Introduction
Hebrews 12:14 reads, "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord." The word "holiness" can legitimately be replaced with "sanctification." In this section we will study the first reason for the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
To see the Lord
Without sanctification we will never see God. In His sermon on the mount the Lord Jesus Christ tells us ... "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matthew 5:8.)
The desire of every true believer is to see the Lord face to face. We await His Second Coming, but while we wait we long for His person and likeness to be made manifest in our souls. Did He not promise exactly this to those who believe and love Him? "And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us" (1 John 3:23-24.)
If the above is true it follows that it is our sin, unbelief, carnality, and disobedience which hinders us from walking in faith and love. How can we expect to see Him in such a spiritual condition? But once the heart is purified we shall see the Lord.
See Him in the Scriptures
Have you ever read and studied the Scriptures to see Jesus? In the Gospels we have account after account of seeking Him out (the wise men, shepherds, Simeon, Anna, and the Samaritan woman for example.) The Bible is given to us that we might know Him too. It is given that we might declare with Simeon, "mine eyes have seen Thy salvation."
Conclusion
Too many of us have only a passing knowledge of the Son of God. Sin and unbelief are always at the root of this. This condition also keeps us experiencing the fulness of the power of the blood and the Baptism of the Spirit. But once remedied our souls will be illuminated by His presence. While sin and unbelief blur and dim the sight of the soul, there can be no vision of Christ.