PURE in HEART Oct 16th
October 16, 2024

PURE in HEART

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

PURE HEART = SEE GOD

  • His Power
  • His Presence
  • His Peace

IMPURE HEART = BLIND TO GOD

1 Samuel 16:7
7 But the Lord said unto Samuel, “Look not on his countenance or on the height of his stature, because I have refused him; for the Lord seeth not as man seeth. For man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

Word Jesus uses = Cardia

Cardia describes much more than what we may think of when we think of heart.

  • we think emotions or how we feel about something,

CARDIA - THE GREEK WORD encompasses our intellect, our thought life, our feelings and our emotions — our motives.

CARDIA is the steering wheel of who you are.

Matthew 23:13
13 What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either.

Hypocrites…The idea of people who are either:

  • so full of themselves that they think they are better because they worship God
  • so anti-Christian outside of church.
  • The person who invites everyone to their church and MUST have Sunday’s off, but cusses all the time and talks about things he really shouldn’t.
  • The kid at school that faithfully goes to youth group, but equally faithfully cheats on every test and paper…
  • The person who is quick to pray with everyone… and gossips about the same people behind their back.

WE are CALLED to become people of INTEGRITY

Integrity = when your behavior matches your beliefs.

Our INTEGRITY as representatives of Christ should match our

Reveal Answer
.

INTEGRITY IS NOT JUST DOING THE RIGHT THING.
INTEGRITY IS DOING THE RIGHT THING WITH THE RIGHT

Reveal Answer
.

  • You can do a good thing with the wrong motivation and it still be wrong.

John 10:25
25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me.

A person of integrity is validated by their words and their deeds.
Integrity is making our daily actions line up with our heart’s values.

WHAT INTEGRITY DOES NOT MEAN:

  • sinless
  • does not make mistakes…
  • perfect (The Bible says - Abraham = integrity, David = integrity)

INTEGRITY defined = WHOLENESS

Integer = where it comes from. It is a whole number. Your life is a whole.
Integration = opposite of segregation.
Act the same no matter who are with or where you are at.

Psalm 15:1 - 4
1 Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?
2 He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. (POINT 1)
3 He that backbiteth not with his tongue, (POINT 2)
nor doeth evil to his neighbour, (POINT 3)
nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour. (POINT 4)
4 In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. (POINT 5)
He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. (POINT 6)
He that doeth these things shall never be moved.

SIX CHARACTERISTICS:

1)

Reveal Answer
WHAT’S REAL WITH WORDS THAT HEAL

Latin: “veritate et caritate” = TRUTH WITH LOVE.

INTEGRITY = This is not just telling the truth, but speaking the truth with love.

You CAN control HOW you speak HONESTLY:
Honesty is a wonderful quality, but uncontrolled honesty is like uncontrolled heat —
it can injure and even destroy you.

  • choose a packaging that they will like

  • make sure the package fits the product -
    giving too much flattery or being too transparent will mess it up as well.

  • change the package often for reoccurring customers -

2)

Reveal Answer
SLANDER

Romans 14:19
19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

Ephesians 4:3 NIV
3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

This is relational integrity…
If others know you refuse to listen to gossip… they also know you will not gossip about them.

SLAY SLANDER:

  • When you HEAR it:
  • CONFRONT it with GRACE.

3)

Reveal Answer
OFF THE RED HAND

Proverbs 28:20
20 A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.

James 4:17
17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

Psalm 37:21
21 The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.

Faithfully GIVING - This is a trust of integrity.

Matthew 6:19 - 21
19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Doing your BEST at WORK

Proverbs 18:9 (Living Bible)
9 A lazy man is brother to the saboteur.

Whether you hate your job or not is not the point… the crucial point is that you are sabotaging your purpose if you are not giving your best.

(TO be CONTINUED)