Parkwood Baptist Church

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

“The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” – Paul  (1 Timothy 1:5)

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart…” (1 Peter 1:22)

What does it mean when something is pure?  I know that when a container of orange juice says “100% pure” I assume that there is nothing but orange juice in it.  When something is pure it is free of contaminants or additives.  The sixth beatitude that Jesus gives us is a call to be pure in heart.  Let me remind you that Jesus has given five steps that have prepared us for this leg of our journey to a “blessed” life…a simplified life.

First, when the Scripture refers to our heart, it is talking about the center of our being…the seat of the emotions…what makes you tick.  It is the motivation behind all we do.  In other words, when the Bible talks about your heart, it is talking about the “real” you.

So what does it mean to be “pure in heart”?  The verses referenced above use words like sincere and earnest when talking about purity.  It is not so much about doing “good” or being “good”, but more about being “all in”… having an undivided motivation.  Someone with a pure heart can be trusted.  They do not have any hidden agenda.  They are who they are…consistent and open.  When they love, they love without manipulation and without a selfish agenda.  They are not contaminated by the cynicism of this world.  They are no longer tainted with the lusts of this world.  They have been washed…purified…scrubbed clean.  How?  The Scripture says we were all infected by the impurity of sin but…because of the sacrifice of Jesus,

“…you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:11).

Jesus says that it is this type of person that sees God.  In other words, a pure heart opens our eyes to see God and the Kingdom work all around us.  Jesus frequently told His disciples that the Kingdom was all around them and that His Father was always at work (John 5:17).  Don’t you want to see that?

Most of us can testify about moments in our lives when we have seen God working in the lives of others or our own.  Sometimes we get a glimpse of God in circumstances that we refer to as “God moments”.  The pure in heart, according to Jesus, see God in the world around them.  When we put away the things that distract us and get rid of the things that divide our hearts…then our eyes are opened and we see Him.

Have you seen God recently?  What are the things that are blocking your vision?  What is dividing your heart? Today, purify your heart and look for God.  He is working all around you.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” (Matthew 5:7)

“A King wished to settle his accounts…one was brought that owed ten thousand talents.  And since he could not pay…out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.  But when that same servant went out, he found one  of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘pay what you owe'” (Matthew 18:23-35)

The challenge of Jesus to become people of mercy is harder than it sounds.  The degree of difficulty seems to increase with each beatitude as each one builds on the next.  To be “poor in spirit”, to mourn and to humble ourselves are prerequisites to making our relationship to Christ our central passion.  Then, as we experience the overwhelming mercies of God, we become people who extend mercy to others.  In this way, the Scripture tells us that the receiving and the giving of mercy are integral to each other.  It is when we truly receive mercy from the Father that we can understand what mercy is…and is not.

We know that mercy does not keep score.  If it did we could never overcome our spiritual deficit.  We have each accumulated more debt, committed more wrongs, wandered farther than we could ever pay back, set right, or find our way home.  Mercy is undeserved and cannot be earned.  To get what you deserve is the opposite of mercy.  The Bible tells us that we are “all sinners” and that the “wages of sin (what we deserve) is death”.

We also learn that mercy cannot be earned.  We cannot do anything to get God to love us more.  We cannot truly receive mercy until we first realize that we are helpless and unable to save ourselves.  This is a particularly hard concept for our “you can do it” modern culture.  In order to be able to experience mercy one must admit, “I cannot do it”.

The excerpt from Matthew 18 is from a parable that Jesus gave as the answer to Peter’s question about forgiveness, “How many times should I forgive someone?”  This question in itself reveals how hard it is to understand true mercy.  The servant in Jesus’ parable begs the master for more time and promises to pay it back eventually.  This reveals that he is not in the proper attitude to receive the generous…undeserved mercy that is about to come his way and, since he could not experience mercy he could not extend it to his fellow servant.

O friend of Jesus, you were not forgiven because you promised to be a better person…you can never be good enough.  You were not forgiven because you somehow deserved it…you do not.  The mercy of God comes to you as a “free gift” based upon the everlasting love of our Heavenly Father.  It is because of Him and only Him that you have experienced “so great a salvation” (Hebrews 2:3).  The more you understand this…the easier it is to extend the same mercy to others.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” (Matthew 5:7)

“See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no ‘root of bitterness’ springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled” (Hebrews 12:15)

Bitterness is a terrible weed that has the ability to grow and thrive anywhere.  If it can find a place to root, it will go deep and eventually take over and damage the work of God’s grace in the community of believers.  A lack of mercy and forgiveness in the garden of God’s people leads to an erosion of relationships between brothers and sisters and the unity of the church suffers.  The weed of bitterness, if allowed to continue, will go deep and begin to destroy the one who holds onto it.  This lack of mercy slowly steals away the joy of the believer and keeps them in a dark place filled with discontent.  It also affects others around that person and, like all  weeds, it can spread quickly through the garden.

As imperfect humans, we are always making mistakes and hurting those around us.  We say things we don’t mean or we say things that we do mean or we are just plain “mean” to each other.  We are frequently hurt by others who don’t live up to our expectations and we are constantly disappointing others with our own failures.  The bottom line is that sometimes we find it hard to get along.  What are we to do?  The answer is mercy.  God calls us to forgive and extend mercy to one another just as He has extended it to us.  The cross was God making the first move and modeling for us the key ingredient to reconciliation.

You see, God knows us.  He knows our struggles and our weaknesses.  He knows that we are constantly messing up and hurting each other.  Relationships are hard.  They take work in order to be maintained.  This is true with each other and with God.  When it comes to our relationships with each other, James says, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” (James 5:16).  We should not only seek forgiveness, but we should also be quick to extend it.  The Christian life is one that is lived out in community, and mercy is the defining characteristic of it.

To not be merciful is to invite the destructive disease of bitterness into the precious body of Christ…the church.  We might think that our personal vendettas and grudges only affect us, but we are sadly mistaken.  Our personal bitterness has ripple effects that poison the community as a whole.

Today, we are called to weed the gardens of our life.  Are there places in your life where you are holding back mercy?  Start by coming to the cross and experiencing the compassionate mercy of the Father and let Him who loves you help you through it.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” (Matthew 5:7)

“And Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.'” (Luke 23:34)

As we think about the subject of mercy we are drawn to Jesus and specifically to the cross.  There has never been nor will there ever be an act of mercy greater than the mercy that Jesus showed us on the cross. What does mercy look like?  We must go to the foot of the cross and look up into the face of our dying Savior.  We must listen closely to the words that He speaks as He sheds His blood for our sins.  Yes, it is our sins that He died for.  It was for those who were there mocking Him…those who were gambling for His only worldly possessions…those who had spit in His face and humiliated Him…those who had called for His death shouting, “Crucify Him”.  Yes, it is these that He came to save.  Unworthy.  Rebellious.  Sinners destined for destruction and death.  A people living in darkness…lost…

And then…mercy appeared.  The Almighty Judge, the Everlasting God, the all Loving Father came and showed us mercy.  Instead of cursing us from the cross, He initiates forgiveness.  Mercy.  We did not deserve it…we did not even think we needed it…but, that is what mercy is.  It is being given the love and forgiveness that you need in order to be free to be reconciled to God and experience the fellowship with Him that you were designed to enjoy.  The path has been cleared.  The barriers have been removed.  The chains of the sin that has held you captive have been broken and you are free to come to Him.  The darkness that has paralyzed you in fear has been chased away by the shining light of God’s love for you.

This is mercy.  And you are called to embrace it!

Why spend time today thinking of the mercy of the cross?  One truth about mercy in the Scripture is that it is impossible to express mercy if you have never received it.  Being merciful is the natural result of experiencing mercy.  Over and over in Scripture our personal forgiveness is directly connected to our forgiveness of others.  Jesus said in the prayer He taught His disciples, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us” (Matthew 6:12 KJV).

Mercy is a contagious characteristic of the disciple of Jesus.  He is the one who gave it to us and now we are the carriers who are tasked with spreading it to those around us.  Before you can truly be “merciful” you must first come and receive the mercy that Jesus made possible for you.  Today, hear His prayer from the cross for you,

“Father, forgive them…”

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” (Matthew 5:7)

“You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself…” (Leviticus 19:18)

“Then Peter came up and said to Him, ‘Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?'” (Matthew 18:21)

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.  Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:31, 32)

Now that we have had a Sabbath rest, it is time to get back to the work of simplifying our lives.  With each beatitude, Jesus is continuing to lead us deeper into the blessedness of following Him wholeheartedly. He has challenged us to empty ourselves and mourn over our sin.  He then directed us to be humble (meek) and organize all our life around the one passion…to be right with Him.  Now He calls us to be people of mercy.

As people of the cross, we must be merciful.  This is not a new thought in the Scripture.  We are encouraged from the Old Testament to the New Testament to forgive one another and love each other…to be merciful.  Jesus said that the most distinctive characteristic of His disciples would be that they “love one another” (John 13:35).  So, why is it so difficult to show mercy to others?  Why do we have such a hard time forgiving people and many times, our own friends and family?

Have you ever heard of the “grudge closet”?  Most of us have one or two in our spiritual house.  It is where we stockpile the hurts and offenses committed against us.  This is where the scoreboards for each person in our life are kept.  When someone wrongs us we log it in on their scorecard and keep it in the “grudge closet” for future reference.  Like us, the disciple Peter was a score keeper.  This became clear when Jesus talked about forgiveness and Peter asked “how many times should I forgive?”  In other words, what’s the limit to forgiveness?  At what point do I have permission to hold the grudge…to seek revenge…to cut them out?  Jesus answered Peter with a story that challenged him to exhibit unlimited mercy.

We all have these closets in our spiritual lives where we harbor those hurts.  It is a form of selfish pride that centers on us…our pain…our notion that we deserve better.  Many of our “grudge closets” are bursting at the seams.  Soon there may be an explosion and it will all come out.  Today, let’s continue to simplify our spiritual lives by starting to clean out our “grudge closet”.  We must hear the words of Paul to the Ephesians above and rid our house of “unforgiveness” and get on with loving one another.

“Blessed are the merciful…”

“My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him.  He alone is my Rock and salvation; He is my Fortress, I will never be shaken.” – David (Psalm 62:1, 2)

“The apostles returned to Jesus and told Him all that they had done and taught.  And He said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest for a while.’  For many were coming and going and they had no leisure even to eat.” (Mark 6:31, 32)

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  Do not be conformed  to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind…” (Romans 12:1, 2)

Have you ever forgotten to charge your phone? You didn’t realize it  until you went to use it and got the message…”low battery” or “connect to power”.  From that moment, until you find a place to plug in and recharge, you are in jeapardy of losing every call.  Anxiety builds and you restrict the things that you might normally do to extend your limited “cyber life”.  I think you see where I’m going here.

Everything needs a recharge and people are no different…the disciples were no different…YOU are no different.  The disciples had returned from their mission and reported to Jesus, but the crowds around Jesus were relentless and they didn’t even have time to eat.  Jesus was concerned about them so He encourages them to step back and recharge.

This is why God instituted The Sabbath.  God has told us from the beginning that we were created with a natural rhythm.  We need to regularly connect with the Father.  This is our “spiritual worship”, according to Paul, to present ourselves to God and allow Him to “renew”…recharge…refresh…our minds.  This is why our day of rest is also a day of worship.  Rest and worship go hand in hand.  You cannot truly worship unless you can step back from the daily routine of life and focus on your Creator.  And, you cannot truly rest unless you can come into the presence of the One who holds you in the palm of His hand.  David said his rest was found in “God alone”.

So, today, hear the words of Jesus as He bids you to come away and “rest a while” in His presence.  Worship Him and allow Him to transform you and renew your mind.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (Matthew 5:6)

“…for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.  I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound.  In every and any circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.  I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:11-13)

To experience a contentment in life…a satisfaction, is something that we all long for.  We are constantly searching to find a peace that will satisfy our deepest longings.  Most cannot define exactly what it is we are looking for but all acknowledge the search.  What can I find or discover or buy or do that will quench this deep thirst in my soul?  Through the ages men and women have found that this is not achieved by stockpiling worldly goods.  It is not achieved by acquiring honors and awards for our accomplishments.  It cannot be found in religious rites and rituals.  It is not even achieved in our earthly relationships that too often disappoint.  In this beatitude, Jesus challenges us by saying…”maybe the problem is in knowing what you hunger and thirst for”.  Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, He says, “shall be satisfied”.

Over the last few days we have been reflecting on what we are passionate about.  What is at the center of who we are?  What is the driving force that is behind all that we say and do?  For many of us, the problem begins because we have never settled on one main thing.  Our lives are scattered, and therefore, unfocused and stressful.  Our challenge is to simplify our lives by making a decision to follow God and Him alone.  To seek Him first in all we do.  It is only in a relationship with our God that we can find peace within ourselves.  Maybe there are some of you who have discovered that your one passion is not this relationship and you have been left hungry and thirsty.  Jesus calls to you to “seek first His kingdom” and find peace.

But, we also know that life can be hard.  Difficulties and suffering are part of the reality of our lives in this world.  The Scripture tells us that a single-minded faith in God gives us a peace and contentment that fills us in the good times and the bad times.  Paul discovered this truth in his personal journey and even referred to it as the “secret” to contentment in all circumstances.  Essentially, Paul is saying, “I can be at peace in any situation as long as I am with Jesus.”  Paul found that simplifying life begins from the inside out.  It starts with a hunger and thirst for righteousness that is only satisfied in a relationship with Christ Jesus.  Once that is settled, according to Jesus, we shall be “satisfied”.

Are you content?  Does your satisfaction in life depend on your circumstances?  I challenge you today to anchor your life to the Rock that will not be moved.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (Matthew 5:6)

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will act.  He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.” (Psalm 37:4-6)

“But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)

To make righteousness your first and foremost passion does not mean that you have no other interests or desires.  Each of us is designed with unique desires and passions in everyday living.  Some are passionate about music or physical fitness.  Others are passionate about their career or certain hobbies.  God’s call to us in this beatitude to hunger and thirst for righteousness is not a call to forsake all other passions in our life.  It is a call to pursue all other passions in light of our all-consuming passion for righteousness.  It is a matter of priorities.  To hunger and thirst after righteousness should be a part of every other decision that we make.  It gives a unified purpose to all other passions in our life…to everything in our life!  Paul said, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

This understanding of priorities is not a “1 through 10” list that we often see in seminars and read about in self-help books.  As we know, that way of dealing with priorities often leads to conflict and anxiety as the different areas of our lives are forced to compete for our time and attention.  In other words, our lives become more complicated and confusing.

The Scripture defines priorities more like a circle.  The different desires, responsibilities, and aspects of our life arranged in a circle around one central hub.  That hub is “the Kingdom of God and His righteousness”.  It acknowledges that the natural flow of life requires us to give our primary attention to different things at different times and, therefore, everything we do is united into the One purpose…One center…feeding the One passion.  Again, Paul said,

“But one thing I do; forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13,14)

This view of life allows us the ability to experience the many facets that an abundant life has to offer while maintaining the simplicity of one driving force…a hunger and thirst for righteousness!

Today, ask yourself, what is the driving force at the center of your life?  What is it in your life that influences every decision you make?  For Jesus it was the passion of pleasing the Father and, in this beatitude, He is inviting us to share that same hunger and thirst for righteousness.  Will you?

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (Matthew 5:6)

“And He who sent me is with me.  He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” (John 8:29)

“And going a little farther, He fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him.  And He said, ‘Abba Father, all things are possible for you.  Remove this cup from me.  Yet, not what I will, but what you will.'” (Mark 14:35,36)

“And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross.” (Philippians 2:8)

The last hours of the life of Jesus are known as The Passion of Christ.  No one is quite sure how the word “passion” came to be associated with the suffering and death of Jesus, but, most likely it is related to the Latin word for suffering “passionem”.  Whatever the source, it is true that the cross event illustrated for us the “passion” of the life of Jesus…to do the will of His Father in heaven…to please Him.

Let’s be clear, Jesus did not have some morbid desire to suffer pain.  The torture He endured did not bring Him some kind of twisted pleasure.  Jesus was not committing suicide as the disciples interpreted it…”Go to Jerusalem? Are you crazy?  That is suicide!”  This was an act of love…obedience…and self-sacrifice.  It was His passion to do the Father’s will that kept Him on the path to the cross.  His strength came from His focus…”not my will, but yours be done”.  This is how He could endure such agony and ridicule.  This is how He could have such resolve through the injustice of His arrest and trial.  This is why He willingly laid down His life for us…His hunger and thirst for righteousness…His passion.

When we are passionate about following God and pleasing Him it changes the way we do everything else.  It gives us the strength we need  in times of suffering.  It gives us courage when going through “…the valley of the shadow of death”.  It demands a deep trust in the One who has created us…the One who loves us…the One who has made possible this divine relationship.  Yet, as wondrous as it is, it is not complicated.  In fact, it calls us into simplicity.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind” (Luke 10:27)

What is your passion?  What do you hunger and thirst for today?  Who are you trying to please?

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” -Jesus (Matthew 6:24)

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (Matthew 5:6)

“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.  Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.  For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith-that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, that by any means possible I may obtain the resurrectiion from the dead.” (Philippians 3:8-11)

The first step in simplifying your life is deciding who you are going to dedicate and your life to.  Who or what are you serving?  We can never begin to simplify our lives until we settle that issue.  That happens when we recognize our spiritual poverty, mourn (repent) over our sinful condition and submit to the Lordship of Jesus.  Those who do this are “blessed”, according to Jesus.

Today’s beattitude asks the question…what are you hungry for?  What are you passionate about?  Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness”.  This is the next step in the process.  If we are totally sold out to God and understsand that we cannot live without Him…then, we will be passionate…thirsty…starving for righteousness.  So, What is righteousness?

First of all, Biblical righteousness is not doing right things.  Although doing right things is often the result of righteousness.  Righteousness is being rightly related to God and the desire to please Him in all we say and do.  It is a condition of relationship.  To be “good” with God.  We all struggle with doing the right things and we often fail, but do we continuously long to be “right” with God?  We acknowledge our weaknesses but our concern is…Are we right with God?  This desire for relationship involves regular maintainance.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

If your greatest passion is to be right with God and be pleasing to Him you are taking the next big step in simplifying your life.  If that relationship is your number one pursuit then all other things go to second place.  If our passion is our wealth than our lives will be constantly complicated with disatisfaction and envy.  If our passion is our career than our lives will be continually filled with pressure to do what ever it takes to impress and advance.  We will never have enough or achieve enough to find peace and simplicity in this world.  Even as Christians we will miss the abundant life that Christ promised if these are the passions we pursue.

Paul’s words from Philippians are filled with passion.  You can sense that there is nothing more important to Him than knowing Jesus and being right with Him.  Read them again.

Today, ask yourself the question…What are you passionate about?  What do you hunger and thirst for?

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”