It Will Be Worth It All

It Will Be Worth It All

Matthew 5:8-12

Intro: Another kind of green!

Through the beatitudes, Jesus goes deeper; pointing His followers toward internal change, rather than outward conformity. He is concerned with your heart,
the status of your soul, not just appearance and obligatory action. With each beatitude, Jesus digs deeper pointing His followers toward giving their
all and reminding them that it will be worth it all.

Read: Matthew 5:8-12

• From verse one until the end of the beatitudes, we are continually challenged to look beyond the values of society and culture, and to understand the
  greater value of the blessedness Jesus is pointing us to. The spiritual blessedness, the happiness beyond situation, or circumstance. The happiness
  that requires our all, that which requires internal change, rather than outward conformity. 

I. Dig Deep

• We continue in the beatitudes with verse 8, “blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”Jesus is now pointing directly toward
  the heart. He doesn’t say blessed are the pure in action but blessed are the pure in heart.
• The Greek word translated “pure” here is katharos, it indicates a clean, pure heart; a hear that is free from anything that soils or corrupts.  
• This inner moral purity as opposed to the external image of purity. 

Illus. What’s under the hood?

• The phrase “pure in heart,” incorporates honesty, sincerity and clarity in motives; integrity and a single-minded commitment to God. 

• Jesus is saying you are blessed, when you are pure in heart. Not based on what things look like on the surface, when you are pure in heart.  

• In Matthew 23, Jesus talks to His disciples about the Pharisees and scribes, that they tell others to do things, but do not lift a finger themselves.
  That they desire to be noticed by men, but they should be more concerned with their heart.

Matthew 23:25-26, Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside may become clean.

• The Pharisees and scribes were satisfied with a superficial cleansing and the appearance of righteousness, but Jesus is saying that true outward righteousness
  begins on the inside.  

• Jesus wasn’t asking them to choose between inward and outward righteousness, rather, He was making it clear that true outward righteousness starts
  on the inside.  

Illus. Not with that heart!

• Jesus is telling His followers, blessed are the pure in heart, they are people of integrity, morally pure, honest and sincere, with a single-minded
  commitment to God.
  
• Your heart is what is important to Him.

1 Samuel 16:7, The Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance of at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 

• As David’s brothers come before Samuel, he thinks that the Lord next anointed king is before him until the Lord said, do look at the outward appearance,
  look to me, I look at the heart.
  

Jeremiah 17:10, I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds.

• The Lord is concerned with your heart, with the status of your heart and willingness to keep an open heart toward God. The pure in heart understand
  the importance of keeping their heart committed to Him.
  
• The pure in heart will see God. We see Him here and now through the eyes of faith. And finally, in heaven.

1 John 3:2, Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.

• Jesus continues to point His followers to dig deep. To seek the Lord, to have Him create in them a clean heart and renew a right spirit within them
  (Ps. 51:10).

• The Lord will create in you a clean heart, by His grace He will do just that. If you are a believe, by His grace, He had done just that (Romans 3:20-24). 

A.Pursue Lasting Peace

• Vs. 8, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

• Certainly, the thought “peacemaker,” evokes all sorts of thoughts about peacemaking. About making all things peaceful. 

• In the wake of another school shooting this past Friday at Santa Fe High School, our world, our country, our community, is in need of more than temporary
  peace. Our world is in need of lasting peace.

• Lasting peace is found in the Prince of Peace. 

Isaiah 9:6-7, And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government of Peace.

• In order to be a peacemaker, one must have peace with God.The peace within, comes from knowing Jesus.
  

Romans 5:1, Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

• True peace is not the absence of obvious conflict, it isn’t avoiding difficult conversations and allowing turmoil beneath the surface; rather, it is
  truly found in Jesus.

Colossians 3:15, Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.

• Peace of Christ is the peace you have for your very soul. The understanding that you have been reconciled to God, you have eternity to look forward
  to.

• It’s not a lack of concern, but an abundance of peace. It is that peace, the peace of Christ, that should rule.

• The word translated “rule” is a Greek word that describes an umpire at a baseball game.

Illus. What should I do? Are you walking with the Lord? Let His peace rule.

Illus. Jonah was told by God to go to Nineveh and instead went the opposite way to Tarsus. When he went down to the docks, there was a boat heading right toward Tarsus. So much peace Jonah had, he fell asleep on the boat.

• Pursue lasting peace internally, lasting peace externally, hard won peace, centered on God; if at all possible. 

Romans 12:18, If possible, so far as it depends upon you, be at peace with all men.

• When you have peace with God and are allowing His peace to rule in your heart and your world, you have the opportunity to be a peacemaker.

• Peacemakers are those who bring about peace, overcoming evil with good. Spreading the gospel of Jesus, which is called the ministry of reconciliation
  (2 Corinthians 5:18).

• The best peacemaking activity we can engage in is introducing our world to the Prince of Peace. 

Illus. Find a way to point others to Jesus.

• There is a great deal we can point to in our world and say, “Lord, bring about the peace I want to see.”
  

Illus. The week before His crucifixion, Jesus came into Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey and the people were shouting praises to Him. They were sure that He would overthrow the Roman government. Jesus was concerned with something greater.

Illus. Bring peace, Lord!

• Jesus pursuit of peace was to make a way and bring about peace to the soul. To dig deeper than the surface. Not a temporary fix. 

• Jesus made a way for reconciliation, and we have been given the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18).

Illus. Change the world?

• Jesus calls peacemaker’s children of God. Being a child of God, means a part of God’s family, an heir to all He gives and will give.

Philippians 4:4, 6-7, Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, rejoice! Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

A.Rejoice and Be Glad

• As Jesus completes the beatitudes, He tells all who are listening, that they are blessed when they are persecuted for righteousness, that theirs is
  the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:10).
  
• And then He makes it even more personal: 

Matthew 5:11-12, Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

• In order to be persecuted for righteousness sake, there must be a deep commitment to righteousness. 

• We can look at persecution in other countries and understand that the way we are persecuted in light of those who face death daily is minor.

• There is no question that there is someone out there who is being persecuted to a greater degree. Jesus himself was persecuted and died to make a way
  for us.

• This persecution however, cannot be limited to physical opposition or torture (which does exist in parts of the world today).

• When you experience persecution, hostility, harassment, trouble, mistreatment for His sake, you are blessed. Jesus, says “rejoice and be exceedingly
  glad,” leap for joy! Why? Because the persecuted will have a great reward in heaven.

• Likely, you won’t feel like rejoicing, there may not be much to rejoice about on this earth. But Jesus promises heaven itself! 

Illus. Marriage and Intimacy 339.

1 Corinthians 15:58, Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.

Matthew 5:8-12

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. “Blessed are those who have
been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and
falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted
the prophets who were before you.