A. One day Charlie Brown and Lucy and Linus were lying on the ground, looking up at the sky.
1. Lucy says, “Aren’t the clouds beautiful? They look like big balls of cotton. I could just lie here all day and watch them drift by.”
2. Then Lucy says, “If you use your imagination, you can see lots of things in the cloud formations. What do you think you see, Linus?”
3. Linus responds, “Well, those clouds up there look like the map of the British Honduras on the Caribbean. And that cloud looks a little like the profile of Thomas Eakins (Ay-Kins), the famous painter and sculptor. And that group of clouds over there gives me the impression of the stoning of Stephen. I can see the Apostle Paul standing there to one side.”
4. Lucy congratulates him, “Uh huh, that’s very good. What do you see in the clouds, Charlie Brown?”
5. Charlie Brown replies, “Well, I was going to say I saw a ducky and a horsie, but I changed my mind.”
B. While it is all fun and games for us to subjectively see different things when we look at the clouds, however, the stakes are very high when it comes to how we envision God.
1. Who God is and what God is like is not a subjective thing that is open to imagination.
2. God has revealed Himself to us and we can objectively know God.
3. But unfortunately, rather than looking for the truth in Scripture, many people prefer to envision a God of their own imagination.
4. And when some use their imagination, they see a God who looks like Santa Claus — who doesn’t really care if we naughty or nice — but winks at our sin and giggles at our iniquity — a God who is too loving and kind to allow anyone go to hell.
5. Similarly, others use their imagination and see a God who looks like a kindly grandfather — who accepts all his children just the way they are — and never bothers to change them. He is a God who gives them everything they want and never expects anything in return — a God who honors all religions and sees one way to Him just as good as another — a God who is so accepting He eventually is going to let everybody into heaven.
6. Those visions of God would be all well and good except for one thing – they don’t line up with the truth about God as He has revealed Himself to us.
C. If I were to ask you — When you think about God — what do you imagine? What would you say?
1. Would you say: I imagine a God of Love... a God of Mercy... a God of Grace and forgiveness... A God of Hope...a God of Strength when we are weak... a God of second chances when we fail.
2. If you have heard me preach over the years, then you know that I believe in each one of these wonderful qualities of God – Our God is a God of love, mercy, grace, and second chances.
3. However, if we’re not careful, then those attributes of God can morph into a God who is just there to make life easier on us and doesn’t really care about sin and disobedience.
4. If we allow ourselves to think that way, then we have forgotten about one of the most important attributes of God – God’s holiness.
D. God is HOLY.
1. In many ways, holiness is God’s central attribute.
2. Ultimately, holiness is what makes God, God.
3. Holiness is the only attribute of God that is mentioned in triplicate.
a. There are two times that the Bible tells us that God is holy, holy, holy (Isa. 6:3; Rev. 4:8).
b. If God says something about His character once, then that’s enough to settle it.
c. When God says it twice, that’s emphasis, but when He says it three times, that means it is of supreme importance.
d. Repetition like that in the Hebrew language performs the work of our highlighter or exclamation point.
4. No other attributes of God receive that kind of emphasis.
a. No where in Scripture do we read, “Love, Love, Love” or “Wise, Wise, Wise” or “Just, Just, Just,” rather all we see is “Holy, Holy, Holy.”
E. What do we usually think of when we think of the word “holy”?
1. Maybe we think of something sacred, religious, spiritual, consecrated or special.
a. Like the Holy Bible, or holy ground, or holy communion.
2. Or maybe we think of it as an expression of surprise: “holy smokes!” “holy cow!” “holy mackerel!” or “holy schmoly!”
3. But what does “holy” mean when applied to God?
a. What does God mean when He says that He is Holy?
4. The words “holy,” “sanctified,” “consecrated,” and “saint” all come from the same root words in both Hebrew and Greek.
5. And the word “holy” has two meanings that both apply to God.
a. First, to be “holy” means to be “utterly pure, and undefiled.”
b. Second, to be “holy” means to be “different, unique, special and set apart.”
6. I believe that the word “holy” should be reserved for God and the things of God, and should not be used flippantly or for common, everyday things.
F. God is utterly pure and truly different and unique; He is wholly and holy different.
1. In 1 Samuel 2:2, Hannah prayed: “There is no one holy like the Lord. There is no one besides you!”
2. Psalm 96:9 commands us to “Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.”
3. In Isaiah 40:25, God says of Himself: “To whom will you compare me, or who is my equal?”
4. In Isaiah 5:16, God says of Himself: “But the Lord of Armies is exalted by his justice, and the holy God demonstrates his holiness through his righteousness.”
5. From these verses and from so many others, we realize that God is utterly unique and different from everyone and everything else – He is in a category all by Himself.
6. God’s purity and righteousness are the standard for all righteousness and goodness.
7. God is truly holy and perfectly righteous and altogether good.
8. God’s holiness puts Him at odds with anything unholy and sinful.
9. And if we want to be holy as God is holy (as God commands), then we must also hate sin, and we must never excuse it, dabble in it or in any way coddle sin.
G. My aim for today’s sermon is to help us to capture a vision of God’s holiness so that we realize that we must take God’s holiness as seriously as God does and strive to be holy like God is.
1. To help us see and revere God for His holiness, I want us to look at several times in history when God emphasized His holiness and emphasized our need to be humbled by it.
H. Let’s start with an experience that Moses had with the holiness of God in Exodus 3.
1. As you know, Moses was born during a time when the Pharoah of Egypt had ordered the execution of all Jewish baby boys at the time of their birth.
a. When Moses was born, his parents hid him as long as they could, then floated Moses in a basket in the Nile near the place where the Pharoah’s daughter took her baths.
b. Pharoah’s daughter found him and had compassion on Moses and raised him as her own.
c. So for the first 40 years of Moses’ life he lived as the adopted son of Pharoah’s daughter.
2. But around age 40, Moses tired of seeing the suffering of the Jewish people and one day when he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave, he took matters in his own hands and killed the Egyptian.
a. When this was discovered, Moses was forced to flee Egypt into the Sinai desert and there he spent the next 40 years tending the sheep of his father-in-law.
3. Then one day, while Moses was tending sheep near Mt. Sinai, he met God for the first time.
a. Moses noticed a bush that was burning but was not being consumed.
b. Fascinated by the sight, Moses walked closer to investigate, and that’s when God spoke.
c. The Bible says: God called out to him from the bush, “Moses, Moses!” “Here I am,” he answered. “Do not come closer,” he said. “Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Then he continued, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God. (Ex. 3:4-6)
4. Moses was on holy ground because God was present and Moses learned that when a person is in God’s presence, the dirty and ordinary needs to be removed because of God’s holiness.
5. Now God had a big assignment for Moses, but the first thing God wanted Moses to understand about God is that He is holy and that He must be revered and respected.
a. It looks like Moses got that point and hid his face in fear and reverence.
6. God is a holy God and He must be honored as holy.
I. Our next lesson in the holiness of God is found in the book of Leviticus at the time when God instituted the new priesthood, under the newly delivered Old Testament covenant.
1. In Leviticus chapters 8 and 9, we learn that Aaron and his sons were to serve as the mediators between God and mankind.
a. They were given special robes and were to offer special sacrifices.
b. And on that inaugural day when the priesthood was established, Aaron placed the offerings on the altar, and lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them.
c. After Aaron came down from the altar, he and Moses entered into the tent of meeting, and then after they came out of the tent of meeting, this is what happened, the Bible says: When they came out, they blessed the people, and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. Fire came from the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell facedown. (Lev. 9:23-24)
d. How exciting and terrifying that must have been.
2. The very next verse in the Bible begins a new chapter, but it is unclear if the chapters are separated by very much time.
a. The very next thing that happens is that Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu took their own firepans and presented unauthorized fire before the Lord.
b. And how did God respond when that happened? Verse 2 says: Then fire came from the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. (Lev. 10:2)
c. I’m sure everyone was shocked and horrified – especially Aaron, those were his sons!
d. The Bible then says: Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord has spoken: I will demonstrate my holiness to those who are near me, and I will reveal my glory before all the people.” (Lev. 10:3)
3. Why did this happen? What was God trying to teach them and us?
a. We have often used this story to emphasize the need to do “right things in right ways” when we worship God – and while that is an important truth, there is even a greater truth.
b. The message God was trying to get across is that God is a God who must be taken seriously that God must be honored as a holy God and God is honored as holy when we obey God’s commands.
J. Then, later in Numbers 20, it was Moses who made the mistake of not taking God’s holiness seriously enough.
1. It was another of those times when Moses and the Israelites were wandering in the desert and there was no water.
2. They had been through this before, but rather than asking God to provide, the people assembled against Moses and Aaron and complained to them and against them.
3. Moses and Aaron left the people and fell facedown before the Lord at the tent of meeting.
4. Then glory of the Lord appeared and God gave Moses specific instructions: Moses and Aaron were instructed to take the staff of the Lord and assemble the community, then Moses was supposed to speak to the rock and water would then come from it.
5. Unfortunately, Moses didn’t follow God’s instructions, the Bible says: 9 So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence just as he had commanded him. 10 Moses and Aaron summoned the assembly in front of the rock, and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels! Must we bring water out of this rock for you?” 11 Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff, so that abundant water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. (Num. 20:9-10)
6. Mission accomplished, right? Everyone was happy with the outcome, right?
7. Everyone was happy, except God – the Bible says: But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me to demonstrate my holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land I have given them.” (Num. 20:12)
8. Moses’ disobedience was an affront to God’s holiness, and required a punishment – Moses and Aaron weren’t allowed to enter Canaan with the Israelites, and their long lives came to an end.
9. God is a holy God and He must be honored as holy.
K. Our next lesson in God’s holiness came later when David became the second king of Israel.
1. In 2 Samuel 6, we learn about his first official act as king – David gathered 30,000 chosen men of Israel to go with him to bring back to Jerusalem the Ark of the Lord.
2. They placed the ark on a brand new ox cart (which is not how the ark was to be moved - it was to be carried by the Levites with poles slid through the rings on the sides of the ark).
3. No human hand was to touch the ark of the covenant as the law of Moses had commanded.
4. But David was a pragmatist and in his mind he thought: “As long as you are trying to honor the Lord, you can do it any way you want.”
5. So while the ark moved along on the cart, David and all those with him were celebrating with dancing and music.
6 But then, all of a sudden, the oxen pulling the cart stumbled and a man named Uzzah did what anyone of us might have done — he reached out and took hold of the ark to steady it.
7. And what happened when he touched the ark? The Bible says: Then the Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah, and God struck him dead on the spot for his irreverence, and he died there next to the ark of God. (2 Sam 6:7)
8. David was angry at the Lord’s outburst against Uzzah, but the one he should have been angry with was himself .- he should have known to first ask for God’s guidance and instruction.
9. What was God trying to say by striking Uzzah dead?
a. God was trying to say, “I am a holy God and I must be honored as holy. A person honors Me as holy by respecting and obeying Me and My commands.”
L. Our next lesson in God’s holiness came even later in the history of Israel and is found in Isaiah 6.
1. The backdrop for what was happening in Isaiah 6 is found in 2 Kings 15.
a. It was in the 52nd year of king Uzziah.
b. For 52 years, God had blessed the nation of Israel under king Uzziah, but then Uzziah died.
c. But who would lead them now?
d. All of Judah was focused on the mighty king of Assyria who was moving quickly southward into Judah — gobbling up one city after another.
e. Jerusalem was in chaos - the people were frightened and trembled before the bloodthirsty Assyrians.
f. But in the same year Uzziah died — Isaiah was called by God to be His prophet.
g. But before Isaiah began his ministry, God wanted to show Isaiah something.
2. The Bible says: In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and the hem of his robe filled the temple. 2 Seraphim were standing above him; they each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 And one called to another: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Armies; his glory fills the whole earth. 4 The foundations of the doorways shook at the sound of their voices, and the temple was filled with smoke. 5 Then I said: Woe is me for I am ruined because I am a man of unclean lips and live among a people of unclean lips, and because my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Armies. (Isa. 6:1-5)
a. Isaiah was one of those rare people who was allowed to peek into throne room of God.
b. Isaiah got to see God on His throne — high and lifted up.
c. The train of His robe — not even the whole robe —filled the temple in heaven!
d. Above Isaiah were flaming creatures called seraphim — each having six wings and one seraphim would shout to the other: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts (or Lord of armies or Almighty); the whole earth is full of his glory!”
3. Isaiah was able to see something that shook him to the core of his being — he saw God as He really is —a HOLY GOD — powerful and majestic.
a. I have already mentioned the significance of the triplicate “holy, holy, holy.”
b. And it is important to note that the phrase “the whole earth is full of his glory” is found 194 times in the O.T. — 35 times in Isaiah.
4. When Isaiah saw and understood the holiness of God, he recognized his own sinfulness and thought it would be his undoing, but God cleansed him, making him holy so he could serve.
5. When we truly see and understand the holiness of God, then our reaction should be just like Isaiah’s, but I’m afraid we have lost a lot of that understanding of God.
6. David Wells in his book entitled No Place for Truth made this important observation: The loss of the traditional vision of God as holy, is now manifested everywhere in the evangelical world. It is the key to understanding why sin and grace have become such empty terms. What depth or meaning... can these terms have except in relation to the holiness of God? Divorced from the holiness of God, sin is merely self-defeating behavior or a breach in etiquette. Divorced from the holiness of God, grace is merely empty rhetoric, pious window dressing, for the modern technique by which sinners work out their own salvation. Divorced from the holiness of God, our gospel becomes indistinguishable from any of a host of alternative self-help doctrines. Divorced from the holiness of God, our public morality is reduced to little more than an accumulation of trade-offs between competing private interest. Divorced from the holiness of God, our worship becomes mere entertainment. The holiness of God is the very cornerstone of Christian faith, for it is the foundation of reality. Sin is defiance of God’s holiness, the Cross is the out-working in victory of God’s holiness, and faith is the recognition of God’s holiness. Knowing that God is holy is therefore the key to knowing life as it truly is, knowing Christ as He truly is, knowing why He came, and knowing how life will end.
7. God is holy, and we must truly understand that and never forget it.
M. Lest you think that the holiness of God is only an Old Testament thing, let me quickly share one more lesson in God’s holiness and this one is from the New Testament.
1. In Acts chapter 4, we learn that a man named Barnabas sold a field and gave all the proceeds from the sale to the church for benevolence.
2. A couple named Ananias and Sapphira heard what Barnabas did and wanted the kudos Barnabas received but they didn’t want to give all the money from the sale of their land.
a. Now keep in mind that they had the freedom to do anything they wanted to do with the proceeds from the sale of their land.
b. They didn’t have to give any of it to the church, but one thing they were not free to do was to give part of the money, and say they had given it all, but that’s exactly what they did.
3. When Ananias took only half of the money and gave it to the apostles saying it was all the money he got from selling his property, Peter said to him: “Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the proceeds of the land? Wasn’t it yours while you possessed it? And after it was sold, wasn’t it at your disposal? Why is it that you planned this thing in your heart? You have not lied to people but to God.” When he heard these words, Ananias dropped dead, and a great fear came on all who heard. (Acts 5:3-5)
4. The Bible continues: About three hours later, his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. “Tell me,” Peter asked her, “did you sell the land for this price?” “Yes,” she said, “for that price.” Then Peter said to her, “Why did you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” Instantly she dropped dead at his feet. When the young men came in, they found her dead, carried her out, and buried her beside her husband. Then great fear came on the whole church and on all who heard these things. (Acts 5:7-10)
5. So, what is the moral of the story?
a. This obviously is a lesson about lying, right? Lying is wrong! But that is not primary lesson of this story.
b. Haven’t we all lied at some time in our life? Why are we still living?
c. We need to keep in mind that this was the early days of the church, and what God was making clear to the church is: “I am a holy God and I must be honored as holy.”
N. Let me conclude by asking us how seriously are we taking the holiness of God?
1. Have you taken God seriously this week?
2. Did you spend time in His Word and in prayer this week?
3. And how seriously have you taken God’s holiness in worship this morning?
a. Did you come prepared to worship a holy and powerful and majestic God? Or did you rush in here without even a thought, maybe even running late?
b. Do you understand and appreciate what we have done in worship this morning?
1. We have prayed to the God who is the creator of everything in this world.
2. We have sung praises to the God who fills the heavenly temple with just the hem of His garment.
3. We communed with the God who is Holy, Holy, Holy — the whole EARTH is full of His glory!
4. Is that the God you have come to worship this morning? A holy God?
a. Can we in all honesty believe we can worship this God without giving any real thought to His Holiness and His Majestic nature?
b. This is holy ground - we are in the presence of a Holy God - and there are angels all around.
5. I am preaching this lesson this morning so that you and I are better able to see God as He really is - a loving and merciful God - YES - but also a God who must be revered as Holy.
a. What makes His love a pure love... What makes His grace a righteous grace... and what makes His forgiveness everything we need — is that He is a Holy God.
O. Maybe someone here this morning feels the need to repent - because your life has not been holy – and you would like the prayers from this church and forgiveness from God.
1. Maybe someone else feels the need to confess their faith in Jesus Christ, to repent and turn away from unholy sin and to be made pure and clean in the waters of baptism, and God will give you His Holy Spirit to dwell in you and you will become holy.
2. If you have a need this morning, please let us know how we can serve you as we stand together to sing.
Resources:
• It’s Not About Me, Max Lucado, Thomas Nelson, 2004
• The Holiness of God, Sermon by Noel Whitlock
• Holy, Holy, Holy, Sermon by Ray Pritchard
• A God Who Is Holy, Sermon by Joe Wittwer
