What's Hiding in Your Heart?

Are you someone who tends to judge others by their flaws? Are you someone who judges another’s allegiances by whether they are wearing a mask or not? Perhaps you judge a person’s heart based on their voting record? If you answered yes to any of these questions, please continue reading.  

This week I have been teaching chapter 7 in the Gospel of John.  The Jewish leaders were mounting their evidence to crucify Jesus.  They justified themselves from breaking the Jewish law to perform circumcision on the Sabbath, but they could not accept Jesus healing a blind man.   It was ok for the Jewish leaders to do something on the Sabbath, but it wasn’t ok for Jesus.  When you find yourself accusing another person, would you excuse or even dismiss the same behavior in yourself?  If so, you just discovered where your self-righteousness is hiding.

The Pharisees hated Jesus because they had evil in their hearts and they did not understand Him.  In fact, they want to kill Him because of his works and words.  Jesus said in v. 38, “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water”.  When we believe in Christ, the living water of God will flow through us.  The words of the prophet Isiah 58:11:

And the Lord will guide you continually
    and satisfy your desire in scorched places
    and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
    like a spring of water,
    whose waters do not fail.

Jesus was showing the people he was not just a teacher who performed good works and spoke encouraging words.  Nor was he a man who basked in the glory of the crowds.  Jesus came to expose light into the sin of the world and its people (John 3:19-21). When His hour would come, Jesus, the Son of Man would be glorified, and He would pay God’s debt for our sin (Romans 6:23). 

Jesus exposes the evil in our hearts, so we can believe in His saving Grace.  Jesus exposes the evil in our hearts so that we can experience forgiveness.  Jesus exposes the evil in our hearts so we can believe and have eternal life.  If we ignore our own sin, we cheapen the sacrificial death of Christ.

What evil are you hiding in the scorched places of your heart?  Let Jesus expose your sin so your heart will overflow with rivers of living water. To God be the glory!