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“ Summary, Part 5 (final) ” III. GOD CHASTENS THE BELIEVER WITH THE INCOMPLETE HEART [47:20]: 2 CHRONICLES 16:9 – if we should run from anything, it is unbelief: doubting God. Unbelief calls God a liar. We should expect Him to trouble us when our heart is divided. But when it is complete, he promises His strength. ABIDING MESSAGE [50:00]: 1. GOD MEASURES OUR COMMITMENT TO HIM NOT BY THE WORDS OF OUR MOUTHS OR EVEN BY OUTWARD ACTIONS, BUT BY THE CONDITION OF OUR HEARTS. God knows our hearts completely. Our actions can be sanctified, but God is the searcher of hearts. 2. GOD IS ALWAYS LOOKING FOR HEARTS COMPLETELY HIS THAT HE MAY STRONGLY SUPPORT. Are our besetting sins attacking us with unknown strength? Victory is ours if our hearts are given to the Lord. Our failures teach us that we are weak and dependent. 3. YOU MUST FORSAKE THE SINS AND OBSTACLES THAT PREVENT YOU FROM GIVING YOUR HEART WHOLLY TO THE LORD. What is clogging your heart? Do we fear our enemies without calling on God? Do we harbor lusts? Pride? Do we keep carnal company? 4. YOU SHOULD EXPECT GOD’S CHASTENING IF YOUR HEART IS NOT WHOLLY HIS. Expect it. When God has the heart, He has everything else. He demands and deserves nothing less.
Ian Migala (3/24/2014)
from Minneapolis, Minnesota
“ Summary, Part 4 ” So we can draw this observation: the heart of a Christian is better than his actions, while the actions of the unbeliever are better than his heart (PSALM 28:3, 55:21 (cf. ROMANS 7:15)); Christianity is a religion of being before it is a religion of doing. Formalism is only such when built upon an unconverted heart; otherwise, it is sanctification. Though they may appear alike, they are completely different. D. CHARACTERISTICS OF WHOLEHEARTED BELIEVERS [36:35]: 1. They fear the Lord (PSALM 86:11); 2. They hope in God (PSALM 33:18, ROMANS 8:24-25); 3. They live upright lives (PSALM 34:15, JOB 36:7). II. GOD SUPPORTS THE BELIEVER WITH THE COMPLETE HEART [40:55]. A. WITH HIS PROMISED PRESENCE IN ALL THEIR CONDITIONS OF LIFE [41:10]. PSALM 121:4 – God’s eye is always upon us. He was with Peter just as much as when his heart wavered in the boat as He was with him at the transfiguration. His eye is always on the sparrow. How much more is it on the complete heart? B. BY INSTRUCTING AND GUIDING THEM WITH HIS WORD [43:15]. PSALM 32:8 – the Bible guides our every step. A whole heart is a teachable heart. C. BY ANSWERING THEIR PRAYERS FOR DELIVERANCE FROM THEIR ENEMIES [44:25]: PSALM 34:15-19 – the Christian life is an exegesis of this passage.
Ian Migala (3/24/2014)
from Minneapolis, Minnesota
“ Summary, Part 3 ” The writer, inspired by the Holy Spirit, is looking at the totality of Asa’s life. There is a similar proclamation for David, despite his grave sins (ACTS 13:22). [Think of people we remember with fondness, especially children. We might say, “He was always such a good boy.” Of course, that’s not literally true of anyone. But the idea is that such people have good natures: they struggle with sin, respond to correction, and have genuine regret for their faults and mistakes, even big ones. They don’t justify themselves, deflect blame, project, or dismiss their actions. Some look at others and focus only on their faults. But even God, who knows all and speaks only perfect truth, can look at the totality of one’s life and declare it to be “perfect with the Lord all his days”. –IM] C. SOME PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS [29:15]: 1. There is indwelling sin in the best of Christians. Usually, the greater the man, the greater the weaknesses. 2. God does not accept us on our merits, but on Christ’s merits. 3. God alone scrutinizes the heart infallibly; thus, we should judge others as charitably as possible. Another principle to draw is that mere outward obedience is no sure indicator that that person’s heart is the Lord’s (cf. 2 CHRONICLES 25:2); we can’t “fool” God with our actions.
Ian Migala (3/24/2014)
from Minneapolis, Minnesota
“ Summary, Part 2 ” In 1 KINGS 11:4, we see an example of an incomplete heart: Solomon’s heart divided between God and the gods of his wives. But in 1 KINGS 11:11-16, the parallel to our present text, we see the ways in which Asa’s heart was complete [18:00]: 1. He banished the cults and pagan shrines; 2. He stood for God even when his family stood against Him (cf. MATTHEW 10:34ff); 3. He returned the things dedicated to God by his father to the Temple and added his own holy dedications. [23:05] It also needs to be inferred that the complete or perfect heart is not sinless; it is united in its devotion to God, but harbors remaining sin. Though Asa’s heart was complete [23:30], 1. He failed to completely eradicate Judah’s “high places”. Commentators have suggested that this could have been because Asa left up the ones dedicated to the true God, or that he just wasn’t able to get rid of all of them. 2. He suffered a lapse of faith; 3. He exhibited unrighteous anger, even vindictiveness, when he retaliated against the prophet who told him the truth. We can’t excuse his sin (as God doesn’t), yet when Asa’s life is viewed in its totality, the Bible proclaims that “Asa’s heart was perfect with the Lord all his days” (1 KINGS 11:14). Is this incorrect?
Ian Migala (3/24/2014)
from Minneapolis, Minnesota
“ Summary, Part 1 ” 2 CHRONICLES 14-16 records the 41-year reign of Asa, king of Judah. Today, we will focus on its latter end. As Christians, we hope to finish the race stronger than we began. Even the great kings in the Bible were not perfect. Unlike in his past, Asa had made the mistake of seeking man’s help instead of God’s; in this case, using the Temple treasury to buy an alliance with an enemy against Israel’s aggression. From verse 16:9 we can infer some lessons: I. GOD SEES THE BELIEVER WITH THE COMPLETE HEART [starting at 7:50 of the audio]. A. THE EYES WITH WHICH GOD SEES [8:00]. There is the warrant in the text that there is such a thing as God’s providence (cf. JOB 34:21, PROVERBS 15:3). God knows everything about everyone and governs all effectually to His own ends. He not only watches His people, but actively brings blessing to their lives; He creates opportunities to bless them. He doesn’t just watch and convict, but also blesses. B. THE COMPLETE HEART WHICH GOD SEES [11:45]. The “complete heart” is the inner man; the totality of his being (see PROVERBS 4:23). The heart that is complete is blameless, united, and entire in its focus on the Lord (e.g. 1 CHRONICLES 12:38, 28:9, 29:19).
