Download Document

“Pursuing Purity in Heart”
Matthew 5:1-8
Kingdom Character:
Jesus’ Focus on the Heart
"Man looks on the outward appearance, but
the Lord looks on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7).
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
for you cleanse the outside of the cup and of
the plate, but inside they are full of extortion
and rapacity. You blind Pharisee! First cleanse
the inside of the cup and of the plate, that the
outside also may be clean” (Matt. 23:25–26).
“For Out of the Heart…”
“For out of the heart come evil thoughts,
murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false
witness, slander. These are what defile a man”
(Matthew 15:18–19)
"Either make the tree good and its fruit good,
or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the
tree is known by its fruit…For the mouth speaks
out of that which fills the heart”
(Matthew 12:33-34).
Purity Means
“free from contamination”
Purity = “kathoros” – heart catherization –
removal of debris that doesn’t belong
Clarity of vision
Purity Results in “Seeing” the Lord;
and there ARE “degrees of intimacy”
The doctor will now “see” you –
“personal, revealing, enlightening, exchange”
No belief at all? -or-
Babes in Christ 1 Cor. 3:1
“mature man” Ephesians 4:13
If Purity Enhances Clarity of Sight, Sin
Clouds Our Sight, and Distorts the Image!
50 Shades of Grey movie debut weekend
Q: Does this depict a healthy sexuality,
emotional relationship in marriage?
What would Jesus do?
Jesus: “the joy of a journey a man and a
woman experience uniquely, together for
life, not mimicking someone else’s
experience or fantasy”
Go Ahead, Have a Drink
“Flee immorality”
1 Corinthians 6:18
Elements of a Pure Heart
Psalm 24:3-4 – free from falsehood –
(saturated in truth)
James – not double-minded (split in mind,
desiring two things) namely, the desire to
secretly do one thing (or “feel/believe” one
thing but want others to believe you are doing
something else).
Compared to seeking God / loving God first
Matthew 6:33; Matthew 22:37
Appeal to God for a Pure Heart
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and
renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not
cast me away from Your presence and do
not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore
to me the joy of Your salvation and
sustain me with a willing spirit. Then I will
teach transgressors Your ways, and
sinners will be converted to You.”
(Psalm 51:10-13)