Is There A Way To See God?
This is a link to our weekly radio program Search the Scriptures Daily. You may listen to the program by clicking on the "mp3" link above. For more listening options, please see our Radio Page.
Gary:
If you have a question for Dave and Tom to address in a future Contending for the Faith, stay tuned, we’ll provide our contact information at the end of the program. You are listening to Search the Scriptures Daily, a radio ministry of The Berean Call. Now our final segment:
UNDERSTANDING THE SCRIPTURES
We continue our excursion through the gospel of Matthew. Here again are Dave and Tom: This is our Understanding the Scripture segment, we are in the gospel of Matthew chapter 5, and we’re going to pick up with verse 8: “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” Dave, who would qualify for that?
Dave:
Well, we don’t have pure hearts, we’re sinners. Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts adulteries, fornication, and so forth. Jesus says this defiles us. But the Bible talks about a perfect heart also, and what do I really want? We’ve given many illustrations. You can go to Hebrews 11:6, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” We’re not seeking things, we’re seeking God. We’re not seeking His gifts, we’re seeking God, and God said to Abraham, must have been a shocking statement: I am your shield, and your exceeding great reward. So, I think when it talks about David, “walked before me with a perfect heart’ but he wasn’t perfect, he sinned. But at least he repented, and in his heart he really wanted to know God and to please God. So, I would say the pure in heart, they have a pure motive.
Tom:
So, it’s more an attitude of the heart than it is the condition.
Dave:
I think so. They shall see God.
Tom:
Dave, do you remember, and help me with this, Wasn’t there a story about the Soviet cosmonauts? Do you know that story?
Dave:
Yes. Well, this is a true story, and this little girl must have had a lot of courage because the teacher—I think she was 8 years old, something like that, the teacher was ridiculing the idea of God and saying, O God, we sent—I think then they called the cosmonauts, Yuri Gagarin, I think was the first one, who got very out of the earth’s atmosphere— well, we sent Yuri up there and he looked around and didn’t see God. And a little girl raised her hand and said, But was he pure in heart? That was probably lost on the teacher and the class, they didn’t even know the verse probably. But anyway, this is a little girl who was obviously getting some Bible study and understanding of the Scriptures, who obviously had become a Christian.
Tom:
Verse 9: “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” Dave, one of the things that we see with regard to the interpretation application of the Beatitudes is all of a sudden for some people, works. Well, as long as you are out there keeping the peace and doing certain things, these can be channeled into works salvation, can’t they?
Dave:
Well, if you misunderstood it, Blessed are the peace makers: for they shall be called the children of God, and yet the Scripture says, we are the children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
Tom:
And you can’t really bring peace unless you bring the gospel of peace.
Dave:
Right. Peace with God, there will never be peace among men unless we have peace in our hearts with God. And we should then be peace makers. We should not bring strife, but we should bring peace among—well, in our family, among our friends, and so forth, the best way we can. And that is pleasing to God, it doesn’t get us to heaven, but it is pleasing to Him.
Tom:
Verse 10: “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Dave:
Yeah, so it doesn’t say, Blessed are they that are persecuted. Aw, they’re persecuting me, I just can’t get along with anybody, they are just all against me. Well, that’s not what it’s talking about. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, and Peter deals with that in 1 Peter 4. He says, What thank have you, what’s the good of it, what would earn you if you are persecuted for what you have done wrong, and you are disciplined for what you have done wrong. But if you are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for the sake of Christ, Christ says there’s a blessing that will come to you.
Tom:
Verse 11: “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.” I guess the “for my sake” Dave, is just as you mentioned in the last verse, that’s the qualifier.
Dave:
Well, if it’s not for Christ’s sake, if they are saying all manner of evil against you for your sake because you have done it, it says “falsely” for my sake. I like the next verse: “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” I remember the story of the preacher and someone came to him and said, Do you know the things that people are saying about you, the lies they are telling? And he said, Well, why are you telling me this? You want to see how high I can leap? Be exceeding glad, great is your reward in heaven. And another gospel that says: Leap for joy! So, Great is your reward in heaven—it’s easy for us to forget that. God is going to reward us and it will be a reward, but we are not working for a reward, in fact, I tell the Lord, I don’t deserve any reward at all, it would only be by your mercy and your grace.
Tom:
Dave, you know what we see today that, you know, leaders in the church, they want to be popular. This is so contrary to what we see going on that they want to be on the cover of Time Magazine, or they want to be so impressed the world. As one individual said, To restore the credibility to Christianity. What does that mean?
Dave:
Well, we’re not seeking credibility, and the gospel is foolishness to the natural man. So we are going to restore credibility to the world, thanks for doing well? Then we are not doing well.
Tom:
Well it’s certainly contrary to these verses we’ve been reading, Dave.
Dave:
It certainly is.
Tom:
Verse 13: Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
Dave:
This is very simple, these are simple statements, the salt has lost its savor. I don’t know how that happens, but I guess it can, then it’s not good for anything. What can you do with it? Now, we are the salt of the earth. I guess that means we should be like seasoning, we should be something that is needed to give a proper taste, a proper flavor.
Tom:
It also has preserving qualities, doesn’t it, Dave?
Dave:
Right, right, yeah. So, are we going to preserve the world? Well, if they are willing to be preserved. We have the message of salvation, the only way that anyone can be preserved.
Gary:
Dave and Tom will resume their discussion on the topic of salvation next week, we hope you can tune in. This is Search the Scriptures Daily, a radio ministry of The Berean Call. The Berean Call invites you to make your plans now for our 3rd annual TBC Conference, coming up this November 14th through the 16th here in Bend, Oregon. This year’s event will be held at the beautiful new Riverhouse Convention Center. The theme for 2008 is Cosmos, Creator and Human Destiny, the title of Dave Hunt’s soon to be released new book. A feature speaker will be Roger Oakland, author of the controversial exposé on the emerging church, Faith Undone, from Lighthouse Trails Publishing. TBC also welcomes Dr. Donald Chittick, an authority on the topic of origins and earth history, with a special interest in the 1st eleven chapters of Genesis. Of course, TBC’s Tom McMahon and Dave Hunt will both be there addressing the hotly debated creation/evolution issues. Tickets are just $75 for adults, and children under 18 are free with accompanying adult. For more information go to our website at www.thebereancall.org, or call 1-800-937-6638. We hope to see you this November here in Bend at the 3rd Annual TBC Conference: Cosmos, Creator and Human Destiny. We offer a wide variety of teaching materials that will help you expand your knowledge of God’s Word, from books and tracts to audio and video recordings, CD-ROM, our website and much more. For a complete list of materials, or to get a copy of today’s broadcast, write to us at POB 7019, Bend, Oregon 97708, call us at our toll free order number 1-800-937-6638, that’s 1-800-937-6638, or visit our website at www.thebereancall.org. If you would like a copy of this broadcast on compact disk, ask for Program #3608, and be sure to mention the call letters of this station. And if you would like to watch Dave and Tom, our weekly broadcast is available on DVD, ask about a subscription when you contact us. You can also download both audio and video podcast at our website. Get a pen or pencil ready we’ll repeat our contact information in just a moment.
Next week, we will launch a multi-part revisit to our 2000 series of programs based on Dave Hunt’s book, Occult Invasion, and What is Occultism? In Religion in the News, The Kabalah in Tinsel town. We’ll take a look at that story and address the question: How much education do you need to understand the Bible? We hope you can join us. If you have questions or comments about this program, we urge you to contact our offices. Search the Scriptures Daily Radio Ministry is made possible by God’s grace, your prayers and your financial support. I’m Gary Carmichael, and for Dave, Tom and everyone here at The Berean Call, I would like to thank you for tuning in, and invite you to join us again next week. Until then, if you desire to know God’s truth, search the Scriptures daily. For more information about The Berean Call, contact us at POB 7019, Bend, Oregon 97708, call our toll free order number 1-800-937-6638, that’s 1-800-937-6638, or visit our website at www.thebereancall.org.