The Good Life - Restored Innocence

Our Theme for 2025 is “Live Like Jesus”

It comes out of a simple desire to follow Jesus - and to learn better what that means.

We are spending the entire year in the Gospel of Matthew.

We began with a short portion of scripture that summarizes Matthews gospel - The sermon on the Mount - and specifically the beatitudes.

The beatitudes are a kind of “spiritual alignment.”

Live like Jesus means aligning our minds, hearts and actions with His.

Matthew five through seven contains a text referred to as the sermon on the mount and the first twelve verses are called the beatitudes.

Matthew 5:1–12 ESV

1 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Jesus opens his sermon on the mount with eight statements about “the good life”, but the good life is not what you think.

We began by saying that you can live the good life and live with in your means.

Then we said that you have to give yourself permission to feel.

After that we noted that the meek, the ones you probably never notice -are going to be the ones left standing when all is said and done.

We talked about our desires - what to you want and what do you love? - what you desire and what you think will fulfill you - that is how you define “the good life.”

Two weeks ago, the beatitude was about mercy - really caring.

Mercy is what God gives to us, and it is because of His mercy that we can really care for others.

This week we are talking about the purity of our inner life - having our thoughts and intentions cleansed- so that we can perceive the Divine.

Matthew 5:8 ESV

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Imagine a child playing in a creek, blissfully unaware of the dirt creeping into their clothing, their hair and virtually every crevice of their body. When they return home, their mother sees the stains and decides to give them a bath. They emerge fresh and clean, laughing with joy. Much like that child, God takes us as we are, dirty from our sins, and gently cleanses our hearts, restoring our innocence as we receive His grace and forgiveness. It’s a beautiful reminder that with Him, we can always start anew!

Ah, yes, innocence - it’s not just about being made clean, it’s not being afraid of getting dirty.

That was “the good life” - most of us didn’t even know how good we had it at the time.

That is how it was for Adam and Eve before they became aware of sin.

They were innocent - not only without sin, but without any thought or temptation of it.

They walked with God and that was all that they knew.

God wants to restore mankind to relationship with Himself.

To do that, He needed to first teach us about holiness.

Then he showed us what inner holiness looks like.

When we practice inner holiness, we begin to see God.

Purity as holiness.

What does is mean to be holy?

The Bible Project has a great six-minute video on the topic of holiness which is one of my favorites.

They said that the concept of holiness includes the ideas that God is unique, powerful and the source of life.

They compare holiness to the sun, immensely good but also intensely powerful to the point of being unapproachable.

But this holiness is also dangerous to things that are impure.

Just like most substances burn up in the sun’s heat; humanity, in our sinful state cannot approach God.

Apart from this state of holiness; we are cut off from God.

Cut off from fellowship.

Cut off from God’s Presence.

Cut off from our source of life.

Hebrews 12:14 ESV

14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

Without holiness, we can’t see God.

We can’t know Him.

We can’t approach Him.

We can’t even perceive Him.

But Jesus says that if our hearts are purified, we can.

So what does that look like?

Holiness is being set apart from sin.

Psalm 24:3–5 ESV

3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? 4 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. 5 He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

The Psalmist describes ascending the mountain of the Lord.

What is needed to approach God?

The answer - clean hands and a pure heart.

Purity, not just in actions, but in thought and intention.

Notice that the one who ascends, also receives righteousness from God.

Here is the problem - how do you get the righteousness that you need to ascend in order to receive the righteousness from God?

It’s a dilemma!

The Psalmist inadvertently described the human dilemma.

We have all sinned.

Romans 3:23 ESV

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Only God can forgive sin; but how do we get to God?

We don’t deserve his forgiveness.

Romans 6:23 ESV

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Yes, that right -forgiveness and salvation are a gift.

We cannot earn it; we don’t deserve it - He gives it to us because he want’s to.

Romans 5:17 NLT

17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.

So holiness is only possible by the grace of God.

We could not reach God - so God reached out to us.

He wanted us back!

That desire and love that God has for us is called grace.

Romans 5:20–21 NLT

20 God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. 21 So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Now that is good news! - the gospel - which means good news!

It is God who purifies us by His own initiative- by grace.

So what is our appropriate response?

Holiness is being consecrated to God.

2 Timothy 2:22 ESV

22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

In our struggle again sin, it is important to not just flee temptation; but to pursue God.

In ancient times, people used to sacrifice animals to atone for their sins. This practice reflected the seriousness of sin but also pointed towards restoration. When Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice, He cleansed our hearts forever.

But going to the temple was not just about atonement for sin - it was about fellowship with God and with God’s people. The feasts and going to the temple were supposed to be a time of joy. Like a refreshing spring after a long drought, His love restores our innocence and joy. We can rejoice, knowing that our hearts, through Him, are pure and clean, able to connect deeply with God and others again!

The Old Testament concept of Holiness was being set apart for God.

It was being “the People of God” a community unlike all of the other tribes of the earth that is set apart to learn about God and to be a light and a demonstration to all of the other people on earth.

In the New Testament the word for holiness is sanctified - literally - “set apart”

Jesus prayed that His followers would be sanctified by knowing the truth about God.

John 17:15–17 ESV

15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

So it is good to know that as Christians, our sins are forgiven - we are saved by grace!

But that is just the beginning!

There is so much more to learn about God.

We have been granted righteousness, but there is still a mountain to climb.

Salvation is both instantaneous and it is also a process.

We have been justified by faith in Jesus.

That mean it is “just as if” we had never sinned.

But we are also being sanctified.

That word which means set apart is actually a process.

It’s the process of becoming who God says we really are.

That takes time and effort - thought the effort goes a lot better when the Holy Spirit takes the lead.

Inner holiness.

If holiness were merely a matter of doing or not doing certain things - well that might be attainable - at least in some measure and with a lot of training.

But the Jews found that keeping the law was more difficult than anyone would have thought.

And that is exactly why - because it is not just an outward thing, but it is also an inward thing.

We can say and do all the right things - but our own thoughts betray us.

We don’t always want to do what is right.

And the more we have to do what is right - the less we want to.

That is why Paul says that the law does a better job of convincing us that we are sinners than helping us overcome sin.

If we are ever going to actually become holy, aside from the holiness that is granted to us, it is going to have to be an inside job.

We need to experience a change on the inside; before the outside will ever truly change.

That’s where the Holy Spirit comes in...

Holiness involves, not just our actions, but our thoughts and intentions.

Psalm 51:10 ESV

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

In the Bible, David is often remembered as a man after God’s own heart, yet he fell into serious sin. After repentance, he pleads in Psalm 51, 'Create in me a clean heart, O God.' This plea demonstrates that God can take our messy hearts and transform them into something pure. No matter how stained we feel by our mistakes, God’s restorative love invites us back to innocence and purity. Just as David was renewed, so can we be!

What David said in His Psalm, that was really ahead of his time, theologically speaking, was that if he was to become clean, God would have to do it in him.

It would take a miracle.

His heart is broken beyond repair - but God who created His heart, can give Him a new heart.

God who breathed life into man from the beginning can give him a renewed spirit.

God can change him at the very core of his being.

That means that God changes, not just the visible things - like our behavior - but our very thoughts and intentions.

Hebrews 4:12 ESV

12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

God does that by his Spirit - the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit convicts us - lets us know when we are off in our thinking in in our desires before we even do anything wrong.

Paul tells us that the best way to keep the law is to follow the Spirit.

Galatians 5:16 ESV

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

As a pastor and a counselor, I have seen people spend a lot of effort in behavior modification.

You can read a self-help book that will give you tools to learn to control yourself.

You can watch a TV program that will give you tips for being a better person.

You can even download an app that will remind you to rest or give you positive affirmations to rehearse.

But while any or all of that may be helpful, none of it will change your heart.

Only God, through the work of the Holy Spirit, can give you a new heart and a new spirit that actually wants to do the things that God wants you to do.

A pure heart is one that is real and genuine.

It is not saying one thing and doing another.

Or even thinking one thing, but pretending to be someone else.

A pure heart enables us to relate to God and to other people in a way that is open and sincere.

Holiness changes the way that we love people.

1 Timothy 1:5 ESV

5 The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

Loving people from a pure heart.

Paul is admonishing Timothy not to get caught up in the latest controversy, tantalizing conspiracy theories or juicy gossip.

The goal is love from a pure heart.

We don’t want to have mixed motives.

Human love is usually reciprocal.

Natural love is an emotional response to someone who makes us feel good or who meets a need that we have.

Normally, we love people because they love us back.

Sometimes we even show love in hope that people will love us back.

Friday was valentines day. For any of you men who forgot - it’s probably too late! But be honest. Did you give you expressions of love because you really wanted to or because you were socially obligated? Don’t answer that! Just think about it.

A commercial holiday like valentines day is usually built around reciprocal human love. You don’t want to miss it because you don;t want to get something without giving something in return. You certainly don’t want to be that husband (or the wife) who forgot valentines day.

Here’s an expert tip: If you really want to say, “I love you” do something spontaneously on any other day except valentines day and do it more than once a year.

God’s love is not reciprocal - He loved us before we loved Him.

And it’s not just a good feeling either.

God’s love is sacrificial - it looks like Jesus dying on a cross for our sin.

There is no way we can ever repay a love like that.

But while we can never repay God’s love - He wants us to follow His example by laying down our lives for others.

And here’s the point, we don’t love because people deserve it or because they love us back.

God loves us because of who He is, not because of who we are.

And when we love like God, we learn to love from a heart that is filled with God’s love.

1 Peter 1:22 ESV

22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,

Our thoughts and our motives may not always be loving, but we are working on that with the help of the Holy Spirit.

You can’t just make yourself feel that kind of love.

It has to come from God.

The best thing you can do is just reflect on how much God loves you and how much Jesus has already done for you.

Our hearts are purified by reflecting on God, not by thinking about ourselves.

Perceiving God.

Jesus said that the pure in heart would see God, but is also by seeing God that our hearts are purified.

It’s like ascending the mountain to be made righteous, but only the righteous can ascend the mountain according to psalm 24.

What was once impossible, Jesus made possible.

Now we are ascending the mountain of the Lord, learning to know Him as we go, and learning to know Him is what helps us to ascend.

Following God’s principles helps us to understand God.

Psalm 19:8 ESV

8 the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;

Remember Matthew 5:8: 'Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God'? Imagine trying to see a beautiful landscape through a dirty window. It obscures the view! Following God's principles acts like a window cleaner, allowing us to gaze clearly at the beauty and character of God!

When the Pharisees and the teachers of the Jewish Law questioned Jesus about his teaching..

John 7:16–17 ESV

16 So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. 17 If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.

In other words, if you want to understand what I am saying, you need to actually do it.

If you want to understand God, you need to obey God.

Standing back and criticizing from a distance doesn’t count.

You have to get close enough to let yourself be changed by what you see.

It is only when you see God enough to be changed by what you see that you are really seeing God.

Anything else is just speculation.

Hebrews 10:22 ESV

22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

The writer to the Hebrews reminds us that Jesus is our High Priest.

He is the One who enables us to come boldly into the Presence of God.

It is only through Jesus that we have assurance of faith.

Jesus made us in advance, what we would eventually become.

He is the answer to the dilemma of how we can ascend the mountain of the Lord.

In fact, Jesus is how we can see God without dying first.

John 8:19 NLT

19 “Where is your father?” they asked. Jesus answered, “Since you don’t know who I am, you don’t know who my Father is. If you knew me, you would also know my Father.”

Jesus is how we can know God.

He showed us both God’s holiness and His love for us.

We don’t understand God’s love apart from what we see in Jesus.

Learning to love people helps us to know God.

So just as knowing Jesus gives us insight into who God is, when we follow Jesus and learn to love like Jesus, that gives us even more insight.

1 Corinthians 13:12 ESV

12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

1 Corinthians 13 is the love chapter - Paul is writing to help them distinguish God’s love from their human concept of love.

And then he throws in this verse as if to say, “if you think you understand what I am saying - you probably only get it a little bit”

We are not going to fully understand love this side of heaven.

But what helps us understand God is learning how to love like Jesus.

1 John 4:7–8 MSG

7 My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. 8 The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love.

Just as you can’t see out a dirty window, you can’t know God from a heart that isn’t clean.

Why? Because a pure heart is what it takes to love the way that God loves.

And until you learn to love from a pure heart, you can’t begin to comprehend the love that God has for you.

1 John 3:2 ESV

2 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.

Back to the illustration of the child that we began with.

Do you love your child any less when they come in dirty from playing?

If we are capable of somewhat unconditional love, how much more does God love us?

God want’s to restore us to that kind of love.

But even more, God wants to restore innocence - where not only do we know that we are loved, but we are also unaware or our shame and unafraid of evil.

He wants us to be focused on seeing Him.

He wants us to have fellowship with Him, like Adam and Eve in the garden.

He wants us to reach the top of the mountain where we encounter the King of Glory.

Questions for reflection:

What does it mean to you that God is holy? Does it make you move toward God or away from Him? Does it make a difference to think that you can be holy too?

What is the condition of your inner life? Do you thoughts and attitudes reflect the person that you try to be on the outside? How does the Holy Spirit change you from the inside out?

What would it mean to you to see God? Does that thought frighten you? Or would it only bring clarity to what you have already begun to perceive and to know? Ask God to clean the window of your soul today.