Bible Study - Matthew 5:8

Matthew 5:8 – Bible Study

What is the most beautiful thing you have ever seen? What brought to you the most love & joy when you witnessed it?

I will share my moment with you. The moment I first laid eyes on my granddaughter Katrina was by far the most powerful moment I've ever had. I'd heard that the first time you saw grandchildren you will feel more love than ever. I had heard that but didn't know how true it was till it happened to me. When Kennedy walked in our house carrying Katrina the love I felt almost knocked me down it was so strong! Katrina was only a couple weeks old at the time but was the most precious person I'd ever seen. The first time I saw my other granddaughter Amara was also strong but not like it was when I saw Katrina for the fist time.

Now what was the most beautiful or powerful vision you've ever seen?

What do you most want to see in the future? What are you looking forward to seeing?

One thing we should be looking forward to seeing is our Heavenly Father. After this life on earth is complete we will be with God & get to see Him. What do we have to do to see the face of God? What's necessary to have the opportunity to do that?

As it is with many other things the answer to that question is in the Word of God. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus tells us “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” (Matthew 5:8) There are a few things we need to realize about this teaching. First, the Sermon on the Mount was not for the multitudes. Jesus is not talking to the all the people, he is talking to his disciples. What He is teaching applies only to His disciples who were already believers. The first requirement for seeing God is to be part of the family of God through faith in Christ. God is the master surgeon because He will remove our heart of stone & give us a new heart & new spirit. Ezekiel 36:26 tells us “I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you.” A heart transplant!

To see God we are to be “pure in heart”. What does it mean to be “pure in heart”? How do we do that? The Greek word for “pure” used in this verse is katharos (kath-ar-os'). It means to be “clean, blameless, unstained from guilt.” The pure in heart are those who are inwardly clean from sin through faith in God & continually acknowledge their wrongdoings. This word can refer to that which is purified through pruning. Those who are truly “pure,” then, are the ones who have been declared innocent because of the work of Jesus & who are being sanctified by His refining fire & His pruning.

What is the process of pruning? What gets done when we prune something?

Jesus mentions pruning in John 15:5 where he tells us that He is the vine & his Father is the gardener. The Father will prune away any part that does not produce good fruit. While it might be unpleasant, pruning is a process that's necessary for the creation to produce what it was created for. God is pruning us so that we will bring a harvest that is more healthy, fruitful, & bring more honor, glory & praise to the His great name.

What will someone who is pure in heart look like? What is their character?

People characterized as pure in heart are morally pure, honest, & sincere. They are people of integrity with single-minded commitment to God. Because of their sincere devotion to Christ, they will see God here & now through the eyes of faith (Hebrews 11: 27), & finally face-to-face (1 John 3: 2). Being pure of heart refers to those whose minds, motives, & principles are pure; who seek not only to have their actions & behaviors correct, but who desire to be holy in heart. They don't want to put on a mask to appear to be righteous, they want to be godly to the core & live a life that gives praise & honor to God alone.

When we look at ourselves could we honestly say we are pure in heart?

Can man purify his own heart so that it's free of wickedness?

No he can't. C. H. Spurgeon tells us “the purification of the heart is a divine operation, which cannot be performed by ourselves, or by any human agency; but must be wrought by him who is the thrice-holy Lord God of Sabbath.” Purification of the heart can only be performed by the divine Physician.