The Beatitudes Series #6
"The Power of Purity"
Matthew 5:8
Have you ever reached for a piece of fruit - maybe a juicy peach or plum - and taken a bite only to find that it was rotten? You can’t get it out of your mouth fast enough, can you? Have you ever gotten behind a big diesel truck while it’s spewing nauseous fumes? You can’t get out of its way fast enough, can you? Purity is important!
Americans are increasingly concerned with purity. We want to drink pure water. We want to breathe pure air. We want to eat pure foods. Last year Americans spent over half a billion dollars on water purifiers. As important as clean air, pure water and pure food are, however, there is one kind of purity that we tend to overlook. Not Jesus. In Matthew 5:8 he said,
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."
We have been looking for the last few weeks at the beatitudes, Jesus’ roadmap, if you will, to peace, contentment, and happiness in life. This morning let’s examine this next step: purity of heart.
In Bible times people thought of the heart as the very center of a person. They believed that what you thought, how you felt, your motivations, impulses and passions all flowed literally out of the heart, from the very core of our being. While they may not have gotten the physiology right, they did understand that what was on the inside was more important than what was on the outside.
Proverbs 4:23 counseled,
"Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow springs of life."
It was also clear that from the heart could flow springs of death. The prophet Jeremiah said,
"The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?"
(Jer.17:9). Both good and bad come from the heart, the very center of our being. It should come as no surprise that Jesus would say that any hope for happiness in life must also deal with the heart.
"Happy are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."
What did Jesus mean when he said to keep the heart pure? The Greek word for "pure" was katharos, which literally meant "clean or unmixed." This beatitude could be translated,
"Happy are those whose motives are always entirely clean and unmixed, for they shall see God."
That’s hard! It is seldom that even our finest actions are done with absolutely unmixed motives.
Jesus often showed his disdain for people who spent a great deal of time and energy trying to look good on the outside while on the inside they were filled with corruption. The Pharisees were especially good at being double-minded and insincere, and more than once Jesus looked past their pettiness and pretense to what was in their hearts.
In Mt.15:8-9 he said, "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teaching are but rules taught by men."
In Matt 23:25-27 he said, "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside are full of greed and
self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside will also be clean. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness."
The outside looked good, but their hearts were corrupt.
Jesus understood that no matter how good we look on the outside, what is on the inside - our heart! - is most important. Jesus said in Mt.15:19-20,
"Evil words come from an evil heart and defile the person who says them. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all other sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. These are what defile you."
Does it bother you to realize that God doesn’t care nearly so much about how you look on the outside as he does about what is on the inside of you? I’m sorry to tell you that, because I know a lot of you work hard on your outward appearance. Some of us need to work at it a lot harder! I like what Abraham Lincoln once said: "If I were really two-faced, why would I be wearing this one?"
Friends, if we praise God with our lips and lift our hands in worship on Sunday morning and then act as though we’ve never met him on Monday, then we’re like the hypocrites Jesus confronted and our praise is in vain. If we act spiritual in front of each other, but are devious and dishonest when no one is looking out there, then we’re hypocrites and our spiritual actions are in vain. If we teach honesty and integrity to our children, but then don’t correct the mistake when a store clerk gives us too much change back by mistake, then we’re hypocrites and our teaching is in vain.
Purity of heart isn’t about doing the right things with the right motions. It’s doing the right things with the right motives. With the right heart. For the pure in heart, there is a consistency between what you believe and how you act.
Here is something else to think about. Purity isn’t only about the absence of hypocrisy in you; it’s also about the presence of God’s Spirit in you. That begins when we shed all pretense and become completely honest about who - and what - we really are. Do you remember the first two beatitudes?
"Blessed are those who are poor in spirit(who realize their deep need for God),for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn
(who realize the depth of their own sin and separation from God), they will be comforted."The process of purity begins when we fully accept that we are sinners in need of God’s grace and forgiveness.
"Happy are the pure in heart..."Happy are those who are sincere, without hypocrisy. That can happen only through Christ. God works in us through the Spirit to help us live as we believe and act as we say.
Jesus went on to mention a reward for those who are pure in heart.
"Happy are
the pure in heart, for they shall see God." One of the simple facts of life is that we see only what we are able to see. If you and I go out on a cloudless night and look at the stars, we will see only pinpoints of light. It is all we are able to see. An astronomer, however, trained and ready, could look at that same night sky and call the stars and planets by name and move among them as his friends. He is able to see.
You and I might drive along a county road and see nothing but a tangle of weeds and wild flowers and grasses, but a trained botanist would know all the names and which were useful or rare, and appreciate the beauty everywhere. She is able to see.
Put two people into a room filled with ancient paintings. One with no knowledge of art could never tell a masterpiece from a fake, but a trained critic could easily tell which paintings were of great value. We see only what we are able to see.
So, says, Jesus, only the pure in heart will see God. Only they are able. Only those whose motives are pure, whose heart is clean, will truly live in God’s presence and be comforted by his glory. No wonder we’ll be happy!
Maybe it’s time for a spiritual heart checkup. What is the condition of your heart? Some of you have divided hearts and motives. Isn't it time you stopped pretending that you're really happy if you're not? Isn't it time you stopped pretending that you're following Christ when you're only doing it half heartedly if at all? Isn’t it time to come to God and say, "Lord, I need a new heart. I need pure motives."
Happiness is a heart condition. "Happy are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."
