Dealing with Difficulty (Part 3) by Dr. Rod Mattoon

About this sermon

1 Timothy 1:5- Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: The next area we need to grow is in the area of having a Clean Heart. Our time at church as well as in our private time with God should move us to growth in a pure heart. The holy hush of being alone with God amplifies our hearing and enables us to hear His whisper within us. Purity produces genuine love for God and others. Our love is to flow from a pure or clean heart. The heart is the battlefield where war is waged between your fleshly nature and the Holy Spirit. On the battlefield of the heart, you will not hear the screams of gun shots, explosions, or wound soldiers lying in red pools of their blood. No, you will hear the screams of your selfish desires that place you in battle mode with the Holy Spirit. * Will you live your way or God’s way? * Will you do your will or God’s will? * Will you do what you want or what God wants? * Will you please yourself or please God? The battlefield of your heart is a place of constant conflict, continuous combat, ceaseless confrontation, chronic contention, and consistent challenges. The desire of the Christian who truly loves the Lord and wants to please Him will be to have a clean pure heart. He does not want to disappoint, grieve, hurt, sadden, or let down the Lord. Your heart can be your greatest hindrance and enemy if you yield to its deceptions. Jeremiah warned us of its power. * Jeremiah 17:9—The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? We really do not know just how low we can go into the depths of depravity. The heart is the most deceitful thing in our lives. * It dupes us to disobey and disbelieve. * It deceives us with distractions and disguise. * It defends dishonor and depravity. * It double-crosses with delusion. * It defrauds you of decency and delight. * It determines your destiny. Will you accept or reject Christ? Jesus said in Matthew 5:8, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” In this message, we dig into this verse and spend some time looking at the phrase “pure in heart” and its meaning. This 32-minute message was preached on Sunday morning, October 30, 2022, at Lincoln Land Baptist Church.