Moses, Isaiah, and the Holiness of God..Craig Denison Ministries

Moses, Isaiah, and the Holiness of God

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview: 

God’s presence is real, full of love, and completely transformational. It takes what was broken and brings healing. It takes what was lost and guides us to our rightful place in the Father. It satisfies the weary, brings light to the darkness, and pours out the refreshing rain of God’s love on the dryest, deepest parts of the soul. Scripture contains story after story of God coming down to meet God’s children where they are, and your heavenly Father has the same heart for you as he did them. He longs to make the reality of his presence known to you. He longs to refresh you with his nearness. You were created for encountering God, and you will never be satisfied until you continually live in the experience for which you were created. Allow your desires to be stirred up to encounter the living God this week as we read powerful stories of God’s people encountering his manifest presence. May you respond to God’s word by seeking out that for which you were made: continual encounter with your heavenly Father.

Scripture:“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.” Exodus 3:2

Devotional:

Two of the most powerful recorded encounters of God’s presence are found with Isaiah in Isaiah 6:1-7 and with Moses in Exodus 3:2-6. Let’s open our hearts to both learn from these encounters and allow them to guide us into a powerful encounter with the living God ourselves. 

Isaiah 6:1-7 says,

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted 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!”

And the foundations 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.”                  

Isaiah demonstrated that experiencing the holiness of God and seeing our own sin in light of his holiness are consistent and important parts of encountering God’s presence. Time after time in Scripture, God’s people see their own sin, repent, and are healed after having an encounter with the presence of God. In fact, Moses has a similar response to being in the presence of God for the first time in Exodus 3:2-6:

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.

In light of God’s astounding holiness, Moses was filled with fear to look at the face of God. These two descriptions of God’s presence illustrate an important truth for all: the light of God’s holiness has the ability to pierce into the depth of our soul, bringing to light the darkness that destroys us from within. My prayer today is that we would follow the examples of Moses and Isaiah and allow God’s holiness to shine light on our sin and draw us to repentance. And may we experience healing today the way Isaiah did as the angel of the Lord cleansed him with the coal.

God’s presence casts light on our sin and brokenness because in order for us to live the fullness of life God desires, we must walk in righteousness. It’s because of God’s love that he reveals our sin. It’s because God longs for us to experience a life of holiness and freedom as his children that he shines light on our darkness and draws us out into the glorious light of righteousness.

God promises in Isaiah 42:16, “And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them.” And 1 Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” God’s desire has always been to lead his children into his righteousness. God’s longing for us to partake in his divine nature has been a chief desire of his from the first sin of Adam and Eve. And through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ our nature has been transformed. Ephesians 2:1-6 says,

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

You have been set free from what once separated you from your heavenly Father. But the key to experiencing this freedom is allowing God to shine light on what does not belong to you anymore: your sin. You must walk as a child of the light, not as a child of wrath, and it’s spending time encountering the holiness of God that will transform you from the inside out. Spending time on holy ground as Moses did will heal you from the sins that entangle you. Spending time allowing God to reveal your sin and purge it from you as he did with Isaiah will empower you to choose the light over the darkness. A vital part of encountering God is repenting of our sin in light of his wonderful, holy love for us.

Experience the holiness of God today as you enter into guided prayer. Repent of whatever is in you that’s not in line with your new nature in Christ and walk as the child of God that you are in light of his wonderful and powerful grace. 

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on Moses and Isaiah’s encounters with the holiness of God. Put yourself inside the story. Imagine yourself as their character. Feel what they would have felt. See what they would have seen. Allow the stories of Scripture to come to life around you.

“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.” Exodus 3:2-6

“In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted 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!’

And the foundations 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.’” Isaiah 6:1-7

2. Allow the holiness of God to shine light on the darkest parts of your soul. Where do you have unconfessed sin? What’s holding you back from walking fully in the light? What sin does God want to heal you from today?

3. Confess your sins to God. Repent from any area of darkness and turn fully toward the light of holiness. Rest in his forgiveness and allow it to be the foundation on which you can live in the freedom bought for you by the blood of Christ.

Psalm 30:11 says, “You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness.” When we give our sin over to God he turns what the enemy meant to harm us into our greatest source of gladness. Forgiveness is something to dance over, to sing about, and to enjoy wholeheartedly. Our God takes what was dark and makes it light. He took what tied us to this world, placed it on the shoulders of Jesus, and put it to death with the last breath of his perfect Son. May you discover today a freeing joy in the presence of the God of holiness and forgiveness. And may you live your life in light of the glorious grace you’ve been shown through the love of God.

Extended Reading: Romans 8

Standing on the God Whose Plans Always Stand..MEREDITH HOUSTON CARR

 Standing on the God Whose Plans Always Stand

MEREDITH HOUSTON CARR

“Saul’s plan was to have David fall by the hands of the Philistines … David met with more success than the rest of Saul’s officers, and his name became well known.” 1 Samuel 18:25b-30 (NIV)

If you’re like me, you love a good story — one of the classics where an embattled hero emerges victorious over the enemy. Or where light overcomes darkness. Or good triumphs over evil.

In one challenging chapter of my marriage, I longed for that kind of storybook ending. Daily, I’d cry out to God, begging Him for victory and protection against the enemy’s schemes that made me wonder: God, are You truly stronger than this opposition we’re facing?

In that season, God led me to a passage of Scripture in 1 Samuel detailing the epic struggle between Saul and David.

In a nutshell, the nation of Israel begged for a king, so God chose Saul as their inaugural leader. However, after Saul failed to obey God’s commands fully, God anointed David, a young, obscure shepherd boy, as Israel’s next king. David entered Saul’s service as a musician and quickly rose to fame and fortune by defeating the notorious Goliath (1 Samuel 15-17).

When the people showered David with adoration and praise, Saul — ruled by murderous jealousy — went from frustrated to unhinged, bent on taking out his competition.

The first part of today’s key verses clues us in to Saul’s sinister state of mind: “Saul’s plan was to have David fall by the hands of the Philistines” (1 Samuel 18:25b). Yes, this wayward king had big plans to place David in the path of the Philistines (Israel’s longtime enemies) and let them wipe him out.

On paper, Saul certainly had every resource, power and opportunity to accomplish his evil task. To all the world, it looked like David was at the mercy of Saul’s plans — what a vulnerable place to be!

It’s how I felt during that tough time in my marriage, and I wonder if you’re feeling that way today too. Maybe you feel like you’re at the mercy of a challenging season where everything or everyone seems to be against you. We know that Satan is our one true enemy, yet he works through all kinds of people and circumstances to incite fear and doubt inside us.

Like the boss who refuses to recognize your potential.
Or that family member who’s stuck in toxic patterns.
Or the health crisis that’s pushed you past your breaking point.
Or the bills that keep piling up with no end in sight.

With our backs against the wall, we long for an answer to that question nagging at our faith: God, are You really stronger than this opposition I’m facing?

We don’t know if David ever whispered that question, but we do know he moved forward in courage as God’s chosen, anointed future king: “… David met with more success than the rest of Saul’s officers, and his name became well known” (1 Samuel 18:30).

Saul had his plan, yes, but so did God, and no amount of trying, tricking or treachery would stop God’s plan!

Nothing can stop His plans for you either, dear one. 

If the enemy has you backed into a corner, try taking these two steps today:

First, resolve to reject fear. We can make this choice with our heads even when our hearts haven’t entirely caught up. Something as simple as repeating the words “I will not fear” throughout the day can make a massive difference in bolstering your courage!

Second, take the next step in front of you. Time and again, that’s what David did — he faithfully said “yes” to whatever opportunity God placed in his path, whether it was tending sheep or leading a group of men into battle. He kept his eyes focused on God instead of the enemy — and we can do likewise!

God is bigger than the biggest enemy you’ll ever face. And nothing can or will thwart His excellent and gracious plans for you! I’ve stood on this truth in every hard season of my life, and it’s a truth you can stand on too — today and always.

Dear God, thank You for being fiercer than our fiercest enemy. When we’re afraid, remind us that Your good plans for us will stand no matter what. Thank You for Your sovereign hand in our lives! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

The Biblical Purpose of Holy Greetings..Laura Bailey

 The Biblical Purpose of Holy Greetings

By Laura Bailey

"Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance." Jude 1:2

A friend jokingly commented that she bet the post office knew me by my first name. She referred to my tendency to send a letter through snail mail, and her words touched my heart. I began thinking about times I'd spent hours picking out a special gift, laboring over each written word, and carefully selecting stationary and stamps to make someone feel special. Instead, the only communication I was engaging in recently was firing off a quick text, liking a post, or delivering a distracted "How are you?" between tasks. 

Recently, I began studying the letters in the New Testament. As society is flirting with the complete abandonment of handwritten letters, I am fascinated with these ancient notes that compile much of the second half of the Bible. I've wondered if churches today would have taken encouragement and reprimands to heart if delivered as "you've got mail" over a handwritten note. On the other hand, there's something about holding a piece of paper, studying the author's script, and the ability to read the words repeatedly that electronic delivery can't compete with. Of course, letters were one of the primary sources of communication during Bible times. Specifically, with the New Testament writings, letters were meant to be read and then shared with other churches. In my studying, I began noticing the greetings of these ancient writings. 

A standard greeting in many of these ancient letters revealed the writer's relationship and emotionally engaged his audience. Jude 1:1-2 is an excellent example of this: "Jude, a servant of Christ and a brother of James (half brother of Jesus), To those who have been called, who are loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance." In just a few sentences, we learn that Jude announced his commitment to serving Jesus and sharing the Gospel, the brother of James, and points to the work of the Trinity in his life. 

He is writing to believers and sharing his desire for them to experience an abundance of Christ's mercy, peace, and love. We will later learn that Jude's purpose in writing was to rebuke false teachers and reinforce the gospel message. With this knowledge, we better understand why Jude felt compelled to encourage believers with mercy, peace, and love within the first couple of lines. They would need to learn about God's mercy, cling to His peace, remember Christ's love as they fought spiritual attacks, and deal with false teachers. Christians and non-Christians use these terms, but what do they mean in a biblical sense?

• Mercy is offering forgiveness, granting a pardon, and showing compassion even though it is not merited. We extend understanding to others like God extended mercy to us by sending Jesus to take the penalty for our sins (Romans 5:8-10). 
• Peace comes from knowing this world is temporary; our circumstances don't determine our attitude or mental state. We live with the peace that passes understanding, which can only be from a relationship with Jesus Christ (Philippians 4:6). 
• Love is not conditional; it is selfless and values others over oneself. God even commands that this type of love is displayed to our enemies. We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19).

As I considered my recent interactions over the past week, the Holy Spirit has gently nudged me to be more intentional with the words that I speak and the phrases that I type. What if we encouraged the body of believers with a holy greeting followed by faith-filled messages? As the first believers needed the motivation to remain faithful, so do we! In the words of Paul, to who 13 of the 27 New Testament books are attributed, 

"Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen." Galatians 1: 3-5

Intersecting Faith and Life:
Take some time to read the book of Jude. It's only one chapter but provides rich insight and overflows with encouragement for believers. Write down a verse that spoke to you, and maybe even share the verse in a handwritten note or two with someone who needs encouragement. 

Further Reading:

• Ephesians 1:1-2

You Could Give Up, Or You Could Do This…Stephen Altrogge

You Could Give Up, Or You Could Do This…
By Stephen Altrogge

“Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.”- 2 Corinthians 1:9

The Christian life is full of utterly impossible challenges. You think you can overcome your sin and live a holy life in your own strength? Have at it, my friend! Come back in six months and tell me how it’s going for you. You think you have enough wisdom to help your children navigate all the landmines and pitfalls of life? Well huzzah for you! (Side note: we really need to bring the word “huzzah” back into usage.) Do you think you have enough insight to untangle the sticky relational mess you find yourself in? Do you think you have the strength to sufficiently lead your small group, worship team, counseling team, church planting team, or church? Right. Have at it my friend. I’ll have a bed in a padded room waiting for your return.

The reality is, God constantly places us in situations that are far beyond our ability to bear. He places us smack dab in the middle of befuddling, perplexing, overwhelming, even crushing circumstances. Why does God do this? To humble us. To make us painfully aware that we cannot make it through this life apart from him. To highlight our desperate dependence on him. God strips us of our own strength to make us totally reliant upon his strength.

God allowed Paul to be pushed and pressed, hit and hammered, even sentenced to “death,” SO THAT he would not rely upon himself, but upon the power of the God who raises the dead. God puts us in situations that are so far beyond our ability to survive so that when deliverance comes, only God can receive the glory.

Speaking of pastoral ministry (but this quote applies equally to a million other situations), Charles Bridges says:

“Did we depend upon the failing support of human agency [strength], or upon the energy of mere moral suasion [our ability to persuade] – we should cry out, prostrate in heartless despondency – “Who is sufficient for these things?” But the instant recollection – that “our sufficiency is of God” – “lifts up our hearts in the ways” and work of the Lord.” (The Christian Ministry, page 19)

Are you in a situation that is too hard for you? Are you being stretched beyond your giftings and abilities? Are you pushed down and crushed, even to the point of despair? Do you feel like butter scraped over too much bread? You really only have two options.

Behind door number one: give up. Let despair, anger, and unbelief wash over you like an acidic shower, eating away at your faith. Start calling yourself a “realist.” Allow cynicism to have its way with you.

OR…

Behind door number two: rely upon the God who raises from the dead. Throw aside any foolish remnants of self-sufficiency and depend wholly upon our mighty, powerful God. Depend upon God to work in your rebellious children. Depend upon God to work mightily in your shaky marriage. Depend upon God to save your “unsavable” relative. Depend upon God to give you physical and emotional strength to serve your family. Depend upon the God who slays giants, shuts lions’ mouths, and rescues out of fiery furnaces.

God does incredible things when we stop relying upon our own abilities and start relying on him. He does incredible things when we finally give up on our own abilities and find all our strength in him.

A Prayer to Embrace God's Love..Lynette Kittle

 A Prayer to Embrace God's Love

By Lynette Kittle

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and send His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” - 1 John 4:10

Growing up, I had a wonderful father who made me feel loved. All of my life, I was confident of his love for me. Because I did have his love, it hasn't been difficult for me to believe God, my heavenly Father, loves me, too. Sadly many individuals don't grow up with the kind of fatherly love I experienced. Countless men and women grow up without an earthly father's presence, much less his love, so the thought of God as Father and His loving them is difficult for them to believe, receive, and accept.

God Is Love's Only Source
There is nothing we can do to earn God's love. It's not based on who we are or what we do or don't do. It's all based on who God is, and He is love (1 John 4:16). Despite what the world may tell or try to convince us, God loves everyone. No matter what our culture promotes, there is no other source of love on earth. Therefore, everyone and everything else claiming to be love is a counterfeit. The enemy of God goes to great lengths to make us think He doesn't love us. The devil does this by lying to us about God, and if we don't know the truth about Him, we'll believe those lies. John 8:44 describes the nature of the devil and of those who believe his lies. 

“You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

God's Word Reveals the Truth
We can only know who God truly is and His thoughts toward us through God's word. His words tell us exactly who He is and what we mean to Him. As the saying goes, talk is cheap, but God hasn't just said He loves us. He has gone out of His way to prove His great love for us. We are of such great value to God that He gave His only Son to die and cover the cost of our sins (John 3:16). 

“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

God's love is so great for us that He was willing to sacrifice so that we might live forever with Him. As 1 John 1:9 explains, "This is how God showed His love among us. He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him."

Let's pray:
Dear Father,
I ask You to open my heart to receive Your perfect love. Forgive me for believing the enemy's lies and for the times I've willingly turned away from You. Free me from earthly hurts and wounds that keep me from drawing close to You. O Lord, You are the only source of love in this world because You are love. Give me a tender and grateful heart towards You for loving me first while I was still dead in my trespasses. Thank You for Your gift of Jesus, our atoning sacrifice, which washes away my sins with His blood and reconciles me to You. Help me today and every day to come to You and receive Your unconditional love in my life. Soften my heart and teach me to believe and receive Your tender love. In Jesus' name, Amen.

A Call to Godly Living..Dr. Charles Stanley

 A Call to Godly Living

Dr. Charles Stanley

Romans 12:1

The apostle Paul lived in an age when sensuality, the pursuit of pleasure, and rebellion against the Lord were prevalent. In response, he wrote letters urging Christians not to follow in the ways of the world. Like those early believers, we are to pursue godliness by...

1. Presenting our bodies to God. Our total being--mind, will, emotions, personality, and physical body--are to be turned over to our heavenly Father (James 4:7a). Submitting ourselves to the Lord requires a definite decision to give Him control and a daily commitment to remain under His authority. By surrendering to Him, we will position ourselves for godly living.
2. Becoming living sacrifices. The Christian life is built around the concept of sacrifice. Jesus left the perfection of heaven to dwell among a sinful people so He might reconcile us to God. He offered up His life to make payment for our sins (1 John 3:16) and brought us into His family. As believers, we are to follow His example. Paul called it a living sacrifice, because it is ongoing--one that is repeated daily.

Life is full of options. Many decisions involve a choice between following God's way or our own. Maturing Christians will increasingly sacrifice their own desires and embrace His will.

A life of godliness is characterized by a heart and mind bent toward the things of God. Although we will live imperfectly, our focus is to be on obeying His will and pleasing Him. Let's commit to becoming more like Jesus, the One who willingly gave Himself to God as a sacrifice for us.