3Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? 4He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully. 5He shall receive blessing from the Lord, And righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face. Selah
Psalm 24:3-6
Psalm 24:3-6
After declaring God’s sovereignty in verses one and two David asks, “Who can stand in God’s holy presence?” It is a great question. How can we with confidence come before a holy God when we know we are not holy? The foundation for the answer is one of faith not legalistic requirement even though it is found in the Old Testament.
To stand in God’s presence one must have clean hands and a pure heart. You can’t just rely on your ability to meet the legal requirements of the law. Even it you could theoretically fulfill the standards the law necessitates if your heart wasn’t pure (your motive correct) then you still are disqualified from the presence of the Lord and the blessing that is bestowed their. That wrong heart prohibits the righteousness of God from receiving the righteousness of God’s salvation. At the crux of all of this, there can be no idols. God alone has to be the worship point of each of our lives; an honesty that keeps our mouths from saying deceitful things even to ourselves. With a right heart and a pure life, we do receive the blessing from God. His righteous is imputed to us in salvation.
The defining feature of God’s people (Jacob) is they seek God with more than words and deeds. They seek Him from a deep, heart-felt motivation to see His face. They want to know Him! God’s people desire to see God for who He is beyond the veil this world puts between Him and us. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that this is a matter of faith. Without the belief that He exists we won’t seek His faith. The writer also tells us that we must believe something about God’s character – that he want to know us and rewards those who seek Him. Even believing that there is a God doesn’t guarantee we will try to know Him. That belief must be accompanied by the belief that He is interested in our lives. Our faith must include His LOVE for us.
Who can stand in God’s holy presence? Those who believe that God exists and who seek Him because they believe He loves them. They will seek Him with their whole beings. Jacob seeks with his hands, lips and hearts. All aspects of their lives will be looking for Him. This is who God’s people are: Those who are seeking to know God by imitating His character.
Seeking His Face,
Pastor Jason
To stand in God’s presence one must have clean hands and a pure heart. You can’t just rely on your ability to meet the legal requirements of the law. Even it you could theoretically fulfill the standards the law necessitates if your heart wasn’t pure (your motive correct) then you still are disqualified from the presence of the Lord and the blessing that is bestowed their. That wrong heart prohibits the righteousness of God from receiving the righteousness of God’s salvation. At the crux of all of this, there can be no idols. God alone has to be the worship point of each of our lives; an honesty that keeps our mouths from saying deceitful things even to ourselves. With a right heart and a pure life, we do receive the blessing from God. His righteous is imputed to us in salvation.
The defining feature of God’s people (Jacob) is they seek God with more than words and deeds. They seek Him from a deep, heart-felt motivation to see His face. They want to know Him! God’s people desire to see God for who He is beyond the veil this world puts between Him and us. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that this is a matter of faith. Without the belief that He exists we won’t seek His faith. The writer also tells us that we must believe something about God’s character – that he want to know us and rewards those who seek Him. Even believing that there is a God doesn’t guarantee we will try to know Him. That belief must be accompanied by the belief that He is interested in our lives. Our faith must include His LOVE for us.
Who can stand in God’s holy presence? Those who believe that God exists and who seek Him because they believe He loves them. They will seek Him with their whole beings. Jacob seeks with his hands, lips and hearts. All aspects of their lives will be looking for Him. This is who God’s people are: Those who are seeking to know God by imitating His character.
Seeking His Face,
Pastor Jason
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