Islington Baptist Church
November 20, 2005
Psalm 99
Scripture reading: Daniel 4
God’s holiness and the call to be like Him
This morning, during our Scripture reading time, we learned about a King named Nebuchadnezzar. Of all of the Kings who have walked the earth, King Nebuchadnezzar was one of the most powerful. As is wont of people in his situation, the power that he thought was his went to his head, with the result that he was filled with pride and an extreme sense of self importance.
As King Nebuchadnezzar related to us in Daniel 4, God taught him a lesson.
By way of review, what big thing did God teach Nebuchadnezzar?
Answer: That he was nothing and that God is the Supreme King over the entire universe
“His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: "What have you done?" Daniel 4:34-35
Today we are going to do a study of Psalm 99. Psalm 99 is part of a group of Psalms that focus on God’s kingship and dominion over this world- with the effect that He works out everything to His own ends (Proverbs 16:4).
With this in mind, the particular emphasis of Psalm 99 is on the holiness of our great King.
Let’s READ the TEXT and then we’ll talk about God’s holiness and the call to be like Him.
LESSONS
I. GOD IS THIS UNIVERSES’ SUPREME AND ONLY RULER.
-He is in control. “The Lord reigns” Psalm 99:1
-this is the message of Psalm 93-99 and Psalm 99, as a whole.
-his Kingdom and rule, while challenged, have never and will never face any serious threat.
-His rule is effortless, for he rules from a seated position.
-None can be compared to him. No earthly king or kingdom can match him in power or exaltation. In fact, before him, all the nations are as a drop in a bucket. In Isaiah 40:15 it says “Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.”
How ought we to respond to this revelation?
1.Bow before Him. Praise Him. Worship Him. Humble ourselves before Him
II. HIS RULE, REIGN, AND ALL OF HIS ACTIVITIES ARE PERFECT IN NATURE AND BEYOND REPROACH BECAUSE HE IS HOLY
Three times in Psalm 99, God is said to be holy.
As some of you may already know, before the throne of God, described in incredible terms in Revelation 4, there are four living creatures whose task, day and night, is never stop saying “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”
The chief attribute of God, according to the Scriptures, is that He is holy.
-To speak of God as holy is to regard him as perfect, morally pure, set apart, unstained by sin
-The holiness of God is more that just a characteristic of His, it defines him. He is Holy in a general sense. The word holy calls attention to all that God is. As such, we are reminded that his love is a holy love, his justice is a holy justice, his mercy is a holy mercy, and his hatred of sin is a holy hatred.
-His reign is perfect because he is holy
-His judgments and decisions and activities in this world are without fault and beyond reproach because he is holy
-He always does what is right and pure, without reluctance, because he is holy.
-Because he is holy, He cannot be tempted by sin
-Because God is holy, he hates sin and never ceases to.
-Because he is holy it is impossible for Him to overlook or excuse any sin we commit.
-All of God’s thoughts and actions are consistent with his holy character.
-the holiness of God guarantees that we can trust him and not be disappointed
How ought we to respond to the holiness of God?
1.Praise Him
2.Trust God in terms of what he is doing/allowing in your life and in the world around you
3.Strive ourselves after holiness (this we will explore in a few minutes)
III. 3 men who understood the holiness of God.
In Psalm 99:6-8 it says “Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel was among those who called on his name; they called on the LORD and he answered them. He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud; they kept his statutes and the decrees he gave them. O LORD our God, you answered them; you were to Israel a forgiving God, though you punished their misdeeds.”
Moses, Aaron, and the prophet Samuel understood the holiness of God. Each of them had a clear vision of the moral perfection and absolute purity of God.
i. As you may remember, Moses first encountered God at the burning bush. At that time God told him to remove his shoes because he was standing on holy ground. On that day God also revealed to Moses, his personal name. Over the years, God often spoke personally and directly to Moses, his glorious presence lighting up Moses face with the result that after meeting with God that Moses would have to cover his face before the people. On Mount Sinai, God met with Moses and before him inscribed the 10 commandments.
ii. Aaron understood the holiness of God. Aaron was the Israel’s first high priest. His responsibility was to represent the people before God, offering on behalf of the people and for himself, sacrifices and offerings for sin and for worship.
iii. Samuel understood the holiness of God. When he was a young boy, his mother dropped him off at the Tabernacle, to be raised by the priest. A few years later, in the middle of the night God personally called out to Samuel and commissioned him (1 Samuel 3). Samuel became on of the nation of Israel’s greatest prophet/priest- speaking the words of God to the people and representing them before God at the same time.
Note what these 3 men had in common
a. All three “called on the name of God.” Meaning that relating to God, in the manner that He prescribed, was their top priority in life. Each one had made a personal commitment to following God as their God.
b. All three knew that obedience to God was the key to carrying on in right relationship to God. V.7. Indeed, holiness and obedience go hand in hand.
In your life have you prioritized knowing God and being obedient to Him?
IV. SINCE GOD IS HOLY WE ARE TO STRIVE TO BE
In 1 Peter 1:14-16, the Apostle Peter writes, “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."
We need to memorize this verse!
God is adamant about holiness for us. God requires holiness in us. As it says in Hebrews 12:14 “Without holiness, no one will see the Lord”
1. Our becoming holy is a process that requires personal discipline. Personal holiness is not instantaneous. It requires work: our work, God’s work. We need to do our part
2. The Holy Spirit is involved in helping us to become holy. In John 14:26 Jesus says to us “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
3. It is possible for us to live a holy life in this unholy world.
Holiness is doable. It’s possible because God has said as much. Consider what the Apostle Paul has said on the subject in Romans 6:6-7 “For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-- 7 because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.”
As we concentrate on living an obedient, holy life, we will experience the joy of victory
4. To be holy we need to break our sinful habits
Swearing, sexual impurity (i.e porn, sex before and outside of marriage, homosexuality), bitterness, lust, pride, not forgiving others, having a critical spirit, gossip, slander, crude speech, temper tantrums, materialism: We need to deal with this stuff. God hates this stuff.
5. Holiness involves learning to hate what God hates
In Proverbs 8:13 it says "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil"
Throughout the Scriptures God speaks of hating a variety of things: injustice, lying lips, wickedness, every false way. Etc.
6. The Bible tells us how to live a holy life
The Word of God is key to making progress in holiness. If you are not a regular reader or listener of the Word of God, you are not going to move forward spiritually.
Commit yourself to the reading, listening, study, memorization, meditation upon, and doing of God’s word. We have no legitimate excuses not to.
7. Holiness is about conformity to the character of God
This is our goal, moved by his love for us expressed in the cross of Christ and by his unwavering hatred of sin.
8. A serious view of the holiness of God will leave us a healthy and necessary sense of dismay regarding our lack of it
9. Holiness is required for fellowship with God, our well being, for our effective service to God, for our assurance of salvation.
10. For inspiration we need to train our eyes on Jesus who lived a perfectly holy life- doing the Father’s will joyfully, willingly, and obediently.
CONCLUSION
God is on the throne ruling and reigning. Praise Him. Trust in Him
He is holy in his person and all that He does
We need to be holy
A good starting place for us is to memorize 1 Peter 1:15 which says “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do.”
Expect opposition from: your own flesh (i.e this past week Friday when I couldn’t find the remote to the video projector), the people of this world, the Devil, and lax Christians
Don’t give in to the pressure to compromise
Remember that this is a big pay out to come for you and I who pursue holiness—We will get to see Him. “Without holiness, no one will see the Lord”
