Sunday December 04, 2022
Matthew 5:8- “Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.”
“The pure in heart is unhindered in its ability to understand the heart and person of God!
“The pure in heart will enter heaven one day and see God!”
Once again we find ourselves talking about the inner man. Who we really are!
Jesus says, “Blessed, happy, fortunate, favored, are those with a pure heart…”
PURE– free from any impure mixture. Totally or completely without any spot or blemish, completely blameless, completely innocent. One who has entirely been cleansed from sin.
A life-style characterized by pleasing God.
Pure in heart denotes one who loves God with all his or her heart! An undivided loyalty whose inward nature corresponds with his or her outward profession.
The absence of impurity or filth. It implies a singleness of purpose, without distraction.
To be pure in heart is to have a mind solely to please God!
The only interest of those who are pure in heart is to serve God! Their devotion to God is complete and total.
The pure in heart have given their whole heart to God and trust only in God!
A single-minded devotion to God that stems from the internal cleansing created by following Jesus!
James 1:5-8- “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.”
divided- what should be one is now two.
There’s a medical term for this problem; it’s called DIPLOPIA.
Another term for Diplopia is DOUBLE VISION!
Seeing two images of a single object! What should be single is now divided!
It’s difficult to see God at work when we are divided, when we have double vision!
In fact the above verse tells us that we’ll not see God at work. “Let not that man think he’ll receive anything from God.”
The pure in heart, will see God!
WHAT CAN KEEP ME FROM A PURE HEART AND SEEING GOD?
- Spiritual Double Vision
It’s like having to choose between Golden Vanilla Blue Bell Ice Cream and Dutch Chocolate Ice Cream.
I love them both so just give me both!
James 4:8- “Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.”
Romans 12:1-2— “Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Ephesians 4:22-24- “throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.”
Romans 6:12-15- “Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace. Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not!
I AM NO LONGER A SLAVE TO SIN BUT A SLAVE TO RIGHTEOUSNESS! YOU CAN’T BE A SLAVE TO BOTH!
1 John 1:5-10- “This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.
Spiritual double vision leads to a divided heart instead of a pure heart!
WHAT IS THE TRUTH I NEED TO EMBRACE
- God is not condemning me
John 3:17- “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”
(TPT)- “God did not send his Son into the world to judge and condemn the world, but to be its Savior and rescue it!”
2. God wants me to walk in freedom
Romans 8:1-2- “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.”
3. So I will Follow Jesus
John 8:12- “Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
CONCLUSION:
All of this is with the presumption that you know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. That’s where is all begins. Surrendering your life to Him!
What is the Holy Spirit saying to you through this message?