Our Need for a

Slide 1:Our Need for a Clean Heart

Slide 2:The Foundation of Spiritual Health is the Condition of the Heart. The heart is the center of spiritual life. �Heart� (Greek - KARDIA): �the center and seat of spiritual life, the soul or mind, as it is the fountain and seat of the thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, purposes, endeavors.� - Thayer's Greek Lexicon

Slide 3:Proverbs 23:7a (NKJV) For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.

Slide 4:To ask the question: �Is thy heart right with God?� is to essentially ask �Is your life right with God?�

Slide 5:The Foundation of Spiritual Health is the Condition of the Heart. The heart is the center of spiritual life. God looks past appearances to the condition of our hearts.

Slide 6:1 Samuel 16:6-7 (NASB) 6 Then it came about when they entered, that he looked at Eliab and thought, "Surely the Lord's anointed is before Him." 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

Slide 7:For all of us, there is a tendency to pay more attention to our outward presentation than to what is going on in our hearts (e.g. Lk 11:37-41).

Slide 8:True spiritual health is not determined by how righteous or pious we appear to others, but by the purity of our hearts (Mat. 23:27-28).

Slide 9:Matthew 23:27-28 (NASB) 27 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. 28 "Even so you too outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Slide 10:The Foundation of Spiritual Health is the Condition of the Heart. The heart is the center of spiritual life. God looks past appearances to the condition of our hearts. Purity of heart is essential to obtaining eternal life in Heaven with God.

Slide 11:Matthew 5:8 (NASB) �Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.�

Slide 12:�Who Can Say, �I Have Cleansed My Heart, I am Pure from My Sin?�� (Proverbs 20:9)

Slide 13:�Who Can Say, �I Have Cleansed My Heart, I am Pure from My Sin?� The heart is �desperately wicked� and needs cleansing of sin.

Slide 14:Jeremiah 17:9-10 (NKJV) 9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it? 10 I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.

Slide 15:�Who Can Say, �I Have Cleansed My Heart, I am Pure from My Sin?� The heart is �desperately wicked� and needs cleansing of sin. All people have sinned and need forgiveness (Rom. 3:23; Jas. 3:2; Eccl. 7:20).

Slide 16:�Create in Me a Clean Heart O God� (Ps. 51:10a). A clean heart begins by receiving forgiveness of sins from God.

Slide 17:Psalms 38:1-3 (KJV) 1 O LORD, rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure. 2 For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore. 3 There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin.

Slide 18:Psalms 38:4-8 (KJV) 4 For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me. 5 My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness. 6 I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long. 7 For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease: and there is no soundness in my flesh. 8 I am feeble and sore broken: I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart.

Slide 19:The remedy for �sin troubles of the heart� is forgiveness; a thorough cleansing of all our sins.

Slide 20:Psalms 25:17-18 (KJV) 17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my distresses. 18 Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins.

Slide 21:Psalms 51:1-3, 9 (KJV) 1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me� 9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

Slide 22:�Create in Me a Clean Heart O God� (Ps. 51:10a). A clean heart begins by receiving forgiveness of sins from God. We must call upon God for a clean heart.

Slide 23:James 4:8-10 (NASB) 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

Slide 24:Only God can create in usa new and clean heart! Psalms 51:10 (KJV) Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right (steadfast - NKJV) spirit within me.

Slide 25:�Create in Me a Clean Heart O God� (Ps. 51:10a). A clean heart begins by receiving forgiveness of sins from God. We must call upon God for a clean heart. Our obedience to God�s gospel creates in us a new and clean heart. By putting our faith in Christ, our hearts can be cleansed! (Acts 15:9; Heb. 10:21-22).

Slide 26:A clean heart (and soul) is given when a person obeys the gospel to be �born again� or to become a Christian.

Slide 27:1 Peter 1:22-23 (NASB) 22 Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, 23 for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding word of God.

Slide 28:Those in Jesus Christ are a new creation, including their hearts!

Slide 29:2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. � cf. Rom. 6:6; Eph. 4:22-24

Slide 30:Ezekiel 18:31 (NASB) �Cast away from you all your transgressions which you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! For why will you die, O house of Israel?� - cf. Acts 2:38

Slide 31:Christians can be cleansed again when they commit sin by confessing their sins with a penitent heart (1 John 1:9; cf. Acts 8:22).

Slide 32:The Heart of a Christian must continue to be cleansed By the Word. The Christian is to cleanse his/ her heart of all sinful thoughts and desires. Jesus made it clear in His teachings that what goes on inside the heart is just as important as our outward behavior (Mat. 5:21-22, 27-28; 23:25-28).

Slide 33:To live the Christian life, we need to start at the heart and eliminate as much as we can all sinful thoughts and desires for sin.

Slide 34:Mark 7:21-23 (NASB) 21 "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, 22 deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. 23 "All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man."

Slide 35:2 Corinthians 7:1 (NASB) Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. � cf. 2 Tim. 2:21

Slide 36:The Heart of a Christian must continue to be cleansed By the Word. The Christian is to cleanse his/ her heart of all sinful thoughts and desires. To cleanse the heart, treasure God�s word in your heart.

Slide 37:The word of God is the powerful source for the cleansing of our hearts! The word Jesus spoke made the disciples �clean� (John 15:3). Christ cleanses the church �by the washing of water with the word� (Eph. 5:26). The word has the power to sanctify us, to make us holy or pure and free from sin (John 17:17).

Slide 38:Psalms 119:9-11 (NASB) 9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Thy word. 10 With all my heart I have sought Thee; Do not let me wander from Thy commandments. 11 Thy word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against Thee.

Slide 39:The Heart of a Christian must continue to be cleansed By the Word. The Christian is to cleanse his/ her heart of all sinful thoughts and desires. To cleanse the heart, treasure God�s word in your heart. To live the Christian life, the right treasure in the heart is critical.

Slide 40:Matt 12:34-35 (NASB) 34 "You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. 35 "The good man out of his good treasure brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth what is evil.

Slide 41:What do you treasure in your heart?

Slide 42:If you have an �evil treasure� in your heart, evil will be brought forth in your life. Examples� Worldly entertainment, philosophy of men, pornography, trashy books, etc. Resentment, complaints, jealousy, �wrath�, hatred, violent thoughts, evil plotting to do harm. Pride, selfish desires, selfish ambition, sexually immoral thoughts, greed / covetousness or treasures on earth. Fears, anxieties / worries (instead of trust), doubts (instead of faith).

Slide 43:If you have a �good treasure� in your heart, good is brought forth in your life. The Scriptures: The Law of Christ, the wisdom of God, the grace of God, the cross of Christ, the promises of the Lord, the coming of Christ, etc. Love for God, faith in His presence, power, and providence; the focus on the fellowship you have with God in Christ.

Slide 44:If you have a �good treasure� in your heart, good is brought forth in your life. Love for others, plans of acts of kindness, encouragement, building up, restoring, and helping others. Desires to seek and save the lost. Patience, forbearance, and forgiveness toward others; A heart that �Believes all things� - Believing the best in people before thinking the worst (1 Cor. 13:7b)

Slide 45:The Heart of a Christian must continue to be cleansed By the Word. The Christian is to cleanse his/ her heart of all sinful thoughts and desires. To cleanse the heart, treasure God�s word in your heart. To live the Christian life, the right treasure in the heart is critical. Cleanse your heart by replacing the bad with that which is good.

Slide 46:Cleanse your heart by replacing the bad with that which is good. A heart emptied of sinful, negative thoughts sits like a vacuum, vulnerable to be filled all over again with sin (Mat. 12:43-45). To keep a clean heart (or mind) we must work toward �clean thinking� as commanded by God.

Slide 47:Philippians 4:8 (NASB) Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell (meditate � NKJV) on these things.

Slide 48:Retrain Your Heart! Romans 12:1-2 (NASB)I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Slide 49:Every Child of God Needs a Clean Heart to Serve God. What is the Condition of Your Heart?