WHOLEHEARTED!
Various Psalms
What does it mean to be wholehearted?
What should Christians be wholehearted about?
A young woman in England many years ago always wore a golden locket that she would not allow anyone to open or look into, and everyone thought there must be some romance connected with that locket and that in that locket must be the picture of the one she loved. The young woman died at an early age, and after her death the locket was opened, everyone wondering whose face he would find within. And in the locket was found simply a little slip of paper with these words written upon it, "Whom having not seen, I love." Her Lord Jesus was the only lover she knew and the only lover she longed for. The Best of R.A. Torrey http://www.biblecenter.com/illustrations/wholehearteddevotion.htm
This woman had wholehearted devotion to the Lord Jesus.
A great example of being wholehearted is found in the Old Testament. The wholehearted individual was King Hezekiah.
2 Kings 18:3-6 - And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father did. [4] He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan. [5] He trusted in the Lord God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. [6] For he clave to the Lord, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses.
2 Chronicles 31:20-21 - And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah, and wrought that which was good and right and WHOLEHEARTED! - PAGE 2
truth before the Lord his God. [21] And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.
When it comes to being wholehearted we should follow the example of Hezekiah. But we can also follow the example of the writers of the Psalms. A very significant phrase appears in the psalms a few times. The phrase is, with my whole heart:
The writers of Psalms knew they needed be wholehearted in their devotion to God. We need to do the same.
There are at least four ways the psalmists showed wholeheartedness. Let’s examine these.
WHOLE-HEARTED PRAISE
Psalm 9:1 - I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.
Many of you are familiar with “Where’s Waldo”, the character who is hidden in the middle of a bunch of pictures.
He’s hard to find, because there are so many distractions in the picture.
Sometimes it is hard for us to worship the Lord because there are too many distractions in our lives as we try to worship.
What are some of the distractions to worship?
When I decide to praise the Lord with my whole heart, I strive to eliminate the distractions:
· By concentrating on what I am doing
· By casting all my cares and distractions on Him to take care of
· By thinking of all the reasons that I have for being thankful - I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.
Let’s see how long a list we can make of things specific that you and I can praise God for.
Dr. Bruce Leafblad - "Worship is communion with God in which believers by grace center their minds attention and their hearts affection on the Lord Himself. Humbly glorifying God in response to His greatness and His worth.” Dr. Bruce Leafblad, Quoted in sermon by Rev. Bob Aubuchon, On Purpose Worship, http://www.rftpsermons.com/onpurpose05.html
Psalm 111:1 - Praise ye the Lord. I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.
How does corporate worship encourage you?
We often think of what we can get when we worship.
We need to think of what we can give.
Do we want people to worship our Lord wholeheartedly?
Let’s help them by setting an example of wholehearted worship!
James Montgomery Boice - “If we want other people to praise God, we must praise God first. If we want them to love God, we must love him too. If we want others to serve God, we must serve him. We must set an example.” James Montgomery Boice, Psalms Volume 3, (Grand Rapids, Michigan, Baker Book House, 1998), P. 907
I can’t help but think that the quality of my praise to God, how wholehearted I am in my worship, is a reflection of my own spiritual condition. I say this because of Ephesians 5:18-20 - And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; [19] Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; [20] Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
When I allow the Holy Spirit to control me, I will be drawn by the Holy Spirit to wholehearted praise to God.
· Confess sin.
· Ask God to fill you with His Spirit.
Luke 11:13 - If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
WHOLE-HEARTED PURSUIT
Psalm 119:2 - Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.
In the course of a day, I might seek,
· Food
· Pleasure
· Sports
· Approval
· Friendship
· Relaxation
· Work
· Family Time
· House, Lawn and Garden Work
· And a host of other things.
True happiness, or blessedness, includes seeking the Lord with my whole heart.
To seek God with my whole heart means that He must be the priority in my life. And notice that if I am going to seek God I must also keep His commandments.
If I am not striving to be obedient to God, I am not seeking Him with the whole heart.
One who seeks with the whole heart must seek Him in the Word of God because that is the principle place that God reveals himself. A good, healthy love for the Word of God is an indication that I am seeking Him with the whole heart.
Jeremiah 15:16 - Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.
Psalm 119:97 - O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.
Psalm 119:9 - Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
Seeking the Lord with the whole will also involve spending time with Him in prayer which we will discuss in a moment.
Psalm 119:10 - With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.
At Sault Ste. Marie Michigan, there is large cement pyramid… “A plaque on this concrete pyramid said that on August 25, 1840, William A. Burt of the Department of Surveyors established this point as the northern end of a line running through all of Michigan, from which land is still surveyed today. Boundaries are accurate when measured from that line.
“What the meridian is to Michigan surveyors, the word of God is to us. It is a perfect standard by which to measure our decisions and guide our steps. If we live in obedience to its commands, we will stay in line with God’s will and blessing.” Our Daily Bread
O let me not wander from thy commandments.
Have you ever gotten lost? It’s no fun not knowing where you are.
One of the ways people get lost is when they wander off “the beaten path” or prescribed route.
I should be so committed to seeking God that the last thing I should want to do is wander from his commandments. When I wander from His commandments, I am lost!
WHOLE-HEARTED PROMISE
Psalm 119:34 - Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.
Before I can obey God’s law I need to understand it.
The only way I will understand God’s law is when God gives me the understanding I will need.
As I understand the Word of God I should be committed to obeying it.
As I read the Word of God, I should do it with a desire and promise to obey it.
As I hear the Word of God preached, I should listen with the intent of obeying it.
Psalm 119:69 - The proud have forged a lie against me: but I will keep thy precepts with my whole heart.
There will be times when our enemies will lie about us.
What people say about us should not affect our obedience to the Word of God.
No matter how people oppose me, I am to behave in a Biblical manner.
Behaving in a Biblical manner will include treating my enemies properly.
Even if I am hurt or offended, it does not exclude me from doing what is right towards others.
Romans 12:15-21 - Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. [16] Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. [17] Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. [18] If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. [19] Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. [20] Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. [21] Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
What God thinks of me is more important than what man thinks of me. Therefore my commitment should be wholeheartedly towards God to obey His commands.
Galatians 1:10 (NASB) For am I now seeking the favor of men or of God? Or Am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.
WHOLEHEARTED PRAYER
Psalm 119:145 - I cried with my whole heart; hear me, O Lord: I will keep thy statutes.
Prayer is to be wholehearted.
I believe that prayer is to be wholehearted because we need God. We can’t do anything without him, especially keeping his statutes.
Jesus said in John 15:5, for without me ye can do nothing.
That would include keeping his statutes. So we need to ask for help in being obedient.
If we are earnest in being obedient, we will be earnest in asking for help. Remember, God answers earnest prayer, prayer that is entirely dependent upon God!
James 5:16-18 - Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. [17] Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. [18] And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
James reminds us of Elijah the Prophet, who did nothing halfheartedly, especially praying. It was that kind of earnest prayer that God answered. Let’s follow the example.
Psalm 119:58 - I intreated thy favour with my whole heart: be merciful unto me according to thy word.
If you think of it, most of us spend a lot a time seeking the approval of others. How much more do we need the approval of God!
When I wholeheartedly seek the favor of God, I want his approval more than anything else and ask for it.
Also, I realize that I need his mercy. Without his mercy I will not be able to function! I deserve nothing good from God, and anything he grants me is by his mercy.
So here are some things that we should be doing wholeheartedly:
WHOLEHEARTED PRAISE
WHOLEHEARTED PURSUIT
WHOLEHEARTED PROMISE
WHOLEHEARTED PRAYER
Remember, the heart is “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked”
Jeremiah 17:9 - The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
I can not be whole-hearted until I have a new heart and the power of God making me wholehearted.
Jeremiah 24:7 - And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the Lord: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.
Ezekiel 36:26 - A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
We get a new heart the moment we are saved.
2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
1 Corinthians 12:13 - For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.