God Dwells With The Humble

Minister:
Date: PM
Text: Isaiah 57:15
Psalters: 352, 105, 192, 203
  1. With whom?
    1. God “dwells.”
      1. To “dwell” is to abide or settle down, where God is comfortable and enjoyable.
      2. He dwells with a spirit which agrees with Him about his honest identity: a sinful and sinning creature.
    2. Jehovah God is comfortable with and enjoy those who are “contrite and humble in spirit” (Psalm 24:28; 51:17; 147:3).
      1. Man’s “spirit” is that part of every human distinguishes him from every other creature.
      2. “Contrite” is to be broken in pieces, to be crushed, and “humble” is to be low or base in height or spirit.
    3. When God comes to us, then the regenerated becomes small, vanity, insignificant, the chief sinner.
      1. Natural man’s spirit is proud and arrogant; man always seeks to be independent and self-sufficient.
      2. Humility is honestly assessing ourselves in light of God’s holiness and our sinfulness.
  2. He who dwells with the humble is Jehovah God.
    1. He is the “high and lofty One.” God lives in majesty and without bounds for He cannot be contained locally.
    2. He “inhabiteth eternity.”
      1. He is above and beyond time (which is one of His creatures) and we are all creatures of time.
      2. God settles down in and abides in (where He enjoys His accomplished work).
    3. His “name is holy.”
      1. He is separated always from anything that is unholy, devil, dark, wicked and corrupt.
      2. Positively, God is eternally dedicated only and exclusively to Himself as the highest good.
    4. He dwells “in the high and holy place.”
      1. This is a place God prepares for Himself, where He is comfortable and enjoys Himself.
      2. It is God being with His people (Ex. 3:12; 33:14-16; Joshua 1:5,9; Ps. 23:4; Isa. 43:2-5).
  3. What is God’s purpose for dwelling with the humble and contrite ones?
    1. God welcomes the humble to partake of His Table, thus comforting them.
    2. God “revives,” i.e., renews and continues life, making us new creatures with His resurrection life.
      1. God humbles to give us real life, not to squash and destroy.
      2. Real life for sinful creatures is to be allowed to stretch out toward God loving Him in return and thanking Him.
    3. Listen to other promises God gives to the humble.