This is the sixth in a nine post series on the Beatitudes. The beatitudes, or supreme blessings, are a part of “The Sermon On The Mount”, Jesus Christ’s first recorded sermon in the New Testament book of Matthew. The entire “Sermon on the Mount” is recorded in Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7.
Matthew 5:1-12 ESV 1 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to 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 those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Each beatitude starts with the word “blessed” which is sometimes translated “happy”.
Matthew 5:8 ESV "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
About 700,000 Americans die each year of heart disease. That's about 1 in every 4 deaths. Heart disease costs the United States about $200 billion in healthcare services, medicines, and lost productivity. So we should be concerned about heart failure.
We should be equally concerned about heart impurity. This type of heart disease, if not “cured,” can result in spiritual death.
Many people who go through the motions of living are really dead. They may attend church, sing all the songs, teach a Sunday school class, attend Bible Study, or even help conduct a worship service, but they lack the spiritual spark that only God can create in their lives.
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?
The word pure is used twenty-eight times in the New Testament. 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 people who have lost all contact with the real world?
Are the pure in heart perfect people who have never sinned?
Of course not. Jesus relates to and loves ordinary people who have ordinary problems, and He gives them an extraordinary way to experience happiness. His words, if followed, will always lead to a better life.
Jesus said:
Matthew 7:24-25 ESV "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
The pure in heart are those who have been cleansed.
The initial cleansing happens when a person commits his or her life to Jesus Christ, at salvation. One thing for sure is that we can’t make ourselves pure. God is the one who makes our hearts pure. This purity is produced only by a new birth and becoming a new creature,.
2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Although you receive salvation when you commit your life to Christ, the development of a pure heart is not the result of a once-in-a-lifetime experience. A pure heart is produced from daily confession of our sins. Daily or constant confession of the sins we commit results in continual cleansing from them. Failure to realize this explains the unhappiness in some Christian's lives. Here's something to remember when our lives become cluttered with sin.
1 John 1:9 ESV If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
The pure in heart are those who have one goal in life.
Purity means to be guided by one purpose. To have a singleness of mind.
Matthew 6:33 ESV But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
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 and that is to glorify God.
Matthew 5:13-16 ESV "You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
The pure in heart are those who have clean thoughts.
Proverbs 23:7 NKJV For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, But his heart is not with you.
It's what we think, not what we say, that creates purity within.
Here’s what Paul wrote to the church in Philippi when he was in prison.
Philippians 4:8 ESV Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
The pure in heart are those who have clean thoughts and, consequently, a clean life that produces happiness.
Matthew 5:1-12 ESV 1 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to 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 those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Each beatitude starts with the word “blessed” which is sometimes translated “happy”.
Matthew 5:8 ESV "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
About 700,000 Americans die each year of heart disease. That's about 1 in every 4 deaths. Heart disease costs the United States about $200 billion in healthcare services, medicines, and lost productivity. So we should be concerned about heart failure.
We should be equally concerned about heart impurity. This type of heart disease, if not “cured,” can result in spiritual death.
Many people who go through the motions of living are really dead. They may attend church, sing all the songs, teach a Sunday school class, attend Bible Study, or even help conduct a worship service, but they lack the spiritual spark that only God can create in their lives.
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?
The word pure is used twenty-eight times in the New Testament. 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 people who have lost all contact with the real world?
Are the pure in heart perfect people who have never sinned?
Of course not. Jesus relates to and loves ordinary people who have ordinary problems, and He gives them an extraordinary way to experience happiness. His words, if followed, will always lead to a better life.
Jesus said:
Matthew 7:24-25 ESV "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
The pure in heart are those who have been cleansed.
The initial cleansing happens when a person commits his or her life to Jesus Christ, at salvation. One thing for sure is that we can’t make ourselves pure. God is the one who makes our hearts pure. This purity is produced only by a new birth and becoming a new creature,.
2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Although you receive salvation when you commit your life to Christ, the development of a pure heart is not the result of a once-in-a-lifetime experience. A pure heart is produced from daily confession of our sins. Daily or constant confession of the sins we commit results in continual cleansing from them. Failure to realize this explains the unhappiness in some Christian's lives. Here's something to remember when our lives become cluttered with sin.
1 John 1:9 ESV If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
The pure in heart are those who have one goal in life.
Purity means to be guided by one purpose. To have a singleness of mind.
Matthew 6:33 ESV But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
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 and that is to glorify God.
Matthew 5:13-16 ESV "You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
The pure in heart are those who have clean thoughts.
Proverbs 23:7 NKJV For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, But his heart is not with you.
It's what we think, not what we say, that creates purity within.
Here’s what Paul wrote to the church in Philippi when he was in prison.
Philippians 4:8 ESV Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
The pure in heart are those who have clean thoughts and, consequently, a clean life that produces happiness.
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