Purity of Heart brings Mercy

Matthew 5:7-8

I. So far

a. Poor in Spirit, those who mourn, those who are humble, and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness

b. We are blessed – not will be blessed –

i. Have the Kingdom of heaven, will be comforted, will inherit the heart, will be filled

II. Blessed are the merciful – outward express – reflection of Interior Life

a. Mercy – something not deserved

i. Committed a great crime but not punished

ii. Also mercy was completely foreign to the Pagan world – their thought was the gods would completely destroy sinners.

b. We were sinners – not a sinner against other but against God

i. Psalm 51:1-4 – When David was confronted by his sin with Bathsheba

c. While we were still sinners Romans 5:6-11

i. If we understand this we have a great passion for Jesus and for him alone.

d. Because we were given great mercy we are called give mercy

i. This is being like Christ

ii. While someone sins against you – you show mercy – not after they stop or apologize.

e. Go the extra mile Matthew 5:38-42

i. A lot try to lighten the turn the other check – as we will talk about in a minute. This does not mean we put up with abuse or can’t defend our self

f. Now this does not mean you stay in an abusive situation (physical, emotional or spiritual)

i. Also does not mean someone should not face the law of the land

1. This will protect others.

ii. But it does mean that you don’t harbor hate, and that you pray for them, not against. – pray for their salvation

1. Matthew 5:43-48

g. Forgiveness Matthew 6:12

i. Colossians 3:12-13

h. Do not judge – do not condemn Matthew 7:1-5

i. Notice how much of the sermon of the mount applies to us showing mercy!!!!!

j. Also another important note is that in the OT the Hebrew word that is often translated as Mercy is at other times translated as kindness

III. We get mercy

a. Have no doubt we are saved by faith and not by works

i. But our works do matter.

b. Matthew 18:21-35

c. Showing mercy may not be easy. Means we may not get something we are owed

i. But we see the other person as being more important than what we are owed.

d. To truly be a disciple of Jesus we will grow to show mercy

IV. Pure of Heart – back to Interior life

a. Interior Life > Psalm 51:6-10

i. Notice David asks God for a clean heart – He realizes it is not something he can do on his own.

“… purity as a matter of life and conduct and a state of mind and heart….. for Jesus purity was an inward thing of the heart and of the mind and of the attitude of the soul” – William Barclay

b. No anger in your heart – Matthew 5:21-22 (also applies to showing mercy)

c. No lust – Matthew 5:27-30

d. Our thoughts matter – probably the greatest struggle against sin happens here.

i. Our actions that are sinful almost always start in our mind

ii. If we stop it in our mind we will not act on it.

1. When we act on our thoughts it often means we sin, cause some of harm against someone else

a. Anger and Lust acted out causes harm to others not just ourselves.

b. Yes our sin is against God – we failed to see the image of God in the other person and failed to treat them in a way God would treat them. – care for them.

e. Matthew 23:23-28 – our interior life

i. This was the whole argument between Jesus and the Pharisees (actually the same thought of many Orthodox Jews and even many Christians)

1. It is more about doing – or if we take in the abuse of declare and decree is it about what you say

2. But Jesus says it really is about what is going on in your heart and mind

ii. Then we reflect our life by showing Justice, mercy and faithfulness – notice we just talked about Blessed are the merciful. – (Matthew 5:23:23)

“Pure in heart should not be restricted to moral, still less sexual purity; it denotes one who loves God with all his heart, with an undivided loyalty, and whose inward nature corresponds with his outward profession’ – R.T. France

iii. Undivided – Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind

1. Then love your neighbor as yourself – Show him mercy

V. We see God

a. I think this is probably the best blessing of all – to see God!!!!

i. But is probably the hardest beatitude to live out

“Only the Christ who spoke this Beatitude can enable any man to enter into the bliss which this Beatitude promises.” – William Barclay

b. Pretty much all of the Beatitudes lead to this

i. We need to be poor in spirit, to mourn, to hunger after righteousness, to be merciful and in a few weeks we will talk about being a peacemaker.

c. All the barriers have been removed that keep us from God

i. Our sin, our thoughts, our actions, attachment to the world

1. Janice and I both recently talked about – do not worry about these things – but seek first the Kingdom of God

d. Colossians 1:21-23 – Notice it is God who does the reconciling

i. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

e. William Barclay describes it like this:

i. It means to enter into the fullness of the knowledge of God.

1. May you know God better

ii. It means to inter into the intimate fellowship of love

VI. Wrap Up

a. A God who loves so deep he showed us mercy to give his son to die on our behalf.

i. So many make light of this act. They try to make the cross everything but what it is – Jesus sacrificing his life so we might be reconciled to the Father.

b. Because of this we are called even compelled show mercy to those around us.

i. Not just mercy to those who have harmed us. But mercy to all those we encounter.

c. Then Jesus bring us back to the interior life – Pure of heart

i. A purity that is so transformed and focused on God

ii. A deep realization that we cannot make ourselves pure

1. It was a great mercy that while we were still sinners Jesus died for us – We are pure only because he is pure.

d. We receive mercy and we get to know God

i. Just think – you get to know God – up close and personal

ii. And is that not the greatest mercy we could ask for.