Beatitudes: Pure in Heart
Beatitudes: Pure in Heart
Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
The blessing that we are promised when we are pure in heart is that we will “see God”. There is a deeper meaning to the word “see” than simply gazing upon God one day in eternity. The Greek word for “see” doesn’t simply mean “to gaze upon”. It goes much deeper than that.
Walk with me through some Scripture for a moment. Over in the Gospel of John in chapter 20, Peter and John have raced to the tomb to see for themselves that Jesus has been raised from the dead and the tomb is empty. When Peter went into the tomb, the scripture says that he “saw” the wrappings laying there. The Greek word that is used here means “to gaze upon in order to analyze”. That same Greek word is where we get our word “theorize”. What that means is that Peter saw the wrappings and was theorizing about what had happened. He was analyzing the situation.
When John entered the tomb, it says that he “saw and believed”. The Greek word that is used there for “saw” means that he “perceived”, that is, he understood what had happened. He understood the reality that Jesus had been raised from the dead. It was real to him, so his faith was deepened and he believed that Jesus had been raised from the dead. That is the same word that is used in Matthew 5:8.
This same Greek word is used again in Revelation 1:17 when John “saw” Jesus in all his glory. He saw a God-like man in a robe with a golden sash and He had white hair and whose eyes were like a flame of fire. When John saw this, he understood the reality of God. He perceived the beauty as well as the fierceness. The result was that he fell as a dead man at His feet.
The blessing that comes from being pure in heart is that God becomes a greater reality to you. You don’t just gaze upon Him, you understand how incredibly awesome He is and your only response is utter humility.
In comparison to God, you understand your total sinfulness and complete powerlessness to do anything about your sinful state. Like the Prophet Habakkuk, you see the awaiting judgment and sheer power of God as your “inward parts trembled, at the sound my lips quivered. Decay enters my bones, and in my place I tremble…” (Habakkuk 3:16).
As you grasp the reality of God compared to who you are, it drives you to your knees. This deepens your faith and makes you stronger in your fight against temptation and your own flesh.
This reality changes the way that you perceive others around you. You understand that you are no better than anyone else. You comprehend that you deserve hell and that it is only by God’s grace through faith that you receive salvation from eternal damnation.
That attitude causes you to remove deceitfulness from your life and run far from it. You no longer lie to yourself about who you are because you understand the incredibly awesome majesty of Almighty God.
Being pure in heart means that you have a single focus. Your heart is focused on God and bringing Him glory. You are not impressed with yourself and your heart is set on nothing more than glorifying God. What a beautiful attitude to strive to have!
These are your Words for Wednesday!
Please remember that we have a virtual Egg Hunt outreach on Sunday afternoon, March 17 at Ballentine Elementary School. Volunteers are needed at 3:30. If you can help please let me know, Have a great rest of your week!
In Christ,
Kevin
Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
The blessing that we are promised when we are pure in heart is that we will “see God”. There is a deeper meaning to the word “see” than simply gazing upon God one day in eternity. The Greek word for “see” doesn’t simply mean “to gaze upon”. It goes much deeper than that.
Walk with me through some Scripture for a moment. Over in the Gospel of John in chapter 20, Peter and John have raced to the tomb to see for themselves that Jesus has been raised from the dead and the tomb is empty. When Peter went into the tomb, the scripture says that he “saw” the wrappings laying there. The Greek word that is used here means “to gaze upon in order to analyze”. That same Greek word is where we get our word “theorize”. What that means is that Peter saw the wrappings and was theorizing about what had happened. He was analyzing the situation.
When John entered the tomb, it says that he “saw and believed”. The Greek word that is used there for “saw” means that he “perceived”, that is, he understood what had happened. He understood the reality that Jesus had been raised from the dead. It was real to him, so his faith was deepened and he believed that Jesus had been raised from the dead. That is the same word that is used in Matthew 5:8.
This same Greek word is used again in Revelation 1:17 when John “saw” Jesus in all his glory. He saw a God-like man in a robe with a golden sash and He had white hair and whose eyes were like a flame of fire. When John saw this, he understood the reality of God. He perceived the beauty as well as the fierceness. The result was that he fell as a dead man at His feet.
The blessing that comes from being pure in heart is that God becomes a greater reality to you. You don’t just gaze upon Him, you understand how incredibly awesome He is and your only response is utter humility.
In comparison to God, you understand your total sinfulness and complete powerlessness to do anything about your sinful state. Like the Prophet Habakkuk, you see the awaiting judgment and sheer power of God as your “inward parts trembled, at the sound my lips quivered. Decay enters my bones, and in my place I tremble…” (Habakkuk 3:16).
As you grasp the reality of God compared to who you are, it drives you to your knees. This deepens your faith and makes you stronger in your fight against temptation and your own flesh.
This reality changes the way that you perceive others around you. You understand that you are no better than anyone else. You comprehend that you deserve hell and that it is only by God’s grace through faith that you receive salvation from eternal damnation.
That attitude causes you to remove deceitfulness from your life and run far from it. You no longer lie to yourself about who you are because you understand the incredibly awesome majesty of Almighty God.
Being pure in heart means that you have a single focus. Your heart is focused on God and bringing Him glory. You are not impressed with yourself and your heart is set on nothing more than glorifying God. What a beautiful attitude to strive to have!
These are your Words for Wednesday!
Please remember that we have a virtual Egg Hunt outreach on Sunday afternoon, March 17 at Ballentine Elementary School. Volunteers are needed at 3:30. If you can help please let me know, Have a great rest of your week!
In Christ,
Kevin
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