Pure Heart

 Psalm 24:3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD?

or who shall stand in his holy place?

4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart;

who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity,

nor sworn deceitfully.

5 He shall receive the blessing from the LORD,

and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

Jesus makes this point in the sermon on the mount

Matt 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

Paul encouraged Timothy in this doctrine, the the end of the commandment was love out of a pure heart.

1Tim 1:5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: 6 From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; 7 Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.

2Tim 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. 21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. 22 Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23 But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. 24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Prov 20:9 Who can say, I have made my heart clean,

I am pure from my sin?

Clearly letting us know that man is insufficient for this task

Who can cleanse the heart; the Lord will do so!

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God;

and renew a right spirit within me.

11 Cast me not away from thy presence;

and take not thy holy spirit from me.

12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation;

and uphold me with thy free spirit.

13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways;

and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

You can obey the truth, Christ Jesus is the way, the truth and the life

1Pet 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: 23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

Leading us the example here:

Heb 10:22 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.

What is so hard?

Prov 13:15 Good understanding giveth favour: but the way of transgressors is hard.

I hear from my own mouth and certainly from many around me how hard they find where they are or what they are doing. It is a very common phrase; I had a hard day/time/issue. I know that most just have come to use the word to express some fatigue or difficulty that they are going through, but it is good to consider dispensing with this phrasing in the life of the believer.

Here is what Jesus has to say:

Matt 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Hebrews has an admonition to know and receive the rest of God. Paul gives an example of those who have not entered into that rest. They did not know his ways, nor did they allow their hearts to be softened;

Heb 3:7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, 8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. 10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. 11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)

We are warned again to not come short of that rest.

Heb 4:1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.

Heb 4:10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

We can see a further explanation of the rest looking back to the prophecy of Isaiah:

Isa 28:11 For with stammering lips and another tongue

will he speak to this people.

12 To whom he said,

This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest;

and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.

The sabbath, the rest, is a delight for the people of God. God has given the gift of the Holy Ghost, and the flow of the spirit to those who will cease from their own labours and find the place of Joy, Peace and Love the has been provided in Christ Jesus. Cease from your labours, put down your tools of trying to make of yourself something for men to see, let the yoke of Jesus enfold you and trust to the love of God to keep you.

There is so much to say about this subject, the rest of God, the Yoke of Jesus, but let us start with ceasing to identify with the way of the transgressor, that is what is hard.

Fishers of Men

Matt 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matt4:19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

Mark 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. 16 Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 17 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.

When Jesus called his disciples, this was the purpose he had in mind. He said he would make them fishers of men. He demonstrated the heart of the gospel, to seek and save the lost.

Luke 19:8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. 9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Jesus also spoke some parables which illustrate the seeking for the lost.

Luke 15:3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying, 4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? 5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. 7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

8 Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? 9 And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. 10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

We see that Jesus also gives direction about the harvest fields, instructing us to pray for laborers to go into the harvest.

Matt 9:36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

Luke 10:1 After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come. 2 Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.

John 4:31 In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. 32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. 33 Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? 34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. 35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. 36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. 37 And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. 38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.

Lastly we have illustrations of what Jesus did and how we are to live which help to propogate the truth of the gospel.

Acts 10:37 That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; 38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

1Tim 2:1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.