- Home
- Speakers
- Leonard Ravenhill
- A Pure Heart Part 2
A Pure Heart - Part 2
Leonard Ravenhill

Leonard Ravenhill (1907 - 1994). British-American evangelist, author, and revivalist born in Leeds, England. Converted at 14 in a Methodist revival, he trained at Cliff College, a Methodist Bible school, and was mentored by Samuel Chadwick. Ordained in the 1930s, he preached across England with the Faith Mission and held tent crusades, influenced by the Welsh Revival’s fervor. In 1950, he moved to the United States, later settling in Texas, where he ministered independently, focusing on prayer and repentance. Ravenhill authored books like Why Revival Tarries (1959) and Sodom Had No Bible, urging the church toward holiness. He spoke at major conferences, including with Youth for Christ, and mentored figures like David Wilkerson and Keith Green. Married to Martha Beaton in 1939, they had three sons, all in ministry. Known for his fiery sermons and late-night prayer meetings, he corresponded with A.W. Tozer and admired Charles Spurgeon. His writings and recordings, widely available online, emphasize spiritual awakening over institutional religion. Ravenhill’s call for revival continues to inspire evangelical movements globally.
Download
Topic
Sermon Summary
In this sermon, the preacher shares various stories and examples to emphasize the importance of being careful with our actions and choices. He highlights the concept of reaping what we sow and warns against committing adultery and other sinful acts. The preacher also shares a story about a woman who stole a swimsuit and the guilt she carried for years until she confessed and sought forgiveness. He emphasizes the need for repentance and forgiveness, both from God and from others. The sermon also touches on the need for a genuine relationship with God and the danger of having a cold or stony heart. The preacher challenges the audience to examine their hearts and consider the state of their relationship with God.
Sermon Transcription
If you lose a thing, you don't know why you've lost it. But if you leave your first love, you knew what separated you in that intimacy with him. And she said, Mr. Raisneil, just down the street, there's a very high-class store, I love to swim and I saw a beautiful swimsuit. Well, that's the way it goes, isn't it? I looked and I coveted and I took. She saw it a second time. The third time she went in the store, it was folded up on the edge of the counter. And she slid it under her coat and told her mother that she found it. And she said, tonight, in the middle of the service, your voice died away, and a voice said a thousand times or more, the voice kept saying, swimsuit, swimsuit, swimsuit, swimsuit, swimsuit. Well, I didn't know anything about the swimsuit. The spirit did. In fact, let's go back to the place and pay for it. She said, well, I don't have money. I said, well, I'll give you a little money to order. What did it cost? In days when money was money, I think she said $15. Oh, wow, that's a lot of money. I'll give you a couple of dollars to order. Don't let my mother know. She's the proudest woman in this. Is your mother here? Oh, she's at the back of the church. She has that big straw hat on, that cartwheel hat. Not prepared to put things straight with God. All right, let my mother come. And the mother came and said, hello. Oh, my daughter's here. I don't know what she's doing here. She's the finest girl. She leads a youth meeting and she sings in the choir and she gathers more permissions than anybody else. And why is she here? I said, because she's a thief. A what? She said, well, she says so. If you want to argue with her, argue with her. The swimsuit I told you that I found, I didn't find it. I stole it. For 15 months I'd been troubled about it. I'm going to confess it to God and I'm going to pay for it somehow. My mother stiffened and looked at me and said, you little wretch. And I said, mother, listen, bend your knees and get down to the side of her and put your arm around her. And looked at me contemptuously for a moment. Then she got down like this. Went and she jumped off like the man in Acts 3. And she ran down the church, leaping and praising God. And she says, pastor, and he says, you are the best girl in the church. You're singing in the choir. She said, for 15 months I've been a backslider. I've been the same. And the word of God, the lady at the altar, she cheated on me for 15 months. That's what she said. Over 80 years of age, I've cheated on her for 15 years. I had a sewing machine. You were preaching about something. I didn't hear you for the last, well, whatever time it was. I didn't hear you for the last 20 minutes. All I heard was a voice saying, sewing machine, sewing machine, sewing machine, sewing machine, sewing machine, sewing machine. I did not mention swimsuits. Who did? The Holy Spirit did. You cheated on your old mother for 15 years. Your daughter has cheated on you. What happened to David? He took another man's wife. He committed adultery. I had in this area was preached actually on this psalm. Now I think of it. I've seen some ugly women. Company, of course, but Mrs. Tow is Mrs. Shepherd. 40 years ago, every page on burned it. I cut up my uniform and burned that. And for 40 years, she said, Booth preach. I listened to Colonel Brango preach. My sin, and I want to ask him to restore unto me the joy of my salvation. I went through a tears. I know he'll do it, but he prays the greatest prayer of all in this 10th verse, Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Put it this way. Purge me from every sinful blood. My idols all be cast aside. Cleanse me from every sinful thought. Praise my God, a heart from sin set free. A heart that always feels the blood so freely shed for me. A heart in every thought renewed and full of love divine. Perfect and right and a copy Lord of thine. Used to sing a hymn written by an old methodist, Folks Jackson. And clean. A sunlit heart. Like this visto. Notice what, I wonder what David knew about science. He says, wash me naturally wiser than snow. When you get up in the mountains, we were last week, we were in California. And there was a snowfall overnight. And as we came back, the snow was glistening. It was blinding with its whiteness. Because in every flake of snow, you know the old saying, There have never been two snowflakes alike. Built a heart to praise my God. After all, what's the problem with the world that you and I live in? What's the problem? It's got heart trouble. The heart of the matter is the heart of man. Isn't it amazing that one man can give his life to God and become a saint like an F.B. Meyer or some of these giants of faith. Another man made of the same corruptible material becomes a Himmler or a Stalin or a Hitler or a mafia member. To people who have won fame and wealth is the most mysterious thing. At least you can take it apart and show me sections of it. You can't do that with a human heart. Keep my heart. Become the issues of life. It's out of your flesh. Jesus says, Blessed I shall see God. You'll take costly offerings. Had a beautiful, gorgeous, healthy child. And I've seen some lovely children in Israel. Pardon me, in India. Flashing eyes, lovely teeth. She was taking a little fellow about three years of age. And she had a crippled, deformed child in her hand. Talked to the lady and gave her a tract. Sack of literature and came home down the... We're passing the other way now. Morning meeting a man who was a clerk. And now I'm going to the temple. He'd already had two hours with his God. He's a Mohammedan. Is it just a cold? What is it? Chapter 3 where Peter speaks to Ananias. And he says, Why have saints... Some logistics or statistics here. How many millions of people in America today? Never mind the heathen countries. Be a clean heart. It's coming down. I said, Don't worry. When it's coming up, you're in trouble. Personal millennium. Something else? Did you hear anything dead? And then it came back with that leaf in its mouth. Between the chimney stacks. He took a handful of... Don't tease it. That's not right. Oh, he said this. Bird doesn't care. He said I... This hand. Seen it from that day to this. Somebody say to Aaron Burr, One day you'll miss the presidency of the United States by one vote. There's something greater than that. A Christian. So many people went forward in that meeting. If I remember the argument correctly, it was this. The preacher said there are, say, 30 men should be at this altar. There were 29. And he said I should have been the 30th. And God said, Come on. I want your life. And I said, No. Pressure. He said, I said in my spirit. Now you leave me alone. And I'll never bother with you again if you leave me alone. He said he's never bothered. Which city? Statue. And it's not very imposing. Statue. And he was dead. Policy. A policy, if you like. Flaw in it. It hasn't a thing as big as a pinhead in it. It is perfectly right. And he said if he'll do it, I'll do it. He came to the 14th furniture and his wonderful decorations and stuffing them into the crucible. His father-in-law came and took Pulas' wife away and said, He's an idiot. He's a madman. And finally he said, Look at him. He's all sin and well. Pure. Stay pure. You won't be found, you see. We're asking him to come. He said, Then will I teach transgressors thy ways. Through seminary. He's one of the most praying young men in America. He has a day, his uncle tells me. Purity and purpose. He used to sit with William Booth, told me this. And he was an old man of 80 when I talked with him. He said Mrs. Booth would pull his sleeve and lean over and say, Bramwell, it's something he can take out all the corruption. He said he can give me a heart in every thought renewed and perfect and right and pure and good. A copy, Lord, of thine. Thy nature, gracious Lord, impart. Come quickly from above. Write thy new name upon my heart. In place of the sin of witchcraft. This is a sin of idolatry. And they were both punishable by death. In this corrupt world we must be pure in our hearts.
A Pure Heart - Part 2
- Bio
- Summary
- Transcript
- Download

Leonard Ravenhill (1907 - 1994). British-American evangelist, author, and revivalist born in Leeds, England. Converted at 14 in a Methodist revival, he trained at Cliff College, a Methodist Bible school, and was mentored by Samuel Chadwick. Ordained in the 1930s, he preached across England with the Faith Mission and held tent crusades, influenced by the Welsh Revival’s fervor. In 1950, he moved to the United States, later settling in Texas, where he ministered independently, focusing on prayer and repentance. Ravenhill authored books like Why Revival Tarries (1959) and Sodom Had No Bible, urging the church toward holiness. He spoke at major conferences, including with Youth for Christ, and mentored figures like David Wilkerson and Keith Green. Married to Martha Beaton in 1939, they had three sons, all in ministry. Known for his fiery sermons and late-night prayer meetings, he corresponded with A.W. Tozer and admired Charles Spurgeon. His writings and recordings, widely available online, emphasize spiritual awakening over institutional religion. Ravenhill’s call for revival continues to inspire evangelical movements globally.