GLORY AND MAJESTY

“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.  (Jude 1:24-25 NKJ)

Christianity today is [human]-centered, not God-centered. God is made to wait patiently, even respectfully, on the whims of [humanity]. The image of God currently popular is that of a distracted Father, struggling in heartbroken desperation to get people to accept a Savior of whom they feel no need and in whom they have very little interest. To persuade these self-sufficient souls to respond to His generous offers God will do almost anything, even using salesmanship methods and talking down to them in the chummiest way imaginable. This view of things is, of course, a kind of religious romanticism which, while it often uses flattering and sometimes embarrassing terms in praise of God, manages nevertheless to make [humanity] the star of the show. 

-- A.W. Tozer

#5374

REVERENCE AND AWE

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”  (Proverbs 9:10 NIV)

“Fear GOD.” Reverence might be a better word. Awe. The Bible isn’t interested in whether we believe in God or not. It assumes that everyone more or less does. What it is interested in is the response we have to Him: Will we let God be as He is, majestic and holy, vast and wondrous, or will we always be trying to whittle Him down to the size of our small minds, insist on confining Him within the boundaries we are comfortable with, refuse to think of Him other than in images that are convenient to our lifestyle? But then we are not dealing with the God of creation and the Christ of the cross [and the Spirit of Pentecost], but with a dime-store reproduction of something made in our image, usually for commercial reasons.

-- Eugene H. Peterson in “A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society”

#5335

A TWO-DIRECTIONAL VIEW OF WORSHIP

"O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our Maker." (Psalm 95:6)

Worship involves a two-directional view. Looking upward we see God in all His majesty, power, glory, and sovereignty as well as His mercy, goodness, and grace. Looking at ourselves we recognize our dependence upon God and our sinfulness before Him. We see God as the sovereign Creator, worthy to be worshipped, served, and obeyed, and we see ourselves as mere creatures, unworthy sinners who have failed to worship, serve, and obey Him as we should. 

-- Jerry Bridges in “Trusting God”

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THE WISE MEN WORSHIPED HIM

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.’… And behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”  (Excerpts from Matthew 2 NKJV)

In the presence of the King of kings and Lord of lords we can do nothing less than stand in awe and praise at His majesty and bow before Him in worship.  The glory of the Lord cannot be compared.  It cannot be fathomed.  It is higher, more awesome, more wonderful, more majestic than anything we can comprehend with our finite mind and limited senses.  The glory of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting.

-- From “God Will Make a Way… Stories of Hope”


#4743

IDENTIFIED WITH GOD’S NATURE

“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”  (Colossians 4:6 NIV)

If the majesty, grace, and power of God are not being exhibited in us, God holds us responsible…

Be marked and identified with God’s nature, and His blessing will flow through you all the time. 

-- Oswald Chambers


#4538

THE GREATNESS OF GOD

“Praise the Lord, you heavenly beings; praise His glory and power. Praise the Lord's glorious name; bow down before the Holy One when He appears. The voice of the Lord is heard on the seas; the glorious God thunders, and His voice echoes over the ocean. The voice of the Lord is heard in all its might and majesty.”  (Psalm 29:1-4 GNT)

If you don’t see the greatness of God then all the things that money can buy become very exciting. If you can’t see the sun you will be impressed with a street light. If you’ve never felt thunder and lightning you’ll be impressed with fireworks. And if you turn your back on the greatness and majesty of God you’ll fall in love with a world of shadows and short-lived pleasures. 

-- John Piper


#4480

THE STAR MAKER

“God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also.”  (Genesis 1:16)

“…I look at the night sky and see the work of Your fingers -- the moon and the stars You set in place…”  (Psalm 8:3)

The most universally awesome experience that mankind knows is to stand alone on a clear night and look at the stars.  It was God who first set the stars in space; He is their Maker and Master …  such are His power and His majesty. 

--  J. I. Packer


#4411

NO WONDER

We understand how storms are created. We map solar systems and transplant hearts. We measure the depths of the oceans and send signals to distant planets. We… have studied the system and are learning how it works.

And, for some, the loss of mystery has led to the loss of majesty. The more we know, the less we believe. Strange, don’t you think? Knowledge of the workings shouldn’t negate wonder. Knowledge should stir wonder. Who has more reason to worship than the astronomer who has seen the stars? Than the surgeon who has held a heart? Than the oceanographer who has pondered the depths? The more we know, the more we should be amazed.

Ironically, the more we know, the less we worship. We are more impressed with our discovery of the light switch than with the One who invented electricity… Rather than worship the Creator, we worship the creation (see Romans 1:25).

No wonder there is no wonder. We’ve figured it all out.

-- Max Lucado in “In the Grip of Grace”

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Editor's Note: Through my website -- DAVID T WILKINSON PHOTOGRAPHY -- I have tried to express some of this wonder that Max Lucado is talking about. Visit www.davidt-wilkinson.pixels.com.

RESUME FOR A REDEEMER

“Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by a Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom He also created the worlds.  [Jesus] is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and He sustains all things by His powerful word. When He had made purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,…”  (Hebrews 1:1-3 NRSV)

The author of Hebrews presents a series of arguments for the superiority of Jesus over all rival claims to allegiance which the readers were feeling and hearing. Their attention was easily diverted off in other directions, just as our attention is easily distracted today. They, like us, were being tempted, frightened or pressured into following other voices and serving other masters.

Jesus’ superiority to the prophets is marked in six ways. First, He is the Son, and as such speaks with greater authority and completeness than the prophets… Second, the Son’s superior greatness to the prophets springs from His position as both creator and heir of all things… Third, the Son shares fully in the divine nature… Fourth, the Son is the master of the universe… Fifth, in sharp contrast to this image of universal power the Savior accomplishes the purification for sin through the agony and blood of the cross… Sixth, Jesus sat down at God’s right hand denoting the supreme honor accorded to the triumphant Lord, who is risen from the dead…

Clearly the world we live in today is one which desperately needs this redeemer.

-- adapted from Ray C. Stedman in Hebrews: The IVP New Testament Commentary Series

#4056

LET US WORSHIP AND ADORE HIM

The first element in worship is adoration. The Hebrews expressed this by their posture and not alone by their word. For they prostrated themselves before God. "O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our Maker." (Psalm 95:6) They did not come with an easy familiarity into the presence of God, but were aware of His greatness and majesty, and came with a sense of privilege to His house.


-- H.H. Rowley in Worship in Ancient Israel




#3799

PRAYER AND OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

Let us beware of two extremes in prayer: of thinking ourselves so friendly with God that we forget His majesty, or being so fearful of God that we forget His desire for intimacy.

-- Jerry Mercer in Cry Joy!

#3652