Cul$va$ng In$macy
Scripture Text: Psalm 2:7-12
I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, You are my Son; today I have begoben you. Ask of me, and I will make the nafons your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a pober's vessel.
Now therefore, O kings, be wise; Be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. This is the Word of the Lord - Amen
Cul$va$ng In$macy
Responding to Holiness: Who is serving Who?
Encountering Holiness in Scripture
Moses and the Burning Bush Exodus 3:1 6 Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned. When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, Moses, Moses! And he said, Here I am. Then he said, Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. And he said, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
Isaiah in the Throne Room Isaiah 6:1-7 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sibng upon a throne, high and liced up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!
Isaiah in the Throne Room Isaiah 6:1-7 And the foundafons of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts! Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for. (ESV)
John on the island of Patmos RevelaFon 1:9-19 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulafon and the kingdom and the pafent endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the tesfmony of Jesus. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to ThyaFra and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.
John on the island of Patmos RevelaFon 1:9-19 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
John on the island of Patmos RevelaFon 1:9-19 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place acer this.
Cul$va$ng In$macy
I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, You are my Son; today I have begopen you. Ask of me, and I will make the na$ons your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a poper's vessel.
Now therefore, O kings, be wise; Be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
The Kings and Rulers Vs The Lords Anointed
Psalm 2:1 3 Why do the na$ons rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.
Too o]en we assume we re on the good guys team
The Kingdom of the world Vs The Kingdom of the Lord
He designed the universe and establishes moral law and order. But this God is not trinitarian, he did not speak through the Torah or the prophets of Israel, was never resurrected from the dead, and does not fill and transform people through his Spirit. This God is not demanding. He actually can t be, because his job is to solve our problems and make people feel good.
In short, God is something like a combinafon Divine Butler and Cosmic Therapist: he is always on call, take care of any problems that arise, professionally helps his people to feel beber about themselves, and does not become too personally involved in the process -Smith & Denton-
MaPhew 6:7 13 And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gen$les do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
In the beginning we are indeed the subject and center of our prayers. But in God s Fme and in God s way a Copernican revolufon takes place in out heart. Slowly, almost impercepfbly, there is a shic in our center of gravity. We pass from thinking of God as part of our life to the realizafon that we are a part of His life. Wondrously and mysteriously God moves from the periphery of our prayer experience to the center -Richard Foster-
Now therefore, O kings, be wise; Be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
When we cease striving to be God, we learn a whole new kind of contentment, the delight of the presence of God in our present circumstances. When we give up our silly rebellion against God s purposes, we discover that he provides the security for which we were searching. -Marva J Dawn-
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
MaBhew 11:28 30 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (ESV)
MaBhew 11:28 30 Are you $red? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you ll recover your life. I ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won t lay anything heavy or ill-fieng on you. Keep company with me and you ll learn to live freely and lightly.
Who is serving Who?
What most honors the Lord?
Communion