SERMON ON THE MOUNT
Matthew 5:8
A PURE HEART
#7 - SERMON ON THE MOUNT
Matthew 5:8 - Blessed are the pure in heart: for they
shall see God.
THE DEFINITION OF A PURE HEART
What does the Lord Jesus mean when he talks about the
heart?
He is talking about everything that goes on inside of us,
including our intellect and emotions. He is talking about the "real
us", the control center of who we are. And Jesus tells us that in order to
be happy because God approves of us, we must have a pure heart.
When we think of the word pure, we probably think of
cleanliness. We would probably think of
a pure heart as one that is clean in the eyes of God. And indeed that is one of
the meanings of the word pure.
There is another definition for pure however, and that
is illustrated by Ivory Soap, which is 99 and 44/100% pure.
Ivory soap is pure soap because it is not mixed with
anything else!
Pure also means "unmixed".
One of the best Bible examples of a man with a pure
heart is David. He is called a man after
God's own heart in Acts 13:22.
Although David, like the rest of us, had moments of
failure, he was for the most part a man of unmixed loyalty to God. Psalms
108:1, 112:7,
THE DEFILEMENT OF THE HEART
Every human being has heart problems. Jeremiah 17:9,
Mark
Even those of us who are Christians struggle with
hearts that waver in their loyalty to God. James 1:8, Matthew 6:24
Our condition is so bad that we have no hope of change
without the help of God.
THE DEPLOYMENT OF A NEW HEART
We've heard a lot about deployment lately.
Troops are being deployed to the
When they are deployed they are activated and sent to
a specific place.
Christian, I've got great news for you!
The moment you were saved, God deployed a new heart
inside of you. 2 Corinthians 5:17
Jeremiah 24:7, Hebrews 10:16-17
THE DEVELOPMENT OF A PURE HEART
When a baby is born, he or she has all the body parts.
They simply need to be developed.
When you were born into the
The first thing we need to do is to ask ourselves,
"What is in my life that is more important to me than God?"
Is it my job?
Is it the fantasies of my thought life?
Is it my computer?
Is it the television, or music?
Is it my wife, children, or another person?
Is it sports?
Is it a hobby of some sort?
Is it my house or car?
Or is it myself?
James 4:4 - If I walked up to you and accused you being
an adulterer or an adulteress, you would be ready to punch out my lights.
And yet how many of us are guilty of the worse kind of
Spiritual adultery, putting something or someone ahead of God?
This is why we are not pure in heart!
What can we do about it? James 4:7:10, Revelation
2:4-5
After confessing our sins, we need commit our full
loyalty to Christ. Romans 12:1
It would be good to adapt some of the prayers of David
to our own lives. Psalm 86:11, 63:1-2
And remember, because Jesus is with us continually, we
can abide in Him and He in us. As we do that, we will pattern our behavior
after Him. John 15:4-5,7
Maintaining a pure heart is a continuous process.
The Lord will empower you to do it.
But you must work at it.
THE DELIGHT OF A PURE HEART
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they
shall see God.
There is reward for being pure in heart.
First of all, every person who has become a Christian
will literally see God. 1 John 3:2-3
But as we maintain a pure heart now God will reveal
Himself to us. There are ways in which
we will see God even before we get to Heaven.
According to Warren Wiersbe, the pure in heart will
see God in at least three different areas. ." Warren Wiersbe, Live Like a King (Chicago, Illinois:
Moody Press, 1976), p. 119-122
·
The Pure In Heart Will See God in Creation
When we are focused on God, we will appreciate His
work throughout all creation. We will
recognize his magnificent hand at work. Psalm 19:1
·
The Pure in Heart see God in Circumstances. Romans 8:28
·
The Pure in Heart See God in His Word.
When you are pure in Heart your understanding of the
Word of God whether being read or preached will increase.
You will see truth "jump off the page" when
you are pure in heart!
One of the reasons God speaks to hearts that are pure
is because those with pure hearts want God to speak! Psalm 119:18