Matthew 5:8

Our text for today is Matthew chapter 5 and verse 8.

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

! In our study of the Sermon on the Mount in the past weeks,

we have seen the overarching question before us,

! What characterizes those who follow the King of the Kingdom of Heaven?

We have noted back many times in Matthew chapter 4,

Matthew 4:17

verse 17. Matthew records the beginning of Jesus' ministry and says,

from that time Jesus began to preach, saying,

repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

This was the theme of Jesus' teaching.

And then we saw at the beginning of Matthew chapter 5

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

that crowds gather and they gather onto an unnamed mountain.

And when Jesus sits down, His disciples come to Him.

And He opens His mouth and He teaches them.

So, the primary audience for this sermon are Jesus' disciples.

Those who are already His followers.

And Jesus is here declaring that the citizens of His Kingdom are blessed or flourishing.

They're doing well as citizens of this Kingdom.

We've looked at the first five of these declarations of blessedness.

And this morning I invite you to join me in considering the sixth.

Before I read it, I want to remind you, beloved,

this is God's Word to us.

It was written for His glory and for our good.

We would all do well to listen to it

in order to believe its promises and obey its commands.

Matthew chapter 5 and verse 8.

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

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

Jesus declares that the pure in heart are blessed.

And so we must endeavor to know what is meant by this.

The great 18th century pastor Martin Lloyd-Jones

referred to Matthew chapter 5 verse 8

Matthew 5:8

as one of the greatest utterances in all of Scripture.

Whether or not you agree with his assertion,

there is much to be said about such a verse.

In fact, volumes upon volumes of work

have been written on this small phrase.

Now, our time this morning will not allow us

to probe the very depths of such a declaration.

Our time will only permit us to get at its central meaning.

That's the intention of today.

So, be encouraged to consider its meaning further.

Not just a text like this,

but any text that we open together as a church.

Meditate upon it throughout the week

and have conversations about it.

You, with the rest of the church,

probe the depths of the things that we study

on Sunday morning.

That said, I would like to first deal this morning

from our text with the word heart.

What is this heart that is meant to be pure?

Recall that one of the two overarching themes

that I have asserted

carried throughout the Sermon on the Mount

is this idea of whole person righteousness.

This beatitude speaks directly to this theme.

So, we should not be at all surprised

that Jesus speaks of the heart

in this most famous of His sermons.

So, this idea of whole person righteousness

and then Jesus uses this word

that means whole person.

There is great biblical emphasis placed

upon the heart and the condition of it.

When you see this word heart

in your English translation

of both the Old and New Testaments,

it is most often, not in every case,

but it is most often referring

to our very being.

The non-physical part of you.

Your mind, your will,

your personality, right?

What makes you you

apart from this flesh vessel

that carries the you that you are.

And the heart is the source

of all that we are.

Proverbs 4.23 says,

keep your heart with all vigilance.

Why?

For from it flows the springs of life.

Let's look briefly at some other places

in the Bible that will help us

to see this point concerning the heart

and the condition of it.

So first, in the Old Testament,

when God is deciding

that He will destroy the earth

with a flood,

in Genesis 6.5 we can read,

the Lord saw that the wickedness of man

was great in the earth

and that every intention

of the thoughts of his heart

was only evil continually.

So man in his very being

was nothing but evil, right?

And God looks at this

and says it must be destroyed.

Psalm 27.8

David says,

you have said,

seek my face.

And then the response of David is,

my heart says to you,

your face Lord,

do I seek.

And then in Ezekiel 36.

And verse 26.

And if you're doing

the Bible reading with us,

this was from yesterday's reading.

God says,

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.

We know this as the doctrine

of regeneration.

I will change your very being.

And in the New Testament,

those are just a few

of the Old Testament examples.

In the New Testament,

Matthew chapter 15,

Matthew 15:17

verse 17 and following.

Jesus says,

do you not see that

whatever goes into the mouth

passes into the stomach

and is expelled?

He's simply saying,

the stuff that you eat

is not what defiles you.

Because it leaves you.

But what comes out of the mouth

proceeds from the heart.

From who you are.

In verse 18,

the last half says,

and this defiles a person.

For out of the heart

come evil thoughts,

murder,

adultery,

sexual immorality,

theft,

false witness,

slander.

So,

if you are evil,

then you do evil.

In Ephesians chapter 4,

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

in verse 18,

Paul makes a case

that those who are in Christ,

who have been made new,

are to no longer walk

as those who have not been made new.

And he says this of those people.

They are darkened in their understanding,

alienated from the life of God

because of the ignorance

that is in them

due to their hardness of heart.

And then those who have been set free,

those who have been set free

from the bondage of sin,

who have been made regenerate.

Paul writes of them in Romans chapter 6,

Romans 6:17

verse 17,

Thanks be to God

that you who were once slaves of sin

have become obedient from the heart

to the standard of teaching

to which you were committed.

So, Jesus says

that it is a person

who has purity of being

that are declared blessed.

Note carefully in Matthew 5, verse 8,

Matthew 5:8

that he says pure in heart,

not pure in head.

You can come up with all the right answers

and still be desperately lost.

In the day in which we live,

there are many, many

who could explain the gospel of Jesus Christ to you

but have not placed believing faith in it.

It is the pure in heart

that are declared blessed by Jesus,

not the pure in head.

And I should say,

not only pure in head,

for surely our very being

includes our thought life.

Matthew chapter 15, verse 8,

Matthew 15:8

Jesus says,

This people honors me with their lips,

but their heart is far from me.

Note also that Jesus says,

pure in heart,

not pure in conduct.

You can appear to be pure by your action

and still be desperately lost.

It is the pure in heart

that are declared blessed by Jesus,

not the pure in conduct.

Again, I should say,

not only pure in conduct,

for surely our very in being

includes our actions.

In fact, the way we think

and feel and act

is the proofing of who we are.

It's the evidencing of who we are.

But it is who we are,

not what we do,

that is Jesus' focus here.

In Matthew chapter 23,

Matthew 23 · chapter mention

it's the chapter known as the woes chapter.

Jesus declares the woes,

the seven woes over the Pharisees.

And one of them,

verse 25 and following,

he says,

Woe to you,

scribes and Pharisees,

hypocrites.

For you clean the outside

of the cup and the plate,

but inside they are full of greed

and self-indulgence.

So you see what he's saying?

You clean up the outside of it, right?

You make it look nice on the outside,

but the actual useful part is dirty.

You catching that?

I don't care if my cup is dirty on the outside,

if the inside is clean.

Your focus is all wrong here.

You don't clean up the inside.

Inside,

you're full of greed and self-indulgence.

And then verse 26,

you blind Pharisees.

First clean the inside of the cup

and the plate,

that the outside also may be clean.

So if our hearts are pure,

then what proceeds from us

will be purity.

So Jesus is concerned

about the totality of who we are

as he addresses our hearts this morning.

But let us now consider

the qualifier that Jesus puts

on the heart that is declared blessed.

Jesus says it is the pure in heart

that are flourishing.

What then does it mean

to be pure in heart?

For the totality of our inner selves

to be pure.

Now this is a word

with some texture to it.

First, it can mean

without hypocrisy

or singularly focused.

Psalm 86.11.

David, I believe,

if I'm remembering correctly,

says,

Teach me your way,

O Lord,

that I may walk in your truth.

Unite my heart

to fear your name.

Don't let me be a man

who is divided.

But put my heart

into a singular focus

that stands in the awe of God

so that I will walk in your truth.

Paul writes in Romans 7.

The opposite of this.

An ununited heart.

Verse 21 and 22.

He says,

So I find it to be a law

that when I want to do right,

evil lies close at hand.

For I delight in the law of God

in my inner being.

And he goes on to talk about

this great struggle

of these two things

that wage war within him.

An ununited heart.

So,

pure means without hypocrisy.

It also means without blemish

or without any uncleanliness.

The Apostle John writes

in Revelation 21 and verse 27,

Nothing unclean will ever enter

the new Jerusalem.

Nor anyone who does

what is detestable or false,

but only those who are written

in the Lamb's book of life.

And then later in Revelation 22

and verse 14,

Blessed are those who wash their robes

that they may have the right

to the tree of life

and that they may enter the city

by the gates.

So,

to be pure also means

to be washed clean,

to be without blemish.

So,

to be without hypocrisy

and to be without blemish,

but I think for us

to be pure in heart

most emphatically means

for us to be like

Jesus Christ.

A great example of

purity

of heart.

The writer of Hebrews

speaks at length about this

in Hebrews chapter 4.

Hebrews 4 · chapter mention

I want to read to you

just verse 15.

Where the writer of Hebrews

speaks of Jesus

as a great high priest.

And the high priest

who went in to make sacrifice

on the day of atonement

had to be sacrificially

washed clean.

He had to go through

a ton of process

to be considered clean

in order to enter

into the presence of God.

The writer of Hebrews

says this about Jesus.

For we do not have

a high priest

who was unable

to sympathize

with our weakness,

but one who in every respect

has been tempted

as we are

yet without sin.

So,

already pure.

It doesn't have to go

through ritualistic cleansing,

but Jesus Christ

himself

is

pure.

Tempted in every way

yet

without

sin.

And it's important

that we are

like this.

That we are

holy

as Christ

is holy.

Again,

the writer of Hebrews

says,

chapter 12

and verse 14,

strive for peace

with everyone

and

for the holiness

without which

no one

will see

the Lord.

To be

pure in heart

means to

fulfill

the greatest

commandment.

Matthew chapter 22

Matthew 22 · chapter mention

and verse 37

and following

Jesus says,

having been tested

is the greatest

commandment.

He responds,

you shall love

the Lord your God

with all your heart

and with all your soul

and with all your mind.

This is the greatest

and first commandment

and a second like it

so he expands it beyond

you shall love your neighbor

as

yourself.

So,

to be pure in heart

is to be without

hypocrisy,

without

blemish,

to be like

Christ

in our

devotion

to God.

You shall love

the Lord your God

with all your heart,

with all your soul,

with all

your

mind.

Martin Lloyd-Jones

again,

this is the

quotation on your

bulletin this morning,

said,

to be pure in heart

means we have

an undivided

love which regards

God as our

highest good

and which is

concerned only

about loving

God.

God.

So,

to be pure

in heart

means to be

like Christ.

Beloved,

this is not

something that is

accomplished by

our well-wishing

or by our

effort,

but by God

imputing our

sin to Christ

and by imputing

to us

the righteousness

of Christ.

Martin Luther

called this

the great exchange.

He took

our sin

and gave it

to Jesus

who knew

no sin.

He became

sin on our

behalf and

the wrath of

God was poured

out on him

and his

righteousness,

his perfect

life was

given to

us.

This is called

double

imputation.

You don't have

to know that.

But you have

to know that

there was an

exchange that

happened when

you placed

faith in

Jesus Christ.

That not only

was the debt

of your sin

canceled,

but you were

given righteousness.

It's as if

you fulfilled

the law.

It's as if

you kept

it perfectly

because your

sin was punished

in him and

he kept it

perfectly on

your behalf.

We don't do

this on our

own.

We are

incapable of

doing this

on our

own.

God gifts

us with

faith to

believe in

the all

sufficient purity

of Jesus

Christ and

by that

faith gives

us a

declaration

of pure.

Having been

made pure

in heart,

having been

made positionally

changed from

being unclean,

hypocritical,

we have been

changed to be

pure in heart

and therefore

we act

accordingly.

We act

as we

are.

Look with me

at the framework

of the

Beatitudes.

So if you've

left Matthew

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

chapter 5,

please go back

to Matthew

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

chapter 5.

Jesus did

not utter

these

declarations

in random

order.

They each

stand alone,

to be sure,

but they

also work

in harmony

together.

Let me

show you

what I

mean by

this.

And let me

issue a

warning as

I'm about

to do

this too.

We do

have to be

very careful

when we

apply framework

to text

of the

Bible,

lest we

end up

making the

scripture say

what we

are trying

to make

it say

in the

application.

I've read

many applied

frameworks

that you

just go,

I don't

even see

how they

got to

this place,

but often

they're trying

to draw

a connection

to a singular

point,

and that's

why it

gets applied

in that

way.

I think

this is a

very fair

framework.

I think

this is

correct.

I think

this is

why Jesus

spoke them

in this

order.

But we

take my

framework

not as

inspired.

The text

is inspired.

So,

there's your

warning.

So,

first,

let's look at

the first

three Beatitudes.

This is

verses 3,

4,

and 5.

You see

in these

three a

recognition

of our

great

awareness

of need.

You see

the three

that there

are there.

We see

that we

have a

spiritual

poverty,

nothing to

offer God.

We come

to Him

empty-handed,

simply to

the cross

we cling

to be

found

righteous

in Christ.

We have

no works

that we

can bring

to God

and say,

look at

what I've

done.

Look at

how I've

accomplished.

None of

that will

be of any

credit

before God.

So,

we're

spiritually

impoverished.

We have

great need.

We mourn

over this.

We have a

deep

sin,

and the

sin of

the world

around us.

We flee

to the

cross

impoverished

and mourning

over our

sinfulness.

And,

in meekness,

we recognize

our state.

We have a

humility

that doesn't

seek retribution.

It doesn't

try to

defend our

rights at

all costs.

So,

these three

express this

great awareness

of need.

Now,

the fourth

beatitude,

in verse

six,

we see that

that need

is met.

Blessed are

those who

hunger and

thirst long

for this

thing they

don't have,

this expressed

need in the

first three

beatitudes,

because,

they're

blessed because,

they shall

be satisfied.

So,

they hunger

and thirst

for righteousness,

these blessed,

and they're

filled.

And,

they're filled.

And,

then,

beatitude

five through

seven,

five,

six,

and seven,

found in

verses seven,

eight,

and nine,

is the

overflow

of this

being filled.

The overflow

of this being

filled is that

these people,

myself,

and I hope

you this

morning,

find ourselves

having been

filled,

overflowing

as a

merciful,

pure,

peacemaking

people.

And,

in the final

beatitude,

found in

verses 10

through 12,

we see

the result

of this

lived

righteousness,

this filled

up,

overflowing,

lived righteousness,

this mercy

and purity

and peacemaking

is what?

Persecution.

That we will

be persecuted

for

righteousness.

For righteousness

sake.

So,

I hope you can

see the flow.

I think that

Jesus builds

us to the

fourth beatitude

and the

meeting of

this need

and that

becomes

the watershed,

so to speak,

of the

beatitudes,

right?

And then

the living

that follows

and the

result of

this kind

of living,

right?

So,

we act

as we

are.

so we

do not

say,

oh,

if I

can just

be pure

in heart

and then

labor under

our own

might to

do such

and such

or to

not do

such and

such,

but rather,

having been

made righteous

by the goodness

of God

toward us

in the

person and

work of

Jesus

Christ,

we evidence

our salvation

in the way

that we

live.

we must

be so

careful

in our

understanding

of the

gospel of

Jesus

Christ

for our

sake

and for

the sake

of others.

I have

resolved

as a

pastor

that I'm

going to

spend my

life

answering

three

questions

again

and again

and again

and it

is an

honor to

do so.

You would

think some

of these

questions we

could move

beyond,

but I don't

think we're

ever going

to do so

in our

age.

And those

three questions

are,

what is

the

Bible?

It's the

inerrant,

all-powerful,

sufficient,

authoritative

word of

God.

I keep

drawing people

back to

that great

truth in

this age

of skepticism

and opinion

nation.

Secondly,

what is

the gospel?

What is

the gospel?

I'm going

to talk

more about

that in

a second.

And third,

what is

the church?

Helping

people to

come to

understand

how it

is that

God's

people are

meant to

gather

and to

go.

But in

answering the

question,

what is the

gospel?

In an age

of decisionism,

where to be

known by

Christ,

it would be

taught to you

that all you

must do is

raise your

hand,

no one's

looking around,

every head

bowed,

every eye

closed.

I could fall

right into it.

We walk out

here,

we take a

little stroll,

I see you

brother,

I see that

hand going

up,

right?

We press,

we emotionally

manipulate,

we push at

people,

and then,

once they

filled out a

card,

we say,

there is

your

assurance,

right?

It's a

date,

and it's

a time.

Many of

you have

heard me

say before,

I grew up

in a

church under

a pastor

who said,

if you

ever doubt

your salvation,

turn to

the front of

your Bible

where you

wrote down

the date

you walked

the aisle,

and meditate

on that

date.

And this

type of

teaching

damns people

to hell.

To say,

merely the

act of

walking,

now praise

the Lord,

he has

saved people

in invitations.

Many of

you may

have responded

to an

invitation

like that,

and God

saved you.

It was not

the invitation

that saved

you.

It was a

good and

gracious God

who changed

your heart

and caused

you to

believe in

him.

So the

scripture tells

us,

if you

doubt your

salvation,

go and

look at

what Christians

look like.

What do

citizens of

the kingdom

of heaven

do?

Find

yourself in

the Beatitudes.

Could you

say of

yourself,

yes,

this is

me,

impoverished

of spirit,

mourning

over my

sin,

meek,

not seeking

out retribution,

hungering and

thirsting for

righteousness.

God is

working in

me,

mercy and

purity and

peacemaking.

I'm

experiencing the

persecution,

the push,

back from

the world

for living

in this

way.

If you

don't find

yourself in

this,

you've

either wandered

from the

truth or

you've never

believed it

to begin

with.

In an

age of

decision,

we have to

be so

accurate,

so precise,

an age of

easy

believism that

expects nothing

of you,

that would

teach you that

Jesus could be

your savior,

but he doesn't

have to be

your lord.

This is

false,

it is

heretical to

say such

a thing.

If Jesus is

your savior,

he is

your lord.

If you

have beheld

the glory

of God

in the

face of

Jesus

Christ,

you will

have no

option but

to say,

yes,

sir.

We must

be those

who are a

beacon of

the truth

for the

sake of

souls.

Everybody

you meet

will live

forever.

1 John

1 John 1:5–10

chapter 1

verse 5

to 10.

The apostle

John addresses

this.

This is one

of those

places,

right?

What do

we do

when someone

isn't confident

of their

faith?

If you find

yourself in

that place,

the whole

book of

1 John

is about

this.

And not

once does

he say,

turn to

the front

of your

Bible

and look

at a

date.

He says,

rather,

verse 5

and following,

this is the

message we

have heard

from him

and proclaim

to you,

that God

is light

and in

him is

no darkness

at all.

Okay,

so God

is perfectly

holy.

In him

is light

and in

him is

no darkness

at all.

If we

say we

have fellowship

with him

while we

walk in

darkness,

so while

our life

is characterized

by sinfulness,

right?

Not that we

sin at

times,

beloved,

we all

do this,

but while

we walk

in it,

it is

who we

are.

Verse 6

goes on

to say,

we lie

and do

not practice

the truth.

But if we

say we

walk in

the light,

our lives

are characterized

by walking

in the light,

as he is

in the light,

we have

fellowship

with one

another,

and the

blood of

Jesus,

his son,

cleanses

us from

all sin.

Now,

if you

are objecting

to anything

I'm saying

right now,

at this point

you might

go,

but wait,

none of us

are perfect,

how dare

anybody say

they're walking

in the light?

John does

the same

thing,

so here

we go.

He says,

if we

say we

have no

sin,

so don't

you dare,

right?

If we

say we

have no

sin,

we deceive

ourselves

and the

truth is

not in

us.

So he

punctuates,

walking in

the light

doesn't

mean we're

sinless,

right?

It means

we're

characterized

by pursuing

truth,

characterized

by mercy

and purity

of heart

and peacemaking,

right?

Because we're

liars if we

say we

have no

sin.

But then

verse 9

and 10,

if we

confess our

sins,

he's faithful

and just

to forgive

us our

sins and

to cleanse

us from

all unrighteousness.

We continue

to persist

in this

walking in

the light,

this pursuing

of holiness.

If we say

we have

not sinned,

we make

him a

liar and

his word

is not

in us.

So we

want to

look at

a text

like this.

We want

to say,

oh,

do I

walk in

darkness

or do I

walk in

light?

We want

to go to

other places

in the

scripture

that help

us to

understand

what

walking

in the

light

looks like.

What are

the deeds

of the

flesh?

And what

are the

deeds

of the

spirit?

Am I

characterized

by one

or the

other?

And if

we find

that we're

characterized

by those

like those

who walk

in darkness,

then repent.

Repent and

turn to

faith in

Jesus Christ.

Your

great effort,

your highest

effort at

righteousness

is going to

fall miserably

short of

God's standard

of righteousness.

It will only

be found by

having Jesus'

righteousness

given to

you,

imputed

to you.

Look to

Christ.

Jesus

says that

it is

the

pure

in

heart

that

are

blessed.

Why are

the

pure

in

heart

declared

blessed?

Because

they

shall

see

God.

This

is so

good.

This

is so

good.

They

shall

see

God.

This

statement

by

Jesus

would

have

sent

his

Jewish

audience's

minds

skipping

off

to

Exodus

Exodus 33 · chapter mention

chapter

33.

Your

mind

might

not

have

done

that

and

that's

okay.

But

you

can

flip

right

now

with

me

to

Exodus

Exodus 33 · chapter mention

chapter

33

and

verse

18.

This

is

right

where

their

minds

would

have

gone.

See

God

really?

That's

what they

would

have

said

in

my

imagination.

So

in

Exodus

Exodus 33 · chapter mention

chapter

33

Israel's

encamped

at

Mount

Sinai.

Previously

Moses

has

gone

up

on

the

mountain

and

received

the

Ten

Commandments.

He's

come

back

down

from

the

mountain.

He's

discovered

God's

people

already

have

forsaken

him,

have

created

a

golden

calf

that

according

to

Aaron

magically

jumped

out

of

the

fire.

Moses

gets

furious,

breaks

the

stones

of

tablet,

goes

back

up

onto

the

mountain.

God

says,

I'm

done

with

you

God

agrees

that

he'll

go

with

them.

First

he says

he'll

go

with

Moses

and

Moses

says,

oh,

but you

must

go

with

us.

He

agrees

that

he'll

do

this

thing.

So

it's

this

amazing

act

of

mercy

on

God's

part.

So

that's

my

super

quick

summary

of

a

couple

of

chapters

that

leads

Moses

to

ask

this

astounding

thing.

It's

huge.

Early

readers

of this

would have

gone,

what?

You

asked

God,

what?

Moses

said,

verse

18,

please,

he knows

it's a

big ask,

please show

me your

glory,

right?

He's

asking for

God to

show him

very

self,

his being,

who he

is.

And this

is God's

response to

him.

I will

make all

my goodness

pass before

you and

will proclaim

before you

my name,

the Lord,

and I

will be

gracious

to

whom I

will

be

gracious

and I

will

show

mercy

on whom

I

will

show

mercy.

But

he

said,

God

said,

you

cannot

see

my

face

for

man

shall

not

see

me

and

live.

And

behold,

there is

a place

by me

where you

shall

stand

on the

rock.

And

while

my

glory

passes

by,

I

will

put

you

in

a

cleft

of the

rock.

That's

a little

alcove

of the

rock.

And

I

will

cover

you

with

my

hand

until

I

have

passed

by.

Then

I

will

take

away

my

hand

and

you

shall

see

my

back.

But

my

face

shall

not

be

seen.

So

God

says,

I

will

grant

you

your

request,

but

in

a

way

that

won't

kill

you.

I'm

just

going

to

let

you

see

me

as

I

pass

by.

All

my

goodness

!

And

beloved,

we

come

to

the

New

Testament,

to

the

New

Covenant,

and we

read in

John 1

and

verse 14,

And the

word became

flesh and

dwelt among

us,

and we

have seen

his glory,

glory as

of the

only Son

from the

Father,

full of

grace and

truth.

And then

in verse

18,

no one

has ever

seen

God,

the only

God,

who is at

the Father's

side.

He,

being

Jesus,

has made

Him,

being

God,

known.

So we

behold

the glory

of God

as we

look

at

Christ

in a

sense.