2002.5.26. Rev. Chan Young Jang

Eight Characters of Transformed Christians(6)
Pure Heart

Matthew 5:1-12

I talked to you last time that the first heart Christians should have toward others is the merciful heart. This heart is the main theme throughout the whole Bible, ultimately the God's heart, and the heart that Christians receive from God. This is why it is the first heart Christians should possess for others while living on this earth. Today we'll think about the second aspect of our heart we should have as Christians in the world-Pure Heart.

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."

This verse looks ordinary and simple on the surface but it has amazing contents of immeasurable depth and width. Here, the purity of heart can be rephrased as 'Holiness', the subject that is treated extensively from Genesis to Revelation in the Bible.

In Genesis chapter 3, corrupted Adam and Eve are kicked out of the Garden of Eden to be separated from God. Moreover, the very first offspring of mankind, Cain, ended up killing his younger brother, Abel. This was the beginning of the human history in which sin keeps bearing more sin. Look at the fifth descendent of Cain, Lamech. He commits a murder and still makes the following confession in Genesis 4:23.

"I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for injuring me. If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times."

Dear congregation, if the punishment for Cain was seven times and 77 times for Lamech, can you imagine how many times our punishment would be today? Probably it's about 700 times or 7,000 times. It's because the history of mankind has been the continuation of murder, death, and hatred. After the event of Lamech, there came God's judgment, the Noah's flood, due to our sin. Unfortunately, men rebel against God again by building the tower of Babel. God, however, to save the mankind, chooses Abraham in Genesis chapter 12 and saves a community through a man called Moses. Then through David, He chooses one nation and gives us a promise that the Christ Messiah will come from the Davis's family.

Therefore, the theme of the Old Testament is, 'how the corrupted mankind can meet the holy God again?' or 'how can men return to God again?' Today's scripture should be understood in this context of the Old Testament. To corrupted men, the claim that 'they can meet God' is quite shocking. 'Seeing God' means 'Meeting God'. If then, have you met God? If you truly meet God in a whole person to person encounter, your life will be changed immensely. In today's scripture verses, Jesus gave us a secret key to see God. That's why this is only a short verse but the message contains the whole truth of the Christianity that is essential.

Let us now examine the meaning of Purity, a secret to see God. The word, purity, is Kataros in Greek. The word, 'catharsis' was originated from this word. This Kataros is used to refer to the clean clothes in comparison to dirty soiled clothes. So, this word is used to describe clean water, pure wine, perfect body, grain with no weeds, pure gold, pure silver, and pure bred. Especially, it can refer to a man with no moral lacking, always doing the right thing. Modern psychology and counseling uses this word, catharsis, it means removing all heavy burden and wound piled up in heart and emotion and cleansing it completely.

In the Old Testament days when this word was often used, it was primarily used to portray cleanness when a sacrifice is given. At that time, people who became unclean with sin had to go to God through the sacrifice of the tabernacle to be atoned by the blood of animals. Because they had to go through this process, there were various cleansing ceremonies. Many laws came about as a result-not to touch unclean animals, not to eat unclean food, not to touch dead body. On the day of atonement, priests had to wash their bodies with clean water five times and their feet and hands ten times. All these sacrificial acts were done in search of ways to go to God cleanly. However, no matter how many times they washed their hands and feet and took bath, they still had defiled bodies. Killing goats and lambs to spray the blood, praying with their hands on the sacrifice, and making fire for burnt offering, these had to be repeated. Like this, men could not escape from stain called sin. As long as they have this sin, they cannot come to stand before God. This was the thirst of the Old Testament and the sacrifice.

Also in the Old Testament, purity was applied to a person's characteristics and life. This word was used to describe perfection for Abraham, innocence and honesty for Job, purification from sin for Isaiah, and God's clean eyes for Habakkuk.

Then, in what meaning did Jesus use this word, purity? Regarding 'pure heart', we can look at it in two meanings.

First, 'pure heart' Jesus mentioned is about internal state rather than external appearance. Jesus spoke this targeting Pharisees who observed religious rules perfectly. They expanded the interpretation of the Old Testament laws and the Ten Commandments to make Talmud. And devoted their life time to interpret things not spelled out in the Bible to research how to live perfectly blameless life according to the Laws. For example, lifting up an object higher than a certain level, taking more than a few steps, sewing more than three times were considered as work and condemned as sin. Because of their insistence on being perfectionist, they even had a nick name, 'separatist'. Inside their heart, however, they had unspeakable filthiness and corruption. Jesus was able to see their inside hidden behind their lawful acts.

Today, there are many who think they are okay as long as they don't sin judged by the laws. So we are recognized as people of character if we don't murder, commit adultery, tell lies, cause damage to others on the outside. But isn't it that our inside is filled with hatred, jealousy, endless greed and we pursue our interest artfully? It's only that we are not exposing this to others but in fact a great struggle is taking place in our heart. So there are two types of criminals-one that was caught and wearing prison clothes and the other is ourselves that was not caught. The only difference is that the uneducated sins naively and the educated sins in sleek and sophisticated ways. Jesus saw through our inside world and rebuked the Pharisees who were so focused on the outside and ceremonial cleanness.

"Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness." (Luke 11:39)

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean." (Matthew 23:27)

Yes. The gospel of Jesus Christ concerns our inner heart. Pure heart is not knowing the laws perfectly or having brain and being well educated. Knowledge can make a person well educated but cannot make them born again. Doing the Bible study without a change of heart will only make us arrogant. Blessed are those who keep the words and live by them, not just those who listen to the words.

Some may agree in that it's not the matter of knowing but doing. Having pure heart, however, is not just a matter of doing either. Being pure concerns the more fundamental aspect, the motivation of heart rather than just outside behaviors. For example, some help others not because they have mercy on them but because helping others satisfies their inner pride. This clearly is not mercy, not relief, but self-satisfaction and arrogance. What's more important is the motivation of heart, in other words, is there love, forgiveness, and cleanness deep in heart.

Then what is heart? Heart is not emotion but the center of person's characters. Therefore, a man of pure heart refers to a man whose main characters are clean and rooted in genuine motivation. Therefore, Jesus told Nicodemus the following in John chapter 3.

"...no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." (John 3:3)
"No one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit." (John 3:5)

This means a man's heart should be fundamentally born again. However, people's intelligence and the world's education cannot change our heart. What can change is only the Holy Spirit. Because a man can be born again of water and the Spirit only.

Second, being pure means having one heart not two hearts. In other words, it refers to innocence.

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."(Matthew 6:24)

The spirit of innocence is in being committed totally. We live in this world serving God. So we need to remember that if our goal is the money and fame of this world, it is like having two hearts. On the other hand, if those exist for the glory of God, it is like having one heart. James 4:8 also talks about those with two hearts.

"Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." (James 4:8)

Our problem of impurity originates from two hearts. God gave us one wife and one husband. The meaning is that the core spirit of family or marriage is innocence. The one in love does not have anyone else in his heart but the one he loves. That's the only way the word love applies. Purity means innocence. But the word 'innocence' has never been so crudely trampled like these days. The word appears in the perfume advertisement. Parents teach their children contraceptives instead of innocence in today's generation. How can innocence be limited to the bodily matters? Innocent heart means being single heartedly committed to God and looking toward God, spiritually whole heartedness.

In Joshua chapter 24, Joshua's sermon towards the Israelites, his last will, talks about how to uphold spiritual innocence in the land of Canaan where the idolatries were rampant.

"If serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15)

What is the appearance of the last church in Revelation? That is the story of how the innocent bride of God, the church will keep its innocence on this earth where prostitutes rule. Living innocently doesn't mean putting up a wall against the world and living opposite to this world. Innocent living is to live correctly. It is to live with a clear value system to recognize the Lord who rules our souls and spirits is God, not this world.

God told Moses and Joshua, "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." God asks for our holiness and pureness. This world can no longer teach us about the holiness and pureness. The holiness and innocence is only in Jesus Christ. Those who discovered Christ in their lives were the ones who repented their past. Nobody has taught them about the holiness and innocence but they get to realize the innocence and holiness in Christ. Why? Jesus Christ is our bride and we are his innocent brides. Also that is the spiritual power. That's why the pure and innocent have clear conscience. He is not being chased. His main focus of life is not self-accomplishment. For he doesn't think the groom loves the bride because of what the bride has done. The condition of bride is in innocence. He doesn't fear for slander or misguided persecution. Holiness and innocence is transparent so he believes that it won't be long until everything is like looking in the mirror. So in him is always the peace and freedom of heart only.

Like this, man with pure heart, clean heart, and innocent heart can see God. From deep in his heart, he'll feel the presence of God, listen to the voice of God, and start understanding God's heart. This is when the power of God comes into us, freedom, peace, and joy overwhelm us, and we get to experience 'God in me and me in God'. This is to walk with God.

Truly blessed are the pure in heart. His inside, not the outside, gets cleansed with God's words. He loves only God with a heart of innocent bride. He's the one with truly pure heart. He's truly the blessed. He'll get to experience being ruled by amazing peace of God that this world cannot give. Then he will say with confidence, "I saw God." "I met God." "God is within me."