EVIL HEARTS: CAUSE FOR CURSE & REMOVAL OF CURSE

MF Blume
February 7, 2016

Gen 6:5-7 KJV And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (6) And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. (7) And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

Gen 8:20-21 KJV And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. (21) And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

These scriptures refer to CURSINGS from the Lord.

God cursed the entire earth when Adam sinned.

He then cursed the entire earth with a flood in Noah's day.
But something very interesting is mentioned in Noah's day.
God says something was the cause of the curse of the flood BEFORE the flood occurred and the SAME THING was
mentioned as cause to NEVER CURSE ALL EARTH AT ONCE AGAIN after the flood.
That something was man's heart.
Gen 6:5 KJV And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

And the flood occurred because OF THAT.

Gen 8:21 ... I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth;

Instead of the earth being filled with corruption because of man's heart being continually evil and destroying the earth because of it, God said he'd never curse
the ground any more for man's sake BECAUSE his heart is evil continually.

It's as if there are two sides to the same problem with men.

If you look at it from a JUDICIAL standpoint -- purely thinking only of what is right and wrong -- since man's heart is evil continually, then wipe them all out.

But the reason God said this state of his heart was why He would NOT curse the earth any more is due to a DIFFERENT STANDPOINT.

Since man is evil from his youth up, and born in sin, man cannot help but sin continually.

What good is cursing the earth for man's sake if man cannot do anything but be corrupt since he put himself into this state of sinfulness in his heart?

This second STANDPOINT is called GRACE.

Thew first time GRACE is ever mentioned in the bible is in this story at this verse:

Gen 6:8 KJV But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

And what is so powerful about this story and the thought of grace is that we see the very two major COVENANTS about which the entire bible circles.

LAW AND NEW TESTAMENT GRACE.

The action of cursing the earth with a flood due to man;'s evil heart, which came from the standpoint of simply considering man;s actions as right or wrong, represents THE ENTIRE CONCEPT OF LAW.

It's the entire basis for the Old COVENANT God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai.
It does not consider the fact that man's evil heart from his youth up means man can never stop committing sin on his own.
It only thinks of the evil from his youth up in terms of sins that need to be punished.
It does not even consider whether one will ever be able to stop committing those sins through forcing a law upon man to do so.
It only sees sins, and says they cannot go unpunished.

But to take the same reason for wiping man out, and using it to say He would never more curse man, is to speak from an entirely different standpoint of GRACE.

Think of this: GRACE caused God to save Noah from the curse.
But when Noah made sacrifice, it caused God to save ALL HUMANITY FROM THE CURSE!
He lifted the curse from the earth to a degree.

Gen 8:21 KJV And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

When he said ANY MORE, it was like saying he would even deal with the curse he implemented in Adam's day.

The earth seemed to become more fruitful at this point.
Maybe that is why God told Noah the same thing he told Adam before the curse of Adam -- be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth, in Gen 9:1.

There are two ways of looking at man's continual evil heart of sin.

First, see how much punishment man needs for all his sins.
Secondly, instead, realize man cannot help himself and punishment is useless.

Gen 8:21 KJV And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the
imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

GOD SAID IN HIS HEART.

Gen 6:6 KJV And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

IT GRIEVED GOD IN HIS HEART.

God's heart was affected both times.
But there is one thing that made in a difference with even God, Himself.
Something was involved in the second statement regarding man's wickedness that was not involved in the first.
A SACRIFICE.

And of course all sacrifices in the bible point to the greatest sacrifice of them all by Jesus Christ who died in sacrificial death for OUR SINS.

And when you realize he died FOR OUR SINS, you can see how the sacrifice of Noah caused God to speak about man's wickedness in a MERCIFUL WAY.
Jesus' New Testament Sacrifice for sins of all the world is a means of dealing with man's wicked heart in a way the old testament never could.
The curse of the flood represents LAW.

Gal 3:9-12 KJV So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. (10) For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. (11) But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. (12) And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.

BLESSING and CURSING are two opposite things.

Law was only concerned with what verse 12 says: DOING WHAT THE LAW SAID.
If you do not continue to be able to DO what law commanded you to do, then YOU ARE CURSED.
It is only concerned with what you DO or do NOT DO.

Gal 3:13-14 KJV Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: (14) That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

But Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the law.

He died in sacrifice as a CURSE IN OUR PLACES.

SACRIFICE is what Noah offered to cause God to think about our evil hearts in a totally different light than what ACTIONS they did.

He looked beyond OUR FAULT AND SAW OUR NEED.
He went past what man DOES or DOES NOT DO.
He went to the ROOT, which is the heart.
When you hear a statement that the imaginations of our hearts are evil from our youth up, you can think like the LAW and only concentrate upon the EVIL IMAGINATIONS FROM THE HEART, what the heart PRODUCES, or or think of GRACE and concentrate upon THE HEART ITSELF.

You can look at the actions and count how many are evil, or else stop and realize the heart is evil to begin with, so no matter how many actions you punish, that heart is still going to produce more evil actions.

God would have to curse the world forever over and over again, if he only looked at the ACTIONS of the heart.
But to look at the heart itself is different.

John 3:17 KJV For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Law already condemned man, and Jesus did not come to condemn.
The curse in the Garden condemned.
The flood of Noah's day condemned.
But the sacrifice of Noah's day took
man's wicked heart into consideration and FORGAVE.

2Co 3:9 KJV For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.

Law was ministration of condemnation.

Jesus came not to condemn and do what law had already been doing.
The New Testament is not about rules that condemn because no one is able to fully keep them anyway.
It's not about the actions.
The actions are the faults.

But THE NEED IS THE HEART ITSELF that is wicked.

IT NEEDS A CHANGE.

The New Testament is not about obeying rules like TOO MANY PEOPLE THINK.

It is not about changing your actions by rules, but instead it's about CHANGING YOUR HEART.
Rules hit the actions to correct them.
But writing the law in our HEARTS is about CHANGING OUR HEARTS.
Law on stone affect actions, but Law in the heart changes our hearts.

We need to not be people who deal only with actions.

We might as well be old testament people in that case.
But we need to be people who deal with THE HEART as God did.

Some people call themselves Christians and are so HARD with people, because they only consider the BAD ACTIONS people commit.
And they hammer their actions, and the people cannot stop.
So the actions are never really dealt with.
But true believers of the new covenant deal with the HEART.
They do not home in on the actions and condemn and condemn, but they preach about THE HEART.
They speak things about getting the HEART CHANGED.
Like Jesus.
There are two reactions to dealing with people and sin.
Ten Commandments on Stone.
Nine beattitudes in HEART.
The commandments all were THOU SHALT NOT statements.
The beattitudes were all BLESSED ARE THE statements.
The commandments dealt with ACTIONS.
The beattitudes dealt with CONDITIONS OF THE HEART.
When you would be given commandments your response is to attempt to NOT DO THOSE ACTIONS.
We concentrate on our actions.
But the reaction to beattitudes is considering that if we are blessed only when we ARE a certain sort of person, how do we become that sort of person?
We do not concentrate on actions.
We concentrate on THE HEART!
Everything Jesus said in the beattitudes was about CONDITIONS OF THE HEART of a person.
Mat 5:1-11 KJV And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: (2) And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, (3) Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (4) Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. (5) Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. (6) Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. (7) Blessed are the merciful:
for they shall obtain mercy. (8) Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. (9) Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. (10) Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (11) Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and
persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

poor in spirit
they that mourn
the meek
they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness
the merciful
the pure in heart
the peacemakers
they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake
ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

The commandments are

no other gods,
no idols,
no taking God's name in vain,
keep sabbath,
honour parents,
no murder,
no adultery,
no stealing ,
no lying ,
no coveting,

ALL ACTIONS as opposed to conditions of the heart.

Looking at THAT makes you consider getting man to stop doing actions, which is LAW and cursing because man cannot stop.
But when you consider STATES OF THE HEART, God is not going to implement commandments against actions, but he is going to do so much more in setting out to change the heart.
Sacrifice is involved.
Jesus DIED because we were sinners.
Death ends sin.

So he is getting at SIN and not just SINS.

Do you know the difference between SIN and SINS?
That is dealing with the heart and not just actions.
SINS are actions, but SIN IS SOMETHING ASSOCIATED WITH OUR HEARTS.
SACRIFICE is the whole person KILLED by another one in his place, in order to CRACK SIN a death blow.

Rom 8:3-4 KJV For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin,
condemned sin in the flesh: (4) That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

GOD condemned SIN by his son's death, which law could not do, because law only touched SINS but not SIN.

A sacrifice was made of the SON OF GOD in the likeness of sinful flesh.
It condemned sin.
We need to see the difference between having our church get the reputation of either being like Law and getting concerned over ACTIONS OF PEOPLE and how they need to be judged for them, or getting concerned over THEIR HEARTS, and realizing they need a heart change by the power of the sacrifice of Jesus.
It makes the difference between TRUE CHRISTIAN THINKING and the false.

SERMONS