Ephesians overview – 3:14-19, part 42: Inner man; the good heart.

Thursday May 28, 2020

 

Jesus’ words are like what might be the mysterious utterance of a being beyond man, from another world, walking alive among men.

 

LUK 6:39-45

And He also spoke a parable to them: "A blind man cannot guide a blind man, can he? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40 "A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher [Christ and the Holy Spirit]. 41 "And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 42 "Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye. “For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit; nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit. 44 For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush. 45 The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.”

 

Then, in the heart there must be good treasure (vs. 45).

 

Though we are growing in grace and knowledge, which is transforming our hearts to more good, never forget that you were given a divine nature, and the righteousness of God at salvation, being made brand new creatures, being made sons and daughters of the Father. At salvation we were made branches united to the vine which is Jesus Christ. We have to be made the good tree by God and then can we produce fruit.

 

Jesus is instructing the way of the disciple.

 

LUK 12:34

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

 

Good treasure or bad are the options that the Lord lays down.

 

We have cleansed hearts at salvation so that we can draw near to God and have them transformed to wisdom, insight, and life.

 

HEB 10:19-22

Since therefore, brethren, we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

 

The only real cleansing agent in the Bible, as opposed to ritual cleansing, is the blood of Christ. Since our hearts have been made clean, giving us confidence before our Father (full assurance), let us draw near to our Father. We draw near by doing His will, trusting Him, walking with the Holy Spirit, and all with joy and peace, knowing we are sons.

 

Therefore, there is the heart made clean at salvation, which opens it up to the knowledge, wisdom, and insight into God’s life. We can imagine a heart clean but not yet wise and a mature heart clean and wise. The cleansing has to come first, and it did by the love of God in the sacrifice of Christ. The wisdom comes second, and that it also by the love of God, leading us in grace, patiently instructing, correcting, reproving, and training.

 

The heart must possess good treasure. The log must be the self-life, the old man, the one whom Christ crucified on the cross.

 

The faith that a man must put in God reaches above earth and sky. It stretches beyond the farthest outlying star in the universe. The question is not at present, however, of removing mountains, a thing that will one day be simple for us, but of waking and rising from the dead now.

 

Paul wrote, “Awake sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” (EPH 5:14)

 

EPH 5:14-15

"Awake, sleeper,

And arise from the dead,

And Christ will shine on you."

 

15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise,

 

This happened at salvation for every believer through faith in Christ, and every moment after that is discovering what it is to be awake to the life of Christ through God’s word and the Holy Spirit.

 

From birth, every man’s self has control of his will. The child sees the thing he wants and immediately reaches for it. The self and the will seamlessly work together. And then, in a moment, Christ kills the self and gives the man a new self. This new self is designed to function under God’s will. Will the old man take this lying down? Not for a second.

 

Paul wrote, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” When the flesh is told that its influence is over, that it is dead and past, that it has been banished to the outer darkness, verily it will fight back. And so Paul writes in the same passage, “The flesh sets its desire against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh.”

 

We must understand that the old man (or old woman), the flesh, no longer has a say over our will. We must separate them, banish the flesh away from the will to a desert island prison. When the flesh flexes its passion and desire, our will must say no to it, knowing that it not longer has right of regency over us. The will turns to the Father and the new self is strengthened and more of it is alive or active in us.