INWARD TRUTH

PSALMS 51:6

A. "BEHOLD, THOU DESIREST TRUTH IN THE INWARD PARTS"
  1. The fifty-first Psalm unfolds:
    1. The deep penance of David
    2. He traces his backsliding to his outward rituals and a lack of inward sincerity
  2. He realizes:
    1. That God desires truth in the heart, and not just lip service - Is. 29:13
    2. This prayer reveals that David saw the terribleness of sin, as he had never before realized it - Ps. 51:1-7
B. THE BIBLE MAKES IT ABUNDANTLY CLEAR
  1. That God insists on sincerity, not superficial truthfulness:
    1. In the inward parts - 2 Kings 20:3; I Ch. 29:17; Examples: Outward appearance and inward corruption was a mark of the spiritual leaders of the Jews in the days of the Son of man - Matt. 23:25-28; that is one of the great sins in the last days - 2 Tim. 3:1-5
    2. The effect of insincerity makes one's attitude in life hypocritical; Examples: Soul - I Sam. 15:20-21; the Pharisees - Matt. 6:5
    3. The sad part of it all for God's people today is that there is so much that is superficial - Rev. 3:14-17
  2. Truth in the inward part is a must:
    1. If human nature is to be changed, "Clean first that which is within the cup and platter that the outside of them may be clean also" - Matt. 23:26
    2. "Within ye are full of hypocrisy" - Matt. 23:28
    3. "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me" - Ps. 51:10
  3. The human heart is totally deprived and corrupted - Jer. 17:9; Matt. 15:19:
    1. That condition affects the whole being - Is. 1:6; Ps. 38:3
    2. Paul made this discovery in his own life that sin in the inward parts made his whole life wretched and unreliable - Rom. 7:14-24
C. ESSENTIALS FOR INWARD TRUTHFULNESS
  1. The total removal of sin out of our hearts:
    1. "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 of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh" - Ez. 36:26
    2. "Ye must be born again" - John 3:7
    3. "Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven" - I Cor. 15:50
  2. The Holy Spirit must have the control of our thoughts, words and actions:
    1. So long as Satan controls our lives we are the bond servants of sin - Rom. 6:16
    2. But when the Holy Spirit dwells in our heart by faith a transformation takes place
    3. He will make the word of God the transforming power in our soul - "Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free" - John 8:32
    4. "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord" - Zech. 4:6
  3. The change within our life is the work of a lifetime:
    1. Says Paul, "I die daily" - I Cor. 15:31
    2. Writes God's messenger, "The work of sanctification is the work of a lifetime"
    3. Admonishes Paul, "Having, therefore, these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" - 2 Cor. 7:1
    4. Paul freely acknowledges that he had not obtained a state of perfection, but that he forgot the past and continued to strive to obtain the mark set for him - Phil 3:13-15
  4. Truly, David sought a change of heart in his deep sorrow over his sins:
    1. Can we be less concerned about our inward life?
    2. Is it possible that we are deceived having a form of godliness, yet knowing that within us there is a void of truthfulness
    3. We shall do well to pray as David did, "Create in me a clean heart and give ma a right spirit"


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