Overview
A heart to see God is a heart kept pure – unstained by the fears, hurts, bitterness, hate, lies and hypocrisy of the world’s systems – because Jesus said in Matthew 5:8, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” In this first webinar of a five-part heart series, Rev. Rico Magnelli teaches that the heart is the vault where we store our most treasured thoughts, and that whatever we put there eventually comes out in our words and actions. He walks through Psalm 139, Proverbs 4:23, Luke 6:45 and Matthew 5:8 to show what to guard the heart against and what to treasure in it, so that we keep on seeing God in His creation, His timing, His judgment and the finished work of Christ.
Transcript
Why Your Heart Is the Most Precious Arena in Life
God bless you in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ. My name is Rico Magnelli. Welcome to this webinar, beginning the first of five in our heart series. In this series, we’ll focus in on the heart of man. And as you know, by looking at the website, the dates for each webinar in this series are listed on the OIKEOS website. And we’re going to explore this whole category of man’s heart, as we build toward the Love of Christ Conference that’s going to take place in Jacksonville, Florida, April 2nd through the 4th, 2021. Well, we have folks from at least four continents, including North America, Africa, Europe, and Australia. And we’re very grateful for you joining us. Please turn to Psalm 139.
God focuses on the heart of man, as he looks on the life of each individual. And he describes himself in many ways. And one way he does is in this relationship with man as the searcher of hearts. And the heart of man is the most precious arena within which we engage. Yet there are few who know how to care for it, nor understand its true significance on their own quality of life and its implication throughout eternity. The heart is the seat upon which your true self sits. It’s figuratively like a womb for treasured thoughts to incubate and develop. It’s like the fallowed ground to plant ideas and concepts to be watered. It’s the inner part of man’s mind where believing comes from, where the life of God issues from, where trust in God resides.
It is where our ethical and moral compass is calibrated. And it’s the place of sanctified peace, where we commune with our heavenly father and where his light shines brightest. Opening our heart to God always, always benefits and produces positive results. Prayer is a practical means by which we can learn to open our hearts to God and keep it open to him. Opening your heart to God is the first step. And then as appropriate, you share your heart with people.
Being Honest With God: Search Me, O God, and Know My Heart
The key in opening our heart to God is being honest with him, honest. And here in Psalm 139, in verse 23, the psalmist writes, “Search me, O God, and know my heart. “Try me and know my thoughts “and see if there be any wicked way in me “and lead me in the way everlasting.” Such beautiful honesty before God. The word wicked here means a way of pain or a way of grief. See, God doesn’t want pain for you on the inside. He doesn’t want that grief. He shows us a way out to joy and peace. And it comes by way of our heart. Look at 1 John chapter three, please.
And 1 John chapter three is another great truth to help set this whole topic of heart in verse 20. “For if our heart condemn us, “God is greater than our heart and knoweth all things.” As persuasive and compelling your heart is to you, God says he’s greater. Now you have a choice to make. Is your heart greater than God? It’s gonna take humility. As persuasive and compelling as the issues of your heart are that move you in a certain direction, God says he is greater than our heart. This verse arrested my attention as a young man moving in the understanding of the Christian community.
I had to come to the point where I understood that even though I had come from perhaps a system that really moved me to be more condemned, I had to reach beyond my own condemnation. I had to reach beyond my own compelling arguments against myself. That’s right. It takes humility to realize that God is greater than our heart. Look at verse 21. “Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, “then have we confidence toward God.” Confidence is boldness.
What we want to have is boldness toward God, fearlessness. He’s given us the access in Christ Jesus, but we don’t wanna be timid before our father when he’s given us complete entree, complete access to him directly through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. How tremendous this truth really is. God is greater than our heart. All the things that we’ve stored in the vault of our mind, he’s even greater than that. That’s a comforting thought because God is all love.
God Looks on the Heart, Not the Outward Appearance
You know, one great benefit to opening our heart to him is it allows spiritual light to enter that reveals the truth of the matters that surround us. Often we live in a tunnel. We live in a very, very specific and narrow perspective. But when the light comes in, it brings God’s perspective into the situation. And that’s what he wants to flood your heart with, the light of his truth. See, what happens is when the light comes in, our minds become sharper. Our thinking becomes clearer. In contrast, if circumstances become the chief topic of our conversations, our hearts become dull and heavy. Introducing the light of Christ in our heart releases us from this dullness and this heaviness of heart.
Circumstances may or may not change immediately, but what will change is our understanding of the circumstances in light of God’s salvation power and the deliverance in Christ. It says in 1 Samuel 16, six and seven, when the great prophet Samuel was looking for a replacement at God’s direction for the king Saul, first king of Israel. It says in verse six of 1 Samuel 16, and it came to pass when they were come that he looked on Eliab and said, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.” Samuel looked at this magnificent physical specimen, if you will, who was in the family of David, one of his brothers. And he said, “Surely this is the Lord’s anointed.” He looked at him with his eyes. And yet what God responded in verse seven is so illuminating, so revealing, and is truth that makes us free. But the Lord said unto Samuel, verse seven, “Look not on his countenance or on the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord seeth not as man seeth. For man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” Wow. Tremendous truth.
How many times people have molded their lives and their perspectives and their endeavors based on just what they can see. They limit people. They look at them and they automatically judge them and put them into a category. And we even do it to ourselves. Yet God doesn’t look at the outward. He works from the inside out. Man works on the outside in. Now there’s nothing wrong with dressing ourselves up and cutting our hair or shaving and putting on makeup and all those wonderful things that people do to help them and to present themselves in the best way. Nothing wrong with that, absolutely.
But they in and of themselves do not determine who you are. Your identity comes from the inside out. And man works on the outside in order to perfect the flesh and then produces works-based perspectives. The labors of man determine these standards. See, God’s different. God guides from the inside out. It says in Philippians 1.6, “For he who has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. He began a good work in you at the new birth. He works from the inside out.
Inside Out or Outside In: How to Read the Fruit
And his point of contact is your heart by way of that spirit of God within you and his word.” Look at Luke 6, please. In the Gospel of Luke chapter 6. See, we choose between the two. We choose between an outside in or an inside out perspective. And what’s interesting, at first, both perfecting the flesh and the God’s guidance from the inside out can look similar. But what separates the two is fruit. What are people producing with the words and the actions and the motives that they have? We should be very adept at reading fruit, starting with our own fruit. Be honest. This isn’t a game. This is your life. Be honest with God. Like Psalm 139, we started out there. Show me if there is a way of grief or pain that I am unnecessarily following.
I’ve just become so accustomed to it. I think, well, that’s just the way it is. It’s not the way it is. God accomplished all for us in Christ Jesus. See, fruit can be traced back to its source, the spirit of God or the works of the flesh. Luke chapter six. Here, Jesus Christ presents such depth of truth here. In verse 45, we read, a good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good. And an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil.
For of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaketh. Wow. Now, what I want you to notice here that both the good man and the evil man both have treasure because those are the valued thoughts that they have put in their heart. They value them. Some people value bitterness. Some people value resentment. Some people value these negative things. Vengeance, hate. Yes, they actually value them.
And that’s what they put in the vault of their soul. The heart is the vault where we keep our most treasured thoughts, good or bad. And whatever’s in your heart, you put it there. I didn’t put it there. And somebody else didn’t put it there. They may have been involved in a situation, but whatever you put in your heart, that’s what you put in your heart. You don’t have to accept it. What other people say or do to you, you can choose what you want in your own heart. Now, one way to assess what we value or what we treasure is the how and the why of our thoughts.
The How and the Why of the Thoughts We Treasure
The how and the why of our thoughts. What do I mean by that? Well, in the how category, it’s in terms of how much thought time do we put into something? How much time do we spend rehearsing things again and again and again and again? Now again, I’m not talking about you’re working on something that’s very meticulous and detailed at work. And you need to focus in on those details. Let’s say you’re a mechanic and you’re working on an automobile and there’s lots of intricate details involved in replacing a certain part on that automobile. It doesn’t mean that all of that thought time is going into your heart. Not necessarily at all. It’s just what you need at the time that you’re focusing in on. I’m talking about what we choose to put into our heart that we rehearse again and again and again. Also, what we speak, all the thought time and what we speak consistently is eventually making its way into our heart.
That’s right. That’s why out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh. Whatever you put in there eventually will come out. Now, what about the why of those thoughts? Talked about the how, the why. Well, the why of our thoughts are what is our motivation for thinking that? Or whatever it is. See, the how and the why, they both produce fruit in our lives.
Eventually our motivations will come out. Eventually what we think about most of the time will come out. Often it’s in words, it’s where it comes out and actions that follow. See, we wanna have the love of Christ to be our motivation. Look at Matthew 15, please. We want the love of Christ to be our motivation.
Their Heart Is Far From Me: What Jesus Told the Pharisees
Jesus Christ, when he came, brought such pureness and clarity of thought and brilliance of light that all the shenanigans that people were doing, no matter how intellectual they were, no matter how well positioned they were in the society, made no difference. He cut right to the issue and got to the heart of man. If you really want to help people, you gotta get to their heart. Matthew 15, Jesus Christ, again, bringing us to a point of understanding and clarity. Matthew 15, verse seven. To the religious leaders, the Pharisees, he said, ye hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you. Hypocrites, they say one thing and do something else. They want you to do something, but they’ll never do it. It’s a hypocrite.
This people, verse eight, draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, talking about drawing close to God and saying all these wonderful things about God, and honoreth me with their lips. Watch this, but their heart, their heart is far from me. That’s right. You can’t just go by what people say. You gotta read their fruit. Stay with them a while. Hang out with them in unguarded moments. And then you really find out what they’re like. Not to be critical of people, just honest.
Watch this, but in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. You don’t want to put the commandments of men in your heart. It’s never going to bring you the life of God. And he called the multitude and said unto them, hear and understand, not that which goeth into the mouth, defileth a man, but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. If you have nothing good to say, it’s better not to say anything. And you and I watch our confession, what we say, because what we consistently say eventually is finding its way into our heart. Then came his disciples and said unto him, oh, knowest now that the Pharisees were offended after they heard this saying. People are offended about everything. That doesn’t mean that you actively pursue offending people, no.
Or that you’re coarse or into chorus in your approach socially. No, it doesn’t mean that at all. But look, anybody that takes a stand for God, eventually at some point is going to offend somebody. Don’t worry about it because you stand for God. That’s right. But he answered and said, every plant which my heavenly father hath not planted shall be rooted up. Let them alone. They be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
Keep Thy Heart With All Diligence
Wow, why is that? Because God inspires within your heart truth. He inspires within your heart a higher road. He inspires within your heart noble causes. Or that’s what you wanna water. You don’t wanna water the things that didn’t come from the father. Absolutely not. Look at Proverbs, please. Proverbs chapter four. They’re the blind leading the blind.
Have you ever worked with or been around a person that’s blind? I have. Would you ask them for directions? You wouldn’t think of it. You think more of assisting them, helping them, being courteous, being kind, being aware of their situation. Not necessarily pity. That’s not what I mean. What I mean is being aware of their situation. Well, the blind leading the blind. Why do we follow that spiritually? We shouldn’t. God wants the eyes of our understanding flooded with light, not to be blind spiritually.
Here in Proverbs chapter four in verse 23, we read, keep thy what? Heart. Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it cometh the issues of life. Now there’s great truth in this verse. We are to keep or to guard the heart with all diligence. We do it as a sentinel, as a guard, as a watchman. People pay more attention to the running of their vehicle, their car, or their blender works rather than their own heart. And yet out of it cometh the issues of life. God is telling us here in Proverbs chapter four that we should guard our heart. Keep it.
Don’t allow it to be breached. Make very conscious decisions on what you and I put into our heart. Don’t just allow anything. Don’t allow what people say necessarily to go into your heart when it contradicts what God says. That’s the most important. It says for out of it are the issues of life.
The Issues of Life Are Your Exodus, Your Way Out
This word issues is very interesting because in the Greek Old Testament, I wanna capture that understanding. It’s also reflected in the Hebrew, but here in the Greek, it’s the word Exodus, E-X-O-D-U-S, transliterated Exodus, where the second book of the Bible is titled Exodus. It means a way out. It means an exit. It’s the way out of life. It’s our way out. It’s our Exodus from every kind of bondage it comes through our heart. It’s our Exodus. It’s our way out of sin consciousness, of defeat, and ultimately of death. It all flows from the heart. That’s right. The English Standard Version says, the ESV says, from it, the heart flows the springs of life.
That’s a nice way of expressing it. From the heart flow the springs of life. See, all that defeat, all that negativity, it’s all worldly, and it has no life in it, no life of God in it, but it has to pass through our heart. The word of God, when we put it into our heart, it gives us life. It’s the way out. I’ll give you an example. Many of you are familiar with Romans 10, verses nine and 10, that if thou shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in thine heart that God has raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart men believe it unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Through the heart, we came from death unto life.
That’s one of the greatest illustrations of this verse that I know. It came through the heart. That’s right. All of the things of God, the life of God comes through the heart of man. That’s why you have to keep it, guard it with all diligence for out of it are the exits. They’re the way out to life from the bondage, from the sin condemnation. And even as we see in Romans 10, nine and 10, from death unto eternal life, it comes through the heart. Look at this chart here. I’m gonna show you.
What to Guard Your Heart Against and What to Treasure
On one side, you have guard your heart against. And the other side, you have treasure for your heart. We wanna guard against worldly habits, like using people, having an agenda in order to benefit yourself by using another human being. It’s wrong. On the other side, what we should put in our heart is the love of Christ. That’s what we put in our heart. That’s the plant that our Heavenly Father had planted that we should water. What we should guard against in our heart are past sins that keep haunting us, that keep coming back. Well, what we put in our heart is forgiveness through the accomplished work of Christ.
That’s what you put in your heart. That’s what you rehearse. That is what you consistently rehearse in the depth of your soul. How about accusations or worldly judgments which abound everywhere? Well, what do you put in your heart? The shield of faith, Ephesians chapter six, that guards you, that quenches all the fiery darts of the wicked, the justification through the faith of Jesus Christ that we’ve been legally set free from all sin through Christ. That’s what you put in your heart. What about a sense of inferiority or being powerless? You don’t put that in your heart. What you put in your heart is being seated at the right hand of God with Christ. You’re above all principality and power and might and dominion because we are with and in Christ. What about injustice and injustice in the world? Oh, there’s plenty of that.
Sure there is. Well, you know what we put in our heart? Judgment, reckoning. Some of it happens now, but it will all absolutely happen in the future. There’s not one stone that will not be overturned. There’s not one issue that God will not deal with. That’s right. That’s what you put in your heart. What about comparison and judging others? This happens often. And because the world steers us in this direction, it molds us to think this way.
People are better or they’re worse than us. So what do we put into our heart? Mutual respect. This is how the first Christians began their walk in Christ. Mutual respect, the household of faith. That’s right. What about uncertain future and death? Those can weigh on people. Absolutely true. Sure they can. But you know what you put in your heart? The return of Christ, where we will either be raised or changed, depending if we’re alive at the time, into eternal glory, new body and rewards.
That’s quite a deal. That’s quite fantastic. These are the things that you wanna put in your heart. You wanna guard against the worldly habits, the past sins, the accusations and the worldly judgments, the inferiority and the being powerless, the injustices in the world, the comparison and judging others, the uncertain future and death. You don’t put these in your heart. You might be aware of them, but you don’t put them in your heart. You don’t cultivate them because they only lead you to more oppression, depression, uncertainty, confusion, doubt, worry, fear, all the negative. Look at Matthew 5, please. This is the first in a five-part series on the heart.
A Heart to See God: Blessed Are the Pure in Heart
And the title of this webinar is a heart to see God, a heart to see God. Seeing God is the aim of one with a pure heart. The worldly systems of man are designed by our adversary to stain the heart of man with fears, hurts, bitterness, hate, lies, hypocrisy, disappointments, discouragements, and so much more. That’s the systems. I’m not talking about nature. Nature doesn’t do that. Nature is from God. The worldly systems with their false standards and levels of accusation and judgment. Now we may experience all these things, these negatives at times in varying degrees in our life, but not allowing these negatives to stain our heart is what allows us to see God.
That’s right. No man has seen God at any time. John 1 18 says so. What we see is his involvement, his investment of himself in his handiwork, which includes absolutely nature, starts there in many ways. We certainly see it in his written word, and in the word made flesh, Jesus Christ, and we see it in his people. We see him. Matthew chapter five in verse eight. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Wow.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. God is spirit. John 4 24 tells us that. God is spirit. He’s not flesh and blood, and therefore he is, what the Bible terms, invisible. He is not visible to the naked eye. It says so in Colossians 1 15. First Timothy 1 17. Hebrews 11 27.
He’s not visible. He is invisible. It says in the word that no man has seen God at any time. John 1 18, I referenced earlier. Also in John 5 37. 1 John 4:12.
What Pure and See Mean in the Greek of Matthew 5:8
Here, Jesus Christ is bringing up heart for the first time in the scripture, the canon of the scripture. And what does he talk about? The pure heart. The pure heart are those individuals that see God in everything, whether something is good or bad. Not that God is the cause of bad. Not that he’s the cause of bad, but he does allow free will. And eventually it will come back around because he will deal with it in the future. See, seeing God as a benefit and a necessary component of having a pure heart, unstained from the world, doesn’t mean that we’re not aware of it. It’s just not what we put in our heart. In many ways, the Oriental mind, the Eastern mind, the Bible was written to the Eastern mind.
Those people that lived in the East, they attributed everything to God as expressed often in the Old Testament. Then Jesus Christ came and he exposed the spiritual adversary, Satan, that was not completely understood till he came. But in the Eastern mind, everything came back to God. And there’s some truth in there that we can learn from. This word pure in the Greek is the word katharos or katharos. And it means pure from everything that would change or corrupt something’s nature. It’s free from any foreign admixture. Your heart can be pure. Absolutely right.
Your heart, my heart can be pure from any foreign admixture, anything that would corrupt it. That’s right. And when that happens, this is what allows us to see God. The word see here in Matthew 5, 8, it’s a form of the verb orao, the verb opsomai. And what this word means, it denotes the state and the affection of the mind, of him to whose eyes or mind the object is presented. In essence, it’s you truly comprehend and know. You look at something, but there’s a perception, there’s an awareness of what you’re looking at. It’s a true comprehension and a knowing. Further, when this word is used, it indicates even when the physical object is no longer visible, the perception stays with you.
That means God can do something. And yet we still remember the significance of it. Even though that object is no longer visibly, physically in our sight. For example, when the children of Israel walked through the Red Sea, that was rehearsed again and again and again and again. Even after people had not even seen it. Those that were there had died off. People still brought that back because of the significance of what it meant. Another point here to understand in Matthew 5, 8 is the Greek grammatical construction is in the sense of keep on seeing. So the pure of heart will keep on seeing God.
Of Him, Through Him and To Him: Trusting God With All Your Heart
Yes, that’s right. Look at Romans, Romans chapter 11. See, let’s begin to build this understanding of what this means, because this is to be put into our heart. Romans chapter 11, in verse 36, it says, for of him and through him and to him are what? All things to whom be glory forever, amen. This is a foundational truth that we are to put into our heart, that all things are of him. Everything that exists can be traced back to God. Not every decision that the angelic realm makes or that people make, that’s their decision. They own that, but God gave them the free will to do it. So it can still be traced back to his offering and allowing free will.
All things are of him and through him. That means he sees it all. There isn’t anything that happens on this earth or in anybody’s mind that he has not been aware of from before the foundation of the world. He already knows, but he allows it because of his justice to play out. And then it says, and to him. So everything comes back to God. Everything begins with God and it follows its cycle and then comes back to God. That’s right. This is a truth we put into our hearts.
Look at Proverbs, Proverbs chapter three. This verse will mean a lot more to you. In verse five, very familiar section. It says, trust in the Lord. That means we relinquish everything to our God. Whatever’s in our control, we do our best to handle it. Whatever’s out of our control, we can pray, but we trust God completely. With all thine heart, not 95%, not 96, all our heart completely and lean not unto thine own understanding. Don’t try to figure out every aspect of life without him.
Bring him along. Don’t rely on your own understanding, even if it’s very highly developed in a field or in life in general, or even in your own experiential life and scope. Watch this. In all thy ways, acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths. In all thy ways, acknowledge him. This is to see him in all our ways. That’s what it means. You introduce God, no matter what is going on, everything starts with God, passes through God and ends with God eventually. That’s right.
Mount St. Helens and God's Plan of Restoration
I know sometimes things seem very bleak, catastrophic, cataclysmic, if you will. At one point, my wife and I were on the West Coast in the United States and we went to visit Mount St. Helens. Mount St. Helens was a mountain that erupted several decades ago. Third of the mountain was blown out and the surrounding area was covered with ash and so forth. But there’s a little plot there in the observation area that says something like this, where man sees catastrophe or cataclysmic event, nature sees opportunity. And when we had gone to see it decades later, it had grown over. Vegetation and animals had all come back. Amazing. God instituted these cycles and these regenerations in the earth, not only for the perpetuation and blessing of the earth and man, but as an example to man that even the most cataclysmic, catastrophic situations that seem overwhelming, God has a plan of restoration and regeneration and blessing. That’s right. Every time, without exception. And these illustrations are about us, to show us as the classroom that we have on the heavens and the earth.
Look at 1 Thessalonians chapter five. We acknowledge him in all our ways. That means even when challenging situations happen, we recognize that God has not forsaken us, that God has never left us behind, but there’s avenues, there’s ways, there’s opportunities that he has already prepared for us. In 1 Thessalonians chapter five, verse 15. See that none render evil for evil unto any man, but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves and to all men. That’s right. We bring good to the people of the earth. Rejoice evermore. How can you and I rejoice evermore in challenging situations? It’s because God has already seen the end.
Isaiah 46 10 says that he sees the end from the beginning and sometimes our solace, sometimes our rest, if you will, our rejoicing is in the understanding that the future, it will be absolutely resolved. May not be exactly the way that we want it now. See, well, that’s why we pray without ceasing. And in everything we give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Our thankful heart is based on the understanding that everything begins with, passes through and ends with God. And God is love. Men don’t always walk in love. Situations and circumstances don’t always reflect that, but God is above circumstances and the things of men. It says quench not the spirit.
That means don’t douse it. When that spirit of God is on fire, don’t put it out. Keep that fire burning. Despise not prophesying. Prove all things, hold fast that which is good. That’s right. What’s profitable and beneficial? You prove it, you hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all the appearance of evil. Wow.
You know, there’s three factors that influence what happens to people. Three factors that influence what happens to people. Free will, God and Satan or the world. It’ll be one or a combination of these three things that influence what happens to people. I’m not saying that determine. I’m saying that influence what happens to people. There’s many, many variables involved often, but our free will is important. And what we put in our heart is very significant for out of it, we’re gonna find the exit. We’re gonna find the way out to the life of God from all the challenges.
Seeing God in Creation and Teaching Children Through Nature
As we put the word in our heart, we wanna see God with a pure heart. Look at Romans, please. Romans chapter one. Romans chapter one. We see God through his creation. This is a first step, if you will, for man. Like I mentioned, the reference to Mount St. Helens. It’s also a great way to teach children. Teaching children about God through nature is a great way to show them the life of God and God’s handiwork. Having them plant a little seed and watch the little plant grow. Teaching them about animals and all these different things are a great way to teach children. This is what we put into our heart.
This is where we see God. Romans chapter one, verse 20. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen. That means everything in nature is evident. You can clearly see it. Being understood by the things that are made. We understand that there’s an invisible power that put all this together. Even as eternal power and Godhead or divinity would be a good way to render that so that they are without excuse. That’s the first thing that people begin to see is God by his creation, his nature. Look at Job, please. Right before Psalms. Job chapter 12.
We’re talking about what we put into our heart. God and his handiwork in nature is something to deeply put into our heart. Job chapter 12, verse seven. But ask now the beasts and they shall teach thee. Now the beasts are not gonna teach you anything but when you understand how the beasts work and the systems and the way they fit in their ecosystem and with other creatures, it begins to teach you something. And the fowls of the air or the birds of the air and they shall tell thee. Or speak to the earth and it shall teach thee. Absolutely, there’s lessons upon lessons upon lessons to learn from the earth. And the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee, who knoweth not all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul of every living thing and the breath of all mankind? What a tremendous thing to put into your heart.
What a foundation for children to understand that dad may plant the tree, but that’s God’s tree. It came from God. You can trace it all the way back to Genesis one. Our heart is very, very important. That’s why we’re taking our time. And starting with nature, which has a way of revitalizing and inspiring us is a great thing for our lives. To get out there, get out from the man-made systems, get out into nature and it will refresh your heart. It’s beautiful. We did have one question.
Question: Can Fruit Be Traced Back to Its Source?
And that question is, you said fruit can be traced back to its source. Can you repeat that? Yes. What I was talking about is that fruit, the result of what people put in their heart, in this case, can be traced back to its source, the spirit of God or the works of the flesh. That’s why every plant that my heavenly father hath not planted shall be rooted up. We don’t want to water things that are not inspired of and brought to our understanding heart that aren’t from God. We don’t want that.
And then it will produce fruit and we can become adept at learning that. And one of the ways you do that is you can start and see cause and effect in nature. You teach children cause and effect. And you plant something, you get something. It breaks the surface and it produces something. Thoughts are just like that.
Our heart is just like that. It will break the surface eventually in our words or our actions. So thanks for the question.
Man's Works Are Vanity: What Ecclesiastes Shows About the Heart
All right, Ecclesiastes chapter one. Now in Ecclesiastes, we’re going to see some things. Man’s works distract from seeing God. They do. You don’t want to put these in your heart. In Ecclesiastes, there’s no mention of the title Lord, Jehovah throughout the whole book. It’s only God, Elohim. So it focuses in on God as man’s creator, not in a covenant relationship with the Lord. And one of the things we see is all man’s works are vanity or emptiness and vexation of spirit, which means grasping after the wind.
You can’t grasp the wind. You can’t grab it because it’s just transitional. He concludes the whole book by saying the whole duty of man is to respect God and keep his commandments because everything will be brought to light, good and evil. Ecclesiastes chapter one written by the son of David, Solomon, the king. It says in verse 12, chapter one, I, the preacher or the collector was king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven. This sore travail have God given to the sons of men to be exercised therewith. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun. These are the works of man.
It’s not talking about nature. And behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. All is empty. And it’s like grasping after the wind. That which is crooked cannot be straight. And that which is wanting cannot be numbered. When man does things without God, it causes things to be crooked and not straight spiritually. Look at Hebrews 11, please. Hebrews chapter 11.
Solomon had the greatest of riches and still retained his wisdom. And he searched, he applied his heart to understand the works of men. And basically it’s vanity and vexation of spirit. Moses is a great example of keeping his heart pure, if you will, because in Hebrews chapter 11, he saw the works of men for what they are. And he looked to the work of God. And that’s when he saw God. Look at this, Hebrews chapter 11, verse 24. By faith, believing God, Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. Esteeming the reproach of Christ, greater, greater riches than the treasures in Egypt.
Because the treasures of Egypt were temporal, for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward. By faith, he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is what? Invisible. He saw God in God’s work and God’s handiwork. Not physically, he saw God at work in his own life. And then as he brought great deliverance to God’s people, Moses saw God who was invisible, even with all the treasures of Egypt were at his fingertips. That is a pure heart. Back to Ecclesiastes. He just refused to succumb. Ecclesiastes chapter seven, please.
Bribery Destroys the Heart, but Oppression Comes to an End
We’re looking at the works of man. Verse seven, surely oppression maketh a wise man mad, and a gift, that’s talking about a bribe, a bribe, destroyeth what? The heart. One of the ways that the world works in the works of men is bribery. There can be financial bribery, there can be emotional bribery. You know, when people put you on a guilt trip, that’s emotional bribery. And it’s an order to steer you in a direction that they want you to go. And what it does is it destroys the heart. If you accept that bribe, it destroys the heart. Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
You know what the end is talking about here? It’s talking about the oppression, the works of men. It’s better when it ends. Bad things like oppression have an end. And this can bring peace and solace and comfort to our hearts, because everything bad will end. You can actually say it to whatever you’re dealing with. You will end. They will not go on perpetually. You and I, however, have eternal life. You can tell a bad situation that it will end, and you’ll be right every time.
We, however, will live forever throughout all eternity. Look at Romans chapter eight. So bad things do happen, but they will come to an end. Just like evil people will come to an end. You and I will live forever. Romans chapter eight, verse 17. And if children, then heirs. We’re children of God. Heirs of God and join heirs with Christ.
If so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. At times there is a suffering in this life, and it’s because of our earthly and limited condition as human beings. And then there’s at times there’s suffering for Christ’s sake from worldly influences that resist God’s solution and answer for all man’s ills, which is Jesus Christ. That’s right. But verse 18, for I reckon, I logically conclude that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. The sufferings will end, and they cannot be compared with the glory already given us in Christ Jesus, fully realized at his return. See, we avoid putting the suffering in our heart. We only put that they will end and the glory that we have in Christ in our heart. You resist the devil and he will flee.
God Brings Every Work Into Judgment, Good or Evil
Back to Ecclesiastes, Ecclesiastes chapter 12. We see God in his ability to bring all things to light, good and bad. That’s part of how we see God with a pure heart. Ecclesiastes chapter 12, verse 13. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God, respect God and keep his commandments for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil. That’s right. That’s what you put in your heart.
That’s what I put in my heart. Yes, life has challenges. You will be challenged, so will I. But everything is gonna come to light. God’s judgment will resolve every wrong and reward every right. Look at Psalm 37, please. What is on the surface where people get away with stuff, they’re not gonna get away with it. Not before God. Psalm 37, verse 12. The wicked plotteth against the just and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.
The Lord shall laugh at him for he seeth that his day is coming. That’s right. That is going to happen. So we don’t concern ourselves with those things in terms of putting them in our heart as if we must constantly process injustice after injustice after injustice and absorb it into our soul. No, we do not. We guard our heart against all these injustices.
Seeing God in His Lovingkindness, Judgment and Righteousness
We keep loving and keep teaching. Look at Jeremiah, please. Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah. Jeremiah nine. I’ll tell you what God delights in. In Jeremiah chapter nine, verse 24. It says, but let him that gloryeth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, the Lord, which exercise loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, saith the Lord. We see God in his loving kindness.
We see God in his righteousness, meaning what is right. When you know what’s right, it’s very easy to identify what’s wrong. You start with what’s right and God is always right. And judgment. And this is in the present. This is not talking specifically about the future. The Lord delights in these things. That’s right. So we should delight in them.
We glory continuously in the present because we’ve attained an understanding and an experiential knowledge of the Lord. That’s what this word understanding means. It means that the rivers of understanding have flowed together for us. You see the bad, but you bring in God’s light and eternal glory and judgment when necessary. And know it. We experientially know the Lord because we see him in his loving kindness, his righteousness, and his judgment in the earth because this is what he delights in.
Seeing God in His Timing: Abraham's Servant and Rebekah
Look at Genesis 24, please. We see God in his timing on a matter. At times, his timing is so clear, so vivid, so distinctive, so demonstrative and illustrative of his involvement. Genesis chapter 24. Here, Abraham’s eldest servant who ruled over all he had is sent to get a wife for Abraham’s son, Isaac. Abraham didn’t want his son to marry the Canaanites, the unbelievers in which the land where Abraham was, but he wanted it from Abraham’s family line. And this is what this servant says. Genesis 24, verse 43. Behold, I stand by the well of water and it shall come to pass that when the virgin cometh forth to draw water and I say to her, give me, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher to drink.
And she say to me, both drink thou and I will also draw for thy camels. Let the same be the woman whom the Lord has appointed out from my master’s son. And before I had done speaking, where? In mine heart. The servant said this thing in his heart and look at the timing here. Behold, Rebecca came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder and she went down unto the well and drew water. And I said unto her, let me drink, I pray thee. And then as was in his heart came to pass. See, that’s how we see God often in his timing. Verse 48.
And I bound down my head, the servant said, and worshiped the Lord and blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham, which had led me in the right way to take my master’s brother’s daughter with his son. Look at who he recognizes when he sees that kind of timing. You’ve seen timing like this. I’ve seen timing like this. This is part of how you see God. That is and develops from a pure heart. Other people will see the same situation and see nothing. Well, there’s some room for learning there, isn’t there? Look at John chapter 14, the gospel of John. We see God through the work of Christ very significantly.
Seeing the Father Through the Work of Jesus Christ
And most vividly for us as Christian believers, John chapter 14. The pure of heart shall keep on seeing God. And one way we see him is through the work of Christ. John chapter 14 in verse eight. Philip saith unto him, to Jesus, Lord, show us the father and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, have I been so long time with you? And yet, has thou not known, experientially known me, Philip? He that has seen me has seen the father.
And how sayest thou then, show us the father? Believest thou not that I am in the father and the father in me? The words that I speak unto you, I speak not of myself, but the father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the father and the father in me or else believe me for the very works sake. What he’s saying is, is I’m demonstrating the father in front of you by everything that I’m doing. The words that I’m speaking, the actions that I’m taking, the deliverance that I’m bringing, I’m demonstrating the father. And if you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the father. That’s what he’s saying.
Absolutely tremendous. See, once you’ve seen Jesus Christ, once you’ve perceived him, you truly understand what he’s done in his works, that’s when you see the father. And that’s exactly what verse nine is saying. One must see Jesus in his work, in his accomplished work to see the father. And not only that, once someone experiences the work of Christ, that’s when they begin to experience God, the father. Look at Titus.
Your Background Does Not Have to Stain Your Heart
All of this is what we wanna put in our heart, not the things of the world, keeping our hearts pure. Now, you may come from a challenging background. You’re not alone. There’s many that have come from a challenging background. But your challenging background does not need to envelop and completely stain and saturate your heart. That’s right. See it right here in Titus. In Titus. In Titus 1, verse 12.
One of themselves, Paul writes to Titus, even a prophet, this was a prophet or a poet of that day. Many think it was the poet Epimenides, and that could very well be, of their own, said the Cretans, because Titus was in the Isle of Crete, are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. That means that they’re lazy and gluttonous. That was their background in that culture, in the Isle of Crete. This witness is true, Paul writes. That was in their culture, their background. But many of them got born again. And Titus is there as a leader ministering to these people. And what does Paul tell him? Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith.
That’s the faith of Jesus Christ that we all share as brothers and sisters in the family of God. They should be sound in the accomplished work of Jesus Christ that we all share. Then you develop that mutual respect, not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men that turn from the truth. You don’t want to put that in your heart because it will never produce what you want, those spiritual results, and you’ll never see God. The commandments of men and myths and fables never allow us to see the true heart and nature of God. Just men.
Unto the pure, it says, all things are pure. The pure see the things from an unstained heart with God as sovereign over all. But unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure, but even their mind and their conscience is defiled. In other words, they’ve given into the doctrines of men. They’ve given into the fables and the myths, and that’s what they’ve put in their heart. They can come out of that if they want, but that’s why that pureness of heart is lost.
The Kingdom of God Is Within You
What we want to do is we want to put the kingdom of God in our heart. Look at Luke. That’s when we see God, his sovereignty, his care over all things. This is a tremendous truth to build into your heart and my heart, because no matter what happens in this life, it’s all going to come back to God. And that is a comforting and encouraging thought to water. God’s sovereignty and care over all things in all time is what the kingdom of God is in reference to. And in Luke 17, Jesus Christ describes it this way. Verse 20, and when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, see, they’re looking for a timeframe. Well, when does it come? We want to be there.
What’s the date? No, no, no, no. He answered them and said, the kingdom of God cometh not with observation. It’s not like that. Neither shall you say lo here or lo there, for behold, the kingdom of God is within you. The kingdom of God is within you. It exists in the present tense within you. And Jesus Christ was present in their very presence to demonstrate and show them God’s sovereignty and God’s care over all things. That’s why he says in Matthew six, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. Seek his sovereignty, his rule over all things.
There isn’t anything that happens in this earth or in all existence that he’s not aware of and that he will not either resolve the wrong or reward the right, nothing. Look at Mark 10, please. This is what we want to put into our heart. The pure of heart see God. They see God all the time because he promises deliverance. He promises salvation wholeness. He promises comfort to those that are challenged in heart. He promises strength to those that are weak or need strength. He promises solutions to those that are perplexed.
He’s God. Mark chapter 10 in verse 15. Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. It requires humility to see that God is still sovereign no matter what goes on here on this earth or the circumstances within which you and I deal. And when the kingdom of God, his sovereignty and care over all things really truly lives within an individual, they become courageous. They do daring things that others might consider not doing.
Joseph of Arimathea: Courage From Expecting the Kingdom
Look at Mark 15. Such a man was Joseph of Arimathea. In Mark 15, at the time that Jesus Christ was crucified, God had worked in this man to prepare a sepulcher, a tomb where the crucified body of Jesus could be brought to that later God would raise from the dead. And it was not proper for this man necessarily to do this, but he was daring and courageous even in light of the Roman authorities and his own culture, many of whom rejected Jesus. Mark 15 in verse 43. Joseph of Arimathea, an honorable counselor, which also waited for the kingdom of God came and went in boldly unto Pilate and craved the body of Jesus. That word waited is in the sense of expecting. And it also carries the sense from the Greek is that he was unceasingly expecting and looking for the kingdom of God. Seeing God’s solution when the one that was teaching and ministering and bringing the life of God to man, Jesus Christ, was crucified.
So in a very dire and very difficult time, in his heart was God’s solution, expecting the kingdom of God. And you know what? It gave him courage and daring. So that’s why he boldly, which means courageously and daringly went to Pilate to acquire the body of Jesus, which was against many from his culture, certainly was interesting for him to daringly and courageously go to the Roman governor and ask the body of Jesus. But he did it because he was waiting and looking and expecting the kingdom of God. It was in his heart. He knew that God was sovereign. He knew that God was over all things. And even in the most challenging situation, when the one that many thought would redeem Israel had been crucified, he was not dissuaded. He was not discouraged.
He advanced. He moved forward. When everything seemed bleak, when everything seemed to be falling apart, his followers were scattered. This man took a stand. This man moved forward with courage. And why? Because he had the expectation of the kingdom of God in his heart. That’s why. Look at 1 Chronicles. 1 Chronicles 29.
Thine Is the Kingdom: David's Prayer at the End of His Life
Here at the end of David’s life, he describes the kingdom of God. And what he prays for that the people would embrace is this very truth. In 1 Chronicles 29, in verse 10, at the end of David’s life, he prays. Verse 10. Wherefore David blessed the Lord before all the congregation. And David said, blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel, our father, forever and ever. Thine, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine. Thine is the kingdom, O Lord. Thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come of thee. Thou reignest over all. And in thine hand is power and might.
And in thine hand is to make great and to give strength unto all. Now, therefore, our God, we thank thee and praise thy glorious name. But who am I, David says, and what is my people that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? In other words, they were contributing willingly to the building of the temple. For all things come of thee and of thine own have we given thee. The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. We steward for a time. For we are strangers before thee and sojourners as were all our fathers. Our days on earth are as a shadow and there’s none abiding. O Lord God, all this store that we have prepared to build thee and house for thine holy name cometh of thine hand and is all thine own. Look at the recognition that David in his heart is given to the sovereignty, the overall majesty of the Lord God. Fantastic. And I know also my God that thou tryest the hearts.
He is the one that examines the hearts. He’s the searcher of hearts and has pleasure in uprightness. As for me in the uprightness of mine heart, I am willingly offered all these things. And that’s the way that we offer ourselves in any way, in service, in resources, in time, in blessings. We do it willingly out of our heart and that’s what God really is after. And now have I seen with joy thy people which are present here to offer willingly unto thee. Watch this. O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, our fathers keep this willing offering, this recognition of your sovereignty. Overall, keep this forever in the imagination of the thoughts of the hearts of thy people and prepare their heart unto thee. It’s all about God. It’s always been about God. He is the beginning, He is the end.
All things come from Him, pass through Him and end with Him. This is what we put in our heart. Not the things that men do. The things that men do come and go. That’s why at the end of Paul’s life in the book of Acts it records so beautifully, so wonderfully, his heart and life. In the last verse in the book of Acts, chapter 28, verse 31, it says that Paul, and this is the mindset we have of him, preaching what? The kingdom of God. God’s sovereignty, God’s care over all things. This is what he’s preaching. This is what he’s communicating. That nothing is gonna alter the will of God. Nothing that man does, empires rise, empires fall. Nothing will alter the will of God because he’s seen the end from the beginning.
And from that basis and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no man forbidding him. From that basis, he taught the things concerning Jesus Christ. What a foundation. This is part of the pure heart that sees God. And what are we aiming for with this pure heart? Let’s close in 1 Timothy. As we build towards the Love of Christ Conference in April, it’s from a pure heart. That which is not stained from the world. We’ve replaced those with the things of God because we wanna see God in everything, in all things. And his sovereignty is a great way to understand it.
Love Out of a Pure Heart: The End of the Commandment
In 1 Timothy, this is the end of the commandment. 1 Timothy chapter one, verse five. Now the end of the commandment is charity. Charity is the word for love in the Greek. Out of a pure what? Out of a pure heart. Love comes from a pure heart. That’s where it comes from. No agendas, no past sins, no injustices, no judgments. It comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and faith unfeigned.
The end is love. And this is what we wanna build. And you see the importance of the heart here. How the world wants to mold you into some sort of pre-packaged person. But they’re working from the outside in. God works from the inside out. Because one of the things that religion does is it molds us into perfecting the flesh. Works looking on the outside when God isn’t interested in that. He’s interested in the inside.
He’s interested in your heart because it’s from and through your heart that the springs of life will come. That’s where you guard it. Don’t put things in your heart that are not from the father. See, that’s where great communion. And if you will, fellowship with God really happens. It’s in the heart of man.
It’s not in our head, if you will. It’s in our heart. That’s why you wanna develop and expand and enlarge your heart because that is where God will meet you. That’s where he’ll communicate with you via that spirit. And we really appreciate you being on and joining us for this first in the five-part series. And as you know, we’re building towards the Love of Christ Conference in Jacksonville, April 2nd through the 4th, and more information’s coming on that.
Closing Announcements and Prayer
But our Heart Series will continue on Sunday, December 13th at 12 noon Eastern Standard Time. That’s on the website. But registrations may not be active for all the webinars, but when they become active, that’s when you can register and receive the instructional link and information. Well, it’s been a great time. Thank you for all the questions and insight. We’ll be on again on December 13th at 12 noon Eastern Standard Time.
And when registration becomes active for whatever of the four that are coming up, you have the dates, it’s on the website, you can register and invite a friend and enjoy the Word. And we’ll continue to learn as we build towards the Love of Christ Conference in April. So I’ll close with prayer. Gracious Heavenly Father, we are so thankful for your care and sovereignty over all things, and that no matter what goes on in this life, circumstances or issues, we know that all things start with you, pass through you, and end with you. And our end is secure in Christ Jesus. We have only glory ahead of us.
At the return of Christ is unspeakable riches, incomprehensible depth of riches in experiencing you and Jesus Christ. So Father, we pray for each and every individual on this Zoom call, for their families and friends, for their homes, their bodies, and for healing them with your loving touch, for strengthening them with the courage in Christ Jesus, and for opening doors unto us to speak your Word and make it known to all that will hear. We pray for our countries, we pray for all those in authority, that we can lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity, and that we can continue to promote our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ throughout the peoples of the earth. In the name of Jesus Christ, we thank you, amen. Well, God bless you. Thank you for joining us.
Key Takeaways
- The heart is the vault where we keep our most treasured thoughts, good or bad – and whatever is in your heart, you put it there.
- Opening the heart to God begins with honesty, as in Psalm 139:23: “Search me, O God, and know my heart.”
- God works from the inside out; man works from the outside in to perfect the flesh, which produces works-based standards.
- In Proverbs 4:23 the word “issues” is the word Exodus – the heart is the way out of sin consciousness, defeat and death.
- Guard against worldly habits, past sins, accusations, inferiority, injustice, comparison and fear of death; treasure the love of Christ, forgiveness, the shield of faith, being seated with Christ, God’s judgment, mutual respect and the return of Christ.
- The Greek construction of Matthew 5:8 carries the sense of “keep on seeing” – the pure in heart go on seeing God in creation, timing, lovingkindness, judgment and the work of Christ.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean to have a heart to see God?
Seeing God is the aim of one with a pure heart. The Greek word for pure in Matthew 5:8 is katharos, meaning pure from everything that would change or corrupt something’s nature, free from any foreign admixture. No man has seen God at any time, so what the pure in heart see is God’s involvement and investment of Himself – in nature, in His written Word, in the Word made flesh, and in His people.
How do you guard your heart according to Proverbs 4:23?
Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it cometh the issues of life.” We keep or guard the heart as a sentinel, a guard, a watchman, making very conscious decisions about what we put into it, and not allowing what people say to go into the heart when it contradicts what God says. The word “issues” is the word Exodus – it means a way out, an exit.
Why does the Bible say God is greater than our heart?
1 John 3:20 says, “For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart and knoweth all things.” As persuasive and compelling as the issues of your heart are that move you in a certain direction, God says He is greater. It takes humility to realize that. Verse 21 then adds that if our heart condemn us not, we have confidence – boldness, fearlessness – toward God.
Scripture References
Psalm 139; Psalm 139:23; 1 John 3:20; 1 John 3:21; 1 Samuel 16:6-7; Philippians 1:6; Luke 6:45; Matthew 15:7-14; Proverbs 4:23; Romans 10:9-10; Ephesians 6; Matthew 5:8; John 1:18; John 4:24; Colossians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 11:27; John 5:37; 1 John 4:12; Romans 11:36; Proverbs 3:5-6; 1 Thessalonians 5:15-22; Isaiah 46:10; Romans 1:20; Job 12:7-10; Genesis 1; Ecclesiastes 1:12-15; Hebrews 11:24-27; Ecclesiastes 7:7-8; Romans 8:17-18; Ecclesiastes 12:13-14; Psalm 37:12-13; Jeremiah 9:24; Genesis 24:43-48; John 14:8-10; Titus 1:12-15; Luke 17:20-21; Matthew 6:33; Mark 10:15; Mark 15:43; 1 Chronicles 29:10-19; Acts 28:31; 1 Timothy 1:5
