Matthew 5:8
I have a lot to thank the Lord for this week. Things are going well in my writing. I have had some of the best weeks in my writing career lately. I am very thankful to the Lord for giving me these opportunities. Also, this week I finally sold an old set of commentaries that I had for sale for over two months.
I'm trying to get into the spirit of Christmas, but I'm having a hard time this year. I just got my Christmas cards mailed out, but I haven't even thought about doing any shopping for presents.
Please keep the nation of Syria in your prayers and continue to pray for peace. Also, please continue to pray for those who were affected by hurricane Sandy.
In last week's sermon, I wrote about Jesus' words, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy." We saw that the Lord has been merciful and gracious to us. He has forgiven our sins, and He expects us to be merciful and forgiving as well. Mercy and compassion are great attributes of our God.
This week, we once again focus on one of Jesus' statements from the beatitudes. In Matthew 5:8 Jesus says, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."
What does it mean to be pure in heart? Just as we saw when we looked at the other beatitudes, I believe that there are at least a couple of different meanings to this statement as well.
First of all, what does it mean to be pure in heart? For one thing, being pure in heart means being forgiven from sin and cleansed from all unrighteousness. The Scriptures are clear that there are no works or good deeds that we can do to fee ourselves from sin or atone for our sins. That is why it was necessary for Jesus to come to this earth and to live a holy and sinless life. He took our sins upon Himself and paid our sin debt. When a person comes to Jesus in repentance and faith, that person is cleansed from sin and receives the imputed righteousness of Christ.
To be pure in heart also means living a life of holiness. In fact, it is commanded of all believers that they live a life of holiness. I Peter 1:16 says, "you shall be holy, for I am holy."
Christians should have the desire to live a holy life in obedience to God. But what does it mean to be holy and live a life of holiness? First of all, we are to be set apart for the glory of God. As believers, we are to be, as Scripture says, a "peculiar people". This means that we live a life that is distinguished from that lived by those who are still in sin and entangled in this world's system.
Something that disturbs me is the fact that many who name the name of Jesus Christ seemingly share the same value system of those apart from Christ. Several surveys have been done showing that the values of evangelical Christians differ little compared with those who have no religious affiliation.
I know many who go to church on a regular basis, but they still watch the same violent and immoral types of entertainment that are prevalent throughout Western society.
As Christians, we are to be a people who follow the example of Jesus. If we don't think that Jesus would engage in some type of activity or entertainment, then we shouldn't either. We need to be a people who reflect the values of Christ.
Living a life of holiness is all about following the greatest commandment and the second like unto it. We are to love the Lord with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength and love our neighbor as our self. By living the law of love, we will live a life of holiness that is pleasing to God.
Also, by pure in heart it means having the correct interior motivation. In Jesus' day, the religious leaders made a great show of living a life of ritual, outward purity. They made sure that everyone noticed that they were living in accordance to the law of Moses. But, they didn't fool Jesus who knew what was in the heart of a person. Jesus said that the religious leaders were like whitewashed graves. They looked good on the outside, but on the inside, they were full of dead men's bones.
Our motivation is key. By pure in heart it means doing things with good intentions not just because we feel like we have to do something or God will be angry with us. There is an example of this in the Old Testament. II Chronicles 25:2 records that king Amaziah, "did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, yet not with a whole heart." The inward life of holiness is more important than the outward life of show.
The beatitude says that the pure in heart will see God. It is only through a life of holiness that we will be able to see God.
God is a holy God. I don't think that we can fully grasp what this means it is so awesome to contemplate. Isaiah 6:3 says that the angels cry, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory." In Revelation 4:8 the Bible says that the four living creatures around the throne of God never cease saying, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come."
With our sin, we could not approach God. But, when we are covered with the righteousness of Christ, we are pure and holy before the Father.
Living a life of holiness also keeps us in fellowship wit the Lord now. Sin breaks fellowship. Living for the Lord keeps us in a right relationship with Him.
Only Jesus Christ lived a perfect and holy life. Only what Jesus accomplished through His death and resurrection can give access to the Father. If you've not already done so, I urge you to put your trust in Christ today. Amen.
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