Clean Hands and a Pure Heart

Text: Psalms 24

 

I.         People want to get to heaven, but it seems many don’t want to put much effort into getting there.

            A.        Jesus warned - Luke 13:3

            B.        The example of the Jews should be enough - I Corinthians 10:1-12

                        1.         They were God’s chosen people, but they didn’t make it. - Hebrews 3:12-19

                        2.         It wasn’t because they were never saved. It was because they didn’t remain obedient due to their lack of faith.

            C.        Psalms 24:3-4

II.        If we are to come before God, we need clean hands

            A.        Your hands are what you do things with. To come before God, we need hands which have done the right thing

            B.        This was a failure on Israel’s part, in general - Isaiah 59:1-8

                        1.         The solution - stop sinning! - Isaiah 1:15-16

            C.        God recompenses according to cleanness of my hands - Psalms 18:20-24

            D.        Clean hands to hold to the way of truth - Job 17:9

            E.        Instead of washing hands is blood, violence and evil, we are to wash in innocence - Psalms 26:6

            F.        Then we can lift up holy hands before the throne of God - I Timothy 2:8    

            G.        Not like the Pharisees who focused on the physical - Mark 7:1-5

                        1.         The outside was clean, but nothing really changed - Matthew 23:25-26

III.       It takes more than just doing the right thing, it requires a change in heart as well

            A.        It is the pure in heart who will see God - Matthew 5:8

            B.        As we think inside, that is how we act - Mark 7:20-23

            C.        The reason the world was destroyed with a flood was because of man’s evil thoughts - Genesis 6:5

            D.        We have to wash the wickedness from our hearts - Jeremiah 4:14

                        1.         Purified by faith - Acts 15:8-9

                        2.         Purified by obedience - I Peter 1:22-23

            E.        If we hope to see God, then this is what we must do - I John 3:2-3

            F.        God is good to the pure in heart - Psalms 73:1

IV.      To succeed it takes both: clean hands and a pure heart

            A.        Cleanse hands and heart - James 4:8-10

            B.        Cleanse from all filth of flesh and spirit - II Corinthians 7:1

            C.        There must be a change in both action and thought - Isaiah 55:7

            D.        So that we can glorify God in both - I Corinthians 6:20

V.        How?

            A.        That essential ingredient, faith, comes from hearing God’s word - Romans 10:17

            B.        From that we learn to obey God - Romans 16:25-27

            C.        And we change inside - Ephesians 5:8-10; Galatians 5:22-23

            D.        Create a clean heart and renewed spirit, then I can teach sinners - Psalms 51:10-13