Day 4: Lord, Lord
[Jesus said]: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).
Holy, high and exalted God, seated on Your throne, cherubim and seraphim fall down before You crying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:3).
The prophet Isaiah found himself undone as the vision of Your all-consuming, overwhelming majesty unfolded, and the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke (Isaiah 6:4-5). His mortal corruption became painfully clear as he cried out before You:
“Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty” (Isaiah 6:5).
For Isaiah, the reality of the human condition became excruciatingly clear—no one is righteous before You (Psalm 14:1-3, Psalm 53:1-3, Romans 3:10-12). Though a prophet of God, he could not stand on merit in Your terrifying Presence—for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).
Cleansing could come only from Your consuming fire—from the altar of Jesus the perfect Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 3:8 - NKJV). Isaiah recounts:
Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for” (Isaiah 6:6-7).
Like Isaiah, Lord, we are utterly undone before You—ruined in our complete corruption. But through Jesus You give us the same message of mercy and forgiveness: your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for. The exchange is astounding:
God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us...our righteousness, holiness and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30).
Father, You do not require just a nominal holiness—You begin a life-long process of genuine change in our life, transforming us into Your image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18).
The Lord Jesus explains that lip service is not enough. He warns that not everyone who says...but only the one who does... can enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:21). Yet on our own we can do nothing that is good enough—even our best actions are filthy through and through (Isaiah 64:6 - GNT). But through Jesus You make us holy so we can live as holy and do the will of the Father.
In one of His psalms, David cries out, "Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? [The one] who has clean hands and a pure heart..." (Psalm 24:3-4 - NKJV).
Thank You that through our Savior You give us the way to ascend into the hill of the Lord—to stand in Your holy place—to enter the kingdom of heaven. For without holiness no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14).
Comments