Becoming Like Children: The Path to Seeing God

In the Beatitudes, Jesus shares profound truths about what it means to be blessed. When Jesus says “blessed,” He’s not describing people who have it all together or possess everything the world offers. Rather, He’s referring to those who are open to receiving all that God has—those who have room in their lives for God and are willing to receive what Christ offers.

What Does “Blessed Are the Pure in Heart” Really Mean?

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” This beatitude points us toward a childlike purity that many of us have lost as adults. Jesus emphasized this when He said, “Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

These aren’t gentle suggestions—they’re direct instructions. Jesus didn’t single out a few people who needed to change; He addressed everyone. The implication is clear: as adults, we’ve learned things that have moved us away from the kingdom of heaven.

What Must We Unlearn to See God?

If we want to become more like children—more pure in heart—what must we unlearn? Here are four critical areas:

1. We Must Unlearn Materialism

Children don’t need much to be happy. Give them an empty box, a stick, and a rock, and they can play for hours. As adults, we often find ourselves in situations where our possessions own us rather than us owning them. We become anxious about taking care of our things, leaving little room in our lives for God.

The rich young ruler in Scripture is a perfect example. He did everything right—followed the commandments and treated others well. But when Jesus told him to sell his possessions, his materialism took over, and he couldn’t make room for God in his life.

2. We Must Unlearn Judgment

Children naturally accept everyone. They don’t see racial differences or economic diversity—they just see other children. As adults, we often prejudge people based on appearances or backgrounds, thinking, “We know those kinds of people.”

We need to unlearn judgment and learn from children to be more accepting and inclusive. We should look beyond the things that the world uses to separate us and instead see opportunities to bring people together.

We may think of Peter when his vision showed a sheet filled with clean and unclean animals and the Lord invited him to “take and eat”. Peter refused to eat the “unclean” animals and was instructed not to refer to anything provided by the Lord as unclean. He would soon find himself ministering to a new group of people.

3. We Must Unlearn Self-Sufficiency

Children have no problem asking for help. It’s adults who insist, “I can do it myself.” While there are certainly things we should learn to do independently, there are times when we need to be humbly dependent on God.

Throughout Scripture, people approached Jesus for help—the blind, the deaf, the lame. The woman with the issue of blood crawled through a crowd just to touch Jesus’ robe because she knew she couldn’t heal herself. These examples teach us the importance of acknowledging our limitations and seeking divine assistance.

4. We Must Unlearn Pride

Children aren’t afraid to ask questions. They have a natural desire to learn and don’t worry about appearing ignorant. As adults, we often hesitate to ask questions for fear of judgment—”Don’t you already know that?”

Nicodemus, a respected religious leader, was willing to come to Jesus with questions. His humility opened the door to deeper understanding. When we set aside our pride and embrace curiosity, we create space for God to work in our lives.

How Purity of Heart Helps Us See God

The Message translation of Matthew 5:8 beautifully captures this concept: “You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.”

This reveals a profound truth: our outward awareness is guided by our inward nature. When we clear out space inside—unlearning materialism, judgment, self-sufficiency, and pride—we become able to see God and celebrate His presence all around us.

Life Application

This week, challenge yourself to become more childlike in your faith by focusing on one area you need to unlearn:

1. Examine your relationship with possessions: Are there things consuming your attention that you could let go of? Consider adopting aspects of minimalism to create more room for God in your life.
2. Notice when you’re judging others: Catch yourself in moments of prejudgment and intentionally choose to see people as God sees them.
3. Practice dependence on God: Identify an area where you’ve been insisting on self-sufficiency and surrender it in prayer.
4. Ask questions without fear: Embrace curiosity in your faith journey. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, even if they seem basic.

Ask yourself: Which of these four areas do I struggle with most? What specific step can I take this week to unlearn adult patterns and embrace childlike faith? How might seeing God more clearly change my daily experience?

Remember, becoming pure in heart isn’t about perfection—it’s about creating space for God to work in and through you. As you unlearn these adult patterns, you’ll find yourself more open to receiving all that God has for you.

Sermon video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2FsrypN9KE

[Blog post created by Sermon Shots from original sermon content preached by Rev. Kent F. Jackson on August 10, 2025.]