Jesus and the Upside Down Kingdom, Part 6
Matthew: The King and His Kingdom • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 37:45
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· 6 viewsThe pure in heart will see God. Believing in Christ makes you pure, and you'll get what you want most: seeing the pure God, who is beautiful.
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“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Examining the Pure in Heart
Examining the Pure in Heart
What is purity of heart?
The heart is the seat of a human being.
The control center of all that we do, think, or believe.
We think with our hearts, we feel with our hearts, and we act with our hearts.
Our hearts are thinking hearts.
Our hearts are believing hearts.
And our hearts are acting hearts.
Typically purity is thought of in terms of sexuality or moral purity.
But purity here should be considered in a broader sense then these two conceptions of purity.
It is an undivided loyalty to God that begins in the heart and expands to the outward expressions.
The word for purity is being free from every taint of evil.
Psalm 24 paints a picture of a king that is coming before the Lord with pure hands.
Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.
David is anticipating a king who is coming to the presence of the Lord with an unblemished life.
A king coming before God because his heart is pure.
This pure heart is undivided.
It’s focused upon one aim and goal.
The goal of the pure heart is what David says in verse 5-6.
Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah
It is those who “seek the face of the God of Jacob” with undivided heart
In some ways we could see how David, who leads the people of Israel in obedience.
In someways, we can see how David is reflecting on his own life.
But at the same time, we must remember how far David's life falls short.
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!
This Psalm looks beyond David though doesn’t it.
The answer to David’s question “Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?” is NOBODY.
Nobody is able to ascend the hill of the LORD.
The pure in heart will see God.
This text and so many like it reveal how far we are from the purity that Jesus describes here.
As Deuteronomy 6:5 says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”
This sort of pure devotion to the Lord should be the most basic sense of the purity that Jesus describes here.
1 Samuel 16:7 (ESV)
For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
I am sure you’ve had the experience of talking with someone and when you walk away you feel like you need to take a shower.
Because of the gross manner that they speak.
It’s not good enough to just not speak impurity.
This would be easy enough.
But think for a moment if this past week I could play every thought you had on a screen in front of the congregation.
Would it reveal anything fundamentally better than this person who was impure?
No.
Obtaining a Pure Heart
Obtaining a Pure Heart
How do we get a pure heart?
Notice that I assumed we need to obtain a pure heart.
No human being starts life with a pure heart.
This is one of the great fallacies of secular humanism.
Secular humanism wants to say that all humanity is neutral.
They want to assert that all humanity is pure in heart.
This is not a Bible presents humanity.
Admit that You Have a Darkened Heart
Admit that You Have a Darkened Heart
The natural heart is darkened.
For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Even though God has made himself in the creation order (Romans 1:19-20).
Humanity has scattered to the darkness.
Although humans know what God is like.
We refuse to honor Him as God and give Him the thanks due His name.
Our foolish hearts are darkened as people continue to pursue idolatry rather than God.
Like cockroaches that have an extremely bright light shone upon them, humanity has fled from the knowledge of God.
Not only were our hearts darkened from the outset but humanity continued to pursue darkening as well.
Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
All we see is darkened hearts.
People claiming to be wise while in reality are fools.
Person refuses to see that they have a darkened heart before coming to Christ.
From the top down, they are darkened.
The pure in heart shall see God; all others are but blind bats.
Charles Spurgeon
Non-Christian
You need to recognize at this point that you’re one with a darkened heart.
You’re heart without Christ is darkened.
How could they ever have a pure heart?
Recognize your vain attempts at cleansing the heart.
Recognize your vain attempts at cleansing the heart.
Ritualistic attempts
Ritualistic attempts
Religious types often understand their hearts are darkened.
They try to clean themselves up.
Those who hated Jesus in His day tried the same.
“Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.”
This question by the Pharisees and the scribes represents the heart of many of their problems.
Jesus was not breaking God’s law.
He was breaking there tradition which had taken the place of the law of God long before.
They were obsessing over things which do not profit or help.
The Pharisees were not concerned with God's glory.
They were concerned for their own tradition.
They were concerned for the tradition of their fathers.
Matthew 15:3 (ESV)
“And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?
Their tradition was giving to God instead of caring for their Father and Mother.
They figured that if they gave to God, then they didn’t need to care for their parents.
They figured if they gave to a greater purpose then they could ignore the clear commands of Scripture.
But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God.
When we elevate tradition over Scripture we are making void God’s Word.
When we elevate our traditions without paying mind to the Word of God, we make void the Word of God.
It comes from a heart that tries to protect oneself from falling into further sin.
But in the end it places a fence around the word of God that eventually entangles the person who places the fence up.
For example, I may refrain from dancing and think that I have great spiritual strength, while considering my covetousness as a minor issue.
I may refrain from alcohol and think there is great moral benefit, while considering my impurity before God a minor issue.
I may keep Sunday as a “holy day” before the Lord and find this day is extremely important, while not considering my own pride.
You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: “ ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”
External attempts
External attempts
They were concerned with purity.
All kinds of purity.
But if you pay attention to the concerns of the religious leaders, it was always an outward purity.
It was always a purity of the outer man.
Which leads Jesus to say…
Matthew 15:10–11 (ESV)
“Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.”
It's not what goes into a person that makes them unclean.
It’s what comes out of a person that makes them unclean!
Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”
It's not what goes into a person that makes them unclean.
It’s what comes out of them that makes them unclean.
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
How does a person get “pure” in heart?
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.
In order to understand “pure in heart” one must understand the nature of saving faith.
Saving faith is described in other places in this way.
John 3:3 (ESV)
unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
The nature of a person who is pure heart is a person who has been born again.
When we are born again, we are given and granted a new nature.
God breaks through the old nature and imparts to us a new nature.
What exactly happens when a person is saved?
What happens when a person has a “new nature”?
This happens through the Word of God.
When the gospel is preached, and God changes their heart.
They become something new.
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
God breaks through our stony hearts in the Word of truth and imparts to us a saving faith.
Saving faith that God has granted to us creates within us purity.
Purity Through the “New Man”
Purity Through the “New Man”
This is why Jesus could say to His disciples around the dinner table before washing their feet…
Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.”
Peter refuses to have his feet washed by the Lord.
He refuses to allow Jesus to wash him…
Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.”
Jesus is able to say that they are “clean” or “pure” because of the Word already spoken to them.
Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.
Jesus’ disciples are clean because of the Word that He has spoken to them.
Jesus desires for His disciples to be characterized by inner purity that flows from a single-minded devotion to God.
To be pure in heart, you must be given a new heart.
R. Kent Hughes
Niceness vs. Newness (The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive, (New Life in Christ—Part 2))
“Nice people don’t grow; new people do.”
“Nice people have no hope for failures; new people always do.”
“Nice people can be insulted; new people can’t.”
“Nice people don’t grow; new people grow.”
“Nice people, their attitude toward truth is like this, “Here’s the truth. I believe it. I applaud it. I adhere to it. I support it.” But new people try to come under the power of it, and they do.
Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
It's versus like this make us question,
How can you say its all of grace but we need to be holy?
How can you say we need to be holy before God?
Those have been truly transformed by grace will be holy.
Since this is the case, we must pursue holiness.
The Christian should also be concerned with how they pursue holiness.
Sermon on the Mount—The Message of the Kingdom On Improving Vision
The Biblical balance is: I must do everything I can and still realize that it is not enough; only God can make my heart pure
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Beauty for the Pure in Heart
Beauty for the Pure in Heart
What do the pure in heart receive?’
What does it mean to see God?
We need to acknowledge that God is a Spirit.
He is invisible to our physical eyes.
Man is finite and thus cannot see Him as He is in His infinity.
No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
Each of us will stand face-to-face with God.
Our lives would look radically different.
Partial Sight
Partial Sight
Seeing with the Eyes of Faith
1 Corinthians 13:12 (ESV)
For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.
Paul remind the believers that they currently see as a mirror dimly.
They see with the eyes of faith.
This sight that we have currently is partial.
Even though we see partially, we are commanded to strive for purity of heart.
We don’t pursue holiness by white knuckling our way to single minded devotion.
We don’t pursue holiness by setting up every rule imaginable.
We pursue HOLINESS when something else has replaced our desire for sin.
A greater desire for the beauty of God must replace our desire for sin.
Beauty that Transforms the Mind.
Beauty that Transforms the Mind.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Based on all of the mercies of God that Paul has just laid out for the believer, “present your bodies as a living sacrifice.”
Paul turns the corner from explanation of God’s saving activity in the gospel to the implications for the believer.
The remaining sacrifices are not the “blood of bulls and goats” but the grateful heart of the believer in all things.
If you don't have a true picture of the beauty of God, in his purity.
We will never be able to have transformed minds.
“Christian life is lived out not primarily in the hour or two spent “at church” but in the other 166 weekly hours spent in the home, workplace, or at leisure.”
Transformation of our Imagination
Beauty that Purifies the Heart.
Beauty that Purifies the Heart.
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Notice again the connection between purity of heart and single-mindedness.
John 7:37–38 (ESV)
“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ”
Beauty that Satisfies the Eyes.
Beauty that Satisfies the Eyes.
“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
The “healthy” eye looks at God as master.
The bad eye looks at the “treasures” of this world and is satisfied with them.
A person’s life is determined by the kind of light they let in.
“No one can serve two masters, for 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 God and money.
None of us in this world is pure in heart. It is our impurity that prevents us from seeing God. The problem is not with our eyes; it is with our hearts. Only after we are purified and totally sanctified in heaven will we have the capacity to gaze upon Him face to face.
R. C. Sproul
Complete Sight
Complete Sight
Seeing Face to Face
Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
The pure in heart will see God. Believing in Christ makes you pure, and you'll get what you want most: seeing the pure God, who is beautiful.