Sermon Tone Analysis

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” ()

Purity of heart has two distinct but related senses in Scripture.

First, it is that inner moral holiness that is the opposite of external piety.

Old Testament prophets contrasted ritual observance of the law (especially laws of sacrifice and circumcision)

with covenant obedience that flowed from love and sincerity of heart.

Moses called on Israel to circumcise their hearts, not simply their flesh (; ).

Samuel said, “To obey is better than sacrifice” ().In a psalm of worship, David asked,

"Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?

Who may stand in his holy place?

"The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not appealed to what is false, and who has not sworn deceitfully.

"He will receive blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.”

()

Jeremiah heaped scorn on Israelites who claimed refuge in

the temple of the Lord while they oppressed the weak and chased after other gods (; cf. ).

Second, purity can mean simplicity and freedom from double-mindedness.

The pure, on this view, are those who show mercy because they love mercy, not to gain a reward.

The pure show kindness to children who cannot thank us, to strangers whom we will never see again.

In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus promotes purity in both senses.

As for the first, Jesus expects our internal purity to match our external purity.

For example, we must shun adultery in thoughts and deeds (5:27–30).

Doriani, D. M. (2008).

Matthew & 2. (R. D. Phillips, P. G. Ryken, & D. M. Doriani, Eds.) (Vol. 1, p. 123).

Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing.

We should pray in public, but should be more intent on praying in private (6:5–6).

Jesus flays the scribes and Pharisees for their merely external religion:

“You tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness” (23:23).

They look righteous on the outside, but are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness (6:1–18).

As for the second sense of purity, Jesus blesses the eye that is set on one thing, the will that determines to serve one master (6:22–24).

Purity of motivation is essential to discipleship.

The second and sixth beatitudes form a pair.

The disciple who mourns over sin will desire to be pure in heart.

If we recognize our sins, both sinful deeds and sinful thoughts, and

f we recognize our sins, both sinful deeds and sinful thoughts, and if we hate those sins, then we will try to rip them out, like so many noxious weeds.

if we hate those sins, then we will try to rip them out, like so many noxious weeds.

We will become pure in heart; we will see God.

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” ()

Doriani, D. M. (2008).

Matthew & 2. (R. D. Phillips, P. G. Ryken, & D. M. Doriani, Eds.) (Vol. 1, p. 124).

Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing.

Doriani, D. M. (2008).

Matthew & 2. (R. D. Phillips, P. G. Ryken, & D. M. Doriani, Eds.) (Vol. 1, p. 123).

Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing.

Let’s look at our text this morning under three simple headings.

THE CORRUPT CAUSES of the cursed.

This corruption cause the heart to be blind and not see God.

A man that’s drunk cannot see clearly.

His vision is distorted.

Those that have drunk deeply of the cups of sin become spiritually blind and are unable to see afar off!

There are moral beauties and immoral horrors which certain men cannot see because they are impure in heart.

In the OT (1 Sam.

11) there’s a man named Nahash the Ammonite.

He wanted to make Israel accept his supremacy which consisted in allowing him to gouge out their right eyes.

Satan leaves men their left eye, and in worldly knowledge they are quick-sighted enough.

But their right eye of spiritual knowledge is gouged out!

"In their case, the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” ()

Ignorance is satan’s strong hold called the “power of satan”.

When Paul is telling of the commission given to him by Jesus he says,

"I will rescue you from your people and from the Gentiles.

I am sending you to them "to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’” ()

describes the demons as being chained in deep darkness awaiting the day of judgment.

So too are all ignorant men!

With impure hearts, man sees no need of purity.

They become like the church of Laodicea that say, “I’m rich, I have become wealthy and need nothing” (v17).

And yet Jesus tells them that “you don’t realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.”

(v17)

It’s a dreadful thing with the diseased man isn’t sensible to his disease!

To hear a man diseased with sin who say , “I have no need for repentance”.

Jesus gives these parables in about lost sheep.

Jesus is responding to the Jewish religious leaders who are criticizing him for welcoming sinners (v2).

And listen to how Jesus contrasts the religious people with saved people.

"I tell you, in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who don’t need repentance.”

()

The religious crowd thinks that they don’t need repentance.

There’s ignorance,

those who don’t see their need for a pure heart.

Then there’s the heart of unbelief.

An unbelieving heart is an impure heart.

Scripture calls it explicitly “an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.” ()

Unbelief is a God-affronting sin.

It puts a lie upon God.

Listen to the apostle John’s take on unbelief:

"...The one who does not believe God has made him a liar...” ()

There cannot be a greater affront to the God of glory!

Unbelief causes us to trust in secondary causes, which is setting the creation in the place of the Creator.

Asa, “even in his disease he didn’t seek the LORD but only the physicians.”

()

He relied more on the physicians, than upon God.

O high affront, to lean upon the reed, and neglect the Rock of ages!

There is also the same thing with regards to spiritual truth as well as moral truth.

THE COMPREHENSIVE COMFORT of the blessed.

PURIFICATION OF THE HEART USHERS US TO A MOST GLORIOUS SIGHT! “they will see God.”

Wow! What’s this mean?

This is the perfection of the soul’s happiness to see God.

Seeing Him by faith in our present time is a taste of heaven on earth.

The pure in hear will be able to see God in creation.

When our hearts are clean we’ll hear God’s footprint in the garden of the earth in the cool of the day.

You’ll hear this voice in the gentle breeze and the hurricane!

Every peal of lightening & thunder shows forth the power of God!

They behold the Lord walking on the great and mighty waters, or see Him in every leaf that tumbles in the breeze.

To the pure in heart they see the glory of God in the deepest caverns of the sea or

the outer realms of the deserts,

in every start that glows across the brow of midnight!

The pure in heart see God in the Scriptures.