Matthew 5:8

DAY 25

Date: 11-3-2024

Sermon on the Mount

Bearing Fruit in the Kingdom of Heaven

Scripture Matt 5:8

Pray

Read scripture: 

(NIV 1984).

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

Introductory Comments:

1. The “Already and the Not Yet” (With regards to “Pure in Heart.”)
   1. Definition:
      1. Something that is begun but not yet completed or
      2. Something that partial but not yet full
   2. Examples
      1. Kingdom on Heaven/God
      2. Salvation
      3. Blameless
      4. Be Holy
   3. Application to this verse in the ‘now.”
2. Spiritual vs Material (With regards to “seeing God” through the “eyes of faith.”
   1. Definition
   2. Application

Definition of Pure or Purity: 

Our book, at the top of page 60, describes Matthew’s usage of the word pure, which can also be translated “clean.” He says it often means (Holman Commentary) Scripture often “moral cleanness and purity. A simple but helpful way of looking at the word is to realize that it implies the absence of impurity or filth. It implies a singleness of purpose, without distraction.”

καθαρός
STRONG’S NUMBER:g2513
Dictionary Definition g2513. καθαρός katharos; of uncertain affinity; clean (literally or figuratively): — clean, clear, pure. 
AV (28) – pure 17, clean 10, clear 

1; clean, pure 

1. physically
   1. purified by fire, 
   2. in a similitude, like a vine cleansed by pruning and so fitted to bear fruit 
2. B.in a levitical sense 

1. clean, the use of which is not forbidden, imparts no uncleanness
2. ethically
   3. free from corrupt desire, from sin and guilt 
   4. free from every admixture of what is false, sincere genuine 
   5. blameless, innocent 
   6. unstained with the guilt of anything

The phrase “pure of heart” refers to straightness, honesty or clarity.

Diamonds are described by degrees of clarity.

bluenile.com diamond sellers use “The Diamond Clarity Scale,” which spans 11 Clarity Grades

• I1, I2, I3 Included Diamonds.
• SI1, SI2 Slightly Included (SI) Diamonds.
• VS1, VS2 Very Slightly Included (VS) Diamonds.
• VVS1, VVS2 Very, Very Slightly Included (VVS) Diamonds.
• Internally Flawless (IF) Diamonds.
• Flawless (FL) Diamonds.

Tiffany and Co. Jewelers says, “Tiffany only accepts engagement diamonds in the “colourless” and “near colourless” range on a diamond colour scale. For engagement diamonds, Tiffany only accepts D, E, F, G, H and I colour diamonds. Fancy colour diamonds such as yellow or pink diamonds have their own colour grades.

Gold also has standards of purity…. As do many other “precious”gems. 

God is interested in a genuine, inner, moral purity of the heart, not external appearances or even external behaviors.

That includes a single-minded devotion to God, as opposed to a double-minded heart, or someone who is “riding the fence,” or someone who has a “foot in each world.”

Overview

God is primarily interested in our hearts.
He is looking for people who growing in purity of heart.

Main Point(s)

Choose to be single-mindedly devoted to God.

Today’s Verses

V 8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.

Let’s look at today’s verse from it’s two halves. The first half being “pure in heart.”

The second half being “see God.’

First half first.

Q: What is the plain simple meaning of the first half of this verse?

A: Seek purity. If you want to see God – and who doesn’t!! – then pursue purity. Actively seek purity in your life. The keyword here, I think is “in heart.”

The first beatitude says, blessed are the poor “in spirit.” This one does not say that, but, rather, says, blessed are the pure “in heart.” It says “heart” in stead of “spirit.”

Q: Why do you think it says that?

A: Ps 24:3-6 is often referred to in connection with this beatitude, and helps us to see what Jesus telling us. It says, (NIV) 

“Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD?
Who may stand in his holy place?
4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not trust in an idol
or swear by a false god.
5 They will receive blessing from the LORD
and vindication from God their Savior.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek your face, God of Jacob.”

So that gives us a good clue. Now, another verse, this time from the New Testament, helps us understand even more. 

James says in 1:7 that a double-minded man is UNSTABLE in all he does, and that a double-minded person should not think he will receive anything from the Lord. That is serious! If we are double-minded, we will have split allegiances and split loyalties between good and evil, between right and wrong. Remember, there is no “middle ground. There are only two camps. God’s. And Satan’s. If we ride the fence between the the camps, we will have “impurities” in our thinking. We will have a foot on each side of the proverbial line drawn in the sand. We will not really be settled and firm in our conviction for God. We will not have made a definite stand for Jesus. We need to decide one way, or the other. We cannot be double-minded. And I think that what James says about being double-minded, or divided in our minds, also speaks to not being divided in our hearts, or not being, “double-hearted. 

Just as James is saying we need to be “single-minded, Jesus is saying we need to be “single-hearted.” Or “pure in heart.“

 Our hearts and our minds are very closely connected. 

Let me borrow language from James. If we are “double-hearted” we will be split. We will be pulled back and forth between the things of this world, and the things of God between. Our hearts will be divided between the kingdom of darkness and the Kingdom of light. We need to make a decision in our hearts – are we in or out. We need to choose a camp. We cannot drift back and forth between the two camps. We have to pick one or the other and stake a stand. We need to decide once and for all where we are going to plant our flag. Settle it, and stick with it. 

I believe that when we do that, we will see our Glorious God more clearly and brightly and beautifully than we ever have before. We will begin to see the Magnificent and Holy God for who He really is. We will see Him in our minds eye. We will begin to see Him through the eyes of faith, for we walk by faith and not by sight. Then, we will begin to Behold our Great God. 

The word “behold means

be·hold

/bəˈhōld/

verbARCHAIC•LITERARY

1. see or observe (a thing or person, especially a remarkable or impressive one).
   

I am basically an NIV guy, but I also like the ESV. One of the things I really like about the ESV is it’s usage of the word BEHOLD. 

In the NT alone, the ESV uses BEHOLD 146 times.

Strong’s defines behold as:

ἴδε

STRONG’S NUMBER:g2396

Dictionary Definitiong2396. ἴδε ide; second person singular imperative active of 1492; used as an interjection to denote surprise; lo!: — behold, lo, see.

AV (27) – behold 22, lo 3, look 1, see 1;

behold, see

Q: Do you think you can drift back and forth between camps? 

Q: Have you settled – really settled – in your heart – where you will plant your flag?

Choose God!! He IS worthy!!

Related vs: 

Q: How do we purify our own hearts? Indeed, CAN we even purify our own hearts?

A: 

About this verse, the NIVApplication Commentary says, (NIV Application “Commentary) In the sixth beatitude Jesus goes to the core of human life, the heart. Purity or cleanliness was an important religious theme in Jesus’ day. Observing all the Old Testament laws of being clean could bypass the most important purity of all, purity of the heart. Jesus declares here that a pure heart is what produces external purity, not vice versa (e.g., 15:1 – 19). In this beatitude Jesus continues an important Old Testament theme in which a pure heart describes a person whose single-minded loyalty to God affects every area of life.”

Related verses:

First part: “pure in heart.”

Acts 15:1-2; 6-9

(NIV 1984) 15:1-2 “Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.”2 This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them.”

(NIV 1984) 15:6-9 “The apostles and elders met to consider this question.7 After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. 8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9 He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.”

Rom. 2:28-29A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise is not from men, but from God.

Ps 51:6-12

(NIV 1984) 6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts;

you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;

wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

8 Let me hear joy and gladness;

let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

9 Hide your face from my sins

and blot out all my iniquity.

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11 Do not cast me from your presence

or take your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation

and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

———————————————————

Second half: “Seeing God.”

Q: What is the plain simple meaning of the second half of this verse?

A: I think for the first century follower of Christ, this verse could be taken both materially – or literally physically, and spiritually.

For us today, on this side of heaven, it is clearly to be taken spiritually. 

Related vs: 

(NIV) Ps 24:3-6 Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD?

Who may stand in his holy place?

4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,

who does not trust in an idol

or swear by a false god.

5 They will receive blessing from the LORD

and vindication from God their Savior.

6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,

who seek your face, God of Jacob.,

Col 1:15

He is the image of the invisible God…

2 Cor. 4:4

… Christ, who is the image of God.

John 14:9

Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.

———————————————————

Quote:

It is surprising to see what Jesus blesses. The teachers of Jesus’ time blessed especially Scripture study, and then faithfulness in observing Scripture, most visibly on the Sabbath and then particularly in all sorts of carefully prescribed good and dietary works. But in the Beatitudes, remarkably, it is difficult to put one’s finger on a specific activity that is blessed, on any concrete doing, like Scripture study or like a definite kind of social work or even like times or ways of prayer. In the Beatitudes Jesus seems to bless people at center, where they are most themselves (poor in spirit, mourning, powerless, hungering for righteousness, merciful, and now pure in heart).

Bruner, F. D. (2007). Matthew: A Commentary: The Christbook, Matthew 1–12 (Revised and Expanded Edition, Vol. 1, p. 175). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

Links:

https://www.gotquestions.org/already-not-yet.html

https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts/things-unseen-with-sinclair-ferguson/already-and-not-yet#:~:text=And the simplest way to,when Christ will come again 

https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/already-not-yet

Next Week:

Our next class will be on November 10.

We will be covering MATTHEW 5:9