King David was said to be a man after God’s own heart. Nonetheless, King David committed adultery and then murder to cover it. When the prophet Nathan confronted him he acknowledged his terrible sin and repented. Psalm 51 speaks of his confession to the Lord:
Have mercy upon me, O God,
According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.
For I acknowledge my transgressions,
And my sin is always before me.
Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil in Your sight—
That You may be found just when You speak,
And blameless when You judge.Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,
And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me hear joy and gladness,
That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
Hide Your face from my sins,
And blot out all my iniquities.Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
Notice that King David did not mention the specific sins that he committed. He could have done so, but he knew that God had seen all that he did. Rather, David went to the core of his problem. His heart was not right with God. He was not dwelling in the heart of God. He knew that God loved him, but he was not consciously living in that love. His heart was not beating with God’s heart. His purposes were no longer God’s purposes.
In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spoke about the heart:
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:27-28)
When our heart is not in God’s heart then our heart will betray us. It will seek its own way and not God’s way. Again, Jesus said:
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)
On this earth we can live in the Kingdom of God. He live in the Kingdom insomuch as we live in God’s heart. If we live outside God’s heart then we are estranged from Him by our own choice, not His. He will never leave us or forsake us.
Where is our treasure today? What is the treasure of today’s American Church? We know the answer. That is why we need a revival, but it must begin in our own hearts.
