Seen (Part 4): Seeing The Pure In Heart

TO START: Today, we are in the fourth week of our series, Seen, where we are relearning to see the world and people the way Jesus saw them during his time on earth. Each week, we are walking through one of Jesus' Beatitudes. 

This Sunday we unpacked Jesus’ encouragement to those who are pure in heart, or those who are sincerely committed to sweeping out anything within their hearts that hinders them from seeing God at work in the world and in the people around them.

TO READ: Matthew 5:1-12 (focus on v.8)

TO DISCUSS:

(1.) What’s a possession that would seem ordinary to most people but is extremely valuable to you?

(2.) How does understanding “purity of heart” not as having a perfect or innocent heart, but as having an undivided focus on pursuing and seeing God in every part of life, change the way you understand this Beatitude?

(3.) Psalm 24:3–4 speaks of coming before God with “clean hands and a pure heart,” a picture of honesty and integrity before Him. Where have you found yourself becoming more honest about an area of your life that, for a while, you didn’t want to acknowledge—to God, to others, or even to yourself?

(4.) Of all the people Jesus encountered in the Gospels, whose story encourages you when you consider how he saw them with a pure heart?

TO PRAY:

To close this week, spend some time praying together. Ask the Lord: Who is seeing the world and others with a pure heart that you could encourage this week?

One way to do this could be to sit in silence with this question before the Lord and ask for God to highlight a specific person. Then, either have folks turn to the group member closest to them to share who they’re praying for OR everyone can share with the whole group. Then, spend a few minutes praying for those people together. Finally, ask God to show you one way you can love and honor that person this week.