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NEW LIFE IN CHRIST “TURNED TO GOD” OUR FALL WARDROBE I THESSALONIANS SERIES # 6
This morning I want you to ponder with me what its like to come into the presence of God. Through the inspired eyes of the Scripture writers, look upon our Awesome and Majestic Lord Almighty. Enter into the Throne Room of the Universe and see the Majesty on High, The Almighty, The Ancient of Days in all of His glory. And then with reverent hearts, bow before Him and worship Him as He is. Listen to the Holy Scriptures as they focus in upon HIM:
Out of the north he comes in golden splendor; God comes in awesome majesty. (Job 37:22 NIV)…and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. (Daniel 7:9-10 NIV)…His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. (Revelation 1:13-17 NIV)… Under his feet was something like a pavement made of sapphire, clear as the sky itself. (Exodus 24:9-10 NIV)…And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and
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worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” (Revelation 4:1-11 NIV)…His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. (Matthew 17:2 NIV)…The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of God’s being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. (Hebrews 1:3 NIV)…I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. (Isaiah 6:1-4 NIV)…to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (Galatians 1:5 NIV). for our “God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:29 NIV)…It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. (Revelation 21:11-23 NIV)…Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Timothy 1:17 NIV)…God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen. (1 Timothy 6:15-16 NIV)…to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. (Jude 25 NIV)…For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. (Matthew 6:13 NKJV)
God called out for Himself a special group of people in the 22nd Century BC. He did so by calling a man named Abraham to follow Him. God said in Genesis 18:19 For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.” (NIV).
The Lord further revealed His expectations for how His people were to come before Him. But they did not listen and soon became hopelessly entwined with the world He called them out of.
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Leviticus 18:3 ‘You shall not do what is done in the land of Egypt where you lived, nor are you to do what is done in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you; you shall not walk in their statutes. (NASB)
Leviticus 20:23 ‘Moreover, you shall not follow the customs of the nation which I shall drive out before you, for they did all these things, and therefore I have abhorred them. (NASB)
Psalm 106:35 But they mingled with the nations, And learned their practices, (NASB)
Jeremiah 10:2 Thus says the LORD, “Do not learn the way of the nations, And do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens Although the nations are terrified by them; (NASB)
What does the NT tell us? The same standard! • Romans 12:1-2 I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (NASB) • 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? 16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 17 “Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord. “And do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you. 18 “And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty. 1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (NASB) • Ephesians 5:7 Therefore do not be partakers with them; (NASB) • 1 Peter 1:15-16 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (NASB) quoting Lev 11.44 • 1 Peter 4:4 And in all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excess of dissipation, and they malign you; (NASB)
Listen to why the Lord judged His people:
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2 Kings 17:7-17 All this took place because the Israelites had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of Egypt from under the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped other gods
• UNSEPARATED v. 8 and followed the practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before them, as well as the practices that the kings of Israel had introduced. • IRREVERENT v. 9 The Israelites secretly did things against the LORD their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city they built themselves high places in all their towns. • IMMORAL v. 10 They set up sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree. • IDOLATROUS v. 11 At every high place they burned incense, as the nations whom the LORD had driven out before them had done. They did wicked things that provoked the LORD to anger. 12 They worshiped idols, though the LORD had said, “You shall not do this.” • REBELLIOUS v. 13 The LORD warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers: “Turn from your evil ways. Observe my commands and decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your fathers to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets.” 14 But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their fathers, who did not trust in the LORD their God. • PRIDE v. 15 And they rejected His statutes and His covenant which He made with their fathers, and His warnings with which He warned them. And they followed vanity and became vain, and went after the nations which surrounded them, concerning which the LORD had commanded them not to do like them. • ASTROLOGY v. 16 They forsook all the commands of the LORD their God and made for themselves two idols cast in the shape of calves, and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the starry hosts, and they worshiped Baal. • OCCULTIC WITCHCRAFT v. 17 They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced divination and sorcery and sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger. (NIV)