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Matthew 5: Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
“Pure” as it is used here in the original Greek is katharos. Katharos is pronounced Kath-ar-os. It means of uncertain Affinity; clean (literally or figuratively): clean, clear, pure.
Jesus declared to the people that day that if someone was capable of having, keeping or obtaining a pure heart, that they would see God someday.
It is the desire of every believer that, one day, they would see God.
However, the enemy of our souls has a desire too. His desire is to keep us from seeing God. Both in this world and in the next. His attempt is to cause us to lose our pure hearts.
One thing that I have found to be universal amongst new converts/believers is the pure heart that the Lord gives to them.
As newborn babes in Christ, their hearts are open to receive anything that the church has to offer them. They trust the ministry and they trust their newfound church family.
Their hearts are pure. Their motives are pure. Their intensions are pure. They are simply thankful to be saved and are happy and content to be a part of the Family of God.
These people are the source of revival in the church. They are usually the ones who bring new people to the church. They tell all their family and friends about what the Lord has done for them. They are not afraid or ashamed to declare their Love for God or what He has done for them.
What makes these people so important to a community’s infiltration of the Gospel?
What makes these people so valuable to the growth and continuance of a church in a given city?
Their pure heart.
- A heart that is pure is capable of loving someone who is unlovable.
- A heart that is pure is able to look beyond a person’s faults and see their potential greatness.
- A heart that is pure has no selfish motives. It only wants to bless those around it.
It labors for the Lord because it loves the Lord and the people who surround their life.
This person is not perfect. They are still human. They still make mistakes. They still sin. But Jesus said that because their motives were correct and their heart was pure, that they shall see God.
So it seems paramount that a believer in Jesus Christ should seek to have and maintain a pure heart.
Jesus said in Matthew 11:29, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest for your souls.”
Jesus’ desire for those who would follow Him was that they would follow His divine example of a pure heart. If we are going to see God… If we are going to find rest for our souls, we must seek to have and labor to keep the pure heart that Jesus intends for all of his followers to have.
As mentioned however, it is the role of Satan to trip the church up in what should be the simplest and most rudimentary of ideals. His desire is to keep us from seeing God. So consequently, he works to cause our hearts to lose their purity.
One of the main areas that Satan works to destroy our pure hearts is in the area of judging others.
Matthew 7:1-2 tells us to “Judge not, that we be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.”
Luke told us in 6:37, to “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive and ye shall be forgiven.”
A person who has a pure heart does not judge or condemn, but they do always forgive others. They realize that if God is capable of forgiving the sinner, then they too should do so. They love the person because Jesus loves them. Regardless of the faults they may see in them.
Jesus told us in John 7:24 to “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”
What is it about men that they would seek to find the faults of others? It seems to be a universal problem for people of every age and place of society regardless of where they live in this world.
People want to judge one another. They want to prove that their own righteousness is better than the righteousness of their neighbor.
A common thread of Jesus’ teachings is the significance of loving people regardless of where they are at in their walk with God. He said in John 15:12, “This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you.” In John 13:35 He told us, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
What does it mean to “have love one to another”?
In I Corinthians chapter 13 Paul describes for us the work of Love. He describes Charity. Charity as it is used here in the original Greek is the feminine noun Agape. It is pronounced ag-ah’-pa. Agape means brotherly love, affection, good will or benevolence.
In chapter 13, Paul lets us know that no matter how great your faith is. No matter how much you do for the Kingdom of God, if you do not have love for people, you are nothing.
There is much to be gleaned from 1Cor 13. Vs 5 however, says that Charity “…thinketh no evil.” Vs 7 let’s us know that love “… believes all things, hopeth all things…”
If we truly have a pure heart. If we truly love people. “And by the way, we will never be a help to those around us until our hearts are pure and we can demonstrate perfect love to them.” We will not think evil of them when the opportunity to do so arises. And, we will believe in them and hope in them regardless of what is happening in their lives at the current moment.
When a child of God considers another person, they should do so in the light of I Cor 13 and ask themselves:
1. Am I thinking evil of this person?
2. Do I believe in this person?
3. Am I hoping the best for this person?
Let’s face it. None of us are perfect.
None of us are without sin of some kind in our life.
· For some it may be lying.
· For some it may be stealing.
· For some it may be alcoholism, or drug abuse.
· For some it may be fornication.
· For some it may be anger.
· For some it may be pride.
· For some it may be bitterness over injuries of the past.
· For some it may be you name it.
· But the fact of the matter is “No One” is without sin!
Each of us has a sin problem of some kind. You don’t even have to do something evil to sin, all you have to do is think it.”
Some of our sins are more obvious than others of us. Some are very public sins and some are very private sins. But they are all sins. They are all displeasing to God and they are all what separates us from true Holiness. This however, was the purpose of the Cross of Calvary. This was why Jesus hung and died a horrific death on a Roman Cross. “Thank God we have a mediator before God and Thank God we have His forgiveness for our sins (Past, Present and Future).”
So why do we judge each other?
· Why do we look for and call out the worst in others?
· Why do we work to notice and point out what others are doing and not doing right or wrong?
· What keeps us from looking beyond the immediate fault and seeing the positive work of God in a person’s life?
· Why, when there is so much good that the Holy Spirit is doing in a person’s life, do we instead notice only the one or two obvious things that He has not yet perfected in their life?
· Why is it easier to see the faults in a person than the good that God sees?
There is only one reason.
· Our hearts are not pure.
If our hearts were pure, love would cause compassion to well up in our hearts for the person to the point that we would be unable to see the fault in their life and we would instead have and demonstrate faith in their walk with God.
It is better to have a pure heart than it is to be without sin.
The scriptures shared earlier in this study lets us know that a person with a pure heart will see God.
We already know that there is forgiveness for all kinds of sin. So is it imperative for you to point out and notice another person’s sin, which would cause you to come under the same judgment? Or to simply trust that the Lord forgives that person’s fault and is doing a work of restoration and sanctification in their life – whether you can see it or not.
This indeed would be what a person with a pure heart would do. The pure heart sees what God is doing and ignores the area of another’s life that is not perfect.
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The Articles of Preachit.org are written specifically for you and your Ministry team. We have prayed over our articles and sincerely hope that they help you in every way possible. We pray that each article you read, ministers to you and encourages you to keep doing the awesome Work of God. May God continue to bless you as you bless His kingdom.
Below are some ways to use this tool for your benefit. This is not a complete list as you can add to it as you see fit and how it fits your Ministry team. These are just some suggestions to get you started. Thank you for taking the time to read the PreachIt.org Articles and may it enrich your ministry.
1. Teach Your Leadership Team.
2. Put the articles in Your Church's Bulletin.
3. Print out the PDF format and save them for sermon thoughts....
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10 Ways To Use These Articles
The Articles of Preachit.org are written specifically for you and your Ministry team. We have prayed over our articles and sincerely hope that they help you in every way possible. We pray that each article you read, ministers to you and encourages you to keep doing the awesome Work of God. May God continue to bless you as you bless His kingdom.
Below are some ways to use this tool for your benefit. This is not a complete list as you can add to it as you see fit and how it fits your Ministry team. These are just some suggestions to get you started. Thank you for taking the time to read the PreachIt.org Articles and may it enrich your ministry.
1. Teach Your Leadership Team.
2. Put the articles in Your Church's Bulletin.
3. Print out the PDF format and save them for sermon thoughts....
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What's Missing? (A Sermon Thought)
Children’s activities books often have these little exercises. They will display one picture with many items and characters, and when you turn the page, you see a very similar picture which almost looks identical. To the casual glance you would think that nothing is different about the two pictures. However the small instructions at the top of the second picture has a question which let’s you know immediately that even though these two pictures may look the same, they are not. The instructions say, “What’s different about these two pictures?” You then are given opportunity to find and list the items that are missing from the second picture that are evident in the first one.
My younger brother is very successful in law enforcement. I am amazed at his ability to pay attention to the slightest details. He has the ability to walk into a situation and tell you not what is present, but what is not present. What’s missing is often the clue that leads to a case being solved. Myself, I would probably end up exhausting myself studying the clues and items that were left at the scene of a crime rather than understanding what is different or missing from the scene.
Here is the problem many churches in our present day have. There is something missing and we haven’t figured out what it is yet. We are studying what is in front of us, but we can’t figure out why we are not having the kind of revival we know our Lord wants us to have.
We see people’s lack of involvement. We see the lack of dedication to the House of God. We know that the growth of our congregations are not keeping up with the population growth of our communities. People come to church with an “Entertain Me” attitude that lacks the fundamental hunger that is needful in a revival church.
We want to identify with the biblical New Testament church but the picture that was the Original Church is in many ways very different than the picture that is the modern day church.
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What's Missing? (A Sermon Thought)
Children’s activities books often have these little exercises. They will display one picture with many items and characters, and when you turn the page, you see a very similar picture which almost looks identical. To the casual glance you would think that nothing is different about the two pictures. However the small instructions at the top of the second picture has a question which let’s you know immediately that even though these two pictures may look the same, they are not. The instructions say, “What’s different about these two pictures?” You then are given opportunity to find and list the items that are missing from the second picture that are evident in the first one.
My younger brother is very successful in law enforcement. I am amazed at his ability to pay attention to the slightest details. He has the ability to walk into a situation and tell you not what is present, but what is not present. What’s missing is often the clue that leads to a case being solved. Myself, I would probably end up exhausting myself studying the clues and items that were left at the scene of a crime rather than understanding what is different or missing from the scene.
Here is the problem many churches in our present day have. There is something missing and we haven’t figured out what it is yet. We are studying what is in front of us, but we can’t figure out why we are not having the kind of revival we know our Lord wants us to have.
We see people’s lack of involvement. We see the lack of dedication to the House of God. We know that the growth of our congregations are not keeping up with the population growth of our communities. People come to church with an “Entertain Me” attitude that lacks the fundamental hunger that is needful in a revival church.
We want to identify with the biblical New Testament church but the picture that was the Original Church is in many ways very different than the picture that is the modern day church.
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The Value of Biographical Preaching
One of the most exciting and powerful methods of preaching is to share the story (biography) of a character in the Bible. This method is extremely valuable in building people and moving people from one level of ministry to another. God's desire is to grow His Kingdom. His Word is full of ordinary and less than ordinary people who He used to accomplish this purpose. It would behoove us as pastors and leaders to use this method of preaching a lot more than we have in the past. There is nothing more powerful than the testimony of a life that has been transformed by the power of God.
The proper definition of biographical preaching is;
The method of preaching that expounds a Bible character, based on careful exegesis, to deduce the principles that regulated his or her life and to apply the principles to the modern listener. A simpler definition is; Biographical preaching is preaching that provides a biography of the life of a person from scripture and draws a moral lesson or message from that story.
It is essential to understand that all preaching in its most basic of forms is (or at least ought to be) expository in nature. By that I mean that every scripture you share in a sermon should be exposed and expounded upon. Even when only one verse is used in a topical sermon, there is a degree of exposition that takes place. In the same sense, biographical preaching is a type of expository preaching. You are telling the story of an individual rather than the story of a chapter or a book. Instead of exposing a passage of scripture, you are exposing the life of a person in scripture. Your text may include several passages of scripture about the character.
[ read more...]
The Value of Biographical Preaching
One of the most exciting and powerful methods of preaching is to share the story (biography) of a character in the Bible. This method is extremely valuable in building people and moving people from one level of ministry to another. God's desire is to grow His Kingdom. His Word is full of ordinary and less than ordinary people who He used to accomplish this purpose. It would behoove us as pastors and leaders to use this method of preaching a lot more than we have in the past. There is nothing more powerful than the testimony of a life that has been transformed by the power of God.
The proper definition of biographical preaching is;
The method of preaching that expounds a Bible character, based on careful exegesis, to deduce the principles that regulated his or her life and to apply the principles to the modern listener. A simpler definition is; Biographical preaching is preaching that provides a biography of the life of a person from scripture and draws a moral lesson or message from that story.
It is essential to understand that all preaching in its most basic of forms is (or at least ought to be) expository in nature. By that I mean that every scripture you share in a sermon should be exposed and expounded upon. Even when only one verse is used in a topical sermon, there is a degree of exposition that takes place. In the same sense, biographical preaching is a type of expository preaching. You are telling the story of an individual rather than the story of a chapter or a book. Instead of exposing a passage of scripture, you are exposing the life of a person in scripture. Your text may include several passages of scripture about the character.
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I Hate Being Head Beagle!
One Snoopy cartoon depicts the famous beagle of Charley Brown lying on the roof of his dog house and complaining that everyone is constantly demanding something from him. He has so much more to do that he can possibly get accomplished. In the final frame of the cartoon, Snoopy sighs, “I hate being head beagle!”
Being head beagle is not always as glamorous as it appears to be. Amazingly, people struggle to become the top dog. There is some kind of allure to the top position in any given profession and the ministry is no different. An intoxication to be the one at the top of the ladder oftentimes blurs the true calling and divine purpose of too many people.
Few however, know the true cost of being the one with the title before his/her name. At the same time, those who are the One at the Top, overestimate their own true value.....
[ read more...]
I Hate Being Head Beagle!
One Snoopy cartoon depicts the famous beagle of Charley Brown lying on the roof of his dog house and complaining that everyone is constantly demanding something from him. He has so much more to do that he can possibly get accomplished. In the final frame of the cartoon, Snoopy sighs, “I hate being head beagle!”
Being head beagle is not always as glamorous as it appears to be. Amazingly, people struggle to become the top dog. There is some kind of allure to the top position in any given profession and the ministry is no different. An intoxication to be the one at the top of the ladder oftentimes blurs the true calling and divine purpose of too many people.
Few however, know the true cost of being the one with the title before his/her name. At the same time, those who are the One at the Top, overestimate their own true value.....
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Are You Trained To Fail?
“Have you been trained to fail?” You have been trained in ministry to fail if you have been taught to do the ministry rather than to train others for ministry. I am grateful to the teachers who taught me to perform the functions of ministry: visiting, counseling, marrying, burying, teaching, witnessing, and a host of other duties. All are needed. By themselves, however, they help us only to maintain, not to maximize ministry. We can never be effective ministers until we learn what it means to be a leader and how to function as a leader.
The following are five common ingredients in growing churches:
- The pastor and the congregation understand their God-given gifts and use them in ministry.
- The pastor’s hands-on ministry decreases and the congregation’s increases.
- Both the quality and the quantity of ministry increase.
- The pastor’s ministry influence increases as he shares ministry responsibilities with the congregation.
- A biblical philosophy of ministry is established. That is, leadership plus lay ministry equals growth.
How can you build a leadership team and maximize ministry in your church? The following six steps are proven and effective:
- Identify the leaders in the church. Who are the influencers? These persons may hold formal or informal positions of leadership. They are the ones to whom others look for decisions. Write down their names and rank them on a scale of 1 to 10 as to their leadership and influence within the church.
- Intentionally take time to build relationships with your current and future leaders. Do not ignore or exclude the others, but focus on developing leaders.
Are You Trained To Fail?
“Have you been trained to fail?” You have been trained in ministry to fail if you have been taught to do the ministry rather than to train others for ministry. I am grateful to the teachers who taught me to perform the functions of ministry: visiting, counseling, marrying, burying, teaching, witnessing, and a host of other duties. All are needed. By themselves, however, they help us only to maintain, not to maximize ministry. We can never be effective ministers until we learn what it means to be a leader and how to function as a leader.
The following are five common ingredients in growing churches:
- The pastor and the congregation understand their God-given gifts and use them in ministry.
- The pastor’s hands-on ministry decreases and the congregation’s increases.
- Both the quality and the quantity of ministry increase.
- The pastor’s ministry influence increases as he shares ministry responsibilities with the congregation.
- A biblical philosophy of ministry is established. That is, leadership plus lay ministry equals growth.
How can you build a leadership team and maximize ministry in your church? The following six steps are proven and effective:
- Identify the leaders in the church. Who are the influencers? These persons may hold formal or informal positions of leadership. They are the ones to whom others look for decisions. Write down their names and rank them on a scale of 1 to 10 as to their leadership and influence within the church.
- Intentionally take time to build relationships with your current and future leaders. Do not ignore or exclude the others, but focus on developing leaders.
Decision Making
Most leaders must constantly work at making decisions simple. The implication of a decision will always be complex enough, and sometimes we try to solve or deal with all the implications - the how, who, why, how much and so on at the same time we make the decision.
What are the five to ten most relevant, proven facts in this situation?
- Right up front, distinguish proven facts from what are simply your assumptions. Assumptions are what we believe to be true. They can be very faulty foundations on which to build your decision. A proven fact is "Last month the house down the street sold for X dollars." An assumptions is "I think houses in this neighborhood will generally sell for about X dollars."
- The most frequent violation of sound decision making is trying to decide before all the facts are known. Somehow in our minds we have a need to decide now, a need to bring closure, a need to have things settled. Because an undecided situation often brings us stress, our minds compel us to make a decision too quickly before all the facts are in. "Once the facts are clear, the decisions jump out at you." Find out the facts!
How will this decision impact all the people involved?
- Who are the main players? Who else will be affected? People in other departments? You spouse and children?
What will be the long-term impact of this situation?
- What will be the long term impact of this decision?
- How would this decision affect people a year from now? Five or ten years from now? By the time the children leave home? By the time I retire?
- The more reversible the decision and it's consequences the freer you are to move faster in making it.
What legal, moral, or ethical concerns are involved in the decision?
- Be clear on these factors, especially if it's a big decision involving major commitments of money, time, and energy and affecting a number of lives.
- Understand the difference between these three categories. Legality is based on a coded law. Morality is based on a moral code or trust. Ethics are based on an accepted local or cultural standard.
- Sort out these terms and their application to your decision making process, since some decisions you make could be legal and yet immoral or ethical and yet illegal.
Decision Making
Most leaders must constantly work at making decisions simple. The implication of a decision will always be complex enough, and sometimes we try to solve or deal with all the implications - the how, who, why, how much and so on at the same time we make the decision.
What are the five to ten most relevant, proven facts in this situation?
- Right up front, distinguish proven facts from what are simply your assumptions. Assumptions are what we believe to be true. They can be very faulty foundations on which to build your decision. A proven fact is "Last month the house down the street sold for X dollars." An assumptions is "I think houses in this neighborhood will generally sell for about X dollars."
- The most frequent violation of sound decision making is trying to decide before all the facts are known. Somehow in our minds we have a need to decide now, a need to bring closure, a need to have things settled. Because an undecided situation often brings us stress, our minds compel us to make a decision too quickly before all the facts are in. "Once the facts are clear, the decisions jump out at you." Find out the facts!
How will this decision impact all the people involved?
- Who are the main players? Who else will be affected? People in other departments? You spouse and children?
What will be the long-term impact of this situation?
- What will be the long term impact of this decision?
- How would this decision affect people a year from now? Five or ten years from now? By the time the children leave home? By the time I retire?
- The more reversible the decision and it's consequences the freer you are to move faster in making it.
What legal, moral, or ethical concerns are involved in the decision?
- Be clear on these factors, especially if it's a big decision involving major commitments of money, time, and energy and affecting a number of lives.
- Understand the difference between these three categories. Legality is based on a coded law. Morality is based on a moral code or trust. Ethics are based on an accepted local or cultural standard.
- Sort out these terms and their application to your decision making process, since some decisions you make could be legal and yet immoral or ethical and yet illegal.
Seven Challenges Every Pastor Faces
As Pastors or those in ministry, we are often pulled in many directions. Here are seven challenges that many pastors face:
1. TIME:
- Finding the time to do everything I need to do; Prayer, personal devotion, sermon preparation, leadership, meetings, caring for people, district events, teaching Bible studies etc.
2. KEEPING PEOPLE MOTIVATED & FOCUSED:
- Getting everybody on board and keeping them on board......
Seven Challenges Every Pastor Faces
As Pastors or those in ministry, we are often pulled in many directions. Here are seven challenges that many pastors face:
1. TIME:
- Finding the time to do everything I need to do; Prayer, personal devotion, sermon preparation, leadership, meetings, caring for people, district events, teaching Bible studies etc.
2. KEEPING PEOPLE MOTIVATED & FOCUSED:
- Getting everybody on board and keeping them on board......
Guard the Gates - Part 2
The expression of guarding the gates really has to do with guarding the mind. As noted in the previous message, John Bunyan wrote another classic although much less recognized than Pilgrim’s Progress entitled The Holy War which tells the story of Mansoul being captured and taken over by Diabolus because of the gates being compromised. That same plan is still being effectively carried out in our generation. People of every kind and status within the church have a responsibility to not let this kind of thing take place. This is especially true of those who are actively called into the ministry. If the shepherd can be toppled, the sheep will scatter....
[ read more...]
Guard the Gates - Part 2
The expression of guarding the gates really has to do with guarding the mind. As noted in the previous message, John Bunyan wrote another classic although much less recognized than Pilgrim’s Progress entitled The Holy War which tells the story of Mansoul being captured and taken over by Diabolus because of the gates being compromised. That same plan is still being effectively carried out in our generation. People of every kind and status within the church have a responsibility to not let this kind of thing take place. This is especially true of those who are actively called into the ministry. If the shepherd can be toppled, the sheep will scatter....
[ read more...]
Why Churches Close
There are a number of reasons why a church may decline and confront the prospect of ministry death. Some of the causes are outside the congregation’s control. Others are a direct result of what the people are doing (or not doing) within the church.
Listed are reasons why churches close. The wise leader will recognize where his congregation is and prevent the loss of a church.
- Loss of population base within the community. A significant factor confronting many churches located in isolated rural areas is the decline within the community at large. As the children become adults, there are not enough economic bases to support them. As the population of the community decreases so do the opportunities for the church outreach and growth. New people, having no ties to the community, may travel to a larger metropolitan area to attend a church that has multiple programs.
- Demographic change within a community. Demographic changes alter the cultural setting of the community. Churches that do not adapt to these changes can find it difficult to minister to the new cultural setting. Because small churches tend to be homogeneous, they are often the last to change when transitions occur in the demographic setting. Unwilling to change, they soon become isolated from the mainstream of the community.....
Why Churches Close
There are a number of reasons why a church may decline and confront the prospect of ministry death. Some of the causes are outside the congregation’s control. Others are a direct result of what the people are doing (or not doing) within the church.
Listed are reasons why churches close. The wise leader will recognize where his congregation is and prevent the loss of a church.
- Loss of population base within the community. A significant factor confronting many churches located in isolated rural areas is the decline within the community at large. As the children become adults, there are not enough economic bases to support them. As the population of the community decreases so do the opportunities for the church outreach and growth. New people, having no ties to the community, may travel to a larger metropolitan area to attend a church that has multiple programs.
- Demographic change within a community. Demographic changes alter the cultural setting of the community. Churches that do not adapt to these changes can find it difficult to minister to the new cultural setting. Because small churches tend to be homogeneous, they are often the last to change when transitions occur in the demographic setting. Unwilling to change, they soon become isolated from the mainstream of the community.....
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