WHAT'S WRONG HERE!

The heart is deceitful above all things

and beyond cure!

Who can understand it?

Jeremiah 17.10

From within, out of the heart come evil thoughts...;

evils come from within

and make a man unclean.

Mark 7.20-23

Seventy-five years ago, our world was facing chaos and disaster again.

An English paper invited readers to send their answer to this question:

“What's wrong with the world?”

The friend and mentor of C.S. Lewis, George MacDonald, wrote back,

“I am.”

MacDonald took Jeremiah and Jesus seriously!

“I am?”

Seriously?

Me?

Were Jesus and Jeremiah talking about me?

Seriously, now? Are you really serious?

Me.

Deceitful...beyond cure...evil...unclean?

Me?

Yes, Me.

And you, too.

Me, you, and currently a few more than

7,000,000,000 of us.

All of us—

Seriously...!

Do you think we might find someone among these billions

who is not a little short on perfection?

How does this short-coming come about?

Our Bible tells us that Adam fell short of the good things God gave him.

Goodness was, is, and always will be what God gives us.

Goodness is in all our minds today.

But today our goodness is seriously mixed up with these short-comings:

Deceitful...beyond cure...evil...unclean.

With me.

And you.

And the other more than 6, 999,999,998 of us.

All of us fall woefully short of God's good intentions.

So let's change the question:

HOW CAN THE WORLD BECOME RIGHT?

FOUR STEPS:

1. Believe that God will help you and me as we earnestly and honestly seek Him about this matter.
   He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him
   (Jeremiah 17.10; Hebrews 11.6)
2. Pray. Ask God:
   “Search me, O God, and know my heart;
   test me and know my (evil) thoughts.
   See if there is any offensive way in me,
   and lead me in the way everlasting.”
   Psalm 139.23-24

3. Seek and follow the correcting and redirecting leadership of Jesus Christ:
   The wisdom that comes from above is first of all pure;
   then peace-loving...

Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.
James 3.17-18

4.  The difference Christ makes in our life will enable us to make a difference in the lives of those we know and meet.

HOW SIN AND SINNERS

TROUBLE US

Blessed is the one

who does not walk in the way of the wicked,

or stand in the way of sinners,

or sit in the seat of mockers.

Psalm 1.1

“WICKED” “SINNERS” “MOCKERS”

Really?

Do we really think of our family and friends with these names?

Aren't these names reserved for the bad people out there somewhere?

??? “WICKED” “SINNERS” “MOCKERS” ???

When we think and speak of others with these words, what are we really saying about them?

More importantly,

when God uses these words to describe people,

the human race,

you and me,

what is He saying to and about us?

If we are seriously interested in what God is saying about us, in any or each or every word He uses, we can easily do so online at this website:

http://www.blueletterbible.org/index.cfm

Here we would find “Wicked” defined as “trouble,” “troubled,” “troubling,” as in Isaiah 57. 20. 20-21: “The 'wicked' are like the troubled sea...”

“Sinners” are defined as those who “miss the mark,” (and so "mistaken," "misunderstood," “coming up short,” etc.) as in Judges 20.16: “seven hundred select troops...who could sling a stone at a hair and “not miss.”

"Mockers" are seen as those who say critical, condemning, blaming, shaming, cruel things...etc., about one another, as in Pro. 9.8: “...a mocker...will hate you...” and Pro. 14.9: “Fools mock at making amends for sin...”

If we are around troubled, mistaken mockers, we may very well be seriously affected by these people.

Worse, we will become like them in reaction. Just as a smile brings forth smiles, and a frown brings forth frowns, trouble causes trouble, misunderstanding causes misunderstandings, mocking...mockings.

It is the effects of these people on us that Psalm 1.1 is addressing.

It is these effects that Jesus has in mind when He says, “From within, out of the heart of men, come 'evil' thoughts....”  Mark 7.20.

“Evil” here is the internal problems caused by the effects Psalm 1.1 that Jesus is addressing.

It is from these very destructive forces within us that Jesus came to save us:

Jesus came

“to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,

and enable us to serve him without fear

in holiness and righteousness

before him all our days.”

Luke 1:74-75

The Gospel of such a salvation

is the reason

for such a season.