Matthew 5:8 Blessed Are The Pure in Heart

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." [Matthew 5:8 NASB]

In the temple, only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies where he would stand in the presence of God. He could only do this once a year, and in order to do it, he must become ceremonially clean or pure.

In Hebrews we have this description, "...For there was a tabernacle prepared, the outer one, in which were the lampstand and the table and the sacred bread; this is called the holy place. Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies....Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship, but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance." [Hebrews 9:1-7 NASB]

The book of Leviticus describes what the high priest had to do before entering the Holy of Holies. “Aaron shall enter the holy place with this: with a bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. He shall put on the holy linen tunic, and the linen undergarments shall be next to his body, and he shall be girded with the linen sash and attired with the linen turban (these are holy garments). Then he shall bathe his body in water and put them on." ...Then Aaron shall offer the bull for the sin offering which is for himself, that he may make atonement for himself and for his household." [Leviticus 16:3-6] 

So the high priest had to cleanse himself, put on consecrated holy garments, and sacrifice a bull for his own sins before he coming into the presence of the Lord. In this way, he was made to be ceremonially pure on the outside before he could "see" God.

Jesus has called to be pure on the inside, not in appearance only, not ceremonially, but in the heart. The Law teaches us that we cannot become pure in heart just by wanting to be. Purity, or cleansing must be accompanied by a sacrifice. Jesus did for us what all the bulls and goats sacrificed on the altar could never do. In Hebrews we read, "But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" [Hebrews 9:11-14 NASB]

He has made a way for us to come boldly into the presence of God, "but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God..."For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified."..."Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." [Hebrews 10:12-22 NASB]

Pureness in heart is a gift from God. You can't become pure in heart by sacrificing. If you can find the most generous, caring, giving and loving person alive on the earth, and if that person does not have Jesus as his Lord, he is not pure of heart. 

If you have accepted Jesus as your savior and have asked Him to be Lord in your life, then He has purified your heart for you. By sending the Holy Spirit to live in your heart, He has place His Presence within you, and you are in His presence at all times, whether you are aware of it or not.

Therefore, do not neglect the great gift that He has given you. Turn your mind always toward God. Be aware of His presence at all times, walking in the Spirit. For those who walk in the Spirit, there is no condemnation (Romans 8:1-4).