The Sermon on the Mount 3

Introduction

Over the last couple of weeks we have seen how Christ, as He delivers the beatitudes He is describing the character of those who belong to His kingdom. In the giving of the first four, Christ has brought us low by showing us the poverty of spirit that feels its bankruptcy before God; the mourning over sin that grieves what we once excused; meekness that submits to the Lord rather than asserting itself; and then we saw the hungering and thirsting for righteousness that cannot be satisfied with self, worldliness, or external religion. As we turn now to verses seven and eight, Christ moves now to the fruit of those characteristics and that movement matters. Christ has been describing the supernatural marks of those who have already been made subjects of the King, unveiling the beauty of grace in a converted life. The one who has found mercy becomes merciful. The one whom God has cleansed longs to be pure. The one who has been brought near to God begins to resemble the God who brought him near.

So when we come to these two Beatitudes, we are brought face to face with two questions. The first is this: do we bear the merciful spirit of our Father? The second is this: has God dealt with the heart, or have we merely polished the outside? These are not light questions. They are searching, humbling questions exposing the difference between mere profession and true possession. Many are outwardly respectable who are inwardly corrupt, they speak of grace but they are harsh, proud, cold, and unforgiving. There are those who can discuss doctrine with precision, but their hearts remain untouched by grace. Christ, however, will not allow us to rest in externals. He presses us to dig past mere appearance, reaching the hidden man of the heart. That brings us to our text fro this morning where once again we will read the first 12 verses of Matthew chapter 5.

Text

Please stand in reverence for the reading of God’s holy, inerrant, infallible, authoritative, sufficient, complete and certain Word:

Matthew 5:1–12 LSB

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. And He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying, “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 lowly, 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 peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Prayer

Our gracious and merciful Father, we thank You for Your holy, certain, and sufficient Word. We confess that apart from Your grace and the power of Your Spirit we are neither merciful nor pure in heart. We have often been hard where we should have been tender, and divided in heart where we should have been wholly Yours. We ask now that You would, by Your Spirit, press the truth of this text deeply upon us. That we would show mercy as those who have received mercy in Christ. Purify our hearts, cleanse us from secret sin, and grant us sincerity, holiness, and single-eyed devotion to our Lord Jesus Christ. Help us not merely to hear these words, but to be searched, humbled, and conformed by them. Father we ask that you bless the preaching of Your Word causing it to bear fruit in us for Your glory and our good. We ask these things In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

The Merciful Receive Mercy

As we open up[ this passage, one of the first things we must see is that, like meekness, demonstrating mercy is not an act being weak or soft. Biblical mercy does not deny truth or the suspend the command believer’s responsibility to pursue holiness, and it is most certainly not the kind of compassion that sinful excuses rebellion against God. Defined by the world’s standards mercy makes peace with sin, calls darkness light, and removes the need for repentance. Mercy, as defined and demonstrated in God’s word is the gracious disposition of the new heart that whereby it is moved by the misery of those around us and acts to relieve that misery in ways that are consistent with the truth of scripture and the righteousness of God. We could define it as compassion with backbone or tenderness governed by holiness.

Matthew Henry wrote, “We must not only bear our own afflictions patiently, but we must do all we can to help those who are in misery.” He goes on to say, “We must have compassion on the souls of others, and help them.” Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, on Matthew 5:7–8. That is exactly right. Mercy is not restricted to material acts, though it certainly includes them. Yes and absolutely mercy sees bodily suffering and is moved, sorrow and is tender, and the and does not despise it. But mercy also sees souls in eternal danger, wandering, entangled in sin, and it seeks their good manifested by delivering a warning to the careless, demonstrating the mercy of Christ to restore the fallen through the power of the Holy Spirit according the word of God delivering the truth of the gospel. Mercy prays for the straying, forgives the offenses, helps the burdened and lifts up those who are cast down.

As we have worked through these beatitudes we have demonstrated how we began with the foundational truth of the poverty of spirit and built upwards from there this description of the people of God. This Beatitude follows naturally after hungering and thirsting for righteousness because the change made by grace working in us flows beyond us as the inward change brings outward fruit. The believer who has truly felt their own spiritual misery does not become hard toward the misery of others. They recognize themselves as one who has stood as a beggar before the throne of grace, who knows what it is to be forgiven much is transformed and the mercy we received begins to produce the mercy we must show. Thomas Watson put it simply but memorably when he said, “The more godly, the more merciful.” Thomas Watson, The Beatitudes, on Matthew 5:7. The closer a man walks with God, the more his life will bear the stamp of mercy.

The chief demonstration of this is seen nowhere more clearly in the mercy that God Himself demonstrates towards us. Scripture reveals Him as holy, just, righteous, and true. And at the same Scripture delights to speak of Him as merciful. He is “the Father of mercies” and the God of all comfort. His mercy is not in conflict with His holiness; it shines through it. He does not become merciful by lowering His standards. He remains just and then demonstrates His mercy through the gift of Christ, the redemptive actions of Jesus Christ, and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. At the cross, mercy does not triumph by ignoring sin, but by satisfying justice in the sacrifice of the Son. Beyond the cross, mercy does not leave us in our sin but rather the Holy Spirit works in us by sanctifying us through the transformative power of God’s word. For us, every act of true mercy in the believer is a reflection, however faint, of the mercy first shown by God.

This helps us understand what Christ means when He says, “for they shall obtain mercy.” He is not teaching salvation by merit, or saying that our mercy purchases God’s mercy. Quite the opposite, He is teaching that the merciful will show themselves to be those who are partakers of divine mercy and who continue to live under its smile. This is not the act of bartering for mercy, but evidence of mercy already received. Mercy shown is the fruit; where as, mercy received is the root. The merciful are blessed because they are already citizens of the kingdom.

In Matthew 18, the unforgiving servant, is condemned not because forgiveness is earned by forgiving, but because the merciless spirit he demonstrated exposed that he had never truly reckoned with the greatness of the mercy he had been shown. The Good Samaritan demonstrates that love for neighbor is not theoretical but costly and active. James reminds us that “judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy,” not because works save, but because a faith devoid of mercy is a dead faith. Grace changes the disposition of the soul.

So we must ask ourselves uncomfortable questions. Are we merciful in our homes? Are we patient or do we become irritated by inconvenience? Are we quick to forgive, or quick to keep account? Are we tender toward the fallen, or secretly pleased by their shame? Are we compassionate toward sinners, or only angry at sinners? Do we truly care for the souls of men, or are we merely interested in only winning arguments? Do we pray for those who trouble us, help those who cannot repay us, and bear with the faults of others as those who need daily bearing with ourselves?

Mercy especially reveals itself where pride would naturally reign. It reveals itself when we have been wronged. There is nothing natural about mercy. The flesh knows revenge, distance, coldness, and self-justification. But grace teaches us to remember how the Lord has dealt with us. How often He has borne with our slowness, our unbelief, our wandering, our repeated failures; how He has often not dealt with us based on our sins, restored us when justice alone would have swept us away.

Spurgeon, preaching on this Beatitude, captured the spirit of it well when he said, “A man is not saved by being merciful, but if he is saved he becomes merciful.” C.H. Spurgeon, “The Fifth Beatitude,” Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, sermon published 1909, preached December 21, 1873. That distinction must be carefully maintained. This is not salvation by human kindness. This is salvation by sovereign grace that transforms our hearts producing a human kindness never present before. Make no mistake, mercy is not mere temperament. There are many people are naturally warm, naturally gentle, naturally sympathetic. This is not the same as supernatural mercy. Biblical mercy flows from the truth of God, submission to God and His Word, and a heart that is humbled before God. Contrary to what has been declared by the world, mercy can rebuke when needed, or correct even while weeping. It can speak hard truth without having a hard heart or further hardening of the heart. Once again, the Lord Jesus Christ is the perfect example as He was merciful to the weak, the outcast, the guilty, and the needy. But He never baptized and condoned sin in the name of compassion. He said to the woman, “Neither do I condemn you,” and then, “Go, and sin no more.” His mercy restored; it never endorsed evil.

The Pure in Heart will see God

This takes us to the next Beatitude: “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” If mercy guards us from loveless orthodoxy, purity guards us from false compassion. If mercy shows the outward movement of grace toward the miserable, purity shows the inward reality of grace within the soul. And Christ, as always, goes straight to the center. He does not say, blessed are the ceremonially clean. He does not say, blessed are the socially respectable. He does not say, blessed are those who appear upright before men. He says, “Blessed are the pure in heart.”

Spurgeon said of this Beatitude, “until the heart was pure, the life would never be clean.” C.H. Spurgeon, “The Sixth Beatitude,” Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, sermon published 1909, preached April 27, 1873. That is our Lord’s emphasis. Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. The Pharisees were consumed with outward defilement—with washings, ceremonies, visible distinctions—but Christ exposes the deeper corruption. The true problem of man is not first in the hand, the tongue, or the eye. It is in the heart. Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, false witness, slanders. Therefore the great need of man is not cosmetic religion but inward cleansing.

Thomas Watson speaks beautifully here: “The holy God…calls here for heart-purity.” Thomas Watson, The Beatitudes, on Matthew 5:8. A.W. Pink adds needed precision when he says that purity is not sinless perfection in this life, but includes “undivided affections, sincerity and genuineness.” A.W. Pink, “Heart Purity,” in Comfort for Christians. That is an important clarification. Christ is not saying that only those who have attained flawless perfection in this life shall see God, for then no saint could have hope. Rather, He is describing those whom God has truly cleansed within—those whose hearts have been renewed, whose loves are being reordered, whose lives are marked by sincerity before Him.

Purity of heart includes at least three things. First, it includes cleansing from guilt through the saving work of Christ. No sinner sees God in peace apart from justification. The blood of Christ alone answers the defilement of our record. The pure in heart are not self-purified, they are blood-washed. Second, purity of heart includes regeneration. The heart of stone must be replaced with a heart of flesh. The inward man must be made new. Third, purity of heart includes the ongoing sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, by which the believer increasingly hates sin, loves holiness, and seeks to walk in sincerity before God.

John MacArthur called this Beatitude “one of the greatest utterances in the whole of Scripture.” John MacArthur, “The Only Way to Happiness: Be Pure in Heart,” sermon on Matthew 5:8, July 19, 1998. He is right, because this verse reaches from regeneration all the way to glorification. It tells us what God is doing in believers now, and what God will bring us in the final consummation. Purity now, sight then. Cleansing now, communion then. Sanctification now, beatific vision then.

Notice the words “in heart.” Our Lord will not permit religion to live in externals. A man may be orthodox in creed, active in service, polished in conduct, but impure in heart. One may know the language of Zion and yet cherish a secret world of lust, bitterness, envy, pride, vanity, greed, or hypocrisy. The heart is the spring and if the contamination is at the spring it will ultimately be revealed in the streams and so Christ continually turns us inward towards the truth that the true issue of humanity is inward.

Pink warns against what he calls “a hand religion” and “a head religion.” A.W. Pink, “Heart Purity,” in Comfort for Christians. There is a religion of activity—busy hands with an untouched heart. There is also a religion of intellect—clear thoughts with cold affections. Both exist in church life. A man may defend sound doctrine, oppose error, and engage in ministry while inwardly feeding pride, bitterness, impurity, or self-love. Christ is not impressed with an unmortified heart clothed in religious usefulness.

Matthew Henry says, “The heart must be purified by faith, and kept for God.” Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, on Matthew 5:8. Purity here is not merely avoidance of scandalous sins. It is consecration, it is a heart kept for God, and it is undivided. It is not a hypocritical heart. It is not a heart performing for the eyes of men while reserving its private chambers for idols. The pure heart says with David, “Unite my heart to fear Your name.” It longs for truth in the inward parts.

This means purity of heart speaks to motive as much as action. Why do we pray? Why do we serve? Why do we preach? Why do we give? Why do we abstain from certain sins? Is it because God sees? Is it because Christ is lovely? Is it because holiness is beautiful? Or is it because we wish to preserve reputation, maintain appearances, win approval, or soothe the conscience? A man may do many right things for profoundly wrong reasons. But God weighs the heart.

For those whose hearts have been regenerated, who diligently seek this inward purity, the text contains a beautiful promise. “They shall see God.” What a staggering word that is. The greatest promise of God to believers is not ultimately relief from pain, escape from hell, reunion with loved ones, or the perfection of the new creation, glorious as all of that will be. This greatest promise is God Himself. To see God is the consummation of all desire wrought by grace. We, believers, do not merely want a better condition; we want, we desire, we NEED Almighty God.

Truly, there is a sense in which the pure in heart see God even now. Spurgeon says we see Him “on every page of this blessed Book.” C.H. Spurgeon, “The Sixth Beatitude.” The cleansed heart begins to perceive the beauty of God in Scripture, in His providence, in the church, in worship, and in the face of Jesus Christ. The natural man may study the Bible and remain blind. He may hear sermons and remain unmoved. He may observe creation and see only material process. But when grace purifies the heart, the eyes of the soul are opened and God is seen by faith. His glory is discerned. His holiness is loved. His ways, though sometimes mysterious, are increasingly adored.

Pink writes that the pure in heart “enjoy intimate and delightful communion with God.” A.W. Pink, “Heart Purity,” in Comfort for Christians. That is part of the promise. Purity is tied to communion. Cherished sin clouds fellowship. Double-mindedness darkens spiritual sight. Hypocrisy deadens the soul. But where there is sincerity, confession, repentance, and a growing hatred of sin, there is increasing enjoyment of God. Not perfection, not sinlessness, not flawless attainment, but uprightness and a true and growing love of God and a pursuit of His ways.

Ultimately, the promise reaches beyond the present to the eternal state. We shall see Him as He is. What now is by faith shall then be by sight. What now is partial shall then be full. What now is interrupted shall then be unbroken. What now is through the glass darkly shall then be face to face. Watson spoke of this as a “glorious and beatifical vision.” Thomas Watson, The Beatitudes, on Matthew 5:8. The pure in heart shall behold the God who made them, redeemed them, sanctified them, kept them, and brought them home.

Beloved, if that is the destiny of the Christian, how careful we ought to be with the heart now. We do not trifle with inward corruption. We do not make peace with hidden sin. We do not content ourselves with an outward form of godliness. We bring the heart before the searching light of God’s Word. We ask Him to reveal what we cannot see. We confess what He exposes. We mortify what He condemns. We flee afresh to Christ, whose blood alone cleanses and whose Spirit alone sanctifies.

Conclusion

Christ will not be satisfied with outward religion. You may know the words, keep the customs, and appear serious before men, while your heart remains untouched before God. But the Lord Jesus does not call sinners to manage appearances. He calls them to come to Him for cleansing, renewal, and true transformation. And for the believer who grieves remaining sin, take courage: the pure in heart are not those who never struggle, but those who, by grace, hate their corruption, confess it, and long to be rid of it.

These Beatitudes stand together. Mercy without purity becomes compromise. Purity without mercy becomes pride. But in Christ, both meet in perfect beauty. He is full of compassion and altogether holy, and only by union with Him can a merciful and pure heart be formed in us.

So the question is not whether you appear religious, but this: has the mercy of Christ so changed your heart that you are becoming both merciful and pure, or are you still resting in appearance without transformation?

Closing Prayer

Our Father in heaven, we thank You for Your Word and for the searching voice of our Lord Jesus Christ in these Beatitudes. We confess that we are too often deficient in mercy and far too easily content with outward religion while the heart remains in need of greater purity. We thank You that in Christ there is mercy for the guilty, cleansing for the defiled, and grace for all who come in repentance and faith. Grant that what we have heard today would not quickly fade from us. Make us a merciful people because we have obtained mercy. Purify our hearts by Your Spirit, deepen our hatred for sin, and fix our eyes upon Christ, who is both perfectly holy and full of compassion. Let these truths bear fruit in our homes, our church, and our daily walk before You. Conform us more fully to the image of Your Son, and keep us looking unto that blessed day when, by Your grace, we shall see You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Observance of the Lord’s Supper

Call to Worship

Psalm 95:6–7 LSB

Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before Yahweh our Maker. For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.

Confession

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. The third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen

Prayer

Almighty God,

We come before You in humility and reverence. We thank You for Your grace poured out through Christ Jesus our Lord. We confess our sins, asking Your forgiveness, trusting in the finished work of the cross. Prepare our hearts, O Lord, that we might partake of this holy ordinance in a worthy manner. Strengthen our faith, deepen our repentance, unite us in love, and conform us more to the image of Your Son. Bless this congregation, grant us boldness to proclaim Your gospel, and preserve us in Your truth until Christ returns. We ask all this in His holy name. Amen.

Scripture

Luke 22:7–22 LSB

Then came the first day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. And Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, so that we may eat it.” And they said to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare it?” And He said to them, “Behold, after you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house that he enters. “And you shall say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ “And he will show you a large, furnished upper room; prepare it there.” And they left and found everything just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover. And when the hour had come, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him. And He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. “For I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.” And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.” And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood. “But behold, the hand of the one betraying Me is with Me on the table. “For indeed, the Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!”

Fencing of the Table

Brothers and sisters, this Table is for those who have repented of their sins and trusted in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. Those who do, in good faith, stand right and have been declared just based on the righteousness of Christ. If that describes you, come and partake. If you remain unrepentant or outside of Christ, we urge you to refrain, lest you eat and drink judgment upon yourself. Brothers and sisters, even those who have repented and believed are commanded to examine themselves to ensure that they come prepared to this table. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 11:27–29 “Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But a man must test himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly.”

Let us now take a moment to examine ourselves and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

Prayer of Consecration

Gracious Father,

We set apart these common elements of bread and the cup for this holy use. We acknowledge that they do not physically become the body and blood of Christ but serve as a reminder for us. We thank You for Christ’s body broken and His blood shed for the remission of our sins. May this Supper be a means of grace to nourish our faith and strengthen our covenant bond with You and with one another. Amen.

Bread

As we come to the observance of the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper, given to us to celebrate in memory of His broken body and shed blood. It is said that on the the night before He was betrayed, at the conclusion of the feast of the Passover, which He and His disciples were celebrating, He took bread and having blessed it, broke it and gave it to His disciples and said “this is my body, which is given for you.”

Prayer

After bread is passed out:

John 6:58 ““This is the bread which came down out of heaven, not as the fathers ate and died. He who eats this bread will live forever.””

Cup

On that same night our Lord took the cup and having blessed it, gave to His disciples as said “This is My blood which was shed for you.”

Prayer

Hebrews 9:22 “And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

1 John 1:7 “but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Drink

1 Corinthians 11:26 “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes.”

Conclusion

After our Lord and His disciples ate the bread and drank the cup, celebrating the first Supper of our Lord, it is said that they sang a hymn and went out.