Sermon Notes
“What Have We Got to Lose?”
BEATITUDES – Part 6
November 9, 2025
“Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.”
Matthew 5:8
As it is written:
“There is no one righteous, not
even one;
there is no one who understands; there
is no one who seeks God.
All have turned away, they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good, not
even one.”
“Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice
deceit.”
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”
“Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
“Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their
ways,
and the way of peace they do not know.”
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Romans 3:10-18
- A fundamental truth frequently repeated in Scripture: Often times, less is more; simpler is better; what
may seem like a loss is actually a win.
- Consider how often we see this reflected in the stories of the Bible: weakness is strength, to be poor is
to be rich, and losing one’s life is the way to find it.
- This “flipping of the script” is evident throughout the Beatitudes, as well.
- Today’s beatitude, though, doesn’t seem to fit with the others, all of which point to the ideas of lacking
and loss.
Two Questions to Consider:
1. Is Jesus also flipping the script here, and if so…
2. What have we got to lose?
- Is purity of heart also a matter of losing something?
- What does the Bible actually mean when it speaks of the heart?
- From a biblical standpoint, the heart is the center of volition.
Volition – n. the faculty or power of using one’s will.
“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”
Proverbs 4:23
Is Jesus speaking to me here about the importance of having in my heart – the center of volition – the right motives for wanting to see God at all?
“Investigate my heart, O God; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me…”
Psalm 139:23-24
What do we really want from God?
“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for . . . the living God. When
can I go and meet with God?”
Psalm 42:1-2
“As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.”
Psalm 17:15
Would we be satisfied with seeing His likeness? Consider all we want from God. He promises us His presence.
“To be pure in heart is to have a single-minded devotion…”
Annette Griffin
“Give me an undivided heart…”
Psalm 86:11
“I am saying this … that you may live … in undivided devotion...”
1 Corinthians 7:35
“I will give them an undivided heart…”.
Ezekiel 11:19
“Do not fall into the mistake of supposing that [the Beatitudes] set forth how we are to be saved…”
Charles Spurgeon
Where do our efforts at moral purity – our “righteous acts” – really get us?
“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags…”.
Isaiah 64:6
In giving us himself, Jesus shows us who God is and how He loves.
“Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.”
John 14:9
Small Group Discussion Questions for the Week of November 9, 2025.
Opening
1. Can you think of a time when you were in desperate need of a bath? When was it, and how had you
gotten so dirty?
2. Describe a situation in your life when your efforts were wasted, and you didn’t achieve what you set
out to do.
Digging Deeper into the Scriptures
1. Read Matthew 5:8. What comes to mind when you hear the word “pure”? With what ideas do you
associate it?
2. Study Isaiah 64:6. What does the Bible say about our efforts to please God by living lives of purity?
3. Scripture repeatedly makes it clear that our own efforts to “clean up our acts” don’t amount to much.
Where does our purity come from?
Applying the Scriptures
1. Read Psalm 42:1-2. Can you honestly relate to the psalmist here? Why or not?
2. Read Psalm 17:15. This passage is about being satisfied with seeing God. What other things in your life
vie with God for your attention? From what else are you tempted to seek satisfaction?
3. According to Psalm 86:11 and Ezekiel 11:19, where does an “undivided heart” really come from? How
can you live in light of this truth?