2020-02-16-LIVE OAKS - Blessed are the pure in heart

Matthew 5 starting in verse 2 and he opened his mouth and taught 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 meek 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 are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and other all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account rejoice and be glad for your reward is great in heaven for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. The Beatitudes as we have said every week so far. The Beatitudes are the guest list and the menu of the wedding Feast of Jesus that is going to be laid out before us who are in him. It's from Revelation 9 verse 9. The angel said to me, right this blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb or disciples and disciples draw near to Jesus and disciples are drawing near to Jesus. The banqueting table of Jesus is is going to be filled with his disciples.

To be filled with those whom the father brought to the Son and the son resurrected and placed around the banqueting table and then and then laid everything out before them. The Beatitudes as we talked about their they're not a list of to-do checklist. It it's not it's not a list of of things that you need to to improve upon in your life.

It's what is going to be served and who's going to be served it in eternity in the presence of Jesus. And 5/8 says that's what we're focused on this morning blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God deeply abidingly happy. Are those who are pure in heart because Dave will see God. Not. This beatitude makes up makes a pretty bold promise. And that is seeing God. That's a big claim right in the balance their who are they who will see God? Like seeing God is is the demand of atheists the wish of agnostics the desperate Cry of beleaguered Believers if I could just see him. Write a TSA quite, you know II man I'm a man of science if I can't even if I can't touch it if I can't taste it if I can't see it then it doesn't exist. So God show yourself. No. Okay. You're not real. Write agnostics or like I don't really know what I mean. I kind of maybe want to believe I kind of made you want to be set free from belief and just resting comfortable atheism. But if you know God could just you know, he could just sort this out right here for me now and he could just show up. No, no, no, okay, and then Believers in in X and in moments of Anguish or trial we cry out. I know that you're real, but could you just maybe Wave could you spend your head around the corner? Why can't you make it just tap on my shoulder so I can look behind me. I can see you. We want to see him.

Who were they that will see him? the pure in heart

continuing a theme that we have going on here with the Beatitudes. Jesus doesn't tell us how He tells us who? Right. He doesn't tell us how to inherit the Kingdom only that it will be the poor in spirit. Who do he doesn't tell us how to be comforted only that those who mourn will he doesn't tell us how to gain the Earth? or end up on top only that the meek will he doesn't tell us a how to gain satisfaction only that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will not be disappointed. He doesn't tell us how to gain God's mercy only that it is the merciful who will receive it. Likewise Jesus doesn't tell us how to see God Jesus. Tell us tell us who will see him. And we don't like that. Because we just want we just want Jesus to just to tell us what to do Believers. Have you ever been in have you been there? Just me you been there? Just tell me what to do and I'll do it, right? run you letter City carrier pigeon Jesus talk about birds and sparrows and stuff is in the pigeon little note attached to it.

The pictures of Talons I don't think they have talons feet feet. beeg

I was missing the leather sheath for my swisschamp Swiss army knife that my parents bought me in Switzerland and it was a leather cover and it was missing and we looked everywhere for it and my grandfather prayed out loud. I know you're busy. But if you could just find it for my grandson, I will be grateful dog Smokey comes walking up with the leather case in his dropped it at my feet.

If Only God would do that every time right specially with an Apple TV remote, I don't know if you all experience the scourge I'll be at Steve Jobs. Like it's this tiny little I mean, it's like a stick of gum that my children have this they can just here it is. Where is it? I don't know. We're sorry.

He never makes it that easy Jesus. Just remember like a teacher what must I do to inherit right? And it gives giant thing that can't be done and he goes away sad. Jesus never makes it easy for us. He never gives a straight answer so frustrated, right the straightest answer would get it's like, you know what story told in a riddle. He just tells us. But the pure in heart will see him. The pure in heart will see him now. We preachers what we do is we take it upon ourselves to fix Jesus's teaching. This is not good enough, right Jesus's teaching confuses people. So what I get to do for you Jesus, you're welcome is take Jesus's teaching and and make it, you know, understandable.

The haunts me honestly like as a preacher who Endeavors to be found faithful in handling his heart in his character his truth. I would be found faithful. I want to be a faithful proclaimer of who he is.

And so this whole sweet like do mmm. I am I always trying to make Jesus's words better words. So Lord, Jesus may I not do that this morning? May I not?

May I not make this more palatable? Father don't don't don't don't let me be embarrassed about your son. About what he said about what?

At what he did about what he proclaimed. I I just want to do this Faithfully. But father we are so small. And I'm mines are are so weak and they're so easily distracted.

And our hearts, which I pray your reward illuminates this morning, our hearts can be so wicked.

And so misguided so just be faithful this morning to Holy Spirit to 2% Jesus out as he is 2% Your Truth as it is in your name, we pray.

Purity of heart. It's what it's what I was just describing it. Sometimes I anguish over is my heart as a preacher as a proclaimer. Is it a pure one preaching from Pure motives? the whole idea of a pure heart the whole idea of what our heart is if there's one thing our culture can be in complete agreement, right if there's one statement I could make and it would be agreed upon in every sphere of our culture is if you don't know what to do, just follow your hearts if you don't know what to do, just follow your heart. I Don't Preach that should I not priest at a preacher follow your heart should I should I go into a quarter million dollars of debt to study 19th century French poetry out of state. follow your heart

Please don't.

As Bill Murray said in Groundhog Day. What a waste of time.

If if one of you guys study 19th century French poetry forgive me. I tried to pick the most ridiculous example, so as not to

I don't I don't say this to be funny if I hated my children. And I'm one of the most efficient and effective way to ruin them. I would raise them to Simply follow their heart. Jeremias, 17-5 says thus says the Lord.

Cursed is the man who trusts in man? And makes flesh his strength. whose heart turns away from the Lord Skip it Down 2 verse 9 you've heard this one The Heart Is deceitful above all things and desperately sick who can understand it.

or maybe in contrast the only sin would be to deny your heart what it truly feels Mask of Zorro 1998.

I was a young man that really did follow his heart. I was a man. I was a heart follower. I'm what we call a Sensi. I have distinct all feelings and I like to let them drive me and in 1998. How old was I watch the movie? Cuz I love swords and I love adventure and it was great in Mask of Zorro. Let's go see it and and there's a scene where where the girl goes to confession and the guy is pretending to be a priest in the girls confessing that he's had. She's had lustful thoughts about a man and he's like, oh and she's all like what should I do? Father Antonio Banderas? It's all like the only sin would be tonight with your heart to repeal. There's something in the as a twenty-year-old since a Philly guy I go. Oh, that's terrible. Oh, that's wickedness. Why I've been trusting my heart all these years.

Our heart is desperately wicked who can understand it. What's 7 / Let's brightseat next week.

the wicked Will not see God. Jesus makes that clear.

If we follow up our Wicked hearts into greater wickedness. Will that lead us to the presence of Christ? No. Only the pure in heart will see God. So let's define some terms. Using the original Greek using better definitions in English. Let's to find the terms first. Let's Define pure in the Greek the word. It means unstained. It means clean. It means purged. It means unmixed. It means free of contaminants pure. the English word purity means acting in accordance with original design

So if we if we endeavor. To be pure ourselves it if we raise our children to pursue Purity or we are saying in English what we're saying? Is act in accordance to your original design. What is that original design back in Genesis? Let us make man in our own image.

Orange our original design as molded and crafted human beings is to image God reflect him show him. Enjoy him forever. So you take the opposite of that perversion means acting against original design? For every diculous example, if I was to set out to drive a nail into a board and I used a salmon I would be perverting that salmon. Salmon was not invented by God to drive Nails. It was invented by God to be delicious and make more delicious salmon. That's if your design a hammer was crafted by God. I feel forged by God. Reddit just going to pass down to man The Hammer. It's I used to call it a hot. Oh, I don't know. I didn't mean to say that I take it back on the record.

Acting in original does acting in accordance to original design. That's Purity. So Jesus is saying only those hearts who are acting in accordance to original design will see God. Not the contaminated not the wicked not being in pure but the hard to have been purged part 2 or unmixed parts that are free of contaminants. Will what is the heart we talked about this last week the heart means the effective center of our being the effective center of our being the core of Who We Are We're from where our desires come from where our words come. From where are feelings come it's the Wellspring.

Everything comes out bubbles up from fountains up from the heart. And then what is c what does c mean it it means to look upon it means to experience. It means to perceive it means to discern. it's not just a you see just a That's red. That's blue that that sign means up that timing down. It doesn't mean just intellectual awareness. It's it's perception.

When our children say daddy look at me mommy look at me and we just barely glanced up from our phones and they're disappointed and frustrated. It means that they intrinsically know that they're not being seen.

I'm going to see God not just be intellectually aware of his existence, but see him we must have a pure heart.

How do we do that? We're package Jesus. Okay. Thanks to the brilliant preacher who fixes your teaching. We now know a little better would it mean how do we do it?

Well Pharisees. They had their answer. They still do the law. They came by it honestly.

We're God writes the 10. You know, which his own will with his own hand. He writes the 10 commandments and then Moses delivers them to us in the Pharisees is like sweet. This is the greatest thing ever with with with this I can rule.

And that turns into hundreds. Priest just turn into lawyers.

The Ten Commandments were given by God as an expression of his own heart and character. They weren't random. Write the father didn't give the son of his full of darts and to hate shut these Anna Wallace stuff of do's and don'ts we'll figure out what we're going to care about. All right lying. That's a good one graven images. That's good. Cuz we don't want we want to be the best. So you want to be the most important to get the good one. Thank you for that the holy spirit so I got it that dark. Good jobs. The Commandments are just a an Unstoppable expression of of who God is. Rights to the law is beautiful and it's right and it's true. But here it is. It's a mirror. the wall Is effective as a mirror not as a manual?

The law says this is who God is. Do you look like. That's how you were originally designed. Do you look like him now? Look in this mirror and tell me. Are you pure of heart? Are you holy are you righteous?

No.

Especially when Jesus comes on the scene. He makes it even it all up. He's like you've heard it said do not commit murder. And I say if hatred in your heart.

You've heard it said do not commit adultery. I say have you ever even once looked upon filter?

I look at myself in that mirror and I say I am desperately wicked. That's what the mirror guys and check this out.

how to put acid in them in there especially ladies When you look in the mirror, and you do not like what you see do you thin rip the mirror off the wall and try to fix yourself with it?

I heard that from another preacher. I'll be violating come in at 8 if I didn't qualify that. Stole it from someone else.

The law of God was written as our hearts Revelation not our hearts solution.

the solution is Resurrection not regulation

the law is powerless to regulator. If we were lights out fantastic at following the law, it would only result in our own Pride.

but what we run to Just like our first instinct. Okay, how do we do that? Jesus? How do we be pure then what are the steps? What's the thing I need to do to be found pure. What's the thing I can do to be pure? Raskins. What Behavior do I need to moderate? What Behavior do I need to modify?

As a parent. In our desperate exhaustion spurred on by our children singing unlimited ability to invent new ways to do things poorly. We run to regulation. Because maybe in Greater disciplined regulation we can be saved from the embarrassment of our children's public stupidity.

or the extra work

of their private foolishness And even in that little ditty, we realize just how desperately wicked our hearts are. Where were more concerned about how are children's disobedient embarrasses us than we are about their own hearts.

Until we knuckle down and we got a quick a dial that in we got it. We got we got to keep that baby from crying in church all how embarrassing keep the baby here. I can preach through tears.

I presume I own most of the time.

We run to behavior modification.

With ourselves, we desperately cling to strategies and plans and Promises to change this Behavior.

And ask yourself a question is our problem with the product that we are producing or the factory that produced it.

You got a problem with anger don't buy into the lie that you got to find that healthy Outlet to let off some of that anger Steam. Promise. You're not a bucket of anger your factory of it.

Where the factory needs to be leveled to the ground?

Matthew in in Matthew Jesus addresses that's in Matthew 23 starting verse 25. He says woe to you preachers and politicians. I mean whoa to you scribes and Pharisees.

Hypocrites for you, clean the outside of the cup. And the plate but inside they're full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee first clean the inside of the cup and the plate that the outside also maybe clean.

What do you scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites for you are like whitewashed tombs, which hourly appear beautiful but within are full of dead people's bones. and all unclean uncleanliness So you also outwardly appear righteous to others but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

This is exciting news. our out you're out our our

are our Behavior doesn't matter. This is great guys or free your choices don't matter at all.

Write the Lord wasn't there to change our Behavior. It was just there to tell us a wicked. We are we might as well be genuine. You might as well just stop the charade and just be as wicked as we want to be cuz that's what bible teach that we love a good pendulum swing. Don't we we love it here in the church forever. No couple thousand years. We've enjoyed the ride back and forth.

We'd swing back and forth between law and licentiousness.

Living a life that honors God is a life of struggle. But it's not a life struggling to gain your own righteousness.

It's a life struggling. To reflect the righteousness that Christ has given you.

Oh God, may I reflect on the outside what you have done on the inside?

On the inside. I am not a tomb I am a party.

Why does the outside look like a graveyard?

Paul talks about this struggle

is a lot of crazy depth. We just don't have time. Just if you want to later spend the rest of your life understanding the full implication of this the right now, I'm just going to read it.

Okay, here's the question que do we follow the law? Do I follow my own heart?

Romans 7 starting in 15 for I do not understand my own actions anybody anybody anybody okay with you so far fall get it gets weirder from here.

Is it James that says that Paul is complicated the Bible says the bible stuff. So just you're in good company. For I do not understand my own actions for I do not do what I want but I do the very thing I hate now if I do what I do not want I agree with the law. That it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it but the sin that dwells in me for I know that nothing good dwells in me that is in my flesh for I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out for I do not do the good I want but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing now. If I do what I do not want it is no longer I can do it but send it 12 in me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right evil eyes close at hand for I Delight in the law of God my inner being but I see in my members another law Waging War against the law of my mind and making me captcha to the log send that dwells in my members Wretched Man that I am now. I'm back on board.

Wretched Man that I am who will deliver me from this body of death. Paul is saying I cannot deliver myself from this confusing jumble of words AKA life. I cannot make sense of this. Someone must deliver me from this body of death. Okay. All right, so let's do some work here. Okay, let's do some work. Katie why do I not follow login wheel of bottom lines? Okay. You confuse me. Paul confuses me. I'm confused do I or do I not yes or no? Follow the law true or false answers? Yes.

Is that anybody know? Okay? The reason we're confused by this whole thing comes down to I think I feel a misunderstanding of two really big words that they're going to they're going to be easier and just a moment. The two big words are justification and sanctification.

Taylor Swift do it. Everybody say justification ready justification guy. That's one thing now that's a sanctification ready sanctification justification sanctification definitions of his two words justification means right standing sanctification means right living Justification, how do I stand right Lee before a holy God? My presence before a holy God must be justified justification, right standing before God sanctification. How can I live rightly with a holy God? right standing justification, right living sanctification justification is a singular singular miraculous work that God does. By the will of the Father by the power of the Holy Spirit through the life death and resurrection of the Sun.

We are Justified. There is a moment when you go from not justified to Justified not alive to alive not born again to newborn baby infant. right

It's a moment where God steps in and something powerful happens something forever changes. Is it's Jesus outside of the tomb of Lazarus?

Lazarus come forth and she does. It's something that Jesus did and Lazarus responded to.

And he walked out of the Tomb. Start justification is Jesus crying out to our desperately wicked heart Tommy. Connor

Maddie pod

come forth

walk out

now that we've walked out of the Tomb.

How do we walk rightly? Now that we've been given life, how do we live that life rightly? Now that we've been given what we couldn't learn. How do we live? ingrateful response to that unmerited gift justification sanctification sanctification is an ongoing miraculous work that God does through and With You Like a Shepherd leading a sheep. The shepherd knows us we know him we know his voice. So we follow him and that's all I'm going each day. You're more and more like Jesus. Each day, you will find more and more closely with him and to him. Through him and he threw us.

How do we know? If we truly been Justified.

The evidence of Salvation be evidence of justification is a transformed life. It's not a prayer trade. It's not a baptism. Send a confirmation something membership class. Just staying up here and join the church is not communion that's in this none of the sacraments. There's a confirmation that's one of the I did that I was sprinkled as a baby confirmed as a young adult dump is a real adult uncovered, right?

AAA you want to go?

so beautiful the evidence of Salvation is a transformed life.

The life of sanctification. It's a life of Walking With Jesus hand in hours. He leading the way to Greater Life and righteousness.

Day after day laying down this and that. Laying down surrendering that behavior and in that way of thinking and that dangerous trap of a mine said all that stuff. It's sanctifying is being Sanctified out of you and you're just showing fully walking with him.

Morality is a way to put it. Pursuing Morality In end that alone has been so tragically mishandled by the church, especially in again. We've been pendulum swing and there's nothing new Under the Sun has been thousands of years but for us relevant to our culture and we we really swallow hard over to the to the morality side of the pendulum, right? It was in response to our culture becoming more and more wicked to like, oh, yeah watch this.

Right. Here's how you can do it. Right? Here's the 10 steps used to bring to where he's the promise to make you still hear the event. Here's the copper to promise you. Are you a promise keeper you probably right to become more Boral to become more pure to become more of it. We really do what we need to do and then you know something stirred some preacher some book lays it out. Will you know what that didn't go away? We just got bored with having to like say no to all the fun stuff. So we we switched it returned. It returned from immorality gospel to a Prosperity Gospel and we're all about it's a butthead about health and wealth and then that got grows because of everything have everybody with purple hair on TV at 3 in the morning like so sweet. That's not good turned away from that from a from Prosperity Gospel to a different Prosperity Gospel. Which is like Maximized Living. Which is increased territory what which is being right with you you loving you? It doesn't matter how big the smile gets. from Texas

It's not the gospel.

That's not Prosperity. That's not morality.

The problem with moralistic preaching is that it teaches you how to drive more happily and self-assured Lee off a cliff.

Our hope is found in nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness. Not your own.

Blessed are the pure in heart? There's only one pure heart that I know. And if I'm going to be found with it, he has to place it in me.

more like preaching Is preaching the walls of sanctification absent the foundation of our justification? Moralism, where's the shoplifted skin of Purity? It's not.

Moralistic preaching wouldn't claim to disagree with Matthew 5:8. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.

Moralism wouldn't disagree with that statement. They just don't realize that their definition of Purity and seeing and God are all wrong. That's it. the really close It's really close a moralistic gospels really close. It just doesn't understand what actual Purity means what actual site means and who God actually is. God's name is not happiness self-esteem or Financial Freedom seeing does it mean winning and well modified behavior isn't the same thing as purity.

I'll put it this way. Right living is of no benefit to the Dead.

And without the justification of Christ.

And your Resurrection only found in his it doesn't matter. How shiny you managed to appear. A well drips A well-dressed. Corpse is still just a corpse.

Go back to Jeremiah 17:9 the heart the flesh. the moralism

Is deceitful above all things and desperately sick who can understand it? desperately sick It literally means.

medically incurable What it means it means desperately sick and in a more literal translation is medically incurable. So again, we're back to our hopelessness right with it and you know that it since it's medically incurable got to medically incurable meaning it's morally incurable. It's it do right towards impossible to be cured from there's a salad words.

You can't be cured. By Your Hands by somebody else's Hands by your instincts by somebody else's steps. You cannot be cured medically impossible. You cannot be cured.

That's the miracle of our new birth, though. That's the miracle of the Resurrection being born again and given a new heart. The medically impossible is the holy spirit's playground. He loves the medically impossible.

John 3:5 through 8 better not get tired of hearing this one. Jesus says truly truly I say to you unless one is born of water and the spirit. He cannot enter the kingdom of God that which is born of the flesh is flesh.

That which is born of the spirit is Spirit. Do not Marvel that I said to you. You must be born again the wind the Holy Spirit blows where it wishes and to hear it sound but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the spirit and that whole. That holds water thing must be born of water.

and the spirit He's a living to Ezekiel 36. I want to read this whole Passage. Ezekiel 36 22 through 29 And the answer for from where will our Pure Heart come? If we must be pure of heart from where will it come read Holy Spirit speak through your Prophet Ezekiel.

Through these written words will have our answer.

Ezekiel 36 starting first 22 Therefore say to the house of Israel. Thus says the Lord God. It is not for your sake o House of Israel that I am about to act. But for the sake of my Holy Name, which you have profaned following your own Wicked heart. I added that among the Nations to which you to add you came. And I will vindicate the Holiness of my great name. Which has been profaned among the Nations and which you have profaned among them and the Nations will know that I am the Lord that declares the Lord God. Win through UI vindicate my Holiness before their eyes. I will take you from the nation's and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you. And you should be clean. from all your uncleanness And from all your Idols, I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart. And a new spirit. I will put within you. And I will remove the Heart of Stone from your flesh and give you a heart of Flesh.

And I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. you still dwell in the And you shall be my people and I will be your God and I will deliver you clean this you hear the justification. You hear the sanctification you hear God justifying your presents from out of the nation's before himself, and then you see him placed in you that hearts and breathes in you. in Holiness and righteousness sanctification Not to earn our righteousness, but because of the righteousness of Christ given to us. Blessed are the pure in heart blessed are they who who have Christ on heart? Blessed are they who were given? the very heart of God for they shall see him. Purity acting in accordance to original design we were designed to be image bearers of God what better way to display His Image then to be given his heart And from there come our words come our thoughts become our actions come our Deeds.

The law is not untrue. It's just unneeded. Because the beauty of it just flows from us.

It's Unstoppable in our surrender to him. You don't gain Purity you're giving.

You are called righteous because they're made. Corinthians 5:21 God made he who knew no sin to become sin that we might become the righteousness of God.

We will only see God with the eyes given to us that match the new heart. He placed in US.

Bo says I'm in so shall we pray with me?

It's every preachers favorite joke. If you could preach through a donkey.

How highly favored am I?

God we are so highly favored by you for those of us that have a beating heart in our chest. Not a Heart of Stone but a heart of blessed redeemed Justified flesh. I pray that every beat is one of sanctification that every single beat is more like yours every single step is more like your steps every single thought is more like your thoughts every single action is more like your action.

Cuz y'all we're not walking on a path to know where we are walking on a path to your face.

You will be at the head of the banqueting table.

Every step we take by your grace is a step closer to that banquet. And we will see you when we will Feast upon everything that you lay out before us.

What can we do but just respond? faith in surrender

May we see you today today and maybe right now is the moment where the scales fall from our eyes. a new heart begins to beat in our chess Point some this morning for justification

salvation for new life, I pray in your name All men wear the clothes this morning with him that's standing and worship him.