A Pure Heart

⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8

When I first got saved one of my goals was to keep my sins to a minimum or, better yet, get rid of them all together. Like you, I have a list of the ones that seem to plague me the most. Twenty years later, I have made advancement in the battle against these sins. As a matter of fact, if you told me twenty years ago about the progress I might make, I would have been pretty happy, maybe even proud.  However, twenty years later I know better.  You see my list of “don’ts” was all external. Do not do this. Do not do that. Do not act out on that impulse. But what I know twenty years later is that my heart can also defile me. I understood do not commit adultery, but Jesus says do not even think about it.  I know I should not murder and have never even come close, but Jesus says that if we are angry without cause we are in danger of judgment. Where does that leave me? Pretty hard to be proud when you have to look inward, not just outward. It makes me want to be like the Apostle Paul and shout “Who will save this wretched man!”

It is Jesus who saves this wretched man. The good news is that Jesus died to save those who are not pure in heart. That includes of us. No one is born with a pure heart. If you don’t believe me, read Romans 3. When we accept Jesus as our Savior we become more than just forgiven. We are born again.  The Bible says that we become new creatures in Christ. Just like the growth of a child born into this world we as Christians grow as well. We start off as babies and hopefully grow into mature Christians. This includes growing our character, victory over sin, and even the purification of our hearts. 

The question is how do we grow and allow our hearts to become purified. There are a lot of legitimate things we can do to grow as Christians and help purify our hearts, but I would like to explore just one area -- relationship. Christianity is not a religion; it is a relationship with God. Spending time with God purifies our hearts. If you sit in God’s presence it will change you; furthermore, we become like whom spend time with. Spend time in prayer, as David prayed “Create in me a clean heart, O God.” (Ps. 51:10). Spend time reading His Word. Spend time with His body (the church). Spending time with God in these will purify your heart.

When we spend time looking inward it can be a pretty scary thing. Thanks be to God who gives us the grace to change not only what we look like outwardly, but who we are inwardly. 

Exposed

Jesus said ^“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” (Matthew 5:7, ESV) A simple definition of mercy is not getting something bad that you do deserve.  When we ask God to forgive our sins we are asking for mercy. David cried “Have mercy on me, O God,   according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.” (Psalm 51:1)  Needless to say we need mercy.

A Christian is someone who has realized their need for God’s mercy and has cried out to Jesus to save them.  Because of this Christians should be the most merciful people on the planet. As a matter of fact, when Christians are not merciful there is something wrong. In Matthew 18 Jesus told a parable of a man who owed a king a great debt.  The man could not pay and begged the king to show him mercy.  The king did and forgave the man’s debt.   The same man went out and found someone who owed him money and demanded to be paid. The other man begged for mercy asking to be forgiven his debt, but the man would not.  When the king found out that the man he had forgiven would not forgive another man’s debt, he was furious. He rebuked him saying “should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’” (Matthew 18:33) The king then threw him in prison until he could pay all his debt.  The point of the parable is that once God has shown you mercy by forgiving you, you had better show others mercy by forgiving them.

Why would a man who was forgiven a great debt refuse to forgive another man his debt? The answer is that the man was not truly repentant in his heart. He just wanted to get out of a jam. When he got out of the jam he went back to being his old miserable self. In the same way people who call themselves Christians hearts are exposed when they have a chance to show others mercy. If you realize just how much God did for you by showing you mercy, you should jump at the chance to show mercy to others. How could we who cried “Mercy Lord!” and received it, not do anything but lavish mercy on others? If you refuse to show mercy to others it may show that you never really repented and turned to Jesus, but that you just wanted out of a jam.   Don’t be like the man in the parable. Instead be exceedingly generous in showing mercy to others! God was to you.

Seen Any Good Movies Lately?

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled Matthew 5:6

The other day I went to the movies. As usual there was a series of previews before the movie. And as usual there was a series of previews for movies that push the envelope of unrighteousness. From sex, to murder, to straight out evil (in this case witchcraft and demonic activity), it would seem as if the producers of these movies actually opened the Bible, saw what God says not to do, and then made a movie glorifying it. Over the years there has been a steady diet of these types of movies and TV shows fed to America.  As the years go by, the entertainment industry gets progressively worse and worse. You will occasionally hear someone protest by asking, “Why does Hollywood make such filth?” The unfortunate answer is that we have a taste for this type of “entertainment”. America has developed an appetite for unrighteousness.

Standing in contrast to our culture, Jesus says “ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.”  People who hunger and thirst for righteousness have a deep desire in them to see God’s perfect standard lived out not only in their lives, but in our world.  Most evangelical Christians would agree that much of what Hollywood produces is a stark rebellion to God’s righteous standard. Although we may know this to be true, we seem to think that it is acceptable for entertainment value.  Romans 1:32 states,  “ Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.” (ESV) Even if we do not practice the things we see in the movies or on TV, watching and paying to watch them is a type of approval. Christians should be aware of what God’s standard calls for in this area.

When I was growing up the wisdom from many of the church’s leaders was that it was wrong to even step into a movie theater or rent a video.  I am not endorsing that viewpoint. There is nothing wrong with watching a movie for entertainment value. However, we a Christians should practice much discernment with what we watch.  Not only for our own personal holiness, but we are showing approval of the content of a movie when we watch it. Each individual Christian should make a decision about what they watch. Do you believe that God hates adultery? Why would you watch a movie or a TV show that glorifies adultery? Finally, imagine the effect it would have on the entertainment industry if everyone who claimed to be a Christian would not watch movies that stand in direct contrast with Christ’s teaching. Not only would it be a witness to them that we believe in Jesus, but that we believe Him. Imagine if by our witness we could change what Hollywood produces.  

Strength Under Control

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5

Jesus declares “blessed are the meek.”  However, Americans do not appear to agree.  Most people see being meek as a weakness instead of an asset. Several years ago, I was watching a baseball game where the camera panned in on someone wearing a t-shirt that read “The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing.” It seems that our culture has not only rejected what God values, but, in the case of meekness, it flat out mocks it. 

Before we discuss what meekness is, it is necessary to discuss what it is not.  Meek is not a synonym for weak or pushover.  Slumped shoulders and spinelessness does not personify meekness. The wimpy kid is just wimpy not meek.   Jesus described Himself as meek, and Jesus was not a wimp. Just ask the money changers in the temple.

So what does meek mean? In actuality meekness is strength, strength under control.  In any study of the word meek, you are likely to see the example of a horse.  When a horse gets “meeked”, its power becomes harnessed and it is under control. We see meekness illustrated in Jesus Himself. The Greek word used for meek in Matthew 5:5, praus, is the same word for gentle used in Matthew 11:29 when Jesus says, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”  Jesus is our all-powerful Lord and master, but He is not harsh or heavy-handed. Instead, He chooses to gently lead us.  Jesus is not a cowboy who drives His cattle by force, but the Good Shepherd who gently leads His Sheep. 

Meekness is lived out in at least two ways in our culture. First, it is lived out is in authority over others. We are to use the strength, power, and authority we have, not to get our way with others, but for their good. Jesus told His disciples He wanted them to serve those they were in authority of over. Any kind of authority was have as Christian leaders, parents, spouses, bosses, etc., is for the good of others, not to use as leverage for ourselves.  Meekness is also lived out when we accept when things do not go our way.  Some people cannot accept it when things do not go their way. They scream, kick and fight until they get what they want. This is the antithesis of being meek.  The meek live out the command to consider others and better than themselves (Phil 2:3) and trust God for His provision. 

You still may not think of being meek as something to be desired, but God does.  God is going to reward the meek by allowing them to reign with Him in His Kingdom. Those who lord their authority over others for their good or fight to get every last thing they want, have their kingdom now. 

When Poor Means Rich

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted”  Matthew 5:3-4

God’s values are not man’s values. What we perceive as a blessing is not always a blessing, and what we perceive as a curse is not always a curse.  Jesus begins His Sermon on the Mount with a section referred to as “The Beatitudes.”  The word “Beatitude” is from Latin origin and means being in a state of supreme happiness or blessing. Jesus declares nine groups of people to be “blessed.” However, these people possess qualities, attributes and circumstances that Americans would never consider a blessing.  God sees our present circumstances differently than we do because He views things from an eternal perspective.  The circumstances that can bring hardship, suffering and turmoil now are judged against the fruit they may bring for eternal life.

The first group of people who are blessed are those who are poor in spirit. To be poor is spirit means to understand that you are spiritually bankrupt.  Most people consider themselves to be generally good people. They view themselves as having some flaws and having sinned a few times, but they think that as a whole they are good and deserve to go to heaven.  They believe this because they compare themselves not to God and His righteous standard, but to the outright evil people they see on the news.  By contrast, those who are poor in spirit recognize their own sin and acknowledge the dire consequences of it. The poor in spirit do not evaluate themselves against others, but against God’s perfect standard.  They do not believe that they deserve heaven, but the poor is spirit realize that they are utterly impoverished when it comes to their spiritual condition. Jesus says that these who are poor in spirit will inherit the kingdom of heaven.

The second group of people who are blessed are those who mourn.  They mourn for their sin and the condition in which their sin leaves them.  They do not dismiss or even glorify sin, as our culture does, but they view their sin and sinful condition soberly.  They look on their sin and their souls are moved to mourning when realizing how they sinned against a good and loving God.  Jesus states that these people who mourn will be comforted.

The first two beatitudes seem to go hand in hand. Being poor in spirit and knowing that you are spiritually bankrupt leads to mourning. The poor in spirit have the humility to know that they need a Savior, and He brings them to the kingdom of heaven.  Those who mourn will be consoled because they will cry out to King Jesus and He will comfort them.

Coming to grips with your poverty is not easy, and no one wants to mourn, but owning up to your condition now leads to the riches of eternal life.

Letters to God

A while back I read an article[1] about “letters to God” that had washed up on the beach.  About 300 people had written letters to a local minister, asking him to pray to God on their behalf. Apparently the minister had died, and the person who came to clean out his apartment found a garbage bag   full of unopened letters containing numerous prayer requests.  Many of the letters had a somber tone, asking God to forgive them for sins they committed, or for such things as interceding for relatives that were abusing drugs. Apparently when the person cleaning up the apartment found the letters, he did not want to throw them away in the trash, so he threw them in the ocean, kind of a message in a bottle idea. The tone of the original article was one of sad irony. People wrote a minister asking him to pray to God for them. The minister never read the letters, died and the prayer requests went not before God, but in the ocean.

While there is much value in asking others to intercede on our behalf, the good news is that, because of what Jesus did on the cross, we can go directly to God ourselves. “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)  Jesus paid for our sins on the cross and we were washed clean, standing before God without stain or blemish.  Believers can come confidently before God in prayer, knowing that He hears them.  God lavishes mercy and grace on those who ask for it.  We can come to God when we sin, find restoration, and also receive the power and strength to overcome sins hold on our lives.   

Another great New Testament truth is that Jesus is praying for us!  Romans 8:34 declares “It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.”  Jesus died for us, has risen from the dead, and now is in heaven at the right hand of the Father, praying for you and me.  Many people think it would be great to have a godly man like Billy Graham praying for us. The fact is that Jesus is praying for us. What an amazing and inspiring truth, God is praying for us!

Whatever your request is, whatever you have to confess, whatever need arises, you can come directly before God with your request, not only does He hear you, He is praying for you!

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[1] Original Article by Wayne Parry , Associated Press, 11/03/2006 

The Ultimate Gift

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 is probably the most well-known verse of our time. It is not commonly associated with Christmas, but it is the heart of gospel and the gospel is the heart of the Christmas story. For God so loved He gave the world a gift, a gift it desperately needed.

Everyone in the world is born with a fatal condition, sin. According to the Bible, all humanity has sinned and the penalty for sin is death. Thankfully, God, in His great mercy, had a plan to redeem mankind from its fatal condition. On the very first Christmas, God showed His love by sending His Son Jesus Christ into the world to save it.  

God’s gift to the world was the ultimate gift for several reasons. First, it was the gift we needed most. We were hopeless without Christ. The Bible is clear that there is no amount of good deeds we can do to erase the sins we have already committed. Only the Son of God, who lived a sinless perfect life, could offer Himself as an acceptable payment for our sins.

Second, His gift was the ultimate gift because of its great cost. For God so loved the world that He gave what was most precious to Him, His own Son. The perfect sinless Son of God paid the ultimate price for our redemption by laying down His life. We cannot grasp the full significance of this, but we need not downplay it either. The gift was priceless. 

Next, God’s gift was the ultimate gift because of its power.  “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes,” (Romans 1:16.) Many people will say, “God can never forgive me because of what I have done.” God is able to forgive us of all sin, small or great, because the Lord’s death was the perfect sacrifice for all sin.

Finally, we must accept God’s ultimate gift. God’s gift was sending His Son Jesus Christ to save you. Through His death and resurrection anyone who calls on the name of Jesus can be saved. However, God does not force His gift upon you. You must accept it to be saved. You accept it by believing it is true. Jesus died on the cross and rose again three days later. He is alive today. Cry out to Him in faith and trust in the power of the cross. I ask you to accept God’s free gift of salvation. Mark Christmas 2012 as the time you received God’s ultimate gift and saved your soul.