"Pure in Heart" 9-18-22

Overview

Pure in Heart

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" Matthew 5:8. As we continue exploring what it means to be salt and light, Jesus connects that calling to something deeper than outward behavior—the condition of the heart itself. Scripture consistently describes purity of heart as sincerity and singular focus: hands clean and hearts undivided Psalm 24:3-4, love flowing from a pure heart and sincere faith 1 Timothy 1:5, the cleansing of the double-minded James 4:8. To be pure in heart is to live with one aim—the glory of God in everything.

That standard immediately exposes us. None of us is pure in heart. "The inclination of the human heart is evil from youth" Genesis 8:21, and Jesus himself locates the source of our sin within: "out of the heart come evil intentions" Matthew 15:19. Our impurity shows whenever life becomes about us—our plans, our comfort, our exaltation. A soap once advertised itself as 99.44% pure; even that "close enough" wouldn't satisfy God, who requires 100%. We can't come anywhere near.

So God came near to us. On the cross, Jesus took on all our impurity, and his blood washes us clean. God now looks at us through the lens of Christ and declares us pure—not by our striving but by faith, which is itself God's gift Ephesians 2:8-9. Peter testifies that God cleanses hearts by faith Acts 15:8-9. And the promise stands: "we are God's children now… when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is" 1 John 3:2.

This means purity of heart is not only the forgiveness of sins—though it begins there—but the freedom that forgiveness creates. Like David crying out, "Create in me a clean heart, O God" Psalm 51:10, we live each day in the present reality of Christ's absolution. We won't be perfect this side of heaven, but God keeps coming through Word and sacrament, shaping us to be more like Jesus and freeing us toward a single focus: How can I bring you glory today, O Lord?—in our thoughts, words, and deeds; in conversations and witness; in stress, strain, and broken places. That is salty living. That is light.

Transcript

Would you open your Bibles please with me today to Matthew the fifth chapter for our study? 2s

If you're using a Puedition of Holy Scripture, you're going to find the fifth chapter 9s

of Matthew on page 3 in the New Testament. 13s

Matthew the fifth chapter. 17s

99.44% pure. 23s

Did you know what I'm talking about? 28s

I've re-souled by here some of you, Matthew. 32s

Absolutely. 34s

I've re-souled. 36s

The story goes that the mixer was left on a little bit too long and it changed the product. 37s

The company then had to make a decision. 46s

Do we throw all of this away and take a loss for? 48s

Do we send it out hoping that nobody will notice? 54s

They may the decision to send it out hoping that nobody would notice. 58s

Well, the story goes that people did notice. 65s

In fact, they loved it and the letters poured in on how wonderful this soap was. 69s

Only problem with that story is it's an urban legend. 83s

It's not true at all. 86s

I've re-souled was invented by a chemist by the name of James Gamble. 88s

And it was advertised as 99.44% pure. 97s

It was advertised as the soap that floats. 106s

It goes back to 1873 and how is it advertised today? 110s

99.44% pure. 119s

Advertised as the soap that floats. 124s

What's affirmed there with regard to the soap is purity. 131s

We continue on in this sermon series, Salt and Light. 141s

We began it last week. 145s

We're focusing these weeks on how by God's grace we can be a people that are salt and light in the world. 148s

In other words, how is it that we by God's grace can have a positive impact on the world around us? 156s

We lifted up those metaphors and we're going to continue to lift the metaphor up for these six weeks. 165s

We took a look at the metaphor of salt in ancient day. 172s

Your recall salt was very, very expensive. 177s

So how it was used was carefully thought through. 179s

And salt was used to purify, to protect and to flavor. 183s

We studied how by God's grace God uses us to do the same. 191s

That we are sent forth with the word of the gospel on our lips. 197s

And as we proclaim the gospel as we share that glorious news, it acts as a purifying agent on a decaying world. 201s

We studied how, just as today, salt being used to flavor. 214s

It was used that way in ancient day and how by the works that come naturally by the faith that the Holy Spirit gives us, 218s

how those works flavor the world. 226s

How it permeates into the world and provides this gracious flavor. 232s

We also lifted up the metaphor of light. 239s

We studied how we are to be a light amidst a dark world. 242s

How we are to point the way onto salvation, light the way onto salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. 247s

And so we're studying how can we by God's grace be salt and light and so we come to our text for today. 257s

And we connect being salt and light with being pure, in heart, purity of the heart. 267s

Look at me, please. 286s

At verse 8 of chapter 5, this is part of Jesus' great, great sermon on the Mount. 287s

In their verse 8 of chapter 5, Jesus says, 296s

Blessed are the pure in heart. 300s

Blessed are the pure in heart. 305s

Let's stop there. 308s

Because how are we to understand purity of the heart? 310s

Let's get to your explains it for us. 316s

In Psalm 24, verse 3 and 4, it says this, 319s

Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? 323s

And who shall stand in his holy place? 326s

Those who have clean hands and pure hearts who do not lift up their souls to what is false and who do not swear deceitfully. 330s

Psalm 73, truly God is good to the upright to those who are pure in heart. 344s

First Timothy 1, but the aim of such instruction is love that comes from a pure heart, 353s

a good conscience and sincere faith. 363s

Second Timothy 2, shun youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, 369s

along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 379s

James 4, cleanse your hands, use sinners, 385s

and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 390s

Notice, notice in these texts here that I pulled and there's more here that talks about the purity of the heart. 398s

But notice here, notice that what's being talked about is a sincerity, sincerity. 405s

A purity of the heart has a singular focus. 418s

It's a sincere singular focus, not being double-minded. 426s

What's the focus? 432s

The focus with the pure in heart is giving all glory to God, of understanding that life, 433s

and living it is all about him, him, singular focus, to bring him glory in everything. 447s

It's about him. 471s

Notice, Jesus goes on verse 8. 477s

Right after he says, blessed are the pure and heart, then he says, 481s

for they will see God, notice the connection. 486s

The seeing of God is connected with purity of the heart. 493s

Well, that then raises the question. 503s

If seeing God is linked to being pure and heart, 506s

then how can any of us ever see God? 512s

Because none of us are pure in heart. 516s

What's linked to being pure and heart? 522s

It's seeing God. 525s

So if to see God is linked to purity of the heart, 526s

how can we ever see God? 532s

He's not of us or pure in heart. 535s

God says this in Genesis 8. 541s

The inclination of the human heart is evil from youth. 545s

That's God's words. 558s

Psalm 5. 563s

For there is no truth in their mouths, 566s

their hearts are destruction. 569s

Their throats are open graves. 573s

They flatter with their tongues. 577s

Matthew 15. 583s

For out of the heart come evil intentions. 585s

Adult tree. 593s

Fornication. 595s

Theft. 597s

False witness. 599s

It's lender. 602s

You see our impurity shows. 607s

As we live lives that are focused on ourselves. 612s

Our impurity shows. 618s

When what we're interested in is our plans and our purposes and our doings 621s

and having our needs met our impurity shows. 629s

When we desire glory for ourselves, our impurity shows. 635s

When we approach living as if life is about everybody serving 642s

me and making sure my life is comfortable. 650s

Because if my life isn't comfortable, 657s

then they're falling short. 660s

You see our impurity shows. 663s

When we want an exaltation boost. 667s

Our impurity shows. 676s

When we're the ones, that's the focus. 679s

What then? 689s

99.44% pure. 699s

Do you ever wonder about that point five six percent? 710s

That's close enough, right? 717s

It's close enough. 720s

But with God, God demands 100% purity. 724s

We can't even get anywhere near that close. 733s

99.44% for us, are you kidding? 738s

The inclinations of our heart are evil from our youth. 745s

And so what does God do, but God gets close to us by sending his son, the Lord Jesus Christ, 751s

to the cross and on the cross, all of the impurity, all of it, all of the sin. 758s

It's all laid on the Savior. 768s

And His shed blood, His dying in our place, washes us clean. 773s

His blood makes us pure. 783s

So God looks at us and sees the righteousness of Christ. 789s

God looks at us through the lens of Jesus. 796s

And God sees us as being pure through Christ. 806s

Acts, the fifth chapter. 815s

Peter says, and God who knows the human heart, testified to them by giving them the Holy Spirit. 819s

He's talking about the Gentiles here, the non-Jews. 827s

Just as he did to us, and in cleansing their hearts by faith, he has made no distinction between them and us. 831s

Here the phrase, cleansing their hearts by faith. 842s

Through the cross, the world has been redeemed. 847s

The world has been purchased back. 851s

God looks at the world and says, are reconciled. 855s

And that victory then is personally appropriated to each of us through faith. 858s

And what does Scripture say? 866s

For we are saved by grace through faith, and this is not your own doing. 868s

Ephesians 2nd chapter. 874s

The faith then that appropriates that victory is all a gift of God. 877s

And God looks at us, beloved. 889s

Pure. 894s

He sees us. 897s

100% pure through Jesus. 903s

Jesus says, blessed are the pure in heart, 912s

for they will see God. 918s

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God are only hope. 924s

Our only confidence is the great victory that is ours as we are washed in the waters of baptism. 929s

We're washed in those promises. 936s

And God looks at us through Christ and says, pure. 940s

And what does that mean? 945s

First John, the third chapter. 947s

See what love the Father has given us that we should be called children of God. 950s

And that's what we are. 957s

Beloved, we are God's children now. 959s

What we will be has not yet been revealed. 961s

What we do know is this. 964s

When He is revealed, we will be like Him. 966s

For we will see Him. 970s

Here that. 973s

We will see Him. 974s

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 978s

And we will see Him as He is. 982s

And in the meantime, until that day, 991s

in a moment, we're going to sing, 999s

and I love Him. 1000s

Create in me a clean heart, oh God. 1001s

That's based, of course, on Psalm 51, where David confesses his sin to the Lord. 1004s

And He cries out for forgiveness. 1011s

He cries out for cleansing. 1015s

He cries out to be made pure. 1018s

God has done that for us through the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. 1023s

And each and every day, we live in the present reality of the 1029s

Absolution that has been one for us through the cross. 1034s

He has forgiven us. 1038s

He does forgive us, and He will forgive us. 1041s

But purity of the heart is not solely the forgiveness of sins 1046s

through the Lord Jesus Christ. 1051s

Is it? 1053s

It's not solely that. 1054s

But the purity of the heart is the singular focus 1055s

to give glory to God. 1063s

We are made pure through the Lord Jesus Christ, 1067s

and He calls us now and frees us to a singular focus 1070s

to give God glory. 1076s

Are we ever going to be perfect in that 1081s

side of heaven? 1085s

Absolutely not. 1087s

And God keeps coming with His Word of Absolution. 1091s

Keep raising us up a new in His Word of forgiveness. 1097s

God keeps coming, honing us, 1102s

each and every day through Word and sacrament 1108s

to be more and more like Jesus Christ. 1112s

God keeps coming each and every day freeing us, 1117s

freeing us to see life and to live life. 1124s

To see it and to live it. 1134s

With a singular focus. 1140s

Singular focus. 1145s

How can we bring glory to you today, O Lord? 1149s

In our thoughts, in our words, in our deeds, 1159s

in the conversations we have with one another, 1164s

in the opportunities for witnessing with other people, 1167s

amidst broken relationships and strange relationships, 1174s

amidst times of stress and problems, 1178s

how can we bring glory to you, O Lord? 1182s

That's the vision, isn't it? 1187s

And that's the reality. 1190s

That's the reality of what God brings about. 1192s

A forgiven people freed to see and to live life by His grace, 1199s

with the soul focus. 1213s

How do I bring you glory? 1218s

That's really salty living, isn't it? 1226s

That's really, really salty. 1230s

With a whole lotter light. 1234s

Thank you. 1250s