Wanted: A Heart that is Pure

The Greatest Sermon Ever Preached Part VI
Reflections on the Sermon on the Mount
Matthew 5-7

(Commentary by Guy Glass and Scott Hescht)

Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.

Guy: Aware of our wretchedness and entropic tendency towards sin, we may find ourselves reluctant to grab hold, firmly, of a promise such as this. Perhaps we are reminded of Proverbs 20:9 when it says, "Who can say, 'I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin?'" We may picture Moses in Exodus 33:17-23 desiring to see God's glory and God covering Moses' eyes so that he couldn't see God's goodness pass by because to see Him would kill sinful man.

How can I, a sinner saved by grace, be pure enough in heart to see God? How can I have the Father reveal Himself to me? Will he manifest Himself in a special way to one who seeks fervently to have a pure heart? If so, how can I accomplish it? The answer is yes. The father tells His people, "Be holy for I am holy." Jesus, later in this very sermon says, "Be perfect even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." God is concerned about our personal holiness – the purity of our hearts. Our salvation depends on faith. Our sanctification depends on our becoming more and more like our heavenly Father. Being sanctified is the evidence that we truly are saved.

Psalm 119:9, 10 reads, "How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to Your Word. With my whole heart I seek You; let me not wander from Your commandments." If we seek God, desire and long for Him, He will show Himself to us. He will enable us to become pure for He can have no dealings with what is impure. It is in that secret place of holiness, of being separate from the world, that He will come to us and we may know Him intimately.

When the Bible uses the word "know", it is often in reference to the intimacy shared between a husband and wife in the secrecy of their bed. No one knows you in a more intimate way than your spouse. It is an intimate knowledge between Him and you that God desires. It is a relationship that compels us to abandon all that the world offers; to turn away from all sin and anything that would come between the two of you. The more time we spend with Him, the more we will become like Him.

As stated above in Psalm 119:9, 10, we find Him in the pages of His Word when we invest the time to seek Him there. He can be found through our unceasing prayer. If we will just listen, we can hear His voice like that of a gentle breeze whispering, "Come away with me. I want time alone with you. I want to show you more of Myself. I want you to know who I am. I want to provide for you, take care of you, and protect you. I am jealous for you. I want you all for Myself." God wants to show Himself to believers who are pure in heart, who are seeking to live a holy life. He doesn't want a spiritual prostitute, He wants a chaste virgin. Our unfaithfulness will drive Him away from us.

1 John 3:2, 3 says, "Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who thus hopes in Him purifies Himself as He is pure." God calls us to purify ourselves because He is pure. We are to look forward to the day when we are finally perfected and made sinless, as He is perfect and sinless. In the meantime, we are to make every effort in personal holiness and seeking the face of God, preparing ourselves for our face to face meeting with Him.

Revelation 19:8 describes a future scene where we will rejoice and give God glory because we have made ourselves ready as a bride for God's Son and have clothed ourselves with fine linen, bright and pure. In the third chapter of Revelation, Jesus speaks of a few Christians who have not soiled their garments that will walk with Him in white, for they are worthy. This can be you and me, if we will seek Him with our whole heart, come out from among those who are satisfied with a lukewarm Christianity and desire Him above all others.