Jeremiah 17:9 - We Really Do Need A Savior!
Jer.17:9; We Really Do Need A Savior!
Jer 17:9 (KJV) The heart is deceitful above all things, and
desperately wicked:
An important verse describing the natural condition of man.
[Ryrie SB]
Delusions of Grandeur
An old fable tells the story of a proud lion who was convinced
he was the sovereign lord of all he surveyed. He strutted around
the jungle asking, "Who is the king of the jungle?" The little mouse
answered, "You are, sir." and the donkey said, "You are, sir." So did the
monkeys, deer and hippos. When the lion roared his question to the
elephant, the elephant wrapped his trunk around the lion, whirled him
about his head and crashed him into a tree. The lion got up, dizzy and
dazed, and wobbled back to the elephant and said, "You don't have to
get sore just because you don't know the right answer."
Isn't that just like us? We are sure we are in control. We are
certain we are the king of our jungle. We insist on our delusions of
grandeur even when we are thrown down and crushed. We rationalize,
excuse, deny--even forget--the truth. Finally we "hit bottom" and meet our
"moment of truth." Then the reality of our sickness becomes all too
obvious. That's when the truth of the First Step shines like a lamp on
our path: 'We admitted that we were powerless."
Christ came "to testify to the truth," the truth about you and
me. We desperately need a new king, a new sovereign, a new Lord, a
new life. Our healing begins in the spirit of this old hymn:
Redeemer, come! I open wide
My heart to thee; here, Lord, abide!
Let me thy inner presence feel:
Thy grace and love in me reveal.
So come, my sovereign; enter in!
Let new and nobler life begin. --A. Philip Parham [Life Recovery
Devotional SB]
No man can of himself understand his errors. "The heart is
deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?" Jer.
17:9. The lips may express a poverty of soul that the heart does not
acknowledge. While speaking to God of poverty of spirit, the heart may be
swelling with the conceit of its own superior humility and exalted
righteousness. In one way only can a true knowledge of self be obtained. We
must behold Christ. It is ignorance of Him that makes men so uplifted
in their own righteousness. When we contemplate His purity and
excellence, we shall see our own weakness and poverty and defects as they
really are. We shall see ourselves lost and hopeless, clad in garments
of self-righteousness, like every other sinner. We shall see that
if we are ever saved, it will not be through our own goodness, but
through God's infinite grace.
The prayer of the publican was heard because it showed
dependence reaching forth to lay hold upon Omnipotence. Self to the
publican appeared nothing but shame. Thus it must be seen by all who seek
God. By faith--faith that renounces all self-trust--the needy
suppliant is to lay hold upon infinite power.
No outward observances can take the place of simple faith and
entire renunciation of self. But no man can empty himself of self. We
can only consent for Christ to accomplish the work. Then the
language of the soul will be, Lord, take my heart; for I cannot give it.
It is Thy property. Keep it pure, for I cannot keep it for Thee.
Save me in spite of myself, my weak, unchristlike self. Mold me,
fashion me, raise me into a pure and holy atmosphere, where the rich
current of Thy love can flow through my soul.
It is not only at the beginning of the Christian life that this
renunciation of self is to be made. At every advance step heavenward it is to
be renewed. All our good works are dependent on a power outside of
ourselves. Therefore there needs to be a continual reaching out of the
heart after God, a continual, earnest, heartbreaking confession of sin
and humbling of the soul before Him. Only by constant renunciation
of self and dependence on Christ can we walk safely. COL159-160
Testimony of a Chaplain from a major US Prison:
Americans are obsessed with before and after pictures. A little
dab of jell gives an elderly man a surprisingly youthful appearance,
while a simple makeover miraculously transforms a plane-Jane into a
stunning beauty. A portly man tries the latest fad diet and sheds
multiple unwanted pounds. I too have a before and after picture, greater
and more enduring than these. In 1990, I experienced a change so
radical, that it can only be explained in one way. Life began again for
me. In despair, I sat in a treatment center, strung out on alcohol
and cocaine. I earnestly sought divine intervention, and Jesus came
to my rescue. As I reflect on this metamorphosis, wells of joy
flood my soul.
Day after day, I look into the hardened and hurting faces of men
who need change. Mere physical or mental change cannot produce
lasting effects. This change must take place inside, in the heart of the
man. The Bible tells us that the heart of man is desperately wicked.
As a minister at the prison, I spend little time on the symptoms of
this heart disease. Instead, I try to move to the root of the
problem, SIN. Sin has separated us from God, and has led us down a road
of destruction. When we accept Christ as our Substitute for sin,
Savior from Sin, and Strength to overcome sin, we can finally be what
God intends us to be. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature,
old things are passed away, behold, all things are became new.
[Chaplain Steve Plemmons]
The heart of every man is incurably sick or wicked and can be
redeemed to righteousness only by God through faith in Jesus Christ.
[Believer's SB]
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