Matthew

[0:00] The Gospel by Matthew. Matthew chapter 5 and verse 8. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

[0:15] Simple words indeed, but what a profound truth. These remind me of some large pure diamond set in some simple gold surround.

[0:39] This is a priceless gem of truth. The most wonderful statement from the Saviour himself.

[0:50] That which is according to the whole word of the Scripture, which is such a searching word for us.

[1:03] The pure in heart. Where are they to be found? Is your heart pure? Or, perhaps you may feel, well this word seems to cut you off altogether from any hope of seeing God.

[1:25] And sure it is, that were it left to any of us, to do anything towards it, it would be quite impossible.

[1:38] With our own natural hearts we could never face the most holy, heart-searching God in all his infinite purity.

[1:52] But clearly there are those who, through the wonderful transforming grace of God, are pure in heart.

[2:06] And are being purified, so that they will at last see God in the person of his dear Son, and behold him with great joy.

[2:22] The psalmist could say, as for me, I shall behold thy face in righteousness. I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness.

[2:38] For it is that likeness of holiness, that likeness to Jesus Christ that we see again here. He who spoke these words was certainly pure in heart.

[2:55] And all those who are the subjects of this work of grace by the Spirit of God will certainly be made pure.

[3:07] So this is not a word to cause us to despair, but rather to encourage us to pray.

[3:19] The Saviour has said, blessed are they that mourn. For especially such do mourn over their own sinfulness and impurity and vileness.

[3:31] And such also do certainly long for that holiness without which no man shall see the Lord.

[3:44] What then is it to be pure in heart? Well, first it certainly means to be clean. That is what the word means.

[3:56] In that penitential psalm that David wrote, he says, Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

[4:09] He was so conscious of his need of that. He could say, behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.

[4:23] He knew that by nature his heart was filthy, it was polluted. He was so needed to be new created, to be cleansed, to have it.

[4:35] He's so needed for the Lord to grant that cleanness of heart. We find it also in the 73rd psalm mentioned.

[4:45] Truly, God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart. There are those, then, that do have clean hearts.

[5:00] By the working of God's grace, this is true in measure. They were certainly not born that way. The natural heart is set before us, plainly and solemnly.

[5:15] The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Who can know it? Sadly, in this world of so much sin, there is daily evidence of the desperate wickedness of man.

[5:33] And sadly, also, not to go outside. We all have cause. If we will follow and watch the movings of our own hearts, we all have cause to confess the same.

[5:48] Naturally, our hearts are desperately wicked. Desperately so. There is no hope for them, apart from the transforming grace of God.

[6:00] We have that question in the book of Job. Who can say, I have made my heart clean. I am pure from iniquity.

[6:11] Who can say that? Certainly no one here can say it. No one anywhere can say that he has made his heart clean. It is only by the wondrous work of the Spirit of God that this can be so.

[6:31] As the hymn says, Tis thine, that is the Holy Spirit, Tis thine to cleanse the heart, To sanctify the soul, To pour fresh life on every part, And new create the whole.

[6:48] Now, as I have said before, The promises of God are exceedingly encouraging to those who feel their need of these things. And we have that promise in the book of Ezekiel, Concerning this work of sanctification, Where God says, Concerning his people, He says, I will pour, Sprinkle clean water upon you, And ye shall be clean.

[7:18] From all your filthiness, And from all your idols, Will I cleanse you. A new heart, Also will I give you. And a new spirit, Will I put within you.

[7:31] Now do you feel the need of that? Will plead the promise of God, That he has set in his word, For such you do feel, Such a need of this renewing.

[7:46] This need means then, A heart that is clean, That has, Been changed. Now how Jesus himself spoke, Again in very searching and solemn, And of course true words, Concerning the human heart.

[8:11] He said that it was not that which enters into a man, That defiles the man. Those people to whom he was speaking, At times like this, Were very concerned about ceremonial cleanness.

[8:28] They were concerned about having clean hands, And clean tables, And clean plates. But Jesus said, The important thing, Is to have a clean heart, To have a pure heart.

[8:43] Those who bless it, He said, Out of the heart of man, Proceed evil thoughts, Adulteries, Fornications, Murders, Lasciviousness, An evil eye, Pride, Covetousness, These things, He says, These things, That proceed out of the heart, They defile a man.

[9:14] And who can stop, This fountain of evil, Pouring forth its uncleanness, We cannot do it.

[9:26] Only God himself, Can make us, Pure in heart. And as he does, As he fulfills that promise, In Ezekiel, There will be, Pure thoughts, There will be holy desires, There will be, Heavenly breathings, There will be, A great change, In this, Situation, No doubt, Until the end of our lives, We shall still be conscious, That there is much, Impurity, Dear friends, Are there any, Pure thoughts, And desires, And affections, Rising from your hearts, What a mercy, If in any degree, This has been, Begun in our hearts, To make them pure, Pure heart, Is also that, Which is sincere,

[10:27] Before God, The heart of man, By nature, Is not only desperately, Wicked, But is deceitful, Above all things, What a solemn, Statement, That really is, There is so much, That is deceitful, That the heart of man, Surpasses all, For deceitfulness, For duplicity, For guile, So often, The human heart, Deceives the very person, In whom it is found, The psalmist, Realising, Something of the great change, Which the work, Of the spirit of God, Makes, Said, Blessed, Is the man, To whom the Lord, Will not impute, Iniquity, And in whose spirit,

[11:28] There is no guile, No guile, None of this deceitfulness, Remaining, That is in his attitude, Jesus himself, Spoke of Nathaniel, When he came to him, And said, Behold, An Israelite indeed, In whom, Is no guile, Here is, A man, Of real, Real sincerity, We cannot, Possibly deceive God, We may, So only spend, A lot of our lives, In an attempt, To deceive, Our fellow creatures, In some way or another, But certainly, We can never, For one moment, Deceive the, Heart searching God, Who knows, And discerns,

[12:29] The thoughts, And intents, Of the hearts, Perfectly, And if you really, Receive that word, And what a difference, It will make, To the way, That you act, It is how we are, Dear friends, Before God, That matters, So much more, Than we, How we appear, Before men, Is our hearts, Sincere, We truly, Honest, And upright, As we, Stand before, The everlasting, The ever living, God, This means, A heart, Then, Which is, Sincere, Which is, Upright, And honest, Before God, In that which, It speaks, To him, And in that way, It regards him, It is also, A heart, That is,

[13:29] Clear, And I remember, How this is expressed, Very beautifully, In the last chapters, Of Revelation, John there, Saw the holy city, That is, The church of God, In its perfection, Not necessarily, Merely, In its future perfection, But as that church is, Perfect, In Christ Jesus, What he especially, Records about it, Is its purity, The city was, Of pure gold, The streets of it, Were pure gold, As it were, Transparent glass, And the river, There was a pure river, Of water of life, Flowing, From the throne of God, There, Everything was pure, The fear that, Everything upon this earth, Is impure, It is all so, Mixed together, All our affections,

[14:29] And emotions, And feelings, And desires, Are so often mixed, But there, The perfection, Of the church of God, Everything is pure, The streets were like, Transparent glass, They were so clear, That John could see, Right through them, Now you know, That if there is any impurity, It very soon, It clouds the glass, Even, An air bubble or two, Will spoil the transparency, Of a piece of glass, A few, Particles of, Earth, Will, Cloud, A glass of water, And destroy, And destroy that transparency, That it has, The pure in heart, The transparent, Before God, That is, I have something,

[15:30] Of that, Sweet simplicity, Which the, Hymn writer desired, Jesus cast, A look on me, Give me, Sweet simplicity, A simple, A simple faith, A simple love, So often, In the, Mixed emotions, And feelings of our hearts, These things become, So complicated, So mixed with, Many other things, How we do need, This, Childlike simplicity, And as we may, As I trust, We all shall, Come before God, In seeking him, To be, Entirely open, So to speak, Transparently so, Before him, To come to him, With the simplicity, Of a little child, In dependence upon him,

[16:32] In that faith, That he will do, Exactly, As he has spoken, A pure heart, Also means, A united heart, In the, Teaching of the, Lord to his people of old, They were warned, About mixing, Often, They were not allowed, To sow the fields, With a mixture of, Brain, They were not allowed, To wear a garment, That was of wool, And linen mixed, And they were certainly, Not allowed to, Arrange, Mixed marriages, With the, Heathen around them, There was this, Emphasis, On purity, Because wherever, There is mixing, It really means,

[17:34] A weakening, The psalmist, Praise in that, Important word, Unite, My heart, To feel, To fear thy name, Our hearts, Can so easily, Be divided, We may feel, Some affection, For the Lord, And yet, And yet, Have far too much, Of a dividing affection, We so need, The Lord, To draw, So to speak, All the, All the chords, Of our hearts, To him, You see, Hymns, Often so expressive, In such words, As those, Thou draw, My heart, From earth away, And let it only know, Thy call, Speak to my inmost soul, And say,

[18:34] I am thy Saviour, God, Thy all, Oh dwell in me, And fill all my soul, And all my powers, By thine control, Again, It was a united heart, That the hymn writer, So desired, Is that your prayer?

[18:55] Do you really want, Your heart, To be, United in this way? That all its affections, And desires, May be drawn, Unto the Saviour, As the great object, Of that love, And desire, And so also, A pure heart, Is a devoted heart, It is one that is truly devoted, To the service of God, Be united in that way, Causes this devotion, Of purity, The psalmist prayed, Establish thy word, Unto thy servant, Who is devoted, To thy fear?

[19:46] We read in the, Last chapter of Leviticus, Where these things, Are especially dealt with, That there were those, Who should, During the course, Of the Israelites history, Who should devote, This or that, Entirely unto the Lord, They would bring that offering, Which was such an offering, Of their heart's devotion, To say, To express, Their pure, Devotion to God, That they worshipped, And served him, Only, We have a similar, Series of expressions, In that psalm, That we read, The psalmist, The psalmist could, Write concerning, Those other gods, That others were worshipping, And he, Wanted nothing, Whatever to do with them, He says,

[20:47] The Lord, Is the portion, Of my inheritance, And of my cup, He only, Is my God, And my all, Now what a change, This indicates, There is that purity, Of devotion, Of heart, And also, This evidently, Means, A loving heart, Because love, Has such a purifying effect, Or that we all, Experienced, More of that, Pure love of God, Flowing into our hearts, Or then, They really would begin, To be pure, Indeed, It was, Certainly, Something of a pure heart, That John had, When he could write, We have known, And believed, The love, That God hath, To us, God is love, And he that dwelleth,

[21:48] In love, Dwelleth in God, And God in him, With God dwelling, In the heart, As the God of love, This purifying effect, Is begun, And, So the apostle Peter, In the beginning of the second chapter, In his first epistle, Says, Following those words, That we were considering, A little while ago, He says, Wherefore, Laying aside, All malice, And all guile, And envious, And hypocrisies, And all evil speakings, Now repeatedly, He uses that word, All, Lay them all aside, He said, That your heart may be pure, Laying aside, These things, Desire, The sincere, Or the pure, Word of the Lord, That ye may grow thereby,

[22:48] As newborn babes, Desire, The sincere, Milk of the word, That ye may grow thereby, Now do you think, Dear friends, These things do have, A purifying effect, And especially, That love of God, It cannot really, Expand, And live, Where there are, Those impurities, Remaining, And dwelling, And, Active, It will have that, Purifying, Effect, Within, Is this what you desire?

[23:33] A heart in, Every thought renewed, And filled with love divine, Perfect, And right, And pure, And good, A copy, Lord, Of thine, Now dear friends, If our hearts, Are being transformed, By the spirit of God, They will become, Pureer, They will become, More like, That heart, Of the saviour himself, A copy, Lord, Of thine, That is what we want, A purified heart, And it is so essential, Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God, And clearly the word implies, A both, An inclusive, And an exclusive sense, All the pure in heart, Will see God,

[24:35] But not one beside, If we shall ever be able, To behold, The face of God, With joy, And delights, We must have, A pure heart, To do it, Now you may say, Well surely this, Is a strange word, And not, As we find, In other parts, Of scripture, What does it mean, To see God, Well, The scriptures, Make it plain, That we cannot see God, Absolutely, Not completely, Not in his own, Infinite, Glorious being, Itself, For God is, An infinite spirit, There is no way, In which we can ever, See him, In all the glory, Of his being, He is that one,

[25:38] Whom no man, Hath seen, Nor can see, In that sense, And the Savior said, Concerning this subject, No man hath seen God, At any time, The only begotten son, Who is in the bosom, Of the father, He hath declared him, Jesus himself, Came to reveal, The father, And in his person, God, Was manifest, In the flesh, And in that person, All that are pure in heart, Shall see God, Now of course, This is a very profound word, We cannot, Expect to, Fathom its true death, But only understand, A little of what, The wonderful word, Really expresses, The apostle Paul said,

[26:41] Concerning his walk, Of faith here below, Now we see, Through a glass darkly, But then, Face to face, Now I know in part, But then shall I know, Even as I am known, Clearly before, The people of God, Is the vision, Of God, In his, Dear son, They shall see him, They see him now, By faith, So I've often expressed to you, Faith is, Like the eye of the soul, It does view, Him who is invisible, To the natural senses, It has this, Perceptiveness, When that faith, Is active, And strong, And lively, It makes those things, Which are eternal,

[27:41] And invisible, To be so real, And precious, And substantial, The apostle writing, In the Hebrew says, We see Jesus, Long after, The Lord himself, Are descended, Into heaven, That word is, Recorded, We see Jesus, We see him, As he says, Made a little lower, Than the angels, For the suffering, Of death, Crowned, With glory, And honor, And honor, Though he was, In glory, And entirely, Invisible, To the natural eye, Or to any, Kind of natural sight, The apostles, Could say, Now we see Jesus, We realize, That he, Is ever, On the right hand, Of God, To our faith, He is visible, And real, One says, In the hymn,

[28:43] I'm sure, That some can echo that, While walking, On the gospel, Day, Way, I would see Jesus, Every day, See him, In all his grace, See him, My prophet, Priest, And king, See him, By faith, His praises sing, Then see him, Face to face, We read of those, Who are pure in heart, In the last chapter, Of the revelation, That his servants, There shall serve him, And they shall, See his face, And his name, Shall be in their foreheads, They will be forever his, Their hearts finally, And fully purified, And they will see, His face, They will see, The glory of God, The wonder of his love, And mercy, And compassion, His holiness,

[29:45] And majesty, Shining forth, From the saviour's face, What a promise, What a promise this is, It far, Exceeds any words, That I can, Utter to express it, How beautiful, Wonderful are the words, That Jesus himself, So plainly spoke, Very simple, Very simple, So sure, Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God, Now dear friends, Do consider, The searching word of God, Are you pure, In heart, In any degree, In those ways, That I have, Set it before you, According to, His word, Is there that, Purifying work, Of the spirit, Begun in your heart, If so, You will long for more, And feel persuaded,

[30:47] In my own mind, Although, I cannot read your thoughts, There are some, Who must be moved, By such a word, As this, With desire for this, With longing, With hungering, And thirsting, That this may be so, You do not feel, To be very pure in heart, Do you long to be, Is this your, Earnest desire, For surely the Lord, By his mighty spirit, Will accomplish, These things, In those who do, Really desire, And long, And crave, And seek for this, So may it be, Our portion, Through the, Wonderful work, Of God's good spirit, To be so, Conformed to the likeness, Of Jesus Christ, That we may have, At last, Really pure hearts, The apostle says,

[31:49] Put on the new man, Which after God, Which after his likeness, Is created, In righteousness, And true holiness, This is conformity, To Jesus Christ, And such, And only such, Will be able, To see him, As he is, Without a veil between, And gaze, And gaze, Upon their blessed person, Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God, Amen.

[32:25] Amen. Hymn 1024, June Jackson's 163, 1024, O for a heart to praise the Lord, A heart from sin set free, A heart that sprinkled with the blood so freely shed for me, A heart resigned, Submissive, Submissive, Meek, The great redeemer's throne, Where only Christ is heard to speak, Where Jesus reigns alone, 1024, A heart that springs the Lord,

[33:31] A heart from sin set free, A heart that sprinkled with the blood so freely shed for me, A heart's risen submissive me, The great redeemer's throne, Where only Christ is heard to speak, What Jesus reigns alone, A heart of lowly contrite hearts,

[34:40] Beliefeth true and clean, Which neither lies, Nor just the heart from him, That was with him, Thine nature, Thine nature, Gracious, Lost in past, Come quickly from above, Write thine unity upon thine heart, The new best name of love,

[35:42] Most gracious and faithful God, Do we beseech the answer, The prayer of our hymn, Wherever it is found in our hearts, And O do impart, Thy own nature, And write that new name, Upon our hearts we do pray thee, There are those surely before thee, Who do long to be more pure in heart, And who mourn much over their sinfulness, And their deceitfulness, And the evils that are found within, O do subdue every evil by thy grace, May thy pure love,

[36:42] May thy pure love, Abound in our hearts, And if any should be unconcerned, About such a great and solemn consideration, Lord, we pray that by thy spirit, They may be awakened to feel and to know, That they must be pure in heart, Before they can ever face thee, O do bless thy word, And help us who shall gather now, Around the table of the Lord, O do grant us to realize thy presence, We do pray, Do unite our hearts together in that service, And any who shall witness it, O Lord, we pray that they may share, In the blessing, Do we beseech thee, Grant us thy help, Through the days of the week, And thy rich blessing, In every part of our lives,

[37:46] And worthy as we are, As we plead for Jesus' sake, And now unto him who is able to keep us from falling, And to present us thoughtless, Before the presence of his glory, With exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever.

[38:18] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[38:43] Amen. Amen. And this is the course that we should constantly take, the recourse that we should have, I will cry unto God most high, unto God who performeth all things for me.

[39:01] And if there should be any who have very little of such past experience, then still there is the example in the world, even should it be for the very first time, even if you cannot say, really that God has performed many things for you.

[39:24] It is still your wisdom, thus to act in times of great need, to cry unto God most high. And the God who so answered his servant of old, and who has so answered his people in their cries of need all through the centuries, will surely hear all those who cry unto him in the name of his beloved son.

[39:51] Amen. Hymn 376.

[40:14] June Bethlehem 447. 376 Lord, I cannot let thee go till a blessing thou bestow.

[40:26] Do not turn away thy face. Mine's an urgent pressing case. Thus thou ask me who I am. Ah, my Lord, thou knowest my name.

[40:38] Yet the question gives a plea to support my suit with thee. Hymn 376 Lord, I will not let thee go till a blessing thou bestow.

[41:02] Do not turn away thy face.

[41:12] Mine's an urgent pressing case.

[41:24] Just thou ask me who I am. Have I lost and lost my name?

[41:43] Yet the passion gives a plea to support my suit with thee.

[42:05] Thou didst once the best behold.

[42:17] In the name of the Lord, I will not let thee go. In the name of the Lord, I will not let thee go.

[42:29] For thy grace, thy power defy.

[42:44] For thy grace, thy power defy. For thy grace, thy power defy. For thy grace, thy power defy. For thy grace, thy power defy.

[42:56] For thy grace, thy power defy. For thy grace, thy power defy. For thy grace, thy power defy. For thy grace, thy power defy.

[43:08] For thy grace, thy power defy. For thy grace, thy power defy.

[43:30] And set him free Lord, the past he came to me Many days have passed since then Many changes I have seen Yet I'm free I'm held till now

[44:35] Who perform me Thou hast found Thou hast found In every day This and all are And here To be Of the sun And the sea And the sea And the land

[45:39] So Who are The End The End

[46:45] Most merciful and faithful God, we do give thanks unto thee for all thy mercy past, for the countless times in which thou hast heard our cries, and sent answers of peace, of deliverance, of help, of healing.

[47:17] Do continue thy favours, we pray thee, and do forgive our unbelief, and strengthen our faith, and do help us to call upon thee.

[47:31] In the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, abide with us all. Amen.

[47:44] Amen.