July 15, 2007
Scripture:
Scripture:
Scripture:
Can we turn for a moment back to Isaiah 6. What struck me was the first verse, although that was not the only thing, because this passage is so awe- inspiring that you can’t help but be struck by the description of a thrice holy God. V. 1 starts “In the year that king Uzziah died …” Why did he die? Because he had unworthily entered into the holy presence of the awesome One who sits on the throne. He came out a leper and died, even though he was the king. We can’t help being reminded of another King—the true King of Israel—who went into the holiest bearing our sins; He, too, died, but rose again. This morning, we had the privilege of entering the Holiest and being in the presence of an awesome and holy God because we have been made fit by the One who bore our sin “in His own body on the tree.” What a foretaste of eternal glory. Think of it all; and praise His name!
EG Hymn 369 – I claim for my own a King on a throne, Prayer I want to continue in Acts; we’ll look at chapters 6 and 7. Everything that we have been reading about has been happening Jerusalem. The Christians were receiving much persecution from the Jews. This made them come together. Read v. 1. As we read, some of them had sold their land and given the money to the apostles to distribute; but some people felt it was not being done fairly. In vv. 2-4, the apostles suggested that they would continue to preach while seven chosen men would take care of the ministrations. So they chose these men, v. 5; they were “men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom.” The work continued and many others were saved. Now we go on and read about Stephen. We find that he was doing great wonders among the people, v. 8; but the people from the synagogues didn’t like him (vv 9 & 10). They brought false witnesses against him, as we see in v. 14. Read v.15; what does the face of an angel look like? In Matthew 28:3, we read that their countenance is like lightening, so maybe Stephen was shining. As we begin chapter 7, the high priest asks Stephen if this is true. Stephen’s reply takes us most of the chapter; he starts at Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and goes through the history of Israel, showing how they resisted God, v. 51. In v. 52, he tells how God sent the prophets to bring them back, and how they had persecuted them. So whom did God send next? The Lord Jesus; He came and lived on earth among them. But what did they do to Him? After all His miracles and talks, did they accept Him? They killed Him; they rejected Him too. Now Stephen is talking to them; what will they do to Him? Read vv. 54–60. Stephen tried to speak to their conscience – God’s last attempt to reach the Jews—but they rejected Him also. He wanted them to love Him; He wants that of us too. Stephen is a good example for us: he was of good report; he was full of the Holy Ghost; he wanted the Jews to love God, even if it meant death. He died similarly to the Lord, in that he said, “Lay not this sin to their charge.” May it be a reminder to us to live for the Lord.
I Peter 1:13 – 16 We had thoughts of the Lord’s holiness this morning; here we have the exhortation to be holy. This is a challenge in a sinful world, especially because we have sin inside us as well as outside. But before we get there, we have the example of an obedient child. We have examples of both obedient and disobedient children in scripture. The ultimate example was the Lord, doing His Father’s will. Obedience should be characteristic of the child of God. The children of Israel should have been obedient to the law. But they were not in a parent/child relationship under the law; it was a master/slave relationship. Peter reminds us that things are different for us. He does not take us to Mount Sinai here, but to where the Lord said to Mary Magdalene, “my Father, and your Father.” This is our new portion. We read “Children, obey your parents”; God is our Heavenly Father and therefore He should be obeyed. We know that obedient children are happy children.
What does it mean “not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance”? Before we were saved, we followed the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. When we were in that state, we were ignorant. We were the children of disobedience, and because of that, children of wrath, Ephesians 2:2 & 3. As we mentioned, these verses are the practical aspect after the precious truths we had in vv. 1-
When we become children of God, there are some changes that take place. In the Darby translation, “fashioning” is “conforming.” In Romans 12:2 we read that we should be transformed by the renewal of our mind, what we are occupied with. This goes on in v. 15 (of I Peter 1), where we are exhorted to be “holy in all manner of conversation [life].” Then, in v. 16, we are told “Be ye holy; for I am holy.” This is quoted from Leviticus 11:44; read vv. 44 & 45. We can see the importance of this to God. In God—and in His presence—there is no sin; “O bright and blessed scenes, where sin can never come.” It is holy. But all our lives we have been in a world of sin; we have a sin nature. Now we are told to be holy; what do we have going for us? We also have a new nature within us; we read the Holy Bible and have the Holy Spirit in us. It’s wonderful that God had given us holy things to occupy us. We can fail, but we can come before that throne of grace to be restored. Colossians 3:8 talks about our old nature; vv. 12 & 13 are about our new nature. We will fail when we don’t put off the old man; but with the new man on, we can’t fail.
Holiness has many aspects to it, whether it be personal or social, or home or at work. But the degree of unholiness in the world grows every year. If we are truly holy, we should abhor it. “Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good” (Romans 12:9). The Lord led a life of perfect holiness in this wicked world. Then He went back to Heaven where all is holy. But before He left, He took all our sins on Himself. We are expected to abhor evil; He does, and yet He took our evil on His own body and paid for it. Now we can be holy.
EG Hymn 183 – O Lamb of God, still keep us Prayer