I certainly hesitate to say that
one beatitude is more important than another because one is not
more important than the other. They're all of equal importance
and they stand or fall together. If one is there, they're all
there. If God has saved me, I have all of these beatitudes, these
states of blessedness. If one is there, they're all
there. And if one is absent, none of
them are there. But all of the Beatitudes come
from this sixth Beatitude, blessed are the pure in heart. Blessed are the pure in heart. It is only the pure in heart
who are poor in spirit before God. They believe they have nothing
to recommend themselves. It is only the pure in heart
who mourn before God over their sin. It is only the Pure in heart
who are meek before God. Now remember what meekness is.
It's an attitude toward God that believes everything He sends
my way is good because He sent it. And that makes it good. No
matter how painful or difficult it may be, it's for my good and
His glory. And I bow before whatever He
sends my way. It's good. Now only the pure
in heart can have that attitude of meekness before God. It is
only the pure in heart who hunger and thirst after righteousness.
They really believe that the righteousness of Christ is the
only righteousness there is and how they hunger and how they
thirst for his righteousness. It's only the pure in heart who
are merciful. They're the only ones who truly
know about what the mercy of God is. And they are merciful
having experienced the mercy of God to their souls. It is
only the pure in heart who are peacemakers. They seek peace. And it is only the pure in heart
who are persecuted for righteousness sake. They're the only ones who
know what righteousness is. And they're the only ones who
are persecuted for righteousness sake. But all of these things
come from a pure heart. And that word pure means without
spot, without blemish, a perfect heart. How many times do we read
in the old Testament of the good Kings who serve the Lord with
a perfect heart, a pure heart? Do I have this pure heart? Do you have a pure heart? Now, if I don't, I will not see
God. Now, what does the Bible mean
by the heart? It's spoken of frequently in the scriptures.
I love that passage of scripture in 1 Samuel 16, verse 7, where
it says, man looketh on the outward appearance. But the Lord looketh
on the heart. That's what the Lord sees when
he looks upon you and me. He looks upon our heart. The heart is who we really are. The heart is our mind, our understanding,
our affections, our will, our desire. That's who we really
are, the whole man. Your heart is the one who believes, the one
who loves, the one who hates, the one who desires, the heart. Pure in heart, blessed are the
pure in heart. Now I want us to look at three
scriptures. First turn to Genesis chapter six. Now, without this pure heart,
I will not see God. And look in Genesis 6, verse
5. And God saw that the wickedness
of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of
the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Now that's God's testimony. Look
in Jeremiah chapter 17. Every imagination of the thoughts
of the heart, only evil nonstop. Jeremiah 17 verse 9. The heart is deceitful above all things. The scripture says he that trusts
his heart is a fool. Trust your heart, better not. The heart is deceitful above
all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? Turn to Matthew
15. Verse 18, But those things which
proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart, and they
defile the man. For out of the heart proceedeth
evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witnesses,
blasphemies. These are the things which defile
a man. These things that come from the heart. But simply to
eat with unwashing hands, that doesn't defile a man. Question. Can that heart that I just read
about be pure? A heart that's desperately wicked
and deceitful above all things. Can that heart be pure? A heart
where every imagination is only evil continually. Can that heart
be pure? In Job chapter 14, verse 4, we
read, who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one. This heart that you and I have
by nature, the heart we're born with cannot be pure. It's evil. It's evil before God,
the heart I'm born with, and the heart you're born with. It's
desperately wicked. It's deceitful. It's nothing
but sin. It cannot be made pure. You see, the heart of the natural
man is the seed of sin, and yet we read it's only the pure in
heart that can see God. You see, the natural man cannot
see God because the natural man is spiritually blind. He can't
see any beauty in God. He can't see any beauty in God's
sovereignty and His control. He can't see any beauty in the
Lord's holiness, or His wisdom, or His justice, or His way of
salvation. He sees no beauty in God. He's spiritually blind. Very
much like a covetous man, a man who's greedy and covetous. And
covetous, he can't see any beauty in generosity. Why? He thinks
it's foolish. I mean, you're losing money by
being generous. You ought to save and watch out for yourself.
He sees no beauty. He's unable to because he's blind
to that. The natural man cannot see God. Now, what is this pure heart
that our Lord is talking about when He says, blessed are the
pure in heart, for they shall see God. Well, turn with me to
Ezekiel chapter 36. Verse 26. A new heart. Ezekiel 36 verse 26, a new heart
also will I give you. and a new spirit will I put within
you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh. I'll give you a heart of flesh
and I'll put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in
my statutes and you shall keep my judgments and do them. Now
this pure heart, understand this, this pure heart isn't the old
heart being changed and purified and made pure. It can't be. That
which is born of the flesh is flesh and it will never be any
different from that. This pure heart is the heart
that God gives in the new birth by His Spirit. That which is
born of the Spirit is Spirit. And it's a new heart. Now, can
God put something in you and that be sinful or evil? No. God's holy. What He puts in you
must be pure. Don't want my old heart changed. It's no good. I need a new heart,
like David said, create in me a clean heart, O God. Peter speaks
of the hidden man of the heart, which is not corruptible. And
he says that we're to love one another with a pure heart, fervently
being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible. And
Paul spoke of calling on the name of the Lord out of a pure
heart. This is the pure heart that has
this charity. The end of the commandment is
charity out of a pure heart. and of good conscience, and of
faith unfeigned. Now it's only the pure heart
that sees the evil of sin. Now I want you to think about
this. When I look within my heart, all I see is sin. And it's the pure heart that
sees that. If you don't have a pure heart, you can't see that. It's only the pure in heart that
sees this thing of sin. A natural man can't understand
this thing of sin. Now, this is the spirit that
David spoke of where there is no guile. No deceit, it's honest
before God. Blessed is he whose transgression,
whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man whom the Lord
will not impute sin, and in whose spirit there is no guile, no
deceit, no dishonesty. Let me show you a pure heart.
Turn with me to Romans chapter 7. This is the guile of spirit.
Romans chapter 7. I remember one time someone was
talking about Romans chapter 7, and they said, we need to
get out of Romans chapter 7 and get into Romans chapter 8. Well,
that's foolish. You never leave Romans chapter
7, and you never leave Romans chapter 8. Thank God for both
of those chapters. But Romans chapter 7, what is
interesting about this chapter, I can still remember the first
time I read this chapter. It flipped me out. I thought,
does it really say that? Yeah. Well, let's start in verse
14 of Romans chapter seven. Here is a pure heart. Here's
the speech of a pure heart, a heart with no guile, a heart with no
deceit. For we know, verse 14, we know
that the law is spiritual. God's holy law is utterly spiritual. It's a reflection of the holy
character of God. And when I see His law, what
do I say about myself? But I am carnal, fleshly, sold
under sin. For that which I do, I allow not. I don't approve of
it. For what I would, what I want
to do, I don't do. But what I hate, that do I. Paul, what's your problem? Let's go on reading. If then
I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it's
good. Now then it's no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth
in me, that old nature that's still there. For I know that
in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing. For to will is present with me.
I would be without sin. I would never disobey God again. I would never have a sinful thought.
I would never have a sinful deed. I would be just like the Lord
Jesus Christ. That's my will. I would. As the Lord is my witness, I
would be just like Christ. For to will is present with me, but how to perform that which
is good Notice he doesn't say sometimes I don't quite measure
up. He says, I find not. I find not. You know what that
is? Godlessness. That's the speech
of a pure heart, not a deceitful heart, but a pure heart. And
remember this, it's the new man that owns the sins of the old
man. I don't know how to explain that, but it's just so. If all
I had was an old man, I wouldn't even see the sins. It's the new
man that owns the sins of the old man. Verse 19. For the good
that I would, I do not. But the evil which I would not,
that I do. What is interesting about this,
before I go on reading, how many people have criticized the Apostle
Paul for having this kind of attitude? Now what's he talking
about? People who wouldn't even deserve
to tie his shoes. Wouldn't even deserve to breathe
the same air he breathes. You know, just as far as a man
goes. But yet they would stand in judgment on him for talking
like this. And the reason is, is they don't know anything of
this guileless spirit. They're deceitful. But here's
this guileless spirit speaking. Verse 20. Now if I do, then I
would not It's no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth
in me. It wasn't the pure heart that did it, it's the old heart.
I find in a law that when I would do good, evil is present with
me, for I delight in the law of God after the inward man. And I do too. I delight in God's
holy law. I love God's holy law. But I
see another law in my members. warring against the law of my
mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin, which is in
my members. Oh, wretched man that I am, who
shall deliver me from this body of death? I thank God through
Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with my mind I myself
serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. Now
that's the language of the pure in heart. Now what's the blessing of the
pure in heart? This pure heart is the new heart
A new heart will I give you. It's what God the Holy Spirit
places in a man when they're born from above and they're given
a heart that was not there before. This is the heart that believes. This is the heart that loves.
This is the heart that sees sin for what it is. This is the heart
that confesses sin before God. This is the heart that desires
and pants and breathes after holiness and likeness to the
Lord Jesus Christ. This is the heart that wants
to be and is just like Him. Housed in this sinful body that
you and I have. Now, our Lord said, blessed are
the pure in heart for they shall see God. Now here's the blessing
of the pure in heart. They shall see God. Hebrews 11 27 says they endured
as seeing him who is invisible. Now if you have a pure heart
you've seen him who is invisible. Having not seen Though now you see him not, yet
believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory,
receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Now, what does it take to see
God? Well, it takes a pure heart. Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they shall see God. It takes the new birth, which
is the same thing. Except a man be born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God. A natural man can't understand
the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ any more than a chimpanzee
can understand calculus. Can't understand it. Oh, they
might get the facts down, but there's no experience of it.
They never enter in, and they cannot understand. The only way
I can see God is if I've given this new heart, this pure heart
that was not there before. Turn with me to John chapter
9. Here's what it takes to see God.
It takes blindness. Now, I want
you to hear what I just said. It takes blindness to see God.
If you're not blind, you can't see. You've got to be blind before
you can see. Now, what do I mean by that?
What does the Bible mean by that? John chapter 9, verse 39. And
Jesus said, for judgment I'm coming to this world, that they
which see not might see, and they that they would see might
be made blind. And some of the Pharisees which
were with him heard these words and said unto him, are we blind
also? We're looking at you. Are you saying we're blind? Jesus
said unto them, if you were blind, you should have no sin. But now
you say we see, therefore your sin remaineth. Now who is this
blind person that he's speaking of? This blind person is that one
who cannot see why God would love them. They look at themselves and they
can't find one reason in themselves as to why God would love them. They can't see. Now that person
who can see, they can see why God would love them. They can
see why God would accept them. That person has been blinded. They're under the judicial blindness
of God. They can't see. But that person
who cannot see why God would look in favor their way as far
as any reason other than for Christ's sake. That's the only
reason there can be. That's the person who sees the
living God. It takes holiness to see God.
Follow peace with all men and holiness holiness, without which
no man shall see the Lord." That's that new heart. It takes faith.
Turn to John chapter 11. You're there in John. Turn to
John chapter 11. The Lord was speaking to Martha.
And Jesus said unto her, said I not unto thee, that if thou
wouldst believe thou shouldest see the glory of God. Now, if you believe, you'll see. And if we see, or if we don't
see, it's because we don't believe. If you'd believe, you'd see the
glory of God. You see, you won't see first
and then believe. That's not faith. If you see
first and then believe, that's walking by sight. You believe,
and in believing you see, and when you see, you believe. This
is the will of him that sent me, that everyone that seeth
the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life. Now, I don't see first, I believe. Let me give you a bunch of examples
of that. I can't see how God is one God in three different
persons. Can you see that? But I believe he is. And I see. I can't see how God never had
a beginning that he never began to be. I can't see that. But
I believe it. And I see it. I can't see how this sinner can
have always had personality before God. That He's always known me. That's what the scripture says.
Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee. That's what God
says. I can't see how I can have always
been before God, united to the Lord Jesus Christ. But I believe. And I see it. That's my only
hope. I can't see how God became a
man. But he did. And I believe. I can't see how the God-man died. He who is life, he has life in
himself. The God-man died? Somebody once called me up and
said, well, the man part died, but the God part didn't. Oh,
so you know how to explain that away. I don't understand it. But the God-man died and gave
himself life. I don't see that, but I believe
it. I don't see how my sin can be imputed to the Lord Jesus
Christ so that it actually becomes His and He becomes guilty of
it and God punishes Him. And I don't see how the righteousness
of Christ actually becomes mine so that I'm the very righteousness
of God. I don't see that, but I believe
it. If you'd believe You'd see the
glory of God. Blessed are the poor, the pure
in heart, for they shall see God. Now, first and foremost,
we see him in Christ. I think of what Philip said to
the Lord. He said it to Jesus, show us
the father. And it suffices. And the Lord
looked at him. And he said, Philip, have I been
so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me? He that hath seen me hath seen
the Father. Unto us a child is born, unto
us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders,
and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty
God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Well, I
thought He was the Son of God! He is! If you see Him, you've
seen the Father. He didn't say, it's just as if
you've seen the Father. He said, you've seen me, you've
seen the Father. He's the brightness of God's
glory and the express image of His person. When we see Jesus, we see God. When we see Him as our only way
to the Father, we see God. And we cry with Thomas, my Lord
and my God. We see God in nature. The pure
in heart see God in nature. Truly the heavens declare the
glory of God and the firmament showeth forth His handiwork.
Everything I see, I see God. He created. Everything. He created this universe from
nothing. He brought this universe into
existence as an act of His will. And it was the Lord Jesus Christ
who did it. And we see everything. Oh, we look at this planet. We look at the animals. We look
at the plants. We look at everything. This is
my Father's world. We see Him in Providence. To
this extent, the Lord said, not a sparrow falleth to the ground
without your heavenly Father. You know what that means? Every
event He is in control of. And here's what's so glorious
for a believer. It's all good. It's all good. Remember what David said to his
brothers? You meant it for evil. And they
did. But God meant it for good. And that means everything that
happens to me, God means it for good. God did it. He means it
for good. It's for His glory and my good. And it's to teach me to trust
Him and to look to Him. I see God in providence. Everything that happens, He's
in control. Isn't that wonderful? I'm so
thankful. It's all good. That's why there's
no bad news. It's all good. Like Scott Richardson
said, ever since I heard the good news, I've never heard bad
news. It's all good. We see him in
Providence. We see him in the scriptures.
You know, I know God wrote this book. Nobody talked me into believing
it. I know it for myself. You know,
when I read this book, I know this is the Word of God. I know
it is. Can you prove that? No. Do you
feel the need to? No, I know this is the Word of
God. And He's going to do with it whatever He, His Word's not
going to go void. It's going to accomplish Whatever
he sends it for, but I know this book is regarding the Lord Jesus
Christ. I know this book is all about
the Lord Jesus Christ. I know that. He said, you search
the scriptures to the Pharisees, in them you think you have eternal
life. If I can obey this rule, if I can obey this, if I can
stop doing this and start doing that, I'll have eternal life.
He said, they are they that testify of me. Every single one of them. They are they which testify of
me. I see the Lord Jesus Christ.
I see God in this book. Most clearly, do we see God in
that one hanging on the cross. When I think of the Lord Jesus
Christ nailed to a cross, I see God in His fullness. Every attribute of God is displayed
in the cross. How we see His wisdom in making
a way to be just and justify the ungodly. How we see His sovereign
purpose being accomplished, the Lamb slain from the foundation
of the world. How we see His justice and His
holiness. He will not let sin go unpunished,
even if it's on His Son. But how we see His love His grace,
His mercy. God so loved the world that He
gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should
not perish, but have eternal life. We see God. And you know, we see God and
His people. Let me ask you a question. I'm not asking if you see God
in yourself. But do you see God in his people? You know, it takes grace to see
grace. Did you know that? It takes grace to see grace,
but if you got grace, you see it. And you see, I'm looking
at some people that I actually see God in. I'm not just saying
that. Now, if I tell you individually,
I see God in you, you're going to have a hard time. But I do. You see God in me. Now, when
you tell me, I don't, but you do. You see, we see God in his
people by his grace. And we see God in that we actually
have fellowship and communion with him. Fellowship with God. Lord hears me. And I'm fit for
fellowship. Fit to be His friend. He hath
made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints
in light. Everybody that's in heaven, I've
got what they've got. Now, I've not got rid of my flesh
yet. That's going to happen. But I
have what they have. And I am fit for fellowship with
the living God. And one of these days, we'll see him face to face. You know, Paul said, now we see
through a glass dimly. And it is dim, isn't it? We see
through a glass darkly, but then face to face. David said, as
for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness. I'll be satisfied. when I awake in thy likeness. Now, can you imagine when we
see, you can't imagine this, but when I see him face to face,
I won't have guilt. I won't have the shame or the
awareness of my sin. I'm going to behold his face
in righteousness. Now, the first thing I think
of when I think of him looking at me, I look down, look down,
but not then. Until then, we walk by faith
and not by sight, while we look not at things that are seen,
but things that are not seen. For the things that are seen,
they're temporary. But the things that are not seen
are eternal. Blessed, oh, how blessed of God. are the pure in heart, for they
shall see God. Let's pray together.