"God Confronts"

  It's hard to imagine that God 'hungers' to be in fellowship with us. We see it from the beginning of creation, to the building of a tabernacle in the presence of Israel while they wandered in the wilderness. We see it especially clear in the Lord Christ Jesus as our offering.

  But in all this, there is another message sent to man. In the garden, when man sinned, one cannot have fellowship with a holy God while in sin. Man was sent away from His presence because of sin. In the tabernacle, while God dwelt among them, there were two veils that stood between man and God to indicate that sinful man cannot stroll into the presence of God. Man has no right to do so. This separation was a reminder that fellowship with God was a gift, not a right! And we come to Jesus. The death of Jesus is a reminder that He alone stands between us and God because of our sins. We have no right on our own to approach God. Jesus is God's gift! Yet many today think they have this right to approach God, do things as they please, with their own concepts and teachings and God is thrilled. People like this never understand the holiness or the love of God.

  God takes sin, our sin seriously. What seems to be missing in our teaching/preaching is people are no longer confronted by God in our sinfulness. Congregations fight and quarrel about who knows what. God wants to confront us because that is wrong. People are offended because of this or that. Rather than try to heal and remove the barriers, they gossip and slander behind backs while God is trying to confront us in our sins that if this continues, you will lose it all! Our sins are 'homegrown'! In other words, we are the cause and no one else.

  What are we to do? Not forgive yourself, that's for sure!! We have no capability to do that. God confronts us in our sins to humble our hearts before Him that if we are to make any progress spiritually, it will be by His help, not ours! God looks for humble and contrite hearts and those who tremble at His word (Isa. 66:2). Too many are self-righteous, thinking they are self-made. God speaks that we must be willing to confess and reach for His forgiveness, moving us away from our self-destructive attitudes and responding to His grace for us in Christ Jesus. In all, God will not allow anyone to wallow in their sin and have fellowship with Him. It just won't happen. We must be willing to listen, heed and respond from the heart so God can do the work in our lives that shape us into the image of His Son. God confronting us in our sins is not to push us away but a life-giving way to bring us into His holy presence, with a holy sacrifice creating a holy life knowing it isn't us, it's all Him!