In this episode of International Gospel Hour, we explore the profound biblical concept of purity in heart. Drawing from the words of Jesus in the Beatitudes, the discussion delves into why maintaining a pure heart is essential for a fulfilling spiritual life. Join us as we unpack scriptures that emphasize the role of the heart in shaping our words, actions, and ultimately, our destiny. Our host, Jeff Archie, offers practical insights and spiritual guidance on how to diligently guard our hearts from worldly influences.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. From the Beatitudes, or attitudes to become, let’s talk about that pure heart today from the International Gospel Hour. Our study is just ahead.
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Hi, this is Jay Webb for International Gospel Hour. Welcome to our broadcast today. For over 90 years, Churches of Christ have proclaimed God’s Word through our broadcasts. Just ahead is another Bible-based lesson with Jeff Archie of International Gospel Hour. Let’s begin.
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Bound for the promised land.
SPEAKER 01 :
Well, thank you always to our J-Web, and greetings to all of you. We’re honored for all of our listeners here at International Gospel Hour. And may you desire truth and to pursue it therein. As we note from John 8, 31 and 32, when Jesus said to those Jews who believed him, If you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. Yes, friends, the truth shall make us free. Here at International Gospel Hour, we eagerly seek the truth. The truth that is the Word of God, John 17, 17. We want every broadcast to have an advantage for you in studying the Word of God. And we always encourage everyone, if you will, to pursue good Bible study… And one way we do so is our Bible correspondence course that we offer. And it’s absolutely free. And if you’ve never tried it, we’d like for you to give it a try. I’m going to pause for our J-Web to tell you about that. Then we’re going to come back and study about Blessed are the Pure in Heart.
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Our long-time free Bible study course by mail is always available. Have you tried it yet? Just call us toll-free at 855-444-6988 and leave your name, address, and just say, Home Study. That’s it. You may also go to our website at internationalgospelhour.com, click on the Contact tab, and leave us the same information, name, address, and type Home Study in the message box. Study the Bible at your own pace. Again, it’s free from your friends here at International Gospel Hour.
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The full message of Matthew 5 and verse 8 is, Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. And one major goal for every disciple of Jesus is to keep his or her heart pure. On our personal list of things to accomplish this week, there is nothing more important than protecting our heart and keeping it pure. In the Bible, a person’s heart is his mind. It includes one’s emotions, feelings, intellect, desire, and conscience. Why is a person’s heart so important? Well, the truth of Proverbs 4.23 never changes. Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. The Lord Jesus said, A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good, and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. Luke 6.45 Our words and behavior come from our heart, so if we want to have pure speech and pure conduct, the key is keeping our heart pure. A pure heart is one that is clean, unspotted, uncontaminated. Such a heart has a desire to please God and avoid those things that He does not approve. The devil and his workers may take my house, my health, and my money, but my heart is off limits. The Apostle Peter reminded first century saints that they had purified their souls in obeying the truth. They did that when they were born again by the word of God, 1 Peter 1, 22 and 23. We could call that one-time purification, cleansing of the heart. In addition, in James 4, verse 8, we read that some who already were Christians were instructed to purify their hearts. That would be ongoing purification of the heart, which takes place as we walk in the light, 1 John 1, 7 and verse 9. Keeping our heart pure can be a real challenge. Worldly philosophy, blatant appeals to fleshly desires, and more external matters can feel overwhelming. At the end of the day, however, my attempt to keep my own heart pure comes down to one person, me. If I fail to keep my heart pure and as a result engage in sin that happens because of my own desires, James 1, 14 and 15. Protecting my heart is my responsibility and I alone am the one who is responsible for my choices. Whether it is pride, pornography, or an infatuation for material things called covetousness, it is up to me to abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul. 1 Peter 2.11 So friends, what can you and I do in order to keep our heart pure? Well, first, strive to maintain this mindset from Psalm 1914. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. Filling our heart with God’s word is a huge help. Psalm 119, verse 11, Your word have I hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you. Our mind is limited in space and retention, so why not put forth our best effort to fill our heart with good, wholesome thoughts? Philippians 4, 8, Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are noble, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things. We can learn from Joseph, the son of Jacob. When that young man was faced with strong daily temptation from the wife of Potiphar, how did he respond? He resisted her evil proposal. He verbalized the thoughts of his heart, saying, How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God? Genesis 39.9 When her sensual appeal intensified, Joseph wisely fled, putting distance between himself and the one who threatened his heart’s purity. Genesis 39.12 We need to do our best to protect what goes into our mind through our eyes. The psalmist expressed a valuable idea, I will set nothing wicked before my eyes, Psalm 101.3. Job’s approach is also worthy of imitation as he declared, I have made a covenant with my eyes, why then should I look upon a young woman, Job 31.1. Job was a married man and he understood that protecting his heart and its desires began with controlling what he allowed his eyes to view. The same truth applies to our ears. We must be persistent in protecting them from inappropriate words that are found in some comedy, music, and movies. If we really desire to keep our heart pure, let us do our best to surround ourselves with folks who want to keep their hearts pure too. Let us be honest and recognize our vulnerabilities, remembering that one who is convinced he could never stumble is setting himself up for a painful crash. 1 Corinthians 10 and verse 12. What a joy to study this subject, blessed are the pure in heart. You know, on the day of Pentecost, friends, there were those that were pricked in their hearts. In Acts 2 and verse 37, those were the words when they heard the preaching of Peter concerning how they had crucified the Christ and what they had done in rejecting Christ. The Bible says they were pricked or cut to the heart. And they asked a question, Men and brethren, what shall we do? And the answer was, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This they did, as we note in Acts 2 and verse 41, that they that gladly received His word were baptized, and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And so they were added to the church. We note that in Acts 2, verse 47. We see of their joy and their relationship from Acts 2, verse 42 through Acts 2, verse 47. Or, if you would, they were surrounded with folks who wanted to keep their hearts pure as well. Friends, there is nothing greater than to be a member of the church we read of in the New Testament. And we are so grateful that we can help you toward that end through our broadcast here at International Gospel Hour. Earlier, our J-Web mentioned our free Bible course by mail. Again, you can receive that at 855-444-6988 and leave your name and address and just say Home Study. We will help you in your study of the Word of God. But for today, I want to pause and acknowledge that our study of Blessed are the Pure in Heart was penned by our friend and brother, Roger Campbell, the editor of a four-page publication called Truth. And this was shared in June of 2025. Now, friends, you can receive such good articles as I’ve just shared with you each month via email. And our J-Web has the details of how you can receive articles simply truth. Here is our J-Web, and I’ll be back with a few other words for our exhortation.
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Again, please send an email to info at internationalgospelhour.com and leave your name, email address, and write truth in the message blank. It’s free and it’s worthy for your Bible study.
SPEAKER 01 :
Thank you again, Jay. And friends, indeed, that publication, Truth, is a wonderful publication. And again, it’s absolutely free. You can receive it each month from us here at International Gospel Hour. And I know that you will be greatly encouraged with that material. Don’t forget, we’ll send you our free Bible study course by mail. All you have to do is call us toll free at 855-444-6988. Leave your name and address and just say Home Study. We know a number of our viewers and listeners do not have access to Internet, but they have access to the U.S. Mail or the mail around the world. We’ll do our very best to send you that material, friends, and we want to be of help to you in your study of the Word of God. Now, friends, when we study the Word of God, sometimes we think, well, can I understand this? Can I grasp this? And I’m reminded by an old saying shared by one of my late friends and instructors for the A.T. Pate. He put together a little book called Apples of Gold and shared a number of things. And here’s something that he added. It’s a simple little ditty, if you will. By the yard it’s hard, but inch by inch anything’s a cinch. So, friends, let’s go inch by inch as we study and understand God’s Word for our lives. Truly, friends, blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Let us make that our pursuit, and we will continue our studies together at another time. Thank you for joining me today on the International Gospel Hour. I’m Jeff Archie, and as always, friends, keep listening.
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God be with you till we meet again.
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Thank you for listening to our broadcast today, and we hope you continue onward with your search and study of God’s Word. God be with you till we meet again.
