Kingdom Influence Part 12

At Keys Vineyard Church, we are presenting a series called ‘Kingdom Influence,’ which we post here on Online Bible Institute.

Our series is called Kingdom Influence. The Beatitudes are not a checklist. They are a portrait. They describe what it looks like to live as a citizen of the Kingdom of God. Last week, we looked at the merciful. This week, Jesus turns our attention inward again as He speaks about the pure in heart.

Matthew 5:8 (NIV)
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”

When Jesus speaks about the heart, He is talking about the center of who we are. The heart in Scripture represents the inner life—the place where our desires, motives, and intentions are formed. It is the hidden place of the soul. Other people can see our actions, but only God truly sees our hearts. That is why the Lord said to Samuel:

1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV)
“But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

Human beings are often concerned with appearances, reputation, and what others think. God is concerned with something deeper. He looks at what is happening beneath the surface—what is truly motivating us. The word translated “pure” in Matthew 5:8 is the Greek word katharos. It is where we get the word catharsis, meaning cleansing or purification. The basic idea of the word is something that has been cleaned from dirt, filth, or contamination. When applied to the heart, it speaks of pure motives, undivided devotion, and spiritual integrity. Psalm 24 helps us see this more clearly.

Psalm 24:3-6 (NIV)
3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. 5 He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob.

Notice the connection David makes between a pure heart and freedom from falsehood. A pure heart is not deceitful. It is not trying to live in two directions at once. Deceit happens when we will two things instead of one. We intend to do one thing, but we want others to think we are doing something else. That is what creates a divided heart. Imagine someone trying to drive a car while constantly pulling the steering wheel in two different directions. The car would never move straight. It would drift back and forth across the road. That is what happens when the heart is divided.

We want to follow God… but we also want control.
We want righteousness… but we also want approval.
We want truth… but we also want comfort.

James speaks directly to this struggle:

James 4:8 (NIV)
“Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

Just like Psalm 24, James speaks about both clean hands and a pure heart. The problem he addresses is double-mindedness—a divided will. Purity of heart is the opposite of that. It is singleness of heart. It is integrity. It means that what we say we believe is what we are honestly trying to live. It is not perfection, but it is sincerity.

A pure heart is a heart that wants one thing above all else—to seek the face of God. And Jesus says that those who live with that kind of integrity will receive a remarkable promise: They will see God.

Steve Lawes is a pastor at Keys Vineyard Church and also the founder of the Online Bible Institute Network.