Blessed are the Pure in Heart

Matthew 5:8

SERMON SUMMARY:
Those who are blessed are not the ones who are pure in head (their doctrinal precision) or in hand (those who stress good works and helping others).  Jesus tells us it is the pure in heart.  Who that is exactly and what the nature of their blessing is will be examined here.

Message begins at approx. the 27:00 min mark.

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

Matthew 5:8

Martin Lloyd-Jones, the famed Welsh preacher of the 20th century, has a famous commentary on the Sermon on the Mount.  He makes an interesting claim about the second half of these beatitudes.  He says that the first four have a parallel in the second four.  The second four Beatitudes are rooted and grounded in their counterpart in the first four.

Let me explain.  Last week we looked at the “blessed are the merciful.”  And Lloyd-Jones says that this Beatitude is the corollary of the first beatitude, which is blessed are the poor in spirit.  He says that it is because they realized they were spiritually destitute and in need of mercy, that is what makes them able to show mercy.  They have cried out for mercy because they were in need.  Thus, they can in turn express mercy.

The same, he says, can be true of the succeeding Beatitudes.  The beatitude for today is “blessed are the pure in heart.”  Lloyd-Jones says that it has a parallel to the second beatitude, “blessed are those who mourn.”  Both have to do with purity.  The mourners are weeping because of their impurity.  They are distraught that they are not pure in heart.  They long for cleansing and they end up (by God’s grace) gaining purity of heart.

He says the same for peacemakers, which is our next beatitude.  He says that the only people who can make peace are the meek.  Anyone who isn’t meek is going to be a ruckus maker.  I’m assuming you can draw a similar line between those who hunger and thirst for righteousness and the issue of persecution.

Those are some interesting corollaries.  It’s at least fun to see some more of the structure and see how Jesus might be tying things together.

But through this whole study we’ve been looking at what it means to be blessed.  And this morning we are going to come back to our two questions: who is blessed and why are they blessed.  And today we learn that the one who is blessed is the one who is pure in heart. 

I. Who is blessed?
And you will notice who it does not say is blessed.  It is not the one who is pure in head or hand.

It is not the one who is an intellectual or the one who has a lot of doctrinal knowledge.  The concentration of Christianity is not primarily in the intellect.  One may know many things about the faith.  He may have an encyclopedic knowledge of Scriptural truth, but that does not make him a Christian.  The purity of his theological statements does not make him in any way identified with the one Jesus here speaks of.

This is the danger of being raised in the church.  This is the hazard of being a high ranking Bible Bee person.  You can have oodles of creedal orthodoxy and be able to reference Confessions and catechisms with ease, but that does not put you in the category of being blessed.

Now, of course, I’m not downplaying biblical knowledge and doctrinal propositions.  We need those things.  The Bible exhorts us to pursue sound doctrine and hold unwaveringly to everything that Jesus has taught.  That is why this church goes prioritizes biblical teaching each week.  We are reading the Word, teaching the word, singing the word, praying the word.  And our hope is that you are growing in that word as we do this week in and week out.

But we must remember that the head is not the central focus of Christianity; it is the heart.  And there can be a divorce between the head and the heart.

To put it another way, we have to understand that the devil himself is the greatest theologian that has ever set foot on the planet.  No one has a better understanding of Scripture; no one has a fuller grasp on the doctrines of God than Satan himself.  And if Christianity were focused on mere cognitive accumulation, then Satan would be the most blessed being in this world.

It is not the head that is the focus.  And neither is it the hand. 

And by that I am talking about one’s life; his outward conduct.  His hands may do things that seem very Christian.  His life may seem very pure to the naked eye.  He may help the poor.  He may give offerings each week.  He may raise his hands in worship and do a lot of other things that seem very “good.”  But while that outward conduct may seem very wholesome, that is not what Jesus is concerned about here.  Someone who’s life may look pure on the outside is not necessarily someone who is blessed.    

I say this because there very well could be someone here who says, “I agree; doctrine is not the focus.  It is all about how we live.  It’s our behavior that ought to be the focus.  We need to be practical.  Purity is found in what one does.  It’s about doing good. It is about being kind to your neighbor.  If you are not being someone who steals or harms others, then you’ve gained some level of purity in your life.  If you just concentrate on being kind and not breaking any of the commandments in an outward fashion, then you’ll be blessed.”

This couldn’t be further from the truth though.  If this were true, then Jesus would never have had any kind of confrontation with most of the Pharisees.  Paul himself would have never stopped being a Pharisee.  The Pharisees would have been held up as the prime example of who would be blessed.
The Pharisees were the ones who were doing lots of good.  By all outward respects, most of them were very fine people.  But Jesus pointed out that the Pharisees were wrong.  As a matter of fact, he pronounced woes upon them.  And the reason was because their inward life was full of sin. Outwardly, they seemed pristine, but inwardly it was another story.  Jesus would criticize these Pharisees by saying, “You cleanse the outside of the cup, but the inside is full of dead man’s bones.”

At the time of Jesus they were very much concerned with cleanliness and presenting themselves as people who had clean living.  They had their washings and ceremonies that they did.  They had the particular clothes that they were supposed to wear.  And they took that to the extreme.  They would live very good lives.  They would tithe everything they got, even down to the herbs in their gardens.  They were scrupulous in many ways about their conduct and coming across as obedient to the law of God.   

Now, again, it’s not that right living isn’t important.  I’m not downplaying holiness in any way, shape, or form.  Holy living is demanded by God.  But we should remember that the kind of holiness that Jesus demands is not just to be found in the hand or in one’s outward conduct.  It’s much deeper.

The purity that Jesus speaks of is not merely in the head or the hand, but it is purity of heart.

That, you might say is the focus of the whole Bible.  Christianity is not merely a bunch of doctrines to memorize or rules to follow.  Christianity is a religion of the heart.  It’s about your soul.  The Psalmist cried out, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit in me.” 

That is what is important.  It is the heart which God is concerned about.  One that is right and true.  One that has been transformed, changed, cleansed, renewed.  One that is singular in its devotion and operates without hypocrisy.

Remember what God said to Samuel.  Samuel was commissioned to go to Jesse’s house and anoint the next king of Israel.  And Jesse paraded his boys in front of Samuel.  And these were choice specimens.  They were strong.  They were the epitome of masculinity.  They were all contenders for the Mr. Universe contest.  But God did not choose a single one of them. 

God said to Samuel, “Do not judge by his height or his appearance.  For the Lord does not see as man sees.  Man looks upon the outward appearance, but the Lord looks upon the heart.”

The Lord’s primary concern is not what you know or what you do, but it is on what is inside. 
Now, we recognize that the beatitudes have already been pointing towards the need of inward cleansing.  What we’ve studied up to this point has been reiterating the fact that the blessed person has been transformed through the Spirit. 

The Spirit of God awoke him to the fact that his sin has made him spiritually destitute.  He has mourned the corruption of his heart and the sins that flow from it.  His heart has been tamed as he, in meekness, submitted himself to God.  His heart no longer craved sin, but began to hunger and thirst for righteousness.  His heart, having experienced God’s mercy has become merciful to others.

Now all of this testifies to the fact that the heart of the blessed man has been completely transformed.  It is expressing it’s purity because it wants nothing else than singular devotion to God.  We’re talking about that drive for self-gain and self-glory.  It has been replaced with a longing for God’s glory alone.  I want to obey God because I love him.  I adore him.  I want to exalt him in my life.

A little later in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus will illustrate what he’s talking about here.  In chapter 6 he says “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them.”  And he gives the example of people giving their offerings.  He says that the hypocrites when it comes time for them to give, they make a show of it.  Jesus plays it up by saying that they sound trumpets. It’s like they are in a parade as they march up to put their donation in the box. 

In other words, they like to be seen.  They like it when people’s heads turn and they say, “ooo, wow!  Aren’t they so generous!  Look at that; I can’t believe that they are giving again!”

In other words, they are doing some good things.  They are giving money to the church.  They are going to be helping the poor and allowing the ministry to be maintained.  It all seems so philanthropic!  But they are really doing it for themselves.  It’s really about their being noticed. 
Their motives are all out of wack.  And it’s because their hearts are not pure.  If they were truly pure in heart they would give, but they would in a much more discrete manner because it’s not about them.  It’s not about their own glory.  It’s about the Lord.

And that story is contrasted with what Jesus says in the gospel of Mark.  Jesus tells of how a widow came and put in two small coins.  She was a poor woman.  She had no real means of supporting herself.  Yet, what she did make, she took a portion of that and dropped it in the box.

And Jesus pointed out to this disciples that all the others gave out of their abundance, no doubt with their pomp and desire to be seen.  But this woman gave out of all she had to live on.  There was purity of heart because she gave for God’s glory.  She gave out of a pure desire to obey and honor him. 
That’s what purity of heart is all about.  It is about that singular devotion; it’s about how self interest has died and your heart is filled with that desire to honor God.

Is that the kind of person you are?  Does that describe the kind of conversation you hold? You speak with others not for gossip’s sake or with the pollution of lies, but with honesty and because in your heart of hearts you genuinely care.  You come to worship, not for any other reason than to seek the face of God.  You serve and you work, not merely for money or for the attention of others, but because you want God exalted in your life.

If that is what you want and aim for, then you are blessed.  Matthew Henry notes how lofty this is when he says that here in this beatitude is is the most comprehensive character trait of the blessed.
And he goes on to say that for it you have the most comprehensive blessing.
 
II. Why are they blessed?
Because they will see God.

Theologians have often said that this is the highest and greatest goal of the Christian life.  It has been called the “beatific vision” or “the blessed sight.” 

Now, there is a sense in which we need to clarify what Jesus is talking about here.  He’s not talking about literally seeing God.  We know that seeing God is impossible.  That’s because there’s nothing to see.  After all, God is a Spirit.  He does not have a body like men.  Since he’s a Spirit, he’s invisible. 
You may be familiar with the children’s catechism.  It asks the question, “Can you see God?”  And the answer is, “No, I cannot see God, but he can see me.”  We might say that God is all seeing, but never seen himself.  That’s simply part of God’s nature.

It is true that we will one day be able to see Jesus.  That’s because he is not only divine, but he also has a human nature.  So when we get to heaven, we will be able to behold him face to face.  We will be able to walk and talk with him.

But when Jesus says we will see God, he’s not talking about seeing his human nature.  He’s talking about seeing God.  And he’s not talking about seeing God with our eyes.  He’s talking about something much more wonderful—much more powerful, much more satisfying.

Sometimes when Hebrew people used the word to “see” in a metaphorical way.  It can mean “to enjoy.”  For instance, in the book of Psalms it says, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking lies.”

What’s he saying there?  Is he talking about actually, literally seeing a good day?  Of course not.  He’s talking about enjoying those kinds of days.  A good day is going to be seen in that you enjoy that day.  It’s good and enjoyable.

Likewise Jesus elsewhere says to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.”  Now, he could be talking about seeing Jesus physically with the eyes, but it makes more sense to take it the other way.  You will long to enjoy the good old days when I was around.

We talk this way today too.  We will say, “I can’t wait to see you again.”  When we say that are we simply talking about looking at them?  I can’t wait to look at you again.  Of course, we mean more than just staring at the person.  We can’t wait to see them in that we get to hang out and talk with them.  We get to enjoy their company again.

So what Jesus is saying here is that the one who has a pure heart will be blessed because he will get to enjoy God.  He will enjoy the wonderful pleasure of God’s being near to him (i.e. his presence).  He will enjoy God’s favor.  He will have the opportunity to live with God and share in the the wonder of having his love poured out on him. 

Instead of being banished from God’s presence and experiencing the pain of his curses, he’s going to have the fullness of God’s beneficence expressed towards him at every moment.  He’s going to have perfect satisfaction because he lives in relationship with God.

This is something that is, of course, experienced both in this life and the life to come.

You know it is possible to see God now.  We may see him now, if we are pure in heart.  Every believer who enters into worship with that singular devotion of seeking God and giving him his due experiences this.  They get to enjoy him.  They witness first hand the blessing of his forgiveness and the joy of his nearness.  They behold, though it be through a glass darkly, his glory.  They don’t see any bright lights and they may not have any warm feelings come over them, but they are able to see him.  For they get to enjoy this time of communion with him as he draws near to the corporate body of Christ.

And that experience, that enjoyment of God is something that they are able to take with them through the week.  They are able to see him through the eyes of faith and have an abiding spiritual apprehension of him.  We get to enjoy his care and his walking daily with them in fellowship.  They know his favor and can have sweet times of prayer as they walk through town. 

And, of course, we know that this enjoyment of God can be disrupted.  When our hearts are not purified—when we allow ourselves to be mixed with sin and temptation, we lose that joy of his fellowship. 

You know what Peter says about the husband who do not live with his wife with understanding.  Peter says that God will not listen to his prayers.  You know what that means, don’t you?  It means that his fellowship with God is going to be broken.  He’s not going to enjoy the favor of God anymore.
If we get caught up with a covetous heart or become discontent, we find that our fellowship with God is strained.  The blessing of his favor is lost to some degree because we have found our enjoyment in something else. 

But the moment we put those things away and purify our hearts, it returns.  When we realize that the sinful longing cannot be fulfilled, and we purge it from us, we find that we see God again.  His fellowship returns.  Like the green of spring which enlivens the earth, our souls are filled with that sense of God’s glory and grace again. 

But there will be an even greater sight we will have when we are brought into eternity.  At that time we will have an abiding sense of God’s nearness, glory, and favor.  We will, as the shorter catechism says, be made perfect in the enjoyment of God. 

There will be an unbroken and heightened sense that God is our friend.  There will be pleasure unlike we’ve ever experienced before.  And it will be because we will see God in a new and full way.  At that time all the good things that we had experienced on earth up to that point will seem like miseries, sorrows, and pain.  Having entered into the full revelation of God’s presence and being able to directly commune with infinite love will be a sight beyond any other we’ve experienced to that point.

I wish I could explain it better.  It sounds so trite to say that we will simply have a radical apprehension of God in his goodness.  But that is essentially the sum and substance of this blessing.

We may simply conclude again with what Matthew Henry said.  It is the most comprehensive blessing for the most comprehensive trait.