Adapted from a sermon by Timo Martin
The world in which we live is polluted. You can hardly find a clean place anymore. The rivers and lakes are dirty. The air is polluted. Our food is not safe to eat anymore. This pollution is causing great damage to the health of plants, animals, and people. But, where is there is the worst pollution—the one that is the most harmful to people? The answer is: in the human heart, the source of our thoughts, feelings, and actions.
The human heart is the place where you will find the worst defilement and corruption. “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9. Often the condition is incurable. And as Jeremiah states, so little is known about the human heart. We are afraid of outside enemies, but few can recognize their own, greatest enemy—their own heart.
The heart can be very sensitive, easily hurt, it can contain sorrow, joy, pride, bitterness, hatred, love, forgiveness, and selfishness. It can ache. It can be broken.
Just like ourselves, our fellow men also possess a heart. Do we consider their hearts as well, their thoughts and feelings?
In Jeremiah 17:10 we read, “I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.” The Lord searches the heart, and what He finds within determines our final destiny.
What does God often find in the human heart? “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.” Mark 7:21–23
These evils flow naturally from the human heart, and are what defile man, not any pollution from without. The heart is the foundation of our thoughts, words, and actions. If our heart is not pure, our thoughts, words, and actions cannot be pure.
“For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD ahborreth.” Psalm 10:3. The wicked is proud that he is able to obtain that which his heart desires. He admires those who seek their own gain. He brags about cheating others, taking advantage of others.
“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 always err in their heart; and they have known My ways.” Hebrews 3:8–11
The children of Israel knew the law of God. They saw the miraculous works of God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt and sustained them in the wilderness. Yet, they rebelled against God, they refused to trust His leading.
What spoils our hearts? Why are they defiled? What happened in the heart of Judas? How did it become so evil? “And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him.” John 13:2
It was the devil who also enticed Eve to eat from the tree of knowledge. Eve had received a pure heart from God. Now, suddenly a sinful desire sprang up. Her heart was no longer clean. And her unclean heart caused her to eat from the tree.
Can it happen to us that the devil may put into our heart a desire to sin—to dislike someone, to speak evil, unkind words to someone, to eat forbidden foods as did Adam and Eve, to listen to worldly music, to seek worldly entertainment, to speak evil of someone, to be bitter, dissatisfied, angry? Satan puts these and more into the heart—jealousy, envy, pride, covetousness, misery, unhappiness. Eve had no desire to sin until the devil put it into her heart. By sowing seeds of doubt, he made her think. Is it really so important what God has told us not to do? Would He let us die for this little thing?
Can it also be that Satan can put sinful desires into the hearts of faithful Christians, faithful Reformers? Yes, it is very much possible.
The condition for salvation is a pure heart. “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8
To have a pure heart is our life’s work. This is our purpose for living on this earth. This is the purpose of our Reformation message, to bring about a pure heart. Yet this is a task that is impossible for man to do alone. No man can change a defiled, corrupted heart. It takes the power of God, a new creation to cleanse our heart from sin. The natural heart always has the tendency to go away from God. It is always seeking opportunities to gratify the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes and ears. It seeks human recognition, praise, and attention; it may perform charitable acts for selfish reasons. It is revengeful, unforgiving, and selfish in all its motives, easily offended.
If there is any good in us, it is wholly attributable to the mercy of a compassionate Saviour. Therefore, to look down on someone else, to despise someone for their weaknesses or failures is a great sin. Paul says, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.” Romans 7:18. Only with Christ living within us and doing His marvelous work in us can we do any good. Should we become proud and look down on others who are not as good as we are, it is a great blindness and the spirit of Satan dwelling in our hearts.
Some Christians have a divided heart, a heart which wants to serve God yet also wants to enjoy this world. This is the greatest deception in our world today; Christ will not enter into a divided heart. A divided heart is the property of Satan. A divided heart pleads for indulgence rather than denial, always seeks an easy way out. In a divided heart, there is no desire for missionary work, no desire for self-sacrifice. The cross is not the center of glory anymore. Yet we may flatter ourselves that our hearts are clean.
“Many are deceived concerning the condition of their hearts. They do not realize that the natural heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. They wrap themselves about with their own righteousness, and are satisfied in reaching their own human standard of character; but how fatally they fail when they do not reach the divine standard, and of themselves they cannot meet the requirements of God.” –Selected Messages, bk. 1, p. 320
As we read in Jeremiah, who can know his own heart? We are often surprised when God reveals characteristics in our own hearts that we thought never existed. In certain circumstances it may be revealed that there was some jealousy left, there was a little root of bitterness, there were still traits of selfishness and self-glory, maybe a revengeful spirit, all while we were thinking that our hearts were pure.
“This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoureth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me.” Matthew 15:8. Although men may speak of God, their hearts are filled with selfish plans. There is love for self in the heart. Love to God and their fellowmen have no place in their hearts. Yet they pray to God and profess to be Christians.
“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” Psalm 66:18. God will not hear the prayers of those who will not put away their sin, whose hearts are not pure.
From a pure heart, nothing but kindness and gentleness can flow. It is an altar upon which God’s love is to burn on. A pure heart can love his enemies, while a divided heart has difficulty loving even his own family members, or brothers and sisters in the church.
Among Christians, two developments are taking place. Some are cleansing their hearts and becoming more faithful, more loving, more generous, and more humble. At the same time, others are becoming more selfish, self-centered, more independent of others, more self-confident. “Look what I am doing, see how good I am.” They are more critical of others, and prouder of themselves. Thinking of themselves as holy, and looking down on others as sinners. “Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou.” Isaiah 65:5
These two classes can be called those who are persecuted and those who are persecuting others. Since 1888, Sister White stated that she had seen the spirit of persecution enter into the church. Persecution starts from a very small root. There are people who work for God, they sacrifice and put out an effort, while others do not join in. There is a great danger that a person becomes dissatisfied with others, thinking himself as good and others bad. This is a sign that their efforts were put forth from selfish motives, and not from genuine love. Their hearts are deceiving themselves that they are doing God’s work.
Religious persecution arises when others do not come up to your standard of goodness, as defined by your deceptive heart. This persecution may not always be done with swords and guns, but with the weapon of the mouth—evil speaking. With one’s countenance—by angry looks, ignoring others, cutting them off from one’s friendship, by neglecting those who we do not like. It may not always be called by its proper name, yet it is the same spirit as was recorded in the Middle Ages, by the persecuting powers, when 50 million martyrs were tortured to death.
To show how far this spirit can lead us, there is a story in Foxe’s Book of Martyrs about a Protestant minister was tortured daily for a month. Every day he was made the subject of derision and mockery, trying to exhaust his patience. They spit in his face, punched him in different parts of his body. They made him run between lines of soldiers, where each one beat him with fists, sticks, and ropes. They hung him upside down until blood poured out of his nose and mouth. Each day the torture was more painful. Next they hung him from his right arm so that it dislocated, and the next day they repeated it with his left arm. Then they placed burning oily papers between his fingers and toes. His flesh was torn apart with red hot pincers, and next they put him on the rack. Then they pulled off the nails of the fingers from one hand, and then from the other hand. Then they cut his ears and his nose. Next they pulled off the nails from his toes. In between he was suspended by ropes, hanging in the air. Then the next day they pulled out all his teeth, followed by pouring hot molten lead upon his fingers and toes. Finally they tightened a band around his head, forcing his eyes out. A month later, finally, mercifully, death relieved his pain.
This was not an isolated case. Millions were tortured and put to death in the most inhumane ways by religious Christians who thought themselves holy, and others as deserving punishment. This is the most Satanic spirit. One person causes misery and sorrow to another person, whether it is done in a small way or on a large scale, yet it is the same spirit. And this all stems from the human heart. From the heart that has been hardened, that it cannot feel, cannot sympathize, cannot forgive—destitute of the Spirit of God.
Sister White writes that our heart is hardened in disobedience and rebellion—by every art of sin or evil habit, frivolous amusement, indulgence of appetite, pride, self-confidence, selfish interests, love of the world, and unbelief. By rejecting rebukes and chastening, it finally becomes hard as stone, that nothing can touch it anymore. “But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” Hebrews 3:13
A pure heart is a faithful heart; there is no false sympathy that causes them to excuse their faults, to allow sin and wrong to fit into it. It keeps the commandments of God from love. Moses had a pure heart when He called out, “Who is on the LORD’s side?” and commanded them to take a sword and put to death all the rebellious people who worshipped the golden calf. Christ had a pure heart, when He said to the woman caught in adultery, “Go and sin no more.”
We need guidance to know in which direction we should go, in the way that God wants to lead us. A pure heart is our best guide. An unclean heart leads us in the wrong direction. Our heart is a battlefield; a terrible war is being waged there between good and evil. And multitudes are falling victims to their own deceitful hearts yet flattering themselves with their own goodness.
The good seed has been sown in the heart, yet often it has produced wild grapes, and bitter fruits. Years ago a tree fell on our property; it was rotten inside, the cause of its fall was the many years of decay that had slowly taken place.
The heart is a garden which needs to be cultivated. What happens if you leave a garden alone, unattended for even a few days? The weeds start to grow, and the good seeds and plants get choked out. Our heart needs cultivating just like a garden needs sunshine, water, and weeding, constant care. God has not left us alone to do the work.
“God is constantly pruning His people, cutting off profuse, spreading branches, that they may bear fruit to His glory, and not produce leaves only. God prunes us with sorrow, with disappointment and affliction, that the outgrowth of strong, perverse traits of character may be weakened and that the better traits may have a chance to develop.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, p. 354
To form gold and silver, the metal is placed in a hot furnace. The hard metal becomes soft and melts so that it can be remolded. So, the human heart is made tender and malleable by trials, through suffering. Read Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, and you will never complain again, instead you will see a purpose in all your afflictions.
Paul said, “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:10
Peter also said, “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1:7
Both Paul and Peter realized the need for a pure heart that is brought about by their trials and afflictions. Their hearts were cleansed. At the same time that pruning takes place, water and sunshine are given to the trees. Through these actions, God is showing His love to us to expel sin from our hearts.
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28. This verse says, “all things.” If your life is hard sometimes, and your burden heavy, think of the glory that will be revealed in you by this light affliction. The pure heart will emerge, a heart that knows how to love, that is full of kindness and gentleness.
“And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 11:19. The entire church will have one heart; this is the picture of perfect unity. The heart of stone will be taken away, and a heart of flesh given to us. A pure heart is always happy, never complains, everything is always well. A pure heart is your passport to heaven. It is a guarantee of eternal happiness.
Sister White wrote that the greatest joy to God is to see hearts purified by His grace in His children. This will also be our greatest joy, to have hearts pure from the pollution of sin, to have the heart of Jesus in us.
Amen.