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MATTHEW 5:8

"BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART"


I. WHAT IS MEANT BY PURE IN HEART?
        A. Christ put emphasis upon heart.
                1. Perhaps because of Pharisees.
                2. Not on the head.
                        a. Does not commend the intellectual.
                        b. Those with just intellectual apprehension off times greatest curse
                           to the church.
        B. Why emphasis on heart?
                1. Pharisees always ready to reduce religion to conduct, behavior.
                2. Heart in scriptural usage center of personality.
                        a. Not just sent of affections and emotions.
                        b. Heart includes emotions, will, intellect.
                3. Not just pure on outside.
        C. The heart is always the seat of our problems and troubles.
                1. Out of the heart proceeds evil thoughts, murders.
                2. Great fallacy to think evil stems from environment.
                3. Education will not solve man's problems.
        D. "Blessed are the pure in heart."
                1. Puts Christianity beyond reach of natural man.
                2. What is meant by pure in heart?
                        a. Without hypocrisy.
                                1. Singleness.
                                2. Problem divided heart one side of me wants to serve God
                                   other side.
                        b. Purity speaks of cleansing.
                        c. Being like Jesus.
                        d. Should live to glory of God. 

II. FOR THEY SHALL SEE GOD.
        A. In one sense they have already seen Him.
                1. Sees God in Nature.
                2. Sees God in History.
                3. Sees God in Events of daily life.
                4. Moses endured as seeing Him who is invisible.
        B. Future a fuller realization and vision.
                1. "Now we see through the glass darkly."
        C. How can our hearts become pure?
                1. Those who say become monk.
                2. Only God can do it and He will do it.