Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God (Sermon FFMC on 12/3/17)

Introduction

The sixth beatitude has been called “one of the greatest utterances to be found anywhere in the realm of Holy Scripture”.” The vision of God has always been regarded by God’s people at the greatest good... To ‘see God’ is the whole purpose of all religion” (Lloyd-Jones). So we come reverently and humbly, because today we are approaching God’s holy presence.

1.       What does it mean to be pure in heart?

a)      It means to be inwardly whole

The heart in Jewish thought is the centre of our personality; the inner man. It is the centre and source of all we are and do (Prov 4:23). The heart is the seat of the will, emotions and intellect. So Jesus says, “²¹ For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come” (Mk 7:21). The heart is not our feelings alone – so it is not contrasted to the brain as in popular culture. “Follow your heart” (i.e. don’t think, just act on your feelings). The heart is the inner man - what you really are, in the secret place that nobody knows but God.

Purity of heart has to do with blamelessness towards God. It is an inner quality rather than outward appearance. What we are seen to do by people is not as important as how God sees our motives. Jesus goes on in the Sermon on the Mount to demand that we do more than control our behaviour, but to discipline out thoughts as well. So anger is as bad as killing (Mt 5:21-22) and lust, as bad as adultery (Mt. 5:27-28). Those who behave well in order to impress others will not impress God. No hypocrite will see God. How we act when we are alone should be the same as when others are watching.  When we talk about the same thing with different people we will not be two-faced and deceitful. If we want to do one thing and we want people to think we want to do something else, we are deceitful.  When we make promises we have no intent to fulfil, we are deceitful. We will be genuine, transparent, honest. This is being pure in heart.

Purity of heart is not sinlessness, because there is no one who does not sin (1 Jn 1:8). Purity of heart is an inner intolerance of anything that debases, contaminates or pollutes. It speaks of sincerity, singleness, integrity. So the psalmist can pray, “Unite my heart to fear Your name” (Ps 96:11). Purity of heart means there is no unsurrendered part of us that we need to hide from God. The story of the rich young ruler (Lk 18:18) reminds us that full compliance to the law is not the way to get to heaven unless there is also a total giving of ourselves. Jesus pinpointed that exact thing in his life that he could not bear to give up (“one thing you lack”). We cannot escape the discerning eye of God on us that seeks our holiness. We all have ‘one things’ we lack that we need to submit to God. Jesus came into the world to die, not to break our bad habits and repair our “bad choices”. He comes to cleanse our dirty hearts. He comes to be Lord. We need a radical surrender of every part of ourselves to Him.

b)      It means to be outwardly righteous

Purity of heart is not defined by outward behaviour, but it is revealed and confirmed by outward behaviour. A pure heart towards God will show itself in integrity of action towards men. Ps 24:4 reminds us that a pure heart must come with clean hands. “Faith without works is dead” (Js 2:20). “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you men of double mind.” (Js 4:8).

I will now tell a story about the most important way we are to be outwardly righteous:

Zacharias Warner but he was a famous man in his day. In the early 19th century he packed Vienna’s churches. You might assume he must have been a musician or a singer – but no, he was a priest and a poet. Zacharias Warner was famous for his fiery sermons against the sins of the flesh. One Sunday, once again before a packed house, he looked across the congregation saying, “...that tiny piece of flesh. That most dangerous member of a man’s body.” The gentlemen panicked, the ladies blushed. He went on to speak rapidly about the horrendous consequences of the misuse of that most dangerous member. Then he leaned over the pulpit, his eyes shooting sparks, and said, “Shall I name for you that tiny piece of flesh?” The sanctuary was perfectly silent. Nobody was moving, let alone coughing. All eyes were on him as he leaned further over the pulpit and exclaimed, “Shall I show you that tiny piece of flesh?” Some of the ladies were reaching for the smelling salts in their purses when the priest said with a sly smile, “Behold the source of our sins!” He stuck out his tongue.

Purity of heart is seen most clearly in our speech. “Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks”^, (Lk 6:45.)  James reminds us that the tongue is hard to control: “⁵Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. ⁶ The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” ⁷ All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. (Js 3:5-7). Our hearts are divided and corrupt by nature. The heart we are asked to follow is actually “deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jer 17:9). So our speech only shows what is inside.

The habitual content of our speech tells us the habitual content of our heart’s plans and concerns and priorities.  Every word we speak reveals our thoughts at that time. We may say, “we didn’t mean to say that”, but obviously, we did! We must be reminded that we will be answerable for every careless word we speak, because these words mirror our sinful hearts. Listen again to Jesus:“For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. ³⁵ A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. ³⁶ But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. ³⁷ For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Mt 12:34-37)

2.       What does it mean to see God?

a)      It means seeing what is in a sense invisible.

Some verses, like this Beatitude, tell us that we can see God. So Jacob (Gen 32:30) says he has seen God face to face. Job (19:26-27) says he will see God, but other verses (1 Ti 1:17, 6:15-17, Ex 33:20) suggest that we can’t. Scripture is clear that in some sense, everyone will see God: “Every eye will see him, even those who pierced him” (Rev 1:7)

The reason for this is that the word for ‘see’ does not always carry the same usage. We cannot see God because 1) He does not have a body (Col 1:15) 2) We cannot bear the full weight of His unshielded, infinite glory because of our sinfulness and finiteness. So Jesus says, “not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father.” (Jn 6:46). Only the Son of God has seen God in this fullest sense.

An unbelieving heart will see God as a holy judge. But only a Christian can see God as good and desirable. Only a Christian can long for God as a loving Father. Only a Christian can understand, appreciate and value His beauty and wisdom and glory when previously we were blind to it. “Amazing grace..was blind but now I see”. So we see God now – in creation and in history, in ourselves and the church. 2) We see God in the face of Christ as revealed in the Bible. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. . . . No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” (Jn 1:14, 18) So, we see God by seeing Jesus. So Jesus can say to Phillip, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” (Jn 14:9)

b)      It means seeing more than what we see now.

Paul says that, “ For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face” (1 Co 13:12). In other words, what we see of God now with our spiritual eyes is partial - only a blurred image of the glory we shall behold one day. Now “we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor 5:7) The extent of seeing will be different. One day sin will no longer separate us from God. We will have gloriously renewed bodies (Phil 3:21). We will share in some wonderful sense more of the nature of God in our seeing Him “We know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”1 Jn 3:2).

c)       It means experiencing God (Piper)

·         Seeing God is to be in His presence. Pharaoh tells Moses, “Never see my face again!” and Moses says, “As you say! I will not see your face again! (Ex 10:28-29) it means I will never admit you to my presence again. We say much the same thing when we call the doctor’s clinic and say, “Can I see Dr. So-and-so today?”

·         Seeing God is to behold His glory “"My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”. (Job 42:5)

·         Seeing God is to know His gracious provision. Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me!. . . Hide not thy face from me. (Ps 27:7-9)

All our joys in this life, all our deepest satisfactions, the greatest delights we can feel, all that makes following Christ worthwhile, is when we catch glimpses of God’s glory and truth and goodness. We who love God will want to be increasingly in His presence, beholding His glory and experiencing His power in our lives. This is the sight every true disciple of Christ yearns for – the purpose of our existence. That is why this beatitude is the summit of the beatitudes – the greatest blessing of all is to see God face to face.

3.       How can we get our hearts pure?

Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin”? (Prov 20:9) The obvious answer is “no one”. The fact is that we don’t need Christ to know that were need pure hearts  But only in Christ do we have the power to be pure. Jesus  “gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.” (Tit 2:14). Are you then eager to do what is good in order to see God?

If so, we must pray with King David, "Create in me a clean heart, O God" (Ps 51:10). The making of a pure heart is a work in progress, and it is a work that God delights to do. All our hope is in the power of God to finish all the good work he has begun in us (Phil 1:6), to will (desire) and to do (act) for his good pleasure (Phil 2:13).

“Strive...for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb 12:14) We must pursue purity in sincere action and speech, and then we will have the blessing of seeing God’s face and experiencing fullness of joy in Him.

Ps 24:3-6

Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
    Who may stand in his holy place?
4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
    who does not trust in an idol
    or swear by a false god.

5 They will receive blessing from the Lord
    and vindication from God their Savior.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
    who seek your face, God of Jacob.

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