Pureness of Heart Prov. 22:11 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
In Prov 22:11, Solomon wrote about a person that loveth pureness of heart. Now think about that… pureness of heart. That should be the goal of every Christian. I realize that the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked. But with Christ in you, the Holy Spirit in you, and the word of God in you, you must know that your heart will change. Pureness of heart affects so many areas of your life. Pureness of heart yields:
Gracious lips – Prov 22:11 – out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. So, if your heart is pure, your words are going to be pure. Don’t concentrate on cleaning up your mouth; work on cleaning up your heart and that will take care of your mouth.
Pure thoughts – Phil 4:8 – your thoughts affect your heart and your heart affects your thoughts. Look back at Gen 6:5 and notice that the evil imaginations of the thoughts came forth from the heart. Look at Mk 7:21. If your heart is pure then your thoughts will be pure and if your heart is wicked then your thoughts will be wicked.
A clear conscience – Titus 1:15 – many of us had defiled our conscience by the time we were saved. When the Lord gives you pureness of heart, he restores your conscience and clears it. The trouble comes when Christians mess around with sin after they get saved. Their conscience will once again be defiled. They won’t realize their wickedness, apart from the Lord showing them. They must believe the Lord’s words, repent and turn to righteousness to once again enjoy a clear conscience.
Unfeigned love – 1 Pet 1:22 – when your heart is pure, you don’t have to fake your love for your brothers and sisters in Christ. The purity from within results in pure love that comes from God. You don’t have to work at loving others if you work at keeping a pure heart.
Where do you get this pureness of heart? You get pureness of heart from:
The law and the gospel – 1 Tim 1:5-11 – by putting your faith in Jesus Christ [Acts 15:9], who is the end of the law for righteousness [Rom 10:4], your heart is purified. Of course, this is your initial cleansing from sin.
The words of God – Jn 15:3 – a steady and continual reading of the words of God will keep your heart clean [Ps 119:9, 11].
Godly wisdom – Jas 3:17-18 – the wisdom that is from above is pure; earthly wisdom is sensual and, therefore, impure.
Hoping in Jesus’ return – 1 Jn 3:1-3 – Christians can get rooted in down here. Keep your roots very shallow and your eyes and affections on things above. They will keep your heart clean.
Fleeing youthful lusts – 2 Tim 2:22 – there are many ways that sin is presented today in order to stir up your lust. Flee these lusts because they will defile your heart. You keep your heart pure by keeping away from these lusts.
Conclusion: Pureness of heart is the key to successful and happy Christian living. Lack of purity in the heart is at the root of much of the trouble with Christians today. If you deal with the root you can solve the problem.