The "be" Attitudes 07

MATTHEW 5:8 BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART, FOR THEY WILL SEE GOD

AS WE CONTINUE OUR SERIES ON THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT AND PARTICULARLY NOW THE BEATITUDES, WE ARE BROUGHT TO OUR TEXT TODAY WHICH CHALLENGES US TO HAVE A PURE HEAR. THIS STRUCK ME AS INTERESTING, BECAUSE WE ARE NOT ASKED TO HAVE A CLEAN HEART, BUT A PURE HEART. THIS REMINDED ME OF AN OLD COMMERCIAL WHICH BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION THAT THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CLEAN AND PURE.

LET ME SHOW YOU!

TRANSITION: SO THIS MORNING, I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE SOME TIME AND UNPACK THIS BEATITUDE IN LIGHT OF TWO THINGS:

FIRST, ITS RELATIONSHIP TO RIGHTEOUSNESS

SECOND, WHAT THE TEXT MEANS WHEN ENCOURAGES US TO HAVE A PURE, NOT JUST CLEAN HEART

I. REVIEW TO PROGRESS

MATTHEW 5:6–8 (NIV84)

6 BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO HUNGER AND THIRST FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS, FOR THEY WILL BE FILLED. 7 BLESSED ARE THE MERCIFUL, FOR THEY WILL BE SHOWN MERCY. 8 BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART, FOR THEY WILL SEE GOD.

a. SINCE THERE IS SUCH A CONNECTION HERE WITH THESE BEATITUDES IT IS A GOOD THING TO REVIEW WHERE WE HAVE BEEN AND HOW WE GOT THERE.

b. RIGHTEOUSNESS

i. RIGHTEOUSNESS IS AN ACTIVITY BASED ON THE ENVIRONMENT WE CREATE WHERE WE HUNGER AND THIRST FOR WHAT IS RIGHT

ii. GOD THEN GIVES US THE DESIRE WE ARE THIRSTING FOR – RIGHTEOUSNESS

c. MERCY

i. ONE OF THE CHARACTERISTICS WE DEVELOP IN OUR SEARCH FOR THE ENVIRONMENT OG RIGHTEOUSNESS

ii. THIS WAS THE FIRST CHARACTERISTIC WE EXPERIENCED FROM GOD AT SALVATION

iii. MERCY ALSO REVEALED TO US THAT WE ARE TO BE GIVING PEOPLE IN REGARD TO MERCY IN ORDER TO ALSO BE THE RECIPIENTS OF MERCY OURSELVES.

II. MOVING INTO THE REALM OF OUR HEART

a. WITHIN THE BIBLE, OUR HEART IS THE CENTER OF OUR PERSONALITY

i. OUR MIND

ii. OUR WILL

iii. OUR EMOTION

b. OUR HEART IS WICKED

JEREMIAH 17:9 THE HEART IS DECEITFUL ABOVE ALL THINGS AND BEYOND CURE. WHO CAN UNDERSTAND IT?

MARK 7:21 FOR FROM WITHIN, OUT OF MEN’S HEARTS, COME EVIL THOUGHTS, SEXUAL IMMORALITY, THEFT, MURDER, ADULTERY,

ROMANS 1:21 FOR ALTHOUGH THEY KNEW GOD, THEY NEITHER GLORIFIED HIM AS GOD NOR GAVE THANKS TO HIM, BUT THEIR THINKING BECAME FUTILE AND THEIR FOOLISH HEARTS WERE DARKENED.

c. WE HAVE BEEN PROMISED A NEW HEART

EZEKIEL 36:26–27 I WILL GIVE YOU A NEW HEART AND PUT A NEW SPIRIT IN YOU; I WILL REMOVE FROM YOU YOUR HEART OF STONE AND GIVE YOU A HEART OF FLESH. 27 AND I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT IN YOU AND MOVE YOU TO FOLLOW MY DECREES AND BE CAREFUL TO KEEP MY LAWS.

2 CORINTHIANS 5:17 THEREFORE, IF ANYONE IS IN CHRIST, HE IS A NEW CREATION; THE OLD HAS GONE, THE NEW HAS COME!

d. THE EXAMPLE OF SAUL – 1 SAMUEL CHAPTERS 10 AND 16

i. WHEN SAUL WAS ANOINTED KING BY SAMUEL WE READ THAT AS A RESULT HIS HEART WAS CHANGED

ii. 1 SAMUEL 10:9 AS SAUL TURNED TO LEAVE SAMUEL, GOD CHANGED SAUL’S HEART, AND ALL THESE SIGNS WERE FULFILLED THAT DAY.

iii. LATER IN THE LIFE OF SAUL, HE DEPARTED FROM HIS WALK WITH GOD AND THIS HAPPENED.

iv. 1 SAMUEL 16:14 NOW THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD HAD DEPARTED FROM SAUL, AND AN EVIL SPIRIT FROM THE LORD TORMENTED HIM.

e. NEW HEARTS ARE NOT PERFECT HEARTS

i. WE STILL HAVE A SIN NATURE

ii. WE STILL STRUGGLE WITH OUR OLD NATURE

YET GOD WANTS US TO HAVE A PURE HEART

III. HOW TO HAVE A PURE HEART

a. REALIZE THAT THE STRUGGLE IS REAL

i. PAUL GOES TO GREAT LENGTHS TO TEACH THIS IN ROMANS7

ii. PAUL WANTS TO LIVE A LIFE PLEASING TO GOD, BUT CANNOT

iii. HE STRUGGLES CONSTANTLY WITH HIS OLD NATURE

iv. HE CANNOT DO THE GOOD HE WANTS TO DO

v. THE STRUGGLE HE HAS AFFECTS EVERY PART OF HIS PERSON – VS. 23, …WARRING AGAINST MY MEMBERS.” OUR HEART WOULD BE INCLUDED THERE.

b. REALIZE THAT THE ONLY RELIEF IS THROUGH THE POWER OF GOD’S SPIRIT

i. ROMANS 8:1 THEREFORE, THERE IS NOW NO CONDEMNATION FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN CHRIST JESUS,

1. HOLY SPIRIT IS THE ANSWER TO KEEPING A HEART DIRECTED TOWARDS GOD.

c. REALIZE THAT THIS BEATITUDE ASKS US TO GO FURTHER

i. GOD IS ASKING US FOR A PURE HEART, NOT JUST A CLEAN HEART – PSALM 51:10; DAVID ASKS GOD TO CREATE A CLEAN HEART WITHIN HIM

ii. THIS BEATITUDE IS ASKING FOR A PURE HEART

iii. MANY THINGS CAN BE CLEAN WITHOUT BEING PURE

1. REMEMBER THE VIDEO. WHAT MAKES IVORY SOAP SO PURE IS THAT THERE ARE NO PERFUMES, ADDITIVES, OR COLORING

2. 99.44% PURE

iv. THE WORD HERE FOR PURE MEANS: