for He is highly exalted

Isaiah 40 The Greatness of God.

Fellowship of Reformed Churches

This years Fellowship of Reformed Churches has a updated website for those of ya'll who will be in the area during this time, yes it's in Texas. The theme this year will be "Humble Orthodoxy", check out their website to see who will be speaking and leading us as we continue to undertake the task of "speaking the truth in love" to a world that is watching. See you there!

question for all

why is my left bar area at the bottom on a PC but at home or work on a MAC it's up at the top?

Stewardship

Christian stewardship is the joyous management of all of life and life's resources so that God's mission on earth is accomplished.

Every believer, responding in love to God's abundant outpouring of material blessings, shares the responsibility of Christian stewardship. Everything that we "own" is actually "on loan" from God. For as the apostle Paul wrote, "We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it" . Of course, these material blessings include our money. Some have more; some have less. Regardless of the size of our bank account, we have the responsibility to give sacrificially for God's mission through His church. Christian stewardship also includes managing our time, talents, and all other resources that extend God's kingdom.The Christian Reformed Church believes that Christian stewardship is essential for the health and vision of the church.

The "steward" (usually rendered Â?prince; Â?, one who manages the affairs or superintends these household of another, as Eliezer of Damascus did that of Abraham (Genesis 15:2). Great confidence was reposed in those who held such an office, and hence Paul describes Christian ministers as the stewards of God over his Church and family (Titus 1:7). Believers also are described as stewards of GodÂ?s gifts and graces, to dispense the benefits of them to the world (1 Peter 4:10). Our Lord frequently uses the responsibilities belonging to the office of a steward for the purpose of illustrating His reasoning. In the parable of the unjust steward, who defrauds his master by collusion with the debtors (Luke 16), the illustration is confined to the policy of the conduct pursued, and no inference can be drawn respecting its moral propriety. (On the proverbial dishonesty of modern Oriental wakkils or agents of this kind, see Thomson, Land and Book, 1, 517 sq.) The exhortation which follows is merely advice to manage worldly goods with such liberality and generosity as will promote the cause of true piety, Christian charity, and enlightened benevolence, and not to exercise the rights of property too harshly. See the monographs on this passage cited by Danz, Wrterb. s.v. Â?Lucas,Â? Nos. 76-93. (Biblical Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, by McClintok and Strong)

I really have not much to add to this treatment, though it be short and sweet I think it portrays the fact that we have all the more of a reason to depend upon our God who is the source of all things. This blog is also a means by which I'm striving to portray Christ rightly and truly This line of reasoning is very helpful to me and just a snip-it of a reminder of what we have been called to do out of obedience.

The Holiness of God

A. The sharp contrast between God's Holiness and sin.
(He is abosolutly Pure and in Him their is not even a shadow of sin.)
We have nothing to offer, & the pursuit of personal holiness.
B. What is something challenging to you with regard to God's Holiness?
What is something encouraging to you?
What I have expericend is a deeper degree of reverence and more of a given desire by Him unto obidence.
C. What is it that motivates us to praise God’s Holiness?



Grudem notes that “God’s holiness means that He is seperated from sin and devoted to seeking His own honor”

The word holy is used to describe both parts of the tabernacle. The tabernacle was a place seperate from evil and sin of the world, and the first room in it was called the “holy place”. It was dedicated to God’s service. But then God commanded that there be a veil, “and the veil shall seperate for you the holy place from the most holy” EX 26.33. The most holy place, where The Ark of the covenant was kept, this was the place most seperated from evil and sin and most fully devoted to God’s service. The place where God himself dwelt was itself Holy. “Who shall assend the hill of the lord? And who shall stand in His Holy place? (PSM 24.3)


A look at God's Holiness in scripture!
EX: Remember the old childhood pray "God is Great; God is Good" etc...

A. Holiness defined: There are two ideas to holiness. GREATNESS & GOODNESS. We know their is more to this but for times sake and personal understanding. I have chosen to share these two ideas in relation to God's Hoilness.

1. The first is "Greatness". One of the meanings of holiness is the idea of being "set apart" which means that God is transcendent (or unique and superior) in His Greatness.
2. The second aspect of Holiness (often the one we generally think of first) is the idea of Purity. God is good. God is unstained by sin.

B. The need for every believer to go to scripture II Tim 2.15
1. How do you know if this is true (see above) if your not in the word yourself?
a. The piont is to let scripture dictate scripture.

C. examining the passages
Isaiah 6 1-8 (Read and Set the context) II Chron. 26. II Kings 15.1-7

Uzziah: The high places were not taken down. He was for the most part a successful king. It (the vision) took place sometime after the death of King Uzziah. We know that Iasiah ministered during part of Uzziah's reign but we are unsure of what kind of relationship they had. We can only speculate on what Isaiah's state of mind was when he received the vision. Perhaps he was concerned what would happen next to Israel. Maybe the vision had nothing to do with Uzziah. But this is speculative.

Anyway he has a vision:
The first thing we notice is God's Greatness. vv: 1-4
Notice the details in Isaiahs vision: God was on His Throne. Uzziah may have died but God was still on the Throne. The Throne was high and exalted which means that it is greater and excedded all other Thrones. The Train of His robe and how it filled the Temple. His royalty far surpasses anything we have known or can imagine.The Seraphim, their job was to give glory to the Lord. They were created beings yet without sin, they had wings that covered their creatureliness from a magnificent God! God's purity makes sinless angels seek cover. The angles praise the Lord with "three times holy" They declare that He is supremely Holy. The shaking of the doorposts simply adds to the sense of awesomeness and power. These images are designed to point us to a majesty in God that should provoke reverence and awe. True worship begins when we stop and gasp at the wonder, power, and otherness of God. Worship begins when we catch a glimpse of holiness.


The second thing we notice is God's Goodness and man's unworthiness. vv: 5 Isaiah's response is not what we would have expected. We would have expected him to say something like, "Cooool!" or "Wow!". But Isaiah is not impressed or wowed . . . he is "undone".

“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”

Other exsamples in scripture of an undoness or a treriffied state:

Matt 14.25-27
Matt 17.5-7
Shepards in the field "sore afraid"
or john in revelation chapter one verse 17

Anytime someone gets a glimpse of the Almighty God they are terrified. Why? Because in Exodus 33:20, God said, "no one may see me and live." The first response of an unholy person to the holiness of God is an acute awareness of personal sin. Notice something else about Isaiah's conviction. What was he most conscious of? He was most conscious of His unclean lips. Now think about that... What was Isaiah's greatest strength? It was that he was a spokesman for God. "His lips should have been the one thing that fared well in the light of God's holiness but it was His lips He saw as sinful" as a 19th century pastor once said (Spurgeon). Even in his greatest strength he was undone when it was compared to God's holiness.

The third thing we notice is God's Provision. vv: 6-7

Once Isaiah realizes his sin, notice what happens,

"Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

God cauterizes Isaiah's lips. He eliminates the impurity. Isaiah's guilt is taken away but it is not shrugged off. God doesn't say, "Aw, let's just forget it!" Instead he tells Isaiah that his sin "is atoned for". In other words, it was paid for. How? It was paid for in Jesus. How can that be, you ask? Isaiah lived many hundreds of years before Jesus. But the promise had been made. The plan was in place. God forgave Isaiah on the basis of what Christ was going to do hundreds of years later. Just like He is willing to forgive you and I on the basis of what He has done many hundreds of years before us. When Jesus (the sinless Son of God) died on the cross, He paid for our sin. God's justice is satisfied (sin is punished) and He is also able to extend mercy (on the basis of Christ's substitution). The reason we are called children of God is not because we are good . . . but because we are forgiven. We are forgiven not because we were among the best of the class but because Christ died for our sin.

After Isaiah sees God's majesty, is confronted with His sin, finds forgiveness through the sacrifice of Christ we read .

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,
“Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Next we notice is God Summons.
vv: 8

Isaiah, who has been transformed by grace and made alive by the mercy of God, volunteers for service. Sproul points out "that Isaiah doesn't say, "Here I am" . . . that would be to identify his position. Instead he says, "Here am I"." He offers Himself as a "living sacrifice" (Rom. 12:1-5) if you will. read 2 Cor 7.1 Not only is this a personal pursuit of holiness but even as a church we are to pursure it. read also Eph 2.19-22

He demands our utmost reverence when we approach Him:
Humility, low posture.

He is to be served with fear:
Heb 12.14
II Cor 3.18

Family time

Today is our family reunion, relatives are traveling the Lone Star State's highways to make it here in GR. This will be the first time to have all the family together in a long time. It's been four years so pray that we would be united as we just hang out, hoping issues will not distance us.

Greetings to all

Upon the discovery of how many resources we have to express our ever depedence on God's Grace for all of life, the resource known as a "blog" brings about it a sense of stewardship and accountability. More to come on that but, for now. We are a family of three (not including the cat) my jewel of a wife Tara , Rebekah Grace who is almost four months old. We are overcome with the thought that Our great and Glorious God would desire to make himself known to us in the person of Jesus Christ.
This should serve as a revered privilege and responsibility to be a representation of Christ's relationship with His Church to a world that is watching. As husband and wife we desire to grow in personal holiness through daily application, while holding eachother accountable in our walk with Christ. Being apart of a local community of believers is very important to our family. God has been so good to us by bringing us to Grace Community Church in Glen Rose; Where we receive the whole counsel of God's Word through Preaching, Teaching and musical worship.

I am looking forward to discussing various topics, issues etc., however I do pray this will move us all to "exhort one another every day, as long as it is called today, that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin."