Jer 17
9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?
The heart is deceitful. The Sotho translation makes it clear that the heart is rotten. How do you see that meat is rotten? By the flies and worms in and around it.
So let’s look at the maggots and flies God sees in the heart.
Mark 7
20 And he said, that which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.
21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”
Baptism cannot save you and wash away your sin. If you get baptised while your sins had not been washed away by the precious Blood of the Lord Jesus, you are a wet sinner and the sinners not baptised are dry sinners. You must bring your sin to the Cross of Christ, into the light and your sin will be washed away by His precious Blood.
The Bible says in 1Cor 6:19, “do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?”. If you smoke you harm God’s temple and you are sinning. You must repent of that. You are kissing the fire. Rather kiss your father and mother.
When we look at the heart pictures we see the peacock of pride. Pride is the root of all sin. Satan was cast out of heaven because of pride. God hates pride.
In Is 14:13, 14 we read what satan aspired at and was rejected because of pride. Satan came into the Garden of Eden and made them proud and jealous of God and they sinned. The devil also came to Nebuchadnessar and he boasted of his accomplishments so that God struck him and he became like an animal until he acknowledged God.
King Herod spoke grandly and the people praised him saying, “the voice of a god and not a man”. So an angel struck him and he was devoured by maggots.
How often haven’t you been proud and thought yourself better than others? May God help you to humble yourselves before Him, then He will lift you up.
Some girls are proud of their beauty.
We also see the dog in this picture.
We read in Rev 22:15, 16, “For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.”
God says the dogs are outside the Kingdom of God. When a person confesses his proud heart and all his deceit and filth of his heart, and then turns back to that he is like a dog. A dog represents a person who just jolls and do whatever he likes. Young people just live together without being married. They don’t have a husband or wife but husbands and wives. They live immoral lives without restraint. They are filled with diseases, abortion and death.
There was a beautiful girl at a certain college who fell pregnant. When she gave birth to the child she took a stone and crushed its head and buried the baby. Yet the boys were crazy about her and she enjoyed all the attention and boyfriends. But she couldn’t get peace for her murderous act. Whenever she sat in class she would see the picture of the baby she murdered in front of her. We came to the college and preached. God cut into her heart and she came for help. She confessed her sin with tears. She also went to her parents and asked their forgiveness and God forgave her sin and made her brand new. Her heavy burden was gone.
Young girl you who have killed your own child through abortion, come to Jesus for forgiveness. He will forgive you your sin. He promises that as far as the east is from the west He will remove your sin and remember it no more.
We also find the turtle in the unregenerate heart. It symbolises theft and witchcraft. Like a turtle hides its head and sticks it out when it wants, so the thief works in secret and the sorcerer hides from the light and operates in darkness and behind closed doors.
There is also the leopard, which symbolises anger and fighting – thirsting after blood.
All of these things are the things which God sees in the heart not cleansed by Jesus’ precious blood.
There is also the snake with the split tongue, with one mouth praising God and with the other deceives, slanders and speaks evil.
There is also the frog, which symbolises the love of money which destroys many souls.
What will it be like when you meet God with all of these things in your heart?
We read in Rev 3:20, “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.”
In Matt 21:12, 13 we read how Jesus cleansed the temple. As Jesus chased them from the temple so He will chase all these evil things from your heart if you open the door of your heart to Him. Name your sins by name before Him and you will receive forgiveness.