Pure Hearted
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Title: Purity—The Way to Happiness
Title: Purity—The Way to Happiness
Text: “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8).
Scripture Reading:
1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Offertory Prayer:
Offertory Prayer:
Our heavenly Father, we ask your forgiveness for the impurities that so often pollute our lives. As we continue to study the Beatitudes that point the way to happiness, may we carry them with us into every aspect of our lives. We bring to you our offerings in this moment of worship. May they truly express a commitment to surrender our own desires. In the name of Christ our Lord we pray. Amen.
Introduction
Introduction
Nearly a million Americans will die of heart diseases this year, so we should be concerned about heart failure.
But we should be equally concerned about heart impurity.
This type of heart disease, if not “cured,” may render a person spiritually dead for eternity.
Many people who go through the motions of living are in reality dead.
They are unresponsive to God’s will, deaf to his call.
Such individuals are in touch only with the world.
They may attend church, sing on the worship team, teach a Sunday school class, or even help conduct a worship service, but they lack the spiritual dimension that only God can create in their lives.
In the beatitude we will study today, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God,” Jesus explains that heart disease can be avoided by keeping a pure heart.
Three practical questions this beatitude raises are: Who are the pure in heart? How will they see God? And why are they happy?
Who are the pure in heart?
Who are the pure in heart?
The word pure is used twenty-eight times in the New Testament alone.
But what does it really mean?
Are the pure in heart half-divine, half-human beings?
Do they have no normal desires, no healthy drives, no emotional feelings? Are they saints who have lost all contact with the real world?
Are the pure in heart perfect individuals who have never sinned?
Of course not. Jesus addresses ordinary people who have ordinary problems, and he gives them an extraordinary way to experience happiness. He offers them sound advice, which if followed, will always lead to a better life.
A. The pure in heart are those who are cleansed.
A. The pure in heart are those who are cleansed.
An initial cleansing happens when a person commits his or her life to Jesus Christ.
Purity cannot be produced by any human will.
In fact, God said,
26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
Such purity is produced only by becoming a new creature, experiencing a new birth.
To be saved, however, is not the end of everything.
Its the end of justification, but only the begining of sanctification.
A pure heart is not the result of a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
It is produced from daily confession of our sins, which results in continual cleansing from them.
Failure to realize this explains the unhappiness in some Christians’ lives. They become cluttered with sin, and happiness becomes a matter of the past.
We must remember John’s promise, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
B. The pure in heart are those who have one goal in life.
B. The pure in heart are those who have one goal in life.
Purity actually means singleness of mind, to be guided by one purpose.
The farther you expect to go in life, the more important is your aim.
If you are not planning to go very far, then you may aim haphazardly.
For example, imagine that you will shoot directly to the moon.
There is no opportunity for a mid-course correction.
If, in the launching of your rocket, the calculations are off by just one degree, you would miss the moon by more than one million miles!
Our aim in life must be extremely accurate.
If our heart is out of line, if impurities have pushed us off course, we will surely miss the highest goal God has in mind for us.
The pure in heart are those who have one aim in life: to glorify God.
9 Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.
9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.
C. The pure in heart are those who have clean thoughts.
C. The pure in heart are those who have clean thoughts.
The Nile is the longest river in the world. 7000 km long, 2.8km wide.It flows through 11 countries.
It is the mighestist river on earth, yet at its source it is no more powerful than water comming out of your kitchen tap.
The source of the getesr river on earth is in Burundi, where it begins as a tiny trickle of water that bubbles from an underground stream.
Just as we must visit the beginnings of a mighty river to understand its majestic flow, so we must look deeply into the source of morality to unlock the secret of a pure heart.
That small brook that feeds the noble life bubbles forth from the hidden thoughts of one’s heart.
7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.
34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
The purity of the heart will determine what flows out of your life.
It is what we think, not what we profess, that creates purity within.
The pure in heart are those who have clean thoughts and, consequently, a clean life that produces happiness.
How will they see God?
How will they see God?
This beatitude clearly states that those who are pure in heart will see God. But how?
The pure in heart will “see” God by experiencing his reality, not by beholding him with physical eyes.
During our Lord’s earthly ministry, multitudes looked at him but saw nothing, unaware that they had viewed God in the flesh.
To see God is to experience God and become sure of him.
Purity removes obstacles that blur and distort his true image.
That is why the pure in heart will see God.
Job said,
5 I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.
6 Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.
Why are they happy?
Why are they happy?
The beatitude promises, “Blessed [happy] are the pure in heart.”
And the answer to why they are happy is given in that same statement: “for they shall see God.”
The pure in heart are happy because they see God. And when they see God, the following things happen:
They obtain God’s Promises.
They obtain God’s Promises.
1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Let me take a moment to tell you about the promises of God.
God’s promises are vitl to christian victory. What they are are types of mini proiphecies over our lives.
First, God has promised them so they are 100% garanteed.
19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
So when makes a promis in His Word, you can totally depend and trust in it.
for example:
13 For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
This is not a hope but a promise, God has promised to hold me and to help me!
BUT, this promise like all promises comes with a condition - to be Pure in heart.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
They are Steadfast in Trials.
They are Steadfast in Trials.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
That phrase “right Spirit” means Stedfast Spirit - It speaks of endurance and strength.
The Pure in heart are supplied with spiritual bravery and confidance because the Devil has no foot hold to create a sense of guilt.
A person who sins regulary supplies Satan with plenty of ammunition.
You need God and as you ask, Satan pipes up “why would God listen to you when you just did this?”
“Dont think God will help an adultrere or fornicator..”
And you know what? He’s right!
A pure heart is the Backbone of Christian confidence in Christ.
They enjoy the intimate and peace giving presence of God.
They enjoy the intimate and peace giving presence of God.
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
The Presence of God is better than the absance of trials.
11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
The Presence of God brings wonderful peace.
In peace Daniel slep in the lions Den.
In Peace Jesus Slept during the Storm.
in Peace Moses Led the People through the open sea.
14 And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Victorious, steadfast and presence of peace?