BETTER BLESSING: BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART
Pastor Josh Weisbrod – March 7, 2021
SUMMARY: Everyone has access to salvation but God longs for us to be transformed and grow up in every way into Christ and see God clearly. A prerequisite of intimate relationship with God is purity of heart.
KEY SCRIPTURE: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Matthew 5:8 (Matthew 5:2-12 – The Beatitudes)
Story of King David – 2 Samuel 3:2-5; 11:1-5; 11:6-10; 11:14-15; 11:26-27; Psalm 51:1-17
· God said, Don’t take foreign wives. David took foreign wives.
· David had six wives and then takes a woman and rapes her. She becomes pregnant.
· David tries to cover his sin, but sending her husband home to be with his wife.
· David’s plan doesn’t work. David tries to get her husband drunk and send him home to his wife.
· David gives orders to have her husband be sent to the front of the fighting, and then have others draw back so he would be struck down and die.
· God sends a prophet to confront David with consequences and judgment for his sin.
· David repents and God restores him.
How do we become pure in heart?
1. Become broken hearted
· For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Psalm 51
· Those who recognize the state of their heart, realize they have a desperate need for God
· Bring it into the light—the beginning of healing
2. Bring your whole heart as a sacrifice
· For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51
· When you burn a sacrifice on the altar—the whole thing is gone. There is nothing left.
· We have to pour the entire contents of our heart on His feet. He welcomes it.
· We can’t give God part of our heart, supplement with other things, and then ask Why can’t I see You? Because you didn’t give your whole heart as a sacrifice.
3. Be renewed by the Spirit
· Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51
· The Spirit renews and restores us.
· See God more clearly and consistently. We have an easier time seeing the church, our brothers and sisters, our family, and the world more clearly.
Discussion Questions
1. Is being pure in a heart a character trait that the world admires? How do you know? Is it a character trait you admire or not? Why or why not?
2. In what ways do you identify with David’s story? Have you ever stopped in the middle of a mess in your life and asked, How did I get here? What did you learn about how you got there?
3. Which is the most difficult for you to engage in: 1) recognizing the true state of your heart, 2) bringing your whole heart to God, holding nothing back, or 3) being renewed and restored by the Spirit? Why?
4. What is something that you sense God is asking you to give to Him? How easy or difficult is it for you to trust Him with your heart? Why?
5. What is something that you sense God wants to renew and restore in your life? How easy or difficult is it for you to trust Him that He will see it through to completion? Why?
Full Podcast Episode: https://banner.church/podcast/2021/3/25/better-blessing-3721/