Spiritual Luminol

Ever watch "CSI"? How 'bout one of the true crime shows like "Forensic Files" or "48 Mystery"?

No matter the detective show, you can almost count on them using Luminol as part of any murder investigation. Luminol is a chemical that reacts with the iron in blood. The chemical reaction, called chemiluminescence, causes any blood to glow blue-green in the dark.

Luminol allows investigators to see blood at a crime scene that is invisible to the human eye. In a very similar way, God's holiness acts as spiritual Luminol. It allows us to see our sin that so often is invisible to us. What is hidden from our normal sight is blatantly obvious when He shines the marvelous light of His holiness on our lives.

In Isaiah 6, the Lord allowed Isaiah a glimpse of the heavenly Throne Room. The Apostle John tells us that Isaiah actually saw the preincarnate Christ seated on the throne (John 12:41). This breath-taking encounter with the Holy One changed the prophet's life forever. The Lord's awesome holiness had three lasting impacts on Isaiah.

First, Jesus' holiness CONVICTS. Like spiritual Luminol, His utter holiness reveals our own disgusting sinfulness. Isaiah quickly realized that he was unworthy of being the presence of the One the seraphim declared to be "holy, holy, holy."

Second, Jesus' holiness CLEANSES. Once the prophet admits his own sin (and the sin of the people he serves), the Lord cleanses him. One of the seraphim pulls a chunk of white-hot charcoal from the altar and supernatually sterilizes Isaiah's lips. It's a great reminder that Jesus is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse us of every bit of unrighteous if we confess and repent (1John 1:9).

Third, Jesus' holiness COMMISSIONS. After convicting of his sin and then cleansing him, the Lord commissions Isaiah for service. It's interesting to note what happened when Jesus said, "Whom should I send as a messenger to My people? Who will go for Us?" Isaiah didn't hesistate. He immediately threw his hand in the air and eagerly volunteered for duty. "Lord, I'll go! Send me." And the prophet didn't even know what the assignment was!!!

It's a reminder that Jesus is looking for volunteers who are willing to serve Him no matter what. God asked Abram to "go to a land I will show you" without giving him the exact location using Mapquest, Google Maps or Tom Tom GO (Genesis 12:1). When Jesus recruited His disciples, He simply said, "Come, follow Me" (Matthew 4:19).

Jesus' holiness convicts.
Jesus' holiness cleanses.
Jesus' holiness commissions.

He's inviting each of us to join Him in His work, "Who should I send as a messenger to My people?"

What's YOUR answer?

In Christ,
Jay

From a message at Freedom River Community Church on July 13, 2008.

Hello, My Name is...GOD!

The more time I spend with my wife Debbie, the more I find out about her, and the more I deeply I love her. After 32 years of marriage, I continue to discover new things about her. And when I do, I just appreciate and love her all the more.

So...why do we worship God?

That may sound like a silly question, but seriously, what makes God deserving of worship (or as the Bible says "worthy of praise")? How well do we really know Him?

It's kind of like my marriage. The more we discover about Him, the more amazed we are, the more humbled we are, the more we love and worship Him. That's exactly the reason we've taken on the new series called "Glorious." Over the next few weeks we'll examine the breath-taking qualities of our Lord.

We began with a look at His faithfulness. We must never forget that Jesus is the Rock! This past Sunday, JJ Swick brought us a powerful message about Christ's Second Coming, or "the Glorious Apprearing" as Paul described it (Titus 2:13).

In July and August, we'll take a look at God's holiness, His eternal nature, His goodness, His power, His all-knowing ability, His sovereignty and His ever-presence. As we come to understand more about our Lord, the deeper we'll love and worship Him.

Sunday, I invite you to join us for a look as we investigate the holiness of Jesus. What does it mean that He is holy? What impact does that have on my faith? What impact does that have on my life?

Curious? I sure hope so. See you Sunday for part 3 of "Glorious."

In Christ,
Jay