Pure in Heart - Mt 5:8

Hook: Intro

What things do you think of as pure? Puppies, Snow, Babies, Caribbean Island water

What makes them pure? Being without blemish

Book: Matthew 5:8 ““Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

“Pure in Heart”

Interpreted two ways:

Inner Moral Purity

Not just looking good on the outside

Single-mindedness

Being fully devoted to something, united,

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8: Matthew, Mark, Luke 1) The Beatitudes (5:3–10)

The one who is singleminded in commitment to the kingdom and its righteousness (6:33) will also be inwardly pure. Inward sham, deceit, and moral filth cannot coexist with sincere devotion to Christ

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8: Matthew, Mark, Luke 1) The Beatitudes (5:3–10)

Either way this beatitude excoriates hypocrisy (cf. on 6:1–18). The pure in heart will see God—now with the eyes of faith and finally in the dazzling brilliance of the beatific vision in whose light no deceit can exist (cf. Heb 12:14; 1 John 3:1–3; Rev 21:22–27).

Look: The opposite of being pure in heart is to be hypocritical.

Kaela Calling me Out for being a Hypocrite

In HS, as I mentioned last week, I was living in sin. I was one person at school and another person when I was alone.

I tried to compartmentalize my life. Keep my personal sin when apart from the rest of my life. But life doesn’t work like that.

My personal sin and lack of time with God led to other sins spilling out into my life.

Gossip, Lying (exaggerating to make myself look better), Cheating (just a little bit of cheating I convinced myself)

Transition:

To be pure in heart is to be like Christ.

Psalm 24:3-4 “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.”

Jesus Christ has ascended the hill of the Lord because his hands are perfectly clean and his heart is perfectly pure.

He is the same person today as He was for us 2,000 years ago.

Jesus Christ was perfectly moral and perfectly united, single-minded in coming to this Earth for us!

Jesus’ spotless Life and Death replaces our sinful life. White Board and markers.

There’s only one way to be made pure. Christ.

Took: The way to stay pure in heart is to continue to confess and be honest about your Sin and continue to stay close to Christ.

As you spent time with God through prayer and His Word, your desire for sin and hypocrisy decreases.

Last Night. As I spent time with God, he grew my desire to love others.

Matthew 5:8 ESV

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

“This aspect of seeing God is when we come to a place where I can be completely open and honest with God and others. It is a life that is transparent because I have nothing to hide. I do not have to pretend what I am not.” - Doc