Community Group Questions
Pure in Heart - Matthew 5:8
Getting Started
1. Jesus speaks about being "pure in heart," not simply having the appearance of being good. What does this tell us about the heart Jesus wants us to have?
2. Why is it easier to manage what people see than to deal honestly with what is happening in our hearts?
Other Passages to Look At
3. Read Psalm 24:3–6. What does David say is required of the person who comes into God's presence? What does this passage stir in you as you consider your own heart?
4. Read Titus 3:3–7. How does Paul describe the change that God brings about in us? What does this teach us about where true heart transformation comes from?
Practical Implications
(Re)Orientation
5. How does Jesus redirect our attention from outward appearances to the condition of our hearts? It is possible to look like we have our lives together while something very different is happening inside us. What does this Beatitude teach us about what matters to Jesus and what it means to know him?
Inspection
6. What might we be hiding, protecting, or refusing to let Jesus address in our hearts? Read Psalm 51:10–12. Why can it be difficult to be honest before God about our motives, desires, and sin? What do those struggles reveal about where we still need his grace?
Invitation
7. What is Jesus inviting you to experience when he promises that the pure in heart will see God? What changes in you to know that the hope for a changed heart is not found in cleaning yourself up, but in the mercy and renewing work of God?
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Prayer focus: Jesus, create in us clean hearts. Give us the freedom to stop hiding and to bring our whole selves into your gracious presence.