Date: October 22, 2006
Passage: Matthew 5:8
Message: Blessed are the Uncomplicated
Series: The Be-Attitudes [6]
I want to do the visiting missionary thing this morning. I want to share from God’s Word and to refer to some of the things I saw in India.
…..blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God
[Matthew 5:8]
There is in this one verse the simplicity and the complexity of Christian faith.
Jesus speaks to a group of people who are well aware that their law is full of a whole range of things they had to do to keep themselves pure.
Laws about which animals, fish and birds they could and couldn’t eat
Laws about Feasts and festivals and Offerings
Laws about touching dead animals.
Laws about infectious diseases, boils, all kinds rash might appear on body.
Laws about clothing that had mildew on it
Laws about how you cut your hair
Laws about rising whenever an elderly person comes along
Laws, laws, laws – read Leviticus!
These people grew up believing that purity was inseparable from keeping laws.
It’s not so much that the laws were wrong, but after a while it became easy to stop asking the most important question – Why?
After a while – it became obvious that people believed the purity came from the DOING of the Law rather from the GOD of the Law.
Jesus quite outrageously simplifies everything by saying
…..blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God
At first glance it appears such a relief from all the heavy burden of all those laws.
But then the complexity –
If a pure heart is now the requirement….who of us will ever see God?
Well the good news is that what God demands, God also provides.
He demands a pure heart and he offers us a pure heart in Jesus.
Hebrews 1:1-3
1In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. 3The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
1 John 1:7
7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[a] sin.
That is our salvation but what about our experience?
We know by faith we shall see God in glory but how much do we see of God in our present reality?
Pure = un-mixed
We pulled into a service station in Assam and Pradip told me this is one of the few stations that don’t mix there fuel.
Everyone else adds kerosene and whatever else they can to make a few more rupees out of their supply.
Jesus is talking about a heart that is un-mixed,
un-adulterated, un-divided
No conflict of interest, no mixed motives, no division of loyalties.
This is what David cried out for in Psalm 86:11
Teach me your way O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; Give me an undivided heart that I may fear your name.
We are not good at un-divided hearts!
I got onto the plane to India 2 weeks ago and first leg was 7 hours to Singapore.
I don’t know about you but when I get on a plane I like to switch off.
I know I’m a minister and I should be ready to evangelise at every opportunity, but I like to read my book, watch a movie, eat my food then get ready for landing!
We were about 10 minutes into flight when the man next to me started talking.
He was Irish – could have been Billy Connolly’s brother – very funny man.
He told me he was Catholic – one of 11 children
He said, “My father wanted me to become a Priest but I turned out to be the Anti-Christ!”
Rather than become a Priest he finished up running away to Moscow and within a few years fathered 3 children to 3 different women in 3 different countries.
I knew this conversation was going to take me all the way to Singapore!!
Then he had some interesting things to say about religion – which he described as a Celestial Superannuation Scheme!
Then he told me what clergy really get up to in private!!
It was getting deeper and deeper and I knew the inevitable was coming.
Sure enough, he finally stopped talking and asked me what I did for a crust!
There are some times I just wish I was a bus driver!
All I wanted to do was read a book and now I knew that I was going to have to give a full scale defence of Christianity to Billy Connolly’s brother!!
You see it’s tough when you’ve got a divided heart.
One part of me says,
“Lord I’m yours – take my life and let it be, consecrated Lord to thee.
Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise!”
But then I get on a plane – and another part of me says,
“Not now Lord, I want to read!
I want watch a movie. I want to eat!”
I told him I was a minister and he laughed!
We talked – behind all the funny jokes and the religious jibes was a man who had just had surgery for cancer and was deeply afraid. Alongside him was his son who had been in so much trouble at school his Dad decided to take him on a trip.
We talked all the way to Singapore and as the plane landed he gave me his card and said
“When we get back to Adelaide in 6 weeks will you come and have a round of golf with me and come to dinner, I’d like to talk some more.”
I could have insisted on a divided heart – I wouldn’t have seen God at work!
I read something other day really made me think.
“If the heart is all about desires, then the deepest desire defines identity. Identity defines lifestyle.
Pleasures fuel priorities, and priorities drive pursuits.”
In short, regardless of what we profess, we actually pursue what fills our heart.
The problem in the Christian life is that we try and
re-orientate our priorities but we don’t re-orientate our pleasures!
There is nothing worse than orthodox faith.
Faith that tries to do the right thing but has no pleasure in the doing of them.
David had it right when he said,
Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Unknowingly we finish up no different to first century Jews who thought that spiritual life was all about the things we do.
There is no deeply satisfying, heart filling joy in that.
Just doing right thing!!
If there is not an action on the heart then sooner or later we will lose our motivation to do the right thing!!
If there is no delight in the Lord our desire will be anything but pure in heart!
No wonder Jesus summed up all the Commandments like this,
This is the first and greatest commandment that you should love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your strength and with all your might.
There is little point in faith that wants to live by the book if we have no heart for the Author of the book!
…..blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God
On Sunday I preached in a little village South Balijar.
We walked there. Slowly. Took 45 minutes.
We stopped for a rest at a house.
Served tea, water and a boiled egg.
That was a sign of welcoming a special guest.
I have had enough boiled eggs to last me about 3 years. One day alone I reacon I had about a dozen!
While there I was introduced to a young man who was going to be baptizes that day during the service.
His name is Gwmwn [Germun] Basumatary
He has Hindu background and was walking home a few weeks ago when he passed the remains of a Hindu sacrifice.
He filled up with fear and panic and eventually blacked out.
Over the next few days he consulted Hindu Priest and witch doctor and he only seem to get worse.
In desperation he remembered hearing about Christians in next village so he went secretly to see them.
They immediately began a ceaseless prayer vigil for him and his symptoms began to disappear and he returned to full strength.
After sharing the gospel the man said he wanted to become a Christian and he was advised to go home to family – wife and 2 children who all lived together with parents – and tell them of what has happened in his life.
He did that and was not even permitted to enter the house.
For days he laid outside the door and the only contact was when they brought him food to eat.
After days his wife said she would not come with him if he became a Christian.
He left and went back to the village and told the people in that little Church what had happened and that he still wanted to become a Christian.
As I watched him baptized the enormity of it all washed over me.
…..blessed are the pure in heart
The undivided, unmixed, unadulterated!
I said to one man.
What happens to him now?
He will wait. We will pray. We will trust God. It might take 2 or 3 years but often the wife eventually comes!
It may not happen but we will disciple him to follow Jesus.
“You will seek and you will find me when you seek me with all of your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13.)
Some time ago I saw this –
1. We sing "Sweet Hour of Prayer" and are content with 5 minutes a day.
2. We sing "Onward Christian Soldiers" and wait to be drafted into His service.
3. We sing "O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing" and don't use the one we have.
4. We sing "Blest Be the Tie That Binds" and we let the least little offense sever it.
5. We sing "Serve the Lord With Gladness" and complain about all we have to do.
6. We sing "I Love To Tell the Story" and hardly ever do.
7. We sing "The Whole Wide World for Jesus" and never invite our next-door neighbor.
……blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God
Just in closing - One of the things that struck me about the Christians in the villages was their undivided heart.
The joy on their faces when we arrived in remote places to see them.
The sense of oneness as we all shook hands and shared a simple meal together.
Many would come from long distance just to share this moment and thank God for someone from Australia – Australians who brought them the gospel.
Then to listen to the way they prayed before they ate.
When another pile of those boiled eggs came out, I was sitting there thinking – Lord no more eggs.
Then I would hear these people pray.
How they would thank God for everything they had.
Their prayer was simple, thankful and reverent.
These are still first generation Christians.
They haven’t grown accustomed to blessing.
Their heart is still full with the love and blessing of God!
As I left every village, I was asked to pray for them.
Pray for their Churches, pray for their families and pray for their schools and pray for the dispensary.
They said,
“And we will pray for you”
I wasn’t prepared for what happened next.
As I started to pray for these people they all started to pray for me.
There was this cacophony of noise as we all joined in prayer together for one-another.
They prayed! They prayed!
I had no idea what they were saying, but as I prayed for them, I also prayed for me that I would have a heart like these folk.
……blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God
One lasting memory I have is visiting the Catholic Centre, which included a boarding school.
We talked about how the North East of India was still the place where more people were being converted to Christ.
There was an excitement in being in this remote part of the world because of what God was doing.
Then one of the Sisters came in and invited us to come.
They had a little surprise for me as their special guest.
I went down into a big room and as I entered it about 100 children yelled and screamed a big welcome.
Then they sang a song with such joy and gusto it would melt the hardest heart!
I turned to Pradip and said,
What are they singing?
He said, ‘It is a most beautiful song….
“What can we give you?
We have not got anything to give you,
But we give you our love
How can we show you?
We have not got sweet voices
But we sing to you in love”
…..blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God