A Life God Blesses
By Pastor Donald Parker
Jesus most famous sermon is known as “The Sermon on the Mount” which we can find in Matthew chapter 5 through chapter 7. Jesus began His sermon with the Beatitudes, saying this: Matthew 5:3-10 (NIV) “He said: (3) Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (4) Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. (5) Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. (6) Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. (7) Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. (8) Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. (9) Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (10) Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
I want to look at verse 8 a little closer; “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” These words of Jesus are among the greatest words in the entire Bible. The topic of holiness (purity of the heart) runs throughout the Bible cover to cover.
The word “blessed” here in this verse implies the condition of security that results from salvation. The status of one who has a right relationship with God; and being in the right relationship – being forgiven of our sins – being saved by the loving grace of God gives us as believers our greatest hope (the assurance) of one day seeing God.
1 John 3:2 (NIV) tells us, “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” One day every Believer will be with Jesus and “be like him” – resurrected and without sin. A pure heart is one cleansed from sin, and only Christ can cleanse us from our sins.
In the context of the verse, only those who have pure hearts will enter heaven. Those whose hearts have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus by putting the trust and faith in Him, will see God. If you believe that Jesus came and suffered, died and rose from the grave to pay for your sins, and you have sincerely repented from your sins and put your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior; you have a pure heart. Your sins are forgiven and you will see God.
Let me clear about repentance; repentance is not perfection. Repentance is turning and heading in a new direction; the direction that follows the Lord; and the map we need to stay the course, is God’s Word – the Bible.
Still even as believers, because we’re still human, we still struggle with temptation and sin and sometimes we still fall. However, our desire should be to live in such a way that we keep our hearts pure and focused on the things of God.
I love the words that David prayed in Psalm 51:10 (NIV) “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” That prayer of David’s should be one we ought to pray every single day!
I love the word David uses in this verse “steadfast.” A synonym for this word is ‘unwavering.” If we as believers would live a life so committed to God – if we would live our lives steadfast – unwavering – without compromise – we could demonstrate to the world around us, to be a man or woman with a pure heart.
You see, here’s the deal; the pure in heart are people whose pursuit of purity, affects every area of their life. People who are characterized as pure in heart are morally pure, honest and sincere. They are people of integrity with an unwavering commitment to God. When we live our lives in such a way, God is honored and God blesses us and the world around us notices a difference.
Join us this Sunday at 11:00 a.m. as we continue in our series looking at The Beatitudes. First Baptist Church – A Place to Belong.
