"May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God.'" (Acts 8:20-21)
“For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother.” (Philemon 7)
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8)
- What Is The Meaning of The Word "Heart"?
- Sincerity And Cleanliness of Heart:
- Sincerity:
"You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."
"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."
- Cleanliness or Purity:
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? 'I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.'" (Jeremiah 17:9-10)
"For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. These are the things which defile the man." (Matthew 15:10-20)
"With the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness." (Romans 10:10)
"For the heart of this people has become dull. With their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes, otherwise they would see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and return, and I would heal them." (Matthew 13:15)
"Who can say, 'I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin'?'" (Proverbs 20:9)
"Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith." (Acts 15:7-9)
"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." (Psalm 51:10)
"I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." (Ezekiel 36:25–26)
- A Pure Heart Yearns to Serve God Alone:
"Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart." (2 Timothy 2:22)
- A Pure Heart Lives to Please God Alone:
"Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." (James 4:4)
In Psalm 24:3-5, we read regarding the character of the heart.
"Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood and has not sworn deceitfully. He shall receive a blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation."
This leads me to the following questions:
Consider the following possibilities:
- It Is Possible With God:
- God's Promises:
- Jeremiah 31:31-33:
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people."
"But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,' declares the Lord, 'I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.'"
- Jeremiah 32:39:
"And I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always, for their own good and for the good of their children after them."
- Ezekiel 36:25-26:
"Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”
- Ezekiel 11:19-21:
"And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God."
- Daniel 12:10.:
"Many will be purged, purified and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand.""But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD."
- Malachi 3:2-3:
- God's Provision:
"For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance." (Hebrews 9:13-15)
- The Blood of Jesus:
"I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh."
"Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart” (I Peter. 1:22).
"Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit…" (1 Peter 1:22)
"There is also an antitype which now saves us — baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 3:21)
"This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart." (Ephesians 4:17-18)
- How Can We Have Pure Thoughts, Intentions, and Motivations?
- The Influence of the Word of God:
- The Teaching And Preaching Of The Gospel:
"If indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth."
- Praying And Meditating on God's Word:
Our hearts are changed and transformed when we pray and meditate in His Word. We must become very well acquainted with His Word to overcome evil and the kingdom of darkness. Notice how Paul exhorted Timothy,
"Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.” (I Timothy 4:15-16)
"This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” (Joshua 1:8-9)
- Learning Christ and Knowing Him:
"But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth." (Ephesians 4:20-24)
- Putting Off The Old Self And Putting On The New Self:
"We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. 29 For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me." (Colossians 1:28-29)
"Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him—" (Colossians 3:5-10)
"How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word. With all my heart I have sought You; Do not let me wander from Your commandments. Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You. Blessed are You, O LORD; Teach me Your statutes."
- The Influence of Pure Thoughts:
"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you."
"To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled." (Titus 1:15)
- Self-Discipline:
"Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation." (I Peter 1:13-15)
- Battling With False Ideas:
We must ask God to make us aware of the danger and influence of false ideas, subjective vs. objective Truth. Lest we forget, the mind is the battleground of our soul.
"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:3-6)
- We Must War Against Impure Images, Pornography:
"But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
- There are about 4.2 million pornographic websites today. That is 12% of the total internet sites.
- A new pornographic video is created and promoted every 39 minutes in this country.
- The average age of first exposure is as young as nine years old.
- 90% of all teenagers admit to viewing pornography on line.
- The average child will watch an average of 8,000 murders on TV before he finishes elementary school.
- By age eighteen, the average teenager has seen 200,000 acts of violence on TV, including 40,000 murders.
- The average TV shows and Hollywood movies are bombarded with sensual innuendo and voyeurism.
So, my question is:
Can we think about these things and remain pure in our hearts?
One cannot walk in the light with an impure heart. God simply will not accept us! The pure in heart will see God in this life, come to know Him, love Him, obey Him and find happiness in this life. The pure in heart will honor and appreciate the Father and the Son. The pure in heart will enjoy fellowship with Them in their life. That is the blessing of those who are pure in heart.
"Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God."
- What does see God mean?
- What is the blessing?
- What does it mean we shall see God?
When Jesus said,
"Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God."
"Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. 24 Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. 25 Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. 6 Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. 27 Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil." (Proverbs 4:23-27)
"Let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:1-2)
"So as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God." (I Peter 4:2)
"There is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man." (Mark 7:15)
"That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man." (Mark 7:20-23)
- Why is sexual immorality (fornication) so pervasive in our culture today? Because of impure hearts.
- Why is lying so pervasive in our culture today? Because of impure hearts.
- Why do marriages so often end up in adultery and divorce today? Because of impure hearts.
- Why are we so unhappy and discontent with what we have in our culture today? Because of impure hearts.
- Why are there so many quarrels and fighting among us in our culture today? Because of impure hearts.
- Why is it that we find it easier to think bad of a person than to think good? Because of impure hearts.
- And finally, why would most people rather be lost eternally rather than change their hearts in repentance? Because of impure hearts.
"Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." (2 Corinthians 5:17)
"And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them.... And He who sits on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new.' And He said, 'Write, for these words are faithful and true. Then He said to me, 'It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son."
"Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart." (Psalm 24:3-4)
The following is a beautiful song that well expresses the thought of a pure heart.
Purer In Heart, O GodPurer in heart, O God, help me to be;May I devote my life wholly to Thee:Watch Thou my wayward feet,Guide me with counsel sweet;Purer in heart, help me to be.Purer in heart, O God, help me to be;Teach me to do Thy will most lovingly;Be Thou my Friend and Guide,Let me with Thee abide;Purer in heart, help me to be.Purer in heart, O God, help me to be;That I Thy holy face One day may see:Keep me from secret sin,Reign Thou my soul within;Purer in heart, help me to be.
Luci