Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence (Habakkuk 2:20)

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.920 --> 00:00:04.960 Well, tonight I want to reflect with you on him that will sing after 2 00:00:05.040 --> 00:00:10.550 the sermon. Let all mortal flesh keep silence. Let's him one hundred and 3 00:00:10.589 --> 00:00:16.469 ninety three. You can look at that as we consider this him this evening, 4 00:00:17.469 --> 00:00:23.339 consider several texts that is based on and try to understand and appreciate more 5 00:00:23.460 --> 00:00:28.780 deeply the gift of God to us that comes to us when he gives us 6 00:00:29.500 --> 00:00:34.299 the incarnate son. So that's him one hundred and ninety three. A later 7 00:00:34.500 --> 00:00:40.210 on, going to read a couple passages to help us frame our thinking about 8 00:00:41.369 --> 00:00:48.810 the the Lord who comes. The first is a passage from Habacic to Habacic 9 00:00:48.969 --> 00:00:58.359 to versus eighteen through twenty. Thinking about this phrase in particular. Little mortal 10 00:00:58.439 --> 00:01:07.150 flesh keeps silence. So Habackic to verses eighteen through twenty. And then we'll 11 00:01:07.189 --> 00:01:12.269 read some from revelation as well. What profit is an idol when it's maker 12 00:01:12.390 --> 00:01:19.019 has shaped it a metal image? A teacher of lies for it's make or 13 00:01:19.140 --> 00:01:25.060 trusts in his own creation when he makes speechless idols. Woe to him who 14 00:01:25.180 --> 00:01:30.980 says to a wooden thing away, to a silent stone arise. Can this 15 00:01:30.260 --> 00:01:37.090 teach behold it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath 16 00:01:37.170 --> 00:01:41.769 at all in it. But the Lord is in his Holy Temple. Let 17 00:01:41.890 --> 00:01:51.599 all the earth keep silence before him. And now from revelation, Chapter Four, 18 00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:07.909 getting verse one. After this, I looked and behold a door standing 19 00:02:07.030 --> 00:02:10.830 open in heaven, and the first voice which I heard, speaking to me 20 00:02:10.990 --> 00:02:15.310 like a trumpet, said come here and I will show you what must take 21 00:02:15.389 --> 00:02:19.219 place after this. At once I was in the spirit and behold, a 22 00:02:19.580 --> 00:02:23.780 throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne, and he who 23 00:02:23.860 --> 00:02:29.819 sat there had the appearance of Jasper and Carnelian, and around the throne was 24 00:02:29.900 --> 00:02:34.689 a rainbow that had the appearance of an Emerald. Around the throne were twenty 25 00:02:34.770 --> 00:02:38.530 four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty four elders clothed in white 26 00:02:38.569 --> 00:02:46.680 garments with golden crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning 27 00:02:46.240 --> 00:02:52.879 and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches 28 00:02:53.280 --> 00:02:58.159 of fire from which are which are the seven spirits of God. And before 29 00:02:58.159 --> 00:03:02.629 the throne there was, as it were, a sea of glass like crystal, 30 00:03:04.909 --> 00:03:07.229 and around the throne. On each side of the throne are four living 31 00:03:07.310 --> 00:03:15.860 creatures full of eyes in front and behind the first living creature like a lion, 32 00:03:15.300 --> 00:03:20.780 the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the 33 00:03:20.900 --> 00:03:24.300 face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. 34 00:03:25.180 --> 00:03:29.449 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are 35 00:03:29.569 --> 00:03:34.490 full of eyes all around and within and day and night, they never cease 36 00:03:34.650 --> 00:03:38.889 to say holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who 37 00:03:39.129 --> 00:03:44.599 was and is and is to come and whenever the living creatures give glory and 38 00:03:44.759 --> 00:03:47.840 honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever 39 00:03:47.960 --> 00:03:53.120 and ever, the twenty four elders fall down before him who is seated on 40 00:03:53.199 --> 00:03:57.789 the throne, and worship him, who lives forever and ever. They cast 41 00:03:57.870 --> 00:04:00.909 their crowns before the throne, saying worthy are you, our Lord and God, 42 00:04:01.310 --> 00:04:06.590 to Receive Glory and honor and power, for you created all things and 43 00:04:06.870 --> 00:04:15.379 by your will they existed and were created. One more chapter. Then I 44 00:04:15.419 --> 00:04:17.420 saw, in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne, 45 00:04:17.459 --> 00:04:23.500 a scroll written within and on the back sealed with seven seals, and I 46 00:04:23.620 --> 00:04:29.250 saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice who is worthy to open the 47 00:04:29.329 --> 00:04:35.050 scroll and break its seals. And no one in heaven or on Earth or 48 00:04:35.089 --> 00:04:39.000 under the Earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it. 49 00:04:39.800 --> 00:04:44.639 And I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the 50 00:04:44.720 --> 00:04:47.639 scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, 51 00:04:48.040 --> 00:04:53.589 weep no more. Behold the lion of the tribe of Judah, the 52 00:04:53.750 --> 00:04:58.430 root of David, has conquered so that he can open the scroll and it's 53 00:04:58.509 --> 00:05:03.269 seven seals. And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the 54 00:05:03.389 --> 00:05:10.300 elders, I saw a lamb standing as though it had been slain, with 55 00:05:10.540 --> 00:05:15.300 seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent 56 00:05:15.500 --> 00:05:19.139 out into all the earth. And he went in took the scroll from the 57 00:05:19.180 --> 00:05:23.850 right hand of him who was seated on the throne. And when he had 58 00:05:23.930 --> 00:05:28.170 taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty four elders fell down 59 00:05:28.170 --> 00:05:32.370 before the lamb, each holding a harp and Golden Bulls full of incense, 60 00:05:32.810 --> 00:05:36.800 which are the prayers of the Saint Saints, and they sang a new song, 61 00:05:38.000 --> 00:05:42.439 saying worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, 62 00:05:42.959 --> 00:05:46.600 for you were slain and buy your blood. You ransomed people for God from 63 00:05:46.639 --> 00:05:50.870 every tribe and language and people a nation, and you have made them a 64 00:05:50.990 --> 00:05:58.550 kingdom and priests to our God and they shall reign on earth. Then I 65 00:05:58.709 --> 00:06:03.029 looked and I heard, around the throne and the living creatures and the elders 66 00:06:03.269 --> 00:06:10.139 the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads, thousands upon thousands, 67 00:06:10.740 --> 00:06:15.819 saying with a loud voice worthy as the lamb, who was slain to receive 68 00:06:15.060 --> 00:06:20.610 power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing. And 69 00:06:21.649 --> 00:06:27.129 I heard every creature in heaven and on Earth and under the Earth and in 70 00:06:27.209 --> 00:06:30.610 the sea and all that is in them saying to him who sits on the 71 00:06:30.730 --> 00:06:36.399 throne and to the lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and 72 00:06:36.639 --> 00:06:42.519 ever. And the for living creatures said on men, and the elders fell, 73 00:06:42.759 --> 00:06:48.430 fell down and worshiped. Amen. God bless his word to us. 74 00:07:00.069 --> 00:07:05.899 In this hymn, let all mortal flesh keep silence. We have a hymn 75 00:07:06.620 --> 00:07:15.500 that commands us, on the one hand, to close our mouths be quiet. 76 00:07:15.769 --> 00:07:21.129 On the other hand, it's in a hymn, right we're singing let 77 00:07:21.290 --> 00:07:26.209 all mortal flesh keep silence. And indeed, at the end of the hymn 78 00:07:26.250 --> 00:07:31.720 there's this great expression of praise where we are reminded about these angels that we've 79 00:07:31.800 --> 00:07:36.360 just read about in revelation, verse four, at the feet the six winged 80 00:07:36.519 --> 00:07:43.920 Seraph Cherubim, with sleepless eye veil, their faces to the presence as the 81 00:07:44.079 --> 00:07:48.230 ceaseless as, with ceaseless voice, they cry all a Lujah, Al a 82 00:07:48.269 --> 00:07:54.910 Lujah, all a Lujah, Lord most high, all Alujah being a Greek 83 00:07:54.990 --> 00:08:00.980 transliteration of a Hebrew word which means praise God, praise God, praise God, 84 00:08:01.180 --> 00:08:09.339 praise God. This hymn is about the greatness of this gift that we 85 00:08:09.579 --> 00:08:15.209 have in the incarnation of Christ, a gift that is expressed in revelation, 86 00:08:15.250 --> 00:08:20.810 a for as the lamb, this lamb who is the root of David, 87 00:08:20.970 --> 00:08:26.600 the lion of Judah, and yet who was slain, this great victor who 88 00:08:28.079 --> 00:08:33.559 had to die, but not just any great victor, not just any man, 89 00:08:33.399 --> 00:08:39.840 but God himself. And we know that he's God himself because we see 90 00:08:39.240 --> 00:08:50.470 the angels of heaven singing his praise, these powerful six winged creatures singing his 91 00:08:50.669 --> 00:08:56.899 praise, these twenty four elders with golden crowns on their heads bowing down before 92 00:08:56.940 --> 00:09:01.659 him over and over throughout these two chapters, worthy, Worthy, worthy, 93 00:09:01.740 --> 00:09:05.340 or you, oh Lord and God, both to him who has seated on 94 00:09:05.419 --> 00:09:11.370 the throne and to the lamb that is in the midst of this great assembly. 95 00:09:13.409 --> 00:09:20.889 There are many blessings that are attached to the gift of Christ, forgiveness 96 00:09:20.970 --> 00:09:26.600 of sins, healing, the conquest of all darkness and evil, but the 97 00:09:26.759 --> 00:09:35.360 primary gift is nothing less than God himself. The Hymn says this when it 98 00:09:35.480 --> 00:09:41.470 says that to us is is given him, a God himself. We read 99 00:09:41.509 --> 00:09:46.470 this in verse to the second half. In the body and the blood he 100 00:09:46.549 --> 00:09:52.659 will give to he will give to all the faithful his own self for heavenly 101 00:09:52.820 --> 00:10:01.059 food. As food is essential to our earthly life, God is essential to 102 00:10:01.820 --> 00:10:07.570 our eternal life. It is God that supplies all that we need to live 103 00:10:07.610 --> 00:10:13.250 in his heavenly kingdom. God supplies this to us by coming to us not 104 00:10:13.409 --> 00:10:18.490 merely in his providence, but also in a person, and he unites to 105 00:10:18.649 --> 00:10:24.080 us, not he unites himself to us, not only through providential blessings, 106 00:10:24.360 --> 00:10:30.919 but he unites us to himself in himself by giving us his spirit, and 107 00:10:31.039 --> 00:10:35.990 in this way he is our heavenly food. He supplies everything that we need. 108 00:10:37.590 --> 00:10:43.990 But this hymn is not just about telling us this thing, that God 109 00:10:43.070 --> 00:10:48.789 has given himself to us in this way, but it's also about helping us 110 00:10:48.830 --> 00:10:54.980 to appreciate that fact and to worship him accordingly, whether it be in silence 111 00:10:54.019 --> 00:11:03.259 or in great praise. This scripture or from the scriptures the him draws forth 112 00:11:03.779 --> 00:11:09.690 a various things. It brings to our minds the details of this gift so 113 00:11:09.809 --> 00:11:15.330 that we can appreciate the gift as it's given. You know how valuable this 114 00:11:15.450 --> 00:11:18.840 kind of thing is. Imagine I gave you a painting with some lilies on 115 00:11:18.919 --> 00:11:24.679 it, or lily pads and some water. You know all that's very pretty. 116 00:11:24.240 --> 00:11:28.200 You hang it up in your house. But then imagine I told you 117 00:11:28.320 --> 00:11:33.669 that this was a Monae, that it was worth many, many dollars, 118 00:11:33.110 --> 00:11:37.590 that you could sell it and and be just fine for a long time, 119 00:11:37.590 --> 00:11:43.629 that this is considered when the great masterpieces of the world by both common people 120 00:11:43.830 --> 00:11:48.860 and art critics alike. You would maybe say Oh really full, thanks a 121 00:11:48.980 --> 00:11:54.299 lot. This is a great gift. It's what the scriptures are often doing 122 00:11:54.460 --> 00:12:00.139 and what is happening in this fame as well. It doesn't just tell us 123 00:12:00.860 --> 00:12:03.929 that God has given a great gift, but it helps us to understand what 124 00:12:03.090 --> 00:12:11.370 that gift is. It pulls from the scriptures various titles, various descriptions so 125 00:12:11.490 --> 00:12:18.919 that we might understand him and respond appropriately. Let's think through some of these 126 00:12:18.000 --> 00:12:26.000 things. First, some of the titles that are attributed to him. In 127 00:12:26.120 --> 00:12:28.879 every verse of one hundred and Ninety three and all, let all mortal flesh 128 00:12:28.960 --> 00:12:35.429 keep silence. We have grand titles attributed to Christ, the Gift of God 129 00:12:35.669 --> 00:12:41.789 to men. The first one we have is Christ. Our God, Jesus, 130 00:12:41.909 --> 00:12:48.620 the Messiah, is called explicitly and in several places God in the scriptures, 131 00:12:48.379 --> 00:12:56.019 and implicitly and hundreds of places, maybe even thousands, to explicit references 132 00:12:56.139 --> 00:13:00.490 to Christ as God comes in Titus to hundred and thirteen and second Peter to 133 00:13:00.769 --> 00:13:05.330 one and titus two hund and thirteen. We read that we are waiting for 134 00:13:05.529 --> 00:13:11.570 our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, 135 00:13:11.610 --> 00:13:18.960 Jesus Christ the Messiah, this great promised hope to come, this son 136 00:13:18.080 --> 00:13:26.710 of David, would not be a mere human he would be God and our 137 00:13:26.789 --> 00:13:33.029 Savior. Second Peter two, one to those who obta Peter Rights, to 138 00:13:33.389 --> 00:13:39.470 those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of 139 00:13:39.669 --> 00:13:43.740 our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. And then, of course, we 140 00:13:43.820 --> 00:13:48.779 have the great prophecy of the Messiah's birth and Isaiah nine six. For Unto 141 00:13:48.820 --> 00:13:52.740 Us, a child is born, to us a son is given, and 142 00:13:52.899 --> 00:13:56.690 the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called wonderful 143 00:13:56.809 --> 00:14:07.529 counselor mighty God, everlasting father, Prince of peace. This title Christ, 144 00:14:07.649 --> 00:14:13.960 our God reminds us what we have considered this morning. But though Jesus was 145 00:14:13.039 --> 00:14:18.840 the son of David, he was also the son of God. He was 146 00:14:18.919 --> 00:14:22.879 much more than a human king used by God to do great things. There 147 00:14:22.960 --> 00:14:26.710 have been those, but he was more than that. He was the son 148 00:14:26.870 --> 00:14:33.110 of God himself, not just to be praised for his greatness, but to 149 00:14:33.230 --> 00:14:39.940 be worshiped according to his divine nature. A second title that we are given 150 00:14:39.980 --> 00:14:43.379 in this him is king of Kings, another is Lord of Lords, another 151 00:14:43.580 --> 00:14:50.659 is most high or Lord, most high all frequent descriptions of God and the 152 00:14:50.779 --> 00:14:56.250 son of God in particular. A text shows this from revelation seventeen fourteen. 153 00:14:58.129 --> 00:15:01.289 This lamb that we read about earlier in revelation for appears again, as we 154 00:15:01.409 --> 00:15:07.360 read. They will make war on the lamb and the lamb will conquer them, 155 00:15:09.159 --> 00:15:13.720 for he is Lord of Lords and King of Kings, and those with 156 00:15:13.759 --> 00:15:20.759 him are called and chosen and faithful. So this is the greatness of God. 157 00:15:20.200 --> 00:15:24.389 We see it as described in these great titles. King of Kings, 158 00:15:24.629 --> 00:15:30.990 Lord of Lords, Christ our God, Lord Most High. But the greatness 159 00:15:31.029 --> 00:15:37.820 of the gift is also seen in the contrast how Christ, Otor God to 160 00:15:37.059 --> 00:15:43.259 Earth Descendeth, or king of Kings, born of Mary, or Lord of 161 00:15:43.539 --> 00:15:50.250 Lords in human vesture. The greatness of the gift is not expressed only in 162 00:15:50.450 --> 00:15:58.210 terms of his most excellent divinity and power and majesty, but that he descended 163 00:15:58.490 --> 00:16:06.120 to Earth to give us those things us. He is also called light of 164 00:16:06.200 --> 00:16:11.639 light, and in this we confess that great truth, as we confessed at 165 00:16:11.679 --> 00:16:15.080 this morning in the nicene creed, that he who has been born of God 166 00:16:15.240 --> 00:16:19.590 is the son of God, is the light. As he is one with 167 00:16:19.830 --> 00:16:26.509 God, he shines God. He is the light of light, the only 168 00:16:26.750 --> 00:16:32.070 son from the Father John One hundred and fourteen. John One four says in 169 00:16:32.190 --> 00:16:37.659 Him was light and the light was the light of men. John writes again 170 00:16:37.659 --> 00:16:41.179 in First John Five. This is the message that you have heard from him 171 00:16:41.500 --> 00:16:45.259 and proclaimed to you, that we have heard from him and proclaimed to you, 172 00:16:47.100 --> 00:16:49.450 that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. 173 00:16:51.889 --> 00:16:56.169 The light of Jesus Christ, as it comes into the world, is expressed 174 00:16:56.210 --> 00:17:00.289 in the Gospel, this good news that begins in a manger and spreads throughout 175 00:17:00.289 --> 00:17:06.640 all the earth, the greatness of the Lord of Lords and the King of 176 00:17:06.720 --> 00:17:14.759 kings coming. But it doesn't just remain here on earth, because one day 177 00:17:15.000 --> 00:17:22.230 this great light that has gone out will ascend into this great and everlasting brightness 178 00:17:22.390 --> 00:17:29.109 that we will see and see by again. To revelation twenty one twenty three, 179 00:17:30.220 --> 00:17:33.740 we read that the city that is the city of God, the people 180 00:17:33.859 --> 00:17:38.940 of God even, and the city has no need of sun or moon to 181 00:17:40.099 --> 00:17:45.089 shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and it's 182 00:17:45.170 --> 00:17:51.529 lamp is the lamb. You see why we confess light of light, Very 183 00:17:51.650 --> 00:17:56.970 God of Very God begotten, not made. You see, why we say 184 00:17:56.130 --> 00:18:03.039 this about Jesus Christ, why we understand the greatness of this gift did? 185 00:18:03.079 --> 00:18:12.190 He gives us himself. God gives to us God. These are all expressed 186 00:18:12.309 --> 00:18:19.390 in these scriptural biblical titles is and then are brought out in this hymn. 187 00:18:22.470 --> 00:18:26.789 Well, the greatness of God's gift is not only expressed in the titles, 188 00:18:26.829 --> 00:18:32.819 but it's also expressed in these descriptions, a found in verses three and verse 189 00:18:33.019 --> 00:18:40.259 four. Verse Three says rank on rank, the host of Heaven. This 190 00:18:40.380 --> 00:18:45.609 is speaking of the myriads of angels that we read about earlier. Read about 191 00:18:45.609 --> 00:18:48.890 earlier. Rank on rank, the host of Heaven spreads its vanguard on the 192 00:18:48.970 --> 00:18:55.920 way, as light of light descendeth from the realms of endless day that the 193 00:18:56.119 --> 00:19:02.160 powers of hell may vanish, and the dark, as the darkness clears away. 194 00:19:03.480 --> 00:19:10.390 Here we are reminded that Jesus is he is surrounded by angels here, 195 00:19:10.509 --> 00:19:15.630 called the host of Heaven. Precede his birth. They come before him, 196 00:19:15.630 --> 00:19:21.430 kind of like a messenger might run into a city before the great and conquering 197 00:19:21.589 --> 00:19:26.819 king comes and says he's coming, he's coming. Everybody wake up, you 198 00:19:26.940 --> 00:19:30.140 know, banging a pot or something like that wake up, wake up, 199 00:19:30.220 --> 00:19:34.220 the king is here, the king is coming. This is what the angels 200 00:19:34.299 --> 00:19:40.769 did that night when they came and spoke to the shepherds. They praised his 201 00:19:40.930 --> 00:19:47.049 name and they promised, and God promised, as he spoke to Mary, 202 00:19:47.130 --> 00:19:51.849 as he spoke to Joseph, that the darkness and the powers of this world 203 00:19:51.970 --> 00:20:00.440 were coming to be vanquished. The great conqueror had come. Verse Four also 204 00:20:00.519 --> 00:20:07.470 includes Angels, and but here it doesn't. It seems to follow his victory 205 00:20:07.549 --> 00:20:15.710 as opposed to his initial coming. It has pictured these these visions that John 206 00:20:15.910 --> 00:20:22.339 has of Christ, the ascended king, as we read in revelation for verse 207 00:20:22.500 --> 00:20:26.500 for here and Him One hundred ninety three, at his feet the six winged 208 00:20:26.539 --> 00:20:33.019 Seraph Cherubim, with sleepless eye veil, their faces to the presence as, 209 00:20:33.140 --> 00:20:37.410 with ceaseless voice they cry all a Lujah, all Alujah, all Alujah, 210 00:20:37.849 --> 00:20:48.289 Lord most high. Think back to that vision that John Sees. This one 211 00:20:48.650 --> 00:20:55.440 seated on the throne, this ancient of days, and from his throne is 212 00:20:55.720 --> 00:21:04.670 coming somehow. These peals of thunder, flashes of lightning around it are surrounded 213 00:21:06.230 --> 00:21:15.390 these angelic, terrifying creatures that look like animals with eyes all over them, 214 00:21:15.869 --> 00:21:22.940 with wings everywhere, and around them are seated, these these great elders themselves 215 00:21:22.140 --> 00:21:27.539 on thrones with crowns, a glassy sea, a rainbow surrounding the throne, 216 00:21:29.299 --> 00:21:37.009 the voices of Heaven, these hundreds of thousands of millions of angels thundering with 217 00:21:37.130 --> 00:21:44.529 the praise of God. How would you react and seeing something like that? 218 00:21:47.559 --> 00:21:51.759 Let's take it down a notch and think about it this way. How nerve 219 00:21:51.920 --> 00:21:56.000 of this argue? Or were you when you were perhaps called into the principal's 220 00:21:56.039 --> 00:22:03.390 office or the boss at work said I need to see you, or commanding 221 00:22:03.509 --> 00:22:10.190 officer. You know, you wipe your palms. You Walk in, there's 222 00:22:10.230 --> 00:22:15.740 a large desk, maybe a secretary taking notes. You look around, you 223 00:22:15.900 --> 00:22:25.099 see Mahogany and trophies and awards and affirmations and certificates and you're nervous. Take 224 00:22:25.140 --> 00:22:27.539 a deep breath, you try to remind yourself this is he's just a man. 225 00:22:29.420 --> 00:22:37.329 It's going to be okay. This room that John Walks into is not 226 00:22:37.569 --> 00:22:41.690 the room of a mere man. If we find ourselves a little bit nervous 227 00:22:41.849 --> 00:22:47.000 and shaking when we go to speak to those who are an authority over us, 228 00:22:48.839 --> 00:22:52.960 think of how John must have felt when he goes and he sees the 229 00:22:52.200 --> 00:23:00.309 Lord in his temple, not dressed in a business suit with a secretary nearby, 230 00:23:03.589 --> 00:23:11.549 but with fierce creatures calling out the praises of God. This greatness of 231 00:23:11.670 --> 00:23:15.900 God, His Majesty, is beyond anything any of us have ever experienced. 232 00:23:17.900 --> 00:23:30.329 His glory is beyond to any glory that we could ever imagine. John, 233 00:23:32.210 --> 00:23:40.089 we read in another place. He falls down. Is Dead and revelation one. 234 00:23:41.250 --> 00:23:45.920 He goes and he sees this presence and he just boomp his bump falls 235 00:23:45.000 --> 00:23:51.200 down. He has to be told fear not stand up. I have something 236 00:23:51.279 --> 00:23:56.349 to say to you. Isaiah, and Isaiah six experiences something similar. When 237 00:23:56.349 --> 00:24:00.150 he goes, he's lifted up into the heavenly places and he sees the glory 238 00:24:00.269 --> 00:24:03.309 of the Lord filling the temple. He falls down and he says, Woe 239 00:24:03.470 --> 00:24:10.140 unto me, for I am a man of Unclean Lips. He feels the 240 00:24:10.339 --> 00:24:12.980 weight of his sin, that the dirtiness of himself, and he's like, 241 00:24:14.339 --> 00:24:21.019 I don't belong here, Woe unto me, I am cursed. This is 242 00:24:21.099 --> 00:24:25.569 why Hebackic when we read earlier in Hebackic to let me read it to you 243 00:24:25.650 --> 00:24:30.690 again. Compare this vision that we have in revelation nineteen to what a God 244 00:24:30.809 --> 00:24:37.920 is saying through his prophet, His Messenger. What profit, what value, 245 00:24:38.039 --> 00:24:41.960 is in an idol when it's maker has shaped at a metal image, a 246 00:24:42.119 --> 00:24:48.240 teacher of lies, for it's maker trusts in his own creation, when he 247 00:24:48.359 --> 00:24:53.109 makes speechless idols. Woe to him. Who says to a wooden thing awake, 248 00:24:53.230 --> 00:24:59.269 to a silent stone arise. Can this teach behold? It is overlaid 249 00:24:59.309 --> 00:25:03.390 with gold and silver and there's no breath in it at all. But the 250 00:25:03.589 --> 00:25:07.539 Lord is in his Holy Temple. Let all the earth keep silence before him. 251 00:25:12.099 --> 00:25:15.740 The greatness of the gift that we have in the incarnation of Christ. 252 00:25:18.460 --> 00:25:23.690 We understand this more fully when we come to appreciate the greatness and the glory 253 00:25:23.769 --> 00:25:29.089 of God. As we considered in another hymn, thou who was rich, 254 00:25:29.210 --> 00:25:33.730 be law above all splendor. Thou, who is rich, became his poor, 255 00:25:36.839 --> 00:25:42.000 who is beyond all praising, gave himself to man. And the greatness 256 00:25:42.039 --> 00:25:45.799 of this gift is also express not only in the titles, not only in 257 00:25:45.839 --> 00:25:52.910 these great descriptions of his glory before and after he descended, but they also 258 00:25:52.990 --> 00:25:59.069 come to us in these commands of how we are to respond. Let all 259 00:25:59.230 --> 00:26:12.900 mortal flesh keep silence and, with fear and trembling stand the command to be 260 00:26:14.059 --> 00:26:21.130 silent is an important one. It's one that we try to observe in part 261 00:26:21.250 --> 00:26:26.250 in our worship services here, when we have moments of silence, in our 262 00:26:26.250 --> 00:26:30.690 confession of sin, for example, or tonight as we partake of the Lord's 263 00:26:30.690 --> 00:26:40.079 supper, there will be a time of silence. Why is silence appropriate? 264 00:26:41.039 --> 00:26:47.509 There's lots of reasons and more thoughtful people than me have written about this, 265 00:26:47.789 --> 00:26:53.990 but let me suggest a few things. Silence is a proper response of humility. 266 00:26:55.990 --> 00:26:57.910 When you stand before an idol of your own making, what the I 267 00:26:57.990 --> 00:27:00.430 need is there to be humble? So you look what I did. I 268 00:27:00.579 --> 00:27:07.140 made a fancy thing. But when you stand before the God Almighty, the 269 00:27:07.380 --> 00:27:12.180 Creator of Heaven and earth, who is surrounded by millions of angels, whose 270 00:27:12.299 --> 00:27:21.609 throne is shaking with thunder and flashes of lightning, silence just might be appropriate. 271 00:27:21.690 --> 00:27:30.640 Right. Silence is the response of humility. Often, a lot of 272 00:27:30.799 --> 00:27:36.319 times, we are trying to do things with our words. Silence in a 273 00:27:36.400 --> 00:27:44.990 way stops US trying to do anything. It recognizes our own inability. Maybe 274 00:27:45.029 --> 00:27:51.309 you've experienced this when trying to pray and being unable to or trying to argue 275 00:27:51.509 --> 00:27:56.390 something and feeling like you're getting nowhere, or trying to say something to make 276 00:27:56.430 --> 00:28:02.660 a situation better and nothing seems to be working. These times of desperation, 277 00:28:03.059 --> 00:28:07.619 of great loss, of great sin, maybe, of great love, or 278 00:28:07.740 --> 00:28:14.609 of seeing or coming to know something as great as God, sometimes there are 279 00:28:14.769 --> 00:28:22.730 times when we simply cannot speak, and maybe that's okay. Instead of trying 280 00:28:22.930 --> 00:28:26.599 harder and harder to lift ourselves up and kind of master a thing, or 281 00:28:26.720 --> 00:28:33.319 even master God, by talking, talking, talking, maybe what we need 282 00:28:33.440 --> 00:28:37.880 to do, instead of spinning more and more words, is to just respond 283 00:28:38.079 --> 00:28:45.430 in silence. This is what Psalm forty six a spoke about as well. 284 00:28:45.470 --> 00:28:52.230 After these great declarations of God as our refuge, God and his greatness, 285 00:28:52.910 --> 00:28:57.819 God who can move the mountains, who is strong above all oceans, who, 286 00:28:59.180 --> 00:29:02.779 though the nation's rage and the kingdom's totter, he utters his voice in 287 00:29:02.859 --> 00:29:08.339 the earth melts. Verse Ten says, be still and know that I am 288 00:29:08.460 --> 00:29:15.009 God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in 289 00:29:15.170 --> 00:29:19.410 the Earth. So back at calls us to silence in us. After a 290 00:29:19.490 --> 00:29:26.519 series of woes, Romans Twenty and, considering the greatness of God's sovereign love, 291 00:29:26.640 --> 00:29:29.519 says, who are you, Oh man, to answer back to God? 292 00:29:30.160 --> 00:29:33.079 Well, what is moldered? Say to the MOLDER? Why have you 293 00:29:33.200 --> 00:29:40.589 made me like this? Shut up, be quiet, stop talking, silence, 294 00:29:42.190 --> 00:29:48.509 or take job, job forty verse for behold, I am of small 295 00:29:48.549 --> 00:29:52.150 account, which I well, what shall I answer you? I lay my 296 00:29:52.269 --> 00:30:03.059 hand on my mouth. Silence is a response of humility, especially when we 297 00:30:03.180 --> 00:30:10.369 consider the great strength and power of God and our finitude, our inabilities, 298 00:30:10.569 --> 00:30:17.009 our weakness to master him by our actions or by our words. Silence is 299 00:30:17.170 --> 00:30:22.480 one of the ways in which we stop, in which we stop trying to 300 00:30:22.680 --> 00:30:34.039 be God and recognize that only he is God. We do not live in 301 00:30:34.319 --> 00:30:41.750 times that think of God, Godd as being exalted. It was what's Today's 302 00:30:41.750 --> 00:30:48.109 date? The sixteen, seventeen? Okay, two days ago, in First 303 00:30:48.230 --> 00:30:56.539 Things magazine, Auriclera religious professor at Marquette University, wrote this article about something 304 00:30:56.539 --> 00:31:00.420 called the Santa God, or something like that. He starts article. He 305 00:31:00.460 --> 00:31:03.059 says a few days ago one of my undergraduate students asked me why do so 306 00:31:03.140 --> 00:31:08.450 many pull people believe God is like an old man in the clouds. His 307 00:31:08.609 --> 00:31:15.650 response, he says. I responded because there's no god but Santa, and 308 00:31:15.769 --> 00:31:23.720 after a pause I added in sentimentalist theology, he explains, Western religion has 309 00:31:23.759 --> 00:31:30.160 largely become a self serving therapeutic endeavor. It doesn't matter whether you are Christian 310 00:31:30.200 --> 00:31:36.349 or Jewish or Muslim. The push for no god but Santa is universal in 311 00:31:36.430 --> 00:31:41.309 our society. The moment we divinish the divine to a moral law of the 312 00:31:41.390 --> 00:31:48.019 universe, the moment we rob God of his awe inspiring mystery, we have 313 00:31:48.220 --> 00:31:52.980 started on the road to sentimentalist religion. That road leads to a God who 314 00:31:53.099 --> 00:31:57.779 is no longer person, no longer involved in our lives, but rather a 315 00:31:57.980 --> 00:32:02.890 feeling that we sometimes seek, but that is not worth dying for and can 316 00:32:04.089 --> 00:32:08.650 consequently not worth changing your life for. God has become the Nice God. 317 00:32:14.329 --> 00:32:17.160 This is not the god of the Bible, this is not the God that 318 00:32:17.319 --> 00:32:22.920 Habacic subscribes. It's not the God that David describes, it's not the God 319 00:32:22.720 --> 00:32:34.349 that John Describes, it's not the God who Jesus is. Do you have 320 00:32:34.670 --> 00:32:37.829 times where you recognize this and you are still and you are silent before the 321 00:32:38.029 --> 00:32:44.900 Lord, or is your life filled with the noise of building things to your 322 00:32:44.940 --> 00:32:49.299 own glory, your reasoning, your planning, your striving, your working? 323 00:32:50.460 --> 00:33:00.490 Sometimes, beloved, silence is best, but of course we cannot remain silent 324 00:33:00.609 --> 00:33:07.130 forever. God has given us tongues to praise him. We read this often 325 00:33:07.250 --> 00:33:13.319 in the scriptures, and often when silence, and through silence, we come 326 00:33:13.480 --> 00:33:17.960 to recognize the greatness of our Lord, we become ready to praise him, 327 00:33:19.039 --> 00:33:22.200 to lift up his name. We could hardly hold our tongues to sing all 328 00:33:22.279 --> 00:33:29.190 Alujah, Al Alujah, Al Alujah, Lord Most High. The vocal praise 329 00:33:29.269 --> 00:33:34.630 of God is not a contradiction to the a silence we must sometimes enter into. 330 00:33:37.069 --> 00:33:40.579 Interestingly, as I mentioned before, these words let all mortal flesh keep 331 00:33:40.700 --> 00:33:46.339 silence as in the context of a song. The same goes for Psalm Forty 332 00:33:46.460 --> 00:33:50.940 six, where it says be still and know that I am God. It 333 00:33:51.099 --> 00:33:55.450 is in a song that this comes to us. We were made for praise. 334 00:33:57.769 --> 00:34:01.049 In some ways, silence is like repentance. It's an act of mortifying 335 00:34:01.170 --> 00:34:06.569 the flesh, of seeking the spirit. But we're also called to join the 336 00:34:06.690 --> 00:34:12.039 angels in their praise of him. We fear His Majesty, but we're also 337 00:34:12.199 --> 00:34:17.480 caught up in it, even as objects of his glorifying power. Want to 338 00:34:17.559 --> 00:34:23.949 finish by reading another passage from revelation to you, revelation chapter nineteen, versus 339 00:34:24.030 --> 00:34:34.429 one through nine. After this, I heard what seemed to be a loud 340 00:34:34.469 --> 00:34:39.619 voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out Hallelujah. Salvation and glory 341 00:34:39.780 --> 00:34:45.019 and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just, 342 00:34:45.739 --> 00:34:50.179 for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, 343 00:34:50.500 --> 00:34:54.010 and has avenged on her the blood of his servants. Once more, they 344 00:34:54.090 --> 00:35:00.010 cried out, Hollelujah. The smoke from her goes up forever and ever, 345 00:35:00.090 --> 00:35:05.250 and the twenty four elders in the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, 346 00:35:05.849 --> 00:35:09.639 who was seated on the throne, saying Amen, Hallelujah. And from 347 00:35:09.679 --> 00:35:15.480 the throne came a voice saying praise our God, all you, his servants, 348 00:35:15.800 --> 00:35:20.480 you who fear him, small and great. Then I heard what seemed 349 00:35:20.559 --> 00:35:25.670 to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters 350 00:35:27.070 --> 00:35:32.590 and like the sound of Mighty peals of thunder, crying out Hallelujah, for 351 00:35:32.710 --> 00:35:37.900 the Lord, our God, the Almighty rains. Let us rejoice and Exalt 352 00:35:38.059 --> 00:35:43.780 and give him the glory, for the marriage of the lamb has come and 353 00:35:43.980 --> 00:35:49.500 his bride has made herself ready. It was granted her to clothe herself with 354 00:35:49.739 --> 00:35:53.769 fine linen, bright and pure, for the fine linen is the righteous deeds 355 00:35:53.809 --> 00:36:00.170 of the saints. And the Angel said to me, right this, blessed 356 00:36:00.289 --> 00:36:06.239 are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the lamb. And he 357 00:36:06.400 --> 00:36:16.239 said to me, these are the true words of God. Allelujah, Hallelujah, 358 00:36:16.440 --> 00:36:28.829 Hallelujah. You are invited, did to the marriage supper of the lamb. 359 00:36:30.070 --> 00:36:35.820 The lamb is the sun, who was born, who was given to 360 00:36:36.099 --> 00:36:44.659 us, who came from the highest heavens, surrounded by angels and glory, 361 00:36:45.980 --> 00:36:52.610 to come to Earth, to give himself to us so that we would be 362 00:36:52.650 --> 00:36:58.369 saved and lifted up with him, up with all the saints, up with 363 00:36:58.530 --> 00:37:07.559 the angels, up for Everlasting Life, to sing his praise. This is 364 00:37:07.599 --> 00:37:12.639 the end of the story, this is the end to which we have all 365 00:37:12.800 --> 00:37:20.750 been predestined. As the saved sinners of God's grace. We have been given 366 00:37:20.789 --> 00:37:27.269 even here tonight, and opportunity by God himself, to see him high and 367 00:37:27.429 --> 00:37:32.179 lift it up, to see this God as he is given to us, 368 00:37:32.300 --> 00:37:43.380 in his word, in his light. How will we respond? How will 369 00:37:43.420 --> 00:37:52.489 you respond? Do not leave tonight without answering those questions. Let us pray