The Sermon On The Mount is famously known as Jesus' most well-known sermon. This message comes from Matthew 5:3-11, and within that passage of Scripture are nine blessings from the Lord. Those blessings were made to encourage us as believers, and be the turning point to truly look in God as our hope. Over these next few weeks, we will be taking time to break each of these blessings down, so enjoy!
Matthew 5:3-11 NLT
"God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers."
All throughout this series, we have seen how our stances towards the things this world throws at us can either bring or hither blessings from coming our way. For example, we are blessed when we realize we are poor and need the Lord. We are blessed in our seasons of mourning. We are blessed when we live humbly for Him. Even in our times of hungering and thirsting for justice, and even showing mercy, we will be blessed! Verse 8 deals with our internal focus; it says God will bless those with pure hearts. To be pure means to be innocent and without blemish or default. That is what our hearts are supposed to be like; we are to keep them pure and clean of any imperfections our sinful world may try to use to taint it. Unfortunately for us, we cannot escape sin. It is impossible to do so without help from Jesus. His redemptive blood rescues us from sin, redeems us from its chains, and revives our hearts to beat for Him once again.
When we choose to live pure, we can then truly see God. Think of it like this: glasses help correct one's vision of the world. If the lenses have smudges, it can be hard to see the world with a clear view. The same thing goes for our faith; our hearts are the lens to be able to see God. If our heart is clouded with sin, seeing God is almost impossible. Some glasses cleaners and a piece of cloth should fix your smudged lenses like that; as for our hearts, purifying them will let us see God in His form and fashion. We are made pure through the repentance of our sins. To live a life where our heart isn't soiled with sin means we can see supernaturally.
Prayer:
Lord, keep my heart pure. Please, don't let the stains of my sinful nature soil my lens of clarity of You. Jesus, convict me to want to repent of my wrongdoings, and keep me pure.
Amen
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