CGMI ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL – TOPIC: PURE IN HEART  [Church of God Mission International] DATE: SUNDAY 27th MARCH,2022

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CGMI ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL

DATE: SUNDAY 27th MARCH,2022

(HYMN: S S & S 577 “I NEED THEE EVERY HOUR”)

TOPIC: PURE IN HEART

TEXTS: Matt 5:8;Psalm 24:3-4;51:5-12;1Pt 1:13-16

CENTRAL THOUGHT
The state of a man’s heart determine who he is and what he can do

INTRODUCTION
Purity can be defined as been free from adulteration, contamination, pollution and corruption. As believers we desire a clean and wholesome life free from corruption and compromise. Our desire for purity leads us to avoid and resist temptation that would pollute us and weaken our character. Living a pure life benefits us and all those who are close to us. Purity supports good health and a long life, it can also leads to satisfaction and peace of mind. A believer must strive to maintain a pure heart as all issues of life emanates from the heart.
Our God is holy and He expects all His children to be like Him. Unfortunately, some Christians have been drawn away from holy living by lust and pride of life, into following the system of the world. In this study, we shall be exposed to how and why we should be pure in heart.

LESSON OBJECTIVES
The objectives are to:

1. Help us understand what it means to be pure in heart
2. Know the characteristics of a pure heart
3. Discuss why a believer should be pure in heart
4. Appreciate the things that will help believers to be pure in heart and
5. Mention the benefits of being pure in heart

BIBLE TRUTH
QUESTION 1.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE PURE IN HEART ? (Ps 24:3-4; 51:7-10; Heb 10:18-20)
In our introduction, we defined purity as anything that is opposed to pollution, contamination, adulteration and the likes. To be pure in heart can be regarded as a state of avoiding anything that is polluted, contaminated or unclean, in thought, word and deed. In the Beatitudes (Matt 5:8), the Lord Jesus declared that only those who are pure in heart will see God. The state of a man’s heart determines who he is and what he can do. We know that God is holy, true and perfect in all His ways. In other words, to be pure in heart means to be godly-having a heart that strives to avoid anything ungodly at all cost, and desires to please God, worship and obey Him at all times. Real purity comes as a result of believing that the lord Jesus Christ died in our place to ransom us from impurity.

ALSO READ: Open Heaven 26 March  2022  –DOMINION III 

QUESTION 2.
WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A PURE HEART ? (Gal 5:22-23; Rom 12:1-2,9-22)
A tree is known by its fruit. Purity reveals who you are and what you can and cannot do. So, a pure heart is known by its characteristics which include-love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. A closer look at these characteristics reveals that they conform to the life exhibited by Christ while He was on earth, hence we can conclude that purity can be equated to godliness. And God desires that we produce these characteristics in our daily living because they pleases Him and they are of Him

QUESTION 3.
WHY SHOULD THE BELIEVER BE PURE IN HEART ? (Heb 12:14; 1Pt 1:15-16)
Any believer who desires to see God must of necessity be pure in heart Christ declared, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” The scriptures records that Christ our Saviour, the Son of God, lived here on earth for about thirty-three years, and was tempted in many ways, yet He was without sin. He died sinless and rose again from the grave, ascended to heaven and He is seated at the right hand side of God the Father in glory and He promised us that we shall be with Him where He is. Any believer who has the hope of being with Christ has no option but to be pure in heart, without which no one will see or be with Him and the Father.

QUESTION 4.
HOW WILL THE FOLLOWING HELP THE BELIEVERS TO BE PURE IN HEART ?
(I). THE WORD OF GOD (Ps 119:9-12,105; Rom 12:2; Heb 4:12)
The will of God is revealed in His word. As we study the word of God, we understand what He requires of us. His word purifies and encourages us to be holy (pure in heart) as He is holy.
(II). FELLOWSHIP (Prov 27:17; Heb 10:25)
When believers come together in fellowship, God is present because they have gathered in His name (where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them). In such gathering, the word of God is taught and personal testimonies are shared. Through these, the weak and discouraged brethren are encouraged to keep holding on.
(III). EVANGELISM (Matt 28:19-20; 2acorin 5:18-19)
When believers are involved in evangelism, they have opportunity to admonish and encourage others who are yet to acknowledge Jesus Christ as their Lord and personal saviour so they can become children of God and live a life that will please Him. Of course, it becomes more difficult to practice what one has admonished others not to do and whatever you advise someone to practice, you would like to show him an example. So, evangelism strengthens the faith of a believer and encourages him to live a life of purity.
(IV). PRAYERS (1Thess 5:17)
The believer has the opportunity to talk with God in the place of prayer and express his/her belief and faith in God and His word. This rare privilege would encourage him/her to keep maintaining a pure heart to be able to access His presence always and maintain intimate relationship with Him
(5). OBEDIENCE TO THE HOLY SPIRIT (Gal 5:16)
The Holy Spirit is the third personality in the Godhead, who is the promise of the Father whom Christ promised to send to the believers after His ascension to heaven. He would remain with them and be their teacher , counsellor, comforter, helper and guardian, until Christ returns to take them to be with Him. The Holy Spirit indwells the believer to carry out these functions. The Spirit knows the mind of God so His counsel is very important to the believer. Obedience to His voice and leading are paramount in maintaining a pure heart.

QUESTION 5 (A)
MENTION SOME THINGS THAT POLLUTE THE HEART. (Gal 5:19; 1Jn 2:15-16)
There are many things that can pollute the heart of the believer. They include: immorality, impure thoughts, idolatry, all forms of hostility, jealousy, anger and the likes.
In summary, they are all under the cover of these three- lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh and pride of life. Practice of any of them in any form destroys the purity of a believer.

QUESTION 5(B).
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF BEING PURE IN HEART ? (Matt 5:8; Heb 12:14)
The state of blessedness of the pure in heart is encompassing. It covers both spiritual and physical benefits. Spiritually, the believer has the hope of spending eternity with Christ in the kingdom of God, having access to all the provisions Christ promised His followers. Physically, the believer receives wholesome life of peace, divine protection and provision of daily needs, good health and general well-being

   DAILY LIVING APPLICATION

As the heart cannot be seen, it is difficult to identify a pure heart, except by manifestation of its content, which reflects in what we think , say or do. Our desires therefore should be to please God in all aspects of our lives. We should desire a clean and wholesome life, free from corruption and compromise, which will help us to resist temptation that could pollute our heart and weaken our character. Demonstration of purity helps us to maintain a blameless reputation before God and others, as displayed in our words and actions. We should therefore, strive to maintain purity of heart at all times in our daily life.

MEMORY VERSE
Matthew 5:8 “Blessed [are] the pure in heart: for they shall see God.”

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