I Can See Clearly Now
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This is our 6th week in the beatitudes. A study brought on by the question of how can we live a life that is unhindered.
Unhindered = Our theme for the year.
Taken from the story of Lazarus being raised from the grave. Jesus calls him forth from the dead into life - but there is a problem - his is tied and hindered by the clothes of the grave. - that which he has just been freed from.
And Jesus tells those around him, these words -
And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”
The church celebrates the resurrected power of Jesus Christ every Easter, but here Christ is calling us to live in it.
The effects of sin and the ultimate death that it brought and would bring tie us up
Jesus wants us to live in his freedom so that he can use us to bring freedom to others.
We said that being unhindered is living life that way it was meant to be lived
Living in the truth and fulness of God’s Word
Living life the right Way - and the rich way
Living as salt and light - bringing change to this bland world around us.
And then we said, how do we do this? Jesus taught us in .
He has gathered on the side of a mountain with the multitude and he teaches them about spiritual living.
We call them the beatitudes
Jesus just called them truth.
The Beatitudes = A step by step Progression for a fulfilled and Victorious Life!
The Beatitudes = A step by step Progression for a fulfilled and Victorious Life!
It is, as we will see today, a changing of the heart.
First by those who admit their level of spiritual poverty
The only people who can receive God’s gladness are those who are willing to admit that they don’t deserve it.
Secondly, we need to be sorrowful for our sin and rebellion (Some people can’t even admit that they are such)
We discover real joy when we are sorry for our sin and repent of our rebellion
This sorrow brings about a meek spirit.
A spirit that is not only willing to be used by God, but totally blow away by the fact that he can and will use them.
Max Lucado says it like this in “The Applause of Heaven” - They are a junior-high-school clarinet section playing with the Boston Pops. They don’t tell the maestro how to conduct; they’re just thrilled to be part of the concert.
Lucado, M. (1996). The applause of heaven (p. 130). Dallas, TX: Word Pub.
These three steps produce a spiritual hunger in our lives. It’s a desire for more.
More of this saved and forgiven living
More of this strength and power
More of
You have become addicted to Jesus (Carman)
And then Pastor Kim shared it last week. Here comes mercy.
Those whom are forgiven much love much
Those who have received much give more
And now you look into the spiritual mirror of God’s Word and you see that your heart has been changed.
You are being purified and given a new ability to see.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
The Problem with the Heart
The Problem with the Heart
Paul tells us in Romans that we are dead to sin, yet sin seems to be so alive in us.
We want to get to a place where there is no sin in our lives, but the problem is that is not possible as long as we live in the flesh.
We can overcome the temptation to sin, but that means that the temptation is there.
We can choose not to sin and be angry, but that means the opportunity is there
I have heard people say that they no longer sin nor are they tempted to sin, but that is not biblical
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No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
Even as believers, we know that our sins are dealt with by the precious blood of our savior and his sacrifice on the cross, but we need the regeneration of the Holy Spirit to get our heart to where it should be.
Paul says in
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
And that is true, but there is still a battle that is taking place in our hearts. For God says that the heart of a man is wicked.
For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
Here we see the battle of every man and woman who wishes to serve God.
Try as we may, the old flesh rears itself up
We fight a battle every day, in what to say, what to do and how to do it
We know to treat people one way, but we treat them another
We know how important it is to spend quality time with the Lord, but we can’t find time to do it
The problem with the heart or inner man is that we are inherently evil
The problem with that is, evil cannot enter into the presence of the holy and righteous God.
Priest had to have pomegranates and bells on his hem - in case he died in the presence of God.
Could you imagine serving God like that?
The Remedy for the Heart
The Remedy for the Heart
I want you to know that having a pure heart is not living in a sinless state.
Why do I say that? Because too many believers are waiting to do things for God, or get moving in the things of God until they are made perfect.
Listen to me, you cannot be perfect and be living in the flesh.
But the Bible says that we are being perfected
For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.
Those being sanctified - those going through the process of sanctification.
Those being made holy
Those being changed from children of the world to children of God - in lifestyle
Those whose hearts are being changed from evil to pure
Those who are becoming like God, godly or Christ like and christian
The remedy of the heart is sanctification or the regeneration of the heart by the power of the Holy Spirit.
And we see this in the progression of the Beatitudes. This beatitude could have never been placed in any other order with the ones before it.
The previous 5 set up the heart to be where it is now. In the process of regeneration and pure before the Lord.
Listen to me church, I don’t know exactly when it crept in, but we have a wrong theology in the church today.
We bring people to the altar and lead them to Christ and then tell them to clean themselves up.
If that doesn’t happen, we chase them out or write them off.
But David says in
Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,
And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
And we know that Jesus taught the same things - that which is outside is just a sign of what is really on the inside.
tells us that God looks at the heart. God looks at the real man
He looks at what drives the person. He looks at the affections of that person - what do they love, what they inclined toward.
He looks at the will - Why do they do what they do? Why are they involved in what they are doing?
And it is because of what he sees in everyone of us that he makes this promise to his people in
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
That is the pure heart.
not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
The pure heart is cleansed by a pure faith
and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
When our heart is pure, our conscience is cleansed
let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Pure faith leads us to trust in only one person - God
When we are fully trusting on God, it doesn’t matter what the enemy says about us. When we are trusting the Holy Spirit for his guidance and leading, our consciences are clean
No more second guessing ourselves
No more falling to the guilt and depression and discouragment of the claims of hell over our lives
No more feeling worthless and living in shame
We are children of the living God. Lift up your heads, lift up your hands, lift up your voices and worship your God.
And that makes us justified and living at peace with God.
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
So purity of heart is a freedom from the defilement of this world
It is freedom from divided affections
It is sincerity, genuineness and singleness of heart
Once again, it is not just being pure in our speech and our outside appearances, but in our desire, our motives and intents.
The Test
The Test
Are my affections set on things above?
Are my motives pure?
Why do I assemble with the Lord’s people?
When the answers to these and other similar questions are correct, our hearts are becoming pure and we are becoming like God, hungering for God, and chasing after him. God reveals himself to that man or woman.
And if that real man is becoming like God, hungering for God, and chasing after him. God reveals himself to that man or woman.
They Shall See God
They Shall See God
Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
In another verse, Paul talks about the man who looks in the mirror and sees his reflection, but never really sees clearly and walks away and forgets what he sees
Here he says that now, with a regenerated heart, we look with an unveiled face, we get a clear look and we don’t see our own reflection any more (that which stopped us from seeing the whole image) but now we see God.
We see his glory
We see our selves in that glory
We see our situations in that glory
We see others in that glory
Not only do we see, but we commune with Him
His mind becomes ours
His will becomes ours
We see God in our present situation and in the future
Our knowledge of him grows
Our relationship with him become intimate
As the Psalmist said
As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness;
I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.
How many want that today?
Let’s Pray