Blessed Are The Pure In Heart

SERMON OUTLINE

• 💭 Consider this: Are there things you are sincerely devoted to that have quietly taken your attention away from God? How does the promise "they shall see God" encourage you in your walk with God?
• I. What Is The Meaning Of Pure In Heart?
• II. How Can We Be Pure In Heart?
• III. What Is The Result Of Being Pure In Heart?

TRANSCRIPT

The topic we want to consider for tonight is blessed are the pure in heart, and it is taken from Matthew chapter 5:8. “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” Someone once said that this is the most important beatitude. Why? Because what is man's greatest problem? Man's greatest problem is sin, right? And sin primarily has to do with the heart. It is a heart condition.

How can a man be made right with God? This question has been asked by many sincere Jews. Remember Nicodemus, who was a Jew, a Pharisee, a member of the Sanhedrin. He came to Jesus at night because his heart was troubled. And Jesus said to him, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3b) Remember the lawyer who came to Jesus and asked, “Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 10:25b) And what about the rich young ruler who asked Jesus, “Good master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 18:18b) They were all asking the same question.

What was Jesus' answer to them? To Nicodemus, Jesus said, “Thou shalt be born again.” That is a spiritual work in the heart of the person. To the rest he said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy strength, and with all thy soul, and thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” (Luke 10:27) Basically, that was a summary of the ten commandments. Again, it is a spiritual work in the heart of the person.

If they were all honest about themselves, they would know that none would be able to keep a single law of God perfectly, let alone the rest. Therefore, on their own, none will be able to be made right with God. For this reason, Jesus Christ came into this world and he did for men what they could not do for themselves so that they could be blessed. That is the key word in the beatitudes.

Blessed refers to the condition of well-being or state of happiness that results from salvation. The one who is blessed is someone who has a right relationship with God. He or she has experienced what it means to be born again. So blessed are the pure in heart is a reference to the believer. The same goes with all the other beatitudes. If you are a true believer, this is a reference to you. Blessed are you, the pure in heart. Let us learn several things about this beatitude.

I. What Is The Meaning Of Pure In Heart?

Firstly, what is the meaning of pure in heart? The original Greek word for heart, cardia, is from where we get the English word cardiac. It is the seat of our personality. The sum total of our minds, our emotions, our wills. The mind refers to our intellect and understanding. The emotions refer to our feelings. The will refers to our making decisions or commitments.

Proverbs 23:7 said, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” What it means is that the heart is the real you, the inner man. Remember Jesus warned the scribes and Pharisees, “For ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.” (Matthew 23:27-28)

In other words, they only focus on the outside. So when the people look at them, the way they carried themselves, the way they prayed loudly, the way they gave, the way they fasted, they look so righteous, but inside the heart they were full of hypocrisies and iniquities. So in contrast to the outward superficial and hypocritical religion of the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus said that it was the inner man, the heart that God required purity. You see, a man looks at the outside and judges a person by his appearance, his status, his accomplishments. But God judges a man by the inside as well as the outside. What do we mean by that?

Have you ever heard someone say to you, “God does not look at the outside. He only looks at the inside.” So it does not matter how you dress or talk or live your life. It doesn't matter how worldly or sensuous you are because God only looks at the inside. Do you think God is blind and he can only see the inside and he cannot see the outside? Most certainly not. He sees both. He knows why you are dressed outwardly like this. Why you speak in such a way? Why you live a certain lifestyle because of what is in your heart.

Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” All the problems that manifest out of our lives, the root problem is the heart. God not only cares about what we do. He wants you and I to know that what we do is a result of what is in our hearts. That is why he says, “Guard your hearts, keep your hearts with all diligence.” (Proverbs 4:23) Why do we sinned by telling lies, cheat, and steal? Why are we envious and jealous? Why are we angry, bitter, and unforgiving? It is always the heart.

Do you realize the thing that caused God to destroy the earth in the flood was a heart problem? Genesis 6:5 said, “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth.” (Genesis 6:5a) Which means God could see all their wicked actions. He was not blind. He could see. “And that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:5b) Why did they commit those horrendous sins? Because of the heart. That was why Jeremiah 17:9 said, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

On another occasion in Matthew chapter 15 when the scribes and Pharisees complained about the disciples of Christ committing the sin of not washing their hands before they ate the bread according to their traditions. Jesus said the problem was with the heart. “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.” (Matthew 15:19-20) It will probably give you a diarrhoea, but it will not spiritually defile you.

Dear friend, when you and I turn away from God, the first thing that change would be our hearts, right? When God called Saul to be Israel's first king, God changed his heart. But soon, King Saul began to revert to his old ways. He chose to disobey God. He trusted in himself and even put himself up for priestly duties to offer sacrifices to God which was forbidden, and he refused to destroy all the Amalekites when he was commanded to do so. Eventually, God took the kingdom from Saul and gave it to David. Why? Because Saul refused to live according to the new heart that God had given to him.

Therefore, the kingdom was given to David whom God said, “He was a man after my own heart.” When we read the book of Psalms, we can see how and what kind of a man David was, what kind of a heart he had. Those psalms were written from deep within his heart and he knows that God sees into the innermost of his heart.

Just to give you a few examples, Psalm 9:1, David said, “I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.” Psalm 19:14 “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.” Psalm 26:2 “Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.” You can see his praises, his desires, his prayers and every aspects of his life was always toward God. That was why when God looked into David's heart, he was able to conclude that this was a man after my own heart.

Dear friend, we may pretend before men. We may put on a show, but we can never hide from God. When he looks into our hearts, what do you think he will say? Do you think he will say, “This is a man or this is a woman after my own heart.” The word pure means to be cleansed from dirt, filth, and contamination. For example, metals have to be refined until all the impurities are removed, leaving behind only the pure metal, whether it is gold or silver. In other words, pure means unmixed, unadulterated.

When this word is applied to the heart, it has the idea of a singlemindedness and undivided devotion, sincere and righteous. When someone wants to serve in the church but his real intention is about money. What do you call that kind of heart, an impure heart, right? Jesus said, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matthew 6:24) So what God wants from our hearts will be this pure, singleminded, undivided devotion for him.

But to be pure in heart is more than sincerity. Because we can be sincere and yet be sincerely wrong. If you remember in First Kings chapter 18 when Elijah challenged the 450 false prophets of Baal. They cried out to their gods from morning till midday. They jump up and down. They danced in a frenzy and even cut themselves with knives and spears until they bled but to no avail. Were they sincere? Most certainly. But to the wrong God, of course.

Just like all the other pagan religions in this world, some people will crawl on their knees up the staircase to the cathedral to show their devotions. Others will believe in their good works, giving millions of dollars to charity. Are they sincere? Surely, but one can be sincere and yet be sincerely wrong, it has to do with the heart because the heart is not right with God. The only way the heart can be right with God is that it must be according to his standard. And his standard is 100% pure.

Man's standard is always to set a lower standard. So people are inclined to judge themselves with someone worse than them. Like the Pharisee who prayed in the temple. “God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.” (Luke 18:11) Who did he compare himself with? The adulterers, the extortionists, the unjust, and the tax collector.

We are all tempted to think better about ourselves when we see someone doing a terrible thing that we have never done before. Then we think at least I'm not that bad. I am better. I am purer than him or her. But God's standard for man is not other men but himself. He sets himself as the standard. That is why he wants his people to be pure as he is pure, to be holy as he is holy. So we have this command throughout the Old and New Testament. Be holy as I am holy.

But how can we be 100% pure according to God's standard? The only way man can be pure in heart is through Jesus Christ. When God imparts his righteousness on us, he imparts his purity on us too. Because purity is one aspect of his righteousness. There are three things we need to understand about this purity.

At the point of our conversion when we were convicted of our sins and the gospel was shed to us, we turned to Jesus, the only saviour of the world and embrace him as our Lord and Saviour. We are imputed with Christ's righteousness just as we are imputed with his purity. So positionally we are made pure. We are justified so to speak.

But on a daily basis as we live our days on this earth in this mortal body, we are still capable of falling into sin. So we are commanded to be holy as God is holy, to be pure as God is pure. We need to be cleansed. We need to be sanctified. That is our practical purity. A classic example is found in John chapter 13. I know we have referred to this passage many times, but it is good for us if you have your Bibles, maybe you can turn to Gospel of John, chapter 13:8.

This was the part where Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. But there's a wonderful lesson that we can learn about positional and practical purity. So when Jesus washed the disciples’ feet and he came to Peter, verse 8, Peter saith unto him, “Thou shalt never wash my feet.” Why? Because in those days it would be the servants, the slaves, not the master who will wash the feet of someone else. Jesus answered him, “If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.” Jesus was referring to his positional purity. If I do not cleanse you or wash you or make you pure by my precious blood, you will not be saved. You will have no part with me.

Verse nine, Peter not understanding what Jesus was teaching him saith, “Lord, then in that case not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.” Jesus saith to him, “He that is washed-that is positional purity, needeth not save to wash his feet - that is practical purity, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.” Who was Jesus referring to? Judas Iscariot, who had not experienced positional purity for he knew who should betray him. Therefore said he, “Ye are not all clean.” The word clean is the same word as pure.

In those days when the people walk around the Palestinian region, they wore sanders. The ground was very sandy and dusty. So when they walk around, their feet would be dirty. They might have washed themselves thoroughly, but the moment they walk out of their house to the neighbour's house, their feet will be dirty. That was why foot washing was very common in those days. They did not need to wash the whole body again, but only the feet.

Using that analogy, Jesus was teaching his disciples that you have all been cleansed by me except Judas Iscariot. Positionally, you have been made pure by me. But as you leave your lives in this sin polluted world, it is inevitable that you will fall into sin just like your feet will be dirty and dusty. What you need is not positional purity but practical purity. You need to be cleansed. You need to be sanctified on a daily basis.

If we use the theological terms of justification, sanctification, and glorification, perhaps you will understand better. As believers, we have been justified positionally. We have been made pure. But as we live our lives on this earth, we need sanctification. We need practical purity. We need to be cleansed. We need to be sanctified until finally and ultimately we will be glorified. That will be the time when either we are raptured to meet the Lord in the clouds, we'll be changed into a glorified state, or we die our souls go to be with Christ.

But when Christ comes in the clouds, the dead shall rise first and their bodies will be united with their souls in a glorified state. So that would be perfect purity. 1 John 3:2 said, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” So we are the sons of God, but it does not appear like we are the sons of God. But we know that when he shall appear, who shall appear? Jesus Christ. We shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. So that day will come whereby we would be made perfectly pure.

II. How Can We Be Pure In Heart?

Our second point is how can we be pure in heart as in practical purity. Throughout the history of the church, people have suggested many different ways to achieve spiritual purity as in this pure in heart. Some say that you should go away from this world like living in a cave, living a monastic lifestyle away from the cares and distractions of this world. Then you can be pure. However, the Bible does not teach us to do that.

The problem of sin is not primarily the world around us but the worldliness within us which you and I cannot escape by isolating ourselves from other people. God always provides the means for us to achieve that which he has commanded us and therefore he has provided the means for you and I to live in purity.

Firstly, we must realise that we are unable to live a single pure holy moment without God's help, guidance, and power. Proverbs 20:9 said, “Who can say, I have made my heart clean? I am pure from my sin?” The answer is none. Secondly, we must abide in God's word. It is impossible to stay pure apart from God's word. Jesus taught his disciples, saying, “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.” (John 15:3) When we study the Bible and apply the word of God into our lives, God will cleanse us, sanctify us, and make us pure.

Many years ago, I read this story about a Bible teacher who wanted to teach his students about sanctification, practical purity. You know, you have those waste paper baskets that have holes in them. I think you have seen them before. The Bible teacher asked the students to pour water into the basket which they did and all the water flowed out through those holes. The teacher repeatedly told the students to do that until the students got frustrated and said, “But all the water flowed out through those holes.” Then the teacher said to them, “Now look into the basket, is it much cleaner now?” Using that illustration, he taught the students, when the word of God flows in and through our lives, it will cleanse us. That is the sanctifying power of the word.

Thirdly, we must be controlled by the Holy Spirit. This cleansing and sanctifying and purifying work is a supernatural work that only the Holy Spirit can do. That is why Paul said to the Galatians, “Walk in the Spirit - live in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16) Finally, we must pray like the psalmist who prayed in Psalm 51:10 “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”

III. What Is The Result Of Being Pure In Heart?

Finally, what is the result of being pure in heart? The greatest blessing of those who are pure in heart is that they shall see God. If you translate this phrase according to the original Greek tense, it means they shall continuously see God. What does it mean to see God?

When our hearts are purified at salvation, we know God, we believe in him, and we begin to live in his presence, we begin to see and understand God with our spiritual eyes. And the more we know and understand God's truth, who God is - that nothing happens by chance or coincidence, it is by God's providence. The more we live in his righteousness, holiness, and purity, the more we see and understand him.

You see, sin obscures the truth and unrighteousness keeps us in ignorance. That is why people who are living in sin, rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ, living in unrighteousness are spiritually blind. But when God opens our eyes to see his truth, the Holy Spirit who indwells in our hearts enables us to live in righteousness, holiness, and purity. The more you and I know his truth and apply his truth into our lives, the more we will see and understand God.

To see God has always been the greatest desire of the believers in the Bible. Moses saw God's glory and he asked to see more. And he even wanted to see God's face. But God said to him, “Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.” (Exodus 33:21) “But I will hide you in the cliff of the rock. So when I pass by, you will see the back parts of me. “(Exodus 33:21) God knew the desire in his heart how much he longed to see God and his glory.

The same goes with David. He saw the glory of God and he wanted to see more. So much so he cried out “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?” (Psalm 42:1-2)

So dear friends, blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. May God help us to understand the meaning of being pure in heart. What we have learned about positional purity, practical purity and ultimate purity. How you and I can be pure in heart as in practical purity. We have been saved. We realise that we ourselves cannot cleanse ourselves nor sanctify ourselves nor make ourselves pure. We need God. And it is only through his word and through the wonderworking of his spirit that we can be made pure. We can live in purity. So we need to pray.

And the blessed promise is that those who are pure in heart, they shall see God. If I may leave this last message to you is that there ought to be this desire in our hearts as true believers to have this great longing to see and understand God, to want to see more and more of him, to understand who he really is that we are but creatures. He is our creator. And the more we understand his truth, the more we will see and understand him and live for his glory. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Let us pray. Our father in heaven, as we have learned through the different beatitudes, today we have considered, blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Oh Lord, help us that we will not just be hearers only, but be doers of thy word. That as we consider this blessedness, we want to apply it into our lives. We want to be pure in thy sight. And the only way is for us to know thy word and to apply thy word into our lives through thy spirit.

So we pray like the psalmist prayed on today, create in me a new heart, O God. And we want to have this right spirit within us. Oh Lord, make us pure. Sanctified us day by day as we live the remaining days of our lives until we see our Lord Jesus face to face. That would be our ultimate glorification, ultimate purification. We give thee thanks and we pray all this in Jesus name. Amen.

THE BOOK OF MATTHEW

Acknowledging God's Presence

Acknowledging God's Presence

Matthew 1:23

Where is He that is Born King of the Jews?

Where is He that is Born King of the Jews?

Matthew 2:1-12

30th Anniversary Thanksgiving Services - Message: Thirty Significant Years

30th Anniversary Thanksgiving Services - Message: Thirty Significant Years

Matthew 3:15

Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit

Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit

Matthew 5:3

Blessed Are They That Mourn

Blessed Are They That Mourn

Matthew 5:4

Blessed Are The Meek

Blessed Are The Meek

Matthew 5:5

Blessed Are Those Who Hunger And Thirst

Blessed Are Those Who Hunger And Thirst

Matthew 5:6

Blessed Are The Merciful

Blessed Are The Merciful

Matthew 5:7

Blessed Are The Pure In Heart

Blessed Are The Pure In Heart

Matthew 5:8

Blessed Are The Peacemakers

Blessed Are The Peacemakers

Matthew 5:9

Blessed Are The Persecuted

Blessed Are The Persecuted

Matthew 5:10-12

Two Spiritual Roles — Salt And Light

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Matthew 5:13-16

What Did Jesus Say About The Bible?

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Matthew 5:17-18

Simply Speak The Truth

Simply Speak The Truth

James 5:12; Matthew 5:33-37

Love Your Enemy

Love Your Enemy

Matthew 5:43-48

Message 5: Giving Tithes, Offerings & Alms

Message 5: Giving Tithes, Offerings & Alms

Genesis 28:22; Matthew 6:1–4

Do Not Blow Your Trumpet In Charity

Do Not Blow Your Trumpet In Charity

Matthew 6:1-4

Message 2: The Preface of the Lord’s Prayer

Message 2: The Preface of the Lord’s Prayer

Matthew 6:5-8

Morning Devotion 1

Morning Devotion 1

Matthew 6:9

The Lord’s Prayer (Part 1): The Preface

The Lord’s Prayer (Part 1): The Preface

Matthew 6:9a-9b

The Lord’s Prayer (Part 2): The First Three Petitions

The Lord’s Prayer (Part 2): The First Three Petitions

Matthew 6:9c-10

Hallowed Be Thy Name

Hallowed Be Thy Name

Matthew 6:9-23

Message 3: The Pattern from the Lord’s Prayer

Message 3: The Pattern from the Lord’s Prayer

Luke 11:2-4, Matthew 6:9-13

Morning Devotion 2

Morning Devotion 2

Matthew 6:10

Morning Devotion 3

Morning Devotion 3

Matthew 6:11

The Lord’s Prayer (Part 3): The Fourth Petition

The Lord’s Prayer (Part 3): The Fourth Petition

Matthew 6:11

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

Exodus 37:10-16; Matthew 6:11

Morning Devotion 4

Morning Devotion 4

Matthew 6:12-13

The Lord’s Prayer (Part 4): The Last Two Petitions

The Lord’s Prayer (Part 4): The Last Two Petitions

Matthew 6:12-15

The Folly Of Worry And Anxiety

The Folly Of Worry And Anxiety

Matthew 6:25-34

Christian Parenting

Christian Parenting

Psalm 127:3-5; Matthew 10:37; Matthew 6:32; Psalm 113:9; Psalm 128:3

Should We Judge Or Not?

Should We Judge Or Not?

Matthew 7:1-6

Our New Year’s Resolution

Our New Year’s Resolution

Matthew 7:7-12

The Folly Of A False Profession

The Folly Of A False Profession

Matthew 7:21-23

The Foundation Of Our Faith

The Foundation Of Our Faith

Matthew 7:24-27

Labourers for the Harvest

Labourers for the Harvest

Matthew 9:35-38

Christian Parenting

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Psalm 127:3-5; Matthew 10:37; Matthew 6:32; Psalm 113:9; Psalm 128:3

Message 1: The Parable of the Soil

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Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Christ Will Build His Church

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Matthew 16:18-19

Seminar: The Role of the Sunday School Teacher (Part 1 of 2)

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Matthew 18:1-6

The Forgiven Is Forgiving

The Forgiven Is Forgiving

Matthew 18:21-35

Message 6: The Parable of the Labourers

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Matthew 20:1-16

The Triumphant Entry

The Triumphant Entry

Matthew 21:1-11

God Sent His Son

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Matthew 21:33-46

Parable Of The Wedding Feast

Parable Of The Wedding Feast

Matthew 22:1-14

Dual Citizenship?

Dual Citizenship?

Matthew 22:15-22

Am I Ready For Christ's Second Coming?

Am I Ready For Christ's Second Coming?

Matthew 25:1-13

Message 7: The Parable Of The Talents

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Matthew 25:14–30

Can I Know I am Ready?

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Matthew 25:14-30

The Parable of the Talents

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Matthew 25:14-30

Message 7: The Parable of the Talents

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Matthew 25:14-30

Rise, Let Us Be Going

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Matthew 26:36-46

What is So Miraculous About the Death of Christ?

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Matthew 27:45-54

The Death of Christ

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Matthew 27:50-56

Death & Burial Of Jesus

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Matthew 27:50-66

He Is Not Here, He Is Risen!

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Matthew 28:1-7

Go and Tell

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Matthew 28:18-20