HOW TO REALLY BE BLESSED SERIES
A Series of Messages on the Beatitudes
Matthew 5:1-12
Message #3: BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART
Matthew 5:8
The word ¡§heart¡¨ appears some 830x in the Bible. The plural form of the word appears 113. The Hebrew word refers to the center or middle of something„³¡¨the heart of the matter.¡¨ The Greek word (kardia) is used to point to the innermost part of something and in this case, the innermost part of ourselves„³¡¨deep down in my heart.¡¨ It is the place where real commitments are made. It is what really defines who and what you are and it is the part of you that is continually under the scrutiny and searching eyes of the Lord. 2 Chron. 16:9 It is the source of all our conflict and struggles. See Gen. 6:5 & Mat. 15:19. It is what corrupts us or when yielded to God, it can be our source of purity. Thus our passage: ¡§Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.¡¨
Genesis 65 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Matthew 1518 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
I. THE HEART IS TO BE THE PLACE OF PRIORITY
-Prov. 4:23
-I Sam. 16:7
-Jer. 17:9-10
-I Pet. 3:3-4
-The command to ¡§love the Lord thy God with all thy heart¡¨ was part of the shema. (Deut. 6:4-5) It was repeated by the Lord Himself in Mat. 22a;37 and Mark 12:30 as the greatest commandment of all. The lawyer that came to Jesus in Luke 10:27 also recognized this commandment to be first and foremost.
II. THE HEART IS TO BE THE PLACE OF PURITY
-This is more than just believing the right things or going through the right motions. It is living the right way and doing the right things because the heart is right with God and operates with the right motives. It is not just the absence of corruption, but the presence of the fullness of God in a personal relationship with Him. We must understand that this Scripture is very clear. If our hearts are not pure, we cannot and will not see God. See Heb. 12:14.
-Adam and Eve did not want to see God because their hearts were not pure. They knew they had violated His commandment. See Gen. 3.
-Psalm 24:3-5„³cannot ascend to the hill of the Lord without a pure heart
-What does it mean to have a pure heart? Perhaps the following verses will help us to better understand the word ¡§pure¡¨ itself. See Mat. 27:59; Rev. 6:7; 19:8.
-Hear David¡¦s prayer in Psalm 51:10. Why did he pray this? He knew his heart was unclean because of his sin.
III. THE HEART WILL BE THE PLACE OF PLEASURE
-See Psalm 16:11
-John 20:20
-We sing, ¡§I¡¦ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart.¡¨ You cannot get the joy of the Lord in your heart until you experience a total cleansing of your heart. How does that take place? See Psalm 119:9-11 and John 15:3.
-Jer 15:16 Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.
-John 15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and [that] your joy might be full.
