Scripture: Matthew 5:8; Matthew 5:21-26; Acts 15:8-11
Read Matthew 5:8
In this, the 6th
of Jesus’ Beatitudes, we read that only the “pure in heart” will ever
have the opportunity to “see God”.
But this statement should raise at least one question in our minds – and
that is, “what does having a pure heart require for our lives?”. That’s a pretty good question – I’m glad you
asked!
The truth is that “purity of
heart” goes far beyond the simple elimination of sinful thoughts and actions
from our life. This purity involves the
quality of life that we have, and live, and reveal to others through our love
of God in Christ Jesus. In Galatians1:8-10, we discover that if we are listening to, and accepting any word
that does not match what the prophets have proclaimed to the people, or what
the epistle writers have shared with the Church, or what Jesus has taught us,
we are no longer living with a pure heart. In another sense, later in Matthew’s gospel (6:22-24), the Lord tells us that it is impossible to serve two
masters – that we can only love one at a time.
And that when we turn to a false “master” for life, that our
entire body will be filled with darkness!
James 4:7-8 also reminds us that we should be “7 Submit(ing) ourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and
he will flee from you. 8 Come
near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners,
and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” Purity
of heart is only available to us through faith in Jesus Christ and obedience to
the Word of God, for double-mindedness, which today we might refer to as “straddling
a fence”, will only serve to corrupt any faith that we might have once had, and
will destroy any hope of ever passing through the Judgment unscathed.
A purified heart from Jesus is the only way.
Read Matthew 5:21-26
As Jesus ventures further
into His Sermon, we discover that a wholesome relationship with God demands a
wholesome relationship with each other.
In Matthew 22:34-40, we find Jesus being tested by the Pharisees,
and being asked what, in His opinion, is the greatest commandment. He replies that there are two that are
mutually dependent upon each other – that the first is to love the Lord your
God with all your heart and soul and mind, and that the second is to love your
neighbor as yourself. The point is that
if we aren’t loving both, then we aren’t loving either.
Jesus continues with some
examples of what loving God and neighbor is all about. He mentions “murder”, which of course, is
condemned in the 6th of the commandments (Exodus 20:1-17), with
murder being the taking of a life solely for your own benefit and
advantage. But Jesus tells us that general
obedience of this command isn’t enough, that an anger that is never delt with
is just as bad. Ephesians 4:25-27
tells us that anger is going to happen in our lives, but that to let it
fester beyond the end of that day is nothing short of a sin.
The second example involves
our relationship with other persons, and the terms brothers and sisters refer specifically
to other men and women of faith – not simply blood relatives, and not all of
humanity, but those who also believe in Jesus.
We need to take note of the fact that in this passage, Jesus is speaking
to other Jews, and that He is referring to the law of Israel –Torah. But in our situation as faithful believers in
Jesus, this call is directed toward all who have put their life and trust in
Christ.
And if there are any
unresolved issues between us as we begin to come before the Lord, whether in
worship or in offering some other gift to God, we are to resolve our
differences before completing our offering. It would appear that Jesus feels that if
believers are experiencing differences with each other, either in life or in
faith, that have caused divisiveness between them, they need to take care of
them before coming to the Father. If
not, then how can our worshipful gifts have any significance before the Lord?
And what if we don’t work for
a resolution? Does it effect the depth
of our love for God? Does it diminish
the heart-felt honesty of our offering?
We must always remember that the “Greatest Commandment” has two parts to
it – loving God with every ounce of our being, and loving our brothers and
sisters in faith as much as we love ourselves!
Without them both, we have nothing!
And the third example? Jesus is telling us that while we still live
within the kingdom of earth, we also live, by faith, in the kingdom of
God. So He is also offering us some
divine advice on the best way to live in the here and now! I think that His point is that human judgement
has no claim on being perfect, and especially in that they offer no assurance
that their decisions will even be just.
So what is the best way to resolve our worldly conflicts? To work it out the best that we can with
whoever we are in conflict with. And,
when it is all possible, I truly believe that this would achieve the best
resolution that we could ever hope for!
When purity has filled and
changed our heart, whether we are dealing with worldly issues or those related
to our faith, God’s pure and perfect way will always work to our
benefit.
Read Acts 15:8-11
Peter hadn’t always been a strong advocate for
welcoming gentiles into the faith, until, that is, the day when the Lord gave
him a vision of a large sheet being let down from heaven, containing all kinds
of animals, both those that were acceptable in the Law and those that were
not. And in that vision, Peter
discovered that it was God’s will that not only Jews could be welcomed into
glory, but so could gentiles. It was
within minutes of that revelation that the servants of Cornelius, a Roman military
officer, came to invite him to come to his home to teach him and his household
about Jesus. (Acts 10:1-48) This was a landmark moment and turning point
for Peter.
And now he was using the very proof that had always
been the affirmation that the Jews alone had been chosen for salvation – that
it was the Holy Spirit’s filling that affirms us within God’s will, and not
human understanding or desire. We all
know that salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ, as well as obedience and trust
in all that He taught us, but Peter had to put his faith into the
proper perspective, and when he did, everything was made new.
Peter offers the thought that it is God, and only
God, who truly knows the heart of all people, and never shows favoritism to any
group of people over any other – it is always about faith in the Son of
God. And when we believe in Him, it is
the Lord who purifies our hearts and forgives our sins. It is the Lord God who fills us with His
Spirit. It is God Himself who makes us
equal in His eyes and heart, and who calls the faithful to see each other in
the same way.
“Blessed are the pure of heart…”, for by the
will and work of God, we shall be made worthy, and allowed into His presence on
the day when He finally overcomes and banishes evil from our lives. And that will be a day of great rejoicing, as
well as great mourning. And life, as everyone
will know, will never be the same again.
May the presence of God’s Holy Spirit fill our lives
to overflowing with glory, this very day.
