THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT (part three)
Matthew 5:8-9
So far in our series we’ve looked at why it is a blessing to be poor in spirit, mourning and meek. Last time we saw that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be blessed because they will be filled with it. And we saw that by being merciful we're blessed because we will receive mercy. Today we’ll look at what it means to be pure in heart as well as what it means to be a peacemaker and how these two groups are blessed.
1) Blessed are the pure in heart.
Matt. 5:8, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."
Coy Wylie suggests that there are at least 5 kinds of purity taught in God’s Word. There's Divine purity. This is the purity that belongs only to God and is His nature. Then we have Created purity. When God created the world everything was pure. There's Positional purity. When we are saved the purity of Jesus is assigned to us. There's Ultimate purity. The coming day when Christians will be totally cleansed and purified. The fifth kind is Practical Purity. This is the purity we strive for and live out in practical ways as a follower of Jesus.
To be pure in heart means you have a heart that’s been cleansed by the blood of Christ. However, though we have positional purity in Christ through salvation, we don't have perfect hearts here on earth (ultimate purity). But as a result of that positional purity, we now have the ability to strive for and live out practical purity.
2nd Cor. 7:1: “Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”
We have chosen to cleanse our hearts from harmful impurities. To be pure means we are uncontaminated. To be pure in heart means we are unmixed; we don’t have one part holiness and one part sinfulness. To be pure in heart means I’m not trying to be two people or I’m not trying to feed two natures or serve two masters; which Jesus said I can’t do anyway since I will love one and hate the other.
It’s interesting that Jesus clarified, ‘blessed are the pure in heart’. He knew there was such a thing as outward purity. And the truly blessed ones are those who are pure on the inside.
When the religious leaders questioned Jesus about why the disciples weren't washing their hands before they ate, in keeping with the traditions of the elders Jesus went after them because he knew their hearts were impure and thus their worship was in vain. They did a good job at looking clean on the outside but they weren't on the inside.
Matt. 15:17-20, “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’ For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man ‘unclean’; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him ‘unclean.’ ”
Jesus is making the distinction between outward, superficial purity and true purity from within. The Pharisees looked pure but they weren’t. Jesus said in Matt. 23 that they were like whitewashed tombs which looked good on the outside but on the inside were dead. You can fake purity by getting good at looking good but eventually your true colors are going to show. If you are pure in heart it will be evident.
“For they will see God.” Because of our positional purity when we were forgiven of our sins we can look forward to being with God forever. But not only that, because of that positional purity we have the spirit of Christ living in us, putting us in a right relationship with God.
The Holy Spirit enables us to see God today. Not literally; but spiritually. One of the blessings is that purity removes the scales, the blinders, and the obstacles that prevent us from seeing God in the purest of light. The Pharisees saw God right in front of them in the person of Jesus but they didn’t have eyes to see. Many people physically saw Jesus but they didn’t see Him for who he was spiritually.
Impurity clouds our vision so that we can’t see God for who he really is. Impurity causes us to see God in an impure light. Impurity causes us to doubt God, question God, be angry with him, turn away from him. Not that we won't deal with these issues occasionally, but an impure heart feels this way toward God more consistently.
But having a pure in heart allows us to see God’s holiness more clearly. We will see His hand at work more convincingly and we will love Him sincerely. Psalm 18:25-26, “To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.”
The pure in heart will clearly see God for who he is-faithful, blameless and pure; full of love. The pure in heart see God at work in their lives where those who don't know God miss it. C.S. Lewis wrote, “It is safe to tell the pure in heart that they shall see God, for only the pure in heart want to.”
Before Christ, we weren't looking for God; we weren't interested in finding out what his will was. We lived according to our own way of thinking or we lived according to how someone else wanted us to. When we humble ourselves and turn to God for salvation we begin to take a sincere interest in the things of God.
The pure in heart will see God because they long to; it’s their heart’s desire. With the indwelling Holy Spirit the blinders are removed and we are able to see the world and our lives in a whole new light; a whole new perspective. We can’t minimize the value of purity.
“There’s an interesting animal called the ermine. The ermine is a short-tailed weasel that has the unique feature of having its fur change to a snow-white color in the winter for protection. The ermine instinctively protects his white coat against anything that would soil it. So much so, that it would rather die than be impure.
Fur hunters in northern Europe and Asia take advantage of this unusual trait of the ermine. They don’t set a snare to catch him, but instead they find his home, which is usually a cleft in a rock or a hollow in an old tree. They smear the entrance and interior with grime. Then the hunters set their dogs loose to find and chase the ermine.
The frightened animal flees toward home but won’t enter because of the filth. Rather than soil his white coat, he is trapped by the dogs and captured while preserving his purity. For the ermine, purity is more precious than life.”
How important is purity to us? Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God's glory.
2) Blessed are the peacemakers.
Matt. 5:9, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God."
Peacemakers are those who have a mind to eliminate bitterness and hatred between people. Peacemakers seek to intervene because it saddens their heart to see people in contention with one another. Peacemakers are those who have passion towards resolving conflict and instilling peace.
I can be someone who wants peace but when there's an opportunity to be a peacemaker I choose not to get involved. Or I can take the stance of apathy. I don't really care as long as it doesn’t involve or affect me. I'm not saying we should go around sticking our noses in everybody's business; especially if we enjoy that type of thing.
Sometimes we pride ourselves on getting our two cents in; we want to look like we have all the answers-we want to be the hero. This isn't about being a peacemaker; it's about moving the spotlight in my direction. So for some people, it would be best to refrain from getting involved.
But for others, we hesitate in getting involved. I do think wisdom would say pick your battles. But there are cases where it's best to intervene. When there's violence or the potential for violence-intervene and be a peacemaker. When church people are getting into an argument-break in and be a peacemaker. When it's clear that Satan is at work we should seek to remove his influence and prevent the situation from escalating as best we can.
Being a peacemaker isn’t just someone who causes two enemies to cease fire; it’s someone who tries to establish a friendship between two people who were once enemies. John MacArthur said, “A truce just says you don’t shoot for awhile. Peace comes when the truth is known, the issue is settled, and the parties embrace each other.”
Being a peacemaker doesn’t necessarily mean that I will get people to agree on everything; it just means I will get them to not see each other as enemies. Paul had to contend with this. There had been a dispute among believers regarding clean vs. unclean foods. Paul basically said that all foods were clean.
However, if you as an individual feel it is unclean then don’t eat it but don’t look down on your brother for eating it. And for the one who thinks it is okay to eat it then eat it but don’t do so in front of an impressionable Christian so as to make him stumble. Above all practice what will promote peace.
Rom. 14:17-19, "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification."
It's easy for a discussion to turn into an argument. Paul wanted them to understand that there will be areas where they would need to agree to disagree. He wanted them to remember what was most important-righteousness, peace and joy. He wanted them to keep the main thing the main thing-make every effort to do what leads to peace and the things that will build up instead of destroy.
A peacemaker will highlight what's most important when people are going back and forth about lesser things. I'm not saying certain discussions are not important; but we cross a line when these discussions take an ugly turn. When they do then we've pushed aside the most important things to keep in mind during a discussion-peace and love.
A peacemaker will intervene and remind people of this. They're not there to take sides but to establish peace. That’s what we need to be about because in doing so we will please God and be approved by men. People want there to be peacemakers in the world. It is an approved practice. There is way too much time and money spent on wars and court cases; way too many lives tragically altered or lost due to unresolved conflict. Too much havoc wreaked by those who are peace-breakers.
“They will be called sons of God.” They will be called sons of God because God is the God of peace Rom. 15:33, “The God of peace be with you all.” Being a peacemaker is one of the attributes that identifies me as a child of God. When I hunger and thirst for righteousness, I will pursue godly values; and peace is one of those.
Have you ever had an encounter with someone and at some point it comes out that you're a Christian and the person says, "I knew you were a Christian"? When we are speaking and acting out of a pure heart it will be recognized.
However, in order to be a peacemaker, I have to be at peace myself. Lucy from Peanuts, “I hate everything, I hate everybody, I hate the whole wide world!” Charlie Brown says, “But I thought you had inner peace?” “I do, but I also have outer obnoxiousness.” It’s safe to say Lucy doesn’t have the peace she thinks she does. And I don’t remember her being much of a peacemaker either.
If I’m in turmoil inside then how am I going to be able to bring peace to others? I'm not talking about the isolated incidents where we find ourselves in chaotic situations; that happens to all of us. I mean a perpetual state of unrest where my heart is turbulent; my life is unstable. If the peace of Christ isn't ruling in my heart then being a peacemaker is out of the question.
Col. 3:15, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”
I like the ‘and be thankful’ part at the end. Perhaps the reason I’m not at peace inside is because I’m not thankful. Josh McDowell pointed out that we can only be truly comfortable with ourselves when we are at peace with Jesus. Blessed are those who are at peace within themselves.
I see this principle of being a peacemaker also applying in the context of being a peacemaker between man and God. Sin causes hostility between man and God but Jesus came to establish peace between us.
Eph. 2:13-14, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.”
Because of our sin we were once enemies of God. But now, because of Jesus, there is peace between us and God. We who have experienced this peace spread of the gospel so others can experience this peace. And in doing so we are being peacemakers.
However, trying to bring peace to a hostile situation can be dangerous. It’s not easy being a peacemaker; it’s risky. Some people may look at what I’m doing as being a troublemaker, not a peacemaker. They don’t want my involvement because I’m not minding my own business. I’m shaking things up too much by ‘meddling’. The question is-am I willing to put myself in jeopardy for the sake of trying to establish peace?
“Telemachus was a monk who lived in the 4th century. He felt God was telling him to go to Rome. He was living in a cloistered monastery. He put his possessions in a sack and set out for Rome. When he arrived in the city, the streets were crowded. He asked what all the excitement was about and he was told that this was the day of the games where the gladiators would be fighting and killing each other in the coliseum.
Telemachus thought, "Four centuries after Christ and they are still killing each other for enjoyment?" He ran to the coliseum and heard the gladiators saying, "Hail to Caesar, we die for Caesar" and he thought, "this isn’t right." He jumped over the railing and went out into the middle of the field, got between two gladiators, held up his hands and said, "In the name of Christ, stop."
The crowd protested and shouted, "Run him through, Run him through." A gladiator came over and hit him in the stomach with the back of his sword. It sent him sprawling in the sand. He got up, ran back and again said, "In the name of Christ, stop." The crowd continued to chant, "Run him through."
One gladiator came over and plunged his sword through the little monk’s stomach and he fell into the sand, which began to turn crimson with his blood. One last time he gasped out, "In the name of Christ, stop." A hush came over the crowd. Soon after a man stood and left, then another and more, and within minutes all 80,000 people emptied out of the arena. It was the last known gladiatorial contest in the history of Rome.”
Peace-breakers like to stir up trouble and cause divisions. Peacemakers have a passion to abolish bitterness and hatred. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
