Thoughts From Psalms

We recently read Psalm 15 in the reading through a bible in a year... When I landed on the first two verses it hit me... "LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill" (vs 1)? Do you feel the weight of the questions? Do you understand the nature of verse one? Who is going to get to be with you LORD? Who could possibly dwell in your presence? I have lived 26 years and have yet to find someone who can stand in the presence of the LORD. David(the author of Psalm 15) I am sure was older and experienced more and saw more upright people... So, he begs the question 'who can dwell with you? Who can be where you are? Remember Moses said of the mountain of the Lord no one should approach the mountain. No one should even touch the base of the mount of the LORD. "Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, 'Be careful that you do not go up the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death" (Exodus 19:12). There is a Holiness about God that draws us to the question, "who can stand in His presence?"

The answer was given to David in verse 2 and on, "He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous." The man who pursues righteousness and holiness. Hebrews 12:24 says, without holiness... no one will see God." Or, when Jesus spoke He said, "blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God" (Matthew 5:8).

How are you pursuing holiness? I'll be honest my strategy is clinging to the cross. I can try my hardest to be righteous but even my best efforts are filthy (Isaiah 64:6). So, I beg Jesus to be my righteousness. I know that is such a weird thing but it is the beauty of the Gospel. My hardest effort to be holy is laughable. It is pathetic. Imagine a 5 year old telling his family that he is going to move to the moon and start a successful business... It is cute. But, it isn't going to happen. That's how it is with righteousness. I can tell God that I will be holy but my best efforts will not make me holy. That is why Jesus is so precious. He is our only hope at salvation. He is the only way that I can be in the presence of the Holy One. He is the only way that I can be righteous. He is our righteousness. "I do not have a righteosness of my own that comes from the law, but that wich is through faith in Christ- the righteosness that comes through God and is by faith" (Philippians 3:9). Jesus freely gives us his righteousness when we trust him by faith. We can not earn a right standing with God. He freely gives righteousness so that no one can boast of his goodness (Ephesians 2:9).

Now let me add a word of warning. If you hear what I just said as a license to sin then you are taking a rope meant to be swung on and hanging yourself. You are killing yourself if you think that because you are freely justified you can freely continue to sin without consequence. When you continue to sin you harden your heart toward God and one day you will seek repentance with tears and will not find it. Like Esau in Hebrews 12. "There is a sin that leads to death" (1 John 5:16), and that is a sin that is not forgiven... a habitual breaking of the Lords commandments and presuming His grace leads to a heart that doesn't seek forgiveness and therefore doesn't receive forgiveness. 

The way that we relate to God is through a deep respect and love for what was achieved on the cross at a great cost. Jesus gives us his righteousness and takes our punishment. We gain access to the holy hill... we get to stand in God's presence. What a reward! We are blessed!