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Restoration Ministry

Randy Skeete

Restoration 2005: To The Point

What I Like About Mohammad

The Real Truth About Sin

Can God Feel My Pain?

James Kyle

Clean, but Empty

A Dean’s Letter from God

How to Live Without Fear

The Science of the Resurrection

World’s Greatest Crime

Research Suggests. So Does God.

How to Read Your Boyfriend’s Mind

How Safe is Safe Sex?

Lose Weight, Find Life

Are You Right or Righteous?

The Horror of Horoscopes

What and Where is the Kingdom of God?

Are There Degrees in Heaven?

All or Nothing

Phil Mills

Bible Study Hour

A Better Life Is Here

Question and Answer Session

God Used It. It Worked. You Try It.


In a small, sparsely populated town, 3 people are dead. 2 men and a little girl. 2 are dead in 2 houses, 1 is dead in the middle of the road. In 1 house, 1 man is lying at the foot of the stairs. He's dead, he's cold, rigor mortis has set in.

The other house, a man is lying on the floor dismembered, disemboweled 15 bullet wounds, 7 stab wounds with what looks like a hunting knife Arms cut off, legs cut off, stripped naked and he's lying in congealed blood. The third corpse, a little girl 5 years old, run over by a car like a pumpkin. The police come, they go to each house, they secure the crime scenes. The same investigative officer, investigating officer, goes from 1 house to the next to the dead body in the street. At the first house, he sees a man at the bottom of the stairs, cold.

He turns him over, sees a discoloration at the base of the skull and he concludes the neck is broken and he sees a piece of the banister from the stairs broken off, the man probably fell down the stairs, hit his head The investigating officer goes upstairs, sees signs of a robbery. Draws pulled out, things thrown over. He sees signs of a struggle. And he concludes, manslaughter. He goes to the next house.

The man is dismembered, disemboweled, limbs cut off, 17 bullet wounds, 10 stab wounds. No sign of a struggle, evidence of a burglary. He concludes first-degree murder. He goes to the street, a little girl crushed. There's a man sitting on the sidewalk trembling, he's a tourist, he was driving across country, can't hardly speak English, scared to death.

The investigator measures the distance of the tire tracks when the man braked. He looks at the posted speed limit and he sees 45 and based on his experience he judges that the speed at which the car was traveling was within the legal limits and then he sees that the driveway clearly from which this little girl came is a steep slope and he looks at the mangled tricycle and there are no brakes and he concludes accident all 2 suspects are caught And the tourist is taken to the judge. All 3 stand before the judge. And in the case of the man with the broken neck at the base of the stairs, the judge charges that man with second-degree murder. In the case of the man dismembered horribly and shot and stabbed the judge charges that offending man with the thief first-degree murder.

And in the case of the tourist unable to express himself has to get an interpreter, the judge tells him, you go free. On what basis are these decisions made all 3 people are equally dead There is no difference in the fact that they are dead. Why is it 1 is charged with first degree murder, 1 with manslaughter, 1 set free? The judge is interviewed by a reporter from a Christian magazine. The reporter wants to know how can a judge who personifies fairness put 1 man in jail for life, first-degree murder, gives 1 man 10 years and sets the other man free.

The judge says, on the basis of the corpse's conditions, The man at the base of the stairs we concluded 42. He surprised the burglar. He surprised him. 43. The burglar panicked, tried to get away 44.

They struggled. The owner of the house fell 45. Hit his head. The burglar did not go to kill, he just went to steal in an effort to get away the owner of the house was killed that second degree. That man whom I sentenced to life he also came to steal But the method He chose to kill the homeowner, there was no struggle.

He went into the man's bedroom, dragged him out of his bed, He shot him, then he reloaded, then he shot him because he had a 6 shooter and there are about 18 bullet holes he shot him again, then he stabbed him, then he cut off that man came with something in his heart And on the basis of what was in his heart, I charged him with first-degree murder. That man I set free, the tire marks told us he was within the legal speed limit. The slope of the driveway told us the little girl could not stop that bike. It was accident, pure and simple. He had nothing in his heart against that little girl.

His heart was pure. He was obeying the speed limit. She made a mistake. The parents might have should have monitored her more carefully and as a result of that he goes free. What am I saying?

The law has something called malice. Now our subject is how to read your boyfriend's heart or your girlfriend's heart or your husband's heart or your professor's heart. There's something in the law of the land called intent. And when murders are investigated or crimes are investigated the severity of a crime is attached to the presence of malice and intent and so on the basis of the horrible death of the second corpse cut and disemboweled and dismembered the judge ruled that that was evidence of intent but the intent is not in the corpse the intent is not in the wound the intent was in the offending person's heart are you listening to me? The malice that horribly killed man it was done with malice of forethought but the malice is not in the corpse the malice is in the person who committed a crime.

The law of the land I say seeks to judge what's going on in the heart of the criminal. That man who got away, who was released and properly so, The evidence suggests that there was no malice in his heart, no intent to harm, hurt, and release. My question to you and to me is, if the law of the land can search the heart in an attempt to properly assess a crime the law of the land searches the heart and what is found in the heart is the final determiner of whether this is murder of manslaughter or accidental homicide what is in the heart if the law of the land can do that now I ask you how much more the law of God I've told you before they're very nice people who'll go to hell never broken 1 law of the land drive the speed limit pay taxes support the Salvation Army Red Cross, conduct benefit concerts to give scholarships to disadvantaged youth. All these outward things that the world admires and regards as a basis for the awarding of medals. That person comes up in a judgment and the person says Lord have I not prophesied in thy name?

And in thy name have cast out devils. And in thy name have done many wonderful works. And Jesus with his clearest, loudest, most thunderous voice, he says, depart from me I never knew you ye that work what iniquity now this is extremely serious how can God assess good works as iniquity. How to read someone's heart? The Bible tells us how.

Iniquity does not lie or righteousness does not lie in the behavior. Let me explain let's take righteousness. 2 people come up to the temple to give an offering and Jesus is sitting in a temple and he's watching. Here comes a Pharisee. He is so rich he has 2 servants to carry his money.

They dump all this money in the offering plate. Loud, noisy, and people turn around to see this Pharisee giving a large offering that could wipe out the national debt. And Jesus looks at it and he is not divinely impressed. Then a little old lady comes on a stick leaning and she has a dime. No 1 sees her And she comes trembling and she drops the dime and the dime makes a little tinkle that is heard in heaven.

And Jesus comes up out of his chair and he can hear the angels applauding and the woman doesn't know she she goes back out of the temple no 1 has seen her no 1 cares but God comes off the throne and the angels are flapping their wings and the Holy Spirit smiles why because that gift came from her heart it had nothing to do with the amount the righteousness of her gift was assessed on the basis of the heart from which it came what I'm saying to you today listen carefully to me Whether a thing is good or bad depends on the heart from which it comes. Let me give you some scripture as we proceed how to read your boyfriend's heart, 27 minutes to 1. Mark chapter 7, verse 20. Mark chapter 7, verse 20. The Bible says, and he said, that which cometh out of a man that defileth the man.

Jesus is contrasting external with internal Because the Pharisees were in a fit because the disciples would eat without washing their hands. The Pharisees were careful that impurity did not proceed from the outside to the inside. Christ is trying to tell them that impurity is within let's go to matthew 13 matthew 12 this reverse 33 matthew 12 verse 33 the Bible says either make the tree good and his fruit good or else make the tree corrupt and his fruit corrupt because the tree is known how? By its fruit. Now we have 2 things here the tree and the fruit.

The tree is known by the fruit. The tree is judged by the fruit and the fruit comes out of the tree. Next verse, oh generation of vipers, how can ye being evil speak good things? For out of the abundance of what? The heart, finish it, the mouth speaketh now.

How to read your boyfriend's heart or anybody's heart? Listen to what they say and watch what they do. My favorite writer says, Words and actions reveal thoughts and motives. Did you hear me? Words and actions reveal thoughts and motives because the law of life, 1 of them is, we cannot separate what we do from who we are.

Now we can try to disguise it, we can try to camouflage it, but ultimately at some point sooner or later who I am will emerge from what I say and what I do if someone prayerfully and in the spirit listens to me and observes my behavior We cannot hide because God prefers people to be transparent. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. Instance, you have a girlfriend. Lord is this the woman for me? Good prayer.

What does she talk about? Does she love to talk about Jesus? What does she do? What does she like to do when she's with you what does she try to get you to do when you with her reverse it you've got a boyfriend 6 3 02:40 all muscle yes it's to have mercy indeed handsome and you say Lord this is it What does he say You see this is a this is a law that works and this is a law set up by God out of the abundance of the heart now you're trying to reach the heart listen and watch not for 5 minutes because we're born with a supreme ability to disguise so the devil came not as the devil he came through the serpent but if Eve had listened carefully she would have known that's not the serpent speaking that's the devil let me tell you the devil comes to us sometimes in a skirt let me change that outfit in a tight pants The devil comes sometimes in bare chest. The devil comes in many forms seldom as he is but we detect him by what is said and what is done and the prism and the lens by which we judge what is said and what is done is this because out of the abundance of the heart including the devil's heart and he cannot violate that law nor can you nor can I God has set it up it is the heart that counts let's go to Matthew 7 21 minutes to 1 we have 11 minutes you must come back tonight I have a lot more to say?

This first service is to whet your appetite. Come back tonight. Have more to say. Matthew, what did I say, 7? Verse 15, beware of what?

False prophets which come to you how? In sheep's clothing. But what are the sheep of false prophets? They're false prophets, but they're in sheep's clothing. The sheep's clothing does not alter the fact that they're false prophets.

You see that that's why if we watch and learn and pray and listen the false prophet will come through the sheep's clothing. But inwardly they are what? Ravening wolves Inwardly simply means the heart. The sheep's clothing, what they say and what they do. Listen.

I have seen students come to interview for medical school and on the day of the interview I would swear there were angels only missing a pair of wings until they were let in and had the first conflict with an instructor over a couple more points and is this the person whom I observed as part of the the interviewing committee is this the same person yes but the person had on a disguise. But now circumstances like a high wind has blown with the disguise and the person stands in naked reality and who he or she really was. This is a law that we cannot break. Sooner or later your disguise will be blown and mine because out of the abundance of the heart the mouth must speak that which is within colors that which comes out. Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles?

Even so, every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot... Are you listening to me? Are you listening to me? Alright.

A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit. And a corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit. What is Jesus saying? An unconverted heart produces only that which is evil. Now I'm not talking to people who've never heard about Jesus.

God is there, covered somehow by God's mercy. I'm not referring to them. Jesus told the Pharisees, the prostitutes get to heaven before you. The only problem is they haven't heard about me yet. I'm not talking about those who have not had a chance to hear the gospel.

I'm talking about those who hear it and reject it. The unconverted heart only produces evil. I don't care how many millions of dollars you give to some pediatric hospital. You set yourself up against God everything you do is an evil act and it counts against you so while in the eyes of the world you deserve the the Congressional Medal of Honor, in the eyes of God you have piled up evidence against you to consign you to hell. Why?

Because everything you've done came out of an evil heart, even though the world describes it as good. But God has a different standard by which he defines good. I don't think you got what I just said. Let me say it again. If you're 1 of those people or I am 1 of those people who hear the truth and reject it, that heart mass produces evil.

That heart mass produces evil you can't do 1 good thing if the heart is not good but the dilemma is I cannot make my heart good I can't So am I stuck? I walk out on the sidewalk and I see an old man and I give him some money because he's hungry but I am anti God I'm opposed to God and God counts that as evil because my heart is not right and I hear of the tsunami and I ride a train for 2000000 and send it to Indonesia, Banda, Aceh I think it's called that part of that country and the Lord says evil and I go through the pediatric ward of Loma Linda children's hospital and I sing for the children and I pull them around in that little cart and the Lord writes evil. Now here comes a prostitute meets Jesus Christ, accepts the gospel, The heart is transformed. God writes good because the transformed heart is a heart under the control of the Spirit of God. So it's the Spirit producing good.

And she goes to church, tries to sing, sings flat, upsets the whole church, can't sing. The Lord writes, good! Why? Because her heart is converted and out of a good heart comes good things or come good things. And the Lord writes good and the angels sing with her while the rest of the church want to put her out.

Good! Because the heart has been made good by the power of Jesus Christ. I am saying to you and me, if the heart is not right, everything that issues from that heart is not good. By God's great standard, the standard, let me tell you quickly, 5 minutes to go, How can I change that? What makes my heart a source of that which is good?

When Christ, by the power and the agency of the Spirit, writes His law on my heart. If God does not do that, there is no hope that you and I can ever do a good thing and God desires that we do good things. In Ephesians 2 verses 8 through 10, For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works. They are good works God has already decided from eternity we should do.

God has before ordained that we should walk in them but they are produced out of a heart made right by the transforming grace of Jesus Christ. What God wants as you sit where you sit is your heart. You must be a vegetarian in your heart or you can eat all the grass with salad dressing you like. Makes absolutely no difference to God If you're not vegetarian in your heart meaning in conformity with the 10 Commandments particularly 6th that says thou shalt not kill that's where it begins and when it is there you are restless until it's expressed out here. You see a woman with curves and you look at her through the 10 Commandments written on the heart and you see the cross of Christ behind that woman and your thoughts are ordered accordingly and you move on or you see a man coming out of the gym you thank God for eyesight You better watch him through the 10 Commandments.

The heart, you must come back tonight so I can explain exactly how that is done. But let me leave you with the somber, sober message that if the heart is not right, everything we do is not right. Because the action comes with the stamp of the heart. But God desires to make our hearts right. And let me tell you something, the process that makes us right is a process we must go through every day.

Because the power that makes our heart right is the same power that keeps it right. God doesn't do it and then go on back. The power that makes me right keeps me right. So it's a daily process of being made right. Because the devil never takes a vacation, he never goes on leave trying to make us wrong.

I want you to come back tonight. I have things to say I don't have the time. Please come back tonight. Put aside your books. I'll pray for your mind.

I'm not joking. Put aside your books tonight. Come here. How many of you will try? Raise your hand quickly.

I want you to try. God bless you. Every head bowed, every eye closed. Father in the name of Jesus I come to you to ask you urgently please Lord open our eyes that we may see that we need transformed hearts transformed hearts that everything that comes out of those hearts may please you because they'll come out by your power. While every head is bowed, every eye is closed, any man, any woman who will say, God I need a transformed heart and I want my heart changed.

If you will say that, I want you to stand. I want my heart changed. If it's already changed, keep your seat. If you need a changed heart, you stand up. Heads bowed, eyes closed.

Lord, your people have stood. I accept their responses. Genuine, I expect it came from a genuine heart. Lord, in the name of Jesus, respond to their request, their desire, urgent as it is, and Father, by the agency of your Spirit, begin the work of Transformation of our hearts that our hearts may become the fleshy tablets on which your law is written that the law may be the source of life or an instrument of life as you designed it according to Romans 7 verse 10. Bless us Father let us leave this place conscious of the condition of our hearts that we've now given to you and bring us back to night I pray please in Jesus name and for his sake let all God's people say amen and amen

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Series

Restoration 2005: To The Point

How to Read Your Boyfriend’s Mind

Parent Series

Sponsor

Recorded

Other Teachings in Series

What I Like About Mohammad

What I Like About Mohammad

The Real Truth About Sin

The Real Truth About Sin

Can God Feel My Pain?

Can God Feel My Pain?

Clean, but Empty

A Dean’s Letter from God

How to Live Without Fear

The Science of the Resurrection

The Science of the Resurrection

World’s Greatest Crime

World’s Greatest Crime

Research Suggests. So Does God.

Research Suggests. So Does God.

How to Read Your Boyfriend’s Mind

How to Read Your Boyfriend’s Mind

How Safe is Safe Sex?

Lose Weight, Find Life

Are You Right or Righteous?

The Horror of Horoscopes

The Horror of Horoscopes

What and Where is the Kingdom of God?

What and Where is the Kingdom of God?

Are There Degrees in Heaven?

All or Nothing

All or Nothing

Bible Study Hour

A Better Life Is Here

Question and Answer Session

God Used It. It Worked. You Try It.

Sound Doctrine