SERMON OUTLINE

Single-Minded for God   Matthew 5.8

Introduction

An Outline of the Beatitudes

V3, Foundation. Heart attitude that motivates all

V4-6, Three heart responses. Heart attentiveness

V7-9, Three outward responses. Heart in action

V10-12, The world’s response. Heart antagonism

First four describe the heart’s condition.

Last four describe life conduct and character.

Think of the Beatitudes as a progressive description of Christian salvation and maturity. Spiritual bankruptcy >> mourn/repent >> meek/humble >> hunger for righteousness   >>   mercy   >>   single-focused purity  >>  peacemaker  >> persecuted for godly living.

The Meaning of Pure

-Clean, uncontaminated, unmixed, undivided.

-Heart is the mind, emotions and will of man. The control centre from which decisions are made

-In this verse pure means single-minded, motivation and determination to live for the glory of God. Matthew 6.22-24; 33.

-By extension this includes a clean, holy life that pleases God.

The Pure Will See God

They will see God as He works in and through them here on earth and will be in His presence for eternity.

Conclusion

A single-minded focus for God is the result of a process that begins with seeing ourselves as God sees us.

God is calling His people to a single-minded focus for Him and His work.

SERMON NOTES

Single-Minded For God                Matthew 5.1-10

-On Communion Sundays we have been working our way through the eight Beatitudes and this morning have come to the sixth one, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God”.

-I want to encourage you to think of the Beatitudes as a progressive description of Christian salvation and maturity. In these Beatitudes there is an outline for us of the process for spiritual growth which always begins with the recognition of our spiritual need.

-Christian salvation and maturity begin with the conviction of sin and knowing our great need of God. When we see ourselves as bankrupt of all righteousness before our Holy God we are ready to be saved from our sin. When believers see their great need of God they are ready to seek God and grow spiritually. The foundation for salvation and spiritual growth is seeing ourselves as God sees us, either as sinners in need of salvation in Christ or as Christians in need of more of the life of Christ. That is what the first Beatitude, “poor in spirit” means. The promise to those who see themselves as “poor in spirit” is that “theirs is the kingdom of heaven”.

-Those who know they are “poor in spirit” mourn. They repent over their spiritual condition and God comforts them with forgiveness and the fullness of the Spirit of God. Often God’s way for spiritual growth is through repentance.

-Those who have been forgiven and filled with the Spirit are meek and humble. They accept who they are before God and are humbled by God’s love and Grace to them. They are teachable and willing to be directed toward the truth.

-The meek hunger and thirst for righteousness that will replace their sinful and godless past and that will enable them to draw closer to God and be a blessing to others.

-When we come to the fifth Beatitude we move to the outward expression of the inward work of God in the Christian. The last four Beatitudes outwardly express the inward attitudes of the first four Beatitudes.

-Those who know and have mourned over their spiritual poverty and have been given the kingdom of God and the comfort of a relationship with God, and seek the righteousness of God, practice mercy to others.

-In this sixth Beatitude we find that those who are humble and teachable and who have hungered and thirsted for righteousness express those heart attitudes by a pure heart. Let us study this verse more closely.

-We begin by taking a closer look at the Greek word translated into English as “pure”. The basic meaning of this word is “clean”, free from contamination”.

-The word was also used to describe wheat that had been separated from its chaff, and an army purged of discontented, cowardly, and unwilling soldiers. This word was used to describe wine or milk that was not mixed with water to dilute it, and pure metal that was not mixed with alloys.

-So this word means pure, not so much in the moral sense but uncontaminated, unmixed. In verse 8 this word describes the heart. Heart in the Bible represents the mind, will and emotions – the center of a man’s personality. A pure heart here means an uncontaminated, unmixed heart. It means a single-minded, undivided, motivation and determination to live for the glory of God. From this single-minded motivation to live for God’s Glory, the daily choices to live a holy life in every situation are made. A pure, single-minded, motive to live for God leads to a pure life that seeks to please God.

-This verse in the context of the Beatitudes says that those who have seen their profound spiritual poverty before the Holy God of heaven, and who have humbled themselves before this Holy God, and received His forgiveness and His transforming Spirit, will serve God with single-minded devotion which will be lived out in a holy life.

-Our choice to live a holy life should be more than a response to the negative threat of God’s commands. Holiness should eventually be the deep desire of the heart that has made God’s Glory the one and only motive for living. This verse is more than a call to purity. This verse describes the single-minded focus of a man who has seen his spiritual poverty before a Holy God and has received the love and grace and mercy of God, and has humbly abandoned all of himself to that God, no matter what the cost to himself. And out of that abandonment to God comes a holy life.

-Later in this Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is single, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 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 6.22-24) Then Jesus goes on the tell them not to worry about physical needs and that their Father in heaven will provide those needs. Then Jesus concludes with these words, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well”. (v33) A single-minded focus on God and His kingdom is what God asks of us.

-It seems to me as I have prepared messages over the last couple of months that God has been calling all of us at Rosedale to a single-minded focus on Him in these last days. God has been calling us to live for Him alone and to separate ourselves from the influences of the world and to become light to the world. We need to reverse the practice of being influenced by the world while not influencing the world around us with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Instead we need to be shining lights in a dark world even as we turn away from the strong influences of the world and follow with single-minded determination the teachings of God’s Word.

-Those whose single-minded motive is to please God and to live a holy life will see God. As in the other Beatitudes, the promise is both for this life and for the life to come. The single-minded for God will see God today and then more fully when they are brought into His presence. Those who are single-minded for God will know God’s purposes and understand God’s will and will see God working in and through them and in the lives of others and the Church.

-Let me close again by reminding you that a single-minded devotion to the Glory of God is the result of a process that begins with seeing ourselves as God sees us and mourning and repenting of our independent ways, and finding our righteousness and strength in Jesus Christ. This process leads to a single-minded focus on the Glory of God and giving of ourselves in service to God. If you want this single-minded focus ask God for it, and at the same time ask God to show you what you are like in His sight and to lead you to greater dependence on Him. In the end you will desire God’s Glory alone and nothing else.

Self-examination time before Communion

Psalm 24.3-6