The Greatest - 1- Holy

The goal of the divine pursuit.

Eyes to see

Often conversations about Jesus revolve around the enormity of His sacrifice or great love for us. To draw us back to “spiritual eyes” - I can sometimes talk about the whole salvation story without perceiving that aside from Christ no one could’ve done this… not the most loving one, not the most sacrificial, not the most caring… it took the only unique Son of God (1Jn 5:20) who is also the Son of Man(Daniel 7:13-14), no one like Him.

1 John 5:20 ESV

20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

Daniel 7:13–14 ESV

13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

Isaiah 40:3–5 ESV

3 A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

The Most High

Only in the perceiving of the Holiness of Jesus, we see how set apart He is. The refrains of heaven “Holy, Holy Holy” call us to worship in light of who God is and what Jesus has done for us. This is why Jesus is the greatest of all time. He is the pursuit of every heart (Hag 2:7). He alone is worthy of the name -El-Elyon - God Most High.When Colossians tells us he is before all things and in him all things hold together, Paul is making sure we distinguish the holiness of God from what the world labels sacred or divine.  He is not just one among a pantheon of gods vying for supremacy.

Holy Encounters

He is the One who put all things in motion and all things revolve around Him. This is what sets GOD apart from gods. Pursuing God involves being brought into the Holy of Holies ( The holiest place). When we reach the mercy seat of Christ (The seat of The Presence), it is not a casual thing. What Jesus was purchasing for sinful humanity, was an atonement once for all (Heb 10:4 )so we could meet with God. This is the basis for “be holy for I am holy”. He is calling us into being set apart for His presence. This is the divine pursuit.

Scriptures: Isaiah 6:1-5, Psalm 96:7-9 ,Hag 2:7,  Colossians 1:15-20, Hebrews 1:3, Ephesians 3:16-21, Revelation 21:23, John 8:12, Matthew 4:16, Ephesians 1:17-19, Isaiah 40:28-31, Isaiah 46:9, 1 Jn 5:20

Isaiah 6:1–5 ESV

1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” 4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

Psalm 96:7–9 ESV

7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength! 8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts! 9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!

Genesis 14:17–20 ESV

17 After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) 19 And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

Colossians 1:15–20 ESV

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Philippians 2:9–10 ESV

9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

Revelation 21:23 ESV

23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.

Hebrews 1:3 ESV

3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

Ephesians 3:16–21 ESV

16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Leviticus 10:10–11 ESV

10 You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean, 11 and you are to teach the people of Israel all the statutes that the Lord has spoken to them by Moses.”

Isaiah 40:28–31 ESV

28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. 30 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; 31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Revelation 17:14 ESV

14 They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”