An Evil Heart

An Evil Heart

When you hear the phrase “an evil heart or “a black heart”, what do you think of? Do you think of a cold-hearted killer? Maybe you think of Hitler, Stalin, Putin, or the gunman who killed 10 people and wounded three more at the grocery store in Buffalo, NY. Maybe you think of the person who killed the four students in Idaho. I’m sure most of us think of a murderer or mass murderer like these people I’ve mentioned. But what if I told you that you may have an evil heart? I’d say most people would protest and say there is no way that they have an evil heart. But you just might have one.

Did you know that the Bible says unbelievers have an evil heart? This is interesting, isn’t it? A lot of unbelievers claim there is no God, but God says that atheists are fools (Psalm 14:1). Unbelievers suppress the truth in unrighteousness because they don’t want to be accountable to an all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present Creator God, so they pretend that there is no God. They know they are sinning against God, but they’d rather act like God does not exist. But I doubt very many atheists would say that they have an evil heart.

An Evil Heart Of Unbelief

Please listen to Hebrews 3:7 through Hebrews 4:3: Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:  When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)

Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.

For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

Take Heed

Take heed lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief. I ask you tonight, how is your heart? How is your heart toward God? Are you truly a repentant person who has surrendered their life to Jesus or are you still spiritually dead in your trespasses and sins? Have you been born again or have you only been born once? Are you still in rebellion against Almighty God? Oh folks, it’s one or the other. Your heart has been cleansed by the shed blood of Jesus Christ or your heart is still evil.

Jesus says: For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great (Luke 6:43-49).

The Lord Also Points Out An Evil Heart

Jesus also points to the evil heart. I hope this message is getting your attention tonight. You may be going through life tonight without a care in the world, or so you think. There is nothing more important than your eternal soul. Is your heart evil toward God? Are you an unrepentant sinner who has yet to bow your knee to King Jesus? Do you have an evil heart of unbelief? Many Israelites died while they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. Those that died are the ones that wanted to go back to Egypt. They murmured against Moses and against God. They wickedly accused God of bringing them out there in the wilderness to kill them and kill their children. So God allowed the children that grew up to enter into the promised land, but none of the adults who had evil, unbelieving hearts.

How is your heart tonight? How is your heart toward God? Is Jesus your Lord and Savior? The Bible says that we are to have repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21). Why should your faith be in Jesus? Because He is the only Savior. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12).

Jesus’ Heart Was Right Toward God The Father

The Lord Jesus is the only Savior because all of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23). We’ve all sinned against God. Every single one of us. We’ve lied, lusted, stolen, disobeyed parents and none of us have loved God with all of our heart, soul mind and strength our whole lives. But Jesus did.

The Lord walked this earth 2,000 years ago and He never sinned Not one time. Not even in His thoughts. Yet, He willingly took the punishment that we deserve. Jesus either paid your sin debt, your Hell as He hung on the cross or Hell still awaits you. Which is it? Are you Heaven bound or Hell bound? Have you truly repented of your sins and put your faith in Jesus or does the guilt of your sins remain upon you?

Have Your Sins Been Nailed To The Cross?

For those of us who are saved, Jesus nailed our sins to the cross.  Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross (Colossians 2:14). Oh folks, those of us who are saved, who have been born again, our sins have been forgiven. They’ve bee blotted out. God remembers them no more. In other words, He no longer holds them against us. Jesus nailed our sins to the cross.

But if Jesus is not your Lord and Savior, then God’s wrath over your sins remains upon you. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18). Romans 2:5-6 says: But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds.

But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile (Romans 2:8-9). Second Peter 3:7 states: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

All Unbelievers Have An Evil Heart

All unrepentant sinners have an evil heart of unbelief and judgement and eternal damnation is what awaits you. Oh, but tonight, we are out here tell you about the Good News. Jesus took the place of guilty sinners. That is, guilty sinners who repent and trust Him. This is the great exchange. When you repent of your sins and surrender your life to Jesus, God no longer sees you as the guilty sinner that you are. God now sees you through the righteousness of Jesus. The Lord bore your sins while He hung on the cross and God now sees you as being sinless because of His sinless Son.

Oh, but you must receive salvation. It is a free gift from God, but you must receive it. You can’t earn it, you can’t steal it and you can’t bribe God. Almighty God resists the proud, but He gives grace to the humble. Oh, humble yourself tonight. Admit that you are a sinner. That you have offended our Holy God. Cry out for God to save you. Repent and believe the Gospel. Trust in Jesus’ finished work on the cross for your salvation.

Turn to Christ and live. When you do so, God gives you a new heart. He takes away your evil heart of unbelief, your heart of stone and He gives you a heart of flesh. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). Again we plead with you, turn to Christ and live. Repent and believe the Gospel.

(This message was proclaimed in downtown Springfield, MO on December 2, 2022)