I’m sure you will have noticed that our preaching theme this year is Visionary View.
Today I want us to consider the question: Who can have a visionary view of God?
Jesus answers this question for us in His Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:8, “God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.”
To put this verse in context listen to Matthew 5:1-10
One day as He saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around Him, and He began to teach them.
“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.
God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.
God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.
God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.
God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
Who can have a visionary view of God?
Matthew 5:8, “God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.”
I want us to look at this verse in conjunction with one of the Psalms.
The psalms are the production of various God-inspired human authors.
Many of the Psalms are attributed to King David, in the “titles” 73 are ascribed to David.
(The Apostles Peter and John in Acts 4:25 also credit David as the author of the second psalm, which is one of the 48 that are anonymous. Acts 4:25, you spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant, saying, ‘Why were the nations so angry? Why did they waste their time with futile plans?)
About two-thirds of the book of Psalms have been ascribed to David and I want us to look at one of David’s Psalms, Psalm 24.
Psalm 24:1-10
The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it.
The world and all its people belong to Him.
For He laid the earth’s foundation on the seas
and built it on the ocean depths.
Who may climb the mountain of the LORD?
Who may stand in His holy place?
Only those whose hands and hearts are pure,
who do not worship idols
and never tell lies.
They will receive the LORD’s blessing
and have a right relationship with God their saviour.
Such people may seek you
and worship in your presence, O God of Jacob. [Selah]
Open up, ancient gates!
Open up, ancient doors,
and let the King of glory enter.
Who is the King of glory?
The LORD, strong and mighty;
the LORD, invincible in battle.
Open up, ancient gates!
Open up, ancient doors,
and let the King of glory enter.
Who is the King of glory?
The LORD of Heaven’s Armies—
He is the King of glory. [Selah]
First by way of Introduction
Psalm 24 is often called “The Hill of the Lord” because the verses containing this expression form the very heart of this Psalm (v3-5).
The questions in verse 3 “Who may climb the mountain of the LORD? and Who may stand in His holy place?” are the equivalent of asking, “What is true religion?” The answer of the Psalmist is here in verse 4, “Only those whose hands and hearts are pure”.
True religion, or more accurately true faith, is more than just having clean hands! First and foremost, it requires a pure heart.
True faith is not based on works, deeds, or observances of specific ceremonies for outward appearance. If our hearts are pure, in the way that Jesus wants them to be then, then we will willingly serve Him in many ways as part of our true expressions of love for Him.
As I said earlier, our text is Matthew 5:8, “God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.”
“for they will see God” What a wonderful thought, humanity created in the image of God, having the ability to see a visionary view of God.
Friend, is that the deepest longing of your heart? Do you have the desire to see God?
To look upon His face, for some this is a deep longing; a longing that is as strong as physical hunger.
Since the fall, throughout the ages, man has cried out with Job, the words from Job 23:3 “If only I knew where to find God, I would go to His dwelling”.
The more a person learns of God through the study of His word the deeper this yearning should become.
God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God - “For they will see God” – Jesus is describing the deepest need of men and women. Spiritual blindness is a great tragedy in our world.
Sin has blinded so many, sin and self-seeking, lust and pride have put cataracts over “the eyes of our heart”; our world cannot see God.
The apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:18-20 “I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope He has given to those He called — His holy people who are His rich and glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe Him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the place of honour at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.”
Our world is blind through sin, but the blessing of God is available to all who look - God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God
The sixth beatitude brings us face-to-face with the nature and demands of true faith, which is first of all a matter of the heart.
There are Four points I want us to consider, the four points are questions which demand an answer if the words of Jesus are to mean anything to us:
Purity Defined - What is the purity of heart that Jesus speaks of?
Purity Attained - How can we attain the purity of heart that Jesus speaks of?
Purity Blessed - What is the blessing that Jesus pronounces upon the pure in heart?
Purity Results - What are the results of this vision of God?
Purity Defined - What is the pure heart that Jesus speaks of?
It is important for us to see exactly what Jesus said.
Jesus did not say, “Blessed are the pure”. That would have gone straight into our minds with an exact meaning, probably based on the seventh commandment “Thou shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14) and many have read the verse in this way. Purity in our relationship with others is only one of the fruits of a pure heart.
Jesus did not say, “Blessed are the pure”, Jesus also did not say, “Blessed are the perfect”. That would have ruled me out and probably you as well!
This beatitude would never touch our lives at all.
It is true that perfection is the only standard worthy of Jesus, and the words of Jesus recorded in Matthew 5:48 say, “But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
What a joy it is to know that when our Heavenly Father looks at those who have accepted Christ as their Saviour and Lord, He is looking at the perfection of His Son.
Jesus did say, “God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God”.
The word Pure in the Greek is kath-ar-os’ (katharos) which means literally and figuratively clean, clear, pure.
There are three definitions in the Thayer Greek dictionary for kath-ar-os’:
1) clean or pure, physically like something purified by fire or like a vine cleansed by pruning and so fitted to bear fruit
2) clean in a levitical sense - clean, the use of which is not forbidden, imparts no uncleanness
3) ethically clean - free from corrupt desire, from sin and guilt, free from what is false, sincere genuine, blameless, innocent, unstained with the guilt of anything
So the pure heart is a single heart, a heart devoted to the purposes of God.
What is the purity of heart that Jesus speaks of?
A pure heart is an unmixed heart, unadulterated, with no hidden purposes, no division in loyalty, and no reservation in devotion.
Need an example? Luke 9:57-62
As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.”
He said to another person, “Come, follow me.”
The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”
But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.”
Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say goodbye to my family.”
But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plough and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”
There is no true happiness for the one who says. “I will follow you, Lord; but first….”
Purity Attained - How can we attain the purity of heart that Jesus speaks of?
Purity of heart, in the sense Jesus means purity, is achievable by all Christians who really desire it with all their heart.
This beatitude is not for some “super-saint”, or an exalted servant or prophet of God.
Purity of heart is “like a prize of supreme worth” within the reach of every heart willing to receive it.
But how can we attain it?
By Surrender. A surrender to Christ, full and entire, brings the cleansing power of God’s forgiveness flooding the heart to cleanse and purify.
An Old Testament beatitude throws light on this beatitude of Jesus. In Psalm 32:1 out of his experience the Psalmist cries, “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!”
This beatitude is not for the sinless but for forgiven sinners, not for the perfect but for the purified in heart.
No sinner, man, woman or child, is excluded in the sweep of its possibilities.
God, through the Old Testament prophet Isaiah, says in Isaiah 1:16, “Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins out of my sight. Give up your evil ways.” and He continues in verse 18,“Come now, let’s settle this,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.
How do we become pure in heart?
By a full surrender to Christ to be cleansed by His power. But that isn’t all of the answer.
We also need a complete consecration of our life to God.
To Concecrate is to regard something or someone as set apart or separate.
Not all Christians are pure in heart, many are “borderline” Christians; and like the Israelites settling in the Promised Land, many of us stop before we drive out all our enemies.
The pure in heart need to drive out every alien thought and purpose and allow Christ the full possession of our heart.
It’s easy to have mixed motives and desires. Our hearts need to be single in purpose – set on God and God alone. To such is the promise given.
Purity Blessed - What is the blessing that Jesus pronounces upon the pure in heart?
“God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God”.
The deepest yearning of the soul is satisfied, the most compelling needs of the heart are met.
What is the blessing for a pure heart before God, a heart unmixed, unadulterated by love for the world and single to the service of God?
“They will see God,” Jesus says.
They shall see Him now; they shall see Him in hours of worship in God’s House; they shall see Him in the prayer meeting, they shall see Him in family worship; they shall see Him in times of private prayer and meditation on the Word of God.
Behind the darkness of the world’s confusion, misery, suffering and sin, they shall see God as the one, single, sovereign, holy, unifying purpose in the history of the world, in the present day, and till Christ comes again in judgement.
The promise is that one day the pure in heart shall look upon Jesus, not by implication, not indirectly, not “through a glass, darkly” - As the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:12), Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
We will see Jesus face-to-face. What a blessing to see the face of our Saviour, He who paid the price of my sin, of your sin – face-to-face – What a blessing!
Purity Results - What are the results of this vision of God?
This vision of God causes us to see the unseen resources of God.
Paul saw Jesus on the Damascus road and found the strength to carry him through every trial.
In the agony of his death, the apostle Stephen saw Jesus - in Acts 7:56, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honour at God’s right hand!” – this vision of God gave Stephen the courage and strength to die for Christ.
Hebrews 11:27 says, “It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible.”
Think of all that Moses endured. How steadfast he was! How courageous! How dauntless!
What was his secret? “He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible”
This vision of God causes us to see the many needs of man and should give us a sense of personal obligation. Having seen the infinite resources of God and the many needs of the world, this vision causes us to see that we can be used to bring the two together. Moses, Isaiah and Paul each saw the resources and the need, and each volunteered to serve.
The visionary view of God causes us to see what will one day be the consummation of the Christian life and undergirds our lives with hope.
The apostle John promised those he wrote to in 1 John 3:2 “we do know that we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He really is.”
In conclusion, it’s important to note that one day everyone will see God!
When Christ comes again, if you have not accepted Jesus into your heart as your personal Lord and Saviour; if you have not repented from your sins and asked to be forgiven, meeting God will not be a blessing.
Eternal life is the free gift to those who will come to Christ; eternal death is the reward to those who will not come.
In Romans 2:5 God said through the Apostle Paul, “because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.” In Romans 2:8 he continues “He will pour out His anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness.” and in Romans 2:16 “the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life.”
My friends, each of us needs to have a personal relationship with Jesus, we need to acknowledge and trust in Him as Saviour and Lord.
We are not pure through anything we can do ourselves; we can only be cleansed by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God’s own Son.
He shed His blood that my heart, your heart may be pure before a Holy God.
“Though your sins are like scarlet, He will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, God will make them as white as wool.
Yes, everyone will see God, what a blessed hope we can have!
In the day when Christ returns, our hope as believers will be fulfilled.
Who can have a visionary view of God?
“God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God”.
