“Their Heart is Far from Me”

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Matthew 6:21

The Greek word translated “treasure” here is defined as wealth or deposit.

WHERE is YOUR treasure? Where is your money deposited? Where are you pouring or putting your money?

If you are not putting or depositing your monies into God’s kingdom, you are in rebellion. Jesus commands:

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: ²⁰ But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: ²¹ For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Matthew 6:19-21

The truth is, that if your money is not saved, it’s possible that you aren’t. “No man can serve two masters.” (Matthew 6:24)  If you will check exactly what you are spending money on, you will see exactly where your heart is. Jesus had many severe things to say about stewardship.

Where ever you have chosen to deposit your treasure, that’s exactly “WHERE” your heart is according to the Son of God.

Until one gets real – gets honest before the Almighty who sees all – he cannot be blessed by God and will remain separated from Him (Luke 8:15; James 4:1-11). God cannot be mocked (Galatians 6:7-8).

The sword of divine truth, Word of God, divides people into two groups – 1. Those who repent, believe, and obey it and, 2. Those who refuse to repent and believe and therefore reject God’s offer of salvation in Christ alone (Matthew 10:34).

Stubbornness is iniquity and the idolatry of sinful self.

“For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” 1 Samuel 15:23

God is rejecting those who refuse to obey His Word – whether it feels good or not!

“They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.” Titus 1:16

Consider that though we live in the richest nation in all of human history, the vast majority of those who claim to be Christ’s are lost, hell bound Laodiceans, including most of those reading these very words right this moment. EVERY single person in the western world is what Jesus calls rich with material and financial goods. Like those Christ addressed in Laodicea who claimed to be saved, most who claim to be saved today are lukewarm and not ready to meet Christ (Revelation 3:14-21).

Here’s Jesus Christ’s message to you:

“And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; ¹⁵ I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. ¹⁶ So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. ¹⁷ Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: ¹⁸ I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. ¹⁹ As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. ²⁰ (Speaking to those who claim to know Him, Jesus says) Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. ²¹ To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” Revelation 3:14-21

The LORD loves all false professors whose fruit screams that they do not know Him. He is rebuking them at this very instant so they will enter eternal glory, because He loves them.  Yet, most will refuse to hear and repent.

“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” Revelation 3:19

Most reading these words are no different than those rebels “people of God” in the days of Ezekiel the prophet who refused to literally obey God. Listen to this:

“And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.” Ezekiel 33:11

The Very Enemies of God while Claiming to be Saved

Most who claim to know God have all the wherewithal, forethought, desire, and energy to pre-plan to sign up for, to pay for, and to buy things that are nowhere near being basic necessities of life (Matthew 6:25-34). After all, they MUST have that new kitchen, new renovated bathroom or patio, new car, new and larger home to waste more money on in using more electricity, etc. They MUST have that vacation. They MUST have all these frivolous things, right? Wrong! No, there heart is far from Jesus and that’s why they are just like the sinful, back slidden people in Laodicea who where “rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” (Revelation 3:17)

All this makes one wonder if those who claim to know Jesus ever read His Word. This is astounding blindness and blatant disobedience. Unfathomable!

Covet, Covet, Covet …. enough is never enough!

“Thou shalt not covet.” Exodus 20:17

Most who claim to be Jesus’ are full of sin and unrepentant. They are full of love for this world and the very enemies of God who says: “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” (James 4:4)

Some are Walking in Rebellion

If you say with your lips that you are saved, put your money WHERE your mouth is OR PLEASE, I beg you, stop giving Jesus Christ – the One who gave all to save you – a bad name! You are using the name of the LORD in vain which God forbids.

“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” Exodus 20:7

Litmus Test as to Whether or Not You are Truly Saved

“We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. ¹⁵ Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.¹⁶ Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. ¹⁷ But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? ¹⁸ My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” 1 John 3:14-18

Is it my fault that the fruit of your life clearly says that you are not saved?

You have little or nothing to give to God’s people or work and WHY NOT? – It’s simple: You have chosen to mortgage yourself to the hilt with unnecessary things in this fleeting life, all to make yourself more comfortable in this fleeting, sinful world that God told you not to love or you will not enter Heaven (James 4:4; 1 John 2:15). EVERYthing is more important to you than Jesus, yet you claim to be His. But there’s no fruit / evidence to prove it. You have all the time, money, wherewithal, and otherwise to serve your true god – you. This is why there is no room for Christ in your heart and therefore nothing to give to those in need or worth ministry works.

WHY is your heart backslidden perpetually? Why are you not on fire for Jesus, burning with pure love for His and active about His work? It’s simple: Your wicked heart is following your treasure into the sinful world. That’s how things work:

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Matthew 6:21

Note that Jesus did not say “Where your heart is there will your treasure be.” No. He says “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

If you will truly repent at once and begin putting your treasure in the things of God’s kingdom, He will cause your heart affections to follow and you will be healed from your backsliding ways. Otherwise, you remain in darkness.

To repent means to turn your whole life over to the LORD without reserve –  to lay it all down at His feet. Only then will He open your eyes to see this kingdom truth (2 Corinthians 3:14-16; Revelation 3:18-19). Otherwise, you will remain in darkness and hell bound. You will not enter His holy Heaven on YOUR terms.

Posers, Actors

GOD DOES NOT LOOK AT THINGS LIKE MAN DOES. Have YOU ever sinned? Yes. We ALL have (Rom 3). Self-righteousness is damnable – Matt 21:31

“Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.” Matthew 21:31

The problem is that your heart is not given to Christ, only your lip service. You are full of self having rejected the only Savior. To the hypocrites (ACTORS, posers) of His day, the unchanging Jesus Christ said:

“Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, ⁸ This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. ⁹ But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Matthew 15:7-9

The Greek word for “hypocrites” here that Jesus uses is hupkrites which is defined as: actor, assumed character, dissembler.

Let’s consider this revealing definition in light of the words of Jesus is this verse:

“He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.” Matthew 12:30

Are you gathering others to Jesus? Or, are you a dissembler or one who is scattering others away from Christ?

Are your treasures being used to win souls and to nurture and feed those who are already Jesus’?

If not, you are scattering abroad.

Is it time to get before God in private? If you hesitate, you will not do it.

You will know when you have truly repented and gotten right with God when all that is in your possession becomes HIS. If all that you have in your possession is not all HIS, you are still outside of His kingdom.

“And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. ⁷ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸ Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:” Matthew 3:6-8

To “Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance” means to produce the evidence that you have truly turn your life over to the LORD. Without exception, repentance is always followed up with works that clearly testify of a new life.  Fruit that is the manifest token that you are a new creature in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17-18).

Losing Our Lives is a Must to be Saved in the End | From Trinkets to Trusting the King| Filthy Rich | “Depart in Peace, be ye Warmed and Filled”

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Feedback:

Question Received:

“If someone loves God, prays, reads the Bible, wants nothing to do with worldly entertainment, loves the truth even when it hurts, but still struggles with a sin, is that person a hypocrite and a liar?  I have a few people that say things like that. They say that if someone is struggling with a sin that they really aren’t saved, being saved, born again. However you want to say it. Or they say that if you struggle with sin you don’t love God. I don’t get that at all, because isn’t the spirit at war with the flesh? I don’t know… It’s confusing!” Misty L.

Response:

The Bible speaks of us “striving against sin” (Hebrews 12:4) and that “the flesh lusteth (strives) against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh (Galatians 5:17-18) and so we know that is a war going on in our members.  The daily cross is to crucify that old man and his sinful deeds and as we do we are raised up by the Holy Ghost in His victory (Romans 6; 8:12-14, etc.) … we are to “fight the good fight of faith” and yet at times we fail but that doesn’t mean we are hypocrites (1 Timothy 6:12) In fact, as long as we are fighting – learning to live the crucified life – we manifest that we are Christ’s. Peter sinned against Christ in the worst way and Jesus did tell him to “get thee behind me Satan” but didn’t call him a hypocrite as He often called the religious posers, actors, the pharisees (Matthew 23). When Jesus foretold Peter that he would deny Christ three times, the Son of God then told him that He would pray for him to be restored (Luke 22:31-32). Again, Jesus never called His disciples hypocrites though He had much opportunity to do so. Furthermore, Paul speaks of those believers who are “weak” in Romans 14-15.

We certainly are commanded to “Be ye holy as I am holy” and to “cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit” and to perfect “holiness in the fear of God.” (1 Peter 1:15-16; 2 Corinthians 7:1) This is accomplished by our submission to the LORD daily – presenting our bodies a living sacrifice – and the power of the Holy Spirit, raising us up in His holiness to bear fruit to the LORD glory (Romans 1:4; 6:1-23; 8:1-14; 12:1, etc.).

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“I am trying to sign up for your newsletter so that it can come straight to my inbox! I absolutely love what you are doing and it has truly made me take another look at my actions, words, and thoughts. I cannot thank you enough for doing what it is that God has placed on your heart and I truly admire you for it. I just read the post about being actors in the whole Christian thing and it made me want to take a look at my income and where I am spending my money. I have a mint.com account and it basically charts all of my expenses for me and I realized that my money goes to food, gas, doctors appointments, medical bills, medication, and only 10% goes to God. I rarely ever give more than my 10% when it is time to give at church and I think I need to take another look at this. Honestly, what good can I expect to come out of my giving if I only give 10% of my income to God? My head must not be on straight. I am going to up my percentage and take a look back in a few months to see if my expenses start to pan out in a different way. Meaning that if I give more of my income to God then hopefully I won’t need as many doctor’s visits, special foods, and medications. This is only a test I am going to do and I have full faith that when I take a look back it will all make sense! I thank you for bringing up this very necessary topic for I needed to hear it immensely.” Kim

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