BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART

BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART
Study Text: Matthew 5: 8
Introduction:

-          The heart is used metaphorically to signify the inner person – the heart is the control centre of a man’s mind, emotions and will. It is our invisible innermost being which shapes our lives, attitudes, convictions, and ultimately, our actions.

-          The heart is what you are, in the secrecy of your thought and feeling, when nobody knows but God.

-           And what you are at the invisible root matters as much to God as what you are at the visible branch.

-           "Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7).

-          What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart . . . For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a man. (Matthew 15:18–19).

-          Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit . . . For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. (Matthew 12:33–34).

-          So the heart is utterly crucial to Jesus. What we are in the deep, private recesses of our lives is what he cares about most.

-           Jesus did not come into the world simply because we have some bad habits that need to be broken. He came into the world because we have such dirty hearts that need to be purified.

-          We shall discuss the topic under three sub-headings:

1.         The Composition of the Blessing

2.         The Condition for the Blessing

3.         The Constraint to the Blessing

1.         The Composition of the Blessing

-           Jesus said anyone with a pure heart is blessed because he shall see God. This means God cannot be seen without a pure heart, and God’s blessing cannot be received without seeing Him.
-           To be blessed is to be graciously approved by God and to receive the applause of heaven.

-           To be blessed isn’t a superficial feeling of well-being based on circumstances, but a deep supernatural experience of contentedness based on the fact that one’s life is right with God.

-           Those who possess purity within their hearts will receive a wonderful blessing – they will see God.

-           The Word: they shall see God is future indicative tense – meaning that people with a pure heart shall be continuously seeing God at work in their lives.

-           That is, the pure shall experience intimate fellowship with God on a moment-by-moment basis. When we walk in purity, God will give us spiritual sight to see Him at work in you.

-           That’s the goal of the Christian life! That’s what we are living for – that we may live our life in such a way that we see God.

-           If we see God, that will open up the treasure store of all the blessings, not only for eternity, but also for life here and now. And the key to open that treasure store is a pure heart!

2.         The Condition for the Blessing

-           The clear condition for the blessing without mincing word is to possess a pure heart, meaning to cleanse one’s mind and emotions from sins and all forms of unrighteousness.

-           To be pure has two meanings:

 (1)       To make pure by cleansing from dirt, filth, or contamination like metals being refined by fire until they were free from impurities.

 (2)       It refers to being unmixed, having no double allegiance.

-           The basic idea is of integrity, singleness of heart, as opposed to duplicity, or a divided heart.
-           Purity isn’t just being clean; it is to be single-minded and intentionally focused. In this instance, God wants us to be focused on His kingdom and righteousness.
-           A person with a passion for purity is one who has been cleansed in his character so that the way he looks in public is the way he is in private. You’re just like Jesus even when no one is watching.

-           Having a pure heart is to be so close to God that we don’t have to look up to see if he’s watching. It means we have a personal relationship with God and we only have to look within our heart to see Him.

-           Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. Ps. 24:3-4

-           A Pharisee is nothing more than a religious pretender – someone who outwardly portrays faith but inwardly is far from God. And let me assure you – there are more Pharisees today than there were in Jesus’ day. Matthew 15: 8

-           Did you know that when God looks at you He pays little attention to your outward appearance? That might be hard to hear because some of us spend so much time on what we look like.

-           But ultimately, this doesn’t matter to God as he looks past what we look like and how we behave to focus in on our heart, because that is who we truly are.

-           The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. 1 Sm. 16:7

3.         The Constraint to the Blessing

-           The heart is the totality of the inner person, the seat of character, a freeway cloverleaf where all emotions and prejudices and wisdom converge

-           The heart is deceitfully wicked above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve. Jer. 17:9-10

-           Jeremiah says the heart is desperately wicked and beyond cure – terminally diseased. The heart is so sick that no medication can heal it. This is total depravity because it affects every part of us – what we think, how we feel, and how we behave.

-           We’re suffering from only one disease in the world. Our basic problem isn’t a race problem. Our basic problem isn’t a poverty problem. Our basic problem isn’t a war problem. Our basic problem is a heart problem.

-           The problem of sin isn’t the world around us, but rather the world within us.
-           You can make whatever excuses you wish to protect your pet sins and carnal attitudes: the self-centeredness that is solely consumed with what you want and think you deserve, not one of them will stand up in the face of God’s holiness.

-           God will never accept anything less than total purity within you and me. We don’t sin because of our surroundings; we sin because of what’s in our heart. That is why God is so consumed with the purity of our hearts. He wants His best in us!

-           The Bible clearly explains that a little bit of sin taints the whole life. So the question at hand is how can I possess a life free of hypocrisy? How can I practically live my daily life in the purity God requires of me? Hebrews 12: 1 – 2.

i.          LAY aside the Sin that Besets You

-           Realize your sin and its cost, confess it, fight the temptation, and put it behind you. In other words, remove the obstacles, weights, and excuses and follow God.
-           Verse: If you confess your sin, He is faithful and just to forgive of your sin and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. 1 Jn. 1:9

ii.         RUN with Endurance the Race Set Before You

-           Accept the challenge and call of God to seek first His kingdom and righteousness. Realize that the Christian life is serious – it’s not a game – it is a divine call.
-           Don’t you realize that everyone who runs in a race runs to win, but only one runner gets the prize? Run like them, so that you can win. 1 Cr. 9:24

iii.        FIX Your Eyes on Jesus

-           Concentrate on knowing and obeying God’s Word and becoming just like Jesus. Don’t take your eyes off of the prize. Jesus is our hope and example. He models how we are to live. Col. 3:1

iv.        REMEMBER Jesus When You Want to Give Up

-           Be willing to endure difficulty and opposition in view of the cross. When the going gets tough… The tough (faithful) remember Jesus and put their trust in Him.
-           Be steadfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord knowing that your labour is not in vain. 1 Cr. 15:58

Conclusion:

-           For the Christian, purity ought to be more precious than life, for without purity we can never really have life.

-          If we are going to enjoy the blessings of God in this life and in the one to come, possessing a pure heart is not an optional quality.

-          If you are yet to receive the free gift of salvation that Jesus gives, it will not be possible for you to possess a pure heart.

-          You need to confess your sins and ask God for His mercy and forgiveness, and surrender to Him as your Lord and receive Him as your personal Saviour.

-          This act will lay a foundation for you to start living in newness of life towards possessing a pure heart that will make you to see God.