“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8).
TEXT — Matthew 5:1-8
Message
In his book, Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream, David Platt, an American pastor wrote, “Radical obedience to Christ is not easy… It’s not comfort, not health, not wealth, and not prosperity in this world. Radical obedience to Christ risks losing all these things. But in the end, such risk finds its reward in Christ. And He is more than enough for us.”
One cannot but appreciate the honesty, grace and sublimity with which Christ spoke to His disciples and the multitude that gathered unto Him at the Mount. He taught profitable godly principles as guides for Christian pilgrims of all ages. In our text, Christ lays bare: one, the condition for entering God’s kingdom; two, the characteristics of Kingdom citizens; and three, the requirement for present and eternal fellowship with God. In summary, Christ pronounced Kingdom inheritance for the poor in spirit, comfort for those who mourn, earthly inheritance for the meek, mercy for the merciful, spiritual satisfaction for all who thirst and hunger for righteousness and assurance of present and eternal blessings for the pure in heart.
Purity of heart is non-negotiable for all who desire heavenly blessing. The spiritual milestone experiences detailed by Christ in our text are one-off possessions. The Lord did not give any room for inconsistencies or backslidings. Godly living attracts both physical, material and spiritual blessings. God blesses the righteous on earth and reserves eternal blessing for him in heaven.
Above all, godly living assures us of eternal habitation with God. To begin the journey to a blessed life, you must repent of your sins and exercise faith in the atoning sacrifice of Christ to be made holy and powerful for a blessed walk.
Thought for the day
The most precious possession a Christian can have is purity of heart.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
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“The Lord did not give any room for inconsistencies or backslidings”
There is no age limit to the quest for purity of heart. Abraham was called at 99 into perfect walk with God. Purity of heart is a definite work of grace and of faith by the blood of Jesus through passionate prayer: “Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them…” Ezk 36:37 and “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.” 1Th 5:23-24
“The Lord did not give any room for inconsistencies or backslidings”
There is no age limit to the quest for purity of heart. Abraham was called at 99 into perfect walk with God. Purity of heart is a definite work of grace and of faith by the blood of Jesus through passionate prayer: “Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them…” Ezk 36:37 and “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.” 1Th 5:23-24