Netherwood Park church of Christ -- Carman's Corner |
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| VOL. 32 | October 8, 2000 | NO. 41 |
| WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE SEE GOD? |
Isaiah chapter six tells us of a vision Isaiah had the year King Uzziah died. During this period, I can think of no better man than Isaiah to serve God as a prophet. Can you?
Yet, his words are those of a fearful and broken man. "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," Isaiah 6:5. What caused him to feel so inadequate?
Isaiah 6:2-4 tells us that Seraps were flying around calling to one another saying, "holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory. At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke." Such a magnificient sight left Isaiah feeling unworthy.
It is an interesting truth that the less we are confronted with the Almighty, the less we get out of worship. When Isaiah saw the glory of God, he realized that he was just an ordinary man of unclean lips – and that he lived among a people of unclean lips. Everyone he knew was also a sinner. How could he survive in the presence of the Almighty?
Read the text and you will see that one of the seraphs took a coal, touched his lips, and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."
It is our prayer that as we meet for worship we will be brought into the presence of God. May we be able to see His glory. We accomplish this through our acts of worship (singing, praying, communion, giving, and preaching). These acts are not the goal of our worship but the means by which we are enabled to see the glory of Christ and our Heavenly Father. We MUST prepare our hearts so that we can be drawn into Their holy presence.
To see God's radiant glory brings us low. It makes us see our own unworthiness. When we acknowledge our sinfulness He heals us. It was only after Isaiah confessed his un-worthiness that he was cleansed. Only then was he able to deliver God's message to a sinful people. May our worship lead us to the cross and to the throne of God. May we acknowledge our sinfulness so that we may be lifted up on high. May the cleansing we receive, through Christ, give us courage to speak God's words to a sinful people.
-- George Carman
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