Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Lord, we desire to progress in our understanding of what you taught here many years ago. And we acknowledge that you planned for us, your people, to be gathered here tonight to hear this teaching that you have, you spoke many years ago. Pray that you would give us an understanding of what it would mean and what it will mean to see you, to see you great God in the future. We pray this in Jesus name. Amen. Well, tonight we're going to finish our look at the sixth beatitude, and these are the marks of someone who is... the characteristic marks of someone who is in Christ's kingdom, these beatitudes are. Someone that's in Christ's kingdom, not through obedience to these, but through faith in Jesus. Because there's no way we could ever be these things apart from Him doing it in our place, and giving us a righteous standing, and then working in our hearts these very things. And I want to again read back through the truths of the Beatitudes, because these are like a cluster of fruit. All of these, just like the fruit of the Spirit, go together. You have to understand each one in light of the other. And so let me read back through what we've discovered so far. Blessed are the poor in spirit, refers to a genuinely humble awareness of total dependency upon God. Blessed are those who mourn, refers to a God-centered sorrow over personal what? Sin, personal sin. Blessed are the gentle, Strength refers to strength under control, which expresses itself in a humble, submissive spirit that is the outworking of a true view of God and of self. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, refers to a basic, persistent desire to be free from sin and therefore holy before God. Blessed are the merciful, refers to a forgiving and compassionate spirit that actively seeks to alleviate the suffering of the guilty and the afflicted. Blessed are the pure in heart, refers to a morally, and this is where we are tonight, a morally cleansed heart in position, in new nature, in progressive practice, and in promised glorification in Christ. You'll notice that that definition of the pure in heart includes various kinds of purity that Jesus's statement would cover. And we've gone over these in the last couple of months as we've worked through this. There are different kinds of biblical purity, but there are four basic aspects of purity that are under the category of what Jesus is speaking of here. One, you could say this way, blessed are those who have a legal standing of purity before God in Christ. In justification you are given, and I am given, a legal standing of purity in Christ. It's His purity gifted to who? To us as our standing. It's an alien purity, an alien righteousness, meaning it's a righteousness that's not our own. And that's the only way you can be sure you're truly saved, is if you have a righteous standing given to you that's not yours. Another aspect would be, blessed are those who are a new creature with a new nature disposition toward purity in Christ. A new nature that has a disposition toward purity in Christ that comes through the regeneration and new birth. Or, blessed are those who are progressively being transformed away from sin toward purity in daily practice. Blessed are those who are pure in heart in that progressive way, progressive sanctification. And of course, blessed are those who are assured that one day we will be glorified in God's presence without any impurity and with perfectly pure practice. Blessed are those people. Happy are those people. Of course, this purity happens in the heart. And the heart is our inner being composed of emotions, mind, and will. And it's an important aspect. of Christianity because our hearts reveal who we are and our lives are lived out of our heart and that's where transformation takes place. If you want to love your sister or your brother or your spouse or your children or your co-workers or your boss or your neighbors rightly, that is going to have to happen with a transformed heart. In addition, we talked about this, happiness through what? Purity. Happiness through purity. Blessed are the pure in heart. Happy are the pure in heart. Purity and happiness are always together. True happiness, true joy and purity can never be separated. Never shall the two twain depart each other. Alright? They are always together. But tonight we're going to once again consider this promise from our Lord that He gives here. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. What a remarkable promise from the Lord to us. This is our Savior who died for us and rose again. And He's saying, blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. And we talked about this fact that that's a promise and yet nobody can see God, right? Nobody can see God. So how can the pure in heart see God? Well, no one can see the what of God, the essence of God. Nobody can see the essence of God. But God does manifest himself such that people have a true sight of him. How does God manifest himself so that people have a true sight of him? Well, he manifests his what? Evangelia, do you know? Do you know what he manifests? Alright, are you listening? He manifests His glory. He manifests His glory. That's how we have a true sight of Him. So, the question we raised last time is this, when will the pure in heart see God? When will they see God? Well, when do we see His glory? Do we see His glory now? Do we see aspects of His glory now, folks? Yes or no? Yes. So do we see God now? But do we see God like we're gonna see Him? No. Okay? So let me just go over what we saw last time. When will the pure in heart see God? Now in various ways, and then in His very presence for all eternity. We see Him now in various ways, but then in His very presence for all eternity. We see God now in His Son by the Spirit. We see God now in His character by Spirit-produced faith. Now we see God in His Word by Spirit-produced faith. Now we see God in His miracles and providence by Spirit-produced faith. We see God now in His creation by Spirit-produced faith. And we even see God now in His people by Spirit-produced faith. Because God comforts His people through people. And He works in people's lives through His people. So we see His glory through people. Alright now, I know it's Wednesday night, I know it's been a long week, I know that we've got a lot going on in our lives, but I don't want you to miss what God has for us tonight. I'm tired, alright, got a lot on our minds, but let's focus in and really get this tonight. This is a blessing that God has for us. Let's talk about then seeing God in His very presence for all eternity. We are going to see God in His presence for all eternity. Blessed are those who see Him in that way. Turn to Hebrews 12, 14. Hebrews 12, 14. What I did in terms of trying to let Scripture explain for us how we are going to see God in His very presence for all eternity is just get to the central texts on it and let and pull out truths that we see about this. And certainly, probably there are nuances that we could find elsewhere, but I think we'll cover much of it here. Look at Hebrews 12 verse 14. How are we to see God in His very presence for all eternity? Look at chapter 12 verse 14. The author of Hebrews says this. Pursue peace with all men and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. Alright, so if you don't pursue sanctification, you won't see who? You won't see the Lord. So the question we have to ask is, what sanctification are we to pursue if we are going to see the Lord? Okay? Well, it can't be referring to positional sanctification in Christ, can it? Alright? Because you don't pursue that as a believer, you already what? You already have it. It can't be referring to ultimate sanctification or future sanctification, glorification, because it says, "...and pursue the sanctification without which you will not see God." Well, when you see God, that's glorification. Alright? So what sanctification are we to pursue before we see God one day in eternity? It's progressive sanctification. All right, read the verse again. Pursue peace with all men and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. So what this verse teaches us is that every single person who sees God one day in eternity is going to be a person that was pursuing progressive sanctification when? In this life. here on this earth, which leads us to the point. Our future sight of God in eternity will be the culmination. It'll be the culmination. When you see God in the future, it will be the culmination of pursuing what kind of sanctification right now? Progressive sanctification. When you see God in eternity, it will be the culmination of pursuing progressive sanctification now. You say, why? Why would I do that now? On the basis of our positional sanctification in Christ. In other words, you are set aside in Christ. You are pure in Christ and you're standing before God. Therefore, you are pursuing growth day by day to be more like Jesus. And when you see God, that will be the culmination of that lifelong, as a believer, pursuit of Christlikeness. Alright? Now, What are the implications there? Yes, we pursue sanctification now, but we do so on the basis of our sanctification in Christ. We pursue progressive on the basis of our positional sanctification. This verse is not saying pursue spiritual growth so that you can earn a sight of God for all eternity. That's not what it's saying. The whole book of Hebrews is clear. The only sufficient sacrifice and provision for someone to see God for all eternity is who? It's Jesus. So the issue is not pursue spiritual growth so that you will earn your way to seeing God in eternity. The verse is simply exhorting us on the basis of reality. It's an exhortation in harmony with reality. Only those who pursue being more and more set apart from sin here in this life will see God for all eternity. Only those people. Now, this verse is simply exhorting us to this. Why? Because seeing God, think about this, because seeing God is inseparable from what? Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Seeing God is inseparable from what? Purity. Why would someone pursue being more and more holy in this life? Because they've been saved by God's grace, because they've already been set apart in Christ at salvation through faith in Him. But now the author of Hebrews is speaking to us who have a profession of faith in Christ. And he's saying, pursue sanctification, pursue greater Christ likeness, because without this you will not see the Lord. Now, that is a strong exhortation, isn't it? This goes right along with what Jesus is saying here. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are those who are being transformed progressively, for they shall see God. Your battle with sin daily... Think about this, folks. Your daily battle of sin is the prelude to an eternal sight of God. Your daily battle for sin is the necessary prelude to an eternal sight of God. And by the way, as you battle now by the Spirit to be more like Christ, you see God more clearly now, too. Would you agree? Folks, think about this for a second, okay? Let's not miss this. When you are sinning and you're not battling it, do you have a clear view of God's glory? No, it's muddled, isn't it? But if you are pursuing sanctification and growing, that's necessary if you're going to see God for all eternity. And it's going to help you see His glory when? Now. Your battle with sin is not the basis upon which you will see God for all eternity. That's Christ and Christ alone. But it is a condition to seeing God forever. Your pursuit of sanctification is a condition for you seeing God forever. It's a condition that's fulfilled by God's grace in cooperation with our Spirit-empowered pursuit of spiritual growth. But it is a condition that will be fulfilled for all people who are in Christ. But it takes our cooperation with it. What He's begun, He will complete. And part of what it's completing is our cooperation with Him in that pursuit. There's no such thing as someone who will see God one day that has no concern right now about being more and more set apart from sin to God. There is no such thing. Yes, our concern for this holiness goes through ups and downs, doesn't it? I mean, this week you'd say, you know, I've not thought about it like I should. Well, you know what? That happens. It goes through ebbs and flows. But even in the defeats, a true believer really does want to get rid of the sin. Even if they're stuck in an illegitimate enslavement, practically, in the way they're living. Now, so that's the first thing. The second point would be this. Turn to 1 Corinthians 13, 12. Alright, so if you want to see God for all eternity, you have to be pursuing sanctification when? Now, on the basis of being already in Christ. Alright? Turn to 1 Corinthians 13, 12. And this is the great love chapter. We're just going to dip in and we're going to see verse 12. It says this, "...for now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known." I believe that's referring to eternity, the eternal state. Okay? So, now we see dimly, but then face-to-face. Now, in part, but then I'll fully know just as I'm fully known. Okay? Here's the point. Our future sight of God in eternity will be qualitatively different. It will be qualitatively different. Alright? There's gonna be something very, very different about it. There is... Great similarity. It's still same God, same glory, but there's a difference and we're going to talk about that. Look what it says there. I will know fully is in parallel with we will see God face to face. Do you see that? Alright? Not His essence, but a greater intimacy. We'll never see His essence. And this knowledge of God is in some way illustrated by God's knowledge of us. Again, look what it says. But then I will know fully, just as I also have been fully known. Who fully knows us? God. In some way, our future knowledge of God is parallel with God's knowledge of us. Now obviously, He's Creator, we're creature. So our knowledge is still a creature knowledge, right? It doesn't include total omniscience. But there's something about our knowledge of in the future that can be, in some way, analogous to His knowledge. Okay? What is that? Well, God has a perfect knowledge of us, and our knowledge of God will be perfect. Perfect does not mean all-knowing. Perfect means without sin. Okay? We will see God in that day without what? without sin. So when Jesus says, blessed the pure in heart for they shall see God, the sight we will see of him in eternity will be different than our sight of him. Now you have never seen God like you will see him in eternity in one sense. Every sight of His glory you have ever had and through any aspect of seeing Him in this world has been tainted with some aspect of what? Your own sin. Think about that. Have you seen God's glory in this life? Yeah. Hasn't He been glorious and isn't He all satisfying when you see His glory here? Now think about being in eternity without one ounce of sin in you and seeing His glory for the first time without any sin. Folks, the reason why He's not more glorious to us is not because He's not glorious. It's because we are so full of sin. Here in this life, you go from your heart rejoicing in God and His glory to the next moment being impatient with someone. And what you realize is, I'm the same person that went from seeing God's glory and rejoicing in Him to being impatient with someone. Which means when I was seeing His glory and worshiping Him, I was seeing Him, but there was still sin in me. But that won't be the case in heaven. In eternity, that will change. You will fully know Him as you are fully known. Now, when will this future sight of God be? Here's the next point. Our future sight of God will begin either at one of two events. Alright? When will you see God? There's two events that it might be. When will it be? Anybody know? If you die or Christ returns. One of those is going to be it for all of us. Alright? So, at death or the rapture, it will begin at death or the rapture. Listen to what 2 Corinthians 5, 6-8 says, Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight, we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. So, absent from the body means to be what? dead. When you're absent from the body, you're at home with who? Which means you're going to see him. Alright? Or listen to 1 John 3, verse 1. See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God, and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 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. When is He going to appear, and we're going to see Him, and we're going to be like Him? At the rapture. Folks, listen. The day is coming. The Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with him. We are going to see the Lord. Okay, so it begins at one of those events, but next, our future side of God will continue during another aspect. Alright, so that's going to be, we're going to be seven years, we're going to be in heaven, if it was at the rapture, or if we die until this next event, we're going to be there with Him. The next event is Christ's second coming when He comes to this earth to set up His millennial reign. Alright? So our future side of God will continue during the millennial reign of Christ on this earth. Listen to how Christ's second coming is referred to in Matthew 25, 31. But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. And when you look at Christ reigning in Jerusalem in the Millennial Kingdom, are you going to be seeing God? Yeah. In a glorified body. There are going to be redeemed, non-glorified people in the Millennial Kingdom seeing God too. But they won't have the same sight yet, because it will still have sin involved with it. Our future sight of God will culminate in our sight of God in the New Heavens and New Earth. The New Heavens and the New Earth. Turn to Matthew 21. By the way, the millennial reign of Christ, of course, is... I'm sorry, Revelation 21. The millennial reign of Christ is especially explained in the New Testament in Revelation 20, and then also in the Old Testament prophets, and the prophecies of the Messiah and His kingdom. But look at Revelation 21. So it's going to begin at either death or rapture. It's going to continue at Christ's second coming when He sets up His kingdom, and then... It's going to continue for all eternity in the eternal state in the new heavens and the new earth. Look at Revelation 21, verse 22. This is a description of that time period. I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God, the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. Of course, when you think of a temple, you think of what? That's where God what? It's where God dwells. That's where you see God's glory. The new earth is going to be God's temple, whole thing. And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. In the daytime, for there will be no night there, its gates will never be closed. This is specifically referring to the heavenly Jerusalem coming down to the new earth. And they will bring the glory and honor of the nations into it, and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. So for all eternity, we're going to see the glory of God. We're going to see God. Now, Jesus is not the only one that said, blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. I'm sorry, let me put it this way. He not only said that, but he said something else in relation to that. Look at John 17, verse 24. John 17, verse 24. Put it this way, our future sight of God is the desire Christ expresses through intercession on our behalf before the Father. You say, not only did He say, blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God, but actually He prayed, God I want them to see my glory. So He prayed that we would see Him, we would see God. Look at John 17, 24. Father, I desire that they also whom you have given me be with me where I am, so that they may see my glory which you have given me, for you love me before the foundation of the world. Alright, so not only did Jesus say, blessed are those who are pure in heart, they actually see God, but He actually prayed and said, this is my desire that we would see Him. And of course, the Father is going to answer that prayer, isn't He? Now, in conclusion, I want to raise an important question. Is the future sight of God... Now, if you'll listen to this and follow this, I think this will be a great encouragement to you, okay? Is the future sight of God a destination to which we will come? Is the future sight of God a climax beyond which the song comes back down to a conclusion? Is the future sight of God the peak of a mountain that stops climbing into the sky at some point and can be stopped in terms of measurement? Or is that future sight of God, which is different than our sight of God here, because it's without sin, is it an unending mountain peak that we will always be climbing and never coming to the top of? All right, folks, God has made us that the joy even now about anything is in the pursuit. You realize that? That's why there is joy in anticipating vacation. And there's joy in getting up early. to go or whatever. You don't really want to do that, but you're still excited because you're going on vacation. Or some experience. There is great joy in anticipating your birthday as a child. Right? Or maybe even as an adult. I don't know. Alright? But what happens when you get there? Either immediately or slowly, there is a complete letting out of the excitement. Because it It can't satisfy you like you thought it was going to. The joy is actually primarily in the anticipation. That's reality. The only pursuit that is eternal and therefore all satisfying is the pursuit of the knowledge of who? God. You can pursue that your whole life and you're never going to get there. And you can pursue it all eternity and you're never going to get there. The pursuit of a greater sight of God. And the moment you come into eternity and see God like Jesus is speaking about, the moment you fully know like Paul spoke about, you will see God in a qualitatively different way because it will be without sin. But God is still God and you are still a creature. He is still infinite, you are still finite, and that will be the case forever. So for all eternity, you will be growing, though you are without sin, in a perfect knowledge of God. And you will be fully satisfied in Him forever. Let me read a great Quote from John Piper on this point. Throughout the ages to come, forever and ever, we will be the recipients each instant of an ever-increasing and more stunning, more fascinating, and thus inescapably more enjoyable display of God's grace than before. That's one aspect of His glory. With that unending and ever-increasing display will come an unending and ever-increasing discovery on our part of more of the depths and greatness of God's grace. We will learn and grasp and comprehend more of the height and depth and width and breadth of His saving love. We will see ever new and always fresh displays and manifestations of His kindness. The knowledge we gain when we enter heaven will forever grow and deepen and expand and intensify and multiply. We will constantly be more amazed with God, more in love with God, and thus ever more relishing His presence and our relationship with Him. Our experience of God will never reach its consummation. We will never finally arrive as if upon reaching a peak we discover there is nothing beyond. Our experience of God will never become stale. It will deepen and develop, intensify and amplify, unfold and increase broadly. broaden and balloon. Our relishing and rejoicing in God will sharpen and spread and extend and progress and mature and flower and blossom and widen and stretch and swell and snowball and inflate and lengthen and augment and advance and proliferate, and accumulate, and accelerate, and multiply, and heighten, and reach a crescendo that will even then be only the beginning of an eternity of new and fresh insights into the majesty of who God is. Think about that. It's going to reach a crescendo. The great high point of a song, and even then, that will only be the beginning of an eternity of new and fresh insights into the majesty of who God is. That is your future as a believer. Isn't that amazing? Folks, if your sight of God in eternity will only grow, and the pursuit of that sight of God and knowledge of God brings true joy, then the only pursuit on this earth that will bring you true joy is what? A knowledge of God. If you want joy, we've been talking about joy as a fruit of the Spirit in our family, going through and trying to see God use that to help us to be Christ-like in our relationships to one another. And we're talking about joy today. If we want to be joyful, then we need to pursue the knowledge of God in this life. Remind yourself of this when you are lazy in your spirit to read God's Word. It's going to happen. Remind yourself. This is where true joy is, seeing God. This is my future for all eternity. Why would I not open up the Bible and gaze upon His glory? Or when you are questioning whether you should pray or lazy about gathering for worship and putting everything else above it. Folks, this should be the priority in your life, personal and corporate worship. You should sacrifice other priorities for this and see God's glory. That should be your plan. That should be mine. Remind yourself that the pursuit that will be the fullness of your joy for all eternity is the very pursuit from which you have true joy when? Now. It's always going to be that way. Nothing will change it. When you feel like it's different, it's just your foolish feelings in mind too. This is reality. Every time someone's told you this from God's Word, or you've been reminded, this is God reaching out to you and say, be satisfied in me. Stop playing around with my creation, trying to milk it for all you can try to get out of it, and start gazing on my glory. You were made for me, God is saying to us. Jesus says, blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Psalm 16 says this, verse 11, you will make known to me the path of life in your presence is fullness of joy. Do you believe that? You believe that in the presence of God, there's fullness of joy. Here's the next phrase. In your right hand, there are pleasures forevermore. God invented pleasure. And he is the only one that can give you a lasting, eternal pleasure now and forever as you seek him. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Father, we thank you that you have given your son to us as our savior and that he, before he died for us and rose again, offering us salvation, taught these words that we might be instructed. And we pray that we would get up and read our Bibles, that we would... we would gather for the worship, that we would put you before all, because we want to see your glory. We pray that when we see the sunset, that we would not just think about the nice colors, but that we would think of it proclaiming your glory. And when we see answers to prayer, and when we have reason to give thanks, that we would trace everything back to you and rejoice in your glory. For this is what we're going to do forever. And we pray that you would enable us to take part in that now in a growing way. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen.