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HOW TO SEE GOD
(Matthew 5:8)
…There
are many interesting and fascinating things to see in our world. As a boy my
interest in seeing the world was perked by the magazines my parents had in our
home. When I was 17 years old, I made a list of the things I hoped to see in
our world. These included: the ocean, the Rocky Mts, New York City, Alaska,
Rome, London, Egypt, the jungles of Brazil, Jerusalem, Egypt and the Great
Pyramids…the Lord has allowed me to see all of those.
…As
wonderful as these places may be, the sixth Beatitude tells us that the __best__
is yet to come. This coming “sight” will be so great, all other places seen
will pale by comparison. Jesus tells us the pure in heart will __see__
God.
THREE QUESTIONS HELPING US TO BE ONE OF THE PRIVILEGED WHO
WILL SEE GOD.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God”
I. What Does Jesus Mean When He
Speaks Of the Heart?
…Jesus
tells that the heart and its condition is the __key__ for us to see God.
It is important to understand what Jesus meant when he pointed at the human
heart.
A.
Jesus uses the word “heart” figuratively referring to our
__inner__
self. It is the depths of our person. It is the __fount__ from which
everything in our lives comes.
B.
The Bible
uses the word “heart” to refer to the
__mind__,
the __will__, and the emotions of man.
1.
Romans 1:21
…sin clouds the heart, Paul is thinking primarily of the clouding of men’s mind
by sin. Sin
__darkens__
and __corrupts__ the minds of people.
2.
Romans 2:5…”because of the stubbornness and your unrepentant heart”…here Paul is
thinking of about man’s implacable
__will__.
3.
Romans
5:5…”and hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into
our hearts…” Here heart is the seat of our emotions.
C.
The heart is
the center of the personality, yet it is the very
__source__
of our problems.
1.
We are born with
__sinful__
hearts that are deceitful. (Jeremiah 17:9-10)
2.
Jesus said, Matt 15:19, “out of the
__heart__
comes evil thoughts, murder…”
3.
Proverbs 4:23 “Above all else, guard your hearts, for out of it are the issues
of life.” It is the wellspring of who
__you__
are. God has always __required__ purity in the inner man.
II.
What Does It
Mean To Be Pure In Heart?
A.
The word Jesus
used for “pure” is the word “catharsis.” We use it when we speak of
__cleansing__. The ancients used this word of “making pure by cleansing
from dirt, or impurities.” It was used of __metal__ purification, when
the metal ore was heated to separate the metal from the impurities.
B.
A second meaning of
purity is to have an
__undivided__
heart. It is having a heart that is totally given to __holiness__.
Hebrews tells, “holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord”
C.
It means to be
like our Lord Jesus.
D.
Yet, it is only
__God__
who can make our hearts pure. It is impossible for us to do this. If we try to
do this on our own, we are destined to failure. So this is God’s __work__
within His children who have come to faith in His Son.
1.
God makes us
pure judicially in the
__moment__
of belief…
2.
God makes us
pure in the
__practical__
sense during life as we yield to the urgings of the Holy Spirit. Gal 5:16
“walk in the spirit”
3.
God will make us pure finally and completely in the
__moment__
of our death…
III. How Is It Possible For Us To
Actually See God?
…Is this
sight objective and visible or is it spiritual? It seems to be both.
A.
It is
spiritual here and now as the pure
__eyes__
of our soul can now see God in nature and the events of history. This is the
eye of __faith__, as we live close to the Lord with pure hearts.
1.
Hebrews
11:27 “Moses endured seeing Him who is invisible”
2.
Also we
__see__
God’s gracious dealings with us. “I see God’s hand in this.”
B.
Ultimately, this will be
__actual__
sight when we see the Lord face to face in glory. (1 John 3:3)
…THE
BEST IS YET TO COME! We will be overwhelmed by the __beauty__ of the
Lord!!!
LESSONS FOR OUR LIVES:
1. Only God can
cleanse your sinful heart and make it pure. Come to the Savior and be
saved today.
2. If you are a
Christian, then your deepest desire should be to live holy.
3. To live a pure,
clean life, you must daily draw near to the Lord.
4. Knowing that you
will see the Lord, it should change the way you and I live today.
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