A Pure Sight
The Gospel of Matthew • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Transcript
Introduction:
Introduction:
Connection:
Have you ever noticed that one of the principles of life in God’s world is that you become what you behold? You are known by what you look at! What you gaze upon will form your heart and soul. If you look at the mountains and sunsets of God’s creation—you will become someone who is filled with awe. If you look at pornography—you will become lustful, covetous, prideful, and deceitful. If you look upon idols, the prophet Isaiah says that you will become like them—dumb, stupid, foolish, and sinful.
However, if you look to the one, true and living God, you become like Him, purifying yourself even as he is pure, being transformed into his likeness day by day—as you gaze upon the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. You become what you behold! You are known by what you look at! What you gaze upon will form your heart and soul!
But here’s the dilemma with the thrice holy God of Israel: you cannot gaze upon him if you aren’t pure, and you cannot become pure without gazing upon him! So we simultaneously need new hearts to look to him in faith, and we need to look to him by faith to become more like him…. so that one day we will see him face to face! How is this great need met for us? Only in the Gospel of God’s Son, and the purifying work of the Holy Spirit!
Theme:
Gospel Purity
Need:
We need to be born again by the gentle and pure dove of the Holy Spirit; and we need to fix our eyes on Jesus Christ! It’s really that simple. We need to look unto the Lord with a purifying faith and long for the day when we will see his glory!
Purpose:
To proclaim that true happiness is found in true holiness; to describe what purity of heart is like; to comfort the pure in heart in the Gospel; to warn the defiled and corrupt in heart; and to encourage the saints in the promised Beatific Vision—the pure sight of God in Christ, for all eternity!
Recap:
This morning we looked at the 5th Beatitude. We saw how Jesus declares that his blessed people in the Gospel & Kingdom are merciful. His merciful saints forgive and have compassion on the needy & suffering. And this is evidence that the mercy of God has been lavished on them in salvation, and will be secured for them unto eternal life. Those who are merciful will receive mercy on the day of judgment; God’s mercy will triumph over judgment. This evening we continue with the 6th Beatitude of the Beatific Vision (what many theologians say is the goal of all theology, and of the entire Christian life—we are all yearning for the fulfillment of this most glorious promise).
Read Text:
Matt. 5:8 NKJV
PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY
(1) A Pure Heart - v. 8a.
(1) A Pure Heart - v. 8a.
Blessed are the pure in heart
(1) A Pure Heart - v. 8a.
(1) A Pure Heart - v. 8a.
Q - What does it mean to be blessed by Jesus Christ in the Gospel & Kingdom of God?
As we have been defining it (and I hope you have this memorized by now)…. to be blessed by Jesus Christ in the Gospel is to be joyfully lavished with God’s saving goodness. It’s to be washed over with the unmerited favour of God. It is to find grace in the eyes of the Lord. It is to receive mercy from his sure promise. It is to be a recipient of his generous gift of salvation. To be blessed is to be clothed in God’s goodness, as an heir of the eternal Kingdom of God and of the Lamb:
Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
Remember … these Beatitudes are not describing natural temperaments that any can attain to with a little bit of self-help. They are describing true disciples of Jesus Christ. These are Christ’s sheep—who are repenting and believing the call to turn and trust in God’s promise of salvation. These Beatitudes are describing those who are born of the Spirit, washed in the blood, and adopted as God’s children. These Beatitudes are not about earning salvation—but about describing those who have received salvation by grace alone, which purifies them from the inside out—as the 6th Beatitude proclaims! Are you blessed in this way? Are you a true disciple indeed? As we meditate on this Beatitude we can further discern the answer to that question for each of us. So we ask:
Q - What does it mean to be pure in heart?
The first and obvious thing that we need to realize, is that is doesn’t mean to be pure in body. It’s not describing the externals. It’s not describing the purity that comes from taking a shower. It’s not describing outward rituals. All those things are crucial—but that’s not the heart of this Beatitude! What Jesus is speaking about is true religion in the soul, the life of God in the inner man, true relationship with the Triune God! It is the seat of Christ’s spiritual kingdom—in the heart of his people. So what does this purity of heart mean? The Greek word used here for purity is: καθαροὶ; they are the ones who are pure. But how?
According to BDAG the word here “pertains to being free from moral guilt, [to be] pure, [or] free from sin”.
Likewise TDNTA writes that “The purity required of the NT community is moral and personal. It consists of a dedication to God that renews the inner being. Purity of heart—which is far above purity of hands—is what counts before God”.
But before we continue we need to biblically understand the theology of the heart in Scripture! The heart is the seat of the soul, the centre of a person, where the mind, will, and affections are enthroned to govern life (Heb. 11:6; Jas 1:27; Ps. 30:12):
Keep your heart with all diligence,
For out of it spring the issues of life.
MLJ: “The heart in Scriptures is the centre of man’s being and personality; it is the fount out of which everything else comes. It includes the mind; it includes the will; it includes the affections. It is the total man; and that is the thing which our Lord emphasizes. ‘Blessed are the pure in heart’; blessed are those who are pure, not merely on the surface but in the centre of their being and at the source of their every activity. It is as deep as that. Now that is the first thing; the gospel always emphasizes that. It starts with the heart!”
And so, piecing all of this together… to be pure in heart is to be morally and spiritually clean, being devoted to God from the very centre of one’s soul, which spills over into all of life. It’s to be sincerely desiring God and happily running after godliness—it is to live in communion with God, in fellowship with God, in true spiritual happiness, in true spiritual holiness.
Purity of heart recognizes that if one’s heart is not guarded and cleansed by the blood and Spirit of Christ, then it’s defilement will overflow into all of life! This our Lord taught us in the Gospels:
But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”
And likewise, this purity of heart recognizes that if one’s heart is indeed guarded and cleansed by the blood and Spirit of Christ, then it’s purity will shine forth in all of life (imperfectly, yet sincerely):
Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
Blessed are the pure in heart—whose hearts are being cleansed from sin by the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus through faith, and who are growing in their radiant love for the LORD their God as the Spirit is sanctifying them day by day. Are you pure in heart? Are you blessed in Christ? Do you find your true happiness in heart-holiness?
Q - Why has God wedded happiness to holiness? Why are they inseparable?
Remember, blessed can be translated as Happy! And so Jesus is saying, true happiness is only found in spiritual-holiness. Why? Because true spiritual joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. A fruit of the HOLY Spirit. And so if we want joy, we want the HOLY Spirit, and if we want the HOLY Spirit, then we must be HOLY! God’s blessings flow herein, God’s joy is found purely in Christ:
Truly God is good to Israel,
To such as are pure in heart.
Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
True spiritual delight, real happiness, actual joy—is found in the Lord Jesus Christ—he alone can give you what your heart truly needs, what your heart truly desires—fellowship with God through the Gospel of grace; true humanity and renewal through the workings of the Holy Spirit!
So, if you’re like me, and your heart is yearning—hungering and thirsting after the living God—desiring to have more purity of heart, to have deeper joy in God. So we ask:
Q - How can we grow in this happy holiness and purity?
We need to bathe and live in the means of grace—in communion with God through the Word, Sacraments, Prayer, Fellowship of the Saints, Song, Confession, and more.
Purity of heart doesn’t fall randomly on us from on high, God ordinarily works it in us through deep seated repentance and faith and new obedience. Remember, before you can have a pure heart you must be poor in spirit—recognizing your absolute spiritual bankruptcy. You need to be mourning over your heart—and it’s defilement and sin. You need to be meek—humble and relying upon God alone. You need to hunger for the Lord—for He alone can provide for your needs. You need to be merciful—because you’ve been grasped by God’s mercy. And then, and only then, will you be able to be pure in heart. This is a work of God’s grace—only the Holy Spirit can perform heart surgery and operations. And he only does this blessing for us, as we are seeking the Lord our God. Hear from the Apostles:
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
Only the Holy Spirit can give us a new heart, a pure heart, and only the Holy Spirit can grow us in heart-purity as he renews us day by day. And he does this through our cooperation, through the means of grace, as we draw near to God to cleanse our hearts—God is drawing near to us and cleansing our hearts:
But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:
“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”
Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Brothers and sister, we must fight for this purity of heart—for this happy holiness—for communion with God. We must battle day by day to guard our hearts, lest they grow cold through sin. We must battle day by day to keep our hearts, lest they grow dry through sloth. We must battle day by day to protect our hearts, lest any of us proves to have a heart of unbelief that falls away from the living God. John Flavel says, true religion is heart-work. True Christianity is heart-work. If we are Christians indeed—then we have the grace of heart-purity, being born of the Spirit and washed in the blood, through faith in Jesus, and we are now fighting for growth in grace, looking unto Jesus and longing to see God (1 Jn. 3:1). But perhaps you are struggling with motivation. So:
Q - Why must we fight for purity of heart in the Gospel?
Watson: Nine exhortations to heart purity. (1) Heart-purity is necessary as the fruit of salvation. (2) It is the will of God that we should be pure in heart. (3) Purity of heart is the characteristic note of God’s people. (4) Purity of heart makes us like God. (5) The excellency of the heart lies in the purity of it. (6) God is good to the pure in heart. (7) Heart purity makes way for heaven. (8) We desire as God’s people to be like Jesus (9) Heart-purity is the only jewel you can carry out of the world.
Why must we fight for purity of heart in the Gospel? Because only those who have pure hearts are blessed by Jesus Christ. Only those who have happy and holy hearts are savingly knit to Christ.
Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:
If you don’t have this heart-holiness and spiritual-purity then you must be warned! You must flee to Jesus for saving grace and new life. He is able and willing to save and to cleanse all who confess their sins and cling to Him as your only hope in life and in death. Come and be washed. Come and be blessed. Come and be purified!
And you who trust in this Jesus, you who love the name of Jesus, you who are devoted to God’s glory, and you who are led by the Spirit… take heart that in your purity of heart, in your following after the lovely Savior, you can know that indeed you will see the LORD!
We firstly see in our text a:
(1) A Pure Heart - v. 8a.
And ff the Apostle says that without holiness no man shall see the Lord. Then flip it. Those with holiness, will see the Lord. Those who are happy and holy in Jesus—will see him face to face. This is the second part of the 6th Beatitude:
(2) A Pure Sight - v. 8b.
(2) A Pure Sight - v. 8b.
For they shall see God.
(2)A Pure Sight - v. 8b.
(2)A Pure Sight - v. 8b.
Q - Why must one be purified in order to enter God’s heavenly presence, and to behold him?
Frankly, because God is a consuming fire. He is purity itself. The flaming fires of his purity will burn up anything that isn’t fit for the flame; the radiance of his light will outshine anything of darkness; and the infinite righteousness of his nature will pounce on anything defiled! Our God, Father, Son, and Spirit, dwells in unapproachable light! The prophet proclaims:
You are of purer eyes than to behold evil,
And cannot look on wickedness.
MLJ: God is light and in him is no darkness at all. In the spiritual realm you cannot mix light and darkness, you cannot mix black and white, you cannot mix Christ and Satan. There is no connection between them. Obviously, therefore, only those who are like Him can see God and be in His presence. That is why we must be pure in heart before we can see God.
And as we’ve already noted, we are entirely helpless in this! We can’t purify ourselves. We can’t cleanse ourselves. We cannot renew our hearts. Only Jesus can. Christ alone is the fountain of life, the fountain of blood, shed forth to cleanse sinner’s stains. And oh as we are united to this radiant and ruddy Saviour, we find forgiveness and cleansing, pardon and purification, as God works for us and in us all that we need to enter into the heavenly throne room! The Psalms which proclaims our need is met in Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour:
Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?
Or who may stand in His holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,
Nor sworn deceitfully.
He shall receive blessing from the Lord,
And righteousness from the God of his salvation.
Purified now, we see him by faith; but we see him only through a mirror and dimly so. But….
Q - What is promised to those who are pure in heart?
We are promised that we shall see God. We shall behold him. We shall become like him. We shall know him even as we are known. We shall love him perfectly. We shall delight in him purely. We shall glory in Him entirely. We shall gaze on him eternally! Blessed thought!
Now, we know that God is a Spirit, and as such he is immortal, invisible, God only-wise; he is:
Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
in light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days, almighty, victorious, thy great name we praise.
So if that’s true, then what does Jesus mean when he says that we shall see God? Preeminently it means to see him in our hearts, to know him in our souls; the heart must be purified, becuase it is in our hearts that we know that blessed communion with God in Christ. Our souls will be so perfected, and sanctified, that we will be able to know God to degrees of beauty and glory like never before!
But more than that, though no one can see God’s pure essence… God will manifest his glory in the new world when he shall be all in all, shall fill all things, and shall shine like the sun! But even more than this, we will be resurrected, in perfected and glorified bodies, and so we shall see Jesus, God in the flesh, most literally, with our very own eyes.
We shall see the Son of God, we shall see the Sun of Righteousness, we shall see the King of Glory, we shall see the Lamb who was slain, we shall see our Beloved and our Friend, we shall see our Lord and our Saviour!
Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
And when that purification is perfected, as we behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, then we shall see God, he shall see us, and we will rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory! Our Larger Catechism says that the blessed saints…
The Westminster Confession of Faith: Edinburgh Edition The Larger Catechism
“shall be received into heaven, where they shall be fully and for ever freed from all sin and misery:i filled with inconceivable joys, made perfectly holy and happy both in body and soul, in the company of innumerable saints and holy angels, but especially in the immediate vision and fruition of God the Father, of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, to all eternity. And this is the perfect and full communion, which the members of the invisible church shall enjoy with Christ in glory, at the resurrection and day of judgment”
This is incredible. Brothers and sisters, the goal of the entire Christian life—the goal of theology—the goal of holiness—is to see our Redeemer, to look upon Him who is altogether lovely, and to break out in praise as we glory in our Beloved Christ who is the chiefest among the ten thousand!
We will see him face to face! No longer in a mirror dimly—but face to face! No longer burdened by sin—but face to face! No longer weary in suffering—but face to face! No longer disrupted by temptation—but face to face! No longer disagreeing over doctrine—but face to face! No longer divided through conflict—but face to face! No longer dampened by the world—but face to face!
Oh don’t you long to see Him! Don’t you desire to behold Him? Don’t you yearn to see Him! To be embraced in His arms—to see Him whom your soul loves—to see Him whom your soul delights in?! Oh take heart dear Christian—blessed of God—pure in heart—for you shall see God on that last day! You will see the Trinity, your God, in Christ!
But maybe there is a nagging thought in your head. Eternity, after all, is eternity! So …. will we get bored? And so we ask:
Q - Will we ever grow weary of looking unto God in Christ?
No, we will never grow weary of looking unto God in Christ, because God in Christ is our greatest joy and delight—his glory is unsearchable, his grace is unfathomable, his mercy is incomprehensible, his love is without limit, his compassion is beyond measure, his justice is all glorious, his holiness is perfectly radiant, his righteousness is absolute, his power is eternal, his wisdom is unending, his majesty is all-brilliant, and his goodness is ineffable! BEHOLD your God, Trinity! See him now by faith in the Son of God! And trust that as you are the blessed of the Lord in Christ, that you will see him face to face on that great and awesome day!
And after a millions years if we thought our happiness and pleasure and satisfaction couldn’t get any deeper—it was just beginning! And so forevermore we will find true happiness and holiness—in the heavenly Zion, with the King of Glory, and His Bride, the Church of Christ:
And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.
If you don’t have purity of heart now, by the blood of the Lamb and by the saving grace of the Spirit… if you aren’t a child of God the Father, then you my friend, will not see God in this way. You will see him in the agony of judgment, but not in the beauty of salvation! You will not get into heaven without getting into the grace of Jesus!
Oh come to this Jesus—be blessed with salvation by grace—be purified by the Spirit of our God—and receive the living hope of the Beatific Vision! And something I haven’t noted yet is that the verb that Jesus uses is in the middle voice: which means that it is stressing that it isn’t simply you, or someone else that will see God… but is rightly translated as: you yourself will see God! Blessed assurance for the saints! This will indeed be:
(2) A Pure Sight - v. 8b.
Oh what a blessed hope this is for the true disciples of Jesus Christ! So as we come to close this Lord’s Day, hear this final conclusion
(C) Pure & Happy Hearts will see the Beauty & Glory of God in the Face of Jesus Christ our Lord!
(C) Pure & Happy Hearts will see the Beauty & Glory of God in the Face of Jesus Christ our Lord!
You become what you behold. May we ever sing:
As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness;
I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.
4. Riches I heed not, nor vain, empty praise;
Thou mine inheritance, now and always.
Thou and thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my treasure thou art.
5. High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven's joys, O bright Heav'ns Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my vision, O Ruler of all.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
Amen! Let’s pray.
Discussion Questions:
(1) How does the 2nd Beatitude (mourning) relate to the 6th Beatitude (pure in heart)?
(2) What does it mean to be pure in heart? What does it look like in real life?
(3) What is the opposite of being pure in heart? What are some examples of heart-defilement?
(4) Why and how will the pure in heart see God in that Resurrection morning?
(5) What will make this sight of God all satisfying and deeply joyful for all eternity?
