There is the purity or holiness that belongs to God alone The Bible speaks about purity or holiness in different ways, and it is important for our understanding of the Christian life to distinguish between them.ġ.

Purity of heart is not sinlessness of life. So if purity of heart meant that you never have a bad thought, it would be beyond the range of Christian experience. The apostle John says to believers, “If we say we are without sin we deceive ourselves…” (1 John 1:8).Ĭhristians in this life are always sinners in the process of recovery. Purity of heart does not mean that you never have a bad thought. Following our usual pattern, we will focus today on grasping what Christ says, and then look next week at how we can pursue this calling, so that in this life and in the life to come, we might be someone who truly sees God. When I read this Beatitude, my first thought is, “That looks impossible,” and my second thought is, “If I could lay hold of all that Christ promises here and make it my own, I would be greatly blessed.”Īgain, we have two weekends to reflect on and seek to immerse ourselves in all that Christ says to us here. He can shine into your heart “to give you the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). This is what Christ is able to do for you: He can purify your heart. This is what Christ is able to do for sinners. In Christ, a sinner who is forgiven, washed, cleansed and renewed should see God and, instead of shrinking back into an everlasting hell, should move forward into the embrace of everlasting love. In Christ, a sinner with all the baggage that sinful habits leave in your thoughts, your feelings and your desires, can become pure in heart. He comes as the great Redeemer, the Rescuer, the Savior, holding this wonderful promise in his hands: Christ does not give us the Beatitudes to mock us. The apparent impossibility of these two things: Seeing God and purity of heart, show us how great a savior Jesus Christ is. Yet here Jesus says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” God said, “You cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live” (Exodus 33:20). God’s presence would pass by, but Moses would only be allowed to see the after burn of God’s glory. In the Old Testament, Moses wanted to see the glory of God, so God told him to hide in a rock. Then Jesus ties “Blessed are the pure in heart,” to a second thing that seems equally impossible: “for they shall see God!” When Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” blessed are those who know that they don’t have what it takes before God, it’s not very hard to say, “That’s me.” And when Jesus says, “Blessed are those who mourn,” it’s easy for us to think of our sins and shortcomings and say, “That’s me.” But when Jesus says, “Blessed are the pure in heart,” I don’t find myself saying “That’s me” at all, and I don’t expect you do either. But when I read this sixth beatitude, my first reaction is to say, “This looks impossible.” I would be very surprised if there is a single person in the congregation who would say, “That’s me!” God speaks to us today about being pure in heart: A heart that thinks what is right, loves what is good, and desires what is best.

You will behold the eternal living God before whom angels veil their faces. God speaks to us today from his Word about seeing him: “They shall see God!” You will see him face-to-face. I have prepared the message today with a sense of awe that I hope you will feel as we immerse ourselves in these words of Jesus together. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Blessed are those with pure hearts