Sermon Central
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Pure In Heart Series
Contributed by Mike Lewis on Nov 28, 2023 (message contributor)
Summary: As Jesus continues to preach these different beatitudes, he spells out the different virtues of what makes a disciple close to God’s intention for mankind and how we can be blessed by God.
WELCOME & INTRODUCTION
A CLEAN GETAWAY
In May of 2019, Nate Roman, 44, of Marlborough, Massachusetts, arrived home and noticed immediately that something wasn’t right. After looking around his house, he called the police. What was wrong? The place was too clean.
“You could smell the cleaning products,” he told reporters, and the house was spotless but nothing was stolen that he could tell.
“My son’s room has never looked better,” he said.
The police were just as dumbfounded as Roman was. Their theory: a professional cleaning service went to the wrong address, and got in through the unlocked back door. That would explain the toilet paper origami roses that Roman found in his bathroom.
He admitted that the experience was unsettling…but he was so impressed with the work that he would like to know how much the intruders charge to come do it again. Authorities have no leads in this case and no suspects to question.
Roman added, “There’s a chance they will be back tomorrow. They didn’t clean the kitchen which was a little disappointing.”
In this case, someone likely had good intentions to clean a home but got the wrong one. Their hearts were in the right place, but they made a mistake and cleaned the wrong house. This makes me think of our beatitude that we are reading this morning in Matthew 5:8. By the way if anyone wants to ever make this mistake at our house, we will leave the doors unlocked.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
As Jesus continues to preach these different beatitudes, he spells out the different virtues of what makes a disciple close to God’s intention for mankind and how we can be blessed by God. This beatitude in particular is a special one. Using the last beatitude as a springboard, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” We begin to see Jesus telling the hearer what they need to be in a right relationship with God. Receiving mercy from God is the beginning step that a disciple needs here on earth. We need that mercy. Now, we hear that the pure in heart shall see God.
This beatitude has roots in the song David writes in Psalm 24. We read this in our scripture reading this morning. Let’s read this again and look at what David writes in his 24th Psalm.
1 The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof,
the world and those who dwell therein,
2 for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.
3 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.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah
7 Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle!
9 Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory! Selah
David writes this song reminding people that the earth, the world and everything and everyone in it are God’s. He created this world. It is His. His question then comes in the form of “Who can ascend to God? Who can stand in his holy place? The answer is he who has clean hands, a pure heart, the one who doesn’t lift his soul to the false and does not swear to deceitful living. He will receive blessing.
This encapsulates the beatitude of Matthew 5:8. The earth is God’s and only those who have clean hands, a pure heart and lives in the truth can stand with God in his holy place. If we think to those in scripture who were able to do this, who do you think of?
DAVID
Before David was even made King, he was called a man after God’s heart. His desire to please God, to worship Him and serve Him, to praise God in everything, to know that God would protect and guide his people even in the midst of scary times like battling the Philistines. David was this man. Even knowing the mistakes and sins of David’s life now, we also see a man who desired to please God. His heart was God’s. That is why when looking for this future king, the Lord said in First Samuel 16,
