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Introduction
I think there are really two approaches to this series.
I think either someone can look at this series and see how difficult things are to see one’s own sinfulness, and one’s own idolatry
And with this morning’s message one’s own pride and think, “this is a lot of work”.
Or I think someone can look at this series and think, “I have so much opportunity in the word of God to behold God and to create meaningful change in my life”.
So the point isn’t to create more work or decrease your enjoyment in life, its to point out the fact that there are tons of places in Scripture where God is shown to be incredible enjoyable and magnificently excellent.
And that a natural consequence of beholding God is that we would be motivated to behave godly.
But as we mentioned it’s not automatic.
There must be an intention and an attitude that person has when beholding God to behave godly for God’s glory.
So the goal this morning is to help instruct is more in the attitude that we should have so that we can behave godly for God’s glory.
I think two of the most difficult subjects to tackle are idolatry and pride.
Two things that are probably the essence of everything that is wrong with us.
Which probably why it’s so difficult, because of how universal these two issues are to all of us and all of our issues.
Thankfully, there is a cure.
And that cure is the eclipsing of ourselves with the glory of God.
Behold the Immensity of God
Recently, me and my family went to the zoo.
And I couldn’t help but notice something rather interesting when we came to the polar bear exhibit.
Before getting there my older two kids were acting as they normally do.
And before we even got to the zoo, my wife and
One of the best definitions for immensity is provided by our text this morning.
(ESV)
1 Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.”
Two things that God didn’t say are abundantly obvious in this verse.
God did not say, my throne is in heaven.
And he also did not say I sometimes put my feet on earth and walk around.
God is saying all of Heaven is His throne and all of the earth is where He puts His feet.
I think one of the greatest tragedies of coming to this verse of Scripture is seen by the lack of response in our hearts and minds of the magnitude of what this passage communicates.
One of the greatest tragedies is being unmoved by the revelation that God is so immense that God sits on heaven and kicks up his feet on the whole earth.
I don’t even personally have a grasp for the greatness of heaven.
I don’t even really have a basic understanding for the size of the earth.
Let alone to then be able to grasp the concept of God sitting on heaven and resting his feet on the earth.
My family and I recently went to the zoo and I noticed something fascinating when we got to the polar bear exhibit.
I’ve noticed that as my kids get a little older that the
My two older kids have all kinds of energy they’re all over the place.
But once they caught site of the polar bear, they froze.
And they demonstrated this rather interesting conflict of emotions.
They were both somewhat frightened but also couldn’t look away.
Like, “wow that bear is awesome”, “glad he’s in the cage”, “but man that bear looks cool”.
And it was amazing at how radically different they behaved in front of the polar bear as compared to their behavior elsewhere.
That’s really what imagine the appropriate response to this passage of Scripture being.
This tornado of two emotions, awestruck by a sense of fear but also totally not wanting to look away from God.
It’s like the sight of God is both terrifying and ecstatic.
It’s like waiting in the doctor’s office and you see a needle that also looks like a rose.
And you’re like, “wow that’s scary and beautiful all at the same time”.
If we think about last week’s message relating to idolatry, the reason why we are impressed by this passage of Scripture has to do with something else impressing us more.
My kids have zero response to the polar bear when they’re not looking at the polar bear.
We have zero response to God when we don’t purposefully look at God in His glory.
The situation is even more complicated if we’re looking at an idea of God that is not God.
I can give my kids a stuff animal that is a polar bear and get the same reaction out of them as if there were no polar bear.
The actual sight of God is God sitting upon Heaven and resting His feet on the earth.
Heaven is His throne, the earth is His footstool.
Grasping this concept actually seems to be highly essential for proper worship of God.
As the Psalms reveal,
(ESV)
(ESV)
5 Exalt the Lord our God; worship at his footstool!
Holy is he!
And
(ESV)
7 “Let us go to his dwelling place; let us worship at his footstool!”
1 Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest?
And you get the sense of worship at his footstool incorporates the idea of us bowing to Him in the way we worship.
But it also gives the sense in which if the earth is God’s footstool, then there is the ability for his worship to take place everywhere.
So is it taking place everywhere?
Or have we confined our worship of God solely to this gathering, in this place?
And are worshipping God, without being moved by His significance?
Furthermore, this section of Isaiah is also picked up in Jesus’ earthly ministry:
(ESV)
33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’
34 But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God,
35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.
37 Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.
This is fascinating.
An oath is swearing that you will do something.
So has future implications.
And to swear by heaven or by earth these are all really expressions that basically say, “I swear I will do something or something will happen, and God is witness that I am able to bring it about”.
So when Jesus says, don’t swear by the throne of God or by earth, he’s saying don’t act like you sit on heaven and rest your feet on earth.
Don’t swear, because you’re not God.
And swearing is an activity reserved for the one who actually sits on heaven and rests his feet on earth.
So having a right understanding of God’s heavenly throne and earthly footstool is necessary for proper living before God.
And for avoiding the constant activity of trying to put ourselves in God’s place.
Jesus says instead let your word be in the present tense with either “yes” or “no”.
Simple, present tense statements, those are what happens to a person’s speech when they behold God’s glory as God sits on his heavenly throne, resting his feet on earth.
(ESV)
1 what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest?
Many have stated that this portion of Isaiah creates some problems.
Because it proves that God changed his mind about having a temple or that God never wanted one to begin with.
And on that, proves that the OT writers were in contradiction with each other.
But of course that’s not the case at all.
We saw in how Jesus Christ filled the temple and put His glory on display.
The fact of God saying this reveals two things:
The idea of God dwelling in a temple is for his people.
Not for him.
It’s God’s gracious condescension to allow worship to take place.
This passage is revealing to us the massive immensity of God, rather than denying that God wants a place to dwell with His people.
The question is for us to think about.
What can we do that is ultimately pleasing to God?
This has a purpose in our context, which will lead us to our third point.
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