We Mix A Lot Series

BEATITUDES SERIES:

WE MIX A LOT

MATTHEW 5:8

#Beatitudes

INTRODUCTION… https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/the-purest-of-them-all/

Today we are focusing on Matthew 5:8 (turn there if you like) which introduces the idea of “pure.” I was thinking about the word “pure” and “purity” and wondered where the purest water on the earth is located. Apparently, according to several articles I read, I would not want to find the purest water on the planet and drink it because it would kill me.

Pure water can kill you. I had no idea! Stripping water down to an ultrapure state makes it unfit for human consumption. In the world of electronics, manufacturers remove all of the minerals, dissolved gas and dirt particles from water. The result is called ultrapure water, and they use it to clean tiny, sensitive equipment like semiconductors, which are found in computer microchips.

Here is the science of how it kills you… Water molecules have a slight negative charge, which means they’re good at dissolving or pulling other molecules apart. When water is in an ultrapure state, it’s a “super cleaner,” sucking out the tiniest specks of dirt. If you were to drink ultra-pure water, it would literally drink you back. The moment it came through your lips, it would start leaching valuable minerals from your saliva. Drink too much, and ultrapure water would leach you dead.

I had no idea!

The kind of purity we are going to talk about today does not lead to death, but rather really does lead to life. Good life in God. Life in Christ.

READ Matthew 5:8 (ESV)

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

A SCRIPTURE JOURNEY

As we begin today, I want us to take a journey through the Scripture. I would like you to do something specific as you listen. As you are listening, please be aware of what you are thinking and how you are feeling. After I read through these verses and thinking about Matthew 5:8, I had a specific emotion. I have put all the specific Bible passages in the sermon notes so please don’t feel like you will miss something. Again, as we are on this Scripture journey, I want you to please listen, think, and be aware of your emotions… because I will be sharing mine.

COMMENTARY … NAC Matthew by Craig L. Blomberg, page 100

I would like to read you a short selection from a commentary I have on my shelf. It is a commentary on the Gospel of Matthew and is specifically about the verse we are looking at today.

READ Matthew 5:8 (ESV)

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

“5:8 Purity in heart refers to moral uprightness and not just ritual cleanliness… what Jesus requires of His disciples is a life-style characterized by pleasing God. The ‘pure in heart’ exhibit a single-minded devotion to God that stems from the internal cleansing created by following Jesus. Holiness is a prerequisite for entering God’s presence. The pure in heart pass this test, so they will see God and experience intimate fellowship with Him. This Beatitude closely parallels Psalm 24:3-4.”

Just so we are all on the same page, let’s look up Psalm 24:3-5, since it is mentioned in the commentary. That passage must be mentioned there for a reason.

READ Psalm 24:3–5 (ESV)

“Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in His holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. 5 He will receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation.”

Psalm 24 expands on this idea of purity and seeing God in a very real way… standing in God’s Holy Place! In this passage in Psalms, clean hands are part of purity of heart. A soul completely undivided to God is pure of heart. I believe an undivided soul seems to be an important idea. I would agree that Psalm 24:3-5 and Matthew 5:8 are talking about the very same thing, but are using different words to describe it.

That passage in Psalms led me to read verses that talk about holiness. “Holy” is mentioned in Psalm 24. “Holy” means “set apart for God’s use.” The idea is that when something is God’s, it is not used for anything else or divided up to be used for anything else. Something dedicated to God is for God only. That is what makes it “holy.” I read some verses on holiness in the Old Testament:

READ Leviticus 20:26 (ESV)

You shall be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine.

We can find verses just like that in Leviticus 11:45, Leviticus 19:2, Leviticus 20:7, Leviticus 21:8, Deuteronomy 23:14, and 1 Peter 1:15-16. When something is holy and dedicated to God, it is His. His alone. As believers, we belong to God. We are His. We are to lift our souls only to Him because we are His.