The HOLINESS of God

 

Isaiah’s vision of God’s Holiness

Isaiah 6:1 ¶ In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.

3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke

5 ¶ Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

 

Isaiah 57:15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

 

Leviticus 11:43 ¶ Ye shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby.

44 For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

45 For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.

 

Leviticus 19:1 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

2 Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy.

3 Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God.

4 Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the LORD your God.

Isaiah refers to God, over and over, as the Holy One.

Revelation 4:1 ¶ After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.

2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.

3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.

4 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.

5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.

7 And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.

8 ¶ And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

9 And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,

10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

 11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

 

How often do you recognize or consider the Holiness of God?

 

Have you seen the Holiness of God?

 

Do you continually give Him glory, honor, and praise?

 

Does God really matter to you?

 

Does the world see the Holiness of God through you?

 

Have you surrendered every area of your life to the lordship of Jesus Christ?

…or is there that one sin that you are not willing to let go?

 

Are you a servant to sin, or a servant of righteousness?

 

Romans 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

 

When we are set free by the blood of Jesus, we are no longer a slave to sin.

 

Sin no longer has power over us!

 

If you are struggling in your walk with God, pray as David prayed:

 

Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

 

A wife came to her husband one day and said, “Is there anything that I do that bothers you?” After relating a few things to her the husband noticed a remarkable effort and change that took place in their relationship.

 

Why was this wife concerned about the things the bothered he husband?

-because she loved her husband and wanted to please him!

 

Is this the kind of love that you have for God?

Are there things in your life that bother Him?

 

Jesus said:

John 14:15 ¶ If ye love me, keep my commandments.

 

Our life and actions are a demonstration of our Love for Christ!

 

If we truly love Christ, we will do what he commands us to do, and it will become natural to us.

 

There are many who want to follow Christ, but they continue to hold onto their sin.

 

They don’t feel good because the Holy Spirit is convicting them.

 

They feel guilty because they know they are not doing what is right.

 

When they are with the followers of Christ, they are miserable because their sin is still with them.

 

Drink illustration

 

-two drinks that I love but don’t mix

 

Love Jesus

Love sin

 

I love you Lord

I love my addictions

 

I love you brother

But I hate that person

 

I love studying your Word

But I keep watching porn

 

They go back and forth between God and their own sin and you have to wonder why they are so miserable.

 

Maybe there is just that one thing that they cannot let go, so they try to mix their sin with God and it becomes absolutely disgusting!

 

Where do you find yourself today?

 

We live in a time where people are more concerned about themselves than they are about who God is.

 

This self-centered thinking has made its way into the church, to where believers are more concerned with what they can receive, by believing in Christ, than they are with obedience to God and bringing Glory to Him.

 

Is it possible to live a life of Holiness?

 

1Peter 1:13 ¶ Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:

15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;

16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:

18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

 

Where is the Focus?

 

Titus 3:3 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.

4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,

5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;

7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

 

On whom is the main focus of this passage?

 

Is it on God, and what he has done, and is doing?

 

Or is it on us, what we have received, and how it benefits us?

 

Too many today live as though Christ is their free ticket out of Hell, and as long as they believe, it doesn’t really matter how they live.

 

Is following Christ really about fulfilling selfish desires?

 

In all reality, is it possible to be a self-centered/self-serving Christian?

 

I believe that as we recognize and understand the Holiness of God, we will no longer desire to serve self, but will reverence and be in awe of His holiness, righteousness, faithfulness, goodness, justice, love, mercy, and power.

 

When we truly meet Jesus and have repented of our sins, our desires change because we are no longer living out of our old nature but have been made partakers of His nature!

 

2Peter 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

 

 

 

 

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