Blessed are the pure in heart

Matt 5:8 (KJV) ⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

I have two questions: 1. Do you want to see God? 2. Is your heart pure?

If you want to see God, then your heart must be pure!

Phil 4:8  ⁸ Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there is any virtue, and if there is any praise, think on these things.

If you want a pure heart, you must think about pure things.

Don’t fill your mind with impure thoughts.

Your heart and life need to be clean and pure.

Don’t think impure things, and do not do impure things.

Eph 5:1-6 (NKJV) ¹ Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. ² And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. ³ But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; ⁴ neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. ⁵ For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. ⁶ Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

Do you love God the same way Christ loved you?

Make yourself a sacrifice to God just as Christ did, by being pure in your heart and in your life.

Don’t dirty yourself with the impure things of Satan.

Don’t let anyone deceive you with empty words.

There are a lot of empty words out there saying it is OK to be sexually and otherwise immoral.

Don’t believe the lie.

The so called sexual revolution has been steadily hurting our families and hurting our nation.

Have you been involved in things that should not even be mentioned in polite company?

If the answer is yes, then you need to listen to the next verse:

James 4:7-8 (UKJV) Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will run away from you.  8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners; and purify your hearts, double minded.

Do you want a pure heart?  You must resist the Devil.

You need to draw near to God.

Don’t have a double mind.

You need to do what the Bible says to be purified, cleansed.

Have the attitude of the Psalmist found in Psalms 51:10 (NKJV) :

¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do you have a heart that is dirty with sin?  You need to exchange it for a clean one.  You need to repent and turn back to God.

Don’t be like the Pharisees:

Matt 23:25-26 (NKJV)²⁵ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.  ²⁶ Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.

A lot of people today want to play with religion.  They want to play with Christianity. 

On Sunday they are there with the best of them, but on Saturday night, they are out sinning with the worst of them.  I remember some of the people I went to college with.  I went to a Christian based University.  There were a lot of people there who went out partying and doing things that were against the rules on Friday and Saturday night.  Then they showed up in church on Sunday morning like nothing had happened.  They had an empty religion that was just for show.  If that seems to describe you, then you need to change.  You need to repent and be purified.

Heb 12:14-15 (NKJV) ¹⁴ Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: ¹⁵ looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;

Notice the bottom line.  Without being holy, without purity, you will not see the Lord.

Notice also what can cause you to become defiled. 

Bitterness can soil your heart and ruin your life.  There is no room in a pure heart for bitterness.

Do you realize that bitterness is what created Darwin’s theory of evolution?  Charles Darwin was married to Emma Wedgwood.  She was a strong believer in Christ.  They had a daughter named Annie who was very close to Darwin.  Annie became sick, however and in spite of the best medicine of the time died when she was only 10 years old.  Darwin blamed God and became angry at Him.  He decided he would not believe in Him any more.  Eight years later, his bitterness lead him to author “The Origin of Species”.  That book lead astray millions.  Later, Hitler who had bitterness issues of his own stemming from his childhood used  Darwin’s theory what many felt were its logical conclusions.  Darwin’s theory helped spur the theories behind Nazism and eventually lead to the holocaust.  Darwin’s bitterness lead to the horrible death of millions.  It still infects our world today.

Don’t mix yourself up with impure things:

2 Cor 6:14-18 (NKJV) ¹⁴ Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? ¹⁵ And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? ¹⁶ And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people." ¹⁷ Therefore "Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you." ¹⁸ "I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the Lord Almighty."

2 Cor 7:1 (NKJV)¹ Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.  

We can so often be deceived with human wisdom.  I know a young lady who was fully aware of this verse.  Her friends talked to her about it.  She believed that it was talking at least in part about marriage, but she didn’t feel it applied to her.  She decided it would be OK to be unequally yoked.  She decided that since her father was not a Christian and her mother was, that she would be able to handle it.  She was wrong.  In a matter of months that marriage ended and ended badly.  Listen to the Lord.  He is our creator and he knows better than the foolishness of man’s wisdom.

Christians are called out to be separate.  So why do so many want to blend in with the world?  When people look at you and your life do they see anything different than they see in the world or do they just see one more person like themselves?  Are you being a light and an example to the world?

It is time we cleansed ourselves from the filth of the world.  It is time to be holy.  It is time to be different.

Are you already a partner in an unequal relationship?  It is not the unpardonable sin.  Make sure that you are a good example of purity for the sake of your partner and the sake of your relationship.  You need to be extra strong in the Lord for the sake of your children if you have any.  Being an average or mediocre Christian will not be enough for them.  They need to see you are fervent for Christ.  Read 1 Corinthians chapter 7 for specific advice from God.  Also read 1 Peter Chapter 3.

There are other ways to be unequally yoked:

1 Cor 6:15-20 (NKJV) ¹⁵ Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! ¹⁶ Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For "the two," He says, "shall become one flesh." ¹⁷ But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. ¹⁸ Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. ¹⁹ Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? ²⁰ For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

James 3:17-18 (NKJV) ¹⁷ But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. ¹⁸ Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Do you have Godly wisdom?  If you do, then you are pure first of all.

1 John 3:1-3 (NKJV) ¹ Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. ² 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. ³ And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

Have you already been born again in the biblical manner as a child of God?

You still must keep on purifying your heart.

Christians must try to keep becoming pure like God.

We must never give up. We must be pure in heart.

Are you pure in heart? Do you want to be pure in heart?

Have you had your sins washed away in Christian Baptism?

If you have not done so, you will now have the chance to do it.

Come forward as we stand and sing.

Have you already been purified, but then went back to the Devil?

Do you want your heart to be pure again?

Then come forward and repent.

Come to God.  Have a pure heart

Matt 5:8 (KJV) ⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.