Meeting God (Again) | March 26, 2023 | God is Holy

Have you ever heard of the parable of the blind men and the elephant? It's a story about blind men encountering, learning, and imagining an elephant for themselves and one another. Their discovery, however, is only in part, like the tusk, the tail, or the trunk. Like the elephant, one of your attributes can never amount to who you entirely are. So, how much more is this true of God?

To really know someone, you can't pretend or limit them to be as you would like them to be; you must come to know them as they are. Generally, people are comfortable focusing on God's goodness, love, and generosity, but there is so much more to God! This week's conversation focuses on the holiness of God - set apart, unlike any other. Meeting God again is ongoing; it's about your life journey developing a habit of exploring, knowing, sharing, and loving who you discover God to be.

KEY VERSES

• Psalms 99:1-5 NLT -1 The Lord is king!Let the nations tremble!He sits on his throne between the cherubim.Let the whole earth quake! 2 The Lord sits in majesty in Jerusalem,exalted above all the nations. 3 Let them praise your great and awesome name.Your name is holy! 4 Mighty King, lover of justice,you have established fairness.You have acted with justiceand righteousness throughout Israel. 5 Exalt the Lord our God!Bow low before his feet, for he is holy!

• Isaiah 55:8-9 NLT - 8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,so my ways are higher than your waysand my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

• Isaiah 6:1-8 NLT - 1 It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. 2 Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 They were calling out to each other,“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies!The whole earth is filled with his glory!” 4 Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke. 5 Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. 7 He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.” 8 Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?”I said, “Here I am. Send me.”

• Revelation 4:8 NLT - 8 Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying,“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”

• Philippians 2:5-6, 9-11 NLT - 5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though he was God,he did not think of equality with Godas something to cling to.
  9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honorand gave him the name above all other names, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord,to the glory of God the Father.

• Hebrews 1:3 NLT - 3 The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.

• Luke 5:8NLT - 8 When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man.”

HEARING WHAT GOD IS SAYING

One of the best ways to hear what God is saying right now is to look at what He has said in the Bible with a few friends. Discovery Bible Study is an easy-to-use way to hear from God, make good changes in our lives, and share with others what God is up to. Grab some friends, pick a verse or story from above and dive in deeper to this week’s message.

Recap

+ Reconnect

To begin the study, each person answers these questions:

• What are you thankful for?
• What is causing stress for our neighbors and people around us?
• What can we as individuals or as a group do to help?
  

+ Recap

• Have someone retell the story from your previous meeting.
• Did you live out your response from last week?
• Did you tell anyone else about the story from last week?
  

Discovering What God Is Saying

+ Read and Retell the Bible Story

• One person reads the story out loud to the group.
• Someone else in the group retells the story in their own words as they remember it, and others fill in what’s missing.
  
  

+ Read and Look

• Read the passage again (different version if possible)
• What does this passage say about God, Jesus, or His plan?
  
  

+ Read and Look Again

• Have 1-2 more people retell the story as if they were telling a neighbor outside their home.
• What does this passage say about people in general?
  
  

Doing What God Is Saying

+ Consider

• What in me needs to change to better DO what God is showing me today?
• How will you respond to/obey this passage in a tangible, perhaps even costly ways in the next 47 hours?
• Have someone record these for prayer time, and for the beginning of the next meeting.
  
  

Sharing what God is saying

+ Praying Together

• Take prayer requests
• Pray together
  
  

+ Share

• Who in your life needs to hear this story?
• Who could you invite to study the Bible like this?
  
  

GIVING

Everything that happens at Canyon Ridge is because of your generous gifts. When you give to God through Canyon Ridge, you're helping reach thousands with the Gospel each week and making a difference for the people of Las Vegas and around the world!