This document is a summary of a sermon on developing a pure heart based on the sixth Beatitude from Matthew 5:8 - "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." The sermon discusses how purity starts from within by controlling thoughts and desires. It notes evil desires lead to temptation and sin. It also discusses diagnosing an impure heart through actions like making inappropriate insinuations. The sermon concludes by urging listeners to pursue righteousness wholeheartedly and take every thought captive for Jesus Christ.

1. With Eternity’s Values
in View
Part 7
by Samuel E. Ward
The Beatitudes
Matthew 5:3-12
1
See the text version of this sermon at

2. Matthew 5:3-12 (NIV2011) 3 “Blessed are
the poor in spirit, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those
who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5
Blessed are the meek, for they will
inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those
who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
2

3. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will
be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure
in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed
are the peacemakers, for they will be
called children of God. 10 Blessed are
those who are persecuted because of
righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven.
3

4. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult
you, persecute you and falsely say all
kinds of evil against you because of me.
12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is
your reward in heaven, for in the same
way they persecuted the prophets who
were before you.
4

5. Introduction
Our consideration of The Beatitudes
have led us to these five thus far:
I. “Blessed Are Those Who Are Poor in
Spirit,” Mat 5:3
II. “Blessed Are Those Who Mourn,”
Mat 5:4
III. “Blessed Are the Meek,” Mat 5:5
IV. “Blessed Are Those Who Hunger and
Thirst for Righteousness,” Mat 5:6
5

6. V. “Blessed Are the Merciful, For They Will
Be Shown Mercy.” Mat 5:7
The sixth Beatitude is next in our study
of the eight which appear in Matthew 5:3-
12.
VI. “Blessed Are the Pure in Heart, For
They Will See God.” Mat 5:8
6

7. Someone has
observed that in
“New York City, tap
water comes pre-
loaded with tiny
crustaceans called
copepods, or as I
like to call them
“mini shrimp”.
Yum. Talk about a
deal… you get
seafood with every
free glass of NYC
tap water.”
7http://www.thehistoryblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/copepods.jpg

8. In what things do we expect have a
reasonable expectation of purity?
1. Food
2. Water
3.
4.
5.
6.
7. etc.
8

9. What about our hearts?
How Does One Develop a Pure Heart?
9

10. I. We Must Work from the
Inside Out.
A. Here Is the Life-Cycle of Evil Desire.
1. Impurity starts in the heart with an
evil desire.
Matthew 15:10-12, 17-20 (NIV2011)
10 Jesus called the crowd to him and
said, “Listen and understand. 11 What
goes into someone’s mouth does not
defile them, but what comes out of
their mouth, that is what defiles
them.”
10

11. 12 Then the disciples came to him and
asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees
were offended when they heard this?”
. . . 17 “Don’t you see that whatever
enters the mouth goes into the stomach
and then out of the body? 18 But the
things that come out of a person’s mouth
come from the heart, and these defile
them.
11

12. 19 For out of the heart come evil
thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual
immorality, theft, false testimony,
slander. 20 These are what defile a
person; but eating with unwashed hands
does not defile them.”
12

13. 2. Evil desire drags us into temptation.
James 1:13-14 (NIV2011) 13 When
tempted, no one should say, “God is
tempting me.” For God cannot be
tempted by evil, nor does he tempt
anyone; 14 but each person is
tempted when they are dragged away
by their own evil desire and enticed.
13

14. 3. Evil desire unites with temptation
which leads to sin.
James 1:15a (NIV2011) Then, after
desire has conceived, it gives birth to
sin; . . .
4. Sin leads to death—A spiritual heart
attack!
James 1:15b (NIV2011) . . . and sin,
when it is full-grown, gives birth to
death.
14

15. B. Here Is the Health Regimen for a Pure
Heart
1. Think pure thoughts.
Philippians 4:8-9 (NIV2011) 8 Finally,
brothers and sisters, whatever is true,
whatever is noble, whatever is right,
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,
whatever is admirable—if anything is
excellent or praiseworthy—think about
such things.
15

16. 9 Whatever you have learned or received
or heard from me, or seen in me—put it
into practice. And the God of peace will
be with you.
Note the outcome of obedience in this
regard as stated in verse 9. “The God of
peace will be with you.”
Note just as importantly the outcome
for the disobedient. “There is no peace,
says the Lord, for the wicked.”
(Isa 48:22; 57:21)
16

17. 2. Flee evil; pursue righteousness.
2 Timothy 2:22-23 (NIV2011) 22 Flee
the evil desires of youth and pursue
righteousness, faith, love and peace,
along with those who call on the Lord
out of a pure heart. 23 Don’t have
anything to do with foolish and stupid
arguments, because you know they
produce quarrels.
17

18. 3. Resist the devil, come near to God,
confess and repent as needed.
Stop trying to live in the ways of
God’s kingdom and the ways of the
world at the same time. This is self-
imposed spiritual schizophrenia and is
not healthy.
18

19. James 4:7-8 (NIV2011) 7 Submit
yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil,
and he will flee from you. 8 Come near
to God and he will come near to you.
Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify
your hearts, you double-minded.
19

20. 1 Peter 4:1-2 (NIV2011) 1 Therefore,
since Christ suffered in his body, arm
yourselves also with the same attitude,
because whoever suffers in the body is
done with sin. 2 As a result, they do not
live the rest of their earthly lives for evil
human desires, but rather for the will of
God.
20

21. II. How to Diagnose an
Impure Heart.
A. They Are Constantly Making
Innuendoes.
They see impure double-meanings in
everything. Nothing is sacred in their
eyes.
21

22. Titus 1:15-16 (NIV2011) 15 To the pure,
all things are pure, but to those who are
corrupted and do not believe, nothing is
pure. In fact, both their minds and
consciences are corrupted. 16 They
claim to know God, but by their actions
they deny him. They are detestable,
disobedient and unfit for doing anything
good.
22

23. B. They mock the righteous and seek to
draw them into their sin.
1 Peter 4:3-5 (NIV2011) 3 For you have
spent enough time in the past doing what
pagans choose to do—living in
debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies,
carousing and detestable idolatry. 4 They
are surprised that you do not join them in
their reckless, wild living, and they heap
abuse on you. 5 But they will have to
give account to him who is ready to judge
the living and the dead.
23

24. C. They Do Their Deeds in the Darkness,
Thinking No One Sees.
Isaiah 29:15 (NIV2011) Woe to those who
go to great depths to hide their plans
from the LORD, who do their work in
darkness and think, “Who sees us? Who
will know?”
24

25. There is certainly no desire to let the
light of Jesus or Gospel expose them for
who they are so that they might be saved
from their sins.
John 3:20-21 (NIV2011) 20 Everyone
who does evil hates the light, and will not
come into the light for fear that their
deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever
lives by the truth comes into the light, so
that it may be seen plainly that what they
have done has been done in the sight of
God.
25

26. Generally speaking, if you can’t feel
comfortable doing something in the full
light of day so that all can see it, then
don’t do it. If you wouldn’t feel
comfortable with others being able to see
the images of your mind on a public
screen, then don’t think it.
26

27. III. We Must Work Within the Bounds
of God’s Definitions of
Good and Evil.
A. Judgment Will Come to Those Who Re-
Define Good and Evil.
Isaiah 5:20-21 (NIV2011) 20 Woe to those
who call evil good and good evil, who put
darkness for light and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet and sweet for
bitter. 21 Woe to those who are wise in
their own eyes and clever in their own
sight
27

28. B. God Will Turn Us Over to the
Consequences of Our Sin If We Do Not
Repent.
Romans 1:28 (NIV2011) Furthermore, just
as they did not think it worthwhile to
retain the knowledge of God, so God gave
them over to a depraved mind, so that
they do what ought not to be done.
28

29. Romans 2:5-6 (NIV2011) 5 But because of
your stubbornness and your unrepentant
heart, you are storing up wrath against
yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when
his righteous judgment will be revealed.
6 God “will repay each person according
to what they have done.”
29

30. IV. We Must Conduct Ourselves with
Purity of Motive and Intent Based on
God’s Word
Hebrews 4:12-13 (NIV2011) 12 For the
word of God is alive and active. Sharper
than any double-edged sword, it
penetrates even to dividing soul and
spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the
thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13
Nothing in all creation is hidden from
God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and
laid bare before the eyes of him to whom
we must give account.
30

31. Conclusion
1. Give yourself as whole-heartedly to
righteousness and purity as you once did
to sin.
Romans 6:19 (NIV2011) I am using an
example from everyday life because of
your human limitations. Just as you used to
offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and
to ever-increasing wickedness, so now
offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness
leading to holiness.
31

32. 2. Refuse the wages of sin (death) in
order to gain the gift of God (eternal
life).
Romans 6:22-23 (NIV2011) 22 But now
that you have been set free from sin and
have become slaves of God, the benefit
you reap leads to holiness, and the result
is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is
death, but the gift of God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord.
32

33. 3. Capture every thought for Jesus.
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (NIV2011) 4 The
weapons we fight with are not the
weapons of the world. On the contrary,
they have divine power to demolish
strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments
and every pretension that sets itself up
against the knowledge of God, and we
take captive every thought to make it
obedient to Christ.
33