Mark 10:1 17-18 as Jesus started on his way a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him good teacher he asked what must I do to inherit eternal life why do you call me good Jesus answered no one is good except God Alone no one is good except God Jesus asserts that only God is truly good emphasizing the absolute and perfect nature of God's goodness in cont contrast human beings fall short of this Divine standard due to their inherent sinfulness I recently saw an interview with the Pope where he made a
statement that directly opposed this Bible verse when you look at the world what gives you hope everything you see tragedies but you also see so many beautiful things you see heroic others heroic men men who have hopes and dreams women who look to the Future that gives me a lot of Hope people want to live people Forge ahead and people are fundamentally good what the pope said here is fundamentally wrong and it is a path that leads many away from the cross of Jesus Christ the illusion that we are good people is a comforting yet
deceptive assumption many people live under this belief which Fosters a sense of complacency and stops them from seeking Jesus Christ the only one who can offer true Redemption it's easy to point fingers at hardened criminals in jail cells branding them as the real Sinners while viewing ourselves as fundamentally good however this dichotomy is a dangerous delusion many people view bad individuals as criminals or those who break the law or have been arrested but they see themselves as good people I am a good person I pay my taxes I am a good person I have never
been arrested I am a good person I look after my family I am a good person I do not hurt or harm anyone they live their whole lives growing older thinking and believing wholeheartedly that they are good people we must confront the reality that we are all sinners lying ERS thieves murderers adulterers fornicators who desperately need saving living under the illusion of our fundamental goodness blinds us to our need for a savior we are all Wicked Sinners it's a subtle yet powerful deception that can span an entire lifetime people grow older sometimes becoming more entrenched
in this self-deception believing that they are essentially good they might never engage in overtly criminal Behavior but they fail to recognize their own failings in front of a holy God Romans 5:12 to15 wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned for until the law sin was in the world but sin is not imputed when there is no law nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of of Adam's transgression
who is the figure of him that was to come but not as the offense so also is the free gift for if through the offense of one many be dead much more the grace of God and the gift by Grace which is by one man Jesus Christ hath abounded unto many we are all sinners each and every one of us we are all sinners who deserve hell we deserve every bit of hell for the sins we have committed God would have been fully Justified to send all of us to hell but thank God the god
of the Bible is supremely kind to guilty sinners like you and me I thank God for Jesus and all he did for me on the cross I thank God for my relationship with him and all he did for me on the cross oh Jesus Jesus Jesus there is no other name but Jesus there is no other door but Jesus there is no other king but Jesus he is the way the truth and the life eternal life The Giver of Life all life flows from him all life comes through him what I love about Jesus is
that he forgives the unforgivable he touches The Untouchables he finds the Lost he is not a respector of persons if you want a relationship with him right now wherever you are you can cry out to him and he will meet you where you are you can be a cast out in society you could be locked in a prison cell serving a mandatory life sentence Society could have thrown away the key for your cell but right now Jesus Jesus can come into your life and you can have a relationship with him you can be heartbroken and
alone but right now Jesus Jesus can come into your life and you can have a relationship with him you can be facing illness and be unsure whether you are going to make it or not but right now Jesus Jesus can come into your life and you can have a relationship with him you can be fearing death and fearing hell but right now Jesus Jesus can come into your life and you can have a relationship with him we are all fundamentally good yes there are some Rogues and sinners but the heart itself is good Jeremiah 17:9
the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can know it this one verse opposes the Pope's statement the context of Jeremiah 17:9 speaks of judah's sinfulness despite all the blessings of God the verse States the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can know it this highlights a profound truth our hearts are not only deceitful but also desperately wicked you might say I know my heart but do you truly are you absolutely certain you know how you will react in every situation the reality is you don't knowing your heart
means understanding how you will respond in every conceivable circumstance but there are situations that can push anyone to act out of character life can present challenges that drive you to your Breaking Point leading you to do things you never imagined consider this this there are people in prison right now because they did something they never thought they would lives have been ruined by actions individuals never believed they were capable of the human heart Harbors unknown depths of potential evil look at all the murderers in prison if you saw pictures of them as children you would
never have predicted their future crimes the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked no one truly knows the extent of the evil within the human heart some preach that human beings are inherently good but this is not true we don't know the wickedness that lies within people's hearts how many times have we heard people say I don't know what made me do that I don't know what came over me or I don't know why I did that the truth is they genuinely don't know the heart is deceitful the human heart is diseased with
sin you don't know your heart don't trust your heart or your feelings instead trust the word of God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit not yourself the heart can refer to many things but in this context it represents the seat of the Soul emotions and desires being led by the heart means being driven by lusts or emotionalism instead you are to be led by a renewed mind not by your heart or emotions I recall counseling a couple on the brink of divorce the wife had committed adultery with a colleague she had been working closely
with for some time over the course of their working relationship they developed feelings for each other and she ultimately followed her heart into an affair she explained that the affair happened because she followed her heart the Bible tells us the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked if this woman had followed a mind renewed by the word of God she would not have committed adultery as a pastor I witnessed the deceptive nature of the human heart frequently I have seen people walk down the aisle with someone they should not be marrying despite warnings
from their parents and friends they proceed because they are following their heart they fail to recognize that the person they are about to commit their future to lacks the characteristics of a great life partner let me give you some real world examples of how deceitful the human heart is the human heart is so deceitful that it sometimes leads people to interpret scripture to suit their own wants and desires I have seen men sit with the Bible and attempt to justify having more than one wife reading their own lustful desires into the scripture they go Point
by Point explaining how they believe they are called to have multiple wives twisting scripture to suit their sinful desires the human heart is so deceitful that it can lead a person to justify their own sins using the Bible misquoting and misinterpreting scripture the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked some people cite Biblical characters who had multiple wives as justification for their sinful lifestyle it's crucial to understand that while the Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit it is also an accurate record of History not everything recorded in the Bible means that God
condoned those actions the Bible transparently presents human choices providing context and scenarios without necessarily endorsing them I recall watching a courtroom proceeding where a woman sought a divorce because she was not happy anymore and her heart was not in the marriage her husband had not cheated and was by her own admission a good provider but the spark in their relationship had faded this is a perfect example of how the heart can be deceitful above all things and desperately wicked unfortunately such situations are becoming increasingly common marriage is about loyalty faithfulness in good and bad times
trustworthiness and commitment it is not just for moments of happiness and excitement marriage is a lifelong commitment to the person you chose to marry sadly with the Advent of social media people often compare their marriages to others however what you see on social media is not always real people lie and pretend you don't know what is happening in other people's marriages so don't compare yours to theirs many are deceived by their own Hearts believing they are living in fellowship with God and that they are going to heaven yet they are not born again there are
those who preach that human beings are good by nature but this is not true we don't fully grasp the wickedness within human hearts how many times have people said I don't know what made me do that or I don't know what came over me the heart is deceitful you need a new heart and Only God Almighty can provide that the only hope for the sinful human heart is to be supernaturally changed changed you must be born again the New Covenant brings inner transformation only through being born again can one truly experience a change of heart