Kids' Club: Matthew 5:8

Introduction: Friends, we have spent 5 weeks learning about the Beatitudes.

We learned the first week that we need to call out to the Lord to save us from our sin and help us fight sin.

We learned the second week that we need to be sad over our sin.

We learned the third week that God enables us to be gentle instead of hurting those who hurt us.

We learned the 4th week that we want to be people who are known by our desire to live to please the Lord.

Last week we learned that we ought to be happy forgivers and eager to seek forgiveness when we’ve sinned against the Lord or wronged another person.

This week, we’re going to look at the importance of your heart before the Lord.

I’m going to read the verse and then I want for us to read it together three times.

Content and Explanation: Matthew 5:8 “8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (X3)

Friends, I’m sure by now you know what it is that I’m going to ask.

What does it mean to be “Blessed?”

Happy!

Yes, that’s right!

Friends, who are happy here?

Those described as pure in heart.

We’ll talk in just a moment about why it is that the pure in heart are happy.

But first, friends, let’s talk those who are pure in heart.

Friends, what does it mean to be pure?

Probably one of the best ways to think about this is to be clean!

Friends, when we think of being clean we might think of plate having soap applied and then being rinsed off from dinner.

We might think of a cup that had chocolate milk in it and applying soap and water to remove any indication of the liquid that once filled the cup.

Friends, is this simply referring to being clean from physical dirt on the ground?

No!

What else is there that would make us unclean before God?

Sin; that’s correct!

How does sin make us unclean before God?

You see, friends, God’s Word describes sin in terms of it being like a stain or a sickness.

Something that is stained can be ruined or even unusable.

For example, once you have used a tissue, you don’t want to use it again!

Once you’ve used a paper towel to clean up a mess, you won’t be using it again.

Friends, what Jesus is implicitly pointing out about sin here is that as attractive as it may be, it ruins things!

You may think that lying to your friend might be a good for you in the moment but it begins to ruin your friendship so that your friend cannot trust you anymore.

In the moment, you might think that it’s a funny for you to talk over your teacher during class but it’s ruining what others think about you; they just see someone who is all about themselves, selfishness.

Friends, even worse, sin destroys our relationship with God.

Remember, friends, sinning makes God sad.

Sin keeps us away from God so that we should suffer forever in a place called hell.

Friends, Jesus died to forgive sin.

And, friends, sin hurts others.

Sin is something that we need to be made clean from.

Friends, there’s nothing that you can do to make yourself clean from sin.

Importantly, Jesus doesn’t describe someone here who has made themselves clean from sin.

Instead, Jesus talks about someone who is presently clean - that is, the circumstances of their life.

You see, friends, even when cleaning a plate, you can’t just take your hand and wipe off the remains of dinner and it’s clean now!

Instead, you need things outside of yourself to make it clean.

Things like water.

Things like soap.

And, even a wash cloth.

Friends, just like you can’t clean a plate without these things, so you can’t be clean of sin before the Lord unless He is the One Who cleanses you.

You might think, “Well, if I just do enough good things, then I’ll be ok, right?”

Friends, this would be no different than taking your hand and wiping off the crumbs on your plate from dinner.

Maybe even think about it like this.

Let’s say that you were unkind to someone - you didn’t share something with them.

And then you turn right around and give them a cookie that your mom just baked.

Does giving them a cookie erase the unkind thing that you did?

No!

Acts of kindness don’t erase wrong things!

We need something (Someone) outside of us to make us clean.

Friends, this is why we sing songs like “Nothing But the Blood of Jesus.”

Jesus lived perfectly to be the perfect sacrifice to forgive sins in His death.

Friends, if you have yet to believe on Jesus as your only Savior from your sins, please talk with Ms. Carrie, myself, Pastor Chad, or your parents about what this means because you need to be made clean from sin!

Friends, I know that there are those of you in here who have believed on Jesus to save you from your sins.

You might be thinking, “But, Pastor Bill, I still sin; what can I do?”

Friends, Jesus has the answer for you.

1 John 1:9 “9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Friends, even though we’re still going to sin, this doesn’t mean that we always have to be defeated by sin.

Since Jesus defeated sin and death, He has made it possible to grow in being purified from our sin.

Jesus does this work through the Holy Spirit.

Jesus gives you the Holy Spirit when you believe on Jesus as your only Savior from your sins.

The Holy Spirit uses God’s Word to help you understand what makes God sad and what makes Him happy.

The Holy Spirit empowers you to use God’s Word to fight sin and live to make God happy.

Friends, while there’s nothing you can do to make your heart clean from sin, Jesus can and you can ask the Holy Spirit to help you fight sin as you understand from God’s Word what pleases the Lord.

But, friends, what is it that makes the “pure in heart” happy?

Let’s look at the last part of our verse.

“for they shall see God.”

Friends, the word “shall” here is not only referring to something in the future.

Instead, it refers to something that Jesus is confident will happen for the pure in heart.

But, why are the pure in heart happy to see God?

Friends, to help us understand why anyone would want to see God, I want for us to look at a few verses.

Psalm 27:4 “4 One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord And to meditate in His temple.”

Friends, there are two reasons that the writer of this Psalm says that he wants to be where God is (“dwell in the house of the Lord”).

First, it’s to see God’s beauty.

Friends, have you ever seen anything so beautiful that you just have to stop what you’re doing and look at it for a while?

Maybe, you saw a sunrise that you just couldn’t look away?

Maybe you’ve seen a majestic bird flying that filled your attention?

Friends, nothing in this world compares with how beautiful God is!

It’s indescribable to think of just how beautiful God is.

He’s so beautiful that, when others recognize it, they’re consumed by wanting to see the Lord.

But, friends, the verse doesn’t just point out God’s beauty.

Additionally, it’s to meditate.

To meditate, friends, means to think on something in order to be able to understand it better.

Friends, what this points us to is the fact that the Lord knows things that we don’t know.

And, those things that He does know are available to us to know.

But we can only know them through Him.

This is valuable knowledge that we want but that only He has.

This points out for us that we must have a humble attitude in recognizing that God knows all and that we need for Him to impart His knowledge to us.

Friends, God’s beauty and His immense knowledge give us a couple of reasons to want to see the Lord.

But, friends, this isn’t all!

Psalm 63:2 “2 Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory.”

Friends, did you pick up on the things that this verse points out make it so that we would want to see God?

His power.

Friends, God’s power is beyond our comprehension!

Not only did God make all things but He’s using His power to provide everything that His creation needs!

Friends, God’s power has all been on display in protecting Abraham’s family so that Jesus would be born.

God also protected Jesus from those that would have tried to kill Him.

Friends, nothing stops God from keeping His promises!

We refer to this as God’s sovereignty - His unmatched power to do whatever He chooses to do!

Friends, check out the other item that this verse reminds us makes is so that we want to see God!

His glory.

Friends, glory refers to what makes something great!

Think about going to see a fireworks show.

All of the colors and sounds make me stand back and go “ooo” and “ahh”.

Friends, if anything has made you say “wow” because of how great it is, God’s greatness is so much greater!

Friends, God’s unmatched power and His greatness that make us say wow also prompt us to want to see God.

Friends, these four things that we have discussed are only a few of the countless items that make it so that one wants to see God.

And, friends, those who have been made pure in heart by believing on Jesus to save them will see God.

They will behold His beauty, learn more from Him, see His unmatched power and unparalleled greatness.

Scripture Memory - Matthew 5:8 “8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (X3)

Discussion Questions:

What does it mean to be pure? - to be clean from dirt, stains, or filth

What do you need to be made pure from? - sin

Can you make yourself pure from sin? - no

Who can make you pure from sin? - Jesus

What are some reasons that you would want to see God? - His beauty, His knowledge, His power, and His glory