just sitting there He's gonna be like well It's about time you came where I am in the light in the light of righteousness in the light of living good life look at this and This is a discovery that I made this week. I was I was reading my Bible And I'm constantly finding new things in the Bible constantly daily I'm finding new things in the Bible, and I've been studying the book of first John I mean for years But look at look at first John 1 4 these things rightly unto you that your joy may be full now look at chapter 2 verse 1 My little children these things right I unto you that you said not you see that so what's he saying? Well wait a minute John I thought you said you wrote it to me so that my joy would be full now You're saying you wrote it unto me that I sin not make up your mind John Well, it's the same thing. He says you want your joy to be pulled and sin not The joy in the Christian life is when you're living a life of not sinning that seems really basic and maybe stupid, but If you could grasp this it would help you to understand, maybe how to increase your joy in the Christian life He says my little children these things right I knew that you sin not and if any man sin We have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous He says if you do sin Jesus Christ will stand up for you Jesus Christ will still love you forgive you of course But he says if you want your joy to be full don't sin if You want to have joy don't sin if you want to live a life of misery and heartache and sadness and hurt Just go ahead and sin Live a life of sin, and that's the way you'll feel, but he says if you want your joy to be full Then sin not these things right I am to you that your joy may be full These things right I unto you that you sin not because it's the same thing. That's what God is saying All that to say this is your heart right tonight, and I'm not really this isn't really a specific type of sermon you know attacking a certain problem or Edifying us in a certain way or maybe bringing up a certain point of how we could be closer to God Or how we could love God? But it's a sermon that's telling you to examine yourself. This is only between you and God Only you can answer that question nobody can look at you, and they might see the clean platter on the outside But only you know whether your heart is right only you know nobody else can tell because I've seen people who seem like their heart Was right turned out their heart was not right at all Because their heart was was wicked on the inside, and it was clean on the outside But it was wrong on the inside, and so God is saying here look at yourself and tell me is your heart right and Don't come up with some complicated answer about well. You know you don't understand what I've been through you don't say my past You don't understand the things that I'm dealing with you don't understand It's it's some kind of an addiction or it's something that was taught to me growing up And and you don't understand my finances, and and you don't understand my home life, and you understand my problems He said I didn't ask for all that I just want to know one thing is your heart right and just have a quick answer prepared it is That's all that's the only answer that's acceptable It is it is right Maybe I don't have all my ducks in a row not perfect And I if I said that I didn't have any sin I'd be deceiving myself, but God my heart is right I love you, and I want to serve you And I'm trying and I love you and that's evidenced by the fact that constantly I'm at least trying to purify myself Because I love you, and I want to be close to you And I wish you'd come and be with me and spend time with me But I know you can't because there's no darkness in you at all so God. I love you so much I'm gonna step out of the darkness, and I'm gonna get closer to you God because I want to know God I want to have a pure heart so that I can see God You want to go see the R-rated movie, or do you want to see God? That's the question do you want to go see all the all the pornography and the filthy billboards? Or do you want to see God because your heart's pure? Do you want to go see the world and the flesh and the devil, or do you want to see God? Now if you don't want to see God Then the sermon's not for you, and maybe this sermon's not for everybody, but this sermon is for those who say wow There's something inside me that says I Want to know God just like the Apostle Paul said I want to know him. I want to see God I don't want to just have some shallow Christian life where I go to church and say I Made it to church again I'm good for another week. I'm good till the next service But I read my Bible today for for five minutes and 59 seconds And I've done my little devotion, and I've said my little now I lay me down to sleep No, this sermon is for those who say no. I want to know God in a special way I want to be close to God. I want to be in the chariot with God I don't want to be across the table from God. I want to be sitting right next to him I want to be right where he is and God says I want you there too, and I'll tell you exactly how to get there Have your heart, right? Now you may not be able to be perfect And you may not be able to straighten everything out today And you may not be able to have everything just dialed in today But there's one thing that you can do today right now. You can say God Have thine own way Lord. My heart is going to be right with you right now. You can say in your heart Nothing between my soul and the Savior God whatever you tell me to do Maybe I don't know it all maybe I haven't read it all in the Bible yet. Maybe I haven't learned enough Maybe I'm working toward these things, but right now you can say God There's nothing I won't do for you God if it's going to keep me from being close to you. Show me what it is Create in me a clean heart God search me Oh God and know my thought heart try me and know my thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me You could have a heart like that. They said it's a heart That's that's receptive to God's leading a heart that says no God. I'm not holding anything back. I Want you to search me and see if there's any wicked way in me And if there is then reveal it to me God because I don't want anything to stop me but from being close to you I'm not holding anything back You could do that right now. You do that today. You could say now I will yield myself to God I will yield myself to the Holy Spirit, and I'm not holding anything back I'm gonna love them with all my heart all my soul all my might that's a tall order, but God said that's the first commandment and it and it's for your benefit because that's how you have the joy in the Christian life if you Put your all on the altar and say I'm not holding anything back Well, but there's just this one area that I know everything and say it's all yours God Where do you where do you what do you want me to do with my life? How do you want me to dress? How do you want me to act? What do you want me to say? What do you want me to be? How do you want me to act just tell me and I'll do it That's the attitude of a John Adab and I didn't even get to it in the message for sake of time there's a whole chapter about John Adab in Jeremiah 35 and This is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible Jeremiah 35 write that down maybe and you could look at it later if you would but Jeremiah 35 the whole chapters about John Adab the son of recap and that chapter I didn't get to the chapter and I could have Explained to you some of the greatness of this man John Adab who said it is it is right The man who got to be in the chariot with Jesus Christ but let me read to you just the final verse of Jeremiah 35 and I'll close with this and This chapter highlights John Adab and what a great man He was but in the last verse it says therefore thus saith the Lord of the hosts the God of Israel John Adab the son of recap shall not want a man to stand before me forever And this is talking about his descendants if you read the chapter He says there's never until the end of the world not going to be somebody from his loins Somebody one of his children That serves me and loves me. His kids aren't going to go to the devil Because his heart was right. That's why his kids turned out right and that's why he said your kids are always gonna be turning out Right, he prophesied this in Jeremiah 35 You want your kids to turn out right is your heart, right Because you can put on the motions you go the most well, we took them to church Sunday morning Sunday night Wednesday I know I didn't turn out right they won't turn out right unless your heart is right Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer God we love you so much and father, please just help us to have a heart. That's right. Dear God Please just Find us worthy to be in the chariot with you. God. I want I I know I want to be close to you God. I want to know you God I want to see you God and So father, please just bless all that are here myself included To get out of the darkness and get into the light where you are and to just right now Yield our heart and say my heart is right now with every head bowed and eyes closed and my eyes are closed Also, I want to ask this one question Who would say right now the best I know how and I'm not perfect but but the best I know how I Want to get my heart right right now. Would you slip up your hands? Want to get my heart right right now would you slip up your hand if that's you and you this is between you and God my eyes are closed and You just want to tell God you know what God I? Want my heart to be right because I want to know you I want to see you God. I love you I love you as a person God And I want to get to know you and so if that's you slip up your hand and say God I want my heart to be right now and slip it up if you mean it and say God My heart's right it is Father thank you so much for the word of God, and thank you so much that you even want to be our friend boy Thank you so much. God that you love me, and you actually want to spend time with me You're so much greater and holier than I am but father you love me And and you want to be my father and you want to be my brother and you want to be my friend God Thank you so much for Reaching down to me and inviting me up into your chariot man praise the Lord God I love you so much and I and I believe that these people love you also, and I believe that's why they're here in church tonight and So God, please just help us all by your grace It's not going to be done on our own help us to be pure and help us to purify our hearts that we can see you and know you and love you and Jesus for the and Jesus for the and Jesus for the and Jesus for the you