The NIV reads, he who loves the pure
heart and whose speech is gracious will have
the king for his friend.
Last week we spoke about having gracious speech,
but you know you can't have gracious speech
without having grace-filled heart, because it's out
of the overflow of the heart the mouth
speaks.
That's why really the pure heart has to
come before the gracious speech, but it was
the gracious speech that was on my heart
last week.
But I want to talk about this, having
a pure heart today.
It's interesting as I looked up this word
in the Septuagint, I use the Septuagint a
lot because you have to understand that Hebrew
is a very simple language, and therefore many
words are used in multiple ways, and God
saw fit that the Hebrew Bible would be
translated into Greek, which is much more precise,
so that we can get a more exact
understanding of the word.
And the word here, pure, is kind of
a rare word in the Greek.
It's used in the classical Greek to denote
the everlasting principles of right, which are not
constituted by the laws or customs of men.
It says the idea, this is beyond what
men think is right.
It's not talking about what men consider pure
and right.
These are laws that transcend customs.
They transcend ages.
These are eternally right principles.
And you need this in your heart.
If you love this kind of heart, you'll
have the king for your friend.
It's primarily concerned with what I mentioned, eternal
laws, and it made me think of Jeremiah
6.16, and you don't need to turn
there, it's a very short passage, but do
you remember this when Jeremiah was told by
the Lord, stand at the crossroads and look.
And what did he tell him to look
for?
He said to ask for something.
Ask for the ancient paths, ancient, and at
the same time, ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk
in it, and what do you have when
you ask for the ancient paths and the
good way and you walk in it, what
do you have?
Rest for your souls.
One of the things of walking with Jesus,
if you really know Him, is that you'll
find He said, my yoke is easy, and
my burden is light, and when you find
out about Him, when you take His yoke
upon you, and you learn of Him, you
find that He is meek and lowly of
heart, and what you'll find is rest unto
your souls.
Because Jesus walked by the ancient paths.
Jesus walked by what was good from the
beginning, what transcends every culture, and every set
of customs among men.
He did what was right from eternity in
the eyes of God.
And when you have in your heart a
heart that loves that which is right from
the beginning, that which is right from God
in every age, you'll have the king for
your friend.
Throughout the New Testament, this word, osios, it
looks Godward.
There are, it is talking about a man's
heart towards God, whereas in many cases in
the New Testament, righteousness is talking about a
man's relationship to other men.
So it's interesting, if you want to turn
to Luke 1, Luke chapter 1 verse 75,
both of these words are used side by
side.
Luke chapter 1, turn there with me, Luke
1 75.
This is the declaration of Zachariah, the father
of John the Baptist, when he wrote on
a tablet, and they were all asking him,
remember he had been struck dumb by the
angel because he was kind of slow to
believe what the angel had told him about
Elizabeth having a son at her old age.
So the angel smote him and he couldn't
speak all the way up until the child
was born at nine months.
And then when it came time to name
the child, they were asking, you know, Elizabeth,
because John couldn't speak, what should we name
the child?
And John said, his name shall be John.
I mean, Zachariah had to write on a
tablet because she told him his name will
be John and they didn't believe it, because
you don't have any relatives named by that.
And so they gave, they gave him, Zachariah's
a writing tablet and he wrote, his name
shall be John.
And as soon as he wrote that, his
tongue was loosed and he began to declare
this.
And in the middle of this declaration, he
was filled with the Holy Spirit.
He said here in verse 75, well, I'm
going to read from verse 69 on, he
has raised up a horn of salvation for
us in the house of his servant David,
as he said through his holy prophets of
long ago, salvation from our enemies and from
the hand of all who hate us to
show mercy to our fathers and to remember
his holy covenant, the oath he swore to
our father, Abraham, to rescue us from the
hand of all of our enemies and what's
enemy number one in our life, sin, you
know, he shall save his people from their
sins and to enable us to serve him
without fear in holiness, that which is eternally
right in the eyes of God from eternity
and righteousness before him all our days.
Look also in Ephesians 4, turn with me
to Ephesians 4, 24, see the Lord really
does enable us to actually have this kind
of heart.
He doesn't just ask us to have it.
He enables us to have this kind of
heart, a right heart before him.
In Ephesians chapter 4, I'm going to read
from verse 20 to 24, Ephesians 4, 20
to 24, says you however did not come
to know Christ that way, surely you heard
of him and were taught in him in
accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.
You were taught with regard to your former
way of life to put off your old
self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful
desires and to be made new in the
attitude of your minds and to put on
the new self, created to be like God
in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
You were created to be before God in
him, in Christ, to be completely righteous in
all your relationships with men and to have
a heart perfectly in line with everything beautiful
before the eyes of God from eternity, a
perfect heart and a right attitude and right
relationship with men.
This is God's will.
This is how we learn Christ.
This is what we were called to be
and to walk in, a pure heart.
What do we know about a pure heart?
The pure in heart shall do what?
They shall see God.
Now, it is an idiosyncrasy and God does
not write in idiosyncrasies.
If God says the pure in heart shall
see God, it is an idiosyncrasy to say
you can't have a pure heart.
You can't have a pure heart because you're
given the heart of Christ.
You're given the mind of Christ.
Christ enables this.
Of our self it's not possible, but with
men things are not possible, but with God
all things are possible.
Everyone and everyone that really has the hope
of spending eternity with God does what?
First John says, everyone who has this hope
in him does what?
Purifies himself even as, okay now look, that's
the key here, even as he is pure.
We're not talking about a level of purity
acceptable to the customs of men.
We're talking about a level of purity that
must be acceptable in the eyes of the
one who calls things pure.
Pure like he is pure, completely in harmony
with his Father, completely agreeable to everything right
and lovely with his Father.
Pure in the eyes of Christ and if
you really have the hope of the resurrection,
you're busy, you're working diligently to purify yourself
even as he is pure.
And there, turn with me to 2 Corinthians
chapter 7.
Another thing that through Paul's encouragement, exhortation, maybe
mixed with a little bit of admonition which
has a connotation of warning.
He says in 2 Corinthians chapter 7 in
the first verse, since we have these promises,
the promises of I will be your God
and you shall be my people, having that
promise, if that's really a promise you receive,
this is the only proper response to that
promise.
Since we have these promises, dear friends, let
us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body
and spirit, perfecting holiness out in the fear
of God.
So if you really, really want to have
the King as your friend, you are seeking
this life of purity.
You are seeking this heart, just like Jesus,
the same heart Jesus had towards his Father
is what you're seeking.
And you seek the help of the Holy
Spirit to make this a reality in your
life.
Turn with me to Revelations chapter 3.
He who loves a pure heart and whose
speech is gracious will have the King for
his friend.
You know, did Jesus say really anything in
direct contradiction to what was said before?
Did he not say, think not that I
have come to destroy the law of the
prophets, for until all things fulfilled, not the
least stroke of pen, not the smallest dot,
shall be in any wise past till all
things be fulfilled.
He came not to destroy the law, but
to fulfill it.
He came to create in men the kind
of heart that the law said they should
have.
Here in Revelations chapter 3, look with me
in verse 4, well let's back up, back
up just a little bit, well verse 4
kind of says it.
After talking about some problems that there were
in the church of Sardis, he says to
them in verse 4, yet you have a
few people in Sardis who have not soiled
their clothes.
They will walk with me, dressed in white,
for they are worthy.
The Greek word for worthy comes from our,
we get our English word axle from it.
It's that which connects two things on the
same plane.
They will walk with me because I am
pure and they're seeking purity.
See that?
That's why they'll walk with me.
They're trying to keep their garments clean.
They're the ones who are going to walk
with me.
If you walk with Christ, what does that
mean?
Who do you think Christ walks with?
Yeah, his friends.
You see?
Jesus told his disciples, I no longer call
you servants, I call you friends.
And the king wants to walk with his
friends.
If you're going to take a walk with
someone, you don't want to walk with a
stranger, you want to walk with a friend.
He's saying the ones that are seeking to
purify themselves and keep their garments white, they're
going to walk with me because they're the
ones worthy.
They're the ones on the same plane as
I am.
They have the same understanding.
That's why it's important.
Okay, having established it's that important, turn to
Psalms 119.
If you believe that this is that important,
this is that critical to actually walking with
Jesus and dwelling with him in eternity, if
you're really seeking to purify yourself, even as
he is pure, and Psalms 119 is a
very big book, just turn near the start
of it and you'll be pretty close.
If you really have this desire to have
this kind of heart, a pure heart and
a gracious speech, it seems like a natural
question would come up in your mind, the
question, how?
How do you get this kind of heart?
How can you make sure that this heart
is a reality in your life?
Well, David answers this question here in Psalms
119.
Someone read verse 9 out loud if you
would.
How about that?
How can a young man keep his way
pure by living according to your word?
Now, if someone had the King James here,
would you read it?
Read Psalms 119 out of the King James.
This is an interesting word.
For the jury, the word cleanse here comes
from the idea to be translucent.
Translucent, what does it mean to be translucent?
To see through it.
Interesting.
A similar meaning is to be transparent.
Now, this verse came to my mind, seeking
to be translucent.
How shall a young man make his way
translucent?
That's a part of cleansing.
This came to my mind.
If your eye be single, your whole body
will be.
The Greek for single means unfolded.
Now, in material, the more material layers there
are, the less light.
So if your eye is translucent, your whole
body.
How many layers are you trying to see
through?
What is pleasing to God?
What I like?
What my friend likes?
What my husband likes?
How many layers are you trying to look
through?
The person with one layer, their whole body
is going to be full of light.
What is right in the eyes of God?
What's right in the eyes of God?
That's the only layer there.
If your friends think it's okay, what does
that mean?
Rip that layer off and throw it away.
What is right in the eyes of God?
With that one layer, that translucent layer, your
whole body will be full of light.
And a similar meaning is transparent.
Now, it's interesting, just the opposite.
Let me read something, and you want to
turn there, Ephesians chapter 4.
If you want to go there, just the
opposite of being translucent and letting light penetrate
is a description Paul said of how the
Gentiles lived.
Listen to this description in Ephesians chapter 4,
verses 17 and 18, of how the Gentiles
lived.
And he's telling the Christians not to live
this way.
Ephesians 4, verse 17, So I tell you
this and insist on it in the Lord
that you must no longer live as the
Gentiles do in the vanity of their minds,
for they are darkened, where?
In their understanding.
And they're separated from the life of God
because of the ignorance that is in them
due to the hardness of their hearts.
Now, where are they darkened?
In their understanding.
Why are they darkened in their understanding?
Because they have so many layers they're looking
through, light cannot penetrate.
They're not letting the light through.
Their eye is not single.
And their understanding is darkened because the way
they think is not simply what is right
in the eyes of God.
What is the perfect agreement with that which
is good and pure from all eternity past?
They don't think that way.
And I mentioned the other idea of being
transparent.
Transparent and translucent are slightly different.
Translucent, you can see through something that's translucent,
can still let light through, but you may
not be able to make out the perfect
distinction on the other side.
So the Word also has the idea of
being transparent.
If something is transparent, you see what?
Clearly.
You see clearly.
Now, this is what thought came to me
about a person who loves transparency.
Turn to John chapter 3.
In Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus, he talks about
a person who loves transparency.
Find verse 19 in John 3.
This is the verdict.
Light has come into the world, but men
loved darkness instead of light because their deeds
were evil.
Now, most of you understand principles of light.
Light goes where?
That's a simple question.
Where does light go?
Yeah, it shines in the dark.
Light goes everywhere.
In order to prevent light from coming out,
what do you have to do?
You have to block light.
Light will flood everywhere except where it's been
blocked.
What kind of light are we blocking?
What kind of light are we resisting?
If we're transparent, we won't be blocking out
any light.
We won't be resisting any light.
But listen, let's continue to see what Jesus
says.
This is the verdict.
Light has come into the world, but men
loved darkness instead of light because their deeds
were evil.
Everyone who does evil does what?
He hates the light.
And he will not come into the light
for fear that his deeds will be...
He doesn't want to be transparent.
He doesn't want you to know what his
heart really is.
He doesn't want you to know what his
motives really are.
He wants you to think he's a good
man.
He may not be in church.
He may not pray.
He may not follow the teachings of Christ.
He still wants to be seen like he
wants to be seen.
But a man who loves God and whose
heart is pure in complete harmony with those
eternal principles that transcend every custom and every
age, that man doesn't mind who views him.
Look at me.
Look at my life.
I love the light.
I'm clearly willing to be seen by all.
And he goes on to say this in
the next verse.
Jesus says, But whoever lives by the truth
comes into the light so that it may
be seen plainly that what he's done has
been done through God.
That's the kind of heart we need to
have.
A heart that is translucent, that lets light
penetrate.
We're looking through one layer, one single layer,
what is right in the eyes of God.
And if that's your heart, your whole body
will be full of light.
Now, that's part of the cleansing way.
Now let's answer the question, how do we
get to that point?
Psalms 119 says, Wherewithal shall a young man
cleanse his way?
What's the answer?
How do you get to that place?
That translucent, transparent place.
How?
By taking heed to thy word.
Taking heed.
The Greek word and the Hebrew word for
taking heed means to guard, beware, to protect,
to attend to.
In the Septuagint, it's philosophize, it's in the
middle voice.
I love the middle voice because the middle
voice stresses the participation of the subject in
the result of the action.
In other words, it's your responsibility to do
this.
How shall you taking heed?
I can't take heed for you.
You have to take heed for yourself.
That's how you're going to cleanse your way.
You yourself taking heed to thy word.
This same word was used of the shepherds
outside of Bethlehem.
And there were in the fields near Bethlehem
shepherds.
What were they doing?
Keeping watch over their flocks by night.
Same word.
Keeping watch over the word of God.
Guarding it, protecting it, watching it.
That carefully.
You know, the other word that is commonly
used for is in a watch tower.
What is a watch tower built for?
To keep watch.
So you watch what's going on so that
no one's asleep.
It's for everyone's protection.
Fathers and mothers, if this is not your
heart, the enemy's sneaking up and guess what
he's after?
Your children.
Husband and wife, if you're not on watch
for each other, guess what the enemy's after?
Okay?
Jesus said, blessed is that servant whose master,
when he returns, finds him watching.
One of the last things He told His
disciples was watch and pray.
Let you fall not in temptation.
Turn with me to Luke chapter 11.
Luke 11.
If you want to cleanse your way, you
have to have this kind of disposition.
This watchful, guarding, attentive, sober, alert disposition.
In Luke 11, this same word is used
in verse 28.
But let's read 27 and 28 together.
Luke 11, 27 and 28.
As Jesus was saying these things, a woman
in the crowd called out, Blessed is the
mother who gave you birth and nursed you.
You know what, there's a whole religion that
says this all the time.
There's a whole religion that that's their favorite
statement, blessed is your mother.
And He says, He replied, blessed rather are
those who hear the word of God and
obey it or keep it.
That's the word.
Who are guarding it, watching over it, keeping
it, diligently, diligently taking care of it.
They're the ones that should be blessed.
That's what He said.
Turn with me to Acts chapter 7.
In Acts 7, verse 53, this same word
is used.
But it's used, Acts 7, 53, this time
it's used in the negative.
Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, is speaking
to the Jews.
And the Jews are best known in the
days of Jesus for loving the traditions of
men more than the commandments of God.
They loved the traditions of men more than
the commandments of God.
So they were very religious.
We're not talking about people who weren't religious
or weren't moral.
They just weren't followers of Christ.
And so He says to them, Stephen, filled
with the Holy Spirit, says in verse 51
of Acts 7, Ye stiff-necked people with
uncircumcised hearts and ears, you are just like
your fathers.
Do you always resist the Holy Spirit?
Was there ever a prophet that your fathers
did not persecute?
They even killed those who predicted the coming
of the Righteous One.
And now you have betrayed and murdered Him.
You who have received the law that was
put into effect through angels, but have not
kept it.
You haven't watched over it.
You haven't guarded it.
You haven't treated it with special reverence and
care.
You received it, but you haven't guarded it.
The same word is found in 1 Peter
1, verse 22.
Having this heart will enable us to have
the King as our friend.
And the way to get this heart is
to have this kind of attitude towards the
Word of God.
And Peter says it the same way, because
really, when the Holy Spirit is speaking truth,
it doesn't matter whether it comes through James,
through Paul, through John, through Peter, through David,
through Solomon, through Samuel, through Jude.
It's all the same.
It's all in perfect agreement the way it
should be.
Peter says this by the Holy Spirit in
chapter 1, verse 22.
Now that you have purified yourselves by what?
The way to cleanse your way.
The way to purify yourself is to obey
the truth.
Is to take heed to the Word.
And the opposite of that is, look at
2 Peter.
You're not too far from there, 2 Peter.
What if you're not careful to watch?
What if you're careless?
What if you go to sleep?
What if you're a watchman for your family,
and you're asleep on your watch?
Listen, Peter's not going to let that happen
on his watch.
Listen to him.
One of the last things we know that
he ever written, at least what we have
preserved by God, is 2 Peter 3, verse
17.
Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this,
what should your attitude be?
Be on guard.
That's the only attitude that is security.
I believe in eternal security.
The kind that Peter talks about.
If ye do these things, ye shall never
fall.
If you stay on your guard, you'll be
okay.
I'm not promising anybody okay if they go
to sleep on watch.
No one should give that kind of assurance
to anyone.
You be diligent, you stay on guard, you'll
be okay.
But be on guard that you don't be
carried away by the error of what?
Lawless men.
Well, what is the law?
The Word of God.
Men who don't live by the Word.
Don't be carried away by what men think
is okay and pure.
By the customs of men.
By the traditions of men.
I don't care what's right according to the
U.S. Congress.
I don't care what's right in the USA
today.
I don't care what George Barnum says is
right.
The Word of God is what's right.
And if it's not right with the Word
of God, you had better not pay attention
to it.
Because you may be right with 99%
of American society and go straight to hell.
Your heart better be in agreement with what's
right eternally.
What transcends all cultures, all nations, and everything.
It better be pure in the eyes of
God.
That's how to have a single eye to
have a pure heart.
We're seeing lawlessness abound in the last days.
Don't be carried away by the error of
lawless men.
Be on your guard.
We had better be on our guard.
Flip back to Hebrews chapter 2.
Again, another strong admonition.
Hebrews chapter 2.
That's it.
Well, I want security.
And you know what?
You'll be secure when you're guarded.
When you have the right kind of sober,
guarded heart, you'll be secure.
You know what?
One of the favorite verses of Dinah comes
from Proverbs chapter 4.
Above all else, guard your heart, for from
it flow the issues of life.
If you have a guarded heart, you'll be
okay.
Here in Hebrews chapter 2.
It doesn't matter who the author was.
We don't know for sure.
The Spirit is the author.
Whatever man, it doesn't matter.
But he says here in verses 1 and
2 of chapter 2.
We must pay.
I like the way the King James says
it.
We must give all the more earnest heed
to the things we've heard.
Lest we let them slip.
You know what happens if you're not on
guard?
The truth of God, the Word of God,
and that which is eternally right from the
eyes of God is going to slip from
your heart.
And you know what's going to slip in?
Society's ideas of what's right.
What men think is right.
Be careful.
Don't let that happen.
Okay, Romans chapter 1.
Last verse for that which is opposite.
Then we're going to strengthen the matter.
And wrap this up.
Strengthen the matter of how you ensure your
heart stays pure.
But look at this dangerous process.
Describing those who chose not to guard the
Word of God.
Not to guard the knowledge that God had
given them.
In Romans chapter 1.
We touched upon this in our Bible study
this morning.
Romans chapter 1, verse 21 says, For although
they knew God, in some way they knew
it.
They neither glorified Him as God, nor gave
thanks to Him.
But their thinking became futile.
And their foolish hearts were darkened.
That means the end, they had less light
than they had at the beginning.
And why did they have less light in
the end than they had at the beginning?
Because they chose not to receive fully the
light they had been given already.
To him who has, more shall be given.
And he shall have an abundance.
But to him who has not, even that
which he thinks he has shall be taken
from him.
Because they don't want the revelation about God
that He's made known and obvious of Himself.
God says, okay, you don't want to know
Me?
Okay, I'll take what you should know away
from you.
And you'll know even less of Me than
you thought.
And the result of that is stated in
verse 25.
Again, they changed the truth of God for
a lie.
They didn't want to know God for who
He really is.
They wanted a concept of God.
Give us a God that will make us
feel good about ourselves.
Give us a God that will give us
the freedom to do what we want.
That's happening, still.
Beware of that.
The result of that, one step further, is
verse 28.
Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile
to retain the knowledge of God, what did
He give them over to?
A reprobate mind.
A mind depraved.
What is this mind depraved of?
It's depraved of the truth.
It's depraved of the Word.
He doesn't think by the Word.
He doesn't speak by the Word.
All the time I meet people and here's
what their law is, I think.
Well, I think.
I don't care what you think.
What it should be said is, it is
written.
It is written.
Jesus said.
Peter said.
John said.
God said.
That's what's important.
It doesn't matter whether it's popular to U
.S. culture or popular in Russia or popular
in China or in India.
If it's right before the eyes of God.
That's a single eye.
And that's the way to have your heart
pure.
And if you don't have that, your mind
is going to be depraved of that which
is eternally right from the beginning.
And your understanding is going to be darkened.
Because you've built up barriers to keep the
light from coming through.
Not a good thing to do.
So what is purity?
Transparency?
Translucency?
Guarding your heart by keeping these precious truths?
What does that equal?
I have a description of what that equals.
Turn to 1 John chapter 1.
This is just a good description of what
that equals.
1 John chapter 1 verses 5 through 7.
This is the message we have heard from
Him and declare to you.
God is light.
In Him there is no darkness at all.
If we claim to have fellowship with Him,
yet walk in darkness, we lie and do
not live by the truth.
But if we walk in the light, as
He is in the light, we have fellowship
with one another, and the blood of Jesus,
His Son, purifies us from all sin.
And we've already answered this, but I want
to restate it in two ways.
There are two descriptions of the light.
They're really both describing the same thing.
But in Psalms 119, what did David describe
as the light?
Thy word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to thy path.
He also said in Psalms 119, 130, the
entrance of thy word gives light.
Allowing God's word to penetrate you will give
you light.
And you can walk in the light.
That's one way of stating it.
The other way of stating the way to
receive light and walk in the light is
not just the words God's spoken before.
They were only a shadow and type of
the real light.
What's the real light?
Jesus said, I am the light.
Listen to what John says in John chapter
1.
The Gospel of John.
These beautiful words.
John chapter 1 verses 4 through 9.
In Him was life.
And that life was what?
The light of men.
And the light shines in the darkness.
But the darkness has not understood it or
overcome it.
There was a man who was sent from
God.
His name was John.
He came as a witness to testify concerning
that light.
So that through Him all men might believe.
He Himself was not the light.
He came only as a witness to the
light.
The true light that lighteth every man.
The way to walk in the light is
to receive the light.
Jesus Christ.
He came to His own.
But His own received Him not.
Yet to all who received Him.
To them He gave power to become.
Sons of God.
Sons of the light.
And listen to what He says about this
relationship with light.
If you're still there in John in the
8th chapter.
Verse 12 says.
When Jesus spoke again to the people.
He said, I am the light of the
world.
Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness.
He'll have the light of life.
So how can you keep your way pure?
In the simplest terms.
Follow Christ.
And you better make sure to keep yourself
guarded.
That you are following close.
Don't follow like Peter.
When Peter followed Christ to far off.
What did he end up doing?
Denied Him three times.
You need to abide in Christ.
You need to follow Christ and walk in
the light.
He also says in chapter 11 verses 9
and 10.
Jesus answered.
Are there not twelve hours of daylight?
A man who walks by day will not
stumble.
Because he sees by the world's light.
It's when he walks by night.
That he stumbles.
For he has no light.
So let's don't do that.
How does this all tie together?
He who loves a pure heart.
And whose speech is gracious.
Will have the king for his friend.
Well how do you get a pure heart?
Well Jesus said this.
A good man bringeth forth good.
Out of the good stored up in him.
Doesn't that agree with the man after God's
heart.
Who said thy word have I hid in
my heart.
That I might not sin.
If you store the word of God in
your heart.
You won't be the foolish person.
Who goes around saying.
Well I think.
You'll be the person who soberly goes around
saying.
And they'll be walking in the light.
And it says.
If you walk in the light.
As he is in the light.
You have what?
Fellowship.
Now what is fellowship?
That's walking in koinonia.
Isn't that the same as friendship?
Walking in the light.
Have a pure heart.
And have your speech gracious.
And that's the only way for it to
be.
It's not merely professing to know Christ.
It's in that profession.
Guarding your heart.
Staying sober.
Making sure you don't get carried away.
By the error of lawless men.
It's not blocking out the light in any
way.
It's whatever God's word says.
You receive it.
And you store it up within you.
And when you store it up within you.
And it becomes a life principle you walk
by.
The King will be your friend.
And when you stand before him.
He's going to tell you.
Well done.
Thou good and faithful servant.
Enter into the joy of your Lord.
Amen.
Alright.
Anybody have anything to add?
We close.
My heart.
Longs to make sure.
Everyone is ready.
To stand before the Lord.
Paul says.
About the Ephesians.
About the Corinthians.
And most of the churches.
Whether he stated it directly.
He stated it often.
I promise to present you before Christ.
As a pure virgin.
He doesn't want to.
I don't want anyone here.
To stand before Christ.
And there you have a blot.
In your life.
A blemish.
Because you weren't careful.
To walk by the light.
I just want you to be right.
And ready.
And the best way to have you ready.
Is to make sure we are all being
careful.
Guarding our heart with all diligence.
Storing up.
Not blocking the light.
Having this kind of heart.
We have this kind of heart.
And speech will take care of itself.
Won't it?
It will take care of itself.
Speech is a good indicator.
Of what's in your heart.
I know what you think.
By the words you speak.
You know a man who separates himself.
Seeks his own.
And you know what that man does?
It's the old King James word.
Is he intermeddleth with.
Paul says.
All sound wisdom.
The way that they interpret that.
In common languages.
He argues against.
All sound wisdom.
And you know what a person.
Who is not stored up the word of
God does.
When a man who speaks.
Out of a rich knowledge.
Of the word of God.
That man thinks it's nonsense.
Because he's not stored it up.
And it doesn't make sense to him.
Let's just don't be guilty of that.
Let's receive the word of God.
And let us pray.
Father.
Because it's right in your sight.
Because we do accept.
You as sovereign.
And Lord and creator of the universe.
We ask.
In accordance with your will.
That you continue to work.
In each of us.
A broken.
And a contrite heart.
That trembles at your word.
Let us not be resistance.
If there's any area.
In our lives.
Father.
Where we have foolishly been resisting your word.
Forgive us.
Have mercy upon us.
And come and take that area.
Tear down that stronghold Lord.
And bring every one of our thoughts.
Into captivity.
Under the obedience.
Of Jesus Christ.
We want to walk with you.
We want to have this heart.
We want to be secure.
That knowing when we stand before you.
We've allowed you to discipline us.
To work in us.
And to train us.
To love and receive.
And keep your word.
So work that in us.
In each of us.
And I just ask.
That your Holy Spirit Father.
Would bring to bear.
In anyone.
Any of our lives.
Where we have offended you.
We've quenched you.
Grieved your Holy Spirit.
In areas we've said no.
I'm going to ask today.