Pure in Heart

1 The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, 2 for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. 3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? 4 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. 5 He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah

Intro;

It is my hope that as we have walked through this series on the Kingdom and learned what the Kingdom of God is and what it is not, who the King of the Kingdom is and his characteristics, and the last few weeks as we have walked through the culture of the Kingdom, I pray and hope you have gained a greater understanding of the Kingdom of God and how this concept can make such a profound impact on your life.

It is obvious that as people of God and children of the King, we are different. We live our lives, or at least we should, differently than the rest of the world. This distinction ought not be one that we hide but rather it is one in which we should hold a certain measure of healthy pride. Not in the sense that we believe that we are better than anyone else but rather that we have been redeemed by the blood of the lamb, our souls purchased at a high price, and as a result we are different.

Our text this morning highlights an aspect of the culture of the Kingdom of God that is both misunderstood and under-applied. You see, when we read this particular verse, our minds immediately go to a literal and, at times, a legalistic one. We read about purity, preach about being a part of that bride that is without spot or blemish, teach our kids about the importance of purity in every area of their lives and yet we fall so short of the far-reaching implications of this verse.

Don’t get me wrong, purity is of the utmost importance to God and that theme is evident throughout the entirety of scripture but this passage of scripture speaks of purity not in a ceremonial or outward manner as is the focus for so many, so often but it zeros in on the source of all problems, the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7)

1 Samuel 16:7 ESV

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

More specifically, being pure IN HEART!

Let me say it like this before we dive into the obstacles to being pure in heart, how to overcome them, and the outcome of being pure in heart;

What we are addressing today is the problem of hypocrisy!

“God cannot HEAL a HEART HIDDEN in HYPOCRISY!”

Obstacles

Deception

Things are not always as they seem

Jeremiah 17:9–10 ESV

9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? 10 “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

Story of one of my children burning the wipes and sticking it in the glovebox of the truck - That morning, things were not what they seemed in the Sherer household…they were anything but peaceful

We have the tendency to put on a front for others for so long that we eventually begin to believe our own lies

The most damaging lies are not those that we tell others, they’re the ones we tell ourselves

Division

James 1:8 ESV

8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Matthew 15:8 ESV

8 “ ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;

Ever try looking at two things at one time?

There is a reason people are so stressed, depressed, and frustrated - They’re trying to hide the real them from others out of fear of judgment, rejection, and isolation

This inward division is manifesting itself in division within our churches, our communities, our nation, etc.

This why churches are full of people that will amen the preacher on Sunday and cuss him on Monday, their focus and their loyalties are divided.

Distraction

Ezekiel 11:18–19 ESV

18 And when they come there, they will remove from it all its detestable things and all its abominations. 19 And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,

Ever had your focus shifted from what mattered most to something that wasn’t really all that important?

People are so distracted by the things of this world - their hearts have become hardened to the things of God.

Dirtiness

Psalm 24:3–4 ESV

3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? 4 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.

Ever tried looking through dirty glasses or a dirty window?

Story of the young housewife who continuously criticized the neighbors for being dirty when her window was the one dirty all along

Our text tells us that those that are PURE IN HEART “shall see God,” stop and ask yourself, “How long has it been since I have seen God at work in my life or around me?”

Could it be the reason you cannot see God moving in ways others can or that you don’t have a fresh revelation of God and His goodness, could it be because your spiritual vision is impaired this morning?

Are you blinded to the sin in your life?

Are your allegiances split between God and _______?

Matthew 6:24 ESV

24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Are you distracted by anything that looks or sounds good, are you distracted?

Are you unable to see God because you are hiding behind a veil of hypocrisy?

Overcoming Obstacles

Isaiah 6:1–7 ESV

1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” 4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

Humble yourself before God

Confess the true condition of your soul

Do what is necessary to be clean

Outcome

“They shall see God...”

“I saw the LORD sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple....the foundations of the threshold shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke...”

David said it like this - “surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life...”

He was SEEING God at work in his life

After Isaiah had a fresh revelation of God - there was a concern for the spiritual condition of those around him!

How passionate are you for the redemption of the lost?

Closing;

Salvation

Confession of obstacles in your life

Hungry to SEE God

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