Obey Purity (6 of 8)
Series: Obeying the Beatitudes
Steve Jones
Matthew 5
INTRODUCTION: The man needed a heart transplant. The surgeon said I have three hearts from which to choose. First is an 18-year-old track star's heart. Second is a 25-year-old Olympic swimmer's heart. Finally, is the 78-year-old lawyer's heart. Which do you choose?'' ''I'll take the lawyer's heart.'' ''The LAWYER's heart? But why?'' ''I want one that's never been used.''
My apologies to any lawyers today. I don't want to talk about lawyers but I do want to talk about hearts.
Mt.5:8 ''Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.''
The first thing we learn from this beatitude is that Jesus is concerned with our heart. It is not enough to clean up our act on the outside. Jesus is not interested in being a ''sin manager.'' The way to authentic change is to change the heart.
The heart is what we are, in the secrecy of our thought and feeling, when nobody knows but us and God. And what we are at the invisible root matters as much to God as what you are at the visible branch.
I Sam.16:7
''Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart ''
Mt.12:35 ''A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart.''
So the heart is utterly crucial to Jesus. What we are in the deep, private recesses of our lives is what he cares about most. Jesus did not come into the world simply because we have some bad habits that need to be broken. He came into the world because we have dirty hearts that need to be purified.
Three Questions
So let's ask briefly in the moments we have,
1. What is it to see God?
2.
3. What is it to be pure in heart?
4.
5. And, how are these two things bound together?
6.
I. What is it to see God?
First, to see God means to be admitted to his presence. After the plague of darkness on Egypt, Pharaoh ...
Series: Obeying the Beatitudes
Steve Jones
Matthew 5
INTRODUCTION: The man needed a heart transplant. The surgeon said I have three hearts from which to choose. First is an 18-year-old track star's heart. Second is a 25-year-old Olympic swimmer's heart. Finally, is the 78-year-old lawyer's heart. Which do you choose?'' ''I'll take the lawyer's heart.'' ''The LAWYER's heart? But why?'' ''I want one that's never been used.''
My apologies to any lawyers today. I don't want to talk about lawyers but I do want to talk about hearts.
Mt.5:8 ''Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.''
The first thing we learn from this beatitude is that Jesus is concerned with our heart. It is not enough to clean up our act on the outside. Jesus is not interested in being a ''sin manager.'' The way to authentic change is to change the heart.
The heart is what we are, in the secrecy of our thought and feeling, when nobody knows but us and God. And what we are at the invisible root matters as much to God as what you are at the visible branch.
I Sam.16:7
''Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart ''
Mt.12:35 ''A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart.''
So the heart is utterly crucial to Jesus. What we are in the deep, private recesses of our lives is what he cares about most. Jesus did not come into the world simply because we have some bad habits that need to be broken. He came into the world because we have dirty hearts that need to be purified.
Three Questions
So let's ask briefly in the moments we have,
1. What is it to see God?
2.
3. What is it to be pure in heart?
4.
5. And, how are these two things bound together?
6.
I. What is it to see God?
First, to see God means to be admitted to his presence. After the plague of darkness on Egypt, Pharaoh ...
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