March 9, 2025
SERMON SERIES: MOVE INTO BLESSED LIVING
(A STUDY OF THE BEATITUDES) Tommy C. Higle
Matthew 5:1-12
SERMON # 6: A TICKET TO SEE GOD
Matthew 5:8
Living in a world filled with temptation, immorality, and sin, maintaining purity as believers can feel like a constant challenge. The pressures of society, media, and peer influence often pull us away from God’s standards of holiness. However, as Christians, we are called to live pure lives, reflecting the holiness of God in every area of our lives.
Purity or holiness is not just an option for the believer; it is a divine requirement. The Bible makes it clear that without holiness, no one will see the Lord. Holiness is the spiritual passport that grants us access to God’s presence, both now and in eternity. Many people desire to experience God’s power, favor, and eternal life, but they fail to embrace the life of holiness that is required to access these blessings.
Pure in heart is not merely about following rules; it is about living a life that reflects the nature of God. As children of God, we are called to be holy just as He is holy. This means set apart for divine service, walking in righteousness, and maintaining purity in our thoughts, words, and actions.
There is a deep desire in every human heart to see God! In the sixth beatitude, Jesus tells us how to see God. “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). This sermon will explain the significance of holiness as the ticket to see God, both in our daily walk with Him and in eternity. We have three requirements to have a ticket to see God.
I. GUARD OUR HEARTS
A. The word heart (KARDIA, car-dee’-uh) is the word from which we get our English word “cardiac.” In the Bible the heart refers to some aspect of human personality. The heart is the seat of our emotions, thoughts, and desires. It reveals someone true character.
Proverbs 4:23 (NLT) “Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do.”
B. We must post a guard at the door of our hearts to keep out impure thoughts. There are many pressures and temptations that can lead believers away from purity.
1. Cultural and Societal Pressure
2. Media and Entertainment
3. Peer Influence and Relationships
4. Fleshly Desires
To guard your heart, start with protecting it from anything that causes you to have evil emotions, thoughts, and desires. If you want a ticket to see God, there are three requirements:
1. Guard Your Heart
II. DEVELOP PURIFYING HABITS
The word pure (KATHAROS, kath-uh-ros”) means clean, unsoiled and uncompromised. It means being free from defilement and contamination. Being pure in heart is not an accident; it requires daily effort on our part. It is not an outward act, but an inner state of being that aligns with God’s holiness. The pure in heart is a reflection of God’s nature. God is holy, and He calls His people to reflect His holiness in every area of their lives (1 Peter 1:16). Purity is not an option; it is a command for all believers. There are at least three habits we must develop to have a pure heart so we can see God.
A. Read God’s Word. To be pure in heart, we must develop the habit of reading God’s Word. 1 Thessalonians 4:3a, It is God’s will for me to be sanctified. Sanctification is a lifelong process. Salvation is instantaneous and demands no effort or works on our part (Ephesians 2:8-9). Jesus describes the process of sanctification in (John 17:17).
B. Request God’s Help. To be pure in heart, we must have the habit of asking God for help. We need His help in applying His Word to our lives. David prayed this prayer in (Psalm 51:10), “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”
C. Rely On the Holy Spirit. To be pure in heart, we must have the habit 0f relying on the Holy Spirit. Paul said these words in (Philippians 2:13, NKJV), “for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”
If you want a ticket to see God, there are three requirements:
1. Guard Our Hearts
2. Develop Purifying Habits
III. LOOK FOR GOD
A. Presently, we shall see God.
1. In Places (Isaiah 45:12)
2. In People (Psalm 139:14B)
3. In Problems (Romans 8:36-39)
B. Eternally, the pure in heart shall see God face to face. “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).
If you want a ticket to see God, there are three requirements:
1. Guard Our Hearts
2. Develop Purifying Habits
3. Look For God
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