X-ray of the heart (part 2)

Last Wednesday we were talking about an x-ray of the heart, about how Jesus knows our heart, and how when we present ourselves before Him, He can easily scan us and see what is really inside us, there were some texts that I wanted to do I referenced last Wednesday but I couldn't and I would like to start with them, so that you can see, uh, different occasions in which Jesus faced different people where He had to see, what was there in their hearts.

Look for example: Luke, chapter 5, verse 22, here is a story where they talk about bringing a paralytic to Jesus to heal him, and one of the first things Jesus says is:

"Son, your sins are forgiven."

And the scribe Pharisees who were around began to, as if to say, murmur among themselves saying, but whoever believes this to forgive sins, only God can forgive sins, and then the text says that Jesus knew the thoughts of these people, he could see what they were really planning there in their hearts, and Jesus then confronted them saying, look, so that you can see, that the son of man not only has the power to forgive sins, I am going to show you something else, he not only forgave that boy, but also healed him and raised him up.

There is another episode, right there those that I am identifying are in the book of Luke, in Luke chapter 6, in verse 8, it was the day of rest, Jesus arrived at a synagogue, and again the Pharisees were looking for where to grab Jesus in a bad move, and there was a man who had a hand, withered, a crippled hand, bent like that, and they began to say to each other, let's see if Jesus now heals this one also on the day of the repose. And Jesus again, the text says that Jesus perceived their thoughts, Jesus saw what they were thinking and as he realized that it was what was there, he said: "Aha, come here boy, stand here in the middle of all the people”, and he did the miracle, he healed this man.

In Luke chapter 7, verses 39 and 40, they present Jesus in the house of Simon the Pharisee, and while He was in this house that invited him to eat they sit down, and the story tells that a certain woman from the street arrives, with an alabaster jar, and crying begins to wash the feet of Jesus with her tears and dry them with her hair, we know this scene, but what does it say, the story says that Simon, when he saw what was happening, look at me I like this, what's more, I'm going to read it to you here, it says that Simon, when he saw what was happening, said to himself, there it is. He said to himself, in other words it is as if you had thought internally. He thought something like that in his head, he did not verbalize it but he thought it inside, and what he says, he says: Ah, if this Jesus were a prophet he knew who this class is, who this woman is and what class she is, what she is sinful, and what does he say next.

He says that Jesus, then answering Jesus said to him, this action of Jesus, what does it give me to understand? That He understood what this man was thinking there inside his head, although he did not verbalize it, but He knew very well what he was plotting there, how he was judging in some way or another that action that that woman was doing with Jesus . And Jesus neither short nor lazy said:

"Hey, I'm going to tell you a story, to let you know what is really in your heart." And he did.

Obviously I was talking about the Pharisees, but how about I tell you about the disciples.

In Luke chapter 9, a moment is related where the disciples entered and began to argue among themselves, and they began to discuss who was going to be the greatest of them, when the kingdom of God came to be established, in other words there is another of the Gospels that was, that it, presents it as the boys were fighting and arguing about who was going to sit at the right hand of Jesus, and who was going to sit at the left hand, but this text from, Luke chapter 9, verses 46 to 48, look how verse 47 says, verse 47 of Luke 9, says that Jesus perceiving the thoughts of their hearts, that is, it was not the thought of the people, it was the thought of the heart, so Jesus arrived at a deeper level because not only was Jesus seeing what they were thinking, but he was seeing the motivations that were causing those thoughts, what does the bible say about the abundance of the heart, what? The mouth speaks. And that was what Jesus could see and perceive in his disciples, not only he heard the murmur that Peter was saying:

"No, no, no, I'm the one who's going to be next to Jesus", and then John says:

"No, no, no, it's going to be me, haha, if I'm the one leaning on Jesus' chest, you don't do that."

And they were like that arguing among themselves and Jesus said, “Wow. I have to continue teaching these boys even more”.

There is a lesson that I have to teach them and since Jesus is so illustrative, which is what he did, he grabbed a child and put him in their midst and told them: "You want to be the oldest, here is your example", that is, Jesus captivated his audience in such a way that when he brought a teaching, people were stunned, because not only was he bringing a teaching that was real, that was true, that was transformative, but I imagine that these people said but since he knew that I was thinking that, since he knew that, those were the intentions with which I was coming, I did not say anything to him, I did not tell him, we were talking in that corner and he was in that corner and with everything and that, he understood it, he perceived it.

Another text that we used, which I am going to read again, was this:

Hebrews chapter 14, verses from 12 to 13, we read it, it said like this: Why is the word of God what? It is alive and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword and penetrates to the point of dividing the Soul, the Spirit, the joints, and the marrow, and it discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no created thing, verse 13, and there is no created thing, that is not what?, - manifest in his presence. There is no created thing that is not manifested in his presence, in other words, as the Bible says:

"There is nothing that is hidden, that should not be exposed to the light." "There is no created thing that is not manifest in his presence, rather all things are naked and open to the eyes of him, to whom we have to give an account." An x-ray of the heart.

My brothers, I believe that one of the most difficult things for most people, if not all, but most people, is to be able to recognize their faults.

- Who here finds it easy to admit their faults? Please raise your hand, because I want to be your best friend. Who finds it easy to recognize their faults?, recognize them. Very good. Who finds it difficult to admit their faults? Because I also want to be their friend.

I identify more with the second group, and how many abstain? Raise your hand.

It is not easy for us my brothers, there is something in our nature as human beings that resists having to admit that something has failed and this is in the Bible from cover to cover.

What happened to Adam and Eve when they sinned? They started blaming each other, they hid from God, it was you, it was her, no, it was him.

This ideal help that you gave me. She invited me to eat, and I was hungry and I ate, of course, of course. What these two people did, when they recognized that they had sinned before God, as we mentioned, they hid, was one. How many have read Psalm 32? Psalm 32, how many of you have sometimes taken the time to meditate on that Psalm? Psalm 32, Raquel, you can put it there, Psalm 32, verses from 1 to 4. And if someone knows it by heart and wants to read it, in confidence. Psalm 32, look how he reads, he says:

"Blessed is he whose transgression has been forgiven and his sin covered, well blessed is the man or woman whom Jehovah does not blame for inequity and in whose Spirit there is no deceit." How many can say, oh that's me? Verse 3 says: "While I am silent, my bones grow old in my moaning all day long." How many can say that's me? "Because by day and by night your hand has become heavy on me, my greenery has turned into the dryness of summer." Selah! Do you remember what "Selah" means, I once explained it here, "Selah", in the Hebrew language means pause, so when you see that word in a Psalm it means that when you get there, you have to stop and meditate on what you have read, that is what that word means, when you read a "Selah", that means a pause for reflection, so that you meditate on what you have read.

You know in this Psalm, there is a tendency that is seen there, which is the tendency of one to remain silent, when one is faced with one's faults, I screwed up, I am not going to say anything so that nobody finds out. I said something that I shouldn't have said, ah, I'm going to act as if I hadn't said it, so that nobody comes up with anything and, fuch, we shut it up.

I spoke badly behind Jonathan's back, no no no, I am giving an example, it seems that I am confessing but no, I am giving the example of something bad that I did, I damaged Jonathan's testimony behind his back and I did not tell him I said nothing, and to the person I told, I also said, don't say anything to Jonathan, he doesn't have to find out, but I committed a sin there, and what do I do, I cover the mistake and, I involve, I conspire with the other person, so that the other person also commits the same mistake, the same mistake and remains silent and doesn't say anything, it is the tendency to remain silent, to hide.

And why is this, look, I think because nobody likes to show their true colors, nobody likes to show their true colors, much less Christians.

In our circles there is this stigma of perfection, that no Christian can fail, which I personally believe is totally false and wrong. And to some extent it is not Biblical, parenthesis, I do believe, that God calls us to live in Holiness, but Holiness does not mean living in perfection, Holiness is the process of reaching perfection, and we have explained that many times here, It is part of our theology, doctrine as a church, as long as we are on this earth no one is perfect, but that does not mean that we do not aspire to live at that level of perfection. The Bible says that if you are Holy because God is Holy, when God talks about us being a sanctified people, it is because He has given much for us and He wants us to live as a class apart, that dynamic of Holiness is measured there, but does not mean, does not equal perfection.

Many people have been hurt by that stigma, many people over the years, centuries, generations have been hurt by it, these utopian ideals are formed, so to speak, they do not live in reality, and as we say they do not leave eat, because then they impose those things on other people, and make life impossible for other people to truly be able to experience, the abundant life of what God wants us to live in Him, the transformation that he wants to do in us, as well I say it, that stigma, does not go at least with the dynamics of "Lion of Judah", but it does not take away the fact that we do not strive to live in Holiness before God.

I firmly believe that God does not despise a constricting and humiliated heart, never, the Bible itself says so, again, from cover to cover in the Bible there are stories about the constant vulnerability of man and the abundant mercy of God. Again, from Adam and Eve to the time of the apocalypse, it is noticeable that human beings, men and women, are very failed in different ways, in different facets of our lives, but likewise there is the grace and mercy of God, to work in us, another parenthesis.

As Paul rightly says, I am going to continue sinning so that grace may abound, in no way, the grace of God does not mean that we have a license to sin, that is not the thing, I believe that one has to have that intention to be able to live the height of what God has for us, of what God wants for us. And recognize that our fight against sin, the tests are going to come, they are going to go, they are going to come, they are going to come in different ways, but where our maturity, our character is going to be truly measured, is in the mere fact that we continue to aspire to reach the stature of Christ.

Do you know what the secret behind sin is? Does anyone imagine, what is the secret behind sin, the intention of our enemy the Devil is to keep us away from God, if we define sin as those who have taken level 1 discipleship, the sin means a "Spiritual Death" being away from God, that is sin, and that is the number one tool that our enemy uses to keep us apart from God. If I ask you another question, I'm like asking a lot of questions today, but these questions have a sequence to keep you with me. What is one of the strongest emotions that sin develops in a person? One of the strongest human emotions that sin develops, or can cause in a person. huh? The fact that? Anger, anger, hatred, resentment, fear, who said guilt? culpability.

And if you don't agree with me, I want to hear your thesis then, but there is nothing worse for a human being, specifically a Christian, than having to deal with a sense of shame and guilt for something they did wrong, look at me. I have a psychologist friend that I appreciate very much, and he is here in our church, he is not here now but he is a man that I appreciate very much. Eloy, I made this comment to him and he told me the following:

He comes out and tells me, “you know what, there is no shame if there are no values. If a person does not have a code of values, they are not ashamed”, and it is true. For you to be able to feel ashamed, it is because you have a code of values, and you are going to tell me, oh but Mari, what about those shameless, right, "look shameless", even those shameless are ashamed, because they have their own code of values by which you live, look, there are different contexts in life that have their codes of values, I can mention some examples.

If I look at an emergency medical worker, like Nelva who is here, and "Sorry......", but they are different examples. The E.N.T, have a code of values, by which they are governed, if an E.N.T, is "off-duty", that is, it is not working, and suddenly it goes down the street and meets a person who is entering in shock and is on the street, that E.N.T, by obligation has to attend to that person, because it is that person's code of values, even if he is “off-duty”, he cannot say, oh no, I am not working, that resolves itself there and leaves. If that person does that, if they leave, they know what is going to happen, that person is going to feel guilty and ashamed. Because he failed a code of values by which he lives.

A basketball player, let's give him another example, each athlete has his code of values by which he practices his sport, a basketball player if I say it like that, how many fouls in a game can a basketball player commit? Up to five, isn't it? what will happen? - Outside, a fine for him, and I think they give the team a fine if I'm not mistaken.

Due to the action of that player, the team failed, they left with debt and that boy is going to have to deal with the shame that he broke a sports code, and who knows if they lose the game too, but it will still be the shame and guilt, because he was the star player, he was the one who was scoring the points.

A professional woman, another example, a professional woman, who lives every day with a mask that pretends that her life is fine, but inside that woman is dying of horrible depression, and she goes to work day after day, " Hello how are you boss, here that, we are going to do this, we are going to do that the other”, but inside he is dying. And that woman is ashamed of being able to open up and tell someone something about what she is experiencing, the sense of guilt that she has inside, for the fear of perhaps losing her status of respect and authority that she has through her profession, because she has to appear to be a strong woman.

Look at a member of a gang, of a gang, he has his code of values. I think this seems like a kind of ugly, kind of weird example, but a gang member has his code of values, "I swear to protect you until death", and it may sound very nice, very inspiring, but dad, if you are doing it for the right reasons, but look what happens, a shootout broke out and the one who had sworn to protect the gang tycoon, pointing here at my dear Jorge now, that's the welcome I give you on a Wednesday, see, I grab you point there.

“I swore to protect Jorge, who was going to put me in the middle of a bullet, and to protect him, no matter what” and when the shooting started, the first one who ran away was me. When we get to the point and he arrives with a bullet in the leg, he's going to look at me, and what's going to eat me is the shame that I failed a code to protect this person.

Shame is the hardest thing that we can deal with, shame, guilt and look at us as Christians, “uuu, ah” I would say that shame for the Christian is one of the strongest emotions that we deal with. , and with shame also comes guilt and this can manifest itself in obvious and extreme ways, when sins are committed that are "booah uuu", as it will be, you did this, as it can also manifest itself subtly, in subjects who would never appear have a problem, but they are dealing, struggling with something, and they dare not open up, as Psalm 32 that we were reading says, "while I was silent, my sin began to weigh heavily, my bones aged, it began to suck the life out of me, and your hand ”, look how it says, your hand was on me and then it says but, verse 5 says:

"But my sin I declared to you and I did not cover up my inequity, I said I will confess my transgressions to Jehovah and You forgave the wickedness of my sin."

As I have mentioned some of the reactions of shame is that one hides, oh my God, look how fast time flies, Lord. Well, but no one has left, they give me ten minutes to finish this, because I want to finish this. Let's go “Over-time”, we are basketball players now, we are in “Over-time”, come on.

One, one, one of the reasons for shame, as we have well said, is to hide, get away, withdraw from those we have hurt, if I screw it up my tendency is going to be to hide, I get into my own "cacum" like someone he says, and I run away, I don't want anyone to see me, I don't want anyone to tell me anything, that's the tendency of anyone, and that's why the Devil, may God rebuke him, wants us as children of God to be flooded by shame, by guilt, because he knows that by achieving this, none of us will want to get closer to God.

Oh how am I going to go to church if I am impious, how am I going to approach the presence of God with this barbarity with which I am living, that God is going to want to live with me yes, the other days I did a barbarity to my wife or my children and that is precisely what the enemy wants, to keep us subjugated there, to stay there ashamed, but before such a reaction of sin the Bible teaches us the response that we have to consider in that passage of Hebrews that we read, ah, God is not left behind, they know that because we are very easy to say, no, I don't go to church, I have many things to fix in my life Mirian, you know until I fix them those things in my life, well, I'm not going to go to church, because it's that God is going to want me.

And in the face of such an attitude, hahaha, God has an answer so that no one has excuses later to justify ourselves and go that way.

In Hebrews chapter 4, there where we were reading, I ended up reading verse 13, look how verse 14 begins by saying, Hebrews 4 verse 14 says:

“Therefore having a great High Priest, who pierced the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession, for we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who was tempted in all points as we are, but without sin."

That therefore of verse 14 lets me know that since my whole being and my heart is exposed before God, like the previous verses, all things are naked, exposed before him to whom we have to give an account, and I do not Every time I read that verse, it shakes me to the marrow so to speak.

Because I know that everything that I am is fully exposed before God, that is a serious thing, so, I know, since everything is exposed before God, He knows that my reaction to those things that are in my heart will be running out of his presence. So that no one knows what I really am inside, but for something it is that we are presented with that great High Priest, that intercessor of intercessors, that lawyer of lawyers, the one who identifies with our weakness, because He also He felt the same as us, but obviously he did not fail like us, before such Jesus is for Jesus, that despite my shame and my guilt, with everything I can approach God to receive mercy and help in time of need, What does verse 16 say?

"Let us approach confidently before the throne of grace, to obtain mercy and grace for timely help."

This is the x-ray of the heart that makes us, God. Day after day He makes us this x-ray, day after day The Lord lets us know what is in us, there are days when he goes through his list, check, you're fine, you're fine, but there are other days that it's like, eg And continue ap, and another one, uhm, ujm, boy what happened today, you didn't have breakfast, you didn't have breakfast Bible and prayer, what happened, I keep marking things here.

And again my brothers, I want you to understand, he and I communicate these things, it is not that I want to sow shame or guilt in you, on the contrary, I want you to understand that the dynamic that God has with us is a dynamic of wanting to restore ourselves to that image that He wants for each one of us and that we can live up to, of that abundant life that He has for our lives, we constantly have to recognize that in some way or another we are always exposed to fail. And I'm not necessarily saying that temptation is there day after day, see if temptation for you can be there every day, but I learned something, almost always when we talk about temptation, we label it as something negative, I opened the door and there There was temptation, I'm going to run to the park and temptation passed me by, and it turns and passes me, and it comes from the front, and I have to look the other way.

Temptation will always be there, you know what I learned, instead of thinking that temptation is something bad that comes my way, think that it is an opportunity to do good, what is good, if temptation comes on the way there, oh, here comes sin, I can't, I can't, I keep looking at it, as if I divert my gaze, and I look beyond, and I don't let myself be carried away by what is coming in front of me, if they offer me something, no thanks. If I am in the middle of an argument, of a discussion and my temptation is for my tongue "tls, tls, oops" to launch one, with my voice, "uc", well for me the opportunity to do good is, "uc" bite my tongue and God bless you

If your temptation is that you go to the "Mall" and enter "Mazes" and start to see the suits that are from 80 and 90 and up, then your opportunity to do good is to go to the "Rac" that is in the back of “Cleavens”, and instead of spending 80, 90, 100 dollars, spend 10, 15 or 20 dollars better. that people on my island Puerto Rico always say and obviously I say this with a lot of love and respect but it is a reality.

It is that in Puerto Rico everyone is here with debts, but you go to the "Mall" in Plaza América and it is full! And it's not necessarily from "Window Shopping", but it's people who keep raising that debt limit, they keep raising it more, and more, and more, and more. It is wanting to maintain an appearance that is not real, to hide something that is truly there, and that something that we often want to hide, is what we cannot hide, from God, because God sees it, God scrutinizes it, God knows it. .

And look, my brothers, I bring this message, number one, so that we can be convinced that at all times there is someone who is taking an X-ray of our being, there is someone who is watching us, who is scrutinizing us, but does not with the sense of, Tuuu! Guilty.

That is done by someone else, that is done by someone else who, look, Pah! Give him the boot, leave him alone, calm down, but when God does that "scan" of our lives, God, what he is saying, look, I know this is it, but I want to take you to this level. "I want you to be this type of man", "I want you to be this type of woman", that life's circumstances do not define you, but that you define yourself by the values of my Kingdom, for which I I want for you

And that through that, you can be a blessing to others around you too, that you can know that you have the freedom to come closer to me, do not listen to that voice that tells you: "I can't, oh, the shame , that, the other, no, don't listen to that voice”. Recognize, approach confidently, oh, what, that word is beautiful, let us approach confidently before the throne of grace.

Very interesting because the Jews made a distinction between the Throne of Justice and the Throne of Grace, in the Throne of Justice is where they read the primer to you, and the Throne of Grace is where they extend it to you, how do you say ? He, he scepter and they put it on your shoulders, come good and faithful servant. And what he is talking about here, he is not talking about that, necessarily throne of justice, where one approaches with fear, "oh my God, what are they going to say to me", but rather, we are approaching the Throne of Grace, the grace of God.

So before that x-ray of your heart, approach God confidently, because He wants to restore you, He wants to make you, a man, a woman, Uff, "well chuchi", that's what God wants to do. Already.

Let's stand up my brothers and let's pray.

Dear God, I am preaching to myself Lord, without a doubt this word comes to me, you have determined it for me too. And just as I know that this word is administering in my life, it is cooking things in me, it is showing things in me, I ask you Lord that in the same way this word has a direct effect in the hearts of my brothers and sisters who , who are listening to it, who are receiving this word, Lord. Father, do not let us be forgetful listeners, please, not Lord, but those points, those ideas, that You want us to truly pay attention to, Lord, may those things remain there, deep within us.

And Father, just as it says in the book of Hebrews that your word brings life and efficacy to us, penetrates, Lord, deep down there where only You can reach, like that catheter that we saw last Wednesday, which enters like this , in the most remote places of our body, that likewise You can enter with Your word Lord, in the most remote places of our hearts, and that You can bring to light, what is there Lord, the things that You want work, the things that You want to heal in us.

Father, we are vulnerable, You know very well that we are made of flesh and blood, we are dust Jesus, and you know our condition very well, and Jesus, how good it is to know that we have you as a lawyer, as an intercessor, that you suffered the The same things that we suffer today, that perhaps when You walked on earth, the temptations that You experienced, possibly before our eyes they were different temptations, but in essence they were the same Lord, however, You did not fail.

And it is because of You that we can be restored, it is because of You that we can be set free, it is because of You Lord, that we can approach God, receive that grace, that mercy, we need you Lord so that our lives can be raised, as You really want it.

Father, take my brothers and sisters, take us from here, with this conviction, Lord, that we can approach before You, confidently, knowing that You are not going to reject us, but that You are going to receive us, and that You want to operate in our interior, Lord that we are not stubborn, but that we can be sensitive and obedient to what You want to do in us Jesus, fill each one of my brothers and sisters, and allow that tonight when they return to their homes, that this word in some way or another can continue to echo in your mind, in your heart, and that it be You bringing conviction of what You want to show to each heart, bless my brothers and sisters Lord, take us safely to our homes and that tomorrow Lord, if you allow it, we can once again lend a hand to everything that tomorrow brings.

Thank you for this time Jesus and I declare Your blessing, Your abundant peace upon each one, in Your name we pray. Amen.