The High and Lofty One
If you are wrong about who God is you will be wrong about everything. I think the American Church, at this point in history, is suffering from the same mindset that overtook the people of Israel when God said of them "thou thoughtest that I was altogether [such an one] as thyself" (Psalm 50:21). I believe the majority of professing Christians today see God as a person who is like they are.
One Bible text that has always spoken deeply to me is Isaiah 6. In that text Isaiah has a vision of God as the High and Lofty One. The train of His robe fills the temple. His voice is like thunder in the mountains. The seraphs fly above His throne crying "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts! The earth is full of His glory!" This picture of the thrice holy God whose glory fills the whole earth is the vision of God we need to establish in our minds. When we set our hearts towards Him, it isn't a person who like us, it is to the Lord God Almighty ... God Most High ... that we set our hearts towards.
This is critical. God has warned us in His commandments that we "shall no other gods before Him." To be wrong about the Person of God is to become an idolater.
Charles Spurgeon believed that the truth of any doctrine could be seen in whether or not it exalted God. He believed any teaching that lifted up men was a false teaching. In John the Baptist's words "He must increase and I must decrease." Spurgeon saw a mathematical formula for the worship of God. He saw a one to one correlation between the exaltation of God and the debasement of men. To the extent that God is lifted up, man must be debased. Remember, this debasing is based on a comparison of God to men. Since God cannot be lifted up too high, man cannot be viewed too lowly compared to God.
In our churches today our God is a lot like we are. Our doctrines exalt man in all his glory and make God a servant to us. Our gospel message today is how God has made us to have a good life. Everything is about us.
God is always the High and Lofty One. Whether we see Him that way or not, it remains true. To worship Him in Spirit and in truth, we need to see Him as He truly is. Make no mistake about it, it is all about worshipping God. He created us to glorify Him. We are to glorify Him in our lives on earth, in our families, our churches, our communities, our businesses, our whole lives are to bring glory to HIM. When our time in these mortal bodies ends, then we will glorify Him in fullness as we worship Him in human perfection in heaven. Beloved, it isn't anything about us. It is all about Him.
If you are wrong about this you won't be right about anything.
If you are wrong about who God is you will be wrong about everything. I think the American Church, at this point in history, is suffering from the same mindset that overtook the people of Israel when God said of them "thou thoughtest that I was altogether [such an one] as thyself" (Psalm 50:21). I believe the majority of professing Christians today see God as a person who is like they are.
One Bible text that has always spoken deeply to me is Isaiah 6. In that text Isaiah has a vision of God as the High and Lofty One. The train of His robe fills the temple. His voice is like thunder in the mountains. The seraphs fly above His throne crying "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts! The earth is full of His glory!" This picture of the thrice holy God whose glory fills the whole earth is the vision of God we need to establish in our minds. When we set our hearts towards Him, it isn't a person who like us, it is to the Lord God Almighty ... God Most High ... that we set our hearts towards.
This is critical. God has warned us in His commandments that we "shall no other gods before Him." To be wrong about the Person of God is to become an idolater.
Charles Spurgeon believed that the truth of any doctrine could be seen in whether or not it exalted God. He believed any teaching that lifted up men was a false teaching. In John the Baptist's words "He must increase and I must decrease." Spurgeon saw a mathematical formula for the worship of God. He saw a one to one correlation between the exaltation of God and the debasement of men. To the extent that God is lifted up, man must be debased. Remember, this debasing is based on a comparison of God to men. Since God cannot be lifted up too high, man cannot be viewed too lowly compared to God.
In our churches today our God is a lot like we are. Our doctrines exalt man in all his glory and make God a servant to us. Our gospel message today is how God has made us to have a good life. Everything is about us.
God is always the High and Lofty One. Whether we see Him that way or not, it remains true. To worship Him in Spirit and in truth, we need to see Him as He truly is. Make no mistake about it, it is all about worshipping God. He created us to glorify Him. We are to glorify Him in our lives on earth, in our families, our churches, our communities, our businesses, our whole lives are to bring glory to HIM. When our time in these mortal bodies ends, then we will glorify Him in fullness as we worship Him in human perfection in heaven. Beloved, it isn't anything about us. It is all about Him.
If you are wrong about this you won't be right about anything.
posted by John | Wednesday, April 23, 2008
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