The Mirror of a Man, Part 1

Greetings friends and new listeners and welcome to this program in the Archie Hardy ministries. I'm sure not thanking you for joining us today because we know Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. I'll be bringing today's message entitled the mirror of the man.

This is a subject that is near and dear to my heart because God's word tells us to guard our hearts with all diligence, because out of it comes the issues of life and the only true mirror that we can look into and know the truth of who we are is the perfect mirror of Scripture. It reads our hearts without distortion and our hearts reflect the mirror of the man I love your presence tonight. I don't know about you but I do I can make one day without the presence of the Lord, because in him. I live and move and have not been come to live because in Jesus in the word of God is not very identity. This word tells me, and I mean seriously I know who I am by the word of God and I just want to be saturated with his word because it really is word that I it is truly the road that leads and guides me and I don't know about you but I'm planning on being say, all the way. I mean I'm saying until the last day I don't know how long it will be before Jesus comes in. I don't know how long it will be before I go. Which one is going to come first.

But I be saying all the days of my life.

You all the days of my life.

I'm going to start you until my last Jesus.

And when you want to be with you for all eternity. You, but I realize that in order for that to be true.

I would have to stand and I would have to stay with the word of God because otherwise I will fall flat on my face but I know what the Lord upholds the he will lift me up and he's able to make me stand stumbling and falling and backsliding and quitting because the word of God is leading me and I'm following him and that's what I hope that tonight you will draw a little closer to the Lord as you begin to see yourself in the word of God.

Let's turn to Proverbs 27. I would read one verse in Proverbs Proverbs 27 in 19 says add water base and strength to face so the heart of man to man at water base and strength to face so the heart of man to man. Now I want to tell you what it says and in another version, just a kind of make it a little clearer to you the NIV says as the water reflects the face. So one man's heart reflects the man now of course when the wise man wrote this stated the mirrors like we have and if you would look into a pool of Clearwater, you would see your reflection, I mean you could see imperfectly if you were looking into a perfectly clear pool of water with the sun shining down you would see you what you would see every detail in that water and so that's what he was saying even as you can look into water and see the reflection of your face so I man's heart is the reflection of the man. So if you look into a mirror in a natural looking glass. You're going to see your face you see what you look like you're going to see your your your complexion, your senior features you're going to see your countenance your face in the mirror and just as you look into a pool of water or look into a mirror that reflects your face. The Bible says a man's heart reflects the man who you are and is reflected in our heart, whatever heart that's the person we are. And it will come forth that it will be reflected that weren't that bad thing heart whatever it is, good, bad, or in between.

It's going to be reflected in the man. The Bible says as a man thinks in his heart so is he.

Jesus said, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The wise man said regarding issues. Guard your heart out of economy issues of life.

Everything that is known about you or will ever be known about you is in your heart and it will come out sooner or later. All you have to do is spend a little bit of time with someone and begin to talk to Dan and after a while you will begin to begin seeing their heart and see what kind of person they are because it's going to come out.

Whatever we are is going to come out. Our heart reflects the man and let's now to return to the book of James I chapter and we see that really the book of James is the New Testament book of Proverbs. Really it is. If you read the book of James, you'll find out that he basically gives you the same sort of off Proverbs the Joe finding in the book of Proverbs in the Old Testament, and a lot of things will be very similar to the Proverbs and a lot of things will match it will be give you the New Testament confirmation even though he doesn't specifically quote them, but the book of James. I love the book of James, and I think it's a book that people sort of neglect and you know read over.

They don't really bother with a lot, you know, but it deserves to be looked into.

It's just as powerful as all the other books in the New Testament and it's a little different than the other ones, but it has a lot there that we can really use to grow that we can grow by and I want you to see.

Now James I chapter and starting with verse 22 but be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves and let me say this. The worst thing you can do is deceive yourself. Amen. He said, or if any man be a hearer of the word and not a doer, then he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass for he be home with himself and going his way, and straightway for what manner of man was by whose solo get into the perfect law of liberty, and continue with their in being not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work. This man shall be blessed in his deed. So we find here that actually James is going to expound on what we just read in Proverbs. He says if you look into a looking glass as we look into heat liking the looking glass to be the word of God. God's word is a mirror and he said if you will look into the mirror of God's word and what you hear and read and learn from God's word.

If you will not be a forgetful hearer and get up and go your way and not what you heard not to put in practice don't follow through. Don't obey it.

He said that you're like a man who looks into a looking glass and looks and sees his space but he forgets what manner of person he is and what he is seeing and what is heard. Now let's let's try something here for a minute I want every body that can. I want you to close your eyes for a moment. I will keep my eyes open so I'll make sure nobody is going to let anything run out the door. Whatever.

I will demonize open you close your close your eyes for a moment. Now, while your eyes are closed. I want you to think of the person that's very close to you, your husband, your wife, one of your children, your one of your parents or your brother or sister or friend someone close to you get a picture of that person in your mind, how many are are are are thinking of someone close to you and you can see the image if you can see the image of that person in your mind with your eyes still closed, raise your hand if you can see all right. Oh, okay.

Open your eyes now almost everybody here raise their hand. Some didn't.

And I don't know it just because they fell asleep that quick doesn't take much for some people know it's all they needed was me to say closure on sister Sharon said I could go and somebody will doesn't automatically drive the sleep but most of you raise your hand that you were able to visualize that person. That's real close to you.

All right, now let's try to get close your eyes again. Now this time, I want you to visualize your own face, I want you to visualize your own face see your own self honesty in these funny little cream with people, eyes closed, I'm seeing a spiny lobster screwing up their noses like how many are finding it harder to see your own face, then the person I asked you before hand and raise you can open your eyes now how many harder to see your own face. It was hard what I mean. You're trying to see what you look like, and you all of a sudden you can see, you just can't let yourself do you get we don't look at ourselves. Now we look at ourselves in the morning when we know, Herod in the afternoon or evening, we might visit the mirror a few times a day and some people might visit the mirror many times a day you're still just you're looking and you're still not see yourself laughing. You got the miracle you can see what you look like laughing and I know you have a look in the mirror and saw yourself when you're really hot. I mean blaze and made because when you're blazing man you're not starting about boarding the mirror to see what you look like right so you cannot be sure. Visualize your own face when you're really mad mad you found yourself mad. You know how you feel bad when your next about this and your face is getting all you know, read or hotter. Your eyes are bulging out, but you don't know what you look like mad. You don't know what you really look like happy and laughing and just really let yourself go but you know yourself now if you type picture that first person that the first time I told you to visualize the person, chances are if you sat there endangering for a while. You can get a picture of them laughing. You could get a picture of them not laughing you thinking all kinds of pictures of that person close to you because you're always there. You know that I certainly looked at me shot up. Don't say anything else. Don't you know that look. You know that look like how I pushed the button to hard this time.

You know when they're just when you get when you know when they're about ready to just let loose and get all goofy and silly because you just hit the funnybone. You know that look when there when the weather under pressure in there and they're down there and are low, you know that look when their delight looks about the people know what you look like that because when you look in the mirror at yourself.

Most the time you're looking with just a straight face.

You might check your teeth out if you got any you know you might check a few things out. But in the mirror going through all of the different humane. I mean I don't maybe you do.

I don't know know you don't don't don't admit it, is don't tell nobody. Just be quiet and we won't know the point is we don't really know what we really look like because we we can see ourselves now.

How many never looked at a photograph of yourself and permit.

You owe because you know you look a certain way. You know you know you and it looks like you but you were surprised that you did quite like that you saw yourself in a different way. All I'm sorry I brought it up. I'm sorry I'm the pen Sasha done that because I know the feeling. But you know sometimes it's good because in yourself, I would want to die tomorrow for sure. So the point I'm trying to make and I think the probably over made the point is that you don't really know what you look like we know what every what everyone else looks like around but we don't really know what we look like and it is the same way in the spirit James adds, he said it's the same analogy we can take in the spirit we are all like that man that looks in the looking glass looks in the mirror and sees himself that's me :-) but it's not what's on his close goes on out the door about the rest of the day and he know what he looked like.

It's the same way we look into the word of God and we don't really realize and understand what we look at what were seeing when we look into that into God's word and that's why he told us we had not to continue to look into the mirror and the only way we're going to continue to have a real idea of reflection about our remember the heart reflects the man the only way that work but I haven't. Mitch, of who we are in this spirit is if we keep looking in the mirror.

We in the mirror.

The only way that I can know what I look like in the natural is the look in the mirror and goes on its fades away no less and less what I look like my family member to every person here and you staring at yourself for about five minutes and then close your eyes and tell you to see yourself, you probably would been able to do it just like that because you just saw the image it was right there and that's the same way it is with the word of God. We just happen here on a Sunday morning and get a little message here and get a little sermon here and think that's going to allow us to really know whether or not we were walking in this walking in obedience and walking in truth we went back to keep looking in the mirror because of me to say all you got this real big brother so-and-so all sisters on so boy you need to get the victory over the lazy what's wrong with everybody but in order to see what my problem is not our located in the marathon, I want to see what I have a problem with and that's what James is saying he say because otherwise straight way to get something done this way and integrate the ones he forgets what he seen the word of God. And I mean I know there've been times that the Holy Ghost is really powerful. On Sunday night do not know God was talking to folks.

I mean, not just I know we was talking to, but they just get up in the next next report figures worse than the last one. Why because people go out the door and they said amen. When they sat in the pew and they heard that message in the Holy Ghost is pulling at their heartstrings, but they went out the door and straightway immediately forgot what practice they didn't do it and if you know you don't practice your job stay here that the danger is to see yourself, you don't deceive anybody else. You don't deceive the printer printer that's just the messenger.

It's not the printer to make sure you do it or don't do it all the preacher can do is deliver the message but then it's up to you what you're gonna do with it and that's why Paul said the more he grabbed her and do the things which you did.

Any time you now back in the Greek is different than English because it sounds like the word but in the Greek sense last you should slip something Bob Martin never slipped slip always right on God's will is always perfectly God is always on target. God never makes mistakes maybe I might miss some likeness, but the Holy Ghost mass. But when we take them off his game to the things that we have hard on that slip not in my notes because I do not bring that out. But Paul said that in right now.

This gave me where it is. But he said you got to give the more artist you think it's still in Hebrews, but I'm not sure the chapter you have to give the more left any time that you should let it slip because James said it's going to be the tendency for most people to get out and go out along the way and forget what they had heard and deceive themselves know the Greek word there for deceive means to reason side.

The point to misjudge to miscalculate to deceive through fallacious reasoning.

Have you ever tried to get through to somebody and their reasoning totally beside the point. And you keep saying that is beside the point and their going on like this big elaborate argument an answer and it doesn't have anything to do with what you're trying to get through to the discussion of the point. They are constantly reasoning beside the point. And some people have done so. But that's all they know how to do their whole life.

That way, is confronted with something that makes them feel the least bit uneasy or uncomfortable. They start reasoning beside the point finding you know I get off on another subject distracted Ms. And they're doing is deceiving themselves and they're doing is is is causing themselves to become more instructive because you been staying long enough and I've been through enough trial that I just want to know the truth. I don't like those trials that time the fiery furnace time. I don't like the crucible trials. I don't like those it all on this make me want to die, but when you get through him God teaches you something but I don't want to be one of us fallacious reason earth was on and watch me get up and obey God's word. So what we do not realize we don't do anything but deceive ourselves, and humans are. Yet where we've got to be very reasoning. Things to satisfy our mistakes and to satisfy why we do certain things. I don't know the Lord.

I probably gonna follow the Lord here tonight and I may go another way the when I happen was going to follow the Lord that I just thought about this.

My little grandson Noah. He was in there and you don't get to see them very much. Only could seem a little bit and he's quite rambunctious. As you probably have seen so he's in there announcing it on.

Try to get my thoughts together know he's in there and he want me to fly airplanes all the stuff but he's a very bright little boy. He's very bright. I mean, I know I'm his grandmother, and I know you know I'm probably you know a little biased, but he is easily when he was like five years old think is going very bright, very verbal and you can carry on a conversation with Mikey with an older person and I'll never forget you know in that room. That's been the catchall room for all the jumping you don't what to do with it ended up in that room that room over the years and believe me parts of plays parts of this part that we don't even know there's a big old brick in this big dog looks a whole lot better now that Benny and Helena got in and they really cleaned it out when that roof fell in. They have a choice they had to do it, but there's been this briefcase that's been in there don't know how many years was soon it was one of the props for one of the place, but it's a nice looking briefcase.

The kindest copy on the combination locks near absolutely for years and you know I would sit in your lab, and for quite a while now.

I would say that this went on for about a year every time know the company would go there would bug Internet did not know what is in that case I think grandma what's in this briefcase and we got the same thing.

I don't know Noah what is it I don't know know what what's in here for I don't know know and this went on here every time.

It was like we never had this discussion before and he would be trying his best to pick that lot to get pens and he did everything he think grandma how can I get in your don't you want to know, just ignoring and said the next time we go through this. This is been Going over a period of months and months and so one night he came in there and true to form he started up the same old thing grandma what's in here. Don't you want to know what's in here. I said I don't know know it.

I don't know what might be some money and I don't know.

It might be, but I only visited he's not breaking on and breaking all my pencils because he's deterministic them in their term and they break so here he goes again with one my panda said no, you're just been a break another pen. There's no way you can open that with the pain that by now it's going to be strong like Benny.

He's going to have to get a screwdriver and eat at the coming year. Maybe he could get open, but you can't get it open. Well, that is one stop him from trying. So he finds time and finally he decided he takes the pen and you know where the lift comes over he starts taking the pan and set a time going to get the lock that we decide to go up under push the lift so he's pushing her knees push and push and it started to get a little bit and he's pushing when he's pushing it. Finally he busted the scene busted I opened money toward the seam and when he did that. Just joking around. I said all my goodness you done it.

Now all boy you broke it, now you are in trouble. He turned around and looked at me with those big eyes of his and I said all boy, you're in trouble now and I could just see the wheels in his mind already turning, he says, but grandma but grandma it's not my fault I said no, you're the one who did it but aren't you the one did you just break it open, but grandma on the only one to blame Jesus grandma didn't you tell me you would like to know what's in there. I thought what is now. He was about like like pictures over the time five or six. I thought to myself that young he already thought the blame for this? Anything just like the only one to blame those exact words. A meeting just is not my point. I'm not the only one to blame. But then I knew that there was somebody else to blame, and I knew it probably was me because I was only one elf said what he said grandma did you say you wanted to know what was in there that I would like to know what but I didn't tell you to do that, but you do want to know what so the conclusion is he was going to do what I wanted him to do so, therefore, wasn't his father was spiny, but people take that same type of painting and they go through their whole life that way and all use that same thinking it's about selling this one didn't for whatever reason it's not my fault I'm not the blame. I'm not the one with the problem. It's always somebody else but you know if we go through life that way were not fooling anybody but ourselves. When you're five years old, I marvel at how bright it took a very intelligent, his mind what he still little and he's really smart. You know right away. Later on your amen.

I hope you're being spiritually enlightened by our message and mirror of the man. Proverbs 2719 says that just as a mirror reflects a person's face, a person's heart reflects who he really is in the book of James is the New Testament equivalent to the book of Proverbs and carries this metaphor over stating that God's word is the perfect law of liberty, and like a mirror. It reveals the hidden and of our hearts.

The problem is, James said, we are prone to get up and go our way and forget what the word has revealed.

It is only when we continue to look into the mirror of Scripture and act on it that we are justified and blessed in all our deeds, but most people, including many Christians play the blame game. It's not my fault, and they conveniently suppress any pangs of conviction for believers. This is very serious because the Holy Spirit convicts us not to condemn us, but to bring us to contrition and confession and conversion, fallacious reasoning, arguing beside the point.

Open the door to self-deception and presumption, and many Christians are not able to differentiate between their soul when their spirit, which can lead to natural carnal remedies that will only ultimately fail when it is the spirit that is under attack and in turmoil.

When people live out of their souls instead of their spirits they learn to calibrate everything when an emotional experience level. As believers we must make conscious discipline not to let our souls be the boss and his born-again spirit like Christians, we can. If you are a believer dealing with emotional, mental and spiritual issues, or if you know someone who is, you need this message in its entirety mirror of the man is available on one CD for love gift of $10 or more for the radio ministry request offer S K-1 34 that's assess and Sharon K is in knots one, three, four, email to RG Hardy, PO Box 1744, Baltimore, MD 21203 or go online and RG Hardy.RG Hardy.org again. Our mailing address is PO Box 1744, Baltimore, MD 21203. Until next time Sharon not saying that