Scripture: Matthew 5:8
Sermon Series: Vote! King Jesus – Sermon 06
A Polar Bear and his son (picture) were walking through icy glaciers, when the little Polar Bear says to his father, “Dad, are we pure blooded Polar Bears?” The father bear looks at his son and says, “Why, yes son, of course we are!” The next day the little Polar Bear is hunting for seals with his mother. In the middle of the water, he asks, “Mamma, are we pure blooded Polar Bears?” Mamma bear looks at her cub, “Of course we are!” The next day the cub is hunting with his grandpa. And in the middle of a big ice storm the little Polar Bear stops his grandpa and says, “Grandpa, are we pure polar bear? Like, we don’t have any Black bear, or Grizzly bear, or Brown bear mixed in with us?” Grandpa Bear looks at him quizzically and says in his deep, gruff voice, “No son…We are pure Polar Bear, as far back as we go. Your great-great-great grandparents were all pure Polar Bears! Why do you ask?” The Polar Bear cub looks up at his grandpa and says, “Because…I’m FREEZING!!”
Americans are obsessed with purity, at least with certain kinds. Ivory Soap (picture) advertises it’s 99% pure. Pure what? I’ve never been able to find out. Many won’t touch food with preservatives or artificial colors. We’re concerned about the purity of our food or water, yet how concerned are you about the purity of your life? Purity has been frozen out of our culture. Most people don’t want to be pure, even Christ-followers. Everybody would laugh at you. I mean, who wants to be a goody-goody-two-shoes? In our minds it’s like being a Puritan or Amish (picture). So, where does this Beatitude fit? Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God (Matthew 5:8)?
The thought of purity is a bit scary. It’s like hearing about Algebra when you’re a kid and you just learned long division. Our sexually liberated culture has made purity advocates seem like big party poopers.
Was Jesus saying, Blessed are the prudes or worse, Blessed are the sinless? Because if that’s what it takes to see God, I don’t have a chance. If Jesus didn’t mean “prudish” or “sinless,” what did He mean?
We quickly see that the focus of purity is the heart. Jesus was talking about the kind of purity that comes from deep inside of us. The key verse of the Sermon on the Mount is Matthew 5:20, For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. The Pharisees had external purity, but Jesus said we must have an internal righteousness if we expect to see God. Our Holy God is very serious about purity. In this Beatitude Jesus affirms those who strive for purity. They’re blessed and will see God. Purity is vital. Those who want God’s blessing must have A Passion for Purity.
Jesus’ words tell us how to have 20/20 spiritual vision. If we want to see God, this is the great text. Purity of heart isn’t wishful thinking. It takes willful living. 1 John 3:3 says, And everyone who thus hopes in Him purifies himself as He [Jesus] is pure. So, do you want to see God? Have a relationship with Him? Then, we must know what this Beatitude means. If you’re taking notes…
1. A passion for purity will have a life that’s blessed.
Talk about purity with pagans and they’ll think you’re hopelessly out of touch or worse, become very irate.
Christian author, Dannah Gresh (picture), discovered that. In her blog entitled, Should We Stop Using The Word “Purity”? she writes: “I once opened my blog to moderate comments on a post titled “Was Mary A Virgin?” Suddenly, I was being accused of “slut-shaming” for using the word virgin. What!? It was the VIRGIN Mary who I was writing about!”
Every beatitude begins with “blessed.” This one goes against the grain of popular culture more than any other. Though the focus isn’t just on sexual purity, it’s what our world thinks when they hear the word. Sex, any kind of sexual relationship, is no longer an act. It’s a right and permeates our culture.
Remember the Joker from the old Batman TV series (picture)? It’s light years morally from this year’s, Joker (picture). What was considered pornography a generation ago is today’s advertising material. But would we call our sexually unrestrained world blessed? In our sexually no rules world, would we say people are happy?
Currently feeling blessed is in vogue. A quick look at Facebook and Twitter shows how many people today feel #blessed. It’s the hot button in the social-media world. College scholarship? #Blessed. Unexpected raise? #Blessed. Wonderful family? #Blessed. But is that what Jesus meant by blessed?
For believers, is the blessed life synonymous with the successful life? Is it the Christian version of the good life? A loving marriage, obedient children, a healthy body, a successful career, trusted friends, financial abundance? If someone has all those things, are they blessed?
Jesus’ focus isn’t on earthly blessings but something much better. Earthly blessings are temporary. They can all be taken away. Job’s blessings all disappeared in one fateful day. Yet, in the midst of those painful events, Job experienced God’s richest blessings. That’s true throughout Scripture.
Many of you can testify to the same thing. Suffering and trials ground our faith in ways that prosperity never could. While our trials aren’t blessings in themselves, they’re channels for them. As Laura Story (picture) asks in her song Blessings, What if your blessings come through rain drops? What if trials of this life — the rain, the storms, the hardest nights — are your mercies in disguise? This radical idea of blessing is firmly established in Scripture. It’s here in each of the Beatitudes.
The New Testament has 112 references with the words bless, blessing, or blessed, none of which connect blessing to material prosperity. There’s no hint of abundance or ideal circumstances in any New Testament references.
The word in the original translated blessed means to be “fully satisfied.” It refers to those receiving God’s favor, regardless of circumstances. Scripture shows that blessing is anything God gives that makes us fully satisfied in Him. Anything that draws us closer to Jesus. Anything that helps us to let loose of the temporal and hold on more tightly to the eternal.
Great families, financial wealth, and good health are all wonderful gifts we can thank God for, but they’re not His greatest blessings. God’s greatest blessing always rests in God Himself. That’s what it means to be blessed and it’s what Jesus means by blessed in the Beatitudes.
To be blessed means more than happy, but it shouldn’t mean less than that. As we live out these traits that we find in the Beatitudes, these glorious consequences will be ours. We’ll be more and more happy. It comes as we seek God first, doing what He asks. To be pure in heart is to be blessed.
Tim Keller (picture) explains it this way: “Here is the irony: the less you’re concerned about your happiness and the more you’re concerned about Him, the happier you get…Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither. Happiness is a byproduct.”
2. A passion for purity will have a life with the right heart.
The word “heart” appears more than 100 times in the Bible. The vast majority of times it doesn’t refer to the organ in your chest, but rather to our innermost being. Jesus was talking about the psychological core of a person, the real person. These bodies we walk around in aren’t the real us. In fact, look at the body of the person sitting next to you and say to them, That’s not you!
I’m very thankful that this isn’t me because my body is wearing out. In a few years I’ll set this worn out “earth suit” aside. The real me is inside. The core of my being, the real Scott, is eternal and won’t wear out. The same is true of you. It’s what Jesus was referring to by heart, to the real person.
Those sitting there that day understood this. They knew the heart was the real person. Proverbs 23:7, As a man thinketh in his heart, so he is!
In The Applause of Heaven, Max Lucado (picture) writes, “To Jesus’ listeners, the heart was the totality of the inner person—the control tower—the cockpit. The heart was thought of as the seat of the character—the origin of the desires, affections, perceptions, thoughts, reasoning, imagination, conscience, intentions, purpose, will, and faith. To the Hebrew mind, the heart is a freeway cloverleaf where all emotions and prejudices and wisdom converge. It is a switch house that receives freight cars loaded with moods, ideas, emotions, and convictions and puts them on the right track.”
To continue Lucado’s analogy, the Bible repeatedly tells us that most of the time our “inner switch houses” put our moods, ideas, emotions and convictions on the wrong “track.” Since we’re fallen creatures, most of the time our heart’s first response is to sin. Jeremiah 17:9, The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. It’s why being pure in heart is such a challenge. Apart from being poor in spirit and coming to Christ for salvation, it’s impossible in our humanity.
Though he’s nearly 90, you may remember some years back when filmmaker Woody Allen (picture) was an icon in Hollywood, but then his personal life began to unravel. His long-term affair with Mia Farrow came to an ugly end, just after they had a child together. A short time later, it was discovered Allen was romantically involved with Mia’s 17-yr old, adopted daughter, Soon-Yi. The inappropriateness of that quasi-incestuous relationship scandalized even liberal Hollywood, but the then 60-year-old Allen seemed to find nothing wrong with dating the teenaged daughter of his former girlfriend, a relationship that began when she was a minor. When a reporter challenged him about it, Allen defended his actions by declaring, The heart wants what it wants. And it does. It’s why we can’t trust our hearts. They’re deceitful and desperately wicked.
Jesus’s statement later in Matthew sums it up perfectly. Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man unclean (Matthew 15:19).
Billy Graham (picture) once referred to this with: “We’re suffering from only one disease in the world. Our basic problem is not a race problem. Our basic problem is not a poverty problem. Our basic problem is not a war problem. Our basic problem is a heart problem.”
3. A passion for purity means having a heart that seeks it.
The word Jesus used for “pure” was the word where we get our word “catharsis.” Farmers used the word to talk about wheat that had been winnowed from all chaff. All that’s left is pure wheat. Military leaders purified an army by purging cowardly or poor soldiers so it’s a force of first-class fighting men.
There’s only one way to be spiritually purified. It’s by the blood of Jesus. The Bible says, …the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin (I John 1:7) Jesus died on the cross and shed His blood so we could be forgiven for all our sin and be spiritually and eternally clean. What a bath is to the body, salvation is to the soul. There’s a hymn that asks and answers one of the most important questions: What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
Purity means to have undivided loyalty. A better meaning of purity means to be unmixed, undiluted. Pure gold doesn’t have a mixture of other metals. To be pure in heart means to be undiluted in your commitment to Christ.
Jesus taught there’s only room for one #1 in your life. No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money (Matthew 6:24).
I could have three bottles of water, and they all look identical. But if I mixed salt into one and sugar into the second, you’d realize upon tasting them that they weren’t pure. Only 100% is pure!
To have a pure heart means to pray the prayer of Psalm 86:11, …give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your Name. To be pure in heart means you’ve reserved first place in your life for Christ. You don’t allow any other person, purpose, or possession to dilute that commitment.
Don’t be like the guy from Kentucky in the Civil War. He couldn’t decide whether to be for the Confederate or Union Army, so he decided to be for both. He wore a grey shirt and blue pants. As a result, he got shot at by both. Jesus said, He who is not with Me is against Me (Matthew 12:30).
Purity is not externalism. The Pharisees were experts at external purity. They had rules on what to eat, what to wear, how far you could travel on the Sabbath, and so on. Rule-making and rule-keeping was what they lived for. They spent all their time trying to make the outside look good to the point of blatantly ignoring the inside. They acted like God came first on the outside but on the inside, they could care less. They didn’t have pure hearts.
Jesus was the hardest on those who were experts in masking their dirty hearts with external obedience. He said in Matthew 23:25-28, Woe to you teachers of the law and Pharisees—you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish and then the outside will be clean. Woe to you teachers of the law and Pharisees—you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything is unclean. In the same way on the outside you appear to people as righteous…but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. Jesus saw through their facade, looking right into their hearts. He quotes Isaiah, These people make a big show of saying the right thing, but their heart isn’t in it (Matthew 15:8, The Message).
The Pharisees were like those today who focus on looking right but are a mess inside. Our hearts aren’t pure. Our behavior doesn’t match what we say we believe. Our daily lives indicate our devotion to God isn’t pure.
Purity is not legalism. Legalism defines purity with a long list of do’s and don’ts. We judge others by our own standards of what’s right and what isn’t.
Legalism is highly contagious. It can spread like a virus through a church. Instead of finding freedom through Christ, believers become burdened by a list of rules. Superficial spirituality short-circuits grace. Worst of all, legalism makes it impossible for people to see Jesus. There’s nothing that pushes someone seeking Jesus away faster than a list of rules. We inadvertently portray Jesus as a drill sergeant instead of the gracious Savior. Legalism fails to deal with the true condition of the heart.
Purity has biblical paths. The Bible gives some general pathways to true purity. Let me share a few. Admit our sinful impurity. The first step is to acknowledge we can’t change our own heart. We need a new one. Jeremiah 13:23: Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil. Purity is born at salvation but it’s a growing, lifelong process. We can’t put it on or work it up. It begins by coming to Christ’s cross and being born-again.
Let me give just one example. Have you ever tried to be patient? How long before you blew it? It’s why we need Jesus. We must admit that we have a diseased heart, agree with God’s diagnosis and ask Him for a new one. This is what happens at salvation.
Pray for purity. John Piper (picture) writes: “Jesus did not come into the world simply because we had some bad habits that needed to be broken. He came into the world because we have dirty hearts that need to be purified.”
So, when’s the last time that you prayed for purity? If you think purity only deals with lust, you’ve missed the boat. That’s only one of the Ten Commandments. How about idolatry? Does anything come first in your life before God? Your job, your car or hobbies? How about your spouse, children or grandchildren? Anything that comes before God in our heart is idolatry.
Read and meditate on the Word of God. If you’re serious about seeking purity in your life, one of the best ways to have victory is to read and meditate on the Bible. In Psalm 119:9, the psalmist asks a question, How can a young man keep his way pure? The answer comes in the second part of this verse and in verse 11: By living according to your Word…I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. The reason the average Christian’s life is a train-wreck is they so rarely read God’s Word.
Spend time with committed believers. We become like those we spend time with. I’m glad we can share the worship service over Facebook Live but it’s not the same as being here.
Jane and I continually talk to our son, Aaron, in Taiwan. It’s not the same as being with him. We need to faithfully spend time with our church family.
Some may need to find a different circle because of the influence our “friends” are having on our lives. Proverbs 13:20 says, He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm. If you need help growing in purity, spend time with godly, pure people.
4. Those with a passion for purity will see God.
Pastor and gospel pianist, Peter Jackson (picture) was blinded through measles when he was only 18 months old. He knows that God could immediately and miraculously restore his sight. Nevertheless, he loves to say, “If I remain as I am, the next person I will see will be my Savior.” What a wonderful vision! That’s because…
The pure in heart will see God in the life to come. Jesus is telling us that the pure in heart will see God in the life to come. When that day dawns when we put aside our earth suits—and our hearts have been cleansed and changed through faith in Christ, we know that we will spend eternity with Him. So, Jesus is talking about that wonderful day when our faith will be sight—that day when we’ll be Home and see God in all His glory.
The pure in heart will see God in this life. Jesus is also telling us that when our hearts are pure, when we’re focused on seeking first the Kingdom of God we’ll begin to see God in this life, not just in rare and splendid moments, but in everyday life–in ordinary moments.
When your life is about one thing, you see that one thing everywhere. When your life is all about God, you see God everywhere. You see grace in the gift of children and grandchildren. You see His handiwork in sunsets. You see His providence every time you enjoy a meal. You see your job as an opportunity to glorify Him. You see your marriage through the lens of Christ and His Church. You see hardships as opportunities to know Him better. You see every individual as someone created in the image of God and in need of a Savior. When you have a pure heart focused on God, you see Him in everything, because everything is about Him. It’s like you were blind—but now you can see! What a wonderful way to live!
No wonder Jesus says, “Blessed are the pure in heart,” because they will see God—not just someday, but every day! The Message translation puts it this way: “You’re blessed when you get your inside world put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.” The pure in heart are people who live one life, from the inside out, and live it for God.
Conclusion
Although humanly it seems unattainable, the necessity of a pure heart is undeniable. It’s not a suggestion. It’s emphatic. The opposite side of this is that those who don’t have pure hearts won’t see God.
Recently, I read of a couple from Bakersfield, California who’d just purchased a new boat, but were having some serious problems. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t get their 22-foot boat going. It was very sluggish no matter which way they turned, no matter how much power was applied. After about an hour of trying to make it go, they putted up to a nearby marina, hoping someone there could tell them what was wrong.
A thorough check on the topside of the boat revealed that everything was in perfect working condition. The engine ran fine, the outboard motor went up and down, the propeller was the right size. Then, one of the marina guys jumped in the water to check underneath. He came up choking on water, he was laughing so hard. Under the boat, still strapped securely in place, was the boat trailer! When God looks underneath your life, what does He see?
How can we have our hearts cleansed so we see God and know Him? Have you tried cover-up treatments? Are you trying to drive your boat still anchored to sin? Our attempts at purity are like doing heart surgery with dirty surgical instruments. Our attempts fail miserably! They leave our hearts dirtier than before.
It’s only the power of our pure God that can cleanse our impure hearts. The only way to be pure at heart is to do it His way, through faith in Jesus Christ. It’s why Jesus came. On the cross God in human flesh opened up His heart so His blood could pour out and cleanse us from sin. This heart cleansing treatment is what God was referring to through Jeremiah when He said, I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the Lord. (Jeremiah 24:7)
Our hearts are made pure by God when we confess our sin to God and believe in faith that Jesus died for us—claiming the forgiveness and cleansing that’s only possible through His blood. The only way to get a pure heart is by becoming a Christian. Romans 10:9-10, If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
Once we make this all-important decision, we still need God’s power. We need His help because we still live in an impure world and still have a bent toward sin. Daily we need to pray as David did asking, Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit in me.(Psalm 51:10) We need God to give us regular heart checkups. We need to have our hearts regularly washed by the water of the Word of God. Time with God in prayer, time with God in His Word, time with God’s people is like putting our lives through a refinery. It cleanses our thoughts and attitudes, helping us to stay pure. As someone put it, Jesus came to reformat our heart drives. As Christians, we need that reformatting daily as a way of dealing with all the viruses the world throws at us.
Has Jesus reformatted yours? Have you committed your life to Christ? Have you trusted Him as your personal Lord and Savior? Have you let Him make your heart pure? If you have, are you depending on Him, asking Him to help you live pure in heart? Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God (Matthew 5:8).