Pure In Heart: The Reward Series

Intro

We are in a study of the Beatitudes with an interest in how to position ourselves to be revived and enter into his purposes more fully. Last week we began talking about the sixth beatitude. It is recorded in Matthew 5:8: “Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.”i That is our text for today.

In the previous message, we explored what it means to be pure in heart. We were delighted to learn that it does not mean sinless perfection.ii If it did, we would all be disqualified. But through the cross God has provided for our daily cleansing so that we can enjoy fellowship with him. First John 1:7 assures us that “if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” And 1 John 1:9 affirms that promise: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” A pure heart does not mean sinless perfection.

But a pure heart is an honest, sincere heart. It is honest about personal sin. It is quick to acknowledge transgression. It is honest about the need for God’s grace each and every day. It is not hypocritical in its relationships to God and others. Honesty and sincerity are essential characteristics of a pure heart.

Going a little deeper into the subject, we found a pure heart to be an undivided heart.iii Later in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus used the metaphor of the eye to teach this necessity. In Matthew 6:22 he said, “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light” (KJV). The eye in this verse is equivalent to the heart in our text. “To ‘set the heart’ and to ‘fix the eye’ on something are synonyms.”iv The pure heart is single in its purpose and focus. It is undivided in its loyalty to the Lord. That does not mean there are no struggles with temptation. It does mean that the sincere desire of the heart is to please the Lord. The double-minded person tries to love God and the world at the same time.v But the pure heart is without alloy. It is unmixed and unadulterated. Pure gold is 100% gold. When all is said and done, the pure heart is turned toward God. The pure in heart have set their affection on the Lord. Just as a compass will ultimately point north, regardless of the ups and downs of life, the pure in heart keep coming back to God because the eye is fixed on the Lord and his will.vi So to be pure in heart means to sincerely live to please the Lord.

Today we will complete our study of this beatitude by talking about the reward that comes to the pure in heart and the way to cultivate purity in our own hearts.

I. The REWARD promised: “For they shall see God.”

What an amazing possibility. People drive halfway across America to see the Grand Canyon. It is an inspiring sight. But seeing the Grand Canyon pales in comparison to seeing the Creator of the Grand Canyon, the one who is in fact Creator of the whole universe. To see God! Have you pondered the significance of that prospect? “Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.”

This promise will be fully realized at the Resurrection of the Just. The Apostle John writes, “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2). And Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:12, “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known” (KJV).

Do you live in anticipation of that hope? When the trials of life bear down on you, do you encourage yourself in the prospect of seeing the Lord face to face someday? Have you ever sung that old hymn, “When We See Christ”? The chorus says:

“It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus;

Life’s trials will seem so small, when we see Christ:

One glimpse of His dear face, all sorrow will erase,

So bravely run the race till we see Christ.”vii

There is coming a day when the promise of our text will be fulfilled without limitation.

The anticipation of that glorious event has an effect on the soul. First John 3:3 says, “And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” The pure in heart expect to see God at the coming of Christ. And that hope motivates them to pursue purity.