We conclude a series that explores the great character of God. Every sermon has been taken from the Psalms in this series. No other book in your Bible has as many authors as does Psalms. The superscriptions above verse 1 of many of the Psalms tell us that Moses, Solomon, Asaph, Hezekiah, and someone named Korah wrote individual psalms. While David composed the most of any of the Psalms, we don’t know who wrote Psalm 99.
The Psalms have guided us to celebrate the great character of God throughout this series. Quick review: The Psalms have taught us that not only does God exist, but everyone knows God exists deep inside them (Psalm 14).
We observed that God is eternally independent of everyone and everything from Psalm 102. We witnessed God’s greatness and goodness in Psalm 147. We marveled at God’s creative genius from Psalm 33. And we praised God because of His fatherly care for us in Psalm 104. All along the way, God’s great character is on display.
Today’s Scripture
“The LORD reigns; let the peoples tremble!
He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!
2 The LORD is great in Zion;
he is exalted over all the peoples.
3 Let them praise your great and awesome name!
Holy is he!
4 The King in his might loves justice.
You have established equity;
you have executed justice
and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Exalt the LORD our God;
worship at his footstool!
Holy is he!
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
Samuel also was among those who called upon his name.
They called to the LORD, and he answered them.
7 In the pillar of the cloud he spoke to them;
they kept his testimonies
and the statute that he gave them.
8 O LORD our God, you answered them;
you were a forgiving God to them,
but an avenger of their wrongdoings.
9 Exalt the LORD our God,
and worship at his holy mountain;
for the LORD our God is holy!” (Psalm 99:1-9).
An Elaborate Meal
The Psalms call on us not simply to examine the great character of God like a scientist would study something in a test tube. Instead, our hearts are to thrill to know and praise the beauty of God. If I invited you to my home and cooked you a great meal, where I prepared a mouth-watering meal for you, how would you react? If I started you off with caviar for an appetizer, only to serve you Lobster and Avocado Salad to follow. Then I segued to the main course, where you served pan-roasted halibut, asparagus spears, and wild rice pilaf. Only to finish the meal with your choice of either Crème Brûlée or tiramisu. Would you offer a “meh” with a shrug of your shoulders before leaving for your home for the night? Or, would you rave about such a meal and thank the cook? Wouldn’t you go on and on about what a wonderful meal it was? If you did such a thing for a simple meal, one of the possible 75,000 meals you might eat in your life, can you simply yawn when you see the greatest of God’s wonderful character?
The Psalms call on you to worship the majesty of God. Today, we look at God’s holiness.
Sermon Preview
1. Elevate God for He is Holy
2. Emulate God for He is Holy
1. Elevate God for He is Holy
“Let them praise your great and awesome name! Holy is he!” (Psalm 99:3). Psalm 99 gives us a beautiful picture of what life will look like when God reigns. Three simple words at the end of verse 3 say, “Holy is he!” Say the word “Holy” with me. Psalm 99 says God is holy in verse 3, verse 5, and in verse 9.
1.1 Holiness
You may have heard of the word holy, but do you know what the word holy means? People say, “Holy moly,” “Holy cow,” or even “Holy mackerel!” When you celebrate a holiday, you’re celebrating a “holy” day.
What does it mean to be holy? Think of holiness as two sides of a coin. On side #1: to be holy means to be separated from sin. Holiness has the root idea in the Old Testament of being separated from what is defective and evil. On side #2: it also means being separated for or to God.
1.1.1 Examples
Again, when you see the word “holy” in your Bible, you can think of someone or something that is withheld from ordinary use.1 When a day of the week is holy, it’s one day that’s separated from the pursuits of other days and dedicated to the Lord (Exodus 31:15). The Bible says the sabbath is holy.
1.1.2 The Tithe is Holy
When you give away ten percent of your income to God, in Leviticus 27, it says your tithes are holy. How could they become holy? The answer is anything that was put into the temple or the tabernacle. When anything was put completely at God’s disposal for the exclusive use of God, it was holy. Again, to be holy meant to be wholly devoted, to be totally devoted, to be separated unto God. So why was the tithe holy? Because it was completely used for God’s work, completely used for God’s use. That income was totally at God’s disposal.
1.1.3 Leviticus
If you were to go to the book of Leviticus, you’re going to see that there are all sorts of things that are called holy. Tables are called holy when they were used in the Tabernacle or the Temple. Utensils and pots are even called holy. When these inanimate objects are separated, they are made holy. Something or someone is holy when they are completely devoted to God.
1.2 Baseballs
Think of snagging a baseball at a Major League game. You catch a foul ball or, even better yet, you somehow get your hands on the ball that Nolan Ryan threw for his last out for his seventh no-hitter at the age of forty-four. On May 1, 1991, Ryan struck out the future Hall of Famer Robert Alomar for the last out. And somehow, someway, you get that ball. You have locked that ball away in a safe and secure place. Can you imagine turning around and using this same ball for a game of catch in the backyard? No, you would withhold this ball from ordinary use.
Again, think of holiness as two sides of a coin. On side #1: to be holy means to be separated from sin. On side #2: it also means being separated for God. Things are holy by setting them apart from ordinary use and dedicating them to God.
1.3 The Lord Reigns
Look with me at verse 1: “The LORD reigns; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake! (Psalm 99:1).
Believers are to move around this world knowing our God reigns. The kingship of God is celebrated all the way from Psalm 93 to Psalm 100, with the only exception being Psalm 94. If you’ve ever had a terrible boss, a miserable teacher, or a terrible manager, you know how important great character is when it comes to leaders. Rejoice and celebrate with me that the God of the universe is holy and He reigns with rivals.
1.3.1 Coins of the Roman Caesars
In New Testament times, the Roman Caesars produced coins on which were written the words “Our lord and god” written in Latin, referring, of course, to Caesar himself. But the early believers knew this was blasphemy. They know and we know that “The LORD reigns!”
1.3.2 The Top Priority
If I were to ask many of you what the top priority of a believer is, I imagine I would receive a bunch of different answers. Some might say the “family,” and others might say “evangelism.” Yet, Jesus taught us to pray like this: “Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name’” (Matthew 6:6). God said the first thing you pray for is to keep God’s name holy in your life. There’s a reason why God is called the “Holy One of Israel” over and over again in the Bible.
1.3.2 Cherubim
In verse 1, look at this beautiful picture the Bible offers us when it says God “sits enthroned upon the cherubim.” What does that mean? The cherubim act like the guardians of God’s holiness.3 Just a reminder: Cherubim are many angels, while cherub is one such angel.
1.3.2.1 What Do You Picture?
What do you picture in your mind when I say “cherubim”? These are dimpled darlings you’ve seen pictured for you. The Bible pictures cherubim as having a human likeness but also with wings. They are mentioned ninety times in the Old Testament.
God stationed cherubim outside the Garden of Eden along with a flaming sword to keep humans out of perfection after the fall (Genesis 3:24). If you’re going to guard the most precious piece of real estate on earth, would you place dimpled darlings at the guard posts? You’re place a battalion of Army Rangers or Navy Seals.
1.3.2.2 Ezekiel and Cherubim
The prophet Ezekiel pictured the cherubim having four wings, faces, and arms. Ezekiel said they moved around like a human; they stood up erect (Ezekiel 1:5-14). In Ezekiel 10, cherubim are depicted spreading burning coals over a city, delivering God’s judgment (Ezekiel 10:2, 7). Again, they acted like the guardians of God’s holiness.
1.3.2.3 Cherubim in the Tabernacle and the Temple
God instructed the tabernacle to be built in the early pages of the Bible. This structure was to be THE place where people met God. So, we know it’s important, and every part of it was important. God commanded the ark of the covenant to have the wings of the cherubim, and the curtains of the tabernacle had images of cherubim woven into the fabric (Exodus 26:1). Later, when God commanded the Temple to be built, cherubim were again featured at the center (1 Kings 6:23-28). If you were to enter the Holy of Holies, you’d encounter huge pictures of cherubim with their wings touching one wall and then the other wall and then touching in the middle, and under it, the ark of the covenant. Like dark clouds tell you a thunderstorm is coming, so the cherubim tell you that you are getting close to the presence of God Himself.
The cherubim go hand in hand with the presence of God and His throne. These are NOT cupid-like creatures that you make warm on the inside. Instead, they are fierce creatures that evoke terror. One more time, they act like the guardians of God’s holiness. Verse 1 says God sits enthroned with the Cherubim surrounding Him.
1.4 In Class All By Himself
Again, Psalm 99 calls God holy three times. Because He is holy, verse 3 says I am to praise His great and awesome name. Because He is holy, verse 5 says I am to exalt God and to worship at His footstool. Because He is holy, verse 9 says I am to worship at His holy mountain.
God is utterly unique and in a class by Himself. No one compares to God. Psalm 99 pictures Him as sitting enthroned with a footstool. Psalm 99 says God is holy, He is mighty, and He loves justice (verses 3 and 4). We are to tremble and shake before Him (verse 1).
1.5 LDS View of God
In contrast, our LDS friends believe as God once was, so we will be. Joseph Smith, founder and chief prophet of Mormonism, asserts:
“God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! . . . I am going to tell you how God came to be God. We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute this idea, and take away the veil, so that you may see. . . Here, then, is eternal life-to know the only wise and true God; and you have got to learn how to be gods yourselves, and be kings and priests to God, the same as all gods have done before you, namely, by going from one small degree to another, and from a small capacity to a great one… The Father has a body of flesh and bone as tangible as man’s…”4
No, no, no, and a thousand times no! This is not the God of the Bible. We must keep our view of God elevated. We cannot lower our view of God like our LDS friends do.
1.6 Holy Holy Holy
Psalm 99 makes you think of the exalted picture of God in Isaiah 6: “And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!’” (Isaiah 6:3).
The Bible uses the word “holy” to describe God more than any other word in all of the Old Testament. In fact, the word “holy” is used to describe God more than all the other descriptions combined.5 In the Hebrew language, the way something is emphasized is to repeat it. For example, in Hebrew, if you want to say something is pure gold, you would say, “gold gold.”6 So, when the prophet tells us He is holy, holy, holy, he’s telling us that God isn’t just superlative but He is super superlative. When something is repeated three times, it is the peak of the pyramid. No other description of God is repeated three times. The Bible doesn’t say God is Power, Power, Power. It doesn’t say He is Smart, Smart, Smart. It doesn’t even say He is Love, Love, Love. It only says He is Holy, Holy, Holy.7
Holiness isn’t something that God has, but holy is what He is. The word holy has concentric circles of meaning. At its heart, when the word holy applies to God, it is almost an adjective for God. It is almost a way of saying, “God alone is God. There is no other.”8
God is off the scale. He alone is holy. God is infinitely above and beyond us, so He is not at the top end of the scale of power. He is not at the top end of the scale of love. He’s off the scale! He is not at the top end of the scale of wisdom. He is infinitely exalted above us, off the scale. God is holy, and He alone is God.
1. Elevate God for He is Holy
2. Emulate God for He is Holy
“In the pillar of the cloud he spoke to them; they kept his testimonies and the statute that he gave them. 8 O LORD our God, you answered them; you were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrongdoings” (Psalm 99:7-8).
Not only is God holy, but God’s people are to be holy. God’s holiness is our pattern. As God is holy, His people are to be holy too. Jesus taught us this: “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). As God is holy, His people are to be holy too.
2.1 Moses, Aaron, and Samuel
The Bible mentions three heroes of the faith in verse 6: Moses, Aaron, and Samuel: “Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel also was among those who called upon his name. They called to the LORD, and he answered them” (Psalm 99:6).
You’ll know these three names with even a surface-level knowledge of the Bible. These three are in God’s Hall of Fame, His Cooperstown for baseball fans. The “pillar of the cloud” in verse 7 points directly to the experience of Moses and Aaron (Exodus 33:9). The Bible says they were obedient to God, yet they still needed forgiveness.
2.2 Our Pattern
God’s holiness is our pattern.
The Holiness of God is the pattern for God’s people to imitate.
I count four times the Bible says, “You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy” (Leviticus 19:2b). As God is holy, His people are to be holy too. God’s holiness is our pattern. Too often, we are anything but holy.
2.2.1 Pastors Scandal
In September of last year, at least 8 pastors stepped down from megachurches in the DFW area. Most of these had to do with sexual failures, including prominent Robert Morris in our backyard. The Dallas Morning News estimated that those 8 men impacted some 50,000 churchgoers.9 The article referred to it as the “metroplex misery.”
2.2.2 Pastor and Non-Believer
A pastor spoke to a non-believer and asked the young man a candid question, “What could a pastor do to make the greatest impact on people like him?” Without even blinking, he said, “Be real.” In other words, don't be a counterfeit. If you are a child of God, you want to look like a child of God and act like a child of God. As God is holy, His people are to be holy too.
2.2.3 Susan B Anthony
When I was a kid, they produced something called the Susan B Anthony dollar. Susan B. Anthony coin was a dollar in the form of a coin, and though everyone thought it would be the latest rage in carrying money, it only lasted for three years. I remember people wrapping these in coin in scotch tape so they would feel different to the touch.
When research was done by the government to figure out why it never caught on, here is what they discovered. The dollar looked too much like a quarter, and people didn’t like all of the confusion. In the public's mind, a dollar needed to look like it was worth a dollar, not twenty-five cents. It reminds me of what Yogi Berra said one time, “A dime is not worth a nickel anymore.” Remember what the non-believer said to the pastor, “Be real.” As God is holy, His people are to be holy too. God’s holiness is our pattern.
2.2.4 Wrongly Arrested (Optional)
A man was being tailgated by a stressed-out woman driver right here in NRH. Suddenly, the light turned yellow just in front of him, and he did the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk, even though he could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection. This woman, who was right on his tail, blew a gasket, began to scream at the man, honked her horn, and gave the man an obscene gesture. As she was still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on the window and looked up into the face of a police officer. The officer ordered her to get out of her car with her hands up. He handcuffed her, took her to the police station, where she was searched, fingerprinted, photographed, and placed in a holding cell. After a couple of hours, a policeman approached the cell and opened the door. She was escorted back to the booking desk, where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal effects. The officer said, “I am so very sorry for this mistake.” She asked the officer, “Why did you arrest me?” He said, “Ma’am, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping off the guy in front of you, and cussing a blue streak at him. I noticed a ‘What would Jesus do?’ bumper-sticker, the one ‘choose life’ license plate holder, the cross hanging around your rearview mirror, and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on your trunk, and I just assumed you had stolen the car!” Again, God’s holiness is the pattern God’s people are to emulate.
2.3 Love for Holiness
There’s something that happens in the heart of a genuine believer. The Holy Spirit puts in you a love for holiness. A holy love loves sinners, but it hates sin. It loves homosexuals, but it hates homosexuality. It loves adulterers, but it hates adultery. It loves pornographers, but it hates pornography. It’s not that we are completely free of all sin. But you hate any and all sin, including your own sin (Romans 7:15).
A little four-year-old boy came running out of the bathroom screaming at the top of his lungs, and it turned out he had dropped his toothbrush in the toilet. His father fished the toothbrush out and threw it in the trash, and said, “You understand you can’t use that anymore, because it is dirty.” When she said that, he jumped up and ran out of the room. He came back with his father's toothbrush in his hand. The dad said, “What are you doing with my toothbrush?” The little boy said, “Daddy, we had better throw this one away too, because it fell in the potty yesterday!”10
The Holy Spirit puts in you a love for holiness. There are 6,468 commands in the Bible, and every one of them can be summarized in two words: be holy.
2.2.3 Polls and Believers
Many polls tell us that American “believers” go right along with the mainstream culture when it comes to issues such as divorce, pornography, sex outside of marriage, homosexuality, racism, and materialism. You don’t need a poll to tell you that, you see it everywhere you go. Twenty-first-century American Christianity says you can commit adultery, marry, divorce, remarry, just keep writing your books and pastoring your churches, selling your wares, all the while proclaiming it is all about God's forgiveness.11 The Bible says that without holiness no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14).
2.3 Forgiveness
I love the fact that the Bible says God forgives His children in 8. Jesus died on a cross to forgive us from our sins.
2.4 Three Reasons to Obey
There are three reasons people obey others. A slave has to obey his master. An employee needs to obey his boss. And a son wants to obey his father. If you are a child of God, then you will emulate your Father.12
The cross of Jesus will not only for erase your sin, but it will give you a love for holiness. Be real. Be authentic.
EndNotes
1 Jackie A. Naude, “qdsh,” The New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis, vol. 3, ed. Willem A. VanGemeren (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1997), 877.
2 https://baseballhall.org/discover/inside-pitch/ryan-throws-seventh-no-hitter; accessed June 12, 2025.
3 Alex Motyer, Psalms by the Day: A New Devotional Translation (Christian Focus Publications, 2016), 278.
4 Doctrine and Covenants, 130:22.
5 J. Alec Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction and Commentary (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 77.
6 See 2 Kings 25:15. J. Alec Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction and Commentary (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 77.
7 R. C. Sproul, The Holiness of God. (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1993), 38-39.
8 D. A. Carson, “God as King, ”D. A. Carson Sermon Library. (Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2016).
9 https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2024/09/14/dfws-fallen-pastors-and-those-they-leave-behind/; accessed June 12, 2025.
10 Adapted from https://www.sermonsearch.com/sermon-outlines/62569/wholly-holy/; accessed June 12, 2025.
11 https://www.sermonsearch.com/sermon-outlines/62569/wholly-holy/; accessed June 12, 2025.
12 Adrian Rogers, “Trust and Obedience,” Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive. (Signal Hill, CA: Rogers Family Trust, 2017).
