'Many of us sigh when we hear this command to be perfect. We wonder how we will ever achieve the same quality of holiness that God possesses. Surely we will never attain the Fathers level of purity. Surely we will always have to settle for a less than perfect standard in this life, and at the same time hope that we will do enough to be made perfect in the life to come. ' Mark Stibbe - 'Orphans to Heirs'
The topic of the Glorious Father was one that Tom and I were really excited to tackle on this journey going deeper into knowing God during Reveal. We were looking forward to the prospect of tackling such a phenomenal subject, but it did leave us with a lot of questions. Chief amongst which was 'How on Earth do we creatively facilitate an experience of the glory of our Father in heaven?' After much discussion we came to the conclusion that there could have been two answers; either we do nothing and rely fully on divine intervention (which may have been the better option-who knows what could have happened), or we approach this subject with reverence, and consider what it means to come into contact with the glory of our Father.
We strongly feel that one of the tools that we want to use week on week during Reveal is taking people on a journey from what WAS, to what IS now, due to the gracious adoption we have received from our heavenly Father. As we considered in the first week, we first had to be orphans before we could become adopted children. But how does this relate to the gloriousness of God?
As we read books, scriptures and articles in preparation, one topic kept coming up. Holiness. Holiness seems to be, certainly from scripture, one of the most dangerous manifestations of Gods Glory. Very few people were able to come into the full presence of Gods holiness and live. Rabinnic culture teaches us that there was one day a year on which priests were able to come into the holy of holies, the place in the temple where the Glory of the Lord dwelt. The presence of God had such potential to overwhelm that a rope was tied round the foot of the priest in case they were overcome and had to be dragged out. Moreover they couldn't just walk into the holy of holies the way they were. There were ritual processes involving cleansing, anointing and sacrifice which needed to be adhered to. They had to make changes in themselves, physically and spiritually to prepare themselves to meet with this Holy God.
At Reveal on Thursday we took a journey through a symbolic process. Those in attendance were told they had to wash their hands, anoint themselves with oil, prepare a burnt offering (a small candle) and remove their shoes before they entered the most holy place. As they entered the sanctuary they found an alter representing the presence of God. They took their candles (burnt offering), lit them and placed them in front of the alter. We then allowed people some time to consider the process they had been on. The necessity for change before they reached this place. The process they had to go through. The old covenant.
I shared for a few minutes the reasons behind the journey we had taken. That before our adoption, through the work of Jesus Christ, we were distant from God. We had to change ourselves in order to enter his presence. If we didn't, it might not go so well for us. The processes which were put in place were there to protect the priests, and to treat with reverence the God whom they were serving. But now...Through the Restoration that Jesus brought, and the gracious adoption from our Father, there is no longer any fear in drawing near to Him. We no longer need to alter ourselves in order to come into contact with his holiness. Now we can come into contact with his holiness and be altered by it. His adoption of us has removed the need for us to view ourselves as unclean, unworthy, separated. He sees us exactly as he sees Jesus, spotless and blameless. Through the work of Jesus the son, we are able, without restriction or constraint, to draw near to our glorious father.
The quote from Mark Stibbe at the beginning of this blog may strike a chord with you. It certainly does with me. I, at heart, am a people pleaser. I want to feel that I am doing well, gaining approval from people, and as such, I had applied that to my relationship with God; subconsciously trying to win his approval by my own piety. Always feeling like my standards never quite made the grade. But truthfully, he is our father. In his adoption of us, he has brought us into a place where his view of us is exactly his view of Christ, a child, a son, an heir in his kingdom. What is our response to that? Does this not alter our mindset? Are we going to continue trying to please him with our own efforts, or should we allow ourselves to be changed by the knowledge of his glory and respond with love, adoration, a life lived in his purpose.
There are many aspects of response to this; considering our view of God, our view of ourselves, the processes we have put in place to try and make ourselves worthy of the life he has given us. This week was 90 minutes to tackle subjects which may have been years in the making. It is possible that to varying degrees, every person in that room needed fresh revelation. We realise that in a short space of time it may be difficult to grasp such major subjects. But thankfully, we are not trying to do it in our own strength. Through the course of the evening a few words were given that the participants had felt were from God. The overwhelming theme was his love for us; his desire for closeness, his commitment to unique and individual relationship, and his perspective on each of us.
One word was given which stated "Don't you know, he doesn't see your sin."
That is a glorious Father indeed.
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