Title: The Transformation Choice
Text: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” Matthew 5:8
Thesis: Transformation can take place when we are singularly motivated to please God in all we think, say and do.
Lenten Series: Life’s Healing Choices (Saddleback Resources)
Introduction
According to USA Today, firms are spending billions of dollars to fire up workers—with little results. The article states:
There has been exhaustive academic research trying to find out what motivates workers, and it has turned up almost no evidence that motivational spending makes any difference.
Poll-taker Gallup analyzed its massive database and determined in March that 55 percent of employees have no enthusiasm for their work—Gallup uses the term "not engaged"—based on several criteria, including loyalty and the desire to improve job performance. One in five (19 percent) are so uninterested or negative about their jobs that they poison the workplace to the point that companies might be better off if they called in sick.
Further into the article, Spencer Johnson, author of Who Moved My Cheese? states he "believes research may one day show that the only long-lasting motivation will come from employees who bring it to work in the form of God, spirituality, or something else that causes them to 'rise to a higher purpose.'" (USA Today, 5-10-01)
Our text today is really about how it is we may bring to every aspect of our lives, a higher purpose… the purpose of being transformed into the persons God wants us to be and to live out that transformation to the honor and glory of God.
Transformation begins with the heart.
I. The Transformation of the Heart
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Psalm 52:10
The first meaning of the term “pure” simply refers to being clean.
This week I was talking to Rick Mylander who told me about his experience at a “foot-washing” service. (It was reminiscent of the occasion when Jesus washed his disciple’s feet and then instructed them, “If I, your Lord and teacher have washed your feet, then you should to wash each other’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” John 13:14ff)
Rick said it was really quite a lovely experience. And then he went on to describe it as more of a ceremony than an actual foot scrubbing. He said he was asked to place his feet in a basin and then the washer simply dipped water from the basin and poured it over his feet. Then she dried his feet with a towel. It was a ceremonial washing.
I think I would have had some serious reservations about having someone do a deep cleaning on my feet. The bible may describe the feet of those who carry the Good News to others as beautiful… but surely that is figurative speech. There is little lovely about toe-jam, calluses and gnarly nails.
What Jesus spoke of purity of heart, he was not speaking of a ceremonial cleaning. It was one of those sudsy, soapy, scrubby cleanings of which Jesus spoke. Purity of heart speaks of a deep cleansing from all that is unholy in our lives. It is a “create in me a pure heart” kind of cleansing.
When Jesus confronted the religious leaders of his time he said, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.” Matthew 23:25 Jesus wants the inside of the cup to be as clean as the outside of the cup. Jesus wants us to be as clean on the inside as we appear to be on the outside.
Looking good is fairly easy. Deep cleaning is a bit more dicey. But once we’ve done the interior work, then begins the work of transformation from dirty heart to clean heart in which we chose a new pattern of thinking and doing.
We begin to practice Philippians 4:8-9: “Finally, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think on such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8-9
The pure in heart are transformed into people who have a renewed and steadfast heart.
A second understanding of purity of heart is to think in terms of loyalty or devotion.
II. The Transformation of Loyalty
Jesus said to them, “Anyone would come after me must deny himself daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a person to gain the whole world, and yet forfeit his very self [his soul]?” Luke 9:23-25
The second meaning of the term “pure” infers something has been winnowed, sifted or purged. It was used in reference to grain that had been winnowed so that all the chaff was removed and only the pure grain remained. We might understand it better as the sifting of flour. In the good ole days, bakers sifted flour to remove any lumps and the occasional insect. (Now bakers sift flour to aerate it and give the baked goods a lighter texture.)
The word “pure” was also used in reference to something being unadulterated or unmixed or uncut. Wine was pure if it was not cut with water and a metal was only pure if it was unalloyed with any other metal and purged free of any dross or impurity..
When Jesus spoke of purity of heart his inference was that there can be some chaff or lumps and the occasional insect in our spiritual lives. He was inferring our characters may not be pure gold.
We’ve just begun the “restricted free-agent” period in professional football. Beginning March 2 and continuing through April 15 teams may offer players for trade with a first right of refusal. In other words, if they can get enough for a player they will let him go. Broncos recently tendered restricted free-agents Brandon Marshall, Kyle Orton and Chris Kuper for 1st round draft choices; Elvis Dumervil for a 1st and 3rd round draft choice and Tony Sheffler for a 2nd round draft choice.
"Tendering these restricted free agents was a step we took to solidify our roster during these uncertain times with a group of players who are valued a great deal by the Broncos," GM Brian Xanders said in a statement. "Our ultimate goal as an organization remains to acquire and keep players who give us the best chance to win.: (Nate Davis, The Huddle, March 3, 2010)
This past season was a season of controversy and distractions. The distractions from the onset with JayGate, continued throughout the season and have been largely discussions about the focus and loyalty coach Josh McDaniels expected of his players. He repeatedly stated that he felt the team fielded was the team that gave the Broncos the best chance to win… and by that the inference was, “These are the players who want to be here and who want to play here.” In other words, he wants loyal players. (Dan Parr, McDaniels not ruling out return for Marshall, Sheffler in 2010, ProFootball Weekly, February 27, 2010)
Jesus used the shepherd and his flock as a metaphor for himself and his followers. He said, “The man who enters the gate is the shepherd of his sheep… the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. He goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.” John 10:2-4
Jesus was looking for undistracted followers who were undivided in their loyalty to him. Jesus wants followers “who want to be here and who want to play here,” so to speak. The pure in heart are transformed into loyal and devoted followers of Jesus Christ.
A third understanding of purity of heart refers to our intentions or motivations.
III. The Transformation of Motivation
“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:17
A third way to understand what is meant by purity of heart has to do with our intentions or what motivates us.
One of the most searching questions we can ask ourselves is why? Why did I do that? Why did I say that?
In an episode of The New Adventures of Old Christine, Christine and her business partner discovered that they had made a profit for the first time in five years. So they cut themselves each a check for two-thousand dollars. The discussion that followed was about how they were each going to spend their two-thousand dollars. Barb said she is going to use her share of the profit to invest in a non-profit organization that will drill a new well in a third world country that will give a village fresh water. Christine said she is going to spend her share of the profits on a designer dress she has had her eyes on for some time.
Meanwhile, Christine gets a case of the guilts for wanting to buy a dress for herself rather than help people in a third world country… so she gave her money to a non-profit. When she returned to work she discovered that Barb had not given her money to charity but opted instead to buy a commercial popcorn machine that made caramel corn. When she realized her friend had not given her money to charity she immediately stopped payment on the check to the charity and went back and bought the dress. Eventually, the dress was returned as was the commercial popcorn making machine and all the money was donated to charity.
The whole scenario was about the motivating factors in their lives. Were they motivated primarily by altruism or were they motivated by selfishness? And it seemed that even in their altruism they were thinking primarily about what would make them feel good and look good.
There is nothing wrong with buying a popcorn maker or a new dress. A friend of mine told me about a new crock pot he found at Kohls. The lid on this slow-cooker actually clamps down like the lid on a pressure cooker. All of the moisture is trapped and the meat comes out tender and moist and packed with aroma. I want one and I may just get one someday… But I am motivated by more than the desire to get a new slow-cooker. I am also motivated by the desire to do the right thing and the right thing might be sponsoring child or giving to a mission project or donating to Covenant World Reliefs Haiti Earthquake Fund.
Of course our lives are so much more than about what we do with our resources. God is concerned that we be singular in what motivates us. We may ask and it is okay to ask, “Is this for me?” It is okay to act in your own best interests. We may ask, “Is this for the good of others?” It is okay to act in the best interests of others.”
But the real question… the ultimate and singularly important question is, “Is this glorifying to or pleasing to God?”
When Christine wrestled with how she was going to spend her $2,000, her parish priest said to her, “Christine, I think you know the right thing to do.” It is always okay to act in ways that honor God.
Paul concludes a passage in which he speaks of the freedom and responsibility of the follower of Christ saying, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” I Corinthians 10:31
Conclusion
In his book The Present Future, Reggie McNeal wrote of sitting on a bench on a beach boardwalk late one afternoon, resting after an hour walk. He had passed a woman in a green uniform pushing a broom several times. She came toward his bench doing her meticulous sweeping of the sidewalk. Suddenly she stopped, wiped her forehead, and rested on her broom. He called out to her: "You do a great job."
"Thank you," she replied. Then she added something that explained why the sidewalk behind her was spotless. "I just believe people want to walk on a clean sidewalk."
McNeal was humbled to be in the presence of a worker who viewed her task with such significance. Whatever the park service was paying her, there's no way they could have demanded the excellence she brought to her work. That kind of motivation comes from within. (Reggie McNeal, The Present Future (Jossey-Bass, 2003), p. 9)
His experience in watching the sidewalk sweeper brings to mind the words of Martin Luther King Jr. who preached, “If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, sweep streets like Beethoven composed music, sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry. Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say: Here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well.” (Martin Luther King, Jr. speaking to students at Barratt Jr. High School in Philadelphia on October 26, 1967)
We will be transformed people when we are devoted followers of Christ who guard our hearts against all that is unwholesome and live with the singular desire to honor and glorify God. We will be transformed people when having done all we can do they will say, “Here lived a person who honored God in all that he was, said and did.”
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”
