I invite you to turn with me to Matthew chapter 5. As we continue our study of the

Beatitudes today we'll focus on verse 8 of this chapter,

which says,

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

The first thing we learn from this beatitude

is that Jesus is very concerned with our heart.

It's not enough to clean up your act on the outside.

You can hear him saying, can't you later on?

Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites,

for you cleanse the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside you are full of extortion and

repacity. You blind Pharisee. First cleanse the inside of the cup and of the plate that the outside may be clean as well.

So the aim of Jesus Christ is not to simply reform the manners of society.

The aim of Jesus is to transform sinners,

individual people from the inside out.

He is very concerned with the heart. So for example Jesus would not at all

be satisfied with a society where there were absolutely no acts of adultery

because he says you have heard that it was said you shall not

commit adultery but I say to you

every man who looks upon a woman to desire her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.

The heart is what you are in the secrecy of your thought and your feeling when no one knows but God.

That's your heart and what you are at that invisible root is just as important, I think we could say more important

to the Lord than what you are at the visible branch where the fruit of your life emerges.

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