“Pure In Heart”
March 2nd, 2008Matthew 5:8 - Vince Lombardi, the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers, was quoted as saying, “Success demands singleness of purpose.” While he was talkin about football, he could have been talking about today’s scripture lesson. Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” Pure in heart does not refer to moral purity only - simply obeying all of the rules and regulations (that would have been the mistake of the Pharisees). It meant - and means - have a singular focus, Jesus Christ and his mission for our lives. How do we do this? Let’s see…
Matthew 5:8
1. I grew up in the 1960’s in the great state of Ohio. In my community, just southeast of Toledo, there were three choices of professional football teams one could swear allegiance to – and once you did, you did for life.
A. Cleveland Browns – my dad’s favorite. But c’mon, it’s Cleveland.
B. Detroit Lions – for some reason the Lions did not get the same grace that I gave the Tigers and they were eliminated merely because the were from Michigan.
C. Or, the Green Bay Packers. That’s who I picked. Many heroes, Bart Starr, Carroll Dale, etc. But, the biggest hero was Vince Lombardi. He was a reporter’s dream, always a good quote.
D. “We didn’t lose the game; we just ran out of time.”
E. “The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.”
F. “If you are not fired with enthusiasm, you will be fired with enthusiasm.”
G. “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence” (John Wesley would have liked that one).
H. “Success demands singleness of purpose.”
2. Success demands singleness of purpose. I don’t know if Vince Lombardi was thinking of this morning’s scripture verse when he uttered those words, but he could have been.
A. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”
B. Who are the pure in heart? First, this does not refer specifically to moral purity, following the letter of the law. That was never intended to be an end in itself.
C. That was the mistake of the Pharisees – remember, I can earn my own righteousness (actually excludes God).
D. In Jesus day, the heart was considered the region of thought, intention, the moral center. Today, we would compare this to the will.
E. Will as opposed to emotions, even intellect. Important to understand the distinction.
F. Example of people who choose the wrong boyfriends/girlfriends. They decide based on emotions, need, etc. – but not will.
G. Purity of heart = singleness of purpose
H. Purity of heart = our will is focused exclusively on Jesus Christ and on the kingdom of God.
3. Perhaps this will help us to better understand. The opposite of a pure heart is not immorality, it is having a divided heart, or in our words, a divided will, seeking to serve more than one master.
A. In the 2006 film “The Devil Wears Prada,” Anne Hathaway played Andrea Sachs, an idealistic graduate of journalism school that does a year internship with the ruthless and cynical Miranda Priestley, played by Meryl Streep.
B. Andrea’s plan is to complete her internship in order to prepare her resume for a job in journalism. She is dedicated to that goal. And her dedication is her strength when her ruthless and demanding boss begins to drive her crazy.
C. As time goes on, she begins to forget her goal, and adapts more to the culture in which she works. Her will becomes divided.
D. Loses here friends, breaks up with her boyfriend, ultimately loses her sense of self.
E. It did not happen overnight. There was not one dramatic event. Over time, little by little, her heart became less pure.
4. Maybe none of us have “sold our soul” to the company store (and maybe some of us have). But, I am sure that we can all identify to one degree or another with the subtle seduction that takes place sometimes in our lives as a result of our divided will.
A. We all want to be good moms, dads, children, employees, neighbors, friends, citizens, etc.
B. And sometimes the pull of those desires begins to outweigh our devotion to God.
C. Countless people in my office – “my life is out of whack, I don’t know what happened.”
D. And then we reflect, and we find that too much attention has been paid to one aspect of life to the expense of the others – work, etc.
E. And our culture has a special problem – technology has increased our ability to “numb out.”
F. I was watching an old movie the other night. The good guys had to warn someone that the bad guys were coming. And no one was at their home.
G. No one could call cell phones, or send text messages, etc.
H. And when everyone was standing around waiting for something to happen, no one could go on line, or play video games, or listen to their Ipod.
I. Disturbing statistic, internet pornography sites receive at least 80 million hits a day in the USA.
J. Our hearts and wills have become so divided that sometimes it seems that it is all we can do to simply distract ourselves from the emptiness inside.
5. But, here is the good news, my friends. Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”
A. They will see God – not a mystical experience, but as an existential reality.
B. They will see God – in their relationships, in their goals and desires in life, in their families, even at work.
C. They will see God. The great gift here is that those with a pure heart – a will that is singularly focused on the call of Christ, will actually see that God is present in all of their endeavors, and they will be strengthened and renewed by that presence.
D. They will see God – and as they see God, they will seek Him even more.
E. At our Council of Ministry meetings recently, we have begun doing an exercise that is meant to help us plan the ministry of the church with “pure hearts,” or wills singularly devoted to the mission that Christ has called us to.
F. “So that” exercise. And if it does not end at the mission of the church, it is not something that we need to be a part of.
G. Are the choices that we are making in our lives bearing the fruit of being able to see the hand of God at work in our lives? What would happen if we began to apply the “so that” exercise to our own lives.
H. Would the choices that we make ultimately lead us back to a deeper walk with God?
I. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
6. Vince Lombardi correctly pointed out that “success demands singleness of purpose.”
A. The same can be said of faith.
B. The pure in heart are not those that pick and choose – convenient Christianity.
C. The pure in heart – focus on Christ in the midst of the ambiguities, struggles, challenges, etc. of life.
D. And in return, they receive the most precious gift of all, they see God.
E. “Success demands singleness of purpose.” I think that that was well-said.
F. But, I think that Jesus said it better. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” Amen.
Sermon delivered 3/2/08 at Light of the Canyon United Methodist Church, Anaheim Hills.
