This episode isn't just a lesson; it's a promise that even with our spiritual 'freckles,' we can glimpse the divine. With insights from Pastor Kevin Smith, we unfold the Beatitudes' call to holiness, not sinlessness, and reveal how the distractions of modern culture can cloud our spiritual clarity. The pursuit of a pure heart emerges as a profound journey, one that leads to the blessed vision of God for those who earnestly seek it.
Venture into the depths of your heart with the protective power of God's Word as your shield against the creeping shadows of idolatry. As we navigate through Paul's teachings in Romans 12, I'll share the transformative power of mind renewal and discernment in dedicating our lives to divine devotion. This chapter of our spiritual dialogue is a testament to the potency of words, in both human connection and faith, and the role the community of believers plays in keeping our spiritual footing secure.
Our candid conversation culminates with a blueprint for nurturing a pure heart. I'll walk you through seven actionable steps, including the foundational trust in Christ, the cleansing ritual of confession, and the resilience needed to overcome life's challenges. Each practice is a stepping stone on the path to spiritual wellness, revealing how worship, prayer, and understanding our identity in God can lead to a life of joy and anticipation, purified by grace and love. Join us as we embark on this transformative journey together.
Welcome to Biblical Talks Podcast with Michael Tolliver, this podcast is dedicated to biblical teaching and having world views discussions from a biblical perspective. Here is today’s Podcast.
Each month, Elder Tolliver offers a spiritually encouraging book to help you in your walk with Christ for any size donation. Please go to biblicaltalks.com website to take advantage of this opportunity.
Thank you for listening to Biblical Talks. This Podcast is solely supported by listener donations. Please go to biblicaltalks.com to support this podcast and have a blessed day.
This episode isn't just a lesson; it's a promise that even with our spiritual 'freckles,' we can glimpse the divine. With insights from Pastor Kevin Smith, we unfold the Beatitudes' call to holiness, not sinlessness, and reveal how the distractions of modern culture can cloud our spiritual clarity. The pursuit of a pure heart emerges as a profound journey, one that leads to the blessed vision of God for those who earnestly seek it.
Venture into the depths of your heart with the protective power of God's Word as your shield against the creeping shadows of idolatry. As we navigate through Paul's teachings in Romans 12, I'll share the transformative power of mind renewal and discernment in dedicating our lives to divine devotion. This chapter of our spiritual dialogue is a testament to the potency of words, in both human connection and faith, and the role the community of believers plays in keeping our spiritual footing secure.
Our candid conversation culminates with a blueprint for nurturing a pure heart. I'll walk you through seven actionable steps, including the foundational trust in Christ, the cleansing ritual of confession, and the resilience needed to overcome life's challenges. Each practice is a stepping stone on the path to spiritual wellness, revealing how worship, prayer, and understanding our identity in God can lead to a life of joy and anticipation, purified by grace and love. Join us as we embark on this transformative journey together.
Welcome to Biblical Talks Podcast with Michael Tolliver, this podcast is dedicated to biblical teaching and having world views discussions from a biblical perspective. Here is today’s Podcast.
Each month, Elder Tolliver offers a spiritually encouraging book to help you in your walk with Christ for any size donation. Please go to biblicaltalks.com website to take advantage of this opportunity.
Thank you for listening to Biblical Talks. This Podcast is solely supported by listener donations. Please go to biblicaltalks.com to support this podcast and have a blessed day.
Welcome to Biblical Talks. My name is Elder Michael Tolliver. My pastor, kevin Smith, is preaching a sermon series on the Beatitude in Matthew 5. Puritant heart does not mean sinless of life. If it did, nobody would be able to be purit in heart and nobody would see God face to face. Scripture is very clear on this point. Writing to believers, john said in 1 John 1, 8, if we say we are without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. So purity of heart does not mean you never have a bad thought. Oh no, and I'm coming to tell you this comes as a relief to me. Does it come to relief to you?
Speaker 1:
Colin Smith said in his book Momentum there is a purity or holiness that God called us to pursue now and our Lord speak of this in the sixth beatitude. He says blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God, matthew 5 and 8. Watson described this as a purity in a gospel sense. For instance, he says a face may be said to be fair which has some freckles in it. That analogy is profoundly helpful. A face may be beautiful without being perfect, and purity in a Christian is not perfection. The Christian purity in his life is like gold mixed with dross. The gold is real and it has value, even though it is not perfectly refined. Let's listen to Pastor Kevin Smith's preaching. Teach what purity of heart looks like.
Speaker 2:
Father, as we come to your word now, we ask your blessing. Thank you for this great hymn we have just sung. Oh Lord, may it be our testimony, may we just not. May it be our prayer that we want what he had. We want Jesus and the peace that surpasses all understanding. The peace of God and the grace of God. Through the Christ of God, help us, oh Lord. We are tormented, thrown about. Oh, may we have peace of soul, because we know you Speak to us now Through your holy word and grant us grace to be grateful for you that you would speak to us In this book that you've caused to stand the test of time. Speak, o Lord, for your servants are listening. Reprove, rebuke, exhort and save. As your word goes forth, we ask Through your unworthy servant, in Jesus' name, amen.
Speaker 2:
We're back to our passage in the Beatitudes, and this is part two of three. We have communion today, so I got to cut it short, so I do not apologize. This is deep stuff, y'all. I am just this one Beatitude I didn't realize. I told you last week this is deep, verse eight. Okay, I'm going to read the rest.
Speaker 2:
Blessed are the poor in spirit. That's how it begins, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, spiritual bankruptcy. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted, mourning over our sin. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth, submitting ourselves to the will of God. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth, submitting ourselves to the will of God. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. We hunger and thirst for what we don't have, so we want to do right and live right before God. Blessed are the merciful. When all those other things are true of you, you can't help but show mercy to others, for they shall receive mercy. And blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. They shall see God. May the Lord add a blessing to the reading of his word. That is the word of the Lord. Please be seated. Thank you once again, dear praise team. Thank you for leading us in such beautiful singing May our hearts were moved greatly.
Speaker 2:
Like many people in this city, and probably like many of you, I have allergies In Miami. They weren't so bad, they really were. I was healed In Miami. They weren't so bad, they really were. I was healed. And then I moved to Chattanooga. God called me to Chattanooga and my family. But I got allergies and they're coming out now in full force. I'm doubling up on the meds. Pray for me.
Speaker 2:
You know it feels like there is something in at least one of my eyes a good deal of the time, and so they water. Somebody knows what I'm talking about out there. You know you get that itching Sometimes. My left eye seems to be the culprit. Most of the time it itches and it waters, but then it switches to my right eye. I don't even know how that happens, but the itching and the watering, and you know when that happens I can't see very well. My vision gets obscured by the mucus in my eyes and it's a little fuzzy.
Speaker 2:
That is what happens to Christians spiritually if we're not careful. You see, the culture surrounds, surrounds us with its delights and commitments. For those of you who are pilgrims, progress fans, vanity, fair right and if allowed, we get spiritual allergens, spiritual pollen, spiritual ragweed in our spiritual eyes, because we're no longer of the world. We've been saved out of it by Jesus, and so the world's values, what the world values we're allergic to. Now it's not who we are anymore, and so our spiritual eyes can get watery and when that happens, our vision of Jesus gets a little fuzzy. We need clear vision, and God provides what we need to keep the eyes of our hearts pure, that is, clear and focused. Do you want what he provides?
Speaker 2:
Remember from last time we looked at this passage and we remembered that it is God. Well, remember, the heart Is the heart of the matter, right, but it is God. Well, remember, the heart is the heart of the matter, right, but it is God who gifts us with a pure heart by pouring out his spirit on us, making us alive spiritually. So now we can respond to God Spiritually. So now we can respond to God. And when he makes us alive spiritually, we see Christ For the first time, we really see Christ and our need of him. And in that, seeing the spirit who has made us alive gives us the ability now to believe the gospel. It's the work of God. God gives us a new heart, and we need it, because Jeremiah told us that the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick. Who can understand it? That is our condition without Jesus, and so God must give us a new heart, a pure heart, and he does it. It's lovely. God gives what he requires. That's called grace, family, that's called grace.
Speaker 2:
And that pure heart, remember, from last time is an undivided heart, not double-minded but single-minded, a heart devoted to God, a heart that seeks God alone, rejecting the false gods of our culture, refusing to compromise, a heart that is sincere, with right motives, a heart that keeps his hands clean, doing what is right, because that heart is holy to the Lord, for he is holy. But here's the problem that pure, new heart of ours is constantly being bombarded with the darkness of our culture that is steeped in idols. We know about that because we lived there. That was us. So how do we keep our hearts going in that right direction, in that right direction, when we're always being bombarded, when the spiritual allergens of darkness are always floating around, grabbing hold of us at times when we least expect it? How do we, what do we?
Speaker 2:
Do the king's people pursue a pure heart. What do we do the king's people Pursue A pure heart? Not just lay back and hope God does something more he's done it but To demonstrate that you have A new heart, a pure heart. You end up P purity more and more. We're like addicts and we want that fix because we've been saturated. And now our body chemistry has changed Our brain and now we want it. We crave what God has given us. We want it more and more. You have a pure heart. You said you have a pure heart. You say you have a new heart, but are you pursuing a pure heart as well? Because the world holds up the false gods continually? Pursuing a pure heart as well, because the world holds up the false gods continually.
Speaker 2:
Tim Keller, in his book Counterfeit Gods, says something here a sizable quote, forgive me. He says there are two types of idols the personal idols of our hearts, such as romantic love and family, money, power, achievement, fitness and physical beauty. We look to them for hope, meaning and fulfillment that only God can provide. This is personal. The idols of our hearts are personal idols of the heart. But then there's also societal or cultural idols which can be more hidden, such as individual freedom I wrote to be whatever one chooses, with no constraints Self-discovery, personal affluence again my own addition personal comfort, fulfillment, and I added, extreme patriotism. These idols are invisible to us because they are the way that many people think, especially people in our circles, because we hang with people who think like us, because we hang with people who think like us. Those idols, all of them promise us safety, peace and happiness. If only we will base our lives on them.
Speaker 2:
Idols always tell you give me your heart, give me your life, I will give you the good life. You see, idols supposedly tell us what life is really about, Personally and culturally, but it's also temporarily and it changes. Idolatry is like that. It keeps changing. It says this is what you need to have the good life, and then, two years later, this is what you need to have the good life. And it may even be multiple idols coming at you, all telling you give me, give, come, come, come.
Speaker 2:
I got you, I got you. I will protect you. I will protect you. I will give you what you really need and what you really want. I'll do it for you. I got you All. You got to do. All you got to do. Just a little bit, nothing really big, just bow before me. Sound familiar what Satan told Jesus in his temptation? I'll give you all the kingdoms of the world if you worship me. Just nod your head, just give me a little, a slight genuflect. I can't get down. So you know, just a little.
Speaker 2:
Idols, don't ask for a lot. Just a little bit of you, just a little and then, once the door is open, idols move in. You open the front door, maybe a crack, and the idol puts his foot in. We just stop by to hang out. We just stop by for a little bit, kind of like relatives showing up on your doorstep. We just came by and two weeks later they're still there. You don't have relatives like that. We just came by and two weeks later they're still there. You don't have fellowships like that.
Speaker 2:
You see, we are being pressured to conform. Idolatry always says be like everybody. Why are you different? That's how it pulls on your heart. Why are you different? Look at so and so. What's wrong with you? Do you really want to look like an idiot? You want to look stupid? Want to look upside down? Idols always pressure us to conform. Don't go against the norm.
Speaker 2:
See, that's why Paul wrote what he wrote in Romans 12. You know this passage, but this is why he wrote it. I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. What is true spiritual worship? Oh, sure, it involves singing and giving and praying, but the Father didn't say that. What is spiritual worship to Him, giving yourself to God Because you've experienced, listen, because you have experienced His mercies Plural. Christ's death and resurrection Gives us justification, sanctification, adoption, glorification. All those indications, all those big words that are in the Bible that tell us we are right with God and we are in his family. The mercies of God. Paul said he has given us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, ephesians 1.3. Listen, the mercies of God are amazing and because of that, in response to what he is giving you by grace, paul is telling us true worship is not bowing down to the idols anymore. You've been given a pure heart. True worship now is giving yourself to him. But he goes on. You see it up there.
Speaker 2:
Verse two do not be conformed to this world. Well, I don't say conform, conform. And paul says no, do not be conformed to this world, this culture, this world system, this way of thinking and living. That leaves god out, this way of thinking and living, and says God out this way of thinking and living and says that the God of the Bible is not important. He says don't be conformed to that world. You were there before you were there, you lived there, but you have a new heart, a pure heart.
Speaker 2:
Now, don't be conformed, but instead be transformed. Don't be conformed, but instead be transformed. Don't be conformed, be transformed. If I remember correctly, the transformed is a passive in the original language, meaning it's what's being done to us. Okay, but be transformed. Why? How? By the renewal of your mind that by testing, you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. We cannot know the will of God, he is saying, unless our mind, unless we're being transformed by the renewal of our minds.
Speaker 2:
Now, you remember last time, and I hope I was clear, that the mind is part of the heart. Think of it like this. Think of the heart. Is the house? Okay, the house, that's the most important thing is the house. The mind is the door. The house is more important than the door, but the door is the legal way into the house. You come in through a window. Unless you lost your keys, you were a thief and a robber. The way into the heart. That's why Paul says it twice in the New Testament To renew our minds, because the way into the heart is through the heart. That's why Paul says it twice in the New Testament To renew our minds, because the way into the heart is through the mind.
Speaker 2:
Whatever captures your mind, your imaginations, your thoughts, your ideas, whatever captures your mind enters your heart. So if your mind is captured by things that are negative and your heart, it's like cancer entering into a cell, it takes over, proliferates. Cancer doesn't just want a little bit of you, not a little bit of your liver, it wants all of your liver. Cancer spreads. Sin is like spiritual cancer. Idolatry is like spiritual cancer and the enemy is very good at disguising it. And once it begins to spread and your heart gets inflamed your spiritual heart gets inflamed that only the word of God is powerful enough to transform, slash, purify our hearts towards God. Because what can renew our mind, what can cause us to think God's thoughts, what can cause us to love what God loves? We have to have a new way of thinking and longing and desiring. We need the word of God. You thought I had something different to tell you, didn't you? I'm not trying to impress you with new knowledge. I got nothing, okay, but I got nothing okay, but I got the word of God, amen. Whatever captures your mind goes into the heart. When the word of God captures your mind, it's like spiritual allegra. It makes your body not respond to the allergens anymore. The word of god goes in and begins to do its work, helping, moving into your heart so that you begin to love and desire and imagine and dream about what God says Psalm 119, 9 through 16.
Speaker 2:
I had to give you the whole paragraph. How can a young man or young woman, old man or old woman keep his or her way pure? Listen, by guarding it. Not pure, pure heart pure. By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you Devotion. Let me not wander from your commandments. I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you. O Lord, teach me your statutes. With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth. With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth. In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statues. I will not forget your word. Did you see it? Guard your way or life implies your heart. Where your heart goes, that's the way your life will follow. So the psalmist says guard it with God's word, his commandments, his statutes, his rules, his testimony, his ways.
Speaker 2:
I don't know what else to tell you. Think of the word of God as guardrails that keep you on the track, that God has given you the word. There is no substitute at all. None, none, ever no For this book. None, ever no for this book. X won't do it, facebook won't do it, instagram won't do it. I forget the other one I'm thinking about. You know what it is. Only this word. Let me help, please. I respect the disciplines, but psychology and sociology won't do it. Brothers and sisters, if we don't know the word of God, we're in trouble. That means our minds are being conformed, and if our minds are being conformed, our hearts are being tainted. You've been given a pure heart, but the proof of it is you pursue purity of heart by coming to the word of God frequently, and I don't mean daily bread, frequent word of God. Now, daily breads can have their place, don't get me wrong, but the daily Y'all know what I'm talking about the daily bread. Okay, I'm just checking.
Speaker 2:
Think of it this way If you were hungry, would you eat a cracker? I mean, that's food, it's a cracker, but you're hungry. Would you eat one cracker or would you fix yourself a sandwich? We were in Philly. We get a hoagie. Come on, bill, somebody else. Come on tigers, get a cheese steak. Ha, there you go, because you're hungry. And when I was a kid we called them. We had some belly fillers. You remember the belly? Remember those were the steaks and the hoagies that were supersized. The normal size is this big A belly filler goes out here. No cracker going to do. If I'm hungry, that's going to make me mad. Tease Deli bread to me is like a cracker. It's something.
Speaker 2:
Dive into the book. Read chapters of the book. Memorize the book. Thy word have I hidden in my heart that I might sin against you. Memorize the book. Meditate. He talked about meditate. That means think through, imagine. What would it look like if this passage came alive in my heart? You begin to imagine what is? Imagine. What would it look like if this passage came alive in my heart? You begin to imagine what is God? I'm seeing God here. What does he look? You go to the book and let it inflame you. Ian de Goode I'm probably pronouncing his name wrong, I think he's Scottish. He says this in Hero of Heroes.
Speaker 2:
As we read, we not only learn about God, god, but we meet up with the God of grace who reveals himself through his pages. You see, you're not just reading child of God, christian. You're not just reading for information, you're reading for relationship. You're reading for relationship. You're not just reading, you know the faith, prosperity. They talk about principles, principles, principles. God is our principle. He's a person, a being supreme, being, father, son, holy Spirit. When we come to his word, we are engaging him, we are seeing him.
Speaker 2:
You know, what you say reveals you, what you say reveals who you are. That's why, when you're dating, you talk, guys, talk. I know, I know, I know it's not see, guys, ladies, you understand guys, and it's, we're men, we're not women, it's okay. Men are the men. We get together, we quiet, we can sit there, just going, hit each other and we're having a good time. Ladies, y'all get together and y'all start talking, constantly talking, and it's great, it's just. But don't see, we're different. But men, my single brothers and my husbands, you too, we've got to learn to talk. Husbands, you too, we've got to learn to talk, so our ladies can understand what our heart is.
Speaker 2:
Your words reveal your heart, reveals your ideas, reveals your priorities. The same is true for God. God gives us his word because in his word he reveals his priorities, he reveals his character, he reveals his heart, he reveals his ideas, he reveals himself. So when we come to the word in faith, trusting in God that is, we draw close to him, we see him, our hearts are strengthened and purified so that we can follow. He does the work. You don't purify your own heart. You come to God and let him do the heavy lifting. Only the Word of God is sharp enough, right enough, unchanging enough and wise enough to reveal the idols of our hearts and society.
Speaker 2:
Let the Word of God, as it reveals God to you, critique the culture. Don't hold them back. Let the word critique the culture. Let the word critique your views. Let the word critique your attitudes. Let the word critique your thinking. Let the word critique what you love and what you are devoted to, how you live. Let the words, let the word of God be the judge of what is right and wrong. Because if God exists and I know he does and if he has revealed himself in his word and I know he has, he is the only one who can truly tell you how to live. He's the only one that can really show you what's the right path to take. He's the only one that can reveal to you what life is and what death is. He'll show you. It's the north star of what is right and good and beautiful and just.
Speaker 2:
God isn't playing hide and seek with us. He has revealed himself in his word, written word, and in what we call the living word, the Son of God. He has revealed himself, brothers and sisters, and if you're not sure, if you're a Christian yet, listen. He has revealed himself. It isn't right that we ask him. You know something. What you've said and done is not sufficient. You gotta show me more.
Speaker 2:
God doesn't play by our rules. He says to us you must play by mind. And don't we do that too With children, especially with children? You're teaching your kids how to play checkers. Come on, you know this is true. And children, when they play checkers, they want to do all kinds of things. Okay, but you say no, no, no, baby, these are the rules. If you want them to learn, you cannot play by your children's rules. That's not parenting on somebody. If you want them to learn, you cannot play by their rules. You must teach them your rules, in particular the rules, the testimonies, the law, the gospel, so that they can learn how to navigate life. Rightly, little parenting tip there. I didn't see that coming.
Speaker 2:
So how do we do it? How do we store the word in our hearts? Okay, I'm going to end with this. How do we store the word in our hearts? One, going to end with this how do we sort of word in our hearts? One purpose to obey as you follow jesus, because of what he has done for you by living, dying, rising and ascending to the father to forgive your sins and give you new eternal life. Okay, that's a lot. Purpose to follow. Purpose to follow. Don't come to the book like, well, maybe I'm going to see what it says. No, that's not how you come to the Word of God. If Christ has made your life, if Christ has forgiven and cleansed you, if Christ has blown up in your life, you come to His Word with a desire to follow. You're not looking for loopholes or second opinions, looking for the truth. Okay, that's one. Two learn God's word through preaching and teaching regularly.
Speaker 2:
Y'all, you need to be part of the church. I don't know what else to tell you. We're preaching the teaching of God's word. It's not enough to watch it on TV, even you. I don't care if you're watching who's our favorite guys. Well, rc is gone, but he's still on air. I don't care if you're watching good stuff on TV. That's not enough. You need to be present.
Speaker 2:
I was in a cynical class this morning and they were asking questions, getting into small groups, hashing out the word, thinking it through, applying it. You need that Because, left to yourself, you're going to go crazy. We go off on tangents when we're by ourselves. Too long, too long. You got to be by yourself sometime, amen. But you're too long, you start getting all crazy ideas. You need the body of Christ to help you. Is that right? No, come here, let's talk a little bit more. You need the preaching of the word because that's what God has ordained the proclamation of the cross. You need the preaching of the word because that's what God has ordained the proclamation of the cross, the preaching of the cross, the preaching, the exposition. We call it the exposing of the text, the exposing of the word of God, so you can apply it to your lives. You need that on a regular basis. I don't apologize for saying that either.
Speaker 2:
Third, read, study and meditate upon God's word, alone and in groups. You Engage the word, read, study, meditate, do it. It's not works. Righteousness, this is what the gospel does in you. It gives you a hunger for the word. If you're not hungry for the word, you should wonder if you know the gospel. Amen. And lastly, pray God's word back to him for his grace to follow. God loves to hear his word. Come back to him, pray the word.
Speaker 2:
Pray through the Psalms, pray through the Lord's Prayer, pray through the Ten Commandments. I've done this before in my life and it's very fascinating to pray through the Scripture. Pray through Ephesians 1. Pray through Big Picture, pray through, apply it to yourself, put your, make it I. I am, you know, personalized as you pray. Make it part of you. You see, without this firm commitment to the Savior, pray, make it part of you. You see, without this firm commitment to the Savior, his Word and the body of Christ, we will eventually start to conform. We will conform. Well, we have communion. So let me finish. Let the Word purify your hearts as you come to God's word humbly. It's not easy, no one promised that, but many of the best things of life take effort. But many of the best things of life take effort.
Speaker 2:
Last, imagine this came to me this morning. Imagine, the fire department showed up at our door. They came in and said okay, everybody out this door. There's a fire in the kitchen and it's spreading. The hallway is full of smoke. Get everybody out. You got to go out this door. So everybody comes in the kids, they bring everybody, they get in here and we're all going out the front door.
Speaker 2:
Here you go, we're all pressing out that one door, those two, those doors back there, and all of a sudden, here you are, you're pressing in the crowd. It's all knee-deep and thick and you're pressing and you realize. But something precious has been left For me one of my daughters. We left one at church one time. I realized one of my girls. I'm looking around. I don't see one of my girls, which whatever one, doesn't matter. Now, sandy will probably be in front of me at this point. But we know we got to go back. But the crowd is pushing. This way it's pushing. We're in need, we can't. So we turn around and we begin to go against the crowd. You ever been in a crowd like that, trying to go against the crowd? And you're trying to, and some people are going to be mad. You stepped on my foot. Get out of the way. What's wrong with you?
Speaker 1:
We're trying to get out of here and save our lives.
Speaker 2:
Some people are going to be sympathetic. Oh, oh, I hope you find her. I just I'm praying for you, but I can't go. And you're fighting through the crowd. It's not easy, but the crowd is going this way and you're fighting through the crowd. It's not easy, the crowd is going this way and you're fighting through the crowd. You're going the wrong way, but it's the right way. That's us in this culture. Safety is this way. The world says Go this way and we're going with the world.
Speaker 2:
Then jesus shows up, avery, he shows up in our lives and he transforms us. He says hold it. No, you gotta go this way, because this is where I am, I'm back here, but you. So you stop because you know you, you know jesus. Now you stop and you turn around and now you are fighting against the crowd. But this is even better. The gospel is better.
Speaker 2:
Jesus is helping you. He's in you to fight through the crowd Every step of the way. You're going to step on some toes, you're going to push a few people. You're going to trip and fall because the crowd is too thick, but you get up because he won't let you stay down. He picks you up and says come on and he's in you. He's pushing, he's energizing and you're fighting through the crowd because you've heard the word of God. You've heard the voice of Christ and he says follow me. This is the way to safety.
Speaker 2:
Y'all in the crowd, I'm in the crowd, so whose voice are you listening to? Father, help us with your word. Help us to purify our hearts by allowing your word to do the work, your word and your spirit. Purify our hearts, father, so that we love and want what you want. So we will hear your voice and follow you, no matter what you say, no matter where you lead. Help us to follow you. Help us to love you and love what you love. The world has been teaching us for many years and it's still encroaching, but thank you for giving us your spirit. We will not lose. Ultimately, we cannot lose. Lord. We may fall, but get us up. Lord. We may get sidetr, may fall, but get us up. Lord. We may get sidetracked, but get us up. Keep us moving through the crowd until we reach the celestial city, until we come face to face with you, the living God. Thank you, help us to guard our hearts, even as you guard our hearts in your word. Amen.
Speaker 1:
Beloved. Let me give you Seven things that will Help to promote purity of heart. One believe, trust Christ to change your life. Two confess Name the sin that God trust Christ to change your life. Two confess Name the sin that God named in your life. Three listen, dive yourself in the word of God. Four worship Gaze on the glory of God in your life and all around you. Five ask Pray for a purity of life. Ask God for a purity of life. Six persevere when you fall down, get up. Don't stay down, get up. Seven anticipate Know who you are and rejoice in who you are and rejoice in what God is going to bring you to. That has helped me. May it help you. Thank you for listening to Biblical Talks and have a blessed day.