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.
What is the heart? Why does God's Word specifically tell us that the heart has to be pure? Why not any other body part?
In the Word of God heart refers to the center of the physical, mental, & spiritual life of the person. As the center of the physical life, heart stands for the person as a whole.
Because it's the center of person's being it is the focal point for all functions of the body, including physical, intellectual, & spiritual life. To see the Lord we are to be pure at our very core. This is not possible under our own powers but can be done through the grace of our Lord. Someone who is pure in heart is authentically righteous.
Because it's the core of a person's being it is the first thing the Lord wants to be focused on Him. How does the Lord want us to love Him? Deuteronomy 6:5 tells us “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” What is the first thing the Lord tells us to love Him with here? Our heart! The first thing He wants is for His people to love Him with all their heart. That's how important it is.
At the time this was written culture was focused more on satisfying God's will through ceremony & tradition. While those things are good they aren't what our Heavenly Father deems to be most important. He looks deeper than the surface of ceremony. God sees the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 tells us “... the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” What God desires most is for our heart to be His & follow His sovereign will.
Because He knows our heart it would be foolish to try to be untrue with the Lord. He knows all. Purity of heart involves being authentic, & this begins with honesty before God. We must go to God with our hearts completely open because we’re not hiding anything from him; He already knows everything. We should come clean with Him about the good, the bad, & the ugly, & then we will see Him operating powerfully in our life. We will see signs of His power & signs of His presence. How glorious that is.
The expression they will see God may be understood in different ways. What are the ways they will see God?
First, the pure in heart see God now through fellowship in the Word & the Spirit. They can see God through the Word & by seeing His mighty works in our lives. Second, they sometimes have a supernatural appearance, or vision, of the Lord presented to them. Third, they will see God in the Person of Jesus when He comes again. And fourth, they shall see God as they have fellowship with Him in eternity. After the resurrection; in which we will have sight of Christ, & God in Christ, there will be an unspeakably glorious, desirable, delightful, & satisfying time. It will be free from all darkness, error, & all corruption. Sin will be no more! It will be a glorified & transforming time, & will last for ever. Are you looking forward to this time?
Many blessings will come when we have a pure heart. Now we have to ask ourselves how do we get a pure heart? Once we have received Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, we are clean in His eyes. But that doesn’t mean we will never sin again (John 13:9-10). As we live in this world, we’ll continue to exhibit some fleshly patterns—at times thinking wrong thoughts, making hurtful comments, having inappropriate attitudes, & behaving foolishly. That’s why continual cleansing from sin is important.
James gives us a process by which we can purify our hearts. When we resist the devil, mourn for our sin, & humbly draw near to God in submission, our Father is always faithful to forgive & cleanse us. Confession & repentance are like a spiritual shower that washes away the filth of sin so we can be clean & renewed (1 John 1:9). Scripture acts like a sharp sword that convicts us, reveals our hidden sins, & teaches how to live in a manner pleasing to the Lord. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
