Just a bit more...
If y’all weren’t able to join us on Sunday, take a listen to how Matt Smith brought us to Isaiah 55. Great job Matt!
Matt’s point…
Matt challenged the narrow interpretation of this passage on the wisdom of God and His plan for our lives. We tend to dip into this passage to explain our inability to understand God’s movement in our world (I mean, they are as far above ours as the heavens is above the earth after all). We misuse it when we can’t answer the ‘why’ of the ‘what’ in our days.
While all that is all true, Isaiah 55 is less concerned to plumb the heights of God’s wisdom. Instead, it’s primarily concerned with plumbing the depths of God’s compassion.
Simply put, God doesn’t respond to our sin in the same way we would. The natural flow of our hearts is toward reciprocity. But God is not like us...He will ‘abundantly pardon’ (vs 7).
Ortlund puts it this way, “God’s heart of compassion confounds our intuitive predilections about how he loves to respond to his people if they would but dump in his lap the ruin and wreckage of their lives.”
Want more…take a listen.
God’s extra little gift…
As will happen when we are exploring God’s word, Matt said something that got me thinking. In teasing out the distance between God’s ways/thoughts and ours, it not only speaks of how much higher our God is than we are…but it speaks to how far down He is willing to travel to find us.
That reminded me of a few other places God came down…
Genesis 11…God’s people attempted to build a waterproof tower to reach up to the heavens. They built as high as their limited engineering techniques allowed…STILL God had to “come down to see the city and the tower”. His response, graciously confuse their language to restrain their self-sufficiency.
Exodus 34…Moses climbed up Mount Sinai to meet with God. And when he reached the very top of the mountain…STILL God “descended in the cloud and stood with him there…”. He response, gracious meet with Moses and restore relationship.
John 1…Of course, the greatest of all coming down was God the Son taking on flesh. God’s people were rooted in their sin and that had metastasized for some in self-righteousness and others in blatant immorality…STILL God took on flesh for the purpose of dwelling with His people. His response, to graciously reveal the glory of God the Father…rescue His people…restore relationship.
As we continue to move towards Easter, my hope for you is that God may remind you of the distance He traveled for others…and will travel for you!
Matt’s point…
Matt challenged the narrow interpretation of this passage on the wisdom of God and His plan for our lives. We tend to dip into this passage to explain our inability to understand God’s movement in our world (I mean, they are as far above ours as the heavens is above the earth after all). We misuse it when we can’t answer the ‘why’ of the ‘what’ in our days.
While all that is all true, Isaiah 55 is less concerned to plumb the heights of God’s wisdom. Instead, it’s primarily concerned with plumbing the depths of God’s compassion.
Simply put, God doesn’t respond to our sin in the same way we would. The natural flow of our hearts is toward reciprocity. But God is not like us...He will ‘abundantly pardon’ (vs 7).
Ortlund puts it this way, “God’s heart of compassion confounds our intuitive predilections about how he loves to respond to his people if they would but dump in his lap the ruin and wreckage of their lives.”
Want more…take a listen.
God’s extra little gift…
As will happen when we are exploring God’s word, Matt said something that got me thinking. In teasing out the distance between God’s ways/thoughts and ours, it not only speaks of how much higher our God is than we are…but it speaks to how far down He is willing to travel to find us.
That reminded me of a few other places God came down…
Genesis 11…God’s people attempted to build a waterproof tower to reach up to the heavens. They built as high as their limited engineering techniques allowed…STILL God had to “come down to see the city and the tower”. His response, graciously confuse their language to restrain their self-sufficiency.
Exodus 34…Moses climbed up Mount Sinai to meet with God. And when he reached the very top of the mountain…STILL God “descended in the cloud and stood with him there…”. He response, gracious meet with Moses and restore relationship.
John 1…Of course, the greatest of all coming down was God the Son taking on flesh. God’s people were rooted in their sin and that had metastasized for some in self-righteousness and others in blatant immorality…STILL God took on flesh for the purpose of dwelling with His people. His response, to graciously reveal the glory of God the Father…rescue His people…restore relationship.
As we continue to move towards Easter, my hope for you is that God may remind you of the distance He traveled for others…and will travel for you!
Posted in Pastoral
No Comments