BLESSABLE || Pure in Heart

Jul 14

John 4:5-30 New King James Version

5 So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.

9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.

10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

11 The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? 12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?”

13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”

16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”

17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.”

Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.”

19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”

21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.”

26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

27 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?”

28 The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, 29 “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” 30 Then they went out of the city and came to Him.

God Desires that You See Him Rightly

The 6th Beatitude

Matthew 5:8 New King James Version

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

BLESSED are the…

Are the Pure

PURE - KATHAROS (G2513)

Physically

Purified by fire

Proverbs 17:3 New Living Translation

3 Fire tests the purity of silver and gold,
but the Lord tests the heart.

- Similarly, like a vine cleansed by pruning and so fitted to bear fruit

John 15:1-3 New Living Translation

15 “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you.

In a levitical sense

Clean, the use of which is not forbidden, imparts no uncleanness
God’s tabernacle, temple, priests, levites, and all of the instruments & utensils were purified/cleansed before they could house and minster unto the Lord

Ethically
- Free from corrupt desire, from sin and guilt

1 Corinthians 4:5 New Living Translation

5 So don’t make judgments about anyone ahead of time—before the Lord returns. For he will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due.

- Free from every admixture of what is false, sincere genuine

John 14:30 New King James Version

30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.

- Singular in source
- Blameless, innocent
- Unstained with the guilt of anything

Ephesians 5:27 New King James Version

27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

in Heart

HEART - KARDIA (G2588)

Denotes the center of all physical and spiritual life

The vigor and sense of physical life
The center and seat of spiritual life

the soul or mind, as it is the foundation and seat of the thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, etc.
of the understanding, the faculty and seat of the intelligence
of the will and character
of the soul so far as it is affected and stirred in a bad way or good, or of the soul as the seat of the sensibilities, affections, emotions, desires, appetites, passions

Of the middle or central or inmost part of anything, even though inanimate

OUR HEARTS ARE OUR THOUGHTS, FEELINGS, & DESIRES

The Pure in Heart are Blessed, because They Shall SEE God

SEE - OPTANOMAI (G3700)

To look at, behold

Spiritually

See His heart (thoughts, feelings and desires)
See His nature revealed in scripture
See Him in visions & dreams

In principle - they can see God at work in their lives in all seasons and circumstances

Romans 8:28 New King James Version

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

to allow one’s self to be seen, to appear

Exposed and naked before God

John 3:21 New King James Version

21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

God Cares MOST about Your Heart!

GIVING YOU A PURE HEART IS HIS IDEA || His Will, His Bill

1. God WANTS your heart to be pure so that He can put His Spirit in you

Ezekiel 36:25-27 New King James Version

25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.

2. Jesus PAID the price to purify your heart, making it an acceptable dwelling/temple for Holy Spirit

Hebrews 10:19-22 New Living Translation

19 And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. 20 By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. 21 And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, 22 let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.

3. Holy Spirit ENTERS your pure heart, making YOU HIS TEMPLE

Acts 15:8-10 New King James Version

8 So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, 9 and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. 10 Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?

1 Corinthians 3:16 New King James Version

16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

WHY DOES GOD CARE SO MUCH ABOUT OUR HEARTS?

1. Our heart is the center of who we are

The heart is where body, soul, and spirit are connected
The heart is the place where spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical meet
- It is the place from which purity, or impurity, flows

Jeremiah 17:9 New King James Version

9 “The heart is deceitful above all things,
And desperately wicked;
Who can know it?

Luke 6:45 New King James Version

45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

- Our hearts are directly responsible for the health, and purity, of our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual life

Proverbs 4:23 New King James Version

23 Keep your heart with all diligence,
For out of it spring the issues of life.

- When our hearts are purified, our lives are made pure

2. Our heart is the place where God fixes His attention

1 Samuel 16:7 New King James Version

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

3. Our heart is the earthly dwelling place of God

Ephesians 3:17 New King James Version

17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

4. Our heart is the place from which true worship flows

Isaiah 29:13 New King James Version

13 Therefore the Lord said:

“Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths
And honor Me with their lips,
But have removed their hearts far from Me,
And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,

Ezekiel 33:31 New King James Version

31 So they come to you as people do, they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain.

Matthew 15:7-9 New King James Version

7 Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:

8 ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth,
And honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
9 And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”

God Wants to Purify Your Heart, so You See Him Rightly

John 4:4-9 New King James Version

5 So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.

The spiritual significance of Sychar, the plot of ground, and Jacob’s well

This is where God first appeared to Abram in Canaan, and renewed the promise of giving the land to him and his descendants. (Genesis 12:7)
This is where Abram built an altar and called upon the name of the Lord. (Genesis 12:8)
This is where Jacob built an altar to the Lord, and called it El Elohe Israel (Genesis 33:20). This established the connection between Jacob and what became known as Jacob’s well there in Sychar.
This is where Joshua made a covenant with Israel, renewing their commitment to the God of Israel and proclaiming, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24)

Jesus was weary and thirsty

Jesus sat by the well and asked a Samaritan woman for a drink of water

His disciples left Him to care for important practical needs
No one was left to minister to (serve) Him, so He asked this woman

Why are you asking me, a woman…

Jews hate Samaritans

Considered racial half breeds, a lower class of person, and religious heretics

Men, especially rabbi’s, avoided speaking to women, sometimes even looking at them
You who are clean, are asking from me, who is unclean

God Longs to FILL His Dwelling Place

John 4:10-15 New King James Version

10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? 12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?” 13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” 15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”

If you only knew the gift of God … living water

Jesus wanted to FILL the woman with His Spirit

John 7:38-39 New King James Version

38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

The woman is either curious or defensive, perhaps both

How and where do you get this living water
Are You greater than our father Jacob who gave us this well?

Jesus answers her question indirectly

Yes, and I am so great that the water I give can not only satisfy your thirst forever, but also make you a spring of living water

The woman is deceived by her sin and only thinks of things in the natural

Give me this water!

This sounds convenient
This will make my life easier

PURIFICATION = Exposure

John 4:16-24 New King James Version

16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.” 19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Jesus exposes this woman’s sin

Go call your husband… I have no husband

Purification will always feel like exposure, because the Lord only will heal, what you allow Him to expose
You have had 5 husbands and the 1 you have now is not yours

At first it may seem like Jesus is being cruel, but His desire is to heal and cover, not hurt and leave uncovered

You have been through six men who refuse to keep you as their wife, but you have encountered the 7th
Jesus is the PERFECT Bridegroom
Jesus will NEVER leave you nor forsake you
Jesus will wash, cleanse, purify, and transform you into EVERYTHING He made you to be

The woman doesn’t try to cover herself up, but ALLOWS HERSELF TO BEE SEEN BY JESUS

I perceive you are a prophet

I won’t deny it

Our father’s worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews say Jerusalem in the place

I cannot be purified as Your law demands

I cannot go to Your temple and offer a sacrifice for sin or for worship

Abraham and Jacob encountered God here, established covenant here, and built altars for sacrifice here

Is this not GOOD enough?

Woman, believe me

The hour is coming when you WILL worship the Father

You will be purified of sin, you will offer sacrifices of praise & worship

It won’t be on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem

You don’t know the Father, the Jews know the Father, salvation is of the Jews

God is SEEKING those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth

God is Spirit, not confined to physical locations or religious activities

Blessed are the Pure of Heart for They Shall See & Reveal God

John 4:25-26 New King James Version