Heart Purification
Matthew 5:8
February 11, 2007
Morning Service
Introduction
How many of you have ever seen the show Dirty Jobs? The show is hosted by Mike Rowe and each week he goes and tackles another dirty job. The premise of the show is that Mike Rowe goes and works for one day at a specific job. The only requirement is that it has to be something where the person gets dirty in the process of doing the job. He has done all sorts of jobs Whale Autopsy Technician, cleaning the animal stalls at the San Diego Zoo, assisting in the cleaning of pipe organs and drilling thermal boreholes. Needless to say Mike tends to get into some very dirty occupations.
One of the dirtiest jobs that he had to do was being a part of the Sewer Maintenance Crew. The job was to replace a control valve in one of the holding tanks. At one point the crew had to walk through half a foot of raw sewage to repair the valve. One of the interesting parts of that episode was the process of water purification.
Mike Rowe was given water from one of the interior holding tanks and asked if he thought the water was clean. He answered yes only to find out that the water was only 98% pure. Then he was offered some of the water to drink and he decided he wasn’t thirsty.
How many of you would drink water with two percent sewage in it? When you looked at the water it seemed fine but in reality it still was far from being pure.
God desires for us to remain pure in the midst of a dirty world. Every time that you encounter temptation or flirt with sin; you run the danger of being soiled.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Matthew 5:8
The Reality of Purity
The Greek word that is used here is katharoi. This is the same word where we get our English term catharsis, which is a psychology term that means to be free from guilt. This Greek term was often used in reference to describe metals that were refined. The metal had the impurities removed to create nothing but pure metal.
Katharoi – Pure, clean or clear
To be unsoiled, unmixed, unpolluted, to be cleansed, purged or forgiven
To be free from corrupt desire, form sin and guilt to be blameless and innocent
To be holy, to have a single purpose
The understanding of purity flows from a moral, ethical and spiritual sense. Purity is seen as being in a blameless state before God. It is to be cleansed of the penalty of sin and set free from the guilt. This is to be given a guilt free standing.
Charles Wesley echoes this thought in his hymn O For A Thousand Tongues to Sing. In verse 3 he writes: He breaks the power of cancelled sin, He sets the prisoner free. Jesus not only forgives sin, He sets us free from our bondage to it.
This gives a deeper understanding of the psalmists words: Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10
Six Kinds of Purity – John F. MacArthur
1.) Primal Purity: Essential quality of God Himself and found only in God.
2.) Created Purity: When God originally created all things they were in a state of absolute purity. This was prior to the Fall of Adam and Eve
3.) Positional Purity: When we accept Christ as our Savior, we gain the purity of his position and are seen through His divine purity
4.) Actual Purity: This is granted in the new nature of the believer. We are made into a new creation, the old is gone and the new has come
5.) Practical Purity: This comes from God but it also requires our effort. It is our practice of the purity we have been shown. This effects the way that we live on a daily basis.
6.) Ultimate Purity: The promise of being glorified by Christ
The purity that God wants us to have is applied to a direct part of our being. Jesus said: Blessed are the pure in heart. Why did he use the location of the heart?
A pure heart describes a person whose single minded loyalty to God has affected every area of life – Zondervan Illustrated Background Bible Commentary Vol. 1 p. 35
The heart was seen as the center of a person’s entire being. It is the direct representation of the whole person. There heart was seen as the center of many different facets of the human being. The heart was the center of the physical, emotional and spiritual life. The heart was the center of the thoughts, passions, and desires. From the heart came the nature of the will and the essential traits of character.
Key Questions
Are you more focused on yourself or on the service of Christ?
Are you serving to help others or to make yourself feel good?
Are you at church to honor God or to fulfill a sense of obligation?
Are you seeking a deeper relationship with God or just trying to be comfortable?
Keys to Heart Purification
Conviction
Remember that purification begins with God, not you. Even as much as you might want to, you cannot make yourself pure. There is nothing that you can do in your own strength or ability to make yourself pure. The fact is that we cannot remain pure on own strength. We have to rely on God.
The purification of the heart must begin with God. It is a work that comes through the power of the Holy Spirit. Conviction is literally the presence of the Holy Spirit trying to guide us away from doing wrong and back toward the love of God.
The issue that remains is the fact that you have to respond to the work of the Spirit. When the Spirit convicts you either respond by resisting and ignoring the promptings or you respond by following those leadings.
Confession
Confession is simply admitting the fact that you have done what is wrong in the eyes of God. How many of you have ever taken something that did not belong to you? That makes you a thief. How many of you have intentionally said something that was not true? That makes you a liar. Do I need to go on? You get the point. All of us, no matter how good we are have failed God and have sinned.
We have to go to God and admit the fact that we have blown it. When you do we have a promise that we will gain forgiveness and be purified.
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8-9
Confession is just not enough, there is one more step that needs to be done.
Repentance
The truth is that a person can confess their sin and never truly repent. A person can come to the altar confess their sins and go right back to those same sins when they walk out the door. Repentance is to turn away from sin. It is to desire to live for Christ.
When Jesus stood with the woman caught in adultery, what did He tell her? "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin." Jesus told her clearly that she was to turn away from the life of sin that she was living. Repentance is to strive to live for Christ instead of living for our pet sins.
How Can We Remain Pure?
1. Remember that holy living is impossible without God
There is no way to be pure on our own. Purity flows from God.
2. Remember to fill your life with God’s Word
You will never be able to stay in God’s will if you are not in his Word
3. Surrender control to the Holy Spirit
Give up anything that is holding you back in your spiritual walk
4. Remain in constant prayer
Prayer is our direct connection with God
Purity doesn’t just happen. You have to want it from God and then actively pursue living a pure life. You must want purity so badly that you are willing to change whatever needs changed in your life to get it. Until you do, you will never truly live a life of purity. A pure life is one of pursuing holiness.
The Reward for Being Pure
Notice what Jesus says is the reward for being pure in heart. We get to see God. This impacts us in several real ways.
Pursuing a holy or pure life opens the door to seeing God. This is not just an eternal promise but also an earthly promise. The Old Testament understanding of seeing a king face to face was to have a close, personal relationship with them. It was to be given the honor of their presence.
And I--in righteousness I will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness. Psalm 17:15
Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
1 Corinthians 13:12
We will get to know Jesus personally for all eternity. There is no reward greater than this. It is the reward of a life that pursues knowing and experiencing God.
Conclusion
Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14
After a violent storm one night, a large tree, which over the years had become a stately giant, was found lying across the pathway in a park. Nothing but a splintered stump was left. Closer examination showed that is was rotten at the core because thousands of tiny insects had eaten away at its heart. The weakness of that tree was not brought on by the sudden storm; it began the very moment the first insect nested within its bark. With the Holy Spirit’s help, let’s be very careful to guard our purity.
Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
Proverbs 4:23
