Legislation
proposed in England in the 1700’s: “All women of whatever age, rank,
profession, or degree, whether virgin, maid or widow, that shall impose upon,
seduce and betray into matrimony any of His Majesty’s subjects, by scents,
paints, cosmetic washes, artificial teeth, false hair, Spanish wool, iron
stays, hoops, high-heeled shoes or bolstered hips shall incur the penalty of
the law now in force against witchcraft and the like misdemeanors and that
marriage, upon conviction, shall stand null and void.” [1]
This piece of history is comical, yet provides a point
concerning deception. The men in this day did not want women to look one way
when they were courting…and a different way AFTER the vows had been spoken! This kind of
deception is silly because if your getting married based solely on what your
eyes see…you
deserve what you get. However, the principle is the thing I want you to get…appearing
to be one thing…but in reality you are really something completely different.
When our heart is unwilling to accept Truth and we begin to
manipulate…two more desperate steps will take place.
First – Deceitful Heart
Matthew 2:8–13 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully
for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so
that I too may come and worship Him.” After hearing the king, they
went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before
them until it came and stood over the
place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced
exceedingly with great joy. After coming into the house they saw the Child with
Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening
their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned by God in
a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another
way. Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in
a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and
remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to
destroy Him.”
Unwilling to deal with reality, King Herod uses deception to
try to achieve his agenda. We must be honest with ourselves and make sure we
are not playing the same game. True, we will not be planning such an evil thing
as what Herod does…but if we are not vigilant to test the motives of our own heart
we can fall into deceit. Just consider religiosity:
Matthew 15:8 ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But
their heart is far away from Me.
Appearing to be something can be far different than what the
reality is! Remember what Christ warned:
Matthew 7:21–23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord,
Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father
who is in heaven will enter.
“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your
name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many
miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
When we have manipulated the Truth, and deceived ourselves into
thinking we can control it, the last and most tragic step is that our heart
over reacts to maintain control.
Second - Over
reacting Heart
Matthew 2:16 Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked
by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children
who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according
to the time which he had determined from the magi.
It is amazing and shocking to witness what the human heart is
capable of when it is unwilling to accept the Truth and demands to try and
remain in control. The carnage that took place here is unthinkable. Today the
world is still stunned by the senseless killings of children at a school in the
USA…words
cannot convey the sorrow for those that lost their loved ones. On this night
2000 years ago, an entire generation was wiped out…because one man had an
unwilling heart and refused to humble himself to the reality of God.
The unwilling heart will always lead you to actions that will
never make sense, because it is driven by appetite…not Truth. Years after
this tragedy, men that were unwilling to recognize Who Christ was, were still
behaving in the same manner. When confronted with the Truth of the empty tomb…they
became friends with their enemy just to perpetuate a lie.
Matthew 28:11–15 Now while they were on their way, some of
the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had
happened. And when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together,
they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, and said, “You are to say, ‘His
disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’ “And if this
should come to the governor’s ears, we will win him over and keep you out of
trouble.” And they took the money and did as they had been instructed; and this
story was widely spread among the Jews, and
is to this day.
Let’s do a heart check this Christmas. Our issues may not be as
major as these…but anytime we are unwilling to face the Truth…the
path will lead to trouble. It could be as important as our destination for
eternity, our investment for eternity…or it can be as simple as a habit that is
breaking our fellowship with God. Ask the Holy Spirit, during this time when we
rethink our life as a new year approaches, to open your heart to embrace Truth…all
of it.
Next we will consider the Seeking Heart.
[1]
Tan, P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia of 7700
illustrations : A treasury of illustrations, anecdotes, facts and quotations
for pastors, teachers and Christian workers. Garland TX: Bible Communications.
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