A Pure Heart
A pure heart is a heart that is free from mixture, pollution, or other foreign elements,
a sincere heart.
In the ten commandments and then in Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus reaffirms what the
great commandment was by saying “Jesus said to him, you shall love the Lord your
God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the
first and great commandment. And the second is like to it, you shall love your
neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the
prophets”.
God describes Israel’s heart, that it was not with Him, even thought Israel was told
to teach their children (Psalms 78:6-8,37) says “that the generation to come might
know them, even the children with should be born, who should arise and declare
them to their children. That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the
works of God, but keep His commandments. And might not be as their fathers, a
stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and
whose spirit was not steadfast with God. For their heart was not right with Him,
neither were they steadfast in His covenant”.
Isaiah 29:13 says “wherefore the Lord said, forasmuch as this people draw near Me
with their mouth, and with their lips do honor Me, but have removed their heart far
from Me, and their reverence toward Me is taught by the precept of men”. Jesus
says in Matthew 15:8-9 “this people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor
Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. But in vain they do worship Me
teaching for doctrines the commandments of men”. Notice He said that they
worshipped Him in vain. Because God sees the heart.
As Jesus begins His ministry, He proclaim what is called the “B” attitudes, we see in
Matthew 5:8 that “blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God”.
David is known as “a man after God’s own heart”, and we can see how he
expressed himself to God. David says “my heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed; I
will sing and give praise” (Psalms 57:7 and 108:1).
David ask God in Psalms 15 “Lord Yahweh, who shall abide in Your tabernacle,
who shall dwell in Your holy hill? He that walks uprightly, and works righteousness,
and speaks the truth in his heart. He that backbites not with his tongue, nor does
evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor. In whose eyes a
vile person is contemned, but he honors them that reverence the Lord Yahweh; He
that swears to his own hurt, and changes not. He that puts not out his money to
usuary, nor takes reward against the innocent; he that does these things shall
never be moved”.
David tells God in Psalms 101:1-4 “I will sing of mercy and judgment to You, O Lord
Yahweh, will I sing. I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way, O when will You
come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set no wicked
thing before my eyes; I hate the work of them that turn aside, it shall not cling to
me. A forward heart shall depart from me, I will not know a wicked person”.
Even after David sinned with Bathsheba, David prayed for forgiveness in Psalms 51:
6-12 “behold, You desire truth in the inward parts; and in the hidden part You shall
make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me,
and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones
which You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all
my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart; O God, and renew a right spirit within
me. Cast me not away from Your presence; and take not Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with Your free spirit”. David
repentant and that is what God desires of all of us (I John 1:9) says “if we confess
our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness”.
God wants us to worship Him in spirit and in truth. Being born of the Spirit will be
evident in our bodies (Colossians 3:15-17,23) tells us how, it says “and let the
peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also you are called in one body, and
be you thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching
and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing
with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever you do in word or deed, do
all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him. And
whatsoever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men”.
We are supposed to glorify God in our body (I Corinthians 6:19-20) “what? Know
you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which you
have of God and you are not your own? For you are bought with a price, therefore
glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s”.
Paul explains in Galatians 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live, yet
not I, but Christ lives in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith
of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me”.
God tells us to give Him our heart, so the task to purify our heart can begin. In
Proverbs 23:26 it says “My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe My
ways”.
God has given us His love (Romans 5:5) says “the love of God is shed abroad in
our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to us”. And as we stir up the love of
God in our hearts, our heart is cleansed.
God made a new covenant with mankind (Hebrews 10:16-22) says “this is the
covenant that I will make with them after those days says the Lord, I will put My laws
into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them. And their sins is, there is no
more offering for sin and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission
of these is, there is no more offering for sin. Having therefore brethren, boldness
to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. By a new and living way which He
has consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say His flesh. And having a high
priest over the house of God. Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance
of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies
washed with pure water”.
As we meditate on the fact that Jesus completed all this for us, and we can receive
it by grace. Let us receive this gift and come to God boldly as He wants us to.
Seeing our self as He sees us.
Paul stirs up Timothy by saying “now the end of the commandment is charity out of
a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned. Holding the
mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. Flee also youthful lusts; but follow
righteousness, faith, charity, peace; with them that call on the Lord out of a pure
heart” (I Timothy 1:5, 3:9;II Timothy 2:22).
Peter tells us “seeing you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the
Spirit to unfeigned love of the brethren, see that you love one another with a pure
heart fervently. Being born again, not of corruptible see, but of incorruptible, by the
word of God, which lives and abides forever. But sanctify the Lord God in your
hearts; and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a
reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and reverence. Having a good
conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be
ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ” (I Peter 1:22-23; 3:
15-16).
Now as you remember that Jesus said “blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall
see God”; and that God has equipped us with the Holy Spirit and the Word to
cleanse us. So let us give Him our hearts.
Study by: Harriet Bond
Date: February 23, 2010
A pure heart is a heart that is free from mixture, pollution, or other foreign elements,
a sincere heart.
In the ten commandments and then in Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus reaffirms what the
great commandment was by saying “Jesus said to him, you shall love the Lord your
God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the
first and great commandment. And the second is like to it, you shall love your
neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the
prophets”.
God describes Israel’s heart, that it was not with Him, even thought Israel was told
to teach their children (Psalms 78:6-8,37) says “that the generation to come might
know them, even the children with should be born, who should arise and declare
them to their children. That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the
works of God, but keep His commandments. And might not be as their fathers, a
stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and
whose spirit was not steadfast with God. For their heart was not right with Him,
neither were they steadfast in His covenant”.
Isaiah 29:13 says “wherefore the Lord said, forasmuch as this people draw near Me
with their mouth, and with their lips do honor Me, but have removed their heart far
from Me, and their reverence toward Me is taught by the precept of men”. Jesus
says in Matthew 15:8-9 “this people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor
Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. But in vain they do worship Me
teaching for doctrines the commandments of men”. Notice He said that they
worshipped Him in vain. Because God sees the heart.
As Jesus begins His ministry, He proclaim what is called the “B” attitudes, we see in
Matthew 5:8 that “blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God”.
David is known as “a man after God’s own heart”, and we can see how he
expressed himself to God. David says “my heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed; I
will sing and give praise” (Psalms 57:7 and 108:1).
David ask God in Psalms 15 “Lord Yahweh, who shall abide in Your tabernacle,
who shall dwell in Your holy hill? He that walks uprightly, and works righteousness,
and speaks the truth in his heart. He that backbites not with his tongue, nor does
evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor. In whose eyes a
vile person is contemned, but he honors them that reverence the Lord Yahweh; He
that swears to his own hurt, and changes not. He that puts not out his money to
usuary, nor takes reward against the innocent; he that does these things shall
never be moved”.
David tells God in Psalms 101:1-4 “I will sing of mercy and judgment to You, O Lord
Yahweh, will I sing. I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way, O when will You
come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set no wicked
thing before my eyes; I hate the work of them that turn aside, it shall not cling to
me. A forward heart shall depart from me, I will not know a wicked person”.
Even after David sinned with Bathsheba, David prayed for forgiveness in Psalms 51:
6-12 “behold, You desire truth in the inward parts; and in the hidden part You shall
make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me,
and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones
which You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all
my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart; O God, and renew a right spirit within
me. Cast me not away from Your presence; and take not Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with Your free spirit”. David
repentant and that is what God desires of all of us (I John 1:9) says “if we confess
our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness”.
God wants us to worship Him in spirit and in truth. Being born of the Spirit will be
evident in our bodies (Colossians 3:15-17,23) tells us how, it says “and let the
peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also you are called in one body, and
be you thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching
and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing
with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever you do in word or deed, do
all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him. And
whatsoever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men”.
We are supposed to glorify God in our body (I Corinthians 6:19-20) “what? Know
you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which you
have of God and you are not your own? For you are bought with a price, therefore
glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s”.
Paul explains in Galatians 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live, yet
not I, but Christ lives in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith
of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me”.
God tells us to give Him our heart, so the task to purify our heart can begin. In
Proverbs 23:26 it says “My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe My
ways”.
God has given us His love (Romans 5:5) says “the love of God is shed abroad in
our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to us”. And as we stir up the love of
God in our hearts, our heart is cleansed.
God made a new covenant with mankind (Hebrews 10:16-22) says “this is the
covenant that I will make with them after those days says the Lord, I will put My laws
into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them. And their sins is, there is no
more offering for sin and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission
of these is, there is no more offering for sin. Having therefore brethren, boldness
to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. By a new and living way which He
has consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say His flesh. And having a high
priest over the house of God. Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance
of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies
washed with pure water”.
As we meditate on the fact that Jesus completed all this for us, and we can receive
it by grace. Let us receive this gift and come to God boldly as He wants us to.
Seeing our self as He sees us.
Paul stirs up Timothy by saying “now the end of the commandment is charity out of
a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned. Holding the
mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. Flee also youthful lusts; but follow
righteousness, faith, charity, peace; with them that call on the Lord out of a pure
heart” (I Timothy 1:5, 3:9;II Timothy 2:22).
Peter tells us “seeing you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the
Spirit to unfeigned love of the brethren, see that you love one another with a pure
heart fervently. Being born again, not of corruptible see, but of incorruptible, by the
word of God, which lives and abides forever. But sanctify the Lord God in your
hearts; and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a
reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and reverence. Having a good
conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be
ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ” (I Peter 1:22-23; 3:
15-16).
Now as you remember that Jesus said “blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall
see God”; and that God has equipped us with the Holy Spirit and the Word to
cleanse us. So let us give Him our hearts.
Study by: Harriet Bond
Date: February 23, 2010
