Sermons

Our desire should be to have a pure heart, as God has. Psalm 24 sets the context. He who shall ascend has clean hands and a pure heart. In understanding what a pure heart is, we might look first at what an impure heart is. In a word, it is an immoral heart; in the word of James, double-minded and unstable, within ourselves and in our relationships with others. An impure heart causes divisions. A pure heart undividedly follows God, in big and little things. Even little thing can blot out our focus on Christ. One pure in heart follows God in Christ, who is the ultimate peacemaker. We are to carry a message of reconciliation as ambassadors for Christ. More than simply stopping hostility, the concept of shalom embodies wholeness of life, body and soul. This is the message of the gospel. Paul was eager to preach the gospel, teaching that there is no other way to have peace with God, or with others within the church. Apart from the gospel, pride gets in our way. Through membership in Christ's church, peace and unity flourish in a bond of peace, held together by Christ. Even under persecution, Peter and Paul rejoiced. The natural man is hostile toward God and toward His people. The Pharisees instituted extra, man-made laws that kept people away from God. Jesus showed true righteousness and made the Pharisees angry. The Pharisees actually were making attacks on true righteousness. The natural man ends up perverting anything that reminds him of God's righteousness: sex, capital punishment, Christmas, Thanksgiving, All Saints Day. How do we handle the resulting persecution by these people? Do we go along? Retaliate? We need to live a righteous life, honest and humble, even when we are attacked. In Acts 5, when the apostles were attacked and forbidden to preach, they left rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer.