Fear the Holy God

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. ²⁹ For our God is a consuming fire."

Hebrews 12:28-29

Last night when driving home from church, I was reminded that God is a holy God.  He is flawless in character, beautiful in perfection, fierce, infinite in power, and a consuming fire.  Every example I can give in comparing God to man is woefully lacking.  He is like molten gold in comparison to dung, flowing lava that consumes chaff in an instant.  We are made of corruptible elements of earth, while God is unchanging, timeless, and a supernatural Spirit.  No man dare stand before Him, and only fools believe they can fool Him.  If a man should think twice about attacking the Leviathan mentioned in the book of Job, who can fight against God?

In a day when personal rights are embraced and protected more than ever, the pride and arrogance of man is ever increasing.  We stand up for our rights, freedoms of speech, and freedom of expression.  People carry signs, chant slogans, camp out in public, cover their mouths in duct tape, burn their bras, live in trees, and set themselves on fire to make their point.  Authority of any kind is met with fierce resistance because "We have rights!"  Courts are filled with cases where people have locked horns over the compensation they feel they rightfully deserve.  From children to corporate executives, greed is a chronic malady.  People are naturally selfish, stubborn, vengeful, and proud.

While man runs around fighting for his rights, standing up for himself while being steeped in sin, God is holy.  God does not operate like a democratic government that allows people to collect signatures to place an issue on the ballot.  God is absolute, and is absolutely holy.  He allows man to have his own will and do as he pleases.  Because He loves man and desires that none should perish, God gave man His unalterable laws.  Man is only condemned by God's law and proven a gross sinner.  Then God sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ revealed in the form of a man without reputation, and He laid down His life on Calvary so all who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  He rose from the dead, proving His power both over sin and death.  But God is still holy.  He still cannot abide with sin.  His holy nature is a consuming fire.  All who think they can approach a holy and righteous God in their sin are gravely mistaken.

After Joshua accompanied the children of Israel into the Promised Land, he said some interesting things.  Even though the Israelites were to serve only God, they still carried with them idols from the land of Egypt (Josh. 24:14).  Joshua rebuked the people, telling them they needed to choose whom they would serve.  Then he said something every person on the planet would do well to hear in Joshua 24:19-20:  "But Joshua said to the people, "You cannot serve the LORD, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. ²⁰ If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you, after He has done you good."  We cannot serve God, nor be forgiven if we are living in sin.  He is a righteous, holy God.  If any man think he has something to offer God, hear again the word of the LORD:  "You cannot serve the LORD, for He is a holy God...He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins."

God cannot ignore sin.  His righteous character is a consuming fire which instantly ignites any chaff in His presence.  No Christian has the right to be in sin.  Moses wrote in Deuteronomy 10:12-13:  "And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, ¹³ and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes which I command you today for your good?"  God has requirements of His people and those He will save by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.  Being washed with the blood of Jesus does not free us to pursue sin, but it condemns us because we knowingly trampled the blood of Jesus underfoot and have counted His sacrifice as rubbish (Heb. 10:26-31).

So what is to be done? 1 John 1:7-9 reads, "But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. ⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  Everyone has sinned, and the wages of sin is death.  Jesus reaches out to all men today with great love - not because it is our right - but out of His grace.  Here is the true picture of how God views humanity according to holiness and righteousness:  Romans 3:9-18 (NKJV) "What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. ¹⁰ As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one; ¹¹ there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. ¹² They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one." ¹³ "Their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have practiced deceit"; "The poison of asps is under their lips";¹⁴ "Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness." ¹⁵ "Their feet are swift to shed blood; ¹⁶ destruction and misery are in their ways; ¹⁷ and the way of peace they have not known." ¹⁸ "There is no fear of God before their eyes."

That is only half the picture.  Mankind is absolutely sinful, but God is absolutely good.  As fierce as His wrath burns towards sin, His gracious love towards man glows bright.  Jeremiah 31:3 says, "The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying: "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you."  It is also written in 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17:  "Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, ¹⁷ comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work."  We are sinners, and there is grace in God.  The way to receive of this grace is to repent and receive forgiveness for sins (Luke 24:47).  God promised in 2 Chronicles 7:14, "...if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."  As Christians we must repent, believe on the LORD Jesus, and then we can obey and serve Him.

If we want to go to heaven, then Christ is the only way (John 14:6).  Only His blood can wash away the stain of sin, and only He can provide the robe of righteousness needed to gain heavenly entry.  Even after receiving Christ, we have no rights as slaves - only God's grace as adopted sons.  Heed therefore the words of Romans 13:11-14:  "And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. ¹² The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. ¹³ Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. ¹⁴ But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts."  God has said "Be holy, for I am holy."  He's talking to me, and He's talking to you.

Wise Comparisons

In many cases, making comparisons is a path which leads to sin.  Comparing ourselves against others will move us to be self-righteous because we see ourselves as better.  We can also become envious and jealous because we don't measure up.  It is a product of our fallen nature:  humans delight in gossip, lies, back-stabbing, or cutting each other down with words.  When I am compared with another person in a positive light, I instantly feel uncomfortable.  I know it is only a matter of time before the same person compares me with another person negatively.  I find comparing is a hair's breadth from judging, something God tells us not to do.  Matthew 7:1-2 says, "Judge not, that you be not judged. ² For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you."

Paul was clear in his words to the Corinthian church concerning the danger of unwise comparisons.  2 Corinthians 10:12 reads, "For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise."  When a man measures himself by himself, he begins and ends with diverse measures and weights.  What he perceives is not always the truth.  I might look back on aspects of my life where God has changed me greatly and I might be tempted to be self-assured.  There are also areas where I have not changed at all for the better, and areas of immaturity I am not even yet aware of.  Because I have seen improvements in some areas, I am not motivated to hold myself to a higher standard than my own - a scriptural standard.  I always ought to compare my life against the Word of God, not according to my perceived maturation.

The same thing is true when I measure myself against others.  My flesh can always find room for self-justification by the wrongs others do:  "At least I have never killed anyone!"  Comparisons lead to dissatisfaction with what God has done or provided, and can also give way to complacency.  On a practical level, what wife would be pleased if her husband was always bringing up how she compares with other women?  She would be continually worried that someone better than her might come along and thus she would become expendable.  If a woman's value is only a comparative value, where is the basis for love in the relationship?  Love keeps no record of wrongs but delights in the truth.  The truth is found in Proverbs 18:22:  "He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the LORD."  If we would look at our relationships through a scriptural lens, comparisons and judgments melt away.

The best and wisest comparisons are those which bring glory to God.  After Jesus healed a man who had been blind from birth, the religious leaders sought to accuse Jesus.  They brought before them the man who could now see to interview him concerning the miraculous change which had taken place.  John 9:24-25 reads, "So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, "Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner." ²⁵ He answered and said, "Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see."  The religious leaders compared Christ according to the traditions of the elders and deemed Christ a lawbreaker.  They stood in judgment of Him even though Jesus had only done a good deed.  The blind man refused to take sides.  Instead, he simply held forth his condition before and after Christ.  "I don't know if He is a sinner or not.  One thing I know:  I was blind, but now I see."  That was a comparison which gave God the glory.

We have opportunities every day to remember the wonderful things God has done for us.  The children of Israel were once slaves in Egypt, but God delivered them and later brought them into the Promised Land.  I was once a judgmental Pharisee, but God changed my heart through the truth of His Word.  He brought me out of Valley of the Shadow of Death and has brought me safely into green pastures near still waters.  I used to be filled with wrath and vengeance, but God has restored my soul by His grace.  Instead of comparing ourselves with ourselves or against others, may we align our lives according to the truth of scripture.  Let us make wise comparisons which give glory to God!

The Sin of Accommodation

"Now Solomon brought the daughter of Pharaoh up from the City of David to the house he had built for her, for he said, "My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places to which the ark of the LORD has come are holy."

2 Chronicles 8:11

Solomon was a man endowed with great wisdom from God.  Unlike most men, his wisdom lessened with age.  After God granted his request for wisdom to govern God's people, the report of his great wisdom reached far and wide.  But as he grew in affluence and power in a land without war, he let his guard down.  Moral lapses gave way to abominable idolatry.  He multiplied wives and horses to himself, and ended being a great fool because he ceased to seek after God with all his heart, soul, and mind.

Most of us have heard about sins of commission (sin willfully committed) and omission (good left undone).  One of the ways we justify sin is when we grant sin accommodation.  Marrying the daughter of Pharaoh was good politics, but a transgression of God's laws.  Solomon knew this in his heart.  He justified his marriage to a foreign woman contrary to the Law by building a special house for her.  He knew his marriage with the daughter of Pharaoh was an unholy one, but he accommodated his sinful relationship by keeping that part of his life carefully compartmentalised - or so he thought!

Keeping up appearances was more important to Solomon than simple obedience to God.  He continued to multiply wives and concubines to himself while he pursued greater building projects of great beauty.  Enormous tax revenue, tribute, and unfathomable riches poured year by year into his treasury.  Nations all around sent gifts and accolades as Jerusalem entered into a time of unprecedented peace and wealth.  In the beginning of Solomon's reign he was as David, but at the end of his reign he looked more like King Saul.  1 Kings 11:4 & 6 reads, "For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David...⁶ Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and did not fully follow the LORD, as did his father David."  Accommodation of sin led to disloyalty and evil deeds in the sight of God.  Because of this, God stirred up adversaries against Solomon and ripped away 10 of the 12 tribes of Israel to be ruled by his servant, Jeroboam.  Instead of repenting, Solomon sought to kill Jeroboam - just like King Saul had done to his father David.

This tragic tale is repeated over and over to this day.  The scenery is different, but the hearts of men are still as deceitful and desperately wicked as ever.  Solomon did not reject God's ways in a day, but it was a slow slide during his reign of 40 years, deliberately departing from the wise truth which he received from the mouth of God.  If Solomon, the wisest of men was not able to abide in the wisdom which he knew, what hope is there for us?  The only hope man has is found in the person of Jesus Christ.  He has become wisdom and righteousness for us (1 Cor. 1:30-31).  We must be cautious that we never grant accommodation for sin.  It is imperative that we check our lives continually against God's righteous standard as revealed in scripture and heed the promptings of the Holy Spirit.  This is why Paul exhorted in 2 Corinthians 13:5:  "Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you are disqualified."  No one would expect that a physical exam undergone 20 years ago is adequate for today.  Daily we are called to examine ourselves so we might walk in the way which fully pleases God.

Beware of the slippery slope of sin accommodation.  It has cast down many wounded, and all were strong men.  Some of the most wise who ever lived are numbered among the willing victims.  Paul prays according to God's will for your life when he relates his desire in Colossians 1:10-14:  "...that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; ¹¹ strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; ¹² giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. ¹³ He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins."  Let us abide in Christ, making no provision for the flesh.  In Jesus is abundant life!

Baseball Story continued...

A few months back I shared how God had blessed me with an opportunity to play baseball.  After suffering a shoulder injury and not making the school team at 15 years old, I walked away from the game for good - so I thought.  21 years later, I had no idea that I would be called by God to be a pastor, move to Australia, or take up the game of baseball.  My first season back in the game playing for the Rouse Hill Wildcats came to a wonderful conclusion Saturday as we beat the Castle Hill Knights in the Grand Final 15-5.  We are the "premiers" of the Sydney Metro Baseball league, H-Grade.  Much of our team had never played baseball before, much less play in a Grand Final.  Here's a team picture, each of us with our engraved trophy mugs - complete with a handle!

Left to right: Randall, myself, Gav, Liam, Cam, Keith, Trav, Paul, Donna (scorer), Kyle, Pete, Pat, and Stacy

 I thank my teammates for a great season, and most of all I thank God for enabling me to be a part of a team in a sport I never thought I'd play again.  Less than two years ago my throwing shoulder hurt so bad I could not even perform a single push-up, and to think I pitched for a complete-game win in a Grand Final is nothing short of miraculous!  Thanks be to God for His healing touch and all glory, honour, and praise goes to Him.  I would say it has been a magical season, but magic had nothing to do with it:  it is all of God's grace.