Passage: Matthew 5:8 Speaker: Pastor Lukus Counterman Series: Beatus - Favored by God
Speaker: Lukus Counterman - You can’t choose which of the beatitudes you want to be true of your life, and leave the others out. They come as a whole, not as a series of multiple-choice options. Every Christian is intended to grow in every grace. This morning, the 6th beatitude is found in Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” What Jesus commends here is a heart that is NOT diluted, defiled or divided. Jesus blesses a “pure” heart. In a religious culture it is one thing to have a pure appearance, but it’s another thing to have a pure heart. It’s one thing to conform to rules - wearing the right cloths, doing the right family things, going to the right church services, etc. It is a wholly different thing to have a heart that is pleasing to God. In this beatitude, Jesus blesses those who are pure, not only on the surface, but at the center of their being. But how is it possible to be “pure in heart” when none of us start out that way? We must cast ourselves on the grace of God and receive his radical renewal. We need God to purify us (Ezek. 36:25-26; Titus 3:5) and then in response we need to pursue that purity in our everyday lives (1John 3:3). May God help us to be people who are pure in heart.