When Kings, Oxen, and People Stumble

TURN to 2 SAM. 6

**BUCKLE UP,, IT’S GOING to BE A LOT TODAY.**

Intro: (Nothing better to do?)

As we begin this morning,

I want you to consider how much value you put on the things of God?

And whether you esteem them nearly as much as God does?

God HIMSELF

WORD

WORSHIP

CHURCH

ETC

CAN BE EASY—HAVING THINGS of GOD—BACK SEAT

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SUPER BOWL LAST WEEK: INVITED to MOM’S & INLAWS

GO W/ SHORTER DRIVE

WAITING to SEE OPTIONS

ASKING BRITTANY:......IS THERE a NICE WAY to SAY: “IF WE DON’T HAVE ANYTHING BETTER TO DO,, THEN WE’LL COME UP THERE??”

THEY GET IT. & WE LAUGHED

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BUT HOW OFTEN DO WE HAVE THIS ATTITUDE TOWARDS the THINGS of GOD? (JUST DON’T SAY it OUT LOUD)

SPEND TIME in WORD/PRAYER..... IF WE FIND TIME,, RATHER BE ENTERTAINED/SOCIAL MEDIA/ ETC.

MIGHT HAVE: “I’LL GO to CHURCH…IF I DON’T HAVE ANYTHING BETTER to DO” MENTALITY...

>>> IF WE AREN’T CAREFUL,, WE LIGHTLY ESTEEM the THINGS of GOD. <<<

GENERATIONS PAST: “DOORS OPEN??” WE GO.

NOW,, IT DOESN’T TAKE MUCH to SKIP...

(EVEN I’M NOT EXPECTED 100% ATTENDANCE…PERFECT ATTENDANCE ISN’T as IMPORTANT,, BUT WHERE’S YOUR HEART AT??)

**OVERALL DECLINE in ATTITUDE of CHURCH CONTRIBUTES to WHERE AMERICA is at TODAY…**

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SOBERING TEXT TODAY:

GOOD TIME to SEARCH OUR HEARTS

PLACE PROPER REVERENCE BACK on GOD & HIS INSTITUTIONS

ESTABLISH RIGHT PRIORITIES

(T) And so, I want you to keep these things in mind as we open up our text today.

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Recap: “God’s Work, God’s Blessing”

DAVID—ASCENDING THRONE

Last Week:

DAVID TOOK JERUSALEM

MAKES it CAPITAL CITY

GOD’S BLESSING & EMPOWERING PRESENCE RESTED UPON the ONE WHO SOUGHT to DO HIS WILL...

GOD’S WORK GETS GOD’S BLESSING.

>>> DAVID WASN’T GREAT BECAUSE HE WAS DAVID,, BUT BECAUSE GOD WAS WITH HIM. <<<

TEXT ENDED: DAVID,, DEFEATING PHILISTINES 2X...

(T) W/ SECURE NEW CAPITAL CITY,, WHAT DOES DAVID DO NEXT?? LOOK W/ ME @ CH. 6…VS. 1

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Text: (1 Samuel 6:1-11

2 Samuel 6:1–11 (ESV)

Setting/Inciting Incident (v1-2)

1 David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.

2 And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts who sits enthroned on the cherubim.

· DAVID GATHERS HUGE FORCE… GOING to GET ARK of COVENANT

ARK (BACKGROUND):

SACRED WOODEN CHEST—OVERLAID W/ GOLD.

RESIDED WITHIN HOLY of HOLIES in TABERNACLE (PORTABLE TEMPLE)

REPRESENTATIVE of GOD’S PRESENCE AMONGST ISRAEL...

NOT an IDOL…BUT a REMINDER that GOD WAS W/ THEM...

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ARK = INCREDIBLY HOLY THING.

WITHIN HOLY of HOLIES…ONLY HIGH PRIEST WOULD GO—ONCE a YEAR.

WHEN the TABERNACLE (TENT) WAS MOVED,, ARK WAS SUPPOSED to BE COVERED:

TENT COMES DOWN

KOHATHITES (SPECIFIC CLAN of LEVITES) TASKED W/ COVERING ARK WHEN MOVING IT.

ARK = MOVED on SHOULDERS of PRIESTS…POLES in RINGS…

NOT to BE SEEN— TOUCHING/LOOKING = FORBIDDEN,, CAUSE FOR DEATH.— (see Numbers ch. 4)

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LAST WE’D SEEN of IT:

ARK TAKEN INTO BATTLE (1 SAM 4)

CAPTURED BY PHILISTINES

GOD WREAKS HAVOC

ARK RETURNED

STASHED in HOUSE of ABINADAB for LONG TIME.

NOW:

NEW KING

NEW CAPITAL

**DESIRING to BRING PROPER WORSHIP BACK to ISRAEL,, BRINGING ARK to CAPITAL CITY,, BACK in FRONTLIGHT.**

ALL GREAT.

GREAT PLAN.

(T) HOW’S it GO??

LOOK W/ ME @ VS. 3 The text says,

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Rising Action (v3-4)

3 And they carried the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart,

4 with the ark of God, and Ahio went before the ark.

· DAVID HAS PURPOSED in HIS HEART---BRING ARK BACK = GREAT!!

PROBLEM:

§ God was INCREDIBLY CLEAR in His LAW how the people were to treat the ark.

**DON’T THINK GOD HAS OPINIONS?? NEVER READ MUCH of BIBLE… ESP. NOT EXODUS or LEVITICUS…**

IF WE DESIRE to WORSHIP the TRUE/LIVING GOD…WE HAVE to FOLLOW HIS WAYS

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REMIND: GOD = GOD,,, HE GETS to MAKE the RULES!

GOD DOESN’T RUN a DEMOCRACY

HE HAS EXPLAINED to US:

HOW WE SHOULD LIVE & PRAY & WORSHIP…AS SUCH the OPINIONS of OTHERS DON’T MATTER

MY OPINION,, LIVE/PRAY/WORSHIP....DOESN’T MATTER.

WHITE HOUSE: BIDEN or TRUMP or ANYONE…HAS OPINION on LIVE/PRAY/WORSHIP… DOESN’T MATTER

TODAY’S CULTURE/COMMONLY ACCEPTED PRACTICES DICTATE HOW WE SHOULD LIVE/PRAY/WORSHIP.... THEIR OPINIONS DON’T MATTER...

YOUR FRIENDS/COWORKERS/FAMILY…IF THEY’VE GOT an OPINION.... IT DOESN’T MATTER...

YOU’VE GOT YOUR OWN OPINION?? DOESN’T MATTER.

>>> THE ONLY OPINION THAT MATTERS is GOD’S… <<<

IF YOUR OPINION LINES UP W/ GOD’S WORD,, THEN & ONLY THEN YOU’RE OKAY

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&& CHURCH,, CAN I TELL US TODAY… WE DON’T HAVE an EXCUSE for IGNORANCE??

WE HAVE GREATER ACCESS to GOD’S WORD,, THAN ANY OTHER GENERATION THAT’S EVER EXISTED.

IN OUR LANGUAGE

MULTIPLE TRANSLATIONS

MULTIPLE DEVICES

***PHONE CAN READ it TO YOU!!***

GOD HASN’T LEFT US in the DARK...

§ God has given us a book, and no one with access to this book has any excuse for ignorance.

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LIKEWISE,, GOD GAVE INSTRUCTIONS to ISRAEL

HOW to LIVE

WORSHIP

SETTING UP TABERNACLE, ETC.

TRANSPORTING ARK:

DESIGNATED to KOHATHITES...

COVERED W/ GOATSKIN

CARRIED on PRIESTS’ SHOULDERS

THIS WAS WRITTEN in GOD’S LAW

THIS WAS the HISTORICAL PRACTICE

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1ST PROBLEM TODAY:

GOD SAID to MOVE ARK,, SPECIFIC WAY

THEY AREN’T FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS...

RATHER THAN SHOULDERS of PRIESTS,, IT’S on A NEW CART (2X)

**PHILISTINES TRANSPORTED the ARK on a CART**

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DAVID = DOING RIGHT,, BRINGING ARK to JERUSALEM

DAVID = DOING WRONG,, BRINGING it IMPROPERLY...

THINK THIS = RIDICULOUS?

GOD MAKES the RULES. SORRY, NOT SORRY.

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ARK HEADING to JERUSALEM

LEAVING ABINADAB’S HOUSE

ON NEW CART

SONS of ABINADAB GOING W/ CART

(T) GOING WELL in ONE SENSE & BAD in ANOTHER...

And as the TENSION is BUILDING

LOOK W/ ME @ VS. 5…THE TEXT SAYS....

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More Tension (v5)

5 And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals.

· CAN YOU IMAGINE this SCENE?

o INCREDIBLE CELEBRATION,, SUPER BOWL PARTY COMPOSED of CHIEFS’ FANS PALES in COMPARISON...

THIS IS:

PEOPLE of GOD

UNDER RULE of GOD

THROUGH KING of GOD

BRINGING ARK of GOD

to CITY of GOD

BIG DEAL!!,,,,,,INCREDIBLE!!

ARK = GOING from AMBIGUITY to CAPITAL CITY!

**THINGS GOING to the WAY THEY SHOULD BE**

EVERYONE = CELEBRATING

SINGING

SHOUTING

PLAYING INSTRUMENTS

INCREDIBLE CORPORATE PRAISE

>>> THE PRESENCE of GOD = COMING to JERUSALEM <<<

(T) And so, we know that THINGS BEGAN on a SKETCHY FOOTING with the people not following God’s instructions,

but it SEEMS EVERYTHING is GOING GREAT,

PEOPLE = CELEBRATING

ARK = COMING HOME

WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG??

LOOK W/ ME @ VS. 6…THE TEXT SAYS,

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Climax (v6-7)

6 And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled.

7 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God.

· WE CAN ALL IMAGINE....THIS WOULD HAVE PUT a DAMPER on THE PARTY...

EVERYONE PRAISING GOD,, SINGING,, CELEBRATING...

PLAN = GOING GREAT!

ARK = HEADING to JERUSALEM

“THIS is THE DAY the LORD HAS MADE!!

I WILL REJOICE & CELEBRATE,,

BLESS the LORD OH MY SOUL,

AND ALL THAT is WITHIN ME BLESS HIS HOLY NAME”

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OXEN STUMBLE

ARK BEGINS to SHAKE

UZZAH GOES to HELP GOD,,

GOD’S ANGER = KINDLED,,, &

& UZZAH = SMOTE DEAD on THE SPOT....IN the PRESENCE of EVERYONE.

IT’S an INTERESTING SCENE, to SAY THE LEAST…ISN’T IT?

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TWO THINGS:

THE ARK WASN’T an “IDOL” god.

LAST WK: PHILISTINES LEFT FALSE IDOL GODS BEHIND!

GOD HAD PROVEN HE COULD HANDLE HIS ARK

WHEN ARK = CAPTURED BY PHILISTINES...

GOD DECAPITATED FALSE IDOL—DAGON

AFFLICTED PHILISTINE CITIES W/ PLAGUES

SENT ARK BACK to ISRAEL W/ UNTRAINED MILK COWS...

UZZAH,, WITH GOOD INTENTIONS,, DESIRES to HELP GOD.

**DON’T WANT the ARK to FALL.**

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2ND THING: FAMILIARITY BREEDS CONTEMPT.

UZZAH = SON of ABINADAB…LIKELY,, LIVED AROUND ARK,, PRESUMABLY for YEARS.

**VERY LIKELY that AFTER YEARS of FAMILIARITY,, IT WASN’T SEEN as “HOLY” ANYMORE,,

NOT GOD’S SACRED CHEST,, BELONGING in HOLY of HOLIES...

REMEMBER: CAN’T LOOK or TOUCH…

LAST TIME WE SAW ARK,, 70 MEN LOST THEIR LIVES for TREATING it LIKE an EXHIBIT...

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WHEN THINGS BECOME FAMILIAR,, THEY LOSE THEIR SENSE of HOLINESS.

HOLY = SET APART,, UNIQUE,, SPECIAL,, DIFFERENT,, CONSECRATED to GOD,,, SENSE of MORAL PURITY...

THE ARK = SPECIAL THING… APPOINTED for GOD’S PURPOSE…

IT WAS HOLY…

REPRESENTATIVE of GOD’S HOLY PRESENCE AMONGST HIS PEOPLE...

AFTER YEARS of HAVING it IN YOUR LIVING ROOM,, IT’S JUST NOT the SAME...

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CHURCH…I WONDER,, HOW OFTEN DO WE FIND OURSELVES in UZZAH’S SHOES...

WE CAN BECOME TOO FAMILIAR,, & LOSE SIGHT of the HOLINESS of GOD & HIS INSTITUTIONS....

GO to GOD in PRAYER,,, CASUALLY & INDIFFERENTLY

NOT JUST W/ CONFIDENCE,, BUT W/ COMPLACENCY

HE BECOMES “JUST” GOD.

OPEN GOD’S WORD,, CASUALLY...

READ THESE STORIES BEFORE

GET’S BORING

IT’S “JUST” the BIBLE.

COME to CHURCH,, CASUALLY & INDIFFERENTLY...

SINGING SAME SONGS

SAME PREACHER

SAME JESUS

SAME CHURCH

SAME PEWS

SAME PEOPLE

SAME GOD...

OCCASIONALLY PARTAKE of the SAME COMMUNION...

WE END UP LEAVING,, FEELING the SAME...

WE BECOME COMPLACENT & FAMLIAR

IT’S “JUST” CHURCH.

AS SUCH,, IT’S EASY to MISS...

COVID,, SHUTTING DOWN… ONLINE = JUST as GOOD. “JUST CHURCH”

WHEN TIRED,, TEMPTED to STAY HOME… “JUST CHURCH”

BEHIND on WORK,, TEMPTED to STAY HOME… “JUST CHURCH”

WHEN CONDITIONS AREN’T PERFECTLY MET,,. STAYING HOME.… “JUST CHURCH”

IN ALL THESE THINGS,, I WANT us TO BE CAREFUL,,

NOT to LIGHTLY ESTEEM the THINGS that GOD HAS HIGHLY ESTEEMED...

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REFRAME LANGUAGE:

UZZAH: PERHAPS....

“THE ARK of THE COVENANT.... of the LORD of HOSTS,, WHO is ENTHRONED UPON the CHERUBIM”....

BECOMES “GOD’S BOX”

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**CAN WE REVERSE THIS??**

USE CHURCH for EXAMPLE...

INSTEAD of “JUST CHURCH” LET’S TRY THIS...

· Today, I don’t have to, I GET TO, GATHER PUBLICLY W/ an assembly of the Lord’s redeemed,

who have been taken out of the domain and power of darkness and who have been transferred into the Kingdom of God’s Beloved Son,

and we get to assemble corporately in order to sing the praises of Him who has brought us out of darkness and into His marvelous light.

And this God is the true and Living God, the Creator God, the God who made the stars and every galaxy as the work of His fingers,

the holy and omnipotent God, the Almighty, who has never met a challenge He couldn’t conquer,

and who is so perfectly pure that He hasn’t ever done anything wrong in the history of His being which surpasses even the history of creation!

And we get to open the Holy Scriptures that this God has preserved for thousands of years for us so that we can possess them today,

and we get to open the text today and see how this God-breathed book speaks to our lives today through both its divine and human authors,

so that we can be equipped by God’s Word which is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17),

and we get to hear the story of the Savior and His wonderful love for us that surpasses our comprehension whereby He laid down His life for us while we were still sinners,

and through all of this God will use these things to preserve and strengthen my faith so that I can go and be a witness to His goodness and grace in a lost and dying world and be encouraged in my faith

and if per chance we take communion this Sunday this is a holy reminder of the grace of Jesus that I totally don’t deserve, where I can celebrate and thank Him for dying for me so that I might be saved....

and one day experience eternal bliss in heaven, in a new creation wherein righteousness dwells as the consummation of all history and the fulfillment of God’s eternal plans from before the foundation of the world.

o Doesn’t that sound a bit better than “just church?”

YOU MIGHT BE THINKING: “PASTOR....THAT’S a PRETTY RICH DESCRIPTION of OUR LITTLE ASSEMBLY....”

***IT MAY BE…BUT THESE are STATEMENTS & TERMS,, TAKEN STRAIGHT from GOD’S WORD…***

MIGHT NOT BE GREAT in EYES of MAN…MIGHT NOT BE GREAT in OUR EYES… BUT GREAT in GOD’S EYES...

I DESPERATELY DESIRE,, WE DON’T BECOME TOO FAMILIAR...

TAKING GOD or HIS INSTITUTIONS for GRANTED....

UZZAH’S EXAMPLE SHOULD SERIOUSLY CHALLENGE US:

ASK YOURSELF: “Have I lost sight of the holiness and awesomeness of my God and have I become too familiar with His ordinances?”

(T) And so, with this sudden and unexpected turn of events after a period of great celebration, what do you do? Surely, the party is over, at least emotionally the party is over. Let’s see what happens next, look with me at verse 8. The text says,

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Resolution (v8-10)

8 And David was angry because the Lord had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzzah to this day.

9 And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?”

10 So David was not willing to take the ark of the Lord into the city of David. But David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.

· IN RESPONSE.... DAVID = UPSET…YOU CAN IMAGINE,, RIGHT?

MIGHT SEEM GOD WAS TOO HARSH…REMEMBER,, GOD MAKES the RULES...

**GOD WAS MORE MERCIFUL THAN HE HAD to BE**

IT WAS WARNED AHEAD of TIME:

DON’T LOOK

DON’T TOUCH.

GOD WAS MERCIFUL to THEM ALL…BUT UZZAH TOUCHING the ARK WAS ONE STEP TOO FAR...

UZZAH BECOMES a PUBLIC EXAMPLE,, of the RESULTS of BECOMING TOO FAMILIAR,, NEGLECTING HOLINESS of GOD…

SO THAT THE PEOPLE MIGHT FEAR

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YOU MIGHT BE THINKING,, WELL THAT’S an OUTDATED VIEW of GOD...

GOD is FATHER...

NO NEED to FEAR at ALL...

O.T. GOD WAS LIKE THIS, BUT JESUS = DIFFERENT.

ENCOURAGE: READ BOOK of ACTS....ESPECIALLY CH. 5 & 12.

A HEALTHY, REVERENTIAL FEAR of GOD THAT RECOGNIZES HIS HOLINESS = BEST ANTIDOTE to FAMILIARITY.

HE is HOLY

HE’S ENTIRELY DIFFERENT

HE’S PERFECTLY PURE

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THIS PROCESSION of PRAISE SUDDENLY LOST ANY SENSE of FAMILIARITY W/ GOD.

**SUDDENLY REMEMBERED,, THEY WERE STANDING on HOLY GROUND…**

EVEN DAVID,, KING,, MIGHTILY USED by GOD… = WONDERING,, HOW in the WORLD WILL I EVER GET THIS ARK BACK to JERUSALEM???

DAVID REALIZES to a WHOLE NEW DEGREE…GOD = HOLY & COMMANDING of OUR RESPECT...

EVEN the KING = STILL SUBJECT to GOD’S LAWS....

I PRAY THIS TEXT,, WILL HELP US to LEAVE FAMILIARITY BEHIND...

**I’D RATHER LEARN FROM OTHER’S FAILURES,, NOT MY OWN in THIS AREA…**

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DAVID,, BECAUSE HE DOESN’T KNOW WHAT to DO,, FOLLOWS PHILISTINE PROTOCOL,,, GIVING ARK to SOMEONE ELSE!

ARK COMES to REST in A HOME AGAIN,, HOUSE of OBED-EDOM...

(T) And now our TEXT is GOING to CLOSE in VS. 11…This morning. The text says,

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Conclusion (v11)

11 And the ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household.

BRINGING ARK to JERUSALEM = PAUSED for 3 MONTHS.

IN THIS,, WE’RE REMINDED…GOD’S PRESENCE is INTENDED to BRING BLESSING,, NOT CURSING!

THE ARK WAS to BE a BLESSING…WHEN YOU FOLLOW GOD’S WAY...

(T) And so, we should learn from this passage today, the idea that,

Homiletical Idea:

· God is an incredibly holy God, and we should be incredibly careful not to become too familiar and lose our fearful reverence of Him.

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Gospel:

MIGHT BE THINKING TODAY:

GOD = RIDICULOUS FOR HIS JUDGMENT UPON UZZAH....

>>> A frustration with God’s justice comes from an underestimation of His holiness. <<<

Richard Philipps, biblical commentator, says, “he is a holy God against whom the slightest transgression is a capital offense.”[1]

WE MAY THINK GOD OVERREACTED....BUT THAT’S ONLY BECAUSE WE DON’T KNOW HOW HOLY GOD IS.

**PLUS GOD HAD WARNED THEM AHEAD of TIME in HIS LAW..**

GOD’S HOLINESS = UTTERLY TERRIFYING,, FOR WE AREN’T HOLY.

IN the SIGHT of GOD,, WE ARE ALL UNHOLY....

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PROPHET ISAIAH: HAS VISION of THRONE ROOM of GOD....

SERAPHIM CRY OUT: “holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory” (Is. 6:3)

HE is HOLY (3X)

ISAIAH REPLIES: “WOE is ME!”

THE IMPURITY of ISAIAH & HIS PEOPLE = LAID BARE…BEFORE PRESENCE of ALMIGHTY, HOLY,, GOD....

ALL STAND BEFORE GOD,, UNCLEAN…W/ RIGHTEOUSNESS INSUFFICIENT to SAVE....

**THIS = BAD NEWS**

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GOOD NEWS = GOD = NOT ONLY JUST & HOLY & AWESOME...

GOD ALSO a GOD WHO is GRACIOUS,, MERCIFUL,, ABOUNDING in STEADFAST LOVE...

----ALL EQUALLY ATTRIBUTES of GOD---

PROBLEM = OUR SIN

GREATEST QUESTION: how could God be both just and the justifier of the ungodly?

IF GOD is TO BE JUST…HE MUST PUNISH SIN....

BUT GOD = LOVING…EVEN FOR the SINNER...

(Q) HOW CAN GOD BE BOTH JUST… & JUSTIFY, DECLARE RIGHTEOUS,, the UNGODLY??...

THE ANSWER COMES at THE CROSS....

MILLARD ERICKSON: THE CROSS = the INTERSECTION of THE LOVE & JUSTICE of GOD.

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HE WAS JUST: SIN WAS PUNISHED,, AS CHRIST STOOD in OUR PLACE

HE WAS LOVE: MADE a WAY FOR US to BE FORGIVEN...

YOU CAN BE a RECIPIENT of GRACE TODAY...

HOLINESS of GOD = FEARFUL THING....

BUT WE CAN BE SPARED FROM HIS JUDGMENT THROUGH HIS SON,, JESUS CHRIST...

HE PAID the PRICE FOR YOU

SO GOD WOULD LOOK @ YOU AS HIS OWN SON

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PLACE YOUR FAITH in the SAVIOR...

TRUSTING in HIM for RIGHT-STANDING BEFORE GOD…

NOT of WORKS/INHERENT RIGHTEOUSNESS....

BELIEVING CHRIST DIED FOR YOU & WAS RAISED....

TURN FROM LIFE of SIN,, PROFESS CHRIST as LORD,,

YOU CAN BE SAVED,, TODAY.

**YOU CAN HAVE HOPE BEFORE a HOLY GOD,, TODAY**

HAVE QUESTIONS,,

DON’T KNOW WHERE YOU STAND W/ GOD

TALK to US AFTER SERVICE.

(T) And now, in closing, I’d like to share a few takeaways with you all today.

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Takeaways:

LEARN ABOUT GOD?

MAIN TAKEAWAY: GOD = HOLY GOD WHO MAKES the RULES...

HE STIPULATES HOW WE WORSHIP

LEARN FOR US??

CONSIDERING GOD MAKES RULES,, WE SHOULD ENDEAVOR to KNOW HIS WAYS...

HE’S GIVEN US a BOOK...

WE ALL HAVE ACCESS...

WE CAN’T CLAIM IGNORANCE...

**DOESN’T HAVE to BE NUANCES of ESCHATOLOGY…FINER TENANTS of SOTERIOLOGY**

BUT the GIST of A LIFE PLEASING to HIM…IT’S in THE BOOK.

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App: “How Familiar Are You?”

LOOK OVER YOUR OWN LIFE:

“How familiar have I become with this Holy God?”

Have I grown so comfortable that I’ve lost sight of how awesome He is??

Do I take His institutions, or His Word, for granted??

Do I lightly esteem the things that God has highly esteemed??

· ONE AREA: A LOT of GOOD BIBLE-BELIEVING CHRISTIANS MIGHT FALTER...

I DON’T ALWAYS GET THIS RIGHT...

BEEN SEARCHING MY HEART THIS WEEK

***WHEN YOU NOT ONLY GO to CHURCH,, BUT WORK & LIVE THERE,, IT’S a STRUGGLE at TIMES***

CHALLENGE ALL of US:

WE CAN KNOW GOD…

BUT WE SHOULDN’T GROW FAMILIAR & TAKE HIM FOR GRANTED,, NEGLECTING to REMEMBER…HE’S GOD.

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WE CAN COME W/ CONFIDENCE to THRONE of GRACE...

BUT WE SHOULDN’T COME W/ INDIFFERENCE..

WE CAN CALL GOD “OUR FATHER”

BUT LET’S NOT LOSE SIGHT THAT HIS NAME is TO BE HALLOWED/MADE HOLY.

WE HAVE ACCESS to THE SCRIPTURE,, EVERYWHERE

LET’S REMEMBER HOW AWESOME THIS IS… AND COME in AWE to GOD’S REVELATION,, PRESERVED FOR US...

WE HAVE a WONDERFUL PRIVILEGE to BE PART of GOD’S PEOPLE—THE CHURCH

IT CAN BE EASY to TAKE THIS FOR GRANTED.

MAYBE YOU DIDN’T WANT to COME TODAY

FIGHTING W/ SPOUSE on WAY HERE

WRESTLING KIDS

LET’S TRY NOT to FALL PREY to “JUST CHURCH”

IN ALL WE DO WITH/FOR GOD:

LET US REMEMBER: HE is A HOLY & AWESOME GOD....

IT’S a PRIVILEGE to COME to HIM in WORSHIP

IT’S a PRIVILEGE to BRING OUR PETITIONS

IT’S a PRIVILEGE to OPEN HIS WORD

IT’S a PRIVILEGE to BE HIS CHURCH & GATHER FOR WORSHIP.

LET’S NOT BECOME SO FAMILIAR THAT WE GROW INDIFFERENT or COMPLACENT,,

LET’S NOT FALL PRAY to LIGHTLY ESTEEMING the THINGS GOD HAS HIGHLY ESTEEMED.

CLOSE in PRAYER