Sunday School - Jeremiah 17:9 What does this verse teach?

Opening Prayer and the Question of the Human Heart

Always helping out there. Well we've got a long ways to go and we're starting late. So we're gonna jump right in and get rolling. I was gonna kind of wait for more people who are milling about outside to come in.

But let's get rolling. You can see what the subjects going to be. It's one verse in Jeremiah Jeremiah 17 9. But we will open with prayer and then we're gonna jump in and fly through these slides. Our gracious Heavenly Father we thank you for bringing us together once again for the year that has passed.

For the year that is to come we pray father that your blessing will remain upon us as it has been in the past. Father be with us even this morning in our Sunday school. Be with us as we adjourn this in an hour or so and go to worship Lord in all things we count upon you rely upon you and ask that you would help us to glorify your name and your son Jesus Christ in whose name we pray.

Amen. So let me ask you before we jump in here. What would you call the condition of the human heart. You just give me some words that come to mind. What's the condition of the human heart. Nice and loud.

Deceitful. Okay. She knows where we're going. What. Wicked. Okay. And one of the places we go to get those apt descriptions is right here where I want to be this morning. One verse Jeremiah 17 9. Now very often when we talk and especially in a reformed camp like ours we speak of the human heart as something that is bad.

It's deceitful. It's to go with our tulip to UL IP totally depraved. The inner man is wicked. The inner man is depraved. And this verse Jeremiah 17 9 is one of the place we go to. Now how many would go there in order to prove what we just said about the condition of the human heart.

How many would use that as the or one of your proof texts for that anybody hand kind of raised. Anybody. Wow you guys graduated before we even started. That's good. Now this is a common place to go. Okay and I want to talk to you about what this verse teaches now I want to tell you up front we're gonna repeat this at the end so that you're sure I'm not going to teach that there's anything good within us that can bring ourselves to God.

I am not going to teach that. I do want us to understand what Jeremiah 17 9 is and see at the end of this if it really is a proof text that proves the ubiquitous the constant and the universal badness of the human heart.

Does this verse teach that. So let's um let's jump in and just move through again. My caveat I'm not teaching the goodness of us. I won't teach what this verse actually conveys to us. What it actually says.

Context in Jeremiah and the Warning Against False Prophets

Who's here. When I taught in Romans 7 14 to 25. Who heard that teaching there. Sue. Okay that that's another one of those um easy to push buttons there is who is Paul. Well okay if only one person here we're not gonna we'll just jump past that.

Okay for starters when you think biblically about the human heart what do you think. We just had that question. We think wicked. We think deceitful we just think it's bad. Okay. So yeah we already did this.

When you think biblically about the humor of heart what do you think. And what is a go-to verse that you would support that assessment. Now other than the Jeremiah 17 9 we don't be raised their hands for where would you go to prove that here we are just off the top of your head.

Tell me you're the words that you gave seatful bad and wicked. Where would you go to prove that. Not this one anyone. We just don't like the heart. That's a good one for all the sin to fall short of the glory of God.

So my question that we're going to try and answer is so I'm trying to read my notes here. They got small. The ESV in Jeremiah 17 9 says the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick. Who can understand it.

And as we're going to see sick is a better translation than the one you were used to from the King James of the New King James which we used to use in this church which says desperately wicked. Or the NET the New English translation which says more deceitful than anything else.

But we'll come to that a bit later. So does Jeremiah 17 9 teach what we often attribute to it. We often go and say the ubiquitous condition of the human heart is this. So everybody's got this. And oftentimes it is attributed to the heart of the Christian and non-christian alike that the inner man is is deceitful above all things.

Okay. Okay let's analyze Jeremiah 17 9. I want to take that apart now as with Romans 7 14 to 25 when I started that and people saw where I was going I saw a nervous people out here in our reformed circle when he's gonna say that the law is not abiding upon us wrong.

There's plenty of places we can go to discuss the law in Scripture other than Romans 7 14 25. My point was that's not what that's about Romans 7 14 25 was about the nature of the law versus the nature of those in Israel trying to keep the law.

And the reason they couldn't is because they're two different natures. And that was kind of the prelude and a setup for Romans 9 through 11. That was my point not taking the law away but to properly understand what Romans 7 14 to 25 actually teaches.

Okay same thing here. We're not gonna say that the human hearts any good. I'm gonna see what's Jeremiah 17 9. Is it really a proof text for that. Okay. What's the first rule of biblical interpretation.

Before we jump in here call it out to me. What's the first rule of biblical interpretation. Context. Thank you. Okay context is the king and queen and the prince and the royalty of interpretation. What is framing this verse we're on.

Or this word Ron if it's a word it's within a clause within a sentence within a paragraph within a chapter within a book. Okay. What's the book about. What's that chapter about. How does it tie to what the books about and so forth as you dig down.

Context is everything. Okay. So Jeremiah's preaching was largely aimed at getting Judah to believe God's Word through him. And what was he teaching that Babylon was coming to affect God's judgment. Okay much of Jeremiah.

This isn't the one overall theme. This is one of his most strong emphases. Believe this Word of God coming to you through me. Babylon's coming. Babylon's gonna destroy submit to Babylon now and you'll live resist Babylon which is to disbelieve God.

And you're gonna die and it's gonna be horrible. Okay that's one of the emphases that Jeremiah has. So that's the context. Okay the leaders false prophets and priests all were denying that to be the case.

And we're not gonna go through Jeremiah in much detail. But they were calling out peace when there is no peace. They're hearing the Word of God through Jeremiah who said no peace surrender now get out.

And they're saying no no no no we're gonna win. This is gonna be good. We've got it together. That's Jeremiah 6 14 and 8 11 which you can look at. You can get these notes from me later if you want to.

But that's when those false prophets try to appease the people and say now Jeremiah is wrong. There's going to be peace. Who knows about Neville Chamberlain in 19 about 35 or so. What did Neville Chamberlain do.

What's he famous for. Yeah. Yeah. Neville Chamberlain as Hitler was building up the German armed forces and was making noise about all these nations that were in his way. And they need more elbow room and all this.

And people are getting worried. Well never never. Chamberlain Prime Minister of England went visited with him had some agreements with him. We're not gonna go to a bunch of detail. He came back and he famously declared before the um what's the name for the English Congress.

The Parliament. Yeah. That's what it was a he declared before the Parliament. You know I've talked to Adolf Hitler. He wants to get along with us. Everything's good. Don't worry about. There's going to be peace in our time.

And what happened. Poland France Belgium World War two. Okay this is what those false prophets were like. This is one of the main emphases of Jeremiah is against the Neville Chamberlain's of his day who are disbelieving God telling the people that there's going to be peace when Jeremiah who was certified as a prophet of God was saying otherwise.

Context. Jeremiah 17 9. As we understand it has to fit that context. Okay so analyzing Jeremiah 17 9 chapter 17. You have a Bible open up to Jeremiah 17 so we can follow along here. Okay 17 is about making sure that the people understand that Judah has certainly sinned and the Lord is indeed going to punish Judah.

Okay. That's part of this whole flow. This beginning of this prophecy knows how many chapters 50 chapters. It's a long prophecy. So really kind of the beginning. Judah has sinned and the Lord is going to punish it.

Look at verse 1. The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron. With a point of a diamond. It is engraved on the tablet of their heart. Okay. It's there. What is a pen of iron. What is the point of a diamond.

That's going to do something permanent. Okay. It's not like using a pencil. I don't know. You know if anybody uses pencil. Same work. It's not like using a pencil. And you can erase it. It's a pen. Okay.

And then you have to. You can't erase it. It once you do it. But you can tear it out. You can throw it away. This is deeper than that. A pen of iron. And and and the point of a diamond. Verse 3. Your wealth and all your treasures I will give for spoil.

I will give us the price of your high places for sin throughout all your territory. Verse 4. And I'll make you serve your enemies in a land you do not know. So again coming punishment. Believe God. Don't believe these ones who are calling out peace in our time.

There's really important anytime you have a question or anything like that comment. If you twitch I'll call on you. So what's the context. Is the certainty of the coming disaster and the need to believe the prophetic word.

The verses 5 through 6 are going to tell us something about trusting in man. What man are they talking about trusting in as I've been talking about. And what you know about Jeremiah. What do you think.

Versus. I didn't read them. Excuse me. Versus 5 and 6 thus says the Lord curses it. Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a shrub in the desert and shall not see any good come.

He shall dwell in the places of wilderness in an uninhabited salt land. So curse it is the man who trusts in man. What man is being trusted in. What man is he calling out government. But more in the context.

The false priests. The false prophets. Okay you got it. Right. But it's the false prophets in his day. If we jump forward 24 or so centuries. Yeah the government. We could go with that. But you know he's right.

Jeremiah's day is the false prophets calling out peace. No no. I was saying if we were if we're gonna preach if we're gonna apply if we moved it. For we could maybe make that kind of a connection to not believe them calling out peace when there is no peace.

Right. So what I would say about that verse though is that cursed is the man the individual the Judahite who's hearing the two messages. One from Jeremiah get out believe God. Submit. Now. One from the false prophets.

Cursed is that man who believes the false message. Okay. From the false priests the ones that Jeremiah's been crying out and saying they're false. They're not speaking for God. Okay. I got verse 6 verse 7 and 8.

Then give this promise. Now one of my objections the way we often understand Jeremiah 17 9 as this ubiquitous condemnation of the human heart whether it's the believer in Christ or not. It's ubiquitous.

It's everybody. Jeremiah 17 9 describes it is. Well. What about these other verses. After cursed is he. He's gonna be like a shrub. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord whose trust is in the Lord.

Now how do they trust in the Lord. In that day would be to believe the Word of the Lord through the Prophet Jeremiah. Okay. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord whose trust in the Lord he shall be like a tree plant by water.

Was that reminds you of that sends out its roots by the stream and does not fear when heat comes for its leaves remain green. It is not anxious in the year of drought. For it does not cease to bear fruit.

What do we. What does that remind you of Psalm 1. Very good. That's Psalm 1. Blessed is that man who trusts the Lord. Now in this context remember we talked about context. The curse is for believing in man.

For trusting man. False man in the context of Jeremiah the false prophets. But blessed is the man who trusts the Lord. Blessed is the man who hears the Word of the Lord and believes it through Jeremiah the Prophet.

He's gonna be the Psalm 1 man. Okay beginning of the Psalter. What I object to often. And I've not gotten a good answer for this from my Reformed friends who believe Jeremiah 179 is the ubiquitous description of all mankind.

Saved or not is. Well. Okay you want to be deceitful above all things. You want that to be your heart. Okay you've got. I'll give it to you. So I don't agree but I give it to you. I want to be the one who came just before.

Why do we not hold on to those two verses. I've never really gotten a good answer. Because they are just as strong as as the one that many.

Tend to lock on to okay airing on the side of caution.

I think I think that's good. We should air on the side of caution. We should lean on the Lord and not trust ourselves in that way. I agree with what he's who said. I don't think. I don't think that's what's being taught.

I don't think that's what Jeremiah is about. I agree. And we can find a lot of verses and a lot of very strong passage to support what he's who said. My passion is that we take the Bible on its own terms that we exegete that we understand what we're reading in the terms of the context where we find it.

So Jesus is right. It's just like at the very beginning or when I talked about Romans 7 14 and 25 and I said it's not about the law it's not about whether the law abides on the Christian. We can find that all over the Bible.

It's just not in Romans 17. You understand what I'm saying. Yeah. Okay. So it's Jeremiah's word as opposed to the Prophet. Cursed it is the one and blessed is the one. Okay. Blessing is just as prominent as the cursing.

Remember the context. It's the certainty. The context is certainty of disaster. The need to believe the word through Jeremiah. Oh okay. So what then is the warning of verse 9 just for the sake of class.

If I'm correct. And what I'm trying to bring forth. What is verse 9 warning about that. What do you think in the context. Go ahead. Nice and loud. Good. Don't be to see. What were you gonna say soon. Mm-hmm.

So can we put it this way. If we take the context the flow of thought Jeremiah 17. I know we didn't do 16 chapters. We're jumping right into 17 then. Yeah. It's exactly that. It's here's the false message.

Here's the true message. Here's cursing. Here's blessing that she remind us of Deuteronomy. But the cursing of blessing called off from the two mountain sides to Israel. And you can be blessed even though it's gonna be hard.

I mean the temple is going to be sacked. But you can live. You'd be blessed if you believe. And you're gonna be cursed if you don't. And here is one. Here's here's the reason really to not believe the false priests.

That false prophets I should say. Because the heart is deceitful above all things. Because they're coming to you with a heart that is human and human centered and looking to their own needs and not paying attention to God's Word.

And that's what he's saying here. He's describing not here's my argument. He's not describing everybody in the world. Though it could we have other verses for that. Okay. I'm not saying we're good. I'm not saying we're great.

Okay. I'm not saying that. Okay. I said stop. This is being taught here. It's not saying that if you go to Polynesia you're gonna find deceitful wicked hearts. We have other verses that would say that.

But that's not what he's saying. He's talking about the false prophets. Am I is everybody with me on.

This we. Good. Yes Charles. Yeah I've got the air conditioner now that you're.

Making a good point there Charles. What Charles is saying if I understood you is the deceitful heart is warning. I say primarily about the false prophets but what Charles is saying is your own heart could be deceiving you into hearing the phone.

I would say that yours is correct but it's a sub point. I still in context want this to be Jeremiah warning them of the consequences of listening to the false prophets. Their heart is deceitful. As a sub point I like what you're saying.

But I'm still primarily focused on the false prophets. Yeah yes right it's very.

Much like Joshua or excuse me like Moses. I think Joshua said much thing see I've set before you life and death. I've said before you the Word of God and I'm paraphrasing a bit and your own heart. I've set before you how to follow the Lord and you can choose this day whom you will serve and that sort of thing Jeremiah is doing that here's the Word of God here's the Word of false prophets.

The heart is deceitful. They're coming from a deceitful point but I like what Charles said to watch your own heart.

You're saying that the immediate context of Jeremiah 17 is making a contrast between trusting in the Lord and trusting the false prophets trusting in.

The Lord as he's speaking to Jeremiah. Yes. Yes. And like said Jeremiah 17 9 is not talking about the whole world. We have other verses that will do that. It's describing those false prophets. But I like what Charles suggested there you have to watch your own heart too.

But I would still argue that that's kind of a sub point. Yeah. Again that's not what Jeremiah's emphasis is. See now I have one of those guys who's so afraid I'm gonna take it away and say okay. We're all good.

God likes us as we are. I'm not saying that. Okay. The warning in Jeremiah 17 9 is the false prophets. And again I do like what was brought up here watch your own heart. Because if you go the wrong way you're leaving.

You're following your own and you can become like them. The universal statement of the heart. We've already discussed that. Or is it a warning to see to discern between human platitude versus prophetic revelation.

We've kind of already discussed that everybody with me. You don't have to agree a hundred percent. But they just want you to follow my reasoning here. Any comments between human platitude and prophetic revelation.

Again it's Jeremiah through the signs and everything we keep. We don't have time to go through Jeremiah in any detail. He was proven to be a prophet of God. Okay. And he's his word. Has that certification if you will.

And the false prophets speaking in platitudes speaking devil. Chamberlain. Oh feel good. It's all okay. It's gonna be fine. God's gonna save us. Ah we have the the faithfulness for all delivered to the Saints.

We have the scripture. We have the Holy Spirit. We have the ability to discern. We have each other to bounce things off of safety. And many counselors. Deborah I can't hear you. Yeah. Oh yeah. That could be.

Yeah. Right. And never. Chamberlain. Every able to watch all creatures great and small on. Yeah. I love that even the new one usually remakes are terrible. This one's good. But there's a scene there where they listen to the radio and the lady who takes care of the house I don't remember her name but it's Neville Chamberlain.

They're playing the old broadcast where he says. And there will be peace in our time. And the guys in the house go. Oh good. I don't have to go get shot by the Germans. And the lady the house looks at she goes.

She's not quite believing it. She was. Okay. We're still on context. The Lord searches the heart where we verse 10. I the Lord searched the heart and test the mind to give every man according to his ways according to the fruit of his deeds.

Again his ways the fruit of his deeds. Or you can believe the false prophet or the certified prophet the word of man with a deceitful heart. Or the Word of God through the certified Jeremiah. It's a contextual question.

If the heart parade of everyone is desperately wicked that's that the King James has as most of us learned it. Why would the Lord search it out. You know there's this whole barrel of hearts is spoiled.

That's why I put him in this barrel. Now I have to look and see if this was. It doesn't make sense in the context. Okay I the Lord searched the heart. If all the hearts are desperately wicked if there's no chance that any of those hearts are trusting in the Lord verses seven and eight why would he search them out.

He knows all things. But even in symbolic language of God searching for something. Can searching something out make sense when the thing being searched out is universally described and condemned already.

That's how I'm approaching this. The Hebrew of 17 9 is 9 words. Something like this deceitful. And stay tuned that word will be analyzed later. Poor guy touched his ear. And I'm not. What do you want.

Deceitful. Deceitful. The heart above all incurable. Who knows what does that mean. Hmm. Looks like a keyboard error there in the in those brackets anyway. Deceitful the heart above all incurable. Who knows is the Hebrew the main words are deceitful and incurable.

We're gonna look at those really pretty quickly. Okay the formula we have here is X the heart above all why it is. Now I have to stop here for a moment and tell you that at this point this formula is from another author.

That's not my work but I misplaced his name. So I can't tell you who he is. But I just want you to know that this didn't come from me. I studied it and I want to use it because it really helps us. But I don't know the name of the guy to attribute it to.

Yeah I don't want to be a plagiarist here but it's it works really well. X the heart above all why it is. X is deceitful from the Hebrew word a cove. And a cove means heel or heel tracks. Like when you're walking it in in something that will take an impression from your foot.

Heel track. Maybe if you're a hunter you're trying to catch to get a doe or a deer. You look for the a cove. You look for the tracks and then track it down trace it down. A cove is where we get the name Jacob.

And that's from hanging on to the heel of Esau. And that's a really interesting wordplay when the two twins the twins are being born and he's holding on to the a cove of Esau. Like trying to pull him back now I'm gonna go first.

I'm gonna supplant you. And he comes. He comes second. But because he was holding on to the a cove he's named Yaakov. It's a really interesting wordplay in the Hebrew. But the one hanging on to the heel was named heel or supplanter.

And most of you know that story and how that actually played out. Esau used this word when he complained. Is he not rightly named Jacob. For he has cheated me these two times. He took away my birthright and behold now he has taken away my blessing.

So that's a cove. That's a cove. The heart above all why it is heel or supplanting is the heart above all things why it is. We'll come to why. In a moment there certainly was deception when Jacob supplanted Esau for the blessing due to that was due the eldest son.

But not when he took Esau's birthright. Do you remember when he took Esau's birthright. Who remembers that. How was that done. What was the arrangement for the birthright. Mm-hmm. Right. And he said these lentils.

Right. So yeah it wasn't a good deal. But it was up front. I'm starving. I'm gonna die. Give me some of those lentils. No they're mine. You have to give me something in return. What do you want return.

I'm gonna die here. I'll give you anything. Give me the birthright. Okay here it is. Now it's a lousy deal. They took advantage of Esau's weak condition. But it was up front. It wasn't not deception. Wasn't nice thing.

But it wasn't deception. The word a cove means to be deceptive. Second Kings 1019. Let me just read that to you. Real quick. Now remember to that I'm not just trying to take apart Jeremiah 17 9. We're talking about biblical interpretations here.

My passion is that when we look at this we go away with our preconceived notions. And we learn to open our Bibles and read them correctly. Really read the context. Okay. What'd I say 1019. Now therefore a call to me all the prophets bail and his worshippers and all his priests.

Let none be missing. For I have a great sacrifice offer to bail. Whoever is missing shall not live. But ye who did it with cunning in order to destroy the worships of bail. He did with a cove. He was being deceptive.

Okay you could say that was deceitful. But really he was being deceptive. Okay. X. The heart above all. Why it is. Now why is our ESV desperately sick. And that's where our King James our new King James where most of us learn this verse says desperately wicked.

The NIV has beyond cure. The Hebrew word is Anoush. Anoush and that means incurable. It's found ten times in the Old Testament. Only ten times. Now here's a sampling of Anoush. Remember. Deceitful. The heart above all desperately wicked.

How we learn this. That's really wicked. It is 2nd Samuel 12 15. David's son. Remember the one he had with Bathsheba. David's son was Anoush. He became sick. Hebrew behind that's Anoush. Job 34 6. Job said his wound is incurable.

It's Anoush. Micah 1 9. Israel. Or could be Judah. Israel's wound is incurable. And then the best for last will be Psalm 69 20. So desperately wicked. It's not a really good translation there. And your ESV kind of corrects it.

Okay. Our ESV corrects it and says I'm desperately sick but desperately wicked. How Moses. Most of us learn this is not so good. I want to show though this is really a powerful thing in Psalm 69 20. Reproaches.

What is 69 20 about. Is anyone off the top of their head. Prophetically in redemptive history Psalm 69 20 is about who. 69 20 is about who. Jesus. Yeah it's prophetic of Jesus. Reproaches have broken my heart so that I am in despair.

That's our word Anoush. I looked for pity but there was none. And for comfort is. But I found none. They gave me poison or gall. That's Jesus on the cross. For food and for my thirst. They gave me sour wine to drink.

I'm sorry the sour wine is the gall. If Anoush means desperately wicked as the King James has it and as many of us learned this verse in Jeremiah 17 9 then we have a problem with what it says here about Jesus whose heart was not wicked at all.

Much less desperately wicked. The word means despair. The word means incurable. Okay. Not desperately wicked. Yeah there are word Anoush simply cannot be freighted with that much moral connotation as we've learned Jeremiah 17 9.

It can't mean desperately wicked. We still okay. Anybody ready to faint. Okay. Brief history of the translation. Here we're actually gonna make it this good. The first morally negative flavor was done in the third century when the passage was translated into Aramaic the common spoken language in Israel then.

And in Jesus's day the Targum the rabbinic commentary translated this way. Deceitful is a heart above all things and it is strong. Strong is not such a good word. There's no real explanation for why that was chosen by men who were obviously expert in Hebrew and Aramaic.

But that's what they said centuries ago. Now that the Targum that the heart is strong in other words strong-willed will go its own way. I think is the idea they had there that influenced Jerome who wrote the Latin Vulgate which became the Catholic Bible very influential.

The heart is perversive of all things and unsearchable. Who can know it. Centuries after that the Bishop's Bible among all things man has a most deceitful and stubborn heart who can know it. And the searchable from our word Anoush.

Irenaeus who learned from Polycarp who learned from the Apostle John who obviously learned from Jesus Christ. He had it this way. He and he meant Jesus. He saw it as pointing to him. He is a man and who shall recognize him.

Anoush is interesting too. It's it's in another form Anoush means man. Enoch's name comes from that as a representative of mankind. The modern Brown Drivers Briggs a standard Hebrew lexicon only loads Anoush with this moral meaning for Jeremiah 17 9.

That's really interesting. I didn't make a picture of it for you. But if you look at the BDB the Brown Drivers Briggs this one I used in seminary it's still a standard go-to lexicon for Hebrew. Only once does this word Anoush incurable strong.

These other translations we've seen only once does it say wicked. And that's for this verse that we're working on. And there's real no there's no real explanation for why. It's just interesting that he got loaded up like that.

Have we said that the human heart is good. Are we concluding here that if it isn't that if it isn't good it's not quite so bad as people think. Have we said that the human heart is fixable by human means.

No. I'm not saying that at all. I'm saying let's look at the Bible and take the Bible on its own terms. Let's understand the context of things. Jesus wanted to go forward and apply it. And does that. You know when I made the statement about the false prophets he says does that relate to the government.

Is a correlation. Well let's make the correlations. Let's make the applications after we understand the context. Because these words do mean something for us today they do have application for us. And as Jesus was saying towards the government towards the way we're living now towards whom we believe Deborah was talking about.

Well how do we discern. What was the word you used. Ever. It doesn't matter. Yeah I can't. Yeah I don't want to hang up on it to him. Just we can discern between the two and the Spirit will lead us to be the one who trusts in the Lord vis-a-vis the one who's cursed because he trusts in man and doesn't take the warnings.

So have I said that we can fix our own hearts or anything like that. No. Absolutely not. My point has been that's not what Jeremiah is talking about. Jeremiah is not teaching a universal constant wickedness of all human heart.

And my great objection there would be in the believer. Okay believe. If you take Titus 2 we says that we're saved not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to his mercy he has saved us by the washing and regeneration of the Holy Spirit.

We take that in context with Ezekiel 36 26 I think it is where I will take out your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And we look at that heart of flesh. And we look at Titus 2 11 where we've been washed and regenerated by the Holy Spirit.

Which I think is giving us that new heart to believe the gospel in Jesus Christ. And then we say well Jeremiah 17 9 says that that heart is deceitful above all things. It's wicked. It's incurably bad.

So we say God gave us that heart to believe the gospel. It doesn't mean that the flesh does not lead us astray. It does. It does. We can go all kinds of places to warn ourselves about our own inclinations.

It's all over the Bible. It's not here is my okay. Yeah. Absolutely not. Okay. Here's some verses to support and make sure that as Charles was saying let's be cautious. We know that we can be led astray desperately wicked as them.

But is that not us when we believe them. Yes absolutely. Genesis 6 5 every intention and thoughts of his heart was only evil. Continually. Deuteronomy 36 the Lord will circumcise your heart. Meaning you can't fix your heart.

Only God can do it through faith in Jesus Christ by the washing and regeneration of the Holy Spirit. I'm only saying these. I'm still reformed. I still believe that we stink. I still believe that only God can fix us.

Okay. Jeremiah 31 33 and I the Lord will write my law in their heart. We can't do it. We can't follow it. God and God alone through Christ does it. Ezekiel 36 26 when I was quoting a second ago I'll give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you.