1. The Lord's Sermon on the Mount is recorded in Matthew 5-7. 2. Jesus began His sermon by presenting "the Beatitudes" (Matthew 5:3-12). 3. In the Beatitudes,: a. Jesus revealed some special blessings that are available to His followers b. Jesus gave His requirements for receiving these blessings. 4. Our lesson is based on the 6th Beatitude (Matthew 5:8). Discussion: I. LET US FIRST EXAMINE THE BLESSING ASSOCIATED WITH THIS BEATITUDE
A. The blessing is "seeing God." B. No one has experienced this blessing. 1. We learn from Deuteronomy 34:10 that the Lord knew Moses "face to face;" however, Moses was not allowed to see God's face (Exodus 33:20-23). 2. See John 1:18; 1 John 4:12 C. While no one has seen God, Jesus taught that certain people "shall see God." II. LET US NEXT EXAMINE THE LORD'S REQUIREMENT ASSOCIATED WITH THIS BLESSING
A. The requirement is "being pure in heart." B. God has always required His people to have pure hearts. 1. Consider: a. the answers to David's questions in Psalm 24:3-4 b. Solomon's statement in Proverbs 4:23. 2. We need to understand that: a. God knows the condition of our hearts (Psalm 44:21) b. the condition of our hearts will affect our words as well as our actions (Matthew 12:34-37; 15:18-19). C. How is the heart purified? 1. God is the One who makes the heart pure (Psalm 51:10). 2. God purifies our hearts when we obey the Gospel. a. 1 Peter 1:22-23; John 3:3, 5 b. Romans 6:17-18, 3-4 D. How is the heart kept pure? 1. We must invite God to search our hearts regularly (Psalm 139:23-24). 2. We must hide God's Word in our hearts (Psalm 119:11). 3. We must allow Christ to dwell in our hearts (Ephesians 3:17a). 4. We must think on the right things (Philippians 4:8; Proverbs 23:7). 5. We must not allow our hearts to become hardened (Hebrews 3:12-13). Conclusion:
1. In the 6th Beatitude, Jesus showed that we must have pure hearts to see God. 2. Looking forward to seeing the Lord when He returns should motivate us to be purified (1 John 3:2-3).
