I had hoped that the scripture references over there for the "Sharing the Gospel" scene would have been larger and easier to see from the back of the room… maybe those of you sitting far away will come forward to have a look after the service is over. But I wanted to make sure that you knew that everything that was being said up here was biblically based.

What gives us the ability to reach out to others in the name of Jesus like that? How is it that we have become tools of saving grace in the hands of almighty God? Where do we get that kind of authority?

Our topic for today is "The Lord Looks on the Heart". And I want to speak to you this morning about how God sees us.

Allow me to recite some very familiar bible verses, and I'm sure they will help us to understand a little better how God sees us:

(I Sam 16:7) But the Lord said to Samuel, "Don't judge by a man's face or height, for this is not the one. I don't make decisions the way you do! Men judge by outward appearance, but I look at a man's thoughts and intentions."

(Psalm 51:10) (Written by King David just after his heart was convicted of his adulterous relationship with Bathsheba and with the murder of her husband to cover it up.) Create in me a new, clean heart, O God, filled with clean thoughts and right desires. Then I will teach your ways to other sinners, and they – guilty like me – will repent and return to you. You don't want penance; for if you did, how gladly I would do it! You aren't interested in offerings burned before you on the alter. It is a broken spirit you want – remorse and penitence. A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not ignore.

(Proverbs 3:1-7) Never forget the things I have taught you. Store my commands in your heart, for they will give you a long and satisfying life. Never let loyalty and kindness get away from you! Wear them like a necklace; write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will gain a good reputation. (Here's the familiar part) Trust in the Lord with all your heart; lean not unto your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths.

(Psalm 139:23-24) Search me, O God, and know my heart; Test me and know my thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

(Mat 23:25-28) Jesus said: "Woe to you, Pharisees, and you religious leaders – you hypocrites! You are so careful to polish the outside of the cup, but the inside is still dirty. Blind Pharisees! First cleanse the inside of the cup, and then the whole cup will be clean. You try to look like saintly men, but underneath those pious robes of yours are hearts besmirched with every sort of hypocrisy and sin.

These are tough words coming from Jesus. But remember, you will never catch Jesus speaking harshly to those who were unfamiliar with God's word. With knowledge… comes responsibility.

(Joh 9:39-41) Jesus said, "I have come into the world to give sight to those who are spiritually blind and to show those who think they see--that they are blind." The Pharisees who were standing there asked, What? Are you saying we are blind?" Jesus replied, "If you were blind, you wouldn't be guilty, but your guilt remains because you claim to know what your doing."

See, Jesus reserved the word hypocrite for the religious leaders, who's cups were clean on the outside but still dirty on the inside.

We need be honest with God…. Not because it is even possible to hide things from God, for as we are exploring today, God sees us by looking directly into our hearts, and he sees everything there. But it is in our desire to please him out of sacrificial love, that we find help and forgiveness from God. Like David, we must ask God to cleanse us from within, filling our hearts and spirits with new thoughts and desires. Right conduct can come only from a clean heart and spirit. …Search me O Lord, know my heart. Show me the error of my ways, expose my deepest secrets, and cleanse my soul. Transform my spirit. Transform my life. This is an on-going dialog… not just something that occurs when we pray our first heart felt prayer… we continue to ask God to be with us, and to transform us into the kind of person He wants us to be.

And from this process of asking God to keep our hearts pure, and accepting the responsibility that comes with knowledge, others recognize, and sense, our authority to minister from our God centered lifestyle.

But I'm not claiming that this is easy. Certainly not, if we attempt it all on our own. "But all things are possible through Christ who strengthens me", …who strengthens us.

You know… we can read the bible selectively. We can read the bible and only re-read the sections yellow from earlier visits from our highlighter pen… or just the sections printed in red, but the rest of the bible is also God's word, even the parts that seem harsh, or too tough to carry out in our lives.

Sometimes obedience means sacrifice. You see sacrifice is part of the equation when considering AGAPE love, the kind of love Jesus had for us and the kind he taught about… Agape love always involves sacrificial giving of ourselves to others. It's putting someone, or some people before ourselves. And of course we know that God made the ultimate sacrifice for us, so that we might receive eternal joy, and everlasting life.

But knowing scripture is not an indication of a changed heart… we must apply it to our lives, in order to give the holy spirit living within us, an opportunity do his job… and that is to transform lives.

So what is God asking of you and me? What is it we have to give him? We know that we cannot earn the gift of salvation through works, but it seems obvious that God is expecting something from us doesn't it?

You know, in the days of Samuel, when it was time to select the next King after a long reign of Judges over the land, God instructed Samuel to travel to Bethlehem and find a man named Jesse. It was to be one of Jesse's sons that would be anointed by God as the next King of Israel. At God's request, Samuel interviewed each one of Jesse's sons. One of them even looked like a king… tall and handsome just like King Saul looked. But God warned Samuel against judging by appearance alone.

Fortunately, God judges by faith and character, not by appearance. And because only God can see on the inside, only he can accurately judge us. While everyone can see our face, only you and God know what your heart really looks like.

So what kind of questions should we be asking ourselves to help eliminate things from our lives that interfere the picture that God sees when he looks upon our hearts? What kinds of things can we do to make sure that when we ask God to search our hearts, that he will find a good and faithful servant? How can we avoid hypocrisy?

Here are some questions we might ask ourselves:

•	What kind of attitude do we have toward each other?
•	What kinds of TV programs are we watching?
•	What kinds of movies do we attend or rent for the family?
•	How does God see us when we are behind the wheel of a car?
•	Do we obey the laws of the land? … and yes this includes speed limits and income tax.
•	How do we interact with others in our place of work?
•	How do we treat our employees… (for those of us who have any)?
•	What kind of humor do we enjoy… or participate in?
•	What kind of language do we use?
•	What do we do for pleasure?
•	Are we good stewards over God's possessions… his money, his food, his property, the God given talents instilled within us? These things don't belong to us… they belong to God, and they are only entrusted to us to provide for our families… and to reach out to others.
•	Do we allow pride or haughtiness interfere with making good choices?
•	How do we treat our bodies? …are we working to avoid unhealthy practices?
•	What does our disposition say about us to others?

If I don't ask these questions, and don't make a practice of inviting God to cleanse my heart… how can I come here and preach to you fine people? … If I were not practicing obedience, I would be just like the Pharisees… a Hypocrite! But, less you think I am boasting, I confess to you now, that if you only knew the things I must keep in check in my own life, you probably wouldn't invite me here You'd say, "What right does he have to tell us how to live our lives?". And you'd be right to feel that way.

You see, we can't earn our way into heaven, but we do earn the ability to minister to others. We must earn and keep their trust. They need to feel that we represent who we say we do.

Now think about it. We are all ministers. Every believer has a responsibility to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It's a commandment. It's called the Great Commission. You just have to find the way that's right for you.

You know there are some things that are absolute truths. There are some things that are explicit commandments… "Do not tell a lie"… "Do not commit adultery"…

But with sharing the Gospel, Jesus does not tell us exactly how we have to do this! It's kind of like our own Transformation 2000 direction for the church. We understand the goal but every district, mission center, congregation, every believer is encouraged to have their own T2000 plan. And so it is with sharing the gospel. This is one area where we can be free to choose our own style. One that suits us. One we're comfortable with.

This is where the spiritual gifts come in. We are all different. We are all blessed with different talents and gifts that can be put to use in ministering to others. As part of the body of Christ, it is God's plan that we are all different… some more talented at some things than at others.

I am reminded of a modern day parable, about a duck, a rabbit, a squirrel, and an eagle.

It seems the animals decided they needed to do something to meet the problems of the new world. And so they organized a school. They adopted a curriculum of running, climbing, swimming and flying.

To make it easier to administer the curriculum, ALL the animals we required to take ALL the subjects.

Now let your imagination run free for a moment.

The duck: was excellent in swimming, in fact, better than his instructor. But made only passing grades in flying and was very poor in running. Since he was slow in running, he had to drop swimming and stay after school to practice running. This caused his webbed feet to be badly worn, so that he became only average in swimming. But no one seemed to worry about that… that is, no one except the duck.

The rabbit: started at the top of his class in running. But he developed a nervous twitch in his leg muscles because of so much make up work… in swimming.

The squirrel: however was excellent in climbing. But he encountered constant frustration in flying class because his teacher made him start from the ground up, instead of the tree top down. He developed Charlie horses from over exertion, and so he only go a "C" in climbing and a "D" in running.

The eagle: was a problem child. And was severely disciplined for being a non-conformist. In climbing class, he consistently beat all the others to the top of the tree but he insisted on using his own way to get up there.

Funny thing about a story like that. It communicates a moral that is obvious to all of us. Each creature has it's own set of God given talents, in which it will excel naturally unless of course it is, forced to do something, or expected to fill a mold that it doesn't fit.

But what ever our strengths and capabilities are, we should always be ready to witness boldly to others, on what having Jesus in our lives is like. And we should be ready and able to help others to accept Jesus into their hearts. Or at least point them to someone who can.

You know when I first accepted Jesus into my life, I was already an adult, and I changed from someone who had been blessed as a baby in a ceremony without my knowledge or willing consent, to a full fledged, born again, spirit filled Christian.

And I began to grow, and to learn.

One of the things I learned is that many Christians who are born into a church, operate with a "business as usual" attitude because they've never known anything different. But, for me, it was like I was on a different planet!

As happens with many new Christians, I was very zealous with my study of the Bible and desire to tell others about Jesus. The more I understood, the more I wanted to explain.

And I confess to you today, that I shared the Gospel in just about every wrong way there is to do it. At times I was judgmental, uninvited, unable to have a conversation without somehow finding a way to work Jesus into it… I handed out bibles, I distributed tapes, … It wasn't very attractive to others.

I've lived and learned… and I'm still learning. And I've found that the best way to share the gospel with others… is to change my life… no… To let God change my life… and to cooperate with him in doing so.

You see, people are watching us. Especially if they have learned that we have "found Jesus", or if they are brothers and sisters in the church. People are constantly evaluating what we do, what we say, how we treat others. And they should notice that we have adopted characteristics which reflect the life and love of Jesus, as much as possible, and not just when it's time to go to church… lest we be considered just like the Pharisees.

So what kinds of things set us apart from the rest of the world and attract others to learn about Jesus?

How about these:

•	A sense of peace.
•	A more relaxed approach to problem solving.
•	Standards about what we participate in.
•	A strange absence of foul language in our daily lives.
•	No participation in off color humor and jokes.
•	Someone recognizing that they can't ever remember seeing us intoxicated.
•	How about… an immediate almost unconscious response to help someone in need. (I used to study the bible with a colleague when I worked in NY. Scott was an elder in another denomination. One day while rushing to catch a train, a mother who was carrying her baby in her arms and pushing a stroller appeared at the turnstile… Scott dropped everything he was carrying and before I knew what he was doing, he was lifting the mother's stroller over the turnstile for her… I didn't even see her coming… but Scott was always watching for ways to serve others.)
•	Maybe our opportunity to share the gospel will come from something as simple as a Bible laying on a table.

People will notice that we are set apart. These things cause others to ask questions… That's right… They ASK for it! And that's the time to seize the opportunity to share the gospel with authority… just like we saw, right here before us today. Something as simple as a bible laying on a table, and we being prepared to explain and defend what God has taught us about his kingdom, and how to be adopted into his family, will lead others to Christ… all because of the condition of our hearts!

I'd like to read something to you from a daily devotional entitled: "Living Up to The Name".

(Read March 7th installment from Our Daily Bread).

(Repeat) When you walk with Christ, You'll be out of step with the world.

You know, I don't want any of you to think that I'm up here preaching about living a changed life without knowing what you might be going through. I want you to know, that I struggle, just like you do. We all do.

Let me tell you what it's like, and see if you don't agree.

A man was telling a friend what it was like to be born again. He said, "Old things have passed away and all things have become new, but I still know where the old self is". He said, "It's like there are two German shepherds battling it out inside my chest! The urgings of my new creation in Christ, and the pull of my old carnal nature are constantly at war with one another." The man's friend looked at him and said, "German Shepherds, huh? That's interesting. Tell me, which one wins?" .

The man, with a glint in his eye, said… "It's the one that I feed!".

Listen, we have got to stay in the Word of God, we have got to continually be walking in the spirit, we have got to be continually inviting God into our hearts, asking him to do some inspection and conviction. And then it becomes our responsibility to repent, to make that change… To do something with the knowledge of the conviction by the spirit. And so we continually work to lead a Godly life.

But please, make no mistake…God is never angry with us for going through this process. (Emphasize) We were created for this process. We were never supposed to do this alone! That's why we receive the gift of the holy spirit. That's why the nine fruits of the spirit in Galations 5:20 (Love, Peace, Joy, Goodness, Kindness, Gentleness, Faithfulness, Long Suffering, and Self Control), that's why the fruits of the spirit are not called fruits of the flesh! Those are fruits are manifested by the spirit, living inside of us.

And so when we discover things in our lives that don't bring glory to God… when we find things in our hearts that don't belong there… we say "Thank you God for showing me this. Thank you God for working with me to make me your servant. Thank you God for loving me in this way. Thank you God for never giving up on me and being a constant source of reproof and strength".

Now… You say, "This seems like so much to handle!" You say, "Steve, don't you know, that Jesus reduced the entire Jewish law down to just two commandments? How can I get this down to a manageable size?".

(Smile) I carry a small card in my wallet. On this card are 4 questions which I use to gauge my life… sort of like a measuring stick. I ask myself these 4 simple questions when trying to decide whether God would approve of something I'm about to do. Each question has a biblical reference.

The title is: "Are These Pleasing to God and a worthy Investment of Talents"

Four questions, and here they are very briefly…

•	Is it helpful?
•	Is it enslaving?
•	Does it cause others to stumble?
•	Does it bring glory to God?

Question #1: Is it helpful? (1 Cor 6:12) (am I filling an unmet need in myself or in others, will others thank me, is it ministry)
Question #2: Is it enslaving? (1 Cor 6:12) (could this become addictive, rob me of my freedom, is it unhealthy, is it hurtful)
Question #3: Does it cause others to stumble? (Rom 14:13) (am I guilty of Hypocrisy, does it allow the light of Christ to shine out and attract others, if not, I may have just blown an opportunity to share the love of Jesus)
Question #4: Does it bring glory to God? (1 Pet 4:10) (Does this help to build his kingdom, is it geared towards peace and reconciliation, am I giving God all the credit)

I have brought cards just like this one for each of you here. And when I shake your hand today… (and I hope you'll shake my hand)… I'll hand you a card. I'm going to ask you to take your card and place it somewhere where you will come across it from time to time. Perhaps in a credit card window of your wallet or purse. Perhaps on your dash board. Perhaps on the back of your TV remote control. I have placed one in my house on the top of the front panel of our family computer screen. As if to say, "Let's make sure that we stay pure of heart, and bring glory to God while we are making use of this technology."

We should be a shining example of life with Jesus. We should be approachable and able to describe, defend, and tell others about our faith in Christ.

Most of what we know about Jesus, comes to us from first hand accounts written in the pages of scripture.

Sixty-six books in the bible, 35 different writers, spanning 4,000 years with one central common theme… God loves us, and this - world - needs - a savior! And so, he sent, his son.

And Jesus has the power and authority to forgive our sins and to change our hearts. For all of us who love the Lord, and participate in this on-going process.