DO YOU WANT TO SEE GOD?

HEAVENLY FATHER, OPEN OUR EYES!  OPEN OUR EARS!  GIVE US EYES TO SEE AND EARS TO HEAR RIGHT NOW!  WE ASK THIS IN JESUS’ NAME AND ALL THAT NAME REPRESENTS, AMEN (SO BE IT).

1. Why do you come to church every Sunday?
2. How important is God to you?
3. Are you serious about being a believer?
4. If you are not really serious about this whole “Christianity thing” then you are not going to like what I share with you today.

 DO YOU WANT TO SEE GOD?

Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8 KJV

Could it be that simple?  Yes!  It breaks down to this:

1. The pure in heart will see God.
2. Those with impure hearts will not.

 What does it mean to be pure?

The Greek word in this verse for “pure” is katharos and it signifies that which is clean, or free from contaminating substance.  So it follows that a “pure” heart is one free of wrong or polluted “motives”

The Pharisees pushed outward purity.  They focused on what it meant to be righteous in front of others but inside they were full of impurities.  They had impure hearts; they looked good on the outside but were full of sin on the inside.

“Everyone who commits sin breaks God’s law, for that is what sin is, by definition—a breaking of God’s law. You know, moreover, that Christ became man for the purpose of removing sin, and he himself was quite free from sin. The man who lives “in Christ” does not habitually sin. The regular sinner has never seen or known him.   You, my children, are younger than I am, and I don’t want you to be taken in by any clever talk just here. The man who lives a consistently good life is a good man, as surely as God is good. But the man whose life is habitually sinful is spiritually a son of the devil, for the devil is behind all sin, as he always has been. Now the Son of God came to earth with the express purpose of liquidating the devil’s activities. The man who is really God’s son does not practice sin, for God’s nature is in him, for good, and such a heredity is incapable of sin.  Here we have a clear indication as to who are the children of God and who are the children of the devil. The man who does not lead a good life is no son of God…” 1 John 3:4-10 JB Phillips Translation

1. Like the Pharisees we are infected with sin.
2. We do not have the ability to make ourselves clean so no one, I REPEAT NO ONE, can free themselves from the bonds of sin.
3. Only Christ can free us from our bondage.
4. We are made clean by His sacrifice enabling our impure hearts to be made pure.  (Col. 1:19-22; 1 John 2:1-2)

However, staying pure is not so easy.  Sin is ready to tempt you away from God’s righteousness.  But God has given you the ability and strength to abstain from sin.  (1 Cor. 10:13; 2 Cor. 10:5)

Also James 4:8-10 in the Amplified Bible tells us:

“Come close to God and He will come close to you. [Recognize that you are] sinners, get your soiled hands clean; [realize that you have been disloyal] wavering individuals with divided interests, and purify your hearts [of your spiritual adultery].   [As you draw near to God] be deeply penitent and grieve, even weep [over your disloyalty]. Let your laughter be turned to grief and your mirth to dejection and heartfelt shame [for your sins].  Humble yourselves [feeling very insignificant] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up and make your lives significant].”

This purity God gives is so powerful and once your heart has tasted it than you will desire more.  You will want to fill your life, words, and heart with this purity!

 “See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him.  Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.” – 1 John 3:1-3 New Living Translation

“Happy are the utterly sincere, for they will see God!” – Matthew 5:8 JB Phillips Translation

What does it mean to see God?

We know that every man, woman and child will see God on the Judgment Day (Eccl. 11:9; Rom. 14:10-12) so what does it really mean when Jesus said that the pure in heart will “see” God?

The Greek word for “see” in this verse is horao and can be taken literally and figuratively.  We shall all literally “see” God at the Judgment, but only the pure in heart will “see” God figuratively (perceive, recognize, and experience Him) in their daily lives.

Have you perceived him?

When you got up this morning did you recognize His touch?

During worship this week at church did You experience His glory with all parts of your being?

Do you know Him like that?

He longs to place His purity in your heart right now.

Reach out and take it and know the exquisite hunger for God it creates in your life.

"Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me [as your vital necessity] and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.  I will be found by you"  -Jeremiah 13-14a AMP