A Life Centered on the Holiness of God

Introduction

You are entering into a time of life that has a lot of impact on the future of your life. You are in a time of life where you got to believe what you believe, not because mom or dad or the preacher. The one thing that will guide you and keep your path right is understanding the holiness of God. Cling to the holiness of God throughout your life, adults all around you today can testify to the easiness of loosing grip. Adults, some of you today are right now in a season of not clinging to the holiness of God. Some of you have spent a lifetime proclaiming to know the holiness, but have never truly came to know the holiness of God. So while I am talking to the seniors, I am at the same time talking all the way up to the senior adults. Amen’s of rejoicing come often, but how often do we end a service with an amen said through tears because we let God get real with us instead of us hiding behind a man made pseudo holiness.

The world is like the romans and the american church has became like the Pharisees (white washed tombs)

This morning we are looking at Isaiah 6:3.

Isaiah 6:3 (ESV)

And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;

the whole earth is full of his glory!”

The Holiness of God

Holiness is God’s most important attribute. Holiness means to be set apart. Are we able to love, show mercy, show justice, etc. like God? No, God excels in showing all those attributes. We cannot even begin to compare. He is the Creator, we are the creation.

How does this understanding of God’s holiness impact our lifes

Commanding of respect

Two things we all got to do: 1. Die 2. Stand before Jesus

When you stand before you Jesus, you will bow. Either willingly or unwillingly.

If we serve a holy God we should live a holy life.

Often we act as if when we step into these doors we step into the holiness of God, and when we step out these doors we leave the presence.

The sad reality their is many in here that is about true though because many of you do not have a relationship with Christ, and this is the only time of the week you come in contact with the holy. You’re encountering a burning bush and leaving unchanged. Matthew 7:21-23 the fate of many with this mindset.

Who is the Lord?

The word used here in the Hebrew is Yahweh.

Here is what we take away:

What does the name mean? Yahweh has a meaning along the lines of “I will be who I will be”

In other words God will be who He is regardless of what we think or what goes on in this world (economy, wars, etc.)

God is not defined by us, God is defined by God. You don’t set the rules here, God does.

The Jews hold a great reverence for the name of God. A Jew won’t even say Yahweh, instead they say Adonai. Yahweh is the personal name God reveals himself to them by

We have belittled the power of Scripture by our application (in many areas, we have watered down in the name of political correctness) of the third commandment of not using the name of the Lord in vain. We translate it as not saying God’s name with a swear word or by saying OMG. Do you call yourself a Christian? What is the first part to that word? When you go through your week living like the world, but calling yourself a Christian is violating the third commandment.

Lord of Armies

When you look at the Hebrew here the word is more accurately translated armies. “Holy, holy, holy is Yahweh of armies”. Read this passage with the Hebrew in mind not only is this a proclamation of praise, but also a proclamation of war! As the seraphim spoke the foundations shook and smoke came forth.

What are these armies?

Angel Armies, that are uncountable (Hebrews 12:22 & Revelation 5:11)

Believers. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 makes this point very clear.

2 Corinthians 10:3–5 (ESV)

For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

Several of the older hymns do well at capturing this theological principal, especially “The Army of the Lord” by Barney Warren.

Read Chorus to “The Army of the Lord”

Do you realize what a privilege it is to proclaim the Gospel? God did not have to do that, he chose to. What was there to keep him from saying nope y’all are gonna be a hard headed people so I’m just going to let angels fly around proclaiming the gospel.

Some of you are saying if God moved like He did in the Bible I would be more bold. He does but you have hardened your heart to the holiness of God.

Miracles. Jesus still heals. Jesus still delivers from death. Jesus takes souls and takes them from death to life. Jesus has put food in your child's mouth when you did not know how you were going to do it.

I would be more bold if Jesus talked to me like he did to Moses and Abraham. We are able to have an encounter with God just as powerful as the one Moses had at the burning bush. God appearing to Moses at the bush is known as a theophany. Which means a manifestation of God in a physical/visible sense. Let me ask you something what is the Bible? a Theophany. We literally have a burning bush we can take with us everywhere. A burning bush that we can approach at anytime.

Testify of the Glory

“The whole earth is full of his glory”

There isn’t a corner of this earth that God’s glory does not reach. Several things to take from this:

To go with boldness knowing that Yahweh of armies has domain no matter where I go.

Don’t box God in. Do not tr to confine Him within these 4 walls.

All human beings are exposed to the glory of God. Romans 10:14-17 says:

Romans 10:14–17 (ESV)

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Inviting people to Sunday morning church should not be the extent of our evangelism. We need to change our mindset of evangelism from being “you come” to a “we go”.

Closing Statement

“Holy, holy, holy is Yahweh (I will be who I will be) of armies; the whole earth is full of his glory!”

This may be a Senior Recognition service but more importantly it is a Great Commissioning Service.

Psalm 127:4 ESV

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth.