R&R Devotional Bible Study Matthew 5.8 'Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.' Just as being lowly/meek/humble is 'poor in spirit and mourning in action', so the pure in heart flows out of all the beatitudes thus far... A good way to look at the beatitudes is to look at the promise first, and then the condition... You shall see God [or the only way to see God] is if you are pure in heart...this is what it means to be blessed. This is a good way to understand all the beatitudes Blessed are the poor in Spirit Blessed are those who mourn Blessed are the lowly Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness Blessed are the merciful We need to remember that it is first and foremost the work of Yahweh in us which causes the condition in the first place... [Psalm 24] Pure: clean, blameless, unstained from guilt Chaste Unmixed [do not be conformed to the world, but be renewed in the mind] Heart: the inner man, the center of the man, the whole of who a person is These are all included in Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand Yahweh requires Purity, as we can see here in this beatitude Be perfect as your Father who is in heaven is perfect Be ye holy, just as Yahweh is holy Purify your hands, you sinners Humble yourself in the sight of The Lord, and He will lift you up Create in me a clean heart, oh God, and renew a right spirit within me [Psalm 51.10] Who are the pure in heart? How does one get a pure/clean heart? [see Ezekiel 36; Acts 11] How can one cry out to have a pure heart [to hunger and thirst for righteousness]? Those who have a pure heart alone shall see Yahweh [Once again seeing only two groups of people] The Problem: The problem is 2-fold: First, Yahweh is too holy to look upon iniquity Second, the whole of mankind is fallen and alienated from Yahweh As we are told in Genesis 6.5: '...Every single intent of every thought of the heart is only evil continually in the sight of Yahweh...' Jeremiah 'The heart of deceitful above all else, and is desperately sick; who can understand it? Only Yahweh judges the heart' The Law of Yahweh is given.. The Law is the perfect and righteous requirements of Yahweh in which we are to act in, meaning that mankind is supposed to obey... But as we are told in Scripture, there is no Law unto life, and thus the Law is supposed to show us our iniquity and drive us to The Lord Christ Jesus... As we have been discussing thus far in the beatitudes, this is internal, not external... Our actions cannot and will not save us. It is not our belief or faith that save us... It is God who saves us through The Lord Christ Jesus... It is God who instills faith in us which causes us to believe... Nothing that we do can save us, which is what we considered in how we are poor in spirit in and of ourselves... ...For they shall see God Only those who are pure in heart can see God, can be in the presence of God Positionally we need to be perfect and holy in the sight of Yahweh, yet in and of ourselves, we [the whole of mankind] are guilty in the sight/presence of Yahweh, and thus cannot be in the presence of Yahweh There needs to be a singleness of heart toward Yahweh [from Got Questions]. This is actually the summation of the Law: 'You shall love The Lord your God with all your heart, and will all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' The question is posed in Job: 'How can man be right with Yahweh?' This ties in with the question that we have been asking: 'Where is our focus...who is our focus on?' What needs to happen: The Gospel needs to be proclaimed... We love cause Yahweh first loved us Ezekiel 36 Yahweh acts for His namesake, not for our sake... Yahweh removes the dead heart of stone, and replaces it with an heart of flesh... Yahweh sprinkles us with water and removes our idols... Yahweh places His Spirit within us in order that we might be careful to observe His ordinances and to walk in His statutes... Ephesians 1 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Christ Jesus who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus... 2025 Research & Reference Devotional © All Rights Reserved

R&R Devotional Bible Study Matthew 5.7 'Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.' In order to be merciful: First – Yahweh must be at work in us Second – In light of Yahweh working in us, we must: -Understand and accept our condition [be broken of self] -This leads to lamenting and mourning over transgression against the holiness of Yahweh -This leads to walking in newness of life/repentance [which includes looking outside ourselves and and understanding that the whole of mankind is in the same boat; the fact that the whole of mankind is fallen] -This then leads to the hungering and thirsting for righteousness, which is outside of ourselves, and solely found in Yahweh alone and nowhere else -It is only then, and only then where we can be truly merciful What is Mercy? First of all, this mercy of Yahweh is not necessarily physical on our end On Yahweh's end, it does show up in the physical in that the whole of creation is upheld by the word of the power of The Lord Christ Jesus [Hebrews 1.3] This is known as the 'common grace' of Yahweh -Everything is upheld by the word of the power of Christ -It rains on the just and the unjust alike Isaiah 45.5-7 tells us: '5-I am Yahweh, and there is no other; beside Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me, 6-That they may know from the rising to the setting of the sun that there is no one beside Me. I am Yahweh, and there is no other, 7-The One forming light and creating darkness, producing peace and creating calamity; I am Yahweh who does all these.' Mercy: The unmerited compassion/ forgiveness toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish them or harm; a willingness to extend kindness toward another [kindness is not natural to natural man, it has to be worked in us, and is actually a manifesting work of The Holy Spirit within a person] Kindness and Forgiveness The Problem: We are all sinners, we are all fallen. Whilst we do sin against one another, and there are factions and divisions, which show a much graver problem...the problem that each and ever one of us is guilty in the sight of Yahweh. Thus, whilst we might sin against one another, ultimately we sin against Yahweh and Yahweh alone. Two dynamics of mercy: Mercy to the outside world: The proclamation of the Gospel to make disciples... Mercy amongst the brethren: James 2.14-17 '14-What use is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? 15-If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16-and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,' and yet do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17-Even so faith, if it has no works is dead by itself.' John 13.34-35 tells us: '34-A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35-By this all will know you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.' ...For they shall obtain/receive mercy Why shall they receive mercy? First of all, Yahweh is at work in them. Seeing as Yahweh is at work in them, they will be merciful. Those whom Yahweh is at work in are already being shown mercy, and seeing as mercy is worked in them, if flows out of them in how they, in turn, show mercy to others. Only those who are spiritually well off [or fortunate] are the ones who will be shown the forgiving mercy of Yahweh through Christ. While the whole of the world has the common grace of God [as previously discussed] here on earth, only those who are truly of Yahweh actually have the special grace and mercy from Yahweh through The Lord Christ Jesus. From the Reformation Study Bible: 'God's mercy is not a reward earned by showing mercy. Rather, those who recognize the magnitude of the mercy He has shown them will treat others as The Father has treated them.' Those who do not show mercy, really show that they may not actually be indwelt with The Holy Spirit, which means that they may not be of Yahweh at all As C.H. Spurgeon said: 'If you do not desire to see people saved, you yourself are not saved. Of this you can be sure.' 2025 Research & Reference Devotional © All Rights Reserved

R&R Devotional Bible Study Matthew 5.5 'Blessed are the lowly, for they shall inherit the earth' Blessed are the Lowly Lowly definition: Meek; humble; lowly, submissive [Philippians 2] Blessed are those who are not self-reliant and self-assured, but those who are lowly and humble...those who understand that on our own accord we can do absolutely nothing at all in our relation to Yahweh. Positionally we understand and accept that God alone is holy, which is why if we are truly of Yahweh we hunger and thirst for His holiness and righteousness. Once again, we are spiritually well off if we understand and accept this, because on our own we reject this. The best way to understand lowly/meek is to think of it of it as 'poor in spirit' in action. We might say that to be lowly/meek is the practice application of 'to be poor in spirit' and 'to mourn'. Another way we can understand lowly/meek is that it is the response to our acceptance of being 'poor in spirit' and our 'mourning/lamenting' over the fact that we have transgressed against the Law of Yahweh, and that we have abandoned our created purpose. To be lowly/meek/humble is to empty one's self and be under control. This should make us realize immediately that we cannot achieve this in and of ourselves. Whilst Christ did in fact humble Himself, this was so show His deity. There must be the work of Yahweh in us in order for us to be emptied and self-controlled. Self control itself is one of the manifesting works of The Holy Spirit within us, meaning this is not natural to natural man. In being told that spiritually fortunate are the lowly/meek, once again the spiritual fortune is the fact that God is working within those who are His through Christ, and lowliness is being worked in them. The problem: Original sin is the problem, the fact that every single intent of the thoughts of the heart is only evil continually; or as we are told in Jeremiah: 'the heart if deceitful above all else, and is desperately sick...who can understand it?' Lust of the eyes Lust of the flesh Boastful pride of life Mankind, in and of ourselves, we like to think that we are free and that our wills matter, and that we have a 'say-so' in eternal matters. We do not recognize, or accept, that we are merely created beings who are sustained by Yahweh. To further this, in our fallen state, we are actually born slaves to: the world system the evil one [born into the family of also] sin Matthew 23.12 tells us: 'Whoever exults himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.' Herein lies the problem, the entirety of mankind in and of ourselves, we exult ourselves to no end. In our natural state, on our own accord, we cannot and will not humble our self. Whilst the promise of Yahweh is true, the command [or exhortation] of Yahweh here is ultimately to show us our inability, which then is to lead us to repentance. If we could humble ourselves on our own accord, then it would be our works that save us, and God would ow us something. Apart from Yahweh, mankind is: Dead Blind Destitute Antithetical to Yahweh [This is shown in our self-worship and self-service and self-focus] What is True lowliness [humility]? This actually ties into all that we have been considering thus far in Matthew, specifically when we are told to 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand' Humility, or meekness, is to understand and accept our condition, to mourn and lament over the fact that we have transgressed the Law of Yahweh [that we have profaned the holy name of Yahweh], and to submit to the perfect estimation of Yahweh as well as the absolute and sovereign authority of Yahweh [acting in accordance with the manifesting work of The Holy Spirit within us, in which self control is part of] Part of being meek is to understand that strength only resides in Yahweh alone, and nowhere else. Self-importance and self-strength have absolutely no place in being in the presence of God because apart from God, there is absolutely nothing at all. This actually ties into the fact that we need to be washed in the precious shed blood of The Lord Christ Jesus in order to even be in the presence of Yahweh. We have to be justified. The Lord Christ Jesus says that if any will come after Him, the must: Deny self Pick up their cross [their instrument of death] Submit to The Lord Christ Jesus There is no self in the kingdom of heaven. Self has to be denied, self has to die. In fact, we are supposed to have the demeanor of little children who have complete dependence upon Yahweh through The Lord Christ Jesus, just as a little child has complete dependence upon his parents, cause once again, we have nothing in and of ourselves. ...For they shall inherit the earth This really ties in with 'blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven' in that those who are lowly are the ones who are in the kingdom of heaven, and will inherit the new heavens and the new earth. Once again we are being shown that there are two groups of people, those who are truly of God, and those who are not. This also ties in with the first Beatitude in that it is only because of the work of Yahweh in us where we can be humble/lowly in the first place We can understand this as Yahweh's rest regained. In Genesis 3, mankind was cast out from the presence of Yahweh. When we are converted, we come back into the presence of Yahweh through the work of The Lord Christ Jesus Isaiah 56.7-8 tells us: '7-'Even those I will bring to My holy mountain and make them glad in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable at My altar; for My house will be called an house of prayer for all the peoples.' 8-Lord Yahweh, who gathers the banished of Israel, declares: 'Yet others I will gather to them, to those already gathered'.' Ezekiel 36.24 tells us: 'I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands, and bring you into your own land.' Hebrews talks about not being found with an evil hardened heart of unbelief which would cause Yahweh to not allow them into His rest. Hebrews also talks about how Abraham was looking for a city not built with human hands Not relying on our own works, which can do nothing for us 2025 Research & Reference Devotional © All Rights Reserved

R&R Devotional Bible Study Matthew 5.4 'Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted...' Blessed are those who mourn To mourn: To feel or show deep sorrow, grief, or regret We are spiritually well off [spiritually fortunate] when we mourn This statement here only makes sense when we understand the previous statement of 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.' This is due to the fact that true Godly mourning [or grieving] only flows from our acceptance of our fallen state. We do, however, have to be careful here. The mourning/grieving that The Lord Christ Jesus is talking about here is not a self-centered and self-focused pity. Rather, it is a mourning over the fact that we have sinned against Yahweh alone. The problem: If we just look at this in a flippant manner, we can make it seem as if this applies to anyone who has ever been sad. In fact we may have the tendency to hear people suggest just that...that those who are sad and mourning are blessed and that God will comfort them in [insert whatever sad scenario here, and you will be comforted because you are grieving]. As we have been discussing concerning 'the Beatitudes' [these statements of blessing], blessing itself is to be spiritually fortunate or spiritually well off, which does not mean this would necessarily translate into the physical. Thus showing here that we are not necessarily talking about a physical situation. Here on earth, one might be in a constant state of sorrow in his or her condition, and not be consoled here on earth. Realistically, this is the kind of sorrow the Judas showed. In fact, this is the only kind of sorrow that anyone can show in our natural state, on our own accord. True Godly sorrow: We are spiritually well off when we lament/mourn because, first and foremost, it is Yahweh who is at work in us. We lament and mourn the fact that we have transgressed the agape of Yahweh, but it is not a self focused lament or mourning. True Godly sorrow is not self focused, and really does not pity ones self. Whilst true Godly sorrow does look at self and see self in light of how Yahweh sees us, true Godly mourning focuses on how we have transgressed the perfect and holy agape of Yahweh, and we affirm that we have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of Yahweh. Lament over the fact that we have sinned against Yahweh; that we have abandoned our created purpose, and that we have angered and grieved Yahweh, and we have profaned the Name of Yahweh. Lament over the fact that the whole of mankind is fallen: This actually ties in with the next Beatitude, 'blessed are the lowly [or humble]. C.H. Spurgeon said something to the effect of: 'If you do not desire to see people saved, you yourself are not saved. Of that you can be sure.' If we are truly of Yahweh, we understand our spiritual condition, the fact that we are 'poor in spirit' [that we are spiritually dead, spiritually bankrupt] in and of ourselves. We should also then understand the fact that it is not only us who are spiritually dead, but that the whole of mankind is in the same boat, which should lead us to mourning/grieving over the fact that the whole of humanity has abandoned our created purpose which is to glorify Yahweh in every single thing that we do. Mankind, the whole of, are in fact image bearers [imago dei] of Yahweh; created in the image of Yahweh [...Let Us make mankind in Our image]. ...For they shall be comforted Here on earth: A primary way in which those who are truly of Yahweh are comforted is that they no longer focus on themselves, they now focus on Yahweh through The Lord Christ Jesus [as we are told in Hebrews: set aside all encumbrance of sin and fix our eyes upon The Lord Christ Jesus Who is the Author and Perfecter of faith]. The main issue with our fallenness is that mankind, in our natural state on our own accord, focuses solely and exclusively on self: we do not believe Yahweh, we do not honor Yahweh as God, we do not give thanks, we suppress the truth of Yahweh, and regard the truth of Yahweh as foolishness. Or as we are told in Genesis 6.5: Every single intent of the thought of the heart is only evil continually. Basically put: We only focus on ourselves all the time, which is a breaking of the summation of the command of Yahweh [which is to agape Yahweh with every fiber of our being]. Thus, the primary showance of comfort is that we no longer look at ourselves, or fellow man. Rather, we are now focused upon The Creator and finally start to agape Yahweh, and to show this agape in how we interact with our fellow man. This ties in further with hungering and thirsting for righteousness, the merciful, and the peacemakers In eternity future: Once we are shed of this mortal coil [if we are granted entrance into heaven], ultimately the comfort will be that there will be no remembrance of things here, and we will be forever with Yahweh in heaven, and we will be able to function in the manner in which we were created, which is to worship and glorify Yahweh forever and ever. There will be no thought of self in heaven. Every preconceived notion we might have here on earth concerning heaven will not matter in light of actually being in the presence of Yahweh in heaven, and there will no longer be any evil intent of the thoughts of the heart because there will be no self focus. Our focus will be fixed upon God. 2025 Research & Reference Devotional © All Rights Reserved