Podcasts about pure in heart

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This month's theme is The Heart!We go through all the scriptures twice in this episode. 1. Matthew 5:8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.(RSV2CE translation)2. Matthew 6:21For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.(NAB translation)3. Proverbs 4:23With all vigilance guard your heart, for in it are the sources of life.(NAB translation)4. Samuel 16:7b“…the LORD sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” (RSV2CE translation)

Jesus said the poor in spirit, the pure in heart, and the peacemakers will experience true happiness, yet those who seem to be having the best life often care little about what Jesus has to say. Why are we tempted to lose faith in the promise of Jesus? If you have ever found yourself wondering, then Psalm 73 is here to anchor you.

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2023-10-12 - Blessed Are The Pure In Heart： Matthew 5_8 [jjQmC902YGA] by Salvador Flores III

Witness the ultimate act of faith and forgiveness as Stephen, the first martyr, sees the heavens open and prays for his persecutors.In this episode, experience the powerful and poignant story of Stephen, the first Christian martyr, and his unwavering faith even in the face of death. Discover the purity of heart that allowed him to see Jesus and forgive his enemies.Today's Bible verse is (Matthew 5:8, from the King James Version.Download the Pray.com app for more Christian content including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.Pray.com is the digital destination for faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join Pastor Mike Burchfield as he continues his series, Discourses of the King of Heaven. This Sunday he will be discussing: Christ's Key to a Happy Life, Part 2. Matthew 5:3-11 The Beatitudes He said: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Join Pastor Mike Burchfield as he continues his series, Discourses of the King of Heaven. This Sunday he will be discussing: Modeling the Kingdom of Heaven. Matthew 5:3-12 The Beatitudes He said: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

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Today on LEADING THE WAY, Dr. Michael Youssef encourages you to listen closely to the words of Jesus in Matthew chapter five! As you do, you'll experience HAPPINESS through a PURE heart . . . on LEADING THE WAY AUDIO! (Matthew 5) Support the show: https://au.ltw.org/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's devotional, Dr. Michael A. Youssef clarifies two different aspects of purity.If you would like more insight into today's devotional topic, listen to Dr. Michael A. Youssef's sermon Happiness Is in You, Part 6: LISTEN NOW

We're so glad you are here! Thanks for checking out Sunday's message!-- SUNDAY'S NOTES --The heart of the matter is a matter of the heart. Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. Psalm 139:23-24 NLTLevav / Heart: The center of character, will, and understanding. The place you think, feel, desire, and decide. Kardia: the inner self, thoughts, emotions, desires, and decisions. The control center of human life.(Read verses 7-8) The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds. Jeremiah 17:9-10 ESVWe cannot have a heart that is whole without the help and healing of the Lord. The LORD doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 NLTHeart health doesn't come from either emotional limitation or liberation, but instead emotions surrendered to and sorted by Jesus. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. Ephesians 3:17 NLTSteward your heart by giving your heart to God! Thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. Isaiah 43:1 ESVIt is impossible to live a life meaning with the Lord without a heart that is whole and His.Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLTThe Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18 ESVGod can only guide and guard the heart He governs, and He will only govern the heart he owns. 2) Steward your Heart by Guarding your Heart! Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Proverbs 3:23 NLTGod doesn't just want your habits, He wants your heart! Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies. Daniel 1:8 NKJVDaniel lived in Babylon, but Babylon didn't live in Daniel. Can we live found in a world that's lost it's way or live free in a culture of captivity? - Yes!A guarded heart is anchored in Godly identity, not the worldly environment or culture.3) Steward your heart by choosing to have a heart for after God.Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 ESVBlessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8 ESVFor where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21 ESV-------------------------------------------------Download the 828 Church app!To view our latest e-newsletter, the Midweek Momentum, and subscribe to our weekly updates, go here! https://linktr.ee/828church

We're so glad you are here! Thanks for checking out Sunday's message!-- SUNDAY'S NOTES --The heart of the matter is a matter of the heart. Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. Psalm 139:23-24 NLTLevav / Heart: The center of character, will, and understanding. The place you think, feel, desire, and decide. Kardia: the inner self, thoughts, emotions, desires, and decisions. The control center of human life.(Read verses 7-8) The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds. Jeremiah 17:9-10 ESVWe cannot have a heart that is whole without the help and healing of the Lord. The LORD doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 NLTHeart health doesn't come from either emotional limitation or liberation, but instead emotions surrendered to and sorted by Jesus. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. Ephesians 3:17 NLTSteward your heart by giving your heart to God! Thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. Isaiah 43:1 ESVIt is impossible to live a life meaning with the Lord without a heart that is whole and His.Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLTThe Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18 ESVGod can only guide and guard the heart He governs, and He will only govern the heart he owns. 2) Steward your Heart by Guarding your Heart! Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Proverbs 3:23 NLTGod doesn't just want your habits, He wants your heart! Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies. Daniel 1:8 NKJVDaniel lived in Babylon, but Babylon didn't live in Daniel. Can we live found in a world that's lost it's way or live free in a culture of captivity? - Yes!A guarded heart is anchored in Godly identity, not the worldly environment or culture.3) Steward your heart by choosing to have a heart for after God.Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 ESVBlessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8 ESVFor where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21 ESV-------------------------------------------------Download the 828 Church app!To view our latest e-newsletter, the Midweek Momentum, and subscribe to our weekly updates, go here! https://linktr.ee/828church

A sermon on Matthew 5:8 by pastor Andrew Dionne. Preached on November 23, 2025, evening service, at Trinity Presbyterian Church (Evangel Presbytery) in Spartanburg, SC.

A Sermon for the Sunday Next Before Advent Jeremiah 23:5-8 & St. John 6:5-14 by William Klock As we come to the last Sunday in the Church Year, I've been reflecting on the scripture passages we've read these last twenty-two weeks of Trinitytide.  The first half of the Church Year walks us through the life and ministry of Jesus.  The second half, following Trinity Sunday, walks us through the life and ministry of the church.  The lessons remind us who we are and encourage us to be the people and the community that Jesus and the Spirit have made us.  Last week we were reminded that just as the old temple was the place where Israel found forgiveness and the presence of God, so the church—the new temple—is also to be the place where the world encounters the presence of God and the forgiveness that flows from the cross.  On All Saint's, just a few weeks ago, we heard the Beatitudes and were reminded of the character that Jesus and the Spirit have given us.  We are the community that is poor in spirit, that mourns sin and the fallenness of the world, the meek who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, and the peacemakers.  And thinking of all that, it's easy to feel overwhelmed.  Sometimes we fail.  A lot of the time it just feels like the pushback against us is overwhelming. I feel like Israel in the wilderness with temptation after temptation and enemy after enemy.  But then I think, wait a minute.  Even in the wilderness, God was with Israel.  I think of Moses, reiterating the torah, the law, to Israel as they were on the verge of finally entering the Holy Land, and as he called them to commit to the Lord's covenant—and he knew it seemed like an overwhelming thing to them—he said to them: You can do this.  It's not too hard.  It's not far off.  It's not in heaven that you have to go and bring it down.  It's not across the ocean, that you've got to send someone far away to fetch it.  God's word is near you.  It's in your heart and it's in your mouth so that you can do it.”  Even more, there was the Lord, present in a shining cloud of glory right in their midst—always present with them in the tabernacle.  Ready to forgive and to purify and to strengthen them to be the people he'd created and called them to be.  And if that was true of Israel and of her relationship with God in the Old Covenant—well, maybe I shouldn't be so discouraged.  Because, in Jesus, God has established something even better.  And so I pore over his word, and I pray, and I look forward to Sundays and his invitation to come feast at his Table. I find hope in the promise in the lesson we read today from Jeremiah.  It's a passage I think of a lot.  To a people who had failed, to a people broken and being carried off into exile, to a people who had lost his presence, the Lord promised: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.  In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.'  Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when they shall no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,' but ‘As the Lord lives who brought up and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.' Then they shall dwell in their own land.” (Jeremiah 23:5-8) All of it is important, but the part that really gets me here is that promise that the Messiah would redefine what it meant to be God's people.  The Lord's deliverance of Israel from exile was the thing, the event that defined them as a people.  It was the event that they could hold onto as proof that the Lord was real and living and active, that he is faithful and worthy of trust.  That he makes good on his promises.  It was his gracious and loving deliverance of Israel from Egypt that motivated them to return his love and faithfulness with their own devotion and allegiance.  And yet, the Lord says, when the Messiah has done his work, it'll no longer be about Egypt and the exodus, but about the deliverance brought by the Messiah.  In hindsight, we can say that our existence as the people of God is defined by the cross and the empty tomb—by the body and blood of Jesus the Messiah shed for us.  The Passover, the meal that reminded the Jewish people of their identity of God's people, the meal through which each generation participated in that rescue from Pharaoh's bondage, was redefined by Jesus.  He took the Passover bread and the Passover wine and redefined them.  No longer do they represent deliverance from Egypt, but our deliverance from sin and death by his body broken and his blood poured out.  And Brothers and Sisters, in the midst of the wilderness; struggling to keep our baptismal vows to fight the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil; struggling to be faithful stewards of the gospel and the life of the Spirit, it ought to be strengthening to remember both what the Lord has done for us and that he is so closely with us. This is why the church gives us today's Gospel—the familiar story of Jesus feeding the five thousand.  For the last six months the lessons have been exhorting us to take up Jesus' yoke, to take up our crosses and to follow him.  And when we forget who we are and what the Lord has done for us it's easy to forget that Jesus has promised his yoke is easy and his burden is light, and that in taking up our crosses, he walks alongside us bearing his own.  He is with us in the wilderness.  And that's what today's Gospel is all about.  St. John, in the sixth chapter of his Gospel, writes: “Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming to him.  ‘Where are we going to buy bread,' he said to Philip, ‘so that they can have something to eat?'  (He said this to test him.  He himself knew what he intended to do.)  ‘Two hundred denarii,' replied Philip, ‘wouldn't be enough to buy bread for each of them to have just a little!'  One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, joined in.  ‘There's a boy here,' he said, ‘who's got five barley loaves and to fish.  But what use are they with this many people?'  ‘Make the men sit down,' said Jesus.  There was a lot of grass where they were, so the men sat down, about five thousand in all.  So Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and gave them to the people sitting down, and then did the same with the fish, as much as they wanted.  When they were satisfied, he called the disciples.  ‘Gather up the bits and pieces left over,' he said, ‘so that nothing is lost.'  So they collected it up and filled twelve baskets with the broken pieces of the five barley loaves left behind by the people who had eaten.  When the people saw the sign that Jesus had done, they said, ‘This truly is the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world. (John 6:5-14) Now, the lectionary leaves out the first four verses of the chapter.  Because of that we miss two important details.  The first is the time and the second is the place.  John tells us in verse 4 that “the Passover was at hand”.  Remember again what the Passover was all about.  Passover was the annual festival in which the Jews recalled the events of the Exodus—those events that Jeremiah points to as defining the very identity of Israel as the people of God.  I'll say it again, because it's important to understand: In the Exodus the Lord had delivered them from their Egyptian slavery, he had defeated Pharaoh and the gods of Egypt, he had given them his law and the tabernacle and had taken up his dwelling in their midst, and he had led them through the wilderness.  Each new generation of Jews, as they took part in the Passover meal, became participants in the events of the Exodus, in the establishing of the Lord's covenant.  The Exodus, commemorated by the Passover, was the defining event in Israel's life as the people of God.  So it's not just at the Last Supper, but throughout his ministry that Jesus takes the Passover and redefines it in terms of himself: his provision for the people, his body and blood, his cross and his resurrection leading a new people in an exodus from sin and death. The other important detail in those first verses is the place.  This took place on the far side of the Sea of Galilee.  Jesus has led the people into the wilderness and he's taken up his seat on a mountain.  Again, John stages the story using the imagery of the Exodus.  We have a great crowd of people in the wilderness.  John wants us to be thinking about Israel in the wilderness.  These people are hungry for supper, but there's no food to be had.  The only thing missing is the people grumbling to Moses.  But these people were just hungry to hear Jesus.  This time it's Jesus who realises the people's need before they realise it themselves.  That's something to take comfort in.  Jesus is looking after our needs before know them ourselves. Jesus turns to Philip and asks what's to be done to feed all these people.  Now, Philip—a good Jew whom I'm sure knew his people's story—should have recalled the manna in the wilderness, but he wasn't thinking of Jesus on that level just yet.  Andrew, on the other hand, has met a boy who happens to have brought a sack lunch: a couple of fish and five little loaves of bread.  Such a little bit of food might as well have bene nothing if you're thinking about distributing it to five thousand people.  But I don't think Andrew would have bothered telling Jesus about this boy and his lunch if he hadn't thought that Jesus could make use of it somehow.  What could Jesus possibly do with so little?  The situation seemed totally impossible, and yet the Lord had provided for his hungry people in the wilderness all those centuries before.  Why not again?  And so Andrew gives us a hopeful sign. Brothers and Sisters, this is how the people of God are called to respond in hopeless situations.  This how we're to depend on Jesus as he leads us through the wilderness—when our calling, our task, our vocation, when being the people he's made us seems so hard, when you feel like you can't carry your cross another step.  Don't grumble like Israel did.  Don't give up on God and put your faith in horses, chariots, foreign kings, and pagan gods like Israel did back in the days of Jeremiah.  The Lord has always been faithful to provide and he always will.  Andrew knew that.  I don't know if Andrew was thinking about it, but I think that as John wrote this, he was thinking about one particular event in Israel's past and about King Hezekiah.  The way John tells the story seems to deliberately echo the story of Hezekiah. Hezekiah was also in a hopeless situation.  The Assyrians had besieged Jerusalem.  The messenger of the Assyrian king called up to Hezekiah's men on the walls of the city that he would destroy them and that it would be because Hezekiah had purged Judah of its altars and shrines to the Assyrian gods.  The Assyrian king sent a message to Hezekiah, warning him that the Lord would not be able to deliver him.  Hezekiah no doubt had advisers who saw the situation as hopeless.  Some would have advised him to surrender to the Assyrians and to bow before their gods.  Others would have urged him to form an alliance with the Egyptians, which would have involved their gods as well.  To many, it would have seemed that Hezekiah was out of options.  But he knew better.  The King took the message from the Assyrian king and went to the temple.  He prayed.  Sometimes that's all you can do.  And the Lord sent the Prophet Isaiah to Hezekiah with a message of reassurance:  The king of Assyria will not enter Jerusalem.  “I will defend this city to save it for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David” (Isaiah 19:34).  And that very night an angel struck down 185,000 men in the camp of the Assyrians. Andrew now, like Hezekiah taking Sennacherib's letter to the temple and not knowing what to do, only that the Lord would do something, Andrew now brings the boy and his lunch to Jesus.  The Lord will provide.  Somehow.  In some way.  And Jesus does just that.  He took the bread, gave thanks to God, and started breaking it into pieces and somehow there was still bread in his hands as the baskets began to fill.  And the same with the fish.  No matter how much Jesus gave out, there was still more in his hands.  And everyone—the multiple thousands sitting there on the grass—everyone had their fill.  Just like they did in the wilderness after they'd left Egypt.  And yet there's an element of the story here that points to this new exodus that's taking shape being even greater than the first.  In the first exodus, there was no manna left over.  There was always enough to satisfy the needs of the people, but if you tried to gather extra and to keep it, it rotted away and produced worms.  In contrast, when Jesus feeds these people in the wilderness, there are twelve basketfuls left over—presumably food the people took home with them to eat and to be reminded the next day of what the Lord had done. But that's not the only Old Testament echo that John works into the story.  Andrew faithfully taking the loaves and fishes to Jesus echoes Hezekiah going before the Lord to ask for a miracle.  But as John tells us about Jesus dividing up the bread and fish, there's an echo of another story the people would have known very well. John, I think, tells the story to deliberately recall the prophet Elisha and, in particular, the events of 2 Kings 4.  There was a famine in the land and Isaiah had a band of followers to provide for.  A man brought them twenty loaves of bread and a sack of grain, but it wasn't nearly enough to feed Elisha's men.  That didn't concern Elisha.  He gave the sack of bread to his servant and commanded him to give it to the men so that they could eat.  His servant balked at that.  “How can I can set this before a hundred men?” he asked.  Elisha commanded him again to take it to the men and said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘They shall eat and have some left.'”  And, somehow, the men ate their fill and, just as the Lord had promised, there were leftovers remaining (2 King 4:42-44). Now, back to our Gospel: The people on that mountain with Jesus put the pieces together: Passover, wilderness, bread from heaven, baskets of leftover bread.  And they declare that Jesus is “the prophet who is to come into the world.”  Jeremiah's new exodus is somehow underway, with Jesus at its head.  Their acclamation is taken straight from the Lord's promise to Moses in Deuteronomy 18: “I will raise up a prophet like you from among their brothers.  And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I commanded him” (Deuteronomy 18:18-19).  The new exodus has begun.  Jesus is the prophet who was promised, a prophet like Moses, a prophet like Elisha—and yet a prophet even greater.  Verse 15 says: “So when Jesus realised that they were intending to come and seize him to make him king, he withdrew again, by himself, up the mountain.”   “King” means “Messiah”.  Now, did the people really understand who and what the messiah was to be?  I don't think so.  Almost no one fully understood that until after the events of Jesus' death and resurrection.  But that doesn't mean the people that day, filled miraculously with bread and fish, didn't recognise the Messiah in Jesus.  All the pieces were there.  Here was the good shepherd who cared for the sheep when no one else would.  (It's worth noting that when Mark tells this story, he introduces it saying that when Jesus looked out at the crowd, he saw sheep in desperate need of a shepherd.)  Here was the prophet who would lead the people like Moses in the long-awaited exodus.  If Jesus was those two things, then he also had to be the long-awaited branch that Jeremiah had prophesied would come from the root of David.  Jesus saw the recognition dawn in their eyes and he withdrew.  The time wasn't right.  This wasn't how the Messiah was to come into his crown or to take his throne.  Nevertheless, as we draw the lines that connect the promises of God in Jeremiah to their fulfilment in John's Gospel, you and I should, ourselves, be overwhelmed by the faithfulness of God.  He does what he promises.  He will feed us in the wilderness.  He will go before us to conquer the promised land. Brothers and Sisters, the Lord invites us to his table this morning and here we again recall his faithfulness.  Here, like the Jews participating in each new generation in the events of the Exodus and finding their place in the people of God, we find our manna in the wilderness, we recall and participate in the death and resurrection of Jesus, and are reminded that we are his people and that, just as was promised so long ago, he has delivered us from our bondage to sin and death.  The sheep that were scattered, have been drawn together by the God of Israel.  You and I have heard the story of God's faithfulness.  We have come to Israel's king and submitted ourselves in faith.  And now, here at his Table, we experience his faithfulness ourselves as we eat the bread and drink the wine.  Here is our new covenant manna in the wilderness.  Finally, having known the faithfulness of God, we're summoned ourselves to walk in faith, trusting that the Lord will finish what he has begun, that he will do what he has promised. In our Collect we asked the Lord to “stir up our wills”.  We may have come to the end of another Church Year, but the story is hardly over.  Advent is almost here and with it the reminder that Jesus is coming and that as we wait for him, he's given his Church a mission and his own Spirit to ensure that mission is fulfilled.  He has made us stewards of the good news that he is this world's true Lord.  We have our own parts to play in this story.  And it's not an easy task.  But take heart.  The fact that the principalities and powers (as Paul described them in that Ephesians passage we read a couple weeks ago), the fact that they're fighting back means that we're precisely where the Lord wants us to be and doing what he wants us to do and the powers of darkness know it and fear what Jesus and the Spirit will accomplish through the church.  So don't give up.  Don't be afraid.  Don't be weary in well-doing.  Petition the Lord in faith, knowing that he is faithful to fulfil his promises.  Whether it takes a hundred years or a hundred thousand years for the world to answer the king's royal summons to faithful allegiance, he will be with us and he will equip us for every good work.  He will feed us in the wilderness and see us through to the promised land. Let's pray: Stir up, O Lord, the wills of your faithful people; that we may produce abundantly the fruit of good works, and receive your abundant reward, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

Discover what Jesus taught us about the heart and mind of an ideal disciple. Join us as we examine the remaining beatitudes of Jesus in Matthew 5:7-12 with our guest, Danny Daley. Together, we'll explore what Jesus taught us when he described the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and the persecuted as blessed. Then we'll discuss how understanding and cultivating the dispositions Jesus described in the Beatitudes in our lives of discipleship gives the world a glimpse of God's kingdom here on earth. 

What if perfection wasn't about behaving flawlessly - but about expressing mercy from who you already are? In this episode of Two Pastors and a Mic, Cory and Channock unpack the eBook How to Be Perfect, and they flip the entire idea of perfection on its head. Instead of moral pressure and performance, they explore Jesus' teaching that perfection looks like mercy, not mastery - and how experiencing God's love transforms the way we express it to others.You'll hear:

Matthew 5 & John 12 | Everyone wants to be happy, but what if everything we thought about the way to get it was wrong? What if ‘the good life' – or ‘the blessed life' as Jesus calls it in his very first sermon – was found in the very places we often try to avoid? Tune in to hear our series on The Beatitudes, where we learn about the life God calls us to, how it looks nothing like we think, and why it's better than we could ever imagine.

Guiding Question: What are the hidden dangers that sabotage a man's adventure—and are you letting any of them define you? Key Takeaways: Beware the “Adventure Busters”: Robert Lewis introduces the concept of “Adventure Busters”—internal and external forces that derail a man's pursuit of a meaningful life. These include secret sins, unresolved wounds, or culturally normalized behaviors that quietly erode a man's soul and impact. The Double Life: One of the most common and destructive adventure busters. Many men compartmentalize their lives, presenting a polished exterior while hiding secret struggles. This leads to fragmentation, isolation, and eventual collapse. Living two lives is exhausting. It robs men of authenticity, joy, and real intimacy. The only solution is courageous honesty—first with God, then with safe others. Sexual Shortcuts: Robert Lewis directly confronts the destructive influence of pornography and casual sexual behavior. These “shortcuts” promise intimacy and excitement, but deliver shame and disconnection. Pornography is not just a private issue—it affects how men see women, relationships, and themselves. Sexual purity is not about repression but restoration—recovering God's good design for sex. God's Design for Sex: It is good, powerful, and purposeful. Meant to be expressed in covenantal love—marriage. Misuse leads to wounds, while rightly ordered sex brings deep joy and unity. Shame Is a Lie: Lewis makes clear: the goal is not to heap guilt, but to extend grace and freedom. Every man has struggles. What matters is whether you stay stuck in silence or step forward into healing. Five Practical Tools for Restoration: Personal honesty – Acknowledge the problem without rationalizing it. Accountability – Regular check-ins with trustworthy men. Boundaries – Proactively avoid triggers and access points. Spiritual renewal – Prayer, Scripture, and surrender. Vision – See purity not as avoidance but as a greater “yes” to joy and impact. Setting Up for Part 2: This is part one of a two-part teaching. Lewis hints that next week will cover more adventure busters—wounds, lies, and unresolved issues from a man's past that continue to shape his present. Key Scripture References: Ephesians 5:11–14 – Exposing deeds of darkness and walking in light. Matthew 5:8 – “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” Proverbs 4:23 – Guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. 1 Thessalonians 4:3–5 – God's will: sanctification and sexual purity. James 5:16 – Confess your sins to one another and be healed. Romans 12:1–2 – Present your bodies as a living sacrifice; be transformed by renewing your mind.

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“The church…is not meant to call men and women out of the world into a safe religious enclave but to call them out in order to send them back as agents of God's kingship.”~Lesslie Newbigin (1909-1998), British theologian and missionary “The people who heard Jesus' disciples proclaiming the Good News were as impressed by what they saw as by what they heard. They saw lives that had been transformed…. A new quality, Christian love, was born. Conventional love is evoked by lovable qualities in the beloved, but the love people encountered from Christ embraced sinners and outcasts, Samaritans and enemies. It gave…because giving was its nature.”~Huston Smith (1919-2016), religious scholar and chair of the Philosophy Department at MIT “Why do we not observe how the charity of Christians to strangers…has done the most to advance their cause? For it is disgraceful…the impious Galileans support our poor in addition to their own, while everyone is able to see that our coreligionists lack aid from us!”~The Pagan Roman Emperor Julian (332-363), Letter to Arsacius, 360 AD “Why among all of the varieties of Judaism in the first century did only two survive….? One, the religion of the Rabbis – the other, the religion of Christianity. [This] rather improbable message that the Son of God has come to earth and been crucified, in human form, and risen from the dead ... appealed to a lot of perfectly ordinary people…in such a way that they were willing…to become initiated into a group which brought them only hostility, estrangement from their families and neighbors, and the possibility of persecution to the point of death.”~Wayne A. Meeks (1932-2023), Religious Studies Professor at Yale University “I believe that it was the religion's particular doctrines that permitted Christianity to be among the most sweeping and successful revitalization movements in history. And it was the way these doctrines took on actual flesh, the way they directed organizational actions and individual behavior, that led to the rise of Christianity.”~Sociologist Rodney Stark (1934-2022) in The Rise of Christianity “Assist…one another in good faith, and by deed and with a hearty will; nor let anyone remove his hand from the help of a brother, since ‘by this' saith the Lord, ‘shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.'”~Zephyrinus, bishop of Rome from A.D. 199 to 217 on John 13:35 “The person characterized by humility, gentleness, mercy and righteousness does not build a fence around good deeds. Rather, that one ensures that these good fountains overflow for the benefit of others. One who is pure in heart and a peacemaker, even when persecuted for the sake of truth, orders his way of life for the common good.”~John Chrysostom (347-407) revered early church leader in homily on Matthew 5SERMON PASSAGE selected passages (ESV)Genesis 12 1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Psalm 671 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah2 that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations. Isaiah 22 It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it,3 and many peoples shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. Matthew 5 – Jesus's Teaching to His Disciples 10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.13 You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. 14 You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 1 1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Matthew 28 – Jesus's Commission to the Church 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” John 13 – Jesus's Commandment to the Church 34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 17 – Jesus's Prayer for the Church 20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.”

Have you ever wondered what it means to truly live in peace while standing firm in your faith? Pastor Dave delivers a powerful message on the transformative power of being a peacemaker and persevering through persecution. Drawing from the Beatitudes, he reveals how pursuing peace isn't passive—it requires actively choosing reconciliation even when relationships are strained. Through vivid examples and Scripture, Pastor Dave shows that persecution often comes when we take bold stands for righteousness, but this shouldn't discourage us. Instead, we're called to "rejoice and be exceedingly glad," knowing our eternal reward far outweighs temporary struggles. Whether you're facing relational conflicts or feeling attacked for your faith, this timely message offers practical wisdom for walking as a peacemaker while remaining unshakeable in your convictions. Don't miss this inspiring conclusion to the Beatitudes series!Matthew 5:1-12 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.4 Blessed are those who mourn,For they shall be comforted.5 Blessed are the meek,For they shall inherit the [a]earth.6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,For they shall be filled.7 Blessed are the merciful,For they shall obtain mercy.8 Blessed are the pure in heart,For they shall see God.9 Blessed are the peacemakers,For they shall be called sons of God.10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.Hebrews 12:14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:Romans 12:18 As much as you can, live in peace with all men. KJV as much as it lies with you2 Corinthians 4:9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—

Have you ever wondered what it means to truly live in peace while standing firm in your faith? Pastor Dave delivers a powerful message on the transformative power of being a peacemaker and persevering through persecution. Drawing from the Beatitudes, he reveals how pursuing peace isn't passive—it requires actively choosing reconciliation even when relationships are strained. Through vivid examples and Scripture, Pastor Dave shows that persecution often comes when we take bold stands for righteousness, but this shouldn't discourage us. Instead, we're called to "rejoice and be exceedingly glad," knowing our eternal reward far outweighs temporary struggles. Whether you're facing relational conflicts or feeling attacked for your faith, this timely message offers practical wisdom for walking as a peacemaker while remaining unshakeable in your convictions. Don't miss this inspiring conclusion to the Beatitudes series!Matthew 5:1-12 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.4 Blessed are those who mourn,For they shall be comforted.5 Blessed are the meek,For they shall inherit the [a]earth.6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,For they shall be filled.7 Blessed are the merciful,For they shall obtain mercy.8 Blessed are the pure in heart,For they shall see God.9 Blessed are the peacemakers,For they shall be called sons of God.10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.Hebrews 12:14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:Romans 12:18 As much as you can, live in peace with all men. KJV as much as it lies with you2 Corinthians 4:9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—

This morning Pastor Blake is continuing his series titled, "Happy Is..." based on the Beatitudes. Today he is focusing on verse 8, "Blessed Are The Pure in Heart".

In the next message in our Beatitudes series we look Jesus' words "blessed are the pure in heart". Jessica Cave explores what it means to have spiritual purity and see God clearly. Having a pure heart isn't about sinless perfection, but rather having single-minded devotion to God — an undivided loyalty that keeps Him as our sole focus.All Nations Christian Centre is an Elim Pentecostal Church in Reading, UK.For more information, please visit our website: https://www.allnationselim.orgOr follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @allnationselim

Blessed are the Pure in Heart | Pastor Vern Martin | Grace Church PA by Grace Church

Join Pastor Mike Burchfield as he continues his series, Discourses of the King of Heaven. This Sunday he will be discussing: Christ's Key to a Happy Life. Matthew 5:1-12 The Beatitudes He said: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

What does it mean to be "pure in heart" and why does Jesus promise that those who pursue purity will see God? In this powerful message on Matthew 5:8, we explore the radical promise of spiritual intimacy that comes through purity of heart.In This Episode:Understanding what "blessed are the pure in heart" really meansWhy purity isn't restriction—it's the path to seeing GodHow singularity of heart leads to deeper intimacy with ChristThe difference between positional and progressive purityPractical steps to pursue purity in your daily walkWhy resisting sin shouldn't feel like holding your breathKey Timestamps:The Nature of Purity (10:54)The Promise: They Shall See God (16:57)The Pursuit: 5 Practical Steps (24:20)The world says purity is restrictive, but Jesus says it's the doorway to experiencing the nearness of God. This isn't just about sexual purity—it's about unmixed devotion, singularity of affection, and positioning your heart to truly know and see God.Bible Verses Referenced: Matthew 5:8, Psalm 119, James 4:8, 1 Thessalonians 4:3, Ezekiel 18:31, 1 John 3, Psalm 86, Proverbs 23:7, John 14:1Practical Applications:Draw near to God's WordWalk with the wiseMake no provision for the fleshPray for purityThink with total commitment to ChristThis episode is brought to you by our ministry partner Accountable2You. To join thousands living in Freedom with nothing to hide visit https://accountable2you.com/dialin. **Use our unique code: DIALIN to get 25% off your first year of an Accountable2You Personal or Family Plan**

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God (Matthew 5:8). Thank you, Holy Spirit!

The heart is the seat of our humanity and contains our motives, will, emotions, and our mind. Why would Jesus be so emphatic on its purity? Let's look at Matthew 5:8 in our continuing study on the Beatitudes! Foundation Stones Book - order now on Amazon: https://a.co/d/6iJG8NZSupport the show

This month's theme is The Heart!(this episode was re-recorded because the other episode wrongly said Matthew 5:5)Matthew 5:8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.****PATREON: For downloadable and printable PDFs of each scripture verse, support us on Patreon at Patreon.com/JackieandBobby at the $5/month level!***“Memorize Scripture” Book NOW AVAILABLE!Get 10% off!Link to Order:https://avemariapress.com/?ref=JACKIE10PROMO CODE: JACKIE10

Matthew 5:1-12 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.4 Blessed are those who mourn,For they shall be comforted.5 Blessed are the meek,For they shall inherit the [a]earth.6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,For they shall be filled.7 Blessed are the merciful,For they shall obtain mercy.8 Blessed are the pure in heart,For they shall see God.9 Blessed are the peacemakers,For they shall be called sons of God.10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matthew 5:1-12 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.4 Blessed are those who mourn,For they shall be comforted.5 Blessed are the meek,For they shall inherit the [a]earth.6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,For they shall be filled.7 Blessed are the merciful,For they shall obtain mercy.8 Blessed are the pure in heart,For they shall see God.9 Blessed are the peacemakers,For they shall be called sons of God.10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

What if everything we thought about being blessed was completely upside down? This powerful teaching takes us deep into the Sermon on the Mount, specifically the Beatitudes, where Jesus reveals the revolutionary nature of God's kingdom. We discover that righteousness isn't about checking off holy to-do lists or maintaining personal purity codes—it's fundamentally about right relationships. The Hebrew word 'tzedakah' and Greek 'dikaiosune' point us toward something profound: being righteous means showing up for one another with genuine love, knowing each person's story, and treating every human being as the miraculous image-bearer of God they truly are. When we hunger and thirst for righteousness, we're not just craving moral perfection; we're developing a palate for the kingdom of God where no one is oppressed, marginalized, or left without what they need. This teaching challenges us to examine whether we're building authentic community or simply performing religious rituals. Are we showing mercy—that loyal, generous love that goes above and beyond even for those outside our inner circle? Are we pure in heart, with our inner motivations and outer actions truly aligned? The kingdom Jesus announces isn't for the powerful and self-righteous; it's for the outsiders, the misfits, the sick, and the struggling. That's the beautiful, uncomfortable, transformative reality we're invited into today.

Northwest Bible Church – Nov. 9, 2025 – Matthew – Alan Conner Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the Pure in Heart Intro A. THE DEFINITION OF PURE IN HEART. 1. The heart describes the inner man.  Mt. 15;18-20; Prov. 4:23. 2. Purity in heart.    a. Moral purity -    Ps. 24:3-6. b. Single-minded commitment to God.   Ps. 86:11 B. THE DEPRAVITY OF THE HEART. 1. The problem: our hearts are not pure.    Gen. 6:5; 8:21; Jer. 17:9; Eph. 4:18 2. God's solution.   Deut. 30:6; Ezek. 36:26. a. Justification -  Acts 15:9 b. Sanctification – Rom. 7:22-23; Ps. 51:10; 2 Cor. 7:1 C. THE DEVELOPMENT OF A PURE HEART. 1. Confession of sin.   1 Jn. 1:9 2. Walk in the Word.  Ps. 119:9-11; 140; Jn. 17:17 3. Walk by the Spirit.  Gal. 5:16 4. Walk in prayer.   Ps. 51:10 5. Focus on Christ and His coming.  1 Jn. 3:2-3 D. DESTINY OF A PURE HEART. 1. Man on earth cannot see God.  Ex. 33:20; 1 Tim. 6:16; Jn. 1:18; 1 Jn. 4:12 2. We shall see God. a. Now.    2 Cor. 4:6; 3:18 b. Later.   1 Cor. 13:12; Ps. 17:15; 1 Jn. 3:2; Rev. 22:2; Jn. 17:24 Conclusion

  By Mary Lindow “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, But with humility comes wisdom.” -Proverbs 11:2   WHEN THE SOUL GOES THROUGH HUMBLING EXPERIENCES We all know that there are times when the soul goes through humbling experiences. Perhaps in the past you had strength, calm, security and confidence, and then all of that suddenly gets stripped and your soul sees itself and it's true state of desperate need.  If you are alert you will recognize that the Lord is opening our eyes to secret pride. That internal thinking that all of our achievement is of our own doing and not purely a gift from above. Yes, these times come so it will never occur to us again that we are stronger in spirit than anyone else! If we look up on any other person as weaker, it is only because we have not been taken through the purging fire of God completely. Perhaps this is what's happening to someone we know, and it's no business of ours to preen our feathers of “goodness” while they are being refined and challenged. On the other side of that coin, God wants for us to have an open and humble spirit, realizing that if we were in their position we may not handle the circumstances as well, and might actually do worse!   THIS HUMBLING PROCESS IS IN GOD'S HANDS It is his way of raising in your heart, a new love for all of mankind. In the past you may have judged others either for their pride, or for being in personal difficulties.  Even worse, you may have seen others who are lukewarm or weak in their faith and compared it with your own strong devotion and enthusiasm for God. God is merciful and he shows us all of our own places of emptiness. Allowing us to go through humbling experiences is how He knocks this out of the seat of our own “judgment” which is His seat alone! He wants us to keep our eyes on our own response to what we know He wants us to do, so that we remain in a place of simple obedience to Him.   "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the holy one understands." -Proverbs 9:10    WE ARE ON A HUMBLE SPIRITUAL ROAD David stood in the presence of wicked men (Samuel chapter 16:5-6 and 9-10) and there he was wondering why the Lord put up with their evil behavior while he was going through such anguish in his own life! But he still prayed and said,  “I will watch my ways so I may not sin with my tongue. I will keep my mouth shut as if it were tied with ropes, while the sinful are near me.” –Psalm 39:1   When David finally saw how limited and small that his own viewpoint was, he continued to say, “I remained silent and I wasn't about to open my mouth because you Lord are the one who allowed this!”   This is a humble condition much like David's that the Lord will bring our souls to as we are on this humble, spiritual road,  He says to you and I that He longs to help you to be submitted to His hand alone, obedient to His voice alone!  We are not to resist Him!  We are not really serving Him and our brothers and sisters if we've taken the high seat above them. When the Lord begins to work this way of tenderness in our hearts we must listen to what He says no matter what or WHOM He allows to bring the message through. In the past, arrogance has been the measuring stick where many would only receive teaching and correction, from someone THEY thought was worthy to DARE speak to them!  Those days are over. “If you have jealousy in your heart and fight to have many things, do not be proud of it.  Do not lie against the truth." -James 3:14   WE MUST CLEARLY SEE THAT CORRUPTION CAN RAPIDLY OCCUR IN ANY PERSON OR ANY GROUP, ORGANIZED, RELAXED, OR OTHERWISE,when the tendency to think that they have arrived at a new or deeper revelation about something more so than others who perhaps express the Lord's voice differently.   ARROGANCE IS THE ASSUMPTION THAT I, INDIVIDUALLY, OR SOME GROUP THAT I AM A PART OF, COLLECTIVELY, IS SOMEHOW SUPERIOR TO SOMEONE ELSE OR SOME OTHER GROUP OF PEOPLE.   AT THE HEART OF ARROGANCE IS SELF-CENTEREDNESS. And, self-centeredness is the foundation of human sin. I believe any serious attempt at self-examination by an honest person will reveal that we humans are sinful and flawed beyond measure. Paul writes, “So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand…Wretched man that I am! Who will save me from this body of death?”   WE ARE CONSUMED BY SELF. And every time we arrogantly place our own needs before others we are enslaved by sin.   WHAT SHOULD WE DO? HOW SHOULD WE LIVE INSTEAD OF IN THAT ARROGANT MODE? WHAT IS THE ANTIDOTE?   How about the words of Jesus? What did he say? "Everyone who exalts himself (for example, "Aren't I great? Aren't I right? Don't I always have the best opinion?") will be humbled.   But, he who humbles himself (for example, "This is my opinion but it may not be right. I don't have a corner on the market of truth.") will be exalted."   THE LORD IS NOT SPEEDING UP THE DELIVERY OF ANY "FRESH THING" IN THE EARTH IN ORDER TO GET US TO HIS PURPOSES QUICKLY. No. He is testing the hearts of men and women everywhere, looking for humility, selflessness, and honor, for those who although not perfect, have also served and pointed the way to salvation for many years previously.   THE LORD IS NOT GOING TO HONOR THE INDIVIDUAL WHO SHOUTS THAT "CHANGE IS NEEDED" OR THAT "CHANGE IS COMING" AND THEN SLASHES AND BURNS ANYTHING THAT DOESN'T EMBRACE THEIR VERSION OF IT.     THE LORD IS INTERESTED IN THE EVIDENCE OF HUMILITY AND THE EVIDENCE OF GRACE. These key character issues attract the pure and simple Presence of the Lord. Blessed are the PURE in heart...for they shall see God. Until the Body of Christ that has been through many difficult and shattering events, rids itself of bitter and venomous words against one another and accepts that each one like sheep have gone astray and turned to what pleased them at the moment, there will be little evidence of much harvest .   THE LOST AND CONFUSED WORLD OUT THERE WATCHES CHRISTIANS TEAR EACH OTHER TO SHREDS DAILY AND WONDERS WHY WE ARE ASKING THEM TO JOIN US! Remember Christ's two great commandments—love God with all your being and love your neighbor as yourself.   SELF-CENTEREDNESS IS THE REVERSAL OF THE GREAT COMMANDMENT. Self-centeredness means to place ourselves first, in effect proclaiming our own form of self-government (not needing or wanting the advice or insight of others), therefore our neighbors become an afterthought, and God becomes simply a convenience to be considered only when it's helpful to us. It is evident even in our language that self-centeredness is woven into the fabric of the human experience.   THE ONE TRUE SACRIFICIAL MODEL TOLD US THAT HE WOULD SEND THE VERY SPIRIT OF GOD IN ORDER TO CONVICT ALL PEOPLE OF SIN, TO COMFORT, TO GUIDE, AND TO SET THEM FREE.  Indeed. The very evidence of a redemptive type of life, is in one who washes the feet of his/her brothers and his/her enemies in an act of cleansing the dirt from the road of life off of the pathway to the Truth. May we truly hear the sound of the unmistakable heartbeat of a redemptive model rising up in clear resounding purity, personal transparency, and in the covering of the multitude of sins by speaking and meditating only on those things that are noble, just, pure, and of a good report.   AS INDIVIDUALS AND AS NATIONS, THE ANTIDOTE TO ARROGANCE AND SELF-CENTEREDNESS IS A HEAVY DOSE OF HUMILITY. That is; a profound willingness to recognize the value, and respect the dignity of every human life. And, furthermore, a humble heart calls us to seek and serve Christ in ALL persons by giving of ourselves willingly for the welfare of other people.   THE LORD SAYS, "Do not let a wise man brag about how wise he is. Do not let a strong man boast about how strong he is. Do not let  a rich person brag about how rich he is. But here is what the one who brags should boast about. He should brag that he has understanding and knows me. I want him to know that I am the Lord. No matter what I do on earth, I am always kind, fair and right. And I take delight in that," announces the Lord. JEREMIAH 9:23-24 (New International Reader's Version)     WE MUST HAVE EARS THAT ARE OPEN TO HIS VOICE ALONE  We can enjoy the extreme value of knowing that we must be under the direction of our matchless Lord.  Remember that He may use anyone, however unpleasing to the eye, unintelligent, or, not so affluent! When you see they may be able to teach you and direct you on your way, it is because of the attraction and Divine beauty they have in their lives from honoring the Lord. It's that they are truly humble, not simply by saying it - but by literally BEING humble.    HEEDING ANOTHER VOICE OF PROMISE AND PROMOTION?  The Lord has impressed me to share that some have heeded "another voice", one who would put them up, on the pinnacle of the world and promise them all power and wealth if they but, “just bow down”. The Lord wants you to know, (although I tremble at even delivering this), that many have already bent one knee downward to hopefully obtain a bit of blessing from “both sides.” Get up and RUN from deception and self-indulgence, blatant lying, and entitlement! You can be sure that using people or spiritual metaphors or “things” just for what you can get out of them—the typical indicators of idolatry—will get you nowhere, and certainly nowhere near the Kingdom of Christ.  You have been taken in and spoiled by religious and deceptive smooth talk. The Lord is furious with people who are full of religious sales talk but who really want nothing to do with Him. You have groped your way through that murk once, but no longer. You're out in the open now. The bright light of Christ makes your way plain.   GOD OFTEN MOVES AMONG THE OUTCASTS  -Isaiah 66:2 says, “Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the LORD. These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.”     You've probably never been stuck on a deserted island, but you may know pretty well how it feels. In a world of bad relationships and superficial relationships and broken relationships, a lot of people know the feeling of being emotionally cast aside, abandoned, and maybe even discarded. Because of some of what you've been through, you may feel like you're the outcast.  Your days on that island may be almost over. In fact, it could be that all your failed or frustrating relationships have actually been preparing you to experience the central relationships you were being equipped and prepared for. Anyone who has ever felt like an emotional outcast needs to hear the fabulous promise of Jesus Christ in this word from the Word of God.    Jesus says to all those who belong to Him,  "I will not leave you as orphans. I WILL come to you.”  -John 14:18   This is the same Savior, who says,  "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” -Hebrews. 13:5   He's the One, who promised,  "The one that comes to me, I will certainly not cast out." -John 6:37     AND FROM NOW ON, THAT PROMISE OF JESUS CAN BE ALL ABOUT YOU! "THE ONE THAT COMES TO ME, I WILL CERTAINLY NOT CAST OUT."    THE LORD WOULD SAY THESE WORDS TO YOU AND I  “You now understand the pain of betrayal, losses so great that you can no longer talk about them. You have ached in such agonizing despair that at times you have begged me to let you die. Friends have turned and chosen to see you through blinded eyes of their own making and have refused to help you to find your footing again, thinking they are doing you a service by letting you grovel and weep in painful loss and sorrow. They have competed for gain to their own egos and have self promoted at the expense of exchanging deeper relationships for ego stroking.  You have been reduced in the past season to identify with those who were forced to make bricks for Pharaoh without straw. I too was a man of sorrows and endured the shame in order to be formed, shaped, and made ready for the moment of redemption. And so shall it be with you. Redemption from the losses will come to those who choose obedience over pleasure,  serving others over being the served one, and letting go of the dreams of greatness you cling too, no longer using my name or gifts as a calling card.    THE CALL OF THE MOMENT IS THIS!  “Let the follies of your dim visions fall away”, says the Spirit of God! “I have a more perfect way that I am forming in you and for you.  I have caused you to cease from striving, from worrying, and from being anxious.  You now rest up again my chest, waiting, trusting, wanting only ME. You have become kinder, a better listener, a more trusted confidant. I can work well with those attributes.  Just Watch Me. I WILL Open the Way of Hope and Shine Light on the pathway for those who have ceased from manipulating the moment.”   SEARED OR FERVENT  In ~ 1 Timothy 4 it says, “The spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.   SUCH TEACHINGS COME THROUGH HYPOCRITICAL LIARS,  WHOSE CONSCIENCES HAVE BEEN SEARED AS WITH A HOT IRON.”   To have a seared or calloused conscience means to cause something to wither. To make (someone's conscience, heart, or feelings), insensitive.   Without the willingness of heart to fall upon the rock of God's word, allowing every strength and support of ours to be fully broken, the wicked heart of mankind will continue to allow the searing patterns of indifference and insensitivity to affect their choices and will permeate more and more of the moral and sacred places of society.   I have been impressed to warn believers that the increase of sexual lures and smutty language has begun to pay a toll much larger than they realize.    WE ARE TO BE MATURE AND SOLEMN   Huge numbers of people are being brought to ruin because they are not thinking; thoughtlessly causing hurt or inconvenience to others is the devastation of thousands, and many a precious soul has been shattered through carelessness.    The Lord is asking you and I to "consider our ways," and return to a walk with The Still Small Voice and begin a familiarity with him yet again. With conviction, it would be the most rewarding relationship you could fall into! "But since we belong to the day, let us be sober." -1 Thessalonians 5:8   PRAYER AND THANKFULNESS   “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” -Colossians 4:2   As I finish these insights, I will share the last  challenging impressions that the Lord clearly impressed me with.   “Each day, upon waking, where does your heart and mind wander to?  Is it the plans and lists of things you must accomplish for the day?  Is it the meal you are about to eat?  Is it worry and the bracing yourself for another grinding day of dealing with the pressures of life? Return to those early awakening moments where you and I share in the dialog of My plans for you. Each day you have to live and to give, you have been given the opportunity to impact someone and to do a kindness or act of training for another.   Where has your thankful heart wandered? Without it, behaviors and moods of bitterness and drudgery will manifest and sour even the brightest flower of hope.   Return to the heart of the issue and clean away the rusty decay of grindstone thinking. Each day can be a fresh adventure into Kingdom purposes or, a continual repeating of a dreary existence.  Choose ever so wisely.” “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, Let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably,  with reverence and awe.” ~Hebrews 12:28   Duplication and sharing of this writing is welcomed As long as the complete message, website and podcast  information for Mary Lindow is included. Thank You! Copyright © 2025   " THE MESSENGER " Mary Lindow www.marylindow.com PODCAST   If you would be so kind and assist Mary helping her to meet other administrative needs such as website and podcast costs,  or  desire to bless her service in ministry with Spirit-led Love gifts or regular support: Please JOYFULLY send your gift in the form of:  ► Personal Checks ► Business Checks ► Money Orders ► Cashiers Checks To:  His Beloved Ministries Inc.  PO Box 1253 Denver, Colorado 80614
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Week 7 | The Sermon on the Mount (1995)This week on the podcast, we're in Week 7 of a 6-month series on the Sermon on the Mount. The text discusses the sixth Beatitude, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." This beatitude points to a profound mystery. Purity of heart is not about perfection, says Darrell, but integrity and a sincere desire for truth - qualities that come from being gospelized, and not through personal effort. The pure in heart are blessed because they see God, not through their own merit, but by fixing their gaze on the grace and compassion of Jesus.__⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Bible Course⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Darrell's Books⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Give to the Ministry of Darrell Johnson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠—⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to Darrell's Mailing List⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠darrelljohnson.ca⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠youtube.com/darrelljohnson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Series: Upside Down KingdomKey Verses: Matthew 5Teaching Pastor: Matthew Cork November 2, 2025_____________________________New to Friends Church? We're so glad you're here!We stream live every week:SUNDAY 9A / 11A PTSubscribe to The Friends Church YouTube channel to watch this message again later this week!Website: https://www.friends.churchInstagram:   / friendschurch  

What prevents us from experiencing God's presence in our daily lives? Pastor Daniel argues that an impure heart—contaminated by sin, selfish motives, and worldly compromise—blinds us to God's reality and fractures our relationships with others. Drawing from Matthew 5:8, he demonstrates that purity of heart is not merely a moral aspiration but the essential condition for seeing God in nature, history, and most importantly, in the people around us. Using the metaphor of a water filter and David's confession in Psalm 38, Daniel reveals how impurity burdens the soul and obscures our vision of the divine. He challenges listeners to halt their spiritual compromise, confess their sin, and allow God's Word to cleanse their hearts so they might recover the blessing of seeing God and loving others as Christ does.Eastland is a Place to BelongEastland Baptist Church is located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. We are a welcoming and close-knit family community that loves to care for each other through the Church. We strongly believe in loving and supporting each other and our neighbors. Our members don't just attend our Church; they feel a strong sense of belonging.Join Us Find service times and our location at https://www.eastlandbaptist.org/join. Connect with UsWebsite: https://www.eastlandbaptist.orgFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/eastlandbaptisttulsaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/eastlandbaptistTo support the ministry of Eastland Baptist Church, tap here: https://www.eastlandbaptist.org/give.

This month's theme is The Heart!Matthew 5:5Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.****PATREON: For downloadable and printable PDFs of each scripture verse, support us on Patreon at Patreon.com/JackieandBobby at the $5/month level!***“Memorize Scripture” Book NOW AVAILABLE!Get 10% off!Link to Order:https://avemariapress.com/?ref=JACKIE10PROMO CODE: JACKIE10

Have you ever wondered what it truly means to have a Christ-like attitude? Pastor dives deep into Jesus' revolutionary Beatitudes, showing how these "be-attitudes" are far more than temporary emotions—they're transformative ways of being. Through vivid examples like the war horse that's both powerful and controlled, Pastor reveals how true meekness isn't weakness, but strength under God's authority. Whether you're struggling with your attitude or seeking deeper spiritual growth, this message unpacks how embracing Jesus' counter-cultural attitudes leads to kingdom living. Don't miss this fresh perspective on becoming who God calls you to be—watch or listen now!Matthew 5:1-12 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.4 Blessed are those who mourn,For they shall be comforted.5 Blessed are the meek,For they shall inherit the [a]earth.6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,For they shall be filled.7 Blessed are the merciful,For they shall obtain mercy.8 Blessed are the pure in heart,For they shall see God.9 Blessed are the peacemakers,For they shall be called sons of God.10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Have you ever wondered what it truly means to have a Christ-like attitude? Pastor dives deep into Jesus' revolutionary Beatitudes, showing how these "be-attitudes" are far more than temporary emotions—they're transformative ways of being. Through vivid examples like the war horse that's both powerful and controlled, Pastor reveals how true meekness isn't weakness, but strength under God's authority. Whether you're struggling with your attitude or seeking deeper spiritual growth, this message unpacks how embracing Jesus' counter-cultural attitudes leads to kingdom living. Don't miss this fresh perspective on becoming who God calls you to be—watch or listen now!Matthew 5:1-12 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.4 Blessed are those who mourn,For they shall be comforted.5 Blessed are the meek,For they shall inherit the [a]earth.6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,For they shall be filled.7 Blessed are the merciful,For they shall obtain mercy.8 Blessed are the pure in heart,For they shall see God.9 Blessed are the peacemakers,For they shall be called sons of God.10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

SCRIPTURE PASSAGESMatthew 5:8Matthew 15:1-11 Reflection Questions Subscribe!YouTubeSpotifyApple Podcasts

Kingdom Culture- Week 1November 02, 2025Teacher: Pastor Dave BrownCulture eats strategy for breakfast.— Peter DruckerFrom that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”— Matthew 4:17In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near…People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.— Matthew 3:1-2, 5-9Repentance was what Israel must do if her exile is to come to an end.— N.T. WrightIf repentance carries the tone of ‘what Israel must do if her fortunes are to be returned', it can also have a much more down-to-earth ring: to abandon revolutionary zeal.— N.T. WrightThe repentance for which Jesus called, then, was not at all like the regular repentance of individual sinners when they recognized their sin and underwent the normal Jewish practices for restitution.  That could take place, in principle, at any time in Israel's history…Jesus' summons was more radical by far…Jesus was urging his compatriots to abandon a whole way of life, and to trust him for a different one.— N.T. WrightHe is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat's head. He shall send the goat away into the wilderness in the care of someone appointed for the task. The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a remote place; and the man shall release it in the wilderness.— Leviticus 16:21-22At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,' and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for[a] their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself. “Again, when a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before them, they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin. The righteous things that person did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the righteous person not to sin and they do not sin, they will surely live because they took warning, and you will have saved yourself.”— Ezekiel 3:17-21From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”— Matthew 4:17The good news is about the living God overcoming all the powers of the world to establish his rule of justice and peace, on earth as in heaven, Not in heaven later on.  And that victory is won not by superior power of the same kind but by a different sort of power altogether…The kingdoms of the world run on violence.  The kingdom of God, Jesus declared, runs on love.— N.T. WrightStop trying to bring about the promises of God through your own effort and worldly means.“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.— Matthew 5:3-12

A Sermon for All Saints' Day St. Matthew 5:1-12 by William Klock What does it mean to be “blessed”?  In today's Gospel we hear St. Matthew's telling of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount—or the beginning of it, at any rate.  Blessed is this person and blessed is that person.  But what does it mean to be blessed?  And what's Jesus really getting at with this list: being poor in spirit, mournful, meek, merciful, and so on?  And who is the promise of blessing for?  This past Monday I found myself listening to a sermon by one of these woke, “exvangelical” guys whose ministry is about walking people through the deconstruction of their faith.  If you haven't come across it yet, “deconstruction” is a trendy euphemism for apostasy.  You throw away all the bits of Christianity that you can't harmonise with the secular world, leaving behind a gospelless gospel—like the security blanket I had as a toddler.  I wouldn't get rid of it, so my mom slowly cut it down, a little bit at a time until all I had was a little bit of fabric I could hold.  It wasn't a blanket anymore, but for some silly reason I still found security in it.  These folks do that with the gospel.  This preacher was preaching on the Sermon on the Mount and he started out by holding up Mohandas Gandhi as the one man who followed Jesus better than anyone else in the Twentieth Century.  Gandhi heard these words of Jesus and faithfully followed him.  Never mind that he was also a devout Hindu.  This preacher reduced the Sermon on the Mount to a bracing ethic.  It's Jesus teaching us how to be good and, through that, how to make the world a better place.  It doesn't really matter, he said, if you're Christian or Jewish or Muslim or Buddhist.  Jesus just wanted people to live this way and in doing so, we'll know the blessings of a better world.  He took the gospel and turned it into law.  And not even a good law.  The Old Testament law—the torah—has a lot more gospel to it than I think we often realise.  At its heart was that first and greatest commandment: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.  The God who reveals himself in the scriptures.  Not Zeus or Jupiter.  Not the gods of Gandhi's Hindu pantheon.  Not Mohammed's corruption of the biblical God.  Only the God who has made himself known through the law and the prophets, the evangelists and apostles, and most of all through his son, Jesus the Messiah.  Without love for him, no amount of loving your neighbour as yourself will truly heal the hurts of the world.  There is no blessing apart from him—and, more specifically, apart from loving him with all our being. Why?  Because it was our rejection of him that brought sin and death into the world in the first place.  Idolatry—whether it's the worship of false gods or the worship of ourselves—idolatry is the first sin from which all the others and all the world's misery cascade.  This is why God's gracious plan to set his creation to rights began as he reestablished our relationship with him. If we look to the scriptures we see that blessing comes through being in relationship with the God of Israel.  Specifically—because “relationship” is such a squishy modern idea—specifically blessing comes through being in covenant with him.  Think of Abraham.  The Lord established a covenant with him.  The Lord promised Abraham a family and a land and great name.  In a word: blessing.  In return Abraham was to trust him—to live by faith and to give the Lord his allegiance.  And, centuries later, when the Lord delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt, consider what he did.  He revealed his glory by defeating Pharoah, his army, and his gods.  He revealed his glory in signs and wonders the likes of which no one had ever seen.  And then he met his people at Mt. Sinai.  He made them a promise: to make them great, to give them a land, and most important of all, to live in their midst.  Their end of the covenant—their promise to God—was embodied in the law.  Like Abraham, they were to live by faith and obedience and to give him their full allegiance—to love him with all their being and to love their neighbours as themselves.  And not just for their own benefit.  The Lord had a greater purpose.  He wanted the nations not only to see his glory, but for them to see the blessing that comes through living in fellowship with him. And so, before he died, as Israel was encamped in Moab and ready to cross the Jordan River to conquer Canaan, Moses assembled the people and reiterated the covenant.  “If you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, if you carefully do all his commandments, the Lord will set you high above the other nations…Blessed shall you be in the city and blessed shall you be in the field.  Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb…and blessed shall be your basket and kneading bowl.  Blessed shall you be when you come in and blessed shall you be when you go out.”  And Moses reminded them that this was no mere “duty”.  This was no mere exchange of works in return for a declaration of righteousness.  This was grace.  Through Moses, the Lord reminded the people of all he'd done for them.  He'd rescued them from Egypt.  He'd defeated Pharaoh.  He'd done signs and wonders.  Their clothes had not worn out.  He'd provided every last morsel of food that they'd eaten for forty years.  All so that they would know that “I am the Lord your God”.  In other words, to reveal his love, his grace, his glory, and above all else his faithfulness—to enter into relationship with them and to give them every reason to have faith in him and to give him their allegiance.  To keep the law was to live by faith in the character and promises of God—to love him in return for his love. And this theme rings through Israel's history and Israel's scriptures.  This is what blessing means in the biblical economy.  Think of David's words in Psalm 1: “Blessed is the man that hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, not stood in the way of sinners, and hath not sat in the seat of the scornful.  But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law will he exercise himself day and night.  And he will be like a tree planted by the waterside, that will bring forth his fruit in due season.”  The prophets use this same language of blessing when they rebuke Israel for having strayed from the Lord.  Blessing isn't just some nebulous idea of things being good—as a lot of people use it today.  Blessing is about creation—and humanity—being set to rights.  If you want to picture “blessing” in your mind's eye, picture Adam and Eve, in the garden, all their needs provided, as they faithfully steward God's creation and live in his immediate presence.  Brothers and Sisters, that's blessing.  David wasn't posting #blessed on Instagram with a picture of his pumpkin spice latte next to the fireplace.  For David it was #blessed with a picture of the tabernacle radiating the visible presence of the Lord in the midst of a people serving and loving and taking care of each other. This is what we've got to have in mind as we listen to Jesus begin to preach his great sermon in Matthew 5.  And we have to remember that it wasn't the reality that Israel knew.  This is why the people were so desperate for the Messiah.  The world is not as it should be.  Israel was most definitely not as it was supposed to be.  They wanted to know God's blessing—not just in the sense of material prosperity—above all, they longed for his presence.  And so, Matthew writes, “Seeing the crowd, Jesus went up the hillside and sat down.  His disciples came to him.  And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Do you want to see God's kingdom, to know him as Father, to know creation set to rights, your sins forgiven, and your tears wiped away?  This is the way.  And it's not a set of ethical guidelines.  Too often we think of it that way.  It's character.  It's a mindset.  It's the character and the mindset of men and women who know desperately that the world is not as it should be.  But not just that.  Gandhi knew well enough that the world is not as it should be.  This is, first and foremost, the mindset of people who know the world as it should be is centred on the living God who created and sustains all things and us living joyfully, lovingly, and faithfully in his presence.  This is the mindset of people who have that image of Adam and Eve in the garden walking with the Lord in the cool of the day in their mind's eye and the longing of their hearts.  It's the mindset of people who have that image of tabernacle full of God's presence in the middle of a people who love him with all their being and their neighbours as themselves. And so it's the mindset of men and women who are not only outraged over sin and evil and longing for God's justice to fall on the people who have done them wrong.  It's the mindset of men and women who know that they've done wrong themselves—who know their own poverty of spirit.  Of men and women who mourn not only the sinful state of the world around them, but who also mourn their own sinfulness and the contributions they've made to the world's sick and sorry state.  It's the mindset of men and women who are meek, because they know that pride and selfishness do nothing more than deepen the world's darkness—who know that pride and selfishness are rooted in the very idolatry that drives God to the margins.  It is the mindset of men and women who, knowing the injustice and the unrighteousness of this broken world, hunger and thirst for God's justice and righteousness.  They long for his return as king to bring an end to evil and to rule with justice, because they know that we can never fix the world on our own and in our own power.  It is the mindset of those who are have known God's mercy and are therefore merciful themselves.  Of those who understand the ugliness of sin and idolatry and run from it, who are pure in heart.  It's the mindset of men and women who know the story and know of God's grace and how he loves sinners and desires above all else to be reconciled with them, and so they themselves become peacemakers and reconcilers. I don't think Jesus' list here is by any means exhaustive.  He preached this sermon more than once.  I expect he preached some version of it just about everywhere he went and it was a little different every time, which is what we see in the parallel passage in Luke's Gospel, where the list of beatitudes is shorter and a little different.  Jesus is describing a mindset using characteristics that resonated with his fellow Jews in that specific time and place.  These were the attitudes needed to counter the problems that infected First Century Israel.  Notably, these are all characteristics deeply rooted in Israel's prophetic tradition.  And I can't help but wonder if he learned this mindset, this character from his mother.  She sang her song, the one we call Magnificat and sing at Evening Prayer, when Elizabeth blessed her on hearing the news she was pregnant with the Messiah.  I wonder if Mary sang that song to Jesus when he was a boy, because we can hear echoes of it in his beatitudes: “My soul doth magnify the Lord and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.  For he hath regarded the lowliness of his hand-maiden.  For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call be blessed.  For he that is mighty hath magnified me and holy is his name.  And his mercy is on them that fear him through all generations.  He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.  He hath put down the mighty from their set and hath exalted the humble and meek.  He hath filled the hungry with good things and the rich he hath sent empty away.  He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel as he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed, forever.”  Can you hear the echoes? But that's not the end of Jesus' beatitudes.  There are two more and I think they give us the key to how this works.  In verses 10-12 he continues: “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of justice [or righteousness—the Greek word means both and there's no easily drawn line between justice and righteousness], for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are you when people slander you and persecute you and say all kinds of wicked things about you falsely because of me.  Celebrate and rejoice!  There's a great reward for you in heaven.  For that's how they persecuted the prophets who went before you.” And as we read that we should start to realise that while Jesus is talking about “them”, what he's also doing is outlining his own vocation and ministry.  Jesus would stand weeping over Jerusalem, mourning the unfaithfulness of his people and the judgement that was hurtling towards them like a freight train.  He would let himself be arrested and then stand, unresisting and refusing to retaliate or even to defend himself as he was mocked and spit on and beaten to within an inch of his life.  He would, beaten and bloodied, carry his own cross through the streets of Jerusalem and out to Golgotha.  His clothes would be stripped from him by the soldiers.  And as he breathed his last and died, one of those very soldiers would declare, “Surely this man was the son of God.” We think that when God comes to set the world to rights he'll send in the cavalry.  Most of the Jews in Jesus' day thought the same thing.  The Messiah would come like David, riding at the head of a great army to crush the heads of the Gentiles.  But instead the Messiah went humbly to Calvary.  He let sin and death rise up to their full height and strike him down so that when he rose from the grave three days later, he crushed the serpent's head and overturned the victory of sin and death. Brothers and Sisters, this is how God takes his throne and sets the world to rights.  This is how Jesus becomes Lord.  This is how blessing comes.  In poverty and meekness, bringing mercy and making peace.  And giving his life for the sake of his enemies.  Because any other way would simply perpetuate the very things you and I have done to get the world into the mess it's in. And now that Jesus has done it, our calling as his people is to keep doing it.  As St. Paul says, we're to have the mind of the Messiah.  This mindset has always been the mindset of the faithful people of God and it will be until the mission is one day done.  I suppose if he wanted to, God could simply save his people from their bondage, set the world to rights, and set them free to live in it, but that's not how he does things.  From the beginning he created Adam and Eve to bear his image—that means to be his stewards, to act as the priests of his temple.  And so when he delivered Israel from Egypt, he showed the people his glory and gave them reason to love and trust and obey him.  He established a covenant with them.  He took up his dwelling in their midst so that they would be his light in the midst of a dark world—so that the nations would see and come to give him glory.  He made them stewards of his glory and his grace.  And, Brothers and Sisters, in Jesus he has done the same for us. I started slowly reading through Ephesians this week—which might give you a hint of things to come—and the first thing I was struck by in the very first chapter was how, over and over, Paul proclaims the glory of God that has been revealed in Jesus and the Spirit—and that is also revealed in us.  I couldn't help but think how Jesus goes on after the Beatitudes: “You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world.  A city can't be hidden if it's on top of a hill…That's how you must shine your light in front of people!  Then they will see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.  This is what we see at the end of Revelation: the nations seeing the glory of God revealed in Jesus and his church and streaming to the New Jerusalem to worship him.  Brothers and Sisters, God's glory revealed in us, because he's made us new, and God's glory revealed by us, as we go to live and to proclaim his new creation. It is no easy task, but it is the only way to know and to make known God's blessing.  We go out, knowing our own poverty of spirit, but also the riches of God's grace.  We go out meek and mourning, but also knowing the joy of being coheirs with the King.  We go out hungering and thirsting for justice, but we do so having experienced mercy ourselves.  We go out to battle, paradoxically, with the intent to reconcile.  And as we do this, we also transpose this Messiah-like character into the key necessary to meet our own culture.  In a world of ugliness where truth is now defined as whatever we want it to be and politicians try to win our loyalty with lies and appeals to our greed, we go out knowing that blessed are those who hunger and thirst for truth, beauty, and goodness.  In a culture obsessed with consumption and debt, we go out knowing that blessed are those who are satisfied with the riches of God.  However we do it, Brothers and Sisters, our calling is to go out into the world as light in the darkness, knowing and confident on the one hand that Jesus is Lord and has won the battle, but also going out with the same humility of spirit that took him to the cross.  Knowing that when God rides out to war to set the world to rights, it's not with the cavalry, but to the humility of Calvary.  So, too, must it be with us. Let us pray: O almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord: Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those inexpressible joys that you have prepared for those who truly love you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting.  Amen.

What if the thing you're hiding is the very thing keeping you from healing? In this week's message from our Good News for Hurting Hearts series, we explore Jesus' words: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Purity isn't about perfection it's about honesty before God. True freedom doesn't come from covering sin but from confessing it. Alan helps us see that God cannot heal what we conceal but He can forgive what we confess. When we bring our brokenness into the light, we discover mercy. When we stop managing our image, we start experiencing His grace. Through the cross, every sin is covered, every guilt removed, every heart made new. If you've ever wondered, “Is there forgiveness for me? This is the good news: Through Jesus, forgiveness is proclaimed, and everyone who believes is set free. Learn how confession leads to cleansing, surrender leads to sight, and purity of heart leads to seeing God.

Preacher: Esther Kang Title: Blessed Are The Pure In Heart, For They Will See God Sermon Series: Life Reimagined Scripture: Matthew 5:8 (NIV)

Continuing to look at the Beatitudes, we examine purity of heart from Matthew 5:8 https://longhollow.com/theforgottenjesuspodcastshownotes

Continuing to look at the Beatitudes, we examine purity of heart from Matthew 5:8 https://longhollow.com/theforgottenjesuspodcastshownotes