Series : Making a Sad Heart, a Glad Heart

Part I : The Sad Heart

Text:: Psalm 14:1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God ” To say there is no God, one has to be able to believe that there was no Creative, intelligent, Designer of the universe, and all the wild kingdom, and all human life. Personally I am not able to explain all of that without the knowledge of the Bible. And then there is the problem (for the atheist) with good and evil. The problem is that if there is evil, there must also be good. If there is order there must be law. If there is law, there must be a lawgiver. “ They are corrupt, they have done abominable works ” The reasonable response to evil in the world is to seek to be closer to God. The reason is that if one follows evil it leads to destruction. But if one follows God it leads to peace and security. There is no positive outcome without seeking God. “ there is none that doeth good.” This is hard for most to imagine. Not one act of human kindness or decency. Every act of humanity is pure evil. This is depicted or recorded in Noah's day leading up to the flood.

Then the seven years of tribulation prophesied in Revelation. Armed with is understanding of evil, what reasonable person would want to continue in a state of godlessness? When the Holy Spirit removes His preserving affect from this world there will be nothing but godlessness, save to Jewish preachers. This is the time to seek godliness. This evil world needs to see godliness. Will you seek godliness in your life today?

Part II :  T he Seeking Heart

Text:: Psalm 14:2 The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.

“if there are any who understand” Understand is to be prudent or to be circumspect. To have your spiritual ears on. To be able to discern God's leading through His still small voice. The question is never if God is speaking, but if man is listening. God made mankind for fellowship with Him. He made us so that He could communicate with us. His primary way of communication is through His Word the Bible. The secondary way is through prayer. You may ask, why is prayer secondary? Well, the Bible is the gold standard for knowing God and His will for us corporately through local churches, and individually in our personal walk with Him. In other words, God is looking down and asking, are you reading my all time best seller, the Bible? If we have understanding of God, if we can answer in the affirmative that we understand it is because we are reading the Bible daily. If we are not reading daily we do not understand. If we are we do understand. any who seek God . Men are always seeking something, but are they seeking God. God does not ask if you are seeking a job. Currently employment is somewhere around 95%. This is many times referred to as full employment. Could you imagine if 95% of people were seeking God? What would our world look like then?

But God asks if there are any that seek Him. What if God asked you if there were just ten Christians in your town? Could you find ten? If you are a God seeker, what is He telling you to do once you have sight Him? If there are ten God seekers in your town that do not yet know Him, maybe you need to find and help those seekers to know God for themselves.

Part III :  The Filthy Heart

Text:: Psalm 14:3 They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

“They are all gone aside ” I once heard the story of a pilot that was asked, “How often do planes fly out of their flight pattern? The answer was surprising. “The pilot answered, most of the time.” So how often are people spiritually off of their divine flight pattern? Well, most of the time would probably be an honest answer.

As Christians we must continually be circumspect in our walk with the Lord. As an unbeliever one must look at Christians not as hypocrites but as a sinner saved by grace. “ they are all together become filthy ” When I was younger and working on a dairy farm there when many times while cleaning barns that my hands would become so filthy that it was hard to believe that they could be clean again. To my surprise every time they would be as clean as new. Though most people do not work on a farm all do have dirty hands that must become clean again. One could only hope that Christianity would be as commonplace as washing hands. The fact is trusting Christ as Savior is as simple. “ there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” This clause is a twin to Romans 3:10, and simply means that all of us are in the same spiritual echelon. The ground is level at the cross of Christ. This clause also makes clear that everyone of us need to accept Him as our personal Savior for our personal sins, through a personal relationship. It is Christ and Christ alone that turns a filthy heart into a clean heart. Will you accept Jesus Christ into your heart today?

Part IV :  The Presumptuous Heart

Text: Psalm 14:4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD.

“Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge ?” The Psalmist is almost in disbelief that the unbelievers are in complete denial of ultimate truth and reality. This willful denial brings with it a two fold result. First is the complete willingness to face eternal punishment, without any chance of purgatory or petrol. This must be the depth of helplessness and haplessness. It is not only presumptuous but dangerous for one to presume that Christ only love, but not also a judge. If He were not sinless, righteous and holy one might be correct. That my friend is not the case. Christ is sinless, righteous and holy. Christ is love, and He is Judge.

The wise person recognizes all the attributes of Christ, and reveres Him. “who eat up my people as they eat bread ” The Lord here is referring to the unbelieving, and the ungodly rulers that rule over God's people. They not only do not give any thought toward God, but neither do they give any thought to those they rule over. They go about their own self willed wants and desires to their own satisfaction without regard for anyone but themselves. “and call not upon the LORD ” As the atheist goes on his way, he talks to himself, and he answers himself because he is the only one that he listens to, and the only what he thinks of saying is worthwhile. The outward appearances of this is one that has no regard for anyone but himself, and has no thought of God in his life. Is God evident in your life, and in your care for others? Is there room for God in your thoughts, and in your heart, and mind, and in your life?

Part V :  The Discerning Heart

Text: Psalm 14:5 There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous.

“ There were they in great fear .” There are many accounts of fearful events in the Bible. After Adam and Eve sinned against God they were in fear of God because of their sin. When it began to rain for the first time, and God shut eight souls inside the ark, there was great fear from those on the outside of the ark. When God rained down fire and brimstone on the cities of Sodom and Gomora, there was great fear on those that remained in the cities.

When you get bad news from the doctor there may be great fear about your prognosis. When your spouse tells you that they want a devoice, there may be great fear for your families wellbeing, When you get called up for a deployment, there may be great fear of the unknown. When your boss gives you a pink slip there maybe great fear for your financial future. With all the history and experience of fearful events it ought to cause every living soul to run to God.

There is no other hope. There is no other positive outcome other then trusting in Christ for both time and eternity. for God is in the generation of the righteous . The generation is as to say God's heritage. Every generation has a heritage of God, a remnant of believers. This generation has inherited the favor of God by they excepting the Messiah as Savior. This favor comes with salvation in Christ.

With this favor comes Divine protection. The enemies of God and the persecutors of His people will come to naught. Have you discerned between the fear and the Protector? Have you trusted in the Divine Protector?

Part VI : The Trusting Heart

Text: Psalm 14:6 Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the LORD is his refuge.

“ Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor ” I once met my sister for lunch while she was working at a local prison, and while waiting for her I looked around the room at the faces of people. This one older couple caught my attention. The look of sadness and shame on their faces was absolutely heart breaking. It is hard to fathom the depth of personal pain that this couple must have been going through. The consequences of depraved actions is absolutely shameful. When the offender of God's laws feels this shame it is like the saying, “the emperor has no cloths.” In other words, the sin and shame is transparent, and there is no one to blame but one's self. Who is the counsel of the poor? These are the Old Testament believers. So what has happened is that the believers are being blamed for the shamefulness of the unbelievers. And, God says, this is shameful. “ because the LORD is his refuge. ” This clause parallels the last clause of the last verse where God- Elohiym is the God of the believers in each generation. In this clause we see the Lord-Jehovah. The One with the covenant relationship with believers. So the “poor” that are referred to here as God's people. What kind of poor are they? Well, certainly not spiritually. More likely this would have to do with persecution. Though persecution may seem foreign to an American believer most of Christian history has been marked by persecution. History does repeat itself. So when we talk about the refuge of the Lord this is a relevant need for today. Have you taken refuge in the Lord? Will you trust in Him today?

Part VII:  The Glad Heart

Text: Psalm 14:7 Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion ! when the LORD bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.

“Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion ! ” The Head of Israel is unique in that it's Head is unlike any other nation on Earth. Israel 's Head is the Theocratic Head of the kingdom. Because the Lord is the Theocratic Head, and because of His covenant with His people He cannot allow anything less then the destruction of Israel 's enemies. “ when the LORD bringeth back the captivity of his people .” The idea here regarding bringing back is the Lord restoring, or returning His people. The use of the word captivity is a figurative captivity. It is like when the Lord referred to the captivity of Job. While Job was not in prison he was in a captivity of sorts, and the same with Israel at this point. This passage is historic, prophetic and practical. We are given a historic account of how the Lord has dealt with His people. Prophetically we see that before Christ' return His people will return to Jerusalem , and we see the compassion, love and longing the Lord has for His people. The Lord knows the captivity of sorts that each of us go through. He longs for fellowship with us, and He has provided a way for our future and redemption. “ Jacob shall rejoice , and Israel shall be glad .” With seven wars in sixty years of the history of the Nation of Israel, She will be glad at the return of Christ. Israel is not the N T, local church but, the nature of God is such that every local church has reason to rejoice. And every believer will be glad at the return of Christ. Are you rejoicing in the Lord today?