First Reformed Presbyterian Church of Cambridge, Massachusetts

The Lord's Day December 10, 2000

Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the Pure in Heart

1. Seeing God in Jesus Christ.

   1. Christ explains God to us.

• John 1:18 He has declared Him. (NAS "He has explained Him.")
• 2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans 8:29

  1. Christ shows God to us.

• John 14:8-9 He who has seen Me has seen the Father
• Colossians 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
• 1 Corinthians 15:49

  1. Christ is God come to us.

• Colossians 1:17-20 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
• Col 2:9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;
• Hebrews 1:1-3 the express image of His person

• Seeing God in glory.

  1. The Lord desires that his disciples see God.

• John 17:24 "Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory
• 1 John 1:1-4 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you,
• 1 John 3:2; 1 Peter 1:8; James 5:8

  1. The Lord has ordained that the whole world see him.

• Through the preaching and sacraments of the church, Christ is revealed. [Matt 28:19-20 "Go therefore…; Colossians 1:28 Him we preach… ]
• Through his appearance on the day of his return, even the wicked will see him. [Revelation 1:7 Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him…; Psalm 96:13; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Romans 14:10-12]

  1. To see God with clarity…

• We must seek to know God in truth. [2 Peter 1:16 …but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.]
• We must look forward to a day when our vision will be clear. [1Cor 13:9-12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face.]
• Seeing God with clarity, we will be his, and he ours. [Revelation 22:4 They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.]
• To see God we must be made again into his image. [2 Corinthians 3:18]

• To see God in blessedness we must be purified in heart.

  1. Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, [1 Timothy 1:5]

• Psalm 24:4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart
• 1 Timothy 1:13 "Although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man, but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief."

  1. " The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? [Jeremiah 17:9]

• Matthew 15:8 'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.
• Matthew 15:17-20 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies
• Psalm 19:8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;

  1. We need our heart restored and renewed.

• Proverbs 20:9 Who can say, "I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin"?
• Acts 26:18 …that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.'
• Psalm 51:9-12 Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

  1. The fruit of a pure heart now:

• Commitment to godly priorities: 2 Timothy 2:22
• Commitment to sincere worship in truth: Hebrews 10:22
• Commitment to sincere love of the brethren: 1 Peter 1:22-23

  1. The hope of a pure heart in eternity.

• Job 19:25-27; Revelation 22:4-5 They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.