[Biblemat] A) IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD

[J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com]

Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here.  A very good Wednesday
morning to each and everyone.  May God bless you and yours.
Here is an article from my files:

IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD

     Isaiah six begins with the prophet seeing the Lord sitting
on His throne.  It is a majestic scene.  It is a passage worth
reading every time you worship God.  Isaiah stood in the pre-
sence of the Lord.

     What a remarkable picture:  In The Presence Of The Lord:-
Moses understood this as the Lord spoke to him from the
burning bush.  He was instructed to take off his sandals be-
cause he was standing on holy ground.  Moses stood in the
presence of the Lord.

     John understood this as he saw the door in Heaven open-
ed in Revelation four.  He saw God on His throne.  John was
in the presence of the Lord.

     Peter understood this when the Lord commanded him to
cast out in the deep and let down his nets.  This came after a
day of unsuccessful fishing.  A carpenter told the fisherman
how to fish.  The catch, however, was so enormous that the
boat began to sink.  Peter realized that he stood in the presen-
ce of the Lord.

     I wonder if we have lost what it means to stand in the pres-
ence of God?  Jesus promised, "For where two or three have
gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst" (Matt. 18:20).

     The Presence Of The Lord Reveals His Holiness: -- Isaiah's vision and 
John's Revelation both describe the holin-
ess and grandeur of God.  He is not like us.  He is good.  He
is pure.  He is holy.

     The Presence Of The Lord Reveals The Sinfulness Of Man: -- Isaiah 
proclaimed, "I am ruined!  I am a man of unclean lips...for my eyes have seen the 
King, the Lord of
hosts" (6:5).  Peter cried out, "Depart from me, for I am a sin-
ful man, O Lord" (Lk. 5:8).  Grasping the holiness of God made them realize 
how "un-holy" they were.

     The Presence Of The Lord Commands Reverence: -- Casu-
alness, flippancy and commonness were not the attitudes of
those who stood in the presence of the Lord.  They stood be-
fore God.  The stood in awe and fear.  They spoke with digni-
ty and respect.  They understood their position as well as 
God's position.

     When we come to worship the Lord, we stand in His pres-
ence.  May we understand how special this is.  May we come
to God with humility and reverence.  this is much more than
"going to church" -- we stand in the presence of the Lord.
            -------- Roger Shouse in Biblical Insights, Vol. 6, No. 9,
Sept. 2006.
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