The Single-Minded Ones

Greeting

Isaiah 2:3 ESV

Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.

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Grabber

“Purer in heart, O God, help me to be; May I devote my life wholly to thee.” Fannie Davison wrote those words to describe her desire for personal dedication. The sentiment comes directly from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, his dissertation on Christian living and spiritual happiness. Davison captures the import of Jesus declaration in the second phrase “May I devote my life wholly to thee.” Davison hits on an important theme of discipleship.

Introduction

As we continue our study of the Sermon on the Mount, we turn our attention to the next beatitude that Jesus gives for living the happiest life possible. In Matthew 5:8 ““Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

Here Jesus seeks to engage disciples at their core being to judge its allegiance to him.

Many read pure in heart and think 99.44% pure like bar of ivory soap. But there is more in this statement than just a preservation from sin. Let’s look at the need to pure in heart in a lesson I have titled “The Single-Minded Ones.”

Discussion

The Character: Pure in Heart (Matt 5:8)

Matthew 5:8 ESV

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

“Pure” comes from καθαρός which means clean or pure. Often the result of a purge. Similar to our English words catharsis or cathartic, which is often used of purging emotions or personal baggage to release tension and bring about spiritual renewal.

A Purged Heart. Here Jesus points to a heart that has been cleansed or made pure. The obvious idea is a heart that has been cleansed from sin. Thus a pure heart.

A Protected Heart. However, it also mean a heart that it not only forgiven, but a heart that seeks pure living. At another time Jesus said Mark 7:20–23 “And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”” This is why it is important to protect our hearts.

Proverbs 4:23 “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”

We must protect our hearts with righteousness to keep them from defilement from sin.

A Prioritized Heart. Taking it one step further, a pure heart is a heart unmixed with the cares of the world. It is singleness of heart where God is enough. It is a heart undivided. It fits with Jesus’ application in the rest of the sermon.

A heart unmixed with anger, lust, self-importance, vindictiveness, or hatred from the antitheses (5:21-48).

A heart unmixed with hypocrisy in charity, prayer, and fasting (6:1-18).

A heart unmixed with greed and treasures of the earth (6:19-24).

A heart unmixed with anxiety (6:25-33).

Demas walked with Paul. Heard his teaching. Saw his miracles. Witnessed the power of God working through Paul, and saw the world changed by the preaching of the gospel. He was with Paul when he wrote Colossians (Col 4:14) and Philemon (24). Yet just a couple of years later, Paul says, 2 Timothy 4:10 “For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica.” What happened to Demas? His heart was divided with the world.

1 John 2:15 “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

James 4:8 “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 1:8 “he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

Deuteronomy 4:29 “From there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

The Consequence: See God (Matt 5:8)

Matthew 5:8 ESV

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

Those with pure hearts see God. Certainly a reference to meeting God after the judgement, Psalm 24:3–4 “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? 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.” These will stand in the presence of God.

Some ask, “Is this blessing only for the future?” No. Once we are attuned to God and his ways, we will see him in everywhere. We will see his hand in the changing of the seasons, the movement of the sun, the kindness of Christians. We will see his work through prayer, his providence through protection, and his design in every detail. We will see him in his pages. See him in nature.

Only after God answers Job from the whirlwind does Job drop his plea. He realized his ignorance and seeks to be right with God. Job 42:3–5 “‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. ‘Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.’ I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you;” Once his heart is unmixed with rationalization, he sees God.

The Only Way to Happiness The Promise to Those Who Are Pure

Purity of heart cleanses the eyes of the soul so that God is visible.

Application

We can be like Job or Demas. We all have the choice. Demas witnessed the power of God and started a journey with him. However, the cares and riches of the present world distracted him from whole-hearted commitment to God. Job was trying to rationalize his plight and knew he could convince God his predicament wasn’t right. But when God challenged Job’s understanding of the universe, Job quit trying to teach God and rather embraced God as enough. That’s when he saw God and repented.

Imagine a church so focused on God and his mission, that the pettiness, bickering, in-fighting melted away. Unity prevailed. Outreach expanded. Mission accomplished. All because each of us had a single-minded commitment to God.

How would that impact the world?

So, What?

Psalm 119:2 “Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart,”