Easter and the Gospel

This past weekend was Easter weekend.  In the Christian calendar we commemorate the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  This is the very essence of the “gospel.”  In our world the gospel has taken on many diverse meanings far afield from what the Scriptures declare the gospel to be. It is well to see it as God has revealed it to us.  Listen to the clear and focused words of Paul to the church at Corinth, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel…how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”  (I Corinthians 15:1-4; emphasis added)

Many see Easter, perhaps, as a symbolic gesture of the hope of new life that the return of spring brings each year to an earth awakening from winter sleep accompanied by new outfits, Easter egg hunts, chocolate bunnies, and family gatherings.  None of these are wrong and each can be enjoyed as occasion permits.  But the essence of Easter scripturally has to do with the gospel, which quite literally means “good news.” 

How then do the death of Christ and his resurrection translate into this good news?  There are those that would conclude that his life marked an example of virtue and goodness culminating in a tragic and unfortunate death.  It is true – his death was grossly unjust and his life was clearly a pattern to follow.  But that does not speak to the real reason he died.  Christ himself claimed that he came “to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)

His death then was a payment, i.e. a ransom.  Returning to Paul’s words, Christ “died for our sins.”  That is, he paid for our sins, a debt that we could not pay.  Who required this payment?  God, the Father, declares “all souls are mine…the soul that sins, it shall die.”  (Ezekiel 4:4)  Yet God Himself provided the payment by sending His Son and making “his soul an offering for sin.”  (Isaiah 53:11)

But that was not the end.  The Scriptures affirm as Paul related above that Christ “rose again.”  His resurrection declared that God “accepted” his sacrifice.  Again, as Paul confirmed to the believers in Rome, Jesus Christ was “declared to be the Son of God…by the resurrection from the dead.” (Romans 1:4)  Christ as God’s Son was perfect and sinless.  Accordingly, he did not deserve to die and, consequently, the grave could not hold him.  Sin’s payment was made and the payment was accepted.  That is good news, indeed!  Believers are those who’ve come to rest in this payment on their behalf. As we mark the passing of Easter in whatever way we choose, let us take time to reflect on its scriptural ties and the essence of the gospel – God’s good news for times like these.

God, Our Creator, Benefactor, and Savior

Nothing we own really belongs to us. The Scriptures teach “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof; the world and they that dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1). Reflect for a moment on the sweeping implications of that truth. The ores and all minerals belong to the Lord and everything resulting from their development.  All the forests, crops, and even the gardens’ produce are his. Everything that comes from the sea and sky he owns. The “fullness thereof” contemplates much more than we readily give thought to.

The Lord claims much more than the world around us and its goods as his own. Even “they that dwell therein” belong to him. At the risk of being obvious, it includes each of us. Life, yours and mine, comes from God. “Children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward” (Psalm 127:3). Isaiah, the prophet, instructs that God “giveth breath to the people upon it [earth] and spirit to them that walk therein ” (Isaiah 42:5).

To the point, we own nothing. But we owe God everything. He is both Creator and Provider. We live in a state of dependent stewardship.  The Lord endows and enables. We work but the rewards, whether little or much, are from him. 

Job is a well-known historical figure whose trials are reported in the Old Testament.  He suffered greatly at the hands of Satan who destroyed his wealth and his family.  Even so, he understood and acknowledged the Lord as both his Sovereign and Benefactor. “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21).

We are here on this earth by God’s doing and for his purpose. That includes you, your family members, your neighbors, your employer, everyone. What then is a right response to that truth? At the very least we should give thanks to God unceasingly. If you have life, God gave it to you. If you have a family, God gave it to you. If you have a job, God gave it to you. If you have your health, God gave it to you. God indeed owns all things and all people and he shall bring all men into account for their response to that truth.

The correct response goes beyond gratitude.  The Scriptures teach us “thou [God] hast created all things and for thy pleasure they were and are created” (Revelation 4:11). How does God receive pleasure from his creation? His pleasure lies in receiving the glory due unto his name. The Psalmist declares “Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name…worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear before him all the earth” (Psalm 96:8-9).

God deserves and demands a fitting worship from those he has created. However, he is holy and we are not. Our sin prevents a worship that is pleasing to him. But even in this matter, our Benefactor has provided.  He has given his Son, Jesus, as an offering for our sin that we might enjoy him as he intended. 

We owe God everything, even the payment due because of our sin. It is a debt we cannot pay, but the blood of Christ has paid it all. Accept his offering for your sin. Then he will not only be your Creator and Provider, but your Savior, as well. 

Exhort One Another

The writer of Hebrews admonishes his audience “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 today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:12-13). The emphatic challenge of the author is to continue in the faith. One of the earmarks of Christianity is persistence in obeying the truth. A believer may stumble and fall into sin, but a genuine disciple of Christ does not continue in that place of disobedience.  

The author reminds us that sin is deceitful. It will invite us to believe things that are not true and, consequently, to pursue a path that is not right nor pleasing to God. And this baiting is so subtle as to be beyond our discerning. Paul wrote to the Corinthian church in a similar vein when he reminded them that “Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). Temptation to sin never parades itself before us with flashing red lights, but with soft, warm glows. But the reality is that sin will take us farther than we want to go, keep us longer than we want to stay, and cost us more than we want to pay.

In light of sin’s deceitful character, we are warned to take heed. The prophet, Jeremiah, testifies that our own heart is “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). Hence, we are even more at risk to depart from the living God through unbelief seeing that the temptation to sin is made all the more winsome because of our own sinful heart. If we are to persevere in our faith, we must nurture its spiritual well-being.

An integral part of that nurturing according to our text is fellowshipping with other believers in a way that permits and promotes exhorting one another. God has created the church, the body of Christ, to grow through communal participation. Paul writes to the church at Ephesus, “but speaking the truth in love, [we] may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: from whom the whole body fitly and joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:15-16; emphasis added). 

Believers who assert that they do not need to go to church to be a good Christian have missed completely one vital and scriptural truth pertaining to the body of Christ. We need one another in order to grow and become more like Jesus! In the very spirit of persevering faith, this same author writes “let us hold fast the profession of our faith…not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:23, 25).

Are you faithful in participating in corporate worship at your local church with your brothers and sisters in Christ? They need you to be involved and the Lord expects it.

The Poor in Spirit

Both Matthew and Luke record what is popularly referred to as the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount. His teaching on this occasion was for the benefit of his disciples, those who had committed to following him expressly. “And seeing the multitudes, he [Jesus] went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: and he opened his mouth, and taught them” (Matthew 5:1-2; emphasis added).

He began with a series of blessings, the Beatitudes, which belong to those who have embraced and adopted his teachings. The eternal character of his words are evident as seen from the very first of these blessings. “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). The poor in spirit are those who acknowledge their own spiritual bankruptcy before a holy and eternal God.

It is not surprising that Jesus began focusing on the poor in spirit, for the way to know God begins with humility. We must see ourselves as God knows us to be, sinners deserving His wrath. Since Adam disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, man has turned his back on his Creator. We live as though we do not need God, as though God is not there at all. But he is. The Scriptures remind us that “in him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28).

It is this spirit of independence, this willful pride that denies God his due. Our pride sets us in opposition to God. Yet James wrote, “God resisteth the proud” (James 4:6) and Solomon admonished that a “proud look” is “an abomination” to the LORD (Proverbs 6:16-17). Consequently, no man can come to God without acknowledging his own unworthiness to stand before God. Knowing God begins there.

James urged his audience “cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded…humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up” (James 4:8,10). When we humble ourselves before this great and marvelous God, he extends his infinite grace unto us. “Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones” (Isaiah 57:15).

Jesus taught that the kingdom of heaven belonged to those who were poor in spirit. Its citizens are characterized by humility. There are no proud people in heaven. No one will be there who believes they deserve to be there. Those who are poor in spirit know that they are unworthy and that it is only by God’s grace they can enjoy his presence. Isaiah reminds us, “Thus saith the LORD, the heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool…but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word” (Isaiah 66:2). The way to the God who inhabits eternity begins with humbling oneself. There can be no other way.

Admonitions for Those Who Are and Would Be Rich

The Apostle Paul closed his first letter to Timothy with an admonition for those among us who we might categorize as wealthy. “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate [share]; laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life” (I Timothy 6:17-19). This brief warning is filled with its own “riches”, not only for the wealthy, but for those who would aspire to be so. Let’s unpack a few of Paul’s inspired insights.

At the outset, he warns those that are rich against two things, a high-minded attitude and a misplaced trust in uncertain riches. High-minded in this context means proud. Someone has well stated that wealth invites us to think that we ourselves are more because we have more! Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, it can be asserted with confidence that wealth does not make the man, but it does reveal what kind of man he is. Paul also reminds the wealthy that riches are fleeting and, consequently, not to be trusted. Anyone who tracks the stock market as a barometer of their wealth knows this. Further, the ebbs and flows of life give riches “wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven” (Proverbs 23:5). One day the bank account is full and the next day an unplanned car repair or an unexpected trip to the hospital empties it. Truly, riches are uncertain.

How much better to trust in the “living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy”! After all, the Scriptures teach that “every good gift cometh down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17). God has obligated himself to care for his child. He will not neglect us. He is too good to be unkind and too wise to make a mistake.

Paul lists some evidences or practices that would testify that one’s trust is in the living God. The first is that those who trust in God do good. Wealth is not a license for self-indulgence, but an opportunity to minister to others in their need. Here the emphasis is not on accumulating and consuming the uncertain riches of this life. Rather, the focus centers on being rich in good works, a new way to measure our wealth. The godly view to incorporate into our thinking is written by Paul in his letter to the Philippians. “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others” (Philippians 2:4). Integral to this mindset, is the concept of generosity, being ready to distribute. What is meant by this phrase is not the amount, but the heart attitude behind the aid ministered. There is a spirit of charity that wants to help. The end result is that he is willing to communicate. He gives whether it be time, energy, wealth.

By following this pattern, the rich man lays up in store a good foundation against the time to come. Christ likewise exhorted his followers to “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust doth not corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:19-21). Where are your riches?

The God of All Flesh…

In the latter days of Zedekiah, King of Judah, the armies of Babylon had besieged Jerusalem and were on the threshold of overtaking the city. Jeremiah, the prophet, had warned the inhabitants of Jerusalem and their leaders that God had delivered his people into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, because they broke his covenant and that they would soon be carried into captivity. For this message, Jeremiah had been “shut up in the court of the prison, which was in the king of Judah’s house” (Jeremiah 32:2).

While he was in prison, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah saying, “Behold, Hanameel the son of Shallum thine uncle shall come unto thee, saying, Buy thee my field that is in Anatoth: for the right of redemption is thine to buy it” (Jeremiah 32:6-7). It came about according to God’s word that Hanameel came to Jeremiah with the offer and Jeremiah “gave the evidence of the purchase to Baruch…in the sight of Hanameel…and in the presence of the witnesses that subscribed the book of the purchase, before all the Jews that sat in the court of the prison” (Jeremiah 32:12). God then instructed Jeremiah to take the evidences of the purchase and “put them in an earthen vessel, that they may continue many days. For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land” (Jeremiah 32:14-15).

What a scene that must have been and what a promise to lay hold on! The city and its inhabitants are facing imminent destruction from the armies of Nebuchadnezzar following a lengthy siege that left the city impoverished. God himself was the Author of this invasion even as Jeremiah proclaimed. And now, Jeremiah is in prison without the prospect of release. Yet God tells him to buy land from his relative as a testimony that the city will once again be restored and experience the normal course of business.

After purchasing the land as instructed, Jeremiah presents his quandary to the LORD. “The mounts…are come unto the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans, that fight against it, because of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence: and what thou hast spoken is come to pass; and, behold, thou seest it. And thou has said unto me…buy thee the field for money, and take witnesses; for the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans” (Jeremiah 32:24-25).

Jeremiah simply admits that he does not understand how the city shall once again prosper given its present circumstances. In light of Jeremiah’s question, God answers with a question of his own. “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32:27). He tells Jeremiah that the Chaldeans shall indeed fight against the city and burn it down because of the sins of his people and their idolatry. But he is faithful to his covenant promising “I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell in safety: and they shall by my people, and I will be their God” (Jeremiah 32:37-38).

Child of God, what circumstances are you facing now that seem unlikely to have a favorable outcome of any kind? Take God at his own challenge. “Is there anything too hard for me?” He testified to his people in captivity “I the LORD build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the LORD have spoken it, and I will do it” (Ezekiel 36:36). Put your trust in him and let him see you through your challenges.

He Controls Human History

In 605 B.C. Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar became the dominant world empire. That is how the history books record it. God, however, pulls back the veil and tells the real story to the prophet, Jeremiah. “Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel…I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me. And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him. And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son’s son, until the time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him” (Jeremiah 27:4-7). 

The circumstance at the time of this message to Jeremiah involved the nation of Israel or, more precisely, the southern kingdom of Judah. (Israel had been divided into two nations, Israel and Judah, after Solomon’s demise. The northern kingdom, Israel, was overcome by Assyria and carried away captive in 722 B.C.) Judah had not lived up to the covenant made with God at Sinai under Moses. God through Jeremiah warned that if the people did not repent and obey his voice, he would send them into captivity. God would use this captivity to teach his people about their God. God chose to use Babylon to execute this captivity and this was accomplished in three deportations from 605 B.C. to 586 B.C.  

The Scriptures are clear that “the earth is the LORD’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1). Consequently, God accomplishes his purposes in human history for his own glory. Thus, he elevated Babylon and used Nebuchadnezzar, whom he called “my servant”, to accomplish his purpose in Israel. Daniel reminds us “he [God] removeth kings, and setteth up kings” (Daniel 2:21). Later, Daniel reminds this same Nebuchadnezzar “the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men” (Daniel 4:17). Think of our current slate of world leaders, Putin, Biden, Trudeau, etc. For example, in our country we would say the president was elected by the people and this is true. But God would have us understand that the president we currently have is in office by the appointment of God.

We see human history only from our limited viewpoint. We must understand that God is the author of every page in the history book. He is directing the events on this world’s stage to accomplish his purpose. We can be assured of that. He is never surprised or caught off guard by those things that occur. The Scriptures attest that he “worketh all things after the counsel of his own will” (Ephesians 1:11). “All things” means all things. Elections, uprisings, wars, climate change, life, death, and whatever else one might consider are woven together to bring about his great plan for the ages. Nothing will alter that.

The Psalmist found comfort in the nearness of this great God when troubled times came. He learned by experience that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble. Therefore, will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea” (Psalm 46:1-2). No matter how cataclysmic the matter at hand be, God is present and God is greater. Where do you find your help in troubled times?

Abandon Your Own Plans

The Northern Kingdom, Israel, was overcome by the Assyrians in 722 B.C. and many of its people were carried away captive at that time. (Israel was divided into two kingdoms, Israel and Judah, after the reign of Solomon over 200 years earlier.) Known for their fierceness, the Assyrian armies had defeated many nations and, had grown into the dominant world power of that time. Once they defeated Israel, the Assyrians pushed their way into Judah and were threatening to do to them as they had done to Israel.

Many of the Jews were now looking to Egypt for deliverance, either by fleeing there or by hiring the Egyptian army as protection. God sent his prophet, Isaiah, to warn the people not to follow that plan. “Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD…now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit” (Isaiah 31:1,3).

In spite of this warning, Judah continued to seek Egypt as its protector. God again warned his people through his prophet. “Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add to their sin: that walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt…for the Egyptians shall help in vain, and to no purpose: therefore, have I cried concerning this, their [Judah’s] strength is to sit still” (Isaiah 30:1-2, 7).

The fault of Judah was their failure to seek God’s wisdom and trust in his power. They devised their own scheme and relied on their own wisdom to provide deliverance from their overwhelming circumstances. We are guilty of the same fault when we behave very much the same way in the face of our difficulties. We do not look to God nor trust him to guide and provide. Solomon’s wisdom remains profitable to this day. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6; emphasis added).

We would rather trust our own faulty and unreliable judgement rather than rest in the unfailing wisdom of an all-knowing and all-powerful heavenly Father. How foolish! We would do well to heed Isaiah’s admonition to those in Judah. “For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; in returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength” (Isaiah 30:15). God invited his children to return from their own schemes and rest in him for their deliverance. When we rest in God, we do not contemplate a “plan B”. Rather, there is a stillness to our disposition and a confidence in the course provided because it is a path provided by our God who is unfailingly good and sovereign in all his ways.

Dear believer, perhaps, you are in the midst of challenging circumstances today. Your heavenly Father knows and is “a very present help in time of trouble” (Psalm 46:1). In light of that truth, the Psalmist offers God’s invitation, “be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).

I Will Have Mercy

When Levi (Matthew) began to follow Jesus, the Scriptures record that he “made him [Jesus] a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them. But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?” (Luke 5:29-30). Matthew, being a publican himself, had come to recently know the grace of God in Christ Jesus, and wanted his friends and fellow publicans to know that same grace likewise.

But the scribes and Pharisees were self-righteous and were loath to associate with such folk as those who attended the feast. Consequently, they found fault with our Lord and his disciples in such a social wrongdoing. In their minds, attending this gathering put our Savior in the same lowly standing at those wretched publicans.

The Lord backhandedly rebuked these high minded hypocrites by simply reminding them that “They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:31-32). Those who owned their sin and recognized their need, he would deliver. But he could do nothing for those who were righteous in their own eyes.

But the Lord gave them something else to bring focus to their condition that they might see their own need. Matthew (the same Matthew of this story) recorded this additional instruction from our Lord in his gospel account of this event. He referred them to the prophecy of Hosea and told them “But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice” (Matthew 9:13). These religious leaders had missed God’s standard for righteousness just as those had in Hosea’s day.

Hosea confronted a people who were in part blinded to their sin by their practice of religious ceremony. They offered the required sacrifices, but there was no changed life to accompany their worship. Hosea confronted them for their sins, not their sacrifices. God surely deserves worship for he is a great King (Malachi 1:14). But worship that does not come from a life lived daily in the presence of God is rejected and despised in the Lord’s eyes.

The Pharisees in Christ’s day were the same. They took pride in their adherence to the minor elements of the law, yet completely ignored the more substantive matters. They were wrapped up in themselves and had no regard for the great needs of their Jewish brethren. As our Lord declared, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgement, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone” (Matthew 23:23).

Micah spoke to the same issue in his time. “Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old…He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God” (Micah 6:6,8). May we do just that!

Pushed Along by Our Feelings or Led by the Spirit

We have all been in that place where our reactions to our circumstances got the better of us and we said or did things that we regretted later. The Scriptures remind us “He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding; but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly” (Proverbs 14:29). To be hasty of spirit is to be driven along by our emotions, our feelings, much like the wind moves a sailboat. These feelings propel us quickly to an undesired port, one that we would not desire had we given any thought to our actions. The result is folly, which is behavior characteristic of a fool.  

On the other hand, one who is slow to wrath understands the dangers of premature (hasty) and misguided reactions. Controlling our spirit is greatly commended in the Bible. “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city” (Proverbs 16:32). This kind of self-control takes a strength that Scripture compares to armies in warfare. In essence, it is easier to overcome a host of external foes than the enemy that rules and reigns within.

In a practical sense, the imperative to not react hastily and unwisely requires that we somehow manage to stay calm and quiet. This requires not merely the training of our emotions, but also that we overcome them and subdue them. The benefits are clear. Solomon writes “The heart of the righteous studieth to answer, but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things” (Proverbs 15:28). The unguarded reactions of those governed and propelled by their emotions pour out of their mouths as unstoppable tidal waves of hurt. But the righteous are controlled and seek a response fitting to the occasion.

There is no power within ourselves naturally that is at our disposal to control our emotions and not yielding to a hasty spirit. James reminds us that “the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:8). The problem lies with our wicked heart, the seat of our emotions. Christ taught “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things” (Matthew 12:34-35).

The good man is able to bring forth good fruit because he has been made new by the blood of Christ. He has been given a new heart through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation; old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). A man cannot control his own heart until he gives it to Jesus Christ. Jesus taught “he that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). Instead of spewing forth the violent waves of anger and wrath, blessings of peace and gentleness shall flow out of our lives to those in our circles of activity. Who controls your heart?