High and Lifted Up
By Pastor Jim May
As I think back upon the past week and of the mountains that we traveled through, I am reminded of a few passages of scripture that I want to bring to your remembrance today.
Standing upon the mountains and looking down into the valley, I was impressed with the grand panorama that lay before me. You could see the entire city below, with all of its beautiful Christmas lights. Everywhere you looked, if you looked close enough, you could see the lights of vehicles as people went about doing what they needed to do. It all looked so peaceful and beautiful. If only the world could be as beautiful and peaceful when you are down in the valley as it seems to be from the mountaintop.
If you have ever been on an airplane flying over the city below you know what I mean. The view from high above is a sight to behold. From high above you can’t see the filth of the streets, or hear the scream of the sirens, or experience the despair and crying in the streets. Don’t you wish that you could live above all of those things?
In a manner of speaking you can live above them right now. Even though we are walking around on a filthy, nasty, sin-darkened world, we can still live above that sin by living a life that is sanctified, dedicated and holy unto the Lord.
But I long for the day when we will forever be lifted high above and out of this life of sin! I long for the day when we never hear of the death of a baby at the hands of its own mother or father like I heard about just this week. A mother cut off the arms of her own child and allowed it to bleed to death. I long for the day when we will never hear of a loved one who was killed by a drunk driver. I long for the day when we will never hear of anyone dying of aids, or cancer or any other dread disease. I long for the day when we will never grow old or feeble anymore.
I was speaking to an elderly minister yesterday. This is a dear lady who was my first pastor’s wife nearly 50 years ago. She told me that she sometimes wonders why God leaves her here for she doesn’t feel in touch with life anymore. She has so much invested in Heaven, her treasures are all there. Her husband of 57 years is already there. She has children waiting for her on the other side. Most of all, Jesus is there. While she loves life and loves her family that are here in this life, her heart is really on the other side of Jordan. I’ve begun to have those same thoughts as well, and so should you if you love the Lord.
This world is not your home, you’re just passing though. Your treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue. Jesus is calling you to from Heaven’ open door and you can’t feel at home in this world anymore.
How many of you long for Heaven? Are you looking for the coming of the Lord with great anticipation? He is coming soon you know.
But as I think of our great God I am reminded that he is also high and lifted up. He is omniscient and omnipresent. He is everywhere at the same time and there is nothing that escapes his knowledge or sight.
The Prophet Isaiah caught a glimpse of God’s place of habitation once.
Isaiah 6:1, "In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple."
David caught a glimpse of God in his temple also.
Psalms 48:1-2, "…Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King."
What strikes me is that the city of God is “high and lifted up”.
God is looking down on you and I this morning, but he doesn’t always see us the way that I saw the world from the mountaintop. My limited vision and knowledge looked upon a world that seemed beautiful and peaceful but God’s vision and knowledge are so much more than mine. He sees the world just the way it is. Even though God is “high and lifted up” he still looks right down into the very heart of each man, woman and child, and He knows what is there.
God doesn’t look down upon a “perfect world”. There is very little beauty in it for Him for he only sees a world that is ravaged by the powers of hell. He sees a world that is sold out to sin and rebellion and there is nothing that escapes his view.
God looks down upon the earth and his eyes are fixed upon his children to bless them and to guard over them. Isn’t it comforting to know that God is watching over you?
2 Chronicles 16:9, "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him…."
Psalms 34:15, "The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry."
1 Peter 3:12, "For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil."
Yes its great to have our loving Father in Heaven watching over us, that is, unless we are doing something that we shouldn’t. Too many Christians seem to lose sight of the fact that God sees everything we do, and not only does He see what we are doing, but he knows the very thoughts and intents of our hearts. The devil is a great deceiver and he uses the same tactics on us that he used on Adam and Eve in the garden. He tells us that God won’t see us and that God won’t care, but God does see and care.
It’s good to know that God is watching over us as we travel about. He is guarding over us to keep us from falling into the traps of the devil. God is watching over us as we go to work, go to church, even when we go on vacations. We have wonderful Lord who cares for us so very much.
But it’s not so good to know that God is also watching over us when we do wrong. When we sneak off to the nightclub somewhere and listen to ungodly music and hang around people who blaspheme the name of Jesus by their words and lifestyle, God is watching over that too. When we decide to do our thing instead of doing what God wants us to do, He sees that too. When we make a purchase at the store and the clerk gives us too much change, and we keep it. God sees that too. In short, God sees it all, both good and evil.
Proverbs 5:21, "For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings."
Proverbs 15:3, "The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good."
We cannot just think of God as our loving Father and Savior, we must also remember that he is a Holy God, and a Righteous Judge, and that no sin can go unpunished. The sin that we commit will ultimately destroy our soul in hell unless we get it under the Blood of Jesus through repentance.
I have always loved the view of the world that I get from the mountaintop. I’m sure that you would join me in wishing and hoping that the world would be as grand as it looks from the mountaintop. Sadly though we must live in the valley. We have to live in the world and we must struggle against the sin and death that is an every day reality. This world, created by God for us to enjoy, still has much of the beauty in its physical appearance. But from a spiritual viewpoint, this world is dark, ugly and evil.
God won’t allow us to be fooled into thinking that this world is good. The Holy Spirit within you will constantly remind you to not partake of the things of this world, if you will only listen.
God knows that the true nature of this world is sinful and deadly. God knows that, even though we may try to look at the world and see only the good, that evil is there.
Have you ever had a teenager say these words, “Well everybody is doing it so it can’t be that bad.” But we can’t just blame the teenagers either. How many adults that call themselves Christian, are following the example of other people and justifying it by saying that nobody else has to, so why should I?
Why should we go have church on Sunday night, no one else does?
Why should we have to live a holy, sanctified life, nobody else does?
Why should I have to dress different, act different, go different places or not hang around with other people wherever I want to? Everybody I know lives that way so it can’t be wrong!
How wrong can we be? In a world where the vast majority of people are living in rebellion against God, how can we justify doing what they do and going where they go. We can’t be a friend to this world, because to be a friend to this world is to be an enemy of God. We can’t follow the example of other “Christians” who try to justify everything they do by twisting the scriptures or ignoring the Word of God altogether.
Sinners, and backslidden Christians, may seem to be doing well on the outside, but in their heart they are dying in their sin and they are destined for a devil’s hell.
We look upon them with the same vision that I had from the top of the mountain. All we see is their laid back life, and their good times, and their fun times. But God looks at them differently. We can only see the surface as though we were watching a city from far off, but God looks right down into their heart, right down to street level, where the rubber meets the road; right down where all the dirt, rebellion, death and destruction is a reality. God sees us for who we really are and not as we want the world to see us!
This question is, “What does God see when He looks into your heart?” Does he see someone who is truly committed to Him, sold out, lock stock and barrel? Does he see someone who puts God’s will first?
God isn’t fooled by our façade! He sees the real us and His eye is ever watching over us, pondering, or thinking, about what we are doing and what we are all about.
He is there to bless greatly those who are true to him, but he is there to bring punishment and judgment to those who will not serve him.
From God’s holy hill, from His throne in Heaven, from the pinnacles of his holy mountain, God is looking down at you right now!
What does He see in you this morning? Is there anything there that you don’t want him to see? It’s too late! He already knows its there. Now your only choice is to get it under the Blood of Jesus.
Does God look into your heart this morning and see someone who truly loves him? Then you’re the one God is also ready to bless abundantly.
