The Beatitudes: Living at Home in the Kingdom (3)
The Kingdom of GOD • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 1:03:59
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· 19 viewsIn this series, we are looking at what it means to be citizens in the Kingdom of GOD. We take a look at how we should live and how we partner with the FATHER in HIS reign. This week we take a look into the details of the Sermon on the Mount as we continue with the second triad of beatitudes, focusing on verse 8.
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Announce text: Matthew 5:1-16
Key Text: Matthew 5:1-16
Review
Over the past two weeks, we’ve explored the second triad of JESUS’ Beatitudes, focusing on the qualities of KINGdom citizens. In Matthew 5:6, “How good is life for people who hunger and thirst for GOD’s justice! You’re going to be satisfied,” we saw JESUS redefine the good life as craving righteousness. Last week, in Matthew 5:7, “How good is life for the merciful! You’ll receive mercy yourselves,” we learned to manifest mercy magnificently. Here are the key truths from these sermons, shaping us as GOD’s Omage-bearers.
Matthew 5:6: Hungering for Righteousness
First, hungering for righteousness is an intense, painful craving for GOD’s justice (He. tzedekah), like British, Australian, and New Zealand soldiers trudging through the 1917 desert to reach Sheria’s wells, parched yet disciplined to share water. This yearning, akin to the powerless and grieving of the first triad (Matthew 5:3–5), seeks right relationships with GOD and others, where justice (He. mishpat) lifts the oppressed (Jeremiah 22:3). Second, righteousness is a gift of faith and a call to action. Abraham’s trust in GOD was credited as righteousness (Genesis 15:6), yet his faith led to obedience (Genesis 22:1–18). Romans 4:5 shows GOD justifies the undeserving, but JESUS warns against complacent “escape clause” faith (Matthew 6:1). Righteousness means doing right by others, fostering mutuality like the Good Samaritan. Third, like the Thanksgiving feast scenario from Dr. Busic, satisfaction comes through trusting GOD and pursuing justice together now in HIS presence and fully in HIS KINGdom (Job 42:10). This hunger grieves injustice (Matthew 5:4), urging us to act locally (Love INC) and globally (OCC).
Matthew 5:7: Manifesting Mercy
Last week, we saw President Coolidge show mercy to a young burglar, loaning him $32 to return to college, reflecting the KINGdom mercy JESUS calls us to. First, mercy (Gr. eleos) means fervent forgiveness, not vengeance. JESUS taught Peter to forgive “seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:21–22), overturning Lamech’s violent legacy (Genesis 4:24). The parable of the unforgiving servant warns that withholding mercy risks losing GOD’s forgiveness (Matthew 18:34–35). Second, eleos reflects GOD’s loyal, generous love (He. khesed), as seen in Psalm 136’s refrain, “His mercy endures forever.” Like the Canaanite woman seeking khesed (Matthew 15:22), we receive GOD’s steadfast love. Third, Kingdom mercy treats others like cherished family, even strangers or enemies, prioritizing loyal love over sacrifice (Hosea 6:6). This mercy restores shalom, connecting to our grief over broken relationships (Matthew 5:4) and righteousness as right relationships (He. tzedekah). Enabled by CHRIST’s sacrifice (Hebrews 9:22), we’re called to forgive fervently, showing khesed to those around us. Again, apart from our individual areas of service, we can think of serving through ministries like Love INC or Samaritan’s Purse.
These Beatitudes challenge us to crave justice and show mercy, embodying GOD’s Image (1 Samuel 16:7, Proverbs 23:7). Where are you hungry for righteousness or needing to extend mercy? As we move to Matthew 5:8, let’s pursue purity, trusting the Spirit to shape us into KINGdom citizens who restore shalom and reflect GOD’s enduring love.
Announce text again: Matthew 5:1-16
Scripture Reading
Scripture Reading
1 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the hillside, and sat down. His disciples came to him.
2 He took a deep breath, and began his teaching:
3 “How good is life for the powerless, because theirs is the kingdom of the skies.
4 “How good is life for those who grieve, because they will be comforted.
5 “How good is life for the unimportant, because they will inherit the land.
6 “How good is life for people who hunger and thirst for God’s justice! You’re going to be satisfied.
7 “How good is life for those who show mercy, because you will be shown mercy.
8 “How good is life for the pure in heart! You will see God.
9 “How good is life for the peacemakers! You’ll be called God’s children.
10 “How good is life for people who are persecuted because of God’s saving plan! The kingdom of heaven belongs to you.
11 “How good is life for you, when people slander you and persecute you, and say all kinds of wicked things about you falsely because of me!
12 Celebrate and rejoice: there’s a great reward for you in heaven. That’s how they persecuted the prophets who went before you.”
13 “You’re the salt of the earth! But if the salt becomes tasteless, how is it going to get salty again? It’s no good for anything. You might as well throw it out and walk all over it.
14 “You’re the light of the world! A city can’t be hidden if it’s on top of a hill.
15 People don’t light a lamp and put it under a bucket; they put it on a lampstand. Then it gives light to everybody in the house.
16 That’s how you must shine your light in front of people! Then they will see what wonderful things you do, and they’ll give glory to your father in heaven.
16 That’s how you must shine your light in front of people! Then they will see what wonderful things you do, and they’ll give glory to your father in heaven.
Prayer for added blessing to the reading of the Word
Message
Message
After a violent storm one night, a large tree, which over the years had become a stately giant, was found lying across the pathway in a park. Nothing but a splintered stump was left. Closer examination showed that is was rotten at the core because thousands of tiny insects had eaten away at its heart. The weakness of that tree was not brought on by the sudden storm; it began the very moment the first insect nested within its bark. With the Holy Spirit's help, let's be very careful to guard our purity.
Our Daily Bread.
The beatitudes are 9 sayings of JESUS in which HE is reframing what the good life is. We have been digging into the Greek and Hebrew words underlying our English translation of what JESUS is saying in our text, and this morning, we will be concluding the second triad covered in vv.6-8.
Here is the second triad in context in a blended paraphrased translation from the BibleProject and the NTFE version:
6 “How good is life for people who hunger and thirst for God’s justice! You’re going to be satisfied.
7 “How good is life for those who show mercy, because you will be shown mercy.
8 “How good is life for the pure in heart! You will see God.
So, where the first triad was a look at the unexpected places or states of being that JESUS identified as a state of blessedness, in the second triad JESUS is identifying the type of people GOD is forming - those who live in the KINGdom.
We have been looking at three essential qualities or three characteristics of one at home in the KINGdom, and we’re going to look at the third one today. So, three essential qualities of a citizen of heaven:
Crave KINGdom Righteousness.
Manifest Mercy Magnificently.
Pursue Purity Persistently.
Today, we are going to look at v.8, the final verse in this triad:
8 “How good is life for the pure in heart! You will see God.
So, back in the conclusion of the first triad, we ended that message looking at Psalm 37, and we saw that v.11 was what JESUS was quoting in the latter part of that final beatitude in the first triad. Here’s JESUS’ words:
5 “How good is life for the unimportant, because they will inherit the land.
And here’s what was written in ...
11 But the humble will inherit the land And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.
So, it’s a “copy-paste” statement, as Dr. Tim Mackie likes to refer to these type of verses. Well, just as JESUS ended the first triad with a “copy-paste” statement in the concluding beatitude, so too, does HE end this second triad with a “copy-paste” statement in the second triad. This time HIS “copy-paste” reference is from ...
3 Who may go up on the mountain of Adonai? Who may stand in His holy place?
4 One with clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted his soul in vain, nor sworn deceitfully.
5 He will receive a blessing from Adonai, righteousness from God his salvation.
6 Such is the generation seeking Him, seeking Your face, even Jacob! Selah
I want to provide you with three KINGdom truths that are subpoints to pursuing purity persistently. So, these are three KINGdom truths about heart purity:
Pure hearts see GOD’s Presence.
So, going up on the mountain of ADONAI reminds me of when Moses went up the mountain and asked to see GOD’s Glory.
18 Then Moses said, “I pray You, show me Your glory!”
19 And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.”
20 But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!”
So, looking upon the face of GOD has deadly consequences in the Hebrew Bible. No one could see YHWH and live to talk about it. In Moses’ case, GOD put him in the “cleft of a rock” and covered Moses with HIS (GOD’s) Hand, so Moses could see GOD’s back.
21 Then the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock;
22 and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by.
23 “Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.”
Outside of the Garden of Eden, no one could see GOD. If you lived in the Garden, you walked and talked with YHWH in the cool of the day.
8 They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
Yet, in the final beatitude of the second triad, JESUS says the good life belongs to the pure of heart, and that they will look upon the face of YHWH. This is a reference about going back to the Garden. It is the KINGdom of GOD reunited with humanity - Heaven on Earth - as referenced in ...
1 Then the angel showed me a river of the water of life—bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
2 down the middle of the city’s street. On either side of the river was a tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in the city, and His servants shall serve Him.
4 They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.
So, all of this language ties together the beginning of the story of GOD when he creates humankind in the Garden and give mankind authority as gardeners; man rebels against GOD; GOD chooses Israel to be light to the world; Israel rebels, is led off in captivity, cries out to GOD, repents, GOD rescues; the cycle repeats continually; and it you’re getting tired of hearing me say that, imagine how GOD felt seeing that played out over and over? GOD finally has enough and comes to earth to announce the KING has returned and HIS KINGdom is here now (and not yet). Finally, the KING has returned a second time, the curse is gone, and there is once again access and reentry back to the Garden. Once again, we can look on the face of YHWH. We can enter the Holy of Holies.
So, we’re getting into the holiness theme using purity language.
In the OT - the book of Leviticus - there were rules to follow, or ritual acts, to symbolize the purity of one’s heart. Through those physical acts - washing one’s body, for example, to remove the impurities before a priest could enter the temple and the Holy of Holies. Other Israelites followed the process to enter into the temple courtyards. These were common practices required to make one pure. So, there were these physical - external - practices that were observed, but real purity - biblical purity - that which GOD desires and JESUS is after in our beatitude is that we would be clean on the inside, as well. We want “clean hands (external) and a pure heart (internal),” not “whitewashed tombs” - clean on the outside and dead on the inside.
I will never completely forget an illustration from youth group that depicted this well. Holding up two mugs, the question was asked: “Which of these two mugs would you rather drink from?” One of the mugs, though clean, had a chip around the top of the mug and few cracks and scuff marks on the sides. The other mug was clean with no blemishes in appearance. Students naturally picked the latter mug. When all of the students had made their decisions, the cups where turned so the students could see inside the mugs. The mug that was rough in appearance was just as pristine on the inside as the other mug’s appearance had been. However, the mug with no visible blemishes on the outside, was stained with mold and the remnants of what had been left uncleaned on the inside.
What matters most is what is in our heart.
Three KINGdom truths about heart purity:
Pure hearts see GOD’s Presence.
Purity of heart reflects authentic character.
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
I love the way Tim Mackie says it here:
To be pure of heart means that my behavior that's observable to others is doing right by God and doing right by others. And that it's matched completely by my internal life’s motivations that are doing right by God and right by others.
The problem is that we all learn from a very early age how to fake things, and how to fool people, how to manipulate things or people. This is why JESUS addresses this in our beatitude in v.8. We can carry out religious activities and create a facade that we’re righteous - that things are okay, but GOD ignores outward appearance and looks at the heart - is it pure? - and declares what is really righteous and what is not. So, to be pure on the inside and out - our heart motives aligned with doing right by GOD, which means doing right by others - seems like a really, really tall order at best.
In the first beatitude in this triad, we looked at Isaiah 64:6:
For all of us have become like one who is unclean,
And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment ...
This is something we all understand - the depths of our depravity: on our own, we’re selfish, proud - you know, original sin. I think it’s good for us to have an understanding of that - to be aware of it - but it’s not good for us to dwell on that. That is not a state of being we’re meant to remain in. We were made for something more! We need to repent - to change the way we think, because …
7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.
What you and I meditate on - what we think about matters. Meditating on our depraved state - or overemphasizing it - can lead to impoverished thinking and a slave mentality toward sin. It leads to a defeated mindset.
Well, I sin every day in word, thought, or deed, so why try? Well, GOD will understand if I do this little sin here. No one’s perfect. I can’t help it. HIS grace is sufficient, and HE will forgive. I can just go ahead and do this and ask for forgiveness later.
We justify our behaviors and can become desensitized to sin. It can be detrimental to the destiny GOD has for you and I - who HE wants us to become - to the work HE wants to do through HOLY SPIRIT to transform our lives.
23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.
This isn’t something we need to do - this isn’t work or activity to earn something - this is partnering with the work of our ABBA, FATHER - our PAPA GOD. It is HE who brings it about in us, as we spend time with HIM in HIS Presence!
We need to remember our condition (fallen state in which we live), so that it drives us to ABBA, to JESUS, to HOLY SPIRIT. We are in a desperate state, in desperate need of HIS Presence and transformative work in our lives. We need to recognize on my own I am nothing, but we don’t dwell on the power of sin and death - we dwell on HIM and the Power of THE ONE living within us because there’s more to the story than our depraved state we were born into! I am a new creation!
17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
18 “Do not call to mind the former things, Or ponder things of the past.
19 “Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert.
26 “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
27 “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.
Behold! GOD is doing a new thing!
Three KINGdom truths about heart purity:
Pure hearts see GOD’s Presence.
Purity of heart reflects authentic character.
GOD transforms hearts through HIS SPIRIT.
HE doesn’t leave us in this fallen state. HOLY SPIRIT is continually working in you and I to make us more into the Image of CHRIST, but here’s the thing … this isn’t a passive process. We don’t sit on our proverbial butt and wait for GOD to wave HIS magic wand to suddenly make us holy - pure in heart. Remember, GOD wants a partnership with us - it’s part of that relationship with HIM. So, we spend time with HIM in HIS Presence. We do that through the reading of and meditating on HIS Word, through spending time with HIM in prayer - and that includes listening, not just talking; it’s not a monologue, it’s a dialogue - through spending time with HIM in prayer, and spending time with HIM in worship - more than one form, not just music: traditional sense it is really just prayer set to music.
It all starts with the mind and how we think.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things.
There’s a quote I found from someone named, Frank Outlaw. I know nothing about the man, but I like this quote, as it is fitting for our context:
Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
— Frank Outlaw.
Purity of heart is the concluding trait in the second triad because it’s not just about behavior. It’s about the core character of one who is at home living in the KINGdom of GOD. When we think about the first two beatitudes in this, the second triad, we are talking about the character of a person who is at home in the KINGdom of GOD. A person who is righteous - remember, we do right by GOD and others, but even when we fail, GOD declares us righteous based on our faith - complete trust in HIM. So, righteousness, generous acts of furious love, and a pure heart to finish off these behaviors - but again, these aren’t just behaviors or activities. This has todo with the core character of a person.
Dr. Tim Mackie of the BibleProject says this:
... you can overemphasize that [man’s depravity] to the degree of actually not being faithful to the full portrait of human nature in the Bible, because humans are a lot more in God's eyes than depraved. But that moral compromise nature is really a big emphasis in the biblical story. And because it's realistic. It's true.
... David, in Psalm 51, after murdering Uriah and committing adultery with Bathsheba, ask[s] for God's forgiveness and says, God by your mercy, create the Genesis one language.
What I need is a new creation, like, for my core, my thoughts, my desires, and my feelings. “Create in me a pure heart” (Psalm 51[:10]).
So we need a pure heart. And the pure heart is … the entry card to returning to Eden.
So ... in Psalm 24, the idea of going up to the high mountain where you go into the Holy of Holies ... is all about the return to Eden, because the temple and the tabernacle are symbolic Edens. So this is about going past those cherubim and the fiery sword that's going to be, it’s going to cut away some stuff that you might think is really important to who you are.
But God says you’ve got to lose that stuff if you want to be with me, and I want you to be with me. So let's find a way to purge that stuff in a way that doesn't kill you. That's essentially God's mission.
In the storyline of the Bible. So God's on a mission to make us pure of heart. It's possible.
So, maybe you’re asking yourself, “How is this even possible? Is it possible?” On one hand, there is a reality that on our own, we cannot live a pure life the way JESUS describes it here. Pure motives of heart in everything we do and say - the core character from which we live. Yet, GOD is the GOD of the impossible, and HE lives within us. So, on the other hand, is this reality that YHWH knows we’re capable through HIS new creation, HIS Power, HIS Mercy, and HOLY SPIRIT. It’s what you and I were created and meant for.
As Tim Mackie goes on to say,
We’re made to be pure of heart. God is on a mission to make us pure of heart.
So, pj … What’s the point?
Conclusion
Conclusion
Like the stately tree felled by hidden insects, our lives can appear strong yet crumble if our hearts harbor impurity. JESUS declares in Matthew 5:8, “How good is life for the pure in heart! You will see GOD.” Purity of heart reflects authentic character, aligning our motives with GOD’s (1 Samuel 16:7), not a facade of righteousness (Proverbs 23:7). It’s the path to seeing GOD’s Presence, restoring Eden’s intimacy (Revelation 22:4), and it’s GOD’s SPIRIT who transforms our hearts (Ezekiel 36:26), making us new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17).
As part of the conclusion, I want to read from one of the COTN’s core values which are defined as “the essence of our identity and support the vision of our denomination and help shape our culture.” There are three core values that the COTN has identified, but I want to read this one as it is fitting for the context of today’s message.
[We are] A HOLINESS PEOPLE
God, who is holy, calls us to a life of holiness. We believe that the Holy Spirit seeks to do in us a second work of grace, called by various terms including “entire sanctification” and “baptism with the Holy Spirit”-cleansing us from all sin, renewing us in the image of God, empowering us to love God with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength, and our neighbors as ourselves, and producing in us the character of Christ. Holiness in the life of believers is most clearly understood as Christlikeness.
Because we are called by Scripture and drawn by grace to worship God and to love Him with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength, and our neighbors as ourselves, we commit ourselves fully and completely to God, believing that we can be “sanctified wholly,” as a second crisis experience. We believe that the Holy Spirit convicts, cleanses, fills, and empowers us as the grace of God transforms us day by day into a people of love, spiritual discipline, ethical and moral purity, compassion, and justice. It is the work of the Holy Spirit that restores us in the image of God and produces in us the character of Christ.
We believe in God the Father, the Creator, who calls into being what does not exist. We once were not, but God called us into being, made us for himself, and fashioned us in His own image. We have been commissioned to bear the image of God: “I am the LORD . . . your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy”
This call to holiness fulfills our hunger for righteousness (Matthew 5:6) and mercy (Matthew 5:7), shaping us into CHRIST’s image through HIS Atoning Blood (Hebrews 9:22). Where is your heart impure—thoughts, words, or deeds? Reject excuses (Proverbs 23:7) and seek a new heart (Psalm 51:10) through prayer, Scripture, and worship (Philippians 4:8). As a community, let’s pursue purity, fostering shalom and trusting HOLY SPIRIT to make us KINGdom citizens who reflect GOD’s Glory.
Closing prayer & benediction
24 The Lord bless you, and keep you;
25 The Lord make His face shine on you,
And be gracious to you;
26 The Lord lift up His countenance on you,
And give you peace.’
Scripture records the following words in v.27:
27 “So whenever they use my name to bless the Israelites, I will bless them.”
So, receive and go with the blessings of YAHWEH!
