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Bible Study: Nov. 22, 2015


NASHVILLE (BP) — This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, LifeWay publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups.

This week’s Bible study is adapted from the MasterWork curriculum.

Bible Passage: Matthew 5:8

Discussion Questions: What does pure mean? What synonyms or descriptive phrases would you use to communicate the concept of purity? What examples do you see in society of a value or lack of value on purity? What do you think it means to most people to be pure in heart? How does that compare to what Jesus meant when He spoke of the pure in heart?

Food for Thought:

Fill in the blanks in the following well-known statements:
“She is as _______ as the driven snow.”
“He has a heart of _______ gold.”
“Blessed are the _______ in heart, for they shall see God” (HCSB).

Each statement begs for the word pure to complete the thought. We live in a time that demands purity in many areas. A popular facial soap advertises the purity of its ingredients, implying its superiority to other brands. The market for organic produce — that which is pure from pesticides and artificial treatments — is (pardon the pun) growing and becoming more visible in markets and grocery stores. Likewise, increasing numbers of shoppers want meats, milks, eggs and cheeses that have not been exposed to growth hormones and other chemical treatments; they want pure products.

My first year out of college I was living on my own with no school cafeteria to provide for my meals. While I had sometimes accompanied my mother on shopping trips to the grocery store, I had never before been responsible for purchasing and preparing my own food. I got a hankering for some chocolate milk and began to look for it when I went to the store. To my dismay, every brand I looked at said “artificially flavored.” I didn’t want artificially flavored chocolate milk; I wanted the real thing — pure chocolate milk. Eventually it dawned on me, “Duh! Of course it’s artificially flavored — cows don’t give chocolate milk!”

We all want pure but, like me with the chocolate milk, we don’t always know what that means. That is especially true in matters of spiritual purity. What does it mean to be “pure in heart”? Charles Spurgeon helps us understand in this week’s session of MasterWork.

MasterWork

MasterWork is an ongoing Bible study curriculum based on works from a variety of renowned authors and offers pertinent, practical messages that adults will find uplifting and enriching. The list of authors and their books to be studied in upcoming months can be found at www.lifeway.com/masterwork.

Other ongoing Bible study options for all ages offered by LifeWay can be found at LifeWay.com/SundaySchool.

    About the Author

  • Staff/Lifeway Christian Resources